The next day they were free to go, she tried to ask for Cal but since she wasn't related to him in any kind of way, a part from a professional partnership, no one could give her informations. She tried to call him but his phone was turned off. She suddenly remembered throwing his phone at him and leaving it in the car. Awesome, now she couldn't even call him. After begging one of the nurses she finally told her that he had gone home a few hours before. She left, going back to the hotel room the FBI booked for her to take a quick shower. She had also asked for Nick's situation but he had to stay there for a few more days to be sure he was ok. The sure added they would have called her if there were any problems. She also called Flynn, asking if he was ok. He said that everything was fine. He told her how he had learnt to use the bow and was now into archery, admitting he had started it to be able to use a weapon just in case, but it turned out there was no need to.

As she let the water run on her body she couldn't help but thinking about where Cal was. If the FBI had booked her that hotel he might have been there too, it wasn't like the FBI booked two rooms into two different hotels for them. She had two options: knock at every single door in the building or call Crown and ask him. She could always act like she needed to talk with Cal about something work related and tell Crown that he lost his phone. She really couldn't tell him: hey you know, while we were trying to find one of your agents, Cal and I fucked and then I threw his phone at him. Now I really need to talk to him, can you please tell me his room number?

She decided that after all calling Crown was the best option, hoping he wouldn't have asked her too many questions. It looked like he was actually really busy and he only asked her how she was feeling and to let him know about Isaac. She put on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants that someone brought her. She wasn't actually looking really good, but she couldn't make otherwise.

She exited her room, walking on the corridor and heading toward Cal's room. She found herself standing in front of his door, knocking lightly. She didn't want to disturb him, but in her mind she was just trying to find an excuse not to talk to him. She knew they needed to, she had actually been the one who said it in the first place, but now she was unsure. Not about her feelings, she knew she loved him; but it had been a few really hard days. She wasn't still over what happened, maybe she would have never been. She saw herself standing in that room once again, with that guy trying to undress her, then Cal came in, killing everyone and disappearing into the campus once again. She had really thought she had lost him, she still felt the panic flowing in her blood, the fear of loosing him taking over her. He had been an idiot, she could have helped him, but once again he tried to save her. He had always done.

The door suddenly opened and she found herself facing a tired Cal, with messy hair, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. She could see he was wearing noting underneath that hoodie, it was half opened and there was no teeshirt underneath. Maybe he was sleeping and he put on something random to open the door, she couldn't quite tell, but she felt the blush rise to her cheeks.

"I-" she suddenly regretted even going to his room.

She could have waited for them to be back in Boston and have a normal talk at his apartment or waited for her house to be empty and talk there. What if they had started arguing? What if they had raised their voices? What if someone had heard them? They had a long fly to get back to Boston and they would have definitely sat near each other, they couldn't ignore a conversation for long, Nick would have suspected something.

"Please come in" he stepped away form the door, letting her in.

She looked around, the bed was unmade and his bathrobe was on the chair in the corner of the room.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy. I took a quick shower and then slept for awhile, I didn't sleep really well tonight you know" he ran a hand through his messy hair, looking around.

"Sorry for bothering you, I needed to talk to you and you know, your phone is gone" she shouldn't have come.

She knew he didn't sleep easily, he had told her that morning on the train. At the time she didn't know if he was telling the truth but right now he looked a bit exhausted.

"It's fine, don't worry. I own you a talk, I wasn't trying to run away, I was just delivered from the hospital, then I came here and after the shower I kinda fell asleep as soon as I laid on the bed. I haven't even called Crown" he explained, standing in front of her.

"I called him, don't worry" she pointed out and he nodded, both of them not really sure about what to do or say.

"So, I guess I should start talking right?" he said.

"You owe me an explanation Cal, I want the whole truth. But before that, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you. I was really nervous and you didn't deserve it, but I felt like you were the only person I could trust in that whole investigation and when I discovered you had lied to me I just lost it. I'm sorry" she looked down, looking back at it she knew she had overreacted but knowing that the person you trust the most had kept something from you while dealing with a dangerous and risky situation wasn't really what she was looking for at that time.

"You don't have to be sorry. I totally understood your reaction. I should have talked to you about it" he took a deep breath.

She could tell it was actually really hard for him to talk about it. He opened up with her on the train, showing he really trusted and cared about her. Cal had never told her anything about his personal life while they were partners, but neither did she. They had gotten really close after Moldova and that night both their defenses went down on that train, finding themselves in the other person, some comfort, some understanding.

"When I saw him in that corridor, I just couldn't take it. He destroyed my life Emily, I've felt like a monster for years because of him. I was scared, but what made me even more scared was knowing he might have seen you. You've been thought too much, I couldn't let him see you, I can't let anyone hurt you, if something might happen to you I don't know how I would react" he looked down, and she looked at him.

"When I saw you standing there, with that man undressing you, I just lost it. I needed to protect you. I know you're strong enough to protect yourself, I know you would have been strong enough to get over all the tortures they might have done to you. Somehow I can imagine you going through hell but at the first occasion shooting every single guard while you try to escape" he chuckled, and it made her chuckle too.

She was definitely that kind of person, she could literally imagine herself with deep wounds but running around and stopping everyone who got on her path.

"I know I did something stupid, I know I might have gotten myself killed just by killing the first guard... but i couldn't watch, it would have killed me inside" he confessed.

He could see by her eyes that as that guard was undressing her she was uncomfortable, both for the man and for the fact that he was watching her. Her gaze was killing him, he had to save her, she had been through too much, she didn't deserve it. They had gotten close, he got the opportunity to see some of her personal traits, knowing she was still dealing with some hard stuff. He could never forget that night on the train, he knew their relationship would have never been the same after that. He hoped she wanted to continue discovering it with him, but if it wasn't the case she needed to know his feelings too.

"I thought I lost you" her voice suddenly distracted him from his thoughts.

She looked up at him and their eyes met, he could see she was holding back her tears, her eyes were glossy. He tried to say something but he couldn't. He knew he would have hurt her anyway.

"I saw him with a gun, I knew you had only a knife. Then you took a lot to come back and I just-" a sudden sob left her throat, she didn't even notice her tears flowing down her face.

He got closer, softly cupping her face and drying her tears. She felt a shiver run down her spine. It had been only a few days but she already craved his touch, what happened between them would have never seen as a mistake by her, she was still sure of her feelings and not knowing if he was alive hurt her more than she could ever explain.

"I thought he had killed you, I thought you were dead" she breathed out.

"I'm alive, I'm here. I just wanted to fight him, but he got really violent and it was either him or me. I didn't want to, I'm a monster" he let his forehead rest against hers, taking a deep breath too.

"You're not, I understand you, I forgive you, you're not a monster in my eyes, you could never be. If you're a monster I am one too" she cupped his face with both her hands, swiping her thumbs on his cheeks.

He wasn't a monster, she didn't see him as one. He was forced to do what he did, he might have been the one who pulled the trigger but he didn't have control over his mind, it had traumatized him for life. Thinking he was a monster would have meant seeing herself as a monster too.

"You're not a monster" she repeated as she felt his tears run on her hands.

She let their mouths touch in a soft kiss, lingering on his lips for as much as she could. As she stepped back she tried to look into his eyes but they were closed.

"How can you say it?" he whispered.

"Because I love you, you can't love someone you see as a monster, can you?" she asked softly, her lips inches form his.

He looked into her eyes, separating their foreheads. Did she just said again she loved him? How could she still love him after everything that happened? He was sure he had feelings for her that he could clearly describe ad love, it was impossible not to fall in love with such a beautiful and amazing woman like her, but how could she still love him back?

He gently cupped her face, pulling her in for a soft kiss. Letting their lips touch and start moving in synch. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her near, he missed her so much. As the tip of her tongue touched his lip he didn't waste time to open his mouth to her, welcoming her and kissing her deeply. Her arms wrapped instantly around his neck, allowing her body to get closer to his. Her taste was intoxicating, she surrounded all his senses, it was like they were trapped in a bubble and everything around them disappeared as soon as they started kissing. Nothing else exited, just them.

"I love you" she repeated again, whispering on his lips.

They both could taste their tears on each other's lips, they didn't really know which one of them was still crying or why, but they both were too emotional. It had been a rough day, even a rough week. They were constantly under pressure to find Nick, then the train ride, what happened between them, then him hiding a part of the story from her... and what happened at the camp. They both were too worried to loose each other that made them realize how much they cared; how much they couldn't imagine their lives without the other one. Being in such a dangerous situation and being apart, somehow, made them even closer.

A soft moan left her throat and she moved her hands, starting to play with his hoodie's zip. As she managed to pull it a bit down she let her hands find his naked chest, running her fingers on his skin. Her touch sent shivers down his spine, the memory of her hands on his body that night was still vivid in his mind, in his dreams, in his hopes. He remembered the feeling of her straddling him out of the blue, when she softly ran her fingers underneath his chin, her touch, her eyes never leaving his and finally her kiss. A kiss that had turned into deeper ones, like the ones that were happening now. He had let his instinct take over him that night, she had started a slow rhythm but he wanted her too much; thinking back at that moment it might have been his only regret, to not have taken time to discover every single part of her body and have taken it slowly. He knew she didn't regret it, she had been quite explicit about it. She had fallen asleep on his chest, telling him she was feeling amazing.

She managed unzip his hoodie completely, running her hands up his chest and on his arms to help him remove it. Her heart was racing and she could feel his was too underneath her hands. She took both his hands in hers, leading him toward the bed. As her legs touched the mattress she kissed him again, putting both his hands on her hips, like she did that night on the train.

She kissed him again, letting her tongue enter his mouth. What started as a slow dance of their tongues soon became once again a battle for dominance that no one of them was willing to loose. His hans got under her t-shirt, touching her naked back. A deep moan left her throat and she grind against him, biting his lip; he moved his hands to the hem of her shirt, removing it and throwing it somewhere in the room. Their naked chests touched and he run a hand on her back, down her ass, palming it and giving it a light squeeze. A loud and yet frustrated moan left her throat and she suddenly turned him around, pushing slightly on his chest to make him sit on the bed. She straddled his body, searching again for his lips, savoring his taste. She soon felt her back hit the mattress, opening the eyes she saw Cal on top of her, removing some of her hair from her face before attaching his lips to her neck, making her moan,making her run her hands on his naked back. He started a slow path of kisses down her body that made it impossible for her not to pant as he kept going.

"Cal please" it came out as a whisper from her lips but his name was loud in his ears.

He removed the last pieces of clothes left between them, looking into her hazel eyes, searching for any know of uncertainty. She nodded slowly, looking back at him.

"I love you" she whispered on his lips, wrapping her legs around his lower back.

"I love you too" he looked into her hazel eyes, seeking her lips for a soft and tender kiss.

Soon the room got filled with the soft sound of their lovemaking. Their eyes never left each other, like their first night together. It wasn't something usual to do with someone you hadn't reached a certain level of intimacy yet, but it felt right. It could have been the fact that they had been partners for a year, that they shared multiple near death experiences together, that looking into his eyes had been a sort of calming technique she had used whenever she panicked. Unluckily he had shaved his beard so she couldn't really run her hands through it while cupping his face anymore.

They both soon reached the moment of maximum pleasure together, muffling their screams with deep kisses, wrapping themselves in a tight embrace until their heartbeats slowed down. She found herself looking at the ceiling, running her hands through his hair while his head was laying on her chest. He could feel her heart beating fast, it felt like he was surrounded by her. He could breath her in, feel the softness of her skin underneath his hands, her fingers through his hair. He couldn't help but wonder if she had felt the same that night on the train, when she had cuddled naked on his chest for a few minutes, when they were still panting but couldn't help but leave small kisses on each other's lips, they just couldn't seem to be able to part.

"Don't ever do this to me again" she suddenly whispered, breaking the silence.

"Was it that bad?" he joked, faking to be shocked and it made her chuckle.

"I was scared. I'm your partner, we're a team, if you need to do anything please let me have your back next time" her hands were now drawing random patterns on his naked back, lingering softly on his scar.

"I will. I'm sorry, for everything, I shouldn't have kept something from you" he apologized, leaving a soft and light kiss on her neck.

"That morning when I woke up, you haven't heard me but I told you I loved you. Then you woke up and you asked for the files, I thought you had slept with me just to get them" she admitted, and she couldn't help a single tear form flowing down her face.

He raised his head, looking into her teary eyes. He got closer, leaving a tender kiss on her lips. He rolled them over, making her land on top of him. His hands landed on her hips as he kissed her deeper, their bodies still as close as they could have been.

"I heard you, I'm sorry. I was scared. I thought that if you would have discovered everything about my past you might have changed idea. I love you, I would have never let with you just for that, I didn't really cared that much about those files except from the part that could have been useful to find Nick. I hope you will never have any reason to doubt about me ever again. I'm so sorry. I promise I will never get myself in any kind of dangerous situation without you again" he admitted as he softly stroke her cheek and she leaned onto his touch.

"I will never change my idea about you. We're partners, I'm here for you" she said smiling.

"Just at work?" he asked and she felt her cheeks turning red.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking down on his chest.

"I think it would be great if we could continue this when we get back to Boston too. I don't know if you wanna come back at the bureau but, I would definitely like to have you in my life at the end of the day" he smiled and she left a small kiss on his lips.

"So we're dating?" she asked.

"I thought we had already skipped the dating part" he said confused, in his head he was already calling her his girlfriend.

"You've never asked me out! We never went out to dinner!" she answered smiling.

"We had dinner on the train" he pointed out.

"That doesn't count!" she answered back.

"Ok we're gonna go out for a dinner, but no dating part, you're already mine" he pointed out, wrapping both his arms around her waist and kissing her again.

"Ok sounds like a plan" she answered leaning her head on his naked chest again.

"Are you staying for a while?" he asked, caressing her bare back.

"I'm not going anywhere" she answered closing her eyes and breathing him in.

He wasn't a monster, and neither was she in his eyes. They were just two people that had once been broken and now they were just trying to put the pieces back at their original place. Together.

-The End-