When she looked at her watch to check the time, Foster couldn't help but be surprised seeing it was barely 7pm. Between the school's case and whatever had been going on with Cal, including the botched intervention in his office, she felt like that day was never going to end. Yet, she had filed away the last bit of paperwork, checked the calendar for the day after and prepared a couple of notes for the first meeting on schedule and it was still a reasonable hour. She wasn't going to ruin that surprise by staying further and starting on something else, it had been a long day after all and while she powered off the laptop she was already thinking about which wine would have kept her company in the bathtub after dinner.

"Hold that thought."

Cal's voice came into the room unexpectedly. She looked up and found him on the door, hands in his pockets and some kind of smile on his face. It was the mischievous grin he had sometimes when he caught her thinking about stuff she wouldn't want him to know about, nor the serious expression he had pretty much patented when it came to seeing things she didn't want herself to deal with. It was just a small smile, likely happiness and relief she was still there.

"About what wine I am going to drink tonight?" She shrugged and chuckled, seeing her burst of honesty caught him off guard. "Any suggestions?"

"Hard to tell without knowing what it would go with." He stepped inside the room, still smiling serenely. "Wanna grab a bite?" Foster was taken aback by his request, she didn't even try to hide it because she knew she had good reasons for it but he still rolled his eyes at her. "Why so surprised, love?"

"I just thought…the mood you were in when you left, I figured you'd gone home long ago."

"Oh you thought that circus act upset me or something?" Cal chuckled pointing behind him with his hand as if to recall the events of the afternoon. "Nah darling, that was entertaining! I should actually thank you for that, it was fun!"

Foster shook her head and sighed, knowing he was going to hammer on that point for a long time and her expenses even more so since they've cleared the air on it. She gave him an annoyed look, no need to hide anything there and he grinned back, all smug and satisfied whim himself, then she picked up her bag and walked around the desk standing in front of him.

"That is what I get for trying to help you?"

"And dinner," he clarified cheerfully.

"Oh, so you're buying?"

"If you don't take forever to decide, I'll even let you choose the place."

Right in front of him, Foster feigned flattery and shock at the generous offer, milking the sense of guilt she could see creeping up in his face. She was spot on of course, it wouldn't have been a true Lightman-Foster interaction without a bit of banter and some call-outs, and if he felt like joking about what had happened she was well entitled to do the same. Still, to her amazement Foster saw him avert his eyes for a second, looking at the floor and shuffling his feet like an apologetic boy.

"That intervention…terrible idea, granted, but it came from the right place." He looked at her, steady eyes and a hint of smile. "And I haven't eaten anything all day, being busy getting fake shots and all that."

Sometimes, many times, Foster hated herself for falling for that way he had of saying things without saying them, especially when it came to using the words "thank you". It would have been so much easier, not just for her, to speak up every now and then. However, she was willing to overlook her own doubts that evening. Cal had already opened up to her about Terry and their friendship, and his last comment raised a red flag in her head as she realised, fake shooting or not, that he had been through a crappy day himself.

"Alright," she said then before he could see she had seen something. "Let's go, I am starving."

To his surprise, she didn't choose one of her favourite places or cuisines, nor took advantage of his offer to try some crazy expensive restaurant she normally wouldn't go to. They had taken their respective cars from the office and she had told him to follow her, and Cal almost thought she had gotten lost when he parked next to her in front of a place called 'The fox and hound'.

"What kind of a place is this?" He asked, scrutinising the foggy window and deem lights.

"It's a gastro-pub," Foster answered without missing a bit, heading for the entrance.

"You took a British guy to a pub?" She nodded with a grin and he groaned loudly. "Are you making fun of me?"

"You said chose the place Cal, and I made my choice."

"Have you ever been to a pub? I mean, a real one?"

She was getting frustrated now, he could tell. What he couldn't tell was why he was making such a big deal about it himself, or perhaps he was simply confused as to why she had taken him to a place where people mostly drank when they were supposed to get dinner. Then Foster walked back to him and behind, placing her hands on his back and gently pushing him towards the entrance to the pub.

"It's a gastro-pub, Cal," she noted again. "I am pretty sure it means they'll have food."

"Well as long as they have beer…"

Eventually he stopped making a fuss and when she stepped next to him he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As they approached the entrance, he had to admit the sensory checklist of a traditional British pub easily came to his mind. The smell of cigarettes on the outside where smokers were shamed to display their vice, the whifs of draught beer escaping every time someone opened the door mixed in with the assorted aroma of spirits, the noisy chattering of people occasionally interrupted by a loud laugh. Yeah, he could probably live with that.

Like many pubs on the other side of the pond, the place was much bigger and brighter on the inside, and less busy than what the cars in the parking lot would have suggested. Foster said she was going to find a table while Cal offered to get the first round of drinks, and a few minutes later he found her at a round separe in the corner, nestling comfortably on the padded seat. He didn't know why he had thought she might feel out of place there, Gillian Foster was hardly uneasy anywhere. And judging by the natural way she leaned back on the seat with the glass of beer he had brought for her, taking the first sip with confidence, he didn't need to worry about a thing.

A bit short, but this was the best way to stop. Second part up soon, feel free to let me know what you think!