What to say? We made it.

It was one hell of a journey and I hope you enjoyed it, what with all the drama and tough things I put them through.

Thank you to Mary, Just and Eteri, a Holy Trinity of sorts (Eteri, we miss you!)

And of course, thanks to Bunpath, Eri Fairechild, Kathleen O'Neil, CookieSprinkles, kathyde, Tori, Yodarth, NicAlenaV, Alidifarfalla, yle.3, Tonia and all the guests.

I hope to see you all in the next one!


Emily must have been paying more attention to their outbursts of intimacy than what they had thought, because the day after Cal said goodbye to the cast and saw his right ankle again she let him know that she was taking a break from her study marathon and going out for a movie with some friends. She announced all of that to him at breakfast, casual and matter of fact, adding that she was going to have a sleepover at Janine's house before leaving the room and letting the information sink in. For a moment, Cal had to accept the fact that his teenage daughter was making plans of her own so that he could spend time with his girlfriend without any distraction, but after a few seconds he had grabbed the phone to share the news with Gillian. However, he had changed his mind while the phone was ringing, thinking that a bit of a surprise would have been more appropriate.

A few hours later, when Gillian arrived home a little earlier than usual, she was indeed surprised to see Emily getting ready to leave, but also confused by the grin the young girl gave her on the way out.

"What was that?" Gillian asked then as she went into the living room, where Cal was sitting on the couch with his legs on the coffee table. "And what is that?"

The second question sounded a bit more concerned, which made sense since she was pointing at the ice pack wrapped around his right ankle. Gillian immediately dropped her coat and bag on the floor, elegantly rushing over to sit next to him and lift the ice pack, and he smirked.

"That was Emily finally getting a life again," he explained, then he leaned closer and wrapped his arm around her. "And this," he took the ice pack from her hand and tossed it away, "was just a ruse to get you close enough so I could do this."

His voice was hoarse, charged with the kind of passionate need it usually took them a little time to build up. Then he went straight for her neck with his mouth, with none of the usual slow approach they had become used to, his body gently but decisely pushing on hers as he pulled her closer. When he moved to her mouth to kiss her Gillian responded immediately, feeling his urgency and finding it somewhat new. So far they had been easily carried away but always with some kind of handbrake on, but that evening there was nothing of the sort in the way Cal was kissing her, in the way his hands nearly immediately went under the fabric of her top setting her skin on fire. She didn't question the change of pace, the way he was all over her already she couldn't think straight anyway, and instead went with it. She kissed back, forcing her tongue in his mouth, her hands too going under his t-shirt and surfing his chest with her fingers gripping at his skin.

Then Cal's hand came out from under her top and went for her leg, gracefully sliding up on her soft skin from her ankle to her knee, finding its way under her skirt. The contact sent a shiver down her spine, feeling no longer just a simple promise but only as an appetiser. She had expected things to get a bit more intense once the cast was gone, but the change of pace was still unexpected.

"Cal," she never stopped kissing, never stopped touching him as she tried to speak. "Emly-"

"Out for the night," he replied with the same ragged voice, the hand on her leg now turning on the inside and moving further. "The entire night, back tomorrow."

He didn't need to say much else, but as far as Gillian was concerned he could carry on doing whatever the hell he wanted. She knew he wouldn't have initiated anything with such force if his ankle or anything else was still bothering him, and that was all she needed to know. Before either of that knew it, Gillian moved and swung his legs across him sitting on his lap. Cal groaned, everything about that move sending shots of pleasure - no longer pain, only pleasure - through his body. His hands went to her hips, seizing there to pull her down on his fast growing erection, his fingertips reaching for the round flesh or her ass. Gillian seemed determined to maintain the initiative, moving on top of him to increase the friction and pushing herself up to him, nearly shoving her breasts in his face. He had no complaints, only that there were still too many layers of clothing between his mouth and her breasts, and overall between them in general. She seemed to think the same because her hands gripped the hems of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, scanning his chest with hungry eyes even though that wasn't the first time she had seen it. The difference, of course, being that this time there was going to be no stopping her from doing to him all the things she had thought about doing.

The next thing to go was her blouse; Cal frantically undid the buttons and Gillian took it off herself while his mouth attacked the round flesh through the bra, his fingers fidgeting with the hook in the back to get rid of it. They were breathing heavily and panting loudly, their bodies moving in unison as if they had done it a thousand times already. Somehow they had, in fantasies and open-eyes dreams they had already confessed to each other thinking it would make the wait easier, and everything was falling into place with intoxicating ease and understanding, moving at a speed even faster that what they had imagined.

"Gill-" He started but had to stop when her hand snuck in between their bodies and stroked him through the painful constriction of his pants. "Gill, wait."

"Not funny Cal," she chuckled while sucking his bottom lip, her hands starting to undo the belt and buttons.

"No love, I- Oh God!" He lost his breath for a moment when her hand wrapped around him, the skin on skin contact sending coloured flashes to his brain as she stroked his length. "Bloody hell woman!"

Going against every cell of his body, Cal somehow found the strength to hold her and gently pushed her away a bit, just enough so that she could see his face and how serious he was. Her face was red and flushed, her eyes widened with arousal and she was short of breath; all in all she looked like a wild animal and he was a prey she could satisfy her hunger with, and as intoxicating as that was there was something he needed her to know. So he smiled, first thing first to let her know he had no intention to stop, and held her face in his hands stroking gently before pulling her down for a soft kiss.

"I haven't waited this long to have my first time with you on my bloody couch," he whispered then, and her face immediately melted in an understanding expression that was as powerful as anything else they had been doing until then.

Gillian kept smiling and leaned down for another kiss, slow and soft like his one had been, then reluctantly pulled away and stood up. That whole manoeuvre came out a little odd, what with them half-undressed and the rest of the clothes they still had on hanging loose and undone, but they didn't care. Cal stood up and smirked when she chuckled at his limp, knowing it wasn't due to any pain or bad ankle anymore, then he took her hand and started heading upstairs. They made it about five steps before the desire to touch each other overcame them again, after all they were both bare-chested and way beyond the point of taking it slow. Gillian was slightly behind and was staring at his back, which much like his chest looked like a blank canvas to her, only made of deceivingly toned muscles. She couldn't resist, every time they had touched over the past weeks she had felt the subtle power of his body, and even before that every time they had hugged over the years she hadn't failed to notice how strong his body felt wrapped around her. Gilian pulled her hand away from his and grabbed his shoulders with both, turning him around and pushing him into the wall before pressing against him, her hands roaming all over his chest soon followed by her mouth. Despite his previous words, Cal didn't seem in a rush to put a stop to that and instead put one hand on the back of her head, silently guiding her where he wanted for a while before she climbed up to his neck and then his mouth.

They kissed for a little while longer, somehow managing not to remove any more clothing, and eventually Gillian pulled away again. She was the one resuming their ascent to the bedroom, with no more stops, but the moment they entered his bedroom Cal returned the earlier favour and pinned her against the wall. Where she had been gentle, he went the opposite direction, forcing his body on hers and immediately groping her ass with both hands, pushing his half free erection into her. One again, Gillian's instinctive reaction left no room for misunderstanding as she too grabbed his butt cheeks and pulled him even closer, lifting her right leg to wrap it around him in a locking position.

This time it was his hand travelling in between their bodies, smoothly sneaking inside her skirt and underwear. What his fingers found there made him groan loudly, his mouth pressed to her neck, and he immediately started to apply a fast paced pressure with his fingers . Soon, Gillian was lost in his ministrations and moaning increasingly loudly, which in return made him space out and being overtaken by his own actions. Which led Gillian, with the last strain of rationality in her possession fading away, to share a request of her own before it was too late.

"Cal." The way she said his name nearly sent him over the edge, choked by the pleasure he was giving her. "Wait." Somehow he did manage to stop, knowing he had probably sounded the same way she did when he had stopped them before, and looked right into her eyes eagerly awaiting for her explanation. "I want this to be our first time together. Really together."

Cal's smile blossomed on his face, sweet and for a moment forgetful of the lust that had been driving him till then. What she meant, what she was asking, was something that took his breath away and made his heart stop at the very thought of it. And he was more than willing to comply.

From then on, things slowed down and moved at a much sweeter pace, taking their bloody time with it. They kept kissing, savouring each other as they took care of the remaining garments, until there was only a pile of discarded clothes on the floor and their naked bodies wrapped together, oddly dancing to get to the bed. Once they hit the mattress there was no more waiting nor request, only the most passionate and overwhelming love making either of them had ever experienced.


Hours later, at least judging by the night lights outside the window, Cal woke up with a satisfied sigh and rolled on his side. He was expecting his arm, his whole body really, to grab hold of Gillian sleeping next to him and was extremely disappointed when his hand flopped on the empty mattress instead. He immediately propped up on his elbows and took a good look at the half empty bed next to him, panicking for a moment and thinking that the amazing experience had only been in his head, then relaxing when he spotted the feminine clothing on the floor, and caught a whiff of her scent in the pillow. Cal sighed, relieved beyond reasons, but then he also realised he wasn't entirely ok with the fact that she wasn't there.

He got out of bed and grabbed his pyjama pants, then checked the alarm on the nightstand and saw it was nearly midnight. They had skipped dinner and he didn't care, once they had started there had been no way of stopping until they'd gotten what they needed…twice, and he seriously hoped the kitchen was where he would find her, perhaps having a late night snack.

She was there alright, wearing his bathrobe, but she wasn't eating. Gillian was standing by the window, looking outside with a glass of water in her hand and an empty expression on her face that suggested she hadn't touched the liquid yet. He could see her hair was wet and wondered how the hell he had slept through her waking up, leaving him alone and going to get a shower. Cal approached carefully, even though he was sure she had already heard him coming he didn't want to come too close in case she didn't want him to. He dared to think Gillian didn't have any regret about them finally getting their relationship to the physical level, but he knew why she had taken a little longer than him to accept they couldn't hold back their deepest feelings anymore and he didn't like that nightly retreat.

He took another step and she glanced at him briefly before going back to watch outside the window, and since she didn't give any sign of wanting to be left alone Cal came closer. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder and inhaling the outrageous mix of her natural scent with his own shower gel, a chimera of smells that was nearly intoxicating. He didn't say anything, not yet, instead waiting to feel how her body would react and glad to feel her body relax in his arms, leaning into his embrace without any sign of doubt or discomfort.

Then Cal waited, for as long as she needed, simply holding her and looking outside the window with her, wondering what could be so inspiring in their two cars parked outside in his driveway.

"I wasn't trying to make a run for it," she said then after a while, feeling like she owed him an explanation.

"Didn't think so, love," he whispered back, his mouth close to her ear. "Your clothes are scattered all over the place, and I am holding your panties hostage."

The way she rolled her eyes at him but then chuckled softly was a major relief for Cal, who knew he had pushed a bit with that line but was glad to see it wasn't scaring her away. Things got even better when she finally took a sip of water then put down the glass, bringing up her hand to touch his face. Cal gave her some more time, but where some of her interaction with him was reassuring her overall silent demeanour was getting a little too heavy for him.

"I'm not trying to read you Gill, certainly not tonight. You know I struggle with it anyway, but I can't ignore that something is going on." He spoke softly, and Gillian could feel the guilt in his voice and the regret for bringing that up. "I don't know what it is, but I don't think it has to do with us. You were there for me when I needed you, let me be here for you, Gillian."

When Gillian started to turn around, Cal panicked. He had ruined it, on the most beautiful night of his life he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut and he had already destroyed their relationship. But then she glanced at him briefly, flashing a smile of gratitude and a look of pure love and admiration before resting her forehead on his chest, her arms clenching around his back and squeezing tight. Cal felt her tremble, shake when he put his hands on her shoulder and returned the hug, being gentle and comforting where she was forceful and desperate, carefully placing one hand on the back of her head.

"Please, Gill," he begged, there was no other way to describe his voice. "Don't leave me out of this."

"I killed Warton." Her face was buried in their embrace and she was looking down, unable to meet his gaze, but he heard her loud and clear. "You got to the gun first, you shot him twice. He fell down immediately, he looked dead. You were in pain, once the adrenaline went you just collapsed and lost consciousness. I was with you, I was calling for help and trying to get someone's attention…and then Warton moved." Cal's body twitched around her, a million things going through his mind, but he managed to keep himself under control knowing that moment wasn't about him. "I didn't think he could do much, he was hurt and bleeding…but he kept moving, he was standing up again and I didn't-" Her voice broke but she didn't move, safe for her hands moving to his chest and her nails gripping his skin. "I took the gun and I shot him. I took my time with it, Cal, I took aim and I shot him." She took a deep breath, the weight of her confession making everything difficult. "I killed him, Cal. It was me."

Cal didn't know what to say. Not for lack of options, because there were about a million things going through his mind then. How had he failed to notice something like that was weighing on her? Or worse, had he seen something was wrong and simply put it down to her struggling with the circumstances under which their love had finally come to the surface? Had she kept that to herself for so long because she didn't want her own trauma to interfere with his recovery?

"Why didn't you tell me before?'' In the end, it seemed the easiest thing to ask even though he didn't see any answer he would have liked.

"Because I don't feel bad about it, Cal." Gillian pulled back from him but looked up, revealing tears that had been streaming silently from her eyes. "I don't feel guilty, I don't regret doing it…and I'm afraid of what this says about me."

"I know what it says, love." Cal cupped her face in his hands, her eyes boring into her with disarming intensity. "That you are a strong woman who can take care of herself, and will do anything for the people she loves. It says that you are human, on so many levels. It was human to want him dead and not to feel bad about it, as much as it is human to question yourself for not having negative feelings about doing it."

"I wasn't going to let him hurt you again Cal."

"I know, and I wasn't going to let him hurt you either. When I saw him attacking you again I-" His voice broke too, with rage and the horror of the memory. "I don't know if it can make you feel any better but I was bloody happy to know I killed him, same way I felt when I killed Ward. It's terrible that you had to do instead and I will never forget myself-"

"I didn't want you to do it, Cal. I didn't want him to live but it didn't have to be you or-"

"We need to stop this, Gillian." He shushed her gently, but also forced her into another hug which she eagerly returned. "He's gone, he got what he deserves and it doesn't matter who gave it to him. We can't keep going around in circles like this, love. It's too late to try to save each other from what happened. And we have to stop giving him power over us."

Gillian was crying again, Cal could feel her tears on his skin and wished he could be better with words for once in his life. But then she looked up, her hands moving upwards and returning the gesture to cup his face, her fingers gently caressing his lips as the most beautiful smile broke through the stopping tears like sun through the dark clouds after a storm.

"Look at you, psycho babbling at me," Gillian chuckled, then Cal leaned down and kissed the tears away from her cheek.

"Learned from the best," he whispered then

Then he came down again, this time to kiss her in a way that was even better than their first kiss. Not because they've had a lot of practice since then, which they had, learning how to give and get the most out of it, but because that moment felt like a new beginning in a still very young and fresh relationship. They had been through a few of those moments, first muddled by the terrible events going around them, then by their mutual recovery and adjusting to the officiality of it all: and they were happy about it, because it was like pressing the reset button only to pick up where they left off with renewed energy and commitment.

When they pulled apart, it only took one look to know that they were ready to move forward once again. The tears were gone, now there were only smiles and bright eyes that had nothing to hide and a whole lot to share.

"How about some dinner?" Cal asked then.

"Dinner? Cal, it's the middle of the night!"

"Well food then!" He scoffed. "Don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too," Gillian confessed.

Then they finally let go of each other, Cal going for the fridge to see what he had and Gillian going for the pantry in the opposite direction.

"What do you fancy?" He asked with his head inside the fridge. "Em has been keeping this stocked with enough food for an army, maybe we can-"

Have some eggs, and I'm sure there's ice cream in the freezer, he was about to say, but then he turned around and saw her. Gillian was sitting on the counter, fully aware of the fact that the bathrobe had somehow gotten loose revealing parts of what was underneath, her naked legs crossed in an enticing way. And to top it all off, she was holding a can of baked beans in her hands.

And as Cal started to make his way across the kitchen with a sultry grin, they both knew they weren't going to eat anything anytime soon.

The end