Hello everybody! Back with a new one, a bit short in chapter but boy, they all seem like really long ones!

Are you in for some Caliian love?

There were a lot of advantages in not telling anybody at work about their relationship, at least not yet, and a lot of reasons to keep it to themselves.

It was nobody's business, first of all: they were the bosses and they didn't have to answer anybody for what was going on in their private lives. Also, working in a place where most people could see anything that was going on with one another, they liked the idea of maintaining some sort of privacy bubble in that type of environment. Then of course there was the thrill of secrecy, the tantalising feeling of leading some sort of double life; friends and business partners by day, intimate partners by night. There were stolen glances and furtive touches at work, more subtle and daring than the friendly ones most of their employees were somewhat used to seeing. Sometimes the secret displays were a bit too risky when they felt comfortable enough, and every single one of them was a special moment they cherished as much as the free and liberating ones they could have when not at work. They still had their late evening conversations in the office, maybe after a tough case or just to enjoy the quiet of the empty office, but they would sit much closer than they used to until they would realise either one of their beds would make a much better accommodation.

Sometimes they were too busy to spend much time together during the day, when on the job work was always the priority, but they were mature enough not to let that affect them too much. Besides, once off the clock they had plenty of time to make up for the time spent apart.

That day was one of those days. They had two big cases that were occupying most of the Group's resources and manpower, and they were taking lead on one each: Cal was looking into a possible corruption case for students' recruitment in Ivy league, while Gillian was working with DC police on suspect abuse on guests in a retirement home. The morning had been a whirlwind of meetings, calls and interrogations, and as lunch time inched closer Cal really hoped he - better yet, they- could have the chance to take a break.

He had just come back from yet another round of questions with one of the students that had was lamenting dodgy doings in the recruitment system and was hoping to be able to make it to Gillian's office without encountering any obstacles, but had to suffocate a moan when he saw Torres coming his way with a folder in her hand.

"We've got something on the Dean," she said, failing to catch the painful expression on her boss' face.

"You expect me to read all that or are you going to sum it up for me?"

"Well I-I actually haven't read it yet," Torres confessed, a bit baffled.

Cal stopped on track right after passing the door of his own office, then turned around and stared at her before taking the folder from her hands. He weighed it in his own hands, finding it thick and heavy, then rolled his eyes and threw it back at her.

"Then read it and give me the brief," he instructed, inching closer and tilting his head to one side. "This isn't your first time, is it?"

Torres stood there biting at her bottom lip, knowing as much as Lightman could at times be a bit too much he did have a point there. Then she glanced at the folder and sighed, thinking she'd best grab something for lunch and get on with the reading, not noticing how the man's face suddenly softened when Foster came out of her own office to come their way.

"Hei, how'd it go with Youngs?" She asked him as she approached, clearly in a hurry but willing to take a brief stop.

"He keeps saying the same stuff, I'm starting to think he might be just out for revenge for having been left out."

"He's the one who hired us, that would be quite the gamble."

"Wouldn't be the first time we run into someone who thinks they can outsmart us," Cal smirked with a huff, then pointed at her. "I have a couple of recordings I'd like you to check, whenever you get a minute, love. His story stays the same but the second time around I think his language changed."

"Sure, I'll take a look."

Gillian was never going to say no to him when it came to land a helping hand, but Cal could see she looked in a rush and a tad tired as much as he was. Which was why, even with Torres still standing there for some reason, he felt it was not a bad idea to let her know there might be a window for them to take a breather.

"Well, we have to wait for Torres to sift through that anyway," he waved at the folder in the young woman's hands. "Wanna grab a bite?"

He didn't even get to finish the full sentence that Gillian's phone in her hand buzzed and she looked down at it. Cal knew what it meant, that little frown on her forehead; at best, no lunch together, but in the worst case scenario it looked like they weren't going to see much of each other for the rest of the day.

"Oh no, I'm sorry babe but I'm swamped. And I just got a message from the police, they have new security footage for us to look at." She looked up, already walking away in a renewed hurry and utterly oblivious to what she had just said. "Coffee later maybe, ok? I gotta go."

With that she was gone, calling for Loker's name on the way out and speeding away to get to what looked like an urgent meeting. Cal stood there, trying to wipe away the panic from his face and replace it with a natural expression that would mirror the one of surprise, confusion and slight unease that he knew Torres was about to give him.

"Did she just…call you babe?"

Torres looked at him, understandably astonished but partially reassured by seeing the same stunned confusion on her boss' face.

"She did, didn't she?"

"Why?"

Why indeed! Cal thought, but instead put up his best lying face and shrugged.

"I think she's trying to prove a point."

"And what kind of point would that be?"

Cal didn't hesitate, the thought had come to him a second after Gillian had carelessly departed and he decided to commit to it, so he started walking away with Torres in tow and pulled the convincing lie out of his ass.

Later that evening, Cal was waiting for Gillian to arrive home. They weren't on a schedule or anything, mostly they were going with the flow and deciding at the last minute where to hang out or spend the night.

As Cal had expected, after their strange exchange in the hallway they hadn't seen much of each other. Halfway through the afternoon, as he got out and she came back in, he had resigned to text messages. Through those, they had agreed to skip any post work debriefing at the office and just meet at whoevers would get free first. He had won the questionable race by a long stretch, with Gillian being hinches away to close her case to just let it go, and he had gone home waiting for an ETA from her to get started on dinner.

It was nearly 8pm by the time she came in, using her own keys and kicking off her shoes right by the door with a loud sigh of relief at the sensation of the soothing fresh floor under her bare feet. Gillian got rid of her coat and let the bag drop on the floor, not at all interested in getting her phone out of it, then made her way to the kitchen, smiling at the bottle of wine and empty glass waiting for her on the counter and a covered pan on the stove simmering like a cauldron.

"Hey there stranger!" Cal's voice came booming from the living room, where he was sitting on the couch watching TV. "Caught any bad guys today?"

"We're not cops, Cal!" She called back while pouring herself some of the wine. "But as a matter of fact, yes, I did."

"Good." Cal peaked behind his shoulder to look at her, smiling to himself as he saw her grab a spoon and try some of what was slowly cooking. Then the smile became a smirk nobody got to see and he went on, his voice a little louder and his tone seemingly casual and oblivious. "Did I somehow miss the conversation when we decided to go public at work?"

"What are you talking about, Cal?" She laughed and he loved the way she did that, one of her features he could enjoy in private. "We've never talked about it."

"Right, that's what I thought," he went on, still seemingly more interested in the TV programme rather than the conversation. "Must be some other reason why you called me babe in front of Torres today then."

He heard her scoff and laugh again then turned around and saw her coming by the dining table, nearly choking on the sip of wine.

"I did not such thing-"

"I was hoping you were gonna say that!"

With those words Cal jumped on his feet, quick and agile, and with clearly rehearsed movements he walked over to the table where his laptop had been strategically prepared. He pushed a few keys and turned the monitor towards Gillian, who was watching the scene with a mix of amusement and irritation, then he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, eyes on the screen so that she would do the same. Gillian chuckled and rolled her eyes, but eventually obliged and settled into the embrace she had been craving all day, watching as images from the office security cameras came up on the screen. She turned around a bit to shoot him an annoyed look, she really wasn't fond of his habit of going through the videos for his own amusement, but Cal just kissed the corner of her mouth and silently encouraged her to watch on.

Gillian did as instructed, finding herself watching and listening to the recording of the conversation they had had in the hallway earlier. The entire day had been a blur and without the audio she would have probably struggled to place it and remember what had been said, but then she nearly let go of the glass when she saw and heard herself call him 'babe' in front ot a stunned Torres, before heading out as if she hadn't just dropped some major bombs.

"Oh my God!" She moaned, nearly horrified, much to Cal's amusement. "I had no idea! It's been such a crazy day and I was thinking about 500 things at the same time. And I barely got to see you, I- Why are you smiling?! Cal, this is serious!"

He wasn't only smiling, he was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat and wasn't even trying to hide it. At least he had the decency to soften that after seeing her shocked face , finding it amusing and sweet, then he spun her around and held her hips in his hands.

"I'm smiling because I really thought I was gonna be the first one to mess up, love. You have no idea how many times I came close to kiss you on the cheek before leaving you or nearly forgot to let go of your hand." She had to smile, he was simply irresistible when he was being so sweet and open about their relationship. "And because yes, it's serious but I think I managed to salvage the situation with Torres."

"How? We-"

Cal shook his head briefly and gently put a finger on her lips, then leaned in for a kiss. It could wait; after the day they'd had and knowing the situation had been defused, all he wanted was to feel her in some of the ways they had become so addicted to over the past couple of months. The kiss was slow and deep, sharing and returning all the longing for each other they had to hold back throughout the day. Gillian blindly put the glass down and crossed her fingers on the back of his head, pulling him down to make the kiss last longer as he pushed his body into hers in a gentle trap against the table.

They broke apart short of breath and red faced, blissfully enjoying the feeling, then Gillian glanced back at the laptop and shook her head.

"I can't believe I did that!" She moaned, then she looked at Cal again. "What did you tell Torres?"

"That after years you've grown wary of my habit of calling everybody love, that you think it's not appropriate with staff and clients and the lot." She gave him a knowing glare, they both knew she'd never opposed any of his British traits, especially that one. But Cal returned the glare, to remind her he'd had to improvise because of her mistake. "I told her we discussed it, that you think it makes women uncomfortable and how would I think men would feel if you'd call them babe instead."

"And she bought it?"

"Completely!" He was so proud about it, teasing her with a wiggling eyebrow and a smug smile. "But you might wanna throw a couple of 'babes' at Loker tomorrow. You know, just to keep up the appearances."

"I think that would leave him very confused," she objected, her hands absently sailing up and down his chest.

"Confused? I bet he would piss his pants!" Cal laughed, then the smile softened again and he inched closer, his lips brushing the skin of her neck as he kept talking in a low voice. "All the better for you. Love. It would mean that you could claim victory in our non existing argument."

"Well, that's an incentive." Words came out a little ragged, what whis is mouth devouring her neck and his right hand now climbing up her leg and under her skirt. "But I might just need a little more convincing before I decide to embarrass our staff."

"Don't worry, love. I'll teach you how to do it." His mouth found hers and they kissed again, this time with more urgency and wanton. "As for the convincing…"

They didn't speak much after that. Cal let the words trail off his tongue as he plunged it inside her mouth again, tasting as much as he could and decisively taking the lead. He had missed her all day, and he had been thinking about that 'babe' for half of it. He had never been one for pet names coming his way, but the first time Gillian had called him that in private he had felt something inside in doing funny happy jumps all over the place. Now that they were finally alone, away from watching eyes and with Emily out for the evening, he could let her know exactly how much he had missed her.

Without stopping the kiss, now growing into a hot and wet mess of lips and tongues devouring each other, Cal grabbed her hips and lifted her from the ground to sit on the table. He groaned loudly at her response as she immediately spread her legs so that he could step in closer, the erection trapped in his pants waiting to be set free. Gillian gladly helped out with that, her need for him becoming suddenly uncontrollable after she hadn't allowed herself to even think about him that way while at work.

While she took care of his pants, pushing them down his hips and dragging his boxers along with it, Cal's hands pushed her skirt up and found the lace of her panties. He wasted no time, the spark had been lit and that was just one of those occasions when they both needed each other so badly that nothing else mattered. Gillian wasn't going to complain, he knew it by the way she was now stroking him, with decided and directive movements, and he smiled satisfied with his mouth pressed to hers when she lifted her lap just enough for him to get the layers of clothing still between them out of the way. He groaned when she guided him inside her, his hands grounding her hips to the table as he picked his pace while Gillian's legs wrapped around him.

The love making was passionate, lustful as they let each other go completely with a craving that wasn't unnatural to them. It wasn't always like that, since they had gotten together they had been experimenting with a wide range of intimacy, which made things more interesting and allowed them to express how they felt. That time it was about needing to connect, to feel close and belong to each other after a day in which they had exchanged only a handful of words.

Then, of course, there was the whole babe thing, which spoke volume about how fast their relationship was developing. Cal might not have looked like the kind of guy who was ok to be called like that, but it was the meaning behind it that mattered a hell of a lot to him. It was true, he did call 'love' pretty much anybody and most of the time without even realising it, but Gillian wasn't as careless and nonchalant in throwing around pet names. The fact that she felt confident enough to start calling him that meant something to her, which in return meant something to him.

Not that he was thinking about any of it while they made love on the dining table, but the thought did find its way to him later that evening, once clothes were back on, they'd have dinner and were sharing the couch in blissful relaxation.

"Maybe it is time to go public," Cal whispered into her ear during a commercial break. "Emily knows, and I am positive she won't be able to keep it to herself if she sees us at work together."

Gillian sighed, clearly pondering, then laid down resting her head on his lap and looking up at him.

"I guess it's about time. Hiding in plain sight is kind of fun but I'm tired of pretending." A wide, happy smile blossomed on Cal's face as he looked down at her, his hand absently caressing her abdomen under her blouse. "We have nothing to hide, and I'd like to be able to take a moment with you if I want to."

"A moment as in…"

Cal smirked teasingly, his fingers going a little north and brushing the soft flesh of her breasts since she hadn't bothered putting her bra back on. Gillian enjoyed the touch, it was impossible not to, but rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

"As in making lunch plans without having to make an excuse, or just being able to go get a coffee for the sake of it."

"We've always done those things, love."

"Yes, and we usually talk about work in the meantime." She pulled up a little and rolled on her side, her hand climbing up to his cheek. "I want to be able to come and see you when I want to because I just need to, nothing else. I want to be able to tell Torres or Loker that something can wait because I need to see you, and I don't want to keep watching what I do or what I say all the time when I am around you." Gillian smiled, pleased with herself for the endearing look on his face. "If one of us had a crappy day I want us to be free to take a breather and comfort each other without having to worry about what it looks like to others."

"For the record, love, I don't care about what others think as a rule."

"I don't mean what they think, I don't care either." He frowned and she couldn't resist a soft chuckle. "Anybody who spends more than five minutes with us gets some sort of idea, our staff probably has a running bet on us ending up together. What I mean is that I want people to know that when I hold your hand or call you babe, yes, I am doing it for a very specific reason."

It took a while, but Cal finally let go of the huge smile he had been trying to hold back. It had been on his lips since from when she had said that playing hide and seek was no longer funny for her, but it had faded as the conversation went on and he had found himself more and more enthralled in her words, in how shamelessly and openly she was claiming their relationship, claiming him. They might have had different motivations but the decision not to tell people at work had been mutual; Cal just wanted to hold onto their privacy for a while longer, while Gillian had been more preoccupied with managing things in the workplace. Seemingly, for different reasons they had both grown tired of keeping the good news for themselves and Cal was somewhat overwhelmed by how easily she was expressing out loud all the things he was thinking but didn't know how to get out.

So he smiled, warm and sincere, then bent down to kiss her forehead while their hands found each other and fingers melted together.

"I like the sound of that," he whispered then.

"Ok then." It was her turn to smile, she was a smiley and positive person in general but she had been doing that an awful lot since they had gotten together. "How should we do it?"

"I say we don't need to do anything," he responded quickly, then took hold of her and moved until he rolled with his back on the couch and positioned her on top of him. "Tomorrow we go to work and we just don't hide it. Let them figure it out."

"Cal, if you're suggesting we make out in front of our staff-"

"I'd love that, but no." He smirked, a tingling sensation stirring his lower abdomen at the thought of some of his fantasies about sexual activities in the office coming true. "I mean things like you said, holding hands and taking a moment to spend with each other. We just do what we would do, no need to announce anything, just not hiding and holding back."

"So we just waltz in tomorrow morning, hand in hand?"

"Why not?"

"Without saying anything?"

"Now Gill, that would be a little pretentious, don't you think? To assume knowing about it is so important that we need a public announcement?"

He was teasing her, but Gilliand could see that he did have a point. As big as news the two of them being an item might have been, it didn't mean that their employees' lives would revolve around it.

"What if they don't see it?"

"We work in a place packed with allegedly smart people, whom we pay to read body language," Cal pointed out, once again spot on. "If they can't figure it out it's on them…and us, I guess, for hiring them."

"What if they see it and don't say anything?"

Cal growled loudly in an amused frustration and rolled them on the side, trapping her between the backrest of the couch and his body.

"Well then it's their problem, love! Listen, I thought you were on board with this-"

"I am Cal, I- Hei, look at me." Gillian firmly grabbed his chin in her hand and directed his eyes on her, demanding he'd read her. "I want to go public, I want people to know about us." She let the words settle, his eyes scanning her face until he was satisfied with her statement. "I just want to do this right."

"Me too, Gill." Cal leaned in, his lips brushing hers softly before he kissed her with the gratitude he always felt every time she let him see her with no restraints. "I want people to know what a lucky son of a bitch I am."

"You're such a smooth talker, aren't you?"

"I am!" He proclaimed smuggly. "Can't believe it took me so long to get through to you!"

Gillian chuckled, wondering pretty much the same as she often did, then sunk her face in his chest and simply mumbled 'ok', feeling his arms squeezing her in response. Then she took a deep breath of him, his natural scent mixed with hers as it happened after they made love. It was an intoxicating smell, familiar and reassuring, something she could only identify as them and loved every bit of it.

This was the start, what do you think? Reviews and feedback always welcome, they keep the muse in my head busy and proactive!