The first intimate night they shared became a milestone for both their friendship and relationship. Since then it had proved difficult for Cal to keep himself and the line in check at the office. According to him, her being off-limits had deterred the impulses stirring within him, but now that he'd had her once completely, there was nothing to stop him from acting on them.

Gillian mused over the way he sometimes couldn't resist stealing kisses or touches when they were alone in the office- or at least when it seemed like they were alone. One time they were almost found out by Anna, who had rushed in to deliver an urgent message just as Cal was about to lean in for a peck. They'd played it off coolly enough. Gillian gushed and about something that had gotten into her eye and that Cal was leaning over her trying to see what it was. She'd even asked Anna for a second opinion.

During their transition from friends to lovers, she hadn't been sure what to expect. After the initial first time hump, it had turned into the two of them acting out on their needs; the product of being closer to each other than anybody else, and the resulting emotions they could only communicate physically. Gillian hadn't been eager to fall into the same confinements of marriage that had left her weary during her years with Alec, and she knew that at least on the surface, it wasn't something Cal was ready or even considering.

Lately she'd given things more thought. So many emotional hardships had left her feeling like a wanderer. She couldn't even begin to piece together what she was looking for or wanted in a partner. But as the months passed with Cal, she began to feel as if she was finally getting back on track. That maybe there was a possibility for her to have everything she had dreamed of when she'd married Alec. Not that you could call the kind of situations she and Cal put themselves in "ideal", but it worked. It made more sense than anything else. The romanticist in her started to yearn for the stability and hope marriage offered. Her mind reasoned that it was selfish to expect Cal to share her views, especially knowing who he was going in. However the idea had planted itself inside her heart, and she found it hard to feel satisfied with just being intimate. Gillian struggled to hide her feelings lest she lose what she already had, but the slight change in her demeanor didn't go unnoticed by Cal, and she knew that he had picked up that something was going on. That he was probably carefully choosing when and how to approach the subject.

Finally the moment came as they were laying beside each other in bed one night. Cal turned his head towards her and caught her gaze.

"Is everything OK, love?"

"I'm fine... For some reason work's been wearing me down more than usual."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Gillian bit her lip and tried to concentrate on what to say next. "I don't know, Cal. This is the happiest I've ever been in my life. I don't regret a single thing that brought us here, but..."

"But..." Cal continued for her.

"I'm not sure I know where we stand. I've practically moved in here since Emily started college..."

"The last thing I'd want to do is force you into anything you didn't want if the feeling isn't mutual."

"No, that's not it. I just... I'm not sure if I want to keep things a secret any longer."

"So we don't, yeah? We can tell everyone tomorrow at work. It'll take some of the pressure off. I'll finally get more action around the office," he said with a grin.

"I'm ready to make a commitment."

"I thought we already had."

Gillian couldn't find the right words, so she let two of her fingers curl into a circle around his ring finger.

The grin was wiped off his face and his eyes bore into hers. "You don't mean that, love, do you?"

She averted her eyes to hide the visible hurt reflected in them.

"Shit, Gill..." he mumbled, and wrapped his arms around her. "I didn't mean it like that. You know I'm mad about you, darling. Just things didn't work out so well for me the first time around."

"Like they did for me, either," she attempted to laugh, but he noted a touch of bitterness in it.

"You also know it's not easy for me to come out saying something like 'I love you always and forever.' I never was a white knight in shining armor."

She took a deep breath and let out, "I know."

"Are you really sure this is what you want?" he asked, almost pleadingly. Gillian silently nodded.

"Alright, love. I can't make any promises, but give me a little time."

"Thank you," she whispered.

Cal thought back to their talk. If he recalled correctly, it'd been about mid-October. Now fall had already shifted into winter and the yearly tide of Christmas spirit filtered its way into the city. Earlier than ever thanks to the wonders of commercial marketing, he muttered to himself. Christmas was a time Gillian and Emily took great joy in, and their unjaded outlook on things never failed to touch him more than the meaning of the season itself.

During the month and a half from then to where he stood presently, he'd spent a lot of time trying to reason with himself, convince himself, that things with Gillian were different and wouldn't turn out the way they had with Zoe. But no matter how much he went over it in his mind, he couldn't be without a doubt sure if it was the right move. Cal didn't like the idea of taking a risk he didn't know the odds for, and it bothered him considerably. Still, this is what Gillian wanted. And deep down, the idea of coming home to her everyday and living a "normal life" was strangely appealing. He realized that he would just have to trust her in the same way she had trusted him all these years.

Cal walked into her office and Gillian greeted him with a smile. "Yes, Cal?" she asked. He noted again how good of a liar she could be despite appearances. She put on the act with skill and perfection. And just like that, today's performance began.

"I was wondering, would you mind stopping over at my place after work? I have an early Christmas present for you."

"Can't it wait until the company Secret Santa exchange?"

"I'm not sure if it's a work appropriate gift."

"Oh..?" she raised one eyebrow. "Well, are you cooking? I've got a backlog of files that need to be keyed into the database."

"I think I can manage dinner, yeah. How's 8 o'clock?"

"Sounds great. By the way, we're expecting the clients from the new Roberts case in the Cube within the next 30 minutes. I'll finish up this morning's paperwork and meet you there."

"I'll just go and pick on Loker until then," he smirked.

"Cal!" she scolded.

"What?" he replied cheekily, and took his leave.

Gillian closed down the building for the night and walked over to where her car was parked. She could hear police sirens in the distance, but it was otherwise a quiet night. The sound her heels made with each step reverberated in the air. She shivered at the sudden coldness and tugged her scarf up higher around her neck.

Letting her brain go on autopilot, without much effort she navigated the car towards Cal's house. She pulled up to the side of the curb and cut the engine. As Gillian made her way up the walk way she let out a tired sigh, released in a puff of white air. Her hand reached for the doorbell and she gave a it a single push. The familiar chime answered back, and she fidgeted for the next few seconds until Cal opened the door for her. Even though Cal had given her a key to his place, she didn't feel like it was her place to enter without his knowledge unless it was an emergency.

Cal swung the door open for her, clad in his usual cooking apron. The sight never failed to amuse Gillian, although she was sure she'd never live it down if she were to share the tidbit with anyone else.

"You gonna come in or catch your cold out there?" he beckoned her with a spatula.

Warmth radiated outwards from within, and she stepped inside. She hung up her jacket and scarf, laying her purse at the entryway before folding her mittens neatly and depositing them on top of it.

Cal returned to the kitchen and soon called after her that dinner was ready. He was already seated at the table when she walked in, and the smell of sea bass with lemoned potatoes plated with a side of asparagus greeted her entrance. Gillian took a seat, and Cal proceeded to fill both of their glasses with wine.

"So what's the special occasion?" Gillian asked him.

"Today would be the day of our six month anniversary, love," he toasted her. Their glasses clinked and they each took a sip.

"Mmm... How sweet of you. This all looks great; I can't wait to dig in."

Their dinner table discussion included a debate on Freud, Gillian's top team picks for this year's basketball season, and Cal practically begging her to let him buy tickets for them to go see a new burlesque show coming to town. Gillian dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and let her hands fall into her lap to signal that she was finished.

"That was absolutely delightful, thank you."

Cal rose out of his chair, and Gillian could see a flash of nervousness on his face. He stepped over to her side and took her hands in his.

"Gillian..." he began. "I may not be the best chap you could have chosen for a friend, partner, or lover. But from the second you entered my life I knew it was something profound, and now I can't imagine how I could go on without you somehow in my life."

Cal reached a hand in his jeans pocket, his fingers fumbling across the top of a small, black velvet box. "Gillian Foster... Bloody hell, wait." She couldn't hide a smile at his aloofness.

He got down on one knee and Gillian stared at the sight with curiosity. No, he couldn't be.

"Gillian Foster, will you marry me?" his eyes locked with hers, and she could see the vast range of emotions reflected in them.

"Cal," she gasped, and she felt tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I hope that's a yes, then?"

She found her voice again and answered back, "It is... Yes."

He kissed the ring and placed it on her finger. He stood back up, and pulled her up to his level, whisking her off her feet into his arms.

"Cal, what are you doing?" Gillian laughed.

His voice lowered and he replied, "You haven't seen the other surprise yet." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her off upstairs into the bedroom.

Cal woke up to Gillian's sleeping profile beside him. Her beauty was mesmerizing, and he ached to touch her. He held out his hand, knowing full well that it would probably rouse her and that the moment would be lost the minute his hand made contact with her cheek. He hesitated, and instead took a strand of her hair and ran it between his fingertips. She shifted ever so slightly, but her breathing remained constant.

"I love you, Gillian. Always and forever," he whispered, turning his head towards the window to catch a glimpse of the sunrise.

In doing so, he missed the faint smile that spread across her face.

"Good morning!"

Gillian's vibrant air filled the office on Monday morning and it wasn't long before someone took notice of the new ring adorning her finger.

"Oh, Ms. Foster! Congratulations!" chirped Anna as she passed her the morning's memos.

Loker and Torres stopped mid-conversation to see what the commotion was all about.

"Woah, is that what I think it is? Congrats!" Loker greeted her with enthusiasm and Ria smiled at her, offering Gillian her felicitations.

"So when do we get to meet the lucky guy?" she asked.

"He'll be at the Secret Santa next week," Gillian replied.

"Can't wait! Aren't you worried about how Lightman's going to react?" she questioned.

"He already knows about the engagement, so I don't forsee it being an issue." Ria noted the smirk that accompanied the remark and felt a hint of confusion as to why.

"If you say so," Loker commented dryly. "Speaking of which, we both need to get on that video footage he wanted us to analyze."

"Let us know if you need any decorating help later," Ria offered. She followed Loker down the hall to the video room and Gillian couldn't help but let out a giggle at the surprise that was in store for everyone.

Naturally news traveled fast about Gillian's engagement, and the buzz was still alive a week later on the night of the Secret Santa exchange and party. Cal had ducked out of work early in order to pick Emily up from the airport. She would be spending a week of her winter break with them before flying out to Chicago to spend the rest of it with Zoe.

It wasn't long before the gossip reached her upon her arrival and she ushered Cal aside. "Why didn't you tell me?" she hissed at him at a low voice. "What a surprise to come home to, Dad!"

"Well I... we were gonna tell you, but we thought it'd be better if you heard it yourself in person rather than over the phone."

"I can't believe you!" she gave him a small punch on the shoulder.

"Oi, ouch!" he feigned in mock innocence. "What did you want me to say, love? Yeah, things are great. By the way I put a ring on it," Cal smarted back.

"I hope Santa leaves a huge lump of coal in your stocking for this," she huffed, and strode over to serve herself some punch.

Cal took the opportunity to saunter over to Gillian's side. "Uh oh, what did you do now? I don't want to be involved."

"My daughter is a little riled up we didn't tell her about the engagement first. You're just as guilty in all of this as I am, you know."

"Is that so, huh? If I remember correctly you were the one who popped the question."

"That's funny, love. The way I remember it this was all your idea."

Emily interrupted their exchange and presented each of them a cup of punch. "You know you can both quit talking about me now. By the way...," she looked at each of them. "Dad, Gillian- Congrats!"

"I think now would be the best time to let everyone else in on who my mysterious suitor is," Gillian proposed.

"Okay, love; here goes." Cal took the microphone off the table nearby and put raised it to his lips.

"Testing, testing," he spoke into it. Everyone paused and turned their attention to the trio. "Jolly well everyone could join us, then," he started off. "As I'm sure you've all heard, the lovely Dr. Foster is now engaged." He paused, and the reiteration of the news was met with applause and raised glasses. "I know the lot of you are probably wondering who the lucky bastard is, so go on Foster, you do the honors." Cal put one arm around her waist, and passed her the microphone with the other.

Gillian cleared her throat. "Yes, well first I'd like to thank you for all your support not only this year, but in those of the past, as well as those to come in the future. The Lightman Group has come a long way since its humble beginnings, and there's no way it could have grown into the place it's become now without all your hard work and effort. There might be changes around the office in store ahead, but we hope that we can continue to rely on all of you regardless. I know I say this every year, but you all have our sincerest gratitude."

Cal leaned into the microphone, "Well, get on with it love. Don't stall now." Everyone gave a small chuckle at her expense and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

"So without further ado, I'd like to introduce my fiancé..." She stopped mid-sentence and stole a glance at Cal before continuing, "Dr. Lightman," she said with a wave of her hand.

Jaws dropped and Loker and Torres couldn't hide their shock as outbursts and gasps of surprise broke out all around them. As if to stamp out any idea that it might be a joke, the Gillian smiled at him lovingly and Cal took it as a cue to dip in for a gentle kiss.

Finally Loker burst out with, "Well damn if I'll be first to say it's about time! Let's all give a round of cheers!"

"Cheers!" The response resounded throughout the room and suddenly it was on fire with discussion about what had just taken place.

"We should probably start the Secret Santa soon before this it gets too out of hand," Gillian commented.

"Yeah about that, love... Somehow I just happened to draw your name. Purely coincidental, I assure you. It's less work appropriate than last week's gift, so you may not want to open it in front of everyone if you catch my drift," he advised with a waggle and a wink.

"Cal, really!" she exclaimed and slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Oi, what am I- a human punching bag tonight?"

Gillian sighed. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a long night," she groaned.

He was clearly amused. "C'mon now, love. If you think this is long, wait and see what happens now that you're stuck with me for the next 50 years."