When GLaDOS was finally calm enough to speak, she made a note on the video about the outburst. Most likely so that she would never watch it again, and get worked up. A computer like herself should not get upset over such trivial human problems, even if it was in the name of Aperture.

She knew the anger she felt was real, and the part that concerned her most was that she did not recall Caroline displaying any signs of fury. Only sadness, and sympathy at watching the facility reduce itself to shambles-which had made GLaDOS even more livid.

Certainly, what she was experiencing had to of been some sort of built-in reaction. She was very protective of the facility, after all. Yet, there was something picking at her as if to say it was more than that.

For the first time since he appeared in Caroline's life, Cave Johnson had been knocked off the pedestal he placed himself on. It was a hard sight to swallow, and both the computer and her former self knew it would not be the last time. GLaDOS knew from personal experience that people like Cave never gave up. Ever. It was bound to backfire on them eventually.

So she waited. Occasionally she played a few images in slow-motion. Nothing worth watching, really. Just mundane days at Aperture Science where absolutely nothing happened. However, after days of doing this she witnessed Caroline's utter shock at discovering Johnson's mercury poisoning. Yes, that was exactly what she was trying to avoid, and might have gotten away with it if it weren't for Caroline's emotion shaking her very cords dry.

From that point on she watched the dynamic between the CEO and his assistant start to change. Caroline flinched every time Johnson had trouble phrasing a sentence, or holding a pen in his hand. Yet she was there every time to rephrase for him, or grab the pen he dropped. In her eyes, he was still a hero, a terrific salesman, and a confident man. Just because his body seemed to have its moments didn't mean he had lost any ounce of what made him so great.

Still, she worried.

Johnson was a working man. Even when things seemed to go under he never missed a second of what went on in the facility. Aperture was his life. However, there were a few days where he wouldn't show up until late afternoon. On rare occasions he didn't show up at all. Those days were the worst to Caroline, who had gotten so used to his presence. It didn't feel right not knowing where he was at, or if he was okay. Then there was that tinge of loneliness that would creep up on her; she really hated the uncertainty of whether she'd see him the next day or not.

So she devised a simple plan. She'd go into town, buy a bottle of red wine, drive to his estate, and leave it with a servant. A little present to let him know she was thinking of him, and if he didn't like it she wouldn't be around for the disappointment...she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle that scenario.

A few weeks later Mr. Johnson missed another day at work. Caroline excused herself early, and put her plan into action. Buying the wine was simple enough, making the trip to his estate on the other side of town wasn't too bad either. The hard part came when she parked her car in the driveway, and walked onto his doorstep. She noticed the huge yard was overrun with weeds, and could probably use a little water. The house itself looked a little more inviting, minus the paint that was beginning to peel off the walls.

The girl took a deep breath, and gripped the decorated basket in her hands tighter. She rang the doorbell, and waited a few minutes. When no one showed up, she tried again, straining to hear the sound of footsteps on the other side.

"I'm coming, keep your shirt on!...assuming you have one."

Caroline's heart skipped a beat, the voice belonged to Cave Johnson. She stood back as he opened the door with what appeared to be a pole of some sort in his hand.

"Caroline? Yes, of course. What are you doing here?" He put the pole down, not taking his eyes off the woman.

"I brought you a present, Mr. Johnson." She said, handing him the basket with the wine.

"You know I can't promote you anymore unless I give you my job." He said, taking the basket and winking at her.

Unsure of what to say, Caroline settled on a nervous laugh. Johnson stepped aside, and opened the front door wider.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Come on in so we can break into this bottle!"

"But Mr. Johnson, I don't really dr-"

"I don't have all day to waste a good opportunity, Caroline."

It was hard to resist the eager look on his face, so she stepped inside smelling the nice mix of stale air and dust. Politely, she covered her nose and followed Johnson into the kitchen. For such a huge house, the kitchen was small and quaint. She took a seat at the little table in the center of the room, and waited as Johnson grabbed a couple of glasses.

He filled both glasses, and handed one to Caroline. She watched as he swirled the contents of his cup, and took a whiff of it.

"Ah, do you smell that, Caroline? It's the smell of a winner!"

"Thank you, sir! I tried to get the best wine I could find."

"And find you did!" He beamed, lifting his cup up in the air.

"To science!"

The woman smiled, and toasted with him. "To science!" she cried just as enthusiastically.

She took a small sip while Johnson downed his drink. He picked up the bottle again to refill his glass.

"Do you know why I hired you, Caroline?"

"No, sir, Mr. Johnson."

"Because I'm a people person, and I knew the minute I saw you you'd be a good asset to Aperture."

His drink had disappeared again, but he paused to speak before clutching the bottle.

"Best choice I ever made, right Caroline?"

His assistant was almost convinced that she was glowing at that moment. "Oh, yes sir! Thank you!"

He offered her another glass, but she declined. The rest of the day was spent in conversation, and lasted until sundown. By that time, Cave had finished the whole bottle, and slurred his words as he escorted Caroline to her car. She bid him farewell, and couldn't help the excitement building up inside her. It was definitely more than she ever expected out of the present.

Soon after, it became a sort of tradition for the two to get together once a week. Whether it was at the office, or Johnson's home, Caroline would come with some sort of baked good for the two to share and talk. Wine, or any kind of alcohol, was up to Johnson after his assistant made it very clear she was not a big drinker.

These moments were very peculiar to GLaDOS, as she hadn't seen this side of Johnson before. But thanks to a certain someone, the feelings that were thrown around became all too obvious. Caroline was lonely, and she was simply elated to be getting close to the man that had given her so much. The meetings consumed almost all of her thoughts, and would instantly go blank the moment she saw Mr. Johnson. There was a very strong verb to describe the girl's behavior.

The A.I. watched as Caroline walked up to Johnson's door, a white box resting in her arms. She rang the doorbell twice in a row, so Mr. Johnson was sure it was her. Although this time, no one came to the door. She tried again. Two rings one after the other, like she had always done.

Maybe he had forgotten they were supposed to meet, and was taking a nap?

"Mr. Johnson, it's me!" she called, hoping he'd hear her wherever he was.

She began to wonder if he was hurt, and couldn't come to the door. That was when her hand grabbed the doorknob in panic, and discovered the door itself was unlocked.

Caroline ventured inside, rushing through the narrow hallways looking for her boss. Finally, she discovered a figure standing around in an unlit room.

"There you are!" She walked towards him as a sigh of relief washed over her.

Johnson didn't move, it didn't even seem that he was aware of her presence.

"Sir?" Caroline put a hand on his shoulder, and shook him a little. He stirred instantly.

"O-Oh, Caroline! M'dear! How'd you get in? I didn't hear you knock!"

The woman stared at him intently. "Are you alright, sir?"

Cave stood up, and put an arm around her shoulder. "Never felt better! Now, what did you bring over tonight?"

She had almost forgotten about the box in her grasp. "Tiramisu, sir! I thought it would be nice to try something new tonight."

"Excellent." He said, ushering her out into the kitchen. Caroline, having gotten used to Johnson's home by now, hurriedly got out the plates and utensils.

Once she handed Johnson his plate, their conversation picked up as if nothing had happened. At least, that's what Caroline was telling herself. It was true that Mr. Johnson seemed a little different today. The way he looked at her, the closer proximity than normal, the occasional knee pat that ended with his fingers lingering lightly on her skin. It had her blushing like mad, but she tried to pass it off as her own imagination. She kept her pleasantries, even though it was hard to stay focused on the conversation. She wasn't even sure if either of them were making sense anymore.

Eventually, she gathered up the courage to stand up so that she could recollect herself. Seeing that Johnson's plate was empty, she bent over to take it from him.

"Let me get that for you, sir." She said it as monotone as possible, in fear that she would sound too anxious. She kept her eyes on the plate, seeing Mr. Johnson's hand tighten on it when she went to pull it away. Perplexed, she tried again only to get the same result.

She looked up in confusion, but seemed to find her answer somewhere in his eyes. Once again her mind went completely blank, and she wasn't aware of anything but the man before her stubbornly clutching his dish. Entranced she leaned in closer, barely noticing Cave moving the plate out of his hand, and replacing it with her fingers.

She held on for dear life.

It all became a blur the moment their lips collided. Caroline smiled slightly at the feel of Johnson's mustache tickling her upper lip, or perhaps it was from the butterflies finally releasing themselves after years of containment. She really didn't care at that point. Cave, in turn, managed to stand up with her in his arms, and walk off into another room.

Fully aware of what was going on, GLaDOS decided to cut the scene off right then and there. She ignored the signal of distress from Caroline that urged her to continue.

A/N: I lied. This isn't very dark. Sorry it took so long, been so busy lately! But you guys keep me faithful to this story! You all rock. :3