A/N: For the general setting of the story see the A/N of the prologue.

Welcome to a chapter filled to the brim with fluff (at least what counts as fluff by my standards) amidst this otherwise angst-ridden story. I thought Cal and Gillian deserved a little break.

The usual disclaimer applies (see prologue).

- It's All Or Nothing Now -

Cal wakes up in his bed, his face buried in his pillow, and remembers everything in an instant when he breathes in Gillian's perfume that clings to the fabric. She stayed overnight after they had made love. They didn't talk much afterwards, but when he asked her to stay instead of driving all the way home, she agreed without further ado. Somehow, he had expected her to consider sleeping in his spare room. She didn't show the slightest inclination that she felt uncomfortable sleeping in his bed though. If he hadn't been so tired after the last couple of days (and still suffering from his injuries), Cal would have gone for a second round the moment he had her in his bed. As it was, simply holding her was the perfect ending of an unexpected day. They got between the blankets in their underwear, nestled up to each other, and within minutes they dropped off.

It has to be morning. Birds twitter outside and rays of sunshine warm his face. He forgot to shut the blinds last night. Cal feels for Gillian's warm body next to his without opening his eyes. Nothing. The sheets on her side are rumpled but cold. Cal sits up with a jerk to find her standing beside the bed. Gillian is fully dressed and obviously feeling uncomfortable. Even if he has just woken up, he can see as much. The morning after. Here they go.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you," she says.

There is a brief, awkward pause. Why is she dressed and needs to leave? It is no workday.

"Were you planning on sneaking out?" Cal goes for witty, aware that Gillian most likely hears the subtext. Hurt. Was she? Sneaking out that is. He turns his head to look at his alarm on the nightstand but can't see it from his viewing direction. "What time is it, anyway?"

Gillian inclines her head; her delicate features relax. Maybe she needed a dose of witty Cal, subtext or not, to overcome the initial awkwardness. A disarming smile appears on her face. "9 AM and no, I was not planning on sneaking out."

Actually, she has been lurking around for at least fifteen minutes, didn't want to leave after she had gotten dressed and he was still asleep, not least because she realized that...

"I don't even have your phone number," she blurts out. "And I..." Gillian shrugs her shoulders in embarrassment. "...I don't know how it works. You, being an undercover agent. I didn't want to leave and risk... finding you gone when I come back."

So, no sneaking out. That's good. Plus, she intends to come back, didn't want to leave without being sure that he wouldn't vanish. That's not only good. That's fantastic.

Cal rolls over and grabs hold of her hand. Gillian sits down at the edge of the bed, but he won't have it, clasping her waist and pulling her closer until she is lying next to him. He is wearing briefs, his more or less naked body partly covered by the sheets; she is fully dressed and lying atop of the sheets. A pretty sexy situation, and judging by the look on her face, he is not the only one thinking about what could happen next. Gillian devours him with her eyes. But when Cal's hand pulls at the infamous belt that started it all the previous night, she gently stops him.

"I have to go. For now," she adds when she sees the disappointment in his eyes.

"Why?"

He can't stop touching her. His hands do it of their own accord – caressing her cheek, playing with a strand of her hair. Everything is new and exciting; Cal wants to learn everything about Gillian and he wants to start right now. She huddles her cheek against the palm of his hand, smiling happily. Cal can see her determination to leave begin to totter. Then her eyes darken and she sits up.

"Alec comes over in an hour to collect his stuff. I have to be there; he doesn't have a key anymore."

Alec. Cal never heard the name before but based on her facial expression and words, he knows immediately who she is talking about. Her ex-fiancé.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He doesn't mention her bruises albeit they are the main reason for his question and concern. Cal needs to make sure that Gillian is safe – emotionally as well as physically.

She shakes her head. No. "I have to do this alone."

Frankly, he didn't expect anything else. "Give me your phone." Gillian feels for it in her purse and hands it over to him. Cal keys in something. "That's my cell and that's..." He keys in some more. "...my landline. Now you have it all. My name, my address, my phone numbers. I'm as good as yours."

The look in her eyes changes and he can tell she is about to say something but then only kisses him much too fleetingly, softly pushing him away when he holds on to her. Her lips taste illegally sweet.

"I really have to go."

"Aye." Cal eventually defers. "What about breakfast or coffee? 'Cause we could have that together later if you want. Or lunch. Whatever you prefer."

Her smile is infectious. "A late breakfast would be perfect. I love coffee."

So that would be the first thing he learned about her. She likes coffee. No, not only likes. She loves it. Probably unhealthily sugary and with lots of foam. Cal already learned things about Gillian when they had been talking during their undercover mission, but last night started a new calendar.

"Just call me when you're done and I'll meet you at your favorite place since I'm more the..." He makes a face. "...tea kind of fella. Can't offer you what you call coffee here."

So much for clichés. A Brit who drinks tea. He probably also eats beans on toast. As charming and sexy as he is, it is most likely safer to take in their first joint breakfast at a place of her choice. "I'll call you." Gillian holds his gaze and Cal can tell that she is waiting for something. She is about to walk out all the same when his words stop her.

"Oh, um, in case you're waiting for me to ask you for your number. I already have it."

Gillian turns around. "You mean my office landline number."

"Yeah, well, that and your private phone numbers. And your address." His voice gives away that Cal is equally proud and self-conscious.

It takes Gillian a moment to understand. There is no way he could have found out from her contact details that are accessible at work – they don't include private information – and her phone numbers and address are not listed in any public phone directory either. Then again, this is the man who hacked into a security system to show her the feed of a surveillance camera. It probably wasn't much of an effort for him to find out. It's as flattering as intrusive.

Bloody hell. That micro expression wasn't good. She is slightly put off. "You could have just asked me," Gillian states.

"Does it make a difference if I tell you that I'm a little shy?"

By this time, Gillian knows how Cal emphasizes certain words with his voice and facial expression. As an expert in reading micro expression, he probably is used to fool people all the time about the actual meaning of his words. But not her.

"Apology accepted," she says.

"What? No make-up kiss?" he shouts when she leaves the room.

Cal can't be sure, but he thinks he heard her mumble something that strangely enough sounded like him being impossible. He must have misheard that.

Cal's assumption was right. Gillian's choice to have breakfast is a place where Cal voluntarily would never have anything. Not even tea. They serve ridiculous dishes called sweet nothing or soul mantra and Gillian seems to love everything about it. It's not far from where she lives. The way the waiters greet her displays that she is a regular albeit usually accompanied by someone else the way they ogle him. Since they are near Gillian's apartment, Cal was tempted to pick her up so that he could check on her (and get a glimpse of Alec) but decided against it. Even if he didn't like to abstain from being at her side while her ex was collecting his stuff, invading Gillian's privacy, something he had done before by hacking into her personal information, is a mistake Cal doesn't intend to repeat.

She orders what apparently is her favorite breakfast and he orders something that has a faint resemblance to food. Ok then. He didn't come here to eat. Good thing that he already had beans on toast at home.

"Everything settled?" he asks her.

"Yeah." Gillian takes a deep breath. She is tense, has a hard time relaxing. "At least for today. Alec will come back with a van another time to get his furniture."

Cal understands her tenseness. He can't help being distracted by her appearance though. It is the first time he sees her in casual clothes. She has changed into jeans and a shirt, her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"What?" She caught him looking.

"Thought you'd be in more formal wear even on the weekends," he admits.

"Sorry to disillusion you." Her ironic smile and words are followed by a seductive look.

Cal can tell that she is curious as to what he thinks about her and eager to find out what he does or does not like in general as well as specifically, but she would never condition her self esteem on it.

"I like it," he says. "Another side of you. Every bit as beautiful."

Gillian blushes. However, she holds his gaze. "And you are very charming and...," her voice trails off as she swallows.

"And what?"

She blushes even more. "Sexy."

His style of clothing matches hers. Jeans and a teeshirt. Short-sleeved. Somehow he knew she'd enjoy a flash of his tattoo every now and then.

"Oi! Is this the part where we tell each other our secret fantasies because I have a lot I'd like to share with you."

Gillian leers and shakes her head. "You really are impossible." Then her facial expression gets serious. "I don't know what part this is, Cal. In the movies, this is the part where the music starts to play and there are long walks on the beach and beautiful sunsets. In real life, I just broke up with my drug-addicted ex-fiancé and slept with you on our first date."

"That was a date? I haven't even seen you naked."

She can't suppress another smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes this time. "You didn't react to my earlier allusion to your work." Gillian lowers her voice. "How does it take place? Are you on missions permanently? Do you even know when your next assignment will start?"

Cal realizes that he never had to explain what he does to someone else before. Most people simply doesn't know. Even his family only knows that he has to make many, long business trips that sometimes entail that he can't be contacted for a while. His ex-wife, Zoe, for sure drew the right conclusion. She never addresses it, though, and Cal is thankful for it. He gave her an emergency number in case something happens to Emily and she can't reach him so that she can contact his superiors and they can locate him.

He is not undercover constantly. There are periods of time in between – some longer, some shorter – when he works from home, does research or counsels other teams. It's all a matter of what is required and where his abilities fit in best.

Gillian absorbs the information, not missing a word.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Three years."

"And you started..."

"...after my divorce."

His eyes dare her to comment on that, but she doesn't. As a psychologist, Gillian could explain in detail to him why he chose to work undercover right after his marriage had failed. But Cal is an intelligent man; he already knows.

"How long was the longest interval you didn't have to go undercover?"

"Half a year."

"And the longest interval you were undercover?"

"A year."

It's like a puzzle. She puts the pieces together and the more she sees of the overall picture, the more Cal can tell she doesn't like it.

"Not much time to enjoy walks on the beach and sunsets together," he states saddened.

"You made a conscious choice when you decided to work undercover."

There is so much Gillian doesn't say that Cal doesn't even know where to begin. Perhaps with this one brief reflection he saw, "You wonder if I ever thought about dropping out."

She starts to shake her head negating but ends up nodding, confirming his observation. However... "I have no business asking you such a question," she says.

"See?" He points a finger at her. Impolite but effective. Works like a charm every time; he has her full attention. Not that he didn't have it before. "That's the difference between you and... other women." Other women as in women he usually sleeps with, they both know what he means. "You don't make demands; you are demanding. Sophisticated even."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not only trying; I'm saying that I didn't have a reason to think about dropping out before. Not after my divorce and with Zoe and Emily living overseas. But..." Cal spreads out his arms, almost pushing a passing waiter down, and leans forward. "...under certain circumstances I would think about it. More than just think, actually."

Gillian didn't intend to direct the conversation towards this. She meant it when she told him that it is none of her business. Albeit what he suggests makes her happy, she can't escape the feeling that everything is too rushed.

"You are no fling, Gillian," Cal's words are urgent; most likely he saw her uncertainty. If this..." He waves his hand back and forth between them. "If this means something, then I will think about dropping out."

She is overwhelmed with emotions and almost panicking at the same time. "Cal... This..." Gillian searches for appropriate words. "Last night was wonderful. Yet, we don't know what it means. I don't want you to..."

"But you want it to mean something," he interrupts her.

Gillian looks at him, wondering how it is possible. She met him only a couple of weeks ago; she slept with him only last night. And yet... "Yes." Anything else would be a lie.

"Then let's find out." Cal leans across the table and kisses her.

Let the bloody waiters know for sure that he is the new guy at her side.

A coincidence is defined as a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection. Some people will tell you, though, that there is no such thing as a coincidence, that everything happens for a reason.

When Cal and Gillian leave about an hour later, a man bumps into Gillian. The man apologizes and Cal checks his facial expression to be sure that his apology is sincere. Cal has never seen the man before and is so focused on Gillian, putting his arm around her shoulders, that he has already forgotten about the incident when they step out in the sunlight. Just a face in the crowd. Therefore he misses the moment when the man recognizes him. The man doesn't know Gillian and was, indeed, sorry for bumping into her unwittingly. He knows Cal, though, even if Cal doesn't know him.

The man gets his phone out and dials. "You won't believe who I just saw," he says when someone at the other end of the line answers, only barely able to suppress the excitement in his voice. "The dirty bastard is alive and kicking."

- To be continued -

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