Gillian stumbled out of bed when she heard the doorbell ring, coming wide awake when she glanced at the bedside table and saw that the clock read 1:53 AM. She couldn't imagine anything good coming from a summons at that hour, so she hurried as she grabbed the cream silk robe from her closet and headed for the door. A quick peek through the curtains revealed Cal standing on her stoop, fidgeting and shuffling in his usual state of perpetual motion. Maybe not urgent but probably not good, she thought to herself with a sigh. Then she opened the door.

"Cal, what are you doing here?"

"Em's with her mum, see, and I was awake, having sort of a late night think, and I decided-"

"Cal," Gillian interrupted, peering at him closely,"have you been smoking?"

"What? I don't smoke," he said, but then paused as she leaned in to take a sniff of his clothes. "Oh, you mean smoking - I might have had a few tokes-"

"And what? You decided it was a good idea to come wake me up?"

"Well, no. Actually I got the, you know ..." Cal made chewing motions with his mouth as he waved a hand around in explanation, "... munchies, and I thought; I could really fancy a burger. But it's two AM. Hard to find a place that's open this time of night and then I found myself in this neighborhood and ... you wouldn't have anything to eat, would you, luv?" He looked at her, head cocked and eyes wide in his best approximation of innocence.

Despite herself, Gillian couldn't resist the puppy dog look and she burst out laughing. Wasted or not, Cal Lightman could always get to her. She opened the door all the way and stood aside to let him in.

"Knew I could count on you," he said as he headed for her kitchen.

"I can't very well let you drive home in this state, so I guess I have to feed and put you up for the night," she replied with a sigh.

As soon as they reached the kitchen, Cal made a beeline for the fridge, flung both doors open and stuck his head inside. He was muttering unintelligibly as he rooted through the food in search of something that tickled his marijuana fueled cravings. After watching him sample various items, she realized that it might be better if she took over. She laid a hand on his shoulder and when he looked back at her she directed him towards the stools that lined the breakfast bar.

"There. Sit," she said. "I'll get the food, and I think some coffee might also be a good idea. I'd like to sober you up a bit before you eat me out of house and home."

As she pushed him gently towards the counter, Cal's hand shot out one last time, grabbing a cardboard box of leftover chinese noodles. Then he followed her instructions and draped himself, loose-limbed, over the stool. As she busied herself with the coffee machine, he found a fork and began shoveling the cold noodles into his mouth.

"Some ice cream would be nice," he said around a mouthful of noodles.

"Coffee first. And Cal, whatever possessed you to go out and buy marijuana?"

"Didn't. Already had it," he said, still chewing.

"Please tell me that doesn't mean you've been using regularly. Not with Em in the house." A worried frown creased Gillian's brow. She knew Cal had his issues, but now she wondered if they went deeper than she had suspected.

Even in his impaired state, Cal could hear the concern in her voice and he hurried to reassure her. "No, no ... I found it - in the freezer. See, I was looking for a packet of bacon I was sure we had, and way in the back was this little wrapped up item. I took it out and when the ice melted off I realized what it was. Totally forgot I had it, I did. Stuff must be, I dunno, six or seven years old."

"I'm surprised it was still potent," Gillian observed.

"That's the thing; I wondered that too. So I tried some - in the spirit of scientific inquiry and all that. Quite amazing really; how it still worked after all those years."

With the coffee brewing, Gillian decided to acquiesce to Cal's other request and grabbed the pint of chocolate-raspberry truffle ice cream she kept on hand for when she got a craving herself. She filled a bowl and was about to give it to Cal when she heard the scratchy grinding of a lighter being flicked on. She whirled around only to find Cal nonchalantly lighting up a fat joint.

"You wouldn't have an ashtray handy?" he asked blithely.

"What do you think you're doing?" she spluttered.

"Refreshing my high. For God's sake, Foster, loosen up a bit. I'm here, I'm safe ... you've got food. I'll throw the weed out tomorrow, but tonight I want to have a little fun."

"Fun?"

"Yes, fun. You know, Foster, you should try some yourself. Fun or weed, or maybe both. Have you ever even been stoned?" he asked as he lazily blew the potent smoke in her direction.

"I experimented plenty when I was younger. I don't need to repeat it." she declared.

"Plenty, huh?" he repeated while giving her that look that said he knew she was lying.

"Okay, once. But that was enough."

"Once is never enough. C'mon, Foster," he said as he held the burning roach under her nose, "you know you want it."

And suddenly she did. Suddenly she didn't want to be the cool, collected half of their relationship. The sensible one. For some reason she couldn't fathom - maybe some of that sweet acrid smoke had already made it to her brain - she had a sudden urge to let go and join Cal in his lunacy. Before she could change her mind, she reached out, grabbed the joint, and took a deep drag ... and then started coughing so hard she had to hold onto the counter for support.

"Easy there,luv," Cal said, patting her on the back to ease her spasms. "You might want to inhale a little less until you get used to it. Stuff got a bit harsh, all that time in the freezer. Here, try again," he said.

This time she kept it in, holding her breath as she watched Cal do the same, only to erupt into a fit of giggles when he started to blow smoke rings at the ceiling. They took a few more drags in companionable silence before Cal got a wicked smile on his face.

"So tell me, Foster, what did you do the last time you got stoned?" he asked.

Gillian giggled at the memory. "I sang."

"That's it? You sang. Here I share my stash with you expecting some great revelation and all I get is 'I sang.'"

"Okay, okay. I sang 'Love Shack' ... and I danced ... on a bar table."

Now it was Cal's turn to erupt into laughter. "That, luv, I would have paid to see," he choked out between his paroxysms.

Gillian swatted at him in mock anger but only succeeded in hitting his arm, causing him to drop the burning roach into her lap. She jumped up, making it fall to the floor where Cal quickly stomped it out. Then he reached over and started brushing off the trail of sparks it had left down the front of her robe. He was so high that it took him a moment to realize just where his hand was, and when he did, he froze, his hand still on her chest, nothing but a thin layer of silk between it and her breast. She knew she should move away, or say something to break the spell of the moment, but her body and voice would not obey. Instead, almost without volition, she found herself leaning forward into his touch, her lips parted and her breathing becoming more rapid.

Cal seemed in a trance as he splayed his fingers to better cup her breast and moved his other hand up to slide it behind her neck and into her hair. Their faces were just millimeters apart now.

"We should stop," she whispered, her breath hot on his face.

"Just say the word," he whispered back and then waited silently for the answer she couldn't seem to formulate. And suddenly it didn't matter, his mouth was on hers, and she couldn't have answered if she wanted to.

Maybe it was just the drug but it seemed as if that kiss was what finally broke the dam and let loose all the pent up longing and desires she had been so carefully holding back. Feelings she had been zealously keeping on her side of the imaginary line she had drawn between them spilled over. Propriety washed away in a wave of lust and she kissed him back, her hunger matching his own. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart, both of them breathing hard and shocked by the intensity of their collision.

It was a tense moment. These few seconds after they kissed, but before they went any further, were probably the last chance to stop what Gillian feared might be a train wreck in the morning. Sensing her hesitancy, Cal tipped his head and a smile quirked his lips; sure signs that something outrageous was about to come out of his mouth.

"You know, luv, you could always sing for me instead," he said in mock seriousness.

Instantly, a vision of herself crooning some tacky classic atop the kitchen counter flashed through her mind. She erupted into giggles that she smothered in Cal's chest. Then the giggles turned to kisses and the moment was past. Now all she could think about was the fact that even the flimsy layers of her robe and his shirt felt like far to much clothing between them. Her hands went to work on his buttons, not stopping until she had them all undone and could slide the shirt off his shoulders. Cal had it easier. One quick tug on the belt and her robe fell open. He gasped a bit when he saw that she had nothing on underneath, then buried his face between her breasts, licking and sucking first one then the other until her nipples were so hard they almost hurt.

Then he moved lower, his mouth tracing a burning line across her stomach and down between her thighs. He pushed her back until she was seated on one of the stools, then knelt in front of her and buried his face between her legs.

"Oh Cal, oh God, Cal ...," she moaned as he went to work with his tongue. The sensations were so overwhelming she had to reach back and grasp the counter for support. Moments later, she was on the brink of an orgasm. One last nip with his lips and she fell over the edge, crying his name again as she shuddered in her release.

When her last tremor had faded, Cal rocked back on his haunches and looked up at her, his lips swollen and shiny with her wetness and his pupils blown with desire. His gaze ran up and down her still quivering body.

"You are so beautiful," he said in a reverent whisper, then he stood up and kissed her again.

Impatient now, her hands fumbled at the button of his jeans. He pulled away a bit to give her room and it soon came undone. One quick zip and his cock sprang free. She wrapped her hand around the firm length of him, and used a finger to smear the bead of pre-come across the head. Cal moaned into her mouth as she stroked him and she felt a sense of amazement that she could have this effect on him.

Cal broke the kiss and pulled away to step out of his jeans. When his eyes returned to hers, she raised her hand to her mouth, the hand that only moments before had been holding him, and slid a finger between her lips, smiling around it as she tasted his essence.

Her sexy, so un-Foster like smile was the last straw. Cal couldn't wait any longer. As he moved back into her embrace her legs slid up around his waist. Their eyes locked together, he gave one firm thrust and then he was inside her. She gave a little gasp and threw her head back as he began to move with rhythmic strokes, holding her hips to steady her on the stool. He wanted to make this last forever but he had waited so long and wanted her so badly, that he felt his control slipping away. His hips moved faster and faster as Gillian tightened her legs around him until finally her exploded within her. She was right there with him, crying out only moments later as she came again.

Utterly spent, they clung to each other, their sweat slicked bodies slowly cooling in the chill of the air conditioning. As goosebumps began to prickle across the back of her neck, Gillian came back to herself and the worries started.

"Oh God, Cal. What have we done? Where do we go from here?" she murmured, her face still buried in his shoulder.

Cal pulled away and cupped her face between his hands. He studied her face, easily reading the uncertainty written there. "I was thinking the shower might be a good idea," he said with a lopsided grin.

She gave him a weak smile. "You're deflecting, Cal."

"And you're borrowing trouble."

"But-"

"No buts. Just let it be, love. Let tomorrow take care of itself," Cal said. Then he bent down and gathered up his clothes. "So tell me, am I taking that shower alone?"

Gillian wanted to be mad at his levity but in a strange way it relieved the pressure on her and that was just what she needed. There was no going back so they would have to find a way forward and Cal was right, tomorrow was soon enough for that.

"I'm warning you, the only soap I've got smells like lavender," she said as she shrugged back into her robe and followed him upstairs.