A/N: Don't own RB or the characters, just borrowing them. This is my first attempt at a fanfic. I'm not a writer and don't pretend to be, but I had an idea and thought I would share it.
"So how does it feel to be such losers, do you guys ever get tired of failing so hard all the time? Maybe I should start calling you Titanic, because you're both such epic failboats," mused Gail as Chris and Dov dejectedly sat back at their table.
"What? It's not our fault they both have boyfriends. How were we supposed to know they were dating some jerks from 27? Plus, it's easy for you to talk, girls just do the rejecting," complained Dov.
"Yeah," Chris chimed in. "You just have to sit there. Guys come up to you, they buy you drinks, do the talking, and you just get to shoot them down like sitting ducks."
"Yeah and you have it even easier. You get both guys and girls to fall all over you," Dov added.
"What can I say? I'm hot," countered Gail.
The boys nodded, they couldn't really disagree, not without risking physical harm to their manhood. "Yeah, but I would like to see you try to pick someone up. It's not as easy as it looks," grumbled Chris.
"Why would I waste my time going out of my way to interact with people when they come to me?" smirked Gail. "Plus, I have more game in my little toe then the two of you combined. Dork 1 and Dork 2."
"Alright how about we make this interesting?" offered Dov.
"I'm listening...barely..." said Gail as disinterestedly as possible. She made a point of rolling her eyes and glancing aimlessly around the bar like it was much more interesting than whatever Dov had to say. Then again, maybe it was, as she noticed a pretty brunette at the bar. The woman was attractive but clearly weird. She was reading a book at the bar, and seemed to be immersed in whatever she was reading, completely ignoring the men approaching her. It appeared that she was shooing them away without even breaking eye contact with the text in front of her. Probably had a boyfriend already or was married. "What's the bet?"
"You have to pick a girl up," seeing the glare Gail shot his way, Dov held up a hand to finish the rules quickly, "Which means you have to approach a girl, hit on her, and get her number," he finished with a flourish of his drink.
"Why a girl?" Gail questioned, while narrowing her eyes. Not that she really cared. Afterall, both girls and guys had hit on Gail before. Hell, she had slept with her fair share of guys including Chris, and had some steamy makeout sessions with some of her "friends" who were girls in college. Not that she would ever share her inner musings with Dov but really, she thought labels were stupid, unless they were for shoes...or guns (obviously). Plus Gail knew that she could easily win any bet her roommates could come up with, but she wasn't going to make it easy for them.
"Because if you hit on a guy he would be putty in your hands. I would love for a girl to come up to me for a change, buy me a drink, and ask for my number. It would be such a turn on!" exclaimed Chris. Poor guy hadn't gotten laid in a while.
Chuckling, Dov pointed at Chris and said "Exactly!"
"OK, so let's say I agree to this bet. What do I get when I win besides some chick's digits?" Gail asked nonchalantly.
"We'll clean the frat house this weekend" offered Dov. That had been an ongoing argument between the roommates. The boys claiming Gail didn't do her share of the cleaning. The blonde argued that it wasn't her mess or her problem. She won. (Gail always won).
Gail chuckled, "Really? That's the best you have to offer."
Chris added, "And we'll buy your drinks for you for the rest of the night".
"Try the rest of the weekend," said Gail before adding, "And lunch for the week". Not that Gail was actually concerned about this bet but she figured if she was going to have to leave her seat she wanted to make it worth her while.
"Fine, but if you can't get her number then you have to do the cleaning and buy our drinks and lunches," said Dov.
"No way! There's two of you and only one little me" snarked Gail.
"Dude you can eat more than both of us!" countered Chris, only flinching a little when Gail shot him a look. He was lucky he was out of hitting range at the moment. He would regret that comment later, thought Gail. "Alright, no lunches, but you have to pick up both our tabs for the weekend," Chris placated.
Dov nodded, "Oh and we get to choose the girl you try to pick up".
"Fine, whatever, but I wouldn't start ordering too many drinks if I were you. This is gonna be a breeze," the blonde said with a shrug. She was bored just sitting here talking to these two anyway. It would be a long night at the rate they were striking out.
The guys lit up and began to look around the bar for the perfect challenge for the blonde. They needed someone who would definitely give Gail a run for her money. But they also wanted someone that Gail would never choose for herself. After arguing over a few girls throughout the bar, Dov spotted a brunette by the bar he didn't recognize. He nudged Chris who looked over too.
"I don't know man. She's hot in a smart kind of way," whispered Chris.
"Come on, you know Gail is going to mock her for being a nerd. There is no way she is going to be able to not insult her," said Dov back in a hushed tone. He had picked the woman because she was reading a book at the bar, seriously who does that? There was no way in hell Gail would be able to keep her snark in check while talking to someone who was reading in a crowded bar on a Friday night.
"Alright, her, the brunette at the bar. The one with the glasses" said Dov, cockily pointing in the woman's direction.
With an exaggerated sigh, Gail shifted in her seat to look in the direction her roommate was pointing. "Wait the bookworm? Seriously, you want me to pick up a dork? Do I look like I belong to the dorkdom that you two clearly come from? Who the hell reads a book in a bar?" Gail didn't want the guys to realize she had already checked out the attractive woman. She was hot in a sexy librarian kind of way. Who knows, that could be her thing? Either way, she wouldn't mind getting this woman's number, not that she would use it, it was just for the bet right? Still she had to show some resistance.
"Yep, definitely her," Dov grinned with Chris nodding beside him. "Unless you don't think you can do it."
"Whatever, just be ready to pay up," huffed the blonde as she pushed her seat back. How hard could it be? Thought Gail as she sauntered over to the bar.
"Who brings a book to a bar?" questioned Gail, as the blonde leaned against the bar casually.
With a sigh, "Who comes over to bother a stranger who's clearly not interested," countered the brunette without looking up from her book.
"If you didn't want to be bothered. I'm sure you could have found somewhere quieter. I mean, you are in a crowded bar, filled with people, getting liquored up, looking for a good time. Yet, you're sitting in the middle of it with a book." Not that Gail would admit that she was kind of impressed with the brunette's concentration and general apathy towards her surroundings. Seriously, how was she able to read with people moving all around her and shouting to one another?
"Maybe I just like the challenge," the brunette replied.
"Finally, something we can agree on," quipped Gail in her velvety voice. This was taking longer and way more words than she thought it was going to.
At that, the brunette finally looked up from her book. She adjusted her glasses, ready to go off on the fourth person to bother her since getting to the bar thirty minutes ago. Seriously, why would anyone think she was interested in conversing or getting hit on? That was why she always brought a book in the first place. In case she had to wait somewhere, it was a natural deterrent. She was surprised to see the gorgeous platinum blonde in front of her. Maybe she could use a little distraction.
"Ah did I finally get your attention?" Gail questioned knowingly as she locked eyes with the dark brown pools in front of her. "Took long enough," she huffed.
"Well, clearly you're here for a reason. If it were just to get a drink from the bartender, you would be trying to get his attention, not mine. So?"
"Maybe I just wanted to see what could possibly so interesting that you had already turned down three guys who came over" Not that Gail had noticed or anything.
"Been watching me a while have you?" Busted!
"Nah, just observant, it's part of the job being a cop and all".
"So are you trying to make detective that you felt the need to solve the book in the bar mystery?"
"Haven't solved it yet. Still don't know who you are or what you're reading," leaning over to look at the cover, Gail read the title aloud Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disease. "My god, you're even nerdier than I thought! Is your brain really so big that you understand that thing or is it all for show? Scare people away with big words and all."
"Actually, it's extremely fascinating. Everything you need to know about the human heart from arrhythmias, to myocarditis, and myocardial infarctions. The way things work and the unlimited ways they can go wrong. How the heart goes from beating normally to not beating at all-"
"Why are you saying all these words?" Gail interrupted with an eye roll.
"You asked. Yes, I understand everything I'm reading or rather rereading. I need to catch up before I start my new job on Monday. Plus, it is far more interesting than cheesy pickup lines or being asked why I would be reading when I could be talking to such an awesome specimen of the male sex."
"What's wrong? Don't like the guys trying to pick you up at a bar?"
"Turns out, I don't like men."
"I don't think I like men much either," Gail said while shooting daggers at her roommates who were watching their interaction with smug grins on their faces. Clearly they thought it wasn't going well.
The brunette glanced briefly in the direction of the table, "I meant I'm a lesbian."
"Oh, I meant I hate people," the blonde deadpanned.
The brunette gave the woman in front of her a side-smile, "And yet you're talking to me?"
Gail didn't know why but her stomach flipped at the sight of the smile, "Well clearly you aren't normal people."
"Clearly."
"So nerd you said you start a job on Monday. What is it that you do besides breaking hearts?" Gail asked with a self-satisfied grin at her own play on words.
"Really?" responded the brunette with a chuckle.
"You're the one reading about patho-whatchamacallit". The brunette couldn't help but smile even bigger. Despite seeming uninterested, it was clear the blonde had been paying attention, and she was kind of impressed that she had not only understood the meaning of the title and her explanation but could twist it around.
"Probably because I'm a forensic pathologist. I'll be working with 15 and 27 divisions."
Crap, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Gail would probably be seeing the brunette around on cases. Oh well, she couldn't lose a bet. She just had to hurry this along, get a name and number then get her free drinks and food, and a clean apartment. But a part of Gail didn't really want to hurry. This had easily been the most interesting conversation she had had in a while. Though that wasn't saying much when Gail glanced over at her roommates once again.
"Pathologist? So you're a doctor?"
"Indeed. Doctor Holly Stewart" the brunette said extending a hand. "Officer...?"
Shaking the proffered hand and holding it slightly longer than socially acceptable, Gail let the doctor pull away first. "Officer Gail Peck. I work for fifteen too. So can I buy you a drink, doc? You know, congratulations for a new job, and the opportunity to work with yours truly" What the hell was she doing? Gail never bought people drinks or offered them congratulations. Damn it, all she needed was a number. Oh well, she might be laying it on thick but she had a bet to win. She flagged down the bartender.
"Actually I'm meeting someone," the brunette said with that side-smile of hers.
Gail frowned as she ordered two shots of tequila and two jack and cokes and put it on her tab, the boys would be paying by the end of the night anyway. For some strange reason, she wasn't happy the brunette seemed to have plans after all. She had been enjoying the banter and wasn't looking forward to getting back to the guys. Oh well, she still had a number to get but now there really was a time limit. She subtly gestured for a pen to the bartender.
"So is it someone..." Gail said sliding the jack and coke over, "...Or someone someone?" she questioned as she offered the tequila. The pen was slipped to the side of her own drinks. Her choice of drink could give the blonde an idea about the chances of her competition. No, not competition, it was only a phone number, well, and a drink.
"I don't know yet," answered the brunette truthfully. Though, if she were being completely honest, it was just a stupid set-up. A friend of hers knew someone at 27 and thought it would be good for Holly to meet a future co-worker and possibly get a date out of it. Not that Holly had trouble meeting people. She was gorgeous and successful but she didn't care for serious relationships. Most people didn't understand that she was already in a fully committed relationship with her work. She loved her job and everything that medicine had to offer. It was really more a lifestyle than a career. Oh well, if the woman from 27 was even half as good-looking or as clever as the blonde from 15 the date probably wouldn't be awful. She looked between the drinks contemplating which one to take. She preferred the whiskey to the tequila but didn't really want to give the blonde the satisfaction of thinking that she had won.
"Well if it isn't the chicken police," Officer Jen Luck from 27 Division singsonged as she interrupted the duo at the bar.
Gail didn't hide her grimace or her annoyance as she glared at the other officer. God, she hated this woman, was chicken police really the best she could do?
"Luck" Gail practically snarled. "We were in the middle of a conversation, no one invited you".
Ignoring the blonde, Officer Luck turned to the doctor. "So you must be Holly. I'm Jen. Sorry I'm late there was a jewelry store heist. Nothing I couldn't handle but the paperwork can be a real bitch," she shot the blonde a smug look. She was ecstatic that she could brag in front of the other officer while grabbing the attention of the hot brunette who was here for her after all, "Do you want to grab a table?"
"Sure" the doctor said with a good-natured smile, trying to mask her disappointment that her time with the intriguing blonde had come to an end. "Why don't you go ahead? I'll meet you there in a minute," Holly stalled.
Holly watched the officer walk away in the direction of an open booth before turning her attention back to the blonde, who was doing nothing to hide her disdain for the woman who had just interrupted. Interesting...
"Never mind, clearly it's just someone," Gail said tipping back both shots of tequila. "Though if that's your type, I may have to question your intelligence doc. We may need to revoke your nerd license". She could hear the laughter coming from the boys back at her table. Ugh, they thought she had failed and were enjoying her rejection. Gail was getting pissed.
"So are you going to tell me why you really came over? What exactly was the bet you had going with the guys over there?"
"Ummm..." Gail could feel her face turn red at being caught. Damn her pale skin!
"Did I mention I can read lips? So I know you were talking about a bet"
Gail got a serious look on her face and leaned into the doctor's personal space. "So, you were watching my lips?" Gail practically purred into Holly's ear. She smirked as she saw the shudder run down the brunette's spine at the contact of her breath on her ear.
"That didn't answer my question," countered the doctor as she cocked her head to the side. Giving the officer her best "don't bullshit me" face.
With a sigh, Gail explained the terms of the bet. She figured there was no point in lying. The brunette though was clearly not impressed.
"I take it you're not going to help me win?" Gail said with a bit of chagrin.
"That would be a safe assumption. Thanks for the drink officer," Holly said as she grabbed the glass before turning away from the blonde, she was definitely disappointed that she had read the conversation properly. She really was just a bet and she didn't like it at all.
"Wait a sec nerd," Gail said reaching for the brunette's arm, they both felt the electricity spark between them at the contact. Gail couldn't understand it but there was really no denying the chemistry she had with this woman. Sure she had been attracted to people before but talking had never really been at the forefront of her mind then. Even though she started out the conversation for the wrong reasons, she wouldn't mind having another chance to chat with the weird doctor. She quickly wrote her number on a napkin before giving it to the brunette. "I'm sorry that I came here under false pretenses but I'm glad I did. It was better than I expected. In case you get bored with Luck, or your book..." she handed her the paper.
Holly glanced at the napkin, instead of her name, Gail had written "A Someone Someone" above her number. Holly tried to maintain the hard, disappointed look on her face but there was something so genuine in the stormy blue eyes of the blonde officer, she couldn't help it when she let out a little smile. "I'm still not helping you win...Good night Gail," and she walked away.
"Actually I was letting you win. Good night nerd!" Gail smirked before turning back to her table. Damn it, did she really just lose? Now, she was going to have to pay and clean.
The boys wasted no time rubbing it in Gail's face that she had lost. After their victory dances, Gail punched them both in the arms, hard. They lost a bit of their smiles after that, which pleased the blonde. They each ordered more drinks, the boys excited that their roommate would have to pay for once. Gail just sighed, lost in her own thoughts about her interaction with the intriguing woman and shooting daggers at Luck as she touched Holly's arm and laughed loudly at something the doctor said. Too loudly, thought Gail, who the hell did this woman think she was? Couldn't she see Holly was way out of her league? Oh well, thought Gail emptying her drink in one gulp. After a while, she began to get ready to leave, not wanting to see how the doctor's date with the annoying officer panned out any further.
"You two losers ready to leave," Gail huffed grabbing her jacket.
"Actually you would be the loser tonight Casper," countered Dov, but standing and grabbing his jacket as well.
"Whatever!" Gail started towards the bar to close the tabs when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was a text from an unknown number.
Unknown: I think your friends owe us some free drinks this weekend
Gail glanced up and caught the doctor's eyes twinkling back at her. She had been watching her intently from her table with Luck.
Gail responded: Definitely, want to cash in now?
The brunette excused herself from the other officer and met up with the blonde at the bar.
"What's wrong? Don't want to get lucky tonight?" questioned Gail.
Holly groaned, "Chicken police was the best she had to offer. By the way, you definitely owe me. So what are we having?"
"Anything you want doc, anything at all," Gail said with a wink and a smile. She grabbed the bartender's attention before adding, "Maybe if you're nice I'll let you see the clean apartment you helped to procure."
"Ha officer, now who's trying to get lucky?" The two women smiled at each other.
"Hey Epstein, Diaz you owe us drinks," Gail shouted to the boys waving her phone back and forth.
The boys groaned. How did she always win?