Married life was good.

Holly never dreamed that marrying Gail Peck would ever be this good. She woke up most mornings with a beautiful blonde nuzzled into the crook of her arm. She went to bed each night listening to the soft breathing of her wife. Married life was better than good. It was amazing.

After returning from their honeymoon out on the west coast. Gail had continued studying for her detective papers and achieved detective status within record time. As the days went on, Gail's confidence just seemed to continue to grow with her new detective status and Holly found that damn sexy.

So much so, that Holly was having the hardest time keeping her hands to herself when she was around Gail. One such occasion was when they were at an evening social for the pathologist society. Holly had to practically drag Gail out of the house as she complained about big words and the use of unnecessary science jargon. Holly could only chuckle. But once they were there, Gail's new confidence took over and soon she was busy schmoozing it up with various people, talking about this and that, and looking as beautiful as ever. Holly could barely focus on her own conversations as she watched Gail laugh and smile and make polite talk with others in the room.

Eventually she couldn't take it anymore. "If you'll excuse me" she said politely to those in her group before winding her way through the crowd. She placed her hand on the small of Gail's back, causing her to jump slightly. Holly couldn't help but smile when the ice blue eyes turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I steal my wife away for a moment?" Holly asked politely as she looked at the older gentlemen that Gail was talking to. Holly couldn't help but think about how much she loved saying that. My wife. The two most beautiful words in the world.

"No of course not" one of the gentlemen said. "It has been an absolute delight speaking with you" he said, turning to look at Gail. "You have quite a treasure here" he continued, looking at Holly now.

"Oh, I know" Holly smiled as she slid her arm around Gail's waist, pulling her closer. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world" she added, causing Gail to blush. "Now if you will excuse us" she smiled.

"It was a pleasure meeting you" Gail said with a smile as she let Holly lead her out of the room and down a quiet hallway. Holly led her towards the coatroom which was off to the side. She looked both ways before quickly pulling her in and towards the back.

"Gee, Dr. Stewart, what is with you and coat rooms?" Gail laughed as she let Holly pull her further in. "I'm really starting to question…"

Gail's comment was cut off by Holly pressing her lips firmly against her wife's. She wrapped her arms tightly around Gail's waist and pulled her in, deepening the kiss.

After the initial shock wore off, Gail happily wrapped her arms around Holly's neck, moaning into the kiss as she felt her wife's body presses harder against her own. Gail just absolutely adored how soft Holly's lips were, how her tongue tenderly asked for entrance, how her hands would roam over her body. She could spend hours just kissing Holly. And that's when it hit her, they were still in a cloakroom at some fancy science social. She smiled as she pulled out of Holly's embrace. "What has gotten over you" Gail chuckled as she looked lovingly at Holly.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it. You just look so sexy out there, in this dress, talking to those people. God" Holly said with a low whistle before pulling Gail close to pepper her neck with kisses.

Gail couldn't help but moan as she felt Holly's lips on her sensitive skin. "Baby, if you don't stop now, I won't be able to stop."

"Mmm…that's fine…mmm" Holly mumbled against Gail's skin.

"It's not fine" Gail chuckled pushing Holly back. "That room is full of your colleagues. I'm not willing to get caught like two horny teenagers and ruin your reputation."

Holly let out a deep sigh as she took another step back from Gail. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. You are just so…sexy" Holly said looking Gail up and down.

"Well, aren't you just lucky that you get to take this home tonight" Gail said as she gestured to her body.

"So lucky" Holly said in a low husky voice as she reached out to pull Gail close again.

"Hands off, Dr. Stewart. We still need to make it through at least another hour before we can continue this" Gail said playfully, swatting Holly's hand a way.

"You're right, Detective Stewart" Holly said, hanging your head.

"I'm always right" Gail smiled as she leaned in and gave Holly a quick peck on the cheek before turning and leaving a flustered Holly standing alone in the coatroom. And she just stood there, thinking about how wonderful it felt to call Gail 'Detective Stewart'. She thought back to when Gail told her that she wanted to take her last name…

"Are you sure you want to be a Stewart?" Holly managed to stutter out after ungracefully choking on the sip of water she decided to take at that very moment.

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Gail said nonchalantly as she took another bite of her chicken wrap. "It's not like being a Peck is anything ultra-special and I mean there are already like twenty Detective Pecks out there already."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration" Holly laughed. "But seriously, are you sure you want to take my name?"

Gail put down her wrap and reached over to take Holly's hand. "I'm positive, baby. I love your family. I love you. I love everything that the Stewarts represent. I would be honoured to become a Stewart."

Holly couldn't help the tears that began to slowly trickle down her cheek. Gail reached up, cupping her cheek and using her thumb to gently rub away the tears. "What's the matter, Holly?" she asked softly.

Holly reached up and placed her hand over Gail's, squeezing it gently. "You just make me so happy" she said softly. "But what will your mother think? Won't she be upset if you change your last name?"

"Nah" Gail said, leaning back in her chair again and taking another bite of her wrap. "I already talked to her" she said through a mouthful of food.

"You what?" Holly asked with surprise.

Gail took a moment to swallow before continuing. "I already talked to my mom and dad. My mom feels like I might as well change my name since I never really used the Peck name to its full potential anyways."

"She did not say that!"

"No, she didn't" Gail smiled, "but she did say that I don't need the Peck name to be successful and since I love you with every ounce of my being, that my name should reflect that as well for the rest of the world to see."

"Well, that's….that's very sweet of your mom" Holly said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"I know. I wasn't expecting that response either" Gail chuckled, "but is true. I do love you with every single part of me, so why wouldn't I want my name to reflect that as well so that everyone I meet would know it too?"

Holly turned and looked at Gail. She was constantly being surprised by this woman.

"What? What did I do?" Gail asked with a shrug.

"Nothing" Holly smiled as she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Gail's lips. "I just love you so much."

"I love you too" Gail smiled.

Holly couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she now stood alone in the cloakroom. Gail gave the façade of being tough, unapproachable, self-centered, but Holly saw the other side and this was one reason she loved her so much. She laughed to herself as she made her way back to the party, double checking her lipstick in the mirror in the hall.

As she approached the room, she saw that Gail had been quickly swept into another conversation. And once again, Holly's heart ached with pride. Ever since Gail had made detective, and ever since she had changed her last name to Stewart, Gail had changed. She had dropped some her façade. She wasn't as meek around groups of people. She didn't automatically turn to sarcasm in every situation. She was even more laid back.

Holly was brought out of her thoughts from a familiar voice.

"Earth to Holly" Lisa said, nudging Holly with her elbow.

Holly quickly turned to look at her. "Lisa? Why are you here?" she asked as she reached out to hug her friend.

"I am here for a meeting in one of the other rooms. I saw you leave the cloakroom looking a bit flustered, so I followed you here. Your wife looks pretty hot tonight."

Holly couldn't help but blush. "She looks amazing" she said almost under her breath.

"So are you guys coming over next Saturday? I told Frankie to invite you" Lisa said, looking back at Holly.

"Oh, yeah of course. We're looking forward to it" Holly answered honestly. Ever since they returned from their honeymoon, they hadn't really had a chance to sit down with their friends. Gail as so busy with her detective papers, and Holly was catching up on some of the paper work she had built up while they were away.

"Okay, well I should get back to my group. Tell Gail I said hi. I will talk to you later" Lisa said, leaning in to give Holly a quick peck on the cheek before continuing her way down the hall, leaving Holly to just stand there again.

She looked back into the room and saw Gail smiling back at her. God, she was so in love with that woman.

It was no surprise to Gail that by time she had locked their front door, that Holly had her pressed hard against hallway wall, hands roaming freely over her body.

"Mmm…baby….let me take of my coat" Gail moaned as she felt Holly's lips on her neck starting again where they left off in the coatroom.

Gail couldn't help but chuckle as she felt Holly's rushed, almost frantic, movements to discard both their coats and leave them in a pile on the foyer floor. "What has gotten into you tonight" Gail asked as she tilted her head back, giving Holly more access to her tender skin.

"You…are…just…so…damn…hot" Holly managed to mutter between kisses. And it was true. Gail was so hot tonight, and not just because of what she wore, but also because of how she handled herself. It was such a turn on for Holly.

"Baby, shouldn't we take this upstairs" Gail moaned as she felt Holly's fingers hitch up her dress, and dig into the soft skin of her thigh.

"Too far" Holly mumbled, her lips barely leaving Gail's sweet flesh. She then proceeded to walk Gail backwards towards the living room couch, leaving a trail of clothing along the way. That night, Holly used her mouth and her fingers to worship every inch of her wife's body.

The next morning greeted both the women sooner than either one had hoped for. Thankfully it was Sunday, and the only thing they had planned for the day was a visit with Holly's sister, Susan, and her niece, Ally.

"Aunt Gail said she would help me" Gail overheard Ally say as she stepped into the kitchen holding a bag a groceries.

"I said I would help you with what?" Gail asked skeptically as she placed the bags on the counter.

"You said that you would teach me to drive" Ally said with big puppy dog eyes. The same eyes both Susan and Holly had. The same eyes that Gail could never say no to.

"Did you really? That's so sweet" Holly said as she began emptying a different bag. She leaned over and placed a kiss on her wife's cheek.

"I don't know if I used those words exactly" Gail said.

"Can't you just sign up for a course?" Susan asked, as she placed some of the food into the fridge.

"What? Don't you trust me teaching your daughter? I would like you to know I was top of my class in the academy when it came to tactical driving. No one could to a 180 like me" Gail beamed.

"That's kind of what I am afraid of" Susan laughed. "I just want her to learn how to drive, not how to do stunts."

"I would never" Gail said in a shocked voice, but with still a twinkle in her eye.

"See Mom, Aunt Gail would never teach me anything crazy" Ally said, as she wrapped her arm around Gail's neck. For only being seventeen, Ally had the Stewart height and was almost a foot taller than her now.

"Okay, fine. She can take you on driving lessons, but you have to use Aunt Holly's car" Susan said pointing between Gail and Ally.

"Yes" both Gail and Ally said simultaneously as they high-fived.

"Let's start now. I'll get the keys" Gail said, as she walked into the hallway to retrieve Holly's keys from her purse.

"Hang on, why am I getting roped into this? Why does it have to be my car?" Holly asked, looking a wee bit worried as she watched Gail and Ally run out the door.

Susan could only laugh at her little sister. "Don't worry, Holly. I'm sure everything will be fine. They will probably go around the block a few times" Susan smiled as she continued to put away the food and get things out for dinner.

"Right, now you are all calm about it since it is my car on the line here" Holly sighed as she leaned back against the kitchen counter, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, and it is still my daughter behind the wheel, and I know that Gail is a great driver, but I swear sometimes she is worse than a teenager" Susan laughed.

Holly could only chuckle. Susan was right. Gail could be like any carefree, fearless teenager at times, and it only got worse when she and Ally got together. When they were together, Holly was able to see yet another side of Gail and for the most part, she loved it. Except now, knowing that they were out there driving around in her car, Holly couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

It was thirty minutes later when Susan and Holly heard the front door open and one set of footsteps enter the kitchen.

The two ladies looked up to see a sheepish looking Ally standing at the door.

"Please don't tell me you wrecked my baby" Holly pleaded.

"Well, your car is fine, but I think you should go check on Aunt Gail" Ally said with an apologetic shrug.

"Oh, Ally, what have you done?" Susan asked as she watched Holly disappear out the front door.

"Let's just say that Aunt Gail might not be wanting dinner after all" Ally said as she flopped down at the kitchen table.

Meanwhile, Holly had made her way outside to find Gail bent over the front hedge, heaving. She stifled a laugh before making her way over to her wife.

"Oh, baby. It's okay" she soothed as she rubbed her back gently. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say the driving lesson went well?"

"When it's time for our kids to learn to drive, you are doing it" Gail said before heaving again.

Holly couldn't help but smile. "When we have kids?"

"Yeah, you are totally teaching them to drive" Gail said standing up and taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Why are you smiling so much?" Gail asked when she finally was able to focus on Holly.

"We're having kids?" Holly said softly.

Gail couldn't help but smile back at her wife. "Of course we are. I can't wait to have little Stewarts running around."

"Really?" Holly asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Yes, really. Oh my gosh, why are you getting all sappy on me?" Gail teased.

"I just…I…I…" Holly stumbled as tears threatened to spill over. She wasn't really sure why she was getting so sappy. It's just this was not something they really talked about before. When she was younger, she had always wanted kids, but when she started dating Gail, after returning from San Francisco, it wasn't anything that really came up. She was just happy to be with Gail.

"Why are you so shocked? I can be maternal" Gail feigned feeling hurt.

"No, no, I know, Baby. I guess I just never really thought about it. I mean, we've never really talked about it" Holly tried to explain, not really picking up on Gail's teasing tone. "I… I mean, I…"

"Relax, Holly" Gail laughed.

Holly just turned and looked at her wife. Gail stood there, still slightly green, but smiling back. "I love you" Holly said, as she leaned in to kiss Gail.

"Whoa there" Gail said, putting her hands up and holding Holly back. "I just basically fertilized Susan's garden with my lunch. I'm not really in any condition to kiss you right now."

Holly just laughed as she pulled her wife into a hug instead.

AN- Do we continue on this journey? Let me know what you think.