A/N: Hello, welcome back to anyone who's read You Are Insane. If you haven't read it, but you're familiar with the Gail/Holly story you'll be just fine... But like, totally read it, because I was really proud of it, kay? I started writing this back when RB was airing, but then Gail/Holly went weird and I sort of lost the feeling. Also, special thanks to Tofu9162, I went for the brackets.

If there's something Gail Peck has learnt in the past 24 hours it's that life can throw you curveball after curveball, but each time one goes rocketing past it's still unexpected. The cold metal of the hospital vending machine presses against her forehead and she lets out a sigh, because another one of lifes curveballs is throwing her off balance.

The machine ate her quarter.

She would laugh, and thinks maybe she should, because losing a quarter to a machine should not be causing what feels like the beginnings of a mental breakdown. All she wanted was one coffee and one tea. Now, thanks to the missing quarter, she needs to choose between a coffee for herself or a tea for Holly and really, when would that ever have been a difficult decision before. It's the before that's throwing her off, before she would have brought the coffee, gone back to Holly and told her even the machines are against dirty hot leaf water. This is after the before though, this is the now, where Holly is aware of her feelings and she's aware of Holly's, and now she needs to stop being so much like herself whilst at the same time being herself.

Gail closes her eyes. The beginnings of a headache is pulling at her temples, because she can't even begin to try and solve the mystery of how much of herself to maintain and how much to change to be the person Holly deserves tonight.

She lets out a sigh and pushes the button at the bottom of the list marked tea.

"Hey," Holly takes the hot polystyrene cup out of her hands. "I thought you were getting a coffee?"

"Yeah, well, apparently having a killer after us wasn't enough for the universe, it had to turn the machines against us as well." She's well aware that she's pouting when she sits back into the plastic chair next to Holly.

"What?"

"Nothing, no news?"

"No, there's nothing on any of them yet. Your brother keeps looking at me funny though." The brunette nods towards where Steve's standing in the corner of the room, looking anywhere but where the two of them are sitting, and Gail feels a sudden panic in her stomach.

"Funny? Funny how? Funny as in who are you or funny as in are you sleeping with my sister?" Holly lurches forwards, coughing on the tea she had been swallowing.

"Gail!" Holly wipes her hand across her mouth and Gail finds herself relaxing when dark eyes look into hers, a few strands of hair falling loose across her face. Without thinking she raises a hand and pushes the strands back behind her ear, her thumb dragging across the brunettes cheek. The clench of her stomach when Holly closes her eyes and leans into the touch is unexpected, but she likes it and can't help stroking her thumb across the soft skin again.

A cold blast of night air from the opening hospital doors breaks her attention and she pulls her hand away from Holly's cheek. She casts her eyes feverishly around the room to see if anyone noticed the moment they had just shared. The only person she sees is Steve staring straight at her.

"So, you and the mortuary girl then." Gail almost drops the quarter on the ground. She doesn't turn to face her brother, instead she quickly pushes the money into the coin slot before some other catastrophe keeps her away from the coffee she knows is stored inside.

"Her name's Holly." She pushes the coffee button and hears the machine start whirling, she's not sure how she restrains herself from fist pumping when
the liquid starts pouring into the cup.

"Yeah, I know, Holly, Dr Ho-lly Stew-ar-t," he over pronunciates each part of her name and leans on the machine so he can see her. "She suits you."

"I don't know what you-"

"Gail, are you really going to try this?" His eyebrow quirks up in an entirely Steve kind of way, but all his expression does is rekindle her denial.

"Yes, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, so you didn't forfeit a cup of coffee earlier to buy Holly's drink?"

"How did you-"

"Look, shiny badge, has detective on it." He waves his badge in front of her and she fights the urge to take it off him and throw it down the hallway.

"You're an ass, and that is circumstantial at best."

"Then how about," his smile falls, and his eyes suddenly have that odd deep look they get after he's had one too many whiskeys. "How about the fact she made you smile."

"What?"

"When she came in, she didn't even say anything, but she made you smile."

Gail lets out a sigh of defeat, the headache from early is starting to pull at her temples again, so really what choice does she have, but to admit it. "She makes me happy."

"I know, I can tell already." There's a brief silence between them and Gail turns to stand next to Steve, leaning her head back against the machine. "It's ok you know? With me, I'm happy that Holly makes you happy, and that you're happy being happy together."

"Oh God, are we really going to do this? Now?" She turns her head to face him.

"And I know that I'm not au fait with what you're going through exactly." He pauses and his eyes get that deep look again, "But I'll listen if you want to talk or we can just get very drunk together if you don't."

"I don't really know what's going on right now, so maybe the second option."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She looks down when she feels the tears prickling at her eyes.

"Not tonight though kiddo, there's nothing else you can do here, go get changed and head home ok? I'll call you if there's any news." She pushes away from the machine and has starts making her way back to reception when she hears him call out behind her. "Or you know, go to Holly's, braid each others hair, watch some chick flicks or whatever it is you two do when you're alone." She flips him off over her shoulder as she continues walking away.

A/N: The next chapter picks up straight after this one, should be up some time next week. For my previous story followers things with toast girl have gone south... She's changing jobs and moving, which means we are no more D: She has my contact details now though... So it's up to her (and it makes my heart hurt).