PROMPT: Holly and Gail really do part ways (sad) and Holly takes a job elsewhere. Gail eventually falls for and marries another woman (but always has a soft spot for Holly) and they have a kid. Gail's wife gets sick and leaves Gail a widow (sad again). A few years later, Holly returns to Toronto and sees Gail as a mom.

(This prompt was submitted before we learn of the adoption story line, so I'm considering this a post-5x07 AU. Also, this is written largely from Holly's point of view.)

PART ONE

Doctor Holly Stewart looked around the lab, taking in the machinery and tools. It was familiar in a comforting way, yet foreign at the same time. Which made sense. It had been nearly ten years since she'd stepped foot into this lab. Nearly ten years since she'd even been in this city, except for one two day conference about three years ago.

But here she was, nearly ten years older and the new Chief Forensic Pathologist. She was the boss now. Well, one of them. And she had no idea what she'd be facing in the coming weeks. Since her transfer to Montreal, she hadn't kept tabs on anyone from the this city. She'd wanted to, god she'd wanted to, but she'd known that a clean break, a fresh start, was the best way to move on.

So there she was. It was her first day back, and she hoped it was a good one.

She made it sixteen days before she saw her.

She didn't go to nearly as many crime scenes as she used to. As the Chief, she more oversaw the work of the more than capable forensic pathologists that ranked beneath her. But this was an extremely high profile case; the victim was the young son of the current mayor.

So Holly arrived on scene alongside her second-in-command. And she immediately spotted her. Officer Gail Peck.

Or, well, it must be Detective Gail Peck, now, she figured as she noted the plain clothes (a crisp white button-down shirt tucked into well-fitting black jeans, a stunningly sexy dark teal leather jacket, and Holly could just make out the badge clipped to her belt). Her hair was long again, still platinum blonde, and she'd left it loose to fall soft waves around her shoulders as she stood talking to a few uniformed officers.

Holly suddenly wished she'd reached out to the blonde once she'd moved back to Toronto instead of just waiting for fate to throw them together at a crime scene. Because, let's face it, it had been inevitable that they'd eventually cross paths while doing their jobs, assuming Gail was still with fifteen. And evidently, she was. And she was in charge of this high-profile case. Perfect.

Holly steeled herself, knowing it would be awkward but also knowing she needed to do her job, and made her way towards Gail. One of the officers talking to Gail was one Holly had interacted with several times over the last couple weeks, Officer Brandon Willis. Officer Willis was a competent at his job, but clueless when it came to social situations.

He spotted her approaching. "Hey, Dr. Stewart," he called out, unnecessarily loud. "Nice to see you outside the lab for a change."

Holly cringed. She'd hoped to make her presence known in a calmer manner. She noticed Gail tense slightly, then turn slowly, face void of any surprise. That told Holly she'd been aware of her return and her involvement in this case.

"Hello, Officer Willis," Holly said, then met Gail's gaze and offered a small smile, hoping they could act professionally. At least for now. "Detective."

Gail seemed to agree with her sentiment and briefly returned the smile. "Doctor."

Holly took notice of her weariness, though it didn't seem to all stem from her presence. It appeared deeper. She'd aged some, naturally, but despite the slight increase in the amount of wrinkles around her eyes and the development of a few laugh lines, she was as stunning as Holly remembered.

Luckily for them, Officer Willis didn't notice the awkwardness and immediately launched into the details of the case. Gail looked on as the two discussed, arms casually crossed in front of her. She'd been informed of Holly's return and then of her involvement of this case from Traci, who heard it from Steve, who heard it from their mother. You'd think that Elaine Peck would have given Gail a heads up, but no. Why tell your only daughter that her ex was now the head honcho of the forensics lab?

Whatever, Gail was fine. It had been ten years. They could both be professionals about this.

Holly had been hoping to catch Gail alone after seeing her at the crime scene, but everything with this particular case was so incredibly hectic that she hadn't had the chance. But now, five excruciatingly long days later, the case was wrapped and Holly decided to seek the other woman out. She just wanted to see how she was doing after all these years. It may have been ten years, but she still cared about her. They'd been friends first, and she was actually hopeful they could be friends once again. She just hoped Gail felt the same way.

By a string of pure luck, Holly arrived at fifteen just as Gail was exiting the building, hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and her bag slung over her shoulder as she dug in it for her keys.

"Gail," Holly said as she approached, not wanting to startle her.

Gail looked up at the eerily familiar voice saying her name. "Dr. Stewart, hey."

Holly stopped a few feet in front of the blonde and knit her brow. "Dr. Stewart? Really?" she said, a teasing note to her voice. "I think you can call me Holly."

Gail seemed to relax. "Right. Sorry. Holly. Hi."

"Hey," Holly said. "I was just… I just wanted to stop by and say hi. See how you're doing."

Gail nodded once, clutching the strap of her bag tightly in her left hand. The diamond ring nestled against a simple slim silver wedding band adorning her ring finger glinted in the fading sunlight. "I'm okay. Things have been crazy the past couple years, but I'm good. You?"

"Uh, yeah," Holly answered. "Yeah, I'm good. You know, big new job and all that." She shook her head. "Gail, we were friends once. Good friends."

Gail smirked. "Yeah, sure, except you were wanting to get into my pants the entire time."

Holly had to laugh at that. This was the Gail she'd once known. "Maybe a little, but I really did like being your friend, and I'm kinda the new kid again and could use a friend. Do you think we could maybe get a drink or dinner and talk? As friends."

Gail glanced at her watch and bit her bottom lip. "Uh, I can't right now," she said, not offering up a reason why not. "But some other time this week? Maybe lunch?"

"Okay. Lunch. Tomorrow?"

Gail nodded. "Sure." They agreed on a casual diner and a time to meet, then Gail rushed off to her car. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry. As she drove, she let her mind wander to the woman she'd just agreed to have lunch with the following day, wondering if it was really a good idea. But she was also unwilling to cancel their plans.

Dammit what was she doing?

PART TWO

Holly arrived at the diner to find Gail already seated in a corner booth nursing a mug of tea. She looked up as Holly slid into the booth across from her. "Hey," Gail greeted.

"Hi," Holly said. "Thanks for agreeing to lunch."

Gail shrugged. "I figure we should probably clear the air," she said.

Holly nodded in agreement just as the waitress approached to take her drink order—coffee. She left with the promise to return with it soon and take their food orders. Holly turned back to Gail. "We're going to likely be working together on a lot of cases, so we need to be able to be in the same room without it being awkward."

"Right," Gail agreed. "Um, congratulations on your new title, by the way. Chief of Forensics. That's great."

Holly nodded her agreement. "You, too. On the promotion, I mean. How long have you been a detective now?"

"Seven years," Gail answered. "My mother, of course, keeps nagging me to move to a higher ranking white-shirt post, but I'm perfectly happy where I am now. I like being a detective."

"Good," Holly said. "I'm glad you're happy with your career."

The waitress returned with Holly's coffee and took their food orders, then left again.

"You look great, by the way," Holly said with sincerity. "You've barely aged."

Gail gave a short laugh. "Liar. I have a mirror," she joked. "But you haven't either. I don't see a single gray hair. Do you color it or do you have magic hair genes?"

Holly smirked. "I'll never tell."

"That means you make regular trips to the salon, but who am I to judge?" Gail said, then changed the subject. "So, where have you been the last ten years?" she asked. "I heard Montreal at one point, but I don't know how accurate that information was."

Holly nodded. "Montreal, yes. That's where I've been the entire time. I liked it okay enough, but I missed Toronto. Montreal has a different vibe. Not bad, just different. If you don't know French, it's tough."

Gail studied Holly over the rim of her mug, amazed that, even after ten years of no communication and after the awkward start, they were falling easily back into a tentative friendship. Or, whatever. Maybe not friendship yet. But a sort of civility that she wouldn't have expected. She guessed time really did heal all wounds.

"Avez-vous appris à parler Français?" Gail rattled off in perfect French. Holly gave her a blank stare. "Guess not," Gail said with a chuckle. "I just asked if you learned to speak French. But anyway, Toronto will always be my home. I can't see myself living anywhere else."

"I'll be pretty content if I never live anywhere else," Holly agreed.

"Any other life changes since we last talked?" Gail asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She was a detective, after all.

Holly shrugged. "Nothing all that noteworthy that would excite you. Had a few papers published, did some pretty intense research in Uganda for four months. Uh, and I had one serious relationship that lasted about five years before we called it quits." She smirked. "I caught her in bed with our neighbor. Straight out of a soap opera, right?"

"Oh," Gail said, unsure how to react to the information Holly had thrown at her. "I'm… sorry?"

Holly shrugged. "It ended two years ago. I'm over it. Actually, I wasn't all that upset at the time, so I guess that says a lot, huh?"

Gail offered a small smile. "I guess it does." She sipped her tea. "I was married for four and a half years."

Holly quirked an eyebrow. "Was?" She indicated Gail's rings.

Gail gave a sad smile. "I keep forgetting I still wear these. It's a habit, I guess. My wife died a little over a year ago."

Holly felt her heart constrict in her chest. "I'm so sorry to hear that," she said with sincerity. "Can I ask what happened?"

"Ovarian cancer," Gail answered, looking down at her hand as she played with the rings, a habit she'd formed over the years. "It was fast. She went from completely fine to… gone in five months."

"Gail, I'm sorry you had to go through that," Holly said.

Gail inhaled deeply and shrugged. "Shit happens, right? Life goes on. But, I still have Gracie." A real smile spread across her face at the mention of 'Gracie'.

"Gracie?"

Gail nodded, pulling out her phone from her pocket and opening the photo app. She handed the phone to Holly who took in the photo of a smiling Gail with her cheek pressed against the cheek of a young girl. "Gracie is our daughter. Well, technically my step-daughter. Obviously. She just turned thirteen."

"She's beautiful," Holly said with a smile, taking in the way they both looked so happy. "You two seem close." She handed the phone back, imagining Gail as a mother.

Gail nodded. "We have our rough patches, particularly since Emily died. She was always the disciplinarian. Up 'til then, I was the cool step-mom. She took her mother's death pretty hard."

"Understandable," Holly said. "That's a rough age to lose a parent."

Gail nodded. "Especially since her other mother, Denise, is hardly around. She tries, and she loves Gracie, but she's a little… she's just flighty. She actually gave up her parental rights when Emily and I got married so that I could legally adopt Gracie. Which turned out to be a really good thing."

Holly couldn't imagine ever giving up her parental rights to a child, but she didn't say anything. "You really have been through a lot since I left town," she mused. "My experiences the last ten years seem so tame in comparison."

Gail laughed. "Yeah, well, no one ever claimed the life of a Peck was a quiet life."

"Tell me about her," Holly said. "Emily? How'd you meet? I can tell you loved her very much." Surprisingly, Holly didn't feel any jealousy. Well, not in the traditional sense. She was a bit jealous that Gail had managed to find someone that made her happy while she'd only found someone that broke her heart again and again, but she was truly happy for Gail. Well, happy until she thought about the emotional torment of losing her wife. That was actually really sucky.

Gail smiled and nodded. "I did. I still do." She laughed. "She was also a doctor. Apparently that's my thing."

Holly grinned, but didn't say anything, so Gail continued.

"We met about seven years ago, just after I'd made detective. My second week, I got shot on the job—" Holly's quick inhale made her pause. "Just a graze," she clarified, running her fingers over the top of her left arm. "But it still needed stitches, so I was taken to the hospital. My doctor stitched me up and I was on my way out when I literally run into her and made her drop the dozen or so patient files that she was carrying. God, she was so pissed." Gail laughed when she recalled that day. "She was normally really calm and collected, but she'd been having a really rough day, so she yelled at me. Right there in the middle of the hallway full of people.

"A few days later, she shows up at the station and apologizes. Says she'd felt bad for creating a scene and taking her frustrations out on me. Like, who even does that? She said she felt like an ass and was embarrassed by her reaction and asked me out for a drink to make it up to me. The rest, as they say, is history."

"It wasn't difficult dating a woman with a daughter?" Holly asked.

Gail shook her head. "Not really. I mean, for the first few months, we just focused on getting to know one another. At that time, Denise was still kind of a part of Gracie's life, so Gracie would spend every other weekend with her. And being a detective, I typically had weekends off, anyway. And she was a pediatrician working for a private practice that had an office in that hospital, so she just worked Monday through Friday, as well. I didn't even meet Gracie until we were sure it was serious." Her face suddenly twisted into an expression of confusion. "Why am I even talking about this? This should be awkward. I mean, we used to date and here I am talking about how much I miss the woman I fell in love with after we broke up."

Holly shrugged. "We always found it easy to confide on one another," she said. "Before things went to hell, I mean."

Gail sighed. "I suppose. It still seems like it should be awkward."

"But it's not?"

Gail shrugged. "Not really. It almost feels like when we first met and were just friends."

"I'm not sure we were ever 'just' friends, Gail," Holly pointed out.

Gail chuckled. "True. You did want in my pants back then."

Holly couldn't stop the words. She tried, she honestly did, but they were too quick for her brain to hold back. "Well, I don't think that part will ever change." Her eyes widened as soon as she heard herself.

But Gail let out a hardy laugh. "Some things never change," she said.

Holly felt herself relax. "Sorry, I didn't mean to actually verbalize that. I'm not going to jump your bones or anything."

Gail just kept smiling as she took another sip of her tea. Holly was saved from having to further explain herself as the waitress arrived with their food. The subject was changed by mutual consent when Gail asked Holly about her new job after the waitress left once more. Holly lit up and began talking about science-y things Gail didn't understand, but she let her talk because she was so excited by it.

It really did feel like the quick friendship they'd formed in the early stages of their relationship. Gail didn't know what that meant for the their future friendship, if there even was a future for their friendship, but she was willing to take things one day at a time.

PART THREE

Holly accidentally met Gracie exactly three weeks later. Since their lunch at the diner, Holly and Gail had met up four other times for lunch, and once for drinks after a tough shift (when Gracie was spending the night at a friend's house, Gail had been sure to tell Holly—she never drank when she was responsible for the teenager). They'd fallen back into an easy friendship-or-whatever-it-was-for-now that had surprised neither of them.

That day, Gail had been unable to meet for lunch, stating that she was inches away from cracking a huge case and needed to work through lunch. Holly figured that meant she would forget to eat altogether, so she decided to bring her some food. She didn't intend to stay, not wanting to be a distraction. She was buzzed into the squad room of fifteen, looking around for a familiar face and spotting Traci across the room.

"Hey, Holly," Traci greeted as she approached. Since her return, Traci had only been warm and welcoming, which put Holly at ease.

"Hi," Holly said. "I don't plan to stay and get in the way, but Gail said she was working though lunch, and I figured that meant she'd skip it altogether. So I brought her food." She held up the bag that contained her favorite sandwich and a small bag of cheese puffs.

"You just missed her," Traci responded. "They caught a break in the case and left to investigate it about ten minutes ago."

"Damn," Holly said. "I knew I should have called first. Okay, well, will you tell Gail I stopped by and left this in the break room fridge for her?"

"Or you could just let me have it," a voice said from Holly's right.

Holly turned and came face to face with a dark-haired, brown-eyed teenager that she immediately recognized from the photo Gail had shown her. Gracie.

"You just had a burger not two hours ago," Traci said with a laugh.

Gracie shrugged and hoisted herself to sit atop a nearby desk, her lime green Chuck Taylors swinging to and fro. "I'm a growing girl. And technically, it was half a burger. Officer Willis stole the other half."

"Regardless, Dr. Stewart brought the food for your mom," Traci said. "Want some change for the vending machines?"

Gracie scrunched her nose. "All that stuff is stale. Come one, Auntie Trace. You know they won't be back for hours. Maybe not even before dinnertime."

Holly butted in before Traci could say another word. "I'm sure Gail would let her eat most of it, anyway," she said as she held the bag out towards the girl.

Traci just laughed. "You're probably right." Then her phone rang and she excused herself.

Holly turned towards the teenager who was already biting into the sandwich and smiled. "At least let your mom know I tried to bring her food, okay?"

The girl nodded. "Kay," she said around a mouthful of the sandwich, then swallowed. "I'll save her half, I promise."

Holly nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait," Gracie said, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back to see Gracie giving her a narrow-eyed look. "You're not a cop."

Holly shook her head. This girl could be Gail's biological kid given her mannerisms and blunt way of speaking. "No, I'm not. I just work with cops."

"You're the forensic something or other, right? The one my mom used to date before she met my mom-mom?"

Oh, yeah. This was definitely Gail's kid, biological or not. Holly wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh, I don't know that I should discuss that with you," she said.

Gracie shrugged. "Not like I don't know the story. Or, at least the story that everyone around here knows. They're all terrible gossips. And they think they're sly about it. You'd think cops would be more stealthy."

Holly blinked. She was sure her face resembled the proverbial deer-in-headlights. How was she even supposed respond to that? She decided to skirt the questions. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Gracie shook her head. "School holiday," she explained. "I was supposed to stay with Denise, but she had better things to do, so my mom brought me here for the desk lackeys to babysit. Not that I need a babysitter. I totally could have just stayed home alone. I'm not a baby."

Holly took note of how she called Gail her 'mom' yet referred to her non-step-parent by name. Interesting. Before she could respond, Traci returned.

"Last time your mom left you alone during a school holiday you nearly set fire to the kitchen," Traci said matter-of-factly.

"Oh my god, that was one time," Gracie groaned.

Traci stared at her pointedly, eyebrow raised. Gracie finally grumbled something about putting the rest of the sandwich in the break room refrigerator for her mom and shuffled off. Holly couldn't help but chuckle.

"I have to say, she may not be Gail's biologically, but there's no doubt she's Gail's child," Holly mused.

Traci nodded. "You don't even know the half of it," she said. She studied Holly carefully. "So, how are things going anyway?"

"I'm finally settling into the new job," Holly replied. "It wasn't as difficult as I thought to earn the other doctors' respect. Apparently the last Chief was an ass, so me just trusting them to do their jobs without micromanaging them the entire time goes a long way."

Traci laughed. "That's great, but I meant how are things with Gail? I'm kind of surprised by how you're both handling it all."

Holly shrugged. "It was always easy with Gail," she said. "The friendship part of our relationship, I mean," she clarified.

"I have to say that I'm really glad you're back, then," Traci said softly, aware of their surroundings. "Gail's been through hell the last couple years, but she had to hold it together for Gracie. And she's done a good job of doing just that. But I don't think I've seen her really smile for anyone other the Gracie since Emily died until you showed up again. So whatever it is you're doing, whatever you guys are, just… keep doing it. It's really good for her." She placed a comforting hand on Holly's shoulder, then walked off, leaving Holly to ponder Traci's words.

She suddenly really wanted talk to Gail.

PART FOUR

"Gracie told me that the two of you met the other day," Gail said as she sat across the table from Holly. Gail had brought lunch to Holly's office as a thank you for the sandwich Holly had tried to bring her the other day. (Turns out, Gracie had eaten the other half before Gail had returned to the station.)

Holly looked up from her chicken salad and nodded slowly. "I didn't know she would be there," she said carefully. They hadn't exactly discussed her meeting Gracie.

Gail shrugged. "Why would you?" she asked, mouth full of food. "She said you let her eat my sandwich."

Holly laughed. "She conned me."

Gail smirked. "I don't doubt that at all. I've always said she'll either make an excellent cop or a filthy rich con artist." She laughed.

"Is she interested in law enforcement, then?" Holly asked.

Gail shrugged. "Not really. I don't care if she does as long as she's happy wherever she ends up. My mother, of course, brings it up every Peck family dinner, but Gracie is a pro at changing the subject. She's only thirteen, but my money is on something science-y. She's got those kind of smarts." She grinned at Holly.

"So she does well in school?"

Gail nodded. "She typically brings home straight A's. Her favorite classes are math and science. What normal thirteen year old loves math and science so much?"

"Hey, I did!" Holly responded with mock exasperation. Then she chuckled. "She seems like a good kid."

Gail nodded. "She is." Then she got really quiet and looked lost in thought. "Um, she also asked me something else that I didn't exactly know how to answer."

"What's that?" Holly inquired.

"She, uh, asked if you and I were going to get back together."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Gail said, drawing the syllable out. She set her plastic fork on her plate. They'd only restarted their tentative friendship a few weeks ago, but neither woman could say that they hadn't pondered what the future held for them. After Gracie's questions about her relationship with Holly, Gail found herself unable to fall asleep that night. She was feeling guilty. Guilty for having these feelings for Holly once again while still mourning Emily's death. It had been a year, but it still cut deep. She still felt like she was married to Emily. And she was a loyal person.

But Emily was gone. She'd want Gail to be happy. She'd said so herself. They were some of the last words she'd spoken to Gail.

"What did you say?" Holly asked, breaking the silence.

Gail sighed. "The truth. I told her that we're friends, but that I had no idea what would happen in the future."

Holly nodded, glad she wasn't the only one that felt that way. "And how did she respond to that?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. She got quiet, but not like she was upset. More like she was thinking about what I'd said. I didn't want to push."

"Well, I think you're right," Holly said. "We are friends. But I think there's still a spark there. Am I wrong?"

Gail shook her head. "No, you're not wrong. But I don't think I'm ready to date anyone right now, even if there is an attraction." She refused to meet Holly's eyes.

"Gail, it's okay to not be ready," Holly reassured her. "I'm not asking for anything more than friendship."

Gail finally looked up. "Did you know that I loved you?" she asked abruptly.

Holly was blindsided by the sudden admission. "I'm sorry?"

"I loved you. When we were together. We ended before I could tell you that. I always regretted that you didn't know how I felt about you." She shook her head. "God, I'm so conflicted right now." She groaned.

Holly placed a comforting hand on top of Gail's. "About what?"

"I regret not telling you just how I felt because maybe we would have made things work, but how can I regret that since it allowed me to find Emily and Gracie. I can't imagine my life without Gracie in it. She's my daughter as much as if I'd given birth to her myself. I hate that we didn't work out, but at the same time I'm glad we didn't? What the hell is that?"

Holly took a deep breath while nodding in understanding. "That doesn't make you a bad person, Gail. It makes you human. I have a lot of regrets that would have changed the outcome of what are now great things." She paused as she thought about her next words. "I think what happened was supposed to happen. Maybe the timing was just wrong for us."

Gail knit her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe our time wasn't ten years ago. Maybe it's now. Or a month from now. Or a year from now. Or maybe it's never. Who knows? My point is, maybe we weren't supposed to make it work ten years ago."

"But I don't regret meeting you then," Gail insisted. "You made me realize my utter gayness."

Holly smirked and leaned back in her chair. "You are pretty gay now," she said.

"What does that even mean?" Gail asked, eyeing Holly wearily.

Holly eyed her carefully. "Your boots were always pretty gay, but just how much fleece do you own now?" she asked. "And remember, you showed up for drinks the other night wearing a blue plaid shirt."

Gail glared at her.

"That's what I thought," Holly laughed, then turned serious once more. "I didn't mean we weren't supposed to meet ten years ago. I'll never regret that."

"Me neither," Gail said softly, then inhaled deeply. "Look, Holly, I really like you. I don't think I ever stopped… feeling things for you. Big scary emotional things. Which is why I freaked out when I started falling for Emily, but she managed to reign me in, and I learned that it is possible to love two people at one time. And she was there, and you weren't, so…"

"Gail, don't you dare apologize for loving her," Holly insisted.

"I'm not," Gail said. "I'm just trying to say that I'm not ready to start anything now. It's only been a year and I have Gracie to think about."

"I meant it when I said I'm okay with just being your friend until you are ready to see what happens," Holly said.

"I can't ask you to wait for me," Gail said. "That's not fair to you and I don't know how long it'll take."

Holly sighed. "I don't think of it as waiting," she said. "It's more of an… investment."

Gail stared. "Investment?"

"Sure. Maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't. But if it does, the payoff will be incredibly rewarding, so it's worth the risk."

"God, you are still such a giant nerd," Gail said, letting her head fall back against the back of her chair. "You're willing to do that even after how we imploded last time?"

Holly leaned forward, elbows planted on the tabletop, hands folded so her chin could rest upon them. "I think we've both grown a lot since then, don't you?" she asked.

"Well, I have," Gail said. "You didn't really need to do much growing."

"You're wrong," Holly said. "Maybe not in the same ways, but I did. And I'm a better person for it."

"So am I," Gail said, thinking about how much she'd changed since becoming a mother. Really, how much she'd changed since meeting Holly. Because Holly had been the first catalyst for her growth.

Holly nodded in agreement. "I know you have. And that's why I'm willing to make the investment."

Gail chewed on her bottom lip. "I can't promise anything."

"Yes, you can," Holly said. Gail looked up at her with a question in her eyes. "You can promise me that you'll be there for me when I need a friend. Okay?"

"Okay."

PART FIVE

That evening when Gail got home, she found Gracie sitting at the kitchen table, books spread out in front of her as she typed away on her laptop.

"You know it's Friday, right?" Gail asked as she leaned down to kiss the top of the girl's head, then walked towards the refrigerator. "You have all weekend to do this stuff."

Gracie shrugged and kept typing. "Aren't you supposed to encourage me to not procrastinate?" she asked, not looking up from the screen.

"Details," Gail said, placing a bottled water on the table in front of the girl and leaning back against the countertop as she popped the tab on the diet soda she'd grabbed for herself. Of the two of them, Gracie was definitely the health nut.

Gracie opened the water and finally looked up at Gail. "I just wanted to get this done tonight because Jenna and her parents invited me to go to their cabin in Niagara this weekend. I was hoping I could go? I mean, I know we had plans to see that movie tomorrow, but can we maybe go next weekend?"

Gail placed a hand on her chest in mock horror. "You mean you'd rather spend the weekend with your best friend in a beautiful place than hang out with your mom?! What kind of teenager are you?"

Gracie wasn't even fazed. "So, is that a yes?"

Gail relaxed and smiled. "Sure. If you're sure it's okay with Jenna's parents."

"They were the ones to officially invite me, so yes," Gracie said. "Thank you." She rattled off a text to Jenna saying Gail had agreed. "Okay, Jenna says they'll be here around eight to pick me up. That gives me two and a half hours to finish this and pack."

"Do I need to feed you first?" Gail asked.

"Probably. Can we order a pizza?" She may be more of a health nut than Gail, but Gracie was still a teenager that loved her pizza.

Gail laughed. "Sure. Double cheese, bacon, and onions?"

"Of course!" Gracie said, then turned back to her homework as Gail made the call.

"Half an hour," Gail said. "Do you have a lot of homework?"

Gracie shook her head. "Just English. I already finished my math and science in class. And we had a test in History today."

"Aced it, of course."

"Naturally," Gracie said, still typing away. Gail was always amazed by her ability to multitask. But then she stopped and looked up at Gail again. "So, does that mean you're going to hang out with Dr. Stewart this weekend?" she asked, looking nervous.

Gail paused mid-sip, then lowered the soda can to the countertop. She shrugged. "I don't have any specific plans to. Why?"

The girl bit her lip (another Gail-ism). "I just think you should."

Gail was surprised, but tried not to show it. She pulled out the chair adjacent to Gracie's position and sat down. "And why's that?"

Gracie shrugged. "I don't know, you just seem a lot happier since she came back," she said slowly. "Since mom…" She trailed off and focused her gaze downward as she played with the metal spiral of her notebook. She took a steadying breath.

"I still miss her every day," Gail said. "Sometimes I forget she's gone and I expect to see her here in the kitchen making dinner or hunched over one of her medical journals or sitting on the couch watching one of her ridiculous reality tv shows."

Gracie smiled at that. Emily had the worst taste in television, and they'd both constantly ribbed her for it. "Sometimes I turn on one of her shows just to hear the familiar sound," she admitted.

Gail smiled sadly. "Me, too."

"My point is that Dr. Stewart seems really nice and it's obvious that you like her—"

Gail cut the teenager off. "We're friends," she stressed.

"Sure, for now," Gracie said, then she noted the distressed look on her mom's face. "I'm saying I think you should think about maybe dating her. If you want. I'd be okay with it."

Gail blinked, stunned once more by the thirteen-going-on-thirty girl. "You want me to date Dr. Stewart? I mean, Holly. I figured you'd be against me dating ever again." She was mostly teasing.

Gracie gave a short laugh. "I'm serious. At first, I was kinda weirded out about it, but I've been thinking and you should be happy. And it's obvious she makes you happy. Chloe told me that you didn't yell at her all week. That's like a record for you, even when Mom was alive."

Gail had to grin at that. "I suppose I didn't this week," she said. "But, G-Bear," she continued, using the nickname she'd given Gracie the day they'd first met. It was something only Gail was allowed to call her (not even Emily had the privilege). "I'm not just trying to placate you when I say that Holly and I are just friends. I won't lie and claim that I don't have feelings for her, but I'm just not ready to date yet."

"Okay, but I just wanted you to know that I get it if you do," Gracie said. "I know Mom would want you to be happy."

The doorbell rang and Gail looked up at the clock. "Must be the pizza," she said. She stood and kissed Gracie's forehead. "You're an awesome kid, you know that?"

"I know," Gracie replied with a grin. "You can reward me with lots of money. And a car when I turn sixteen."

Gail rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, kid." Then she went to answer the door. She paid the delivery guy and returned to the kitchen with the pizza to find that Gracie had cleared the table of her books. A place was set for each of them. That was something Gail was grateful for—no matter how hectic things were, if they were both home for dinner, they ate together at the table. It was something Emily had insisted upon and Gail was thankful she had.

"So, are you going to ask her out?" Gracie said around her first mouthful of pizza. "I mean, I know you said you aren't ready to date, but friends do things together."

Gail laughed. "You are persistent, aren't you?"

"Half of my genes come from Emily Grace Dexter," Gracie said. "And I've been co-raised by you most of my life. Of course I'm persistent."

Gail gave her that one, nodding in agreement. "Point taken."

"So, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to ask the doctor out."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You have a thing for doctors don't you?"

"Shut up and eat your pizza."

PART SIX

"Gracie practically demanded that I ask you out."

The statement hung in the air between the two women. Gail had a blasé expression on her face, Holly had one of surprise and anxiety.

"She what?" Holly finally asked. They stood at the bar waiting for their drinks.

Saturday morning, Gail had caved and texted Holly, asking her to meet for drinks later that evening. Holly's affirmative reply had been almost immediate.

"She said I should ask you out," Gail repeated. "Like, gave her blessing or whatever. It was weird, but coming from her, it makes complete sense."

"Okay," Holly said, drawing the word out.

Gail shrugged. "I told her we were just friends, but she kept going on about it." The bartender set their drinks on the bar top and Gail handed him enough cash to cover both drinks. Then they made their way to an empty table.

"Okay, so is this a date, then?" Holly ask carefully as they sat.

Gail sipped her drink, using the few seconds to think about Holly's question. "Is it too much to ask for me to say I don't know?"

Holly shook her head. "No."

"Because I want it to be, but at the same time, I'm still not sure where I am emotionally."

"Can I make an observation?" Holly suggested.

Gail nodded.

"You're not wearing your rings."

Gail looked down at her hand, noting that, even with her pale complexion, there was still a faint, but still visible tan line where her rings used to reside. She looked back up at Holly. "Technically, I still am." She reached up and pulled a silver chain out from under her blouse from which the rings dangled. She shrugged. "It seemed less… affair-y. One step at a time, right?"

Holly smiled. "Don't let me pressure you," she said.

"You're not. But it's been a year. I've grieved. And Gracie is right. I have been a lot happier since you came back."

"She said that?" Holly asked.

Gail nodded. "She even pointed out that I didn't yell at Chloe all week. Let me tell you, that is a feat in itself. She's even more perky now that she has kids."

"Alright, so how about we just hang out like normal," Holly suggested. "No pressure. Then at the end of the night, you can decide if this is a date or just two friends sharing a drink."

Gail nodded. "Okay, yeah, I like that plan. But I have to ask you one thing."

"What's that?"

"Do you want this to be a date?"

"It really only matters what you want, Gail," Holly answered.

"No," Gail said. "That's the thing. Everyone has been so focused on me and my state of mind the past year. And I needed that at the time. Because I was a mess. But I'm nearly back to myself and it's in no small part because of you. So I need you to focus on yourself for a moment. What do you want?"

Holly, realizing Gail needed her to say the actual words, sat up straighter in her chair and took Gail's hand in her own, squeezing it gently. "I want anything you're willing to give me," she said. "But I'm hoping you decide this is a date because I really miss being your girlfriend, even ten years later. But don't let that pressure you at all. If you're not ready, you're not ready and that's fine."

"But you want it to be a date."

Holly nodded. "You're still quite a catch."

Gail grinned and sat back in her chair. "I know."

"And humble," Holly added.

Gail laughed, honest to goodness laughed, head thrown back and all. "I'm a Peck. We don't know the meaning of the word."

"It's true," a voice said from Holly's left, drawing their attention. "Pecks are notoriously narcissistic. I should know; I married one."

"Hey Traci," Holly greeted. "And trust me, I know." She stared pointedly at Gail. Gail stuck her tongue out at Holly.

"Mature, Gail," Steve said as he appeared behind his wife.

"You're one to talk," Gail said. "You tried to trip me yesterday."

"Hey, hey, hey," Steve protested. "Do not defame my character like that. I did trip you, thank you very much."

Traci leaned in to whisper dramatically to Holly, "We could just leave them here, you know. Catch a movie without them. It'd probably be a lot more peaceful."

"It definitely would be," Holly said in amusement as she watched Steve annoy Gail by pulling single strands of her hair. Some things never change.

"Steve, I swear to god, I will punch you in the nuts if you don't leave me alone," Gail finally warned. Steve knew not to call her bluff and sat down instead. "We didn't say you could join us," Gail said.

"The invitation was implied," Steve retorted.

"I'm going to get another drink," Gail said. "Holly, you want another?"

"Please," Holly replied.

"I'll go with you," Traci offered, finishing off the last gulp of her current drink, then followed Gail to the bar.

That left Holly and Steve at the table. Holly grinned at how Steve still stared at his wife with a look of complete adoration. "I never got the chance to congratulate the two of you," she said. "When did you finally get married? When I left, you'd broken up."

Steve smiled. "That didn't last long. After I admitted that I'd been an ass, she forgave me and we were married about two years later in a small ceremony, much to the chagrin of my mother."

Holly chuckled. "I'm sure. She probably wanted you to do the whole big, publicized wedding, huh?"

"Yep, and she didn't get it with Gail and Emily, either, so I'm surprised we haven't been disowned." Then his smile disappeared. "Sorry, that's probably awkward for you."

"What? The topic of Gail and Emily?"

Steve nodded.

Holly shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I left, so I can't blame her for moving on. I'm glad she did. I hate that she had to experience losing Emily, though. No one deserves that."

Steve shook his head. "You are something else, you know that? And I mean that in a good way. I can see why Gail is so drawn to you. You're good for her, and I don't know what's going on with you two right now, but I hope it lasts. I know I pick on her a lot, but I worry even more. Just promise not to hurt her, okay?"

"Of course," Holly said, surprised. Had he really just given her the 'hurt her and regret it' big brother talk? "I don't know what we are or what we'll become, but I can promise to do my best to never, ever hurt her."

Steve just nodded and changed the subject to the previous night's Leafs game.

At the bar, Gail and Traci were having their own discussion. Since becoming in-laws, they'd grown closer over the years. She was one of the few people Gail ever really opened up to, the only other people being Gracie, Emily when she was still alive, and now Holly.

"So, is it a date?"

Gail groaned. "I don't know, Traci. I want it to be, but I feel so guilty."

"Why?" Traci asked, head tilting to the side. "Because of Emily?"

Gail nodded. "I feel like I'm cheating on her."

"Gail, she's dead. You're not cheating. But I get it. I remember that feeling."

Gail met Traci's eye. "Jerry?" she asked quietly, feeling the sadness that filled her heart everything she thought about the man who'd died to save her life.

Traci nodded. "Yeah. And I know we weren't married yet, but it still took time before I could date and not feel like I was cheating on him. But you have to let yourself be happy. It's what Emily would want, right?"

Gail sighed. "I guess. No, I know it is. But it's hard." She chewed on her lip. "I never stopped loving her," she said. "Holly. I mean, I loved Emily with all my heart, but Holly was always there, too."

"And that's what you're feeling guilty about?"

Gail nodded.

"You shouldn't," Traci said. "Let me ask you this, if Emily were still here, would you even think of starting something with Holly?"

Gail shot her an annoyed look. "Of course not. I'm loyal."

"That's my point. You are loyal, Gail. But don't let that loyalty make you miss out on something great. Your loyalty to Emily ended when she died. That doesn't mean you love her any less, or don't still miss her every single day. It just means you let her go while still keeping the good memories in your heart. But you create new memories while you're still alive."

"When did you become Dr. Phil?" Gail asked, feeling overwhelmed by the mushy turn of their conversation.

"Just think about what I said, okay?" Traci said, then smiled and walked back towards the table, drink in hand.

Gail watched as she approached the table and said something that made Holly laugh, and Gail's heart clenched in her chest. She reached up and gripped the rings on the chain around her neck. The ridges holding the diamond of the engagement ring dug into her palm.

She smiled sadly and lifted the rings to her lips, kissing the cool metal of the platinum jewelry. Then she reached behind her neck, undid the delicate clasp, and slipped the them along with the chain into her the zippered breast pocket of her leather jacket for safe keeping.

As she made her way back to the table, she made a mental note to put the rings in her jewelry box as soon as she got home.

PART SEVEN

Gail chickened out Saturday night.

But, what it had really boiled down to, she wanted to be sure she was completely clearheaded before jumping into anything. And she'd been a few drinks past clearheaded. Not drunk, but not exactly sober. Holly had seemed to agree when Gail mentioned it and suggested that they try again Sunday afternoon. No booze allowed.

Holly knocked on the door of the two-story house and waited, looking around. It was a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Not quite suburbia, but a bit unexpected from Gail. Holly supposed the desire to give Gracie a happy place to grow up had outweighed her desire to live in the hubbub of the city. But all she could remember was Gail teasingly making fun of her semi-suburban town house years ago, and she made a mental note to get back at her for it.

The door opened and Holly's attention was snapped back to the present. Gail stood in the doorway dressed casually in jeans and fitted heather gray, long-sleeved Henley shirt. Holly was glad she'd also gone for casual with jeans and a simple red button down shirt.

"Hey," Gail said, stepping aside to let Holly enter the house. "Thanks for coming over."

Holly smiled as she shut the door behind her. "Thanks for inviting me." It just seemed natural for them to each step forward and wrap their arms around one another in a tight hug that lasted much longer than your average friendly embrace.

And it also seemed natural for Holly to press a chaste kiss Gail's cheek as they pulled back. "You have a beautiful home," Holly said, looking around at the décor as she toed off her boots, mindful of the rain-soaked leather. "I'm guessing you didn't decorate, though."

Gail laughed. "God, no. I suck at that stuff. We hired someone to do it. I love the outcome though." She smiled and grabbed Holly's hand, tugging her further into the house. "Come on," she said. "I'll give you the five cent tour."

Gail showed her the rest of the house, making sure to point out the bathroom in case Holly needed it. Gail paused momentarily when they came upon the open door to the master suite, but she just waved her hand and mumbled, "my room," before continuing on. Holly just smiled at Gail's flustered state and followed, but not before she managed to catch a glimpse inside the room.

Holly was a little surprised to encounter a ball of orange fluff curled up on the back of the couch as they returned to the living room. "You have a cat?" she questioned, shocked.

Gail chuckled and walked over to the animal. "Garfield here is Gracie's baby. She got her as a kitten for her tenth birthday."

"Wait, Garfield is a girl?" Holly asked with a laugh.

Gail nodded. "Yep. Gracie insisted we name her Garfield because of her coloring." She reached out and scratched the cat beneath its chin, and Garfield immediately started purring.

"I never pegged you for a cat person," Holly said, moving to let the cat sniff her hand. "Except for those pesky tree cats you used to turn into."

Gail laughed. "I can't believe you remember that."

"It was quite a first impression," Holly replied, moving to scratch behind the cat's ears.

"I'm sure. But yeah, I wasn't into the idea of a cat at first. But Gracie really wanted one and she's a good kid." She shrugged. "She's grown on me." She glanced up at the brunette. "I, uh, was thinking we could just watch a movie or something? Maybe order food. I'd cook—I've actually learned a few things—but I really need to go grocery shopping—"

"And you still hate that, right?" Holly said with a laugh.

"Bingo," Gail said.

"We can order something," Holly agreed. "Maybe talk while we wait for it to get here?"

Gail took a deep breath. "Okay, so we're just going to jump into it. Sure."

They agreed on a place and Gail called in their order while Holly settled on the couch, apologizing to the cat that had jumped down and started towards the stairs for disturbing her peace. Gail chuckled at the display and shook her head.

"You know she can't understand you, right?" Gail asked as she next to Holly on the couch, a respectable distance between them.

Holly just smirked and turned to face Gail. "So, last night," she started.

"Right, last night," Gail replied, squaring her shoulders. "The not-date date. I'm sorry for chickening out. I wanted to be completely sober for this talk."

Holly shook her head. "Hey, no, I said no pressure, remember?"

Gail shrugged. "I know," she said. "But, we're both completely sober now, so I guess it's a good time to evaluate things. With us. I just don't know where to start."

"Okay," Holly said slowly. "How about this. How do you feel today? Right now?"

Gail was quiet for a minute, then shifted on the couch to fully face Holly, one leg tucked beneath herself. "I feel… I feel okay. Like maybe I'm ready to slowly start a new relationship."

"Just maybe?" Holly asked, needing Gail to be sure before they moved forward. The last thing she wanted was for Gail to miscalculate her readiness and later run. No more tree cats.

Gail bit her lip. "No, not maybe. I am ready." Her pulse raced, but she felt calm at the same time.

"And you're sure about that?"

Gail nodded. "I understand why you're hesitant," she said, reaching up to flick back a piece of hair that had fallen across her eye. "But you know how I know I'm ready?"

"How?" Holly asked, reaching out to take one of Gail's hands in her own.

Gail made sure to meet her eye. "Because I was able to put my rings away in my jewelry box without feeling guilty. I'd tried before, to put them up, before you even came back, but I couldn't because I felt like I was betraying Emily for not wearing them. But I was able to put them up this morning, and all I felt was a sort of peace that I was finally able to close that door. So, yeah, I'm sure."

Holly was stunned. She knew how big a step that was for Gail. It may seem small to an outsider—they were just rings—but not to Gail. Taking the rings off meant moving forward, and that was huge.

"But I think we should go slowly," Gail finished.

Holly brought the hand that she held to her lips, kissing Gail's knuckles. "Slow is good," she said. "However slow you need to go is the pace we'll go."

Gail licked her lips. "I mean, I don't… We don't have to go like, epically slow. I just meant maybe start with a few dates and see how things progress from there. And, um…" she trailed off as she felt her cheeks burning.

"What is it?" Holly asked.

"I can't… With Gracie here… Just, no sleepovers. At least not for a long while. She said she wouldn't mind if I dated you, but I don't think that translates into you showing up at the breakfast table all disheveled and with sex hair."

Holly snorted. "No, I don't think that's what she meant at all. It's okay, Gail. She's your number one priority. As she should be."

Gail nodded, glad Holly understood. "That's just if and when we get to that point," she said. "I'm ready to start something, but I'm not ready to jump into bed with you yet."

"No, that wouldn't be slow," Holly said. She gave Gail a soft smile and scooted a bit closer. "How's this for slow?" she asked.

And then she kissed her.

PART EIGHT

Gail melted into Holly.

That was the only way Holly could describe it. The moment their lips met, Gail relaxed into her, hand rising up to wrap around the back of Holly's neck.

Mindful of the 'slow' approach, Holly kept the kiss soft. It was little more than closed eyes, soft fingertips, and lips pressed together, but to Holly, it felt like home.

They parted and Holly opened her eyes to see Gail's still closed, but the corners of her lips were curved upwards into a smile. Holly pressed their foreheads together and Gail's eyes slid open, the icy blue orbs glinting in the sunlight streaming through the sliding glass door that led to the backyard.

"Ten years later and kissing you still gives me those damn butterflies," Holly said with a grin.

Gail huffed out a laugh and sat back to fully look at Holly. "To be fair, though, I've had those butterflies since you showed up at my crime scene with that damn lunchbox."

Holly smirked. "Which time?" she asked, remembering their very first meeting.

Gail chuckled. "Touché, but I meant a few weeks ago. Actually, it was before that, when Traci told me you were back in town. It really startled me how quick my mind wondered if you were single."

"I knew you were checking me out at that crime scene," Holly joked.

"Excuse me?" Gail said with mock exasperation. "I believe it was you that was checking me out."

Holly shrugged and reached up to push her hair out of her face. "I won't deny it. Your back was turned towards me when I showed up."

"So you were checking out my ass."

"It's a great ass."

The doorbell sounded. Gail stood, assuming it was their food. "I know," she said with a grin as she walked towards the door. Holly swore she added an extra swing to her hips as she walked to entice Holly to stare at the part of her anatomy in question.

It worked.

And Gail knew it, given the smug expression on her face when she turned to carry the food into the kitchen.

Holly took a deep, calming breath, reminding her body that 'slow' did not include pushing Gail against the wall and ravishing her right there in the kitchen. No, that was definitely not slow.

"Are you gonna come get food or are you gonna make me serve it to you on a silver platter?" Gail called out from the kitchen, peeking her head around the corner.

Holly leaned back on the couch. "Siler platter, please," she joked. "And I expect you to feed me, too."

Gail scoffed. "In your dreams. Come get your food, nerd."

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching bad movies and making terrible jokes. It was all very lighthearted, which is why it surprised Holly when Gail suddenly hit 'pause' on the remove in the middle of their third movie and turned to Holly with a serious expression on her face.

"What?" Holly asked, suspicious.

"I was just wondering when you were gonna ask me out on a real date," Gail said.

Holly looked around. "This isn't a real date?"

"You know what I mean," Gail retorted with a smile.

"Wait, why do I have to ask you out? Why can't you ask me out?"

"Because," Gail said, stressing the second syllable, "I'm hosting this date. Fair's fair."

Holly laughed at that logic. "Uh huh, sure," she said. "Alright, fine. Gail Peck, will you go on a date with me?"

"I'll think about it," Gail responded with a smirk, hitting 'play' on the remote and returning her attention to the screen.

"What?!" Holly screeched. "That was so mean. I must retaliate." And she went for the proverbial jugular, remembering, even after ten years, that Gail was incredibly ticklish on her sides, just below her ribs. Holly attacked.

Gail squealed with laughter as Holly's fingers found her sides and she tried to get away, but Holly had the upper hand and held her in place. Somehow, Gail ended up pinned beneath Holly on the couch, their breathing choppy from laughing so hard.

Gail suddenly realized their positioning when she shifted to try and reach Holly's most ticklish spot (her lower back) and one of Holly's thighs ended up pressed against a rather intimate place. "Oh," Gail let out with a surprised squeak.

Both abruptly stopped laughing and their eyes met. Gail's face and chest were flushed, her pupils dilated. Holly was sure her own pupils matched. Their faces were only inches apart. Holly couldn't help herself; she dipped her head slightly, giving Gail time to push her away if she wanted to, but Gail closed the rest of the distance between them, their lips coming together.

This kiss was decidedly more intense than their earlier one. Their tongues met and Gail let loose one of her utterly sexy moans that had never failed to turn Holly's knees to jelly. She was suddenly really grateful she wasn't standing up for this.

Gail's fingers tunneled in Holly's hair in that oh-so-familiar way as Holly gently lowered herself to lay fully on top of Gail as they kissed, rediscovering one another.

It wasn't until she felt Gail's hips begin a slow, steady rocking motion against her thigh that Holly managed to pull away, almost laughing aloud at the way Gail pouted when she did so.

"Why'd you do that?" Gail asked, looking up at Holly with wide eyes.

"Sorry," Holly said, pulling back even more. "I'm sorry. I know. Slow. I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I'm so sorry."

Gail looked puzzled for a moment, then let out a laugh. "No, not that," she said. "I meant why'd you stop? I was having fun."

Holly chuckled and sat back, pulling Gail into an upright position. "So was I," she said. "But I don't think 'slow' means feeling you up on the couch like a horny teenager on the first date."

"I…" Gail started to protest, then gave a sheepish grin. "Okay, yeah, you're probably right." She let her hands slide down to rest on Holly's knees. "The first time around we kind of went from our first kiss to naked fun in your bedroom in like, twelve hours."

"Excuse me, our first kiss was in the coat closet at that wedding," Holly pointed out.

Gail scoffed. "We were drunk; that didn't count. And there was no tongue."

"Don't talk about your tongue right now."

"You mean the tongue that was just in your mouth?"

"Stop it."

"Never."

PART NINE

As it turned out, they didn't have a mutually free evening until Friday night for their 'official' first date. (Holly still insisted their movie marathon and spontaneous make out session didn't count as a date.)

Even though Gracie had given her 'blessing' so to speak, Gail had been nervous to tell the teenager about the date. But Gracie had just looked thoughtful for a minute, then hugged Gail. "Don't forget to be a gentlewoman," she'd said.

Now, Gail stood in front of her floor length mirror on the back of her closet door, sliding her hands over the deep blue fabric of her dress and smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. Gracie appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Wow," Gracie said, taking in Gail's appearance and nervousness. "You look amazing."

Gail looked at Gracie in the reflection of the mirror. "Yeah?"

Gracie nodded and pushed off the doorframe, walking further into the room. "Of course you do," she said as she saddled up beside Gail. "Why are you so nervous, anyway? It's just a date."

Gail huffed out a laugh. "I haven't been on a first date in over seven years," she explained, turning to face the girl.

"Is it really a first date, though? I mean, you dated her before Mom, right?" Then her face scrunched up in an unpleasant expression. "Unless you didn't actually date and just—"

"Gracie, don't even finish that statement," Gail interrupted, pointing at her. "You are way too young to think like that. Yes, we dated, but we're starting over. So, this is a first date."

Gracie shrugged. "Okay, but I still don't know why you're so nervous."

Gail sighed. "I just don't want to screw this up, G-bear."

"Then don't," Gracie said.

The simplistic answer made Gail laugh. "I wish it were that simple."

Gracie studied Gail carefully, making Gail even more nervous. She placed both hands on the teenager's shoulders. "You're sure you're okay with this, right?" she asked. "It's okay be feel weird about this. I know I would if I were in your position."

Gracie shrugged. "I mean, it's weird, but not like I-don't-want-you-to-go weird. Dr. S is cool."

"You only think that because she let you eat my sandwich," Gail retorted with a grin.

"The path to a potential girlfriend's heart is through her stomach with gourmet sandwiches," Gracie joked.

The doorbell rang, preventing Gail from replying, and she looked at the clock. Holly wasn't supposed to be there for another twenty minutes.

"That's probably Denise," Gracie said, her smile falling a bit. "Only an hour and a half late this time."

"At least she showed up," Gail said before she could stop herself. But Gracie just nodded and left to answer the door. Gail followed a few seconds later after taking a moment to compose herself.

Denise Atkinson wasn't a bad person. She just wasn't the most invested parent. Her career as a high powered medical malpractice attorney seemed to always take precedence over her daughter, and Gail would never understand that about the woman. As time consuming and stressful as her own career was, Gail always made sure that Gracie came first. And that seemed to make Denise dislike Gail even more.

They'd never really gotten along, but they also hadn't outright argued until more recent times. Apparently, Emily had played a bigger role of buffer and peacekeeper than Gail had realized. But after Emily's death, Denise didn't hide her bite anymore, and Gail was never one to back down from a confrontation. But at least she had the good sense to try her best to keep it away from Gracie.

"Hello, Denise," Gail greeted as she joined them in the entryway, trying to be polite for Gracie's sake. "Thank you for actually showing up to pick Gracie up this time." Okay, she couldn't help but slip in a slight insult.

"Gail," Denise responded, flicking back her long auburn hair with a perfectly manicured hand. She gave Gail a quick once over. "Let me guess… undercover operation in a sleazy bar?" she asked with a fake sincerity.

"Nope, super hot date," Gracie corrected, beating Gail to the punch. She hated how Denise always goaded her mom. She actually did like spending time with Denise, when it was just the two of them and she wasn't distracted by work, that is. Which seemed to be occurring less and less as she got older.

"And I think she looks fabulous," Gracie finished, flashing Gail a smile.

Gail returned the smile.

"A date?" Denise said, overly-plucked eyebrows shooting upwards. "Well, that's… interesting."

Gail decided not to fall into Denise's trap. The last thing she needed was to get into it with the woman minutes before Holly was due to arrive. Instead she stepped towards Gracie and pulled her into a hug. "Have everything?"

Gracie nodded. "Yep," she said, then lowered her voice so only Gail could hear her. "You won't screw it up," she said. "You're too awesome."

Gail laughed and pulled back to kiss her on the forehead. "Thanks, G-bear. Call if you need anything, okay?"

Gracie nodded. "'Kay," she said, picking up her bag and turning to Denise. "I'm ready."

As Gail was shutting the front door behind them, she heard Denise ask Gracie about Gail's date. Gail just rolled her eyes and dug her phone out of her purse, typing out a quick message to the girl. Sorry if my date makes her ask a million questions that you shouldn't be expected to ask. Try to have fun anyway. See you on Sunday. xoxox

She hit 'send' and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, trying to shift from defensive Denise mode back into getting ready for a date mode. That's what she'd once told Holly was the most fun part of a date, right? Getting dressed?

Of course, that had been before she'd actually gone on a date with the woman. She felt her cheeks turn red at the thought of how wrong she'd been. There were definitely way more fun parts of a date when your date was Holly Stewart, almost all of them rated at least PG-13. A good portion rated R and downright NC-17.

Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her borderline inappropriate thoughts and indicating she had a response from Gracie. Don't even worry about it. I got this covered. U jus have a good time n tell me all about it tomorrow. Remember that you are awesome. xo

PART TEN

Holly took her to a fancy, but not pretentious, Italian bistro for dinner.

Then she took her to a museum.

"Still a nerd, I see," Gail said as they stood in from of the Ontario Science Centre. But she laughed. "Isn't this a museum for kids? Holly, we're not kids."

"Just go with it," Holly said, grabbing Gail's hand and pulling her towards the entrance.

As they approached, Gail noted a sign. "Holly, wait, no they're closed," she said, pointing at the 4PM closing hour.

Holly just grinned and held up her hand, a key ring dangling from her finger. "Not for us," she said.

"What? How? Why do you have the keys to a museum?" Gail asked incredulously. "Wait, no, don't tell me. I don't want to have to arrest you."

Holly laughed and shook her head. "I know the head curator, Gail," she said, unlocking the door. "And we have permission to be here thanks to the very generous donation I made a few days ago." She pushed the door open and Gail looked at her skeptically, eyes narrowed. "Seriously," Holly said. "Trust me."

Gail sighed and stepped into the building. "Alright, fine, but if Barney Fife starts chasing us, I'm giving up your name to save myself."

Holly snorted and relocked the door behind them. "How chivalrous," she said, then grabbed Gail's hand. "Come on," she said, guiding Gail further into the building. "Everything should be all set up."

"Oh, God, what does that even mean?" Gail asked as she walked alongside Holly, wondering if she should be afraid. This was a science center, after all. "Are you going to give me a lecture or something? 'Coronary Atherosclerosis: An Analysis of an Autopsy,' perhaps? Or, wait, they have an IMAX screen here, don't they? Are you gonna make me watch some disgusting IMAX documentary about cutting open dead people? Because, I gotta tell you, I may be a homicide detective and see death on a daily basis, but seeing a dead body being sliced into on a giant screen isn't really my idea of a 'good time.'"

Holly suddenly stopped and turned to face Gail in the middle of a dim hallway. She grabbed her face and kissed her, feeling Gail immediately relax against her and bring her hands to rest on her waist. Holly pulled back after a few moments. "Just." Kiss. "Trust." Kiss. "Me." Kiss. "Okay?"

"Fineeee," Gail groaned out, but she was smiling. "Lead the way."

Holly gave her one last kiss before continuing on towards their destination. As she'd expected, all the lights were still on in this part of the building.

"Space?" Gail said, noting the large sign indicating the part of the museum they were about to enter.

"Don't question it," Holly reminded. She led her past the various displays and exhibits towards a set of large, closed doors. "In here," she indicated, opening a door.

It was pitch dark and Gail looked at Holly with a raised eyebrow. "Am I supposed to use my echolocation skills or something?"

Holly grinned and held out her hand. "Nope. Take my hand and close your eyes."

Gail cast another glance inside. "Uh, it's kinda pitch black in here, Holly. I'm not sure what closing my eyes will accomplish."

Holly just stared, hand held in front of her as she waited.

Once more, Gail gave in, grabbing Holly's hand and, with an exaggerated sigh, closed her eyes. "Happy?"

Holly stepped closer to whisper in her ear, "very." Then she flicked a single switch on the wall that lit up a pathway. It was still dark, but she could now guide Gail inside without the fear of running into anything. Her goal was to surprise Gail, not hurt her. "Keep 'em closed, Gail," she reminded as she led her to a seat.

Gail grumbled but did as she was told. She felt Holly encourage her to sit and she did, nearly yelping in surprise when the back of the cushioned seat was tilted much farther back than your average seat. Other than that, it felt like a movie theater chair. "I said no IMAX, Stewart."

"Actually what you said was no body-cutting documentary IMAX," Holly corrected. "But don't worry. This isn't the IMAX theater." She stepped back towards the center of the room.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Gail asked with a pout.

"Just give me a second," Holly said, flipping switches just like the curator had shown her. Then she made her way back to Gail, slipping into the seat next to her. "Ready?"

"For what?" Gail asked, still skeptical.

"For the view," Holly whispered into her ear. "Open your eyes."

Gail slowly slid her eyes open and blinked. "Oh," was all she could say in that moment as she took in her surroundings. It was like a theater, except all the seats were angled back so that viewers could easily look up at the twinkling dome ceiling. "Stars?"

"It's completely nerdy, I know, but I remembered you once telling me that the only science class you'd really enjoyed in school was astronomy and I figured it was something out of the ordinary and something we could both enjoy, but it's totally okay if you don't like it. We can go somewhere else. There's a cute little coffee shop just around the corner or we can—"

In retrospect, Holly should have known that Gail would cut off her rambling speech with her lips. But that didn't stop her from being surprised in the moment. But not bad surprised. There was no such thing as a bad surprise when Gail's lips pressed against hers were involved. But even in her surprised state, Holly's hand immediately reached up to plant themselves on either side of Gail's face as they kissed.

"So, uh, I take it you approve?" Holly asked breathlessly when they finally parted.

Gail's eyes shined even in the dim light. "It's perfect, nerd. How did you remember that I liked astronomy?"

"I remember everything about you, Gail," Holly said with sincerity. Her hands were still on the blonde's cheeks and she let her thumb brush across her plump bottom lip.

Gail smiled and leaned in for another kiss before settling against Holly, looking up at the projected stars. Holly leaned back for a second, recalling that, like in many theaters, the armrest between them could be folded up for easier cuddling abilities. Gail hummed in appreciation and wrapped her arms around Holly's waist, head on her shoulder. "Let's see if I can remember any constellations," she said with a laugh. "I think that's Orion." She pointed.

"Yep, I see his belt," Holly agreed. "Where's Cassiopeia?"

"There," Gail said, pointing. "It kinda looks like a wonky 'W'. And Pegasus," she said, pointing to another place in the 'sky,' "is basically a square with legs."

Holly grinned into Gail's hair. "You really do like this stuff, don't you?"

Gail nodded. "Yeah. When I was a kid and we'd go to the family cabin, my dad used to take me to this open field and we'd lay on a blanket and look up at the stars. Steve was never interested, so it was just the two of us. It was the only time my dad and I really connected. I started learning the constellations and expressing an interest in astronomy, but my mom always scoffed and said it was useless." Gail shrugged.

"So, if you hadn't gone into law enforcement, you could have been a world-renowned scientist!"

Gail laughed. "I don't know if I'd go that far," she said. "But who knows? Maybe I would have taken more astronomy classes." She shrugged. "It's okay. I'm finally happy with my career."

"Good, now show me more constellations," Holly said, kissing Gail's temple. "You be the nerd for once."

PART ELEVEN

Holly had promised the curator they'd be out of the museum by ten o'clock that night, but she accidentally broke her promise. She lost all track of time as she listened to Gail telling stories about the constellations that she remembered from her childhood. Then they'd started making out, so she really wasn't paying attention to the clock then, either.

Mindful of their presence in what was essentially a place of knowledge for kids, they kept it PG-13. Or, Holly tried to. That was difficult, however, when Gail's hand snuck under her black leather blazer to rest against her purple silk shirt, just below her breast. Holly wondered if Gail could feel her heartbeat quicken at the touch.

Then it happened. Gail's hand covered her breast just as the room suddenly became flooded with a harsh, fluorescent light. They sprung apart, blinking against the brightness. Gail snatched her hand away and Holly nearly whimpered at the loss.

Movement from the back of the planetarium caught her attention and Holly looked behind them. A stout man in a tan security guard uniform stood there, arms crossed across his pot belly.

Gail glanced at Holly. "Barney Fife," she whispered. "I'm so giving you up to save my own ass, Stewart."

"Ladies," the guard said. "I'm assuming one of you is Dr. Stewart?"

Holly stood, running her fingers through her hair in a futile attempt to tame the ravaged locks. "I am. I'm sorry; we didn't notice the time," she explained. She glanced down at Gail. "We, uh, got caught up in the, um, stars."

Gail nearly rolled her eyes at Holly's words, but she didn't say anything about it. She'd tease her later.

"I can see that," the guard said, a small smirk on his face (not a lecherous smirk, but more amused). "Well, it's a quarter past ten, Dr. Stewart. Please allow me to escort you ladies out?"

Holly nodded and reached down to help Gail stand, then they followed the guard out. Once in the parking lot, alone once more, they burst out laughing. "Oh my god," Gail said, clutching her side. "I was just kidding about Barney Fife catching us."

"And with you feeling me up!" Holly roared, leaning back against her SUV for support.

Gail pressed herself against Holly, burying her face, red from a combination of laughter and embarrassment of getting caught, in Holly's neck. "God, I haven't felt like that since I was seventeen and my high school boyfriend's mom caught us making out with no pants on."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Holly asked as s new wave of laughter overcame her.

"If you think it means we were having sex, then yes," Gail laughed, looking up at Holly. "So, come to think of it, at least my face wasn't between your thighs or something equally as mortifying."

Holly choked as the image Gail painted with her words flitted across her mind. "Oh," she said, coughing. "Yeah, that would have been… yeah, bad." Then she grinned. "But only because we were in public." She leaned forward so that her lips were millimeters away from Gail's ear. "But feel free to act on that little fantasy anytime we are in private." Then she stepped back and dug out her keys, hitting the unlock button on the fob.

Gail swallowed at the thought, wondering if that's where they were headed that night. Was she ready to take that last leap?

Holly must have noticed her sudden inner dilemma. She closed the door she'd just opened and reached up to push back Gail's hair. Then she leaned down and kissed her softly. "That wasn't a demand or even a suggestion for tonight, Gail," she said softly. "While I wouldn't say no to it, I'm perfectly content just sitting on the couch watching a movie and sharing a bowl of ice cream."

Gail bit her bottom lip. "I want to," she started, letting her hands come to rest on Holly's waist. "God, do I want to. But I don't know if I'm ready. Let's just… see how it goes?"

Holly smiled and kissed her once more. "Of course. Now, about that ice cream…"

An hour later found them sitting on Holly's couch in front of the TV watching Big Bang Theory reruns and sharing a bowl of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.

"You're totally Leonard and I'm Penny," Gail said as she watched the two on screen. It was the episode where Leonard was trying to get Penny into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "I still remember you trying to get me to watch that show." It felt familiar, watching this show that they'd viewed together as it first aired all those years ago.

"I have the entire series on Blu-Ray," Holly replied. "I'll get you to watch it yet. Buffy was my ultimate girl crush when I was younger. She was one of the first indications I had that I was super gay."

Gail snorted and rolled her eyes. "My girlfriend is such a nerd," she said to no one in particular as she flopped her head back onto the back of the couch.

Holly stared, a dopey grin on her face.

"What?" Gail asked, looking down at herself. "Did I drip ice cream on me?"

Holly shook her head and set the half-eaten bowl of dessert on the side table. "Girlfriend, huh?"

Gail suddenly realized what she'd said, but just shrugged. "Well, sure," she said. "I mean, I don't let just anyone sneak me into a museum after hours to try and feel me up under the stars."

"Excuse me," Holly said with a laugh. "I didn't 'sneak' you in; I had full permission to use the facility. And who felt who up, huh? I believe it was your hand on my breast, if memory serves."

An evil glint appeared in Gail's eyes. "You mean like this?" she asked, grinning and letting her hand retrace its earlier path to cover a full breast.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Holly forced out, voice high with arousal. "Like that."

"Except there's no Barney Fife here," Gail said, trailing kisses along Holly's jaw. "To rain on our parade." She snickered. "Our gay pride parade."

Holly's groan was two-fold—one part in response to Gail's pun, one part in response to her hand pressing even more firmly on her breast. "Gail, that was terrible," she breathed out, tilting her head to one side to allow Gail easier access to her neck.

"You love it," Gail said, latching onto the base of Holly's neck.

Holly hummed, her fingers threading through soft blonde hair. She laughed as a thought filtered through her head.

Gail pulled back to look up at Holly. "What?"

Holly shook her head. "Nothing, really. I was just thinking how, our first time around, I always wondered what it would have been like being with you when your hair was long. You rocked the short hair, but there's something about being able to run my fingers through long, silky hair."

Gail grinned. "That does it for you, huh?"

Holly nodded. "Very much. Which is my way of saying we need to hit the brakes really soon if you want me to keep my hands to myself."

Gail offered a small smile. "Can I… I mean, if you don't mind, can I stay here tonight? I really don't want to go home to an empty house."

Holly raised her eyebrows in question.

"Um, just sleep for now," Gail corrected. "I'm not quite ready for sex, but I don't want to go, either."

Holly smiled and leaned forward to kiss Gail's forehead. "I'm glad you asked because I don't think I'd be able to sleep without you by my side tonight."

"I miss sleeping next to you," Gail agreed. She snuggled into Holly's side, settling in to continue watching the movie.

"Gail?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hand is still on my boob."

"I know."

PART TWELVE

The following morning found Gail wide awake at just past seven in the morning. She couldn't take her eyes off a sleeping Holly. To be quite honest, Gail was surprised that they hadn't ended up doing more than a bit of soft kissing once under the covers. But of course, Holly had kept her word and not pushed Gail in the slightest. She'd just kissed her a bit, hands remaining in perfectly appropriate places, then snuggled against her as she said goodnight.

Gail wasn't sure if she was glad that Holly had been such a 'gentleman' or if she was wishing she'd pushed her a bit more. Probably the former, but dammit she could only take so much before Holly not jumping her bones was going to give her a serious complex.

Deep down, Gail knew Holly was just being her chivalrous self, mindful of her recent fragile state of mind. But Gail also wanted that chivalry to die.

Holly sighed in her sleep, pulling Gail out of her thoughts. She propped herself up on her elbow and studied the brunette more intently. She'd rolled over onto her back in her sleep, the covers now crumpled around her waist, one leg sticking out from beneath the blanket. Her white tank top had inched up, revealing a strip of tanned, smooth skin along her abdomen. Gail itched to run her fingers along the exposed flesh, but just barely managed to hold herself back.

Holly stirred again, this time her eyes sliding open as she stretched. She immediately realized she wasn't alone in her bed and turned to face her companion, smiling widely. "Hey," she hummed, voice deepened from her recent slumber. She rolled onto her side to face Gail.

Gail returned her smile. "Mornin'," she said softly, her hand instinctively finding purchase on Holly's hip. Holly reached up and brushed back a lock of blonde hair as she leaned in for a good morning kiss.

Gail looked thoughtful as she pulled back. "That's an awfully serious face for so early in the morning," Holly said, trying not to worry too much.

A small smile made its way on Gail's lips. "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking is all."

"About what?" Holly asked, lifting up to mirror Gail's position and propping herself on her elbow. "Are you still… okay with everything?"

"Huh?" Gail questioned, then her eyes widened. "Oh, yeah. No, that's-that's not it. I promise. I'm not regretting anything, okay?"

Holly nodded. "Good."

"I was actually just wondering why you, um, haven't pushed me a bit more," Gail said in all seriousness. "I mean, you know me. I need to be pushed sometimes."

"Well, sure," Holly said. "I'm assuming you're referring to sex?"

Gail bit her lip and gave a small nod.

"Okay," Holly said. "Gail, yeah, you do need to be pushed sometimes, but not with sex. Never with that. You were the one to initiate our first time ten years ago."

Gail laughed at the memory. "You mean you weren't trying to seduce me?"

Holly grinned. "Oh, sure. That's how I seduce all the girls… give them badass haircuts and then take ice cold showers while still fully dressed. All the ladies swoon."

"I did," Gail said. "I was a total mess and you took such good care of me that night." She reached up and traced her fingers along Holly's jaw. "How could I not swoon?"

"I am pretty swoon-worthy," Holly agreed, totally deadpan.

Gail just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying. I really appreciate you being all noble and everything, and it's definitely what I needed at the time, but a girl can only take so much."

Holly blinked. "Gail, are you trying to seduce me now?"

"Yes. Is it working?"

"God, yes," Holly said, lunging forward to capture Gail's lips a searing kiss. Gail was thrown off balance and rolled onto her back, pulling Holly with her. Holly grunted in pleasure as she landed on top of the blonde, weight braced on her arms but never allowing their lips to separate.

Hands roamed, tongues thrust, and hips circled as a brilliant cacophony of whispers and moans filled the room. It wasn't long before Holly Gail free from the borrowed clothing, and Gail returned the favor. Bare skin melted into bare skin as they moved, feeling as if it were their first time at the same time it felt like they'd never been apart.

Holly won the battle for dominance and brought Gail over the proverbial edge first, fingers and tongue working in tandem. But Gail was quick to reverse the roles, easily recalling just how to touch Holly to make her tense as the waves of pleasure rocked her entire body, leaving her feeling utterly boneless and out of breath.

A short while later, they lay side by side in Holly's bed, the covers long since thrown to the floor and the cool air circulating the room drying their sweat-slickened bodies.

"I really thought my mind was just making me remember it was that good," Gail suddenly said, speaking first.

"What?" Holly questioned, her brain still working to catch up.

"Sex. After we broke up and you left, I wondered if my mind just made me think it was better than it actually was. You know, like how sometimes you remember a specific food being amazing but you get to taste it again and you're just like… meh. And it's not as good as you remember?"

"Yeah?" Holly asked, unsure where this was headed.

"This wasn't like that."

Holly laughed and rolled over to cuddle into Gail, her leg hitching up to lay across Gail's thighs, arm wrapped across her pale torso, just below her breasts. "Is that your way of saying it was as good as you remembered?"

"Better, actually," Gail said. "Or maybe I'm just better." She laughed. "I was still new to the whole lesbian sex thing back then."

Holly snorted. "New did not mean untalented, Gail. Trust me. You were a natural."

Gail smirked, but remained quiet.

Holly lifted her head up to look down in to clear blue eyes. "You're okay, right?" she asked softly. "With all of this?"

Gail reached up and pulled Holly in for a soft kiss. "I'm amazing. Right here with you."

PART THIRTEEN-A

After they christened Holly's shower and got dressed (Gail had to borrow a pair of wool leggings and oversized sweater that came to mid-thigh from Holly), Gail finally dug her phone out of her purse. She expected to hear from Gracie at some point during the day, but being a teenager, she typically slept until noon on the weekends.

So she was surprised to see eight missed texts and two voicemails from the girl.

Instantly worried something was wrong, she unlocked her phone and dialed her voicemail. Gail's heart sank in her chest when she heard the teenager's upset voice imploring her to pick up the phone. She checked the time on the messages, feeling slightly relieved when she noted it had only been about ten minutes as opposed to hours.

Gail immediately hit 'call back' button on the screen, bringing the phone to her ear as the line started to ring. Holly, being observant, noticed Gail's worried expression and moved closer to place a comforting hand on her back.

"Mom, where are you?" the teenager answered without even saying hello.

"Gracie? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The teenager let out a dramatic sigh. "I kinda had a fight with Denise and took a cab home, but I don't have my key and you're not here so I'm just sitting on the front porch and it's really cold."

"Oh, G-bear," Gail said, looking over at Holly with an apologetic expression. "Just sit tight. I'll be there in fifteen minutes, okay?" Holly just gave her a reassuring smile and moved towards her bedroom, intent on gathering Gail's things.

"Kay," Gracie said with a sniffle.

"Do you want me to stop by Lucy's on the way?" Gail asked.

"Jumbo cinnamon roll with extra icing and a large dulce de leche hot coco?" Gracie inquired, already perking up at the mention of her favorite bakery.

Gail laughed. "Of course," she said, as if it were obvious. "I'll be there shortly."

"Is Dr. Stewart driving you? Because your car is still here."

"Oh, uh, right," Gail said, pausing. She sighed. "I suppose she is. We'll talk more when I get home."

After hanging up, Gail followed Holly into the bedroom and found her carefully folding Gail's dress from the night before, as if it hadn't already spent most of the night in a forgotten crumple on the floor. "I'm so sorry to just leave like this," Gail said, knowing Holly had gotten the gist of the conversation.

Holly looked up and shot Gail an understanding smile. "Gail, don't be sorry," she said, straightening up and kissing Gail softly. "Don't ever be sorry for taking care of Gracie, okay?"

Gail nodded. "I'm still sorry our morning was cut short. But, I promised Gracie we'd stop by her favorite bakery and they sell the most amazing pastries and gourmet coffee and hot coco. My treat?"

"Oh, I'll definitely partake in that deal," Holly said. "Come on, she's waiting for you."

After stopping by the bakery and ordering three of the jumbo cinnamon rolls, coffees for the two of them, and Gracie's hot coco, Holly drove Gail home, a comfortable silence between them.

Gracie was indeed huddled on the front porch when Holly pulled into the driveway. She sat on the steps, hugging her knees to her chest as she fiddled with her phone, music blaring through her earphones. She looked up just as Gail exited the car and stood, pausing her music.

Gail quickly made her way towards Gracie, not caring that her bag was still in the backseat of the car. "Hey," she said, pulling the girl in for a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Gracie said, nodding against Gail's shoulder. "I'm fine. Just cold."

Gail pulled back and looked into the teen's upset face. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here," she said. She glanced up to see Holly standing nervously by the car. She smiled to reassure her. "Why don't you take this," she said, handing her the paper bag with two of the cinnamon rolls inside, "and head inside to get warm." She unlocked the front door. "I'll be there in a minute."

Gracie nodded and looked up to see Holly. "Um, take your time." Then she went inside, closing the door behind her.

Gail turned to make her way back to Holly.

"She going to be okay?" Holly asked, handing Gail her bag and the drink carrier with her and Gracie's drinks.

Gail nodded. "I think so. She's usually pretty resilient."

"Good. I'll let you go, then," Holly said with a smile. She leaned forward to give Gail a soft kiss, then hugged her tightly.

"I'm really sorry things got cut short," Gail murmured against Holly's neck.

"What did I say about apologizing for taking care of Gracie?" Holly asked, chuckling. "It's really okay, Gail. You need to take care of business. I'll be here."

Gail smiled even though Holly' couldn't see it. But she felt it. "I love you, you know."

Holly tightened her hold on Gail. "I know," she said. "I love you, too."

In the kitchen, Gracie was already digging in to the enormous cinnamon roll when Gail entered. She immediately moved to press a kiss against the girl's head. "I'm really sorry I wasn't here, G-bear."

Gracie shrugged and swallowed. "It's okay. I wasn't supposed to be home until later, but Denise went all mega bitch—"

"Hey," Gail interjected, sitting in the chair next to Gracie. "I know you're upset, but watch it with the 'bitch', okay?"

"Sorry," Gracie said, ducking her head a bit. She went on to explain why she'd returned home early and Gail pulled her into a hug, murmuring comforting words.

"Gracie, you know Denise loves you," Gail said, pulling back to study the teen. "She has an odd way of showing it, but she does."

Gracie sighed. "I know." She sat up straight. "I don't really want to talk about this anymore. How was your date? Judging by the fact that you were still with Dr. Stewart this morning, I'm guessing it was good?" She had a smirk on her face.

Gail cleared her throat, stalling. "Hmm, well, yes, it went well," she stammered. "We both had a bit to drink last night and neither of us felt safe driving, so I stayed at her place." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. They had indulged in a bottle of wine with their dessert.

"Uh, huh, sure," the teenager said, stuffing another bite of the cinnamon roll in her mouth. "But you look happy, so I'm glad."

"Yeah?"

Gracie nodded, then looked thoughtful. "I probably messed up your plans for the day," she said. "We should invite the doc over for dinner or something. I can make that chicken and rice soup thing."

Gail smiled. "I think that's a great idea," she said. "And I think you can call her Holly, now."

Gracie nodded. "So, is she like, your girlfriend now?"

"Would you be okay with that?" Gail asked cautiously.

"Well, I mean, you did spend the night with her, so I'm kinda hoping she is," Gracie said with a teasing smile. "And you're wearing her clothes."

Gail let out a groan, shaking her head at the girl's observation skills. "What am I gonna do with you, G-bear? Yes, okay, fine. She's my girlfriend. Happy?"

"Yep."

PART THIRTEEN-B (the final installment)

G: You are cordially invited to dinner tonight at chez Peck-Dexter. 7pm. Bring dessert. Gracie is cooking.

H: 'Cordially'? Does that mean I have to wear a dress?

G: Do you even own a dress?

H: YES.

G: One that you didn't wear to a gala or some other fancy schmancy work-related event?

H: YES.

G: OR as a bridesmaid?

H: …no.

G: That's what I thought. Jeans are acceptable. No fleece.

H: Ay ay, captain!

G: Nerd.

The intoxicating smell of Gracie's chicken and rice soup (a Dexter family recipe Emily had taught her at a young age) permeated the air, making Gail's mouth water. Gracie was cool as a cucumber, lounging on the couch watching one of her teen shows about the drama of being in junior high school. Gail, on the other hand, was nervously wiping down the countertop she'd already wiped down four times.

She wasn't quite sure just why she was so nervous. It was just dinner. Dinner with her daughter and new/old girlfriend. Completely normal, right?

It wasn't like Gracie and Holly hadn't already met. And Gracie had practically insisted she and Holly date. But that didn't stop Gail from wondering if she thought their relationship was moving too quickly. Gracie wasn't a dimwitted girl. She was quite sharp, actually. So though it wasn't voiced or discussed, Gail knew that she knew she'd slept with Holly. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"Why are you so nervous?" Gracie's voice asked, startling Gail.

Gail snapped her head up and saw the girl casually leaning against the refrigerator. "You startled me," Gail said, reaching a hand up to press against her own chest. "And I don't know." She'd always found the honest approach the best approach with the girl.

Gracie sighed and moved to stir the soup simmering on the stove. "You know I really am okay with this, right? I'm not just saying it to say it."

"I know," Gail said, tossing the rag she'd been using into the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen. Then she leaned back on the counter beside Gracie. "It's just a new dynamic and will take some getting used to, I guess."

Gracie glanced at her. "Was Holly mad that you had to come home early?" she asked, worried.

Gail shook her head. "Of course not," she insisted, placing a comforting hand on Gracie's shoulder. "She knows you come first. You always will, okay?"

Gracie gave a small smile. "I mean, it's okay to want to spend time with Holly alone, you know. Without me hanging around." She shrugged. "I get it."

"G-bear, we'll have our own time together, but that doesn't mean we don't also want to hang out with you. Holly was excited when I invited her to dinner."

Gracie's smile lit up her entire face. "Really?"

Gail nodded. "Really. She thinks you're a pretty cool kid."

Gracie groaned and rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm thirteen, Mom. I'm not a kid."

Gail laughed and pushed off the edge of the counter. "I know, I know. I'm in denial. Whatever." She moved towards the mirror near the front door to give herself one last glance over.

"Hey, Mom?" Gracie called after her.

"Yeah?" Gail said, turning to face Gracie.

"Do you, uh, think maybe Holly could take me to the morgue one day?"

Gail knit her eyebrow. "The morgue? Really? Since when have you been interested in dead bodies?"

Gracie shrugged. "I've always like science," she said. "And I'm taking bio this year and we're learning about anatomy and it's so cool. I thought it'd be awesome to see an autopsy or something."

Gail shook her head. There were times when you couldn't tell that Gracie wasn't biologically Gail's based upon the girl's mannerisms and words. This was not one of those times. "Autopsies are creepy," Gail said offhandedly with a chuckle.

"Your girlfriend does them for a living. Are you saying she's creepy?"

"Yes," Gail said, without a beat. Then she smiled. "Creepy doesn't always mean bad. You should ask her if she can take you to the morgue. I don't know what the rules are for that kind of thing."

The doorbell rang. Gail glanced at the clock, not even a little bit surprised that it was seven o'clock on the dot. She gave Gracie one last smile before heading to answer the door. Holly stood on the other side holding a bag from Lucy's. "I figured I couldn't lose with cupcakes from Gracie's favorite bakery," she said with a grin, holding up the bag.

Gail laughed and nodded. "You'd be right." Then she stepped aside, allowing Holly to enter.

Holly kissed Gail softly in greeting, then stepped back and looked her up and down. "What? You didn't like my clothes?" she teased, taking in the jeans and black long-sleeved t-shirt that had replaced Holly's clothing Gail had borrowed that morning.

Before Gail could come up with a witty remark, Gracie appeared in the front hallway. "Hi," she said, giving a slight wave.

"Hey," Holly said, moving farther into the house. "You feeling better?"

Gracie nodded. "Much," she said. "And I'm starving. Can we please eat now?"

"She just got here, Gracie," Gail said. "Let her get settled, at least."

"Actually, I'm pretty hungry," Holly said, winking at the teen. "And it smells amazing."

Gail laughed. "Alright, alright. You guys are already ganging up on me. I see how it is."

"Oh, I don't know," Holly said as they found themselves in the kitchen. "What do you think Gracie? Us against your Mom?"

Gracie looked at Gail.

"Gracie Lynn, I raised you for the last six years," Gail reminded her.

"Oh, the middle name," Holly said, wincing. "Moment of truth, Gracie. Think carefully."

Gracie grinned and turned to Holly. "Will you take me to see the morgue?"

"Hey! That's not fair!" Gail protested, laughing. "I take you to work all the time."

Gracie scoffed. "That's boring," she said. "No dead bodies."

"Tell you what," Holly said. "Next time you have a school holiday and you're stuck at the station, and assuming it's not in the middle of a hectic day, I'll take you to the morgue and show you my lab. Deal?"

Gail groaned. She already knew where this was headed.

"Deal!" Gracie said, a huge smile filling her cherubic features. She looked towards Gail. "Sorry, Mom. Looks like it'll be two against one from now on."

"Here for five minutes and you turn my kid against me," Gail muttered, shaking her head. "You'll pay for this, Stewart."

Holly looked on in amusement as Gail and Gracie playfully argued over which movie to watch—Gail wanted to watch a newly released action/adventure movie while Gracie pushed for a RomCom starring her current teen heart throb crush.

"Holly should break the tie," Gracie proclaimed with a smirk.

Gail pouted. Holly grinned. "I think it's obvious," Holly said, shooting an apologetic look at Gail. "Sorry, Gail."

"Yes!" Gracie shouted, pumping a fist in the air. "I knew I liked you for a reason." She proceeded to get the movie set up.

Holly chuckled and turned to Gail who had a dramatic pout on her face. "Oh, don't be a sore loser, Gail." She wanted to pull the blonde in for a hug, but was still unsure of what the appropriate amount of PDA in front of Gracie was, so she settled for grabbing her hand.

But Gail surprised Holly—and herself—by stepping in close and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Then she leaned in and spoke softly so that only Holly could hear her. "You so owe me later."

Gail stepped back and flopped onto the couch. "Alright, let's get this touchy-feely nonsense going," she said with mock annoyance. She grabbed the remote to start the movie.

"Wait!" Gracie said. "We need cupcakes." She raced into the kitchen and Holly chuckled.

"I can't even think of eating anything else right now," Holly said, rubbing a hand over her full stomach as she sat next to Gail.

Gail just looked at her with a sly grin.

"Oh, stop it," Holly said, trying her hardest not to laugh as she glanced towards the doorway leading to the kitchen.

"I didn't say a thing," Gail said innocently. "Anything you think I was implying was purely a figment of your own dirty mind."

"Uh huh," Holly said. "Sure."

"It's true," Gail insisted as Gracie returned bearing cupcakes.

"What's true?" Gracie asked, flopping down into the oversized armchair.

Holly shook her head, expecting Gail to deflect, but she was surprised when Gail answered. "That Holly's mind was in the gutter."

Holly gasped. "Excuse me?" she said, acting offended. "I think we all know who, between the two of us, has a mind that practically lives in the gutter."

Gracie shifted her gaze back and forth between the two of them and for a moment Holly wondered if she'd overstepped. But then the girl grinned. "You lose again, Mom."

Gail groaned. "Is this how it's always going to be from now on?"

"Yes," both Holly and Gracie said at the same time. They both burst into laughter while Gail pouted.

"I'm feeling really ganged up on," she said, but couldn't hide the smile. She was just so glad that Gracie and Holly got along so well. She shouldn't have been surprised, really. Their personalities were very similar. Oh, shit, what had she gotten herself into?

"Don't worry," Holly said, wrapping an arm around Gail's slim shoulders. "I'll throw you a bone every once in a while."

"Gee, thanks."

They started the movie and settled in to watch. Gracie sat in the armchair with her legs lying over the armrest, while Gail and Holly sat on the couch. They started off with several inches separating them, but soon Gail was turning in her spot, letting her legs come to rest across Holly's thighs. Holly smiled at her, rubbing gently back and forth just above her knee in a comforting motion.

Gracie noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head just in time to see them shoot googly eyes at one another. She studied them inconspicuously, noting the way Gail smiled—really smiled—at the doctor. And, as much as she missed her mom and wished she was still here, she was happy for Holly's presence. Because other than herself, no one had been able to make Gail smile like that in a long, long time.

And she'd really missed that smile.

Holly noticed the teen studying them, but she didn't want to acknowledge it in fear of embarrassing Gracie, so she pretended not to notice as she refocused her eyes on the television screen. But rather than paying attention to the movie on the screen, she let her mind think back over the last two hours. Dinner had been full of bad jokes, discussion about Gracie's classes and extra-curricular activities, and inquiries from Gracie about Holly's job. It was like they'd already had a thousand interactions.

Sharing the evening with Gail and her daughter felt natural. Easy. Like she actually belonged for once in her life.

It felt like coming home.

THE END