So, it's been brought to my attention that I haven't posted anything in a while (including chapter 22 of God Help Her which is long overdue). My apologies - real life has been leaving me little time to write. I have been working on this one since 3x04 during what little time I've had because of course I couldn't pass up the 'movie night' plot bunny.
A couple of notes:
-A lot of you have been asking me for more Gail/Nick stories but they have their own fans who can do the pairing far more justice than I can. And Know-it-all Nick is kinda getting on my nerves. Sorry.
-I've seen 3x05 but not 3x06 - please no spoilers in replies
-This takes place after 3x04 (I know: I'm slow) so you'll have to forget the above-mentioned episodes happened
-I had Traci in time-out when I started writing this so she won't be making an appearance
-It ended up being much longer than I expected (par for my course lol) so I've broken it up into two chapters. Also, the second half is still being tweaked so I'd rather give you this now and the conclusion in a couple of days
-I will be back to working on God Help Her as soon as I'm done this one provided the last episode and the one coming up don't spur new plot bunnies I can't deny. That's the problem with writing during the season, really - I get easily distracted by new ideas.
-I hope you enjoy :)
Dov grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing one to Chris and moving to the couch. "I was thinking we should invite the girls over for movie night tomorrow…"
Twisting the cap from his bottle Chris tossed it in the trash. "The girls?" he repeated faux-casually, wanting confirmation that it meant what he thought it meant before deciding how he felt about it.
"Yeah." After his aversion to inviting them that morning Dov wasn't surprised Chris was confused. "Traci and Andy and…"
"And Gail," Chris finished as he sat on the other end of the couch. So much for Dov not wanting to hang out with them…
"Well, yeah." Bending his bottle-cap in half Dov flicked it at a spot on the wall; made a mental note to pick it up in case someone stepped on it. "I know she's a hard-ass but last I checked she's still a girl." The last time he'd checked being months ago, of course…
Gail and Dov bringing it up on the same day made Chris think they'd already discussed it; like they'd secretly kept in touch the entire time… "Batman?"
"Uh…" Dov blinked at the non-sequitor, "I guess we could invite him, too…"
Chris dismissed his suspicions as paranoia; even if his best friend had been competition before – which he realized now was absurd – Dov was currently blissfully happy with Sue. And Gail was… "I don't think we should."
Tipping his bottle Dov deadpanned, "You're right – he's probably busy anyway…" Whatever was going through Chris' head it clearly had to do with the girl whose name was as unofficially taboo as it was unavoidable sometimes. Like her bottle of peach shampoo in the bathroom that no one used yet somehow hadn't made its way into the garbage…
"No," Chris corrected, forcing himself to relax into the cushions. "Gail."
Duh. "You don't think she'd come?" Considering the continued tepid state of affairs Dov had to admit it was more than likely she would not-so-politely decline. They probably would have a better chance with Bruce Wayne…
Chris couldn't say for sure either way; didn't trust himself to gauge her sincerity 'cause he'd already been proven wrong once that day. "I just don't think it's a good idea," he shrugged, what he hoped was nonchalantly.
Dov wouldn't disagree – having her home for the first time since all the drama was bound to be interesting (to put it mildly) – but Chris' lack of enthusiasm just didn't make sense. "This morning you wanted to party with her…"
And this afternoon he'd thought there was a possibility they could start over… Taking a swig of beer Chris fought to keep the bitterness out of his tone. "Things change." He wasn't sure he could deal with her acting like she belonged there – him feeling like she belonged there – knowing that at the end of the night she'd be going somewhere else. To someone else.
"Did you guys have a fight?" That was another thing Dov hated about being on leave – he didn't even have the rumor mill to keep him (semi-accurately) apprised anymore.
"No." Chris almost wished they had, the fall from hopeful to crushed far more painful. Talking about it wouldn't do any good, though, so he quietly conceded, "It's fine. It'll be fun."
Dov wasn't buying it – things didn't change that drastically over the course of twelve hours for no apparent reason. "Look, man, if you don't want her here just say so."
What Chris wanted didn't really matter, apparently. And if his best friend needed to have their friends over to help him deal then that's what they would do. "It's fine." Putting his empty bottle on the coffee table he stood. "I'm going to take a shower. You should call her now before she makes other plans."
If Dov weren't so craven for some sense of normalcy (among other things) he would do what Chris obviously wanted and put the kibosh on the idea. Instead he got up to get his cell, picking up the bottle-cap on the way.
A knock sounded on the door and Dov took a calming breath before opening it to Gail and Andy.
"Hey, stranger," Andy smiled, happy to see him.
"Hey," he returned, moving aside to let them in. "What's with the bags?"
"We're making lasagna." Well, the blonde was making it; Andy was more menial labor slash moral support.
Feeling like she was walking into the mouth of the dragon Gail pushed by them into the kitchen. "I want the record to reflect I'm doing it against my will." Cooking and being there.
And 'hello' to you, too…
"You're the one who offered," Andy reminded her, following. "I'm just holding you to it." She was surprised at how little coaxing it had taken, actually. And that they weren't making hotdogs…
"Under duress." Dropping her bag and purse on the counter Gail pulled out the cutting board and a couple of knives. "I was hung over and wanted you all to shut up." Now she just wanted it over.
Andy nudged the blonde's shoulder with her own, suspecting most of the indignation was a show for Dov's benefit. "Too bad, so sad."
Gail's eyes narrowed. "You might want to take this knife and get to chopping before I decide to use it on your smug-ass self…"
Emptying her bag of the vegetables Andy mocked, "Yes, Chef!"
"You need to stop watching reality TV…" Gail took out the pot and pans she would need for the sauce – at once pleased and pained that everything was still the way she'd left it – and started unpacking the rest of the food.
Dov watched silently as she navigated the kitchen like she'd never been gone; blinked at her when she held out a smaller paper bag. "What's this?"
"From now on you get a sudden hankering for candy?" Gail advised, eyebrow raised, "Get someone else to get it for you…"
A look in the bag revealed licorice and sour gummies. Not knowing what to say he offered, "You guys want a beer?"
"Sure," Andy accepted, tossing the first of the veggies into the hot pan.
"No." Getting shit-faced drunk would undoubtedly make the night easier but Gail was more worried about what she'd do or say while under the influence. Dumping the ground beef in the second pan she added a belated, "Thanks."
Dov paused with his hand on the refrigerator door. "Do you want me to make something else?"
Gail shook her head without turning. She knew what he was suggesting; was having a hard enough time without introducing that particular nostalgia to the evening. "I'll just take the beer."
The utter disinterest was like a slap in the face. "Okay."
Andy glanced at her friends, the tension in the room suddenly palpable. She'd had no clue things were still so weird between them; would have thought they'd resolved their issues in the many months since. Should have known better when it involved the queen of avoidance…
Popping the tops off the bottles Dov handed Andy hers and placed Gail's beside her, then leaned back against the counter and downed half of his own in one breath. "So where's Traci?"
The cautious tone told Gail she'd managed to hurt his feelings without even meaning to. Giving him a haughty smirk she forced a teasing, "Taking over your title as Officer Buzz-kill…"
"Detective Buzz-kill…" Andy proudly corrected, adding the remaining vegetables while the blonde stirred the pans. "She's working a case but asked for a rain-check."
Dov nodded. Provided they all survived this one… "Chris said she's doing really well..."
Andy's grin grew wider. "She's kicking ass."
Rolling her eyes Gail took the cans from the brunette as she opened them and scooped their contents into the pot. "Where is Chris, anyway?"
"He had some errands to run before coming home." Ostensibly – Dov thought he was just avoiding their favorite ex-roommate for as long as he possibly could. "Sue went out with friends to let us catch up."
How predictably perfect of her…
The unsolicited information seemed to Andy to be – consciously or not – a calculated attempt to get a reaction out of the blonde. "Speaking of catching up," she interjected before he could get one he wasn't prepared for, "how are you doing?"
Dov shrugged. "Okay. Anxious to get back to work."
Andy handed Gail the appropriate spices. "So what's the holdup?" Realizing it wasn't the best choice of words she attached a mumbled, "Sorry."
"I need the department shrink to clear me." He left out the part where their first meeting had been a total waste of time and he hadn't been back since.
"Counseling is for losers," Gail volunteered with a wave of the hand. "Just tell him what he wants to hear so he'll sign off." Easy peasy.
Dov found her assessment both comforting and daunting. "He wants to hear how I feel about what happened and how I'm adjusting…" She might be able to fake her way through that but he wasn't quite as convincing the actor.
"And?" Andy prompted, holding the colander over the sink so Gail could strain the cooked meat.
"And I'm not big on sharing my feelings with a complete stranger." Been there, done that; didn't get a lousy t-shirt much less any closure…
Looking up from her task Gail 'helpfully' suggested, "Pop a couple of pills before your appointment – he won't be able to shut you up…"
Dov managed to suppress a flinch at her even stare. On the one hand: ouch and also touché. On the other: it was the closest she'd come in months to even acknowledging that night. Taking it as progress (of a sort) he decided not to ruin it by mentioning that (so far as he could recall) she hadn't tried very hard to shut him up…
Andy gently elbowed the bitter blonde in the side, part reprimand, part cue to get back to work. "It's procedure for a reason, Dov; you need to process what happened before they can let you back on the streets."
"I am processing," he informed them, gaze following the blonde back to the stove. "I'm just doing it my own way…"
Gail spooned the meat, then the vegetables, into the pot. "Forgive me if I'm not filled with confidence but your way usually ends with you getting in more trouble." The only uncertainty at that point was in what form the trouble came…
Unable to disagree – wishing he could – Dov snarked back, "Your faithless concern is touching – truly – but I'm doing okay."
"Whatever you say, Captain Copasetic," she muttered, not buying it for a second.
Andy lifted an amused eyebrow at the familiarity of the exchange but didn't comment. "You know we're here if you want to talk to a non-stranger, right?"
What was with all this 'we' and 'us' stuff all of a sudden? Shaking her head Gail disputed, "Speak for yourself; I'm more the 'support quietly from afar' type." No 'sharing' required.
"Very 'afar,'" Dov quietly agreed. The extent of her support had been the intermittent 'hang in there' dispatched through Traci that he wasn't even sure had come from her.
Hearing the hurt behind the declaration Gail turned to him; opened her mouth to deliver an excuse and shut it because there really wasn't one good enough. 'It's just me being me' didn't quite seem to cut it this time…
Dov held her eyes as he waited for whatever quasi-apology she saw fit to make. Everything else aside, it was too big for him to just let go…
The air was crackling again and this time Andy felt like she wasn't even in the room. "Hey – I think I left my cell in your car."
Gail blinked and directed her attention to the brunette. "Expecting a call from the Dalai Lama?" she inquired facetiously, seeing right through the act.
"Uh…" What did that have to do with the price of tea in China? "No…"
"Then you'll live for a few hours." Willingly entering the maw of the dragon was one thing, being abandoned there another entirely.
Andy realized too late she could have just gone to the bathroom and they wouldn't even have noticed. "But what if Traci needs us or we get called in or something?"
This time the single entity thing worked to Gail's advantage: "Then whoever needs 'us' will call mine."
Damn logic. Knowing she had no choice but to make the blonde want to get rid of her Andy adopted her best and most irritating whine. "But I need my phone, Gail. I feel naked without it…"
Gail raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Andy confirmed with a triumphant smirk, gesturing for the keys. They'd both moved on (more or less) – it was past high time they discussed what had happened and put it behind them. And if not? They could enjoy… say… twenty minutes of awkward silence…
Dov never thought he'd see the day Andy out-stubborned Gail but after a brief standoff the keys were changing hands. "She's subtle," he joked once the brunette had disappeared through the door.
"She's Andy," Gail sighed, picking up the dirty pans and moving them to the sink. "So are you going to tell me what's really going on?" If she was going to be stuck talking she sure as hell was going to keep the focus off of her…
"What do you mean?" He'd fully expected her to ignore Andy's unspoken directive; the question was whether she actually knew something or was just fishing for a different topic.
Gail rolled her eyes and gave him a look she usually reserved for uncooperative witnesses. "I know you're dodging the shrink, Dov…"
Well, that answered that question…
TBC...