A/N: This is the first time I have written anything in over two years, so go a little easy on me :P

I really love G/H stories that show what happened in between what was shown, so after reading every one of those I could find, I decided to write my own.

I do have to admit, this makes more sense if you've recently re-watched the Holly/Gail scenes. There are just subtle things like, in episode seven, when *spoiler* Sam comes in to look at the bones, and while Holly is showing him, Gail has the gloves on and she's pointing as well, like she knows, and I kind of explained the reason behind that, and jsut little things here and there. Anyway, I am super nervous about this, and it's probably terrible, but I hope you somewhat enjoy it.

Holly was captivated by Gail the moment she met her. Was it those electric blue eyes or the sharp quips that so flawlessly slipped off her tongue? Either way, from that first conversation, Holly found herself entirely intrigued.

She could feel the blonde officer watching her curiously as she examined the body, collected samples, moving methodically through her work. When she glanced backwards however the other woman quickly masked her intrigue with an expression of boredom, as though she was simply waiting impatiently to leave.

"I do apologize for keeping you waiting, officer," she called back sarcastically as she carefully bagged and tagged some more samples. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"They do this stuff much faster on television. But maybe that's because they're the top of their fields," she quipped back. Holly felt herself smirk.

"Because we all know how realistic television shows are," she retorted, "I think I have everything I need." She directed her next comment to a member of the forensic team, "Could you have the bones carefully removed and taken back to my lab." As she began to make her way back up the slope, she found the blonde officer awkwardly following behind her.

"You're not going to ride with the bones? I thought you might find them more on your conversational level," Holly asked as she slowed a little the let the other woman catch up. She groaned a little internally as soon as she said, maybe that was too far? She had never been a good judge of these kinds of social protocols. The officer reached her side, casting an unfazed look across at her.

"It was a tough call, but they did smell just a little more than you do."

Holly turned the volume down a little as she pulled onto the winding road back towards the morgue. She could feel the eyes of the other woman critically analyzing her CD collection sitting below the stereo. The blonde wiggled a little on the leather seat.

"Nice car, being a lab nerd must pay well." Holly laughed.

"Work car, actually, although the pay isn't too bad," she conceded, glancing across to catch those icy blue eyes watching her again thoughtfully. The soft gaze quickly hardened as it met Holly's, but the brunette had already seen enough to see straight through the dull look of boredom that replaced it. Even with their expression so stern, those bright eyes still made her stomach twist just a little.

"Holly Stewart, is my name, by the way," she mentally kicked herself as she stumbled through the sentence. This is why I only have two friends. But she saw a hint of a smile play around the edges of the other woman's lips and any regret she had for her poorly phrased introduction melted away.

"I have not had so awkward an introduction since my mother tried to help me make friends on my first day of high school," the other girl quipped.

"Did you need a lot of help in that area?" Holly asked with a smirk.

"Gail" she responded to Holly's previous introduction and completely ignored her comment. The brunette smiled. Gail, she liked the sound of it.

"Do you always listen to classical music?" Gail asked.

"Would you prefer some mindless, commercial radio, top 40 pop?" Holly quirked her eyebrows, glancing across at the blonde questioningly. Gail grinned.

"Yes. Exactly." Raising a laugh out of Holly, who leaned forward, switching the stereo from CD to radio.

"You have free reign of the seek button. But if I hear Justin Bieber, I will be forced to change the channel."

"And miss out on me flawlessly wrapping Nicki Minaj's feature from Beauty and the Beat?" Gail shook her head, "Your call," she shrugged.

"I didn't really pick you for the white rapper type." Holly sniggered.

"I'm full of surprises."

"I'll bet."

As Detective Swarek and Detective Nash practically jogged back down the hall towards the exit, Holly glanced at Gail before pulling her focus back down to the bones in front of her, shifting the instrument slightly to gain the best angle.

"Having fun yet?" She couldn't stop herself from asking as she carefully inspected a section of the spine.

"Yea," Gail answered, more sincerely than Holly had expected, "It's all kind of interesting." Holly looked back up to catch those blue eyes as she replied.

"Careful there Gail, or I'll start to think you kind of like me." She raised her eyebrows suggestively, before laughing as she reached towards her tool tray.

"You're not so bad," the blonde admitted, and Holly felt a slight warmth in her cheeks before the other woman added, "for a nerd." She could feel her heart beating at an elevated pace inside her chest as she willed herself to reply, and preferably not too awkwardly.

"You're not so bad yourself, for a cop that is," she grinned. Gail shook her head, and returned her smile ruefully.

Gail finished making a call to the detective in charge and walked back over. Holly could feel her watching, much more openly than before, as she examined the bones. When she looked up, this time the blonde smiled.

"Come here," Holly motioned for the officer to stand next to her. Purely so she could better show her what she was doing, of course. Not in any way because she wanted Gail closer to her. She leaned over, and the other woman copied awkwardly, in an entirely endearing way.

"See just here," she pointed to a section on one of the bones. Gail looked, narrowing her eyes.

"I told you before, I just see bone," she muttered defensively, frowning.

"I don't expect you to see anything else yet. Do you have a medical degree?" The blonde shook her head, "I didn't think so. So, see here," she gently ran one gloved finger along the fracture in the worn bone as she explained carefully what it was and what it meant. Gail listened quietly, genuinely interested, taking it all in. As Holly continued explaining and showing Gail the main areas, the key things that were important, the blonde took it all in.

"So, do I get my own pair of gloves now?" she asked, "being your temporary assistant, and all." Holly laughed and pointed towards the box on her desk.

"Be my guest, but I warn you, the powder they use on the inside is a bitch to get off." She watch Gail carefully slide her petite hands into each blue plastic glove, wiggling each finger down and pulling therm down over her wrists, and felt the heat rising a little in her cheeks again before the blonde quipped her at,

"Is bitch the scientifically correct term?"

After Detective Swarek left her morgue for the second time that day, it occurred to Holly that maybe Gail's continued presence was at that point more voluntary than mandatory. How long did an officer really need to stay and oversee the examination on bones from ten years ago? She sometimes had officers stand by for important investigations, to relay information back to the team, it wasn't than unusual. But they didn't usually stay quite so long.

"Tea or coffee?" Gail asked, and Holly realized that without her noticing the blonde had made her way around to the other side of the table, standing next to the desk.

"You going somewhere?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too concerned about that fact. Gail smiled.

"Vending machine, end of the hall. Don't worry, I'll be back shortly. You'll only have to miss me for ten or so minutes." She pulled her wallet out of one of the large pockets of her uniform coat, "My shout".

"Tea, no sugar, dash of milk," Holly replied. Why was she so entirely fascinated by this woman she had known for less than even a day? She watched Gail through the glass windows until she disappeared from sight, and shook her head. Since when did she, Holly Stewart, miss rational for as long as she could remember, turn to jelly over a girl who she wasn't even sure yet was interested in girls, let alone herself.

Ten minutes later Gail reappeared, staggering into the lab with a hot beverage in each hand, and packets of cheesy puffs, a chocolate bar, and an apple held precariously between her chest and her arms. Holly stopped what she was doing and hurried around towards her, discarding her plastic gloves as she did so, to alleviate her of some of her cargo.

"What on earth is all this?" she asked bemused.

"I thought you might be hungry, but I didn't know what you'd like," Gail told her as she allowed the brunette to carefully extract the hot Styrofoam cup of tea from her hand. She left the rest of the goods fall onto the desk, and stepped back to allow Holly first pick at her stash. Holly took a packet of cheesy puffs and leaned against the filing cabinet.

"Thanks." She blew gently on the top of her tea, and looked back up to find Gail assessing her.

"I honestly thought you'd go for the apple." She commented thoughtfully, before sipping her coffee. Holly smirked, mildly bemused. Did she even want to ask.

"And why is that?" She couldn't help herself. Everything about Gail intrigued her.

"Teachers pet. Red apple. You know," the blonde shrugged, "plus that dorky sweater doesn't do you much justice, but you look reasonably fit for someone who spends so much time in a dark morgue." The assessment showed more attention than Holly thought the blonde had bothered to pay to her, and she smiled, the right corner of her mouth lifting as she sipped her tea conservatively.

"Oh, I mean I hate people." Holly found herself completely enamored by this sarcastic, guarded, gorgeous blonde cop. The revelation should have put her off more. Gail was straight, that much was now clearer than ever. But she told herself that didn't matter, because what she needed right now wasn't a girlfriend, it was just a friend. That's what her therapist kept saying; "Try and make a new friend. Extend your boundaries. Do something different."

As she rounded the corner she found that Gail had stopped to wait for her to catch up.

"Come on slow poke, do you always walk at the pace of a snail?" the blonde asked as they continued down the hall.

"Only when I'm trying to avoid cops who have been stalking me all day," she replied. Gail smirked, but looked a little cut.

"I was assigned to you Holly, don't flatter yourself," she retorted a little stiffly. As they reached the exit, she turned towards the carpark and found the blonde didn't follow, so she turned back around. Gail had stopped outside the doors, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

"How are you getting home?" Holly asked as she took a step back towards her.

"I got a lift to the station with my roommate," Gail replied, avoiding eye contact, "where can I get a cab from near here?" Holly shook her head, and grabbed Gail gently by the arm.

"No way, I'm giving you a lift, come on," she smiled pulling the blonde in the direction of her car. Gail looked at her, expression stony.

"I wouldn't want you to think I was stalking you or anything." Holly grinned and shook her head.

"If anything, I'm far more stalker-like right now, as I am about to discover your home address." She tugged gently again, and this time Gail relented and followed.

"If I see who hanging around my street creepily without reason, I am a police officer, and I do own mace," the blonde retorted as they approach Holly's car. Holly let go of her arm, and walked around to the driver's side.

"Could you really mace this pretty face?" she batted her eyelashes at Gail as she turned the ignition. Gail smirked, but ignored the question.

"You do actually have a very nice car. I think this is nicer than the work car."