Life is full of significant moments. Moments that shift the balance of everything that has come before.
First love, first heartbreak, graduating from the Police Academy. Being kidnapped…
Gail Peck didn't expect one such moment to happen on the floor of a coat room at her boss' wedding.
She didn't expect the most funny, smart and infuriatingly weird woman she knew to lean over and kiss her.
Yet here she was; still on the floor, wrapped in furs and full of confusion.
Holly breezed out of the room as easily as she had breezed into her life, taking with her the champagne and any words Gail might have been able to muster beyond 'Where are you going?'
It didn't leave her with much else to do but sit, mind reeling over what had just happened.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought about it before. Despite her regimented upbringing, Gail was open minded enough to appreciate a beautiful woman. She just hadn't imagined growing quite so close to one herself.
She pondered over the events leading up to now, starting with the woodland crime scene and a day spent in the morgue.
Being in the woods sucked. Gail had hated them since she was 12, when she'd been left in them and forced to find to her way home by her parents. Peck family tradition my ass, child neglect more like. The sooner the team could get the body they'd found processed and out of here, the better. She was pulled from her thoughts as a woman walked past her and down the incline.
"Hey, Lunchbox, you're not allowed down there" she asserted, getting a dismissive 'Thanks, appreciate it' in response. She questioned the woman further and determined she was the forensic pathologist on scene. Nerds ought to wear bigger signs or something, honestly. Gail was then bombarded with a whole bunch of science jargon she had not asked for. Why was she saying all these words?
She took note of the smile she got in response to asking that very question.
Swarek gave the call for someone to escort the body to the lab and Gail surprised herself by volunteering. Surely this would be the quickest way out of the woods… right?
She spent the rest of the day watching Holly examine the bones, ready to update her team with any information that could help. Gail surprised herself again with the fact that she actually kind of liked it. She'd never shown an interest in science before and she didn't have a clue about half the details being said here. Any other expert might have patronised her or skimmed over the details, but Holly had taken the time to explain her findings in understandable terms. She'd seemed genuinely pleased to enlighten Gail with how she'd come to her conclusions. The part Gail enjoyed most, however, was that Holly didn't bat an eyelid at her sharp sense of humor. Just like at the crime scene, her remarks just made Holly smile. Unlike others, who were easily affronted or provoked to bite straight back, Holly seemed to appreciate her humor for what it was.
Maybe that's why Gail couldn't stop herself grabbing Holly's cell phone before leaving the lab.
"Actually I'm gonna put my number in here so you can update me if you find anything else out later, or in case you have like, a science emergency or something." Gail insisted.
Holly narrowed her eyes but kept a smile on her lips. "Suure, yeah okay." She glanced at her phone and at the name Gail had entered. "Thanks… 'Officer Awesome?'"
"You're so very welcome." Gail returned, smirking at her own joke.
As they were finishing up for the day she looked around the room in quiet contemplation. She'd enjoyed being in the lab today. Whether it was the silence, the lack of people or being removed from the normal routine that she needed right now, it was a welcome change.
Thinking about it brought her mind to the Nick/Andy situation unwillingly. Part of the reason her relationship with Nick had ended was her need to escape, for sure, but her worries had obviously not been unfounded. He'd proven that when he'd confessed his crush on Andy. In the end she'd been right, she concluded. Better that it ended this way; with her in control, than down the line with her heart broken. Also? Men sucked. No. Make that people. Gail sighed as she lamented over her relationship history. There does seem to be a pattern with her need to escape from them.
Holly drew Gail from her thoughts with a comment about her seemingly liking the lab and Gail found herself voicing her earlier contemplation. She confessed that she tends to self-destruct relationships, comparing herself to a cat in a tree. She couldn't quite work out why she felt the need to say all this to someone she'd only met that day but it seemed right at the time.
When the lab was all shut down and they went their separate ways, Gail fully anticipated never seeing the pathologist again until another case brought her there.
The next evening saw Gail sprawled across the couch watching television when her phone rang out. A text message from an unknown number flashed on the screen.
«Watching a fire rescue show and there's a cat stuck up a tree. Made me think of you. Hope you're managing to stay away from our deciduous friends. – Holly»
She shook her head at the text and quickly typed a reply.
«Thanks, Nerdy. I'm just about managing. If I fail I'm sure I can count on you and your lunchbox to work the scene. I'm afraid you'd have to find another lab monkey to keep you company though.»
«But who else is going to insinuate I smell like a decade old skeleton? You'll be pleased to know the cat is safe anyway – one look at that guy on the ladder and it got the hell out of there.»
«I hate cats and firemen are stupid. Why would they even bother? What's with the fire rescue anyway? Why aren't you watching a cop show?»
The messages continued back and forth until Dov walked through the room.
"What's got you smiling so much? Who're you texting?" He asked, leaning over the back of the couch and trying to look at her phone.
"Rude much? It's just a friend." She intoned, hand to the middle of his chest and pushing him back.
Gail hadn't even been aware of her grin as she'd waited and read each reply. It was as though Dov's interruption had shocked her out of a trance. She looked at the time, puzzled that so much had passed. The movie she'd been watching was long over. Shrugging off her stupor and getting up, she sent one last message then realised she hadn't saved Holly's number yet. Smiling once again to herself, she hit save on the new contact: 'Nerd Squad'.
Texting throughout the day became the norm after that, so when Gail needed a last minute 'plus one' to the wedding it just seemed logical to invite Holly. While everyone else would be revelling in the fake happiness of nuptial bliss, she knew Holly would provide enough distraction to make the night half bearable.
She hadn't expected to arrive and find the woman sitting in the coat check reading a book, but she shouldn't have been surprised by the depths of her nerdiness at this point. Inviting Holly had most definitely been the right choice. Despite the added benefit of Nick and Andy being stuck out on a case, it was still as lame as predicted. Thankfully, constant conversation and jokes with Holly kept her from the worst of Chloe's enthusiastic loudness and the general mass of shiny happy people.
They eventually slipped away from the crowd, taking solace in the cooler atmosphere of the coat room. Fuelled by champagne and encouraged by good company, Gail's mind relaxed and she began speaking without thinking, questioning Holly about relationships between two women.
Holly seemed amused by this and teased Gail about not wanting to wear her clothes. Gail responded with customary snark but rather than being met with the smile she'd come to expect, Holly leant over and kissed her instead, stunning her into silence. She couldn't do much more than watch as Holly stood up to leave, apparently done for the night.
Lips still tingling from the sudden kiss, Gail could barely process the reasons for her departure. When her mind had finished recounting how this night had come to pass, she felt sobered. She was relieved Holly had left – Gail had no idea how she would have played off this response had the other woman stuck around.
She tried to tell herself the strong reaction was due to the surprise but, truth be told, it was the kiss itself. Brief as it may have been, it had still sent shocks racing through her body from the point of contact. Gail was left bewildered and breathless, completely taken aback by the turn of events. Does this change things between them? Does this mean Holly was attracted to her? A dozen scenarios ran though her mind, trying to predict where this could lead.
Gail did the only thing she knew how to do in response to this equilibrium shifting moment - she got up and went to find more alcohol.