A/N This takes place immediately after episode 4x09, post-batting cages.
"I think if Gail had been born deaf, dumb and with no eyeballs she still would have been drawn to Holly. It's not about gender in this case. It's about when your heart splits open and its guts are splatter all over the walls. It's about falling in love."
"Wait, wait, I'm sorry. You're telling me that he had a full British accent?"
They had given up on batting practice and were leaning against the wall. Holly was curled over, holding her stomach, almost crying with laughter. Gail was barely holding it together, just trying to get the story out.
"He…he…he called it his flat," she choked out.
Holly gave up trying to keep herself upright and fell to her side. Gail whooped and reached down, touching her shoulder and giggling.
"You ok?"
Holly sprawled out, trying to catch her breath. She kicked her legs up and propped her chin in her hands. She breathed deeply, still chuckling. "Where does your mother find these people?"
"Well, you know. Only the best for her daughter." She rolled her eyes.
"And she had another one lined up for tonight?"
"Yeah. Probably a pureblood Norwegian prince." She looked at Holly. "Pureblood, like, incest."
She laughed. "Yeah. I got it." She cocked her head. "So why'd you cancel?"
"You heard the incest part, right?"
Holly sat up and scooted next to her again. "Seriously. Why?"
Their shoulders brushed against each other lightly and Gail felt it again. That…feeling. The same one she'd had in the coatroom, when they'd…
She shook her head, fighting a blush. "It was a rough day. I just…I couldn't do it. Spend the rest of the night trying to fake being happy for some idiot." She glanced towards Holly and caught her gaze for a moment before turning away, avoiding the intensity burning in her eyes. She shrugged lightly. "I wanted to try just…not faking it."
She felt Holly reach up and gently tuck a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The helmet had mussed up her hair, freeing some of it from her ponytail. Normally that would have bothered her. She was surprised to find that she hadn't even noticed, not until a soft hand had fixed it. Not until every nerve ending in her body went numb except the ones on the left side of her face, which felt electric. On fire. As if the only thing her body was currently capable of processing was the feeling of Holly's fingers on her skin.
She quickly stood up, trying to shake off the intimate moment. She looked down at the brunette.
"Wanna go to the Penny? I'm buying."
Holly gave her a small smile, clearly a little more reluctant than the blonde to let the moment pass. There were a few seconds of silence before she tacitly agreed to Gail's request to move on and nodded. "Sounds good."
Gail stuck out her hand, offering it to Holly, who considered it for another moment before taking it. She pulled her upwards, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her as she stood. This time, Holly was the one who pulled her hand away, reaching down to grab her bag.
"Come on, slugger," she said, glancing over her shoulder as she headed towards the door. "Hopefully you're better at drinking than hitting."
"Oh, you know I am," Gail replied, chasing after her.
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They had claimed a booth in the corner of the Penny. The bar was nearly deserted. It had been a rough day for the 15th Precinct, and everyone had dispersed to their homes. They had started off sitting on opposite sides of the booth, but somehow, Gail wasn't really sure how, they were now sitting next to each other, their feet kicked up and resting on the opposite seat. Gail downed the rest of her drink and looked at Holly.
"Another?"
Holly had her head back against the seat and she looked at the blonde with a smile. "Last one."
Gail gave her a half-smirk. "We'll see." She stood up and accidentally knocked her bag to the ground, spilling the contents. Holly rolled out of the booth to help gather her things and she picked up the small stuffed dog for Christian.
"Your sidekick?" she asked, holding it up and cocking her eyebrow.
"That's Baby Puppy 2," she muttered, grabbing it back. A confused look from Holly prompted her to explain further. "One of the officers got it for Christian. Baby Puppy 1 is in evidence."
"Aw, that was sweet of them."
Gail rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's Price alright. Sweet as pie."
Holly looked at her curiously. "And that's a problem for you." It was a statement of fact, not a question.
"It's not a…ugh, hang on." She sauntered to the bar and got two more drinks for them, carrying them back to the booth. She sat down heavily across from the brunette and cocked her head. "She's just…what you see is what you get. There's no mystery, and there's no depth. She's just so perfectly…Chloe. All the time."
Holly gave her a small smile. "And that scares you." Another statement.
"Hey," Gail replied, narrowing her eyes. "I'm a cop. I don't get scared."
"Of course you don't," Holly said sweetly. "Except when it comes to letting your guard down. That, I think, terrifies you."
Gail just stared at her.
"I've got your number, Peck," she continued. "You put up these walls to keep the world out. You put on a tough mask so that everyone thinks: Gail Peck, hardass cop. Gail Peck, member of a dynasty. Gail Peck," she smirked, "too cool for school."
"Hey, I'll have you know that I was at the top of our class at the Academy."
Holly just smiled at her. "Gail Peck, accomplished academic."
"So," Gail started, "what's wrong with that?"
Holly shrugged, still smiling. "Absolutely nothing." She leaned forward over the table, lowering her voice. "Except that you can't wear that mask 24/7. You've got it take it off sometimes." She leaned back and shrugged again. "You've gotta just…let yourself be Gail sometimes."
Gail considered this. "And if I am?" she asked, leaning forward. "What if this is me? What if this is Gail?"
Holly smiled. "Then I like Gail. A lot."
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"C'mon," Holly said, taking her hand as they walked out of the bar. "We can share a cab."
Gail delicately pulled her hand away, pointing over her shoulder. "Actually…I think I'm just gonna walk."
Holly tilted her head. "It's late."
"Yeah…" Gail avoided her glance. "I…don't do cabs."
The brunette gave her a curious look. "That's a weird thing not to do."
"Yeah, I…" Gail exhaled and looked at the ground. "I was abducted and attacked by a cab driver. A few years ago. I know it's dumb, it's not like it's going to happen again. I just…I don't know."
As she spoke, Holly had been moving closer to her. She reached out now and touched Gail's arm. "Hey," she said, forcing the blonde to lift her gaze. She smiled lightly at her. "Totally understandable."
Gail forgot what they were talking about. She forgot how to speak in general. She forgot everything except exactly what Holly's hand felt like on her arm. She could only nod and hope that that was the appropriate response to whatever the brunette had just said to her.
"C'mon," Holly said, not entirely oblivious to the daze Gail was in. She moved her hand down and looped their arms together. "I'll walk you home then."
"No," Gail started to protest, "you don't have to - "
"I know," Holly said, smiling. "Look, I can grab a cab from your place, ok? I'll just feel better knowing you got home safe."
"Ok," Gail agreed, nodding. "Sure."
They turned and walked arm-in-arm down the street.