"Great presentation, Dr. Stewart. Absolutely fascinating research and work you've done," a short, balding man said to her as he shook her hand feverishly. Holly had to admit, the presentation had gone exceptionally well. Not that she had doubted herself before hand; Holly knew the material inside and out, and if they wanted her to speak so badly at the event, she knew her audience would be all-ears for what she had to say.

The man rambling in front of her was the last in a long line of miscellaneous people to share their regards with the popular doctor after the presentation had finished. Try as she might, she just couldn't pay attention to a single word the man was saying. His story was the last of what seemed like hundreds of stories about this and that, how each person solved this particular case, and it was mentally exhausting listening to them all. She simply nodded her head, pretending to listen to his story, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Another large group of people had formed a circle around someone she couldn't see. They were all smiling and laughing cordially, and when one man left the group, she saw who was at the center of attention and her stomach dropped.

Elaine Peck.

Holly suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and her mind was racing a thousand miles a second. What was Elaine Peck, Superintendent of the Toronto Metropolitan Police, doing at a Medical Examiner's conference? Was something wrong? Had something happened in one of the other conference rooms? Certainly not, given the smiles and 'relaxed' (for Elaine Peck) feeling she and the rest of the men and women around her seemed to radiate. Nothing about the woman's presence made sense to the doctor.

She politely excused herself from the rambling man and quickly made her way to the door, seeing her exit and wanting nothing more than to escape the presence of the Superintendent. She was almost successful, until a hand on her shoulder stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Dr. Stewart," the voice said. Holly closed her eyes briefly before turning around to the face the familiar authoritative woman in front of her.

"Superintendent Peck," she said, extending her hand out of habit. "I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to see you here at the conference." Holly reminded herself to stay calm and confident in front of the woman, or else she would be eaten alive. She and Gail had managed to escape all Peck family dinners while she was still in Toronto, but several brief meetings with the woman at the morgue and stories from everyone in the lab and the department was enough for Holly to know how the woman preyed on the weak.

"Well, Dr. Stewart I must admit the medical field is not my first area of expertise, but I'm not here on my own personal accord," she said, eyeing the doctor and looking for any signs the brunette might be uncomfortable. When Holly simply nodded her head slowly, not breaking eye contact, Elaine continued. "I'm here to discuss a proposition on the behalf of the department. I was hoping you would be available for dinner tonight to discuss the details."

Dinner. With Elaine Peck. Alone. Holly wanted nothing more than to run in the opposite direction at just the thought of a meal with the Superintendent, but she honestly was fairly curious about this "proposition" and what all it entailed. She quickly pulled out her daily planner, briefly remembering how much shit Gail had given her for having an actual planner, and checked the events she was scheduled for.

"It looks like I'm free until tomorrow morning. Dinner will work." A smile crept onto Elaine's face.

"Fantastic. I've already made reservations at Scaramouche for 6:00." Holly glanced at her watch and saw it was just after 3:30. Elaine noticed the gesture and raised her brows. "Will that work, Dr. Stewart?" Holly looked up and simply smiled then answered.

"6:00 will be perfect."

"Do you need a car to come and get you? The restaurant is quite a ways from your hotel." Holly smiled, knowing she should have expected Elaine to do a little digging. She couldn't help but wonder what else Elaine knew about her, about her life. She tried pushing the terrifying thought out of her mind before answering.

"That would be great, Superintendent." Elaine smiled, but Holly could see the darker side of Elaine hiding behind her eyes, plotting her next move and the fact that Holly had no idea what this 'proposition' entailed scared her a little bit.

"I'll see you at 6." She shook Holly's hand, and disappeared into the crowd that had gathered outside one of the conference rooms. The brunette took a deep breath, realizing she felt like she had been holding it during the entire conversation with the matriarch of the Peck family. Everything in Holly hoped that Elaine wouldn't enlighten Gail of her time in Toronto, but she knew better than to make demands with the woman. All she could do was sigh and head for the front door and back to her hotel room.

This was going to be a long night.

"I think you'll find the lamb to be absolutely exquisite, Dr. Stewart," Elaine said as their waiter headed back to the kitchen with their dinner orders. Holly wasn't surprised in the least that Elaine had chosen one of the best contemporary-French restaurants in the city for this supposed 'business proposition meeting', but one look at the prices on the menu told Holly the woman was serious about whatever the topic of conversation was tonight.

Holly had been nervous, which was rare for the usually-cool and collected doctor. Ever since the car picked her up from the hotel, her mind had been running through scenarios of how the evening would play out. She had to remind herself that over thinking anything in the presence of Elaine Peck was, indeed, a big no-no, and thus, she focused on composing herself. She was just the Superintendent, right?

"So, Dr. Stewart, I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about?" she asked, leaving the question very open-ended.

"I'm quite curious, yes," Holly answered, trying not to sound overly-curious, but enough to let the woman know that she was invested in whatever this dinner was about. She sounded confident, and she knew that was key when dealing with Elaine.

"I won't beat around the bush, but let me start by giving you a little background information," she said, folding the napkin on her lap, creasing and smoothing out the edges before continuing. "When you left for San Francisco, we knew as a department it would be hard to find a replacement with as much skill and precision as you had shown in your work. It seemed like a fairly daunting task until our own CME recommended someone who appeared to be a good fit. Which, he was and the department always had nothing but good things to say about him." Elaine paused to look at Holly, who was staring back intently, nodding her head.

"But?" Holly asked, breaking the silence and narrowing her eyes just a touch.

"I have reason to believe the reports are not completely accurate, and the work may not have been clean, if you understand what I'm saying." Elaine's face tightened, and Holly could see the anger and disappointment in her eyes. Elaine lived for her work and for the department, and knew the mere inkling of a controversy within the department could set the Superintendent on a tirade.

Holly nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation Elaine was laying out in front of her. "And you want me to-"

"I'm asking you to look over a set of reports from three different murders that have taken place in the last month. All from the same group of dealers and kingpin, all of which strike me as suspect," she said, cutting Holly off. The brunette studied the woman across from her, and there wasn't a crack in the calculated facade.

"Superintendent, I would be honored and more than happy to look over the reports, but I don't know if I have the time to truly dedicate to them before I head back to San Francisco." Holly made sure not to sound threatened or worried, but rather confident in the task at hand and how much time it would take to dissect three different murder cases.

"I've already spoken with Chief Simmons about extending your time here in Toronto. When I explained the circumstances, he was more than happy to oblige." Now Holly was a little stunned. The woman had gone so far as to talk with her boss, before she had even asked Holly to look over the reports? The brunette wasn't sure what to make of this particular situation, but she knew there was no other choice than to say yes.

"In that case, I'm all ears," she said, showing her lopsided grin that immediately put a smile on Elaine's face.

"Fantastic. The department will pay for your hotel while you're here and any other expenses you find yourself needing." The women were interrupted by the waiter bringing out their first course, and Holly had never been so thankful for the repreve of food in her entire life. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts and what this whole situation meant.

Over the course of dinner, Elaine informed Holly what had transpired over the last month and how each case had closed with a determination of inter-gang violence, meaning these murders were being performed as inside jobs. As Holly listened to what the Superintendent was telling her, red flags shot up in her mind, and she was actually anxious to get her hands on the reports and try to piece them together.

As they were headed for the doorway, Holly finally decided that she needed Elaine to know she didn't want to see Gail. She knew making demands normally wasn't in her best interest, but after careful consideration, she knew this instance was different.

"Elaine, before I go, I need to ask something of you," she said. The woman stopped and looked at her, waiting to hear what Holly had to say. "I don't want Gail knowing I'm here. I mean, I realize she might have been involved in these cases, but seeing her...I just don't want to be distracted or jeopardize these cases. This is as important to me as it is to you, and I want my full attention on finding what's missing." Holly stood firm, waiting for Elaine to say something. The woman seemed to consider the favor Holly had asked of her, and after a moment of consideration, she extended her hand out to the brunette.

"I agree, Dr. Stewart. This is the best course of action. This whole proposition is very hush-hush, so you shouldn't be bothered by anyone and if there's any questions that arise, you can direct them to me." Holly shook the woman's hand and they parted ways, the brunette with the case files in hand, ready to dissect.

When Holly returned back to her hotel, she knew instantly that she needed a bottle of wine. She only had sparkling water at dinner, afraid to drink around the judgemental Elaine Peck. The brunette stopped at the bar that was attached to the lobby, and pleaded with the bartender to sell her an entire bottle of wine. $100 and many "please" and "thank you's" later, Holly was back in her room with an open bottle of barolo wine. The case files were scattered about the bed as the doctor tried to piece them together when there was a hard knock on the door.

She looked at the clock on the nightstand, which read 11:23pm, and wondered who on earth would be at her hotel this late. The brunette quickly shuffled the papers back into their respective folders before looking through the glass hole in the door, shocked to see who was waiting outside.

Steve Peck.

He looked annoyed, standing there with his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from foot to foot. The red-head looked around the hallway and knocked again, and this time, Holly knew she had to answer.

"Detective Peck," she said, opening the door and brushing a piece of loose hair from her face. "Is there something I can help you with? Did your mother send you here?" He opened his mouth to speak, but a figure came unannounced from his right and interrupted him.

"Hey, Lunchbox," the blonde said, grinning from ear-to-ear.