AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! I am so overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter! You all are amazing, and I hope chapter 2 lives up to expectations. Thank you! Also thank you to my lovely gf for suggestions for this chapter. Consider this your writer's credit, love!
This chapter took a bit longer than I'd anticipated to complete. I've been preoccupied the last few days, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Hopefully chapter 3 won't take a long! :)
Please be advised that this could now be considered AU since 5x08 has now aired, and this is pretty much a deviation from canon story line.
Lastly, my muse has decided to take the route of Gail's inner dialogue. For some reason, I find it easier and more efficient to write with a focus on Gail's POV. I guess I have an inner Gail eager to get out. (If you know me personally, you know how funny this statement is.)
Okay, enough from me; here's chapter two. Enjoy!
Gail knew Izzy was up to something. She was a cop. Being observant is a part of her job. Izzy had been uncharacteristically quiet since returning from the bathroom an hour ago. She wasn't even fidgeting.
Gail eyed the teenager wearily, noting how she stared off towards the hallway. She just chalked it up to teenage daydreaming and returned to attention to her work. Little did she know what was unfolding in booking.
By lunchtime, the plan was in motion. Chloe had even guilted Dov into participating, who in turn recruited Andy. Thankfully, the day stayed slow, probably due to the storm system keeping people indoors, so there were still no prisoners in holding.
It had been surprisingly easy to get Dr. Stewart to come down to 15. Chloe wondered if she was looking for an excuse to run into Gail. If so, they were about to make it very easy for her. The good doc walked in, escorted by Andy.
"Thanks for coming, Dr. Stewart," Chloe greeted her.
"No problem, what's going on?" Holly asked, wondering why she'd been led into the building by way of booking instead of through the front entrance like usual. She briefly wondered if Gail's friends and colleagues were protecting the blonde.
"Uh, just something Traci, I mean Detective Nash, wanted you to check out," Chloe said. "In the cell over there." As Andy ushered Holly towards a cell, Chloe gave the predetermined signal to Dov, who in turn rushed down the hall to give the same go ahead to Izzy.
Izzy nodded and turned to Officer Peck. "I'm hungry. Can we get something out of the vending machines?"
Gail spared her a glance. "You can't be trusted to get something yourself?"
Izzy shrugged. "I figured you needed a break as well. Maybe some more… cheese puffs?"
Gail paused, fingers hovering over the keys on her keyboard. She hadn't even realized she was hungry and the mention of more cheesy goodness made her stomach growl. It was an eat-her-feelings kind of day anyway. "Okay, fine. But you're buying."
"Deal," Izzy said, already out of her chair and taking off towards the hall. Gail trailed behind, wondering why the girl was in such a hurry. She turned the corner and nearly ran right into a panicked-looking Dov.
"Gail, quick, we have a situation in booking!" he grabbed her arm before she could even ask what was up and pulled her down the hall.
"Dov, what the hell?" Gail said as he ushered her into the room, a bit more forcefully than she was used to from him. She nearly stumbled over her own two feet. It wasn't until she caught herself on the edge of the high countertop that she noticed Andy with her hand gripping Holly's arm as they stood just inside the first cell.
Holly had looked over in surprise as she'd heard Gail's familiar voice cursing Dov. What the heck was going on? They stared at one another, confused.
Gail was the first to break the silence and Holly's gaze. "Where's Izzy?" she asked, turning to leave the room. Dov blocked the door. Before she could threaten him with bodily harm, Izzy spoke.
"Over here," she called out from across the room. Gail knit her brow in confusion. When had she even entered the room? And why was she sitting in a holding cell?
"Vending machines are in the lounge room," Gail pointed out.
Izzy shrugged. "I got… lost?"
Gail pursed her lips. "Let's go, delinquent Shaw," she barked. "Now."
Izzy groaned but stood. Inwardly, she was applauding everyone's performance so far. But now was her time to shine. She'd purposely untied one boot so she could 'trip' on the laces before she exited the cell. She timed it perfectly, stumbling to the ground with a fake, but very convincing, yelp as she caught herself with her hand on the cold cement ground. Then she hissed and held her wrist to her chest.
The doctor in Holly caused her to rush to the girl's side, kneeling on the floor to see that she was okay. The babysitter slash oh-shit-did-I-just-break-Oliver's-daughter side of Gail had her doing the same thing, crouching down on the other side of Izzy. Neither noticed that none of the others came to the girl's aid. Or even seemed worried.
Izzy managed to stand with their help, then gave a sly grin before bolting. "Go!" she yelled as soon as she'd cleared the cell, and Andy sprang into action. The sliding door slammed shut with a resounding, metallic thud. The click of the locking mechanism rang loudly in the still air.
It all happened before either Gail or Holly could process what was happening. Holly just gaped at the others, confusion marring her expression. Gail went into, well, Gail mode.
"What the hell is going on?" Gail demanded to know, moving to tug at the cell door. It didn't budge. "Open the door, McNally."
Andy just backed away. "This is all Izzy and Chloe's doing. Dov and I were goaded into it. Take it up with them." She smiled and pulled Dov out the door.
Gail turned stony eyes upon Chloe and pointed a threatening finger at her. "Open. The door. Price."
Chloe glanced over at Izzy who leaned against the counter. "Should we open the door?"
Izzy regarded them carefully, noting Gail's fuming expression and Holly's utter confusion. "Nah," Izzy said. "We should get something to eat. I'm starving."
Chloe nodded and they turned to leave the room. (Chloe made sure to grab one of the radios to hear if any prisoners were being brought in. She hoped none would be; they'd definitely have to release Gail and Holly and Chloe sure as hell didn't want to do that before they managed to work out whatever they needed to work out.)
"Price!" Gail called out after them, shaking on the gate. "Come on, joke's over, guys. Open the damn door!"
Chloe just gave a little wave over her shoulder. Izzy slung her arm around Chloe, not even looking back. The door to the room shut, drowning out all outside noise. The steady buzz of the overhead fluorescent lighting was deafening. Gail groaned, pressing her forehead to the cold metal bars. She was already plotting her revenge, silently weighing the pros and cons of murdering her so-called friends and boss' daughter in their sleep.
"So, this is awkward."
Gail's shoulders slumped at Holly's words. She slowly turned to see her ex—god, it hurt to think of her as an ex—sitting on the cement bench, leaning back against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. Gail tried not to notice how gorgeous she looked in her bright red blouse and the sexiest coat, complete with supple leather sleeves, that Gail had ever seen. When had she gotten that, anyway? Gail was sure she'd never seen it. She definitely would have remembered peeling it from Holly's frame.
Gail didn't reply. Instead, she shuffled over to the other side of the L-shaped bench, muttering to herself about getting even with Chloe, Dov, and Andy. She sat and stared straight ahead, arms crossed and lips pursed, wondering just how long they planned on keeping them locked in here. She found herself wishing for some loser to get arrested so they'd be forced to let them out. The tension was making her head throb.
Speaking of which, why had they locked them in the cell together? Gail was certain it had been Izzy's idea. But she wasn't entirely sure why.
She risked a glance at Holly, to find the other woman staring at her while chewing on her thumbnail. Gail had learned early on that Holly did this when she was anxious or nervous. Gail swallowed the knot in her throat as she looked away, Holly's words from the previous day echoing nonstop in her mind.
I'm seeing someone.
They had been a major blow to Gail's self-esteem. Both Chris and Nick had seemed to get over her so quickly. That had stung both times, but she'd been able to brush it off. They had only stung her pride for a while. But neither event even began to compare to the sick feeling she'd felt when Holly had admitted to having moved on.
Gail knew she'd fucked up royally. She'd been worked up by Dov's comments earlier in the day. She wondered if she'd been subconsciously looking for an opportunity to run. She was a Peck, after all. Things had been getting real, more real and intense than she'd ever experienced before. Had she been looking for an out? Was that why she'd refused to answer Holly's calls?
Whatever the reason, seeing Holly at the morgue the previous day had made something inside her snap, and all she could think about was how dumb she'd been. She missed Holly. And not just the sex, thought she missed that, too. A lot. Because sex with Holly had been mind-blowing. But mostly, she missed just being in the her presence. Missed talking to her and sleeping beside her. Waking up to her. Kissing her.
God, she missed kissing her.
She never thought Holly would have been able to get over her so quickly.
As she lay in bed the previous night, sleep eluding her as the alcohol coursed through her veins. She'd heard Ross Perrick's voice echo over and over in her mind and she was back in that interrogation room.
Poor Gail. It must be hard being second choice.
Gail knew she'd messed up. She'd owned up to it for once in her life. She'd swallowed her pride and told Holly how she'd felt. But it had been too late.
Or maybe she'd never even stood a chance, her bourbon-influenced brain had thought. Maybe 'fun' was all she really had been.
And she couldn't even be mad at Holly for moving on. That's how she knew she was finally starting to grow up—rather than being angry with Holly, she was angry with herself. It was her own fault. Of course Holly had a line of women lining up for her. She was the most amazing woman—person—Gail had ever known. So why the hell did she self-sabotage their relationship?
The door to the room suddenly opened and Chloe walked in. Gail bolted out of her seat. "You better be here to let us out, Price," she growled. She felt like such a fool after the events of the previous day. That had hurt her self-esteem, and now her pride was being chipped away with each passing second.
Chloe didn't acknowledge Gail's demand. Instead, she just held up a bag of cheese puffs and a granola bar in one hand and a single bottle of water in the other. "Refreshments," she said, voice sickeningly sweet.
Gail didn't take the proffered snacks, though her stomach growled in hunger. She just stared daggers at Chloe.
Suddenly, she felt movement beside her and arms reached out between the bars. "Thank you, Chloe," Holly said as she took the food and water.
Chloe smiled and left, leaving them alone once more. Holly handed Gail the cheese puffs before returning to her previous position. Gail studied her, wondering how she was so calm about this. It had been made painfully obvious to Gail the day before that she didn't want to be in Gail's company. So why wasn't she fighting to get out?
Reluctantly, Gail followed Holly's lead and returned to her piece of bench, grumbling at how uncomfortable the cement structure was. She popped a puff into her mouth and chewed slowly, not really tasting. She absentmindedly licked the cheese powder off her fingertips. She didn't notice Holly pausing mid-chew to stare at the sight. Holly shifted slightly as she recalled the things that tongue could do to her. For someone who was inexperienced in the world of lesbianism, Gail had been a very quick study.
Holly swallowed the mouthful of granola bar and cleared her throat. She unscrewed the top of the water and took a few sips, then set the bottle beside Gail. Chloe had only brought them one. Gail ignored it.
Holly sighed. "Are you just going to keep ignoring me again?"
Gail snapped her head in Holly's direction. "I'm not ignoring you, I just don't have anything to say. I said it all yesterday." She shrugged. "You walked away." Then she looked down at her lap where her bag of cheese puffs sat. "Not that I blame you," she muttered under her breath, but Holly heard her.
"Well, I don't think they're going to let us out until we talk, so we should talk," Holly suggested, always the voice of reason.
Gail inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves. "God, I feel like a caged animal, in here," she said. Then she couldn't help it. She started softly singing. "The animal, the animal, trapped, trapped, trapped 'til the cage is full. The cage is full…" she trailed off when she noted Holly giving her the most adorable, confused look. Gail pinned her with a steady 'oh come on' look. "Orange is the New Black?" She laughed, using humor as a coping mechanism. "I'm totally Piper. Blonde, straight until she met Alex. That makes you Alex. Brunette with sexy librarian glasses. Seasoned veteran in the ways of Sapphic love."
Holly continued to stare. Gail gaped at her. "Oh, my God, you've never seen Orange is the New Black?"
Holly shrugged. "You know I don't really watch much TV." The barest hint of a smile curved her lips.
"It's a Netflix series. And isn't it like, a lesbian requirement, or something?" Holly just kept staring. Gail sighed and placed the now empty cheese puff bag and the still almost full bottle of water on the ground, then swung her feet onto the bench and laid back, facing Holly. One arm hung down limply. "God, you're a terrible lesbian."
Holly couldn't stop the smirk from fully forming on her lips. "You didn't say that the night we had that disaster movie marathon. Or, we started to before we got distracted."
Holly fully enjoyed the way Gail's cheeks and chest became flushed as she remembered exactly what Holly was referring to. "Oh," was all Gail could manage to say in response as memories of that very night flooded her mind. She broke Holly's gaze and cleared her throat. "Point taken," she said.
Holly's smile faded a bit. She gently nudged Gail's arm with her boot-clad foot. "Hey." She waited for Gail to look at her. "I miss you," Holly said softly.
Gail licked her suddenly dry lips. "I miss you, too."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I can't decide if I like how introspective of Gail it is or that hurts the story. But I wanted to get something posted today, so there you go. Let me know if you like all that inner dialogue or not and I'll take your thoughts into consideration as I write the rest of this. I want to give y'all what you want. :)