AN: Again, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and following! The cockles of my cold heart are all aflutter, haha. But no, seriously, your reviews were all awesome. Like every single one gives me a lot of encouragement, so cheers to you guys. Hope you enjoy this next one, not 100% satisfied but I'm steadily finding my groove :)
(As a side note, in Ep9 when Gail jumps on Chris, can anyone let me know what she calls him? My listening skills are shoddy at best, haha).
The characters aren't mine, I don't own anything. Just a poor student with crushing debt. All errors, however, are mine. Do feel free to point them out to me xox
Chapter 3.
"Blah, blah, blah, Giiiiiiiiiingeeeeeer…" The chatter in the room slowly died down as a few sheepish faces refocused their attention on Oliver. No one was all that invested in their work today, it was Frank and Noelle's wedding tonight and most of the division were expected to be there.
"Okay, so I kinda feel like the guy from that comic strip. I'm just standing up here yapping but all you're hearing is ginger. Yes, the wedding is at 6. Lay low, take it easy, get home by 4 and get your hair done. Thank you for your attention." The last part came across heavily sarcastic. All that was missing was an eye roll and one could be mistaken for thinking it was Gail at the front instead of Ollie. The man looked about enthused by the prospect of the wedding as the blonde was.
Gail would've taken desk duty and stakeouts with Andy for a month if it meant she could avoid going to this damn wedding. As if the necessity to interact with people she didn't like wasn't bad enough, it also served as a painful reminder to her mother that she was still crushingly single and thus prompted a series of awful blind dates that she was required to attend. Luckily, on this particular occasion her mother was out of town for a conference and her father wouldn't be going either so hopefully she could evade capture for an extra week. However, Andy and Nick were going to be there and Gail wasn't sure she could stop herself from stabbing someone with a broken champagne flute if she had to witness them being couple-y.
"Assignments are on the board, Peck. Hop to it." Ollie rapped the desk in front of Gail. She rolled her eyes and dragged herself out of parade. Chloe was hovering by the door with equal parts anxiousness and enthusiasm on her face, and since no one else was around, Gail assumed they were partnered together for the day.
"No awful muffins this morning?" She deadpanned, by way of greeting.
The smaller woman flushed a bright pink, "No, I'm sorry Gail. The uhh, lights were out at my place this morning, couldn't really bake anything."
Gail narrowed her eyes, Chloe was acting stranger than usual. "Huh. The importance of working lightbulbs … during the daytime. Must have been difficult for you to deal with."
To fill the awkward lull in their conversation, Chloe turned to wedding talk instead. Her enthusiasm for large social events was unparalleled, even compared to Andy. "So do you know uh, what you're gonna wear tonight? Cause I was thinking –"
"I hate big weddings. It's supposed to be a celebration between two people but really, everyone's so concerned about what they're wearing and who they're going with… I think it's the fakest thing in the world." Gail was so disinterested, they could've been talking about the weather for all she cared. Once upon a time, Gail had considered getting married but if she were perfectly honest, it wasn't out of love or affection for Nick. It was more a duty, something that was expected from her and quite frankly, as her mother phrased it, "you aren't going to do much better, dear." Suffice to say, she was disillusioned by the concept of weddings, they were considered more like business associations for the purposes of status and power. Hardly surprising, her mother was oddly reminiscent of Henry VIII.
"I'll take that as a no. Uhh, so, are you going with anybody?" The brunette didn't seem to grasp how Gail couldn't care less about the current topic of conversation.
"Oh, you mean am I going with Nick? No, we broke up. Don't act like you didn't know that." Gail rolled her eyes, if this was a prelude to the rest of her shift then it was going to be utterly hellish.
"I wasn't, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Her smile was so earnest it made bile rise at the back of Gail's throat.
"Oh you must be like totally broken up about it Chloe. I mean gee, golly gosh, what a shame right?" Gail's voice was falsely sweet but her icy gaze was telling the younger woman to stop talking, preferably immediately.
As soon as Chloe's mouth opened again for the umpteenth time, Gail knew an intervention was in order. "Okay, you know what? I'm gonna take that back, cause I think there is something faker than a big wedding. It's you."
The small brunette stopped in her tracks, unsure how to respond. But just to drill the point home a little further, "Chloe Price, it's you."
"I got it Gail." Chloe sighed, used to the insults she knew, or hoped, weren't meant with malice.
"You're faker than the big wedding, Chloe."
They drove out of the parking lot and Gail knew that Chloe's quietness would be short-lived. She wasn't a friendly person and she was aware of how much harsher she was to the brunette than to most others in the division but honestly, Gail didn't care. All she really wanted was to do her job in relative peace and there was something about Chloe's personality that irritated the shit out of her. Hopefully their earlier conversation was enough to put her off, but knowing Chloe, it wouldn't be. Especially seeing as she was one of Noelle's bridesmaids, she was invested in the upcoming nuptials. The blonde had been asked if she wanted to be involved, but the thought of having to spend more time with Andy and Chloe than was necessary quickly turned her against the idea. Noelle had given her a sympathetic smile, the older woman was well-used to her unique personality and wasn't expecting any input from the blonde.
It was two hours into their shift and things were looking up. Chloe had said scarcely more than a few sentences the entire ride, a first for the woman. Gail side-eyed her and furrowed her brows, observing the other woman. The brunette was hiding something. Very few people had intuition like Gail, it wasn't something that could be taught. It was one of the few things about her that her mother praised and the single thing that she would always have over Steve.
And never one to shy away from potential conflict, "You're hiding something, Price."
"No idea what you're talking about Gail, why would I have to hide anything?" Chloe faltered for no more than a second but covered it up with her trademark bubbliness. Too easy. Gail smirked, making a mental note to invite her to their next poker night.
"You're sleeping with Dov." It was a statement, not a question. The blonde carefully monitored Chloe's face for any changes and was almost impressed when the brunette remained impassive.
"I think you should tell Frank tonight. It is a night of celebrations after all." Gail continued in an off-handed manner, waiting for her to fill in the blanks.
It didn't take long. "Okay! You're right, Gail. Please don't tell Frank, I've been trying to get Dov to say something but he won't. It's driving me insane." Chloe rambled, but unlike when a certain pathologist rambled, Gail didn't find it cute or endearing.
"15-03, get back to the station, we've got an armed robbery and a busload of elderly people to interview." The timing could not have been better. Had the conversation continued, Chloe might begin to think that Gail actually cared.
"This is 15-03, copy that. We're on our way."
"How's my favourite rookie? Coffee?" Ollie handed over an extra mug of coffee. Gail allowed a small smile to grace her lips when she noted 'dad' scrawled on the side. After her first mug had smashed, Ollie had spent weeks tracking down a new one while her own father had been disappointed but didn't think it was a big deal. The new mug was now her favourite possession at work. It wasn't that Gail didn't like her father, he was nice enough, if a bit aloof. She just wished he acted more like a father and cared more, but she had Oliver Shaw and he was doing a pretty good job.
"Thanks Ollie. What's the deal?" She sipped the caffeine, savouring the overly sweetened drink.
The older man sighed, stress lines evident on his face. "We've got about 30 witnesses to interview before the wedding, so we need all the bodies we can get."
"I'm not going Ollie." Gail frowned, she was fairly adamant about not going to the wedding.
"Peck, if I have to go, then you are too. You and I are a team." Oh. Gail finally made the connection, Ollie's ex was going to be at the wedding with her new beau. It was an eerily similar situation that parodied her own. How could she say no? He needed moral support, just like she did. Maybe they could get drunk together.
"Fine." The blonde caved, he knew she would. But that didn't mean she couldn't act like a sulky petulant child about it.
"Here, two earl greys with milk." Gail handed over two cups of tea to the elderly couple she was about to interview.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm suddenly so shaky." The woman was apologetic, struggling to hold the beverage with shaking hands.
"You're in shock. You were robbed at gunpoint, you watched two of your friends get beaten up, and now you're in a police station." Gail frowned, it seemed obvious. "Plus you're old." The blonde added as an afterthought.
"Well, when you put it like that…" The older woman was slightly taken aback, not used to Gail's personality. Although, to be fair, not many people were.
"Right…" It came out more as a sigh, she hated interviewing old people. At least this couple seemed more fun than the others. "Walter, Constance. I take it you two are married."
"Hell no. We're uhh, what do you call it..? Dinner friends…" Walter was quick to set the record straight, as if the idea of being married to Constance was crazy.
Apparently, Constance agreed with the sentiments. "Frenemies, you idiot. We've hated each other 40 years now." She corrected him with an eye roll. Gail re-evaluated her initial assumptions about this duo, unlike most crotchety elderly couples, these two were a lot more … Gail-like, for lack of a better word. She took down their statement, a slight quirking at the edges of her lips. One day, maybe she and Holly could have this type of banter. And no, she firmly told herself, it was not too early to start thinking about their future, they could be dinner frenemies, if nothing else.
"Okay, thank you for your statements. I'm going to show you guys to the lounge and I'll get back to you if we need anything else." She finished scribbling down some notes and stood up to show them out.
"Not a problem, officer." Constance tugged on Walter's sleeve, "Let's go, Bucko."
They were all called into the large meeting room to see how the case was progressing. So far, they had established that an armed man had posed as a driver and robbed the occupants before beating two men up and escaping. It was a relatively clean act, forensics hadn't turned anything up yet either. Nothing had gone amiss; it was far too clean for Gail's liking.
"It is the perfect crime, you'd need intel to know when and where it was happening. It was an inside job." Nick had pieced their brainstorming together.
That made sense, Gail had come to the same conclusion herself. But naturally, she was going to sneer at and roll her eyes anything that came out of Nick's mouth. She watched as Andy emphatically nodded her head at Nick's stunning police work. 'Like wow, Nick! You're totally, like smart. Fuck you, Andy.'
"Alright people, I want an inventory of what was stolen. Then we'll go back and see if we can find any inconsistencies." Oliver called the meeting to a close. It was drawing closer and closer to the wedding and they needed to make headway on this case, fast.
Gail found her favourite elderly duo playing chess in the lounge, the blonde watched them for a moment as Constance decimated Walter in about ten moves. The older man threw his glasses onto the table and chuckled, "She beats me every time. You'd think after playing her for a good 30 years, I'd get a little further than this."
"You'd think after 30 years she'd get bored of winning and let you win once in a while." Gail grinned. She beckoned them to follow her and brought them back for more questioning. "So Constance, could you tell me what belongings were stolen?"
"My watch, my phone, my diamond ear studs… He even took my wedding rings." Constance counted each item off, looking increasingly forlorn at mention of her missing belongings.
Luckily, Walter decided to pipe in, "Three rings. Three marriages. She wore a white dress every time like she was fooling anyone."
That seemed to lighten the mood considerably. "At least I've been married, unlike bachelor of the year over here. You're a lucky girl, you still have that special day ahead of you. Big party, friends, family…" Constance winked conspiratorially, forgetting that she was talking to Gail Peck of all people.
"Annulment, divorce, being dumped at the altar and public embarrassment." In true Gail-fashion, she tilted her head towards Nick, her words laced heavily passive aggressive undertones. "Yeah, it sounds pretty heavenly."
"Now you? I like." Walter leant back in his chair and grinned approvingly as he appraised her. Gail held his gaze for a moment and smiled, she was fond of the cynical man. They were made from the same mould.
True to their suspicions, one of the witness' had organised the whole robbery to pay for his wife's care. And who had been tasked with finding Jameson Ward? Andy and Nick were most likely going to miss the wedding ceremony. Andy was gutted, her face dropped when she realised that she had to continue working while everyone else went home and glammed up for tonight's gathering. Most people would feel sympathetic to Andy's plight, however, Gail was not most people.
"Okay folks, you are free to go. Transportation has been arranged and there are cars waiting for you outside." Gail announced to the roomful of witnesses, who were relieved they could finally leave.
"That's great. So, I uh, guess you know who did it huh?" Walter asked.
"Of course they know who did it, you idiot. That's why we're going home." Constance's whole tone screamed duh.
"I'm just asking." Walter grumbled, rolling his eyes. He gathered his jacket and gave Gail a friendly smile and nod as he walked out of the lounge. Constance held back for a second and gave Gail a knowing smirk.
"What." A speech was coming, Gail could feel it. She crossed her arms and tried to look unimpressed.
Constance raised a brow, as if she saw right through Gail's exterior. "You are too young to be this cynical. Find a friend, have a little fun once in a while."
"Oh, you mean like Walter? You two hate each other." Gail scoffed.
"I don't hate him, he's my plus one. Trust me sweetheart, life's way too long to go through it alone." The older woman smiled knowingly, a lifetime of experience with Walter had taught her how to deal with stubborn, sarcastic people.
Gail smiled, resembling more of a grimace than anything else but admitted that Constance may have had a point. It was more fun having someone around who would appreciate her condescending remarks at people she hated. Naturally, Holly sprung to mind immediately. But since her decision to do something about her feelings for the doctor, the only progress she'd made was to sporadically text her over the past week. A series of Hey, how's it going? followed by awkward small talk was the extent of Gail's 'flirting'. The blonde was beginning to realise how difficult it was to pick up females, she hadn't mastered the balance between friendliness and make-out-with-me-ness. Would it be too forward to ask her to go to a wedding with her? Gail toyed with her phone, running her fingers lightly over the screen as she weighed up her options. Fuck it, she was a Peck.
"Hey, it's me."
"I figured, your name came up on my display." Gail could tell Holly was laughing at her through the breathy chuckles on the other end.
Luckily, she couldn't see how Gail's cheeks had become tinged with pink. "Okay, smartass. I wanted to know if you were busy tonight."
"Depends. I have a lot of offers, my company is in pretty high demand during weekends. What'd you have in mind?"
"I need a plus one for Frank and Noelle's wedding tonight, you in? There's an open bar…"
Holly was quick to agree. "Sure! Free booze, I'm always in. Sounds better than what I had planned anyway."
"Which was?"
"Watching terrible TV and writing a paper."
Gail rolled her eyes at Holly's nerdiness. "Of course that's what you had planned… It's at that fancy hotel on Victoria. I'll meet you by the bar at 5.30?"
"Okay cop, it's a date."
Gail's insides lurched at the word 'date' but she knew Holly didn't mean it like that. But now she had finally gathered enough guts to ask Holly out, a more pressing problem presented itself. What the hell was she going to wear?
Several dresses and copious amounts of swearing later, Gail had arrived at the hotel. Whilst she was fashionably late, knowing Holly's nerd-ish tendencies, the brunette was probably early. The blonde stood outside the entrance for a moment, mentally composing herself before having to commit to a night of alcohol, obligatory socialisation and Holly Stewart. Her insides were squirming; this night would either go spectacularly well, or so horrifyingly awful that she would potentially move divisions to avoid the doctor. Gail closed her eyes and took one final breath and when she opened them, she was in full-on Peck mode.
"May I take your coat?" The brunette glanced up from her novel, her crooked grin appearing as she took in the blonde beauty that stood before her. Gail's mouth dried up and she was at a complete loss for words. So much for Peck mode. Holly was wearing a loose shirt, not unlike the one she'd been wearing when they first met, and several of the top buttons were left undone. Everything fit in all the right places and left nothing to the imagination. How she managed to look so effortlessly stunning in the hour or so since Gail had called was anyone's guess. 'Play it cool Peck, say hi. Or at least fucking say something.'
"I thought we were meeting at the bar?" This was the opposite of playing it cool.
If Holly noticed, or even cared, she didn't show it. She put the book away and gave Gail another easy grin. "Coat check girl hasn't shown up, figured I'd wait for you here, hang a few coats…"
"Well how very weird of you." Gail's nerves had lessened somewhat and her sarcastic wit was coming back.
Holly grinned smugly and took the coat, the jibes rolling off her. "I've made 20 bucks, make that $22. In the jar please."
Gail took the proffered slip of paper and tucked it into her clutch for safekeeping.
"Tip?"
"I only have a $5." The brunette merely raised her eyebrows and held out her hand.
"Wow." The blonde's brows knitted together in disbelief, she couldn't believe the nerve of the brunette. "You know what? I hate these things, everyone is milling around and they're laughing caring…"
"I know, it's awful. I usually dodge this stuff but you needed a last minute plus one and I am all about growing these days. So… Macarena?" Holly pulled her glasses off and gave a fantastic Macarena impression. She waltzed out of the closet, leaving a slightly gaping Gail behind her.
The blonde sighed, she needed alcohol immediately. "Let's just get this over with."
"Come on! Everyone, come join us." Frank and Noelle had finished their first dance, both glowing with sheer happiness. It was heart-warming and not a single person in the room felt anything other than joy towards the newlyweds.
"Wanna dance cop?" Holly grinned and held out her hand, waving it in front of Gail's face. She tried to sway her hips in a sultry manner before she couldn't hold a straight face any longer and burst into laughter. Gail couldn't help but follow suit, the woman was adorable.
"Eugh, no. Holly, I don't do dancing." The blonde berated herself as soon as the words left her mouth. This was all prime opportunity to a) get close to Holly and b) tell the aforementioned doctor that she had feelings for her. But everything her body was doing was the exact opposite of what her brain was telling it to do. Gail was seriously beginning to consider if she was in some way defective, surely these things didn't happen to normal people.
A dapper older gentleman tapped Holly on the shoulder, "Well Miss, if it's a dance you're after, then perhaps I could have this one?"
The brunette winked at Gail and gave her a cheeky smirk before turning to the gentleman, "Of course! I'd love to." Holly mused that in order to get Gail to do anything, she needed to be prompted. The blonde was slow to act but very quick to react. And as a scientist, Holly needed to test her hypothesis through trial and error. Starting with the elderly gent, the doctor hoped it wouldn't take the blonde too long to make a move.
After a few songs, his wrinkled hands were drifting subtly lower, until they rested on top of Holly's firm cheeks. The brunette was slightly concerned that her plan had gone awry and now her rear was being subjected to a thorough examination. Maybe she needed to reconsider her initial conclusions, it seemed the blonde wouldn't be making a move after all. Holly was slightly disappointed, doubts were beginning to creep in and she wondered whether her feelings for the cop were one-sided after all.
'You smooth Motherfucker.' More than a few glasses of wine had been consumed in the meantime and Gail was fuming, the green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head. She was frustrated that she couldn't articulate what she wanted and was now reduced to watching a sleazy man grope the object of her affections. Her eyes hadn't left the pair once but the touching was the last straw. It propelled her into action. She slammed the empty flute onto the table with more force than necessary and yanked the man's shoulder until he faced her. "Hey, do you mind if I cut in? She's my date."
The gent was clearly disappointed but nodded, "Of course, you ladies have a nice night."
"My rescuer at last, did they run out of wine?" Holly rolled her eyes, relieved to finally end the awkward dance with the unknown geriatric. It had taken well over five agonisingly long minutes for Gail to finally do something, Holly briefly wondered how long it would have taken her to work up the courage and do something had she not accepted the man's offer to dance. The brunette's arms settled comfortably around Gail's waist and pulled her in close, like it was the most natural thing in the world. She felt her heart thrum excitedly at the close contact and her hopes were renewed that maybe there were indeed sparks between them. However, something felt off with the smaller blonde.
"Relax Gail, you're too stiff. You really don't dance, do you?" Holly's chuckling was breathy against the blonde's ear but Gail could barely hear anything over the pounding of her blood rushing through her body. Contrary to what Holly thought, Gail could dance rather well, even as drunk as she was. She was finally where she wanted to be from the beginning but she just wasn't enjoying herself. The blonde was angry at her inability to relax and just savour this moment with Holly. She couldn't quite silence the nagging voice in the back of her mind that reminded her they were in full view of everyone in the division. Her blue eyes darted nervously about the room, wary of any hushed whispers or stares that might be directed towards them.
"Cop? Just look at me, forget about everyone else. If anything, it'll piss this McNally person off if they see you happy." Somehow, Holly knew exactly what to say and for now, the demons were at bay. She felt the tension leave Gail's body and her grip relax around her shoulders. Gail closed her eyes and exhaled shakily, gathering the courage to be brave for once. She tentatively leant her head on Holly's shoulder and nestled her face in the crook of the taller woman's neck. Neither of them dared to breathe for the moments that followed, both trying to gauge the other's reaction. After a while, the need for oxygen overtook them and they spluttered with laughter, gasping for breath.
"I like this, lunchbox. It's nice." Gail was completely at ease. Everything; Holly, dancing and the brunette's strong arms around her, felt fucking amazing.
"Me too, cop." Holly rested her cheek on top of Gail's head, she closed her eyes and smiled. Bliss.
They didn't do much in terms of actual dancing, instead swaying to the gentle beats of the music but it didn't bother either of them. Both women were content to finally enjoy a close intimacy, regardless of who was watching. This feeling; the exciting fluttering in her abdomen, the sparks at every contact point between their bodies or the irrational pounding of her heart. All of it. Gail couldn't remember the last time she felt so alive.
Meanwhile, Traci had the food table covered. She had finished her duties as maid of honour and was relieved that, despite the early speed-bumps, the wedding had gone off without a hitch. Now she could enjoy unnecessarily large amounts of wine and dessert until her stomach felt bloated and her dress strained. Every morsel had been sampled, numerous times just to make sure, and ranked in order of deliciousness. She turned around to find Gail, knowing the blonde would appreciate her efforts.
Instead, the elder Peck had found her. Traci smiled at Steve, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Detective Peck? Do you know where Gail is?"
"Yeah, she's dancing. Care to enlighten me, Detective Nash?" Steve pointed towards the dance floor with an amused smirk on his face.
Traci's eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped open, forming a gaping O. The darker haired woman could barely contain her excitement, maybe Gail didn't need her help after all. "Holly is the new pathologist in the lab. Gail likes her and I'm really hoping they hit it off."
"Okay." Steve shrugged and accepted it without question, his easy-going smile still in place. He knew his sister and what she needed, and right now that was space. She would tell him when she was ready and for now he would make sure that they had the privacy to work out their feelings.
"Look at Gail! She's totally into that woman, like who knew Gail was into girls. I once had a –"
It seemed his brotherly duties were starting with Chloe Price. "Listen to me very closely Price. You are not under any circumstances to speak of this to Gail or anyone else. Gail's life is not for discussion and if I hear anything, I will personally make sure you get desk duty for the foreseeable future." Steve's smile was both perfect and dangerous, a Peck specialty. It reminded Chloe of a shark and she nodded politely before making a beeline in the opposite direction.
"Okay, wow. Now I know where Gail gets it from." Traci held up her hands in mock surrender and grinned widely.
Steve returned the smile, "Nope, thank the Superintendent for that one. Drilled into us since birth, and I'm pretty sure that was Gail's go-to face for every school picture. I could never get mine as good as hers."
They glanced back to see if Gail and Holly were still dancing but it looked like the blonde had had enough for one night. They watched her in amusement as she pilfered a bottle of wine and some glasses while dragging the taller pathologist into the coat check closet.
"I bet you 20 bucks they start making out in there."
"Steve!" Traci punched him lightly in the chest. "Besides, that's not fair, we both know they're totally gonna hook up in there."
"This is way better than being out there dancing." They collapsed on the floor of the coat closet, their backs resting against the wall.
Holly lolled her head towards the blonde and gave her a crooked grin. "I know right? Enough growing for me for one night"
"You killed it out there, everyone loved you." Gail complained, not that she was all that upset really. She was rather pleased at how well Holly seemed to mesh with everyone.
The doctor grinned and shrugged, "Why wouldn't they?"
"Jesus! Watch the cockiness, nerd." The blonde generously filled both wine glasses and offered one to the brunette. They clinked the flutes together and Gail pulled on a fur coat that had fallen of the hanger next to her.
"Look who's cocky now? Captain Marvel." Holly drew air quotes around the name and poked Gail in the ribs. "What's the deal with that anyway? Never figured you for a, dare I say it, nerd."
"Google it. Look for the hot blonde cop turned superhero. Then we'll talk." Gail took a long gulp, draining the rest of her wine. Holly nodded, mentally filing away the knowledge for later use. They were content to simply share the wine and enjoy each other's company.
"So is it still fun getting dressed?" Gail broke the silence, still dumbfounded at how long it had taken her to get dressed compared to how easy Holly made everything look.
Holly scrunched her eyebrows together, not following the blonde's thought process. "What do you mean?"
"Well that's the most fun part of a date, getting dressed. I mean how does it work with two girls?" The blonde continued to ramble along her current line of thought, oblivious to Holly's reaction.
"I dunno, how does it work with a guy?" The brunette stifled a chuckle, sometimes straight girls were absurd and on this account, it seemed Gail was no exception.
"I guess if you're living together, he gets dressed first and then you… get… dressed." Gail finally realised the ridiculousness of the question and came to a profound conclusion, "It's stupid."
"Yeah." No arguments there.
"So is it okay to borrow each other's things?" Gail blundered forward again, still intrigued at the intricacies of lesbian relationships.
Holly cocked her brow and smirked, "I wouldn't borrow any of your things –"
"– please, you already did." Gail cut in with a triumphant grin.
"Voluntarily! You didn't let me finish. I didn't really have a choice." Holly laughed at the smaller blonde. Everything that was happening right now was perfect, the blonde sitting beside her, especially.
"Ohhhhh…" The word was drawn out and mocking, the blonde twirled her glass around as she reeled off the snark that came so naturally. "What's wrong with my things Holly? Not enough fleece for you? Not enough backpack?"
Holly didn't know if it was the alcohol, the atmosphere or some combination of the two. All she knew was that she liked Gail and if her powers of deduction were correct, then the blonde cop liked her back. Given how long it had taken her to start dancing, Holly could only imagine how long an actual kiss would take. And the doctor had no intention of waiting for that long. She leant in slowly giving Gail every opportunity to back away if she wanted but the blonde remained still. Their lips connected and it was better than anything she could have imagined. They were soft and supple and tasted like fucking heaven. Fireworks were exploding across every part of Holly's body, arousal spiking in her stomach and quickly travelling south. After the initial surprise had worn off, Holly felt Gail's mouth respond, slowly at first and then suddenly all at once, like she couldn't believe this was happening. Her hands cupped the blonde's face and she felt a small moan emanate from the back of Gail's throat, only serving to amplify the feelings tenfold. Every part of Holly's body was begging her to take more but she fought the urges down. She needed to do this slowly. Holly's tongue flicked across Gail's one last time and she regretfully drew back from the blonde. "You're insane. You know that right?"
Gail was dazed, her mouth still slightly open from their previous actions. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Dancing. I feel like dancing, like I gotta get it out of my system, you know? Thanks for the invite though, plus one forever." She held up the half-empty bottle of champagne and waved it slightly. The truth was, Holly was dizzyingly intoxicated on a simple kiss with the blonde, and she wasn't sure she could stay in the same area as Gail without every nerve ending combusting. She was exhilarated, like she could run a marathon right then and there. The energy coursing through her veins was better spent dancing than with pent up frustration in the company of a very attractive blonde.
"Let me know when you get home so I know you haven't died. I'll see you later cop." Holly leant down and tilted Gail's chin up. Instead of kissing her on the cheek like she had on all other occasions, this time she dared to kiss her lightly on the lips before taking her leave.
The blonde in question was left sitting at the back of the coat check closet, stunned after having received what was arguably the best kiss of her life. There was absolutely no way that kiss could be interpreted any other way than 'I want you'. And just like that, Gail could no longer deny that she was undoubtedly falling for one, Holly Stewart. Rules and promises to herself, be damned. There was no longer a possibility of just being friends with Holly; Gail wanted more but unfortunately, she had absolutely no fucking clue what she was going to do about it.
How long Gail had sat in the cloak room was anybody's guess. Time seemed to lose all significance, all she could think about was the sensation of Holly's lips on her own. She knew eventually that they would have to address the tension between them and Gail was running potential speeches through her inner dialogue.
'"Hey Holly, so I was going to ask you out and see if you liked me… seems preeeetty clear that you do…" No. That sounds stupid. "So I kinda like kissing you…" Fuck.' Why did she have to make everything so bloody complicated? Nothing was ever simple. Everything up until this point was about Gail trying to convey her feelings towards the doctor. But now, it was clear that the feelings were mutual and where the hell was Gail supposed to go from here? The blonde wasn't sure she could manage a date with the brunette, considering she couldn't even sort herself out for a party with other people involved. Gail groaned, she wasn't cut out for relationships.
"Hey! That's my jacket, what the hell are you doing with it?" An older woman was glaring at Gail. The blonde was embarrassed, caught unawares by the actual owner of the expensive fur coat. What also didn't help was sitting on the floor of the coat closet accompanied by empty wine glasses. It was potentially not the most flattering picture.
"Fuck." Excellent, impress the infuriated older woman with her extensive vocabulary skills. "I'm really sorry, I must've gotten it confused with mine. It's a very nice jacket. If you'll ahh, excuse me, I really need to be somewhere…" She thrust the jacket into the woman's arms and briskly walked out of the closet before the woman could say anything else. The irony of coming out of the closet after having just kissed another woman for the first time was not lost on Gail and she took to the bar as quickly as her heels would allow.
"Tequila, now." The bartender must have noticed the slightly deranged look in Gail's eyes or the flushing of her cheeks. Either way, he knew better than to try and engage her in conversation and put two shots in front of her. Gail nodded appreciatively and knocked them back before signalling for more.
"Woah there, darlin'. Don't you think you should go a little easier?" Oliver slid onto the seat next to her.
"No, Ollie. I think I'm big enough to regulate my own alcohol intake now." She knocked the next one back just as quickly and savoured the slight burn as it hit her throat.
"Fair enough, where'd your friend go?" Oliver knew better than to argue and changed the subject.
"She left, dancing I think. Where's yours?"
"Bathroom, thought we might head off after that. You want a lift home rook?"
"Yeah, thanks Ollie."
"On one condition though. You gotta have one dance with me before you go." He smiled widely at the look of horror on Gail's face.
"Ollie, no –" But he dragged her to her feet and led her toward the dance floor. He gave Celery a thumbs up and she just smiled, having heard of Gail's reputation as a 'bitch'. She knew it was all a front. While she was initially uncomfortable about being in the same vicinity as her date's ex-partner, Celery had no such qualms at watching Oliver swing the smaller blonde around. After the initial reluctance, Gail had resigned herself to at least one song and was laughing while Ollie twirled her. A final dip as the song ended and the older man smirked, "I could just let go now, Peck."
"Oliver, don't you – ahh!" Oliver let his arms slacken for second and Gail's body dropped about 20 centimetres before he pulled her back to her feet. She thumped him in the chest, while he laughed at her and then she joined in as well. His jovial mood was always infectious, never ceasing to make Gail feel better.
"Alright, time to get my favourite ladies home." He gave Celery a quick kiss on her cheek before taking her hand and leading them towards the front door. Gail collected her actual jacket this time and quickly thanked Frank and Noelle for the wonderful evening.
There was no sign of Dov as she opened the door to the darkened flat. He was probably at Chloe's place having annoyingly loud sex. Gail stood in the bathroom and methodically removed her makeup, undressed and stepped into the piping hot shower. The routine was helping her contain her spiralling thoughts. They were spewing in all directions and Gail couldn't keep a coherent train of thought. She rested her head against the wall and groaned. If this was the effect Holly had on her, she could only imagine what would happen in the long run. Just the mere thought of the doctor made her abdomen flip. And that kiss … Gail stiffened. She frowned as she hesitantly dipped a single finger in her folds. 'Ohhhhhh. That is a lot of wetness. You're fucked, Peck.'
Did this mean she was gay the entire time? It's not like she was that attracted to Chris or Nick. But the lack of attraction didn't mean anything. Maybe she was just attracted to Holly? Labels had never bothered her before but Gail couldn't help but wonder what her mother would say once she found out. The subject of LGBT anything had never come up in the Peck household so Gail had no idea what her mother's opinion would be. The esteemed matriarch would find out at some point, after the wedding it was only a matter of time before the blind dates she'd arranged started pouring in. And then Gail would have to come clean about her burgeoning relationship with Holly. It could either go really badly or really well. Either situation was, quite simply, terrifying.
She couldn't bring herself to finish what she'd started in the shower, feeling physically, but mostly emotionally, exhausted. The blonde was moderately concerned about what the rest of 15 was going to say at work, now she was the department's lesbian on top of the Nick and Andy drama. Gail crawled into bed, the alcohol taking its toll on her body's capabilities. Her phone buzzed on the bedside table.
Hey cop, hope you made it back safely. Thanks for tonight x
Despite her conflicting feelings, the blonde smiled. She was touched by how much Holly cared, more so than anyone else she'd ever dated.
Safe and sound nerd. See you soon x. Gail's thumb hovered over the last key, unaccustomed to such familiarity with anyone. She tapped it anyway and hit send. It just felt right.
