Prompt: "Can I kiss you?"

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"Can I kiss you?"

Gail looks down at the precious child and it feels like her heart literally bursts open with love. "Of course you can, sweetie."

Ava throws her arms up, itching to be picked up, and Gail obliges, hoisting her up until beautiful, tiny hands come to settle on her shoulders.

As Gail takes in Ava's rich, brown eyes, she wonders what she should do next. Should she pucker her lips, turn her cheek? What's the protocol here with children you've only just met?

As if sensing Gail's internal dilemma, Ava leans in and brushes their noses together.

"Oh," Gail breathes out, as a sense of longing spreads through her body, coming to rest deep within her heart. It's something she hasn't felt, or let herself feel, in quite sometime.

"Come on, honey. I think Gail has had enough," Holly interrupts her daughters drawn out Eskimo kisses, which had thankfully been returned in kind.

Gail pulls away, steeling herself before laughing. "Never!" She looks to Holly who is smiling that lopsided smile she remembers so fondly. "Holly, she is- she is perfect."

"Yeah, she is something else, that's for sure." Gail hands Ava off to her, but Ava holds onto Gail's hair, keeping all three of them close together- so close that Holly swears she can hear Gail's heart pounding deep from within the cops chest.

Blushing, due to their close proximity, Gail boops Ava on the nose to distract herself, and Ava giggles before burrowing her face into her mothers neck.

"I'll see you tomorrow night then?" Holly asks, in hopes of gaining Gail's attention. This will be her first date in… well, forever.

"Tomorrow night." Gail nods.

And then there's silence, followed by more silence. And a whole lot of staring, as neither attempt to move away from each other.

"Mommy, you have to kiss her goodbye," Ava whines. "Like an eskimole."

Holly's brow furrows. "Honey, I-"

"You have to, dats da rule." Ava pouts.

Gail grins at the young child's tenacity, and then pokes Holly in the ribs. "Dems da rules, mom."

"Fine then." Holly slowly closes whatever small gap remains between them until the tips of theirs nose are finally touching, both realizing in that moment how little effort it would take for them to press their mouths together.

Ava claps excitedly and the sound pulls them from their reverie.

Taking two steps back, Gail says her final goodbyes, Ava waving over the love of Gail's life' shoulder as they walk away.

Sighing happily to herself, Gail strolls back over to her partner who is leaning against the hood of their unmarked police car.

"Who was that you were sucking face with?" Frankie asks. "You looked disgustingly cozy. I wanted to vomit right here on the sidewalk."

"That, my friend, would be the most wonderful person I have ever met."

Frankie walks around to the driver's side and taps her fingers against the top of the roof, "I thought I held that title?"

Gail laughs and stares off into the distance at the one that got away but who has now finally come back into her life. Better late than never, she thinks. She slides into the passenger seat, shaking her head. "Not even close, Frank. Not even a little bit."