A/N: Hey guys! So Sorry to have been gone so long. I am absolutely thrilled with how much support this story has received, and I hope that you guys are still wanting more, because here it is. It's a bit of a shorter chapter to get us back into the swing of things, but I promise the next one will be longer. There are also a few issues with continuity, as I set up the story a certain way before season 5 began, and am now trying to change some things to match the real storyline a bit better. There are a few minor spoilers- you have been warned! I hope you enjoy, and please leave any comments/suggestions if you wish!

The next night found Gail at the Penny, tossing a few back. Okay, a few was a bit of an understatement, but Gail could handle her liquor just fine after many years of practice. Oliver had been released with only a few scrapes and stitches, but Sam and Chloe remained at the hospital. The news had come today that they were now both stable, after they had both been in critical condition at the hands of Ford. This lifted some of the now constant pressure Gail felt in her chest, but she still felt the need to ask her friend Jack Daniels for a little bit of help lifting off the rest. She realized that it was starting to kick in when she laughed far too loudly at some dumb story Oliver was telling about Celery that she normally would have rolled her eyes at.

As she was doubled over in a fit of giggles, her eyes connected with Dov's, who had seated himself on the ground and was slumped back against the wall, an empty drink in his hand. He had a look in his eyes that Gail had never seen before: defeat. She had seen Dov sad. She had seen him angry. Defiant. Lost. Panicked. Never before had she seen him look so utterly defeated. For a split second she considered walking over there and sitting with him. As much as she loved Dov, though, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Too often these days, she had looked into the mirror at her alcohol-induced haircut and seen that same look in her own eyes. She was finally feeling somewhat okay, and she allowed herself to be a little bit selfish. She stood back up and pretend that she hadn't seen him, but it was too late. That look had sobered her right up.

She glanced desperately around the bar, looking for something, ANYTHING, to distract her from the image of Dov's pleading eyes when her eyes landed on a different pair. These ones were big and brown, and getting closer by the second.

"HOLLYYYY!" Gail shrieked, and she hated herself for it. She threw her arms around the brunette's neck and pulled her close. When she felt Holly's arms squeeze her tightly, she relaxed into her and felt the rest of the weight in her chest dissipate.

When Gail released Holly and turned back around, all eyes were on her, half of them accompanied by gaping mouths. People had given her odd looks at the hospital when she held Holly's hand and rested her head on her shoulder, but it was nothing like this. Downright shock was etched into everybody's faces. Never before had they seen Gail so affectionate and welcoming to another human being. At the hospital, it made sense. Everybody at the hospital had a shoulder to cry on. Everyone had been vulnerable, Gail included. But here, in the real world and not that nightmarish hell of a hospital waiting room, it was alarming.

Not only was Gail allowing another human being to be within two feet of her, but she made no moves to shrug her off when Holly draped an arm across her shoulders. Traci looked at her confusedly, but Gail refused to meet her gaze, as well as Oliver's, knowing that if she saw them watching her, she'd get paranoid and blow Holly off.

It had surprised Gail how much she wanted this thing with Holly to work out. She wasn't really sure what they were yet, and she didn't need to define it. She just needed to not mess it up. Never before had she cared about making a relationship work with another person. Not even Nick. She was trying to figure out why this was when she felt Holly's arm drop from her shoulders and fall to rest on the small of her back.

At this movement, a shiver went up Gail's spine, and it didn't go unnoticed by Holly. Gail didn't need to look at the gorgeous brunette to know that she was sporting a self-satisfied smile on those perfect lips of hers. At the thought of Holly's lips, Gail was catapulted back to three days ago, when she was straddling Holly on her couch and they nearly had sex until Gail chickened out, not knowing exactly how two women would go about doing so.

She leaned over to whisper seductively in Holly's ear. "Meet me outside in five minutes." She sauntered away, knowing that Holly would be watching her ass until she disappeared out the door. Before she exited, she tossed one last look over her shoulder and winked.

Holly's mouth went dry. She hadn't been able to focus on much of anything since that day in her apartment when Gail nearly gave herself over to her. She kept glancing at her watch every twenty seconds, and after two and a half minutes, she couldn't wait any longer.

"I..uh.. gotta go. I have this thing that I forgot to do," she stammered out, jutting her thumb in the direction of the door. She knew she was being obvious, but she didn't care. She took in their raised eyebrows and amused smirks and decided to leave before she made it worse. "Detective Nash, Officer Shaw." She bowed her head slightly as she said her goodbyes and practically ran out the door.

As soon as she got outside, she searched frantically for Gail, but she was nowhere to be found. "Gail? Where are you?" No response.

"Gail?" She squinted her eyes and scanned the parking lot, but to no avail.

Suddenly, she was whirled around and pushed back against the brick wall of the bar. Her head hit a little bit too hard, but she didn't have time to complain or register the pain before Gail's lips were on hers, urgently trying achieve a rhythm. The surprise of it all caused a small moan to escape Holly's throat, and as soon as she did this, Gail pressed her body flush against Holly's and began to run her hands up and down Holly's sides.

Things were heating up quickly, and Holly didn't know what to do. She wanted this. Of course she wanted this, but the taste of whiskey on Gail's breath was a little too strong and her movements a little too forceful in her drunken state that Holly felt she would be taking advantage. She didn't want to allow Gail time to do anything that would make Holly lose control completely, so she placed her hands firmly on her shoulders and pushed her back.

"What? What's wrong?" Gail asked, stunned that Holly had pushed her away.

"Nothing's wrong, per se, I just think that maybe you've had a little too much to drink." Holly said, trying to make Gail understand that she wanted it, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to do it.

Gail looked at her, confused and more than a little hurt. In her drunken state, she couldn't understand what Holly meant. She was fighting back tears and she hated herself for getting to this point, sober enough to know that she wouldn't be acting this way if she hadn't had so much to drink.

"You.. you don't want this? You don't want me?" Gail asked, her voice small. She looked away in an attempt to hide how hurt she was.

"No, Gail, you're not listening to me. I do. I want this. I want you. I want us. What I don't want is for you to wake up sober tomorrow morning and regret anything that might happen," Holly explained, pleading with Gail to understand. She knew it was a lost cause.

"Okay Holly. It would have been nice to know earlier that you were going to back out of this. What, Holly? Am I too fucked up for you? Too snarky? You know, I thought you were the one person that understood me. Looks like I was wrong." She turned on her heel and disappeared into the night.

Holly wanted to follow her. She really did, but her feet wouldn't move. She willed them to go, to run after Gail, but she was unsuccessful. She just stood there in the darkness, wishing that she had been able to do or say something- anything. When her brain finally began to work again, she trudged up to the bus stop, sat down on the bench, and buried her face in her hands.