Gail was exhausted. It had been a hellish week. Some flu virus was making its way through the 15, taking down everyone in its wake. She'd been working double shifts to cover for the officers out sick, and by Friday night the lack of sleep and the extra work had finally caught up to her. Frank had shown his appreciation by telling her to take Monday off, so if she could make it through the next hour without killing anyone, she'd be free from this place for the next three days.

By the time her shift ended, all Gail wanted was to go home, take off her pants, and have her girlfriend cuddle up with her on the couch for the evening. She didn't even regret flipping Chloe off when the eternally perky pain in her ass asked if she and Holly would be interested in a double at the Penny that night.

To be fair, it was only a half-hearted flip-off.

She really didn't have the energy to give it her best.

When Holly came home she found her girlfriend face down on the couch, gently snoring as the soft light of the television played over the blonde's pale skin.

"Oh, baby," the brunette said as she quietly put down her bag and toed off her shoes. As silently as possible, Holly made her way down the hall toward the bedroom where she changed out of her lab clothes and into a worn pair of yoga pants and an old, faded uni sweatshirt before heading back toward the couch.

She stood over her sleeping Gail, just to look at her for a moment. It seemed like forever since she'd seen the shorter woman beyond passing each other at a crime scene, since she'd been able to just look at her love and drink her in.

Truth be told, it hadn't been a great week for Holly either. She might not have been working successive doubles like her girlfriend, but she hadn't been sleeping all that well either. She missed Gail. She missed the sound of Gail breathing in the night, the feel of the other woman's hair brush against her skin, the delicate ballet of two people in love seeking each other's warmth in the night. She didn't sleep well without Gail, not anymore.

Holly reached over to grab the quilt from the back of the couch, and then gently covered Gail before crouching down and brushing blonde strands out of the other woman's eyes.

"Hey," she whispered softly, her hand cupping Gail's cheek, "hey, Officer Peck…"

Gail stirred and scrunched her nose up in the most adorable way, mumbling something unintelligible into the pillow under her head.

Holly laughed softly, "What was that, sweetheart?"

The blonde rolled over just the slightest and looked up at Holly with sleepy blue eyes.

"I said, Holly, that Officer Peck is off-duty until Tuesday."

"Oh, really," Holly said with a smile, "whatever shall the city do without you?"

Gail closed her eyes again and sighed, "It'll have to survive, Lunchbox."

"Indeed it will, Officer."

Holly lifted the corner of the quilt and lay down next to the blonde on the couch. Gail's body was warm and inviting, and she curled herself around the smaller woman. Already Gail's face was heavy with sleep, her features slack and relaxed as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Oh, baby," Holly said again, this time whispering it against the sleeping woman's forehead. Gail sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and burrowing her nose into the hollow of Holly's throat.

It wasn't long before Holly felt sleep beckon.

She let it take her.