A/N: I plan to get this story all posted before the new season airs on 19th May, but since I'm terrible at math and have miscalculated my own posting schedule it means I'm posting an extra chapter this week. As always, thanks so much for all of your kind words, I really appreciate them.
It's become so routine over the past couple of months for Gail to spend her mornings off at the Lakeside Residential Rehab Centre that the receptionist, Fran, greets her with an ever more familiar and chirpy, "Good to see you again, Officer" as she signs Gail in and hands over her visitation-pass.
Gail smiles thankfully in return and clips the pass to her sweater as she waits patiently for Fran to buzz her into the main building. Once she's inside she follows the corridor until she reaches the break room and finds Mike waiting for her at their usual table, his hands curled around a hot cup of coffee as he looks off out of the window.
"You came," Mike says in lieu of an actual greeting as she settles into the seat opposite him and draws his attention. His mouth curls up into a lopsided smile that is so much like Holly's that Gail can't help but smile warmly back at him.
"Don't I always?" Gail replies, quirking her eyebrow and letting her eyes carefully trail over him.
It always amazes her each time she visits how much better he looks compared to that first night she met him; gone is the unkempt hair and beard, replaced instead with a short tidy cut and a clean shaven face. But even more surprising and comforting is the way the washed out gauntness of his face has gradually been restored to an increasingly healthy glow.
Mike smiles at her, his eyes bright as he leans back into his chair and holds his hands up in defeat, and says, "You do, and as always it's deeply appreciated."
"Well, I made you a promise to support you through this every step of the way and I intend on keeping it, you know that," Gail says reassuringly, watching as Mike nods knowingly in response, and then, "How are things going?"
"Amazing," Mike replies a little too quickly, and then lets out a weary sigh when Gail cocks her head to the side disbelievingly. "I'm getting there; some days are better than others," he confesses. "The doctors are monitoring my medication, I'm attending all of the group therapy sessions, and the one-on-one counselling is really helping me sort my head out. It's going to be a long road but at least I'm making progress, right?"
Gail smiles understandingly at that, knowing how difficult the recovery has been for Mike so far. She remembers visiting during the first couple of weeks of his detox, and thinking hopelessly that he wasn't going to make it through as she caught glimpses of him struggling to fight through not only the physical symptoms of his withdrawal but also the waves of depression that seemed to follow. But somehow he'd found the strength to stick it out, and with each passing week Gail feels nothing but respect for his enduring courage. It warms her heart to see him slowly starting to take control back of his life, especially when she knows how much it's going to mean to Holly.
"You're doing incredible Mike," Gail says softly, reaching her hand out to cover his where it rests on the table. "I'm so proud of you and I know Holly will be too. You've just got to keep sticking at it, okay?"
"I will," he says resolutely, his shoulders squaring at the sound of Holly's name. A smile follows quickly, lighting up his whole face and making the corners of his eyes crinkle affectionately when he desperately adds, "How is she?"
"She's good," Gail says, smiling fondly, knowing for a fact that her continued mentions of how Holly will be so proud of him for doing this is the one thing that Mike really holds onto during his lower moments. "She just had an article published actually; something about anaphylactic deaths and serum levels or something," Gail grins sheepishly. "I can't remember all of the huge scientific words, but she worked her ass off on it and her peers were really impressed."
"She's always been clever," Mike replies, beaming proudly at the news. "Even when she was younger and I'd do those home science experiments with her, she always just seemed to know what to do. I remember one time when she was about eight and we were doing the whole, make your own volcano one, and I got baking powder instead of baking soda; she was so bewildered that I got such a simple thing wrong that she relegated me from being her assistant to a mere observer," Mike says chuckling fondly before trailing off and adding sadly, "I've missed out on so much time with her."
Gail purses her mouth together understandingly. "She misses you too, Mike," Gail assures him. "That's why you're doing this though, so you can go back to sharing moments like that together. I know it's tough but it will be worth it, I promise."
"I know," Mike relents, reaching up to rub tiredly at his face for a moment before shrugging his melancholy back off. "My councillor says that by next month I'll be ready to start having family therapy sessions," he adds positively. "Do you think Holly would want to come?"
Gail nods, feeling a surge of relief flooding through her veins. Keeping Mike's recovery a secret from Holly has been beyond difficult; the desire to tell her growing even more unbearable during the moments when Holly voices her anxious concerns for her father's well-being aloud. But Mike had made her promise not to say anything, telling Gail he needed to be sure of himself and his state of mind before Holly knew and Gail had agreed, not wanting Holly to get her hopes up only to be crushed again if things didn't work out.
Even though it's been hard, it's a promise she's kept, and knowing that soon it will all have been worth it helps calm Gail's lingering guilt a little.
"Mike, if Holly knew that you were here she'd be here every day," Gail confesses with a smile. "She worries about you like crazy and I know she's going to be so happy when she finds out you've been here, getting yourself back on the right track instead of out on the streets. It's going to make her whole year."
"Well, I hope you know that it wouldn't be happening without you, Gail," Mike replies, his eyes softening as they hold hers. "I'm so thankful for you getting me in here and supporting me every step of the way. And I'm even more grateful that you've been taking care of my little girl; we're lucky to have you."
Gail blushes at the compliment and averts her gaze. "I just gave you a nudge; you're the one doing the hard part."
"It was a nudge well needed," Mike retorts, refusing to let Gail brush off her role in his recovery. He reaches out tentatively and pats her hand until she's forced to look back at him. "I don't think I've ever thanked you properly before, but I hope you know that I'm sincerely grateful that you believe in me enough to give me this chance," he says, his eyes soft and warm. "So, thank you."
Gail smiles shyly back and nods her head. "You're welcome."
"You promise you'll get her to come?" Mike inquires again hopefully an hour later as Gail's getting ready to leave.
She sees the hint of doubt lingering in his dark eyes and reaches out to touch his arm reassuringly. "Nothing would make me happier than to see the look on her face when she sees you looking as healthy and as good as you do now," Gail tells him with a smile. "You keep working the program and embracing your recovery, and I'll make sure Holly's here, okay?"
"You've got yourself a deal, Officer Peck," Mike replies decisively, his posture straightening with a determination that Gail can feel radiating out of him in waves.
The firmness of Mike's handshake and the belief in his eyes as she leaves is what finally lets Gail truly feel, for the first time since she set her plan into motion, that the risk she took was actually lucky enough to pay off. It's a victory she celebrates with an overwhelming sense of relief but mostly with anxious anticipation and a longing for Holly to finally know the truth.
Gail doesn't remember when it really started.
All she knows is that there's framed print-outs of her photographs lining the walls of Holly's apartment, and the purple ottoman she's had since she was a teenager – which her mother had loathed from the moment Gail brought it home, and Dov and Chris had looked at with horror whenever they caught a glance of it – is in front of the chair that Gail likes to nap in when she gets a rare afternoon off. There's also the fact that the left side has, in unspoken terms, somehow become hers; the left side of the bed, the left half of the closet, the left row of draws, hell even the left side of Holly's make-up table is covered in a messy collection of her lipsticks and eye-liners.
She doesn't really notice, however, that even more and more of her things – DVDs, CDs, odd trinkets and the majority of her shoes – have somehow migrated their way from her shared apartment with Chris and Dov and into Holly's, until Holly's presenting her with a small little box one night after dinner and looking so excited that she's practically bouncing in her seat.
"It's a key," Gail drawls slowly, flicking her eyes up to Holly's as she holds the box in her hand.
Holly smiles at her happily, her eyes bright and beaming. "It's a key to the apartment."
Gail feels her eyebrows knitting together as Holly stares at her expectantly, like she's just supposed to get what Holly's saying without using as many words as she's normally so fond of doing. "Um, Hol, I already have a key to the apartment," Gail says slowly, placing the box on the coffee table and drawing an identical key from her jeans pocket. "You gave it to me months ago, remember? Telling me to come over whenever I wanted, and just to let myself in after I'd finished a late shift so I didn't have to wake you."
Holly laughs at her then and Gail feels her confusion expanding, her eyes narrowing and her lips pursing together into a pout. Holly just grins at her with soft, affectionate eyes and reaches out to pat Gail on the cheek like she's some cute little puppy. It makes Gail glare involuntarily.
"No. No cranky face," Holly murmurs, noticing the shift in Gail's mood instantly and leaning forward to press a lingering kiss to her lips until Gail smiles reluctantly against her mouth and shoves her gently away.
"I already have a key," Gail repeats, feeling like she needs to argue her point again just in case Holly has gone crazy and forgotten.
"God, you're adorable," Holly breathes, her lips twisting into a smirk as Gail scowls. She pinches the key from between Gail's fingers and holds it up to her face. "This is the spare key to my apartment which I let you borrow," Holly explains, leaning forward to place the key on the coffee table and picking up the box containing the new key. "This..." she continues, holding the box up and then placing it in Gail's hands. "...is your key."
Gail squints at the key in the box and then glances over at the key resting on the table before looking back up into Holly's eyes. "So, you wanted your spare key back and then... decided to get me my very own spare key, which is technically exactly the same as the original," Gail ventures, still not entirely getting what was wrong with her old key or why Holly apparently seems to so desperately need it back now after all this time.
Holly laughs again and shakes her head briefly before reaching out to cradle Gail's face in her hands so that their eyes are locked together. "No, doofus. Forget the spare key. This is me trying to ask you to move in with me... apparently it was a little too subtle though. That or your detective skills really need working on before you start your rotation next week," Holly teases, nuzzling her nose playfully against Gail's and watching as her eyes widen in shock.
"You- you want me to move in with you?" Gail repeats, her mouth struggling around the words as she lets her fingertips brush over the key in the box; her key.
Holly just keeps smiling and nods. "You already stay here most nights, and more and more of your stuff has found a place here with my things, so I just thought it would be nice, and not to mention make me really happy, if you moved yourself in here permanently and made it your home," Holly says all in one breath, and then bites anxiously at her lip before quickly clarifying, "Our home."
"I-I..." Gail stutters, trailing off and blinking slowly as she swallows against the lump forming in her throat. She hears the words echoing around inside her head and it feels like everything has slowed down as her mind processes what Holly's asking her. It hits her fully a second later, a breath rushing from her lungs and filling her with a bubbling excitement as she reaches her hands up to hold at Holly's wrists and blurts, "I really like waking up with you."
"Is that your way of saying yes?" Holly asks, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Gail knows it's a big step but nothing in her life has ever felt so right before, and as the yearning need to say yes spreads through her, she can feel her heart pounding so rapidly that it feels like it might explode from her chest with utter happiness.
She finds herself nodding decisively as the words catch on her tongue. "Yeah. Yes. I-" she stumbles momentarily as she breaks out into an uncontainable grin. "I would love to live with you."
"Yeah?" Holly echoes, her eyes a little wide and disbelieving.
Gail nods again, smiling brightly. "Yeah."
Holly releases a little squeal of happiness in response, her smile widening as she grabs at Gail excitedly and draws her into her lap, peppering her face with fevered kisses until Gail's laughing and they're both left panting for breath. Gail feels her heart clench as her eyes lock with Holly's then and she can feel the magnetic pull between them as Holly's eyes dip down to her mouth. Gail darts her tongue out to moisten her lips subconsciously, and within a split-second she's tangling her hand in Holly's hair and curling her tongue around Holly's as Holly's hands slip beneath her top and desperately caress over her soft, warm skin.
That's all it takes for Gail to be consumed in a frenzy that's all Holly; Holly's hands tearing away her clothes and pushing her down, and Holly's lips pressing against her skin, and Holly's tongue trailing a hot, wet path down her chest and over her breasts.
It feels like a conundrum where time has stopped and yet she's only just blinked as her body coils tightly, her back arching at her swiftly building release and a moan rushing from her mouth as she comes undone easily beneath Holly's touch.
Gail hums contentedly when Holly finally allows herself to collapse on top of her, her breathing ragged as she ghosts her lips over the shell of Gail's ear. She soothes her hands up Holly's back and laughs low in her throat as time slowly comes back to her, the lust-filled haze clearing out from her mind.
"Guess we christened this room," Gail chuckles, closing her eyes as Holly bites at her neck.
Holly soothes the sting with her tongue before lifting her head to find Gail's eyes. "Want to do the kitchen next?" Holly breathes, her eyes dark with want.
Gail licks at her lips and smirks. "What happened to it being unsanitary for my cute little butt to even sit on your counter-tops?"
Holly pushes herself up onto her knees and it makes Gail instinctively push up onto her elbows to follow after Holly's missing warmth. "Gail, you're moving in with me; fuck the counter-tops," Holly rasps, ducking her head to nip promisingly at Gail's bottom lip before pulling back again.
Gail feels the blood rushing in her ears then as desire settles low in her stomach again, and it's all she can do to follow after Holly's sexy, retreating form, making a quick mental note to herself to ask Chris and Dov to help her move the rest of her stuff in as soon as possible.
When they eventually make it to the bedroom – bodies sweating and achingly sated and content; Gail falling into Holly's side and tucking her head into the crook of Holly's neck as Holly curls their hands together and rests them against her chest – Gail lets herself hope longingly for things to always be this way between them.
It's barely 6am when Holly waltzes back into the bedroom clutching two cups of coffee, her sleepy eyes shining fondly as she pauses to lean in the doorway and watch her quietly for a few moments.
"I feel weird," Gail murmurs, flicking her gaze to catch Holly's as she shifts uncomfortably in front of the mirror and reaches up to fix the collar on her shirt for what feels like the billionth time that morning.
"You're just nervous," Holly replies as she moves further into the room, setting their cups down on the bedside table before she curls herself around Gail's back. Her hands instantly slide to Gail's waist as she rests her chin on Gail's shoulder and smiles back at her lovingly. "You look hot," Holly comments, trailing her eyes over Gail appreciatively, and smirking at her when their eyes meet again in the mirror.
Gail feels her eyebrows knit together disbelievingly as she flicks her gaze over herself again. "I look like one of those stiff, up-tight, business women who populate the courthouse," Gail retorts, frowning at herself. "Only I look less powerful and put-together and more... awkward."
Holly chuckles in response and slides her arms around Gail more firmly, pulling her back against her chest as she presses her lips to her neck. "Maybe you should lose the blazer if you don't want to look entirely like a lawyer, just a suggestion."
"I knew listening to my mother's advice was wrong," Gail huffs, pulling out of Holly's arms and shrugging out of her blazer irritably. "Stupid fucking thing."
Holly catches her wrist and draws her back towards her. "You're freaking out," Holly tells her calmly, lifting her hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair back behind Gail's ear and brushing her knuckles soothingly against Gail's cheek. "You're trying too hard; you just need to relax a little."
"I just... I don't want to screw this up," Gail admits shyly as she leans into Holly caress and releases a deep, shaky breath to try and calm herself.
She knows it's a little silly to be this nervous about starting her detective rotation but it's something she's spent months working hard for and she wants desperately to prove that she deserves it; that she is without doubt, completely and utterly ready for this next challenge in her career.
"You won't," Holly assures her as she slides her hands down to Gail's chest and undoes the top two buttons of her shirt. "There, now you look like you can actually breathe," Holly smiles, smoothing her hands down Gail's arms until she's tangling their fingers together. "I'm so proud of you, and I know you're going to be amazing. I wish you'd believe that too."
Gail sighs heavily, knowing that Holly is right and shrugs helplessly. "This is going to sound so lame..." Gail starts, pausing to roll her eyes at herself before she continues, "...but putting my uniform on every morning made me feel confident; I knew people would see me in it and know I had the authority to carry out the law," Gail confesses quietly and then gestures down at herself, and adds, "In this, I feel... naked and powerless. It's just throwing me off my game a little, I guess."
Holly purses her lips together thoughtfully for a moment. "Why don't we try making it a little less 'serious business woman on a mission' and a little more you?" Holly suggests, not waiting for Gail to answer as she spins on her heels and disappears out of the room.
When she returns a second later holding Gail's black leather jacket, Gail quirks her eyebrow questioningly. "My leather jacket, really?" Gail asks, even as she lets Holly hold it out for her as she slides her arms into it.
Holly reaches around her a second later and straightens up her hood before she takes a step back and nods her head to herself. "Much better," she says with a smile. "Now you look more like you and less like you're trying to look like what you think a female detective should look like."
Gail turns to look in the mirror again and trails her eyes over herself with scrutiny. She narrows her eyes at herself, still feeling odd, and then reaches up and releases her hair from its tight bun. She runs her fingers through it a couple of times before pulling it back up into a messy ponytail and turns back to Holly with a pleased smile.
"Better?" Holly asks simply.
"Almost," Gail nods, using the toe of one heeled boot to help her flick off the other. "I need sensible shoes." Holly watches patiently as she roots around in the closet, letting out a hoot of success as she finds her combat boots and slips them on. "How do I look?" Gail asks, her teeth toying at her bottom lip nervously.
"Sexy and badass," Holly replies, her mouth twisting into a smirk. "You can arrest me any time, Detective."
Gail rolls her eyes at that, shaking her head as she lets out an amused breath and pulls Holly in for a quick kiss. "Thanks, my nerdy little badge-bunny."
Holly kisses her again sweetly, keeping her hand curled around the back of Gail's neck when she pulls away. "Seriously though, you're going to be great, Gail," Holly says softly, her eyes warm and proud.
"You're right, I've totally got this," Gail retorts confidently, feeling bolstered by the belief in Holly's eyes. "I've got my leather jacket, my comfortable combat boots, and my girl supporting me, what more could I ask for, huh?"
Holly kisses her again then, humming happily against Gail's mouth when she feels Gail's hands slipping under her t-shirt, her fingertips scratching pleasantly at the base of Holly's spine. Holly draws her in further, pressing their bodies together impossibly closer and Gail lets herself get lost in the comfort of having Holly surround her so completely for a few, long moments.
"Just promise me one thing," Holly whispers shakily against her mouth when they finally break apart.
"Anything," Gail murmurs as she presses their foreheads together and clutches at Holly's back, keeping her close.
"Promise me that you'll be extra careful," Holly says as she curls her fingers into the lapels of Gail's leather jacket. "I know your job can be dangerous and sometimes you're going to get caught up in situations that you have no control over, but it scares the hell out of me knowing that you're not wearing a vest at all times now."
"Detectives do still wear vests in dangerous situations, Hol. We don't just go out there like we're an army of Terminators who can easily take a few bullets like it's nothing," Gail teases, trying to lighten the mood.
Holly pulls back, shaking her head, her eyes serious and pleading as she whispers a desperate, "Gail..."
It makes Gail's heart pinch uncomfortably and she swallows away the lump forming in her throat as she holds Holly close. She knows how difficult it is for someone like Holly – someone who isn't a cop and didn't sign up for placing their life at risk to honour their duty – to understand that she willingly goes headfirst into dangerous situations.
She saw the fear in Holly's eyes that day at the station during the Ford shootings all those months ago, when even just the idea of Gail heading back out there knowing that she could be shot at again had left Holly so bewildered, that she couldn't even process what it meant that Gail was a police-officer who was just doing her job.
Having dated other cops herself, Gail knows there's an unspoken understanding between them; they know that they could get hurt or killed, and even if they don't like it they accept it because that's what the job is. But while Holly may have come to understand what Gail's job entails, Gail knows she'll never be able to fully grasp and accept what it truly means; that she'll never be able to quiet the niggling worry in her mind whenever Gail walks out of the front door to leave for work each morning.
It isn't fair but Gail knows there's nothing more she can do than to believe in herself that she's coming home at the end of each day, and to try and make sure Holly believes that there's nothing more she wants than to return each night to the loving safety of her arms.
Gail lets her hand reach up to cup Holly's cheek, seeing the unhindered fear evident in her eyes and draws her down into a soft and gentle kiss as she struggles to find any words that can make this easier for Holly. She searches Holly's eyes out when she pulls back, making sure to hold her gaze unwaveringly as she promises all that she can.
"I can't promise you that I won't ever get hurt because of my job and who I am," Gail says apologetically, watching as Holly's eyes tear up as she bites at her bottom lip and nods her head knowingly. "But I can promise you that I won't ever be foolishly impulsive or thoughtless out there," Gail reassures softly, letting her mouth curl into loving smile. "How could I be when I'm lucky enough to have you to come home too?"
Holly sniffles at that and lets Gail draw her into another soft kiss. "I'm still going to worrying about you," Holly admits with a small smile. "I can't help it."
"I know," Gail nods. "But you have my word that I'll be extra, extra careful. I promise."
Holly nods, flattening her palm against Gail's chest over her heart. "You better," Holly warns her sternly. "Because if anything ever happens to you I'm going to be so pissed at you, even though I know it's totally crazy and irrational."
Gail smiles at that and reaches up to cover Holly's hand with her own. "Well, now I have another reason to stay safe," Gail replies softly. "Because you've been mad at me before and it was easily the worst few days of my life. I don't ever want to hurt you that way again."
"I know you don't," Holly breathes, closing her eyes as she rests her forehead against Gail's and soaks her in. "Just please try and come back to me in one piece, okay?"
"I promise," Gail murmurs.
She holds Holly close for as long as she can then, revelling in the loving calmness that comes from being wrapped up in their bubble, and when the time comes for her to leave for her shift, Gail takes a few extra moments to kiss Holly deeply, making sure to whisper endless promises against her lips of staying safe and seeing her again in just a few hours time.
Gail tries not to fidget nervously as she stands at the back of the parade room, listening as Frank briefs them all, but she still can't shake how weird it feels to be out of her uniform. Traci slinks quietly into the room a few minutes later and raises her eyebrow when she catches Gail's eye and mouths 'breathe' to her as she takes in Gail's stiff posture.
She's in the middle of taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself when Frank's voice rings loudly in her ears and she feels the burn of everybody's eyes turning back to look at her. "I just want to remind you all that it's Peck's first day on her detective rotation, so no it's not dress down Monday," Frank says with a playful smile, making a few of them laugh and causing Gail to purse her lips into a tight smile as a few of them nod their heads in congratulations at her. "As always, assignments are on the board. Serve, protect, and most importantly stay safe out there," Franks says, dismissing them all.
Traci makes her way over to her then and lets out an amused breath as she trails her eyes over Gail's face. "You look as white as a sheet," Traci says with a smile which Gail only glares at. "Seriously, Gail, relax. You're going to be fine. I was super nervous on my first day as a detective too," Traci reassures, reaching out to rub at her arm.
Just as Gail's about to open her mouth to reply she sees Luke striding towards them, his face serious and determined. "Looks like you picked the right day to start your rotation, Peck. I just had a call about a burial site being found; three bodies recently dumped by the sound of things," Luke explains. "You ready for this?"
Gail pushes down her lingering doubts and nods resolutely. "Absolutely."
"Good," Luke replies, beckoning her to follow with a wave of his hand. "Nash, I could use you on this too if you're free?"
Traci quickens her stride to catch up with them. "Of course. What's the initial report?"
"Private property just on the outskirts of the city," Luke starts, tossing his keys to Gail without a word and climbing into the passenger seat as Traci ducks into the back. "The groundskeeper stumbled upon the bodies around 7 am this morning. The forensics team is already there."
Gail listens quietly to Luke's initial report as she drives them out to the crime scene, and tries to bury her lingering anxiety by processing what they already know carefully in her mind. She follows Luke and Traci over to the bodies and feels her mouth curling into a smile when she spots Holly talking with a member of the forensics team.
"Dr Stewart," Luke greets, bobbing down on his heels to get a closer look at the first body. "What do we have?"
"Three Caucasian females, all between eighteen and twenty-five," Holly replies, her eyes softening as her gaze shifts to Gail's momentarily. "Initial evidence – the bruising around their necks – indicates they were all strangled but I'm going to need to get them back to the lab to take a closer look."
"Do we have their ?" Gail asks, Holly's look of encouragement helping her to find her voice for the first time as she trails her eyes over the bodies before directing her gaze to the officer standing next to Holly.
He nods, and taps a finger to his notepad. "All of the girls were buried with their purses; their driving licenses have been bagged already," he explains and then points to the first body. "That's Emma Clews; nineteen, lives here in the city. Jenna Martins, twenty, again lives here in the city, and finally Phoebe Jenkins, twenty-four, lives in Montreal."
"Okay, thanks," Luke replies, rubbing a hand over his face before looking up at the officer. "Have you taken the groundskeeper's statement?"
"Yes, but I kept him here for you guys," the officer replies promptly. "Mr and Mrs Goudie, the owners of the property, have also been questioned but didn't seem to know anything."
Traci shares a look with Luke and then nods. "I'll go over their statements and question them all again." She flicks her eyes to Gail then. "Want to help, Peck?"
Gail nods, even as she keeps her eyes on the bodies. "Sure, just give me a minute here, okay?"
"Sure," Traci replies slowly, raising her eyebrow curiously, but doesn't question Gail any further as she lets the officer lead her off towards the house.
Gail bobs down next to one of the bodies and narrows her eyes in thought as she takes each girl in slowly.
"What are you thinking, Peck?" Luke questions a few minutes later.
"They all have the same tattoo; look..." Gail responds, pointing at their wrists with her pen. "Do you think it's a gang tattoo?"
Luke tilts his head to the side, giving himself a better look and shrugs. "If it is, it's not one that I've ever seen before but you might want to run it by guns and gangs, see what they have on record."
Gail nods, making a quick sketch of the tattoo in her notebook before pushing herself back upright. She catches Holly's eyes then, and nods her head off to the side indicating for Holly to follow.
"You okay?" Holly asks in a hushed whisper, reaching out to touch her arm. "Good pick-up on the tattoo. I told you that you had nothing to be worried about, you're clearly a natural." Gail lets out a breath of relief and quickly glances around before giving Holly a chaste, appreciative kiss. "What was that for, Detective?"
Gail smirks then and shrugs, the remainder of her nerves disappearing completely when Holly smiles proudly at her again. "Just because..."
Holly shakes her head and lets out an amused breath as she shoves at her shoulder. "Go take your statements, and I'll get the bodies back to the lab and get started on the autopsies, see if I can find anything else to help you figure this out."
"Thank you," Gail replies softly, making sure to hold Holly's eyes as she brushes past her, hoping that Holly will understand the double meaning behind her words.
She glances back over her shoulder and feels her heart swell in her chest when she sees Holly smiling knowingly back at her; she was right of course, all Gail needed to do was truly believe in herself.
Luckily for her it's easier to do now that she's got someone as unconditionally supportive as Holly in her corner, and as she pieces the evidences together over the next few days and helps Luke crack the case – the matching tattoos tracing back to an up and coming gang who the groundskeeper's son just happens to be a founding member of – it feels like she's finding her stride out of her uniform and proving to herself that she has got what it takes to be a good detective all in one fell-swoop.