Dammit!

Holly's eyes flew open. She had been so close to figuring out who the killer was when the sound of Gail murmuring in her sleep woke her from a particularly captivating dream. The notorious Slice and Dice Killer had made a crucial mistake and all the evidence pointed to Holly's most promising intern, Dr. Otter. Knowing what she dreamed wasn't real, Holly was sure, come Monday when she'd arrive for work (after taking a week off), she would have a hard time looking Dr. Otter in the eye.

Peeved, Holly rolled over and faced the woman responsible for cutting her dream short. Gail was asleep on her stomach with her face buried into her pillow. Holly's annoyance quickly faded, though, as she studied Gail's soft, pale features. They were accentuated by a dark-brown mess of shoulder-length hair, a stark difference to the platinum blonde pixie cut Gail had previously sported. At least now there was enough hair for Holly to properly run her hands through, something she had dreamt about doing since they were just friends.

She watched closely as Gail's eyes fluttered beneath her eyelids. Her own dream was likely unfolding. Holly's gaze travelled down Gail's body, over delectable curves, dips, and hallows, which were barely covered by the sheet.

How could she ever stay annoyed at such a beautiful face? Holly wondered.

Holly smiled. She could get used to this sight; Gail in her bed, naked and relaxed, but most importantly, safe. They had barely left the confines of Holly's bedroom after Gail had shown up on her doorstep unannounced four days ago carrying a bag of hopeful promises. Waking up next to a warm body filled a yearning Holly didn't even know she had.

With a sudden need to touch, Holly ran her fingers up and down Gail's back, tracing the curvature of her spine. Gail moaned and licked her lips, her body squirming against the mattress.

"Hey, good lookin', what's cookin'?" Gail mumbled in her sleep.

Holly chuckled and shifted closer to the sleeping woman and laid her head on Gail's pillow.

"I missed you so much," Gail sighed as her hand came up to stroke her pillow, or whatever she was visualizing. "I missed looking at you," Gail continued, and then moaned, "the smell of you, the taste of you."

A blush crept up Holly's cheeks. She wasn't used to hearing Gail express herself so freely, or so provocatively, even if it was her subconscious speaking.

"I love you, you know?"

Holly didn't know.

Actually, that wasn't true, of course she knew. She'd felt Gail's love each and every second during the past four days, seen it shining from her eyes as they made love to one another, over and over. Holly had even taken it with her when she moved away all that time ago. But those three meaningful words had yet to pass either of their lips.

"I was so stupid to keep us apart for so long. I never want us to be apart again."

Holly wholeheartedly agreed with this. In fact, she never wanted anything more. Desperately, she reached out and caressed Gail's cheek as blue eyes opened. So blue, Holly noted, even in semidarkness.

"Hey you," Gail murmured, her eyes crinkling up at the corners when she smiled. Warmth emanated from within her, filling the bubble they'd created.

"Hey," Holly said back.

"I had the most wonderful dream."

Holly wiggled closer. "Mmm? What was it about?" She prodded gently.

Gail sighed, and closed her eyes for a second, as if reliving her dream all over again. "Bacon," she stated.

Gail must have caught the pained looked that flickered across Holly's face because her hands were quick to capture Holly's cheeks. "Hey, baby, what's wrong?"

Holly shook her head and smiled, trying to cover up her disappointment. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure? Your face went a little pale there. It reminded me of the first time I cooked for you."

"No, I'm sure." Holly leaned forward, smiling at that memory, and kissed Gail's lips in reassurance. She pulled back first and Gail let out a content sigh. "You hungry?" Holly asked.

Gail released her hold on Holly and flopped onto her back, her breasts revealed above the white sheet. She patted her belly, "I'm always hungry, this morning especially. You've depleted my secondary resources. I think I've lost weight from all the awesome sex we've been having." Gail wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "Look," her hand circled her belly, "even my donut baby has disappeared."

Holly laughed as she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, her back to Gail. "Well I can definitely fix that. How about some bacon for breakfast? Lots of it."

Gail grinned with glee. "Mmm, I love bacon."

"I know you do," Holly said with a hint of sadness; she felt silly. She picked her shirt up from the floor, which had flown off last night in the throws of passion and pulled it over her head.

"Hey, Hol?" Gail grabbed Holly's wrist as Holly went to stand up and pulled her back down again. Holly looked over her shoulder at her blissed-out girlfriend. "But do you know what I love more?"

Holly scrolled through the never-ending list of possible food options. Her eyes lit up when she landed on the perfect choice, "Um, cheesepuffs?"

Gail threw her head back onto her pillow and laughed. "No, you doofus." She looked directly into Holly's eyes, and her expression changed into what could only be described as adoration. "It's you."