I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I've had alot of life insanity going on this week, so please excuse me if it isn't up to snuff (so to speak.).

Once again THANK YOU all for all of your comments, suggestions, PMs, tweets, and reviews! It means the world to me that you are still reading and enjoying!


"She's WHAT?" Steve's voice blasted through the earpiece of my phone.

"Alive. Or at least she was. Although, I think she said she was going to go die quietly of embarrassment in our bedroom when I told her what was going on, and that I was going to call you." I replied.

That earned a thin laugh. "That sounds like Gail." Steve said tentatively "So, she's ok? And Chris?"

"Well, Gail has a concussion and needed some stitches, but from what I understand, they are both exhausted and pretty banged up, but they should be fine with a little time and rest. She says it's all in her report." I say, tiredly rubbing my eyes behind my glasses.

"Wait. What report?" Steve sounds confused. "If there's a report then why didn't we know they were ok?"

"I guess Frank will be in for a giant shock right about now." I continued, "Gail and Chris wrote up their reports while she was in the ER, and she emailed them in when she got home last night. She said they were supposed to have the next two days off and she didn't want to go drop it off in person first thing this morning."

"I can tell you this, Mother is going to skin alive whoever the idiot was who signed them out from booking!" Steve said heatedly "If I don't get to him first!"

"Some older cop named Jimmy?" I answered "Gail said she saw him right before he left for his fishing cabin."

"Oh. Never mind." Steve said, and was silent.

"Really?!" I was stunned. I never would have thought Elaine would let anyone in this officer's position live.

"He was my parent's T.O." Steve said quietly.

"Oh." I wasn't quite sure what to say about that.

"Well, I may need immunity from prosecution by the time I'm done with my new intern, Margery, who refused to take a personal message for me from Gail, before hanging up on her. I know she was just trying to protect me, and my privacy, but really!" I practically growled.

"I donno, that sounds like justifiable homicide to me!" Steve laughed.

"Well, listen, I should be at my parent's house in five. I'll tell them the good news when I get there." Steve went on, "Tell Gail to get ready! We should be there in about thirty!"

"Uh yeah. Ok." I said knowing that nothing would ever make Gail ready for this.

She was sitting on our bed looking out the window with her phone held lightly in her lap, when I came to find her. I crawled in behind her, letting my legs fall on either side of hers as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close, while breathing in the scent of her hair. She sighed and leaned back into my embrace.

"I talked to Chris." She began, "He went and knocked on Dov's door to make sure I wasn't playing some kind of sick joke, and nearly gave Dov a heart attack!" She laughed softly, shaking her head.

I leaned in to kiss her bare shoulder next to the strap of her tank top.

"Your parents will be here soon with Steve. You should get in the shower." I said, but made no move to release her.

"This is so weird." She sighed, "Can't I just stay dead for a while?"

"What would you do?" I asked softly.

"I actually like being a police officer you know. But, if I wasn't a Peck, if I could do anything, I donno… I'd go to Paris or Barcelona and sing for my supper in cafés and night clubs, I'd go back to school and become a lawyer, I'd take up photography and travel the world, I'd go with Yuri back to Berlin and work for the International Commission on Human Trafficking…" She sighed, "But I can't. And anyway, none of it would matter without you."

She wrapped her arms around my arms, scooted closer, and held on tight. I closed my eyes, which threatened to overflow with the warmth and pure tender emotion that was building in my chest at her words. I meant to kiss her softly on the cheek, but she turned her head and caught my lips with hers, while reaching back to caress my cheek. Our bodies said more in that moment than any words ever could. But I knew what I had to say as she turned to stare out the window once more.

"Gail," I said softly, "I will always be here. You don't ever have to be anything or anyone you are not for me. I would support you no matter what you want to do with your life. You know that. Right?"

Gail took a jagged deep breath, and nodded her head slightly without turning back around.

"As much as I would like to sit here with you all day, " I said gently, breaking away from her and getting up, "Your family will be here any minute now, and we should get up, and get dressed!"

"Yeah, ok." She mumbled, getting up and shuffling for the bathroom door.

I was just putting my hair into a damp ponytail as I heard our doorbell ring. Gail was in the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee, having poured the old one into a carafe. She was a few steps behind me as I opened the door to be nearly knocked down by the cyclone of Elaine Peck, who came flying into our home and flung herself at her dumb-struck daughter.

"Oh my Gail! Oh, my baby girl!" Elaine sobbed as she clung to Gail like she was never letting go.

I saw Gail's eyes go round and wide. She stared helplessly past me to Steve, who looked just as powerless and dazed as she did.

I looked back to see Gail slowly, tentatively, bring her arms up to encircle her mother's waist, as Elaine crumpled into them sobbing, "I love you! I know you don't always think I do, but I love you! When I thought you were dead, I wanted to die too!" Elaine gasped like every word tore her heart from her chest. "A mother should never have to burry her children!"

I turned back to see Gail's father standing with his arm around Steve and tears in his eyes. He smiled and nodded at me. Stepping forward, he gave my arm a little squeeze as he passed by to wrap his arms around the two women in his family. Gail still looked somewhat like a deer in the headlights as Steve shrugged and walked over to join them. Gail looked imploringly from Steve, to me, and back.

"Help me!" She mouthed at me, as she continued to rub her mother's back in tiny circles.

Just then Traci and Leo appeared in the still open doorway.

"Gail! Gail! Gail!" Leo cried out.

Everyone let go of Gail and turned. He broke free from his mom to rush through the door and hug Gail around the waist with all his might.

"Hey buddy!" Gail said, hugging him back.

"I knew you'd be ok! Cuz you're a real live superhero!" He smiled up at her. "Tell me a story about how you and Chris fought evil and escaped from the burning building! Please!"

"Come on," she said as she ruffled his hair affectionately, "Why don't we go hang out in the living room and wait for Chris, cuz, you know, it's his story too!"