Gail was on the phone with Holly when she helped a kid stranded on the side of the road without knowing that they were a serial killer that just escaped prison.

Ooh, juicy. Me likes. I had difficulties writing this for some reason so I hope it's okay! Thank you, I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Exiting the station with quite some determination, Gail is quick to retrieve her phone from her bag and put it to good use; calling the only person she can think of who will pick up no matter the situation.

She doesn't have to wait long.

"Hey you, how was your day?"

Hearing her voice after a long shift is exactly what she needs, she discovers; it's everything and provides instant relief, filling her with peace. It may sound corny but it's true. She's never known someone like this before in her life; someone who has their shit together and yet is still so evidently going with the flow, it's most infuriating and impressive in equal measures.

She's an authentic soul whom Gail resonates ardently with. If she thinks on it too long, it's a wonder they're even friends at all. After all, Holly's successful, smart, and gorgeous and Gail, well, she's stuck in her old habits, cold and condescending; a bitch. Oh, and not exactly the girlfriend type.

But for some reason, Holly sticks around.

And well, Holly must see at least something positive in her, otherwise they wouldn't have kissed the other night; a development she'd be lying she did not see coming. And, based on how things progressed that night, kissing a few more times, Holly was not against what they did. If anything, she was very enthusiastic. Usually that sort of thing would put Gail off, but not with Holly. Holly was her friend before anything else. Holly was actually, fast becoming her person; her only person.

This truth she's not quite yet ready to admit to herself, let alone Holly.

It gives her hope though, that she's not everything everybody believed her to be, that someone- Holly, could see her for who she really is, human. Yeah, a little reserved, not overly emotional like some people she knows, but nevertheless, full of wants and needs and, as disgusting as it is to contemplate for it really was not something that came naturally; full of feeling.

She's consumed by so much feeling she can hardly believe it.

"Hey right back at ya. It was alright. Just wrapped up actually, heading home. How was your day?" She heads down the street, adjusting her bag strap over her shoulder; it was still light out, though the skies were showing signs of darkening at this hour, the perks of leaving work at 8pm in the peak of summer.

"Oh, snap. I'm just leaving. Want me to give you a ride? I should be able to meet you in about ten minutes." Gail slows down her pace, her eyes falling on a kid on the opposite side of the road. Not exactly a kid, per se, but any person under the age of 21 automatically defaults to one in her eyes. He looks disheveled, standing out with a heavy set of clothing on at this time of year.

"Uh, yeah, yeah that sounds great. I'm just down the road from the station, next to that café you like."

"Cool, once I pick you up you could always come over to mine? I was thinking of making something but we could always stop off at some place to get food?" At this point Gail's attention is entirely on the kid, and with good reason. She has to strain but she can see discoloring on his clothes, and potentially, some blood on his hands. It's impossible to tell from this far away, though.

As if sensing her examination, the kid decides at this moment to raise their hoodie over their face, making a beeline down an alleyway that she knows leads to nowhere.

She keeps the phone to her ear while she makes her way to the streetlights and crosses over to the sidewalk he stood moments before. Her instincts tell her not to follow, however on some level she knows she has to. This was a kid who clearly was in need of some assistance and she was equipped to help - and if not, she can at least provide him with people who could.

"Or if you're feeling super lazy, we could always go back to mine and order something from the many menus I've got stashed away in my drawer, I won't judge."

Making her way down the alleyway, she makes sure to be alert and analyze the environment for any signs of an attack. She makes it halfway down when she spots the kid standing with his back to her; it creates an immediate unease in her gut.

"To be honest, I'm feeling lazy, so maybe I'm projecting the last option onto you." Gail realizes once she hums for the third time that she had been doing it whilst in pursuit of the kid, and Holly, well, she was none of the wiser, apparently.

"Takeaway it is. Right, well, I should be there in five minutes so-"

"Hey Hol, could you like, maybe hold the line for a few seconds, I'm just, I need to check in on something." The pause is loud, at least it feels loud. Maybe it's because she's whispering or because the kid is still motionless, but Holly soon startles her back into reality.

"Yeah, sure, of course I'll hold. Is everything okay?"

"I'm just gonna make sure." She lowers her phone down to her side and chooses to hide it under her sleeve, the jacket helping to shield it fortunately. Something inside her is adamant she not disconnect the call, even though it was probably best she should.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

"You shouldn't have followed me." Yeah, this was something, alright. It doesn't take long for him to slowly turn around and look at her, his hood still up, but she can still see him clearly now she's close. He's probably around 5'9; short dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, with a tiny scar on the corner of his mouth. No older than 21 and yet older than 16. She couldn't tell because of the fine beard he was sporting.

And she was right, she can identify from where she's standing blood caked over his hands, and dried at that.

"Why is that?"

"Bad things happen when I'm around people."

It's ambiguous, too vague for her to judge. She knows she has a bias when it comes to kids, they're the future after all, and she wants nothing more than to help restore some sense of normality if it's possible, because nothing is normal when police are involved.

"Well, you're lucky I can hold my own," she moves forward slowly, not wanting to crowd him but needing to get closer in order to help, "I'm Gail, by the way. Can I know your name?" He diverts his gaze away, visibly scattered; his hands bunching up in an effort to control his nerves, from the looks of it.

"Ronny."

"Okay Ronny, want to tell me why you're hanging out in an alleyway with blood over you or do I need to call it in and get an ambulance out here?" He looks around at this, his body shaking at the thought.

"No, no. I can't go back, please don't make me go back." Raising her available hand to the air, she tries to defuse the situation that's arisen. It always gets worse before it can get better.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to. I wouldn't let you go anywhere you're not safe, I promise. I'm just concerned with the blood and why you're in this position. Are you injured?"

"I can't go back. I won't go back." Was he a runaway? Was it an abusive household? So many thoughts race through Gail's head, trying to piece together what circumstance Ronny may be tangled up in.

"Ronny, are you hurt?" Her arm lowers, gesturing towards his body.

"No, no. It's not my blood. I mean, it's not all my blood. I had to use force; it was the only way I could get out."

"Where are you hurt, Ronny?"

"My stomach, it's just a graze."

"Even so, it's best to get these things checked out, clean-"

"No, no doctors."

"Ronny-"

"They'll find me. They take me back; I don't want to go back." He moves towards her now looking desperate. Her hand rises up again, intent on keeping the dialogue open and as calm as possible.

"Okay, I have a friend who can maybe help. Let me just give her a call, Ronny. Will you let me call her?" He's skittish and she's worried she's pushed too hard. Sometimes it's hard to gauge kids, as much as she loves helping them, they can really be a lot of work.

She can hear his breathing, erratic and heavy. This only adds to the amounting pressure of needing to get this kid help, and fast, especially if he's bleeding. His head gives a faint nod of consent before nodding furiously, succumbing to her aid.

Gail offers a placating smile as she turns to her side, lowering her phone from her wrist so she can look at it. It's still connected to Holly, she hasn't hung up. She pretends to tap on the screen, for Ronny is looking at her, and once she feels the action is enough, she lifts her phone to her ear and waits.

"Gail?"

"Hey, Holly, I was hoping you-"

"This kid, Ronny, does he happen to have a scar near his mouth?"

"I- yes, why do you, how do you know?"

"It's Aaron Watts; he's wanted for escaping prison this afternoon." The shock she experiences is brief, if only because Ronny is running forward with a knife aimed in her direction. Gail is quick enough to dodge the strike.

"I've just alerted-" She doesn't hear the rest of Holly's words, for the phone falls from her hands down to the ground as she moves to deflect another blow that Ronny tries to deliver her.

"I should have put two and two together, Aaron, but that's on me. I should have connected the dots." When he tries to go at her again, she grabs his arm and twists it until he drops the weapon, the pain rendering him immobile. He falls to his knees with a whimper.

"I just gotta ask; what kind of fugitive goes near a police station?"

"What kind of bitch follows a serial killer down an alley?"

"A smart one; you see, I'm a police officer. And whatever freedom you fought for, was for nothing. It was all for nothing." She pushes and pulls on him until he's on the ground, keeping his arms behind his back and weight on his legs.

It's not long until a bunch of uniformed crew coming racing down the alleyway, guns drawn with purpose. That is until they arrive, then they are quick to disengage and collect the wanted teenager and take control of the situation. Gail gives as much information to them as she can, and then goes to investigate the condition of her phone.

She picks it up from the ground, noting the crack across the screen.

"Great, you broke my phone." Rolling her head to the side with a groan, she pockets the device, noticing Holly's figure in the crowd of people. Though she's still, she can see the worry in her eyes, looking around the countless bodies in search of her.

"Holly, hey." Catching her attention, Gail chooses to move to her, extremely thankful for her very existence.

"I owe you a massive thank you." She doesn't expect the embrace Holly gives her, which is so motivated it nearly knocks the wind out of her. Her limbs are slow to react, enclosing around her form and holding on. To feel this important, it simply takes her breath away.

"I thought he hurt you."

"I'm okay, Hol. I'm okay thanks to you." The hug continues, and it's not that it's uncomfortable, it's just unfamiliar. No, that's not even the word. Gail's hugged Holly before, on several occasions in-fact; it's just it's never been this charged before.

She's never been this appreciated. Holly cares, and it's secretly a quality she adores.

"I did nothing." Drawing back from Holly, but making sure to remain in close proximity, she chooses to be brave; to be bold and place her hands on her face. Gail tries to think of how to tell her she did so much, that things would probably have gone a lot differently had she not kept on the line.

Sometimes she needs Holly to save her from herself; to insert reason with a microscope when she's too busy examining with a telescope. She finds, in the best possible way, they complement each other.

"You did everything," leaning forward, her lips ghost against Holly's, wanting to do so much more but reserving that kind of affection for another place, a more private one, "thank you."