Holly was on cloud nine as Gail held her hand and led her into the dining room. Gail pulled out her chair for her and then proceeded to sit next to her. Gail then reached over again and pulled Holly's hand into her lap, holding it gently as they waited for dinner to be served.

Holly had never been with someone who was so willing to show any physical displays of affection in front of family, and she really liked it. She was even more surprised that it was coming from Gail, and she really really liked that.

"So Holly, I hear that you are our new lead forensic pathologist," Elaine said as she sat down at one end of the table.

Holly gently, and reluctantly, let go of Gail's hand and turned to speak directly to Gail's mother. "Yes, ma'am," Holly smiled politely.

"And how are you liking it?" Elaine asked as she rearranged the utensils at her spot, not bothering to look up at Holly.

"It is amazing," Holly beamed. "It is a dream come true."

"So you are settling in then?" Elaine continued.

Gail's heart began to beat a little faster as she noticed her mother's prying ways begin to show.

"Yes, I am. I have a wonderful team and they have made my transition quite seamless."

"Didn't you enjoy San Francisco?" Elaine pried, this time looking up and directly at Holly.

"It was a great experience," Holly answered politely.

"You must have left a very well-paying job over there. Why come back to Toronto?" Elaine persisted.

"Mother, please" Gail reprimanded, knowing full well that she never mentioned anything about Holly before, and therefore, her mother must have done her own research prior to them arriving. And plus, it was none of Elaine's business on why Holly came back, even though Gail still wondered it from time to time.

Holly reached over and gave Gail's hand a quick reassuring squeeze before turning back to answer Elaine. "Like I said, San Francisco was a great experience. I was able to learn a lot and complete a lot of my research. However, Toronto is my home and nothing will ever compare to being home."

Elaine merely nodded her head slightly as she gave a small smile to Holly's answer.

"Okay, enough of the interrogation, where's the food?" Gail interjected, desperately hoping to stop her mother from questioning Holly. Oh how she missed the good old days when all they did was pick on Steve.

"You and food. I swear," Elaine said as she kissed her lips. "Holly, I hope you have a very big kitchen with a very big fridge in order to keep this girl fed," Elaine teased.

"Oh for sure!" Holly chuckled.

"So I guess you are very familiar with the way to our daughter's heart?" Bill decided to chime in.

"Yes, sir, I do." Holly said, this time with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Because let me tell you, I was afraid we're going to have to mortgage our house with the way this girl consumed food," Bill continued.

"Really?" Holly laughed.

"Seriously, she could eat a whole pizza all on her own!" Steve added. "And yet, she was still the skinniest little kid I had ever seen."

Gail's face shot a deep crimson, completely embarrassed by her family's teasing.

"And how about that time we went to that buffet restaurant, oh what was its name?" Bill thought for a moment, "well the name doesn't matter, but I'm telling you Holly, Gail had that kitchen staff working twice as hard to keep the food topped up. I've never been more proud of my daughter," he said with a laugh.

Holly glanced over at Gail who was now beyond embarrassed. She reached over once more, taking hold of Gail's hand, intertwining their fingers. She laughed at Gail being all uncomfortable in her chair. How much more adorable could Gail possibly get? Holly decided to have some pity on her though. She turned back towards Elaine. "I hear you are hosting this year's Police Ball," Holly said, quickly changing the subject.

"Yes, we are. I do hope you will come," Elaine stated with pride as she sat a little taller in her chair.

"I hear it is the event of the season. I wouldn't dream of missing it," Holly smiled politely. "Is it true that the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will be performing?"

"Oh, yes, they are," Elaine began. She then proceeded to share all the details of the evening's events that she has lined up and how it is going to be magnificent.

Gail let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the topic was off of her for the moment. She was impressed on how well Holly was able to change the conversation to a topic that her mother just couldn't resist. Her mother was still going on about the ball as the food was served.

Eventually all the food was consumed, and Bill invited everyone into the den for some drinks and relaxation.

Gail took a seat in the middle of the couch and pulled Holly down to sit between her and the arm of the chesterfield. Holly smiled as she noticed that this was Gail's protective way of distancing Holly from her family.

"You have a gorgeous house," Holly said when Bill passed her a small glass of whisky.

"Thank you, but it is all Elaine," he smiled as he continued his rounds with the drinks.

"Is that a signed Maple Leafs jersey?" Holly asked as her eyes fell upon a framed blue and white hockey jersey. "Please don't tell me that it is a real Tie Domi jersey," she said, referencing one of the toughest defensemen the team had. Tie Domi was known for using brute force to get the job done.

"Why yes it is," Bill beamed. "Are you a hockey fan?"

"I enjoy a good game now and then," Holly said with a smile. "And while I still root for the Maple Leafs, they are not making it easy on me with their terrible winning streak."

"Yes, they are quite abysmal, aren't they?" Bill said as he continued handing out the drinks.

"Yes, but I have hope for this young group that is coming up. What they lack in experience, they definitely make up in enthusiasm," Holly smiled.

"Well, you will have to come out for the next game. I have season seats," Bill beamed. "And neither of my children seem to display any interest in any sort of sport."

"That is not true," both Gail and Steve whined.

Holly laughed at the siblings before turning back to Bill. "I would love that," Holly smiled, truly excited about attending a hockey game.

As the evening wore on, Gail found herself sitting there, mouth wide open as she watched the interaction between her dad and girlfriend. First, Holly managed to tame the beast known as her mother, and now she is going to a hockey game with her father. Who was this woman? Gail couldn't help but marvel as she watched Holly win over every Peck.

As the evening came to a close, there were promises made of more family dinners and hockey games between Holly and Gail's parents. Steve turned and whispered to Gail as they were putting on their jackets, "I think Holly is officially accepted."

"I know" Gail smiled back, her whole body warming at the thought.

The drive back to Gail's place was quiet. Both women simply enjoyed silence. As Holly pulled into the driveway and put the truck in park, she turned to smile at Gail. "So…um…." she began.

Gail quickly cut her off as she whipped off her seatbelt and leaned fully across the console. She pulled Holly the rest of the way into a deep kiss. Holly was definitely caught off guard but quickly reciprocated the kiss. It was something she was dying to do the entire evening.

"What was that for?" Holly asked, when they eventually pulled apart.

"You were absolutely amazing tonight," Gail smiled. "You didn't flinch when my mom questioned you. You talked about sports with my dad. You…you…you were just you!"

Holly smiled at Gail.

"Thank you for coming with me," Gail continued.

"Thank you for inviting me. It was nice to meet your family. And um…thanks for introducing me as your girlfriend," she added softly.

Gail laughed. "You don't need to thank me for that, I was merely stating facts, ma'am." She reached up and tipped her imaginary hat.

"Well, it's the first time someone did that without any prompting or hesitation," Holly admitted.

"Anyone lucky enough to have you as their girlfriend is stupid if they don't want to shout it from every roof top and tell every single person they meet," Gail smiled proudly.

Holly could only smile in return before pulling Gail back into a heated kiss. "Now, didn't someone promise to help me get out of this dress?" she asked with a wink.

AN: Thank you for reading. I'm having fun writing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.