Ch. 6

A/N: As always, a very heartfelt thank you to everyone sticking with this story or picking it up for the first time, I appreciate all the favorites, follows, and especially the reviews, I really love hearing what you all think...this chapter: the Peck Party...

Gail ended up having to bail on Holly that Tuesday, since she had to rearrange her work schedule to get Saturday off. The brunette had been understanding, but had made Gail promise to go the following week. They still bumped into each other a couple of times while running in the early mornings, especially as the closer it came to Saturday the more restless Gail's sleep became. It didn't help that it was nearly the middle of the semester, which meant her work was piling up and midterms were fast approaching.

That week she had only caught glimpses of the brunette as she was heading in or out of the park. She hadn't even seen Holly at the Penny, despite working almost every night. It wasn't until that Saturday morning, after being awake almost the entire night, even after working a double on Friday, that the two girls had actually had the chance to greet each other.

It was around 5am when Gail made her usual trek to the park, her running shoes were beginning to wear down with their constant use. She was just about to turn in her usual direction when she spotted the brunette about to head off to complete the loop going the other way. She gave her usual head nod to Holly's smile and wave and turned the music up on her iPod. It took a couple of minutes before Gail registered the sound of another pair of feet catching up to her. She turned to see Holly pulling up beside her, her own headphones in. They didn't say anything as they jogged together, each listening to their own playlist and trying to keep pace with one another. It wasn't until the exit was in sight, that Holly nudged Gail and cocked her head to the side. She then began to pick up her pace, daring the blonde to race her. Gail was never one to turn down a challenge and broke into a sprint. The two girls were neck and neck but Holly's slightly longer legs made her the victor.

"You know, I think beating you may be one of my new favorite pastimes." Holly teased while panting heavily and stretching.

Gail was doubled-over, "Very funny Nerd, but one of these days I'm going to challenge you to a video game and then we'll see who's the champ."

"Game on, Danger."

The two finished stretching and walked a bit to cool down, still trying to get their heart rates and breathing back to normal.

"Alright, I have to get back to studying since I have a busy night ahead of me. Have fun at your thing, Danger." Holly gave the blonde another wave good-bye and started to jog lightly back in the direction of her apartment.

Gail watched the brunette's retreating form and the sinking feeling returned to her stomach, the one she hadn't realized had left until now. She didn't know if it was from hearing Holly say she had a busy night or from her own anticipation of having to go home. She figured it was related to the Pecks.

As Gail stood just outside her family's door, she contemplated once again if it was a good idea to show up alone. After Frankie had turned her down, she had thought about asking Chris, figuring that the tall, handsome, football player who wanted to be a cop might distract her mother's attention away from her. Plus, with him having a girlfriend it wouldn't be a real date anyway, just a buffer between her and her mother's machinations. However, she thought about what Frankie had said and she didn't want to torpedo anyone else's future careers by introducing them to the Superintendent. She also didn't want to spend the whole night correcting her mother as she purposefully called Chris, "Craig" or some other wrong name, considering Nick had been "Ned" for most of their relationship.

Finally, she gathered up what little courage she had left when it came to dealing with her parents and let herself in. She hoped to just slip in without anyone noticing but no luck. Despite, ordering caterers around the Superintendent had managed to catch sight of her only daughter.

"Sweetheart, nice of you to have finally arrived. I was beginning to think I would have to send a patrol over to gather you." Her mother greeted her with a brief, cold hug as her words dripped with the disappointment that Gail had come to expect from years of growing up Peck.

Gail managed a weak protest, "Mother, the party hasn't even started yet, no one has arrived, I'm early." But her voice sounded meek even to her.

"Your brother and his date arrived nearly half an hour ago."

Of course the Golden Boy had shown up at an acceptable time. "Well maybe he should have picked me up on his way over."

"Maybe I would've if I had thought you would have been even close to being ready, Garbage Pail," Steve kidded his little sister as he came out from the kitchen. He pulled her into a side hug that she tried to wiggle away from, it had been a while since they had seen each other but they weren't huggers.

Satisfied that both her children were around to make the appropriate appearances, the Superintendent's attention was already being diverted elsewhere, although she couldn't pass up the opportunity for one last subtle admonishment of her daughter, "Make sure you see your father, he's forgotten what you look like."

"Of course, Mother." With that the Superintendent breezed past her children in hot pursuit of a caterer she was certain was going to drop something.

With the matriarch gone, the elder Peck turned to his younger sibling, ready to begin the teasing, "So Garbage Pail I wasn't sure you would actually show."

"Well Carrot Top it's not like I actually had a choice. So how much did you have to pay this one to be your date tonight?" She would never understand why her brother bothered; she would always one up him.

Shaking his head, "Very funny sister, but this one came all on her own."

"Oh, I bet she does brother, I bet she does, but I really do not want to know what goes on in your bedroom." The blonde teased.

Steve immediately blushed, his face turning as red as his hair, but before he had a chance to respond, his date appeared, "Hey Steve, sorry I got a little lost."

To say Gail was surprised was an understatement when the girl on her brother's arm was the same one she had a date with just the week before, the one she raced that morning, the one that has a girlfriend.

"It's a big house." Steve reassured the brunette with a wide smile, before making the introductions, little did he know they were completely unnecessary, "Holly, this is my sister Gail."

"Hi Gail." Holly greeted the blonde with one of her crooked smiles. She was actually rather amused to find out that her new acquaintance happened to be the sister of one of her closest friends. She was also going to have a talk with Frankie about what types of information you share with people before you invite them out. If she had known last week who the girl was, she could have warned Steve that their little ploy wasn't going to work that night. Well not unless his sister decided to play along.

The blonde could feel her heart reflexively flutter as it always did when she saw that smile. She merely nodded her acknowledgement, deciding to play this one out to figure out what her brother was up to. She didn't know what the brunette was doing there, and especially not on a date with her brother, who was a dude and, last time Gail checked, she had a girlfriend. The blonde decided to dive right into her interrogation, "So how long have you two been seeing each other?"

Steve smiled and looked at Holly for reassurance as he responded, "Well we've known each other for years but it's a new relationship."

"Oh, I'm sure it is. How'd you two meet?" The smile on Gail's face and the look in her eye were mischievous.

"We had an Anatomy class together. Holly was only a freshman and I was a junior. She helped me through it and we've been friends ever since. Right Hols?"

"Yeah," The brunette nodded along. She didn't know what game the siblings were playing, but whatever it was, it was going to be amusing to watch. Studying the pair, she could see the stark contrasts between the two. While both were pale, Steve definitely had more freckles. They both had blue eyes but Steve's were a gentle shade, a color that suggested warmth and safety. While Gail's eyes, were more striking, like a storm that was ready to destroy you. The boy's hair was definitely more red than blonde, while the girl had opted to bleach hers. Holly briefly wondered what the natural hue was.

She also couldn't help noticing how stunning the blonde looked that night. The younger girl had opted for only a light bit of make-up, except for the lips, which were a ruby red. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, making the little diamonds dangling from her ears stand out. Then her eyes trailed down to take in little black cocktail dress, long enough to be appropriate for a family occasion, but revealing enough to highlight the woman's toned legs. She was truly mesmerizing but Holly did her best to not stare, she didn't want to get caught checking out her "date's" little sister.

When Holly met the blonde's eyes, she knew she had been busted, based on the smirk on the other girl's face. But rather than be embarrassed, she simply gave an appreciative nod and let the blonde know that she looked good.

After catching Holly check her out, Gail decided that messing with her brother was too good of an opportunity to pass up, "Anatomy, huh, well I'm planning on taking that next semester, maybe your girlfriend can help me brush up on the subject. I'm sure I could really benefit from some one-on-one attention."

Oblivious to what was going on, Steve continued the charade, "Well Holly is a medical student so she's busy, even if she is an excellent teacher." The wink is really what did Gail in and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"I don't know brother, I think your girl may be willing to change her mind, I'm an excellent student." The brunette was smirking; she knew that the blonde was messing with her friend, even if he didn't know it.

Steve scoffed, "When you're not cutting class or slacking off."

"And yet brother I can still do all that and still look as good as I do." Gail cockily replied.

Before getting the chance to retort, the doorbell rang indicating the arrival of the first guests. Both siblings took a deep breath and prepared themselves for the onslaught of people they were about to encounter. Steve, always the more gregarious one, straightened his back and plastered a smile on his face, while his cantankerous sister slouched further and tried to contain her scowl, only enough to avoid drawing her mother's ire, again. Meanwhile the brunette standing between them tried to contain her amusement at the obvious dichotomy. Oh it was going to be an enlightening night.

It was only a couple of hours into the party and Gail was already feeling exhausted from the constant stress of having to make small talk with her parents' friends under the watchful glare of Superintendent Peck. The Peck siblings had decided to divide and conquer in an attempt to get through all the mandatory introductions they had to in as short a time as possible. While Gail was trying her best to stay out of reach of some of the more lecherous old men, she also found herself watching Steve and Holly work the room like a couple of pros. There was no denying that Holly looked good on Steve's arm. She was wearing a forest green dress that hung off one shoulder. The dress complimented her skin tone and cut nicely across her long tan legs, making them look like they could go on for miles. Her long, thick, dark hair cascaded down her shoulders in gentle waves, and the brunette had on only enough make-up to compliment her looks. She really didn't need any. Somehow even her glasses seemed to complete the picture, making Holly look like the perfect combination of beauty and brains. But it's not like Gail noticed or anything.

What she did notice, and rolled her eyes at, was how her brother tried to schmooze with all the white shirts. She was certain he was already laying the groundwork to make detective in the next rotation. Holly, for the most part, just seemed to smile and nod along to whatever everyone else was saying, but every so often she would catch the blonde's eye and throw a crooked smile her way, and every time she did, Gail could feel a little of her stress ebb, but it would only return as she felt the icy glare of her mother focus on her and she would have to return her attention to whomever she was speaking to.

Luckily, she was saved from the boring small talk by one of her favorite people.

"So my petulant Peck how are you surviving this wonderful evening?" Oliver good-naturedly greeted his friend. He had watched her pained expression from across the room for long enough, after waiting for her to wrangle herself free from the hoards of established and well-connected people that he knew she was forced to interact with as part of her family's image, he had finally had the chance to swoop in.

"You only think its wonderful because of the free booze, Ollie." The blonde teased, she was relieved to finally be talking to someone she actually liked.

"Then clearly you need a drink, somebody get this lady a drink." The boy looked around and waved to one of the servers.

"Can't, not tonight." The blonde shook her head apologetically. She wanted to drink, hell, she wanted to get completely wasted but she couldn't. Not in front of her parents, especially her mother who was on her case enough already. She really didn't need another lecture about drinking and being in control.

"Another time then darlin', another time. So have you met anyone here worth your time yet?" He accepted the glass of champagne from the server that his friend had passed on.

"No, Oliver, you know how I feel about people and about these parties."

Despite the blonde's protest, Oliver noticed his friend looking across the room at her brother and his date. He knew that Holly had agreed to play stand-in for Steve's real girlfriend, not wanting the Superintendent to start her digging. But what he didn't expect was the funny look on younger girl's face. He could tell that she was working hard to keep it impassive but her blue eyes were clear and intent on their target. Hmmm...that's a weird look, he thought to himself. "Have you met Steve's date yet?"

"Yep," popping the p, "Did you know Holly while you were at the University?" She was curious as to how many people were in on Steve's charade tonight, plus she was still trying to figure out what exactly his plan was.

"Yeah, Steve introduced her to our little gang once she started tutoring him in one of his classes. She's awesome. Why?" Oliver was curious about his friend's curiousity. She rarely showed any curiosity about anyone, ever.

"I'm just surprised I never heard about her from you guys, since Steve said they had been friends for years." The blonde answered innocently, although Oliver knew she was rarely that.

"Eh, she's always been busy with school and her..." Oliver trailed off, he was about to say girlfriend but didn't want to blow Steve's cover.

"Her what?" Gail was really hoping he would finish that sentence, she was waiting impatiently for someone to slip up.

"Extracurriculars, you know volunteering and sports and stuff. She likes to keep busy." He cleared his throat, "Since we are obviously the coolest people here, maybe we should go rescue your brother and Holly from whatever boring conversation I'm sure they are part of."

Oliver gallantly offered his arm, which Gail took as she shook her head. "They're lucky we are willing to grace them with our presence."

"So Gail how's school? Are you playing nice with the others?" Steve asked, once Oliver and Gail had joined him and Holly. He hadn't had much of a chance to catch up with his sister since she started at the University.

Gail rolled her eyes, "I always play nice."

"Mmhmm Peck, I once saw you drive a grown man to tears with just your words and you were only fifteen at the time." Oliver chimed in.

"Aww Ollie, I never meant to make you cry." The girl baited her friend with a dangerous grin, flashing her canines. Holly chuckled at the other girls quick wit.

"Har dee har, just for that I'm not taking you gun shopping next week."

The blonde immediately pouted at that and stomped her foot, while the other three just laughed at her fake tantrum.

The group fell into easy conversation discussing school for Gail and Holly and the force for Steve and Oliver. The boys entertained the girls with stories about their rookie class their TO's and the shenanigans they got themselves into. However, the merriment was short-lived as Gail noticed her mother begin to make her way over, stopping along the way to talk to various people.

"Incoming...gird your loins," Gail warned the others as the Superintendent finally arrived. Oliver, Steve, and even Holly stood a little taller and braced themselves for the onslaught they were sure was coming.

With false cheer Superintendent Elaine Peck greeted the group, "Ah, if it isn't my lovely children, I trust you have been making your way throughout the room and greeting everyone."

"Yes ma'am," the two agreed in unison.

"Officer Shaw, it is nice to see you again." She addressed the boy. She was aware that the young officer had quickly established himself as a goofball amongst the rookie class, but she also knew he had great potential. He had shown his bravery and good judgment on many occasions, thus he was an acceptable friend for her children to have.

"And you ma'am. Thank you for inviting me, Superintendent."

"Of course, you have been doing some fine work with the force, I understand you have been able to continue your heroics in an official capacity." She shot a look at her daughter, causing Gail's fake smile to waver slightly on her face. She was growing weary of the constant reminders and jabs from her mother.

"Umm thank you ma'am." He wanted to dismiss the notion that anything he had done thus far had been heroic but he knew it was a waste and that the formidable woman was already moving on.

Then the Superintendent zeroed in on her real target, "So Holly, dear, you are an impressive young lady. Graduated both high school and college a year early, and you are at the top of your medical school class." The woman made it abundantly clear that she had looked into the younger woman's life. She had many connections and doing a background check was standard protocol on anyone who wanted to get close to the Pecks. "Have you decided what field you would like to go into?"

"Thank you, Superintendent. No, I haven't, it's still a little early to decide." The brunette fiddled with her glasses, a telltale sign that she was nervous speaking to the other woman. Steve had warned her that his mother could be intense, but Holly had sworn that she could put up with it. She figured it couldn't be too hard since she was only pretending to be his girlfriend, so it didn't really matter if his mother liked her or not.

"Well Holly, it's never too early to pick a path as you very well know. You should consider a career in forensics. We are always in need of excellent forensic pathologists, and I can always put in a good word for you." The Superintendent offered, she was pleased that at least one of her children could bring home an acceptable significant other. Meanwhile, Gail was rolling her eyes behind her mother's back.

"I appreciate the offer, Superintendent, but I still have time to make my decision." She didn't mention that she had already been considering forensics, it was something she was keeping to herself for now.

"Well the offer stands dear and don't listen to Gail I can be very helpful, maternal even." The redheaded woman shot her daughter a look, letting her know that she did indeed have eyes in the back of her head, and had seen her antics. Gail merely plastered on a fake, polite smile.

"Of course, ma'am." If there was one thing Holly definitely was, it was polite.

The Superintendent nodded and smiled tightly before turning her attention to her youngest, "Now if only some of your drive could rub off on my daughter, Holly. She still seems intent on squandering her potential."

Gail kept her mouth shut, she was used to mother's barbs and she really wasn't looking to cause a scene in front of everyone. She just wanted to put in her mandatory appearance and get out as quickly as possible.

"I'd hardly say Gail was squandering anything, ma'am. From what I've heard she seems to be very hardworking, between her double major and job." Holly spoke up. She felt bad for the other girl, the one who she had only ever seen be confident and snarky, who was now shrinking in the presence of her parental unit.

Well that was new, Gail wasn't used to anyone sticking up for her. Not her father, not her brother, not her friend, not even any of her boyfriends. She didn't really know why this girl who hardly knew her would try to take on the Superintendent.

"All those things may keep her busy but they are hardly preparing her for her career in law enforcement. You should be focusing your attention on only the one major and you shouldn't be wasting your time serving drinks and food at a bar, Gail. That time could be spent volunteering at the precinct, making yourself known and learning the ins and outs of policing."

"Actually mother, Holly has asked me to volunteer with her at a children's clinic as an interpreter, so it looks like my other major will be useful." Gail had managed to find her voice, and the look of shock and barely contained disapproval on her mother's face was rather entertaining. She knew the woman couldn't say anything about the volunteering in front of everyone, or else it would make the Superintendent look bad, that she didn't want her daughter helping out sick kids.

Steve looked at both Holly and Gail with a quizzical look. He didn't recall Holly ever asking Gail to volunteer and he also didn't remember her mentioning her work at the clinic. Holly for her part had only smiled and nodded, gently supporting the other girl with her claim. She still hadn't told Steve that she had met Gail the week before, but judging by the look on his face, she would probably have to soon.

"Well isn't that nice," the look on the Superintendent's face made it clear that she thought it was anything but nice, but she couldn't do much about it at the moment so she shifted gears, "I hope you all don't mind if I steal my lovely daughter away. There are many handsome, young men dying to meet you, Gail. Maybe if you are lucky you will end up with half the catch your brother has."

Ha, if only she knew that I was on a date with his "catch" last week, well not really a date, but it could've been a date if it wasn't for her girlfriend, the blonde thought to herself. Technically she could blow her brother right out of the water by revealing what she knew about Holly, but then again if she did that there would be nothing to blackmail him with. Gail decided to play the long game with this one and instead focused on fending off her Superintendent Mom all on her own, "Mother, I really don't need help meeting anyone."

"Sweetheart, it wouldn't hurt for you to spend time with some eligible young men from good families. They have very bright futures ahead of them and would make excellent suitors."

"And I'm sure they are all related to the bigwigs of policing, ready to boost your career Superintendent." The blonde couldn't help it, the last thing she wanted was a "suitor", especially not one handpicked and mother-approved.

The Superintendent gave her daughter a stern look, warning her to watch her tone, especially in front of guests, "Despite what you may think, sweetheart, I am looking out for your best interests. I don't want you to look up 20 years from now, married to some Okee from Muskogee who's still on the doughnut patrol, and wonder how the hell did I get here and why didn't my mother push me just when I needed to be pushed the most? Anyway, they are right over there, so stop dawdling and stop slouching. Posture is important."

Gail turned to her brother, Holly, and Oliver and mouthed the words "Save Me!" as her mother dragged her to the other side of the room.

The trio simply laughed at the poor girl's plight.

"Should one of us help her?" Holly inquired, as she watched the blonde get paraded across the room by her mother, stopping to speak to various young men along the way.

"Who Gail? No, my mother won't rest until she at least talks to each of the guys. Plus, she can take care of herself."

"Yeah darlin' I wouldn't worry too much about Gail, if there is anything she can handle it's breaking hearts." Oliver agreed; he had seen the girl shoot down more than enough fellows to be certain that she could look out for herself. Plus, if she really needed help, she knew that he would be there in a flash to rescue her.

As the boys chatted some more about sports and work, Holly found her attention being diverted across the room, where Gail was now stationed. She watched as the beautiful blonde nodded along to whatever each new suitor was saying. It was clear even from where Holly was that the girl was extremely uninterested in what the other person was saying. After a while, she spotted Gail checking to see if the coast was clear before slipping away from the party. When the blonde didn't return for a while, Holly excused herself from the boys, she couldn't help that her natural curiosity made her wonder where the other girl had wandered off to, could she?

"Gail Danger Peck, are you hiding from all those eligible young men?" Holly joked as she found the other girl in one of the hallways, standing in front of what looked like a display of awards. She was pleased that she finally had a full name to greet the girl with.

"Well I must not be doing a very good job of hiding if you managed to find me Nerd, unless, you were watching me." The smirked as she turned around to see the brunette blush, "I knew you were clingy."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Hardly. Maybe I just wanted to get away from all the socializing. I usually avoid things like this."

"So then why are you here?" Gail was genuinely curious about why the other girl had agreed to be Steve's date and was pretending to be his girlfriend.

"Well, Steve needed a last minute plus one, and I am all about growing these days," the brunette answered with a shrug.

Gail didn't know why but she was kind of jealous that her brother had managed to get the brunette to be his date for the night. It was probably just that she was mad he had managed to pull off her own plan (that had to be it). "So first you go on a date with one Peck and then the other. Wow Holly you are quite the busy girl. "

"Ok first of all, last week wasn't a date. As for tonight, your brother asked me to step in and be his date, but it's not a real date either. We're just friends, and in case you haven't noticed he isn't really my type."

"Well I hope your girlfriend is okay with you dating siblings." Gail couldn't help the barb even with the other girl's denials. She was goading Holly.

"You seem very concerned about my relationship, how about you let me worry about it?" Holly maintained her calm demeanor. She wasn't going to let the other girl ruffle her. "But just for the record, she knows all about tonight and she was invited last week."

Gail gave the other girl a hard stare, debating whether or not she should bother asking, but she decided to just to be certain, "My brother does know that you have a girlfriend right?" It was going to be the only act of sibling protectiveness that she intended to display that night.

Holly snorted a little in response, "Of course he does, why do you think he introduced me to Frankie?"

"OK why does Steven know so many lesbians?" Gail threw the question out there. It was weird that her brother seemed to be a magnet for girls who liked girls. Then an idea dawned on her, "Ooo are you his beard? Is he trying to hide something? You know this is a safe space."

Holly rolled her eyes at the other girl's jokes, "Funny. No, your brother has a girlfriend; he just didn't want your mother digging into her life."

"But it's ok to dig into yours?" Gail cocked a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"Well she's a cop and he didn't want your mom messing with her career." Gail nodded along, she could understand that part, after all she hadn't been willing to force any of her friends to endure that. Then Holly added, "Plus, in case you missed it, I'm kind of an awesome girlfriend to have."

"Well at least my mother thinks so. The Superintendent seems to think you'll fit right in," Gail gestured to the awards in front of them. She watched as Holly took in the Peck Hall of Fame. Her eyes roaming over all the achievements her mother, father and brother had attained over the years.

"Notice how imPECKable my family is? When my mother was a rookie, she broke the record for collars. I know, because I dusted the trophies, I shined her medals. My father was one of the youngest to make inspector. My brother is on his way to becoming a detective. Success is a family affair, as long as you aren't me."

With the exception of a few awards for winning shooting competitions, Holly did notice that Gail had very few awards on the wall; they seemed to mostly revolve around the other Pecks. "I'm sure your parents are proud of you Gail, you're a hard worker especially for a freshman in college."

Gail shook her head sadly in defeat, she knew that wasn't true. "Listen Holly, I have certain standards for myself, I expect nothing but the best, but my mother expects more. Growing up, she gave me three pieces of advice: always remember who you are, work harder than everyone else, and don't screw up. And it seems, I can't do anything but screw up. In fact the golden boy loves to call me the Pail Fail and he's right." The self-loathing was evident in the blonde's tone.

Holly couldn't understand why the girl was being so hard on herself but she hated seeing it, "Gail, you are hardly a screw-up. I'm sure whatever you end up doing will be enough. And as for Steve, your brother may be one of my really good friends, but he's an ass."

Gail realized that she had been too open and honest with the brunette with the warm and inviting smile, so she scrambled to put her walls back up, "Forget I said anything, it doesn't matter; we should get back to the party before they notice we're gone. I wouldn't want to be accused of corrupting Steve's perfect girlfriend." The blonde stalked off.

Holly was surprised at the sudden coldness emanating off the blonde, she thought that they were becoming friends, or at least friendly. Maybe whatever she said had struck a nerve, but the brunette couldn't spend too much time thinking about it, so she followed the blonde and rejoined her date.

Gail decided to avoid Holly, Steve, and Oliver. She made the last of her rounds and checking the time, decided to duck out early. The only person she had left to see was her father, who with any luck would let her out of this torture chamber.

"Well if it isn't my missing daughter. It's been too long Gail," her father greeted her with a genuine hug.

"Hi Dad."

"Gail, you look lovely as always. Have you been enjoying your mother's party?"

"Enjoying is one word for it. I have already greeted everyone and spoken to all of the men mother wants me to date."

"She means well Gail, she's just looking out for you."

Gail scoffed at that, "She only cares about me in whether or not I'm making her look bad."

Her father contemplated that for a moment before responding in his gravely voice, "Your mom's a beautiful woman, nothing can make her look bad."

Gail actually laughed at that, "Ooo that's a good spin, no wonder you're inspector."

Her father smiled back, but the lightness never lasts long, as her mother came to join them.

"I trust you have been filling your father in on the frivolous activities you have been wasting your time on?"

Gail just shook her head. Only her mother would consider having two majors and working to be frivolous. Unless it could directly help her future career as a police officer, it didn't matter, and was just a waste of time.

The lecture continued, "Gail, it is time you grew up. You had your fun, you had your 'freedom'. As our arrangement stipulated, when you came home you would get serious about your future. And your future is to become a police officer, then detective, and from there wherever you choose in the field. You mustn't loose sight of your goals now. It's important that you take things seriously."

"I am taking things seriously mother, I have an A in all my classes and will continue to maintain my grades on top of my job." Gail fought back weakly. She was tired and just wanted to go home, not sit through another lecture of how much of a disappointment she was.

"I know you will because there's no other option is there?"

Gail meekly nodded.

"I also trust you have been watching your drinking and not going to any parties. We wouldn't want another incident now would we?"

Gail's jaw clenched at the reminder and at the accusatory tone her mother used, "Of course not mother." She bit out.

"That's good dear, we don't need any more bad publicity for you, not if you are going to be entering the academy in a few short years."

Gail needed to get away from her mother and all of the other people that just reminded her that she had no control over her own future, "It's starting to get late and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, with midterms coming up. If it's ok, may I head out for tonight?"

Her mother checked the time and decided that her daughter had indeed put in a satisfactory appearance for the night.

Gail said her goodbyes to her parents, and simply sent a wave in the direction of Steve, Holly, and Oliver. She wanted to get out of there quickly, before her mother changed her mind. She couldn't wait to get back to her house and to her bed.

Gail could feel the blinding pain radiating in her head from where the door made contact before she felt someone grab her arms. She would have thought they were trying to steady her but she knew something was wrong. This person was grabbing too tightly. She struggled and pulled away but he grabbed her from behind. He was taller than her and much strong but she fought and tried to scream even as his hand covered her mouth. She kicked and punched, and used every ounce of strength she had, every move she had been taught all her life, but she could feel his arm pressing down on her windpipe. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, let alone fight. The room was getting dark and fuzzy.

Gail awoke when her fist made contact with the wall, breaking right through the plaster and sheetrock, the wall crumbling around her hand.

A/N: Ouch!