Freedom's Just Another Word

by snarcasm318

A/U: College is supposed to be their first taste of freedom, but for the last year Gail Peck had real freedom. Now she's back, within the grasp of her controlling parents, and forced to face the nightmares she's tried to leave behind. She's used to dealing with it alone, but does she have to?

16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

A/N: Thank you dear readers for the lovely support for both the story and for my exam. You all are the best. So as relieved as I am to have finally taken my stupid test that I have literally been preparing for for months it's kind of bittersweet. It means that after the holidays I can return to my regularly scheduled life, which will mean way less time to write. I still plan on working on this story when I can but updates will definitely be slower and possibly shorter. But I still have the next week to write as much as I can, so hopefully I will still be able to update with some consistency.

JSkippy: Basically I have three things to work off of in my opinion of Lisa from the show: she's a snoot, she is loyal to her friends, but she shows that loyalty in stupid ways. Lisa and Holly are going to have a conversation soon that addresses most of what you mentioned.

So this chapter managed to be heavy on both Golly and CrankyMuppet. Only one post for the week but a long one. As always, let me know what you think!

---

It was a nice night, owing to the fact that it was a mild fall that year, so even though it was November in Toronto the air wasn't too cold. There was a bit of chill, but it felt refreshing for both girls who were still a little hot and bothered from before.

Holly and Gail walked together in silence for a bit, just enjoying the other's company and the night. They each stole furtive glances out of the corner of their eyes at the other as they strolled, while their hands occasionally bumped due to their proximity.

Finally, Gail broke the silence. "Thank you for coming over tonight."

"Of course. I would've been there sooner if someone had told me." The brunette playfully bumped her shoulder into Gail.

The blonde shrugged as she continued to dismiss her birthday, "It's really not a big deal."

"Why not?" Holly still didn't understand the blonde's aversion to her own birthday.

"Because it's just my birthday." Gail explained with a sigh.

When she had been younger, her birthday had been a platform for her parents to show off. Her mother would host parties for her colleagues and their kids where Gail would be forced to spend time with kids she didn't know and who honestly didn't like her (the feeling was mutual). She was an awkward kid, quiet, preferring to hang out on the periphery instead of being the center of attention, but her mother would drag her around forcing her to interact with others.

When she got older, she flat out refused the parties. After that it just became quiet dinners filled with judgment and reminders of past mistakes. Well, except the one year that her parents forgot her birthday altogether. She had been a freshman in high school and it was Steve's first year away at the University. Her parents had been completely oblivious to the date that year and if it hadn't been for Steve coming home to surprise her and take her out, no one would have even mentioned it. She's pretty sure that was the year that Steve went to both of their parents' secretaries to have them remind their parents of the important dates for their family.

Then there was last year, where it was only short phone call of admonishments and she was able to cut the birthday lecture short by claiming a bad reception. Except for the phone call, she was able to spend her birthday in complete anonymity in Paris. That had been a pretty good day even if she had spent it completely alone.

Holly reached out for Gail's hand and tugged it to get her full attention, "Exactly, and you, Gail Danger Peck, are someone worth celebrating."

Gail's heart fluttered at the comment and at the crooked smile adorning the brunette's face as her eyes belied the sincerity behind the words. It was safe to say that no one had ever made her feel as special as Holly Stewart. Oliver was a close second but that was different.

She looked at their linked fingers. Yeah, it was definitely different.

The two continued to walk and they changed the conversation to classes and the course the brunette had just started. They finally reached Holly's apartment and came to a stop outside.

Holly used her free hand to fiddle nervously with her glasses as she bit her lip, "So, I guess this is where we say goodnight unless you happen to want to come up with me?"

Gail was tempted, god was she tempted, but the nightmare from before was still lingering in the back of her mind and the night was only getting later. She hadn't been sleeping well since before the party and she wasn't sure that it was a good idea to push her body into further physical exhaustion, which she had no doubt was guaranteed to happen if she went upstairs.

So she deflected, "I thought you have class early?"

"I do."

"Then you should sleep. If I go up there that is the last thing we're going to do." The blonde reasoned with a smile that she hoped conveyed to Holly that she wanted to go up, just not that night.

"Fiiiine." Holly conceded teasingly. She had no problem letting the blonde set the pace. With that offer off the table, she took a step closer to the birthday girl to try a different one, "Want to come to the clinic tomorrow?"

"I might be free." Gail replied noncommittally but her blue eyes said that she had every intention of going.

"I'll text you before I go?"

Gail nodded her head in confirmation.

"And you'll text me when you get home?"

"You are just so clingy" Gail teased, but Holly knew that the blonde would do it since she asked. She would expect Holly to do the same if she was walking home alone at night.

"Good night, Danger, and Happy Birthday." Holly had closed most of the gap between them.

"Thanks, Nerd, for everything." Gail leaned in the last few centimeters and kissed Holly goodbye. It was a sweet kiss and when they broke apart each girl was smiling widely. As tempting as it was to kiss the brunette again, Gail forced herself to pull away. She started to head in the direction of her house as Holly walked up the few steps to the front door of her building. When she glanced back, Holly was leaning against her front door with that crooked smile.

Damn, she was in trouble.

---

"It's a wonder you have any." Chloe teased Frankie as she sat across from her in the living room.

"What can I say, I'm irresistible." Frankie replied, though sometimes it even surprised her that she actually did have people in her corner. She knew that her friends didn't really get her; well maybe Gail did since they were so similar, but they accepted her and in Frankie's life that was what she was looking for most when she got to college. Juliet, Holly, Sammy, Jerry, Steve, Oliver had decided to stick by her, sharp tongue and all. That was what mattered.

"You're also very full of yourself." The redhead pointed out, the brunette's ego was practically a separate entity of its own.

"Eh, I've earned it." Frankie flippantly responded glancing up from her phone to smirk at the freshman.

Chloe watched the brunette curiously. The senior hadn't budged since she had sat down. It was the first time in who knows how long that she hadn't bolted the first chance she got. Finally, having the older girl's attention all to herself Chloe decided that it was the perfect opportunity to find out some stuff about the girl that she liked.

"So how did you and Holly become friends in the first place?" Chloe knew about most of the other girl's close friendships considering all of the seniors had been living next door to one another since they were freshman, but she didn't know how Holly factored into the equation except that she also liked the ladies.

"Why?" Frankie asked cautiously. She had a feeling that she was on the edge of an actual conversation with the redhead and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that step in their friendship.

"I'm trying to figure out why she still puts up with you." Chloe teased but she waited for the response with rapt interest.

Frankie shrugged; there wasn't much to say about how she met Holly. "Steve introduced us spring semester of our freshman year."

Chloe did the calculation quickly, "Wait, Holly's in med school already, but you two were in the same grade?"

"She skipped a year. Actually, she skipped a year of high school too. She's only twenty."

"Damn, she must be a genius." Chloe nodded her head, even more impressed by the med student than she had been previously.

"Well yeah, that's why she's friends with me." Frankie commented with a cheeky grin.

The redhead rolled her eyes at that one before prompting, "So why did Steve introduce you?"

"You'd have to ask him." Frankie dismissed, but when she glanced up from her phone and saw the look on Chloe's face, she realized that she wasn't going to accept that answer, "I don't know, probably because we were both lesbians. Holly had just gotten out of a relationship with her roommate that had ended pretty badly and I was interested in meeting new people. I guess he just thought we would click."

"Clearly, he was right." From what Chloe could tell Frankie and Holly were pretty good friends. The med student seemed to be the person the brunette spent the most time with aside from Juliet, and occasionally the senior boys. Since Holly became single again she also seemed to be the person that Frankie took out with her to meet people, which begged the question, "So did you two ever hook-up?"

A warning bell went off in Frankie's head as she realized that was the real reason why Chloe was fishing for information about her friendship with Holly. Frankie thought about messing with the redhead in her response by saying that she had rocked the med student's world and that's why she had never left, but she knew that Holly would dime her out in a second.

"No more than a very drunken kiss the first night we met. We both agreed right after that we would be better off as friends and have been since." She explained a bit grudgingly.

"Makes sense." It seemed that Frankie had a habit of kissing friends on very drunken nights. That was how they had first hooked up. But for their last kiss in the kitchen they had been incredibly sober, so what did that mean? Chloe wanted to ask but she wasn't sure if she would even get a real answer. She was pulled from her thoughts as Frankie took the reins of their conversation.

"My turn for a question. Are you actually into girls or are you just looking to experiment?" The thought had been fermenting in the back of Frankie's mind since the first drunken kiss they shared. Plus, she had heard the redhead talk about guys with the other girls in the house but she didn't know her opinion on the ladies, other than her obvious admiration of Holly.

This time Chloe was the wary one, not sure if this question was just a trap for something bigger. "Why?"

"Well, so far all I know about you is that you had a douche for an ex-boyfriend who you broke up with months ago but that you let some guy lick your face at the party this weekend." Chloe grimaced at the thought but Frankie continued, "Yet you flirt with me."

Flirting was an understatement for the amount of seduction Chloe threw Frankie's way. The body shot, the dancing, hell even the baking had driven Frankie damn near close to mad with want.

"Are you complaining?" The redhead asked with a smirk.

Frankie wasn't complaining but she wasn't sure what exactly to make of the redhead. She had an incredibly low tolerance for games since she broke up with her last official girlfriend, so she wasn't looking to be some kind of toy for Chloe to play with. As late in the game as it seemed to be, they technically hadn't done anything more than some heavy kissing. But they were supposed to be just friends now so she was trying to keep her pointed questions somewhat platonic, "Just wondering."

"It called bisexual for a reason Frankie, it means I'm attracted to both guys and girls." Chloe replied simply. While her roommate may have had an aversion to labels, Chloe did not. She liked whom she liked regardless of their gender, and luckily there was a pretty decent label for that.

Frankie figured that was what the redhead was going to say and she wouldn't be the first bi girl she had ever been with but she still wanted to know how much experience she was working with. No, bad Anderson, you're not working with anything remember, Frankie chastised herself. These were supposed to be friendly questions that were supposed to firmly establish the fact that Frankie wasn't actually interested in the redhead, just her body. Still, she asked the question anyway, "But have you ever been with a girl before?"

Chloe sighed, "Are we really playing the exes game?"

"You started it by asking about Holly and you said you wanted to be friends. Friends talk about this kind of crap." Frankie reasoned, trying to make it seem like something girls talked about and not that she was actually interested for any particular reason. Like the kind of reason that she really just wanted to drag the freshman up to her room and have her way with her. Nope, there was no reason at all behind her questions.

"I've mostly dated guys, but I did have a girlfriend in high school." Chloe explained with a bit of a smile when she thought about her ex. They had dated before she met Wes, till the girl's parents relocated when her father got a new job offer.

Chloe had officially piqued Frankie's interest and she wanted to know more about this ex-girlfriend but they were interrupted by the arrival of Gail.

"Peck, I'm surprised you're here." The senior commented as she spotted the freshman coming through the front door.

"I live here." The blonde replied as she kicked off her boots and plopped down on the couch next to her roommate. She pulled out her phone to text Holly as requested.

"Thought you would stay at Holly's, you know, where there aren't roommates." Frankie's plan had worked out better than she thought. She hadn't been sure that Gail and Holly were definitely hooking up but she had a feeling based on how well she knew her friend and the look in Holly's eye when she showed up looking for the blonde. Sending Price up had confirmed it for her.

"She wouldn't have to worry about her roommate if you weren't such an ass." Chloe interjected, still annoyed that the brunette had set all of them up.

Gail didn't bother looking up from her phone where she was reading the medical student's response as she pointed to her roommate with her thumb, "What she said."

But Frankie just shrugged unapologetically, she had warned Holly that she would get even for the lunch and now she had, "You and Holly were having fun?"

"Would've been having more fun if you didn't send Price in to rain on our parade, so thanks for that." Gail grumbled. She was already getting tired of the interruptions and all she and Holly had done, thus far, was some intense make-out sessions. Yet people seemed to keep getting in the way of even that. She finally put her phone away after the brunette wished her sweet dreams before going to sleep.

"Thought you two were just friends." The brunette teased from the safety of her spot across the room, where she was out of hitting range of the blonde.

Gail shrugged, "We are friends." But she threw a pillow at Frankie anyway.

Frankie deflected the projectile missile and rolled her eyes at the blonde, "Seriously? You're still in denial?"

The look in Gail's eyes was dangerous; clearly the brunette was poking the bear. "We're as good of friends as you and Price over here." Gail remarked knowing full well that at least something had happened between the two even if they denied it till they turned blue in the face. At least Gail could admit that she liked Holly to Holly (kind of) and she didn't care that Chloe had caught them kissing, she just didn't want to put a label on whatever it was that they were doing. Plus, they technically were still friends, but now they were friends who happened to want to see each other naked.

Frankie narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "Whatever."

"So why was Holly over anyway? I thought you were sleeping." Chloe asked breaking the glaring contest between the two. When she had bumped into her roommate before going over to the boys' house, she had been heading to bed alone.

"She wanted to give me something." Gail decided not to mention that it was a cupcake for her birthday, knowing that her roommate would try to make a big deal about it even though it had finally passed.

Frankie opened her mouth to comment but the redhead cut her off quickly knowing that whatever was about to be said was going to be inherently filthy, "That's nice. Holly is awesome. She just seems like such a genuinely nice person, sweet ya know? But also super fun and apparently super smart. I didn't know that she had graduated early twice before starting med school until Frankie just told me. And I mean med school, wow, that takes some real brains to become a doctor. It doesn't hurt that she's so pretty either. You know, she has that whole natural beauty thing going for her."

Both Gail and Frankie watched the redhead ramble with the same exasperated look but Gail was the one to ask, "Do you ever breathe?"

"Obviously." Chloe chuckled at the stupid question.

"Could've fooled me." Frankie quipped.

The redhead refused to be deterred by her audience. "Anyway, as I was saying, Holly seems like a really great catch."

"Would you like me to set you two up?" Gail asked. Every chance she seemed to get, Chloe loved to broadcast Holly's attributes. Gail wasn't sure why, considering she had figured all this stuff out on her own over the last few months of getting to know her, even if it did take until that past weekend for her to act on it. So she didn't need Chloe dropping heavy-handed hints her way.

"What? No. Why would you do that?" Chloe was confused considering what she had walked in on earlier in the night. Was Gail really serious about this whole them just being friends thing? She had assumed it was just her way of getting Anderson off her back.

The blonde shrugged and she kept her voice light but there was a menacing look in her eyes, "You seem really interested."

"She's great but she's not my type." Chloe quickly explained.

It was the blonde's turn to mess with the two girls, "Right, you prefer someone more bitter and snarky who likes to interrupt people and run away from you every chance they get."

Frankie's features hardened at Gail description of her but Chloe was already cutting in before she could verbally lash out, "Aw Roomie, does that mean you reciprocate my feelings?"

Trying as hard as she could to resist it, Frankie let out an involuntary laugh at the ridiculous face Chloe was making as she batted her eyelashes at the blonde seated next to her who playfully shoved her away.

"Not even in your dreams, Princess, do you have a shot with me."

"Drat, guess I'll have to find someone else to keep me warm at night."

"You do that." As much fun as it was to cockblock (she'd have to look up the female equivalent of that later) Frankie and Chloe in retaliation for before, Gail was wiped. "Anyway, I'm actually going to bed this time. Some of us have busy lives and need some sleep."

The blonde pulled herself up and quickly snatched the remaining pillow on the couch to chuck at Anderson before she headed up the stairs.

Gail made her way back to her room. She peeled off her jeans and plopped down on the bed, not bothering to turn off the light, knowing that Chloe would do so when she came in. When she glanced at the table next to her she noticed her cupcake. A delicate smile crossed her lips. So her birthday hadn't turned out horrible for once. She had had two surprise visits and both people had fed her. She reached for her treat and took a bite, enjoying the sugar rush that coursed through her veins.

Holly Stewart seemed to be full of surprises. Or at least she was surprising to Gail. She was interesting, smart, and weird and Gail liked her. But that was kind of a problem. She knew that the brunette was too good for her. She really was inherently a good person and even Steve had warned his sister that she was going to hurt Holly. Not that she really thought her idiot brother was right. In fact, chances were that Holly was going to hurt her when she realized what everyone else seemed to know: that Gail wasn't good enough. Her parents reminded her of it just the day before and her brother on the way home. Even Chloe listing all of Holly's attributes just demonstrated to Gail that the brunette was way out of her league. It was only a matter of time before Holly realized how damaged and undeserving the blonde was. She laid back into her pillows with a sigh.

---

"Nice reflexes." Chloe complimented the brunette as she watched her knock away the pillow without looking up from her phone. She had shouted a goodnight to her roommate when she was on the stairs and gotten an incoherent grumble in return.

"Told you I was skillful." Frankie smugly reminded her before putting her phone down and asking, "Are you going to bed too?"

"I'm not really tired yet, you?" Chloe explained with a smile.

Maybe she was a masochist but Frankie figured that as long as they stayed on separate couches they couldn't get into too much trouble, right? But she couldn't let the redhead know that she was actually enjoying talking to her. "It's a lot of steps I might just hang out here for a little while longer, you know build up some energy."

Pleased with the idea that Frankie wasn't running, Chloe settled down onto her couch more, "So do I get to have any pillows?"

"Are you going to throw them at me?"

"Only if you deserve it."

Frankie tossed a couple across the room.

"So what about this girlfriend of yours?" Frankie picked the conversation back up where it had been left.

Chloe could tell that the brunette was trying hard to seem uninterested but she was failing miserably, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"I guess." The senior agreed to the terms.

So Chloe told Frankie about her high school girlfriend. How they met, how long they dated for, why they broke up, just the usual rundown of a relationship.

In return, Frankie told Chloe about her first official girlfriend when she got to college. She didn't tell her about the girl from home that helped her figure out who she really was. No, that would open the whole can of worms that was Frankie's home life and she really didn't want to do that. So instead she let it seem like she was a late bloomer.

The night wore on into early morning as the conversation drifted to various topics, usually sparked by Chloe. They talked about favorite movies, TV shows, books, hobbies, sports, etc. They teased one another and lost all track of time. It wasn't until the first rays of the sun started to creak into the living room that they realized they should call it a night.

As they headed up the stairs, they paused outside of Chloe and Gail's room.

"This was fun, Crankypants, we should do it again." Chloe pressed a brief kiss to the other girl's cheek before sashaying into her room.

Frankie stood rooted to the spot even after the door closed, her cheek tingling from the contact.

Damn, she was in trouble.

---

Something wasn't right. She could feel it in her gut. She shouldn't be here but she was. She was looking for something. She walked through the dark alleyway. There was trash everywhere and she was trying not to touch anything when she saw it. It was just a glint of metal near a dumpster but she walked over to see what it was. It was a necklace and it was still on someone. The person was covered with trash but they didn't seem to be moving. She tried to budge them with her foot but nothing. She moved the trash from the person's face and she was shocked to see herself staring back up at her, eyes fixed and lifeless.

Chloe entered the room just as the sun was coming up, waking Gail from her latest nightmare. The blonde had her back to the other girl and was glad when she heard the redhead tumble into her bed without saying a word. The girl hadn't noticed that her roommate had woken up in a panic, again.

Gail shifted to lay on her back and she glanced around the room that was beginning to lose its shadows as the sun peaked in. She took a look at her phone to see the time and it was only 6:30am. She toyed with the idea of texting Holly to see if she wanted to go for a run but decided against it. She knew that the dream would still be bothering her and she didn't really want to get accustomed to using Holly to deal with it. So instead she quietly searched for her music player. Once retrieved, she laid back down and focused on whatever song her shuffle played.

---

Despite being tired all the way down to her bones, Gail found herself in Holly's car on their way to the clinic the next day. She sat looking out the window with her head resting on her arm. She had been out of it all day when she was in class. She had been tempted to bail on the volunteering but she liked that the clinic felt that they could count on her when she was free. She also wasn't ready to disappoint Holly yet. She could at least try to be different with her.

"You feeling ok?" Holly asked as she glanced at the quiet blonde sitting next to her. Even with her make-up on, Holly could see the puffiness under the blue eyes. It looked like she hadn't slept in a week.

"Yeah, just tired." Gail mumbled as she rested her head back against the headrest.

"Long day?"

"Mmmhmm."

Holly frowned slightly, "I'm really glad you agreed to come but you know you don't have to if you're tired, right?" She felt bad that Gail seemed to be pushing herself too hard. She knew that the girl double majored and worked way too many hours at the Penny. She was also usually awake at the crack of dawn to run. Holly herself didn't sleep much owing to school but she was more concerned about the blonde sitting in her passenger seat.

"I know, Nerd, but it's good practice for me, which means less studying when I get home."

"Alright, then maybe you can get some sleep later."

"Maybe." Gail replied with a small smile as they arrived at their destination.

"Hola chiquitas, que pasa?" One of the nurses, Eva, greeted the girls from behind the front desk as they entered the clinic.

Eva was one of the few adults that Gail had actually clicked with quickly at the clinic. She was half-Cuban, half-French and a real spitfire. She had a low tolerance for bullshit from the doctors but an endless supply of compassion for the children. She was popular amongst the patients and respected by the staff for being good at her job.

The two conversed for a little bit in Spanish while Holly got a hold of the patient schedule for the afternoon. When she returned Eva switched back to English.

"Miss Stewart, would you mind if I borrowed Miss Peck here for a special patient today?"

Both Gail and Holly looked at her curiously.

"Sure?" Holly wasn't entirely certain what the nurse would need blonde for. If it were just translating services then she wouldn't be asking. But it's not like the first-year medical student had the right to say anything, nor was it like Gail belonged to her.

"Who's the patient?" Gail asked a little warily.

"Her name is Sophie and she's eight-years-old and just the sweetest thing. When she gets to know you she does just the most incredible smile. But she has sickle cell anemia, so we don't get to see that smile too often around here. She comes in regularly for blood work and treatments and unfortunately because of attacks."

"Those are really painful." Holly explained with a frown.

"Exactly, but I think she might like it if she had a friend when she came to visit."

"But she doesn't need a translator?" Gail asked still trying to figure out what it was that she was supposed to offer.

"No, but she could use some special attention."

"Umm.." Gail hesitated, unsure if she was really the best person for the job.

"You should meet her, the kids love you here." Holly encouraged with a smile.

That was enough to make the decision for her, "Alright, I guess."

Eva lit up, "Great, she's in exam room number 3 with her mom Trina. I already told her about you and she approved you being able to meet her and stay in the room with her with the doctor. Miss Stewart you are welcome to examine her as well."

"Thanks, Eva." The brunette replied as the two girls headed over to the room.

Sophie was curled up on her mother's lap when they first entered the room. She was only in for routine blood work to check her oxygen saturation to try to prevent a sickling crisis but the poor girl was scared of the doctor's office, having been there too many times and for too many painful reasons.

The girls introduced themselves.

Trina greeted them warmly and encouraged Sophie to say hello. They were rewarded with a timid "Hi" from the girl and a very small smile.

"Sophie, these were the girls Eva was telling us about. They came here just to meet you. Why don't you tell them a little about yourself?" Her mother encouraged, trying to get her daughter to loosen the death grip she had on her.

But the girl just hid her face even more.

"How about we tell you a little bit about ourselves? Can you keep a secret, Sophie?" The blonde asked with a very serious expression.

Sophie shifted so she could face the older girls and nodded her head vigorously.

Gail moved closer and dropped her voice to conspiratory whisper, "Holly's a superhero."

"Really?"

The blonde nodded solemnly, "Yep, those glasses are part of her disguise."

The little girl's features lit up with excitement, "Like Supergirl? That's my favorite show."

"Kind of."

"What are her superpowers?" Sophie asked with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Well, she has the power to make people feel better. And she only has to use her words."

"Really?"

"Yep, she's done it for me." Gail confessed and she winked at Holly who melted just a little bit.

"That seems like a nice power to have." Sophie turned her attention to the brunette, "I like your glasses. They're a good disguise."

Holly had watched the entire interaction with open admiration and amusement. She would never get used to the blonde's ability to surprise her. "Well, thank you. I like your backpack."

Sophie had covered her entire bag with stickers of her favorite things. She pointed to each one and explained what they were. Once the little one started to talk she became a chatterbox. She moved on to tell the girls about school and her friends, while Holly and Gail gave her their full attention.

Trina watched the older girls with her precious daughter. Eva had been right; they were exactly what Sophie had needed.

---

Even though the girls spent a good portion of their shift with only one patient, Sophie's doctor had been pleased that they had been able to help her relax and enjoy her visit. Her check-up had shown that her vital signs were good and that her treatments were working. When she left, she had both girls walk her out holding their hands as she walked between them till they reached the exit. Trina thanked them for their help and Sophie asked that they be at her next visit. Both girls promised and waved good-bye.

They returned to their normal duties: Holly visiting each patient, while Gail offered translation services to whoever needed it. A couple of hours later they were finally done.

"Feed me?" Gail asked as they made their way over to Holly's car.

The brunette smiled, "Sure, you've certainly earned it. What would you like?"

"Surprise me. But nowhere that we have to wait long, I'm starving."

Holly took Gail to a Deli/Grill not far from where they lived. The place was small but it had a pretty big menu and served breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day. The prices were low and the food was actually pretty good. They just had to be careful about tomatoes but the workers were nice and accommodating.

They ordered their food and settled into a table to wait while it was made. They chatted about the clinic and some of the patients.

"You know you really are great with the kids. I think Sophie took a real liking to you." Holly complimented the blonde. It really was fascinating to watch Gail work with the kids. She had such a fun and easy demeanor with them, it was so different than the way she acted around the rest of the world, where she came off as aloof and guarded. Of course, Holly knew that wasn't the real Gail but the persona she wanted to portray to keep people at a distance. She just didn't know why.

Gail smiled shyly, "I think she was more impressed that you were a superhero."

The shy smile was one of Holly's favorites; she returned it with a crooked one of her own. "Thanks for that. I've never been a superhero before."

"Who are you kidding, Nerd? I know you've pictured yourself as a superhero plenty of times."

"As hot as I'm sure I'd look in tight spandex, I haven't pretended to be a superhero since I was a kid."

Thoughts of Holly dressed in a skintight suit of spandex, or even better: leather, was enough to make Gail's entire body heat up. She cleared her throat and took a sip of water, trying to push the images from her mind, "So what would your superpower be?"

"Apparently, I already have one." Holly smiled crookedly as she remembered the way the blonde described her ability to help people. She hadn't been sure where Gail was planning on going with the superhero comment but she hadn't really expected her to pick that superpower. She had a feeling that she was referring to her birthday the day before and knowing that she had been able to make Gail enjoy it just a little bit actually did make her feel like a superhero.

Gail remembered the confession she had made in the exam room, where she admitted that Holly had made her feel better with just her words. She had meant it, probably more than Holly even realized, but saying anything that even remotely resembled her real feelings made Gail feel incredibly vulnerable so she deflected, "You want to be a doctor, Hols, helping people feel better is kind of your thing."

The med student shrugged, "I'm not a doctor yet."

"Maybe not, but you're going to make a great one."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You actually care about people."

"That isn't always a good thing, makes it harder to stay objective and not let people's sickness get to you. It also makes it worse when there's nothing you can do to help someone." Holly knew that she needed a thicker skin for the work she was planning on doing. She had hoped that volunteering in the peds clinic would make it easier for her to just be herself, because people expected pediatricians to care but if anything it made everything hurt more when she had patients that she knew there was little she could do to help them. It was yet another specialty she had to check off her list of possibilities.

Gail studied her friend closely. It was obvious that Holly was great with patients, she had a really good bedside manner but it didn't seem like something she necessarily wanted to do.

"Do you like working with patients?" The blonde asked bluntly.

"What? Of course." Holly replied quickly, she had to like working with people if she wanted to be a doctor.

"It's ok if you don't. You don't have to like something to do it anyway." Gail was more than accustomed to the feeling, having spent most of her life doing things she hated but becoming skilled at them anyway. Oh, the joys of Peck training.

"Is that how you feel about your major?" Holly asked in a way that told Gail that she wasn't judging but was honestly interested. It was tone the blonde wasn't used to.

"Which one?" She tried to deflect.

Holly cocked her head to side, "You know which one."

Gail really hated talking about her criminal justice major because it hadn't been her choice. But worse, it was just the beginning of the end for her as far as avoiding her family legacy was concerned. By the end of her college career she would not only have a degree but would probably already be admitted to the academy. She knew that she could fail the entrance exam and her family would pull strings to get her in anyway. Hell, her godfather, the Chief of Police, would probably enter her on his own.

But she didn't want to get into any of this with Holly, knowing that it would sour her mood. "I thought we were talking about you."

"Ah, but you're just so much more fascinating." Holly's smile was genuine and her words sincere. She loved learning new things about the blonde.

Gail laughed, "As much as I love indulging in my own ego, can we not talk about my major?"

Holly could tell that the blonde really wanted to drop the subject, so she did, but she wasn't letting her off the hook completely. "Alright, tell me something else about you."

"Like what?"

"You did promise me more info about your trip. What's the first country you ended up in?"

Gail smiled a little remembering the day she arrived in Europe. She had had absolutely no plan whatsoever but the relief she felt the moment the plane landed had made the journey beyond worth it. When she left she didn't care where she went but she tried to be a little practical about it. At least Johnny had convinced her to be when she met him in the airport. He had just started his job and had been eager to help Gail get the hell out of dodge.

"Spain, it was the closest one where I could speak the language." That had been the boy's suggestion and it worked out well for Gail.

"How exactly did you learn Spanish?" Holly had studied French in school like most kids. She had assumed Gail had learned it there as well. But most people didn't study Spanish in school.

"From a book."

Holly wasn't sure what she was expecting the blonde to say but it wasn't that. Most people needed to hear a language to learn it, and even that wasn't enough. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. I can pick up most languages just by reading." Gail explained dismissively. She didn't think it was a big deal. Some people were just good at languages, she happened to be one of them.

"Whoa." Holly was impressed for sure. She obviously found the blonde utterly captivating and had from the moment they crashed into each other at the park. But now she could openly admire her, and damn the more she got to know the girl, the more she admired.

Gail rolled her eyes, "You're easily impressed."

The girls' food was ready and they took a moment to thank their server before delving back into their conversation.

"So tell me about Spain. I'm going to live vicariously through you."

"Never been to Europe?"

"Not yet."

So Gail regaled her with stories about the country and the people she met, the places she saw, and of course the food she ate. She answered all of Holly's questions, which of course were endless. The brunette's natural curiosity amused the blonde. Everyone was always impressed with her trip but few actually wanted to hear about it and definitely not to this depth. Luckily, if they were talking about where she went and what she saw then they weren't talking about why she left and why she stayed away.

The girls ate and they kept bouncing between topics in their conversation. They would shift from Gail's trip to Holly's classes, to both of their friends. Talking came easily to the two and they quickly lost track of time.

"Crap, it's getting late, we should probably head back." Holly reluctantly explained as she glanced at her watch. She didn't want to cut their time together short but she had a lot to do that night. The teachers were already swamping them with new material.

"In a hurry to get away from me." Gail joked but rose from the table anyway to clear their trash.

"Never, but I haven't had a chance to study yet today." Holly clarified apologetically. Getting away from Gail was the last thing she wanted.

"Alright, Alfred take me home." Gail joked as they headed out of the deli.

"I thought I was the superhero." The brunette countered.

"Well, would you like me to drive the batmobile?" Gail made a grab for Holly's keys, but she wasn't fast enough.

"Nice try." The brunette headed over to the driver's side and unlocked the car for both of them.

They continued their banter on the way to the blonde's house. As Holly pulled the car up to the curb near the girls' driveway. They could vaguely make out the inhabitants of the house running around. It had already gotten dark but it looked like the two houses were engaged in a game of ultimate frisbee using a glow-in-the-dark disc.

"Of course they're all outside." The blonde grumbled.

Holly laughed, "And that's a problem why?"

"I was hoping to get a good night kiss."

"And you don't want them to see?" Holly asked with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Gail had said a few times that she didn't care what her friends thought or knew but this seemed a lot like trying to hide from them. She couldn't stop her mind from jumping to the conclusion that maybe the blonde was ashamed of whatever it was that they had going on.

"I don't want them to interrupt." Gail quickly clarified, she could tell by Holly's tone that there was about to be a miscommunication. She didn't want the brunette to think that she was hiding her or anything stupid like that. She just didn't like people butting into her business.

The flippant response settled Holly's nerves. "Well, I don't think they've noticed the car yet."

Gail reached over and turned off the idling vehicle, "It's too conspicuous when it's running."

Turning the car off had triggered the dome light to turn on in the interior. "Oh, but the light isn't?" Holly pointed out with a smirk.

"Well, there are solutions for that." Gail reached up to flip the switch to turn the light off.

"I think you just wanted to get me in the dark so you could have your way with me, Peck."

"Are you complaining?"

"No." Holly had barely uttered the word before she felt Gail's lips capture hers.

Kissing Gail had to be the most addicting thing Holly had ever experienced. She never wanted to stop. Her lips responded to the blonde's with such intensity that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to catch her breath again. But she wanted more. Her hands moved up to tangle in the blonde hair as she tried to pull the other girl closer.

Gail felt Holly pull her in so she deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue past willing lips and earning a deep moan from the brunette. She wanted to be able to feel more of Holly's body on her own but the dimensions of the car limited them from being able to get too close to one another. This had to change.

Holly wasn't aware of the blonde reaching below her until she felt her seat slide back. Somehow, without breaking the kiss, Gail managed to climb over the console to straddle Holly in the driver's seat. She wedged herself between the brunette and the steering column until she reached around to the side handle to lay the driver's seat back as far as it would go.

Holly appreciated the change in positions because it allowed her the desperately craved contact that was sending her body into overdrive. She kept one hand tangled in the blonde locks as the other moved to Gail's lower back to try to create a little of some much needed friction between their heated cores. This time she was the one to earn the moan as the blonde pressed herself into Holly even more.

"HEY!" Both girls jumped at the sound of someone hitting the side of the car.

They were both a little dazed as they glanced through fogged windows to see Frankie cackling outside of the car. The senior had just gotten back from class since Tuesdays were her long day. She had recognized Holly's car instantly and couldn't resist the urge to mess with the girls. Of course, she hadn't quite expected the heavy petting that was going on when she banged her hand on the passenger side door.

"You two are so busted."

"Fuck you, Anderson." Gail growled. She had hit her head on the roof of the car because of the other girl's obnoxiousness, in case getting interrupted again wasn't enough to piss her off.

"I'm pretty sure you have your hands a little too full to do that too, Peck."

"Go away, Frankie." Both girls shouted through the door.

"She has the worst timing." Holly commented as they heard their friend take off, still laughing loudly.

"You think?" Gail was still trying to catch her breath and Holly appeared to be doing the same. One look at the brunette's heaving chest below her was enough to make her forget all about Frankie busting them. She really just wanted to continue what they had started.

"I kind of really want to invite you in." The blonde confessed.

Holly bit her lip at the look of unadulterated want depicted in the darkened blue eyes looking at her. "I kind of really want to invite you to come back to my place with me, where Frankie isn't...But..." She trailed off, knowing that they needed to stop for the night.

"But you have things to do and I should probably let you get going." Gail finished the thought for the brunette.

If Holly were being perfectly honest, she could easily blow her work off and just take the blonde home and ravage her. But somewhere in her lust-addled brain she knew that they were probably moving way too fast. Gail had never been with a girl before, and Holly didn't want to pressure her into doing anything more than she was ready to. But that also meant creating some much needed (though, not desired) physical distance.

"Unfortunately." Holly confirmed with a frown.

Gail reluctantly opened the driver's side door to climb out. She left the door open so they could talk.

"Have fun studying."

"Trust me, there will be nothing fun about it." Especially not with the raging inferno that Holly could feel still burning in her pants.

"Well, it will be more fun than dealing with a smug Anderson." Gail pointed out. If Chloe hadn't confirmed it before, then there really was no denying it now with the senior.

"Want me to talk to her?" Holly offered. She was more than equipped to handle her friend, having been the recipient of her endless jests and pranks for years. But she didn't want to subject Gail to that, not knowing how she would respond to it.

"Nah, I'm a big girl I can handle it. Plus, she's just jealous."

Holly nodded in affirmation. "As she should be."

Gail couldn't resist, she leaned in for another kiss, but this one she kept brief.

"Talk later?" Holly asked once the blonde pulled back, her lips still tingling with the excitement of getting another fix.

"Sure. Text me when you get home."

"Will do."

Gail watched the brunette drive off, waiting till she was completely out of sight before she headed in the direction of her house.

"Hey Gail want to join us?" Chris offered when he spotted his friend. He hadn't noticed her getting home.

"I don't play sports." Gail reminded the boy as she continued to her house, ignoring her friends' encouragement to join their game.

"Except tonsil hockey" Frankie pointed out from where she was leaning against the front door, waiting for the blonde to catch up to her. She made the comment low enough that the others wouldn't hear but loud enough to earn a glare from Gail.

"I really hate you."

"I know." Frankie dropped off her stuff then headed back outside to join the others.

Gail closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She took a deep breath and released it. Her heart was still pounding from her encounter with Holly and damn had it felt good.

---

Wednesday night found all of the freshman girls over at the boys' house when Traci and Gail got off work.

Gail had initially texted Holly to see if she wanted to hang out but she was studying and calling it a night soon since she had to be back at the clinic early in morning, but she invited Gail over to study in the afternoon between class and her shift. She had agreed before letting the bookworm go back to her studies.

So instead, the blonde found herself stretched across both Chloe and Chris on the couch, while playing against them and Dov in video games. Traci was seated on the floor with Jerry watching, while Andy was sitting on Sammy's lap on one of the comfy chairs in the living room.

After losing all his lives Dov handed over his remote to Jerry and asked to speak to Chloe alone for a minute. Gail grumbled as she was forced to move her legs to release her roommate from the couch. The redhead handed her controller to Traci and followed the boy into the kitchen where they were out of earshot of the others.

Jerry explained to Traci how to play. He showed her the various weapons and how to use them. He also gave her the very valuable advice of avoiding Gail if she wanted to live.

They unpaused the game and Gail immediately blew her housemate up.

"Seriously, Gail, five seconds. Not even five seconds to get my bearings." Traci complained as she glanced up at the couch to glare at her blonde housemate.

"All's fair in love and war, Trace, and this is war."

"Speaking of love and war, Peck, how are things with Holly?" Jerry asked trying to distract the freshman enough that they might actually have a shot at living for a change in the game.

Gail hit his character with a grenade, "What are you talking about, Barber?"

"Come on, there was the song at Oliver's party, plus the kiss at the bar, then we're all going to a party at her place, which resulted in you getting decked by her ex, and after she dragged you off for a little TLC. You're not fooling anyone."

"She also came over to surprise her the other night for some reason." Andy added but quickly regretted opening her mouth when she saw the scowl on the blonde's face aimed her way.

"So glad everyone wants to mind my business for me, but maybe you should focus more on the game and less on my love life," Gail proved her point by killing both Jerry and Traci's characters. Chris was still safe for the moment since he hadn't opened his mouth.

"What did I do?" Traci whined. She was decent at some of the video games, thanks to playing with her younger siblings, but she didn't like it when they played the violent games. Still if this was what they were playing in the boys' house she was game, especially if it meant getting Jerry to show her how.

"You're with him which means you get destroyed by association." Gail explained matter-of-factly.

"I don't know Jer, I think I might need to be on Gail's team." Traci teased as the blonde continued to decimate the characters onscreen.

"Abandoning ship?" The boy joked; he reached over and tickled the girl's side. "I see how it is."

"Hey, stop." Traci laughed and tried half-heartedly to swat the boy's hands away.

"Yes, please stop, you two are gross." Gail took them both out one more time while they were distracted with each other. They tossed their remotes to Sam and Andy.

After another disgusting display of flirting from the pair on the floor, Jerry turned his attention back to the blonde, "Anyway, Peck, all I'm saying is that you should go for what you want."

The blonde turned her scowl on him this time. What made him so certain that she hadn't? Gail may not have been singing it from the rooftops but she figured her roommate had gossiped about what she walked in on the other night. Apparently, all she had mentioned was that Holly had come by, probably in an effort to avoid her roommate's wrath.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Jerry, you should see her with a weapon in real life," Andy warned as her character was slaughtered too by the blonde's on screen.

"I'm not scared of Peck." The boy boasted from where he sat with Traci, where he was easily shielded from the other girl.

"You should be." Sammy interjected, "Remember Collins' face? I don't think your stupid mustache is going to protect you."

"You're one to talk, Swarek." Jerry threw back at his friend's scruffy appearance.

"Are you two really not going to shave or get a haircut for the entire month?" The long locks on all of the guys really did not impress Traci.

"No-Shave-November baby!" Sam pointed out with a fist pump for extra emphasis.

Both of the freshmen girls sitting with them groaned, all of the guys were already starting to look a little worse for wear and they were only about halfway through the month. It suddenly reminded Gail that she didn't have the same problem as the other girls. Holly was soft and silky all over. Or at least she imagined, all over, she still had yet to find out for herself. She got a little lost in those thoughts and didn't notice as Sam managed to sneak up on her from behind in the game.

The rest of the room cheered at finally being able to take out Gail for once.

"Hey Peck, what's got you distracted?" Jerry joked as the blonde's character regenerated and went on a mission to destroy Sammy.

"Diaz's phone. It won't stop buzzing against me." The blonde replied.

"You sure that's just a phone?" Sam joked and Andy swatted him for the comment.

Chris blushed a deep crimson at the older guy's joke as he silenced his phone again. "It's Denise."

"What does she want?" Gail asked, her voice laced with disdain. She had never been a fan of Chris' hometown (ex)girlfriend. From what the blonde could determine she had seemed hell-bent on manipulating the good-natured boy, including trying to get him to go back home. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Chris was one of her real friends and had been from the first day when he tried to include her in everything. So the fact that Denise had tried to take him away didn't sit right with Gail.

"I don't know, I haven't answered any of her calls." Chris mumbled.

His phone lit up with a text message, Chris checked it before excusing himself. He handed his controller to Chloe as she came bouncing back into the living room.

"Where's Chris going?" The redhead asked as she plopped down next to her roommate.

"Timmons is calling."

"Denise?" Dov asked as he entered the room too, even though he knew that was how they all referred to the hometown hottie Chris used to date.

"Yep," Gail scowled and blew up Andy's character for good measure.

Dov made a face too; he wasn't anymore a fan of Chris' ex than Gail was.

"So what was your super secret meeting about?" Andy asked as her character lost its last life and she relinquished her remote back to Dov.

"Oh, nothing, we're just going on a date on Friday." Chloe replied off-handedly as she made quick work of Sam's character. She was getting surprisingly good at the game.

"Really?" Traci asked as Jerry reached over to fist-bump Epstein. Sam on-the-other-hand glared from his spot across the room. Epstein had just opened a can of worms and soon the rest of the girls would be expecting the same treatment.

"Yep." Chloe replied cheerily but remained focused on the game.

Gail was surprised at the sudden pairing when she knew damn well that her roommate had a thing for Frankie. But it wasn't any of her business. Whatever, maybe the king of the dorks has finally found his queen.

Chris returned to the room, his face pale and sweaty.

"Hey, Diaz, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." Jerry asked when he spotted the freshman's return.

"Denise is ummm...She's ummm...she's-well, she's pregnant." Chris stammered. He both looked and felt like he was about to pass out any second.

"What?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed at once.

"Denise is pregnant," Chris repeated more for himself than the group as he collapsed back onto the couch with his head in his hands.

"How far long is she?" Chloe asked.

The tall boy shrugged but kept his face covered, "I don't know."

"Chris, are you sure it's yours?" Dov asked his best friend. The couple had been broken up for well over a month at that point, there was a good chance it wasn't Chris' kid.

"What? Of course it is. We're Catholic." Chris said firmly, like that was explanation enough. Denise wouldn't have cheated on him and she definitely wouldn't lie to him about it now. They had met in church when they were just kids and dated for years. He had loved her but they were growing up to be different people who wanted different things. But he had never expected this.

"So what? Me too, doesn't mean she didn't stray." Traci warned, and the rest of the room nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but we're real Catholics. We don't just sleep with anybody." Chris was ignorant to how his words could be misconstrued.

Traci and the rest of the girls looked at the boy incredulously, "Did you just call me a slut?" The dark girl asked with a look in her eyes that warned the boy to tread carefully.

Chris looked blankly at Traci trying to replay the conversation they just had in his head, "No. No,no,no,no,no,no I just meant that you know you're fun. You're fun, you're easy." He tried to smooth over his previous comment but only made things worse.

Traci glowered at the boy and got up to go to the kitchen.

"No,no,no not that kind of easy," He tried to convince her as she stormed away from him.

"Whatever." Traci called out over her shoulder.

"Shut up, Diaz." Jerry advised the boy. He knew that Chris hadn't meant anything by his comment and wasn't thinking clearly but that wouldn't stop the girls from ripping him apart if he kept going.

Chris gulped, "Shutting up."

Gail couldn't keep quiet any longer, "Chris, you're hot but oblivious. You can't just accept that the kid is yours. Seriously, when was the last time you two even had sex?" She couldn't believe how stupid these people that called themselves her friends were. Had none of them heard of using contraceptives?

"Look, leave it alone. Denise never would've cheated so if she says it's mine then it's mine." He roughly rubbed his hands over his face. He still couldn't wrap his head around the situation he now found himself in.

"But what are you going to do?" Andy asked gently. She had gotten up to place a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I don't know." The boy replied dejectedly.

A somber mood fell over the group for the rest of the night.

---

Thursday afternoon, Gail let herself onto the roof like usual. This time she came with sandwiches and coffee. She paused in the doorway and admired Holly from afar. The brunette was sitting in her usual spot with all of her books and papers spread across the table even though she knew that Gail would be coming over. It actually made the blonde chuckle to herself how absorbed in her work Holly could become. It was kind of cute, if Gail ever used such terms (which she didn't).

After pausing long enough to be borderline creepy, Gail peeled herself from the door frame and headed over to put her gifts on the table. Holly had only briefly looked up from what she was reading to smile in greeting before ducking her head back down to the section of information she was working on. Gail was getting accustomed to the lackluster greeting the more she studied with the brunette, recognizing it as the medical student trying to finish whatever she was reading so she could give the blonde her full attention.

Gail waited a bit as she watched Holly from her closer viewpoint. She really was gorgeous without even trying. She was making an adorably grumpy face as she concentrated on whatever it was that she was reading. She had her head resting on hand with her elbow supporting its weight.

Holly could feel the blonde over her shoulder, but she was trying to finish the page she was working on.

"Do you realize how incredibly sexy you look when you're getting your nerd on?" Gail nibbled her ear.

The brunette smirked but kept her eyes firmly on the text, "Do you realize how incredibly distracting it is when you do that?"

"Do what? This?" She gently nipped the sensitive spot behind Holly's ear.

A sharp intake of breath from Holly preceded her gasping, "Yes"

"What about this?" The blonde's mouth moved a little lower and placed a slightly harder bite on the other girl's neck.

"Mmhmm." Holly stretched her neck to give the other girl more access but still kept her eyes on her text. She had a feeling that pretending to ignore the blonde would only drive her to try harder for her attention.

"Well Nerd, if you're going to be a doctor you need to be able to work with quite a bit of distractions." Gail continued to trail sharp bites and soothing kisses along the other girl's neck.

"I'm pretty sure this type of distraction would constitute sexual harassment."

Gail's mouth hovered just above the brunette's pulse point. "Do you want me to stop?" She sucked on the spot hard, enjoying the feeling of the brunette's racing pulse against her tongue.

"No." Finally Holly caved and turned around so she could capture the blonde's lips with her own. She pulled the blonde down onto her lap recreating the positions they had shared in her car earlier in the week.

Gail pressed harder into Holly, which jabbed her back into the side of the table.

"Damn, this bench is uncomfortable." Holly complained breathlessly when their kiss finally broke.

"We could go downstairs?" Gail suggested against the other girl's lips.

Holly groaned, she wanted to take the blonde down to her apartment but knew that she couldn't. "Lisa and Rachel have people over for a study group. Cause that's what we're supposed to be doing if we want to actually enjoy our weekend."

"Alright." Gail conceded and pulled herself away from the brunette. She could behave herself if it meant getting to see more of her this weekend.

She moved to the other side of the table.

"You should eat something, since you've finally taken a break from filling that big brain of yours with new knowledge." She offered her one of the sandwiches she brought.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you always feeding me?"

"Because I know you haven't fed yourself. And it would suck if you passed out up here without anyone knowing."

"Well thank you." Holly knew the blonde was trying to brush off the sweet gesture but she appreciated the thoughtfulness. It was true, she hadn't eaten, so she happily tucked into her own food.

Gail asked Holly about what she was learning, and she let the brunette ramble for a bit about her lectures and readings. She liked the way the other girl lit up when she explained sciencey-mumbo-jumbo.

Finally Holly's long-winded explanation ended and she shifted her focus onto her companion, "What's up with you?"

Gail bit her lip. She had been meaning to ask Holly about something since the night before but hadn't wanted her questions to get misunderstood. "Can I ask you another pregnancy question without you jumping to obnoxious conclusions this time?"

"Well when you preface it like that I'll do my best to keep my imagination in check." Holly knew she deserved the criticism, she had been a tool that day at the Chinese restaurant.

"How far along does a girl have to be before a doctor could do a paternity test?"

"By the end of the first trimester, depending on the test either week 9 or 10." Holly stated from her insane memory bank.

"You're better than Siri."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, your voice is sexier when you explain things." Holly blushed slightly at the compliment but didn't say anything else as she continued eating.

"You're not going to ask why I asked the question?" Gail wondered, most people would have already to tried to figure out why she would want to know such a specific question.

"I figured you would tell me if you wanted to, if not that's ok too." Holly replied with a shrug. She wanted the blonde to know that she could tell her if she wanted to but she didn't have to, she would keep her promise, no rash judgments.

"Chris is an idiot. His ex-girlfriend is knocked up and he believes everything she says hook, line, and sinker. He won't even consider the fact that he might not be the dad."

"Chris was dating someone?"

"Yeah, hometown girl that he broke up with right before that night we closed the Penny."

"That had been a good night." Holly replied with a fond smile, recalling the shenanigans from the night.

"Yep." The blonde agreed and she took her own bite of food to hide the slight blush she could feel creeping its way to her cheek when she remembered freaking out a little after that innocent kiss. Now, she could barely keep her hands to herself whenever they were together.

"So you think Chris isn't the Dad?" Holly wanted to be sure what the blonde was implying.

"I think there is a good chance he isn't."

"Well, hopefully he'll at least find out for sure."

"Yeah, I'm just worried about the stupid decisions he'll make in the meantime."

"He probably just needs to process it. I'm sure all of you will be around to hopefully stop him from doing anything too stupid."

"I hope so." Gail conceded, but she didn't look convinced.

---

When they finished eating the girls actually returned to their studies. Gail worked for a good amount of time before she got bored. She decided to head over to the edge of the building, knowing that if she stayed in her seat across from the med student she would be tempted to distract her again. That was thing about being around Holly, she was really tempting even when they weren't doing anything but studying together. It was still overwhelming Gail how strong their connection seemed to be, which only served to remind her that she needed to talk to Holly before anyone got into this too deeply. Even Steve had told her not to hurt the brunette, so she knew she needed to let the other girl know that she was awful at relationships, which was part of why she despised them so much. Gail was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Holly put her books down and watch her from the bench.

"I think you like it up here." Holly commented, breaking the blonde from her quiet contemplation. The med student had noticed that she had forgone studying a while ago but hadn't opted to leave and had now been leaning across the short wall staring at the view for the better part of the last half hour.

"I could live up here." The muffled buzzing of the city, the epic view, and, best of all, being able to escape everyone else made it a perfect little hideaway. Gail sighed, since the brunette had noticed that Gail had been lost in thought, she figured it was time to let her in on the inner workings of her mind.

"Holly," Gail took a deep breath and released it, "I'm like a cat."

"You're not about to walk across that thing to prove how good your balance is, are you?" Holly jokingly asked as she gestured towards the wall that was supporting the blonde's weight.

"What? No." Gail replied, annoyed at the interruption.

"Just checking." Holly gave the blonde one of her crooked smiles, "Carry on."

The blonde rolled her eyes before continuing her explanation, "I'm very good at climbing trees and then the minute that I get up there I don't-I have no idea what to do. I want to get down but I don't know how to do that, so I create an emergency situation to get out of it." She finished slowly waiting for a response.

Holly contemplated Gail seriously, trying to decipher what she was saying but she's got nothing, "Out of the tree?"

Gail looked at Holly like she was slow for not comprehending this particular analogy, "Of relationships."

Holly smiled her crooked smile, "Ahhh." Well, that made a little more sense. She decided to offer her own little tidbit about that feeling, "Yeah, I used to be like that. But it turns out I didn't like men."

Before Holly had fully come to terms with the fact that she was a lesbian she had always managed to end her relationships with guys before they became too serious. She would date guys, as was expected but things always felt off. She definitely didn't feel the same way that her friends did. Even when she first entered college she tried dating a boy but that didn't last more than a month. Then when she got involved with her roommate, it all kind of made more sense to her.

"Oh, I don't think I like men either." Gail replied seriously.

"Because you hate people?" Holly joked, she remembered the blonde saying so on their first "date" with Lisa and Frankie.

"Because I'm a lesbian." Gail deadpanned. If her mother had taught her one thing it was to know who you are. And based on how Gail's body was responding to Holly, it seemed like the most logical conclusion.

Holly had started walking over towards the blonde but paused in her step, not really expecting that comment considering Gail had avoided labeling her sexuality the same way that she avoided germs, "Really?"

The blonde nodded seriously, "Though I do think I need some conclusive proof just to confirm."

The brunette continued her trajectory and looped her arms around the shorter girl, "That could probably be arranged."

"So, you're ok with me being a cat?" Of course that was what Gail was concerned about. She liked Holly, regardless-or maybe because-of the fact that she was a girl so this was of more importance at the moment.

Holly wasn't entirely sure if this was Gail's way of saying that she didn't want a relationship or how she would act if she were in one. But the blonde had already told her on more than one occasion how much she hated commitments; it seemed more likely to be the former. Then again if the guys in her life had made her feel like a cat then it really was no wonder that she despised them so much.

Considering Holly's own track record with relationships and the fact that she had finally come to her senses about Jess, she wasn't exactly looking to send Gail up into a tree anytime soon, which meant the blonde wouldn't need to create any emergency situations. But what it all really boiled down to was that Holly was interested in Gail and she was ok with seeing where things ended up.

Holly finally took Gail's hand, linking their fingers together, "I happen to like cats."

And just like that Holly had once again accepted Gail for exactly who she was. The blonde felt a bit of relief that at least now whatever happened meant that Holly knew what she was getting herself into, so Gail reverted back to usual snarky self, "How very lesbian of you."

But Holly just shrugged in acceptance, "You should see my backpacks."

Holly leaned forward to kiss the blonde who happily accepted. They kissed languidly, without any pressure to push things further. When they broke apart, Gail checked the time and groaned; she had to get to work.

The brunette walked her down to ground level.

"What are you up to tomorrow?" The blonde asked as they paused on the front steps.

"Promised Frankie we would hang out, as long as we studied for a while in the afternoon before going out at night. You?"

"Working. You two should come by the Penny beforehand."

"I'll try to convince her. Have a good shift, Danger."

"Happy studies, Nerd." With that the blonde headed back to her house, getting lost in her own thoughts. She hoped she hadn't scared Holly away but if she had, she wouldn't be surprised.

---

Holly met up with Frankie after classes that Friday afternoon. She took up the senior's offer to study at her house, in hopes that she might be able to sneak in a little time with a certain blonde before her shift that night.

"Umm Baby Bear I think someone's been sleeping in your bed and she's still there." Holly joked when Frankie opened the door to her room and they found Gail stretched out in Anderson's bed.

"Ah and a new nickname begins." Frankie had every intention of calling the blonde Goldilocks from here on out. It was fitting since she loved to take over Frankie's room uninvited.

"Does she do this a lot?"

"Yes. I should really invest in a deadbolt." Frankie replied with the utmost seriousness.

"Probably won't stop her." Holly logically pointed out. The blonde had a way of getting what she wanted.

"You know I'm not actually sleeping." Gail shifted the arm she had draped over her eyes to behind her head so she could see the two friends who were talking shit about her.

"You never are. One of these days though you're going to realize that you have a bed that belongs to you and stop using mine." Frankie reminded the freshmen who seemed to think she had free reign over her things.

"One of these days I'm going to kill my roommate and be forced to sleep on a cot in a cell I share with a woman named Bertha." Chloe had been annoying Gail all day talking nonstop about going out with Dov that night and pestering the blonde about Holly. She had only barely managed to curtail her murderous impulses before escaping to Frankie's room.

"Oh what a lovely prison wife you'll make." Frankie quipped.

Gail turned her attention to Holly, "Will you wait for me?" She asked with mock seriousness.

"No," Holly deadpanned as she went over to where the girl was laying and briefly straddled her so that she could plop down on the inside of the bed. She positioned herself so that her back was against the wall and her legs were stretched out across the blonde's lap and her feet were hanging over the edge.

"Hey," Gail smiled one of her bright smiles that Frankie realized she only ever used when she saw Holly. The blonde was pleased that not only was she seeing Holly but the brunette had even come over to be close to her.

"Hi," Holly greeted with a smile just as big, even if it was a little crooked.

"Oh, no, no, no, no way, you two are not allowed on my bed at the same time, ever." The way the two girls were looking at each other, Frankie was certain they were about to tear each other's clothes off any second.

"Not even for a threesome?" Gail questioned.

"No, because I have a feeling that I'd be the one getting left out and that just isn't ok in my room. One of you has to get up."

"I was here first." The blonde childishly tried to hold onto her spot on the bed.

Holly rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the actual owner of the room, "You don't exactly have anywhere else to sit, Frankie."

"Sit on the floor for all I care but I am not having to wash my sheets because of you two."

"Oh, untwist your panties Anderson, I gotta get to work anyway."

Holly lifted her legs to let Gail escape the bed. The blonde got up and the brunette scooted to the edge of the bed to let her feet rest on the ground as she leaned her weight back on her arms stretched out behind her. Gail pretended to get ready to leave before whipping around and planting a passionate kiss on Holly's unsuspecting lips. She pushed the brunette onto her back as the other girl responded to the kiss willingly.

"Seriously?" Frankie asked incredulously. She couldn't believe her friends were actually going to make out on her bed right in front of her.

The blonde pulled away as abruptly as she had started the kiss. Holly managed to prop herself up by her elbows, giving herself a perfect view of the blonde's ass on her way out the door.

"Catch you both later." Gail called out over her shoulder as she sauntered out of the room.

"Damn." Frankie was kind of impressed by the freshman's smoothness.

"Yeah," Holly replied still a little dazed.

"Alright, you horndog, you're supposed to be studying so we can actually go out tonight." Frankie chastised her friend who was still staring absently at the door.

"Hmm, right, yeah." Holly pulled out her books but her mind was still focused on the blockbuster kiss from before.

"Tonight, had better be worth it after having to see that little display." Frankie muttered to herself as she got her own work out.

"Careful Frankie, you're turning a little green." Holly teased her friend.

"I am not jealous."

"How are things going with your freshman?"

Frankie refused to talk about Chloe, no matter how much her friend tried to dig. "Shut up, Stewart, or I'm not letting you hang out with me tonight."

"Oh, now you're allowing me to bask in your greatness?" Holly teased.

"Better believe it." Frankie cockily replied, earning an eye roll from her friend. But now the med student had triggered her brain to focus on the redhead that she was trying hard to not think about for once.

---

Becoming friends with Chloe Price was one of the best and worst decisions Frankie Anderson had ever made. Even though she worked hard to maintain a physical distance, the redhead was quickly closing in emotionally. She thought that immersing herself in the other girl's incessant chirpiness would get her over this crush-or whatever it was-but it hadn't. In fact, the more time she spent with the girl, the more she wanted to. It turned out that Chloe Price was the perfect storm of things that attracted Frankie. She was complex, fiery, and unabashedly herself. She was filled with layers that Anderson wanted to peel away, along with her clothes. This was a problem.

She realized that she was in deep trouble when she found herself cooking for the redhead. Sure it had only been BLTs the previous afternoon and only because the freshman had challenged her that she wasn't able to cook anything. She had laughed when Frankie told her the merits of the sandwich: quick, satisfying, and Gail couldn't steal it. That laugh had caused Frankie's stomach to flip in a way that it hadn't for such a long time. She was doomed, she couldn't fall for someone as happy and perky as Chloe Price and she definitely couldn't act on her feelings or her attraction. If she hooked up with Chloe just for sex, then she would be breaking her promise to Juliet. If she told her friend that she was actually developing feelings for the redhead then she would have to admit such a thing out loud and that was something she definitely wasn't ready for. Damn it, this hadn't been in her plans for her senior year. It was supposed to be easy, fun, and completely mindless. But now her mind was a whirring a mile a minute and most of those thoughts centered around her housemate.

Which was why she wanted to hang out with Holly that night. It would give her a chance to spend time with someone who didn't live in the house of temptation. She hoped the brunette would help distract her from her thoughts about the girl she shouldn't-couldn't-have. But of course her plan backfired as they ended up at the Penny, anyway.

"Why do you always want to start the night here? Wouldn't it be more productive to end it here so that you're already hammered when you try to seduce Gail."

"Who says I needed to be hammered?" Holly replied cockily. She may have been drunk that first night, but she had managed to get hot and heavy with Gail without any alcohol involved the last few times they had seen each other.

"Fair enough." Frankie conceded but remained stubbornly outside the bar doors.

"You know the drinks here are the cheapest, and with Gail serving, the strongest. We can go wherever you want next." Holly cajoled her friend.

"Can you two just hook up already so that you'll stop dragging me along?" Frankie complained bitterly, she didn't want to go to the Penny, she didn't want to see the people she lived with, and she didn't want to watch Holly and Gail flirt.

"You're the one dragging me out tonight. The least you can do is pretend to enjoy it."

Holly pulled the reluctant senior into the Lucky Penny.

"Hey, Frankie, Holly, can I talk to you two for a sec?" The girls had only just made it to the bar when Nick was coming over to greet them.

"What do you want, Collins?" Frankie asked guardedly. The last time the boy approached then it was to go off about Gail. This had better not be a round two or Gail wouldn't be the only one to bruise his pretty little face.

"To apologize. The last time I spoke to you at the bar I had been way out of line. It's not my business who Gail spends time with."

"Are you drunk?" Frankie asked seriously. She wasn't sure where this sudden change of heart was coming from.

"Not yet. Let me buy you ladies your next round as an apology."

"Ok." Both girls agreed cautiously.

"Nicholas, are you really bothering them again. When will you learn that girls just don't want to talk to you?" Gail asked when she found the trio waiting at her bar.

"I'm learning. Put their next round on my tab." He instructed the bartender, "Have a nice night, ladies." At that the boy headed back to the table of his housemates and neighbors, grabbing the empty seat next to Juliet.

"What was that about?" The blonde asked once her ex was out of earshot.

"No idea." Frankie replied, while Holly nodded in agreement.

"Weird." Gail commented.

"Yep." Both of the brunettes agreed.

Gail brushed away the strangeness of the interaction, "So what will you two have? I'd pick something expensive if I were you."

Frankie replied quickly before Holly could say anything, "Holly would like a screaming orgasm." She teased, as Holly swatted at her.

"I thought you'd never ask." Gail replied smoothly, with her attention focused solely on the bespectacled beauty at her bar, earning a crooked smile and blush. Gail played along even though she made the drink anyway.

"What about mine, Goldilocks?" Frankie whined when she saw the blonde only serve her companion for the night.

"You'll have to see my roommate about that, though you might want to hurry up before Dov beats you to it." Gail taunted the senior but made her a drink anyway.

"What are you talking about?" Frankie asked as her and Holly clinked glasses and took their drink.

She gestured to the laughing couple that had just walked through the door. They waved to their friends at their usual table but headed across the bar to one of the booths in the back. Chloe hadn't seemed to notice the senior and med student at the bar with her roommate.

Gail poured out two new drinks, this time, Kamikazes deeming it appropriate for the look Frankie had on her face and for what she might need the drink for.

"Dov asked the Princess on a date tonight. Didn't you hear?" Gail thought everyone knew at that point.

"No." Frankie bit out through her tightened jaw. She had definitely not heard about the freshmen coupling and the unpleasant swirling sensation in her stomach told her how much she didn't like it. She reached over and down the shot without any preamble.

"Want my advice?"

"No." Frankie replied quickly as she waited for another shot from the blonde.

"Maybe you should hear her out and slow down, Frankie." Holly suggested.

"Alright, oh wise one what is your great advice?"

"Well since my motto is who cares, as long as I'm happy. You gotta ask yourself what makes you happy? Really? If it's Chloe, then tell her." Gail winked at Holly before walking off to serve more patrons.

"Great advice, maybe you should stick with making drinks, you're better at it." Frankie called out before snatching Holly's shot and downing it too.

"She's right you know?" Holly cautioned her friend. Frankie had been holding back on her feelings for the redhead all semester and now she was risking missing her chance all together. Holly had told her crush about her feelings and it had worked out pretty well so far. Now, if she could only convince Frankie to do the same.

"Whatever, I'm done with this place tonight, you can stay if you want to, but I'm not." Frankie took her last shot and slammed the glass down, hard, as she continued to glare at the back booth.

Holly saw the resolute look on Frankie's face and knew that they were in for a long night. "Let me pay for our drinks and we can go wherever you want." She wanted a chance to say good night to Gail before she got dragged off to who knows where.

"I'll be outside." Frankie informed her friend as she stormed out of the bar without waiting for a response. She needed air, the bar suddenly felt stifling.

Holly watched her friend go before trying to grab Gail's attention.

"Where's Anderson?" The blonde asked when she realized that the brunette was missing her counterpart.

"Waiting outside. I think she saw enough for the night and wants to go somewhere else." Holly explained with a frown. She felt bad for Frankie and she was also disappointed that they were leaving so soon. She had barely had a chance to see Gail, which was why she had dragged Frankie to the Penny in the first place. It didn't hurt that it was her favorite bar in the vicinity even before the hot bartender started working there, but getting to see Gail in action had some perks.

"Be careful and call if you need any help with her." Gail warned, she remembered the last time Frankie decided to drown her issues with booze and she had to get her home.

"Sure, what do we owe?" Holly asked, reaching for the bit of cash she had tucked into her back pocket.

"Forget it, Nick can pay for all of your drinks, he owes it to you anyway." Gail waved away the brunette's offer to pay.

"What for?"

"For being him." This could be his penance for causing the misunderstanding between them in the first place. She still didn't know what he had said that other day at the bar, but it had been enough to piss off both Frankie and Holly.

"Umm alright, so what time are you done tonight?" Holly asked, trying to sound nonchalant but coming across a little more eager than she intended.

The blonde frowned, "I'm closing."

"Are you working tomorrow?" The brunette tried again.

"Yeah, lunch into the early dinner shift. Should be done around eight."

"If you're not too tired, would you want to come over? Watch a movie or something?"

"I'll think about it." Gail replied coolly, although she had butterflies at the prospect of getting to hang out with the brunette, hopefully alone this time.

"Alright, well let me know. I should probably go catch Frankie before she leaves without me."

"Good luck, Nerd. Don't have too good of a night."

"No promises." Holly said with a crooked smile as she headed out of the bar.

Gail watched her leave before the line at the bar started demanding her attention again. Ugh, it was going to be a long night.

---

A/N: Did Frankie wait too long?