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?

20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter, good and bad, your reactions help me know that what I write makes sense outside of my own head, sometimes. I know this chapter is about a week later than I said, but in my defense it's at least two weeks earlier than I've been posting lately (it's also the longest chapter to date). Like most of my chapters this one kind of got away from me and took a different turn than how it started...

---

After Gail stormed out of the bar the rest of the group returned to drinking. Chloe knew that she should probably put some space between her and Frankie but she was comfortably pressed against the brunette's side with the senior's arm draped over the back of her chair. Her hand had found its way back to the muscular thigh of the other girl and everyone at the table seemed to be too distracted to comment on the two of them. It wasn't until the boys starting teasing Chloe about having to sleep with one eye open that Frankie had subtly shifted away from her under everyone else's stare. But the redhead had flippantly boasted that she wasn't worried about her roommate, especially not if her plan worked.

"You sound confident." Frankie whispered in her ear as the boys returned to talking about how Sam and Jerry injured themselves on the Christmas decorations.

Chloe smirked as she leaned over, brushing her lips gently against the senior's ear, "Always." And she leaned back to see the way Frankie bit her lip as her eyes traveled down to Chloe's lips and back up, holding her stare for a beat before the older girl turned away and finished her beer.

It wasn't until last call that the herd finally left the bar. Even though most of the group was coupled up Chris and Dov were still trying to convince them to stay up and play some video games. Nick, Jerry, and Sammy all had better plans for their girls so they immediately begged off.

"What about you Chloe? You can hide from the Ice Queen at our place." Dov offered up the invitation to his friend as he sloppily slung an arm around her shoulder.

Chloe had to resist the urge to look at Frankie and judge her reaction to the invitation knowing that it would draw too much attention to them and ruin their fun. "Thanks for the offer guys but I'm pretty beat and I'll be fine as long as Grumpy isn't home or is already asleep. I'll check for any booby traps."

All the boys started to snicker much to the girls' confusion. "What?" Chloe asked obviously unaware of what was funny about what she said.

"You said booby," Nick explained as he tried to contain his own chuckling as Juliet elbowed him. The boys laughed harder before continuing their appeals as they made the trek back home.

When they finally reached the two houses most of the group was headed to the mancave except for Chloe and Frankie and they paused to say their goodnights outside of the girls' house. After a little more coaxing the younger group headed in, while the seniors stayed outside to chat. Chloe couldn't quite make out the taunts from the rest of the upperclassmen but she did notice the whispers and nudges directed at Frankie, so she decided to head in first to give them the chance to get it out of their system. She chuckled to herself as she caught the brunette's snide remarks about each one of the other senior's puppy loves while she let herself into their quiet house.

Chloe stopped in the kitchen to grab some water before heading to the stairs. She was halfway up them when she heard the front door open and shut, so she glanced over her shoulder and offered a coy smile at the girl stationed at the door. Chloe continued her ascent confident that the senior would follow. She had just reached her door when she felt the slightly taller girl's warm body hover just behind her.

"Not in the mood for more games tonight?" A slight squeeze of a hand on her hip accompanied Frankie's whispered words.

"Not with them." She heard the brunette chuckle before she felt the warmth vanish.

As Chloe watched the older girl ascend the second set of stairs she knew that she had to follow. A quick glance in her room revealed no obvious signs of the platinum blonde on a mission to destroy her, which confirmed her plan had worked and Chloe was more than a little smug about it as she bounced up the steps. She slipped into the room after Frankie, closing the door behind her, but didn't make it more than a step before she found herself being pinned roughly to the back of the door.

"You like to tease, Muppet." Chloe's hands were locked above her head and Frankie's hips rolled slowly into hers. Frankie's mouth hovered slightly away from her neck and jaw as each word was breathed against the sensitive skin before ghosting over her lips.

Chloe tried to move forward to capture Frankie's enticing lips that were dancing a hair's width away but she pulled them just out of reach while keeping her body locked in place.

"Not nice is it?" The senior's lips continued to trace over her own and Chloe found herself torn between watching them and the darkened emerald eyes that were staring at her intently. Frankie's smug smirk was present and the redhead wanted nothing more than to kiss it away, but her advances continued to be restrained. Soon a strong thigh pushed between her legs to add to the slow torture.

"I believe I have hours of self-restraint to teach you about." The need was growing to be too much and Chloe whimpered as Frankie's lips continued to tease and taunt her close enough to feel the spark but not enough to provide relief.

"Shut up and kiss me, damn it!" Chloe growled as her frustration mounted. She felt rather than heard the chuckle this time before Frankie swooped in with a bruising kiss. The senior stole the air from her lungs, but Chloe could care less as long as she kept kissing her like that.

---

Gail could feel the heaviness in her limbs and the fogginess of sleep invade her body and mind as she laid in Holly's bed, both of their needs finally sated. She knew she couldn't-shouldn't-stay but trying to get her body to cooperate was proving more difficult than she had imagined. It seemed that sleep had already claimed Holly once more, as Gail listened to the woman's breathing start to even out beside her but she couldn't give in to the temptation; it was late and she needed to head home before she passed out next to the brunette. She also needed to see if this had worked, that if she was tired and satisfied enough she could sleep a decent night like she had before, in the ways that only seemed to happen when she was with Holly. So she carefully got off of the bed to retrieve her clothes even though every muscle in her body protested the movement. She had just shrugged on her leather jacket and had one hand on the door when she heard the somnolent whisper.

"Leaving?"

Gail startled slightly at the soft voice, she hadn't expected to get busted sneaking out. But since she had she knew she had to respond so she nodded, not really trusting her voice at the moment before turning to look at Holly who was watching her under heavy-lidded eyes. Looking at Holly, Gail wasn't sure what she felt. She was still pissed at the brunette for bringing that girl into her bar and almost leaving with her. She was jealous that someone else had been able to so effortlessly get close to her; something that Gail wouldn't let herself do completely. Hell, it had practically been a date, something that Gail and Holly hadn't technically been on. Sure they hung out, sometimes went to dinner, had watched movies, but they were never labeled as such. That was mostly to Gail's benefit and she knew that after all the warnings she had given Holly it seemed like she was just trying to respect Gail's space. Honestly, she wasn't sure what it was that she wanted anymore. She didn't know if she could do the whole relationship thing, she was scared she would screw it up and now she was worried that Holly was going to bolt like everyone else did. But she couldn't think about that. Not now, not when Holly was looking at her with an unreadable expression.

Holly bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from asking Gail to stay. She wanted her to, that much was certain, but she wasn't sure it was her place. She had been lucky Gail had shown up at all, after the stunt she pulled the night before, even if they weren't in a relationship or even exclusive. But it still wasn't fun watching her slink away. It was obvious that Gail hadn't expected her to still be awake. The sudden emptiness in her bed had been enough for her to fight off the tendrils of sleep long enough to catch the blonde in her escape.

Gail knew it didn't look good. That she had waited for the brunette to fall asleep before skulking away in the middle of the night but what was she supposed to do? She couldn't stay and she couldn't explain. So she said the only words she could think of, "You should go back to sleep."

Holly yawned and wrapped herself around the pillow Gail had been using just a few minutes before. "You shouldn't be walking out late at night."

Gail scoffed, "I used to live on my own in countries where I couldn't even speak the language. I'm not afraid of Toronto." She wasn't afraid of the dark streets of the city she had grown up in. No, what she feared most was the darkness that only her mind seemed to conjure up. But now wasn't the time for that, she needed to lighten the mood. "Plus, I have some revenge to get."

That comment earned her the slightest crooked smile. "Maybe I shouldn't let you go if you're going to make me an accessory to murder."

"That's only if I get caught." The blonde boasted as she leaned against Holly's door, hands buried deep in the pockets of her jacket. She could tell that the other girl was struggling to stay awake to have this conversation and she really needed to leave while she still had the energy herself. "Go to sleep, Nerd."

Holly laid in silent contemplation, keeping eye contact the best that she could without her glasses and from the bed. There was one thing she needed to know before the blonde disappeared again, "Are we ok?"

The hushed words pierced Gail right in the heart, she could hear the vulnerability in Holly's voice and it almost broke her resolve to leave. But staying wasn't an option so she nodded again, "We'll talk later."

Holly wanted to talk now but it was getting harder by the minute to keep her eyes open, "Text me?"

One last nod in confirmation before Gail opened the bedroom door, "Goodnight Nerd."

"Goodnight Danger." The words were muffled by the click of the door.

---

The walk home was quick and uneventful, which Gail was glad about as she stumbled sleepily to her bed in her empty room. She stripped out of her clothes, but retained her socks, and crawled into the cold sheets. Holly's bed was larger, the sheets softer, and they had a warm body to curl up against but Gail wasn't a cuddler, at least she had never been. In fact she had hated when the boys she had been with would wrap their bulky bodies around her, suffocating her. She always wanted her space, her freedom to move and leave as she wanted. Not that being in bed with Holly ever felt like that, but that was also why Gail didn't trust herself to stay. Not when she could fall into a deep enough sleep to have one of her nightmares. But right now she was too tired to think about any of that and it wasn't long before sleep overcame her.

When Gail awoke she noticed that her roommate's bed was both empty and in disarray, which meant the redhead had snuck in and back out without waking her. It seemed her theory had worked. She had been able to manage a solid six hours of sleep before a dream she couldn't remember woke her. That was easily the most she'd had in the past two weeks, during which she sustained herself on a couple of restless hours here and there, just enough to keep her functioning. A glance at the clock told her that she needed to get up and eat something before getting ready for work. It was going to be a killer day having agreed to work open to close to cover other people's shift, but at least she felt somewhat rested.

Gail spotted the traitor in the kitchen, so she noisily grabbed a seat at the breakfast bar and waited for her roommate to turn around. Her scowl was already etched on her face; she was still pissed about the phone prank. Sure it had given her reason to head over to Holly's and initiate an awesome round of jealously sex, but that wasn't enough to absolve the princess of her crimes. So she glared at the chirpy girl's back hoping the daggers she mentally threw deflated her a bit.

"Morning, Grumpy." Chloe cheerfully greeted as she fixed up a plate and coffee without turning around. When she finally did, she noticed the deadly look in her roommate's eyes indicating that she was still not forgiven for the night before. She held the spatula in her hand up in self-defense, "Technically I didn't send any texts. So really, I think retribution in the form of murder is a bit excessive. Plus, I made you breakfast." She held up the plate and wafted it the direction of the blonde without coming within hitting distance. "Come on, Roomie, French toast and bacon in exchange for not having to hide my dead body."

"You're right Princess, I won't kill you." Gail accepted her plate and began to drown her food in syrup. "Death would be too quick, torture is much more fun."

The smile on Chloe's face dropped. "Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

Gail continued to glare as she ate. "Why would I do that?" The words were muffled by the French toast occupying her mouth.

"Well, you weren't home when I got home." Chloe pointed out as she took a sip of her second cup of coffee. She had only managed a few hours of sleep between sneaking out of Frankie's room and making a please-don't-smother-me-with-my-own-pillow-in-my-sleep breakfast before the lethal blonde awoke.

"How would you know? I was in bed before you."

"I had to check to see if I was safe."

Gail snorted, "Yeah, right, was that before or after playing mattress tag in Frankie's room?"

Chloe didn't deny or confirm the accusation as she stifled a yawn and stretched out the kinks in her shoulders. The door had been a little rough on her back last night before they made it to Frankie's bed. A cheeky grin took residence on Chloe's face. "So did you and Holly patch things up? Play a little mattress tag yourselves?"

Gail shoveled down the last few bites of food and drained the last dregs of her coffee before springing out of her seat. "Oh look at the time, what a shame, I gotta get to work."

Chloe laughed as she roommate took off up the stairs, leaving her with the sticky set of dishes. At least she could rest easy for the rest of the day.

---

Saturday found Frankie and Holly catching up at the senior's favorite coffee shop.

"You look beat." Frankie greeted her friend as she joined her in line. The med student was failing to suppress a yawn.

"You're one to talk." Holly fired back as she took in her friend's appearance. Frankie definitely had her had-sex-all-night glint in her eyes despite the puffiness she was concealing with make-up.

"Did a blonde keep you up late last night?" According to Chloe, Gail hadn't been in their room when they first got home. So Frankie couldn't resist the urge to tease the other brunette.

Holly tried to keep the smile off her face as she glanced at the drink options, "Don't know what you mean."

Frankie poked at the side of her neck, "Nice hickey."

Holly swatted her friend's hand away. She had tried to cover the mark but clearly failed. At least that one had been small compared to the others she had found in the shower that morning. A part of her would normally be upset at having the marks, especially one in such plain view, no matter how good it felt to get them but she couldn't be. Not when they served as a reminder that last night really happened and how she hadn't just imagined the blonde coming to her room. She could easily get lost in thoughts of the night before but right now she had to focus her attention on the impudent girl beside her. "Probably no later than your redhead kept you awake."

Frankie stuck out her tongue before turning her attention to the barista as they reached the front of the line to place her order. She waited until their drinks were made and they had grabbed a table before asking her next question. "So were you really going to sleep with her?"

Holly had no clue what her friend was talking about. "With who?"

"The friend of the crazy chick."

"What are you talking about?" Holly asked with an exasperated sigh. She was tired and needed her brain power to study, not figure out what Frankie was referring to.

"The other night, when I went to pick you up, you had asked her to go home with you." Frankie tried to prompt her friend's memory.

Holly nearly spit out her drink, "I did what?"

"You seriously don't remember?" Holly shook her head. "Yeah, it was a really lame attempt, I mean you couldn't even look in her general direction as you asked but I heard it."

Holly's face sank into her hands as she groaned. The night was still a disjointed set of flashes of memories. She knew she had left the bar with Mariana and that they had talked outside but she only vaguely remember her kissing Holly chastely on the cheek before Holly emptied the contents of her stomach all over the street. She had been a mess that night, and she was ashamed of how she acted, the alcohol really wasn't any excuse. Holly had been hurting and had made a bunch of impetuous decisions. The reality of how bad those decisions had been, and even worse what they could have lead to, felt like an elephant sitting on Holly's chest.

Frankie didn't relent, "What got into you that night? You were acting more like me than you."

"Ugh, I don't know." Holly grumbled. One look at her friend though told her that that wasn't going to be explanation enough, but she was struggling to put into words what had happened that night so it came out a bit of a ramble. "Jess had been taunting me about Gail, then I went to the Penny and she wasn't there. I guess I thought it was Gail's way of dumping me you know? Just blow me off till I stopped trying. I went outside to get some air and to figure out what to do next since I didn't want to head home, but then Mariana was there. I just figured if Gail didn't want me then I could find someone who did. I was just trying to do what everyone else is always telling me."

Everyone else included Frankie who usually encouraged Holly to sow her oats while they were young and dumb. Of course Frankie had always been more reckless than Holly when it came to other people or their feelings. Holly was the one usually cared about things like that. "Well you shouldn't, Hols, you're not built for it."

"Tell me about it." Holly sighed, conceding that casual flings weren't really her forte. "Thank you for coming that night."

Frankie smirked, "Oh, I did that just so you would be my slave for all of eternity."

Holly rolled her eyes at her friend, "Yes, Master." She would probably be in debt to Frankie for at least the rest of the girl's senior year, but she had been a mess and she was glad that her friend had looked out for her. Which reminded Holly of what else had been going on that night, "How was your date with Chloe?" She hadn't gotten the details yet since Frankie had been hanging out with the other seniors the day before, but if the bounce in her step and the obvious lack of sleep were any indication she figured things had gone well.

"Well, the date itself was a total disaster. That chick you were with's crazy ass friend was our waitress and when she wasn't eye fucking me she was throwing water on Chloe. Then we went to the club, which started out awesome. I highly recommend it." The exaggerated wink that accompanied that statement earned a laugh from Holly, although the thought of dancing with Gail was enough to get Holly more than a little hot around the collar. She almost got lost in those thoughts before having to refocus on Frankie's story.

"That part was going well 'til I ran into Gabi and it turns out that she wasn't alone. Jess was buying her drinks." Frankie watched Holly's reaction carefully, trying to gauge her reaction to finding out that her ex was hanging out with Frankie's ex, but her face only seemed to register annoyance at the mention, not jealousy. Frankie waited for Holly to take a sip of her coffee before adding in the last tidbit. "By the way, I told Jess you used to fake it with her."

Holly choked on her drink, sending it spluttering all over her. "Seriously, what the hell, Frankie? How does that even come up? And it was one time." Holly angrily grabbed napkins to clean up the mess while glaring at the brunette across from her.

But the other girl was unapologetic. "She was pissing me off, talking shit to Chloe about me. She deserved it, someone needs to knock her down a peg...or twenty."

"I'm sorry if she ruined your night." Apologizing for things Jess did had become second nature to Holly, even now months later her ex was still pissing off the people she cared about.

"Well, I was in the process of salvaging it when I got the call about your pathetic ass."

Holly grimaced, "Shit, I'm really sorry, Frankie." She knew that her friend had been looking forward to taking Chloe out, even if she mostly hid it behind wanting to get laid, and she hadn't meant to spoil it.

But Frankie shrugged off the concern and grinned, "Don't be. I made up for lost time."

Holly decided not to point out that Frankie had a genuine smile on her face and not her usual pompous smirk. "I'm happy for you."

Feeling uncomfortable with the touchy-feely turn in the conversation, Frankie decided to put the focus back on Holly. "I'd like to be happy for you too if you're done screwing things up with Gail. What is it about her that has you so fucking flustered?"

"I don't know I feel out of my element when I'm around her and it doesn't help that everyone I know seems to think she's just going to crush me."

"Is that what you think?"

Holly couldn't do more than just shrug. She didn't know if Gail was going to hurt her but she knew that the blonde already had the power to, no matter how hard Holly tried to stop herself from falling for the complex freshman.

"Well, instead of trying to act cool, which we both know you aren't, maybe you should just stick with being you." Holly had been self-sabotaging and they both knew it. But Frankie ignored her own hypocrisy at doling out the next bit of advice. "Have you told her how you feel about her?"

Holly fidgeted in her seat, nervously adjusting her glasses. "Not really, no."

"Maybe you should. You don't do casual well, Stewart, and it would be better than having a repeat of the other night." Holly in a relationship would never stray. Frankie knew this. Hell, even when it had been obvious that her and Gail had insane chemistry, the brunette had held back and kept enough distance until she broke up with Jess. This quasi-relationship/friends-with-benefits undefined thing she had going on with Gail though was causing Holly to act out, and Frankie was fairly certain for her to lose her mind just a little bit.

"I don't want to scare her away entirely, Frankie."

"The sex that good?" Frankie asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"God, yes." Holly blurted out and they both laughed at the overzealousness behind that declaration. "But it's more than that, I really like her."

"So then tell her."

"Are you going to tell Chloe how much you like her?"

"Don't change the subject?"

"No, seriously, what would you do if Chloe turned around and said she wanted more than just sex, she wanted an actual relationship with you. Dates, titles, feelings, conversations, the whole damn thing." Frankie didn't respond but Holly knew her friend well, she was trying to keep her poker face but the panic was evident in her green eyes. Just talking about it was enough to make her freak out. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Dates and sex are not mutually exclusive."

Holly rolled her eyes but conceded the point, "What about the rest of what I said?"

"That's different."

"Right," Holly sighed. They both knew how similar Frankie and Gail were when it came to their feelings about relationships so the answer was more than a little underwhelming for the med student.

Frankie took another sip of her drink, studying her companion, "So what are you going to do?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet, but I can tell you what I'm definitely not going to do. I'm not going to get drunk and pick up random girls from bars just because my feelings are hurt."

"Good, like I said, you were really, really bad at it." Frankie rarely had the opportunity to mock Holly, since she was the more responsible of the two. So, she couldn't pass up the chance now. "Like awful."

"Okay, I get it."

"Truly terrible."

"Keep rubbing it in."

"Like bombed at it." Frankie made a whistling sound followed by an explosion to prove her point.

"I'm ignoring you now." Holly pulled out one of her textbooks and proceeded to study while Frankie continued to think of references related to the failure of Holly's dating life.

---

It was beyond late by the time Gail returned home from work. She had the room to herself, indicating that Chloe was either next-door or upstairs. Regardless it meant the light was still on and after working a 14-hour shift she thought that she would have no problem falling asleep that night, and technically she hadn't, but a nightmare involving her mother had awoken her quickly. She had gotten a call from the woman that night and the message had been more information about the party and internship. She could already feel the pressure of her parents' expectations suffocating her and the lack of oxygen was sending her mind into a tailspin. So now her eyes were glued firmly on the ceiling instead of drifting shut once more. She desperately needed a distraction so she turned over and reached for her phone, where there was still an open conversation with a certain brunette.

Holly had texted her first that morning with a message that only said, "7". Turned out that was the number of marks she had found in the shower and Gail had chuckled at the memory of placing each one. The rest of the day they flirted and talked through text much the way they always did before Gail decided to pull her hiding act. It felt good to talk to Holly that way even if a part of her wasn't ready to trust Holly again after the stunt at the Penny. But right now, she didn't want trust or any of that, she wanted to sleep and not dream. There was only one way she knew how to accomplish that, and only one person she wanted to do it with, but it was nearly 3am. Figuring that if the med student was already sleeping she wouldn't answer, Gail drafted up a simple text. Her thumb hovered over the send button until the sound of a moan through the ceiling above her made the decision for her. They really needed thicker walls.

Officer Danger: You awake?

It was a few minutes before the reply came.

Nerd Champion: Maybe

Feeling guilty that she had probably woken Holly up she decided to apologize and not bother her. Maybe she could text the boys to see if they were awake and she could distract herself with video games instead.

Officer Danger: Sorry go back to sleep

She had closed out of the conversation and opened to one with Chris, ready to text him to see what he was doing since she had no problem waking his ass up and demanding his company, but Holly's response came before she could write it.

Nerd Champion: What's up?

Gail contemplated just saying nothing and letting the brunette fall back to sleep, but now that they were talking again she really wanted to see her.

Officer Danger: Just wanted to see if you wanted to go another round

The reply came instantly.

Nerd Champion: Ready when you are

Gail was dressed quickly and out the door before she had to hear any more sex noises through the walls.

---

"Hey," The word was barely uttered by Holly before Gail's mouth was cutting off her words. The blonde was being aggressive and demanding again and it took a moment for the shock to wear off before Holly was responding in kind. She pushed the blonde backwards enough to shut the front door and lock it without ever parting their lips. She gave in to the moment till her lungs burned for the air that they needed. She broke the kiss and opened her dazed eyes to look into the deep blue irises. They were darker than she had ever seen them, they were determined, aroused, but there was something else, something almost hidden in their depths, something slightly more desperate. Holly wanted to ask what it was that had driven the girl to her apartment so late at night, what had her seeking comfort in Holly's body once more but she could tell that talking was the last thing that Gail wanted. She went to speak but the only thing that escaped her throat was a deep moan as Gail's tongue swept hotly into her mouth. Whatever other thoughts she had would have to wait as she needed to get this woman into her room and into her bed as quickly as possible, preferably before she woke her roommates with the noise.

With a momentary show of restraint, Holly pulled away long enough to grab Gail's hand and pull her to her bedroom. Their lips connected before the door was even shut and it was all tongues and teeth and greedy hands as both girls worked to rid the other of as much clothing as they could in the few steps to Holly's bed. Once there, the kisses moved lower as Holly traversed the expanse of smooth alabaster skin now laid out in front of her. It wasn't until she reached a spot just above Gail's hip that a thought crossed her mind and she couldn't help but smirk before taking the skin there between her teeth. A hiss accompanied the tug on her hair that pale fingers were tangled in and Holly had to resist the urge to laugh as she soothed the bite with a gentle caress of her tongue. It was a moment of sweet retribution for the marks Holly had found painted across her body. But there were more pressing matters demanding her attention lower and she continued her descent.

---

Now that the frenzied rush of need and want had passed, Gail let herself enjoy the peace just for a moment. She would need to get up and slip back into her house and her own bed, but she needed a breather, a chance to recoup. Holly had already fallen back to sleep, giving in just minutes after Gail had finished reciprocating for her own pleasure. She glanced at her slumbering companion and couldn't help feeling a slight pang of jealousy at how serene her features were. Holly never turned away after sex, always resting facing the direction that Gail was laying, which was usually closest to the door and always close enough that Gail could feel her warmth but not touching, never restricting. Right now, it gave the blonde the chance to really study her features. The slight curve of her plump lips, the dark lashes kissing her cheeks, the small mole that rested a few centimeters from her left ear. Gail took it all in, not really feeling her eyes getting heavier.

With a gasp Gail felt her all her muscles suddenly jerk. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was irregular. She hadn't even realized that she had been falling asleep but clearly her body had. She blinked away the sensation that she had fallen into a void and glanced next to her, glad that at least she hadn't woken Holly with her spasm. But it had been too close of a call, so she gently slipped from the bed and dressed. This time there was no soft voice calling her back, but she couldn't resist one more glance before closing the door quietly behind her.

---

Sunday found Gail hanging out at the boys' house with the rest of the freshmen before her shift. They were supposed to be preparing for their last week of classes before finals, but Gail and the boys were engaged in an epic battle of driving skills as they tried to best the blonde at Mario Kart. The girls had long ago given up on getting them to focus and instead were discussing the seniors' party and the group's "Secret Santa" plans. The limit was $15 since they were relatively broke college students who already had to fork over the money for their families' gifts, which would cost some people more than others. Everyone was participating, whether they wanted to or not.

"I already said I didn't want any gifts so I don't see why I have to waste my time buying something for one of you losers." Gail grumbled as she shrank her opponents with a lightning bolt.

"Because it's tradition," Chloe explained having taken over the duties of organizing it from Juliet, "even Frankie's not complaining as much as you."

"I'm Jewish and I'm doing it." Dov pointed out as he took a sharp turn and the lead.

"That's because you want nine days of presents you greedy bastard." Gail remarked as she aimed a shell at Dov's Bowser; cackling as his character spun out and over a ledge, putting her Yoshi back into the lead. She loved to tease him that he was overcompensating with his character choice.

The only plus side to the gift exchange was that she had landed Chris as the person to buy a gift for so at least if she was going to have to give up some of her hard earned money it was to someone she could tolerate most days. But she had to make her displeasure known before she shifted gears to flaunt her victory as her character crossed the finish line first. A buzzing in her back pocket caught her attention as they started up another round.

Nerd Champion: How's studying going?

It wasn't the first text she had received from the brunette that day, having already gotten one asking if she made it home ok when the other girl awoke. She had felt guilty about sneaking out of Holly's bed the way that she had without a note or anything and mentally berated herself on her walk home, but once she collapsed into her own bed she had had a dreamless night, for which she was grateful. They had talked for a bit and Holly had offered for her to come over to study before work, but Gail had begged off since she had already told the others that she would help them. Of course that was before Dov fired up the gaming system.

Officer Danger: :-/

Nerd Champion: You're playing video games aren't you?

Gail could imagine the crooked smirk on the other girl's face for thinking that she had her figured out. She was probably rolling her eyes as well. She sent her reply before lifting her hands over her head to stretch out her shoulders and back.

Officer Danger: No...I'm winning at video games

"Shit, Gail, did you walk into a table or something?" Dov asked when he spotted the darkened skin near Gail's hip as her shirt rode up when she stretched.

She quickly pulled down her shirt to cover the mark that Holly had left before the others noticed as well. "Or something," she muttered as she felt herself flush just thinking about the night before. She wondered if the med student would be up for an encore performance when she got off work.

Speaking of work.

"Hey Gail, are you done kicking the guys' asses so we can get going?" Traci asked as she threw her mostly unread notes back into her bag with her textbooks.

"Trace, I'm never done kicking their asses."

"Well, we have to get going."

"Fiiiiiine." The blonde grumbled as she extricated herself from her usual spot on the couch next to Chris. She was going to miss her body pillow next semester.

"You also owe me a real study session." Traci remarked as the two girls stopped at their house to drop off their stuff and to grab their work clothes.

"Says who?"

"Says the person who agreed to cover your Tuesday shift so you could go to the clinic with your girlfriend." Traci good-naturedly nudged the blonde in her ribs with her elbow.

"She's not my girlfriend." Immediately sprang from Gail's lips as the phrase had become second nature to her by now.

While Traci didn't really believe that and couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes, she knew arguing would just make Gail less inclined to help her with studying, "You still owe me."

"Whatever, let's go before neither of us has a job to argue about." Gail grumped as they hurried out the door and on their way to a busy night at the bar.

---

Two more nights went by with Gail slipping in and out of Holly's bed after work and classes. It wasn't until the brunette picked her up on Tuesday before the clinic that they actually had a chance to talk that didn't consist of a few breathless words uttered between kisses, words that usually consisted of demands, curses, and deities. But today was a PG day with the kids. They hadn't talked about why Gail had avoided Holly, and the brunette decided not to bring it up, wanting instead to enjoy the blonde being with her now.

"Excited for today?" Holly asked with a smile as they pulled up in front of the clinic. The drive had been mostly silent except for both girls singing along to the radio.

"To have runts sneezing on me? Can't wait." Gail replied sarcastically but the words didn't hold their usual bite.

"Well, your little buddy is coming today."

"They're all my little buddies." Gail replied, but she knew whom Holly was referring to. She kept a special eye on all of Sophie's visits as the little girl looked forward to seeing the pair anytime she had an appointment. So the blonde had been planning on going today no matter what.

A small lop-sided grin tugged at Holly's lips, "So you do enjoy spending time with them." They both got out of the car to head into the clinic.

Gail turned to look at the brunette, "Not just them." The words held a bit more sincerity than Gail would normally display and Holly's smile widened into a full-blown grin. Holly's smile was enough to make going to the clinic worth it, even if Gail had hated hanging around the kids (which she didn't). The blonde reached the door first and held it open for Holly to pass through. As the med student made her way past, Gail leaned in with a husky whisper, "By the way, that coat looks good on you."

A shudder ran down Holly's spine as she caught the look in the blue eyes as they unsubtly appraised her. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Peck."

Before their flirting could continue, they were pulled from their bubble by the sound of Eva's voice as the nurse greeted them.

"I see your cómplice has returned." The nurse gave the med student a wink as she patted the blonde on her shoulder.

"It was one shift and I had to work." Gail grumped causing the nurse to chuckle at her scowl.

"Well, we missed you around here, sunshine." Eva said with a smirk as the young girl continued to glare at her. "By the way your favorite patient is here. Room 3 and she's excited to see you. Both of you."

"I have to check in with the doctors, but why don't you get a headstart?" Holly offered as she skimmed the patient list Eva handed her.

Gail nodded and headed through the halls that she had become extremely familiar with this semester. She had barely stepped into the exam room before she was being crushed by a bear hug around her waist. "Sup Soph?" She greeted the young girl as she politely nodded at the girl's mother who was watching her daughter with an amused smile. Trina appreciated that the volunteer made her daughter's treatment visits more enjoyable.

Once the young girl let go, she glanced behind Gail and frowned, "Where's Holly?"

"What? I'm not good enough?" Gail asked with a pout as she brought her hand up to her chest dramatically in mock offense causing the little girl to giggle. "She has to talk to the doctors first, but she'll be in in a minute." The blonde explained as she plopped onto a stool in the room and started spinning.

"I made you each something but you gotta wait till Holly gets here."

"You did? Well she better hurry up, I can't wait to see what it is." Gail had one her genuine smiles on her face. She made small talk with Sophie and her mother asking about school and her friends. It wasn't long before the door opened and the medical student appeared.

"Holly!" The little girl was off the exam table and hurling herself into the brunette much the same way she had greeted Gail.

"Hi Sophie! How are you?" Holly said with a smile and she greeted the young girl's mother as well.

"I'm good, I made something for you and Gail." The girl ran over to her bag and pulled out two small wrapped gifts.

"Aww Sophie, this is awesome." Gail pulled out an ornament of herself dressed as a superhero.

Holly pulled out a similar gift and gave the young girl a hug. "You're quite the artist."

"Thanks!"

The girls stayed and entertained Sophie while the doctor did an exam and Eva administered her treatment. After more hugs good-bye, the girls were released to their regular duties.

At the end of their shift, Gail hopped into Holly's car and carefully hung SuperGail on one of the hangers in the backseat. Holly followed suit and started up the engine.

"So I know you probably have finals to study for but do you want to grab some food first?" Holly asked as she nervously bit her lip. For some reason she suddenly felt shy about asking Gail to hang out, considering it had been the blonde lately who determined when they hung out and seemed to only be for late night sexfests. Not that Holly wasn't enjoying the benefits, God (and the people she shared walls with) knew she was, but she was missing the friend part of it too.

Gail glanced at Holly, who was adjusting her glasses on her face more out of habit than need she was sure. She had a feeling that the brunette was worried she would turn her down like she had last time but this was different. "I can always eat, Nerd. Though I thought you knew that by now." Gail replied with a flirtatious smirk.

Holly chuckled and tried to not blush at the double entendre, "You're incorrigible, Danger."

Gail shrugged and plastered a faux-innocent smile on her face, "Are you complaining about my eating habits?"

"No," Holly replied reassuringly but she couldn't resist the urge to add in a little bit of a tease of her own. "Just your table manners," She tacked on with a smirk of her own before barking out a laugh as the look on the blonde's face morphed into one of mock offense.

"I'll remember that one, Stewart."

Holly rolled her eyes at the threat, "So food, yay or nay?"

"Yeah, yeah, you owe me a meal anyway."

"Any preferences?"

"Nothing healthy."

"Why am I not surprised?" Holly replied with a small shake of her head as she pulled the car out of the parking lot, but she couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips. Yeah, she had definitely missed the friends' part.

---

After a long day of studying with Sam and Jerry, Frankie walked through the front door of her house to the sound of Chloe's music blasting from the kitchen. She expected to hear the sound of Nat King Cole yapping about his nuts roasting on a fire or Dean Martin being a creeper as he bitches about the cold while trying to get in some broad's pants. But instead she was met by Chloe singing along to a country song.

"You're such a beautiful drug
I can't get enough
Addicted and I'm dying for a hit of your love
Got a death wish baby, baby
Don't want you to save me, save me"

Frankie smirked and leaned against the doorway, observing the freshman as she danced around the kitchen without a care in the world, using the spoon in her hand for a microphone and an occasional stirrer. It was clear that Chloe hadn't heard her enter, but she was enjoying the sway of girl's hips as she sang too much to interrupt.

"She lets her hair down
And all of mine stand up
Can't help but stare now
Gotta feel that touch

Her kiss, my fix, so sweet
Can't quit those lips are a habit to me "

Yeah, Frankie knew the feeling. She was completely entranced, which was the only thing stopping her from going over and kissing the girl senseless.

"Sweet intoxication and I'm never getting sober
I can tell that the effects are taking over
Pull me in, get me hooked like a junkie
You got me feeling so high"

Chloe belted out the chorus a couple of times with the singer as she cooked and danced, completely oblivious to her audience.

"Going out of my mind
Staring at you
Burning up in your fire that I've fallen into
Got a death wish baby, baby
Don't want you to save me, save me
Tonight"

When the performance finally came to end. Frankie cleared her throat. "Well, this is a change."

Chloe let out a girly shriek as she jumped at the sudden voice before whipping around clutching the spoon in her hand to her chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. I hate that. I hate it." She waved the spoon threateningly at the senior as she stomped her foot on the ground, "Never do that again!" She hated getting spooked and everyone knew it, especially her roommate who usually took great pleasure in hiding behind things to scare the crap out Chloe. Frankie and the other girls rarely participated in the torment, but they also did very little to stop it.

"Well, don't have your music so loud." Frankie sassed as she migrated into the kitchen.

"I didn't think anyone was home." Chloe continued to pace and flap her hands in an attempt to calm her nerves. "Oh god, I now know what my heart tastes like."

"Relax Muppet," Frankie coaxed even though she still had a gleam in her eye betraying her amusement at Chloe's over-the-top reaction. She reached for the younger girl, but was brushed off.

"Oh no you don't, you don't get to scare me then get rewarded." Chloe purposefully stepped away from the unapologetic senior and went back to stirring her food on the stove.

Frankie frowned, she had been hoping to take advantage of the empty house but that seemed to be off the table at the moment. So she leaned against the kitchen counter next to the chef. "I thought you would've been listening to Christmas songs nonstop."

"I'm saving that for the baking." Chloe replied without taking her eyes off the food as a small smile tugged at her lips though she tried to hide it.

"So there's baking too?"

"Of course, decorations, movies, songs, and baking. What else would you do for Christmas?" Chloe asked like it was the most obvious combination in the world.

"Drink?" Frankie offered with a shrug.

Chloe rolled her eyes. She loved Christmas, but it was evident that she was dealing with a Grade A Grinch. "You've been extra cranky lately. Why do you hate Christmas so much?"

"I don't hate Christmas." Frankie drawled with a dramatic eye roll.

Chloe snorted in disbelief as she finished moving whatever was in the pot to a pan that she put into the oven. "You and Sam went on a thirty minute rant bashing everything about it. Including Rudolph. Who hates Rudolph?" She asked incredulously.

"All the other reindeers." Frankie quipped without missing a beat, earning her an unamused look from the redhead. She knew what Chloe was referring to, and for once it wasn't just her usual surly disposition to blame. She contemplated how to explain her disdain for the holiday without revealing too much. With a sigh, she brushed her hand through her straight locks, letting her blunt nails scratch along her scalp. "It's..." She started and stopped but Chloe's hazel eyes remained locked on her, waiting patiently. So Frankie cleared her throat and tried again. "I just don't look forward to it like most people. Christmas was different in my house."

"How so?" The freshman leaned a hip against the counter after setting the timer on the oven. Frankie had her undivided attention now.

"Well, It was more about Jesus than Santa. It's not that much fun." That was an understatement. Christmas for Frankie meant dealing with her family and their insanely silent disapproval and judgments even as she allowed herself to get dragged to church with them. The holiday meant days spent acting like a shadow of herself as Frankie retreated deeply into her shell, knowing that speaking up only made things worse, as she counted down the minutes until she could seek refuge back in Toronto. No, it was definitely a holiday she was not looking forward to.

"Sure it is." Chloe chirped with her usual bright grin finally returning to her features, completely unaware of the depressing thoughts filtering through the brunette's mind.

"Not for everyone." Frankie grumbled as she leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, sulky pout firmly in place.

"Hmm...I bet I can think of one Christmas thing that you like." Chloe said with a smile as she placed her hands on the senior's folded arms and forced them apart, moving into her personal space.

Frankie moved her hands to Chloe's hips, letting her thumbs trace over the pronounced bones as her eyes darted down to Chloe's lips. "What's that?"

The freshman smiled and tugged Frankie until they were out of the kitchen and into the foyer. "Mistletoe," she smirked as the senior glanced up. Chloe moved her hand to the base of Frankie's head and pulled her into a slow, lingering kiss. She pulled away when Frankie tried to deepen it but the senior's hands had found their way to her back and were keeping her close.

"Hold on, I might need some more convincing." Frankie argued before capturing Chloe's lips once more. Okay, so maybe this was one Christmas tradition that she actually did enjoy.

She pulled the other girl closer still and let herself get lost for a minute in how good kissing Chloe felt. She had been foolish to think that giving in to temptation would have been enough to get her over the freshman. No, each kiss and touch had Frankie craving another fix. Hell, most of the time all it took was a look. The senior was clearly getting hooked; she just didn't know it yet.

Chloe could feel her pulse quicken as the senior's toned body pressed against her. The kiss didn't have its usual urgency between them, but the spark she always felt when she was with Frankie was enough to have her feeling like she was running a marathon. She went to deepen the kiss when a noise at the door had Frankie pulling away from her leaving her head spinning.

"Come on Juliet, just a few hints at what's on the test." Andy whined as the rest of the housemates came plowing through the door unaware of the moment they had interrupted.

"I already told you what to study and what the test is like, I can't study for you." Juliet laughed until she caught sight of Frankie and Chloe standing a few feet apart in the hallway. "Hey guys what's up?" She asked as she glanced between the two of them. Frankie looked like kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, while Chloe looked slightly flustered as well.

"Nothing," Frankie said quickly, turning to head up the stairs and away from the look in her friend's eye. She couldn't look at Chloe, even though she was sure those hazel eyes were watching her go.

"Hold up, we have to finish Jarvis' project." Juliet called out as she followed her partner's retreating form.

"Yeah, whatever Ward." Frankie replied without glancing back, even when she heard Juliet trailing behind her. "Have fun studying froshies," she taunted.

Traci glanced at Chloe, who looked a little off. "Everything ok?"

Chloe hadn't realized that she was frowning as she watched Frankie take off now that they had an audience. She wasn't surprised that the senior still didn't want anyone to know about them but that didn't mean she liked it either. But she couldn't get into any of that with the other freshmen so she shook it off. "Of course." Chloe confidently replied, her face slipping its usual smile back on. "The boys should be coming over soon. Ready to get our study on? "

The other girls groaned. Finals sucked.

---

Despite the hectic exam and study schedule, things were starting to shift back into the comfortable place they had been for Gail and Holly. They ran some mornings since neither was sleeping well with the stress, they texted during the day and night, and of course 'study breaks' were stolen when the blonde wasn't at work or cramming with the other undergrads and Holly wasn't in class or nose deep in her books.

But tonight was different as Holly nervously leaned against her car outside of the Lucky Penny. It had the been the last day of classes for Holly as the medical students only had one test to prepare for and since she was going to be stuck non-stop studying for her last exam she wanted one carefree night, and there was no one she wanted to spend it with more than Gail. She knew that the blonde had been stressing about finals too, even though she tried to hide it behind a veneer of indifference. She really didn't know how the undergrad was managing to prepare for her finals while also working a ridiculous number of hours. It was part of the reason that she never turned her away whenever she asked to come by the brunette's apartment no matter the hour.

But Holly wanted to help her relax in a different way, one that kept their clothes on. She wanted to get away from everyone and the stress that they emanated, her roommates especially. So that was why she was there, waiting for Gail who had finished her shift about ten minutes ago, which meant the bartender should have been coming out any minute. Holly wasn't entirely sure how happy the blonde would be to see her just showing up unannounced but she wanted to surprise her. She wanted to do something fun with the other girl and since she knew that Gail had a disdain for physical activity that anyone else tried to impose on her (minus sex) she had figured out something holiday-related that wasn't even remotely sporty that they could do for free, or at least the cost of a tank of gas. So before coming to the Penny, she had stopped and picked up some hot chocolate and doughnuts for the bartender and now she was waiting. Luckily she didn't have to wait much longer.

As soon as the platinum blonde hair appeared, Holly found herself smiling. "Hey," she called out softly and watched the grumpy expression on Gail's face shift to one of mild confusion.

"Ummm...hey Nerd, what are you doing here?" As far as Gail knew, they hadn't had any plans. It had been a long couple of days of studying and working and her shift in particular had been exceptionally slow. Her insomnia was back in full effect so she had been considering texting the Holly to see if she was interested in a little 'stress relief' anyway.

"I thought you could use a break from work and studying and I thought that we could hang out for a bit." Holly offered as she continued to lean against her car.

Gail smirked and headed over to where the brunette was standing. She stepped into her space, letting her hands trace the zipper of Holly's jacket, pulling the slider down a couple of teeth and back up. "Mmm did you? Well, if we're heading back to your place you really didn't need to chauffeur me around."

Holly licked her lips, as her mouth suddenly went dry at the proximity of the blonde and her flirting. But she had come here for a different reason and couldn't let herself get distracted. "Actually, I was thinking we could go for a ride."

"A ride where?" Gail asked suspiciously as she leaned against the car too, putting a little space between the two girls.

"Well, a lot of places." Holly replied cryptically.

But that answer only caused the blonde to narrow her eyes further, "Why?"

"Come on Danger, hop in the car and I'll show you." Holly answered playfully as she rounded the passenger side to open the door.

"You gonna show me the world." Gail quipped, her arms still folded as she continued to lean on the hood.

Holly smirked and held out her hand, "Do you trust me?" She wiggled her eyebrows as Gail rolled her eyes, even though she was the one to make the movie reference first. After huffing and puffing dramatically, Gail took the proffered hand and let Holly tug her over to the open door. Holly grinned widely, pleased with her small victory, and that she hadn't needed to resort to bribery.

After Holly hopped into the driver's seat, she handed over the present she had for the blonde. "I also brought you some treats."

"Well you should've lead with that." Gail joked as she happily accepted the bag and cup as Holly started the car and pulled away from the bar.

"Maybe I wanted to see if you would come with me of your own volition and not just because I offered you some goodies."

"Aw, but I really like your goodies." Gail grinned cheekily even though her mouth was filled with fried dough and refined sugar.

Holly laughed, "You're incorrigible."

"I thought that I was insane."

"That too." Holly flashed a smile at Gail and returned her eyes to the road.

"So now that you've lured me away with you, where are we going?" Gail asked curiously as she looked out the window at the passing streets.

"We are going on a mission to find the best Christmas lights."

"Why?"

"Well, it's Christmas time and we haven't done anything Christmasy, but I know how much you dislike people and exercise, and most traditional Christmas things. I've noticed when I'm driving you home from the clinic that you seem to like the lights. So I thought it would be something fun to do and it'll give us a break from being around everyone else who's freaking out about finals." Holly's ramble continued as she pulled up to a red light and glanced over at the blonde who had her usual unreadable expression on her face. "I don't know maybe it's stupid but I know you like traveling so I thought going for a drive might be a nice little adventure. But if you don't want-" Her words were stopped with the firm press of Gail's lips to her own.

When Gail pulled back she smiled softly at the brunette, "You use a lot of words."

"Sorry." But Holly wasn't really sorry if that was going to be how the blonde stopped her rambling. It hadn't been a heated kiss, not by any means, yet it left Holly with a warm feeling spreading throughout her.

"Alright, so an adventure." Gail leaned back in her seat. "Any ideas where we're going to find these lights?"

"A few."

"Well, green means go." Gail gestured to the light that had changed.

Holly smiled and pressed the gas pedal. As they made their way through the city they spotted some houses with lights and commented on them, but they started to move away from the apartments and crowded streets and more towards the houses with small yards. They saw Santa hanging from roofs, in helicopters, singing songs, and wishing everyone a 'Merry Christmas'. They found Rudolph, Comet, Vixen, and all the others. There were elves and abominable snowmen, sleighs, and presents, and just tons of lights. The girls laughed and joked about the different houses and took guesses at who lived in them.

"Does that house look weird to you?" Holly asked as they passed through a quiet street. Nearly every other house had decorations but there was one a little further down the street drawing her attention.

"We're in Suburbia, every house looks weird to me."

It was a two-story house with a small yard and a porch. The occupants had managed to cover most of the house in lights and had spelled out across their garage, 'Bah Hum Bug'. There was a Grinch sneaking across the top of the house and Santa was laid out on their yard as if he had fallen off the roof. It was somehow decorated in an anti-christmas theme in a hilarious way. "Alright, we found the winner, these are the best decorations I think we've seen."

"Agreed," Holly conceded with a laugh. The people were definitely unique. Deciding that there was no way they could top that house, and with the night getting later more people were turning off their displays, the girls started to make their way back.

"How do you do that?" Holly asked after Gail gave her another shortcut to get back to the heart of the city.

"Do what?"

"Know your way around without using your phone."

"Peck."

Holly took her eyes off the road to give the blonde a look saying that that wasn't explanation enough.

Gail sighed, "Growing up, whenever we would be in the car our parents would do various memory exercises like listing license plates, and makes and models of cars we passed. Then there was the fun game of 'Quick! Your partner's been shot!'. You had to respond quickly and accurately with the right street names of where you were. Any hesitation or wrong answers were unacceptable. Trust me, when I tell you the disappointed looks and lectures were not fun. Then as we got older, if we were wrong we got dropped off wherever we were and had to find our own way home. I'm pretty sure I could map out the entire city by the time I was six."

"That does not sound like fun."

Gail could've dropped it at that but for some reason she found herself still talking, there was something about Holly that made Gail feel like sharing wasn't the worst thing in the world. "It wasn't as bad as this one summer. We were on our way to the family cottage up north. It's been in the family, for, like a hundred years. Anyway, I think I was 12 years old, my parents and I, we drive into town. I go into a store to get something. I come out, mom and dad are gone. You find your way home through the woods, on your own. It's a Peck family tradition."

"Why?"

"I guess they thought it was for our own good." Gail replied with a sad shrug. "I still like going out there, just not when they're driving." She hadn't been to the cabin in nearly two years, but she had always liked it. It was quiet and peaceful when her parents weren't around sending her for 10k runs or 'preparing' her for life on the force.

Holly felt a pang at the sound of Gail's voice. "Can't blame you for that." She knew that the Peck parental units were tough, even Steve admitted that, but she didn't realize how ridiculous their methods could be. It was obvious that they had taken a different toll on the blonde than they had her brother.

"So what did your family do on car rides?" Gail asked, trying to change the subject. She had been enjoying her night and didn't want to put a damper on things by thinking too much about her parents and their insane expectations.

"Mostly sang songs completely off-key. My dad would get lost everywhere we went and always refused to ask for directions. So my mom would always ask someone whenever we stopped for gas. Other than that it was listening to books on tape or playing stupid car games."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was more fun when my siblings and I got older and could drive around ourselves. Then it was usually games of 'Kill, Fuck, Marry' and other stuff like that."

Gail grinned a little evilly, "Alright, Nerd, let's play. I'm going first: Lisa, Rachel, and Frankie."

"Wow way to eliminate most of my friends. Well, Lisa is getting killed. Hmmm...probably going to fuck Frankie and marry Rachel."

"Want to know if Frankie is really as good as she brags?"

"That and I've lived with Rachel, we can cohabitate. Alright, my turn: Traci, Andy, and Chloe." Holly fired back.

"How'd I know you were going to do that," Gail said with an eyeroll as she thought about the options. "Damn it, I really want to kill both McNally and Price."

"Gotta play by the rules, Peck."

"Can't I just fuck and marry you?" Gail asked with a pout. Hoping that it would get her out of the question.

Holly quirked a small grin to the side, she tried not to show how much she enjoyed that thought. But they were playing a game, and both girls could be pretty competitive. "I'm not an option."

"Well you're the only person I can put up with." Holly's smile grew but she remained silent as she waited for the blonde to answer the question. "Fine, kill Price" she was still mad about the phone incident, "fuck McNally, marry Nash." A lifetime with Traci was definitely the best case scenario out of that one.

They played a few more rounds, switching between people they knew, celebrities, and fictional characters. Holly found out that Gail had a thing for Lexa from the 100 and Gail learned about Holly's undying crush on Gillian Anderson since the time she played Dana Scully on the X-files. They poked fun at one another and the rest of the drive stayed far away from serious conversations.

"So, did you have fun?" Holly turned to face Gail when they pulled up in front of the blonde's house as she waited to hear her reaction to their impromptu hangout. She could see that there were still lights on in various rooms of the house out the passenger side window.

"Wasn't bad." Gail conceded with a dramatic sigh. Actually, she had really enjoyed the driving around and the conversation for the most part. It really had been relaxing and she wasn't quite ready to deal with her roommates. "But I think we can still have some more fun tonight." She gave Holly a sly grin and let her eyes glide over the driver.

"What do you have in mind?" Holly asked with a smirk as the blonde leaned across the center console.

Gail placed a hand on Holly's thigh and started to trace the lining of her jeans. "How about we head back to your place and I can show you?" Gail whispered as she leaned close to the brunette's ear.

"Your wish is my command." Holly replied as she restarted her car and pulled away from the curb. It had been fun to hang out with Gail with their clothes on but it was also fun to take those off, and well, their night didn't have to be over yet.

---

The night driving around with Holly turned out to be the last bit of fun for the blonde before her finals started. Her insomnia went into overdrive, which sometimes helped with studying but more often than not just left the blonde upset or frustrated, especially the nights she couldn't see Holly and the nightmares would awaken her. She didn't usually remember them but they always seemed to involve that fucking door. Though, the door was better than some of the other dreams. After almost a week of not sleeping Gail decided to do something productive, which ended up with her in the kitchen at the ass crack of dawn.

"Whatcha doing?" Chloe asked with a yawn as she came down the stairs a little while later. Her last final was later that morning and she desperately needed coffee before some last minute cramming.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Princess?" Gail replied as she checked on the food she had placed into the oven.

"Well, Grumpy, it looks like you're cooking, but since when do you cook?"

Gail could cook; she did survive on her own. She had finished her finals the day before and had tried to squeeze in a little celebration with a certain brunette after she got off work that night but had been shot down since Holly still hadn't taken her test. So she tried to just crash, thinking her body would want the rest after the all-nighter she had pulled, instead all she managed was to toss and turn for a few hours before giving up entirely, she ended up surfing the interwebs and coming across an insane amount of recipes related to the most important delicacy on the planet: cheesepuffs. So she got up to cook as a distraction and found herself making a bit extra.

"Since I was bored and your lazy ass was asleep." Gail explained with a huff of annoyance.

"You gonna share?" Chloe asked as she noticed how much food her roommate had actually made.

"Not with you." The extra food was for a special med student that she knew was probably working herself to the bone if their texts were any indication and since the night spent driving around semi-aimlessly ended up being just the break Gail had needed, she decided to return the favor. But she wasn't going to tell her roommate any of that.

Chloe's triumphant grin was blinding as she connected the dots herself, "You cooked for Holly. Oh my god that's so cute." The redhead bounced happily on the stool she had allocated.

Gail glowered at her roommate and her enthusiasm. "First of all, I'm not cute. Secondly, nothing I do is cute, and, most importantly, no one said anything about Holly."

"Oh, it's totally for Holly."

"Fuck off, Princess."

"Hey Chloe, what are you making this time?" Andy asked as she rounded the corner, coming in from an early run with Traci and caught a whiff of something from the kitchen.

"Not me, Gail's cooking...for Hoooollllllllllly." She sang out the brunette's name, grinning giddily despite the early hour.

"I'm just cooking." Gail muttered.

"Are you going to share with us?" Traci asked as she glanced into the oven after grabbing some water and noticed the excessive amount of food.

"No, you heathens are on your own." Gail replied sharply.

"That's a lot of food even for you, sure you're not sharing it with Hoooollllllllly?" This time Andy sang out the name.

Gail shot the brunette a look, but it didn't have its usual effect as the girl just grinned wider. "Why can't a girl just cook?"

Before any of them could respond Juliet and Nick made their way down the stairs. "Hey Chloe, that smells good what did you make this time?" Juliet asked as she reached the kitchen and poured a couple of cups of coffee.

"Not me." Chloe replied with a wide smile as she gestured to the blonde who was purposefully focusing on the food in the oven and not on the horde of people invading her workspace.

"Gail? She can't cook." Nick scoffed, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Just because I never cooked for your stupid ass, Nicholas, doesn't mean I can't do it."

"Yeah, ok." The boy replied clearly unconvinced.

"Don't you have your own house to annoy people in?" Gail turned her death glare onto her ex but he just chuckled and wrapped his arms around Juliet in defense. The ex-couple's argument was interrupted by an unruly arrival.

"What's that smell?" Frankie asked with a bit of a slur as she stumbled through the front door with Sammy and Jerry. It was obvious they were still awake from their night of drunken debauchery. The seniors had finished their finals before the rest of the kids and were testing the limits of their livers in preparation of party night.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Gail growled to herself. How had she managed to draw the attention of the entire house?

"Peck's cooking." Juliet explained to her drunken comrades.

"Gonna share." Sammy asked as he tried to open the oven and got his hand slapped away by the blonde chef.

"With Hoooollllly." The three other freshman girls sang out in unison.

"Jeeze Peck, I'm sure she'll put out for less." Frankie teased and the senior boys snickered.

"Shut up, Anderson!" Gail snapped as she pulled herself onto a counter away from the rest of the people now crowding their kitchen. She regretted getting up in the first place but she was used to her housemates sleeping half the day away. Finals had everyone's schedule out of whack.

"Just saying." Frankie replied with a shrug as she pulled out a bottle of whiskey they had stored in a cabinet in the kitchen but Juliet snatched it out of her hand. "Hey, mine." Frankie tried to get the bottle back but her friend was quicker and stepped away.

"Nope, eat something, drink water, and go to sleep." Juliet told the rest of the group. She had been drinking with all of them before she had called it quits hours ago in favor of some alone time with her boyfriend.

"But Peck won't share her food." Frankie whined as she made another grab for the booze. Juliet ducked away and handed it to Nick who held it above his head out of reach. "You know, Collins, I can think of at least three very painful ways to bring you to your knees." Frankie warned with her hands on her hips. Sam and Jerry nodded behind her, all too familiar with taking on the brunette.

Nick didn't waver though and the two were at an impasse.

"I'll cook. Who wants pancakes?" Chloe spoke up to distract the seniors and save her friend.

The entire house raised their hands. So much for morning studying, Chloe thought as she made her way into the kitchen to take over cooking duty. As she did so, she purposefully brushed by the intoxicated Frankie, letting her hand drag along the small of her back, lingering a tad longer than necessary. The move was enough to get Frankie to give up on her staring match with Nick as she turned to check out the redhead's supple ass as she sauntered by.

"You're drooling, Anderson." Sam teased; they had all noticed the ogling.

"Go home, Swarek." Frankie replied without taking her eyes off the prize, way too intoxicated to care about how obvious she was being. Chloe restrained herself from looking at any of the others but there was a smug smile on her face knowing that she was able to wind Frankie up without even trying.

"No way, I was just offered pancakes." The boy grabbed a stool next to Andy, who batted her eyelashes at him. Jerry also grabbed a seat nearby and pulled Traci onto his lap.

Chloe subtly gestured for Frankie to scoot. With a huff, she went and collapsed across their couch to wait for food like everyone else and to get away from the temptation to touch the redhead.

"So Roomie, since you're so good at cooking, want to help?" Chloe asked as she pulled out the ingredients she needed. She knew the blonde had been watching her and Frankie like a hawk from her perch in the kitchen.

"Nope." Gail had no intention of feeding the others. She was just waiting to eat her pancakes and to guard her food in the oven.

"You suck."

"You started it."

A couple of hours and many pancakes later found the seniors sleeping off their hangovers, the freshmen using Gail to bounce questions off in preparation for their exam, and Gail finishing up her cooking. She texted Holly and made plans to see her before her shift. After a lot more teasing from her housemates, the rest of the freshmen left to take their exam. Gail showered and got dressed. She grabbed her apron and work shirt, along with her present and headed over to Holly's apartment.

"Hey." The brunette greeted with a lopsided smile as she opened the door to her favorite visitor.

"Hey." Gail entered the apartment then shuffled nervously in the hallway, clutching the container with her good luck meal in it.

"What's that?" Holly gestured to the item the blonde was clinging to.

Gail held out the container, "This is a mac and cheese puff pie, and it's a little brain food I made for you last night. I mean, do you know how many recipes you can make with cheese puffs?" The blonde's eyes were wide and her smile displayed a bit of her child-like enthusiasm at her discovery.

"I didn't realize there were any." Holly uncovered the dish and examined it the way she would one of her science experiments, cautiously optimistic. "I didn't know you cooked."

"Well, I did live alone for a year and even in high school my parents were usually busy with work. Someone had to keep this flawless body functioning."

"So this isn't just you sharing some of Chloe's leftovers?"

"No, Nerd, I made that with my own two hands." Was it really that unbelievable that she could manage to cook something? It wasn't rocket science.

"And you made it for me?" Holly couldn't really control her natural desire to question everything.

"No, well...yes, I guess. I mean I know how you get when you're studying. You forget to feed yourself and since I couldn't sleep last night and someone didn't want to play with me, I just thought I might make some food."

"It's not that I didn't want to play, it's that I couldn't." Holly was quick to reassure the blonde. She didn't often turn down one of Gail's offers for a visit but it had been late and she only had one more day to prepare for her exam. But she hadn't really expected for Gail to turn around and cook for her after that. "I can't believe you cooked for me."

Gail smiled shyly and tried to downplay the gesture, "It's not a big deal, I was bored and goofing around on the internet."

"Well, I appreciate it. How much time do you have before work?" Holly wanted to show the blonde how much she appreciated the effort.

"Not enough for any funny business." The brunette actually pouted at that revelation and Gail smiled at her adorable moping. "Hungry?"

"Actually, yeah, I'm starving. Mind if I try some of this now?" Holly started to head towards her microwave.

"Go for it." Gail tried to sound nonchalant as she grabbed a stool at the med student's kitchen island. She tapped her fingers on the countertop nervously as she waited for the food to heat up and the brunette to tuck in.

"Oh my god," Holly moaned at the taste of the food, causing Gail to feel a bolt shoot through her body (this was a new way to get her to make that sound). "This is really good." Holly complimented the chef before grabbing another mouthful. She had been a little doubtful when she noticed the neon orange color of the dish but it was oddly amazing. Kind of like the girl who made it.

Gail and Holly talked for a little while as the brunette ate some of her food. Gail had given her enough for a couple of meals. They talked about how Gail's finals went and how Holly's studying was. It wasn't long before the blonde checked the time.

"I gotta get to work." Gail put her leather jacket back on and Holly walked her out. "Still want to come to the guys' party?" They had talked about it after Frankie had invited Holly, and the brunette wanted to make sure Gail was okay with her going.

"Definitely." Holly assured the other girl as she watched Gail start to head down the steps in front of the building.

"See you then." Gail turned and started to head towards the bar.

"Hey Danger," Gail stopped and Holly walked over to her. She grabbed the lapels of the blonde's leather jacket and pulled her into a passionate kiss. It only took a moment for Gail to grip Holly's waist to pull her closer as her lips responded to every movement of the brunette's. When the need for air became too much, they finally broke apart. "Thanks for the food." Holly whispered against her lips before she released the other girl.

Gail stumbled back with a huge, genuine smile on her face. She might just need to cook more often.

---

The party fell on the night of the official last day of finals for college students. Traci had managed to convince Charlie to let both Gail and her off early that night, even though the blonde had tried to get out of it with work. Her original plan had been to avoid most of the party by working the bar then showing up at the end for some free booze. But Traci and the rest of the housemates weren't accepting any excuses since Gail had managed to avoid most of the parties they went to that semester, in fact she hadn't been to one since the med school party where she took a hit and kissed Holly. Speaking of Holly, since Gail had gotten off work with enough time to change she decided to head over and walk the brunette to the party. Really, she just wanted to convince her to stay in the empty apartment so they could celebrate on their own rather than in a crowded house filled with drunk undergrads.

She was just outside of Holly's apartment door when she could hear voices arguing. She was about to knock but what they were saying gave her pause.

"She's supposed to just be fun, Holly, so what's the problem? If you're not serious then you should have no problem going on a date with someone else." Lisa's annoying voice cut right through the door, causing Gail's defenses to rise. The other med student was clearly trying to convince Holly to meet someone new, someone who wasn't her.

"I'm not interested in anyone else." Holly's voice was much lower but still audible. That little bit of information stopped Gail from taking off, but she still didn't want to interrupt.

"You're just setting yourself up to get your heart stomped on, again."

"Then that's my choice. I already almost messed things up with Gail once, I'm not doing it again. Get it through your stubborn head Lisa, I like Gail and she's the only person I want to be with."

"She doesn't even spend the night. You're not a couple. You're just a fling to her."

Finally, Gail couldn't take having Lisa acting like she knew the first thing about her so she knocked on the door and interrupted the argument.

"Hey," Holly greeted with a confused look on her face. "I thought I was meeting you at the guys' house."

"The less time I have to spend around other people the better." Gail replied with a shrug as she stepped into the apartment. That response got Holly to quirk one of her crooked grins and Gail's heartrate picked up a little at the sight of it. But that excitement was short-lived when Lisa cleared her throat.

"I still think you should come to the party tonight. You should be celebrating with your classmates not a bunch of undergrads." Lisa shot Gail a look of contempt.

"They're better company than people like you and Jess any day." Holly shot back before Gail even had a chance to open her mouth. But the smug grin on the blonde's face clearly showed that she approved.

"Are you two still arguing?" Rachel called out from her room.

"Tell Holly she should come with us." Lisa tried to get their friend on her side.

"If Holly wants to spend the night with a hot blonde, you of all people should appreciate that, Lisa." Rachel laughed as she came out of the room, but froze when she noticed their guest. "Oh, hey Gail, I didn't realize you were here. How are you?"

"Apparently, I'm hot."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's alright I know I'm irresistible. How was your test?"

"Long, which is why I'm ready to go get sloshed. Let's go, Lisa. You two have fun." Rachel grabbed her roommate's arm and dragged her away.

They watched the two girls leave, with Lisa making a couple more snide remarks on her way out the door.

As soon as her roommates were out of sight, Holly turned to her guest, "Sorry about that." She offered Gail an unsure, extremely apologetic smile.

But Gail waved off the apology, "No worries." She expected the hostility from Lisa and at least Rachel wasn't bad. Plus, she always appreciated a compliment.

Holly smiled and let out a breath, hoping that some of the embarrassment her friends had caused would dissipate, it didn't. Gail was staring at her with her those piercing blue eyes and Holly couldn't tell what she was thinking, she tried to resist the urge to fidget nervously under the gaze. Deciding that it was probably time for alcohol, she reached for her jacket, "Alright, well, I'm ready to go."

"Do you want to spend the night at my place?" Gail blurted out awkwardly. She didn't really know what possessed her to offer. Maybe it was the argument she heard or the annoying looks on Lisa's face the entire time she had been there but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. But maybe it could work. It wasn't like she was planning on sleeping that night anyway, not with Holly leaving for the next ten days; she needed to get as much sex in as she could.

Holly froze, unsure that she had heard the offer correctly. "You want me to stay at your place tonight?" She asked carefully, each word slowly slipping from her lips.

Gail scratched at the back of her head nervously, "Well, I mean only if you want to."

"I have to be up early for my flight tomorrow." Holly pointed out, and then mentally kicked herself. She should have been ecstatic that Gail was asking her to spend the night, not giving her an out. This was something she had wanted since they first started hooking up, but over the last couple of months the blonde had made it abundantly clear that sharing a bed to sleep wasn't something she did.

"I know but I can take you, we'll steal one of the losers' cars." Gail explained, some of her usual confidence returning. Holly hadn't turned the offer down, if anything the med student was probably just overanalyzing it. So Gail would make the decision for her. "You've already packed, yeah?"

"Yeah, but..." Holly wasn't exactly sure what to say, having no idea where the sudden change of heart was coming from. This was the same girl who snuck in and out of her bed at all hours like a thief in the night. The brunette wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some exhaustion-induced hallucination from all the studying she had done.

Gail didn't wait for the next excuse, "Then grab your stuff." But when Holly remained rooted to her spot, Gail rolled her eyes and started towards the brunette's room. She quickly spotted the packed duffle bag and hauled it over her shoulder before heading back to the hallway.

The movement pulled Holly from her thoughts. "You sure?" She asked once more as she grabbed the last couple of things she needed and her keys.

"You know," Pale fingers tapped against a sharp chin while brows furrowed in thought, "Now that I think about it, I've yet to christen my room." There was a devious twinkle in those incredibly blue eyes that raked over Holly's low-cut top and painted on jeans.

The obvious display of desire gave Holly a bit of her confidence back as she smirked and moved past the blonde, purposefully brushing against her as she went to open her front door, "Well we can't pass up that opportunity, now can we?"

---

It had taken Holly a little while to convince the blonde to actually abandon her room in favor of going to the party. They had stopped by the empty house to drop off Holly's stuff and could already see that the party was in full swing. The end of finals had come as a relief to the entire campus. There were parties all over the area and the boys were no exception. They had invited any and everyone they came into contact with and had encouraged the freshmen to do the same. Sam and Jerry were determined to go big or go home on this party.

But Gail disdain for humanity and parties was making her drag her feet. She had tried to distract Holly from the prospect of hours spent with sweaty, drunk undergrads pressing up against them with some strategically placed kisses but the med student had been adamant that they go. So against her better judgment, Gail allowed Holly to drag her next door.

"Why is there a tent with the word 'doghouse' written on it in the guys' yard?" Holly asked as they crossed the lawn between the two houses.

"Stupid Gerald thought it would be a good idea to cheat off McNally's paper during our Theories final but wouldn't own up to it when he got caught. So they both almost failed the test. The only thing that saved McNally's ass was that the dumbass hadn't realized they had different versions of the exam but Andy still had to restart hers. He's also on cleanup duty because he crashed into Jerry's car while the idiots were playing Frisbee." Everyone knew that Barber's beloved car was his most valuable possession so Duncan had been lucky to walk away alive. He had also made an enemy of Swarek by leaving a red sock in the wash turning some of the boy's clothes pink, but everyone (minus Sam) had found that one hilarious and weren't holding it against him.

Holly laughed at the story. "So they really made him sleep out there?"

"Yep," Gail popped the 'p' and shrugged. She was dragging her feet as they approached the crowded house that already had people spilling out of it. The thumping bass of the music could be heard at the girls' house and was only getting louder with each step; she could feel the beat vibrating in her bones. Gail really disliked parties, no matter how much she enjoyed free booze. "You sure you don't want to just hang out next door." She whined and tried to tug the brunette back in the direction they had come.

But Holly held firm, "Come on it's the end of the semester, you're a freshman it's your prerogative to celebrate. Plus, your friends are just going to harass you until you show up."

"Yeah, well, they're stupid."

"I promise to make it up to you later." Holly offered with a wink before pulling the blonde into the crowd with her.

They made their way through the bodies till they spotted the other freshmen lining up shots. After a lot of drunken hugging and happy greetings for the med student, the pair was forced to play catch up with the group. The girls accepted the shots much to the delight of the group. There was talking and dancing, a good amount of touching and a lot of drinking before Holly spotted Frankie near the kitchen. Leaving Gail to get sucked into a game of beer pong with Traci as her partner, Holly made her way across the room to talk to her friend.

"Hey stranger." Holly called out with a smile before pulling the smaller brunette into a hug. She knew Frankie didn't care for hugs except when she was drunk.

"And here I thought you forgot about me." Frankie joked as she returned the hug perfunctorily before returning to the drink in her hand. "How was your test?"

"Eh, okay I guess, but it's over that's what's important."

"Agreed." Frankie tapped her glass against Holly's.

"How was your day drinking?" Holly had gotten more than one drunken phone call from her friend since her finals ended encouraging her to ditch her books and join the seniors in their drinking Olympics.

"It's about endurance, Hols." Frankie replied with a wicked grin, she had been pacing herself today since she had a bet going with the guys about which of them would be left standing by the end of the night. Well, Frankie had other plans for the end of the night. Speaking of those plans, her eyes casually drifted in the direction that Holly had come from.

"So what were you doing here all by your lonesome? You aren't with your housemates." Holly noticed where Frankie was looking.

"Well I was with the boys but Jerry just abandoned me to go distract his girlfriend and yours." Holly smiled at the reference and didn't bother correcting Frankie, she'd blame it on the booze later. "And Sammy left to flirt with every girl but McNally."

Holly took a sip of her drink and smirked at her friend, "Why aren't you flirting with your girl?"

"She's not mine." Frankie replied through gritted teeth as she watched Chloe dancing with the freshmen boys. It was Chris tonight, instead of the goof, Epstein, who was busy with some Asian chick. She had learned her name more than a few drinks ago but couldn't be bothered to remember. She had a feeling that the dancing was just to piss her off, since Chloe had sidled up to her earlier in the night and Frankie had been too self-conscious to take advantage of it with everyone around. But now her liquid courage was making forget the reasons she held back in the first place, until she spotted Juliet talking to the group as she grabbed a couple of beers, then she remembered. She pulled her eyes away and was entirely unpleased with the look on Holly's face, "What?" She aimed for as disinterested as possible and leaned back against the counter.

"You could just dance with her then you wouldn't have to plan poor Chris' murder."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Denial is a useful defense mechanism 'til it's not."

"It's also a river in Egypt." Frankie shot back, earning an eyeroll and chuckle from Holly. "Like you're one to talk."

"Just saying that if you want to dance with Chloe you should do it."

"And what if I want to dance with you, Hols?" Frankie gave the med student one of her charming smiles and a wink.

Holly laughed; their friendship was way past the point of taking any type of flirting seriously. "I know you don't."

"You just can't handle my moves, Stewart."

"Correction, Frankie, you can't handle mine" Holly bumped her friend with her hip.

Frankie rolled her eyes and glanced around the room, hoping she could find someone new to actually flirt with. "Shit." Frankie cursed as she caught sight of someone she had no idea would be there.

"What?" Holly asked, thoroughly confused since she hadn't tapped her friend that hard.

"Look who's hitting on Nick," Holly glanced in the direction that Frankie pointed and immediately recognized the problem.

"What's she doing here?" Holly asked, but Frankie was already gearing up for a confrontation. Holly could do little more than follow and hope it didn't get out of hand.

"So Mr. Tall Drink of Water, what do you say to a dance?" The girl talking to Nick was average looking with dirty blonde hair and mostly unremarkable features, but was clearly trying too damn hard with her dark makeup resembling animal eyes and a shirt and skirt that left little to the imagination.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks." Nick politely turned down the offer as he scanned the party for any sign of Juliet. She had left to grab them some drinks, but she must have gotten sidetracked and now someone he was definitely not interested in was hitting on the boy.

"What's wrong? I'm sure you're a good dancer."

"I am, but I'm looking for my girlfriend." Or really any of the girls would do right now. He caught sight of Chloe but she was distracted dancing to notice his pleading eyes.

The girl didn't relent as she trailed a hand up and down Nick's arm, "Well, whoever your girlfriend is she's an idiot for letting you out of her sights."

Before Nick had a chance to respond, Juliet appeared. "Hey, there you are."

Relieved, Nick took a step away from the other girl and towards his girlfriend. "Hey babe." Nick accepted the beer that Juliet handed him with a quick kiss. "Thanks."

"Wait, you're dating the narc." The blonde growled as she caught sight of her classmate. "Oh god, you could do so much better. And I'd watch out if I were you, you might end up on a cellblock."

"What the hell is your problem?" Nick snapped at the girl insulting his girlfriend.

But Juliet placed a reassuring hand on his arm, "It's ok, Nick."

The bully seemed unfazed by the glare coming from the tall boy as she set her sights on Juliet. "So Ward, you gonna call the cops, get the party shut down? I'm surprised they'd even let you in here. I'm sure there's something illegal going on."

"Nice to see you too, Brianna." Juliet replied with a sigh, trying to ignore the bards and pull Nick away.

But the girl stepped in front of her as she turned, clearly not done yet. "So it was just Bibby that you wanted to turn in."

Juliet bit her lip, trying and failing to not engage. "I didn't want to turn him in."

"Of course you did or you wouldn't have. You're a self-righteous, back-stabbing traitorous bitch."

Juliet had done her best to ignore the taunts over the years, but each word was hitting her hard. She didn't have any fight left in her when it came to this, but she didn't have to defend herself this time.

"Give it a rest, Bri, Bibby deserved to get kicked out of school and sent to jail." Frankie fixed the girl with a glare as she stepped up to stand by her friend. Holly wasn't far behind.

Noticing the commotion, the freshmen girls migrated over as well. They all remembered too well what happened the last time insults were thrown at a party. Gail in particular kept her eyes fixed on the instigator as she stood next to Holly, a protective hand on her hip.

"Stay out of this, Anderson, you don't know the first thing about him."

"He was selling roofies and helping that psychopath Perrick. If it wasn't for Juliet and Oliver they would probably still be raping and killing girls on campus."

Gail's spine stiffened and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, unable to control the visceral reaction to hearing that name again. Her hand clamped tighter around Holly as she tried to keep her breathing regular. But it suddenly felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out of it.

"Bibby had nothing to do with what happened to that girl." The girl, Brianna, continued to argue against the group that had now formed to back up Juliet.

That girl. Gail's hand dropped from Holly's side and she glanced towards the exit, wondering how quickly she could escape before anyone noticed. She knew Nick was watching her, she could feel his eyes on her instead of his girlfriend; she hoped he didn't draw anyone else's attention.

Frankie was beyond incredulous; "He's who Bibby was getting the fucking drugs from you moronic twit. And Bibby was letting him attack girls at the parties. Juliet did the right thing."

"She was just jealous that Bibby had dumped her for me."

"More like she was relieved that she hadn't ever accepted any drinks from him."

"Frankie, it's ok, let's not ruin the boys' party." Juliet reached for the other senior to pull her back before the altercation turned physical.

But Frankie wasn't quite done yet as she shrugged off the hand. "No, it's not ok, you've been getting shit from idiots like this for the last two years. Bibby turned out to be a douchecanoe, get over it Bri, or get the fuck out." Finally turning her back on the infuriated girl, Frankie threw an arm over Juliet's shoulder. "Ready to get our drink on?"

Juliet smiled brightly at her friend, "Damn straight."

"That's only you." Frankie quipped and she glanced at Nick, "Come on Boyscout, you're invited too."

"Thanks, but you go ahead I'll be there in a minute." Nick was already stepping away and following in the wake of his ex who was making her way through the crowd of people towards the front door.

The younger girls immediately started clamoring about what the argument had been about, peppering the seniors with questions about who the guys they mentioned were and why Juliet was involved.

Holly was the one to explain, while Frankie and Juliet doled out the shots. She was the person least involved and had the best memory. "Bibby was a friend of ours and the president of a frat, so he was pretty well-known. Juliet caught him selling drugs to some of the guys on campus and turned him in. The guy he got the drugs from was Ross Perrick, who was a veterinarian student at our school until he was expelled for stealing Ketamine and other sedatives from the animal clinic. He had been supplying them to Bibby, who gave him access to the girls at his parties for Perrick to prey on. After he was expelled, Oliver caught Perrick trying to kidnap some girl from a party and it turned out he had killed another." Holly hadn't been there that night but she had heard the story from Oliver himself and explained it in the most clinical way possible. As Andy, Traci, and Chloe continued to ask questions about what happened, Holly glanced around and realized that Gail was missing from the group.

Gail wasn't aware of much other than needing to get outside as quickly as she could. She needed air, and to get as far away as possible from the people she knew. She was trying to keep her face devoid of any emotions, repeating the mantra in her head: Peck's aren't victims, Pecks aren't afraid, Pecks don't screw up. The words were the only thing she could focus on, that and making it out the front door before she got sick all over the floor. She was reaching for the door when she felt a collision into her shoulder.

---

One second Gail was inside surrounded by people and the next she was outside struggling against strong arms wrapped tightly around her. At least that's what it felt like to her and a new wave of panic set in until she heard the familiar voice.

"Gail, calm down, it's alright, just stop fighting, please. It's just me." Nick's words filtered into her brain and she stopped trying to resist as hard.

"Collins, what the fuck, let go of me." Nick immediately released the girl and she spun around to face him.

"I'm sorry, Gail, but you were going to hurt him."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Nick lowered his voice, and tried to pull Gail away from the people who were staring at the two of them outside. "Duncan, he accidently hit you with the door when you were leaving. You had him pinned to the wall with your arm on his throat and he couldn't breathe before I grabbed you. I pulled you outside."

Gail closed her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face, her fingers tracing over the scar on her forehead. No, she didn't remember any of that. She remembered the argument between Frankie and the bitch at the party, and trying to get out of there. She didn't remember Gerald at all. She glanced back at the door, "Did anyone else notice?"

"I don't think so, I wasn't far behind you, so I got you out of there as quickly as I could."

"So your creepiness finally paid off." Gail slumped against the wall of the house. Her legs felt shaky and her heart was still pounding in her chest. She had almost hurt someone and she didn't even remember doing it.

Nick looked at the blonde with concern. He knew that she didn't like talking about what happened, especially not with him. He only knew the story because Steve had told him while trying to beat the shit out of him. But Gail, she wouldn't talk about it, not then and probably not now, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Nicholas." She snapped, quickly, hating the way he looked at her, like she was some tragic little girl who couldn't handle herself. "Go back to the party, I just need some air."

"I think I'll stay." Nick leaned against the railing on the porch across from her.

"I don't want to talk."

Nick grinned widely, "I'm just getting some air."

For some reason his perfect smile irked her more than usual. She knew that he meant well and was trying to look out for her in his own way but she didn't want it. She just wanted to be alone, that's what she knew how to do best: be alone. She tried to focus more on her breathing than on his stupid face.

"Hey," Both of the blondes turned to face Holly as she grabbed their attention. She glanced between the two, Gail looked defensive as she slouched against a wall with her arms crossed, while Nick looked worried. "Everything alright?" Holly asked as she took a step closer to Gail, but keeping herself between the two.

"Yeah, I'm going to head in and find Juliet. See ya later, Peck." Nick bounced up from his spot and squeezed Holly's shoulder as he passed by. He knew his ex would be okay with the brunette.

Holly watched him go before turning her attention back to the blonde who hadn't moved and was now looking everywhere but at her, "Did he do something to upset you?"

There was a fierce protectiveness in Holly's tone that made Gail's lips twitch into a ghost of a smile. The brunette obviously didn't trust Nick and her concern was evident. But for some reason, it didn't feel as stifling as her ex's did. "No, we were just talking, I needed some air, it's crowded in there." Gail hoped her voice was steady as she gestured to the house behind her. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you." Holly replied simply as she leaned her shoulder against the wall Gail was propped against, giving her a perfect view of the blonde's stunning profile.

Gail glanced to the side at the brunette, slightly surprised, "You came to find me?"

"Of course." The half-smile on Holly's face was more reassuring than any of the words Nick had spoken to her. "You sure you're okay?"

Gail sighed and slumped further, "I'm just tired of all the people."

Holly chuckled, "You really do hate parties don't you?"

"God, yes!" Gail huffed.

"We don't have to stay."

"I thought you wanted to celebrate the end of the semester with everyone."

"Well, I do want to celebrate but there's really only one person I want to be with." Holly tentatively brushed her hand against Gail's. "I just didn't want your friends to bother you about the party."

Gail glanced down and caught Holly's hand, lacing pale fingers between tan ones. She liked the contrast of their skin tones. "So what are we waiting for?" She asked with a smirk and pulled the brunette in the direction of her incredibly empty house.

---

Juliet handed Frankie a jello shot from the stash they had made earlier in the day, "Players gonna play."

The other senior smirked, "Haters gonna hate." They clinked glasses and swallowed the alcohol with a slight grimace, it was from the batch the boys had made.

"Did you two just quote T. Swift?" Chloe asked, her eyes dancing with amusement, while the rest of the group laughed.

"It's their way of shaking it off." Jerry explained as he snagged a shot for himself and Traci from the tray Anderson was now guarding.

"I can't believe you two are still doing that toast." Sam teased as he joined the group and grabbed a shot for himself.

"Can you think of one that's more appropriate?" Juliet questioned as she spotted her boyfriend reenter the house and stop to talk to his roommate. Duncan was rubbing at his neck but nodding at whatever the taller boy was saying. She smiled when he came over to join them.

Sam laughed and held up his glass, "No, here's to shaking off a long semester. One more to go." The four seniors clinked glasses and downed the drinks.

"Are you all going to share?" Nick asked.

"Gotta get past Frankenstein." Sam snatched another drink off the tray as Frankie whacked his arm. He barely held onto the drink. "Watch it, Anderson, no party fouls."

"I think it's a little late for that." Frankie glared at her friend and proceeded to slap away the others who reached for the drinks in front of her.

Chloe sidled up to the senior to try her luck; she rested one hand on the small of the brunette's back, letting her chest brush against the violent arm as she reached for one of the shots. Frankie caught her by the wrist. "Not so fast, Muppet."

"You can't possibly drink all of those, Crankypants. Now be nice, and share with us, please." Chloe batted her eyelashes and smile brightly.

"I don't like to share." Frankie quietly growled, she let her thumb rub against the freshman's wrist, letting her know that she wasn't just talking about the booze.

Nick seized on the distraction and snagged a couple of drinks for himself and Juliet.

"Hey! Jules, your boyfriend is cruisin' for a bruisin'." But Nick stuck out his tongue at Frankie, knowing that she had her hands a little too full to actually be a threat to him.

"Come on Frankie, we need to toast to the freshmen completing their first semester." Juliet argued and started to hand out shots.

"Fine, fine." Frankie dropped the act and held up her own glass.

"Watch and learn kids. We're counting on you to keep our legacy alive." Jerry told the group, as the group held up their drinks. "Congrats on surviving this long." They all clinked and drank.

"Hey did you all notice the hotties that just arrived?" Duncan asked as he joined the group, throwing an arm over Chloe and Nick's shoulders. Everyone turned their attention to the group of girls that had just walked through the door.

"Is that Gabi?" Juliet asked.

Frankie nearly dropped the tray of drinks the girl in question locked eyes with her. "Fucking shit." She hadn't seen the girl since the night at the club with Chloe and Jess. She definitely hadn't expected her to show up to this.

"Seriously who invited people to this thing?" Juliet asked as she helped catch the drinks. She could tell by Frankie's surprised face that she had nothing to do with her ex showing up.

"Well, Bri ambushed me," Jerry explained sheepishly. "What was I supposed to say?"

"No!" Both senior girls snarled at their friend, before turning their attention to Sammy who looked equally guilty.

"Gabi's friends are hot." Sam tried to defend himself.

"You're both idiots." Juliet reprimanded the boys before turning her attention to Frankie, who's jaw was clenching so tightly that she was mildly afraid she'd break her teeth. "Want me to get rid of her?" She offered.

"You know it's not going to be that easy." Sam pointed out, and Jerry slapped a hand to his own forehead, even he couldn't defend Sammy on this one.

Juliet glared at her friend, "Not helping."

"So, wait, who is she?" Andy asked as she watched the seniors continue to stare.

The upperclassmen exchanged a look and Juliet cleared her throat, "Frankie's ex." The group all turned their attention to the stony-faced senior who wasn't speaking.

"I gotta go." Frankie tossed the drinks to Sam and tried to make a break for it when she noticed the ridiculously tanned goddess had started to sashay in her direction. She headed in the direction of the back door.

As Gabriela tried to pass the group to follow in the senior's path, Juliet stepped forward. "What the hell are you doing here, Gabi?"

"I was invited."

"Not by Frankie, she doesn't want to see you, so why don't you do us all a favor and just leave."

"Well, she can tell me that herself. Besides, I thought this was an open party." The smile on the girl's face was sickly sweet but her eyes were just looking for a fight.

"She's moved on, maybe it's time you did the same."

Gabriela shot a contemptuous look at Chloe, recognizing the redhead from the night at the club. "She always comes back for more, you know that. But you know what, I'll stay away, I just can't promise she'll do the same." The girl reached over and grabbed a shot off the tray Sam was still holding. "Briagado." And she sauntered off in the direction of her friends.

"Why are all the lesbians at this school so hot?" Duncan asked, checking out the girl as she walked away, earning himself a hit from nearly everyone in the group. "Jeeze, what'd I say?"

"I should go find, Frankie." Juliet sighed as she went to pull away from the group.

"Don't worry, I think someone already is," Nick commented as he pointed in the direction of the redhead slipping out the back door.

"Hey Frankie, wait up!" Chloe called out as she spotted the brunette cutting a slightly unsteady path across the backyard of the boys' house.

Frankie stopped and turned around. "Look, Price, I think I'm partied out for tonight." She knew she couldn't stay in the house, not with alcohol and her ex in the same place at the same time. Not if she wanted to wake up in the morning, not hating herself.

It didn't take long for the freshman to cover the distance between them. She moved in close to the senior, "Really? Cause I was hoping to continue the party back at home." Even in the darkened yard, she could see the way the senior's pink tongue darted out to wet her lips in anticipation. "What do you say? Up for a little shindig of our own?"

Frankie didn't answer but she grabbed a hold of Chloe's wrist and marched in the direction of their vacated house.

---

"You sure you want me to stay tonight?" Holly breathlessly asked as Gail pressed her into the closed door of her room. The blonde moved her attention from Holly's now kiss-swollen lips to her neck.

"Mmhmmm." She mumbled against the tan skin, her lips tracing down the smooth line as Holly tilted her head away to give the blonde more room to work with. Gail was determined now to salvage the night and not spend any more time thinking about what had happened at the party. And if the only way to do that was to have sex all night, well that was a sacrifice Gail was willing to make.

Holly tried and failed to suppress a moan when Gail's lips found the spot just below her ear that was particularly sensitive. But she tried to focus her mind on making sure the skittish blonde was really okay with their plans for the night. "What about your roommate?"

"She already knows that she's being sexiled." Gail moved her kisses lower until she reached the top of Holly's shirt and started to make quick work of the buttons.

"Really, Gail? Sexiled?" Holly laughed, pushing her chest further into the soft lips that were blazing a trail along her exposed skin.

At the last button, Gail pulled the shirt from Holly's arms and glided her hands back up to undo the brunette's bra. "It's true, trust me, the Princess doesn't mind. It gives her an excuse to spoon Anderson." She paused for a moment to enjoy the sight of Holly's naked torso, before licking her lips and glancing up at the darkened brown irises. "Plus, she's still waiting on my revenge."

Holly smirked and reached to pull the blonde's shirt up and over her head. "You enjoy tormenting her, don't you?"

"Obviously. But can we not talk about her?"

"I won't say another word." Holly reconnected their lips and let the blonde pull her towards her bed. A few more articles of clothing were shed before Holly found the back of her legs connecting with the mattress and Gail straddling her legs.

Gail pulled back from their kisses with a nip to Holly's lip, "Trust me you'll be saying words. I'm thinking along the lines of: Gail, please, and don't stop."

In a quick movement, Holly spun the pair and pinned the blonde to the bed. "We'll see."

---

Chloe didn't waste anytime connecting her lips to Frankie's as they stumbled through the front door of their house. Shoes were quickly kicked off and keys dropped as the two girls fought for dominance as they pressed one another against any surface they could find for support. Ravenous lips and wandering hands pushed and pulled each other through the hall and up the first flight of stairs.

When they reached the second floor, Chloe slammed Frankie against her closed door fiercely kissing the senior and reached for the knob only to find the door locked.

"Go upstairs!" Came Gail's muffled voice through the door before a moan rumbled through the wood.

The kissing stopped as both girls burst out laughing. Unable to suppress her giggling, Chloe pulled the senior away from the door of the occupied room and in the direction of the stairs.

"Nice job, Stewart." Frankie called out igniting a new wave of laughter. But the med student's mouth was a little too preoccupied to reply.

---

Gail was lying in bed with a slumbering Holly. She glanced at the clock and there were still a few hours before they had to be up and on their way to the airport. Holly was pressed against her side, given the limited room on Gail's twin sized bed, there wasn't really any way to avoid it. Not that she wasn't enjoying the softness or warmth of the body next to her, she was more than exhausted, but was too scared to close her eyes. Sex hadn't been enough to turn the blonde's brain off completely and the argument at the party was still playing in her head, so was what Nick had told her about what she did to Gerald. There was no way she could trust herself to fall asleep and risk hurting Holly, not when just having the brunette in the bed next to her felt so good. She couldn't jeopardize it with a nightmare. As slowly and quietly as she could she slipped out of her bed and grabbed her headphones. She checked to make sure Holly hadn't woken up before heading out the door and down the stairs. A few hours and she'd come back up to wake Holly, with any luck the brunette wouldn't notice her absence.

---

A/N: Well, that's a wrap on the semester, next chapter starts up winter break and the holidays for the crew. I know everyone is waiting for Gail's big reveal to Holly and we're almost there. It'll happen, trust me.