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?

23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to leave a review on the last chapter. I'm glad you seemed to like the way I repurposed the show's events so they fit into this story and how Gail's reveal came about. It was nice to know that it made sense outside of my own head. She still has a lot to deal with, and of course only more stuff is going to pile on, but I tried to give her a bit of a break this chapter...kinda...

A special thanks to ChapstickLez for letting me reference her stories, especially the OWtO/EOiNA universe. Seems one of the girls is a fan...

---

Gail didn't try to leave Holly's apartment the rest of the day. She did manage to fall into another fitful nap, and when she awoke Holly was there. The brunette didn't make a big deal of it, which Gail appreciated, she simply asked if she was hungry and they ordered in. Other than to get the food they didn't leave the brunette's room. But since Gail had been all talked out, she focused on getting Holly into some of her rambles, which proved easier than expected and she got to enjoy listening to the animated med student explain about her work with the pathologists. It was challenging for Holly since path wasn't something they had even remotely covered in her studies, but the science of it all Holly was well versed in and for what she wasn't she was enjoying learning it. It wasn't the easiest thing to balance on top of her studies, but she was enjoying it. She also mentioned the clinic and the patients and how everyone had missed the blonde. But there wasn't the same light to Holly's features when she talked about the kids.

"So are you thinking about becoming a pathologist?" Gail asked between bites of food.

Holly adjusted her glasses, "I don't know. It's still early for me to decide. I mean I'm only a semester in."

Gail picked up on the nervous tension the question seemed to elicit in the brunette. She wondered how many people were pressuring her when it came to her specialty. "Yeah, no, I get that. I just meant that you seem to enjoy it."

"I do," Holly's smile seemed to falter as she thought more about the prospect, "but it's so different than any other form of medicine."

"Because you're working with dead people?"

"Kinda."

"Yeah, but that means they can't talk back or annoy you. So really those have to be the best patients." Holly couldn't suppress her laugh at the comment, and they both briefly recalled the first time Gail mentioned hating people over the pool table. It was one of the few times in her life that the blonde hadn't minded losing. "Plus, it's not like you could kill them."

The smile dropped from Holly's face and she picked at the food still on her plate. "Yeah."

Gail wasn't sure what she said wrong, but clearly something had struck a nerve. She nudged the brunette with her foot to draw her attention. "Hey, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

"No, it's just...I'm scared of killing a patient. Like really scared of it. I like the whole cutting aspect of surgery and actually working with the human body." Gail couldn't hide the contortions of her face and it caused Holly to laugh slightly, "Yes, I know, it's gross. But when you're a surgeon you literally hold a patient's life in your hands. And other types of doctors can prescribe the wrong medication or miss a diagnosis. Like there's so many things that could go wrong."

"I get it, that's a lot of pressure. It's life or death."

"Yeah, but I signed up for it." It wasn't that Holly couldn't handle the responsibility, but the prospect seemed to bother her more than her classmates.

"So? You can always change your mind. But is that really the only reason you like the internship?" Gail knew it wasn't, and sure enough the smile returned to Holly's features.

"No, I just love forensics, solving mysteries, figuring out crimes and what went wrong, helping the police. I don't know...it's exhilarating."

"Ha, you would think so, Nerd." Truthfully, Gail was a little jealous. She wished she could feel that way about joining the force. Well, technically she had felt a glimmer of it when she had been with Ollie out in the field that day, but it wasn't enough to overcome the dread she felt at how much control her parents would have over her life. Would she become a jellyfish, like her brother?

Holly shoved her slightly and stole a bite of Gail's orange chicken from her plate. The blonde frowned but said nothing, sealing the brunette's victory. "Your internship can't be that bad."

"It was, but it's over now so..." The last few days with her mother breathing down her neck had been pure hell. Her sleep-deprivation had made it almost impossible not to snipe back at the critical woman, but Gail had somehow managed to keep her mouth shut. Still, it had taken a lot out of her. She wondered how many more pieces of herself she would lose if she continued down the Peck path of family glorification.

"You don't have to go in tomorrow?"

"No, thank god. Classes start this week so I'm free...kinda."

Holly smiled, "When's your first lecture?"

"They gave us off tomorrow, so Tuesday."

"Working tomorrow?"

"Closing shift." There was something in Holly's tone, so Gail cocked an eyebrow, "Don't you have class?"

"Exam is Friday so just a review session in the afternoon. It looks like we both have the morning off."

Despite the nonchalance in Holly's voice, when Gail glanced over at the brunette she caught sight of a small, shy smile. "Is this your way of asking me to stay tonight?"

"Only if you want to." Holly rushed to reassure her. Now that she knew more about Gail's sleeping issues she really didn't want to put any pressure on the other girl. She knew it would be the last thing the blonde needed.

"Jeeze, no need to twist my arm." The broad smile on the blonde's face belied the dramatic delivery of the words.

Holly stuck out her tongue and made another grab for the food on Gail's plate with her chopsticks.

"Seriously, Holly, I really have killed people for less." Gail warned even as she let Holly swipe her food. It made the brunette smile that adorable half-smile of hers and Gail felt her heart skip a beat just at the sight of it.

"But who will help you hide everyone else's dead body?"

"That's the real reason you started working at the lab, isn't it?"

"Obviously."

They finished their food and Holly started to gather their trash. After she returned from depositing the leftovers in the fridge and the garbage in the bin under the sink, she plopped down on the foot of her bed facing the sprawled out blonde. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"You need to study, you just said your test is on Friday." Gail felt guilty for the amount of attention she had been taking up. She hadn't realized how close it was to an exam for Holly, which meant the brunette should really be focusing on school and not on being her caretaker.

Holly shrugged, "One night off won't kill me."

"It might. And it's been more than a night you obviously didn't get any studying done earlier and the other night we were at the hospital the whole time."

"I was studying while you slept. Really, it's okay."

"It's not, you should study. I can entertain myself."

Holly smiled her crooked smile, "Going to read my medical journals?"

"Actually I was going to snoop through your drawers and closet, but I guess I can settle for reading something." Of course aside from all the textbooks and science journals, Holly had an extensive book collection adorning her wall. "Can you point me in the direction of some lesbian culture?"

"Ha, since when do you need a book for that? I thought you already knew everything you needed to know about fleece and backpacks."

"There is always something to learn, plus I need to play catch-up."

Holly handed Gail the first book she could reach from the second shelf. "A Story of Now?"

"You'll like it."

"You didn't even look?"

"Photographic memory."

"Fine."

Gail made herself comfortable on Holly's bed and started reading. For the first time since they had gotten back Holly left her bed, and settled at the desk so she could study. She could still see the blonde out of the corner of her eye, but this way she wasn't as easily distracted.

The night carried on quietly. Each girl got lost in her own world, one in the science of medicine and the other in the world of 'young' love, but they still took comfort in sharing the same space as one another.

Finally, it was getting late and Holly could see the words starting to swim in front of her. She had been studying for far too long without a break. She took off her glasses and pushed the heel of her hands into her eyes.

The movement drew Gail's attention. "You okay?"

"Mmmhmm just really small print." Holly tried to stretch out the knot in her back from being hunched over the desk. She pressed her hands against the sore muscles. "How's the book?"

"Good. Do you need some help?" Gail marked the spot where she had been reading and gestured to the grimacing brunette as Holly shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"No, I'm alright."

"It couldn't have been comfy sitting like that."

Holly shrugged, "Kept me awake."

"Come here." Gail moved over so the other girl could sit next to her on the bed. She moved her hands over Holly's back, quickly feeling the spots of tension that she was sure were causing pain. She started to knead her hands into the muscles. "You know this would work better if you laid down and ditched the shirt."

"Trying to get me naked?"

"Maybe." Gail replied with a playful wiggle of her eyebrows.

Holly rolled her eyes but pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor while keeping her back to Gail, she stretched out on her bed.

Gail got up and grabbed the bottle of lotion from the shelf above Holly's desk and came back to straddle the back of Holly's legs. "Is this okay?"

"Mmhmm." Holly mumbled as Gail started to work the lotion into her skin, paying attention to any knots she found along Holly's back.

"Can I?" Gail's fingers danced along the clasp of Holly's bra, which was in the way of the path she was tracing.

"Yeah." Holly breathed.

Gail could feel the brunette tense below her as she undid the miniature hooks. The only thing she could see though was the expanse of Holly's back. She tried to focus only on the massage and not on the fact that she had a gorgeous girl pinned under her. It had been awhile since they were intimate which seemed to only contribute to Gail wanting Holly even more. But this was supposed a small gesture from Gail to repay Holly for the kindness and understanding she had shown her since Oliver's shooting. So that was what Gail kept reminding herself every time Holly let out a small moan of pleasure when Gail worked out a spot of particular discomfort. The massage went on for a while until the pressure of Gail's hands started to lighten but it wasn't until her hands dipped a bit lower than they had been that Holly spoke up.

"Thanks, I'm feeling a lot better." Holly mumbled as she reached behind her to redo the strap so that she would be covered when she got up.

Gail took the cue and shifted her weight off of Holly and back onto the mattress. "Good," Gail mumbled before her breath caught when Holly peeled herself from the bed to find her discarded shirt. She finally understood why Holly had left to change the other night because...well...boobs! It took a minute before she remembered to divert her eyes, but it was too little too late because Holly had caught the look and the small blush that adorned the blasted pale skin as a result. She chuckled a little and put her shirt back on.

"Busted, Peck."

"Can't blame a girl for looking, Stewart, you had them on display."

"You're the one who made me lose my shirt."

Gail ignored the argument, "Plus, I saw the way you were looking at me in the shower the other night."

"You were wet and naked, how else was I supposed to look at you? But I recall that I was the one who had to literally restrain you from touching me."

"You didn't have to restrain anything."

"I did." Holly replied simply as she sat back and pulled her knees up to her chest. She folded her arms and rested her chin across the top of them.

"Didn't"

Holly fixed her with a look, "Did."

"Because I was drunk?"

"For starters..." Holly admitted, but the way her voice trailed indicated that it definitely wasn't the main reason.

Gail picked up on the tone, and wanted to know the real reason Holly had pulled back. "Why else?"

"Maybe we should talk about this another time." It had been a long, tiring day and Holly wasn't sure how what she wanted to say would be perceived. The night of the Peck Party still hung heavily on Holly's mind and she had realized that she cared about the wonderfully infuriating blonde in front of her too much for it to just be meaningless sex for her anymore. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure it had ever been that for her from the start, but Gail had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't looking for a relationship or anything more than what they had had.

"It's because I was a mess, wasn't it?" Gail's words were laced with insecurity. She knew that letting herself be vulnerable in front of other people would just make them want her less. She was the Ice Queen, the hot, mysterious girl at the bar, the one people didn't want to actually get to know and deal with.

"No, Gail, it wasn't that." Holly tried to reassure her, but she still didn't want to say too much and scare the girl away. Gail was dealing with enough as it was and really didn't need Holly's pesky feelings getting in the way. She was determined to be Gail's friend, even if nothing more.

"So then was it just that you didn't want me?"

"You know that's not true. It took every ounce of self-control I have not to give in that night, but it's not what either of us needed."

"Speak for yourself." Gail grumbled.

"I am," Holly moved closer and took one of Gail's hands. Her thumb started to absently trace the ridges there. "The timing wasn't right, and you know it."

"Maybe," Gail conceded. She still really wanted to kiss Holly, but she had a feeling the timing still wasn't right. She couldn't keep using Holly as a band-aid to fix whatever was broken in her head. Not the way she had tried to use Nick and other guys in the past. Holly was different. Things with Holly were different. Or at least she wanted them to be.

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, with Holly's thumb still moving across the back of Gail's hand and Gail just watching its trajectory. It was similar to when they sat together in the hospital and it still made Gail feel calmer than she had in a long time.

Finally a yawn escaped from Holly and Gail chuckled, "Tired?"

"Mmhmm. Think you're ready to try sleeping again?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Gail's face, "I suppose." She may have slept the majority of the day, but it hadn't been enough to replenish the sleep debt she had created. She was still tired, and yet she didn't think it would be enough to fall asleep easily. But she also knew Holly hadn't spent the day sleeping and that she needed rest if she was going to spend her whole week cramming, so the two girls got ready for bed.

Holly took up her usual spot facing Gail, but she had gone back to leaving enough room so that they didn't have to touch if Gail didn't want them to.

After turning off the lights and plugging in her phone to Holly's spare charger, Gail turned on her side to face the brunette. She tried to relax, but it was proving difficult. She felt a soft hand brush against hers and Holly looped her pinkie over Gail's. It was a small contact, but it was enough that Gail felt herself relax. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

---

As much as she didn't want to leave, she had to eventually force herself to head home. Holly had even offered her a change of clothes to convince her to stay longer, but Gail didn't want the brunette's stuff to reek of alcohol and grease.

She had woken up in Holly's bed after a few hours of sleep. For once, it didn't seem to be from a nightmare, but just from her body's new fucked up sleep schedule. She had drifted closer to the brunette in her unconconsious state. Arms and legs had tangled and Gail's head was resting comfrotably under Holly's chin. A part of her had wanted to pull away, to keep a distance in their sleep, just in case she had one of her violent nightmares. But she couldn't pull herself away from the warmth and comfort she felt in Holly's arms. It took a while for her to fall asleep again and while she laid there she had filled her mind with thoughts of the girl sleeping contently beside her and she had made a decision.

"So that new sushi place opened up on Kane Street. You'll have the weekend off right? Would you maybe want to grab dinner with me on Saturday night after my shift? " She kept her focus on the clothes she was changing into rather than on Holly's reaction for fear that she would lose her nerve.

Holly's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, "Yeah I have the weekend off, but isn't that place like really expensive and crowded?" The two girls had gone out to plenty of places to eat together like friends typically do, but never anywhere nearly as upscale as the new addition to their city.

"I can get us a table and it's my treat." Gail figured it would be a good use of the Peck name.

"Gail..." Holly started in an argumentative tone. She couldn't expect the blonde to pay for her, not at somewhere like that. Paying for one another had become a sort of habit for the two girls, but there was a difference between the occasional coffee or burger and a fancy restaurant.

"Really Holls, I asked you, and it's my way of saying thank you."

"You don't need to say thank you."

"I want to."

Holly wanted to continue protesting, but there was a look in the blonde eyes she hadn't seen before and couldn't quite place. "Alright," she agreed with a smile.

With that settled, Gail finished getting dressed and changed the subject. "Are you going to the clinic this week?"

"No, I need to study. I'm not even going into the lab either."

"Would it be okay if I went without you?"

"I think they'd really like that."

Holly grabbed Gail's jacket and handed it to her. As Gail slipped her arms through the sleeve, she jostled her pocket sending the bottle of pills she had on her clattering to the ground in front of them. She quickly dove to pick them up, but Holly was faster. "Those are for my wrist. I tweaked it again and it's been hurting."

Holly could feel the weight of the relatively full pill bottle. "So yesterday you were hanging out in the cemetery with a bottle of oxy and a bottle of bourbon?" Despite the bluntness of the words, it wasn't an accusation. Gail had heard Holly use the same tone in the clinic when she was repeating a patient's story back to them, it was the brunette's fact-checking tone, her way of making sure she understood the information she was given properly. Kind of like she was putting the pieces of a puzzle together and wanted to make sure she wasn't missing any.

But knowing that didn't stop Gail from getting defensive, "The bourbon was for you. I told you that. And these are for my wrist, but I didn't take any. It's the same prescription you gave me that day in the hospital. Do you want to count them?"

Holly had a feeling that Gail probably hadn't taken any of the pills, considering she had seen her on them in the hospital. They made her loopy for sure. That wasn't really what was concerning her. It was the whole picture, one that seemed much bleaker than just dulling a little pain. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Gail. I'm just wondering why you've been carrying the pills around with you and not taking them?"

Gail decided to focus on the reason she hadn't taken them and not on the reasons she brought them with her. "They mess with my dreams."

"Which is why you haven't used them?" Holly saw the slight nod. She remembered Gail waking up in the hospital bed in terror and now it made more sense considering the blonde had a propensity for nightmares without anything additional in her system. "How long has your wrist been hurting for?"

"I don't know, a while."

"Does it hurt now?"

"A little." She held out her hand for the bottle.

Holly handed the pills back. "You should wear your brace. Wrap it and ice it if it's swollen. You could try Advil. That should also help with any inflammation."

"That's it. That's all you're going to say."

"What else should I say? You said they're for your wrist and that you haven't taken them." There was definitely more to say, but Holly wasn't sure if she should say it. Gail had already told her that the alcohol was a gift for her and that she had been planning on finding her later that day. She hoped those plans were real and that Gail hadn't had something else in mind when she had made her way to the cemetery the day before. Holly could still picture Gail asleep on the frozen ground beside the tombstone and it made her heart lurch the same way it had when she had found her there and thought...

"And you believe me?"

Holly wasn't sure what to say or how to push. She didn't want Gail to split and run because she felt like she was being attacked or accused of something. But she wanted her to be able to talk if she wanted. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"No." Gail replied quickly, probably too quickly, but she wanted this conversation over with as soon as possible. "I should go. I don't want to be late."

"Hey, Gail." Holly caught the blonde's attention that had one hand on the door.

Gail stilled, but her hand tightened around the knob. She had a feeling the other shoe was about to drop. That Holly would either cancel their plans for Saturday or ask more about the pills, but there was little she could do when she was still standing in the brunette's room. "Yeah?"

"If I text, will you answer?"

Gail smiled at the adorably nervous nerd standing beside her. She felt a small niggle of guilt for all the times she had blown off the other girl's texts that made this conversation necessary, but a simple 'yeah' would be giving in too easily. "Does that mean you're planning on texting me?"

"Depends on your answer." Holly shot back, folding her arms and shifting her weight to one hip.

Gail tried to suppress the smile that was trying to betray her as she sized up the challenge in Holly's eyes. "I suppose," she replied with a sigh.

"Hmmm...I might just test you on that."

"Speaking of tests, go get your study on, Nerd." Gail teased as she opened the door to finally leave the brunette's room and face the real world again.

"Have a good shift, Danger."

---

She got home to her surprisingly quiet house and was relieved to find no one around. She wasn't nearly as lucky when she got to her room.

"Roomie, I'm glad you're back. How are you? Is everything okay? Have you been with Holly this whole time? Are you two back together? Did you work things out? What was even wrong in the first place?"

Gail let the evervescent girl talk until she ran out of steam, while she stripped off her clothes and found some that she didn't mind wearing to the bar. She also grabbed her shirt and apron. When she was done she stopped and stared at her roommate who was looking at her with a wide smile on her face. As much as Gail wanted to hate her on principle alone, she knew that Chloe had cared about her more than most people had in her entire life. She had been ready to sound the alarms when Gail vanished without anyone knowing where she had gone after a few hours. She had also played a part in sending Holly her way, which had worked out better than expected even with the glitch before she left.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chloe asked nervously when her roommate had finished getting dressed and was looking at her with an inscrutable expression.

"There's a strange sensation spreading through my body."

"You're not planning how to kill me in my sleep again, are you?"

"I think it's gratitude. Thank you."

"Aww..." Chloe bounded over and wrapped Gail up in a hug. The blonde froze, but let the hug happen, neither reciporcating or ending it. After a few seconds, she had enough, "Alright, Princess, this is really not how I communicate."

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not and if you tell anyone what I said, I really will kill you in your sleep and bury you in the backyard."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Gail rolled her eyes and grabbed her stuff. "If you come by the Penny, your first drink is free."

"Then I better make it a good one. Ooo I wonder what I should get? You know I haven't had a fuzzy navel in a while. That's always good. Or, I know, a Redheaded Slut for time-honored reasons. This one time, I was..."

Gail had only stopped at home long enough to change her clothes and head to the bar, so she left Chloe while she was still talking, mid-story. At least this time the redheaded hadn't listed any drinks that would require a fire extinguisher, so she figured she would be safe when she actually came to order. On her way out the door she ran into Jerry who was about to knock.

"Hey Peck, do you know if Ward is home?"

"No clue, Barber, gotta get to work." She pushed past the boy before he could pull her into conversation too.

"See you there!" He made his way up the stairs, only to find that Juliet's door was closed. He knocked, but there was no answer, he was about to head down the stairs when he looked across the hall.

"Oh good, you're here," Jerry sighed in relief when he spotted Frankie lounging in her bed.

"What are you doing up here, Jer?" Frankie asked, barely taking her eyes off the computer in her lap as she fired off an email to Professor Jarvis. Not only was he the hardest professor the group had ever had, she was the only one (un)lucky enough to have him as an advisor.

"I was looking for Jules, but you can help me instead."

"I'm fairly certain you're supposed to ask for help."

"Frankie, will you please help me with something?" Jerry flashed the girl his most winning smile.

"Let me think..." Frankie stopped typing to stroke her chin, feigning like she was deeply considering the request. "No." She dismissed her friend and returned her attention to the screen in front of her.

"Frankie, seriously, please." Jerry pleaded as he crossed the threshold of her doorway.

"Jerry, seriously, you know the rules in my room. No penises allowed."

He ignored her and pulled off his shirt. Frankie looked up and narrowed her eyes in warning, "Seriously, Jer, I'm not kidding, if your pants come off next you're going to be missing what you consider to be a very valuable part of your body." The boy turned around and Frankie's jaw dropped, "Holy shit, did Nash do that to you or did you have sex with Wolverine?" Jerry had two sets of claw marks running along his back. The gashes had actually drawn a bit of blood.

Jerry brought his hand up to scratch nervously at the back of his head, "Erm...yeah...last night Traci and I were..."

Frankie had already sat up in her bed, depositing her laptop beside her. She held up a hand to cut him off. "Please don't elaborate, if I puke on my floor from hearing about your hetero relationship you have to clean it. Just hand me the stuff."

He handed over the tube of antibiotic ointment and she tried her best to gently apply it to the wounds on his back. She shifted uncomfortably when the thought crossed her mind about what would happen if Chloe's nails were like that. Shit, just the thought of the level of pain had her wincing. When she was done, Jerry pulled his shirt back on.

"So, yeah, if you could you know like not mention this to any of the others that would be stupendous." Jerry gave his friend his best set of puppy dog eyes to accompany the request.

"Yeah, I'm going to try to wipe this from my memory, but since when are you shy about sex wounds?" Frankie had heard way more about the sex lives of the boys than she had ever wanted to. Sammy was the worst, but Jerry could be just as bad.

"I just don't want to embarrass Traci. She's amazing and, well, these were well-earned." He winked at his friend who got up from her bed to shove him out of her room.

"Be gross one more time and I'm leaving Traci a pair of nail clippers and a note."

Jerry laughed at first, but gulped when he noticed the glint of seriousness in Frankie's eyes. He still struggled to tell the difference between a joke and an actual threat from the brunette. He decided to change the subject, "Coming to the Penny later?"

Frankie offered a noncommittal shrug, "Maybe."

"Come on, Anderson, we have to celebrate our last night of freedom before the semester starts."

"Yeah, yeah, so dramatic." She rolled her eyes.

At the top of the stairs Jerry spotted Chloe on the landing below. "Price, can you please use your feminine wiles to convince Anderson to come to the Penny tonight? She is apparently immune to my charms."

Chloe had been stretching but she glanced up and flashed both the seniors a knowing smile, "By feminine wiles do you mean my boobs?"

Jerry nodded, "More or less."

Frankie slapped Jerry hard on the back, hitting the spot where she knew it would sting the most. She was pleased when he grimaced and sucked in a breath. "I suggest you stop talking unless you want to go down these stairs face first."

"Yes ma'am." Jerry headed down the stairs, stopping to wink at Chloe on his way. When he got his feet safely on the bottom step he shouted back, "See you both at the Penny."

"Only if you're lucky," Frankie called out before the door shut on the senior boy's way out.

"I thought you were planning on going anyway." Chloe pointed out as she stretched her arms above her head.

Frankie leaned against the wall. She was still at the top of the stairs, but she was enjoying the view. "I am, but I can't let him know that. If I hold out a bit, he'll offer to buy me a drink."

Chloe laughed and nodded towards the rest of the stairs, "I'm heading to the gym, interested?"

Frankie had figured as much considering the freshman was in her workout clothes, and it was still way too cold to be outside for longer than a few minutes. But Frankie could think of much better ways to expend energy at the moment. "Very," Frankie licked her lips and purposefully gave Chloe the once over, "But not in leaving. We could easily get a workout staying here where it's nice and warm."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but she smiled wider all the same, "Does your libido ever rest?"

"Nope."

"See you later." Chloe offered the words with a hint of promise and headed down the stairs.

Frankie watched Chloe leave and smiled to herself. There was always time for a shower-party when the redhead got back.

---

"Are you kids ready to face Jarvis?" Jerry asked as the group settled into their usual seats at the Penny.

"Is he really as bad as you say?" Traci asked her boyfriend as she finished taking the group's food order. They had already been by the bar to gather drinks from Gail.

"He's even worse on the freshman." Sammy warned clinking his shot glass with Frankie's and the two downed their drinks.

Frankie handled the tequila better than her friend who choked on the burn. Recovering faster she expanded, "He thinks it's his responsibility to weed out the weakest members of the major."

"He also thinks it's his responsibility to torture us on our way out the door too." Jerry grumbled. The boys had gotten a B+ on their final project even with the girls' help. Apparently they hadn't been creative enough in their thinking.

The younger kids exchanged looks. They all had Jarvis this semester for one of their mandatory classes, even Nick whose credits hadn't completely transferred over. Everyone had to take this class and there was a 37% dropout rate.

"Don't worry, we've all survived his classes, you will too." Juliet reassured the nervous lowerclassmen, killing some of the fun her friends were having.

"You're gonna help me in it, right Babe?" Nick asked with one of his charismatic smiles.

"Hell no, you couldn't pay me enough to even look at the material in his class." Juliet laughed when his expression fell and she leaned over to press a soft kiss to his lips in apology.

"Same," Jerry and Sam echoed as they held up their beers in salute. Both Andy and Traci shot them a look.

While the rest of the group bickered, Chloe decided to use the distraction to her advantage. "What about you, Crankypants?" Chloe asked quietly as she nudged Frankie beside her.

"I don't help people."

"There's no way to convince you to make an exception?" Chloe's hand came to rest on Frankie's thigh, drawing circles as she asked.

"You could try." Frankie offered, causing Chloe to cock an eyebrow at the challenge and slide her hand up a bit further. But when Frankie noticed the others' looking at them she cleared her throat and shifted to burst their little bubble of sexual tension.

Nick shot Chloe a look when she turned her attention back to the rest of the squabbling group, but she simply shrugged in response.

"I think we need to start dating seniors." Dov grumbled to Chris.

"Yeah, maybe." He replied sullenly.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna get something stronger." He gestured to his drink and made his way over to the bar where he deposited himself at one of the stools and waited to grab his friend's attention.

"Tired of socializing, Diaz?" Gail greeted after she finished serving the patrons who actually paid full price.

"It's weird."

"What is?"

"I thought I had given all this up, I was almost a Dad, you know? Denise, she wanted to name him Christian if he was a boy, so it was kinda after me, but different you know. I spent months coming to terms with the fact that I was going to have a kid. Figuring out the things I was going to do with it, you know teach it how to read, how to rock out to the Boss, how to throw a perfect spiral. But now I find out that he wasn't even mine to begin with and she still wanted me to raise it."

"How do you feel about the kid not being biologically yours?"

"To be honest, this might sound weird, I feel kind of relieved. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"No." Gail replied without hesitation. Chris couldn't be a horrible person if he tried. The person she blamed in this mess was Denise for fucking with her friend's head. But if he was seeking absolution then she'd give it to him freely.

"I loved the kid and I would've loved it the rest of its life, but I still felt relieved. Please don't tell the others." Gail nodded in compliance, before he continued. "But I still kinda miss the idea of having a kid of my own. I never thought that kind of love existed."

"That's because love doesn't exist, but for argument's sake what kind are you yapping about?"

"Unconditional."

Gail could understand that feeling. The love she had experienced had definitely never been unconditional. It couldn't be when you were born a Peck. The expectations and conditions existed long before she had even been a thought to cross her parents' minds. But Chris was the one who needed to vent and as a bartender it was her job to listen (she was also his friend, but that term was only to be used under duress).

"There's always conditions to love, but with Christian it was different. I hadn't even met him and I loved him."

"Chris, I get that you loved the kid and it's okay to still feel that way. But we're young. You'll have the chance to be a great dad one day, and with someone who loves you and doesn't lie to you." He didn't look convinced, but they were interrupted before the conversation could carry on.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Dov asked as he joined the other two freshmen at the bar. He had been struggling to snap Chris out of the funk he had been in since returning from Timmons and it looked like Gail wasn't having any better luck either.

"Being young." Chris quickly explained and shot Gail a pleading look to not mention anything. The blonde merely shrugged in response, but it was all the affirmation he needed.

"Exactly! We're young, we need to be out there living!" Dov clasped his friend on the shoulders. "Picking up chicks!"

Gail rolled her eyes hard at Dov's bravado.

"Aren't you and Sue a thing?" Chris asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, but that's why I need to live vicariously through you now, buddy." Dov glanced around the bar intent on finding someone new to distract Chris with. Lucky for him, it seemed a woman already had her eyes on the tall freshman. "Dude, dude, check it out 5 o'clock that cougar is totally checking you out."

Chris' head whipped around in the direction that Dov indicated, not quite believing it. The older woman smiled at him and his ears burned brightly before he ducked his head. "Ah, um, should I go over?"

"Definitely!" Dov replied excitedly at the same time that Gail let out a resounding, "No!"

Dov turned Chris to grab his full attention. "See the little Devil on your shoulder said 'no' which means you should definitely do it."

"I'll remember that, Epstein, when I shove my pitchfork up your ass." The two glared at each other for a minute before Gail turned her attention back to Chris. "She is way too old for you."

"Exactly, she's experienced, which you need. She could definitely teach you a thing or two. And if I were you I would be a very eager student."

"Gross." Gail replied with disgust at the lewd smile on Dov's face.

"I'm gonna go." Chris decided, standing up and shaking off his nerves.

"Hey numbnuts," Gail grabbed his attention before he walked away. She quickly mixed a drink and poured out another beer and slid both over to him. "Here."

"Thanks." Chris offered a sincere smile when he grabbed the offering and squared his shoulders.

She shook her head as Chris left to pursue the woman with the predatory eyes, and Dov grabbed a couple of the others to join him in a game of darts so he was strategically placed to hear the conversation. It wasn't long before the next person in the group took up residence in front of the blonde bartender.

"What are tweedle dee and tweedle dumbass up to?" Frankie asked as she reached over the bartop for a clean shot glass.

Gail shot her a warning look for touching her stuff and Frankie held up her hands innocently. She poured out the shot anyway. "Trying to get Chris laid."

"He needs a better wingman."

"Still bitter that Dov almost got your girl?"

"He didn't almost get anyone and I am not phased by Epstein in the slightest." Gail didn't miss the fact that Frankie didn't deny Chloe being her girl. Was it possible the senior was getting more serious about her roommate? Gail was about to comment when the brunette spoke up again, "Where's Holly?"

"Studying, she has a test this week." The med student hadn't texted her like she said, but they had only been apart for a few hours. She contemplated sending a message of her own, but she didn't want to distract her anymore than she already had, plus, Charlie would threaten to chuck both the phone and her out of the bar if he caught her on it.

"You two finally work things out?"

"I think so. We're supposed to hang out on Saturday after her test."

Frankie studied the blonde for a minute before reaching her own conclusion. "You asked her on a date?"

Gail shrugged indifferently, but she could feel her pale skin start to heat up. She averted her gaze to pour out another shot for Frankie. "Kind of?"

"Does she know it's a date?"

The question caused Gail to freeze in her movement. Technically she hadn't used so many words, but Holly had to know it was a date, right? There had definitely been a date connotation to the way she asked. How obvious was she supposed to make it? But if she used the actual word then would it make it something more than it was? A date could be just that. It didn't have to mean anything else...did it?

"Earth to Goldilocks. Come in Goldilocks." Frankie waved her hand in front the blonde bartender's face trying to grab her attention.

"What?" Gail asked, snapping out of her momentary panic.

"Holly has no idea it's a date, does she?"

"Like I said we're hanging out."

"With specific plans that take place on a Saturday night, just the two of you. Are you actually going somewhere or staying in her apartment?"

"Out." She didn't like the smirk that the answer garnered from Frankie. "So what?"

"So, it's a date."

Gail folded her arms in challenge, "So, what if it is?"

"Nothing, I just thought you didn't like dating."

"I don't have a problem with dates, I don't like relationships." She snapped in irritation at the entire conversation.

"Hey, I couldn't agree more." Frankie held up her shot glass in salute before downing the contents.

"Hmmm...does the Princess know that?"

Frankie opened her mouth to respond but the object of the conversation interrupted before she could reply. "Hey, you owe me a drink."

"Since when?" Frankie immediately protested, assuming that the comment was directed at her.

"Not you, Cranky. Grumpy promised me one." Chloe purposefully wedged herself closer to the senior knowing that she could just blame it on the crowd at the counter.

"A redheaded slut, right?" Gail asked as she reached for a clean glass.

Frankie snorted, "Really?"

"I like the name." Chloe replied unabashedly.

"But Jager?" Frankie shuddered, it was one of the few types of alcohol that really didn't agree with her.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" The redheaded freshman challenged.

"An Adios Mother Fucker." Frankie readily replied.

"A Piece of Ass." Gail chimed in and the girls started to alternate giving drink titles at a rapid-fire pace.

"Sex with an Alligator."

"Mountain Dew Me."

"Flaming Dr. Pepper."

"No flames." Gail immediately vetoed the suggestion. They had tried it once and Charlie had nearly killed her, and even Traci by association.

"Fine." Frankie rolled her eyes before listing the next ridiculous name she could think of. "Angel's Tit."

"Slippery Nipple."

"Between the Sheets."

Chloe just watched as the two girls tried one up the other with names that would even embarrass most of the boys to order. But they had absolutely no shame.

"Panty Dropper."

"Screaming Orgasm."

"You've ordered that before." Gail argued. "Climax Cocktail."

"That's not a thing."

"It is when I make it." The blonde replied with a wink.

"Alright, that's the winner." Chloe settled her weight against Frankie who shifted on the barstool to support her. She wanted to wrap an arm around the freshmen, but their friends were all over the bar and could easily see them. It wasn't that she actually cared about their opinions, but she didn't want to hear the stupid comments they would make, especially not the ones that would warn Chloe about her. She just wanted to enjoy her alcohol and the feel of Chloe's warm body nestled against her.

They watched as Gail mixed a variety of sweet tasting liquors and a heavy dose of vodka. She passed it over when she was done and Chloe took a tentative sip. "Oh my god." She moaned.

"Like I said..." Gail trailed off in a suggestive tone to indicate why it had the name it did.

"It can't be that good." Frankie argued as Chloe took a bigger sip. The freshman pushed the glass over.

"Be my guest."

"Gladly." Frankie cocked an eyebrow and took a sip. It was sweet for sure, but it also packed a punch when the vodka kicked in. "Tasty." She licked her lips and noticed the way Chloe's eyes followed the movement.

"Alright, I'm getting out of here so I don't have to continue watching this eye-porno you have going on." Gail grumbled and moved over to serve some of the customers that were flagging her down.

"Can we get out of here?"

Chloe retrieved her drink, "And do what?"

Frankie leaned closer, brushing Chloe's hair back and letting her hand trail along the back of the freshman's neck. "Things that we can't do in a crowded bar."

Chloe ran her fingers over Frankie's forearm that was resting on the bar beside her. She could feel the thin hair rise under her touch. "They'll notice if we leave together and call it an early night, especially you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Frankie pulled away, slightly offended.

"That you and the boys like to try to drink each other under the table."

"Well, they're busy themselves so..."

"Later." Chloe promised as she grabbed the remainder of her cocktail and walked away with an extra swing to her hips to join the boys who were still at the dartboard.

Frankie frowned as the redhead moved back into the crowd. She glanced around for the rest of the seniors and caught sight of Nick shooting her a look from his spot next to Juliet. She glared back at the junior until Juliet drew his attention away.

"What's Collins' problem?" Frankie asked as soon as Gail came back to offer her another drink.

The bartender glanced in her ex's direction. "What do I look like? A fucking mind reader? Ask his current girlfriend."

Frankie's frown stretched further and she gestured for another shot. Gail poured it but followed it up with a beer, her way of telling the brunette to slow down. Frankie drank quietly, while Gail served the near-by customers. It wasn't long before Juliet joined them.

"Hey, Gail can I count you in?"

"For what, Ward?"

"The Vagina Monologues." Juliet had been running the show the last two years and most of the participants had been in it for years, but since some of the former stars had been seniors they had a few openings in the line up. Traci, Andy, and Chloe had already readily agreed.

"No." Gail dismissed the notion without hesitation.

"Why not?"

There was no way in hell, Gail could get up on stage and basically give a speech. She had a debilitating fear of public speaking, but she wasn't about to tell the older girls that. Anderson was sure to hold it against her.

"Come on, even Frankie here is doing it." Juliet tried to cajole her.

"Yes, but you know my stipulation." Frankie reminded her fellow senior.

Juliet nodded, "Yes, you get to be The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy."

"Seriously?" Gail asked with a laugh.

"Hell yeah. I've been waiting three years for that part and the person finally graduated so it's mine." Frankie had been waiting to do the triple orgasm part since she first read the script when Juliet convinced her to try out too.

"Plus, it's for a good cause." Juliet added.

"Yeah, come on Peck you can be the Angry Vagina." Frankie teased.

But Gail shook her head adamantly, "I know that it's a good cause and I will donate whatever you want, but I'm not getting up on stage. I don't have time to rehearse, sorry."

"Fine, but can you make sure the boys open their wallets too?" Juliet figured if anyone could force the boys to pony up it was the intimidating blonde.

"Agreed."

With that settled, Juliet turned her attention back to her best friend. "You coming back to join us, Anderson?"

"Define us."

"Sammy and Jerry want to challenge us to a game of pool. Losers pay tonight."

Frankie glanced at the pool table and it was only the older boys. Nick had joined Andy and the others at the dartboard. "Alright, I'm in."

Gail watched as the two girls left to join the others. She glanced around the bar, and for the first time in a while she was actually looking forward to hanging out with the gang when her shift ended.

---

"Price."

Chloe squeaked as she jumped in the darkened hallway. She had been trying to quietly close Frankie's door without the rest of the house hearing and hadn't seen Nick coming up the stairs with a glass of water in his hand. "Collins! I was just...uh...I was ummm..."

Nick smirked, "Yeah, I think I can guess what you were doing."

"I was just uh asking Frankie a question."

"At 3am? Without pants?"

Chloe tugged the hem of the shirt she was wearing a little lower. It was cold in the house, but she hadn't been planning on conversing in the hallways during her quiet dash from one bed to the next. "Uh...a time-sensitive question?"

Nick shook his head and continued in the direction of Juliet's room. "Goodnight, Chloe."

"Goodnight, Nick."

The redhead quickly darted down the stairs and tried to slip as soundlessly as possible into her own room, but a plastic bullet to the forehead greeted her for her trouble. "I am deeply regretting getting you that thing for Christmas."

"I am deeply regretting sharing a room with you as usual." Gail grumbled and returned her weapon to its perch beside her bed.

"I am an awesome roommate."

"I had just fallen asleep."

"Sorry."

"Seriously, I might have to start shooting Anderson too when I see her. Why do you even bother sneaking around anymore?"

"I don't know," Chloe shrugged as she turned off the light in their room. She didn't know how the blonde was able to fall asleep with it on all the time, but she also didn't ask. She climbed into her own bed and got under the covers. "It's a thing." She mentioned into the dark.

"It's a stupid thing. Wake me up again and it'll be a real bullet next time." The platinum blonde warned, aiming a glare in her roommate's direction regardless of if it could be seen.

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight Grumpy."

Gail turned over and stared at he wall, unable to close her eyes. She was jealous when her roommate's breathing quickly evened out. She hadn't actually been asleep having only gotten back from the mancave, where she had trounced Dov and Gerald in a couple of rounds of Mario Kart before calling it a night, a half-hour before that. She had been tempted to text Holly so she could crash over at her place, but she knew the brunette needed sleep so she could study properly. She only had a few hours before she had to up for class so she closed her eyes and hoped that for once she could have a restful night. The last thought she had was of a crooked smile.

---

"Oye, tanto tiempo, bella."

A smiling Eva greeted Gail as soon as she entered the clinic after her classes that day. She had convinced Chris to drop her off and it was her first visit without Holly by her side. She was a little worried it would be awkward, but it seemed the others enjoyed her company too.

"Fue sólo unas pocas semanas."

"Te temos extrañado."

Gail smiled in return. "Donde me necesitas?"

"Sígueme." Eva came out from behind the counter where she had been looking for supplies. She gestured to the list of patients for the day. The ones they knew required a translator were already marked but there were plenty of new patients and they wouldn't know for sure until they arrived.

"Where's your partner?" Eva asked after they discussed the kids they already knew.

"Who?"

"Your partner in crime. Pretty brunette who smiles a lot more when you're around."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Eva. But if you're talking about Holly, she has a test this week." She didn't appreciate the look the nurse was giving her and she had to wonder what she really meant behind the partner comment.

"Shame. Well, I hope you're ready because we have a lot of kids here who are going to be happy to see you."

"Let's get this party started."

It was a busy shift. There had been quite a few new patients in need of Gail help and of course her frequent flyers who were always excited to update the blonde on their lives. She had to admit that she had missed working with the kids while she had been off pretending like she gave two-shits about becoming a copper.

Speaking of coppers...

"Hey Ollie."

"Well if it isn't the prettier Peck." Oliver smiled widely in greeting as his daily visitor arrived. He had already told the blonde that she didn't need to come so often, but still she stopped by at some point each day.

"Did another come to visit?" Gail asked cautiously as she grabbed her usual seat and propped her feet up on the railings of Oliver's bed.

"Brother Peck just left."

"Oh."

Oliver frowned when he saw the anger and annoyance flash across his buddy's face. "Are you still not talking to him?"

"No."

"It's not his fault. I told him to stay and none of us knew what would happen. You should forgive him."

"No thanks."

"He feels bad."

"Oh well. Sounds like his problem, not mine." She was trying hard not to snap considering Oliver was still stuck in a hospital bed recovering, but it was nearly impossible if he was going to mention Steve. Her brother had given her a ride every day the previous week to their mother's office, and after that first day she had refused to say anything at all to him. He had apologized each time, but she just didn't believe the words. Really there was nothing to talk about when it came to him, so she changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, but I'm going stir-crazy. Want to help me spring this joint?" Oliver smiled conspiratorially.

"Prison breakout? Hmmm...I don't know if I want to be accused of aiding and abetting a known fugitive."

Oliver tried to appeal to his friend's inner rebel. "Since when do you follow the rules?"

"Hey you were right: Celery is scary, she always knows." The Wiccan had not been amused by Gail's recovery package of processed and refined goodies. The blonde had argued their medicinal purposes, but Celery had been less than impressed.

"I told you! So no treats for me?" There was a definite pout to the grown man's voice.

She glanced around jokingly, and reached into her bag, pulling out a small paper bag, and handing it over.

Oliver's eyes lit up when he found his favorite doughnuts inside. "You are a life-saver Peck. A true Queen amongst us plebeians. A goddess amongst mere mortals."

"Suck-up." But she smiled none-the-less.

"So how's life for you?" Oliver asked around bites of fried dough.

"Well, I'm finally done with the stupid internship. And classes started today. I even went to the clinic before coming here."

"The kids clinic? Holly go with?"

"No. She has a test this week. We're - uh...gonna hang out this weekend."

Oliver was confused by the nervousness in his friend's voice. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just I haven't ever gone out with a girl before." Gail pulled the sleeves of her shirt over her fingers and tucked into herself a little more as she slumped further into the chair.

"You and Holly have hung out plenty of times." The boy pointed out.

"Yeah, but not like this. It's kind of a date-ish-thing, maybe." She averted her eyes to the television quietly playing in the background rather than look at her friend at the reveal.

Oliver's jaw-dropped, "A date?!" He couldn't remember the last time his blonde buddy had been on one of those, probably dumbass Collins or one of her mother's dreadful blind dates before she had gone on her trip, at least as far as he knew, so he was happy that she seemed to be opening herself up again. "Way to go Peck!"

"Don't make a big deal of it." Gail grumbled.

Oliver tried to contain some of his enthusiasm, but his broad smile remained. "Did you ask her or she ask you?"

Gail scratched nervously at the back of her head, "Ummm...I might've been the one to ask."

"No wonder you're nervous."

She rolled her eyes, "Thanks."

"Hey, it's just a date. It's good that you're dating. It doesn't have to be a bigger deal than that. You hang out, you eat food, you talk. You've done all those things before."

"Yeah, but before it was just like a friendly thing."

"I thought you two were more than friends? Or do you kiss everyone?"

Gail smirked, "There may have been some benefits involved. But actual dating is kind of different."

"Maybe, but it doesn't have to be. Just relax and be yourself. Don't worry about what it all means. It can just mean you two enjoy each other's company."

"Yeah, yeah, since when are you a relationship guru?"

Oliver feigned offense, "Since always. I'm super romantic, remember?"

"Alright, Mr. Romance, dazzle me with your advice."

Oliver sat up further in his bed and cracked his knuckles. He spent the next hour making Gail laugh at his ridiculous suggestions for her date on Saturday. Things were starting to feel closer to normal.

---

The rest of the week had gone by relatively quickly. Between classes and work, Gail had barely had a free minute during the day, and on nights she couldn't sleep she was able to find one of the boys awake to play video games with. Holly had texted her each day, usually something about needing a distraction before her head exploded with information. And Gail had done her best to help the brunette remain calm. She pulled a double that Friday night and had told Holly to stop by if she wanted to wash away memories of her exam, but the brunette had declined, opting to put some hours in at the lab and then spend the night crashing early. Gail was a little surprised that Holly had turned down going to the usual medical student party with her roommates, but Holly said that she wasn't in the mood to get wasted before confirming that they were still on for Saturday night.

As the date night had gotten closer, Gail had found herself getting more nervous. She had been tempted throughout the week to see Holly but had stopped herself, a part of her wanting to build up the excitement for the date a little more, even if neither girl called it that.

"Here." Traci pushed over a cup of coffee as it neared the end of the bartender's shift.

"What's this?" Gail asked as she downed the double espresso.

"You pulled a twelve-hour shift yesterday and another eight hours today, you're going to need this if you're planning on doing anything other than sleep tonight." Traci explained as she readied her tray so she could head back out to serve the masses. She liked the nights she worked with Gail behind the bar the best because the blonde always gave her customers top priority, while Charlie and the others took everyone on a first-come-first-serve basis. It earned the waitress better tips so she figured she would show a little appreciation even though she was the one stuck closing. She could be bitter, but the blonde had earned her night off and Traci knew that Gail had some kind of mysterious plans for the evening. "So what exactly do you have planned for tonight?"

"Hijinks and mayhem, obviously."

"Obviously." Traci rolled her eyes. "Who are you going on a date with?"

"What makes you think it's a date?"

"Because you actually look like you're looking forward to leaving here and I know how much money you make on Saturdays."

"I don't spend all my time here."

"You would if it was up to you." Traci prepared herself to walk away before adding, "Say hi to Holly for me."

"No one mentioned Holly." Gail protested quickly, even as a pink hue tinged her cheeks.

"Didn't need to." Traci shot back over her shoulder as she headed off to her tables.

Gail wanted to continue the argument, but a quick glance at the time told her that she only had an hour to get ready before meeting Holly at her place. And since getting dressed was the best part, she planned on enjoying every minute of it, so she punched out and quickly grabbed her stuff as her replacement took over for her.

She returned to an empty house. The rest of the housemates had scattered to various bars and parties with people who lived outside their incestuous circle. It meant that Gail could get ready in peace. She had already picked out the perfect outfit that was a cross between casual and classy, and most importantly hugged all of her curves just right. But getting the make-up right was key. A heavy dose of eyeliner here, a touch of blush there, and of course the killer red lips to finish it all off. She looked damn good.

She checked the time and realized that she had just long enough to walk over to the med student's apartment to meet her. She grabbed her keys and clutch and tucked herself into her leather jacket and combat boots to complete her ensemble. She hoped Holly appreciated the effort.

"Wow." Gail breathed out as Holly opened the door to her apartment. She unsubtly let her eyes wander over the brunette, who had opted for a tight pair of black jeans and a flowy cream-colored top that, of course, had just enough buttons undone. She could see the glint of the chain that always seemed to highlight Holly's cleavage and wondered if it would even be possible for her to survive the night without trying to take Holly against every hard surface they encountered, like the conveniently located wall next to them. If this wasn't a date, then her friend was trying to torture her.

Holly seemed just as stunned, but managed to reply with a quiet, "Wow, yourself."

Gail smirked and tried to tamp down her lust-filled thoughts, "Are you ready to go?"

Holly cleared her throat and tore her eyes from the gorgeous woman in front of her. "Yeah, let me grab a coat and my keys. Should I drive?"

"Actually, let's take a cab." Gail suggested, she wasn't sure where the night would lead, but she didn't want them to have to worry about driving.

The two girls were quiet on the way to the restaurant, each shyly sneaking glances at the other in the back of the cab. The restaurant was crowded, but Gail's last name had carried just the amount of weight she thought it did and their table was ready quickly.

"How was your test?" Gail asked, finally feeling brave enough to start up conversation as they glanced over the menu and tried to figure out which dishes they would split.

Holly looked up and shrugged, "Hard, but they all are."

"I'm sure you did great."

"We'll see." She offered Gail a warm smile, "How was work?"

"Long."

"How many hours did you put in?"

"Eight and I pulled a twelve-hour shift yesterday."

"How are you even still standing?"

"I'm not, I'm sitting and waiting patiently for our waiter to bring us some raw fish and saké."

Holly laughed, "You know what I meant. We didn't have to do this tonight, we could've just hung out and watched a movie or something."

"I got my second wind. And as tempting as it is to hide away in your apartment, I thought this might be nice too." Gail tried not to look away as she was washed over with nervousness. She hoped that Holly was enjoying the restaurant she had picked.

"It is." Holly agreed with a smile.

The conversation flowed easily between the two girls as they talked about the clinic and Holly's lab. The conversation drifted to their friends.

"They want me to be in the Vagina Monologues with them." Gail had been recounting what the med student had missed during her week of isolation.

"I did it." Holly revealed earning an inquisitive look from the blonde. "You should consider it."

"No thanks. So which Vagina were you?"

"The Flood. I was 73-years old and got to experience my first orgasm." Holly explained with a touch of wistfulness for dramatic flair.

"Seems like an awfully long time to wait." Gail mocked.

Holly rolled her eyes and laughed, "It was fun."

But the blonde continued to adamantly shake her head, "It wouldn't be for me."

"Why not?"

"I don't like giving speeches, in fact I'm always 'sick'. Like, pretty much every time I have to talk in public, the idea of just getting up there I get all pale and sweaty." Holly couldn't help but give her a look. "Okay, fine, just sweaty. You know, please forget I told you about it."

"Hey, we all have things we're scared of. And glossophobia is actually pretty common."

"You're such a Nerd," Gail teased but she found the geekspeak pretty endearing. Almost as much as the warm smile Holly offered her. "Yeah, well that's why I'm not doing it."

Holly as usual just seemed to accept whatever answer she gave willingly and didn't attempt to convince Gail or talk her into anything.

She cleared her throat, "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Holly replied immediately.

Gail stuck out her tongue in response. "Why didn't you go out to celebrate last night?"

"Well, I figured I was already going out to celebrate tonight so I didn't need two nights in a row." Holly glanced down and played with the chopsticks in her hand, "Plus, I wasn't really looking to spend the night having Lisa line up girls for me."

That caught Gail's attention, "Why not?"

"Are you really going to make me say it?"

"All I did was ask a question."

Holly took the time to calculate each of her words carefully. "Because I'm not interested in meeting anyone new."

"Any particular reason?" Gail continued to playfully goad the brunette.

"I'm a busy person, Peck, I'm studying to be a doctor, I volunteer with children, and I work in a lab helping people solve crimes."

"Well, when you put it that way you sound like quite the catch." There was a hint of teasing still, but Gail couldn't quite eliminate the honesty in her response.

"I am." Holly replied confidently, brown eyes locked with blue. There was something in the simple statement that seemed to be a challenge, or maybe a declaration.

Gail could do little more than smile and nod as she took a sip of her drink in hopes of calming the inferno that Holly was stoking within her. She shifted in her seat and tried to distract herself from how turned on assertive Holly was making her.

Holly smirked as Gail diverted her eyes, a slight blush creeping up from her chest. The two girls finished their meals and Gail grabbed the waiter's attention. She was quicker than the brunette at snatching up the bill and paid for both meals despite Holly's protests.

"You really didn't have to pay." Holly continued their argument out into the cold winter night as they exited the restaurant.

"You could just say 'Thank you, Gail, for the wonderful dinner and company'." Gail admonished her as she pulled her gloves out of her pocket and slipped her fingers in before her hands went numb.

Holly stopped walking and tugged on Gail's arm so that she would turn to look at her. "Thank you, Gail, for the wonderful dinner and company." She repeated the words with complete sincerity.

Gail smiled brightly, "See that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Holly shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe not. So I don't know about you, but I could use another drink. My treat?"

"Well how could I turn down an offer like that?"

The two girls walked together in silence towards the bar down the street that they had spotted earlier in the night. Their feet moved in tandem and they hovered near one another, arms occasionally brushing, hands bumping but neither was going to make the first move. Each girl seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Is this a date?" Gail suddenly blurted out. The question had been nagging her since Frankie had planted the seed of doubt in her mind earlier in the week. She knew that she wanted it to be, especially since the night seemed to be going well, and she wanted Holly to know that it was, but she also wasn't quite ready to just call it what it was in case she was misreading the signals.

Holly didn't miss a beat as she turned the tables, "Do you want it to be a date?"

"That was kind of the point."

Holly reached over and tangled their gloved fingers together. "Ok, so then it's a date."

Gail beamed and they continued walking. She waited a couple of minutes before asking, "So, how do you feel about sex on the first date?"

Holly laughed and rolled her eyes, "I don't know what kind of girl you think I am, Peck, but you'll be lucky if you get a goodnight kiss."

"What would I have to do to ensure a kiss?"

"Maybe we should take things slow." Holly adjusted her glasses nervously.

"Slow?" Gail thought about the first kiss they shared, which had been quickly followed by heated make-out sessions that didn't turn into more only because of the interruptions. Then the first chance they had, there was sex and many, many nights of Gail going to Holly's for nothing more than a distraction before slipping out of her bed in the middle of the night. Then there was New Year's and her basically telling Holly that she was nothing more than a good lay. She cringed internally. So she nodded in agreement, "Slow. We can do that."

Holly smiled and swung their hands between them as they finally reached their destination.

The bar itself had been loud and crowded, which wasn't a surprise for a Saturday night. But both girls decided after a couple of drinks and trying to talk over the raucous that it would be better just to call it a night since Holly was heading into the lab in the morning and Gail was opening at the bar. They both took the cab back to Holly's, where they paused outside the med student's apartment building for the inevitable goodnight exchange.

They were standing at the top of the steps and Holly fidgeted with the keys in her hand. "So I had a really great time tonight, Gail."

The blonde smiled widely, "Me too, any chance you might want to do it again?"

"I think I could be persuaded." Holly teased as she moved to slowly close the gap between them, eyes dipping to Gail's plump lips.

They were only a hair width apart, their breaths visibly mingling in the frigid air. Holly's eyes closed as she felt Gail's lips barely graze hers, but they snapped open when the other girl pulled away without a proper kiss. The sudden loss of warmth sending a shock to her system. "What?"

"Taking things slow, remember." Gail replied with an impish grin as she made her way down the stairs, knowing that she had just teased the hell out of the stunned brunette. "Goodnight, Nerd." She called out as she walked backwards in the direction of her own house.

Holly leaned back against her building and folded her arms, her lips curled up in one of her half-smiles. She wanted to be mad, but the move had actually been even more of a turn-on. Well-played. "Goodnight, Danger."

---

Classes had been going on for a week, which was one of the reasons that Frankie reasoned she deserved this indulgence. It was the last Tuesday of the month and the promised release date of a story she had been waiting on. It was one of Frankie's guilty pleasures and no one, not any of her girlfriends in the past, not even her former roommate had known how much Frankie loved reading these stories.

She had already been to class and had managed to refrain from checking for the post while she was supposed to be taking notes. But now she was in her room, without any distractions. She curled up on her bed and opened her device. She quickly plugged in the url and was pumped to see that the first chapter had indeed been posted. She opened it and was immediately hooked.

She was so engrossed by the words in front of her that she didn't hear the intruder entering her room.

"God, it's frigid outside. My hands are freezing. Doesn't it seem like a flaw in human evolution that your hands just loose feeling that quickly?" Chloe was rubbing her hands together, shivering, as she bounded into Frankie's room still chattering away, "I mean what good can that do? Silly, pink bodies." She dropped onto the bed next to the sprawled out senior and pressed her cold hands to Frankie's warm skin who hissed and flinched, but didn't look away from the screen in front of her. "Hey, you been home long?"

"Uh-huh." Frankie muttered, her eyes dodging back and forth as she continued to quickly consume each and every line.

"Know who else is home?"

"Nope."

"So helpful. Hey, has my roommate given you any weird gifts in the last month? She's finally done with this weird, reverse hoarding thing she's been doing and needs to send the stuff back so she can get her refund."

Frankie didn't answer as she continued reading the screen in front of her.

"So did she?" Chloe poked her in the side to try to get her attention.

"What?" Frankie asked but she still didn't look up.

"Did Gail give you any weird gifts?"

"No."

Chloe noticed that the other girl seemed distracted, "You busy?"

"Yep."

"Doing what?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" She reached over to sneak a peak at the screen, but Frankie slammed the device down before Chloe could see anything.

"Nothing." Frankie replied quickly, and for the first time since the other girl arrived, actually looked Chloe in the eyes.

The abrupt conceal didn't go unnoticed by the freshman, Frankie had definitely been caught red-handed doing something she wasn't proud of. "Are you watching porn?"

"No, I'm not watching porn." Frankie scoffed at the stupidity of the question. Like she would hide porn, which would be incredibly less embarrassing for her.

Chloe contemplated the sincerity of the answer. "Hmmm...you probably would've shown me it if you were. So what were you doing? Looking at cat memes. I know they're adorable balls of fluff, just like you." Chloe tickled the bottom of Frankie's chin as she teased her.

Frankie narrowed her eyes and swatted the offending hand away, "No." She was actually starting to get annoyed at the distraction. Her fingers were itching to flip open the screen again so she could pick up her reading where she left off.

"So then why are you hiding whatever it is?"

"I'm not."

"Ok, keep your secrets, Anderson." Chloe leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Frankie's lips, "It's fine. I don't need to know." She settled closer to keep kissing the older girl. Frankie gave in and let the freshman deepen the kiss. Chloe waited until the brunette was fully distracted before she reached over for the device. She was quicker than the senior when she pulled back and took a look at the screen. "You were reading fanfics?"

"What? No! It must have just popped up on my screen." Frankie denied it and quickly reached for the tablet, but Chloe sprang to her feet with the senior hot on her heels. It resulted in a bit of a chase around Frankie's room.

"Yeah...right..." Chloe didn't believe the blatant lie for a second. Frankie managed to grab a hold of the squirming freshman, but Chloe still kept the device just out of reach. "Alright, let's see what show it just magically popped up for. Ooo I know this one. It's the cop show about rookies, except they totally stopped being rookies after like the first season. Didn't it get cancelled this summer?"

"Yes, and too soon. They had just introduced a new detective who was a badass." Frankie was still a little bitter about the news.

"You mean the one that slept with the blonde cop who was still in love with the lady doctor who moved away?" Chloe rolled her eyes when she remembered the weak plotline, "That detective had way more chemistry with the officer she pretended to hate."

"That officer was supposed to be straight." Frankie argued. She huffed in exasperation, "Can I have that back now?"

"Nope," Chloe kept tight hold of the tablet. "So, what's this story about?"

Frankie sighed, both from the amount of energy it was taking to continue struggling with Chloe, who was deceptively strong, but also because she realized she was going to have to give in and admit that she was reading it. But Chloe always seemed to find a way to get Frankie to do things she had never considered doing with other people. She was learning to talk, to share things about herself, but she still refused to be honest with herself about what that meant. Right now though she was more concerned that she would never be able to read the rest of the story if she didn't answer the question.

"It's a sequel to another story about the cop and doctor." The original story had been pretty epic in length and in the writing. Frankie liked that it was a story where two women actually fell in love, and even though they faced plenty of drama, they weathered the storms together. Sappy as that sounded it was strangely way more realistic than some simple 'happily ever after', which Frankie appreciated. Oh, and neither woman got killed (crazy concept).

"I didn't know those authors wrote sequels."

"Well she did, it's about their daughter who's a rookie now." Another reason Frankie was drawn to the story. It was where she would be soon, so she could relate. Plus, the main characters all had a wicked sense of humor.

"Sounds interesting."

"It is. Or it was from what I read before I was so rudely interrupted."

Chloe chuckled and finally handed the device back to Frankie. "Personally, I like her stories about the cranky detective who falls for the adorable police officer, who was definitely not straight."

Happy to have her story back, Frankie settled down on her bed ready to start reading again, but she looked up when Chloe's words sank in. "Wait, you've read her stuff?"

"Definitely, I loved that show and her fics are even better. No one moves to San Francisco in them, well they do in some, but they get back together so it all works out."

Chloe was already heading for the stairs when Frankie called out, "I'm pretty sure the annoying officer fell for the snarky detective."

Chloe's bright laugh rang out, "That's not how I remember it."

Frankie rolled her eyes, but picked back up the device, she wanted to see what else happened to Vivian on her first day as a rookie.

---

"You know, you're kind of a tease." Holly greeted the blonde as Gail hopped into the passenger seat of her car. The two girls had just gotten out of class and were on their way to the clinic for a couple of hours.

It wasn't the first time Gail had heard the accusation, considering they had been exchanging texts the last two days since their date. But it just made her all the prouder of her move, considering it was obvious the brunette hadn't stopped thinking about kissing her since then. "You're the one who wanted to take things slow."

"You know what I meant."

"I don't think I do, I mean you're the one trying to coax goodnight kisses out of me. Clearly you're hell-bent on seducing me."

"I'll keep that in mind, next time." Holly warned as she navigated them

"And when might this hypothetical next time be?"

"When are you working this weekend?"

"Closing," Gail pouted.

Holly glanced at the girl beside her. "Every night?"

"Unfortunately. You going to be in the lab all day?"

"Unfortunately."

"Maybe if you're lucky, the lunch fairy might visit."

They pulled up in front of the clinic. "I thought you avoided all things policing if you could?"

"Who said anything about me? I said the lunch fairy." Gail replied seriously as she hopped out of the parked vehicle.

Holly smiled and shook her head as she went to follow the blonde.

"Well it looks like the dynamic duo is back." Eva brightly greeted the girls as they walked in. "Good thing too, I have a busy day for the two of you."

Both girls couldn't help smiling, even if Gail's was accompanied by an eye roll. After speaking with the nurse for a bit, Holly went to check in with the doctors on duty.

Eva noticed the way the blue-eyed beauty watched the brunette leave. "She's not the only one who smiles more."

"Still don't know what you're talking about." Gail chose to focus on the schedule in front of her rather than the Nurse's smug grin.

It wasn't long before Holly returned, with a little less bounce in her step. She stopped at the desk next to Gail and glanced at the schedule too. The blonde noticed the tension in the med student, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, but I'm working with Dr. Santana today." Holly revealed with a sigh.

Gail had worked with the man on many occasions and the general consensus around the clinic was that no one could stand him. His arrogance and general disrespect for everyone he came into contact gave doctors a bad reputation. He was everyone's least favorite person to work with, but Gail also knew that he was the only one to not even attempt to teach the students he was working with. It was going to be a painful shift for Holly.

She nudged the brunette with her elbow, "At least you have a hot girl waiting to take you out for food after you're done." She kept her voice low so that only Holly could hear her.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the one taking you out."

"Even better, I have a hot girl waiting to take me out for food after we're done. My day just got better." Gail smiled brightly at Holly and earned a small chuckle. "Come on, let's do this thing!" She goofily started skipping down the hallway.

Holly shook her head but couldn't help laughing at the blonde's enthusiasm. She followed the insane girl in the direction of the exam rooms. It may not be the best shift she ever had, but there were definitely some perks to spending the afternoon in the clinic.

---

"Thanks for helping me with this." Chloe said as she carried another box out to Nick's truck.

"Shouldn't Gail be doing it, considering she bought all the crap?" He took the box from his friend and put it with the rest before heading back into the henhouse for another load.

"She gave me fifty bucks to round up as much of it as I could and drop it off at the post office."

"Yet, I'm doing this for free."

"It's because I'm your BFF and you love me."

"Yeah, yeah." But Nick smiled at his little buddy. He grabbed the last two heavy boxes and balanced them on top of one another as Chloe held the door open for him. "Jesus Christ, what did she buy this time?"

"Everything in site. Get it, s-i-t-e as in website. Like sight, you know the thing you do with your eyeballs..." Chloe trailed off when she noticed the lack of amusement on her friend's face. No one ever got her sense of humor.

"That was bad. You're buying me a slurpee for making me listen to that." Chloe nodded as she hopped into the passenger seat of his beat-up truck.

"So what happened to your car this time?" Nick asked as he drove the two of them to the post office.

"Something's wrong with a belt or a fan or something. I don't know. Frankie ordered a part for it and we're still waiting for it to come in." Chloe replied as she fiddled with the radio. Nick was the only person who let her play what she liked without a fight. He just went along with whatever she wanted.

"Frankie, huh? Was that your time-sensitive question?" Nick's tone wasn't quite the teasing one he usually used with the redhead.

"I was really hoping you had forgotten about that." Chloe mumbled.

Nick glanced at his friend. "Are you two a thing?"

"We're friends." The younger girl replied unconvincingly.

"We're friends," The tall boy pointed out, switching hands on the wheel to gesture between them. "But every time you come to my room you're wearing pants."

"Would you like me to change that? Because I don't know how happy Juliet would be with that. Unless she would be. Which I mean is cool if that's your thing, but I've done the whole three-some thing and it's messy and there's like jealousy and stuff, so it could get really awkward, especially once she gets a whole load of this." Chloe wiggled in her seat for added emphasis.

"That really wasn't the point of my comment."

"Oh."

"So are you and Frankie a thing?" Nick asked again, taking his eyes off the road to read his friend's expression.

"We're something." It was the only way she could describe what she had with Frankie. She wasn't sure of it herself. They hadn't really talked about what they were or weren't. She had spent the better part of the previous semester flirting with the stubborn brunette, playing a game of cat-and-mouse that surprisingly she had been the instigator of. But it had been too hard to ignore the looks Frankie would give her or pretend like she wasn't affected every time Frankie had kissed her and then taken off running. It was weird for sure. She was used to just jumping headfirst into the deep end of love, never afraid of drowning. But she was working with a skittish senior and for once she didn't want to scare her away. So she let Frankie set the pace (for the most part) and she couldn't complain. Plus, the sex was awesome.

Nick heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. "I was really hoping you weren't going to say that."

"Why?" Chloe asked, genuinely confused at her friend's concern.

"I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"What makes you so sure I will?"

"Because I know Frankie, and her reputation. She just uses people. She's cold and basically the complete opposite of you. How long before she moves on?"

Chloe's eyes narrowed getting defensive on the senior's behalf, "You and Frankie aren't exactly friends. You two barely speak."

"For a reason. She hates my guts. And she isn't exactly the easiest person to talk to." Nick pointed out.

"Juliet's her best friend, and the rest of the seniors don't seem to have a problem."

"Look, maybe Frankie is really good at being a friend, but that's different than a girlfriend."

Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Right, because you're the expert on Sapphic relationships. Sorry, bud, but I'm pretty sure little Nick makes that impossible."

Nick could feel his manhood diminish with the comment. "Please don't call it that. You know what, just don't mention it at all."

"You started it."

"No, I didn't. And I'm not saying I'm an expert on lesbians. But I did date Gail for years. They're basically the same person. Trust me, women like that play you. They're so cold you could get frostbite just talking to them. And I get it, the challenge makes them more interesting but she'll break your heart."

"They're not the same person. You can't just assume that you know one person because you know someone else, who might be kind of similar. You can't generalize people." Chloe indignantly admonished the boy.

They pulled up at their designation and Nick cut the engine. He held up his hands in defense, "I'm just saying that I've been there before and it seems to me like you're going to be in for a world of hurt before it's all over. I just want you to be prepared is all."

"Maybe you don't get to see the same Frankie I do. Maybe we have a good thing going and don't need to label it. Maybe I'm okay with how things are and don't need to worry about my heart." Chloe huffed, getting more worked up as she went on.

Nick could tell he was upsetting his friend so he decided to give up the argument. "You know what you're right. Maybe I don't know what's going to happen."

She took a deep breath and released it, letting her usual smile return to her face. "Thank you, that's all I needed to hear."

"Come on let's finish doing the Ice Queen's bidding so you can buy me that slurpee."

"Do you really think you still deserve one?"

Nick offered his friend his most winning grin, flashing all his pearly whites, "Yes I do."

"Fine, but you're buying us hot dogs." Chloe decided as she grabbed one of the boxes from the car.

"Are you going to rap?"

"Obviously."

Nick laughed, "Deal."

---

Frankie had only two classes that day, and both had been blessedly short. She had already gone to the gym with the guys and was at her desk figuring out the work she needed for her classes the next day. She had her door open, waiting for Juliet to get home since they were in the those courses together. She heard the door downstairs slam, the sound of someone kicking off their shoes, followed by feet heading straight up the stairs. They didn't stop at the second floor and the next thing she knew Chloe was in her room closing the door behind her.

"Hey, wha-" Any words Frankie intended to say were cut off by Chloe's lips as the redheaded freshmen slid the chair Frankie was on away from the desk to straddle her lap. The kiss itself was rough and rushed, and Frankie shivered when Chloe's still cold fingers dug into the back of her neck. She had no problem going with the overindulgent greeting, but something nagged at the back of her mind. Her fingers dug into Chloe's thighs when the freshman did that thing with her tongue that reminded Frankie of the other thing she did that made Frankie weak at the knees, but she knew that she needed to slow down the kiss. It took a bit to separate their lips and when she did, Chloe moved to her neck. It was distracting, to say the least. Still, she tried.

"Bed?"

"No, here, now."

"Not that I'm complaining, but what spurred this on?" Chloe didn't stop the trail she was blazing along the senior's neck. Her warm lips but cold nose continued brushing along Frankie's skin as she ground her body into Frankie's lap causing every inch of Frankie to come alive.

Despite how good everything felt, Frankie didn't miss the lack of an answer. Chloe was being way too quiet. "Everything alright?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Chloe mumbled the words into Frankie's skin.

"I don't know." Honestly, Frankie didn't, not when Chloe was biting at the juncture between her neck and collar bone. She tried to shake the haze from her thoughts. "You just seem off."

Chloe pulled back and started to unbutton her shirt. "You want me, right?"

Frankie nodded and licked her lips as her eyes raked over the swell of Chloe's breasts. They moved over every slowly revealed inch. Her concerns receded along with Chloe's clothes.

"And I want you. I've been thinking about this all day."

"Oh, yeah?" A cocky smile graced Frankie's lips as she played into Chloe's game. She shifted her hands from Chloe's thighs to her very supple ass, gripping the muscles there, and pulling Chloe closer. "What exactly have you been thinking about?"

"I was thinking..." Chloe moved her lips to Frankie's ear and started to whisper exactly what she had in mind. The words short-circuited Frankie's brain, but the senior's hands painted the thoughts along Chloe's skin as if they had a mind of their own. In no time, Chloe's shirt was discarded, but the redhead refused to get up enough to remove her pants or shift them to the bed, so Frankie had to settle for unbuttoning her jeans and slipping a hand into the limited space. But she could handle the challenge and her fingers worked Chloe up exactly how she described. Chloe's hot breath in her ear, the tight muscles of Chloe's back under the hand Frankie was using to encourage her, and the way the younger girl pressed harder into her with each movement of their bodies was all too much, but not enough. Frankie moved her lips to whatever available skin she could reach before she started to pick up the pace, ignoring the cramp in her hand from the awkward angle, becoming relentless as she pushed Chloe further and further towards the edge. It worked as Chloe's words dropped off into incoherent sounds and whimpers. But Frankie didn't ease up until Chloe's body stiffened above her, only then did she slow her ministrations, bringing Chloe down from her high gently.

Chloe dropped her forehead to Frankie's collar as her body relaxed completely on top of the still seated senior.

"Bed?" Frankie asked again and she felt Chloe nod against her neck, even though she still made no move to get up. So the older girl shifted her hands so that she could lift the limp freshman up as she moved from sitting to standing. Chloe for her part did manage to wrap her legs around Frankie as the brunette took the few steps from the desk to the bed. "You're lucky I want to be a cop."

"I have no complaints about your body." Chloe replied easily with a soft smile as Frankie laid her down.

Frankie pulled her shirt over her head and was pleased to see the way Chloe bit her lip. "I'm pretty sure you just use me for it."

"Well, that and your mechanic skills." Chloe added as she reached for the older girl but Frankie stayed out of her grasp.

She moved down to free Chloe of the tight pants she was still wearing. Once done, she moved up to hover over the prone redhead again. "See, just using me for my dexterity."

"Oh definitely." Chloe agreed readily before pulling the senior into another heated kiss.

---

Sometime later the two girls fell asleep in Frankie's bed. But the nap didn't last long enough in the senior's opinion before she was pulled back into consciousness by the shifting body beside her. She cracked open her eyes and noticed Chloe seated on the edge of the mattress, pulling on her shirt. She was already working the buttons when Frankie tugged at the back of it. "Don't you ever sleep?"

"We did sleep. But I promised the blonde bombshell I live with that I would make her food before her shift." Chloe explained, eyes down on the buttons in her hand.

"Why would you do something silly like that?"

"Because she hasn't been eating enough lately."

"And it's your job to take care of her?"

Chloe shrugged; focus still on the task of getting dressed. "I know you need fuel too."

Frankie sat up so that her bare chest was hovering just behind Chloe's back and slipped the collar of Chloe's shirt over her shoulder. She pressed her lips to the exposed skin and nipped gently. She smiled when she felt Chloe shudder. "I don't need fuel. I could go another round right now."

Chloe smiled but shifted away from the alluring brunette, "Maybe, I need fuel."

"Weakling." Frankie teased, she wrapped one arm loosely around Chloe's waist. "What if I'm not done with you yet?"

"We can pick this back up later." Chloe promised as she stood up, easily breaking the senior's hold. She seemed to hesitate before leaving.

Frankie looked over at her confused. "Hey, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah...totally. I'm cool. Everything is totally cool. Super chill you know." Chloe rambled as she pulled her hair up into a loose tie.

"Alright," Frankie replied hesitantly. She wasn't convinced, but it wasn't like Chloe to not just say what was on her mind. She could be a total chatterbox, but at least Frankie didn't have to guess at what she was thinking. She was struck again by the weirdness of the afternoon.

Chloe moved over to the bed and pushed the lounging senior back into her pillows with a hard kiss. She ended the kiss as quickly as she started it. "Don't worry, I'm definitely not done with you yet either. Come down when you get hungry." Chloe left without a look back.

Frankie laid back against the pillows, sheets tangled around her naked body as she stared at the ceiling. She wasn't sure what was going on with the freshman, but something had sparked the desire to seek her out for some afternoon delight. That hadn't been completely out of character for the girl but the lack of talking about her day or really about anything at all had been. Feeling something akin to actual concern, Frankie decided to get up and get dressed so she could just ask rather than overanalyze everything.

She was halfway down the stairs, when she heard the two freshman talking.

"How's your class with Wes going?"

Frankie's eyes quickly darted from Gail who was seated on one of the kitchen counters to Chloe who was facing the stove stirring something. She didn't know that Chloe was in a class with her ex. In fact, she knew it was definitely not something Chloe had mentioned in any of the stories she had forced Frankie to listen to about her classes. Frankie could describe the people in Chloe's courses down to the color of the clothing the professors wore on the first day, but she had no idea that Chloe was sharing space with Wes. And she didn't like it.

Rather than heading to the kitchen as planned, she grabbed her jacket, boots, and keys before leaving as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Anderson, what's the hurry?" Gail called out when she spotted the senior from her perch in the kitchen.

Chloe looked up from the pan in her hand but the door was already slamming shut behind the vacating brunette.

"What was that about?" Gail asked her roommate after the abrupt departure.

Chloe looked just as confused, but also more concerned. "No idea, do you think she heard us?"

"Maybe. Did you not tell her about Wes?"

"It, uh, hasn't come up. We haven't talked that much." Gail snorted in disbelief. Everyone was well aware of how much Chloe talked. "What?"

"All you do is talk."

"That's not true."

"Right, sometimes you have very loud sex when you think no one is home. Because you forget that not everyone who lives here goes next door to get laid."

Chloe quickly turned the tables, "You're right, some people go down the street. How are you and Holly?"

"Don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell Anderson about the class with Wes?"

"Because it's not a big deal."

"Then why not mention it? Has he been saying shit?"

"Actually Jen's been the one bothering me the most."

"Luck?" Gail made a face. She wasn't a fan of the brunette herself, who thought that lame jokes and teasing were a good way to show a girl she liked her. She also didn't appreciate the way she talked shit about her roommate, not that Gail would admit that to Chloe. "What's her problem?"

"She hates me. She was going on and on about how she couldn't understand why Wes was still hung up on me. How I had been lucky to even get his interest. How I've been single ever since." Jen had ripped into Chloe about how no one could possibly want her or her annoying chirpiness. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did. She had heard worse and Chloe knew who she was. She didn't care about other people's rules or thoughts. But for some reason that day it did bother her.

"Why didn't you just tell her you were dating a senior?" Gail figured that would've been the easiest way to shut the girl up. Personally, Gail would have told her where she could shove her comments but her roommate had this thing about being 'nice'.

Chloe sighed, "Is that what we're doing?"

Gail shrugged; it's what she assumed they were doing. It's what she was attempting to do with Holly. Dating didn't have to imply monogamy or commitment.

"Because we've been on one date. And it was pretty bad." Even though Chloe smiled fondly when she thought of it. Frankie had tried and it would have been a nice night if they hadn't had to visit memory lane of all the hearts Frankie has broken. Still the night had ended much better than it started.

"Well, you could say you're fuck-buddy-ing?"

"Yeah, right, that sounds much better."

"It's more accurate. Friends-with-benefitting?"

"I'm fairly certain you're the one who is constantly telling me that I can't just add an -ing to the end of nouns?" Chloe reminded the language major.

"Because it's only cool when I do it. And it's called verbing and since language is a dynamic concept I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want," Gail argued.

"Did you learn that in your classes?"

"Gotta get something other than an overpriced piece of paper to show for wasting my time here." That comment earned a laugh from the redhead who had abandoned her attempt at cooking and was just stirring aimlessly the content in the pot in front of her as she got lost in her own thoughts. Rather than ask, Gail decided to wait her out, figuring the redhead would internally combust if she didn't talk.

"Nick thinks I'm going to get my heart broken." Chloe revealed without prompting.

That didn't take long, Gail thought to herself. "Nicholas is an idiot. Believe me, I've known him longer...unfortunately."

"I think he's just trying to look out for me."

Nick always wanted to play the protector. It was one of the many reasons Gail could never live up to his expectations of a girlfriend because she was never going to be his damsel-in-distress. "Listen, Collins is biased as fuck. His cocky ass decides shit and thinks he's always right. And I'm betting he's decided that Frankie and I are the same person."

Chloe bit her lip to stop from confirming what her roommate said was true. She wasn't looking to start a new war between the exes.

But the silence was enough for Gail to know that she was right. She had always been able to read Nick like a book even if he didn't have the first clue of how to approach her. "Like I said, he's an idiot. Don't listen to him. You've been around Frankie long enough to decide whether or not you like her and her sparkling personality. But if you don't think you can keep up with her then pull the plug on it now and save all of us from the incredible awkwardness that I'm sure will come from the two of you being around each other and trying not to imagine the other person naked. But I swear that if you move out and stiff us on rent I'll kick your ass myself."

"I wouldn't do that." It didn't matter if she was sleeping with the senior upstairs or not, Chloe wouldn't move out of the house and away from her friends, her prickly roommate included.

"I know you wouldn't because I would cause you a world of pain."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the continued threats of violence against her person. She was used to them and up until this point they had been mostly meaningless. Her roommate hadn't even retaliated for the phone incident (yet). She realized that she was letting other people get to her and it was stupid and very un-Chloe-like. "I like Frankie," She announced decisively.

"Congratulations." The redhead shoved her roommate slightly for the sarcasm, "Ow. Don't assault me because you're stating the obvious."

Chloe thought about the way the senior had left the house. "Should I call her?"

"Nah, if Frankie's going to stew, let her. She's a big girl." Gail noticed that the other girl didn't look convinced. "I'll keep an eye on her if she shows up to the bar."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, well, I'll change my mind if you don't hurry up and feed me, Princess."

---

Lisa opened the apartment door and crossed her arms, "What are you doing here?"

"Always a pleasure to see you too," Frankie greeted the hostile woman as she waited for the brunette to step aside to let her into the apartment.

The med student rolled her eyes, but moved out of the way to let in the younger girl before shutting the door behind her. "I'll never understand why Holly continues to let strays in."

Always the opportunist, Frankie cockily replied, "Last time I checked you had no problem letting me in either. More than once."

"Lapse of judgment."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

"Well, maybe I just need a reminder."

Frankie paused at the sudden turn in the conversation. Lisa had only treated her with contempt since they had stopped hooking up, and the feeling had been mutual. But now there was definite flirting in the other girl's demeanor. The lilt to her voice, the dark glint in her eyes, the slight bite of her lip. Frankie had seen it all before, could read it from across a darkened bar, hell she could play the game in her sleep. But it had been awhile since she had bothered with anyone who wasn't Chloe. Chloe. The reason she had left her house in the first place. She cocked an eyebrow, "Is that an invitation?"

"Maybe?" Lisa continued, moving closer to the undergrad, invading her space. "But last I heard, you were hanging around the playground to pick up dates."

Frankie's eyes narrowed, but she wasn't about to let anything Lisa say actually get to her. "Heard wrong."

Emboldened, Lisa closed the gap between them and dropped her voice, "So you have no reason not to take me up on it?"

Frankie could. She had every right to. It would be easy and simple and absolutely meaningless to her. Every box on her usual list of requirements checked off. She bit her lowerlip slightly, drawing the other woman's attention to it.

"Ahem." Both girls' eyes snapped over to Holly who was standing in the living room, arms crossed and clearly unamused by the display in front of her. "Am I interrupting?"

"Nope." Frankie replied easily, as she moved slightly away from her friend's roommate.

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yep."

"Well my room's that way, which you know." Holly gestured to her open door and Frankie nodded. She took her cue to leave.

"See you around, Frankie." Lisa promised as the younger girl walked away.

Holly waited for Frankie to pass her before shooting Lisa a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look, but the other brunette just smiled and shrugged before heading back to her room to study.

"What the hell was that?" Holly demanded after she closed her bedroom door.

Frankie dropped down onto Holly's bed, legs hooked over the edge as she lounged back to face her friend. "What the hell was what?"

"You and Lisa, were you two flirting?" Frankie merely shrugged in response. "I thought you couldn't stand her." Actually, Holly knew for a fact that Frankie couldn't stand her so the last thing she had expected stepping out into her apartment was to see the two ladies so close to one another.

"I can't."

"So, why?" Frankie shrugged again. "Alright, well did you come here to talk to me or to bang my roommate?"

"Ummm...Multitasking?"

Holly sighed and resumed her seat at her desk but swiveled around to be able to see the girl in her bed. "What happened with Chloe?"

"What makes you think something happened?" Frankie countered quickly.

"You haven't given anyone the time of day for the last couple of months since you and Chloe became a thing. So what changed?"

"We're not a thing." The lounging brunette grumbled.

Holly knew her friend's moods well, Frankie wanted to talk she just wasn't going to make it easy. Which meant a forceful and direct approach was needed. "You're definitely something, so spill."

Frankie offered up a pained sigh before she recounted the entire afternoon, leaving out some details, but painting an elaborate picture of Chloe aggressively pursuing her after going to class and the conversation she overheard in the kitchen.

"So, what exactly has you so upset?" For once, Holly couldn't tell exactly what was bothering Frankie about the situation.

"She used me, Holls, and I didn't like it. Well, not it, I liked the sex, but not the being used part."

"I don't think she was just using you." Holly reasoned. She hadn't seen Chloe with Frankie too often, but from what she had heard there was definitely something real going on between them. Plus, Chloe just didn't seem like the type to be so cavalier about someone else. That was usually Frankie's job.

Frankie wasn't placated. "Well, she goes to class with her ex then comes home to jump my bones. Seems like she's overcompensating."

"Or you're projecting."

"Don't start using your shrink talk on me. You're only a first-year."

"Which you seem to conveniently forget every time you want me to diagnose you with the plague so you can skip class. But, fine, so maybe seeing him just reminded Chloe of how much happier she is with you."

"It was different, I don't know. I can't explain it, but it's like she was trying to prove something." It was that nagging feeling again that Frankie couldn't place. She had felt it when Chloe first kissed her, and again when the freshmen was being oddly quiet, and even just thinking about it. It was a twinge in her gut that just didn't sit right.

"So ask her, Frankie. Chloe is an open book. I'm sure she'll tell you." It seemed like a no-brainer to the med student.

Frankie hesitated, a part of her knew that she could just ask, but the thing about ripping off a band-aid was that it hurt regardless of how it came off. "What if I don't like the answer?"

"Since when do you not confront things head on?"

"It's just different. I don't know." Everything with Chloe was different and it had sent Frankie reeling since the first drunken kiss in a crowded bar.

"Ok, so worst case scenario she was using you somehow, you can end whatever you have going on or tell her not to do it again and move on. I don't know. You'll figure it out." Holly offered the advice gently and let it sink in.

Frankie unlocked the screen on her phone after it chimed with unread messages. She didn't read them when she saw they were from 'Muppet' but wanted to silence the annoying device. She laid on Holly's bed mulling over the new information she had at her disposal to analyze Chloe's demeanor and actions. But Frankie remembered their teasing when they had moved to her bed. Suddenly the lighthearted banter didn't feel so light. The words twisted in her head and she felt a pang in her chest.

She was quiet for so long that Holly returned to her studying until the statuesque girl spoke up again, "The whole point of being a lesbian is that men don't influence my sex life."

Holly had a feeling this was just one of the many deflections Frankie was going to use that night to avoid talking about what was really bothering her. She had learned a long time ago that it was better to just go along with it, and eventually Frankie would show her cards. "Chloe's not a lesbian."

"Soooo not the point."

"Just saying."

"Well don't."

"I know you don't have a problem with bi girls." Frankie had no problem sleeping with women of all types: gay women, bisexual women, polyamorous women, 'straight' women who just wanted to experiment for a night (or two). There had been a long line of butch women, femmes, studs, etc. Holly even remembered Frankie sleeping with someone who was non-binary. That one had gone on longer than most people predicted and Holly even profited nicely off the boys' doubts about Frankie's ability to use the proper pronouns without offending them. Every one of the aforementioned people had fallen prey to the charms of Frankie Anderson, who really wasn't picky, just equally cynical about everyone she met. The root of the problem couldn't be as simple as Chloe having been with a guy in the past or even of her going back to dating guys. "So it's just Wes you have a problem with."

"He's a prick." At least that was the conclusion Frankie had drawn from Chloe's descriptions of him and their relationship. She knew she had met the guy, but she couldn't remember anything particularly noteworthy. Then again, the first time they met had been at the party right before classes and Frankie was more concerned with hooking up with Gail. Damn, times had changed.

"So, Chloe probably realized that. She did dump him, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but they also dated for years."

"People change. Look at Jess and me, I wouldn't get back together with her, but the last time we spoke I nearly hooked up with Mariana. Just because she can get under my skin doesn't mean I want to be with her."

Frankie thought about her recent run-ins with Gabi. "I suppose."

"So, why don't you at least give Chloe the benefit of the doubt until you talk to her?"

"I don't like being used." Frankie reiterated.

It was the second time she had used the phrase, but Holly still couldn't discern the real issue. "Frankie, seriously how many times have you used sex as a band-aid or been someone's band-aid?"

"It's different."

"You've never used Chloe for sex?" Frankie looked away as she thought about when she came home from seeing her parents. She had had the option to use Chloe then and chose to talk when she didn't have to. It was different. This was different.

Holly had suspected that Frankie was really into Chloe, but she hadn't realized how badly. "You really are falling for her, aren't you?"

"Shut up. I'm not falling for anyone. It's senior year, it's meant to be 365 days of uncomplicated, meaningless sex." Frankie snapped.

"Yet, you're sitting in my room trying to figure out the meaning behind the super hot sex you had with Chloe."

"I didn't say it was super hot."

"Actually you did. Twice."

"I'm ignoring you." Frankie shot Holly an unamused look before continuing, "I'm supposed to finish up the year, graduate, and then go to the Academy, become a police office, then become the youngest female detective for 15 division."

"Doesn't Gail's mom hold that title?" Holly could remember Steve bragging out it. It was probably what put the thought into Frankie's head in the first place.

"Think I can't beat a Peck?"

"Have you met Elaine? Steve and Gail's stories don't do her justice." The woman was extremely intense and intimidating, and at parties Holly was only pretending to be one her children's significant others. A fleeting thought quickly passed about what it would be like to be introduced as Gail's girlfriend instead.

"Fine, so I'll be the second youngest or I'll go to a different division and kick ass there, whatever."

Holly pushed her own thoughts out of her head and focused back on Frankie's rehashing of her plans for the future. Plans she had heard dozens of times. "Ok, I know all this, but that doesn't cover what's going to happen between Chloe and you."

"Because nothing can happen between Chloe and me." Frankie thought that she had made it plain as day.

Holly could see that her friend was already trying to shove her feelings back into the tiny box where she kept them so she wouldn't have to deal. "Does she make you happy?"

"Seriously, what does that fucking mean?" Frankie had said the same thing earlier in the year when she mentioned how marriages were doomed. Chloe had thrown it back in her face when she proved that not all relationships were a piece of crap (or at least didn't end in homicide). Then there was Juliet's comment on the way to the airport. Everyone seemed to be fixated on this happiness bullshit.

"Do you like being with her? Does she make you feel better when she's around? Do you actually enjoy spending time with her?" Holly could tell that Frankie was struggling to keep her face blank. "Frankie, I've seen your smile when she's around, you actually smile. I think she makes you happier than anyone has in a long time."

"I'm not a happy person, Holls."

"No one says you have to be. But it's ok to feel happy sometimes and to hold on to the person who helps you feel it."

"What if I'm in this more than she is?" Frankie asked quietly, willing the universe not to hear her doubts spoken aloud.

And there was the real root of the problem. Holly knew that was something that had never happened to Frankie. It wasn't that Frankie was always the one to end things, but more often than not the other person bailed because they couldn't get close enough. Frankie liked to play it off as an inability of the other person to keep up with her, but Holly knew there was more to it. There was a disconnect. Chloe, though, had gotten under Frankie's skin in a way that Holly had never seen and she had been around for the unhealthy addiction that was Hurricane Gabi. She couldn't let her friend blow it now.

"I think Chloe is in it just as much as you are. You should just tell her how you feel."

Frankie didn't have a response as she dropped back against Holly's soft mattress lifelessly. She felt drained from all the talking about feelings and crap. She needed a distraction. "Can we go to a bar?"

"You can, I need to study." Holly gestured to the open books cluttering the desk in front of her. "And I'm not looking to watch you self-destruct in order to avoid telling the girl you like how you actually feel about her."

"Since when are you so judgey?"

"I'm not judging you, Frankie, I swear. I just don't want to see you lash out. You're going to end up breaking your own heart and Chloe's."

"It's just sex." Frankie replied resolutely, steeling herself once more.

Holly could see her friend's defenses mount just at the mention of a broken heart. "If that's true, why are you here?"

"Maybe I just like visiting you."

"I am well aware how awesome my company is, but that isn't why you came tonight."

"Can I crash here?"

"Ummm..."

Frankie pounced on Holly's hesitation since the med student had never refused her refuge in the entirety of their friendship, even when she had been dating Jess. "Or are you expecting someone?"

There had been a time when Gail would show up at all hours of the day and night. But that hadn't happened since they started hanging out again. Holly didn't know if it was because she was sleeping better or because they had agreed to take things slow, but she couldn't turn Frankie down as a result. But it also didn't mean that she was going to let Frankie run away from her feelings so easily. "You can hang out as long as you want, but you shouldn't avoid Chloe. Tell her how you feel."

Frankie settled back down and stared at Holly's ceiling. "It's just sex," she repeated again.

Holly shook her head, "You haven't been listening to a word I've been saying."

"Of course I have."

"You're going to get yourself into trouble trying to convince yourself that that's true."

"I don't have to convince myself because it is true." She was starting to get irritated that Holly wouldn't just accept what she said was the truth.

"So true, that you're hiding here."

"If you don't want me here you can just say so." Frankie snapped as she sat up in the bed.

"That's not what I'm saying," But Frankie was already getting up and grabbing her stuff, having found a reason to displace her anger. "Frankie, really that's not what I said. You can stay."

But the brunette was already building up momentum as she made her way through the apartment with Holly in pursuit, worried about what she was about to do. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm a big girl." Frankie declared as she stormed out of the apartment, making a second dramatic exit for the night.

"Damn it," Holly sighed. She had a feeling the next time she saw Frankie she'd be worse for wear.

---

"It's just sex", Frankie mumbled to herself before walking through the front door. She hadn't meant to go straight home, but it's where her stupid feet took her. She blamed Gail and Traci working at the Penny for being the reason she couldn't simply go there. And everywhere else was too far to walk in the middle of winter. At least that was what she told herself when she realized that she could've gone to any other bar or club. Honestly, she just didn't want to go anywhere and deal with people and it was about what she wanted. That much had been true since Frankie had gotten to college and it wasn't about to change now that she was almost done. She was going to do what she wanted for the simple reason that she wanted to.

She caught sight of Chloe out of the corner of her eye as she entered the hallway. The redhead looked like she was cleaning an already immaculate kitchen.

The redhead looked up at the noise, eyes concerned when she took in Frankie's countenance. "Hey, where've you been?"

It's just sex, she thought as she crossed the threshold of the kitchen ignoring the redhead's question as she pressed Chloe back into the cabinets next to the stove.

It's just sex, she reminded herself when she heard the soft gasp from the redhead before she captured Chloe's lips in a bruising kiss. Chloe's skin burned her frozen fingers as she slipped her hands under her shirt and scratched blunt nails along the freshman's stomach. She pressed her thumbs into the hallow of Chloe's hips and ground her hips into her harder.

"Bedroom?" Chloe panted when Frankie released her lips and moved onto her neck.

"No, here, now." Frankie demanded.

"Someone could see us." Chloe reminded her as she tried to stifle the moan building in the back of her throat.

"Let them."

"What about the rules?"

"Fuck 'em." Frankie decided as she bit into the tendon running along Chloe's outstretched neck, knowing she would leave a mark.

It's just sex, was the mantra in her head as clothes were quickly shed and everything became a blur of eager hands and hungry mouths.

It's just sex, played on repeat as she touched and let herself be touched. Deciding that it would be enough, it would have to be enough. The words looped again and again until she couldn't think of anything at all as her world exploded.

It's just sex. The words came back to her as she leaned her weight against the freshman. Bodies pressed together as she tried to get her breathing back under control and for enough feeling to return to legs. They crept through the fogginess of her brain as she felt Chloe's gentle touch tracing along the muscles of her back.

"Hey, listen about earlier..." Chloe started to explain as she ran a hand along Frankie's shoulders feeling the slight difference where the lines of ink coursed. But she was quickly cut off as the girl in her arms stiffened before pulling away completely.

"Don't worry about it." Frankie mumbled as she scanned the floor for her shirt.

"No, look..."

"It's just sex." The words slipped from Frankie's lips, as she collected her clothes.

"Excuse me?"

She pulled her shirt over her head. "What? That's what this is. It's just sex." Frankie pulled her hair out of her collar and finished zipping her pants before turning to leave. She couldn't look at Chloe.

She was already in the hall when she heard Chloe's angry voice ring out.

"Bullshit!"

Frankie froze in her tracks, swiveling around quickly only to be met with a withering glare from the freshman. "What?"

"That's bullshit, Frankie. This isn't just sex."

"Yes, it is."

"If this was just sex you wouldn't have stormed out of here when Gail mentioned Wes." Chloe took a step closer and Frankie took one back. "If it was just sex you wouldn't have come back here trying to prove that it was." Another step forward, another one back. "In fact, you wouldn't have come back here at all tonight, you would've found some other girl to play your games with." Chloe kept advancing till Frankie's back hit the wall next to the stairs. "If it was just sex then you would've fucked me months ago and ended it like you do with everyone else."

Frankie didn't have much choice; she had to hold her ground. "That doesn't mean anything. This isn't going anywhere. It's not some fairy tale with a happy ending."

"Why are you so determined to mess this up? We have a good thing going, but you're always so determined to wreck it before it ever really starts. I've never asked you for any kind of commitment, Frankie. Trust me, I know better than that."

The words stung but Frankie wasn't about to let it show. "That's good because I can't give you that. I can give you sex."

Chloe let out an exasperated sound, "Deus, por que você está tão frustrante? Por que você não pode ver o que está bem na frente você?"

The only Portuguese Frankie knew involved curses normally directed at her, courtesy of her ex. So it was safe to say that whatever Chloe had said had gone well over her head, at the same time as it caused the blood in her body to pool somewhere much lower. "English, please."

But Chloe ignored her. "Tell me you don't like me," she challenged the older girl. She wanted to hear the senior say it. Say that she didn't actually give a damn about her. Finally make it clear exactly where they stood.

"What? Why?"

"Because I want to hear you say it. Say that you don't actually like me. That you can't stand me. That we aren't friends or anything else. That we're fuck buddies without actually being buddies. Right? That's what you're trying to say, so say it."

Frankie could see the hurt in Chloe's eyes lingering beneath the anger and frustration. She wanted to take back what she said but if she did then where would they stand? She tried to get the words out but it felt like they were strangling her. "I..."

They were interrupted by the front door swinging open as Andy and Sam came stumbling through. The messy pair stopped their laughing when they realized they had interrupted something. "Oh, hey guys, everything okay?" Andy asked trying to contain her giggles and readjusting her clothes that Sam had messed up.

Chloe didn't say anything as she grabbed her jacket and shoes and practically sprinted out the front door. Frankie wanted to go after her, but the damage was already done. She continued to stare at the piece of wood long after it slammed shut. She was aware that she was being scrutinized but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the front door.

Sam and Andy exchanged a look before the boy cleared his throat. "You okay, Frankenstein?"

"Fucking peachy." Frankie replied as she quickly turned and stormed up the stairs to her own safe haven.

---

"So this is where Nerds hide on their weekends huh?" Gail asked as she leaned against the doorframe of one of forensic labs. Computers and machines covered every counter along with beakers and chemicals and various other equipment and tools. And in the middle of it all sat a very pretty brunette, body bent over whatever she was working on.

Holly looked up at the voice, a large smile breaking out across her face. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

The blonde held up a large brown paper bag. "Seems the lunch fairy messed up and delivered double food orders to me."

"So you decided to share rather than keep it all to yourself."

"Well that seemed a bit greedy and the lazy ass said she wouldn't fix her mistake, so she made me do it myself."

"Well, that's awfully nice of you."

"Fair, it's only fair of me. I'm not nice."

"You're nice to me." Holly pointed out with a crooked grin.

"Maybe, but don't let it get around." Gail had a reputation to protect.

"Your secret's safe with me."

Gail glanced around at the whirring machines. "So can you take a break or will science come to complete standstill without you?"

"Let me put this last sample into this machine and we can head into the break room and away from all these chemicals. Unless you want to glow in the dark later."

"Actually, now that you mentioned it that would be pretty awesome."

Holly loaded the last sample and started the machine. It would take a while for it to run giving her plenty of time to eat with her personal delivery person. She left a note for her superiors in case they came in looking for her. They headed into the empty room a couple of doors down and Gail laid out the schwarma feast she had ready.

"Thank you for this, I didn't realize how hungry I was until I actually saw food." Holly said between bites.

"I figured you hadn't eaten. You know for a med student you seem to forget that your body actually needs fuel to keep running."

"Mmhmm, probably a good thing I have you to remind then, huh?"

Gail smiled widely, "Obviously."

The two girls talked a bit about their classes before talking about Frankie and Chloe and the mess they seemed to be in. Gail told the brunette about the Cold War that was going on as each girl pretended the other didn't exist. It also meant that Gail had a full-time roommate again which was getting to be a bit much. Holly felt bad for both Frankie and Chloe, but she had tried to stop her friend from doing whatever it was she did. The fact that Frankie hadn't come looking for her had her even more concerned. She was going to have to go see her friend herself. They finished up their meals and Gail walked Holly back to her lab. They paused in the doorway.

"You know, I never realized how sexy scientists could be." Gail commented as she ran a hand over the lapel of Holly's white coat.

"So the lab coat does it for you?" Holly teased.

"Maybe just when you wear it." Gail offered with a wink and Holly struggled to contain her smile at the comment. "So does this count as our second date?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Well it would get me closer to date number three."

"And what do you think is going to happen on date number three?"

Gail bit her lip and shrugged, "Magical things?"

Holly laughed, "You're insane."

"You've mentioned. How about you bust out early then we could have date number three before my shift?" Gail suggested as she leaned in a little closer to the taller brunette.

It was probably the most tempting offer Holly had ever received but her annoyingly responsible brain wouldn't let her give in. She sighed, "I wish."

"Can't you rush the results? Make it go faster?"

"Sure, I'll just rush the polymerase chain reaction. Not like it's important." Holly replied sarcastically, "Maybe you could chip in. How are you at identifying short tandem repeats?"

Gail narrowed her eyes, "You could have just said no."

Holly smiled taking the other woman's snark for playfulness. "I can come by the Penny after I'm done."

The blonde pouted, "Yeah, but that's not as much fun because then I'll be the one working."

"We could find a way to make it fun." Holly offered with a suggestive raise of her eyebrow. She moved closer to the blonde, eyes dropping down to her lips.

Their bubble was burst when someone cleared their throat and Holly took a step back. "Ah, Ms. Stewart, there you are. Oh, sorry to interrupt." The man glanced between both girls before he seemed to recognize the blonde as well, "Why hello, Ms. Peck, what are you doing here?"

The older man looked familiar, but Gail couldn't quite place him. "Visiting a friend, sir."

"I hope your brother has mentioned what a good worker his significant other is." Pride evident in the senior doctor's voice as he gestured to the med student. Holly blushed and adjusted her glasses under the scrutiny.

Gail was still struggling to figure out who the person was but at the mention of her brother her spine stiffened a bit and she struggled to find her voice. "Ummm...Yeah, definitely."

The greying man turned his attention back to his worker. "Alright, well Ms. Stewart if you've taken your lunch Dr. Torres could use your assistance in lab 3."

"I'll be right there, sir." Holly promised.

He nodded to Gail as well, "It was nice seeing you again, Ms. Peck, oh and give your mother my regards."

"Certainly, sir." Gail replied respectfully, while she internally screamed.

As soon as the man walked away, Gail turned to the brunette. "Who was that?"

"Dr. Harris, he's head of the department."

Head of the department and obviously knew her family. This wasn't good. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice, "How did you get this position, Holly?"

"Steve introduced me to Dr. Harris at the party and he told me they had some openings for med students. Normally it's third and fourth years, but he said they could use some extra hands on some projects and told me about them. They sounded interesting so I put in an application through my school."

"You met him at my parent's party?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

It was a huge problem if her mother had anything to do with Holly getting the spot in the lab. It was obvious the man was on somewhat decent terms with her mother, which meant that her spies were even in the lab. She had to get out of there. "I should ummm go, I gotta visit Ollie before my shift."

Holly was confused by the sudden change in the other girl's demeanor. "Umm...okay? Give him a kiss for me."

"Sure, sure. See ya later." Gail all but sprinted out of the sterile building.

---

She was still reeling from the realization that someone who knew her mother and brother had caught her and Holly in a situation that could be perceived as a little more than friendly when she walked through the doors of the hospital. She was just thankful that she hadn't kissed the brunette as much as she had wanted to. But this was bad. Her mother had another way to control her life.

Gail reached Oliver's room on autopilot, but came back to the world at the sight of her friend. "Hey."

Oliver glanced up sharply at the doorway where the blonde had come in. "Oh, hey Gail."

That was weird. Oliver always greeted her by her last name: little Peck, Petulant Peck, Peckling. Didn't matter, but he rarely used her first name. She decided to ignore it as she grabbed her usual seat. "You excited? I heard they were busting you out of this joint this week."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just tired. Been a long day." Oliver dully replied.

"Ok, do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm good. But do you mind if we cut this short, I think I just need some sleep."

Gail stood up at the dismissal. Hurt by her friend's uncharacteristic demeanor. He was always so happy to see her, but now he could barely look at her. "Yeah, sure. Do you need me to call a nurse or something?"

"No thanks, I'm just gonna sleep for a bit." He turned away from the younger girl.

Gail stepped out into the hallway and ran into Celery who was returning with a couple of teas in her hand.

"Hi Gail, how long have you been here?" The witch pulled the blonde into a quick hug and accepted the bag of food Gail offered her, which she hadn't had the opportunity to give to her friend.

"Not long. Everything ok with Ollie?"

"Staff Sergeant was around today. I think Oliver might be in a bit more trouble for what happened that day then we thought."

Gail glanced back into the room. If Oliver was in more trouble she had a feeling her family had something to do with it. Probably their efforts to keep the heat away from Steve for the mistakes made that day. And now Oliver was treating her like one of them, something he had never done in the past. It felt like a knife to her gut.

"I think he's just a bit overwhelmed is all. I wouldn't worry, he'll be back to normal once his spirits realign."

Gail nodded, but she wasn't reassured. "I should get going, I have work and I have to give Chris back his truck."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow. And really don't worry. Everything will work out, the universe will see to it."

The blonde didn't believe that for a second but she knew better than to argue. She made a quick escape and drove home with her head swirling of all the ways her family could mess things up for her when she was finally starting to feel like herself again. As if on cue, the Emperor theme rang out on her phone. She let it go to voicemail.

"Gail, this is a reminder that we are having a family dinner next weekend. Your attendance is not optional this time. Your brother will pick you up. Work is not an excuse."

The message was really icing on the shitcake of a day. She dropped her friend's car at the Mancave and went home to change. She checked the battery on her phone and realized that she forgot to charge it the night before so she would need to at work. She opened her drawer and looked for her spare charger. She found it along with the painkillers she had put back there after Holly had found them in her pocket. She still hadn't used any but there they were offering some relief from the weight she felt was crushing her. The alarm on her phone reminded her that she needed to get to work. She slammed the drawer shut and finished gathering her things before heading to the crowded bar. She hoped the busyness would be enough of a distraction.

---

The bar had been crowded as expected, but her friends had been nowhere in sight with the exception of Nash. Something about a frat party that most of them had decided to attend, another thing that Gail really didn't need to think about. When Holly texted to let her know that she couldn't come by because she had to help Rachel with something, Gail wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved. She worked through her shift with her mind everywhere but at the bar.

When she finally got home she dropped into bed, utterly exhausted from the day and the worrying. She fell asleep with relative ease.

Her head hurt and the room was spinning. She could barely focus on keeping on her feet when she felt arms wrap around her. She tried to struggle but they got more forceful, tightly gripping her arms to prevent her from throwing elbows. She felt the ground slip out from under her as she's hoisted in the air, a hand covering her mouth and a large arm over her throat. She kicks out as hard as she can, fighting with pure desperation. But the world was only getting darker, she couldn't breathe.

She awoke when her hand hit the headboard, a loud crack against the wood and a lightning bolt of pain through her forearm. She jumped up in her bed to cradle the throbbing hand. For a righty, she sure threw a lot of punches with her left. She quickly glanced at the other half of her room, but there was no concerned roommate coming over to check on her. She flexed her hand and decided nothing was broken but it still hurt like a bitch. She glanced at the small end table next to her bed, home to both her phone and the bottle of pills she knows could ease the pain for her. Making a decision, she reached over in its direction.

---

A/N: Ruh-roh...what's she gonna do?