A/N: Hiya. Today is a good day; mini eggs are back on the shelves for some bizarre reason and I played desktop ping pong at work. Marvellous! I'm pleased you guys seemed to enjoy that last chapter...and believe me, I was cheering when they finally got their groove on too.

So, on with the story.

This chapter contains a fair few chunks of dialogue that I have borrowed from the show. See if you can spot them all; there's even something from one of the webisodes….! Like I said at the start of this, it's just for fun so I hope the powers that be forgive me. Maybe see it as a homage, not plagiarism?!

Thanks to Kravn for sorting out the parts that sounded like I had kangaroos loose in the top paddock! ;)

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From the second she woke up, Gail could feel someone watching her. So when she opened her own eyes, it was no surprise to see dark brown orbs looking straight back at her.

"Watching me sleep, nerd? How very weird," she yawned.

"Watching you wake up actually. Because the sleeping was kinda boring. You know, in comparison to what else we could be doing," Holly replied, grinning that half smile of hers. Gail couldn't help but smile right back, proving once again that it was indeed contagious.

Her girlfriend winked and the cop blushed slightly. Last night had been amazing. Really, really amazing. Sure there had been a few awkward moments, but Holly had guided her through and it had ended up being incredible. Rock your socks, hold the front page incredible. So unbelievably fantastic in fact, that she couldn't help think about a repeat performance. And what better time than now?

She scooted nearer to the brunette and kissed her gently on the lips. "Morning," she said.

"Good morning," Holly whispered, returning the kiss and pulling her girlfriend closer still. Gail shuddered as bare skin pressed against bare skin but she soon recovered and rolled Holly over onto her back. She propped herself up on her elbow, her body flush against the pathologist's and she trailed her hand under the sheets and over the muscles of Holly's stomach. She dipped her head to kiss Holly's neck, mapping out the soft skin under her lips.

"Mmmmm," moaned the doctor as Gail's hand traced an imaginary line over one hip bone, across to the other and then down the inside of her thigh. Staying in the cabin and waking up with Gail every morning had been wonderful. But waking up with a very naked and very affectionate Gail? Even better.

"You know how we've been saying how wrong it is to enjoy being stuck here, all alone?" she queried, half focused on what she was trying to say and half focused on wrapping her arm around Gail's back and pulling her closer again.

"Hmm. Yeah. So wrong, yeah," the blonde mumbled, in between kisses.

"Well is it bad that I'm also kind of glad that you nearly got mild hypothermia last night?" Holly asked and then gasped when her girlfriend nipped at her trapezius.

The cop pulled back a little and pouted. "Yes. That's just mean," she said, but the amusement in her eyes gave her away.

"Sorry," replied the brunette. "But it turned out okay, right?"

"Oh yeah," agreed Gail. "If that's your standard treatment plan for hypothermia, I'm going to go out in the rain more often,"

"Please don't," Holly said, remembering that she had been pretty worried about the state Gail was in when she was shivering uncontrollably in front of the fire. "If you ever need warming up, you should just ask," she told her.

"Holly," Gail whispered, her voice low and husky.

"Yes?"

"I'm cold. Warm me up?" she said. Holly grinned and pushed the blonde backwards, settling herself on top of her.

"No problem," she replied before kissing her deeply.

Things were just getting heated when Gail's burner phone starting screeching. Its obnoxious ring tone bellowed across the room from where she had abandoned it on the bedside table last night. The fact the phone was ringing threw her somewhat, as nobody had that number apart from Holly. And she knew exactly where the girlfriend's hands were at that precise moment…they weren't anywhere near a phone, that was for sure. Her cop senses started tingling. However, no matter how curious she was, when faced with choosing between a mystery phone call and a hot, naked brunette wrapped around her doing rather magical things with her lips and tongue, it was an absolute no brainer. Curiosity could wait, arousal could not.

Unfortunately, the cheap cell phone didn't seem to share that particular life philosophy. With no voicemail service set up, the phone rang endlessly. Clearly whoever was on the other end, wasn't going to give up.

"Just answer it!" Holly groaned, pulling back and toppling sideways off Gail.

"They'll go away!" the police officer argued, reaching out for her once more.

"Answer it or stamp on it," replied the doctor, pushing Gail's hand away.

Gail groaned in frustration but flopped over to reach the phone. "It had fucking well better be the Queen of England because if anyone else is interrupting us, I am going to have serious words with them," she growled.

She swiped the screen before remembering this wasn't her own phone and this cheap, crummy thing had actual buttons. She jabbed the green button before yelling "What!?" at whichever poor soul had the misfortune to disturb them.

"Hey sis, how are you doing?" came Steve's voice.

"Fuck off!" she told him, and pushed the red button to end the call.

Before she could even roll back onto the bed, the phone rang again so she gave up and answered it immediately. "Can't you just go away? For like half an hour?" she pleaded. She heard Holly cough behind her and was pretty sure she heard "an hour" muttered through the spluttering.

"Sure. But we'll be at Oliver's cabin in about twenty minutes, so you may as well just talk to me now," Steve said.

Gail fought the urge to throw the phone out the window in frustration. There goes my morning plans she thought, chancing a glance at the brunette lying next to her. She whimpered when she saw that the sheet had been pushed halfway down the bed and Holly's torso was fully on display.

"I hate you," she told her brother vehemently, "How the hell do you know where we are?"

"I'm a detective, Gail. It's my job to figure things out,"

"Well it took you long enough. We've been here a week," she goaded him.

"Yeah, well after I got your call yesterday I pulled some of the team here together. Then Diaz finally admitted he had spoken to you twice as well, and that you had his Jeep. Everyone thought you'd ran on foot and were hiding in the city till Diaz came clean. Between the five of us, we only came up with a few options where you could be. Then when Oliver called his buddy at the fishing lodge up by the lake, he confirmed that he'd seen the Jeep drive past a couple of times…so we knew you'd be at Ollie's place," her brother explained, sounding rather too pleased with himself for what was really a simple piece of detective work.

"Call up Mensa, they need to get you guys on the membership list," Gail said scornfully.

"Took me longer to trace this phone number you were trying to keep private," he replied, "Make sure you tell them about that too, eh?"

"What's happening with the IT guy?" she asked, ignoring him.

"All sorted. I'll explain when we get there, because we've got a plan. Twenty minutes, be ready!" Steve told her and immediately hung up on her.

"Wait! Who's we? Hey!" Gail shouted at the dead line. He would pay for that later. She dropped the handset back onto the table and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"So, what did Her Royal Highness want? Or was it just a social call?" Holly asked, reaching out to stroke Gail's bare back.

"You'll find out yourself soon. The whole platoon of court jesters are on the way here. They'll be here in twenty," Gail replied as she stood up.

"What?" Holly exclaimed, grabbing the bed sheet and covering her body as if they were already there peering through the window.

"Yep," confirmed the cop. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to put some clothes on. I'm probably in enough trouble as it is. You might want to sort out that sex hair you've got going on as well," she said, pointing vaguely in the direction of the dark locks that were sticking out at all angles.

Holly tried to smooth a hand through her hair, finding tangles from root to tip. "That's your fault for taking me to bed with wet hair," she mumbled.

The comment made Gail laugh, despite the sudden feeling of dread that had settled over her at the thought of everyone turning up and it being the end of her and Holly's isolated bubble. She wanted to get everything sorted out; for Holly to be able to go back to her normal life and she herself to go back to whatever was in store after this prolonged bout of rule breaking. Yet she also wanted to stay here and spend lazy days down by the lake, cosy evenings in front of the fire…and passionate nights right here in this bed. She was sad about letting all that go. The way she felt right now about Holly was the most sure she had ever been about the two of them. Last night was almost like the final puzzle piece had fallen into place, but before she could settle down and really enjoy this new sense of belonging, she was being wrenched away from it. She shook her head; now wasn't the time to get into all that. Her brother and her friends were about to appear. She took one last chance to appreciate the gorgeous woman tucked up in her bed.

"Rain check though?" she asked, bending at the waist to kiss her girlfriend. As she pulled back, she whipped the sheet away and giggled at Holly's surprised yelp. She deliberately ran her eyes up the brunette's body, committing it to memory. "Definite rain check," she stated, before walking away in order to get dressed.

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"Peck! What the hell did you think you were playing at?" Allan McGregor yelled and Gail winced as the piercing voice shattered her happy reunion. Two police squad cars had pulled up the cabin minutes ago, and the blonde had been pleased to see not only Steve tumble out, but Chris, Traci, Andy, Oliver and Sam as well. She gave her brother a cursory nod and fist bump, which was pretty much the extent of their affection. But she couldn't avoid being wrapped up in hugs by the others, apart from Sam who stood aside after a brief hello, then stood watching the scene with his customary impassive stare.

She was only halfway through greeting her colleagues when an unmarked SUV also appeared and this time it was McGregor and Chen who stepped out. Without so much of a greeting, the sergeant had started yelling. Gail untangled herself from Oliver's bear hug and watched from the deck as the Vancouver man came marching up the steps to stand in front of her.

"Well? Explain yourself!" he commanded, but she didn't answer so the older cop continued his rant. "You dropped off the grid with our subject! Are you crazy? Why didn't you call in? You should have come straight back to Toronto once the danger was clear!"

Gail simply shrugged, embarrassed at being chewed out in front of the guys from Fifteen and not knowing where to start her defence. Her job was to keep Holly safe and that's what she did. But her apparent indifference that only served to fuel McGregor's rage.

"Jesus Christ! First we lose Sanderson, then you go rogue! I've never run another job that went so badly wrong…"

That statement woke Gail up out of her self pity. "What?" she asked, panic all over her face. She saw Holly go tense as well and knew her girlfriend was just as terrified. She hadn't asked Steve about Sanderson at all over their two phone calls, scared of what he might tell her. She had been hoping to grab Andy quickly and find out exactly how he was doing but then McGregor had started yelling. What did he mean by 'lose Sanderson'….surely he couldn't be saying the young officer was gone? The man hadn't responded to her interruption, so she pressed him again. "Tell me what happened, McGregor! What happened to Scott?" she asked urgently.

"You know what happened, Peck! You were there, before you disappeared off into the back of beyond, leaving us all to sort out your mess!" he replied, and the blonde clenched her fists, breathing hard and wanting to punch his silly, obtuse face. Holly touched the back of her arm gently and it was enough to stop her exploding. Luckily, McNally saw what both women were thinking and quickly intervened.

"He's alright, Gail. Scott's okay. He lost a lot of blood and it was touch and go, but he's on the mend. McGregor just mean we lost him from duty. He's been in hospital, but he's okay," Andy explained. Gail and Holly both visibly relaxed, sharing a look of relief.

"Thank God," whispered the doctor but soon enough McGregor was back on topic.

"Don't you have anything to say, Officer Peck?" he demanded and this time it was Oliver who stepped in.

"Okay, Allan, my man. I think you've made your point. We can all have ourselves a little debrief later. But right now, we all have things to do, right?" he said, walking over and throwing his arm round Gail's shoulder.

The blonde smiled weakly at him, nodding her thanks for his intervention.

"Oliver. This is Holly," she said, indicating the brunette stood at her side. "Holly; this is Oliver Shaw. This is his place. And that's Traci, Sam, Chris and Steve - my brother," she continued, gesturing at each person in turn and introducing her girlfriend to them although Holly had met a couple of the cops before.

"Hi," Holly said, almost shyly. "Thanks for letting us stay here Oliver,"

"You're welcome, darling. I didn't know about it but if I did, you'd still have been welcome!" he replied drily, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over the group.

"So, what happened with the IT guy?" Gail asked her brother, hoping the corrupt bastard was locked up somewhere suitably horrible by now.

"Ah! Good call on that one sis. Based on your tip off, we looked into his finances and got enough for a warrant. Ross and his team ripped his flat apart last night and found reams of information on Holly and the protection team. When we confronted him, he sang like a bird. Yet more evidence against Kolarov and the boys!" Steve told her, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Yeah well he's lucky I wasn't in Vancouver. I owe the scumbag an ass kicking," the blonde said.

"You'd have to get in line," Jake Chen piped up from the corner, in a dark tone.

"You guys hold him, I'll hit him," suggested Andy.

Before Gail could disagree however, the sound of tyres making their way up the gravel track made everyone swing round to take a look. Gail automatically reached for her gun, still conditioned to react as if they were under threat. However she had left the weapon inside that morning, so it was lucky the lack of a reaction from her fellow cops let her know there was nothing to worry about. A 4x4 came round the corner and into view before stopping right outside the cabin. The door swung open and another familiar face jumped out.

"Bailey? What the heck are you doing here?" Gail asked, looking down on the tall, dark ETF sergeant.

"Hey Little Peck," called Bailey, giving her a nod. He briefly waved at the rest of the cops, giving Nash an extra smile which caused Steve to bristle alongside her. "Nice place you've got here. Reminds me of Goldilocks. You know that one, Nash? In the original, it's an old woman, not a little girl. And when the bears catch her, they impale her on the steeple of St. Paul's Cathedral,"

"That's another one down the toilet. Bailey, you gotta stop ruining these for me," replied Traci, eyes wide in horror and shaking her head.

"Life is not a fairy tale," he told her, his deep voice making that announcement sound rather ominous.

"Okay okay, stop flirting and tell me what's going on. Why is he here and why is he all kitted up?" Gail asked, pointing at the ETF man's grey uniform and black vest.

"I'm just here to tell you that we're ready," Bailey said, addressing Steve. "My boys are in place and it's all set up. So you can get the ball rolling as soon as you're done here, Peck," and with that, Bailey stepped back into his car and roared off down the track.

Gail wheeled round and stared at her brother, her fierce gaze demanding an answer.

"Ah. I forgot to tell you. We've got a plan," Steve said, his grin almost splitting his face open.

They all trooped inside and Holly made coffee whilst they listened to Steve explain what was happening today. After the police in Vancouver had interviewed and charged Niall Glynn, the IT specialist, they had offered him a deal – help set up Kolarov's people for one more raid and the police service would ask the judge to look favourably on him at his eventual trial and sentencing. He had jumped at the chance.

So, Steve had put a team from Fifteen together overnight and had secured support from ETF. The plan was for Niall to ring his contact in the gang and tell him that he had finally tracked down Holly Stewart's location, something they had incessantly been pressing him for over the past week. His arrest was still under wraps, so the information would be plausible. Steve's team had found a suitable fake location; a motel not far from the town Gail had made her own staged call from yesterday. Bailey's team had spent the morning clearing the place of real guests and installing their own undercover operatives to pose as guests. When the gangsters take the bait and turn up at the motel, every single one of them would be taken down in a swift counter attack.

"Niall is ready to make the call whenever we give Vancouver the nod. But I thought you'd want to be in on this, so we figured we'd come and pick you up on the way," Steve finished his explanation.

Gail looked up to where Holly was laughing with Andy in the kitchenette, the two women catching up. "You can't use her as bait, Steve!" she said, worried. "She's not a cop, it's not safe,"

"No, you ass! We're not taking Holly! She doesn't actually need to be there, our new mole will just tell them she is. Holly is going back to the city with the Vancouver boys. They're putting her on a plane out of here this evening so she can spend the last couple of days before the trial with her family," he replied.

The blonde's face fell. She was glad Holly wouldn't be anywhere near trouble at last but that meant they would be apart for the first time in nearly six long weeks. It would be strange not to be waking up beside the brunette…or at least seeing her every day. She knew that things would change once they left this place but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. If Holly was going into the proper Witness Protection scheme, they wouldn't even be allowed to call each other. The pathologist could be gone for a while; at least until Kate Stewart was called to give evidence. And Gail would be dumped right back at Fifteen, chasing the usual local creeps around Toronto. What if Holly forgot about her? Worse still, what if the time apart made her realise that all this was a mistake and she could do better than a snarky beat cop with an attitude problem? She chewed at her lip and fought the irrational panic that was slowly spreading through her. She swallowed hard and tried to answer Steve in a normal voice.

"Right. Okay then," she muttered, her eyes still fixed on the pathologist. Holly sensed her scrutiny and made eye contact, a brilliant smile crossing her face as she did so and Gail felt her heart clench.

"Look, the more of these guys we can round up, the more evidence we can stack up against Kolarov, Robak and the other leaders. The trial is massive, Gail, we can't lose it," Steve said, mistaking his sister's lack of enthusiasm for apathy.

"Plus the more gang members we clear off the street," Traci interjected, giving a more public minded viewpoint.

The elder Peck snapped his fingers and pointed at his girlfriend. "Exactly! This is a win-win!"

"Sure. I get it," Gail nodded but every part of her was screaming that she didn't care and all she wanted to do was jump on that plane with her girlfriend. At that moment, Holly came strolling over to where they were all perched on the couch and armchairs round the fireplace.

"So, Andy tells me they've set up some sort of sting for the gang?" she asked, having not been a part of the main discussion. "Are you going?"

"Of course she's coming. We need her to see if she can identify any of the guys from yesterday, build some more links between this branch of the gang, Kolarov and our friend the corrupt cop. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out on the action, right Gail?" Steve said, nudging his sister.

"Yeah. I'm going," she directed her answer at Holly, rather than the detective.

"Be careful, okay?" Holly pleaded, her stomach twisting at the thought of her girlfriend putting herself in danger once again.

"I will. I promise," the blonde said softly. Steve flicked his eyes back and forth between the two of them, not understanding the vibe he could feel. Traci on the other hand gave Gail a searching look. She recognised the crackling intensity between the two women, although she was surprised. She hoped she could get Gail on her own later to quiz her about what exactly had happened during their week on the run.

"Hey, Peck! We need to get going if we're going to have time to put the balloons out for this party," Sam's laconic voice cut through the cabin from where he stood propped up against the front door.

"Sure," Steve agreed, standing up. "Oliver, you take Andy, Chris and Sam with you. Tell Bailey we're on the way. Traci and I will bring Gail along, then Allan and Jake can drive the doc back to the city,"

"Hey! Wait! I'm not going back yet, not until I know Ga…you guys are all okay," Holly interrupted. She flushed slightly, knowing she had nearly said Gail which would have pretty much announced her feelings to the whole crowd.

McGregor stepped forward. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice this time Dr. Stewart. Your safety is in my hands again now, so we're heading back to the city so you can collect any luggage you may need for your flight," he told her.

"My flight? What flight?" the brunette demanded, having not heard that part of the conversation earlier.

"You'll be leaving the country later this evening. We're taking you to the same location your family are hidden, so we can be sure you're all protected right up until trial," McGregor explained.

"No! I'm not going!" Holly argued, her eyes flickering over to Gail.

"This is not a suggestion anymore, Dr Stewart. If I have to, this time I will arrest you," the Vancouver man stated, not backing down. Gail read his mood immediately.

"It's okay, Lunchbox. You have to go. Spend some time with your family, catch up with them. I'll be fine and I'll see you soon," she said, hoping her tone told Holly all the things she couldn't say in front of this room full of people. Holly stared back at her girlfriend and looked for a moment like she might continue to argue. But Gail's soft smile and quick wink took the wind out of her sails, and she just nodded sadly instead. A few days ago she might have tried to persuade Gail to change her mind. However, after they had cleared the air about how to deal with the cop's professional responsibilities, she knew that Gail wouldn't advise her to go unless she really believed it was the best thing to do.

"Right! That's settled then!" Oliver yelled. "Let's get this show on the road people!" His loud voice didn't break the connection between the two women who were lost in each other's eyes.

"I'll see you soon," Gail whispered again.

"How soon?" Holly asked, her voice insecure. She couldn't believe she had to say goodbye to Gail right now, especially after last night. She knew that everything would change once they went back to the city; she had assumed that once people found out about the two of them, Gail would be removed from the protection team. But she had thought they would still be able to see each other.

Holly was planning on heading to Vancouver to support her sister once she was put on the witness stand and had already booked the time off with her boss. Although whether that would still be achievable when she actually made it back to work was another question, given that she had been AWOL from her job for the last week. Holly had planned on asking Gail to come to Vancouver with her but it sounded like she was heading for the full Witness Protection programme and she was pretty sure that came with a no guests allowed policy as standard. Whatever worries she had over her job paled into insignificance at the thought of suddenly being without her girlfriend after spending all this time together. What if Gail realised this had been a mistake? If she spent the next few days with Chris and decided she did prefer guys after all? She gave Diaz a hard stare. Gail never mentioned her ex was tall, dark and handsome she thought gloomily. She had the sudden urge to drop something incredibly heavy on his foot.

They had spoken about whether all of this was so intense because of the sheer amount of time they had been forced together and Gail had laughed it off. Their fledgling relationship was new and therefore uncertain. Yet last night had been so incredible, she couldn't help but think that it had cemented things between them. If the blonde's feelings were anything as strong as Holly's, then a few days apart wouldn't matter. It would be okay. It will be okay, Stewart! she yelled loudly inside her own head, then took a calming breath and tried to refocus on Gail, drinking in these last few minutes with the blonde.

"I don't know," Gail was saying. "What time does the flight leave?" she asked, directing the question to McGregor.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to disclose that, Officer Peck," he replied and it took all the self-control Gail could muster not to kick him in the nuts. That was twice in the last half hour she wanted to hurt her boss. She might actually deserve that rogue cop tag. However before she could open her mouth, she saw McNally waving at her, trying to get her attention. She looked over McGregor's shoulder and the dark haired cop held up six fingers before giving Gail the thumbs up.

Gail grinned and in that split second decided that Andy wasn't so bad after all. The whole Nick thing; what did it matter? Andy just repaid whatever she owed Gail for that mistake.

"I'll try to come and see you off at the airport," she told Holly, turning back to her girlfriend and blanking out the sergeant's grunt of displeasure with that suggestion.

"I'd like that," the pathologist said softly. She smiled, but it was a wobbly, sad attempt.

"Gail! These gangsters won't catch themselves!" Steve called and she noticed he had moved over to the door with the rest of the cops who were going to the sting.

"Alright, keep your hair on!" she told him, rolling her eyes before turning her attention back to her girlfriend.

"Okay. I've got to go, before these idiots start chewing the furniture," she said.

"Be careful," Holly begged again.

"I promise," Gail replied. "I'll see you soon,"

The brunette nodded and she stepped in and lifted her hands to lightly touch the blonde's hips.

Gail's eyes widened and she automatically gave an imperceptible shake of the head causing Holly's heart to plummet through the floor. She rocked backwards and immediately felt the tears well up. She looked down at the floor in a bid to blink them back, just as Gail turned to walk away.

"Oh. Okay. So that's how we're going to do this," she said faintly, more at herself than Gail. Perhaps her earlier confidence was misplaced after all. The sounds of the cops preparing to leave faded into the background as she lifted her gaze to watch the blonde step away from her.

Gail had only taken two or three steps however before she realised exactly what she had done. She had thought Holly was going to kiss her and she was hyper aware that half of her colleagues, not to mention her brother and her ex, were still in the room. She couldn't kiss her new girlfriend in front of everyone; no one knew about the two of them. Actually, she shouldn't be kissing Holly at all. As far as they were concerned she was already in enough trouble professionally without adding an inappropriate relationship into the mix too. But on the other hand she wouldn't be able to see Holly for a while. And she really wanted to kiss her. She wanted to say goodbye properly.

In the split seconds it took to contemplate her reaction, she realised that she had caught a glimpse of the hurt in her girlfriend's eyes as she turned away. When the pathologist's whispered lament reached her ears, the alarm bells rang loud and clear. Her brain caught up with her and Gail suddenly realised how her actions could've been interpreted. That look she saw in Holly's eyes was a wounded one and that comment was laced with disappointment. Gail never wanted to see her girlfriend upset and she especially never wanted to be the cause of it. The blonde had her share of regrets in her past failed relationships and she didn't want to add the beautiful brunette to that list. She never wanted to regret anything with Holly. You've hurt her, you idiot. Go back! She stopped and looked at all the people lined up by the door, waiting for her to join them. They were staring. Fuck it, she thought. I don't care.

She whirled round and quickly bridged the distance between her and her girlfriend. She didn't hesitate this time, instead she moved into the brunette and kissed her passionately, trying to pour all the feelings surging through her into that one kiss. She had no idea how long it lasted but when they broke apart she stayed close, one arm wrapped around Holly's back and the other palm resting gently on her cheek. As she rested her forehead against her girlfriend's and waited for her breathing to slow she saw Holly's lip quiver and felt her trembling.

"I thought for a second there…" the doctor mumbled but Gail interrupted, shaking her head slightly.

"Sorry. I had a tiny freak out; I'm sorry. But Hols, I have fallen for you so hard and I don't care who knows it," she whispered, smiling at the brunette.

Holly sighed. The use of her shortened given name didn't escape her; Gail only called her that when she was being particularly sincere and tender. Suddenly, all was right with the world again. They would be ok, she knew it. So she grinned right back. "I forgive you," she replied, but their moment was shattered by McGregor's indignant tone.

"Peck! You can't - "

The blonde wasn't about to let the man start on her. She finally let Holly go and turned round to cut him off. "I just did. So get over it. Or fire me if you like, but I don't work for you anymore anyway," she told him. "I'll see you later, Lunchbox," she said to her girlfriend, before casually strolling off to join her colleagues.

The team from Fifteen were all frozen by the front door in various states of shock. Andy and Traci were grinning like fools, Chris' jaw had hit the floor, Sam's eyebrows had flown so high they were nearly invisible in his hairline and Steve's eyes were as wide as saucers. Oliver was the only one who looked like a normal, capable human and he gave her a small pat on the back as she walked by.

"Close your mouth, Diaz, you're catching flies," she snapped, punching him on the arm as she walked past him and strode out of the cabin. "Let's go losers!" she yelled back through the doorway.

Fifteen's finest stayed stock still, looking round at one another until Traci elbowed Steve and broke the spell.

"You heard the lady!" Oliver announced. "Move it people, jump to it!" he directed, clapping his hands. The cops started to filter out the cabin, calling their farewells to Holly and the last two members of the protection team. "Make sure you lock this place up, doc! You don't want the bears to get in before your next stay," he told Holly with a twinkle in his eyes. He gave her a salute and an exaggerated wink before following his officers out the door.

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"So. You and the doc, eh?" Steve casually asked.

Gail sighed and shuffled in her seat in the back of the squad car. She had known it would only be a matter of time before someone asked. The only question was whether it would be Steve or Traci who cracked first, although she had known who her money was on. As her brother expertly steered the car round the winding forest track, Gail mentally paid herself the ten dollars she won on that bet.

"Yep," she replied, staring out the window and picking the rubber coating off the grill in front of her.

Steve watched her in the rear view mirror but she determinedly avoided his gaze. "Does that mean you're, you know…?" he said, waiting for her to fill in the blanks.

"Oh God," Gail muttered, cringing on his behalf. She didn't respond though.

"Come on, Gail. Talk to me!" he continued, deliberately hitting a pothole to jolt her and it was that childish behaviour that led to Traci intervening.

"Shut up, Steve! Leave her alone," she said, slapping him on the thigh. She turned in her seat to face the blonde cop and gave her an encouraging smile.

Gail raised her eyebrows, almost daring Nash to start digging as well but the other woman simply shrugged. "Everyone deserves to be happy, Gail. Even you," she stated kindly.

The blonde had to break eye contact so that Traci wouldn't see how much that statement meant to her. "Whatever," she mumbled and the occupants of the car fell into silence once more. "I like her," she blurted, shocking herself let alone the couple in the front.

Traci beamed at her. "I think we noticed that," she teased, making her friend blush and curse the fact that her mouth had a mind of its own. "IA want to talk to you though, Gail," Traci told her, thinking that her friend should know.

Gail frowned. She knew that would be coming but she wasn't looking forward to it. Mainly because she didn't know what to say; but she would do the exact same thing again if she had to. She had thought Holly was in danger staying with the protection team, so she had gotten them out of there and gone into hiding. She only got back in touch when she had figured out the mole was.

"It's fine," she replied. "I'll tell them everything,"

"They'll understand, once you've explained. They'll know you did the right thing," Traci reassured her.

"Your partner has already given his statement. Scott is it? He backed you up, said that he told you to run," Steve said. Gail smiled. If Sanderson had been well enough to give his statement to Internal Affairs, then he must really be on the mend.

"They just need to clear the shootings," Traci clarified. "But they will,"

Gail nodded. She felt bad about firing her weapon on duty, but she knew there was nothing else she could have done on either occasion. "So am I actually allowed to be a part of this op? Or am I just observing?" she asked.

"You're on the team. But it would probably be a good idea to stay in the background," Steve advised.

The blonde shrugged. Normally she would have been annoyed about being told to stay back on an arrest, but quite frankly she had had enough excitement lately. One more afternoon, then she could race back to the city, see Holly off and then go home and sleep for two days straight.

"No problem," she answered, closing her eyes and settling back into her seat.

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"So, you and the doc eh?" Oliver asked, looking at his colleague out the corner of his eyes as he faced the motel building. Somehow Gail had ended up partnering with Oliver and they had been allocated a spot at the back of the horseshoe shaped building. Gail suspected it was because Steve thought most of the action was likely to take place in the courtyard and was keeping his sister out the way as agreed. Plus he trusted the older cop over the more impetuous former rookies to keep her out of mischief.

Gail groaned. She loved Oliver, she really did, but was she going to have to have this exact same conversation with everyone she worked with? "You and Steve need to work on your lines," she said. "Not very original, Ollie,"

"Don't want to talk about it? That's okay, we can talk about something else," he shrugged. Niall the IT guy had made his phoney call about fifteen minutes ago, so they had plenty of time before things got interesting.

"Please," Gail said, hoping that would be the end of it.

"It's funny how relationships start, huh? I mean, who you end up with. Sometimes it's the last person you'd expect," Oliver mused.

"Oh my God," Gail grumbled. It looked like her mentor was going to do this anyway, despite her protest.

"Or that other people would expect," he continued, ignoring the blonde while she kept talking; their voices overlapping each other.

"We're not really having this conversation, are we?"

"But who cares what people think, right? As long as you're happy. Course, it's going to mean some life changes. Well I guess…well, I just said it; life changes," he said, looking over at her to sense her reaction. When he didn't get anything, he carried on; "Yeah, so you want to date a witch, buy some log cabin on a whim – basically to impress her. Or, after knowing her for an insanely short amount of time, ask her to move in with you. You know, but that's okay right? Because she makes you happy!"

Gail's eyes widened and she finally tuned in to what she thought the older cop was saying and nodded. "We're talking about you?" she asked.

Oliver paused and gave her a knowing look. "Who did you think we were talking about?" he asked, his voice dripping with meaning.

"I dunno," she squeaked.

"Because we're not talking about you, are we? You don't want to talk about you," he clarified and she nodded hastily.

Oliver shifted his position, causing some of the twigs and branches they were sitting on to rustle and snap, but he deliberately didn't speak again and instead waited for Gail to crack. He could virtually see the tension radiating off her and knew she was dying to say something but didn't know how

"She makes me happy!" the blonde finally announced, covering her face with her hands and therefore missing Oliver's beaming smile.

"Way to go Peck!" he enthused, squeezing her shoulder. "And Holly - she seems great. Everyone down at the lab loves her and she's done some terrific work with Fifteen already,"

"She is great," Gail replied, glad to have something she could talk about with confidence. "She's amazing; she's smart, she's funny…and she gets me, you know? She's just so…different!"

"Sounds like you got it bad…." Oliver said, fishing a little.

"I'm an idiot for her, Oliver. You know? Can you believe that?"

"Happens to the best of us my little Petulant Peck!"

That nickname reminded her of something. "But…," Gail started to voice the nagging doubt that was still present in the back of her mind then tailed off, embarrassed about what Oliver might say.

"But what?" he probed.

"But I'm a jerk. Holly's not going to want to be with a jerk, when she realises…" she said, admitting her fear that one day Holly would suddenly realise that she could do so much better than a scathing, disdainful and messed up beat cop.

"You are not a jerk. These guys we're going to arrest today – jerks. But you? And your relationship with the universe, with the cosmos…your healthy disrespect for everything. That's what makes you one in a million, truly," Oliver told her, not a shred of doubt in his voice.

She gave him a small smile, thankful that Oliver Shaw would always have her back and always knew what to say to her. And it was that knowledge that allowed her to finally confess her final secret.

"I think I'm in love with her," she said. The physical reaction to finally saying that out loud was completely unexpected; she felt a flood of warmth, pride and love. Her smile widened and her heart soared.

"Have you told her?" Oliver asked, rudely interrupting her inner epiphany.

She pulled a face, moment gone. "No. It's too soon," she pointed out.

"Who cares? Darlin', love is something you sing about from the rooftops, not keep a secret! She makes you happy right?" he queried and she simply nodded in response. "Then next time you see her, you tell her!"

Gail lapsed back into silence as she thought that one through. Maybe she would. But she was still scared. Maybe it would be better to keep it to herself for just a little while longer. At least until they figured out how they were going to make this relationship work in the real world. Although that did bring another concern to mind.

"If something happens, will you be the one to tell her?" she asked, biting her lip.

"What! You want me to tell her you love her? No way, you gotta do that!" he argued incredulously.

"No! I mean if something bad happens. If I get hurt or…or worse," she clarified.

"Peck, nothing's going to happen! We've got this all sewn up!" he laughed, but her tone concerned him. Nobody needed a worried cop with their finger on the trigger at a stakeout. Maybe all this business had affected Gail more than he thought it had. However, when she explained further it did make more sense.

"I don't mean today! I mean going forward; if something bad happens when I'm at work. Look, this is a dangerous job, we both know that. But Holly, she…I don't know. I don't know how she'll cope with that. So if I get hurt…or worse…I want you to be the one that tells her. I can trust you to look after her, to do it right," Gail explained.

"You're a good cop. Nothing is going to happen," he said slowly, knowing that wasn't something he should say but he couldn't help trying to reassure the blonde. It was the Training Officer in him; he always looked after his rookies, even when they were no longer rookies and were more than capable of looking after themselves.

"You don't know that, Ollie. Sometimes it's just dumb luck,"

He should have known Gail wouldn't buy that. "Okay. I'll do it, in the unlikely event I need to," he agreed.

"Promise me?" she asked, wanting to be absolutely certain.

"I promise," he vowed and she finally smiled, glad to have got that settled.

"Thanks, Oliver," she said softly.

"Any time, darling. Now, while I've got your attention, you know that the Internal Affairs boys are coming, right?"

Gail groaned. If both Traci and Oliver were worried about the IA investigation, it couldn't be good. "Yeah. Nash told me. Should I start looking for another job?" she asked.

He tipped his head from side to side in a maybe yes, maybe no gesture that really didn't fill Gail with confidence. "They're going to want to hear the full story from your side," he said slowly. "It's not the relationship with Holly they're looking at, although I would downplay that if I were you. They want to know why you chose to leave, why you didn't call in,"

"Okay," she said. That wasn't a problem. She could tell them exactly why she had made that call and, now that they knew that all the phones in the team had been bugged, her decision was vindicated.

"They don't know about the stolen car," he told her. "That would put Diaz in hot water too, so we haven't shared that little gem," he gave her a hard look, obviously not thrilled she had dragged another officer into that particular escapade.

"Right. Thanks. I'll leave him out of it, of course,"

"Go on then. Run me through it. Let's make sure everything stacks up," he said.

Gail frowned. This was definitely an issue; Oliver was concerned enough to try and coach her through her statement. Not talking about a current investigation was one of the key rules IA insisted upon yet the older cop was bending it to help her out. She appreciated that he cared enough to want to protect her but she didn't want to drag anyone else into trouble over this. She had caused enough mayhem already. "It's fine, Oliver. I've got this, don't put yourself in an awkward position,"

"There's nobody here and we've got time to kill. Once we're back in the city, they'll want to talk to you straight away. So don't worry about me. I know that you're going to tell them the truth and that they'll understand the decisions you made. But humour me, okay? Let's make sure you're cleared sooner rather than later," he told her.

Why not then? It couldn't hurt Gail thought, so she started right at the beginning and told her friend everything that had happened since she joined the protection team. Oliver interjected occasionally, asking important questions and helping her to really think about why she had acted in the way she did. Halfway though she was glad that he had suggested this, knowing her interviews with IA later would go a lot smoother. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but they were nearly at the end of it when Oliver's radio crackled to life.

"Show time," he grinned, when the broadcast confirmed a number of vehicles were on the approach to the motel.

They both stretched out their muscles and got themselves ready. The plan was that the team would let the gangsters get out of their cars. The guy now standing at the front desk was a plant and if he was asked whether he had two women staying there with Holly and Gail's description, he would direct them to room number eight, right in the middle of the complex. Bailey's ETF cops were hiding out in that room, plus the ones on either side and there were also cops surrounding the place, hidden in the tree line like Gail and Oliver were.

The faint sound of engines came closer, breaking through the silence. When they cut out, Gail heard a door slam and Steve's voice came over the radio, as quiet as he dared. "Looks like eight suspects in total, repeat eight. Three vehicles. Two are getting out and going to the motel desk," he informed the team from his viewpoint in an upstairs room, overlooking the courtyard.

They waited a beat, Gail wishing for the first time that she was in the thick of things round the front so that she could see exactly what was going on. This reminded her of the night at the safe house, when she had been desperately listening to the sounds below and trying to figure out what was happening. The confusion and fear had been almost overwhelming that night. She swallowed, reminding herself this was going to be nothing like that. There were over twenty cops here; ETF specialists, some of Steve's Gungs and Gangs team and the normal officers from Fifteen. They had this covered.

"Making their way to the ambush site. The others are leaving their vehicles and following. Are you ready, Bailey?" came the radio update. Gail knew Bailey himself was stationed in room eight and his job would be to take down anyone who came rushing through that door.

"10-4, Peck," confirmed the EFT man.

However, suddenly Steve swore over the airwaves. "Oliver! They've directed two round the back! They're going to head your way, okay? West side of the building,"

Oliver acknowledged the message as both he and Gail turned their heads to their left, watching the corner, waiting for someone to appear.

"I'm sending Devonshire and Clayton round to you," Bailey instructed, knowing that Gail and Oliver were the only two at the rear of the motel and would need back up. However, it would take a while for the ETF officers to work their way silently round to the correct place, given that they had to remain out of sight.

"Wait for the signal, Oliver," Steve said. "We'll leave it as long as possible, then you stop your guys as soon as we move in on ours,"

Oliver gave Gail a nod, checking she was ready and she understood. She returned it firmly, just as two thugs made their way round the side and came into view. They stuck close to the wall, counting windows until they reached the one belonging to room eight. One of them craned his neck to try and look through, but Gail knew the blinds were down and they wouldn't see anything at all. The other guy ran his fingers round the frame, trying to pry open the window but he had no hope; years of wear and numerous coats of paint gave him no leverage.

As Gail watched him struggle she heard a loud bang from around the other side of the building and she automatically tensed. That must be the guys kicking in the door to the room, which was the agreed signal for the cops to move in. Bailey had hoped to grab at least the two, maybe three, who would hurtle into the room. Two more round the back would leave three outside in the courtyard to be rounded up; it should be more than achievable given that four cops were about to come busting out of the neighbouring rooms, several more were upstairs and there was another group about to sprint in from the forest.

"POLICE! FREEZE!" she heard a loud shout and that was her cue. She and Oliver both rose up from their hiding spot and ran towards the guys by the window, weapons drawn and yelling at the guys to get down, hands on their head. The gangsters froze in shock for a split second but soon realised where the threat was coming from and reacted in the worst possible way. They ran.

One thug went one way and the other headed in the complete opposite direction. Gail dimly heard Oliver yelling he was going right, so she zoned in on the left hand guy and poured on the speed as he raced alongside the brick wall. She was hoping he would run smack into one of the ETF officers that Bailey had said he was sending out back as he rounded the corner, but at the last moment he veered off and shot straight down a small track into the trees.

The blonde didn't hesitate, barrelling through the gap too and ignoring the thin braches whipping at her face and arms. As she moved she holstered her gun which lost her valuable seconds, but she couldn't risk falling and having it discharge accidentally; she was already in enough hot water with IA. Besides, she couldn't see a weapon on the guy she was pursuing. Why do they always run? she asked herself as she ducked under a low branch.

She lost sight of the would-be escapee through the greenery, but could hear him which meant she wasn't far behind. Gail also heard footfalls behind her and hoped it was Devonshire or Clayton. She suddenly came out onto a wider, straighter track and she saw the perp ahead. She was definitely getting closer so she sped up, wanting to catch her man before he was too far from the motel. That was her downfall however, because just as she reached out to grab at his jacket, she went sprawling over a raised tree trunk and hit the ground hard.

She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her and the momentum of the fall sent her rolling over a couple of times which was enough to completely disorientate her. She felt movement on her right side and realised her fall had also taken the fleeing man out, so she clutched his leg as he lurched to his feet. He kicked out at her, but she hung on….until she felt a blinding pain shoot through the back of her head and into her skull. She released a sharp cry before everything went black.