Gail woke for the second morning in a row to the sun in her eyes, but this time she was warm and comfortable, and wasn't faced with the impeccable Stewart smile and deep brown eyes. In fact she was alone in Holly's old room, the doctor nowhere in sight. She stayed in her cocoon of sheets and blankets for a bit, taking in the flurry of the previous day, the talk she had with the brunette.

After washing her face Gail crept down the staircase, still uneasy walking around the house by herself, and listened carefully before going into each room, not wanting to intrude. She could hear the tv on low in the living room, a familiar cartoon by the sound of it. Peeking around the corner Gail found Gavin sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal. Feeling safe enough she stepped into the cozy room and waved to the boy.

"Morning. There's coffee in the kitchen and mom told me to tell you, you can have any and all of the food you want. Aunt Holly added, and I quote 'you have to give her limits or else she'll eat you out of home'." Gavin said in a slightly sleepy but amused voice.

"I'd love to say your Aunt Holly is wrong" Gail mused in almost a whisper. "Thank you Gavin." She tried a smile and then headed for the kitchen for the much needed caffeine fix.

Gail decided after her first coffee to make another and join Gavin with her own bowl of cereal.

When settled she turned to the boy, "so where are they anyway?"

"They went out for an early morning jog like the weirdos they are." Gavin supplied.

"Gross."

Gavin chuckled. "Agreed."

They fell into a comfortable silence, nothing but the sounds of them eating and the tv between them. Gail had actually felt comfortable, something she wasn't used to unless it was Holly and on occasion her brother. Not for the first time she wondered how the Stewarts had this power of ease over her.

"Gail" Gavin pulled her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She turned to him after noting the serious tone he'd used.

"Aunt Holly wants to tell you. She's just scared and doesn't want you treat her the way, everyone who knows, does. I haven't seen her this genuinely happy -even when mad- since it happened, and it's because of you. So just" he gestured aimlessly at a loss for words.

Gail nodded, bitting on her top lip to hide the explosion of happiness that had washEd over her. "I'll try my hardest not to be a brat, when it comes to these sorts of things. She deserves better than that and I'd really like to keep her around."

Gavin smiled that brilliant smile and stood, walking towards one of the many book shelves he spoke. "Good. Then I guess I'll help you out with tonight."

Gail arched a brow at the boy as he set a photo album in her lap and plopped down beside her.

"This is an album of everyone that's considered family, aka everyone who will be at the wedding. We are going to go through it and I'm going to give you tips and stuff on the most important."

Gail gave the ten year old a thankful smile before they got to work.

She wasn't exactly sure how long they'd been going through the photos, wasn't sure when it was that Gavin got so close he was practically sitting in her lap, wasn't sure when Holly and Lila got home. But what she did know was a great deal about their extended family. Gail quickly sent a thank you to her mothers insistent training, because without she'd never retained as much as she did.

Holly's dad had four siblings. John, Viv, Dan and Tori. John's wife was Chris and they had two kids, Mia and Theo. Viv's husband was Brad and they had Cathy, Drew and Derek. Dan's wife was Trish and they had Tommy. Tori's husband was Max and they had two girls, Lily and Hannah. Most of her cousins had kids but remembering all was a little more difficult, so Gail decided to learn at the wedding.

But there was one that stuck out because Gavin went on a little tangent about Lily's daughter Emmi. Apparently Emmi and Gavin were born pretty close together and since Lila and Lily were single and young the two spent a lot of time together.

Holly's mom had three siblings. May, April and August -her grandmother did name them after months on purpose. May and her husband, Casey never had kids. April and her wife, Joy had Adam. Auggie never married but did have three kids, Ava, Kim and Nick. Again most of Holly's cousins had kids and Gail couldn't keep up with their names or ages.

Then on top of that there was a mass of people considered family by way of long friendship, which brought on even more ties and children and children's children. It was headache worthy.

Gail had questioned why she'd need to know both sides of the family if it was just one side that would be there, why cramp so much history into one sitting if she could learn the side that matter right then and learn the other when it came up? That's when she was told who was getting married. Kim and a family friend -from her dad's side- Owen. And Owen considers them family enough to invite them, so Gail had to memorize.

Gail's eyes bugged out when they got to the last page. She had never known that anyone had pictures, she thought there were only two, the one on game day and one of them laughing during dinner. But sitting behind the flimsy plastic, was a picture of Gail and Holly dressed in their nicest clothes, under the big oak tree by the lake, sharing their first kiss.

Gail was nervous. For reasons unknown, it was Holly-her Lunchbox, what was there to be nervous about? Her palms were sweaty which made holding into the flowers that much harder, her breathing had increased and she was pretty sure it wasn't as hot as she felt. Gail licked her lips, finding a little solace in the taste of the Smartie she used to colour her lips, and looked down the aisle as the kids started to sing. She straightened out, stood taller and prepared for the brunettes entrance.

Gail's breath caught in her chest when her eyes met brown ones, suddenly she felt sick. Her tummy was doing these weird summersaults and her face hurt and she was sweaty and her heart was pounding out of her chest. That's what it's like to have a seizure right? If not it has to be something of the same seriousness.

Holly was grinning from ear to ear, her brilliant eyes sparkling by the time she made it to the end to stand with the blonde. Holly motioned for Gail to give her flowers to the kid behind her, she took the opportunity to wipe her hands clean and turned back to the brunette. She examined her friend, well about to be wife. Holly had her hair down, still damp and wildly wavy from the earlier swim, she looked the same as she did everyday. All smiles and nervous giggles, her clothes without a speck of dirt and barefoot. But there was something. Something she couldn't see or hear, something was different and it wasn't just one thing either. It was everything, the Holly standing in front of her was different-yet the same.

"Gail?" Holly looked to her expectantly.

"Yeah?" Gail asked in a daze.

Holly laughed lightly. "Chris asked if you do, but you seem to be in space. Is this not a good time for you?"

"Well I won't say it if you're gonna be like this for the rest of our lives." Gail sassed and crossed her arms.

"I can promise you I will be." Holly smiled that knowing crooked grin and Gail couldn't help but return it.

"Whatever." She tried to be annoyed but it failed miserably. "I do."

Somehow Holly's smile got bigger and brighter, her eyes now filled with constellations and she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife! You may kiss the bride" booger boy declared enthusiastically.

Gail froze. Kiss?! No one said anything about kissing! She looked to Holly for any clues of what to do and came up empty, the brunette was a deer caught in headlights. Again she wondered what the big deal was, it was just nerdy Holly Stewart, and Gail had watched many weddings between her friends. They didn't seem like it was a big deal for this last part.

"You guys are supposed to kiss now" Chris leaned in and informed the two shell shocked girls.

Then Gail heard a snicker from the crowed of children. Suddenly she wasn't nervous or sick and the headlights had swerved past. She looked back to Holly and gave her an encouraging smile before closing the small gap between them. Gail gently grabbed Holly's cheeks and pulled her down to place her lips on the brunettes. She was mildly aware of how her hands grew hot within seconds, and was surprised when they weren't sweaty afterwards. Holly stood stalk still for the first three seconds, then closed her eyes and got lost for the next two.

Gail smiled gently at the memory. And what a first kiss it had been. She couldn't believe there was photo evidence of that day, that moment, the kiss she later would find out meant much more than it just being her first.

"Aunt Tash put this one in here. She said that kind of puppy love should be in an album of such importance." Gavin traced over the elegant handwriting. 'Puppy Love' it read. "She said this was one of her favourite pictures of Aunt Holly. She adored the way Aunt Holly is just standing there, totally limp and lost and consumed. Though she admitted she was a little jealous that someone had kissed Aunt Holly before, and it was so... unlike most first kisses."

Gail was trying her best to keep her breathing under control, to keep her composure. Puppy love? Aunt Tash and being jealous of kisses. That's girlfriend stuff, and it must have been a serious one because she'd been allowed to move pictures and the way Gavin spoke of her was of pure love. And there was something else in his voice, sadness or wonderment or something.

Before Gail could say anything he tried to turn to look at her but the way they were seated he couldn't quite. "That's you in the picture right?"

"Yup."

"Was Aunt Holly as weird then as she is now?"

Gail laughed. "Hasn't your mom ever told you?"

"Well yeah but her vote doesn't count cuz they're siblings." Gavin brushed it aside.

"She was and still is the weirdest girl I know." She smiled in awe.

"And you love it" came a voice from the doorway.

Gail and Gavin's heads shot up, both acting like they had been caught stealing cookies.

"I mean why else would you still be here?" Holly smirked at the now gaping blonde.

Gail swallowed thickly. Holly was leaning against the doorframe, sweat dripping from every plane of beautifully exposed skin -which was a lot due to the sports bra and shorts that she wore- and the smirk that dawned her full lips was doing things.

"I told you last night. For the benefits." Gail impressed herself with the steadiness in her voice that the rest of her was definitely not feeling.

Holly nodded and took a long pull from her water bottle -to which Gail did not lick her lips and almost groan as drops trickled down her neck.

"Right. The benefits." Holly rasped before walking away.

Gavin cleared his throat to grab the blondes attention from the receding doctor, and shook his head amusedly when their eyes met.

"What?"

"You two are gross"

Gail breathed a laugh and pushed him away. "You're gross. I mean have you ever heard of bathing"

"LaLa and I have things we need to help the bride with so we were wondering if you're okay with hanging out with Gav until the wedding?" Holly asked putting another fork full of salad into her mouth. The same mouth Gail couldn't get out of her head since the scene that morning. The same lips that kept distracting her from the words forming between them. "Gail?"

"Yeah?" She asked, still half in a daze.

Holly smirked. "I asked if it was okay for you to hang out with Gavin until the wedding."

"Oh. Yeah, it's cool. Where you guys going?"

"LaLa and I have some bride things to do for Kim." Holly replied after her bite.

"Gross"

She chuckled. "Yes, helping people is disgusting."

Gail nodded and took another bite of her food.

"Is that why you're so smelly?"

Gail faked offence. "That is terribly rude Lunchbox. I have it on good authority that I smell amazing."

"Oh really?" Holly raised a challenging brow.

"Yes. A wise young nerd once told me."

"Are you sure wise young nerds are a reliable source?" She was trying to hold back a beaming smile by biting her top lip.

"This one is." Gail winked.