What's up guys? Sorry it's been so long and I apologize that this chapter isn't very long, but c'est la vie. Also, I'm beginning to hate myself for titling all of these past chapters as "The Cottage: Part X" but oh well, I'm way too lazy to change them.
It was only 6:34 in the morning when Gail woke, yet for some odd reason she had felt more refreshed than ever. She glanced at the brunette who it seemed hadn't moved at all throughout her sleep and her heart fluttered at the recollection of the last 24 hours. If anyone had told Gail Peck that she would find love she would have scoff and told them that love was a joke and that it was something that stupid people see in stupid and unrealistic movies, yet here she was, with the woman she knew that she loved – admittedly, she also started to like those films. Carefully peeling herself away from the body that was slung over her own, Gail crept out of the warm sheets and walked to her bag to grab some clothes that she had packed. After slipping into her black underwear and favourite t-shirt, she quietly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, pulling ingredients out of the cupboards and fridge. She decided on chocolate chip pancakes, knowing that it was Holly's favourite to have when she didn't have to rush into the morgue. The blonde found it hard to contain her freakily happy mood and it wasn't long after she began pouring the batter into the pan that she turned on the radio and scrolled through the stations.
The smell of melted chocolate stirred Holly's senses from their sleep. There was noise in the background but she was still too deep in her relaxed state to decipher what it is or where it was coming from. Slowly she extended her arm across the bed which once had emitted extra warmth from the woman who in the early start of the day had been held under her own body. Her eyes fluttered open and it only took one small moment to realize that Gail was no longer in arms reach or even in the bed or room at all.
"It's always been about me, myself, and I
I thought relationships were nothing but a waste of time
I never wanted to be anybody's other half
I was happy saying I had a love that wouldn't last
That was the only way I knew 'til I met you
You make me wanna say
I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Yeah, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo"
Holly smiled to herself as she heard the familiar sound of her girlfriend's voice. She lifted her arms above her head, stretching her rested muscles, and then rose out of the cool sheets, heading in search of clean clothes as Gail continued her song. When she made her way towards the kitchen she couldn't help but stop at the bottom of the stairs and giggle at the sight in front of her. Gail was wearing her baggy black 'I'm the bad cop' tee which barely covered her cute bum and had her hair tied in a messy bun, swaying her head and hips as she flipped a pancake over in the pan. She loved when she looked like that; simple and laid back, yet absolutely cute and adorable and perfect. If it hadn't been for the radio and Gail's passionately hilarious singing, Holly's presence would have already become known and she wouldn't have gotten to witness this rare moment.
"Tell me is it only me
Do you feel the same?
You know me well enough to know that I'm not playing games
I promise I won't turn around and I won't let you down
You can trust I've never felt it like I feel it now
Baby there's nothing, there's nothing we can't – Jesus, Hol what the heck!? You scared the crap out of me!" Her brave and loud singing had come to a halt once she turned to put the last pancake on the plate and noticed Holly smirking at her from across the marble island that separated them.
"I guess you woke up in a good mood?" she chuckled. "Those smell really good by the way"
Gail turned off the radio and poured Holly a glass of milk before pushing a plate of pancakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream across to her. "They taste even better, so eat up you weirdo, I wanna take you out and about today" she smiled.
"You're spoiling me, you know that right? Where are you taking me this time Officer?"
"Do you always have to know where we're going?"
"For all I know, you could be acting out your plotted idea of murdering me. Bring me out for my birthday to make me feel like everything is normal, spend the weekend at a secluded cabin where no one could suspect my demise…it's all making sense now" she gasped jokingly.
"Hol, if I was gonna kill you I would have done it the minute you said 'medical jurispridence' to me in the woods" she joked playfully. "Now hurry up and eat so we can go"
"Gail, you can just admit that you have no clue where you're going right now, I remember the way back to the cabin"
"Hol, for like, the two hundredth time, I know where I'm going, it just takes a while to get there in all this snow…Plus, I'm a police officer, I know the way back too you know" she laughed. Even though it had been many years, Gail still had the area pretty much memorized like the back of her hand. "See, we're here" she said, tugging Holly's hand and leading her to the edge of a hill. From where they stood, the frozen lake was visible and the tall trees covered by a blanket of snow made the view even more stunning.
Holly was in awe as she took a few moments to scope out the view. "Wow, Gail this is…this is absolutely beautiful". Way to state the obvious again, genius. Just then, she felt something collide with the back of her jacket. She turned to see Gail grinning from ear to ear, her mittens working a heap of snow into another snowball. "Don't do it Peck" she warned, pointing her finger as if scolding a child, but it was too late. Gail's arm had swung a freezing cold ball of snow at Holly's chest and after splattering against her jacket some of the snow had chilled her bare neck, causing her to squeal in shock. "You asked for it blondie"
Before Gail knew it, Holly had skillfully grabbed a hold of her waist and playfully tackled her onto the ground. She sat on her lap and grabbed a pile of snow, holding it above Gail's face. "Hol no! Holly I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she giggled, trying to wrestle away from the brunette.
"Fiiiiiine. I'll spare you this time" Holly rolled her eyes and pressed her body against Gail's, kissing her pink lips.
"Ugh, why do you have to be so strong and athletic?" she asked rhetorically. She sat back up and for a moment they just stared at each other.
"Nope, changed my mind"
Gail soon found the cold snow brushed onto her face and Holly began to uncontrollably laugh.
"I'm going to let that one slide lunchbox, but only because I love you" she smirked.
The couple sat side by side at the edge of the hill while drinking the warm hot chocolate that they had packed, and after a few minutes of silence, Gail spoke up. "Remember when you had told me that baseball was cathartic? Well, this was my version of that. When I was about seven or eight my grandfather took me for a hike in these woods. It became kind of like our ritual bonding time. Every visit after that he and I would come up here, hang our legs over the hill and just watch the water splash and ripple after throwing rocks into it. Here in the quiet with him I could be alone with my thoughts and the smallest thing like a bird flying out of one of those trees would make everything better. I spent a lot of time alone in peaceful places, but I never felt so much at ease anywhere other than here. When I was 19 he took me here to the top, put his hands on my shoulders, looked me right in the eyes and said "Gail, I can't even imagine how I found happiness in my life before I met your grandmother. One day someone is going to come into your life and they'll put all of your broken pieces back together. One day that smile on your face is going to mean the world to someone, and if that same person's smile means the world to you then you make sure to never let them go no matter how much that feeling might scare you". He passed away a couple months after that and I never came back here until now. You're that someone that he told me about" she admitted, a sincere smile on her face as a tear trickled down her pale cheek.
Holly didn't know how to respond to Gail's confession, so instead of saying anything at all she gently wiped away the tear with her thumb and stared into her clear blue eyes. She carefully pressed her lips to Gail's and when she was done, rested her forehead against her girlfriend's and closed her eyes.