This chapter ended up with a bit more of a serious undertone than the others, but I guess it can't all be fun and games, not everyone is going to be 100% forgiving. Some don't have that luxury.

Pecking Order

The door to booking slammed open and Oliver and Andy watched in amusement as Gail led the suspect in; though led was probably putting it mildly. Noelle looked quite entertained coming in behind her as Gail managed to knock the suspect into each and every surface that was even remotely sticking out.

"Watch it!" The man complained.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Oliver inquired the delight apparent in his voice.

"Tough guy here," Gail started, shoving him against the desk, "seems to have forgotten the lesson about picking on someone your own size; sent his girlfriend to the hospital."

"I didn't do anything,man," the guy yelled in defense.

"Sure you didn't," Noelle scoffed as she dumped the contents of his pockets into a plastic bin.

"Tell it to the judge," Gail suggested pushing him towards the cell.

"I'm telling you," he spat back.

"Well then you can save your breath. Cause if it was up to me…" Her gaze flickered to Andy, "punishments around here would be a whole lot stricter."

Andy and Oliver exchanged a look of wide-eyed surprise. Well, that was interesting.

Andy huffed out a breath before turning to the cell. "I'd stick with the judge buddy; you're not getting any sympathy there."

"Can't get blood from a stone," Oliver muttered so only Andy could hear.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips and Gail glared over at her. "Well pardon me, if some of us think that the rules are there for a reason."

Andy wasn't stupid; it was obvious the passive-aggressive barbs were meant more for her than the guy they just brought in. "No one's saying they aren't Gail."

"Then what are you saying? That they don't apply to everyone? That it's okay for some people to disregard them?"

"No Gail, I'm just pointing out that nobody's perfect. People do make mistakes."

"Yeah, Gail, people make mistakes," the prisoner echoed.

Gail spun on her heel so fast she startled the suspect and he fell back against the bench. "You," she pointed directly at him, "shut up!"

She twirled back to Andy. "You…"

But Andy had had it. "Enough Gail. I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry we can't all be perfect like a Peck. Oh wait," Andy paused, pretending to think for a moment, "perfect cops don't get their uniforms stolen out of the back of their car while they're visiting the all night psychic." She tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow at Gail mockingly. "Too bad she didn't see that one coming huh?"

Oliver started to snicker beside Andy until Gail focused her glare on him. He held up his hands in surrender; this was not his fight.

"Well, at least my clothes didn't fall off my back when I was supposed to be on the job," Gail snapped. "I'm pretty sure that's not what they had in mind by going undercover."

"Ha! Good one," a voice chimed out from the cell.

Both women glowered at him. "Quiet!" They barked in unison before turning on each other again.

Noelle placed a hand on Gail's shoulder. "I think it's time for a break," she recommended. "Why don't you ladies take a breather while Oliver and I finish up in here?"

Neither girl was willing to budge though, so the staring contest was stuck in a deadlock until Noelle added a little pressure to Gail's arm. Exasperated, the blonde finally agreed. "Fine!"

Gail stalked towards the door with Andy hot on her heels. As soon as the door swung shut, Noelle smiled proudly to herself and then looked to Oliver for corroboration, but all she got was a look of disappointment. "What?"

"Seriously?" He grumbled. "It was just getting good."

Noelle just shook her head. "Give me the damn paperwork."

Gail turned on Andy the second she cleared the door. "You got off easy, you know? You're lucky everyone thinks Swarek is God's gift to the uniform. If it was anyone else, you'd have been gone for at least three months, maybe even more. If my mom hadn't been outvoted on the tribunal…"

"Is that what this is about?" Andy asked in disbelief. "The Peck name didn't carry enough weight for you? Mama didn't get her way so now you're all pouting."

"You really have no idea," Gail insisted losing some of her thunder.

Andy took a deep breath. "Then explain it to me Gail, because you're right; I really have no idea why this is bothering you so much."

"You can't just forget about the rules, Andy."

Now that Gail had calmed down a little, Andy was trying harder to be patient, but they had already covered this. She shook her head. "I didn't disregard them on purpose; I let my feelings cloud my judgment."

"Well, you can't do that either!"

Andy was surprised at how adamant the blonde continued to be. "I know that, Gail."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do," Andy insisted. "But Gail, I can't just turn them off either."

"Yes, you can," Gail persisted.

Well, if the Pecks were any testament, then yes, she probably could, but… "Maybe I don't want to."

"They'll just get you into trouble."

"Maybe so, but I'm not going to just turn into a robot either."

Gail was getting frustrated; she wasn't getting anywhere with Andy. She blew out a long breath before choosing a different tactic. "I told you it was a no-no."

Andy furrowed her brow in confusion.

"The takedown…" Gail reminded. When she got no response from Andy she dropped her chin and threw out her hands, "…before Fite Nite."

Andy recalled a vague conversation from the previous year and rolled her eyes. "He isn't my TO anymore."

"He was undercover, Andy; that's ten times worse. You know I should have known it would come to this as soon as I saw you two outside the Penny."

Andy shook her head in resignation. "What are you talking about now?"

"It doesn't matter; whatever. You're just… you're lucky that's all. Good for you; you got away with it."

Andy grimaced at her 'friend'. "I didn't get away with anything, Gail. I paid for it alright? And now I just want to get past it."

"You're not the only one," Gail muttered.

What? Why would Gail…

Before Andy could figure out exactly where the blonde was coming from, Superintendent Peck appeared in the hallway. The second she saw the two girls, she strode over and cleared her throat right behind Gail.

Andy turned her attention immediately to the superior officer, but caught a quick glimpse of Gail's face and she almost looked sick.

Elaine flashed a fake smile at Andy before she put her arm around Gail and started to lead her away. "Come on sweetheart; I have some people here you really SHOULD be talking to."

Andy was watching them walk away when Gail glanced back at her. Andy could see the trepidation clearly on her face and her overreaction was starting to make a lot more sense.

Andy offered her a small smile of encouragement before she turned away. She paused with her hand on the door to booking.

She and Gail weren't all that different; they were both legacy cops which came with certain… expectations, ones you could not easily escape. But in that moment, Andy realized that being faced with the need to rise above was infinitely easier than facing the fear of falling short.

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