A/N: Like I said, I was pretty much done with this chapter when I finished the last one, so enjoy! *Fluff alert*

Heavy. Cold. Numb. Heavy. Gail Peck felt heavy. Her boots were heavy on her feet, her hands were heavy at her side, her bag was heavy on her shoulder. Her chest was heavy over her lungs, her heart was heavy in her chest. Words heavy in her head, on her tongue. Her uniform was heavy everywhere. Her eyelids were heaviest of all. But she kept walking. She hadn't stopped walking since she hopped down from that ambulance; her chariot for the day. More like an emotional torture chamber. She'd been walking for a while, she didn't even know how long. Spring had started to show itself a little, and instead of elegant, white snow, Gail was walking through a cold, harsh rain. Even though spring nearly here it was still beyond cold after dark. Gail's face was nearly numb, her fingers and toes beyond cold. And then she was walking up steps, keys heavy in her heavy hand. Pushing the heavy door open. Waving at the doorman. In the elevator. Down the hall. Keys in the lock. Door open, bag down.

"Hey you!" Holly's words smiled for her, "wow, it's late. Did you have fun?" Holly had been talking about how fun it was going to be for the past week. 'Fun, a rush, exciting,' is what Holly claimed it would be. Gail discarded her boots and jacket in the hall, following Holly's words to the living room. Holly was lying on her back reading a book on the couch, head propped up on the armrest. Her beaming smile faded once Gail came into view. Wordlessly she climbed on top of Holly, tucking her feet between the armrest and the cushions, sliding her hands between Holly's lower back and the couch, and buried her head in Holly's sternum and chin.

A muffled "no" was the only answer Holly received. Her hands rubbed up and down the back of the deep blue uniform shirt.

"Gail, you're so cold," Holly sounded worried. Her deceleration was met with labored breath and warm tears on her chest.

Lighter. Gail felt lighter. Warm whispers in her ear, warm hands on her back, a warm leg wrapped around her lower half, a comforting chin resting on her head. And then an arm was resting on her side, she could feel gentle tugs on her hair, and then gentle fingers dismantling her long braid, combing through her blonde locks, lightly massaging her scalp. And she was feeling lighter again. Holly warmed the deafening silence. The noise in her head was quieting. She started to drift off and shut down. This is what Gail wanted to call home.

"Gail."

Silence.

"Gail. Come on. Let's get you to bed." Gail let Holly pull her off the couch, lead her to Holly's bedroom, and remove her uniform. Gail laid in bed trying not to think about her day, staring at the ceiling, trying to feel light again. The covers moved around her as Holly crawled into bed and Gail turned onto her side; clinging to Holly like a life raft. Head resting on her shoulder, legs tangled, and her hand fisting a clump of Holly's t-shirt. And then Holly's hands were in her hair and under her shirt on her back again.

"I hate ride alongs," Gail whimpered into Holly's chest, "it's like riding inside of a teacup ride while watching some kid trying to poke a grain of rice with a string of hair.

"I know," Holly cooed, "it's scary, and rushed. And really bumpy," and Holly did know. And that made Gail feel better. As Gail drifted off again Holly kept watch over the blonde head that rose and fell with her own breathing.

Holly was keeping watch again when Gail awoke the next morning.

"What time is it?" Gail could see the sun creeping through the blinds, and looking up at Holly, Gail thought she looked actually awake.

"Uh, like eight," Holly answered, returning her book to the nightstand.

"Why didn't you go on your run? Aren't you going to be late for work?" Gail asked; a little worried.

"Well, I've been a little...detained," Holly smirked, motioning to the hand still clutching her shirt. Gail looked over and immediately noticed the dull ache in her right hand. She released it, freeing an extremely wrinkled section of Holly's shirt as she began to flex her sore hand open and shut.

"Oops...Sorry," Gail apologized, sounding guilty.

"Don't be," Holly dropped a kiss to Gail's forehead.

"Do you have to leave soon? You're going to be late," Gail didn't want to be alone. She always wanted to be with Holly, but she didn't want to be alone today.

"No silly, it's Saturday," Holly giggled.

"Good," Gail nuzzled back into Holly's chest. Gail kept her head still but strained her eyes to look up at Holly, "you stayed with me." It was almost a question, almost a new discovery, a revelation. Holly had stayed.

"Yeah," Holly didn't laugh, but it was hinted at in her voice. Of course she had stayed. "Why wouldn't I?" The question was rhetorical, a nice way of essentially saying, 'duh.'

"You would," Gail knew she would. Sometimes she didn't believe it though. "Ugh, yesterday was awful. I think it gave me a hangover," Gail groaned.

"What happened?" Holly was curious, had something happened? Or had Gail just really disliked it?

Gail focused on the random patterns she started drawing on Holly's t-shirt. "Nothing. Everything. Most of them were alone you know? No one to go with them. You don't think about that," Gail paused speaking but continued to draw. "I wouldn't want to be alone then. That would be the worst. I hate ambulances, and I hate hospitals even more."

Holly turned her head to kiss Gail's forehead. "You planning on needing a ride in one anytime soon?"

"No," Gail mumbled into Holly's chest.

"Good," Holly grinned, hoping it might spread onto Gail's face too. "Plus, I don't think anyone would do that to the poor medics."

Gail looked up and glared at Holly who just chuckled on.

"You're doing that thing again."

Holly stifled her laughter, "what thing?"

"You're kinda talking out of the left side of your mouth. It's weird."

"Sorry, Ms. Symmetrical," Holly said, exaggeratedly speaking out the right side of her mouth.

"Stop that!" Gail chastised, "I like the way you talk."

"C'mon," Holly moved to get out of bed,"let's go get you a doughnut."

"Wait no," Gail held onto Holly tighter, "just stay for a minute." So they stayed. Holly ran her fingers through Gail's hair, who watched the rise and fall of the brunette's chest. After a few minutes Gail suddenly leapt out of bed, exclaimed "doughnuts", and ran for the bathroom.

Gail took another bite of her doughnut and asked through a full mouth, "do you think it would be fun to hibernate for the winter?" Gail's questions had been as random as they had been plentiful that morning. Gail had a coffee in one hand and half a doughnut in the other. She took a sip of her coffee as they walked through the park.

"Well, since I'd be asleep, I don't know if it would be fun...it probably wouldn't really be anything," Holly didn't mind though; she liked Gail's questions.

"Sometimes I wish I could hibernate for the summer. I burn easily, and the uniforms get super hot and itchy," Gail shuddered at the thought.

"If you worked in a morgue you'd always be cold."

"I don't know. I'm a little pale. People might confuse me with the walking dead."

Holly threw her head back in laughter, "well we wouldn't want that."

A squirrel ran across their path carrying half a piece of bread; "Why don't squirrels hibernate do you think? They still all run around in the snow."

"Can't get fat enough maybe?"

They started to walk past a jungle gym filled with children running around, happy that there was no ice in sight and that they could run around without being immobilized by snow pants. "Why do you think kids are always screaming when they're having fun? How do they not all go deaf?"

"I'm not really sure. Why don't you go ask them?" Holly suggested as they continued walking, motioning toward the group with her elbow. Some people might be annoyed by Gail's questions but Holly found them entertaining, sometimes even adorable.

"Holly?" Gail bit her lip and slowed to a stop.

"Yes, Gail?" Holly asked curiously, interested in what Gail had come up with now. Holly turned to her right and then turned around when she realized Gail was no longer at her side.

"I love you. I've never really felt this way before. You still give me butterflies sometimes. But you make me feel safe even when my friends are being shot, and everyone's alone," shit, her mouth opened and she was just letting it fly. Try as she might to reel herself in, Gail just couldn't control the words spewing out her mouth, "and I know you'll never leave. You're smart and you're funny and I live to see you smile, and hear you laugh. We tell each other stuff. I hate people...but I love you. That's what this is right? Love? I love you. I hope you know that. I think I'm saying this all wrong-"

Holly loved Gail's ramblings. It was so adorable, so open, so vulnerable, but she didn't want her to flail around any longer so she cut her off; "I know. Gail, I know," Holly said, closing the few steps between them and gently cupping Gail's elbows. She would have taken her hands but; coffee and doughnuts.

"You do?" Gail asked, a little surprised and a little hopeful.

Holly looked Gail in the eyes, "of course I know, because you make me feel loved. All those things you said, I feel them too. That's kinda how it works."

Gail released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in; relieved.

"Plus, you've been saying it before you fell asleep like, almost every night for the past week," Holly smiled one of her sideways smiles, that reached all the way to her left ear but stopped a little short on her right.

Gail groaned, "weeks. It's probably been more like two weeks," Gail looked down at her feet.

"Okay, two weeks," Holly laughed one of her joyful laughs.

"You didn't say anything back? Um, rude," Gail deflected.

Holly shrugged, "you thought I was asleep. I didn't want to give you a heart attack. You'd have to go the hospital in an am-bul-ance. I knew you'd tell me when you were ready."

Gail scrunched up her face.

"Gail," Holly waited for Gail to look up at her again, gently rubbing Gail's arms just above her elbows with her thumbs. "I love you too," there it was again, one of Holly's megawatt smiles. Gail was sure one of those could light up half a city block.

"You do?" Gail asked hopefully; not doubtfully.

"What do you think?" Holly was talking out of the side of her mouth again and Gail loved that.

"I think you do."

"You think right," Holly's smile was so big. Gail wondered if it ever hurt to smile that big, but before she could ask Holly's lips were warm against her's, soft, sweat, and gentle. And then they were gone.

"Now, wanna give me a bite of that doughnut," Holly raised her right eyebrow and smiled that crooked smile that bordered with a snarl, "since you love me so much."

Wow, Holly really went for it. Gail looked down at her doughnut, back to Holly, and then down to her doughnut again. "Oh this? It's awful," Gail shook her head, "you'd hate it. Trust me."

"Oh yeah?" Holly turned to continue their walk.

"Definitely," Gail fibbed. "Did it hurt?" Gail remembered her question from before.

"When I fell from heaven? A little bit, yeah. But I'm sure if you kissed my tush it'd make it better," a half smile and a laugh.

That earned Holly a light shove to her upper arm. Damn; Gail loved Holly.

A/N: I hope you guys liked it! I wanted Gail to take that step of her own accord without it being a response to Holly saying it. Obvi I love Holly but this story is more about Gail's growth, because, well, we barely know anything about Holly, and I think Gail has a lot of rich growing to do. I also think Holly's already started helping her with that in the show.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I'm grateful for all of you, from all across the globe! I hope everyone reading this had (or will have) a great day today!