Author's note: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favourited, or followed this story! It first started out as something that was going to be a lot shorter than this... this sort of story is not exactly like the rest of the stories I write, but I was willing to try something a bit different and I guess it worked! As many of you will notice, I am tying in a lot of things that occur in season five into this story to create a world that is still canon, but sped up to fit the needs of this story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

A faint light grew larger as the door opened more to the darkened interior of Holly's house. Taking a deep breath, the pathologist sighed as she smelled the calming scent of lavender that permeated the entire edifice. "I am so glad to be home right now."

"I just wish mom didn't take me off the case like that," Gail grumbled after following Holly into the house.

"You would think that after several hours trapped in that godforsaken room and then another two hours having our statements taken, you would at least be grateful to get away from that house. And besides, your mother is just looking out for your well-being." Holly replied softly as she dropped her bag onto the sofa and landed beside it with a sigh. "She isn't taking you off the case permanently, she just wants you to get enough rest before helping the others." Holly smirked as she watched the blonde officer roll her eyes as cross her arms. "Now come here..." The pathologist patted the cushion beside her. "I want to take a look at the stitches the paramedic gave you.

"Worried that he didn't do a good job?" Gail quipped as she crossed the room and sat beside her girlfriend.

"That is part of the reason, but I want to make sure that it isn't infected." Holly lightly grabbed Gail's hand and inspected it. "Is this a little tender?" she asked as she lightly grazed the skin next to the cut. The officer hissed as she tried to snatch her hand back from her lover. "I take that as a yes," Holly said as she stood up from her seated position on the sofa and walked towards the kitchen.

As she rummaged through the cupboards, Gail glanced back at her. "Do you really think we are okay?"

Holly reached for the first aid kit in the back of the cabinet and brought it out onto the counter. "I think we are okay, I mean, we did forgive each other..."

"That's not what I meant," Gail replied softly as she stood up and walked towards the pathologist. She sat on the stool beside the counter and stopped Holly's hands from delving back into the bag. "I mean, are you certain that this woman wasn't sick with any of those viruses that you had mentioned."

The brunette sighed as she reached for the officer's cheek. She cupped it softly and placed a light kiss on her lips. "I'm certain... they had Dr. Monroe do the post in my stead and I trust her to be extremely profession in everything she does. Besides, she emailed me a copy of her reports, and I am completely, one hundred percent certain that the woman died of nothing more than a punctured lung caused by a very brutal beating."

"But you seem a bit worried still," Gail pressed as she kissed the inside of Holly's palm that was resting on her cheek.

Biting her lower lip, the brunette stared at her lover. "Is it that obvious?" Gail nodded her head and smiled. "Well, I guess it is because I still do not understand why Dr. O'Neal would have such a room in her house in the first place. It just does not make any sense to me, unless she was continuing her work after retirement, but I did not see anything that remotely looked like laboratory equipment anywhere in her house. Maybe Gregory Schlenz was correct when he said she was a paranoid woman?"

"But why would she set up the room like a level four suite like you said?"

Holly adjusted her glasses and removed her hand from Gail's cheek. She busied herself with the first aid kit before pulling out gauze and a bottle of iodine. She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she had mysophobia? I really can not tell at this point. Maybe your mother will get more information when she calls USAMRIID in the morning."

"What's mysophobia?"Gail asked as she moved her hand away from Holly when she spotted the bottle of iodine.

She brushed her hair over her shoulder and huffed at Gail's antics. "It is the fear of germs... Now, I want you to stay still and please... do not remove the gauze again. I can't believe you did that while we were in the car."

Gail opened her mouth to retort, but sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, mother."

Holly grinned as she as she leaned forward to kiss the woman in front of her. "I don't know if I should be insulted or proud that you would liken me to your mother. As much as you complain about her, I am starting to think of it as an insult."

The officer wrapped an arm around the pathologist, bringing the standing woman closer to her. "You know I didn't mean it like that," Gail whispered against Holly's lips as she returned the kiss more fervently.

Holly moaned into the kiss as she felt Gail pull her even closer. She tangled her hands in the officer's short blonde hair as she straddled Gail's hips and when she felt the blonde's uninjured hand slip from her lower back to her backside, Holly momentarily forgot their conversation. When the need for air became to great, the pathologist rested her head against Gail's and chuckled. "I think you did that on purpose."

A smirk graced the officer's lips as she stared into her lover's eyes. "Whatever do you mean, Dr. Stewart?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Officer Peck. You wanted me to forget the reason we are in the kitchen in the first place... and that is to take care of your hand."

Sitting in a darkened corner of a random bar, on the other side of the city where no one would know who he was, Chris was nursing his fourth bottle of beer when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Smiling to himself, he tried to make contact with the person, but frowned when the man was approached by a vaguely familiar woman. If I don't score some soon, I will never get rid of this headache, he thought to himself as he watched his dealer walk towards the back of the pub near the bathrooms. Shaking his head to steel his courage, the officer stood up from his chair and slowly walked towards the bathrooms. The sound of the music blasting through the speakers caused his headache to throb to the tempo. At one point, he felt as though he should just turn around and try to see if he possibly hid some of the drugs from himself in his bedroom, but the closer he got to the back of the bar, the more his need for a fix now outweighed his idea to search for his salvation later. As he turned the corner, he could hear muffled voices coming from a room to his left. Leaning carefully against the door, he was able to make out the voice of Jaime and a woman.

"I don't know what I am going to do Jaime... it's not like Greg to not answer his phone."

"Just calm down, Anna... he is probably still pissed off at your performance at the O'Neal house earlier. From what I hear, the cops went back to your house to speak with him again. I told you not to leave your damn car in front of her house!"

"But Jaime... how was I supposed to know he was going to fucking call it in today? We didn't even get a chance to really find anything worth stealing in the first place!"

"I told you he would freak the fuck out when he accidentally killed her, what do you expect from him?"

Chris's eyes widened with understanding as he slowly back away from the door. I knew she looked familiar! He thought as he calmly walked back towards the pounding beat of the music. He breathed a sigh of relief when his hand wrapped around the cool metal of the front door of the bar. As Chris opened the door and felt the first cool breeze of the night air, a hand landed on his shoulder and spun him around.

"Well, look who we have here!" Jaime said with mock surprise in his voice. "Come to pay me back? I hope you didn't come all this way just to buy... or should I say 'borrow' more of my wares. I told you before, if you don't pay me the money you owe me from the last fix I gave you, you were shit out of luck."

The woman that Chris now recognised as 'Patricia O'Neal' had made her way towards the dealer and crossed her arms. "Hello Officer, I didn't expect to see you in a place like this."

Chris rubbed the nape of his neck. "Well, after a long day at work, I like to relax with a nice cold beer and just hangout."

Jaime smirked as he continued to keep his hand on Diaz's shoulder. "Well, why don't we all just hangout then?"

"I... I have had a long day today, and have to wake up early tomorrow to do it all over again," Chris began as he tried to nonchalantly remove Jaime's hand from his shoulder. "I just want to go home now and sleep."

"Nonsense! The night has just started!" The dealer wrapped his arm around Chris's shoulders to keep him from trying to leave the bar. He turned the officer away from front door and steered him towards the back of the bar. "You can come sit at our table... you know, drink beer and hangout."

Chris attempted to smile, but his pounding head, would not allow the muscles in his face to work properly. "Uh.. sure, it sounds like a good idea."

"Excellent! We will have a great time! Just the three of us!"