A/N: So after a couple suggestions I decided to make the moments that take place in the past put in italics, to make it easier to distinguish and avoid confusion. Hope that helps!

Thanks to everyone for your reviews! I have my last chapter written out already because I knew how I wanted to end this. I think I will likely do 1 or 2 more chapters before the final to bring everything together. Unless my keyboard gets away from me, then it could be longer. But that's the plan for now

CHAPTER 5

It felt good, talking to Holly again. They had been talking on the phone once or twice a week for the last 4 weeks now. Gail was almost always tempted to call her every day, but she stopped herself. She figured it would be a little overkill if they were doing the whole "just friends" thing. It still felt weird even nearly 2 months after she left to try and call Holly her friend but it was either this or not have her in her life at all, so there wasn't really an alternative in her mind. Normally Holly would update Gail on all the nerdy research she was working on and any funny stories she had from her random adventures exploring her new surroundings. Gail mostly kept Holly updated on Sophie, all the funny things she would say or any of the messages she had asked Gail to relay to Holly. Gail had been curious as to whether or not Holly had been meeting new people, specifically lesbian people, but she was too afraid to ask because she wasn't sure she could handle the answer if it was anything other than no. But it was there, the thought in the back of her mind every time they had their regular phone calls and today was no exception.

"Sooo Lunchbox, I bet the ladies over there in that gay mecca you call home have been trying to get their hands on you by now" Gail blurted out. She wasn't sure if she had meant to say it quite so bluntly, but there it was, and she couldn't take it back now.

"Well the people I see are dead Gail, so that would be a bit creepy if they were" Holly replied, having just been talking about work before that comment surprised her. She was hoping if she played it off as a joke they wouldn't have to talk anymore about it.

"Oh come on, you know what I mean. Have you….Have you been seeing anyone? Like, going on dates and such?" Gail's voice a little apprehensive. There was a few seconds of silence which felt like forever in Gail's mind and she braced herself for the worse.

"Gail…" Holly paused and let out a deep sigh. "I am really nowhere near ready to contemplate dating right now. I'm really just trying to put my energy into my work. Plus, the last time I decided to try and rebound date someone to get over you it didn't work and I felt like an asshole for it so it's not something I was planning to repeat."

Gail let out a sigh of relief, though she hadn't meant for it to be loud enough for Holly to hear, which Gail was almost certain she did. "I know as a friend I'm probably not supposed to be secretly hoping you were not seeing anyone, but as a friend who is not quite over this yet, I have to admit I'm not so secretly thrilled. I was worried I'd have to sulk the rest of the night away over here in a sea of jealousy. I don't know if that makes me a bad person or not buuuuut there it is."

"You're not a bad person, Gail. This is just harder than I think we originally anticipated it would be. But I'm still sticking with what I said, I want you in my life no matter what so we are going to get used to this whole friend thing eventually. But for now you have nothing to be jealous about, unless you get jealous about me spending 10 or more hours a day with dead bodies." Holly let out a slight laugh, trying again to lighten the mood.

"Gross. I'll never understand your nerdiness, Lunchbox." Gail was smiling now, feeling happier than she had felt before their conversation had started.

"Ok I'd better let you get your beauty rest now. Oh and before I forget, Sophie wanted me to ask you for some ideas of something super nerdy she could do for her school science fair coming up. Seeing as you're the biggest nerd I know, I'm sure you will have plenty of ideas for me to pass on to her. Keep in mind she's 8, so let's not go all mad scientist on this one."

"Ohhh don't you worry, I have plenty of ideas up my sleeve. I won all my science fairs as a child" there was clear excitement in Holly's voice now.

"Ooooof course you did, Nerd" Gail laughed at the image of a little Holly obsessing over a science fair project.

"I'll email you a full list of ideas with clear instructions. Make sure you go over it with her when you see her tomorrow! Goodnight Gail, I'll talk to you again in a few days."

"Night Holly"

She hung up the phone and still had a smile on her face. She felt a little bad for feeling happy that Holly was alone in a new city where she had no friends or family, but at the same time she really wasn't ready to stomach the alternative. A few more weeks maybe and I'll get over it…maybe she thought to herself.

Less than 20 minutes passed since her conversation with Holly ended when she heard her phone go off. A new email from Holly. She opened it and started laughing.

"Jesus Christ this girl does not mess around" she said out loud after she had finished reading the very detailed 5 options Holly had mapped out to her. She smiled at the thought of how happy Sophie was going to be when she gets that list. She hasn't stopped talking about Holly and all her nerdy science stuff since that day in the library. It was strange how this little girl could remind her of Holly. Strange, but comforting.

What the hell are you even doing here? Gail thought to herself as she parked her car in front of a familiar building. She never thought she would show her face here again, not after the last two times she left horribly embarrassed, her inflated ego getting a long overdue reality check. Still, she was missing Holly more than usual today and she thought this would give her a little comfort.

She looked up at the sign on the building. "The Dugout Batting Cages"

Plus, she also really wanted to know if it had actually been Holly's fault she had sucked so bad the last 2 times they came, distracting her with those damn eyes, and the smile, or if she actually legitimately lacked any and all ability to hit a baseball while keeping the bat in her hands. Holly and dragged her here once more during her last 2 weeks in Toronto, much to Gail's objection.

"Oh come on Gail, it's going to be fun! I am convinced that I can have you hit at least one ball by the end of the night" Holly was pulling Gail by the hand towards the entrance.

"Holly, I now legitimately think that you're actually trying to kill me so that you can get your nerdy Doctor hands all over my dead body" Gail pouted, still not quite recovered from the embarrassment her ego took last time they had come.

Holly let out a laugh and kept walking with Gail's hand inside the doors and towards the open cage.

"Ok I'll make you a deal. If you hit one ball tonight, just one, I will take you out for dinner, anywhere of your choosing. Even that greasy burger place you love that I can't stand" Holly proposed, waiting for Gail to respond.

"And if I don't?" She replied, giving Holly a quizzical stare

"Well if you don't, then you have to come to dinner at a place of my choosing, no complaining allowed" Holly raised her eyebrow, giving Gail a teasing stare.

"Oh god you're not going to take me to that nasty vegan place again are you? Holly, I'm not a rabbit. I need real food, and alcohol for that matter." Gail was still pouting.

"Well I guess you better hit the ball then, Officer" Holly flashed a wink and passed Gail her bat and helmet.

Gail snatched the bat and helmet out of Holly's hands and walked into the cage with a look of determination on her face. "There's no way in hell I'm eating another piece of lettuce from that place" she thought to herself. The first ball comes towards her and she misses, but this time at least she manages to keep hold of the bat. "Progress" she thinks. She can feel Holly staring at her but doesn't want to look in her direction. It will only fluster her more so she maintains her stance and waits for the next ball to fly at her.

Missed again. "Dammit!" she said out loud, frustration seeping through her tone.

Holly couldn't help but let out a little chuckle as she stopped the machine for a minute. "Gail, come here for a second, I'm going to give you some pointers"

Gail did as she was told and walked over to Holly, feeling equally as embarrassed as the last time they were here. "Have I told you lately that I curse the morons who invented this sport?"

"Not in the last 5 minutes, no" another laugh out of Holly, another serious glare from Gail. Then Gail's glare turned less piercing and turned into a more surprised look as Holly wrapped herself behind Gail, her chest pressed firmly against Gail's back.

"Ok so first of all you need to adjust your legs and posture, because you're never going to hit a ball standing like that." Holly said as she reached her arm from behind Gail and put each hand on her inner thighs as she moved her legs out wider. The touch from Holly started to make Gail feel hot. Very hot and very nervous, shivers running up and down her back.

"Then you need to keep your hands a little further down the base of the bat, like this" she reached up to take Gail's hands in hers and positioned them on the bat, matching their body's positions as she got the bat in place. Gail was sure her heart was beating entirely too fast, and if Holly didn't back away from her soon she wasn't going to be able to stop herself.

"Now bend your knees and keep more of your weight rested on the back leg until you swing. Ok now go give that a try" Holly said as she stepped back from Gail and let her make her way back into the cage.

Another ball came flying, and this time Gail took another swing and her hands cheated her and let the bat go flying. She was far too distracted and aroused to be focusing on anything other than Holly. Holly, who was now laughing hysterically from behind the cage.

"Ok that's it, you're officially my least favorite person right now and I officially hate baseball with the fire of a thousand suns." Gail exclaimed as she quickly took off her helmet and practically ran out of the cage.

"Would I go back to being your most favorite person if I offered to take you to that greasy burger joint as a consolation prize?" Holy said, taking Gail's hand in her own and giving her the best puppy face she could conjure.

"Oh you're good, Stewart. You and that face…just rude. I usually never accept pity prizes, but the thought of that vegan restaurant makes me gag so in this case, I will accept. Now let's get the hell out of here shall we?"

Here She was again, for the third time. This time there was no Holly to distract her, so this would be the true test. She put her helmet on, grabbed the bat and stepped into the cage.

The first swing she misses, but still holds on to the bat. "That's ok, you're just getting warmed up, that was a practice shot" she says to herself. Another one comes, she misses it again, but this time only slightly, giving her a little hint of encouragement.

She misses 2 more of the balls flying her way until finally, the 5th ball that comes flying makes contact with her bat. It doesn't go far, but she hit it and that is more than enough of a win for Gail.

"YESSSSS!" she yells out loud. She was very pleased with herself in that moment, feeling as thought she had reclaimed a hint of her dignity that this batting cage stole from her twice before. She wasn't going to be trying out for any baseball teams anytime soon, but this, in her books, was a small and much needed win.

Gail's smile soon faded as she realized the one person she immediately wanted to call and share this moment with was Holly. She could technically call her and reveal this news, but she hesitated. She knew that if she called, she would have to explain what she was even doing at the batting cages because Holly knew full well she hated them with a passion. Thus far she had been trying really hard to keep her more than friend emotions to herself, trying to respect the decisions they made. It was hard because the only person Gail ever wanted to share any of her feelings with was Holly.

"What would I even say? Oh you know, I just tool a stroll down to the batting cages because I miss you so god damn much and needed something, anything to try and make me feel like you're still here with me." Gail thought to herself. She sighed, deciding it was best to keep this little victory to herself for now. She decided to stay at the batting cages a little longer, a little more time in a familiar place she shared with Holly. "This will get easier…this has to get easier eventually" she kept reminding herself.