DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Rookie Blue. Their original characters are theirs. Their show is theirs. I'm just better at logistics.
Chapter One: All My Broken Parts
Everything that happened in the series has happened here. The only change is before the wedding, Gail decided to tell IA that her parents wanted her to lie about Steve. The drama from that is the basis of this.
"They're all still worrying about Traci," said the cop, sullenly.
Lisa eyed the number of shot glasses strewn around the woman who had dated her best friend, albeit briefly, with curious fear. Gail wasn't tiny, but she wasn't a big girl. That much tequila should have laid her out. "Wasn't she living with him?"
"No, he had a key to her place. Not like we need it." Gail downed another shot. "Whose turn is it?"
They'd been trading rounds for a few hours, ever since Lisa had stumbled on the woman. Seeing Gail at a bar was not actually something she'd expected, and she'd tried to avoid her. To her surprise, Gail had lifted a glass in recognition and then went right back to drinking. Even Lisa's date … whatever her name was … noticed something was wrong, and told Lisa to take care of her friend.
They weren't friends. They weren't even frenemies. But she went anyway.
"Mine," said Lisa, getting up for another round.
She'd already heard about how Gail had given up on adopting Sophie. The other family had indeed sounded perfect. And Lisa had listened through a very disjointed story about how her family was all doomed to failure and so was she, which was why she'd screwed up with Holly.
"The problem is, Boobs, the problem is that I'm stuck." She sighed and gestured with her mostly empty glass.
"How are you stuck, Blue?" They'd decided that calling each other Botched Boob Job and Blue Collar took too long. Lisa was Boobs, Gail was Blue, and they were both okay with that. Of course, that might have been the booze talking.
Gail sighed. "I can't stop being myself."
It took a moment. "Because you're a Peck."
"Exactly," she muttered. "And now Peck means shit ... Now what do I do?" She folded her arms and put her head down.
She was past drunk and into fully wasted. "Maybe it's time to go home."
"Can't," mumbled Gail. "Don't have a home anymore."
Lisa frowned. They'd gotten a little metaphysical. "Vacation?"
"Can't. Trial's going on."
Maybe the blonde had been under-exaggerating how bad things were. "Okay, you need to go somewhere. Come on." Lisa took hold of Gail's upper arm and hauled the cop to her car. That Gail didn't really complain told Lisa what she needed to know. The woman was a mess.
Back at her place, Lisa wrangled Gail into her spare room, got her shoes off, and left her to sleep it off. The thought of calling Holly crossed her mind, but Lisa knew that would probably upset both of them. They had not ended things well, to say the least. Not that anyone in Toronto was very pleased with Holly skipping the country.
In the morning, Gail looked miserable and hungover. But it was her phone, not her hangover, that seemed to be the source of her mood. "I know what I said, Noelle," she sighed into the phone as she walked out of the guest room. "Hang on..." Gail looked up. "I will pay whatever you want for coffee."
Lisa smirked. "Espresso? Trade for the real story of what the hell was going on last night."
The blonde frowned. "Fine." She turned back to the phone. "What do you need me to do?" Gail walked back to the guest room and came back with her shoes in hand. "That's fine. I can be there- what? No I thought McStupid was getting married in December... Huh. Hell, I doubt I'm even invited, Noelle." Gail tilted her head. "I'll be there this afternoon. Thanks."
Watching Gail hang up, Lisa slid the coffee over. "So. You're working on a Saturday?"
"No... Lisa, can I trust you?" Gail held the coffee and looked so incredibly serious, it was shocking and sobering.
She'd been called by her name. "You know, we got off on the wrong foot," decided Lisa. "Yes, you can trust me."
"I mean no telling Rachel, or whoever you're fucking, or Holly." Gail paused. "Actually, especially Holly."
"Jesus, I won't tell your ex-"
"Not because of that," Gail groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just... This... I don't have anyone I can talk to."
Lisa blinked. "No friends? Not even the idiots you work with?"
Gail shook her head. "They'll all be involved." She sipped the coffee. "What did Holly tell you about me?"
"Mostly that you were hot. And you're terrible at communicating."
"Nothing about my job? Okay..." Gail exhaled. "I'm ... I was kind of ... Peck was a big name. In policing. My family is all over."
Lisa frowned. "Was?"
"My brother... Yesterday I was at court to testify about my brother. He set a bomb and blew up half the division a few months ago."
Blew up? Lisa put her coffee down. "He blew up... On purpose?"
Gail nodded. "He was working for the mob. The number of people in on it is ... It's big. Steve's rolling over on them because he didn't ... He didn't want me to lie on the stand."
Okay, Gail wasn't kidding about this stuff being serious. "Lie. You were going to lie on the stand?"
There was a strange heaviness to the air. "I don't know," admitted the cop. "My dad ... My dad's a cop. Inspector. And he asked- he told me to lie for Steve." She sighed.
"Which is why you got shit faced," realized Lisa. Gail's father wanted her to lie on the stand for her brother. Lisa suddenly felt horrible for the way she'd spoken about Gail at the Penny. The self-esteem issues you had to have, growing up like that. Even when the brother was on the take, they put him above her.
"What? Because my parents love my brother more? Nothing new," she shrugged. Lisa was pretty sure she was lying. "Steve was the only one who wanted to help me with the adoption."
Oh. "Did you decide... About Sophie?"
Gail nodded. "I called this morning. LauraLee said she'd talk to them about letting me visit," she said softly. "It's the best thing for her."
This was turning out to be one of the more serious conversations Lisa had on a Saturday morning with anyone. "And all your friends are cops. Christ."
"Yep," sighed Gail. "Fewer soon. I just told IA that my dad tried to coerce me. Which means they'll dig into him. Steve'll do a year, maybe. I'll be a pariah. My one real friend there can barely look at me anyway, so that leaves Chris, and he just needs me because he's an addict." She swirled the coffee around and sipped it again. "Peckspecktations are a bitch."
"Yes... Cute word by the way. Did you notice that you seem to be the only one not involved in that shit?"
Gail nodded again. "Which either means they thought I was worthless or I was too stupid to notice."
Lisa snorted. "Please. You have a degree in criminal justice." When Gail looked surprised, Lisa waved a hand. "Holly. My point is you're not stupid, or uneducated. You're doing a bang up job of acting blue collar, though, which sure as hell fooled me. And I bet it fools your family."
"What good does any of that do me?"
"Depends what's more important. Your family or what's right?" And, if Lisa understood that enough, Gail wasn't fully sure where she stood on that.
The cop looked at her empty coffee. "My family... Right... My brother wouldn't let me lie for him," she sighed. "Him... Him I love. He's always protected me." She looked up at Lisa. "Doing what's right might help him. And ... And God, it's what's right, and now I sound like stupid McNally."
"Don't know who McNally is, don't care."
"I could like you for that alone," admitted Gail. "But now what?"
Holding up a finger, Lisa smiled. "One, you play patsy and get information to prove the other Pecks are evil. Two, you turn over everything. You're already going to IA. Three, you accept the fact that you'll be hated for years."
Gail frowned. "That sounds like the voice of experience."
"It is. And it's why Holly's my friend." Lisa finished her coffee and started making two more cups. "When we were in school we worked at the hospital for credit. One of the doctors was nicking drugs. Holly caught him, told him to stop or she'd turn him in, so he blasted her on her review. She was going to have to leave medicine, which can you imagine?" Gail shook her head, somewhat shocked. "Rachel and I, we didn't really know her then, but ... We knew of her. So we did a stupid, stupid, sting, caught the guy red handed, and got Holly back in the program. Looking back, we were so stupid." Lisa shook her head but smiled at the memory.
The blonde looked at her, surprised. "You know... The last time I tried to do the right thing, not a single one of my friends backed me up," she whispered. And then she told Lisa about a man who died in lockup because she hadn't searched him.
As Lisa listened, she heard Gail make no excuses for her own actions, nor for anyone else's. But it was clear that everyone had made mistakes that day. But it was Gail who was on the chopping block. "Why didn't they fire you? Did your parents..."
Gail snorted a laugh. "No. No, I was a key witness in a trial and that story needs a hell of a lot more tequila before it comes out. Hell, I didn't even tell Holly."
That was something Lisa understood. "Well. How about this. Since Rachel is head down in her trials and we are the best bitches on the planet, you talk to IA and we'll have dinner?"
"What about the date you blew off to fish me out of a bottle?"
Oh, so she had noticed. "I never thought I'd say this, Blue Collar, but you're more fun."
Everything was supposed to be perfect. She had a casual sex, no strings, friend. She had a promotion and a rookie of her own, the annoying Fox. She had her friends at the station still.
But every morning when Gail woke up, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt sick.
She kept the smile on her face, the old look that scared the hell out of the babies they called rookies. She did her job and she did it well. And she kept a secret. Not even Dov or Chris knew the secret. Gail hadn't even told Oliver, and she was his Noelle these days. Or maybe she was Frank's Oliver. Anyway. They talked a lot and she was hiding this from him too.
How could she tell them she was spying on her own family? Not them the family, her blood. She was collecting evidence, slowly and surely, about how the Pecks had been involved in the corruption. Because, as Noelle had put it, no one believed that Mama Peck hadn't known about Steve.
"If I didn't know you were banging that detective, I'd ask if you were pregnant."
Gail shoved Chris, reaching up to squeeze his face. "Don't be gross. Make me coffee."
Her friend laughed and poured her a cup. "Where's Frankie?"
"Dunno." That was a lie. Gail had last seen Frankie four days ago when a couple conversations clicked in her head. She'd voiced her suspicion to Noelle who checked. Frankie had worked with Santana as well. Frankie had worked with Steve a number of times on cases that were under review. Frankie... Should never have been let back into Fifteen.
And Gail? Lucky, lucky Gail had been sleeping with the woman who set up her own brother for the fall. Not that Steve was innocent, but Frankie had been a part of the scandal.
"You should call her. Double date," suggested Dov, who actually made the coffee while Chris made muffins.
"We're not dating," sighed Gail. That was true. "She's just a friend with benefits." That was ... Well she was with benefits. The sex was a bit overrated. Frankie pitched herself as god's gift to lesbians and, at best, she was pretty good. Maybe that was because Holly had been mind blowing, or because Gail was still hung up on her...
That much they'd been open about. Gail flat out said she'd had her heart broken and was not over it, so this was not going to be girlfriend territory. And Frankie accepted that deal. No strings.
Gail felt sick again and put her head on the counter. No strings. Except the handcuffs.
Her phone beeped and she peered at it. Noelle was asking if she was ready. Tapping her reply, Gail swallowed the bile and fear.
Ready as I'll ever be.
"Something's up," Dov said seriously, pushing a mug of black coffee over.
"Stop fantasizing about me," replied Gail, acerbically. "Snow White will get jealous."
"I'm never jealous of you," sang Chloe, hugging Gail from behind.
Gail froze and flipped her phone over. "There is a bug on my back."
The apartment was getting too cramped. Four of them. Well. If this all played out the way that Noelle predicted, it would be less cramped.
They piled into Chris' truck and drove to the station. Gail chewed a muffin in lieu of her fingernails, trying to quell the terror in her gut. It didn't help when she saw two people she least wanted to see today, chatting.
Her father was talking to Frankie.
Jesus. What the hell had she done to the universe?
"Gail, come here," ordered her father.
"Yes, sir," she replied reflexively and handed Chris the muffin box back.
"You didn't say you knew Det. Anderson."
Gail hesitated. "Yea- yes. We've worked on a couple cases." She gave Frankie a half nod.
"Well, she should come to dinner tomorrow."
Yeah, okay, Gail had somehow pissed off the universe entirely. "Tomorrow?" Peck family dinner. She'd worn a wire to the last one. "Uh, that's not, not up to me, Dad," she pointed out. "Mom's got a pretty strict invite list." And you never brought someone to surprise Elaine Peck.
Her father waved a hand. "I'll tell her I invited Frankie. It'll be nice to have four at dinner again."
Because Steve. Steve was under house arrest, pending possible jail time. Because he hadn't done what Gail was about to do. He had sacrificed no one but himself, and only in order to save Gail. The awkward tension hovered.
Frankie eyed Gail. "I'll… I'm supposed to go back to ThirtyFour this week, Inspector, but, uh, I'll see, I'll see if I'm free."
Bill Peck nodded. "Do that." Then he looked at Gail with a vaguely disappointed expression. As if asking her if it would kill her to take some initiative. "Gail." And he went upstairs.
Exhaling, Gail watched her father leave. "I wouldn't go," she warned Frankie.
The woman scoffed. "It can't be that bad."
Her parents hadn't yet mentioned Gail's promotion to TO, and elevation in responsibilities helping Oliver. "Honestly, I'd rather be kidnapped by a serial killer again, than spend 3 hours with my parents," she said blithely. "But hey, you're the masochist."
As she headed into the locker room, Gail heard Traci mention that the dinners really were the most painfully awkward things she'd ever experienced. God. Traci. Was she going to hate Gail for this? The storm was going to land on her too, no doubt. And rookie D Dov, and Chris. Her roommates. Ugh. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against her locker.
"Hey, you okay? Dov said you looked sick," chirped Chloe.
"Go away," grumbled Gail, unlocking her locker. After the confusion with the new rookie, Chloe had gotten her locker back and Gail found herself wishing she could shoot the woman.
"I've got some ginger, which my mom says is the best for an upset stomach. I mean, it's an upset stomach, right? I've seen how you eat, which is crazy to keep your figure. I'm totally jelly by the way. You're just hot and sexy and it's like you don't have to try—"
Gail reached over and pinched Chloe's mouth shut. The woman babbled like Holly, but it was somehow nowhere near as attractive. "If I take the stupid ginger, will you shut up?" Nodding, Chloe mumbled a 'yes' around the fingers holding her mouth closed. "Fine."
The tiny, annoying, creature just looked at her for a bit, though. "You aren't feeling well," Chloe said, her eyes widening more than normal.
Cautioning her with a glare, Gail changed into her uniform and took the ginger pills. They didn't seem to help much, but they didn't help the burn and churn in her gut. She probably should be chugging antacids, but that would give everything away. Taking her usual spot up front with Oliver, Gail crossed her arms and concentrated on looking stern and unyielding. The faking it was easy.
She half listened to Oliver rattle off everything he'd emailed her with that morning (seriously, Dov had to teach him how to email from his phone?) until Oliver diverged from the script. "Aaaaand, Price. Come here."
Chloe popped up and looked worried. "Sarge?"
Oliver brandished a pair of scissors. "This was too long." He reached over and snipped her tie.
Frankly Gail hadn't known it was possible for Chloe's eyes to get wider. She stared at Oliver and then her severed tie. "I'm loose?"
"Shoulda been before all the…" Oliver waved a hand. "Congratulations Price, you're cut loose." Handing her the severed tie end, he shooed her back. "Go. Serve, protect, don't…"
When Oliver trailed off, everyone looked up. The door opened and Jarvis walked into Parade. "Peck. Anderson. Nash," he growled. "Shaw, you better get your ass here too."
Oliver blinked and looked at Gail who shrugged. "Right. On that awkward note… Serve, protect, don't get your ass in trouble. Price, take Fox."
Shoving her hands in her pockets, Gail followed Oliver and the others out to Oliver's office, where Noelle was waiting for them. Yeah, there went her stomach again. There was only one real way to do this, Noelle had pointed out. The only way to do it and get them all was to go all the way.
At least her parents weren't there yet. Gail was sure that was about to come.
"Badges," said Jarvis, his voice dark and angry.
"Sir?" Traci looked shocked. "My … badge?"
"You three are suspended, pending investigation," 'explained' Jarvis.
Noelle coughed. "There are accusations of your conspiracy in the abuse of public trust that resulted in the arrest of former Chief Santana and Steven Peck." Her eyes flickered to Gail as a warning.
Right. She protested, "I had nothing to do with—"
Noelle cut her off. "Your father was just arrested and your mother's about to be. You're under suspicion of perjury, Gail." It was a curious mix of gentle and stern.
Gail had never seen Oliver's face crumble like that before. All the love and trust he had for her just washed out. Elaine and Bill were arrested. She'd gotten her parents arrested. Now she had to play her part and make this look real. She had to make it look like she was on their side. "But—"
"Peck," snapped Jarvis. "Badge."
This part hurt. Gail took her badge out and handed it to Jarvis. "I want a lawyer," she said carefully, trying to keep her face firm. She had to sell it, make it look like maybe she did this and maybe she too was in on it all along. Selling out her brother to get a promotion. It was her cover.
Traci stared at her. "Gail… We didn't—" And she stopped, eyes widening. Good. Traci was having doubts. What if Gail did it. What if Gail was in on it. She slowly unhooked her badge. "I didn't," she said more firmly to Jarvis, though her eyes flicked to Gail.
All that was left was Frankie. She was stock still. All the snarky fight seemed to be forgotten. Without a word, Noelle held out her hand. "I want a deal," said Frankie, putting her badge in Noelle's palm.
Poor Traci looked like her world was shattered.
Gail tried to feel sympathetic, but the realist in her knew it wasn't Traci's life that was destroyed, it was her own. And she'd done it on purpose.
She hadn't expected to come back to Toronto so soon, but Juliet had to admit it was nice to be back. It was nice to see Nick again, spend some time with him, before meeting up with Noelle. The majority of Fifteen hadn't had much to say to her, which Juliet understood. She'd spied on them, betrayed them, and turned their world upside down. They hated her.
"You're late," announced a voice she really hadn't expected to hear.
"Gail," blinked Juliet as she walked into Noelle's office. The once blonde was sitting on Noelle's couch in street clothes, her hair a dark brown. The scowl was all Gail though. "I ... Didn't expect to see you."
"Few people do," she grumbled, stretching out her legs.
Noelle coughed. "Gail, don't bite." Rolling her eyes, Gail stopped. Far more polite that Gail, Noelle got up and hugged Juliet. "Thanks for coming all this way."
Returning the hug, Juliet eyed Gail. "You basically greased my promotion," admitted Juliet with a smile. "What, ah, what's going on?"
The older officer looked at Gail. "The big house is pretty dirty," sighed Noelle.
"Still?"
"We didn't have any evidence, you know that."
And Juliet stared at Gail. They hadn't had evidence on the other Pecks. But even Noelle said she had a hard time buying that Mama Peck didn't know what her son was up to. "But..." The last she'd heard from Nick, who was in ETF now and working to get a transfer, Gail was still a TO. Actually that was interesting. Nick had been very quiet about Gail.
Noelle gestured to the empty chair. "What did you hear about the re-org at Fifteen?"
"Not a whole lot," admitted Juliet, slowly sitting. "I mean, you told me about the TOs." She looked at Gail.
Raising a hand, Gail spun a finger in a 'whoopee' move. "Suspended."
Juliet blinked and looked at Noelle. "You linked it to the—" She stopped, at a loss of where to go with her sentence.
"Pecks. The word you're looking for is Pecks," sighed Gail, nonplussed.
Shaking her head, Juliet asked, "How did— Why did— Okay, someone better unpack this shit. Because Gail… You didn't, you weren't in on it. I know that."
Gail arched her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Well that makes one person. My father tried to coerce me into lying on the stand to get Steve out of it."
Juliet blinked. "Was that... That's what he was telling you that day? I thought- I thought you were just upset about the..." She stopped.
"The adoption? No. Shit on Gail Days like to hit everything. All it really needed was for my ex to waltz back in, married with a kid," she sighed and leaned back, draping her arms over the couch. "Not Nicholas. I actually don't care about him like that. Too male."
That sounded like Gail. Noelle sat down at her desk. "Gail's been collecting evidence of all the Pecks for us, as well as most of their associates. It's ... It's going to be messy and loud."
Gail snorted. "You already arrested my parents, Noelle. How can it get messier?"
They'd arrested the Pecks? And Gail was still in the clear. Good god. "Where do I come in," asked Juliet, finally taking a chair. "They all know I'm IA now."
Noelle shook her head. "You said you needed someone for the sting in Vancouver. Someone who could, legitimately, play a cop no one wanted?" She pointed at Gail.
The blonde- brunette flicked two fingers up in a salute and a smile. That too was unexpected. "Won't be too much of a stretch, huh?" Gail's self-deprecating joke hit a bit close to home.
"How bad is it here?" Juliet was fairly sure with the darker hair, Gail could pull it off. If she was half the liar her brother was, though, it might be a bad idea.
Gail shrugged. "Let's just say they found someone to hate more than you."
"She did it right," cut in Noelle. "She called me first, explained what Bill did, and then wore a wire to her own parents' house for dinner." The look of sympathy on Noelle's face was startling.
Gail snorted. "Noelle heard what my parents think of me, which is nothing new."
The senior officer went on. "Then she figured out that Det. Anderson was in on it."
"That was because of what Nash said," pointed out Gail. "The week after Steve was arrested? I got stuck with Anderson who spent most of her time screwing with my head. But she knew a lot about Steve. Which... Didn't jive with what Traci said happened when she met her at a crime scene." Gail shrugged.
"Anderson? How did I miss that," sighed Juliet.
Noelle shook her head. "They transferred her in after Steve, so it's not like you could have known."
From the couch, Gail muttered, "The sex wasn't even that good." When Juliet looked surprised, Gail added, "I put it together after. I didn't sleep with her to get intel. Even I have limits."
"But," Noelle started and paused. "It highlights the problem."
"How could you piss off everyone?" Juliet marveled at that. "There are a lot of Pecks, I get that, but—"
"I turned in my parents, Juliet. Every single person named Peck is suspended or arrested right now. Including me."
Juliet swiveled and stared at Noelle. "Every one?" The woman nodded. "Jesus. How far down the rabbit hole does it go?"
Gail ticked off on her fingers, "Anderson and Bibby, my brother's partners—"
With a cough, Noelle shook her head. Apparently she'd heard the list before. "Suffice to say, every Division, except Oliver, hates Gail right now. They think either she's in on it or she betrayed everyone."
"I'm either an idiot or a genius or both," beamed Gail.
Juliet looked at the Peck up and down. "Yeah? How's that feel?"
The blue eyes met her own and Gail said, grimly, "I can see myself in the mirror at least."
Ah. So that's how it was. Juliet sighed. "Nick might be a problem."
When Noelle looked confused, Gail explained, "Nicholas is in love with her. Went out to Vancouver last month to see her. And he wants to transfer."
"Did he tell you that?" Juliet was amused. It wasn't a secret.
"No," shrugged Gail. "Turns out nearly marrying him gave me insight to his stupid brain." When Juliet opened her mouth to express her shock, Gail added, "Don't worry. 100% gay here, and you're not my type."
Noelle pursed her lips. "We can handle that for now. But this... You said you need three to six months. Think you can work with Gail that long and not kill her?"
Six months working with Gail. "Yes," said Juliet with a slow nod. "People who go to the line for the right thing I can work with."
And so, three days later, Juliet found herself on a plane headed back to Vancouver, with a very quiet, suspended TO Gail Peck beside her. That was nice at least. Gail really didn't feel the need to fill the world with useless chatter. When Noelle told her that Andy McNally had considered the spot, Juliet had cringed. Andy chattered. A lot.
By contrast, Gail was silent the entire flight. She'd spent the three days boxing up her things and putting them in storage, though she'd really not had a lot of stuff. Saying only that she hated helping people move, Gail borrowed Chris' car to haul her one load. The cover story was simple. Gail was benched pending the investigation with her brother and family. She handed in her badge and gun and was told not to leave the country.
Blithely, Gail had asked if that meant she could rent a cabin in the middle of nowhere and avoid people, because after everything if this was how they were going to treat her, they could do without her. She'd even broken Oliver's heart, telling him that this was also his fault, for not staying as their sergeant. Juliet had seen Gail be mean before, but she'd never seen her vicious.
The last day in town, they'd established the cover story. Juliet, a dirty cop, had met Gail, a disgraced cop, and brought her into the gang. It would be a few weeks of prep work in Vancouver, but her boss seemed fairly excited about having this level of depth. The reality of what had gone on in Toronto just put layers of validity to the game.
On the other hand, Nick's transfer had been squashed. Temporarily. Once the case was over, Gail would go back to Toronto and return to her job as TO, and Nick would be told the truth. For now, he was told couldn't come because the chances were it would blow her cover. Juliet's cover, that was.
Neither Nick nor anyone else in Fifteen knew where Gail was going. The fight with Oliver about how he had to suspend her (he didn't know it was fake) was epic. And the insults to Det. Epstein and Sgt. Nash ... Juliet suddenly felt like she understood why everyone was a little scared of Gail.
"Your phone's off, right?"
"And in the box with everything in Noelle's office," replied Gail, her eyes closed. She'd studiously watched the ground during takeoff but, since the drinks were not free, opted to sleep. Or seem to sleep.
Juliet sighed. "Look. I actually really like that you're not chatty and that you want to do this. But we're going to work together for months, so we need a rapport."
Not opening her eyes, Gail asked, "Can it be that I'm angry and bitter and sullen, and you put up with it because I do my job well?"
She had to smile a little. "You say that now, and after we spend time in the same apartment..." Gail opened an eye. "I did think of a different aspect to the cover story."
The wheel in Gail's head spun and then she opened both eyes to stare. "Ugh, really?" Juliette shrugged and Gail sighed. "Better than McNally... Oh, yeah, Nick used to date her too."
"Well there's a perfect story. You hate McNally, so how about Nick cheated on both of us with her?"
That made Gail smile. "And we both coincidentally became lesbians?"
"You can be gay, I'm bi. There's a B in LGBT after all."
The smile stayed on Gail's face and looked rather real for a change. "You're like Chloe, without all the annoying bits." Gail closed her eyes. "So did I come here because I have a thing for you or for the job?"
"Job. We can let the romance thing simmer. May be helpful later." Making an agreeing sound, Gail settled back into the seat. "So... In the interest of our story. What happened with you and Nick?"
"Which time? The marriage was ... He left me at the altar and bailed for the Army." Gail sighed. "The second time was a mistake all around, and he fell in love with McNally when he bailed on me and went undercover." She hesitated. "And I cheated on him. Pre-emptive revenge."
They both digested that. "This... This could work," mused Juliet. "Really. McNally?"
"Yeah, I don't know. Something about her earnest girl guide blah blah blah." Gail grunted. "I don't like her. I did... I thought she was my friend. Turns out only one of those I have is Botched Boob... Shit." Gail opened her eyes.
"Botched Boob...?"
"One of ... One of my ex's friends. I ran into her at a bar the night after the trial." Wincing, Gail admitted, "I may have drunkenly told her my parents were evil."
Juliet frowned in thought. "Think she'll give you away?"
"Mostly worried she'll come looking."
"No, that's okay. Adds to the story."
Gail looked skeptical. "If you say so."
Smiling, Juliet leaned back. "Trust me, Gail. It'll work."
"I have to go back to Toronto?" Holly looked up from her microscope, surprised.
"A mess of cases are under review, some of yours. They asked us to borrow you for up to three months."
Holly grimaced and eyed her boss. "My cases? There are no inconsistencies in my cases, Rick."
Her boss sat down on the neighboring stool. "No, it's not you. Looks like a whole precinct up there was upturned. Corruption, murder, the whole nine yards."
"Division," she corrected. "They call them Divisions. Which one?"
"Uh, Fifteen? Yeah." Rick re-read the paper. "I guess they transferred half the people out, too."
Fifteen? Her blood ran cold for a moment. "What happened?"
"I told you, corruption, murder. Went all the way up to the brass, too. Lucky you moved here." Rick shrugged. "Two IA investigations. Took down a whole mess of people named Peck."
Now she was panicking. "Can I see the list?" She tried to be calm.
The look on Rick's face told her she was anything but. "Holly, I can't show you-"
"Rick, I used to date a cop from Fifteen. If she's on there, I have a big problem."
Rick snorted. "Why? You fudge a report for her?" When Holly glared he nodded. "That's my point." He looked at the file in his hand. "What's her name?"
"Peck." Holly pressed her lips together. She hadn't said the name in months. Not since she'd left Toronto. It still hurt to say it.
He looked up at her, surprised. "Holly..."
"Gail Peck. Please, Rick. Just let me know."
"Yeah, there are like a dozen Pecks on here. Is that weird?"
Holly shook her head. "Pecks are policing royalty in Toronto," she said quietly. "G. Gail Peck."
Her boss slowly read the page and shook his head. "Nope. I've got a Steve, but no Gail- wait, she's listed as a witness." Rick hesitated and handed the paper over. "You look like you saw a ghost, Holly."
Reading the paper did not help her feel better. "I think I did." There were the names of all of Gail's family. Holy crap. Her brother? Gail's brother was one of the primary suspects? Thank god she was sitting down. "That's her," she said, reading the badge number. 8727. She'd memorized that.
There were two cases. The first was where Steve had pled guilty to corruption. The second was where Bill and Elaine, Gail's parents, were on trial for covering up the corruption. Or attempting to. The key witness? Gail Peck.
Who was currently suspended.
And missing.
Though Holly wasn't probably supposed to know that.
She'd been chatting with Lisa a few months ago when her plastics friend complained that Gail really was a runner. After sorting out that Lisa hadn't been dating Gail, Holly had to ask why Lisa knew that. And how.
According to Lisa, she'd run into Gail at a bar, drunk off her ass, because she'd given up on the adoption of Sophie. After letting Gail sleep it off in her guest room, they'd found some things they had in common. But then, a month later, Gail was suspended and vanished without a word.
Lisa hadn't told her why Gail was suspended. She'd said she hadn't known, and all the force had told her was that that Gail was too close to the drama. Suspended. And currently anywhere but Toronto. The home Gail said she couldn't bear to leave. The town she said she was born in and would die in.
And she'd apparently left.
And apparently Holly was headed back to Toronto. In December. Merry Christmas.
"I'll be damned," muttered Traci as she watched the lawyers walk through the room, trailed by six of the forensics experts. Beside her, Chris was just as shocked. Fifteen was a completely different beast from the last time they'd seen the woman, but there was Dr. Holly Stewart. Gail's Holly.
"Wow. She looks good." Traci smacked Chris on the arm. "What? I know she's gay! I'm allowed to dream," he hissed.
Traci rolled her eyes. "She's going to ask about Gail."
"Oh." Chris rubbed his arm and looked worried. "But …"
"Yeah. Exactly." Maybe they'd luck out and Traci wouldn't come looking for them.
Of course, she'd been serious about men there times in her life. Dex, the druggie who hit her. Once. Jerry, who died on the trail of Gail Peck and managed to save her life. Steve, Gail's brother who was as dirty as they come. Luck had rarely been on Traci's side, and especially when it came to Pecks and Peck adjacent people. Their orbit could be dangerous, like circling the sun. You'd get burnt.
Seeing Holly brought the memories back. Traci felt terrible, but the last five months had been a relief. She really did like Gail. The woman was loyal to a fault, but she was a good cop. Steve's betrayal, while not Gail's fault at all, had made it hard for Traci not to see her as a Peck.
That hadn't been the case when Jerry had died. Then, Traci had seen Gail as the representation of Jerry's work. His death had not been in vain. And Gail had become a close friend after that, standing by Traci's side even when Andy got all stupid with boys. The six months they'd spent together, while Andy and Nick were undercover, had built a friendship that Traci thought would never break.
But it had when Steve betrayed them all. It hurt to look at Gail because she'd trusted so much and wanted so much to see the good things in Steve that she saw in Gail. Maybe if she'd been gay, she and Gail could have solved that particular problem, but she wasn't. Instead she looked at Gail and no matter how hard she tried, Traci saw everything that she was: a Peck.
And Gail had tried. She'd reached out to Traci, they'd started to make their way as still friends, and then Gail had turned on everyone. All her claims that she wanted to be a better person seemed suspect when she ripped her own family apart and turned them all in. Traci couldn't remember the last time she'd seen someone named Peck running around. Rumor had it they were all in jail or under house arrest, and so were their partners. Every last one was suspected and suspended. But everyone at Fifteen had been impacted, especially because they'd all worked with Gail for so long.
Being a Peck really wasn't Gail's fault at all. She certainly hadn't asked to have been born into that family anymore than Traci had wanted to be a fourth generation teen-mom. That was the hand life had dealt. Gail would always be a Peck, and she'd always be painted— no tarred by the stain Pecks had left on policing. Gail, who'd tried to keep the friendship with Traci no matter what, was someone Traci couldn't bear to look at anymore.
"Go back to work, Chris," she sighed and turned back to her office. Luck. She could pray for that, right?
The cough by her desk a few hours later told was luck just laughing at her. "Hi. Traci— I mean Detective Nash." Holly had an awkward smile on her face, a quirk to the side. Once, Gail had drunkenly described that look as endearing.
"Dr. Stewart," she replied automatically. "It's actually Sgt. Nash now."
"Congratulations. Holly held up a cup of coffee. "I hope I'm not imposing… I wanted to, ah, well." She sighed. "This is awkward. I couldn't decide if it was worse, asking you or Chris or Sgt. Shaw."
Traci smiled reflexively. Awkward Holly was kind of cute. "About Gail? It's pretty much a crap shoot," she admitted. But she pulled a chair over. "You're here about Steve's old cases?"
"All of mine with Fifteen, actually," explained Holly, sitting and handing over the paper cup. "They cleared me."
That was surprising. "You were suspected?"
"I guess the corruption was pretty widespread." Holly sipped her own coffee. "Fifteen …" She looked around.
"Was stripped down, salted, and burned. Welcome to the new Fifteen."
"You stayed, though."
"I was … Steve's replacement turned out to be in on it," sighed Traci. "His old partner. Classmate. Whatever." She knew she winced when she said Steve's name. It was hard not to.
Holly nodded. "And Gail turned him in?"
"Her." Traci was surprised. "How did you know that?"
Tilting her head, Holly gave Traci a look. "Really?"
Traci laughed a little. "Sorry. That was stupid." She sniffed the coffee. "So… I haven't seen, or heard, from Gail in five months."
The doctor nodded. "No one has. But … You know."
"I have an idea," admitted Traci. "There was a job, a UC job in Vancouver, with Internal Affairs. I'm betting Gail took it and her suspension was the cover."
Holly exhaled slowly. "She hates undercover."
Wondering if Holly knew exactly why Gail hated undercover work, Traci nodded. "It hadn't been exactly easy for her here. IA was about the only place that could look at her."
"You mean you," remarked Holly in surprise. "You couldn't look at her?"
Traci looked away for a moment. "No. Not really. Do you… Do you really know how bad it got? Holly, all the Pecks. They ripped into all of them, everyone associated."
Dryly, Holly pointed out, "I know. I'm not just here because I worked with Fifteen."
Oh. Right. "Sorry." She sighed. "You, uh, handling all this okay?"
"Well. Having every one of my cases reviewed because half the detectives are gone, and the other half because I dated Gail for less than three months is … I've had better days." Holly frowned. "I just… I just want to know what the hell really happened."
Traci shook her head. "I really don't know, Doc."
"Oh crap, just call me Holly. We both got Pecked." Holly leaned back. "Sorry. I've been stressed. They've been poking my whole life. Why I left. Was I covering for something. Why did I break up and then try to get back together."
She'd heard about that from Gail's perspective. According to Gail, Holly had asked her to move to San Francisco with her, to leave it all behind. "I wonder if she wishes she'd gone with you," sighed Traci.
Holly laughed softly. "She ran away from Toronto in the end." Then Holly looked worried, "Wait, she was trying to adopt that girl. Sophie?"
Traci nodded. "She … the day of Steve's trial, she gave up. She was relying on him, and me, for support and …" That hurt. She'd failed her friend there.
"Yeah," sighed Holly. "I can see that being hard." She closed her eyes. "If … if you hear from her, could you call me? I don't— I don't have to talk to her. God, I don't even know what I'd say. But … I just… I want to— I need to know she's okay."
Promising to do so, Traci walked Holly out.
How strange it was. Holly had only know Gail for a few months, but she cared so much. She worried so much. Holly needed to know how Gail was, even though it clearly hurt her deeply. Gail had cut her to the bone, leaving her, and yet she still cared so very, very much.
What was it like to love someone like that, wondered Traci. And did Holly even know that's what was going on?
It snowed a lot in February in Toronto. More than Vancouver for sure. Juliet turned and looked at her seat-mate. "Happy to be home?"
Gail looked out the window as the plane turned toward the landing strip, the sun peeking over the city at the end of their Red Eye flight. "Home," she said thoughtfully, as if she was tasting the word and finding it not to her liking. "I don't know."
"The offer stands, you know. Hayes really liked you."
Nodding, Gail didn't answer. She'd grown more and more silent as they'd wrapped up the case. For five months of undercover work, Gail had been spectacular. Astoundingly so. Juliet had worked with a lot of people like that, and Gail was the most reluctant natural ever. But damn she was good. The case had run long, but that was just the nature of those things.
Hayes, Juliet's boss, had sent her back with Gail for two reasons. First there was some debriefing that involved Noelle's team back in Toronto. However the second reason was that Hayes wanted to keep Gail and Juliet needed to woo her.
Whatever it took.
Gail informed him that adults should not use the word 'woo.'
Before their jaunt, Juliet would have said it was impossible to pry a Peck out of Toronto. Gail was clearly not your normal Peck, though. Gail had not lived like your normal Peck. She'd certainly not left like a normal Peck.
Noelle met them at the airport, picking up their luggage. She hugged Juliet and then, to her surprise, hugged Gail. Even when they'd been deep in their role as girlfriends, Gail hadn't been much for touching. It suited her, she didn't need to act all clingy, and in fact it made her reputation with some of the seedy underbelly. But the nights they'd ended up in the same shitty apartment, in the same bed, Gail had scrupulously kept to her own space.
"Look at you, Gail. Couldn't you get any sun?" Noelle held her at arm's length.
"It was Vancouver, not LA," sighed Gail. But she did look better. Still pale, but less sickly. Like life had been breathed back into her. It was being sucked back out of here from the moment they deplaned.
Noelle smiled, as if this was expected. "Come on. Let's get you debriefed and then home."
The shallow 'yay' from Gail was understood by all. Juliet knew Gail hadn't put any thought in where she was sleeping that night. She still had no family contact, not even when they'd had their weekends off and Juliet had called Nick to explain she was deep undercover and she missed him. And he told her about ETF and how he loved it.
No, even on those days, Gail just waited. Surprisingly patient, she pointed out there was no one to call whom she could tell. Nick was safe because he was a cop. But he didn't want to hear from her. So she let Juliet gather the gossip from Toronto and half listened to how Dov and Chloe were doing. How she missed Oliver's wedding. How McNally was pregnant.
The one time Noelle came out to see them, Gail had asked nothing. Not even about her brother, who was behind bars. Noelle had told her anyway, but Gail just wouldn't ask. She simply ignored Toronto.
And here Juliet was, pushing her back into it.
At Fifteen, it felt different. Andy was still there, stuck at a desk, and she startled to see them walk in. "Holy crap."
Those two words sent a ripple through the officers. There was no cheering. When they'd come back to Vancouver, they'd been welcomed with hugs and cheers and whoops and immediate offers to have drinks bought. Here there was silence. And the silence echoed the more people looked at her. At Gail.
No wonder Gail had left. It must have been brutal. "Oliver wants to see you, but we're debriefing with Jarvis first."
"Fine," said Gail, the absolute indifference of tone making the words seem like a slap to all those who overheard. They recoiled. Visibly.
Except Oliver. Oliver ran from his office. "Peck!" They all stopped and watched as the man threw his arms around her and squeezed Gail close. "I knew it was an act," he whispered, not very quietly.
To Juliet's surprise, Gail hugged him back. "Not really," she sighed.
"You. You, my darlin' girl, you say things I need hearing." He sighed and let her go. "We're talking. You and me. After they debrief you. Okay? I have photos of the wedding."
Gail nodded. "Okay." And they watched him all but dance away,
"He missed you, Gail," said Noelle, very carefully.
"Yeah," sighed Gail. "Just him." She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked to the stairs.
The debriefing on this end was much the same as it had been in Vancouver. The only difference was, at the end, instead of an offer for a permanent position, Gail was handed her badge back.
"If you want it," Jarvis noted. "Hayes called and said he wants to fast track you to the Ds there. I'd ... Toronto would miss having a capable officer like you." He sighed. "But me? I'd understand."
Gail picked up the badge and turned it over in her hands. "Where would you put me?"
"With Williams for now," he jerked his chin at Noelle.
"Because I'm still persona non grata." Gail didn't ask that, she just seemed to know.
Jarvis looked uncomfortable. "It's not you, Gail... It's..."
And again, Gail understood. "It's the name." She tightened her grip on the badge. "How many are left?"
Questioningly, Jarvis asked, "How many-"
Noelle cut Jarvis off. "You."
Gail nodded slowly. "Me. Right." The badge was clipped to her belt. "Well then. It's me."
The door opened and the new commissioner walked in, along with a lawyer, and someone who was probably from SIU. "Excuse me," said the commissioner, a thick mustached, Tom Selleck look-alike. "Peck, we need to go over your statement."
"Now?" Noelle protested and started to stand.
"It's fine. Let's get it over with." Gail got up and waved a hand for Noelle to stand down. "Does it matter that I haven't decided about this yet?" She tapped her badge.
Fake-Tom-Selleck shook his head. Carter. That was his name. Greg Carter. "Maybe I'll make a better pitch than Vancouver, eh?" He held a hand out as Gail walked up to him. "Nice to finally meet you," he said, an insincere smile painted across his face.
As the door closed behind them, Juliet heard Gail reply, "Mutual, I'm sure."
She laughed. "Oh that poor man," smiled Juliet.
"He has no idea," grinned Noelle.
Jarvis looked confused but shrugged. "Well. That's all I have. Anything I should know, Ward?"
Sighing, Juliet shook her head. "No, sir. Gail was... Amazing. She put her life on the line for people she barely knew."
With a nod, Jarvis got up. "I don't think that will make her feel any better here." He left the room.
"That was perceptive of him," muttered Noelle.
"Was she ever really chatty?"
"Gail? No. Not like Andy, at least." Noelle smiled sadly. "I was hoping she'd feel normal, though."
Juliet smiled. "What? Bitchy and cold? I thought that was normal for Gail."
Even Noelle had to admit that it was normal for Gail. They went back downstairs and Juliet heard her name. She turned and saw Nick in cargo pants, boots, and a grey shirt. "Juliet!" He ran across the room and swung her into his arms. "You're here! Noelle said you might be, but you are."
It felt like home, being in his arms again. Except for the smell. "Oh my god, Nick. You reek," she tried to be serious, but found herself smiling too much. Six months without seeing him, touching him, had really made her realize that she did like him. Maybe loved him.
"I ran here," he smiled back. "I mean literally."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Juliet shook her head. "Shut up, Nick." She drew his head down for a kiss.
"Oh god, stop sucking face," groaned Gail, walking past them.
Nick startled. "Gail?"
"Surprised?" She smiled grimly at him. "Have fun, you two." And she walked to Oliver's office. "I'm going to say hello to someone who wants to see me."
Nick stared after Gail. "You were... With Gail? But I thought- wait, that was all an act?"
Nodding, Juliet leaned into his chest, soaking up his strength. "It was and it wasn't. It wouldn't have worked as well as it did if you all hadn't..." She trailed off as Nick stiffened.
"If we hadn't been, yeah." He looked after her. "We should talk."
Juliet leaned back. "Is that code for breaking up? Because I just spent six months undercover."
The taller man shook his head and leaned in, kissing her. "No. Not breaking up. I want to hear about your case. Can you tell me?"
"I can." She smiled at him and then looked at the office. Gail was sitting in the chair, her back to the squad, and Oliver looked very, very, serious. She could text Gail, she decided. It would be good for them both to be apart. Give Gail time to make a decision on her one, "When are you off shift?"
"Now," said Nick. "Sue said I'd be worthless."
They held hands as they walked to his truck, Nick carrying her suitcase. And hours later, after showers and takeout and sex and more takeout, Juliet remembered to text Gail.
I'm staying with Nick. Let me know if you need anything.
The reply came back quickly.
The less I know about your sex life, the happier I'll be.
Juliet smiled.
"Who's that? On the phone?"
"Gail." She tapped back that she wouldn't tell Gail anything.
Nick sat down beside her. "Six months with her as your partner. That must have been ... Interesting."
"I like her," smiled Juliet. "She's funny. Witty. Sarcastic as hell. But she's a good person."
Her boyfriend (is that what they were?) looked surprised. "You like her?"
She turned the phone off and put it down. "I know you two went out, Nick. That you were engaged." He looked surprised. "Six months, Nick. We talked a lot."
They had talked a lot. There was a lot of downtime, time they had to be in persona but not necessarily doing anything, so they'd talked about people they dated. It had taken a lot of cajoling, but Gail finally opened up about Holly. Juliet had heard of her, never worked with her, and had been interested to hear Gail tell her that Holly was probably the love of her life and she'd screwed it up.
Gail talked about her own insecurities of being a Peck, and how ironically they'd all come home to roost. They'd seen her as the least able Peck, the least worthy, and yet. It was, she admitted the only time she'd had someone to talk to about it, someone who wasn't tied into the mess of Fifteen too much.
Of course they'd talked about Nick and the failed wedding (Gail admitted to attacking Nick's motorcycle with a baton and taking out the lights and mirrors). They talked about Nick leaving her three times, and never giving her a second chance, which Juliet took as a warning to herself. Shit that would not be stood for. But then Gail noted that Nick went after Juliet. He never went after Gail. So they should follow up. See what they'd be.
And now it was time for her to talk to Nick and see what they'd be.
So she told him about the six months with Gail. It had been Gail's suggestion to be honest and up front about how they'd acted as lovers for the benefit of the part. In their time together, Gail had told her about Nick and Andy, how that went and ended for all parties. Juliet was prepared for Nick's fears and concerns. His doubts that six months apart, at the beginning of their relationship, where she was pretending to love someone else, would destroy them.
But they weren't Gail and Nick. Or Andy and Nick. Juliet was well versed at the lies of being undercover. And Gail was .. Well Gail was Gail. She made her own rules. Yes, they'd kissed. Yes, they'd shared a bed. Yes, she'd seen Gail naked and, frankly, been a little surprised when that had happened. Gail didn't seem to have modest streak about walking around naked after a shower.
It also meant she had to explain that Nick's transfer had been iced because they'd worried he'd blow Gail's cover. Nick accepted the reasoning. The fewer people who knew about a plan, the better. He accepted it all, swore he wasn't jealous, and asked if that meant he could re-apply now.
Because Nick trusted her. To Nick this was a simple situation. He still wanted her. He still wanted to be with her.
"Yes," she laughed and kissed him again. "Yes, you should come."
When Traci called, it made Holly's heart hit the bottom of her stomach.
"You're going to want to get to Fifteen. Gail rolled back in town."
She didn't make it that day. She couldn't. The last of the cases to go over had to come first. The last ones were done two days later and she texted Traci to ask her if Gail was there.
She's in a meeting with the brass.
So Holly bundled herself up and drove to Fifteen for the first time since she'd been back. The first time, the only other time she'd come to the station, she'd been in an SUV with lawyers. Now she was an ambassador without portfolio, unsure of what she wanted to even tell Gail.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to see her. To see with her own eyes that Gail was alive and well. That Gail was still Gail. Because everything else she'd heard had been hard to stomach. That Gail had betrayed the force? That she'd turned in family and friends. That didn't sound like a woman who once told her how she'd taken the fall for her classmates.
Yes, she had to see Gail. She had to burn the memory into her brain that Gail was still Gail.
She found Traci first, using her temporary access to let herself in. "Hey," she said nervously.
"Hey," replied Traci. "She's still upstairs. They're trying to get her to stay."
Holly blinked. "Stay?" Gail not being a cop was against the very grain of her soul.
"Apparently Vancouver wants her. A lot."
Sitting down at the empty chair, Holly blew out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "God. Leave Toronto?"
Traci nodded. "It's ... Well. You'll see."
She waited quietly for an hour before she heard Gail's voice. "I'll think about it," she said to a detective Holly vaguely knew. Swarek.
"I think you could be good," he said to her, and Gail nodded.
"That's not the issue, Sam," she pointed out, bitterly.
He looked away for a moment. "Yeah, I know. Just give it some thought, kid."
Gail nodded, not looking into the Bullpen. Not seeing Traci or Holly. "I will." She walked down the stairs.
Standing, Holly finally got a look at Gail. She was thinner, more worn. Her hair was a soft shade of brown, almost black, but not starkly so. She walked with a confidence in herself that Holly didn't quite recognize. It wasn't the self assured swagger that had melted Holly's heart a year ago, it was something else.
Mature.
"Gail," said Traci, passing Holly to stand at the railing. "Gail, wait. We should talk."
"Really? Three days later?"
Traci flinched. "That doesn't mean I don't want to talk."
"Well." Gail looked up but didn't seem to spot Holly. "I don't."
Frustrated, Traci started for the steps. "If this is because of what everyone said-"
"Oh come on, Trace, it's not like I expected a heroes welcome," sneered Gail. "None of you can even stand to look at me anymore."
Traci looked equal parts exasperated and guilty. "Gail, it's not like that."
"Oh, don't. Just. Don't, alright? I've had enough people lying to me." And then Gail's eyes caught sight of Holly, standing there hind Traci. "Oh." She blinked and shook her head, heading to the back of the station. "Of course." Not even a hello. It burned.
"Gail," called out Traci. "Where are you going?"
"To clean out my locker? Unless someone stole my clothes in the last six months, which they might. I mean, they had to be getting pretty rank."
Traci shook her head. "No. Oliver made us leave it alone." Then she asked. "Are you... Leaving?"
"Jesus, I don't know, Traci. Okay? I just want to do my damn laundry. Is that a crime?"
"No," said Traci quickly.
Swallowing her fears, Holly asked, "And… after?"
"Today? I'm going to get drunk and then sleep for a couple days in a bed that isn't in a low rent apartment," she grumbled. "Are we done with Twenty Questions?" Without waiting for an answer, Gail stomped off.
Traci cleared her throat. "I'd hoped she'd calmed a bit," she muttered.
"She's been like that the whole time?"
"No," admitted the detective. "It's … been very odd." Traci frowned. "She was fine for a while, made TO, and then she was angry. She was really mean when she left. Called Oliver a failure."
Holly startled. "She likes Oliver."
"Yeah. She does. It's funny. Oliver said that was why he kept the white shirt back on." Traci looked at Holly. "And she called me pathetic taking my time getting back in the game. Said Jerry would be disappointed."
That sounded like Gail trying to get people off their asses. "She played you," realized Holly.
"Yeah," Traci said sadly. "She did." Traci stormed back to her desk. "Come on. She'll be at the Penny."
Holly didn't think so. "I wouldn't. I'm not sure... maybe we should let her process."
"No, she's had three days. She's just being a child." Traci was firm.
Reluctantly, Holly pulled her coat on and followed Traci down the street to the Penny. No Gail. While Traci interrogated the bartender, Holly pulled her phone out and called Gail. No answer. Then she called Lisa.
"Hi, Lisa..."
"Hey, missy back in town," laughed Lisa. "Feeling guilty because it's been three weeks and you still haven't hung out with me?"
Holly hesitated. "Okay, it's not that... You said you'd gone drinking with Gail?"
"Seriously? I told you she skipped town."
"She's back in town. I just saw her at Fifteen. She's been undercover in Vancouver."
Lisa was silent for a moment. Long enough for Holly to think she was about to lie. "For half a year, and you think she wants to talk to you?"
That meant Lisa knew something. "Listen, I'm at the Penny with Traci but Gail's not here. What bar did you meet her at?"
Silent for a while, Lisa sighed. "I'll call you back, okay?"
Holly grimaced. "Lisa."
"Don't. Look, I promised Gail... I need to talk to her first. Okay?" Lisa with a promise was not someone to mess with. That was why Holly was still her friend, after everything.
"I understand," sighed Holly. "Just... Tell her... God I don't know. Tell her I'm sorry." Lisa said she would and hung up. "Lisa's going to... Look for her. God, I need a drink."
Traci patted her arm. "Coffee. We can figure out what's next in a bit."
They walked down the street to a tiny coffee bistro that Holly partly remembered. Gail had brought her coffee from there before. "You know what's the worst part? We only went out for two and a half months," sighed Holly. "How can she have messed with my head that much in less than three months?"
Smiling, Traci looked at her hands. "I felt that way about Jerry."
"I miss talking to her."
"Me too," admitted Traci. "She's ... She's a storm, Holly."
Exhaling loudly, Holly looked away. The storm of Gail Peck had battered her shore, tearing her apart, breaking her down. Gail had, like the forces of nature, forever changed her landscape. She had never been the same since Gail blew into her life.
"I'm not... I'm not trying to get back with her, Traci. I just need to know for myself that she's okay. She's important to me."
And Traci gave her a strange look. "Aren't you mad?"
Holly blinked. "At Gail? I forgave her about the fight ages ago."
"I meant ... She threw everything into an uproar and bolted! You've had to spend Christmas here."
Shaking her head, Holly nibbled her muffin. "And I got to see my parents, on the government dime. She did the right thing, didn't she? She stood up and ... She said you guys never understood that."
Traci looked stunned. "What?"
"She told me about the guy who died in lockup." Holly gestured with a hunk of muffin. "No one backed her up."
Traci opened her mouth and then closed it. "Huh. Yeah. And then Nick bailed." She slumped in her seat. "I wonder what would have happened if they'd all taken the blame."
Holly nodded. "And then this? You're all blaming her for something I bet she didn't know anything about. Someone who does that, who takes the hit, she doesn't turn on them. She does what's right."
The detective mulled on that in silence until Lisa texted back with an address of a bar. They didn't talk any more as Holly drove them over. Gail and Lisa were seated at a table and Gail had a line of shot glasses.
"They get the next round," said Gail, as if that was a reminder of a deal.
Lisa looked apologetically at Holly. "Tequila," said Lisa, gesturing at her drink.
"Not Jim Bean?" Holly smiled and caught a smirk from Gail.
"No, I like this haircut."
Holly wrinkled her nose. "If you say so. I'll hide the scissors."
There was a pause and Gail gestured with her shot glass."I remember why I like you," she told Holly. It was the first time she'd spoken to Holly in months. Almost a year.
Holly sat down next to Lisa, giving Gail space. "I've got this round," she told them, and ordered a beer.
"Not joining me in drunk-ville?"
"No, I drove."
"So responsible," sighed Gail. "What about you, Super Mom?"
"White wine," she ordered.
"I'm still working on this one," said Lisa, holding up a margarita. It was a virgin, and Holly wondered if Gail had noticed.
The conversation was stilted and uncomfortable. Gail answered most questions with as few words as possible. She refused to talk about what things were like and why she was considering leaving Toronto. Holly knew why she left, but Gail was so much more of a Toronto entity.
Finally Holly pushed. "Gail… why won't you talk to me?"
"We're talking," muttered Gail. "These are words."
Holly snorted. "You just got back from being gone half a year and now I keep hearing you're leaving. You love it here. That's what you told me a year ago."
Her ex stared at her. "No. No, you do not get to throw that at me."
Because that was what they'd argued about before Holly left. "I'm not," she said softly. "I'm not throwing anything, Gail. I just want to know. I'm your friend."
"Yeah? Great friend. You left me." She then pointed at Traci. "You see Steve when you look at me. Andy sees all her friends changing and moving on. Dov, God knows what's wrong with him and Chris. Chloe... Is annoying. I don't have friends, Holly."
"That's not fair," started Traci.
Gail scowled. "Really? Tell me again who came to see whom after my brother, the guy I grew up with, turned out to be a traitor?"
"I was dating him," Traci said, defensively.
"Brother. 27 years of lies, Trace. Years. I'm so sorry," she said insincerely. "So sorry your boyfriend turned out to be a traitor. At least you have a mom and a dad and a kid, right?"
Traci flinched. "This isn't a one-up game, Gail," she said slowly.
"Oh believe me, it's not a game. This is my life. My reality. And please, who was it that backed me up when I told them about my parents?" Gail put a hand to her ear. "Crickets!"
Looking away, Traci admitted, "We were all too close, Gail."
"Yeah, well thanks a lot. Worked out great for you. Glad you're moving on. You have a future here."
Holly cut in. "Okay, can the pity party, Gail. Yes, it sucks that your family doesn't have your back and are corrupt. And yeah, Fifteen clearly dropped the ball, but you're still a damn good cop."
Snorting, Gail asked, "Where?"
"Jesus, you don't have to stay at this Division."
Gail laughed. "Really? What Division do you think wants me?"
Frowning, Holly blurted the only thing that came to mind. "What?"
"Oh my god Holly, you don't get it? You really don't…" Gail grimaced. "Let me explain it, in simple terms so you and Botched Boob Job here can follow along." Gail dug into her pocket and pulled out a name tag. PECK. "This name? This name used to be police royalty. This name used to mean that the person would give their life for the city. For the force. Now? Now it means liar. Cheater. Corrupt."
"Gail—" This was sounding like 'cut your hair off in the bathroom' levels of manic.
"See? No. You don't get it. I turned in my father, Holly. And that meant my mother too, and right now there is one, and only one, Peck left in Toronto policing."
Even Traci looked surprised. "Gail, that can't be right." But she didn't sound certain. She sounded fearful.
"Couldn't bear to look, huh?" Gail shrugged. "Can't blame you. That's why Noelle had to get me out of the way. Me and Juliet got to play disgraced cops. Fun times." She snorted. "That, by the way, is Steve's."
Traci stared at the name tag in a little horror. "You kept it?"
Gail nodded. "Reminds me how bad things get." She downed a shot of tequila. "Oh, and Frankie. Can't forget I turned in the girl who was trying to date me. Because my stellar track record with love just has to keep going."
Frankie? It couldn't be... Holly eyed Lisa who was making a surprised sound of understanding. "She was in on it?"
Nodding again, Gail sighed. "She was. Did you miss that part, Trac? My brother had a backup plan to get his old friend to hit on me. Distract me. So I'd testify for him and not think deep enough. But oh…. See, he's an idiot. Because Traci told me that she hadn't realized Frankie and Steve-o were friends. They didn't even act like they knew each other when she met them." Gail smirked sadly. "How'd'ya like that?"
Traci started to reach over to touch Gail, but stopped part way. "I'm sorry, Gail."
The pretty drunk Peck shook her head. "No, you're not. You're feeling guilty because everyone was giving a shit about poor McNally and Marlo, or poor you and Leo, and I was just getting what I deserved, being a Peck." Gail picked up the last shot before her, stared at it, and put it down. "Fuck it. I'm going."
"Where? You know Chloe moved in with Dov?" Traci looked apologetic.
Looking blearily confused, Gail asked, "So?"
Lisa cleared her throat. "She's been at my place."
"Really, you had to tell them?" Gail frowned.
"Oh shut up, Blue Collar."
"Screw you too, Boob Job." But Gail seemed to relax a little. They seemed to banter like friends.
Traci looked surprised, "Holly's ... Holly you're not staying there?"
Holly shook her head. "No, I'm in a hotel. But… Gail, don't you have any family to stay with?"
"No," sighed Gail, her voice forced into lightness. "My parents, my brother, most of my cousins, are in jail or under house arrest. Plus side, no more Peck dinners." She toyed with the last shot and downed it anyway. "Oh and I'm still a pariah at Fifteen. Nick won't even talk to me. Which is fine, since he's boning Juliet."
Very quietly, Traci pointed out, "I'm talking to you."
Gail snorted. "You really want me to crash at your place? What'll McNally say?" At least Traci winced. "Come on, Boobs. Drive me to your place. I want to sleep."
With an apologetic look to Holly, Lisa helped Gail up and out of the bar, stopping only to pay the tab. "I didn't think it was that bad," whispered Holly.
"I tried to lie to myself that it wasn't… She was… She wasn't that bad at the wedding."
"Who got married?"
"Sam and Andy. Oh, and Marlo had Sam's baby." Traci looked at her wine for a moment and then told Holly everything she'd missed. From Chris and drugs down to Duncan getting transferred. Everyone was split up. That was why Fifteen had felt so empty and weird.
And that was why everything with Gail was so weird. Now what?
Could she help Gail? Should she?
This is just part one. You have to have a break somewhere in there.
And yes, Holly, you should help Gail.