Ah well it had to come up some time - the mushy mush part. Leave Logic here.
You're still considerably shaken up from this morning's scenario. You're here at the tiny building this town called a Police Station, trying to ring up Oliver, replaying the morning's events in your mind over and over. In retrospect you needn't have been so scared - there was no way Holly would have managed to pull that trigger. Fiddling with the long cord of the phone while the call connects, you're kicking yourself for giving in so easily. I would probably fail miserably under torture. Finally - the call goes through.
"Oliver!"
"Peck - this better be good."
"It is. My WIFE put a GUN to my head asking that she talk to her mother TODAY."
"Is that so?" was Oliver's droll reply, ruffling some papers on his desk.
"Is this what marriage is like?" you mumble, feeling a little wounded.
"For you Peck - this is precisely what marriage would be like. AH! Here it is - OH this makes sense." Oliver utters, seemingly distracted.
"What makes sense?"
"Tell your wife she can call her mother sometime in the afternoon there - Around 3-ish." Oliver informs you, ready to cut the call.
"WAIT! She can do that - but I can't call you without getting an earful? Does that mean I can call my mother?" you retort, clearly surprised that Oliver was allowing this. You had expected him to turn you down at once.
"Do you want to call your mother Peck?"
"No - that isn't the point here - how does she get to do that!?"
"And this is precisely why marriage will feel like a gun to your head Peck. You'll learn soon enough. I've gotta go here - and one more thing. We're close to cornering the Don so it shouldn't be long till you can come back home, okay?"
"Fine."
Banging the receiver back on the phone, you slouch out of the building to meet Holly, who seemed unusually chipper. You've decided to frown and sulk through the day - but Holly doesn't seem to mind that.
"What did he say?" Holly jumps at you the minute you step out.
"He actually agreed, did you two plan this behind my back?" you growl, slumping back to the hotel- Holly on the other hand skipping a little, making you roll your eyes. This was going to be another long day in this place.
Half past three at the station again - it took the two of you half an hour to figure how to relay the phones and get it done but finally everything's set up and now you're leaning against the wall - dying to figure out what exactly was going on. The phone was rather loud so you could hear both sides of the conversation quite clearly. The duration of this wasn't supposed to exceed a minute- you had warned Holly about that repeatedly and she kept nodding along, waiting for her mother to pick up. The minute she does, the glee on Holly's face is heart-warming enough to get you to smile a bit.
"Mom!"
"Holly-Sweetie! Happy Birthday darling!" And you immediately hit your face with your palm and groan. Oh you idiot.
You don't really listen to the rest of the conversation - you're internally kicking yourself for forgetting that today was your fake wife's birthday. You immediately remember reading that on the file that the department had handed to you when you were asked to tail her.
Damn it.
The minute Holly puts the phone back down with a happy sigh - you pounce on her.
"Today's your birthday!? Why didn't you tell me that!" you prod, feeling a little hurt she didn't tell you and quite forgetting the morning's shenanigans.
"I didn't think you'd care about that. Besides it doesn't matter." Holly smiled back, clearly content for the day and walking out, leaving you scorned.
"That's not fair! It's my freaking job to care for you!" you call out, following her, trying to mentally work out something for your wife, to which Holly just shrugs, leaving you pretty dumbfounded.
Begging the diner waitress to bake a cake had been quite harder than you expected.
"She threw water on your face! She doesn't seem like a nice wife!"
"Well I deserved it - I have forgotten her birthday here, doesn't make me the most brilliant wife either." you had pleaded, desperate almost. There were only few things you could plan here. She had somehow given in to your begging and baked the best cake she could. The diner was pretty deserted in the evenings - and sticking on a candle on the cake (mostly because you couldn't remember the exact year Holly was born), you had lain in wait for her to turn up at the diner. When Holly does arrive, her genuine surprise when she sees you waiting with the cute cake is endearing.
"Do I get a present too?" she smiles, blowing out the candle and sitting across from you.
"I think holding a gun to my head was present enough for you." you smirk back, cutting a piece for yourself and Holly.
"I'm sorry about that but you don't seem like the type who would listen to reason!" Holly explains, taking a bite of the rather tasty cake.
"This tastes gorgeous! Sure your little girlfriend there didn't poison us?" she jokes, taking another mouthful.
"Oh that's just your half of the cake." you reply with a cheeky grin on your face.
"That's so sweet." Holly laughs, actually impressed by all the effort you've put in.
"Your next present is of course - Me, you can unwrap me however you want." you wink playfully, and Holly smiles back shyly in reply. And for the first time - the two of you are enjoying each other's company instead of just going with the flow.
Back at the hotel room, after some not-surprisingly heated sex, the two of you are just lying in bed, basking in the calm of the evening. Holly's lying on her side, and you've wrapped your arm around her, slightly confused that you've begun to enjoy this more than you thought you would.
"So, thank you for the most awesome birthday ever.." Holly begins, astonishingly shy for once.
"No need to patronize me Hol." you huff with a smile. You know this could have been easily better if you had known beforehand.
"I'm serious - this was the best birthday ever." Holly reassures you.
"Really?" and she nods in reply.
"Maybe next time I'll remember your birthday" you sigh, still feeling rather guilty about that.
"Next time?" Holly asks, surprised at that.
"I meant - next year, when we're back at Toronto." you hastily explain - and both of you realize that your stay here in this dreamland wasn't going to be forever, a realization that saddens both of you considerably.
"Listen - I'm really sorry I forgot your birthday, I know I should have remembered it, I read it on the file and I should have remembered it..." you ramble, feeling quite open.
"File? What File?" Holly questions and you throw your head back into the pillow.
"It's okay Gail - what file are you talking about? " Holly goes on, rather calm about this latest discovery.
"It was this file the department handed me when they asked me to keep an eye on you." you confess, wishing you had kept your mouth shut.
"Really? What did this file say about me?" Holly asks, curious about this file.
"It was all boring stuff - what you studied and cases you had cracked, stuff like that." you recall lazily.
"Huh."
"It made you sound quite the bore. Which isn't true you know."
"You think so?"
"I don't think any file could do who you are justice." you truthfully confess, and Holly hugs you tighter hearing that. You can't deny that this feels nice - having her in your arms like this. Well you can't keep up the cute lover act for long though.
"How old are you again?"
"And I was just beginning to like you!" Holly groans, punching you slightly in the stomach.