Part 16
Gail could feel eyes on her but she just continued to breathe and move silently through her poses. It had been a great night and so far it looked like a good morning. It was earlier than she usually got up so she thought she'd get some yoga in before attempting to make something edible for Holly, who was still fast asleep in their bed.
"You do know my room is on the first floor, right?" Elizabeth asked as she sipped her morning coffee. "The loft is the same distance from my room as your bedroom."
Gail grinned but continued with her routine.
"And you're really not a quiet person." Elizabeth continued, watching on as the blonde ignored her. "I could be scarred for life listening to the two of you."
Gail snorted but kept her final pose until she was done with her breathing then she eased out of it and stretched her arms into the air before twisting at her waist to loosen up.
Elizabeth averted her gaze when the blonde's tee rode up as she stretched. She was trying to be respectful. But any respect she had for Gail ended the moment she received a light smack to the back of her head as her sister's girlfriend walked by.
"Hey!"
Gail smirked over her shoulder. "Then maybe you shouldn't listen then, huh?"
Elizabeth frowned then followed as the blonde headed into the kitchen. "It's not like I wanted to listen to you and my sister get it on all night, I didn't really get a choice in the matter."
"And what did I say to you before I left yesterday morning?" Gail asked as she pulled some eggs out of the fridge.
Elizabeth huffed and sat down to watch as Gail started various pots and pans on the stove and pulled out everything from corn flour and cereal to fruit and bread.
"What are you trying to do, other than make a mess?" Elizabeth asked when it seemed like Gail had the worktop full of food items but had little idea what to do with them.
Gail turned and glared at the younger girl. "I'm trying to make your sister breakfast." She said, leaving the moron part of her statement to echo in her own head.
Chuckling Elizabeth got up and went over, taking the frying pan out of the blonde's hands. "Sit." She told her and then proceeded to make pancake mix and some poached eggs. She hummed as she worked, aware that Gail stood over her shoulder watching the whole time. But she liked that, it meant Gail wanted to know how she was doing what she was doing, which was a good sign for her sister.
She grinned as she plated up to find Gail had managed to make the toast and coffee on her own and find a tray from somewhere.
"What?" Gail asked as she cut up some different types of fruit and added the bits and pieces into a bowl.
Elizabeth shrugged. "Just remember you can't spend all day in bed with my sister." Her smile widened as she watched the blonde blush. "Maybe you should leave the bedroom door open just in case."
"Shut up!" Gail glowered at the other girl as she carefully picked up the tray and started to head for Holly but she stopped just at the doorway. "Thank you," She offered gesturing to the tray. "For the help."
"You're welcome." Elizabeth told her with a grin as the blonde disappeared from view.
xxxxx
Holly felt a touch at her shoulder and although she had yet to open her eyes, it made her smile.
"Hey." Gail greeted her girlfriend softly as she stroked Holly's stomach gently as the pathologist started to wake. "Morning." She said as Holly opened her eyes and she leaned down and kissed those welcoming lips.
"Morning." Holly said as she shifted to rest her back against the headboard and yawned. "Sorry."
Gail looked away so as not to smirk.
"What's this?" Holly asked as she reached for her glasses and spotted the loaded tray in her girlfriends lap as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Gail rolled her eyes and huffed, but she gently placed the tray across Holly's thighs. "Breakfast." She told her then pinched a strawberry out of the bowl. "I need to shower." She said quickly stealing another before sharing a soft kiss with Holly and getting to her feet.
"Enjoy."
Holly eyed the tray and then the space left by Gail, she then moved the tray aside and quickly climbed out of the bed and started after her girlfriend.
xxxxx
"You guys make me sick." Elizabeth muttered as she watched the now dressed pair pick at freshly made pancakes and hurried to drink down mugs of coffee.
Gail smirked but chewed her food rather than comment. Nothing was going to ruin her good mood especially when Holly shot her a knowing look and a wink.
"Ugh." Elizabeth picked up her fork and stabbed at the pancakes.
"So should I pick you up after work?" Holly asked Gail, taking one day off for her sister was fine but she was needed in the office today as she was due in court at the end of the week.
Gail turned back from filling up her travel mug with the best coffee she had ever tasted, she'd do pretty much anything for Holly just for a mug each morning, but why tell her girlfriend that?
"Actually I have an appointment after shift with my shrink." Gail explained. Which meant Holly either coming back from home to pick her up or they'd need to drive separately into work. Cabs were still the last resort for the blonde given her past.
Elizabeth eyed Gail on hearing that but quickly went back to her breakfast.
"Oh." Holly replied in disappointment. "Okay, can we do lunch at least?"
Gail shrugged and came back over to the breakfast bar. "Sure, as long as I'm not in the middle of something." She offered.
It was Holly's turn to roll her eyes at Gail stating the obvious.
"What about me?" Elizabeth asked eyeing the pair.
Gail smirked and gave Holly a look, letting the older woman have the final say.
Holly narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Aren't you the one complaining nonstop about us," She said gesturing to Gail and herself with a hand motion. "And now you're asking to spend more time with us?"
Elizabeth stayed silent but she stuck her lower lip out.
"Fine, I guess you can tag along for lunch." Holly relented, although she grinned when Elizabeth gave a little happy yelp and shook her fists out in front of her.
Gail looked between the pair not really wanting to ruin the moment but, "I'm not sure when I can get free for lunch though." She said softly.
Holly let out an aggrieved sigh as her sister's face fell. "I suppose you can tag along with me today, see how a professional works."
Elizabeth got up and raced over to Holly and pulled her into a big hug. She'd been asking for that very thing ever since Holly got her job at the morgue. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Weirdo's." Gail said biting the last bit of pancake and reaching for her bag. "Guess I'm driving on my own then." She said looking at Holly with sad eyes.
"Give me ten!" Elizabeth said releasing her sister and taking off for her room to change into something other than shorts.
Holly shook her head at her sister then stepped over and pulled Gail into her arms.
"Are you really okay with this?" Holly asked Gail.
Gail shrugged. "You're the one that's going to have to spend the day with her as your shadow, maybe I should be asking you that question."
"Are you kidding me?" Holly asked, pulling back from Gail and grinning widely. "I've basically roped her into playing goffer all day, it's going to be great!"
Gail chuckled.
Holly studied her girlfriend thinking about her therapy session. "Is there anything specific you're going to talk about after shift?" She asked curiously. Gail had always been very open with her without going into details, especially given they hadn't discussed Gail's kidnapping until recently.
Gail shook her head. "Not really, just the usual, life, work-"
"Your mother."
"Always." Gail could smile about that with Holly now that the older woman had spent a brief dinner with the Superintendent that masqueraded as Gail's mother.
Holly smiled but then she turned more serious, lifting her hand to Gail's face and caressing her cheek. "But nothing about us that has you freaking out right? Because if this is too fast for-"
Gail quickly silenced Holly with a kiss and reached up to cover the hand on her face with her own as she pulled Holly closer. "No, nothing like that." She insisted quietly. "I mean I'll give her a quick update on stuff, answer any questions she has then we'll get back to my mother. Probably." She added trying to smile. She actually did plan on bringing Holly up but just as a show that she was dealing with this relationship better than she'd hoped so far, and that things were really good with Holly.
But mostly she wanted her therapist to tell her how to deal with her mother pushing herself into Gail's career. Gail had always know it'd be a possibility, and so did every other cop that knew the Peck name, but that had always been more of Gail being handed the best assignments and being first to get promoted. Having her mother prevent her trying for a training placement had Gail re-evaluating her mother's career plan for her.
It had always been explained to Gail that she'd join 15 or 27, the two best division in Toronto, make a good impression with her arrest and conviction numbers, do some undercover work to get her name out there, then get the detective spot, where she'd spend a few years learning the ropes before going for special task forces and then finally applying for Sergeant and working her way up from there.
She really only had two options as far as she could see right now, deal with Elaine holding her back and staying in uniform, although she wasn't sure how she'd manage watching the rest of the gang she worked with right now advancing and leaving her behind, or consider transferring out of her mother's control, which meant out of Toronto.
And that wasn't even close to being an option right now, not with Holly in her life.
"You can talk to me, you know that right? About anything." Holly added, keeping her eyes locked with the blue of Gail's.
"I know." Gail whispered pressing her lips to Holly's again. "I swear we're good Holly."
Holly sighed then smiled, finally accepting that. Gail didn't look like she was avoiding anything and Holly knew dinner at Steve's had hurt her girlfriend not to mention Nick's insensitive words at the race track. Holly was sure Gail had a lot to go over with her therapist. "Okay, sorry, I don't know why I even asked that."
Gail shook her head. "You can ask anything okay?" She told her girlfriend. From anyone else it would have set off her bitch instincts and she'd blow them off with cutting words and glares, but not Holly, never Holly.
Holly gathered Gail back into her arms and kissed her head. "So it's not just to spend some time away from Elizabeth?" She asked jokingly and they both laughed.
"Hey!" Elizabeth said as she returned in time to hear that last comment. "How could anyone not want to spend their time with me?"
Gail snorted.
Elizabeth shot her a look. "You should be so lucky Snowflake."
Gail winced at the nickname but covered it by picking up the bag she'd dropped in favour of a hug. "Let's go, some of us actually have work."
Elizabeth smirked and followed the pair out of the house, she stood by her sister's car as she watched Gail head for her own, the Z4 being a two seater. "Shouldn't we wait to make sure that monstrosity starts for her?" She asked Holly loudly so Gail would hear.
Holly sighed as Gail spun around with a glare.
"Hey, watch your mouth kid or I'll make sure Holly makes you work with any floaters that come in today." With the bad weather and the location to the lake it was always a possibility.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and got into the car.
"Careful," Holly warned. "I just might do something worse." She told her sister and it made Gail smirk so that worked.
"Whatever." Elizabeth mumbled and watched Gail get into her own car and drive off, but not before honking the horn and getting a wave from Holly to send her on her way.
Could they be any mushier?
She turned to Holly as her sister got seated and started the car.
"So why is she in therapy, she's not nuts is she?" She asked quickly.
Holly stopped the car just as she was backing out of her driveway. "She is not nuts and don't ever say that about Gail again, do you understand me?" She told her sister harshly.
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Okay." She replied softly and watched her sister take a deep breath before driving onto the road.
"So, why then?"
Holly didn't answer for a while, concentrating on the drive.
"Besides having a controlling bitch for a mother, Gail's had some issues with work that I'm not going to go into with you and you aren't going to ask Gail about are we clear?" Holly said, giving her sister a stern look.
"But she's okay to work, I mean she carries a gun." Elizabeth said wondering how an officer that could aim a gun at someone could be on duty while seeing a shrink.
Holly frowned. "Of course she's okay to work, her issues are personal Elizabeth. Lots of people have issues, it doesn't stop them functioning in the rest of their lives."
"Okay, okay," Elizabeth muttered not needing a lecture. "I was just worried, I like her and you two are really good together." She explained. "I don't want her to be all crazy." She saw the glare Holly shot at her. "Poor choice of words, you know what I mean, you guys are good, so just, stay good."
"Mmmh, say any of that in front of Gail and she'll show you how crazy she can be."
"You'd protect me though right, being your favourite sister." Elizabeth gave Holly her best smile.
Holly snorted as she turned onto the road that would take her to the morgue. "I already have the spot we'd use to hide your body all picked out." She told her sister with a cocky grin.
Elizabeth groaned. "God, you two are twisted."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"You obviously don't know Gail very well." Holly answered with a laugh as she pulled up into the parking lot. "Come on let's see what they have for us."
Elizabeth followed along, signing in as Holly's guest and getting her badge at the front desk. She followed Holly up a flight of stair and then into a small room that must have been her sister's office.
"I really do like Gail, sorry if any of that made it sound like I didn't." She told her sister wondering if lunch would get cancelled because she'd opened her mouth and talked stupid.
Holly took her coat off and sat behind her desk, booting up her computer. Only then did she look at her sister who was looking a little sorry for herself. "It's fine, and she obviously likes you too or she wouldn't have felt comfortable mentioning her appointment in front of you." She explained.
"You think so?"
Holly almost rolled her eyes at the look on her sister's face. She wondered if Elizabeth was aware that she was crushing on her girlfriend or if Gail had picked up on it yet. "I don't know, maybe you should ask her yourself, just leave out the crazy part."
Elizabeth glared at her smiling sister but before she could form a response the phone next to Holly rang.
Holly eyed Elizabeth before picking up. "Wonder if this is that floater Gail was hoping for?" She said before answering the call as Elizabeth pouted across from her.
Holly listened and took down a few details before thanking the person and hanging up. She then stood and reached for her lab coat. "Looks like you'll be busy today." She said ushering her sister out ahead of her.
"It's not really a floater is it?"
Holly smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see."