"I still can't believe your mother decorated the toilet," Holly said as they climbed the stairs from the basement where Elaine's wine collection had just taken a serious hit.

Gail handed Holly the bottle of Zinfandel they'd agreed Elaine would be least likely to miss and then locked the basement door. "And I can't believe she hasn't changed the basements key's hiding place in fifteen years." Gail dropped said key into the decorative vase on a small table opposite and then led Holly towards the den where she hoped they'd find Lucifer and untouched Christmas decorations. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Lucifer perched atop the mahogany bookshelf Steve had built for their father a few Christmases ago. From that elevated vantage point, Lucifer had a perfect view of the aquarium and all her new fishy friends, including her favorite, Ralph the rainbow fish.

"Is there a room your mother hasn't decorated?" Holly asked, her face inches away from the tank's glass as she watched Ralph's partner, Julio, swim by her nose.

"My old bedroom, which I banned her from entering when I was sixteen." Gail felt watchful blue eyes follow her every move as she opened the container of fish food and sprinkled some onto the water's surface. "Which reminds me, I've got something up there that I want to give you."

Holly straightened and quirked an eyebrow. "How very forward of you, but okay, sure, twist my arm why don't you."

Gail rolled her eyes but smiled.

They had made it halfway up the staircase to the second floor when Holly stopped to take in the family photographs hanging along the wall.

"Are you camera shy or something? You don't seem to be in any of these pictures."

Gail smirked and replied, "Nope, not camera shy."

Holly side-eyed her. "Somehow I don't believe you."

"Oh yeah? I'll prove it. Take my picture." Gail struck a somewhat awkward pose against the railing, ignoring the thorn poking her in the ass from one of the many wreaths hanging along it.

Holly looked at her as if she had a screw loose but took out her phone.

As Holly counted down from three, Gail pulled one of the most contorted expressions imaginable.

Holly reviewed the photo and burst out laughing.

"And that is why I'm not in any of the photos," Gail stated with pride before continuing up the stairs.

"What's your cell number? I have to make this your contact photo."

Gail recited her digits as they headed down the hallway towards her old bedroom. "Excuse the mess," she warned as she nudged open the door. She'd failed to make her bed that morning, and the majority of her clothes from her suitcase were scattered across the floor.

Holly pocketed her phone and surveyed the room. "So? Where do you want me? Bed? Floor? Wall? I'm not picky."

"Wall. Always wall."

"Speaking of walls," Holly mused, falling back onto the bed, "I'm kinda disappointed that you don't have any childhood posters on them.

Gail stepped over the cat bed Lucifer had abandoned last night in exchange for a spot on her pillow. "Elaine forbid it. We 'couldn't ruin the precious paint'," Gail repeated in her best imitation of her mother's voice as she knelt in front of her old dresser. "But if you look on the back wall of the closet, you'll find one."

Holly groaned as she rolled off the bed. "I'm not sure how I feel about venturing back into the closet," she confessed but stepped inside anyway.

Gail was rummaging through the bottom drawer, which was filled with old clothes that should have been given to goodwill years ago when Holly exclaimed, "Woah Nelly! I was half-expecting a poster of Leo, or maybe even the Spice Girls, but this? This is dark, Gail."

"Excuse me! Atreyu was hot!" Gail defended herself.

Holly poked her head out of the closet. "I don't disagree with you, but his horse, Artax, is being swallowed by his own despair in this particular poster."

"What can I say? I was a very moody teenager. Ah ha!" Gail said, finally finding what she'd been searching for at the very back of the drawer.

Holly stepped out of the closet with her own discovery. "Look! An old packet of Nerds!"

"How fitting. Nerds for a nerd," Gail teased.

Holly turned the packet over. "Oh no! Use by is February nineteen ninety-eight."

"Ah yes, Nineteen ninety-eight. When the price of a loaf of bread didn't trigger an existential crisis."

"I think I kissed a girl for the first time that year."

"Here, I'll swap you," Gail offered, and they exchanged their found items.

"This is Paul Molitor's rookie card." Holly looked at Gail in surprise.

"You like baseball?" Gail asked.

Holly inspected the plastic-protected trading card, carefully turning it over in her hands. "I have been known to swing a bat on occasion."

"Oh, right. Rodney did mention something about you liking hitting balls."

"But my twin brother, Sean, played in the minor leagues, and baseball was all he used to talk about. Well, that and girls. All that information kinda stuck in the 'ol" noggin'," Holly tapped the side of her head with her knuckle.

"Does he still play?"

Holly shook her head. "He packed it in after a season and joined the armed forces shortly after that. He's a technician with SAR."

"Search and rescue? That's…Totally badass."

"Yeah." Holly smiled, her pride evident. "But I won't tell him a pretty lady said that. He already has a big enough head as it is." Holly held the card up between two fingers. "Why are you showing me this?"

"I thought you could gift it to Steve. For Secret Santa."

Holly eyed Gail curiously. "You, Gail Peck, are a puzzle. I would never have taken you for the type who collects baseball cards."

"And you, Howel Steward, are very astute, because I stole it from him when I was six and never gave it back."

Holly snorted at her confession.

"It gets worse. I convinced him his best friend took it. They didn't speak for over a year."

Holly mouth fell open in surprise.

"I know. You may now call me Evil Pretty Purple Scarf Lady. Or E-P-P-S-L for short. Anyway, it's yours to give, if you want."

"Aren't you worried he's going to know where it came from?"

"Not really." Gail shrugged. "He's suffered three concussions since then."

Holly glared at her. "That's terrible, Gail."

"Yes, it is, but quite helpful in this instance, don't you think?" Gail strolled out of her bedroom, her stomach grumbling audibly. "C'mon. Dinner should be here any minute. I am so hungry I could-"

"Swallow a horse," Holly, to Gail's surprised, finished her exact thought.

/

"Why did you make me eat so much?"

Gail scoffed at the accusation as they started down the footpath, heading out into the street. Holly had needed a food break before dessert, so Gail had suggested they take a stroll around the block to help their food digest. It also gave Gail the perfect opportunity to mock the neighbors' Christmas light displays.

"I simply ordered the food. It's not like I forced the fork into your mouth over and over. You did that damage all by yourself." Gail had ordered enough Italian food to feed a small army and would be dining out on the leftovers for the next few days.

Holly shivered as her hands moved from rubbing her full belly to her biceps.

Noticing her discomfort, Gail said, "I want you to cast your mind back to three minutes ago when I offered you an extra coat."

Holly frowned. "I'm a dumbass, aren't I?"

Gail shrugged. "You said it, not me."

"Do you mind if I…" Holly linked her arm through Gail's and huddled a little closer as they continued along the footpath. "That's better."

"For who? You smell like dead people."

Holly laughed. "You're such a treat."

Gail couldn't help but smile to herself. She liked that Holly found her particular brand of sarcasm, which some might consider abrasive, amusing.

"Look!" Gail pointed to the closest neighbors yard and cackled. "Mrs. Landingham's blow-up Santa is eating grass."

"Should we go straighten him up?"

Holly went to pull away but Gail held her back. "Absolutely not! The last time I set foot in her yard she called the police and tried to have me arrested for trespassing and destruction of her property."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "And were you? Did you?"

Gail tugged on Holly's arm and they continued walking. "That's not the point. I was only eleven and I suspected she killed and buried her husband in their garden."

Holly chuckled. "Of course you did."

"She was acting really suspicious, okay? I watched her from my bedroom window every night for a week as she dug up the back corner of her front garden. Her husband had been MIA the entire time so I figured she'd chopped him up into little pieces and was burying him at last light. At the end of the week, after I saw her reverse his truck out of their garage and drive away only to return an hour later by foot, I decided to go investigate."

"Okay. That does sound pretty suspicious."

"Right? I needed concrete evidence before even thinking about presenting it to my parents."

"So what really happened?"

Gail bit her lip and then grinned. "Her husband had gone on his annual two week fishing trip with their two adult sons. His truck needed a tune-up so it was just convenient to get that done while he was away."

"And her digging at night?"

"It was the middle of summer and she was prone to sunstroke. She wanted to lay a new garden bed while she had the time to herself."

"What happened when the cops arrived?"

"She sent them away, but only after my father had promised to become president of her Neighborhood Watch group."

Holly chuckled.

"But that's not all."

"Somehow I knew it wasn't." Holly bumped Gail's shoulder.

"I was convinced Mrs. Landingham was lying so I went back the next night and dug around a bit more."

"And you found something?"

Gail nodded. "A bunch of bones under one of her rose bushes. Obviously they weren't her husbands, but they were big enough to pique my mothers curiosity, so she took them to a friend of hers that worked in the morgue, and oh my god, I bet this was one of the favors Dr. Martin mentioned doing for my mother." Gail proceeded to quickly fill Holly in on her interactions with Dr. Martin.

"So what did the bones turn out to be?" Holly asked. "Fox? Deer? T-Rex?"

"Dinosaurs are so cool. But no, it was a dog. They're front yard is a pet cemetery, and those particular bones were from a Saint Bernard called Bruce who was buried about eight years before I found them. According to my mother, I used to try to ride him like a horse when I was a toddler."

"Aww, that would have been a sight to be seen. So was Mrs. Landingham pissed when she found out you'd dug up her beloved pet?"

"I don't think she ever found out. My mother put the bones back in the middle of the night. Afterward, she said I showed great initiative and she's been wanting me to become a detective ever since."

"Those are some lofty parental expectations to drop on an eleven year old."

"Steve and I call them Peckspectations, which he ultimately lived up to, and I'm just-."

"Well if it isn't Gail Peck, my high-school nemesis."

"Biding my time," Gail finished her sentence under her breath as she stopped walking and slowly turned towards the house they'd just passed. There stood Natasha Blind, a familiar face from her high-school days. "Nat, wasn't everyone in high-school your nemesis?" Gail quipped.

"Perhaps," Natasha mused as she walked up to them. "I think the last time I saw you was at Thomas Coulter's high school graduation party when we were eighteen. If I recall, you threw a beer in my face."

"Still the highlight of my life."

"Then you need to get a better life," Natasha said good-naturedly.

Gail laughed. "I'm working on it. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought your family usually travelled to you in Boston for Christmas." Even though Gail hadn't seen Natasha in over a decade, she frequently heard about her with their moms being friends.

"Mom is in the middle of an MS flare up so we had to change plans last minute."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me know if she needs anything. I will be here housesitting for my parents over the holidays."

"Thanks, that's thoughtful of you, but I think we're all set. However, if in the next five days I need to escape from my family, I'm coming over to your place. And I'll be sure to bring the tequila. That's assuming you still enjoy tequila." Gail replied with a nod. Natasha turned her attention to Holly. "Hi, I'm Nat. Gail and I used to fight over bylines on the school newspaper back in the day."

"Fight" was a very strong word. Gail had spent most of her time at the paper using the computers to chat on AIM and rip her brother's CD collection. She had only been there because she needed an extracurricular activity and her mother believed being a journalist would help hone her investigative skills in preparation for the academy. Gail had agreed, not out of a passion for journalism, but as a means to avoid any sports-related activities or anything that involved joining an organizing committee.

"You must be Melanie."

Holly looked at Gail, confused, but Gail was equally as confused. "Uh, no, I'm Holly, Gail is my..."

"Secret Santa? Cat wrangler? Friend?" Gail suggested.

Holly smiled. "All of the above."

"Oh, my bad." Natasha looked at Gail. "When I saw your mother in the street yesterday morning, she mentioned you were going out with a Melanie and you two," she gestured between them, "were looking all cosy so I just assumed. I must have misheard her."

Gail laughed, finally recalling. She didn't think her mother had been serious about Melanie, so she had promptly thrown the phone number away.

"Oh, right, the senators daughter," Gail replied, not tempted to get into the story of her fake lesbianism right now. "Unfortunately, that didn't work out. Turns out I was too kinky for her in bed." She pointed at Natasha, "But don't quote me on that." Gail glanced at Holly who looked like her brain was short-circuiting, "Natasha works for the Boston Globe."

Natasha grinned. "Yeah, but in obituaries."

"Oh, right. And I'm joking, of course."

She raised an eyebrow. "About which part?"

"About it not working out. She's currently handcuffed to my bed."

Natasha laughed. "Remember that time you "borrowed" a pair of your mom's handcuffs and attempted a citizens arrest on your boyfriend?"

"How could I forget? I missed the Dido concert because Elaine grounded me for a month."

Holly tugged on her arm. Gail was surprised when Holly didn't tease her about liking Dido. "You arrested your boyfriend?"

"He stole food from the school cafeteria. And before you ask, there isn't some sob story about him being poor and hungry. He was just an asshole."

"So why were you grounded when he was the one that did something wrong?"

"He did end up getting suspended but I may have also injured him. On purpose." Gail sighed. She had learned a very valid policing lesson that day.

"Oh, that's right," Natasha laughed. "I remember my headline: Senior editor knees now ex-boyfriend in the balls."

"Hence the beer in your face."

"Just doing my job." Natasha grinned. "Well, I should let you get back to your walk. It was nice to meet you Melanie."

"It's Holly."

"Right. Sorry. You really do look like a Melanie." She winked at Gail and then went back inside.

"I'm learning so much about you tonight," Holly mused when they resumed their walking position, arm in arm. "So, Melanie, huh? I didn't realise you dated women."

Gail was quiet for a moment before answering, "I don't, or I haven't..."

There was a faint glint in Holly's eye as she nodded.

"How about you? Have you moved on from your ex-wife?"

"I've been on a few dates. One last week, actually."

Gail's curiosity piqued. "How'd it go?"

Holly chuckled. "Terrible. It lasted about twenty minutes."

"Sorry," Gail said, and she really was. Holly was good people, that much she could tell after the ninety minutes they'd spent together. She deserved to be happy.

"Don't be sorry."

"Did she take one whiff of your death perfume and bolt?" Gail couldn't stop herself from laughing at her own joke.

"You see that hedge right there?" Holly pointed to the next yard coming up.

"Yeah." Gail said amid giggles. "What about it?"

"Say hello to it."

Gail felt a shove to her shoulder, and the next thing she knew, she was no longer on the footpath.

/

"I think I'm going to have to get Lucy some pet fish," Holly declared as she walked into the kitchen cradling Lucifer in her arms. "She didn't want to leave them."

Gail eyed the fresh Band-Aid on Holly's finger and tried not to snicker. Even though she was the one who ended up in a bush on their walk, it was Holly who came out of it second best when she'd pulled Gail out, both laughing hysterically.

Holly went to open the latch on the cat carrier, which was sitting on the countertop next to their dessert.

"Before you lock her up, I should take a photo of you guys and send it to mom. I'm sure she'd love to see how her lie paid off."

"Okay, but only if you're in it too."

"My mom will hate that," Gail stated before an evil grin appeared on her face. "Okay, sure."

Holly shook her head. "You're going to pull faces aren't you?"

"I would never." Gail reluctantly moved away from their dessert and positioned herself behind Holly. She held up her phone in front of them and switched the camera to selfie mode. Instead of the typical "say cheese", Gail said, "Say 'dogs are better than cats!'"

Holly frowned as Gail pulled her usual contorted facial expression. The preview popped up for a few seconds for both of them to see.

"That's a keeper," Gail declared.

"You're ridiculous." Holly shook her head.

"I like it. It's my best yet. Mom will love it."

"Could you at least let me smile?"

Gail rolled her eyes but agreed and took another.

"Can we now take one without the face pulling, just for my eyes?" Gail looked at the pleading face reflected back at her through her phone screen.

Gail found herself relenting without protest. "Fine."

Holly smiled like she had won a prize. She repositioned Lucifer, who was a natural in front of the camera.

Gail took another photo, this time offering up her best smile.

"Look at that beautiful face," Holly stated.

"Uh, thanks."

"I was talking about Lucy."

Gail shoved her in the shoulder. "Jerk."

Holly smirked. "Can you send that to me?"

"Here, you do it." Gail handed over her phone. "I think I've waited long enough for dessert." Gail hopped up onto the counter while Holly tucked Lucifer away in the carrier. She picked up her spork and dug in, sighing with contentment when the deep coffee flavor of the tiramasu hit her tongue.

Holly quickly shot off the message to herself and then grabbed a spork. "Are you going to the Christmas party tomorrow night?" she asked as she leaned over the counter and smacked Gail's spork away with her own.

"Wasn't planning on it now that I've given you your gift. Also, the thought of everyone milling around and being merry makes me want to vomit."

"I know. I usually dodge these things but being new to Toronto, I thought it might be good for me to meet some new people. I'm all about growing these days." Holly knit her brows together, "Although, the prospect of going alone is quite daunting. Don't you want to go and pick up your gift?"

Gail thought of making another sarcastic comment but there was something about Holly that made her want to answer truthfully. "This might sound silly, but I don't really want to find out how much my friends, or the people I've worked with for ten years, don't know me." Not that it mattered, but she was sure she was going to end up with a gift that meant nothing to her.

Holly tilted her head to the side. She had a soft, understanding look on her face.

Gail shrugged her shoulders. "It's my own fault."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Gail sighed. "I guess I have always sort of posed myself as an unemotional or indifferent person to avoid being vulnerable. Avoid being hurt or judged. Well, no more judged than I already am because of my last name."

"And opening up to people and letting them get to know you also means being open to being hurt."

Gail nodded, not saying anything.

"It's always hard letting people see below the surface."

"Especially when you're not even sure what's below the surface yourself." Gail rubbed her forehead, feeling the tension.

"So who at Fifteen do you hope your Secret Santa talked to?"

"Probably Oliver, who trained me." She proceeded to tell Holly a little about him.

"Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"I won't hold my breath. Everyone thinks I'm a frosty bitch, so I'll probably end up with an ice cube tray."

"Hey! Don't knock ice cube trays. I have an awesome Death Star one."

Gail cocked her head to the side and asked, "What's a Death Star?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that," Holly said as she ate another sporkful. "Will your brother be at the party?"

"Yes. My parents will be a no show so 'he simply must attend and represent the Peck name.'"

"And why aren't you going to 'represent'?" Holly air-quoted.

Gail sighed. "Because…I don't matter, Lunchbox."

Holly's spork stopped short of her mouth. "That's..."

Gail shrugged. "It is what it is."

Holly's face turned serious, and she locked eyes with Gail's. "I can't speak to your family dynamics, or even begin to fathom the Peckspectations thrust upon you from an early age, or what could make you feel that you don't matter, but I've only known you for a few hours and I can safely say, you matter to me. I mean, look at what you did for me today?" She looked over at Lucifer, smiling yet almost on the verge of tears again. "I will never forget it." Lucifer promptly meowed and stood, wanting more attention. "And apparently neither will she."

Gail watched Holly poke her finger through the wire, making contact with Lucifer's front paw. In that moment, Gail realized she'd played a big part in making Holly smile and wanted to do it again. "I guess I can go the party with you, if you want," Gail found herself saying.

Holly drew her hand away from Lucifer. "You will?"

Gail nodded.

"You know what this calls for?"

"More tiramisu?" Gail remarked as she helped herself to another bite.

"Nope, a celebratory dance break."

Spork in mouth, Holly proceeded to dance around the kitchen. Gail almost choked on her dessert as Holly shook her ass to a beat that only existed in her head. This must have been a common occurrence in the Stewart household, as Lucifer couldn't have cared less about what her mother was doing.

When Holly finished with jazz hands, Gail set her spork down and clapped. "Wow! That was…Truly enlightening and not at all..."

"Careful," Holly warned, "I've got a spoon and I'm not afraid to use it."

"That's no spoon, it's a spork," Gail playfully reworded a famous Star Wars quote.

"So you do know what the Death Star is," Holly grinned, loading up her spork with tiramisu, "That's a relief. For a moment there, I thought I might have to sic Lucy on you."

"Of course I know what it is. It's that cube-shaped thing where some Borg live."

Holly frowned, obviously not impressed by the Star Trek reference, but her expression quickly shifted into a mischievous grin as she slowly poised her spork for an attack.

Gail slowly slid off the bench. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a bantha."

Holly smirked and drew her spork back, threatening to fling. "I find your lack of faith in my dessert-flinging skills disturbing."

Gail ducked behind Lucifer's carrier as Holly took her shot. She felt the tiramisu whiz by her head and heard it splatter on the fridge behind her.

Threat over, Gail straightened and looked between the fridge and a mortified Holly. "Lunchbox, with that aim, you'd make a great stormtrooper."