Rookie Blue 1. Chapter 1

**AN/ **Not sure what this is, it should have been a romantic Valentine's Day fic, but Gail just wouldn't play ball.

So, umm, enjoy?

**Girls Night Out**

Gail scowled at the giggling she could hear coming from the woman's changing room. She could tell Andy's girly squealing right off and guessed the second voice was Traci's which was confirmed as she entered and headed for her locker to change out of her uniform.

The fact that the two women clamed up the moment they spotted Gail didn't bother the blonde half as much as it usually would, in fact she was grateful the screeching had stopped. Silence was a wonderful thing especially after the day riding with Chloe.

"So, Gail," Traci spoke up as she left Andy on the bench and came over to lean on the locker beside Gail. "Up to anything tonight?" She asked with the hint of a smile.

Gail gave her friend a look just as she pulled off her shirt and threw it unceremoniously into her bag.

"No." She replied as the other woman crossed her arms and waited.

Traci glanced over at Andy who just shrugged back at her and continued to tie up her boots ready to get out of the station.

"You sure?" Traci tried again. "Steve and I are heading-"

Gail slammed her locker closed and glared at her friend. "Why on earth would you think I want to know anything about what you and my brother plan to get up to tonight?" She demanded to know.

Traci sighed but Gail's attitude wasn't that intimidating, especially after how long she'd known the blonde. She never took it personally.

Andy glanced over at Traci, "I'll catch you at the car." She told her friend before leaving the pair to it. She knew Gail was still annoyed at her after finding her and Nick kissing in the parking lot that morning.

Gail glared at Andy's back but quickly went back to changing as she wondered why Traci hadn't left her alone as well. She really wasn't in the mood for this. Not only had Dov told her to get lost tonight, she couldn't even hit the Penny with Chris because he was working a double tonight.

She was almost tempted to pick up a shift as well, it would at least give her something to do.

Sad as it was to admit, she'd probably end up at her parent's house tonight.

Traci pursed her lips, trying to psych herself up to broach something with the blonde she knew could get her yelled at if she didn't handle it right. Actually, she waited until Gail put her dress boots away and slipped on her high tops before trying, just to make sure there wasn't any weapon like projectiles within the blonde's reach.

"You and Holly not up to anything?" She asked quietly, watching her friend closely.

Gail just kept lacing her shoes. "Nope." She replied with her head down. She hadn't spoken to Holly for a few days, the pathologist had been caught up with presenting some of her work in court and had been hiding in her office preparing for the case.

"Oh." Traci bit her lip as Gail went into her locker and pulled out her jacket. She knew she was running out of time for this conversation, but maybe she did have it wrong and Gail and Holly _were_ just friends. "You know it is okay to be happy Gail."

Gail frowned as she slipped her leather jacket on. "Uh huh." She had no idea what the hell was going on with Traci right now but she blamed the fact that the other woman was a mother for these weird, impromptu little chats they sometimes had that usually confused the hell out of her.

Case in point.

"What are you going on about?" Gail had to ask, when what she knew she should have done was just pick up her bag and leave.

Traci shrugged and moved across the floor to pick up her own bag. She walked back over to the blonde and they both started for the parking lot.

"Just you and Holly, she's nice, I like her." Traci said quietly as they made their way through the station.

Gail frowned, she had no idea why her friend kept bringing Holly into the conversation.

"Maybe you should bring her by the Penny sometime, introduce us all properly." Traci continued.

Gail shrugged. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about doing just that, but maybe she didn't want her friends meeting Holly so soon. She liked spending time with the other woman, the last thing she wanted was to have Andy or someone else start asking Holly to do things with them.

She wasn't ready to share.

"Maybe." She answered although she didn't plan on following through on it anytime soon.

They were quiet for the rest of the walk and separated as they each went to their respective cars, Andy already stood by the passenger side of Traci's.

"Have fun tonight anyway." Traci called over to her before getting into her car beside Andy and driving off leaving a still confused Gail behind.

Shaking her head Gail got in and quickly switched on the heating to combat the chill of the car.

As she waited her cell phone pinged and she pulled it out of her jeans.

_Just got finished. I'm off all weekend, want to celebrate?_

So the court case must have finished, or at least Holly's part of it.

_Yes? No? I could really do with a drink, I'll even buy? _Came the next message. It made Gail frown because there was a definite sound of impatience coming across that puzzled Gail, how did Holly even know she was done working?

While going out with Holly for a few drinks sounded great it made Gail think about what Traci had said about taking Holly to the Penny and Gail wasn't ready for that, even tonight when it sounded like the Penny would be the last place any of her colleagues would be.

She unlocked the screen on her phone and called Holly instead of texting her. It picked up after the first ring. "How about dinner?" She asked as her stomach reminded her that she hadn't got to finish her lunch due to an urgent callout.

"Dinner, tonight? Just the two of us?" Holly replied slowly.

"Well I just finished a twelve hour shift and I'm hungry so yes, dinner." Gail replied somewhat irritably.

Holly hesitated. "You want to go to dinner, with me, tonight?" She asked again just to be sure.

"Yes." Gail snapped back at her friend as she wondered why everyone decided to be weird tonight, was it a full moon or something? Unable to stop herself she glanced out her window but there was too much cloud cover to spot any sign of the moon. "Look, if you don't want to just say." She said into her phone as she began to feel uncomfortable. She didn't get the big deal, Holly had wanted to go for drinks, Gail just offered to have them eat beforehand.

"No, I'd love to, if you're sure." Holly quickly replied.

Finally. "Good, fine. I'll pick you up in an hour." Gail closed the call and put her car into gear and left the car lot.

Now she just had to figure out where to go and what she was going to wear. She couldn't go back to the apartment because Dov wanted to have some romantic night in with Chloe so she'd have to see what was still in her old room.

She frowned as something Chloe had said to her during shift niggled at her, but she couldn't remember because she always tuned the perky redhead out when she opened her mouth.

xxxxx

As usual her parents were out so Gail wandered up to her room without any harassment. Searching through her wardrobe as she tried to decide on what to wear Gail realised most of her more casual clothes had all made their way over to her apartment. She really had nothing here but a range of dresses and a few pant suits.

The last time she had come over here for clothes was the call girl case she'd gone undercover for, but she frowned at herself for bringing that up and quickly shook her head to banish those thoughts.

She just wanted to have a nice evening with Holly and forget about everything, including her ex sucking face with McNally this morning.

But if she wore anything in front of her she was going to have to put a bit of effort into where she took Holly. Dressing up was fun but it was better when you had somewhere to go where it would be appreciated.

Definitely not the Penny going by the choices Gail had to work with.

She took her phone out and quickly sent a text to Holly, _no jeans._

_Heels and a dress? _Came the reply.

Gail scowled at the message. Holly was already an inch or two taller than her, if the other woman wore heels tonight Gail would have to as well. She replied no to the heels but yes to the dress.

With that sorted Gail still had to find them somewhere to go. She sighed and looked through her contact list, knowing this far into the evening would mean she was unlikely to get a table in most decent restaurants which meant she'd have to pull out the Peck card to get them in.

On the plus side that also meant going to a very nice place where she knew they'd both enjoy the food. She quickly sent off a few text messages and she'd decide where she was taking Holly once she got some responses.

_Anything else?_ Holly asked her via another text.

Gail grinned and picked out her dress and shoes, placing them on her bed before going over to find a suitable clutch and some jewellery that would work well together.

This was fun, she hadn't put this much effort into a night out in a long time, and it was nice that there was no pressure with Holly, they could both just have a really fun dressed up night out together.

One of her contacts got back that he could fit her in if she arrived within the next thirty minutes.

"Nice." She'd last eaten there with her parents but she didn't let that put her off, as she responded with a thank you and a promise to return the favour if the guy ever made good on his threats to kill his wife by looking the other way.

And then Holly texted her again. _Gail?_

_Yes, we're taking your car and I'm driving!_

xxxxxx

As they pulled up at the front of the restaurant where there was a valet service, Holly couldn't help but stare. It made Gail chuckle as she exited the car and handed the keys over to a guy that looked far too young to be driving. "Don't scratch it." She warned him.

"No ma'am." He replied before hopping in as another teenager gave her a ticket for her keys.

She shook her head and then moved over to where Holly was waiting for her.

"Not what you expected?" Gail asked her friend as they walk through doors that were held open for them and into the large foyer area where they could see the maître d' waiting a few feet away.

They moved over to the cloakroom just off to the side and they both took theirs off and handed them over, receiving yet another round of tickets.

"Considering I was offering drinks at the nearest bar? No, but in a very nice way." Holly replied as she walked with Gail up to the front of house staff who were lingering by the entrance. Gail took a few steps closer and had a quiet conversation that Holly couldn't hear.

And then the blonde was back at her side.

Gail took Holly by the elbow and started guiding her towards the bar area off to the right. "Our table will be another few minutes, why don't we get that drink in?" She tried not to eye her friend too much but the brunette looked stunning in her mini black dress, it was very elegant and with her hair twisted up the way it was, she was looking very... yeah.

Gail was feeling a little nervous right now and a few drinks were definitely in order before she said or did something stupid and embarrassed the both of them.

She also had to remind herself that this was actually her idea, Holly had just gone along with it.

Gail saw Holly smirk out of the corner of her eye and glanced around the rest of the place to try and distract herself from staring at her friend too much. Although she thought this tactic was a bit late in coming on her part, she was pretty sure she'd just been busted.

It was only then that she realised just how busy the place was. It made her hands feel sweaty and her mouth go dry, there was people, couples and groups of people, everywhere.

She needed to get out of the place as she felt the room closing in. She mumbled what she hoped was an explanation and took off to the left where she could see the sign for the restrooms.

Gail glared at everyone she passed on her way. The restaurant was crowed and from the looks of people someone had released some type of laughing gas into the room. There was absolutely no good reason for all the smiling faces surrounding her.

It was worse than Frank and Noelle's wedding.

She really hoped Holly got her a double. Maybe she'd even have a few shots when she got to the bar just to combat her annoyance at having to be around so many happy people.

Just as she moved passed yet another toasting couple she heard it, in fact it made her stop and turn her head back in their direction.

"Happy Valentine's day sweetheart."

Gail's eyes widened to their fullest. There was no way she had just heard that. But then she watched the woman blush as the guy who'd spoken leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

PDAs yuck.

Then the words replayed in her mind again. _Shit._

Gail shook her head and continued on to the restroom with shaky, hesitant steps. Now it was all starting to make sense, Traci's weirdness, Holly's attempts to clarify going to dinner together, and the debate over how to dress…

As she entered the restroom Gail marched over to the sinks and splashed some water on her face before drying off and staring at her reflection in the mirror. For all intents and purposes she was on a date with Holly tonight, not a friend's night out but a couple's night out.

On the most couple centred night of the freaking year.

And to cap it all off she had brought Holly to one of the nicest restaurants in the city, one that she had had to pull strings to get a table for.

"Great, just great." She muttered to herself as she went and used the facilities then hesitated once more as she washed her hands. She glanced at her dress, it was one of the best she owned and Holly had dressed just as nicely. And while her instincts were telling her to run for it, she really wasn't that much of a bitch that she would ever do that to Holly.

That didn't mean this wasn't going to be the most awkward dinner she'd ever experienced when she went back out there.

She sighed, took a deep breath and slowly started making her way back over to the bar where she'd left Holly to order their drinks.

Alcohol sounded so good right now. Maybe they could even skip the dinner and just stick with drinking for the rest of the night?

Gail scowled as she spotted a man standing very close to Holly at the bar. She really didn't like that, and what made it worse was that even from this far away she could tell Holly was uncomfortable by the guys presence.

With a nervous swallow Gail steeled herself and made her way over as quickly as she could.

"Hey, honey, is that for me?" Gail say's stepping between the man and Holly while resting her hand on Holly's shoulder and taking the drink out of Holly's hand to sip it.

Annoyed that the guy was still stood there Gail turns and frowns at him. "Can we help you?" She asks with a pointed glare.

The guy smiled then put his hands up before walking away to the other end of the bar.

Gail huffed and went back to the drink, moving her hand discreetly from Holly to the back of Holly's seat as she continued drinking whatever it was Holly had ordered. It was a little bland but she could taste the alcohol so she was more than happy to drink it down.

She then picked up the second glass sat in front of Holly which she gathered was actually for her.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked before drinking that down as well before signalling for another round.

Holly grinned at her friend, noting how pale she was and how her eyes followed the barman eager for the next drink. "Finally figured it out?" She asked softly. She had to give Gail credit because the blonde was still stood inches from her and had one hand on the back of her chair and the other drumming its fingers on the bar top as she waited for the barman to get back with more drinks.

Gail glared at Holly, unimpressed by the smirk on her friends face. "Figured what out Hol? Why Traci was so weird earlier, or why I can't go home tonight, or maybe I've worked out why you wanted drinks and not dinner, or why you asked about what you should wear so much?" She offered then as the barman placed her drink in front of her she grabbed it and threw it back quickly before asking for another.

"Yeah, that." Holly replied although she didn't understand half of what Gail had just said. She watched the blonde scowl as she looked off into the dining area. She took the moment to order mineral water to replace her cocktail given she had just watched Gail down several drinks and didn't plan on letting the blonde drive them back after this.

"It's all a crock anyway," Gail muttered, her eyes flitting from table to table, taking in all the smiles and laughter. "It's so fake, like you should need to put aside one day a year to show your partner how much you love them. They should know that because you show them every day, even when you're both having shit days and are mad at each other, you should still know they love you."

That little tirade left Holly slightly taken aback, it was the first time Gail had said something like that to her without mentioning her asshole ex's. But she agreed with the blonde's sentiment, your partner shouldn't need a day specifically set out to remember how much you mean to them.

But before she could express that a waiter approached them a told them their table was ready.

They both picked up the drinks the barman just sat down and followed after the waiter. Once they were seated and had been given menus they were left alone at their table.

Gail cleared her throat as she eyed her friend again, now that Holly was sat in front of her she was less likely to be teased about it. "You look beautiful by the way." Gail said as she sipped at her drink and looked across at Holly who quirked an eyebrow up. "I wanted to say that before but I thought it might have sounded creepy."

Holly grinned as she looked down at her menu. "And it's not creepy now?"

Gail shrugged. "Not any more so than asking you out for dinner on Valentine's Day."

Holly smiled and chewed her bottom lip as she eyed her friend.

"But you do, look nice." Gail repeated before looking through her own menu for something to order. She sighed and glanced over again. "Is this weird?" She asked, if she drowned out the crowded room around them she was just having dinner with Holly, whom she liked and well, enjoyed spending time with, any time, even batting cages time.

Yep, that was a little weird.

"It doesn't have to be." Holly replied quietly, fiddling with the cutlery as she wondered how tonight was going to affect her relationship with the blonde police officer. They hadn't known each other for more than a few weeks, maybe tonight was a bridge too far given that Gail had to feel a little strange being here tonight with her knowing she was a lesbian and might think more of this than Gail had intended.

"It's just dinner Gail, that's all." Holly offered, wanting Gail to understand she wasn't expecting anything more than that.

Gail smirked at her friend but was interrupted by the return of the waiter. They both gave their orders over and when he asked if they wanted tonight's special for dessert it was all Gail could do not to laugh. She smiled at Holly and told the waiter that they'd take dessert to go at the end of the dinner.

Holly shook her head at her friend.

"So, how would I be doing if this was a date? Hypothetically speaking." Gail asked as she was finally able to relax. It may have been the alcohol she'd consumed on a pretty much empty stomach or maybe it was just that she was over caring. Holly was the most amazing, smart, beautiful person she had ever known, Gail would be lucky if Holly ever saw her as more than a friend.

Holly sipped at her water, wondering where the frightened cat had gone as she stared across at her friend. Gail had seemed so skittish that Holly had been close to calling the night off and just taking the pair of them back home.

"I'm not sleeping with you if that's what you're asking." Holly replied with a smirk of her own, if Gail was dealing with the situation better now, then Holly was just going to go with.

Gail snorted, "Nice." She commented, glad she hadn't just spat her drink all over the table. She saw the challenging glint in her friend's gaze. Fine, she could do this, it was Holly after all, and they always bantered with each other. She looked her friend over then lifted an eyebrow. "You should _be_ so lucky."

Holly grinned and made a show of looking around. "It's a nice restaurant, good food, and of course you are paying, so I'd say you're doing fairly well." She answered with a teasing grin.

Gail nodded, conceding all of those points. "That is fair considering I did ask _you_ out."

"I did suggest drinks." Holly reminded the blonde.

Gail shrugged, "But this is nicer, don't you agree?"

The tip of Holly's tongue slipped out to lick her lips as she watched her friend closely wondering if it wasn't just the alcohol talking. She picked up her water again, "You're still not getting into my pants tonight." She warned.

Gail sighed as the wait staff, who had to have just heard Holly's comment, arrived and placed their starters down before scurrying off again. She looked up and saw the apologetic look being aimed her way. But really what did she care what anyone thought about them having dinner together.

She shook her head. "I don't know why I put up with you." She muttered to Holly while trying to bite back a grin.

Holly smiled figuring the blonde wasn't mad after all. "Get me drunk enough and I might just show you." She said teasingly as she began to eat.

Gail shook her head but she couldn't ignore the way her stomach flipped that she knew had little to do with the food in front of her and everything to do with the woman seated across from her.

xxxxxx

The drive back to Holly's had been filled mostly by the sounds from the radio station, playing request after request to couples all over Toronto.

And even though Gail wasn't driving and usually couldn't stand the ooey, gooey, mushiness of it all, she left it alone. Especially because next to her Holly was humming along with every song.

Gail's hand itched to reach over to Holly's but instead she clutched tighter to the dessert box in her lap.

Her nervousness only increased the closer they got to arriving back at Holly's. Gail had no idea how she was supposed to act, what was she even meant to say? Would Holly invite her in to share the dessert she was holding in her lap, was she meant to politely decline and say her goodbyes at the door.

Was there supposed to be a kiss? On the cheek or otherwise?

Gail screwed her eyes shut as she felt a headache coming on, this is why she hated dating, at least with a guy you generally knew what they were expecting.

She had no idea what Holly wanted from her, and if Gail did try something would her friend just laugh at her?

So many questions, none of which Gail had any idea how to answer.

And then she realised the car had stopped and a look to her left showed a very amused Holly sitting there staring at her.

"Deep thoughts huh?" Holly asked with a grin.

Gail sighed.

Holly chuckled but didn't want to embarrass her friend any more so she let it go and got out of the car, waiting as Gail followed her lead and brought the boxed up strawberry cheesecake with her.

"You aren't holding that hostage are you, because I'm sure half of it is technically mine?" Holly asked as she started for the front door of her house. She felt a nervous twisting in her gut as she slipped the key into the lock, it wasn't like Gail had never been to her home before, she had, it was just that tonight felt very different.

Or maybe that was wishful thinking on Holly's part.

Gail walked through the front door and peeked into the box, "I suppose I could share it." She muttered as she placed it on the small table in the hallway as she hung up her jacket besides Holly's.

"You suppose?" Holly asked before disappearing off in the direction of the kitchen where she flipped the coffee machine on. It had been a few hours since their night began but she was still conscious of the possibility that Gail might be about to drive herself home.

Hence the coffee.

Holly pulled out two plates as she waited for the coffee to finish and placed them down on the breakfast bar where Gail and the cheesecake had taken up residence. She then got out two forks and sat down across from the blonde.

"So, do I have to fight you for a piece?" Holly asked as she held up her fork as a weapon.

Gail rolled her eyes and fought back a grin. "I need a knife Nerd, not a fork."

Holly's eyebrows jerked up. "How much do you plan on eating?" She asked teasingly only to receive a scowl that made her hold her hands up in defeat and stand up again. "Okay, okay. So much trouble." As she went looking for an appropriate size knife the coffee finished so as she handed the cake knife over to Gail she went and poured them both coffee.

Gail cut down the centre of the heart shaped cheesecake because it was making her feel nauseous having to look at it, then she made a few more cuts before placing a rectangle, completely unromantic, slice down onto Holly's plate, and another onto her own. She then closed over the box so Holly didn't see the destruction job she'd just carried out.

Holly quirked an eyebrow as she brought the coffee over and noticed her plate. It definitely wasn't what she had been expecting. She supposed the pink colouring and the slices of strawberries over the top was a nice touch, she'd just expected something a bit more in keeping with the romance of the night.

"Just eat it." Gail told her friend with a scowl as she watched her look down at her slice with a touch of disappointment.

Chuckling Holly sat down and started doing just that as she picked up her fork and cut a small piece off before tasting it. "Wow, that's really good."

Gail nodded but frowned down at her plate.

Holly noticed but left her friend alone for a few moments before asking, "Everything okay? Too pink for you?" She asked, hoping for a smile but she didn't get one as Gail continued to frown as she lifted her eyes up.

"Why did you have dinner with me tonight?" Gail asked softly.

Puzzled, Holly replied, "Because you asked me?"

"No, that's not," Shaking her head Gail tried again, "I mean, why weren't you out on a real date? You're smart, and funny." And breathtakingly beautiful.

"And a doctor that plays with dead people," Holly answered sardonically. "That tends to put a few women off."

Gail sighed and stabbed at her cheesecake. "That can't be the only reason, I mean tonight was really nice and fun,"

Holly perked up. "I _am_ a good date."

Gail shook her head with a grin. "You are, so why are you still single?"

Holly sighed and took a drink of her coffee before staring at her friend. "Maybe tonight going well had less to do with me and more to do with the company I was with." She confessed, only slightly worried about how the blonde would take her admission.

Gail frowned again, her foot bouncing below the table nervously. "So you, _like_ like me?"

"Yes." Holly answered softly, wondering if now was the moment Gail made her excuse to leave.

Gail swallowed hard, her hands feeling sweaty. "You're not just attracted to me, you actually like me?" She tried to clarify but Holly was giving her a confused look. She looked away in embarrassment. "Guys are always attracted to me, they just kind of put up with me because of that." She said in a soft whisper, even Chris, whom Gail loved to death now, had told her that her looks had made her mood swings worth it. And Nick had flat out told her she wasn't girlfriend material.

Holly knew about the ex-boyfriend, but right now she hated everyone that had ever had a hand in hurting the woman sitting in front of her. She had never seen Gail look so unsure and scared than she did right now.

Needing to be closer Holly got up and came around to Gail's side, she paused in front of the blonde then as she noticed the tears shinning in her friend's eyes, it made her capture Gail's face in her hands and lean in closer. "I like you Gail, I like that you are brash and sarcastic and funny as hell when you want to be. I love that you were willing to make a fool of yourself at the batting cages with me, even though you really sucked at it." She got a laugh from Gail at that and the blue eyes in front of her softened noticeably. Holly sighed and studied her friend closely. "I love that my confession that I was a lesbian didn't scare you away," She grinned as Gail snorted. "That you put your number in my cell phone without asking, that you wanted me to go to that wedding with you, that when I kissed you you didn't freak out on me the next time you saw me."

"I did kiss you back." Gail said and Holly smirked causing Gail to roll her eyes, of course Holly had known that. She shrugged. "I was more annoyed that you just got up and left than the fact that we kissed."

Holly's grin widened to its fullest and she stroked her thumb across Gail's cheek. "So, you wouldn't be too upset if I kissed you again?" Holly decided that she might as well go for it, the more they talked the less she felt like Gail was going to reject her.

"Actually…" Gail's eyes flicked off to the side causing Holly to pull her hands away from the blonde.

"Oh." Now Holly was really confused. She cleared her throat and stepped back as she adjusted her glasses unnecessarily.

"Please don't be like that." Gail said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like what?"

Gail looked away again and this time Holly followed her gaze and saw that it landed on the wall clock.

Holly bit her bottom lip, realising that maybe Gail was trying to make her exit. "Should I call you a cab?" She asked trying not to be hurt by her friend's reaction. No matter what she felt for her, she'd never pressure the blonde.

Gail scowled and looked back at Holly. "What? No."

Now Holly was really confused.

Gail rolled her eyes and turned back in her seat. "Let's just finish this yeah?" She said picking her fork back up.

"Okay?" Holly really liked Gail but sometimes she really didn't understand her.

Gail watched as Holly went back to her cheesecake but she could tell the older woman was unsure what was going on between them now. She sighed and picked at her plate. "I don't want our first kiss to be tonight." She muttered feeling like a brat just for thinking that way, saying it out loud made it sound worse.

"What?" Holly wasn't sure she'd heard right, Gail wanted them to kiss, but just not right now?

Gail let out a dramatic sigh, she pointed to the wall and with her head still down but a visible smile peeking out, she told Holly, "Try again in fifteen minutes."

Still confused, Holly looked where Gail had gestured to and only noticed the wall clock. She then noticed the time, it was 11.47pm. Gail had told her to try again in fifteen minutes, which would be after midnight and after Valentine's Day.

"You're serious?" Holly asked, a grin working its way onto her face as she felt butterflies dance in her stomach.

Gail grinned and ate another bit of her cheesecake before shrugging. "I told you, the day is a joke and I don't care what you say, I'm not kissing you until after the clock turns to tomorrow."

Holly laughed and shook her head. "You are insane."

Gail smirked at Holly. "So you've said."

Now that Holly knew she was going to be able to kiss Gail soon she couldn't help but keep stealing glances at the blonde, and at the clock, wishing it would turn faster.

Gail noticed the staring. "Impatient much?" She asked with a smirk on her lips.

Holly chose to ignore the question as she inched closer to the blonde over the counter. "You do know it won't actually be our first kiss, right?" Gail just smiled back at her.

"Dance with me!" Holly said as she leapt up and moved over to the small kitchen radio, flipping it on and trying to find an appropriate station.

"Nooo." Gail replied with a slow but definite shake of her head.

Holly found what sounded like a soft rock station. Satisfied she turned the sound up a little then went over and pulled Gail out of seat, ignoring her protests.

"No, Holly, this is worse than dinner, I'm not dancing with you to some stupid love song." Gail maintained as she tried to free herself from Holly's arms as she moved them over to where there was some space in the kitchen.

"Stop being such fud, and dance with me." Holly said as she held Gail from behind and started swaying them gently. Her movements and humming finally got a chuckle from the blonde and it spurred Holly on all the more.

Gail shook her head having no idea what a 'fud' was, but Holly was being all kinds of cute and if she wasn't mistaken she thought she heard The Boss coming over the radio, which she approved of.

Holly grinned as she felt Gail relax in her hold and cover her hands at Gail's waist. Holly responded by pressing her lips to Gail's neck which earned her a gasp of surprise.

And then the DJ's voice sounded into the room. "And for all you recent singles out there, this one's for you, 'till next year guys!" And on came Dionne Warwick with Heartbreaker.

Gail leaned over as she laughed as the song started.

Holly loved that sound, slowly she eased Gail around to face her and held her close, both of them smiling at each other as the night suddenly felt full of promises for them as they moved together leisurely, hands clasped together, fingers entwined.

After a moment, where Holly watched Gail stare at her with a look of fascination in her eyes, Holly moved their joined hands to rest one of Gail's hand over her own chest and trap it there with her hand.

"You got me cryin' like I thought I would never be, love is believing but you let me down; how can I love you when you aint around," Holly sang along in a whisper. She watched the impact of the words register with Gail as tears filled the blue eyed she looked into. "Get to the morning and you never call. Love should be everything or not at all, and it don't matter whatever you do, I'll make a life out of loving you."

Gail laughed at the changed lyric, but tears still fell. She'd been through that, more than once, more than she wanted to. She was always the one left broken hearted, but here she was willing to risk that hurt again with the woman in front of her.

Holly swallowed and bit her lip, wondering if she'd pushed too much. With Gail's hand still pressed to her heart she hoped the blonde understood that she was making a promise to her, to love Gail with everything.

Gail licked her lips as she realised they'd stopped dancing and Holly was just waiting, waiting on her to make a move. Gail's eyes dropped to Holly's mouth as she licked her own lips, her head unconsciously drifting closer to Holly's.

"Just so we're clear," Gail whispered, glancing up into Holly's eyes again. "This has absolutely nothing to do with Valentine's Day."

"Crystal clear." Holly answered back as she dumbly nodded her head in agreement as she held her breath.

They were breathing the same air now, Gail could practically feel Holly's lips on her own. "Good." She got out just before Holly closed the distance and captured her lips in a kiss. Gail wasn't sure who moaned first but when Holly's tongue slipped out to trace her bottom lip she was done caring as she welcomed Holly in as hands threaded into her hair, holding her in place.

Holly wasn't sure how long they kissed for before they separated and she rested her head against Gail. That had been some kiss, she thought with a wild grin, and she couldn't help but ease back. She was pleased to see Gail looking just as happy as she felt. She moved in and pressed their lips together quickly before pulling away and turning to look at the wall.

"Happy non-Valentine's Day." She said to the blonde as she noticed it was ten past the hour now.

Gail rolled her eyes causing Holly to giggle. "Mock all you want but you'll thank me for this later, trust me." She insisted.

Holly grinned, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Gail Peck in her arms. She shook her head almost not believing it was possible. "Stay with me tonight." She whispered softly, her voice full of hope as she bit her lip again, tensing as she waited to see how Gail would respond.

Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she was pushing for too much too quickly.

Gail looked at her hand as she moved it back to the centre of Holly's chest, her fingers trailing lightly down the valley between Holly's breasts. She didn't know what this amazing woman before her saw in her, but she was incredibly grateful that her attitude hadn't frightened her away.

She made a show of checking the time. "Well, seeing as it's Saturday and I don't have to work, maybe a sleep over wouldn't be so bad."

Holly nodded. "Uh huh, well then, I'm glad it's Saturday."

Gail grinned and slipped her arms up and over Holly's shoulders as she felt hands at the small of her back, pressing her into Holly's warm body. It was different, being this intimate with another woman, but it wasn't bad, not at all.

Her breath caught as she felt Holly's hands start to wander over her back and along her sides to tease the swell of her breasts. Damn that was hot. She swallowed and kissed Holly gently, staying close to ask, "Take me to bed."

Holly grinned and kissed Gail back. "Dance with me first?" She asked keeping their bodies close together as she started to sway them to the music still playing.

Gail melted a little, normally getting her into bed was the main goal for her dates, but here was Holly, sexy Holly Stewart, wanting to dance with her in the kitchen of her house some more.

She put her head down on Holly's shoulder and sighed happily.

Holly pressed her lips to Gail's head and started humming again as she moved them gently to the music.

"Hypothetically speaking, best date ever." Gail muttered to herself but Holly still chuckled.

"I am that awesome, thank you." Holly said as she wholeheartedly accepted the praise.

Gail didn't budge from her spot but she smirked and replied, "That remains to be seen, I'll let you know in the morning."

"Burn."

They both looked at each other and chuckled before moving in for a slow, meaningful kiss, full of promises still to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Girls Day Out**

It still hurt, the cream Holly had given her last night had helped but as she experimentally rotated her hand the pain was still making itself known. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as when she'd first spilled the chemical onto her wrist but Gail was grateful to be given a few days off before going back on duty.

Holly watched on from her side of the bed as she rested on her side. "Keep that up and it'll fall off." She jokingly warned as Gail started to poke at the injury.

Gail rolled her eyes but left her wrist alone as she turned to face her girlfriend. Her girlfriend. She grinned, that was taking a bit of getting used to. She saw an answering smile form on Holly's face, cute enough that she had to close the distance and kiss her.

"Morning." Holly said as Gail eased back a touch. Her hand moved into the blonde hair, smoothing it back away from Gail's face where it had fallen.

"Morning." Gail replied as her eyes drifted closed. Holly had such a gentle way about her, it was one of the things Gail could point to that was different from her previous relationships. Holly touched her almost constantly, especially when they were alone.

She sighed and inched closer, grinning as Holly gathered her into her arms and pressed her lips to her temple.

Holly rocked them gently, enjoying the rare moments she had like this with Gail. They had only been dating for a little over two weeks and already she missed the blonde when she wasn't around. Coming home to her house had never made her feel lonely before, but now, now it didn't feel like home unless she knew Gail was coming over.

She was in so deep already that it should have frightened her, but even with Gail's background, Holly didn't feel for a second that Gail was only giving part of herself to this relationship. Yes, Holly hadn't been introduced to any of Gail's friends yet as her official girlfriend but Holly didn't need that, not yet, not this soon into this.

She could wait.

Holly kissed Gail again as the blonde settled on top of her. They had all weekend together before Holly would have to leave for work on Monday. "What do you want to do today?" She asked, although she wouldn't object to staying home all day, she thought with a grin.

Gail shifted up onto her hands to stare down at Holly, ignoring the slight pain from her wrist. "Actually, I have a date."

Holly's hands stilled on Gail's back as she felt the shock of those words. But then she noticed the glint in the blue eyes above her and the smirk edging its way onto Gail's lips. Her hands moved again, still gentle fingertip traces of the pale, alabaster skin that she'd grown very fond of.

"A date?" She repeated quirking an eyebrow up at her girlfriend.

Gail smiled, pressing her lower body into the older woman. "Yes. And he's cute too." She informed Holly with a cheeky grin that earned her a pinch to her bottom.

Holly shook her head as she bit her lip, she knew Gail was teasing her but she couldn't figure out who the blonde was talking about. With a loud sigh she flipped them over on the bed, trapping Gail beneath her.

"Now, let's talk." Holly said as Gail giggled up at her.

Gail reached up and cupped Holly's face, staring at those dark eyes that still held more than a touch of confusion, but there was no betrayal or hurt radiating from them and it amazed Gail that Holly could be so patient with her right now, especially given what she'd been saying to her girlfriend.

"You have a date?" Holly asked with a tilt of her head as she tried to ignore the hands that were slowly trailing down her neck and across her shoulders.

"Yes." Gail admitted as she let her hands caress Holly's breasts gently, massaging them the way she had learned Holly enjoyed. She then lifted up and kissed the corner of Holly's mouth. "I have to leave soon."

Holly swallowed, her head shifting, trying to follow Gail's retreating lips.

Gail leaned back against the bed out of reach, she could see the cloud of arousal in those dark eyes she loved so much. She twisted Holly's nipple with one hand as her other travelled down her girlfriends stomach, she had to bite her bottom lip as Holly moaned for her just as her fingers found the heat of Holly's folds.

Holly gasped as Gail entered her, her eyes drifting shut as the blonde pumped into her confidently, as her clit was stroked.

"Wanna come?" Gail asked in a whisper as she lifted again and pressed her lips to Holly's open mouth.

"Uh." Holly couldn't concentrate as Gail's hand continued to move against her.

Gail studied her girlfriend's face, always fascinated by the emotions the flitted over her as Gail made love to her. She'd never really cared before, or noticed, but now, now she longed to make Holly feel like this, to bring her this close to the edge before watching her crash over it into ecstasy.

"Ugh…uh….ah…" Holly dropped her head down onto Gail's shoulder, she was so close.

Gail kissed Holly wherever she could reach as she felt Holly bite down on her shoulder. She missed looking into Holly's eyes but that was okay, there was always next time. Her tempo increased and she pressed a little harder, a little deeper. She knew by the sounds coming from her girlfriend that she was almost there. "That's it babe, just let go." She encouraged.

Holly bit down hard on Gail as she came then turned her head, kissing her girlfriend as Gail slowed her touches bringing her back down so gently that Holly was amazed that she was the blonde's only experience with another woman.

"So, about this date?" Holly said as she finally recovered her speech.

Gail laughed, her head thrown back as Holly snuggled into her body. She felt lips against her skin and wrapped her arms around Holly as she waited for her to look up, and she kissed her deeply when she did.

"I love you so much." She whispered as she pulled away and stared into Holly's eyes as she held her gaze.

Holly smiled. She pressed one more kiss to Gail's shoulder then lifted to capture her lips again.

"Come with me today." Gail asked, her voice soft and hopeful.

Holly blinked, puzzled. "On your date?"

"Yes."

"I think you've forgotten the main principle of cheating on your partner is to do it without them knowing, inviting me along will make it a very strange threesome." She told her girlfriend.

Shaking her head Gail told her girlfriend, "He's not into girls much, so I think he'll cope just fine."

Holly narrowed her eyes and pinched Gail on the hip.

"Okay, okay!" Gail said, knowing Holly would only take so much teasing, but she loved that Holly had let it go this far. "He's like six, Hol, I think your claim on me is still safe." She explained with a smirk.

Holly sighed, partly in relief and partly because she should have worked it out sooner. But to be fair her mind had already conjured up Gail spending time with Chris knowing her girlfriends ex was still coming to terms with the knowledge that the child he thought was his son was another mans.

"You're spending the day with Leo." She said as she shook her head at herself.

Gail grinned, her hand playing with Holly's hair, twirling it around her fingers. "Yup." She said, extremely pleased with herself.

"You are such a brat!" Holly said as she dug her fingers into Gail's ribs, causing the blonde to flinch and giggle as she tried to curl up into a ball but Holly was relentless.

Finally Gail grabbed at Holly, trapping her and kissing her. Holly tried to turn her head but Gail was persistent, not giving up until Holly finally conceded and kissed her back.

xxxxx

"So when do you have to pick him up?" Holly asked over breakfast. She was a little disappointed that she was losing a day with Gail but she would never stop the blonde from spending time with her friend's son. Gail had spoken often during their friendship about what a smart kid the boy was and how proud she was to be allowed into his life through her friendship with Traci.

Glancing at the clock as she bit into a slice of toast Gail replied, "At eleven." Which was over two hours away.

"Do you still want me to come along?" Holly asked carefully.

Gail finished chewing as she watched Holly. The older woman had given her such a safe environment recently, offering friendship when she desperately needed it as well as love and understanding while coming to terms with her feelings for her. It was time for Gail to give some of that trust back.

Gail picked up her cell phone which was laying on the breakfast bar beside her.

Holly frowned, watching as Gail put the device up to her ear.

"Hey, Traci, listen, why don't you come along today as well?" She asked as she stared at Holly. "No really, I'd like to introduce you both to someone." She continued then fought back a blush at Traci's excited squeal. "I take that as a yes?" She asked, before rolling her eyes at her friends teasing reply. "Whatever Trace, we'll meet you both there at eleven bye." She said quickly before hanging up with a shake of her head. "She's really lucky her kid's so cute." She muttered as she put her phone down and went back to her food.

"Gail?"

"Hm?" Gail replied, looking up from her plate at Holly. It was only then that she saw the troubled look on her girlfriend's face. "What?" She asked, giving her full attention to the other woman.

Holly licked her lips nervously, knowing she had to be very careful with her words to the blonde, not wanting to put Gail on the defensive. "You and Traci seem…close. There's history there, isn't there?" She asked cautiously, trying her best not to make it sound like an accusation.

Gail bit her lip, looking away from Holly as Jerry's face flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes wondering how on earth she could explain that to Holly.

Holly's throat seemed to close up as she saw guilt in Gail's eyes before she turned away from her.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have asked." She said, not sure she wanted the answer anymore. But Gail had told her she'd never been with another woman, never felt as strongly for any of her ex's as she did for her. Could she trust that now?

"No!" Gail threw her hand out to grab hold of Holly's, gripping it tightly even as Holly tried to pull free. "Holly, it's not like that I swear, please." She begged as her eyes filled with tears.

Holly stilled and tried to calm herself down. She tightened her fingers around Gail's.

Gail let out a shaky breath as she saw Holly was willing to let her explain. She blinked the tears from her eyes. "Last year I," She stopped, it wasn't just last year. "You know I asked Traci to dinner once, she practically laughed in my face."

"Did you like her, like…" Holly couldn't stop herself from asking.

"No, no, not like that," Gail replied, shaking her head and lifting up their joint hands. "Not like this."

Holly final felt something loosen in her chest letting her breathe a little easier.

"I just thought, seeing as we were in the same division together and we'd gone through the Academy together that I'd try…" She swallowed hard remembering those first few months. She'd hoped it would be different, but Traci, Andy and Dov especially never let her forget she was a Peck first and a rookie like them second.

"Anyway, after a while I guess they got used to me, or at least tolerated me being around after shift at the Penny, and then Chris and I dated. I don't know, eventually we just all became this sort of dysfunctional family?" She explained.

Holly nodded at her, not willing to interrupt her friend.

"So then last year, there was this case, some call-girls went missing and I fit the bill, blonde, pretty," Gail rolled her eyes. "We set up this dinner date with the suspect and the operation went great, he bit and we arrested him, and then I went home with an extra day off for all my hard work. It was all good." She told Holly with a grin which quickly fell as she had to get through what happened after that. "Excepted we got it wrong, and had the wrong guy in custody. I got to Andy's apartment," She saw Holly raise her eyebrow, she shook her head not wanting to get into all of that. "Long story." She said before continuing with the hard stuff. "There was a knock at the door, and I thought it was Nick coming over but it wasn't, I fought back, but…" She blinked tears which she quickly wiped away with her free hand.

Gail took a deep breath and tried again, "But he hit me with the door and then, he, uh, he choked me."

"Gail." Holly did want Gail reliving this because of her.

"No, please, I want you to know this." Gail said, she waited, staring at her girlfriend before she hesitantly nodded. "I, uh, I woke up on this table, I was blindfolded and strapped down…I was so scared because I knew what this guy was capable of and I couldn't do anything, I tried talking to him but he gave me something, he drugged me." She sniffled and wiped at her face again. Now that she was talking about this it was getting a little easier. There was no judgement in Holly's eyes or pity, just shock and sadness. "I don't remember much, I woke up a few times but then he'd put me back to sleep. Then I was awake again and he was shouting at me, he pulled the blindfold off and he had this knife, he was waving it around and screaming at me for being a cop and not telling him."

"He dragged me out of the basement but because of the drugs I really struggled, he just kept pulling me and shouting, and then we were in the kitchen and Jerry, Detective Barber…" Gail gasped and put her hand over her mouth as the tears returned. "Jerry was there but he was hurt, there was so, so much blood and he crashed into this guy, but he was too hurt and then he was shoved to the floor. He stayed down."

Holly lifted Gail's hand and brought it to her lips wishing she could do something to take away the pain Gail was experiencing trying to tell her this part of her past. "I'm so sorry Gail." She whispered emotionally.

Gail licked her lips and wiped her eyes. It was almost over. "The guy, Ross Perik, he put me into the boot of his car and drove away and all I could think was that Jerry was going to die in that house all alone, and for what?" Her life wasn't worth more than his that was the hardest thing that Gail had to live with, knowing that Jerry selflessly put her life above his own. "What I didn't know was that during the fight in the kitchen Jerry slipped his cell phone into Perik's pocket and Chris and Oliver, they found me."

Holly took a breath as her own tears fell.

"Jerry died. They got to him, Sam, they were best friends, but it was just…it was too late, he'd lost too much blood."

Gail sighed and took her hand back from Holly, and then using the sleeves of her top, she wiped at her eyes and face. The worst of it was out there now.

Holly sat there waiting knowing that there was more to come.

"Jerry Barber was Traci's fiancé, they'd been due to get married, they'd planned this whole life together and then he was gone. And it was my fault."

"Gail." Holly said reproachfully, knowing that it wasn't like that at all. Jerry had obviously been there because he was looking for her, trying to save her, and that was exactly what he did. Holly was sure Jerry wouldn't have wanted Gail to blame herself for what happened to him.

"No Holly, it was." Gail insisted with a frown. "I couldn't even go to his funeral, I was still in the hospital, but I'm not sure anyone would have wanted me there anyway." Then she sighed, things had moved on, she didn't feel as guilty all the time anymore.

"So they had him arrested and when the trial is about to start, which I had to give evidence at, and can I just say, not a fan of being in a court room across from the man that planned on killing me and did kill a friend of mine!" She told Holly with a scowl. "The thing was that just before the trial Nick and Andy took off for this undercover assignment, and well, Andy was, is, Traci's best friend and had been helping her cope."

"And when Andy left you stepped in?" Holly guessed. This would explain why the two women were close, they had bonded over Jerry's death, and the trial and his absence.

"Yeah, I mean Traci still had her mom, and Leo's dad Dex, but she was a mess, especially during the trial. I used to go over and play with Leo, take him out, just try to keep things normal for him while giving Traci some space to grieve." Gail went on. Then she sighed and shifted in her seat. "And then the trial was over and he was in jail, but we still hung out and I guess we sort of became friends?"

Of course then Andy came back and things shifted between them again, but they still had that connection they'd formed during those months.

"We're not like best friends or anything, but her and Leo are like," They were like Chris, they were like family to Gail. "They're important to me."

Holly nodded as Gail looked at her, hoping she understood.

Finally the tears were dried and Gail could almost smile again. "And you're important to me too, so I'd really like for you to meet them, as my girlfriend."

"I'd love to." Holly quickly agreed, right then she would have done anything Gail asked her to.

Now Gail did smile. "Great!"

xxxxxx

"So where are we going?" Holly asked as she sat in the passenger seat of her own car.

Gail turned and winked at Holly. "Just wait and see." She told her.

After a few more minutes driving Holly had figured out where they were headed. "The zoo, huh?"

"Yup, there's a new baby polar bear Leo wanted to see." Gail explained.

That didn't sound like a bad way to spend the afternoon, there was a café inside where they could have lunch and the zoo was large enough that you could easily spend two or more hours wandering around looking at all the different animals. "They have a petting area, right?" She asked, it was aimed at kids so she'd never paid much attention the few times she'd gone before.

"They do, but Leo's a big fan of the reptile enclosure." Gail replied with an exaggerated shudder that made Holly chuckle.

"Maybe we could leave that part for Traci?" Holly offered and Gail made a sound of agreement. "So, how come I'm not meeting Steve as well, they are dating right?" She asked having been thinking that very thing most of the drive.

"Uh, well," Gail flashed Holly a quick look before concentrating back on the road. "I mean, you'll meet Steve for sure, just, he's, well he's my brother so," That didn't sound like she'd really explained anything. She glanced back over anxiously but Holly just smiled at her. "I'm not really that close with my family." Or anyone really. "I just kinda thought we'd do the Penny next and you could meet Chris and Dov and the Princess next, then we can try for the awkward brother meeting where he'll spend all night grinning at us and telling you every embarrassing childhood story he can think of." She rolled her eyes as she heard Holly chuckle. "I'm hoping to hold that part off for at least another six months."

"Oh really?" Six months. That made Holly feel warm and fuzzy inside. She grinned at the blonde and asked, "And when do I get to meet your parents?"

Gail's eyes widened as she gave her girlfriend a horrified look. "Never?" She offered before backtracking. "Or, maybe, when Hell freezes over, I mean, have you not heard the horror stories about Elaine Peck? I'm sure the morgue's had to deal with her too."

Superintendent Peck's reputation did reach far and wide, and Holly had heard a fair share of stories but the woman was Gail's mother, she couldn't be all that bad, could she?

"When Hell freezes over?" She tried to clarify, wondering how that worked as a time frame.

Gail nodded, "Yeah, or, like when the floods come and the plague of locusts." She told her girlfriend.

Holly chuckled. "Okay, so let's just stick with Traci and Leo for now."

Gail flashed Holly a grin. "Very wise decision." She told her as she pulled into the visitor's parking lot. "You ready?"

Holly rolled her eyes as she got out of the car, accepting her car keys back as Gail handed them over after locking up the car. "He's six and I've met Traci before you know Gail."

Shrugging Gail reached for Holly's hand as they made their way towards the entrance. Maybe she was making more out of this than need be but she really wanted it to go well. "Just so you know, I think Traci thinks we've been dating since we met."

"Yeah?" Holly asked in a surprised tone even as she grinned. That was all the more reason to like the other woman.

Gail snorted, "Yeah, she dropped so many hints now that I think back." She shook her head wondering why she hadn't seen it herself sooner.

"Aww, that's really sweet." Holly said tugging on Gail's hand so she stepped closer and then she kissed the blonde. "You were kind of slow on the uptake." She told her girlfriend, thinking that she'd been very obvious about her feelings for Gail even as she tried not to be.

Rolling her eyes Gail huffed. "Whatever." Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, there was a chance now that both women would gang up and tease her to death. She pouted. "Maybe I should have left you at home." She grumbled as she spotted Traci with Leo standing by the entrance doors.

"Hey guys!" Gail called out and when Traci pointed them out to Leo, Gail had to let go of Holly as the boy came barrelling down the path at her.

Holly watched on fondly as Gail knelt down and opened her arms for who she assumed to be Leo. She watched them as Gail stood with him in her arms and twirled them around with both of them laughing.

Traci walked over and stood with Holly as she watched Gail with her son. "They look so cute don't they?"

Holly offered Traci a grin before looking back at the pair. "Looks can be very deceiving." She told the other woman who chuckled as Gail sent her a glare. She then watched Gail and the boy exchange hand signals and it made her frown before she realised they were using sign language.

Holly's eyes widened, Gail hadn't mentioned that. "Is Leo hard of hearing?" She asked Traci softly.

"What?" Traci turned to Holly then looked back over at Gail and Leo. "Oh, no, Gail's been teaching Leo sign for the past year, I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing yet." She trailed off as she narrowed her eyes at the two still silently communicating.

Gail grinned then picked up Leo and brought him over to the others. "So, Leo, this is Holly. My girlfriend." She said as she hitched the six year old up onto her hip.

Holly watched Leo grin then look at Gail and swipe his hand over his face. She was amused as Gail chuckled and blushed.

Gail smiled at Leo and gave him a nod. "Yup, very." She then eyed Holly and explained, "He thinks you're beautiful." She smirked as Leo moaned and hides his face into her shoulder for telling. She giggled and then lets him down, capturing Holly's hand as Leo grabbed for Traci's.

Traci was highly amused by the moment, wishing she'd had her cell phone out at the time so she could have captured the moment. "We all set then?" She asked, shifting her backpack on her shoulder. She knew they'd most likely eat at the café but she'd packed Leo a lunch herself not sure she wanted him eating burgers and fries.

Gail swings Holly's hand a little and eyes her girlfriend who smiles at her. "Yup." She informed Traci and the group then made their way in to pay for their visit.

"I didn't know you can sign." Holly murmured as they waited in line behind Traci and Leo.

Gail grinned at Holly but didn't reply.

Holly shook her head. "I guess there's still a lot we don't know about each other."

Gail shrugged. "We've got time, and I like that we don't know everything yet. I like learning new things about you, like the other night at that restaurant, you never said you spoke Spanish before."

That was true.

Gail paid for the both of them and then pouted as she had to let go of Holly to pass through the turnstile, she waited on the other side and quickly took possession of Holly's hand again once the older woman had joined her.

Holly wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but seeing Gail be so openly affectionate with her and the way she was smiling. It was nice, it also made her realise that Gail was very comfortable around Traci and Leo because she couldn't see any sign of the tension that often surrounded her girlfriend.

It had been painful to watch her friend at the wedding at times, although Holly knew part of that had been down to Gail's ex-boyfriend turning up. But here, now, with Traci and Leo, Gail was completely relaxed.

"Hey, Leo buddy, where to first?" Gail asked as they stopped next to him and Traci as the boy opened up the map Traci had just given him that showed cartoon figures for each of the animals that were dotted around the multi acre park.

Leo frowned as he studied the colourful map. His mom pointed out a few of the animals but he looked around until he found the picture of a monkey and then he grinned up at the women around him and pointed to it.

Gail looked at the map and then at the signs posted at the junction they were stood at. The monkey enclosure was a five minute walk away, it was as good a place as any to start.

"Okay, let's go boss." She told Leo and pointed for him to take the path going right.

Leo handed the map over to his mom and raced further along the path to look around, he wanted to be the first to find the monkeys when they got there. Then he stopped and glanced back before running back to the blonde and tugging on her hand to come with him.

Holly chuckled and released her hold on Gail as she made a show of being pulled away from her, letting out a distressed whine and reaching her hand out for Holly as she was pulled further and further ahead of her.

"Are they always like this?" Holly asked Traci as the pair took a more leisurely pace.

Traci gave a chuckle and a nod. "Oh, yeah. It's funny, she was really nervous with him at first but then it was like, bam, she just got it. They've been like best friends ever since."

Holly let them walk in silence for a bit, both of them smiling and waving when Gail or Leo looked back for them.

She cleared her throat and glanced at Traci, "She told me about Jerry, I'm very sorry for your loss."

Traci kept her eyes on Gail as she lifted Leo up onto her shoulders, waving at him when Leo shouts at her to look. She then smiled at Holly. "Thank you." She replied softly. "That was a very hard time for all of us." She admitted. One of the hardest things had been that Leo hadn't fully understood for a long time and would ask where Jerry was occasionally.

"You know it was Gail that took Leo to his grave site, I'd never been able to but she did one day she had him, I'm not sure how she explained it but after that he'd come up and hug me real tight every time I got upset. He even said we should go visit Jerry and maybe I wouldn't be so sad anymore."

Holly swallowed not sure what she could say to the other woman.

Traci sighed and glanced at Holly, wondering how much the other woman really knew. "I know she feels guilty about Jerry dying but she doesn't have anything to make up to me, we both knew, Jerry and me, just how dangerous the job can be sometimes. It wasn't her fault that he died."

"That's not, okay maybe." Holly conceded as Traci gave her a look. Maybe Gail did spend time with them to try and make up for Jerry dying saving her. Then Holly looked ahead to where Gail had Leo back on the ground and pointing something out to him as he looked on and nodded to the blonde.

"But this," She pointed the pair out. "I've never seen her like this, however this started she isn't faking this." Honestly, Holly didn't think she'd ever seen Gail so free and open without it just being the two of them playing around at home.

"Oh, I know." Traci acknowledged with a nod. "I just wish she believed me when I told her I didn't blame her for Jerry, I never have, not once."

Holly sighed, feeling sad as her heart went out to both women. Gail had been right the two of them were connected by what had happened and probably would be for the rest of their lives.

Traci grinned and touched Holly on the arm. "Hey, but if she wants to offer free babysitting for the next ten years who am I to argue with her!" She told Holly with a chuckle as she tried to lighten the mood.

Holly laughed and then she noticed Gail eyeing her carefully.

Traci grinned at her friend as the blonde started walking back towards them with a suspicious look on her face. She looped her arm through Holly's not willing to let Gail steal the woman way from her before she could get some gossip out of her.

"So, Holly, how was Valentine's Day?" She asked just as Gail made it to them, the instant blush that covered the blonde's cheeks made her and Holly burst out laughing.

Gail glared at the pair, suddenly unimpressed with both women. She spun back on her heel and went after Leo again. "I hate you both right now."

"Aww, don't be like that! We had a great time that night!" Holly shouted at her.

Gail was glad she was facing away from the pair as she grinned, she was pleased they were getting along even if they were bonding over their love to tease her. That was fine, she could pay Holly back later, when they were alone in the privacy of the older woman's home.

Gail reached Leo and got down, offering to have Leo piggy back the rest of the way. "Come on little monkey, let's go see all your brothers and sister, maybe we can find a way to take one home with us."

Leo gripped tighter to Gail's neck as she stood up and felt her arms tuck under his legs. "Ooooo, oo, ooh, ah." He moaned trying to make monkey sounds in the ear next to his face.

Gail chuckled and headed for the building in front of them.

xxxxx

Traci pulled the cellophane away from the sandwich she had made that morning and placed it in front of her son and then stabbed a straw through a carton of juice for him as well.

"So," She began, looking up at the pair across from her. "How long have you two officially been a two?" She asked with a grin that got wider as Gail scowled at her. "Give it up already Peck." She told her friend with a roll of her eyes.

Gail shrugged sheepishly. "About two weeks?" She said, hoping she could fudge on that actual date. "Maybe?"

Traci snorted and glanced at Holly, looking for the actual answer.

"Two weeks sounds about right." Holly agreed with Gail.

Traci glanced between both women, clearly catching the wink Holly sent Gail. "Uh huh, sure." She replied making it known she didn't trust either of their answers. "And by the way, you two weren't fooling anyone with that whole 'friends' thing at Noelle and Frank's wedding." She told them with a shake of her head.

Holly laughed as Gail blushed again. "We really were just friends at the time." She told Traci.

Gail snorted. "That kissed." She interjected as she popped a fry into her mouth.

Holly's jaw dropped as Traci whooped at this tit-bit.

Traci waved her hand, hoping to stop Holly saying whatever it looked like she was about to say to Gail, the blonde had such a smug look on her face that Traci just had to find out more.

"You both kissed at the wedding but have only been together for two weeks?" She asked Gail with a raised eyebrow. "Do explain."

Gail glanced at Leo then back at Traci.

"He's fine." Traci said, dismissing any concern Gail might have for talking in front of her son. They're were children with same sex parents in his school so she knew he'd be fine with it.

Holly leaned on her elbow, smiling at her girlfriend and letting the blonde know she was okay with whatever Gail wanted to share. Traci was Gail's friend after all.

"Holly was being very rude about my clothes if I remember, I think it was all a ploy if you ask me," Gail told Traci but she smirked at Holly and kept her eyes on her girlfriend. "Got me all worked up and in a huff and then what does she do?" She turns to Traci to finish the rest of the story as Holly had already started shaking her head at her. "She leans over and kisses me." She told her friend.

Holly grinned and threw a fry over at her girlfriend.

"Food fight!"

"No!" Traci cut off her son before he could even try and repeat Holly's actions. "No." She added, this time glancing at the adults at the table.

Gail gave Traci an innocent look, pointing to Holly who was the one throwing food.

"Sorry." Holly mumbled but she couldn't wipe the smirk off her face. This was going so much easier for Gail than she worried about. Gail could be so closed off, so protective of herself and afraid to get hurt, it was wonderful experiencing what it was like when the blonde didn't feel the need for it.

"Uh huh." Again, Traci didn't believe a word. But she let it go and the foursome got back to finishing off their late lunch, with half the park still to explore.

Holly smiled at Gail who winked at her.

"Of course, and then she just walked away." Gail informed Traci who looked genuinely shocked, and turned to Holly for conformation.

Holly shrugged looking slightly embarrassed. "To be fair, I was pretty sure she was straight at the time." She defended herself. She'd also seen how upset Gail had got seeing Nick.

"Well," Traci wasn't sure what to say and looked at Gail. "That's…that's understandable, we all kinda did too." She manage with the touch of a giggle as Gail glared playfully at her.

"I swear, if it wasn't for Leo…" Gail threatened which earned her a beaming smile from Leo.

Traci rolled her eyes and shared a laugh with Holly.

"Really, this is what attracted you?" Traci says to Holly as they watch Gail stick her tongue out showing her son her half chewed food.

Holly bit her lip as she watched Leo return the gesture at Gail. Then she looked to Traci a little helplessly and admitted, "She kinda does have some good points."

Traci snorted into her water and mumbled back, "Must be some helluva good points."

Gail narrowed her eyes as her girlfriend and Traci burst into laughter. She was sure they were laughing about her and she didn't like this, the two of them were getting too friendly.

She looked at Leo who had already finished all of his lunch.

"Let's go kid, we'll leave the hyenas to it." She said to the pair as she got up and reached for Leo's hand.

Traci smiled and watched her son skip off with Gail who waved at them as they disappeared out of the café.

Holly smiled after Gail, feeling only a little nervous about being abandoned to Traci's questioning looks. She knew she should have discussed this more with Gail, they should have worked out a plan, how much to share.

Traci wrapped up the trash and gave Holly some time to herself. She wasn't stupid, she knew Gail left so she wouldn't get embarrassed, but the blonde was also letting them both know that she was okay about it, she just didn't want to be within hearing distance.

Holly followed Traci's lead and the both of them disposed of the left overs and then started after Gail and Leo. "Do we even know where to find them?" She asked as the emerged into a crowd of people.

Traci pulled out her cell phone and noticed Gail was already a step ahead of them.

"Polar bears."

"Ah, yeah, Gail mentioned that this morning." Holly remembered.

Traci caught that and just couldn't let it go. "How is that going?" She asked with a teasing look.

Holly stared back at the detective. "How's what going?"

"Oh, please, like Chris and Dov don't come straight to me every time Gail doesn't come home." She explained with a shake of her head. "Which has been happening quite a lot in the last few days, if I'm not mistaken." She finished with a wide grin.

Holly glanced away as she tried not to feel embarrassed, her own friends and her sisters liked nothing better than a little gossip when there was a new relationship within their circle. But Holly had never really understood the need to do that.

"You're not really asking about sex are you?" Holly asked bluntly.

Traci laughed so hard at the insulted look she had to grab at Holly to keep from overbalancing.

Holly sighed wondering if she could run off and find Gail.

"No stop!" Traci said mid-giggle as she tried to catch her breath. "Ugh," She inhaled then exhaled slowly. "Better." She informed Holly. "I'm teasing really, I just have to mention Steve to Gail and she runs a mile." She told Holly with another laugh.

Traci was very impressed with Holly, not that she hadn't been before, she knew Holly had a great reputation at the Forensics department and with the DAs. She knew her job and was one of the top in her field, Toronto had done really well getting her, she easily could have gone to New York City or Boston, or any number of high crime cities in Canada and the US.

Holly eyed Traci then nodded. She wouldn't have been comfortable talking about her private life with Gail, even if they had been dating longer than a few weeks, it was private, and very personal to her. Holly treasured her time with Gail and she wasn't going to talk about it like her and Gail's intimacy was something to be giggled about, she respected her girlfriend too much for that.

Traci spotted Leo and Gail by the railing, Gail holding her son up on the ledge so he could get a better view. She patted Holly on the arm before heading for her son. "We've got to get you to the Penny one of these nights." She said as she left the pathologist.

Holly slowed to a stop and waited until Gail turned as Traci took her place with Leo. In a matter of seconds those clear blue eyes had found her and Gail was making her way over to where she stood just a little bit away from the crowd.

"Hey." Gail said as she stepped up and pressed a kiss to Holly's lips. "Having a good time?" She asked as she slipped her arms around Holly and hugged her. Gail thought it was going well, they seemed to be having a nice time, talking and laughing.

"She's really nice, thank you for inviting me along." Holly told her.

Gail sighed and cuddled Holly some more. They'd have to move on to wherever Leo wanted to go next but that was okay. She had the rest of the weekend to thank Holly for being so great today.

Holly grinned and hugged Gail to her. "So, you and kids huh?"

Gail eyed Holly wondering where she was going with that start.

"Is that something we're going to have to discuss at some point?" She asked. Holly tried to make it sound a little jokey but seeing Gail today with Leo, it gave her a glimpse into what it could be like for them.

Gail opened her mouth to answer when she heard Leo call her name. She let go of Holly after stealing another kiss. "Ask me again in a few years." She told her before walking away.

"Wow." Holly muttered quietly as she watched Gail return to Leo and take hold of him again and place him up onto her shoulders once more.

Two weeks together and they'd already touched on future children.

She'd never come close to having that conversation with any of her previous girlfriends.

"So," Traci said as she came back to Holly now that her son had his favourite person back. "How about the Penny, this next week sometime?" She asked.

Holly grinned at Traci, today had gone so well that Holly wasn't even worried about being introduced to Steve anymore.

Meeting the boys Gail lived with would be easy.

"Bring it."

Traci grinned at Holly then looked back over at Gail, her friend had definitely found a keeper.

xxxxxx

**AN/** So this happened.

There will be another two parts and this will be done, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Girls Starry Night**

Gail sighed as the elevator finally stopped and she could get out. Oliver was on this floor somewhere. She stared down the long corridor and hoped her uniform would be enough to get her into his room for a quick visit. She just wanted to see for herself that he was really going to be okay.

She'd been there to get him out, following into the building just behind the ETF with Chris at her side, both of them with their guns at the ready because they knew they were likely walking into a trap. But they went anyway.

She'd risk her life for Oliver Shaw, hoped her determination to get him back safely would be the same if it had been any other officer. But in truth, Oliver was special to Gail, she respected him and admired what he had achieved as a patrol officer at 15, but he also treated her like a daughter at times. Just little things, comments he'd make, advice he'd give while pretending it had nothing at all to do with Gail's situation. He was reliable and dependable and someone Gail really looked up to.

And he was funny. He could cheer her up with one of his dumb jokes and make her smile no matter how bad her mood was.

She also admired him more than either of her own parents who both had achieved so much more by Oliver's years in the police force. But that was ambition, a need to climb the ladder, earn more, be seen as more, and have the stature afforded to 'white shirts'.

Oliver was so much more than that, he was a cop's cop, the first to respond when called upon, the one who understood the streets because he had watched the criminals grow up and knew which crew was looking to take over which area of the city. He knew Toronto beyond what he needed for patrolling the districts covered by 15 Division, because it let him do his job better. He didn't need the fancy updated squad cars 15 were always being promised, no, all Oliver needed was his uniform, an early morning coffee and doughnut to start his day right, and the knowledge that his partner would have his back for their shift together.

And today it had been Gail's responsibility to have Oliver's back.

Gail clenched her jaw together as she paused her steps. She'd been doing the paperwork for the callout to Danielle's when Frank had order anyone that could to go out and patrol so that their numbers were high on the ground as they hunted down Ford. She stood when Oliver had, planning to finish her file on Danielle's case later but Oliver had waved her off, telling her he'd swing by and pick her up once she was done. He'd always hated paperwork and as she sat back down at her desk she'd made some lame joke about it being the only reason he partnered with her and he'd laughed as he walked away from her.

It had made her smile at the time.

The thought that today could have turned out so different made Gail suck in a breath. She could have lost Oliver today and instead of being able to visit with him she might have been planning to attend his funeral.

And Sam wasn't out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination yet. So there might still be that funeral to attend.

Gail felt her legs begin to shake and quickly collapsed into a nearby chair. She rested her elbows at her knees and stared down at the linoleum floor with a tired sigh, then she leaned back against the chair and rubbed at her eyes, she was exhausted.

And if she was honest, she was scared.

There was only so much space in her head right now and her own memories of her kidnapping kept surfacing every time she thought about Oliver. They made her want to get out of the hospital as quickly as she could just to try and drive them back into the place she'd found to store them after many months of nightmares and flashbacks.

But of course she couldn't do that, she had to be here, for Oliver and for Sam.

Gail shifted in her seat as her hand went to her cell phone. She pulled it from her vest and fiddled with it for a long moment before pressing a few commands and placing it up to her ear as it started to ring at the other end.

No answer.

Gail frowned and glanced down at the name on her screen. Nerd.

She tried again. And this time it rang until it clicked over to the messaging service. She sighed and hung up.

She looked around and spotted a few nurses down at a station that could probably direct her to Oliver if she asked nicely enough, but what she wanted more than anything right now was to hear Holly's voice, and to hear that her reaction earlier at the station hadn't ruined anything between them.

Gail swallowed hard as she felt tears build so she closed her eyes and tried one more time to get through to her girlfriend. But it rang out. She blew out a disappointed breath, praying to anyone that would listen that Holly was just busy with her job or asleep and wasn't deliberately ignoring her calls.

"Hey listen, Holly I know I screwed up at the station, and I'm sorry." She took another breath and tried to steady her voice. "Look, I'm at the hospital, it's not anything about me, I'm fine, really. But Oliver got hurt and Sam…Sam might not make it Holly." That was such a hard thing to say out loud. She'd seen the looks downstairs when Frank had arrived and asked about Sam's condition, she'd also seen how devastated Andy was, and she'd been beside Sam in the ambulance the whole way here.

It really wasn't looking good.

"I'd really like it if you could be here Holly. For me. Please." And then Gail had to disconnect before she was too emotional to make any sense. _Please come Holly._

"I'm sorry but you can't use that on this floor." A nurse said softly to Gail, causing the blonde to almost drop the device.

Gail cleared her throat and stood, tucking her cell phone away as she eyed the nurse. "I'm actually looking for Oliver Shaw's room?" She asked hopefully.

The nurse studied her closely and Gail hoped her teary eyes were going to work in her favour.

The nurse glanced around then point to a door further down. "Room 522, but if he's sleeping don't disturb him and you can't stay for long Officer, it's well after visiting." The woman said before turning around and leaving Gail alone.

Gail took a few breaths then started forward, slowly approaching the room and wiping at her face to keep from appearing too emotional, Oliver had no idea about Sam being shot and she wasn't going to be the one to tell him while he was hurt himself.

As she got to the door she looked in the side window and spotted Celery by the bed Oliver was curled up on. She knocked lightly then walked in, giving the older woman her best attempt at a smile as she noted Oliver was fast asleep.

"Hey, I just wanted to see how he was doing." She whispered to her partner's girlfriend.

Celery offered Gail a welcoming smile before her eyes went to Oliver who moaned and shifted in place. "He's doing fine, nothing permanent just a concussion and a few abrasions." She told Gail quietly as she adjusted the blanket over her boyfriend.

Gail stepped up to the bed next to Celery's chair. Oliver had been very lucky. Ford could have so easily just killed him, he'd had plenty of time and opportunity but instead he had used her friend to lure most of the police officers out of 15 so he could go hunting for those on his list.

"They've already said that he should be able to go home tomorrow." Celery continued sounding pleased at the prospect.

"That's good." Gail replied.

Celery nodded. "How are things?" She asked, glancing at the blonde in concern. She'd been in the station when Ford had attacked and knew Sam had been shot.

Gail looked at Oliver and made sure he was still sleeping before saying, "We're not sure yet."

Celery sighed and closed her eyes for a moment as Gail looked on. Then she opened her eyes and smiled at the blonde. "It'll all work out, you'll see." She told her confidently.

Gail clenched her jaw, not able to believe that just yet. Her finger reached out and touched the white cotton of the bed sheet. She sighed. It wouldn't hurt to try and think positively for once. She gave Celery a small smile and a nod of her head in agreement. "Let's hope so."

Suddenly Gail felt Celery's hand on her wrist. She looked down at the fingers wrapped tightly around her arm then glanced curiously at Celery, one of her eyebrows hiking up in question.

"You'll see." Celery repeated with a blossoming smile that unnerved Gail slightly.

"Okay." Gail replied with smile of her own and was relieved when the woman let her go. She didn't quite understand the whole 'witch' thing Celery had going on but if she said everything was going to work out then Gail didn't see the harm in agreeing with her.

Even if it was just to get her out of the room safely.

"I'm going to head back down," Gail glanced at her watch, she hadn't been gone for long so it was unlikely that there was any news to be had, but still, it was where everyone was starting to gather. "And wait I guess, can I get you anything before I go?" She added at the last second. She hadn't spent much time really with the older woman but she knew she meant a lot to Oliver, and it was good to see him happy again.

"I'll be just fine here." Celery said before glancing back to Oliver and then picking up the book Gail hadn't noticed until now and began reading again.

Gail took that as her cue to leave. She left the room as quietly as she could and sent a smile to a nurse that glanced her way before heading back down the corridor to the elevator.

It was nearly midnight and she wondered briefly if Holly was already at home or if she was still in the lab working. Her girlfriend did that sometimes, saying she often got more work done after hours because there was no one around distracting her all of the time.

As she pressed the button for the ground floor Gail pulled out her cell phone again, trying to swallow down the disappointment she felt when she saw that she hadn't received any response from Holly.

Tears filled her eyes at the thought of the pathologist going to bed angry with her, or worse upset by her reaction at the station. She hadn't meant to panic, but Steve had been right behind her and she hadn't been ready to have that conversation with him yet. Because he'd want her to tell their parents, and there was no way she was ever going to be ready for that.

But now, Gail promised herself that if Holly would give her a second chance she'd even take her along to the next dinner her mother demanded she attend.

The elevator dinged and she took another deep breath and wiped her face of tears even though she knew anyone that looked would be able to tell she had been crying, but at this point she was beyond caring.

As she stepped out of the elevator she took a left and then followed the signs back to the reception area. As she walked into the space filling with Toronto police Gail spotted Chris standing off to the side and made her way over to him.

"Any news?" She asked but he was already shaking his head.

"No." He told her before looking around them. Everyone was just waiting. It was all they could do. And right now no news was good news, it meant Sam still had a chance. "I went up and saw Dov, he feels awful about Sam and thought he should come down but I told him just to stay up there. Chloe needs him."

Yeah. Of course Chloe also had her husband waiting for her. He got to wait by her bedside while Dov was being forced to wait it out in the corridor.

But all of that didn't really matter did it. Dov was where he needed to be.

"Yeah, not like he would be doing anything but sit around with us anyway." She said.

"Hey, there's your brother." Chris said point over at the detective from guns and gangs.

"Let's go see if he knows anything more." Maybe Frank had heard something, and maybe he'd tell Steve before he'd tell anyone else. Sam had been one of her brother's TO's when he'd first joined 15 so maybe that would count for something with Frank.

Together Chris and Gail walked over and joined her brother.

"You hear anything?" Gail asked.

Steve stuck his hands in the pockets of his trousers and rocked on his heels. He gave his younger sister a shrug. "I talked to one of the nurses, she'd only tell me he was still in surgery."

"That's good though, right?" Chris asked as he stared from one Peck to the other.

Gail sighed. "Or it's bad." They were either fixing a lot of damage caused by the bullet or they were doing everything they could to keep him holding on.

"Maybe." Steve replied with a touch of sadness. No one wanted to believe it but as he glanced over Andy, who was shedding tear after tear as she refused to even look at anyone, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, they should start to prepare for the worst.

"Gail." Chris said and when his friend look at him he gestured behind the blonde with a head movement.

Gail spun around and her eyes fell on Holly who was coming towards them at a slow jog.

"Hey, I came as soon as I heard." She muttered as she stopped in front of Gail. Any worry she had over her arrival disappeared as the blonde launched herself into Holly's arms.

"I'm so glad that you're here." Gail whispered and felt the pathologist tighten her hold. Eventually Gail eased back, as much as she wanted to stay in Holly's arms, she was painfully aware that her brother was eyeing them curiously.

She smiled at Holly and took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Steve this is Holly." She told her brother. He nodded and sent her a smirk. She guessed that Traci may have filled him in but she didn't let that stop her. "My girlfriend." She added as her brother's smile reached his eyes. But that didn't prevent her from biting her bottom lip as she tensed for his reaction.

Steve grinned at the pair taking note of their joined hands. "Hi, how's it going?"

Holly grinned at the detective before glancing at Gail again finding it hard to believe her girlfriend had just outed herself to her brother, something Holly knew the blonde had not been planning for yet.

But Gail just smiled at her. Holly squeezed Gail's hand, as happy as she was to be right here with Gail at the end of a terribly tense and stress filled day, the fact Gail had tears in her eyes brought back to Holly that things were still a long way from being over.

Gail sighed and shifted closer to Holly, her free hand going to the inside of Holly's arm and stroking it gently.

Holly wanted to get Gail alone so she smiled an acknowledgment at Chris before tugging at Gail's hand. "Let's go find a seat."

Gail nodded and let Holly drag her over to a less populated area. She could finally breathe easier now that Holly was here with her. And even better, she didn't seem mad at her.

Holly sat down and pulled Gail down into the seat beside her without letting go of her hand.

Holly brought Gail's hand up to her lips, pressing a quick kiss to the back of the blonde's hand before resting their joined hands in her own lap. "I wasn't…really expecting you to do that." She told Gail with a touch of wonder in her voice.

Gail shrugged. She hadn't completely processed what she had done and what it would mean for her or for them, but she didn't really think it mattered at this moment in time. Not with Sam's life hanging in the balance. If something was going to adjust where her priorities should lie it was that.

Every officer and detective in Toronto risked their lives every time they went out on patrol or to a crime scene. You always had to remember that anyone could be carrying a weapon and might mean you harm or other people.

And today it was Sam, and Chloe, and Oliver.

And tomorrow it could be… anyone. It could be Chris or Steve or even Gail herself.

A tear rolled down her cheek and Gail was quick to wipe it away with a nervous chuckle.

Holly licked her lips wanting nothing more than to pull Gail back into her arms and not let go until this was all over. "You got him though, didn't you? You got Oliver back?"

Gail nodded quickly. "Yeah we did, he's upstairs, possible concussion but Celery said they'll be releasing him tomorrow."

"That's great news."

"Yeah." Gail replied, wishing it was all good news. "Chloe's the same though, and Sam… he's still in surgery."

Holly had heard about Sam.

"What do you need Gail?" Holly wasn't sure what to do other than sit with Gail and hold her hand while they waited with everyone else.

Gail swallowed and glanced over at Andy who still had her head in her hands. She needed for her friend to not have to go through what Traci had gone through.

No one should lose the person they loved like this, especially before they had the time to make a life together.

It was just so unfair.

Her throat tightened as she realised that she was incredibly lucky to have ever found Holly. And even if she never spoke to her parents again she would still be the best thing in Gail's life.

"I just need you." She choked out as she felt her tears return.

"Hey, hey." Holly shifted closer to Gail, allowing their shoulders to touch. "You have me Gail, you already have me." She promised the blonde. "I'm right here sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere."

Gail let out a shaky breath. "I'm so scared we're going to lose someone else and it's just not fair Holly."

"I know, but they're all in the best place for them right now and everything that can be done for your friends is being done, I'm certain of it." Holly explained, trying to give the blonde some hope that it wasn't necessarily going to be bad news that they were waiting for.

"Maybe." The truth was that until a doctor came out and spoke to them there was just no way of knowing.

"Listen, why don't I go talk to the nurses and see if I can find out who's working on Sam. We might get lucky and I'll know them." Holly said as she got to her feet.

Gail blinked and watched her girlfriend head over to the reception desk. Was that even possible?

But it didn't take long for Holly to return and take back her place beside Gail, quickly reaching for the blonde's hand again.

"Sorry, no luck." She explained in disappointment. She did know two of the trauma doctors that worked here but neither were working today so her contacts were of no use. She was frustrated that she couldn't do anything to make things easier for any of the officers around her, especially because she wanted to ease Gail's worry but it looked like all they could do was wait.

Minutes went by but it felt like hours. Just when Holly was going to suggest getting them coffee they both heard Frank's voice and glanced over to see him heading for a doctor. They both stood and got closer just like everyone else in the waiting area.

"Can we see him, Doc please?" Frank implored, needing something more than to be told they were doing everything that they could for Sam.

Gail saw Andy and Nick shift closer. Andy's eyes looked red raw and Gail felt her stomach clench.

"Fine, one person, just one." The doctor finally agreed.

"Right here!" Nick spoke up pushing Andy closer to the doctor and Frank.

Andy looked reluctant but after another gentle push she went and the doctor spoke to her quietly before taking her away behind a set of doors.

Gail watched Nick's shoulders sag as Andy disappeared and then he walked back to his seat where he collapsed and tilted his head up to eye the ceiling.

Gail wasn't sure what she felt watching him but she knew Andy was still in love with Sam so no matter what happened things would never be the same with Andy and Nick after this.

Then a tug came at her hand causing her to glance at Holly. Holly gestured to the side as Gail gave her a questioning look. Steve and Traci were stood beside them and Gail had to wonder when that had happened.

"Hey." Steve said trying to smile but like everyone else, he couldn't quite manage it, there really wasn't much to be smiling about right now anyway. Other than that they knew one Ford brother was dead and the other was in custody.

Traci didn't bother with any small talk and simply reached for Holly and pulled her into a hug before doing the same to Gail.

"How are you holding up?" Traci asked looking at Gail with a touch of apprehension in her gaze as she rubbed at her arm soothingly. She knew Gail didn't like being around hospitals and today had already been stressful enough with the blonde having been shot at herself.

Gail shrugged not sure how to feel about having Traci of all people try and offer her comfort when the blonde knew her friend had to be dealing with her own issues with being in this waiting area again. "I'm okay."

Holly took hold of Gail's hand once more. "Maybe we should all sit down?" She asked.

They all took seats a little out of the way but close enough to see when Andy returned.

Chris wandered over to them, smiling at them all before looking at Gail. "I'm going to head back up to Dov and see if he needs anything." He told her.

Gail nodded it was probably better than waiting out here with every else. At least he might be able to do something for Dov unlike the rest of them. "Sure, okay." She replied.

"Will you text me if…"

"Of course." Holly answered for Gail and then Chris turned and left to go back up to the floor Chloe was on.

Steve looked up from where he had been fiddling with his cell. "Marlo's been suspended." He informed them quietly.

Gail snorted. Wasn't that a given?

Traci looked concerned. "Do you think she'll come here?" She wondered, she wasn't sure having Andy and Marlo in the same confined space was a good thing.

Gail scowled. "Why wouldn't she want to be with her _boyfriend_?" She asked giving Traci a look. Just because Sam and Andy had history and were trying to kid themselves that they didn't love each other didn't mean it was okay to act like Marlo wasn't going to be welcomed.

Traci looked abashed. "I just meant…" She wasn't too sure what she did mean.

"Gail." Steve said trying to calm his sister down.

"What?" Gail asked her brother with a frown.

Steve sighed knowing his sister was looking for someone to lash out at. "Nothing." He said not wanting to give her any more reason to blow up at him or Traci.

"No, not nothing, are you trying to say Marlo isn't allowed to come check on her own boyfriend?" She demanded to know as she ignored Holly squeezing her hand.

Steve sighed and gave his sister a jerk of his shoulders. "There's three officers in this hospital because of her actions Gail, try and remember that." He told his sister.

"She made a mistake."

"And a good man might die because of it." Steve replied with a frown of his own. He might not be close friends with Swarek but he was a colleague.

Gail sucked in a sharp breath when all she could see was a kitchen and a body on the floor, and a growing pool of blood.

As tears started to build Gail had to get away for a moment to try and compose herself. She let go of Holly's hand and stood, hoping her mumbled excuse that she needed to use the restroom would keep Holly in her seat so she didn't break down in front of her girlfriend.

Steve watched his sister go then felt a smack on his arm.

"I can't believe you just said that to her!" Traci hissed at him completely taken aback by Steve's insensitivity to his own sister. She knew Gail's mind had went to Jerry at Steve's words because that's the memories they had stirred up with her.

Only she had never seen how bad it had been, she had only visited Jerry afterwards, after the nursing staff had cleaned him up. She often wondered what images Gail and Sam and Andy lived with knowing they had been the last of her friends to see him alive.

Holly ignored the pair as they started to bicker in low tones, her eyes trained in the direction Gail had gone in as she wondered how long to leave the blonde before going to make sure she was okay.

With a tired sigh and a look around the room Holly got up and said she was going for a coffee. She didn't wait for a response from either of the pair across from her before taking off. And she didn't go further into the hospital where she knew a range of vending machines were located, instead she found the side doors and stepped out of the hospital into the cold night air of Toronto in early March.

Holly walked, she didn't care where she went she just needed a moment alone and a few minutes out of the way before she embarrassed herself yet again today and chased after Gail.

She tried to ignore the feeling in her gut telling her to go after the blonde because she knew Gail liked her space and hated being pushed into a corner.

"Dammit." She cursed and spun on her heel, quickening her steps as she headed back in through the side doors and walked straight in the direction Gail had gone paying no attention to the officers she passed as she saw the restroom sign up ahead.

She slowed her steps, second guessing herself once more because while Gail had apologised in her message, her girlfriend's reaction to her back at the station was still raw. Holly wasn't used to having to pretend her girlfriend was just a friend.

Holly didn't ever want to go back to that.

But she still had to be sensitive to Gail's needs, the blonde was clearly having memories of her abduction and Jerry's death brought back up just by being in the hospital and that had been before Steve's comments.

Holly paused just outside the door and glanced around, happy that the corridor was empty and if Gail did blow up at her at least it would hopefully be in private.

She took a deep breath and eased the door to the room open. "Gail?" She said, wanting to give her girlfriend as much warning of her presence as possible. As she stepped forward as was confronted by Gail cornered by the sinks by none other than Andy McNally.

Who was shouting at her girlfriend.

"What the hell?" She asked moving towards the pair and pulling Andy away by the arm and guarding Gail from the other woman by stepping in front of the blonde and forcing Andy back. "What do you think you are doing?!" She asked, incredulous at the scene she had walked in on.

Andy wiped her arm across her tear stained face. "And you are?" Andy asked before snorting, "Oh, that's right, you're the_ real_ friend, right?" Andy said, remembering the woman from the hospital that time Gail had hurt her wrist and had someone pick her up.

"She's my girlfriend." Gail spoke up quietly from her place against the wall. She was so tired right now, tired and weary.

At Andy's stunned look, Holly turned and focused on Gail. She moved closer and took one of her hands as the other came up to wipe the tears from Gail's face.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked softly. The obvious answer was no, of course Gail wasn't okay, you don't cry for no reason. But it made Gail chuckle and squeeze her hand so Holly thought it did its job.

"Oh, yeah, everything's just great babe, Andy and I were just discussing who had more right to be in here crying, me who can't stop thinking that this is Jerry all over again, or McNally here, who has a boyfriend out in the waiting area while she's in here crying over the love of her life lying injured on the operating table back there." Gail said.

"She's your… girlfriend?" Andy asked in a daze.

Gail rolled her eyes and sniffed and wiped her eyes again as Holly reached over to the handtowels and handed the blonde a few. "Thanks." Gail muttered before blowing her nose.

Holly wanted to pull Gail into her arms but with Andy in the room with them she had to settle for rubbing the blonde's arm as Gail rested back against the wall with her head tilted up and her eyes closed.

Her girlfriend looked drained and Holly was worried about her. She glanced over her shoulder at the other woman, she knew from Gail and Traci that Andy was with Nick and had been with Sam before that. But any sympathy she might have felt evaporated the moment she walked in here and saw the brunette cornering Gail like what happened today was somehow down to Gail.

She turned back to her girlfriend. "What do you say we get out of here?" She asked, meaning more than the restroom, she wanted to get Gail out of the hospital and away from all the reminders. "I'm sure Chris or Traci can let us know if there are any changes." She tried as she gently tugged at Gail's arm in the hopes of getting her moving.

Gail bit her lip as the tears just seemed to keep coming. She sighed and dropped her head down from the wall. Holly looked so concerned for her it made her smile. She wasn't used to that, having someone care so much that you could see it in their eyes clear as day.

It was a nice feeling. Even after everything about today, even after pushing Holly away, the pathologist still came running the moment she found out Gail needed her.

"I want to go home." She told her girlfriend. She might still technically live with Chris and Dov but she'd been spending almost all of her free time at Holly's house.

Holly tried to contain her grin as she nodded at Gail. "We can do that, sure."

Gail reached over and took hold of Holly's hand, she was past caring what people thought of her relationship with Holly. "Good." As they walked by Andy, who was still staring wide eyed at them, Gail stopped and gestured to the rest of the room with her free hand. "Guess that makes the room yours, cry away." She told her before walking out of the room with Holly.

Holly kept her comments to herself, she knew Gail was probably on emotional overload and whatever Andy had been saying to her before she arrived was probably taking its own toll. Especially considering Nick had basically left Gail for Andy so Holly let her girlfriend lead them through the waiting area and back out the side door Holly had used herself not minutes before.

It was only when they started down the street away from the hospital that Holly finally had to ask, "Are we walking back to my place?" Because that was a long way away.

Gail grinned and gave Holly a sideways glance. "Your place?"

Holly blushed and stuttered as she pushed her glasses back up her nose as they moved when she ducked her head. "Ah, well, we can, ugh..."

Gail chuckled and bumped shoulders with her girlfriend. "I'm teasing."

Holly sighed and managed a smile. "I drove my car you know."

Gail shrugged, then she took in a deep breath of fresh air and glance up at the night sky. Tonight, or really, yesterday, was a turning point. It was one of those days that changed everything that came after, Gail could tell, she could feel it.

Maybe Sam would live and he and Andy would finally get it together, or he could decide that Marlo was worth more than to be his second choice. Maybe Andy would admit to herself that she should have picked Sam over her job.

Maybe.

But for Gail it was simple, she couldn't change how she had behaved towards Holly yesterday, but she could change the way she treated her from now on, and that started with being more open with the people she worked with about their relationship. Traci, Chris, Dov and Chloe already knew about Holly because Gail had introduced her to them all.

Gail had wanted to do it slowly, on her terms and in her own time. That way she would be sure of the reaction she was likely to get until she came to the point where she had to talk to her parents about Holly.

Something Gail would have been happy to never do.

But that was before today, when she walked into a building and risked never seeing Holly ever again. When she had rejected the woman holding her hand right now for the simple reason that holding hands with Holly in front of Steve would have embarrassed her, and left her brother with questions she hadn't been ready to answer, not right there and then.

"It's a beautiful night." She said still eyeing the dark, almost cloudless sky. She then turned to Holly. "Is it okay if we just walk?"

Holly studied her girlfriend for a long moment. "Okay." She finally agreed. Her house was a few miles away but she figured they could try flagging down a cab if it came to that.

Holly chuckled as less than ten minutes later Gail was pulling her into a park and over to a bench.

"Let me guess, you don't do walking?" She asked before taking her seat beside the blonde.

Gail shrugged. "It's been a long day." She said into the silence that followed.

"That it has."

"It's not over you know."

Holly blinked and looked away from the star filled sky to eye Gail. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Just, everything's different now. Things are going to change, Andy and Sam, Nick, Dov and Chloe, Ollie, things can't stay the same after this." She knew, after her abduction things had been different, like she'd said to Chris in the squad car, it was only recently when she started to feel like she was less numb. Like she was waking up from a deep sleep, that the fog was finally lifting from her mind.

She looked up at the sky again and the stars. They looked so amazing and full of magic. She recalled nights spent out in the back yard of the family cabin they'd go to every summer as kids. The sky never looked as bright or as clear back home in the city.

"What do you mean?" Holly asked carefully, not sure where Gail's thoughts were going.

Gail turned to Holly. "This is when they have to make a choice, about what comes next. Will Chloe pick Dov or her husband Wes, Andy and Sam or Andy and Nick?" Gail shrugged. "They all have to decide."

Holly took Gail's hand in both of hers. "And what about you, what did you decide?"

Gail smiled, slowly at first but then it grew wide and unabashed. "I made my choice last year." She confessed in a whisper as she leaned over to Holly.

Confused but intrigued Holly had to know. "And what was that?" From the conversation so far Holly gathered that Gail was talking about her abduction being her moment, the point where she had to make a choice as to what came next for her.

Gail looked back up to the sky again. "You know I used to star gaze when I was a kid? Just during the summers night when we stayed at the cabin up north, the sky was never the same back here."

"It's the artificial light." Holly couldn't help but explain.

Gail rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You just can't stop yourself can you?" She asked.

Holly sighed as she blushed. "Sorry, but no, probably not."

"That's okay, it's one of the things I love about you."

"One of the things?" Holly fished with a grin, suddenly feeling less embarrassed.

"Eh, it's a long list." Gail admitted with a shrug. "We'd be here all night."

Holly bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself telling Gail that they had all night anyway and instead lifted Gail's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it before securing it back in her lap, encased in both of hers.

Gail smiled at Holly before carrying on. "Every time I saw a shooting star I used to make a wish, even as I got older." She admitted with a giggle. It felt silly when she had gotten older but she just could stop herself. "Because what if, you know? What if that thing you wished you'd get suddenly was right there in front of you?" She looked directly into Holly's dark eyes as she spoke. "But I stopped wanting a long time ago, when I realised that it didn't really matter what I wanted." She snorted. She hadn't had the worst childhood, far from it, she'd been given more than most, but it came with a price and for a long time she had resented that.

Holly felt her throat tighten as she watched her girlfriend struggle.

"But last year," Gail felt her eyes water again and had to swallow as a lump choked her speech. "Last year, I decided to want something for me again." She managed before the tears started falling again. She brushed some away and tried her best to continue. "What I decided was that while my career was chosen for me I'd at least get to decide who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

That's what she'd hoped when Nick had said they should get married all those years ago, but he'd broken her heart by disappearing. Last year she vowed to give him a clean slate and that she'd try her best to be everything he wanted and then maybe she'd get it right this time.

"I decided I was going to let someone all the way in, and that scared the crap out of me let me tell you!" Gail said as Holly chuckled and wiped away a few tears of her own.

"I thought it was supposed to be Nick and then I watched him fall for Andy while I was right there beside him the whole time." That had been a kicker, to have to have Chloe point it out even though she knew something felt different since they had come back, but she'd tried to ignore it, because he was Nick, he was supposed to be the guy. Her guy.

"So that didn't work out too well." She gave Holly a lopsided grin. Then she turned serious again. "But it didn't change anything because here you are and here I am." She said. "It might not have been what I pictured looking up at those stars all those nights, but I wouldn't change us for anything in the world Holly."

Holly grinned, the bite of the cold no longer touching her as the warmth of Gail's words and the heat from her smile seemed to be all she needed.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not scared anymore, because I am, and I'm sorry about how I treated you at the station."

Holly shook her head, Gail had already apologised she didn't need to keep saying sorry. "It's okay really, I get it."

"I'm not sure you do, I'm not scared to be your girlfriend, of people knowing that, I'm scared of getting hurt again and having everyone watch." Like they did when Chris dumped her and when Nick fell for Andy and climbed into her bed at the first opportunity.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I love you Gail." Holly admitted, hoping her words would be enough.

Gail nodded, she did know that, she could see it in Holly's eyes every morning they woke up together or when they made love, or just in the quiet moments when the pathologist would just turn and look at her for no real reason.

"I know, that's another reason that I love you." Gail winked at Holly.

Holly grinned. "You think I can hear the full list?"

"Maybe one day, but not tonight." Gail said.

"Move in with me?" Holly asked as she shifted in her seat to stare at the blonde.

Gail's lips twitched as she turned her eyes upward again. "That sounds nice enough but I was kinda working up to asking you to marry me, but hey, if you want to do the liv- ugh" Gail grunted as Holly's weight collided into her, then she was grinning and wrapping her arms around her.

This was a good sign right?

"Yes! Yes I'll marry you." Holly insisted quickly as she tightened her hold on Gail as she started to cry. She'd been so scared until Gail had called her that she had frightened the blonde away. "And then we can try living together." She said teasingly to Gail as she pulled back enough to look her in the eye.

Gail snorted. Fat chance of that, she was basically living with Holly as it was they'd just both been too scared to admit it. "Whatever. Let's see how long that idea lasts." She said narrowing her eyes at her girlfriend, no fiancée.

Holly watched a smile blossom on Gail's face and it was too much she just had to be kissing Gail now.

Gail let Holly control the kiss, enjoying having Holly in her arms at the end of a very scary day. They'd both survived to be right here at the end of it so that made it worth the panic and the stress she'd felt most of her shift.

But it was over with now, well most of it, and what wasn't she had no control of.

Except this. This was all her and Holly together.

It felt great to be alive right now.

Holly eased out of the kiss but stayed close as her hands traced over Gail's features, mapping every inch of her face. "You really want to marry me?" She asked, maybe if Gail had more time to think about it, and wasn't letting her emotions talk for her she might take it back.

Holly had no idea how she would cope with that but she had to make sure this was really what Gail wanted.

"Lunchbox and all." Gail replied with a lazy grin, confident from Holly's reaction that she was making the right choice. Finally. She watched Holly grin back at her and couldn't help herself, "Well, seeing as I'm already sleeping with you, I thought I might as well make a decent woman out of you."

Holly chuckled and slapped at Gail.

Gail breathed out and touched her forehead to Holly's. "I've never loved anyone like this before, honestly I never thought it was possible but-"

"I do have access to drugs you know." Holly interjected with a giggle as she shifted, wrapping her arms around Gail's neck.

Gail rolled her eyes and squeezed Holly around the waist. "I'm trying to be serious here." She protested.

"Sorry."

"And so you should be." Gail replied quickly and tried to remember what she was trying to say. She pouted at Holly when she couldn't pick up where she'd left off. She sighed after Holly pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Oh, yeah, right." Now she remembered. She frowned at Holly. "Just so we're clear, you aren't drugging me right? I have to pee in a cup at random intervals you know."

Holly laughed and shook her head. "Go on, I'll be quiet."

"Ugh, not sure it's worth it anymore." Gail said but she did want to explain. "But okay," She said earning a grin from Holly that she couldn't help but return. "I just, didn't expect you to come into my life, and it's been different, with you, better I guess?" Gail frowned not sure if she was saying this properly.

"You do know you asked me to marry you right?" Holly asked. "Try giving your potential future wife some props huh?"

Gail bit her bottom lip and leaned over and kissed Holly slowly. "The sex is totally hot, the best I've ever experienced, although I have only been with-"

"Shh, quit while you're ahead." Holly told a grinning Gail as she pressed a finger to the blonde's lips.

Gail shrugged unrepentant.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm not afraid anymore." Gail told Holly as she looked her in the eyes. "Any of us could have died today, and it's all I've been thinking about. After Jerry died I asked myself if he would have thought I was worth it."

"Gail." Holly tried saying not wanting Gail to talk like that.

Gail frowned. "But it's true. He died Holly and I lived, tonight Chloe or Sam, they could die too and it sucks it does, but it just makes how I feel about you all the more real. Because it's fragile, love, life, and I don't want to spend time worrying about what my colleagues might think or what my mom will have to say, so if you'll have me I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you."

Holly had tears falling from her eyes again. She worked with death on a daily basis, she understood how quickly the people you loved could slip away.

"I would love to marry you Gail." Holly replied earnestly before kissing Gail on the lips again and again.

Gail smiled into the kisses. "And live with me?"

Holly laughed and nodded. "And live with you, yes."

Gail kissed Holly again before pulling back. "And my cheese puffs?"

"No, there I draw the line!" Holly said with a terrified look. "No cheese puffs!"

Gail pouted. But if there was one person she would give up cheese puffs for it was probably the woman in front of her. She let out a disappointed sigh. "I guess if you have to deal with my mother I guess I can give up cheese puffs." She was pretty sure she was getting the better end of that deal anyway.

Holly's eyes grew wide at the mention of Elaine Peck. "Yeah, maybe we could have, like, a really long engagement?"

"Or we could elope?" Gail offered before shrugging. "Not sure she'd be very happy with that though." She said as her grin grew.

Holly climbed up off of Gail and straightened her clothes. "You know, maybe on second thought we shouldn't rush into anything just yet. Take our time, see how we feel in another year or two? It's been a traumatic night."

Gail scowled as the pathologist started to back away from the bench she was sat on. "Oh, no, you said yes Holly, you don't get to back out."

Holly glanced around them pointedly. "And yet there's not a single person that can verify your version of events." She told the blonde with a happy smile.

Gail pouted and crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her girlfriend sadly.

Holly's shoulders slumped under the look. "But I don't want to deal with your mother."

"You think I do?" Gail asked with a snort before getting up and taking Holly's hand again. It was late and getting colder by the minute. She started them back towards the hospital.

Holly sighed as they walked in silence.

"Fine, but you better not make me regret this!" Holly told Gail sternly. "And you'll be the one to tell her." That was only fair right?

Gail thought she could do that by letter, maybe after the actual wedding. That would still count right? "The things I do for you." She groused.

Holly pulled Gail closer and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I can't wait to be married to you, and have to listen to your complaints on a daily basis."

"Daily?" Gail scoffed. "Hourly."

They both chuckled as they made their way back into the parking lot of the hospital. It was still crowed with squad cars. That had to be a good sign right?

As they approached the building Gail glanced up and smiled as a star flashed across the sky.

And just like she had as a child Gail closed her eyes and made a wish.

Only this time she was making it for someone else.

She didn't need it anymore.

She squeezed Holly's hand and wondered what it would feel like with a ring, or how her own would feel wrapped around her finger.

"Holly Peck, has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" She asked jokingly as they walked in through the sliding doors.

Holly scowled and glanced at Gail who she finally noticed was grinning like an idiot. Or maybe just someone in love.

"Gail Stewart sounds much better if you ask me."

And Gail thought she just might be right.

xxxxxxx

**AN/**

Scoobeedooh, look a new chapter!

Okay so maybe not the most uplifting of chapters but it's laid the foundation for the last chapter, so the next and final part will be a look into the future lives of Gail and Holly Peck, or is that Stewart?

Thanks for reading guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**Girls Girls Girls**

Gail was stunned. It was over. After months and months of sleepless nights and making herself sick with worry and stress, it was done.

"You're crying." Came the soft voice at her ear.

Gail kept her eyes fixed across the room but she pulled Holly closer. "Yeah well, when you realise that your life is basically over, I think it's okay to shed a tear or two."

Holly chuckled and snuggled closer to the blonde, resting her head on Gail's shoulder and laying her arm across Gail's body. "Over? Really?"

Gail shrugged and wiped at her face with her free hand, her eyes still trained on the movement across the room. "Yes Holly, our lives are done, gone, o-v-e-r."

"Our?"

Gail scowled, finally looking down at Holly in her arms. "Work with me here."

"Yes dear."

The scowl deepened. "Don't do that."

"Do what? I just agreed to work with you." Holly complained.

Gail snorted as her eyes went back to the corner of the room. "No you didn't."

Holly chuckled then her eyes drifted over as well. "Go get her." She told Gail as she eased over to let Gail up from the bed.

Gail's eyes widened and she slowly shook her head as she tightened her grip on Holly. "No way!" She hissed. Quietly. "She's sleeping Holly, that's like, heaven to us. Do not disturb. Don't you see the sign above her head? It's flashing."

Holly wondered how it was possible to find Gail as equally annoying and adorable as she did. "Fine, I'll get her." She said but just as she shifted Gail pressed her back into position and got up instead.

Holly smirked behind Gail's back. Worked every time.

Gail stared down at the pink blanket covered bundle. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest at the sight. There was nothing she wouldn't do for this new little human.

Her daughter.

She glanced over at the only other person who had earned that deep of a commitment from Gail, Holly, her wife of fifteen months.

Holly now had her back against the headboard in preparation of receiving her daughter, but at Gail's beseeching look she realised there was still a good chance that she would have to get up and go get her herself.

"Just pick her up Gail." She encouraged.

Gail looked conflicted. "But she's sleeping." She told Holly as she tried her best not to pout.

"If you make me come over there, you'll be sleeping in the spare room for the next two weeks, Gail. Choose wisely, and choose quickly."

"But, she's _sleeping_."

"And this room will be filled with enough people to keep her awake for the rest of the night as soon as they realise they can visit."

Gail glared at the door. "Maybe you should scream for a bit, that'll keep them away."

Holly rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. "Because that won't wake her up at all." She muttered to herself. Then she saw Gail reaching down into the crib. The sight melted her heart and made the pain of the last few hours more than worth it. Her two girls.

"Aww." She said as Gail gingerly lifted the bundle up into her arms.

Gail looked over at Holly and grinned as she cradled the baby to her chest. She watched Holly reach out and started walking slowly over towards her wife. She gently transferred the bundle into Holly's arms and shifted back onto the bed, her arm wrapping securely around Holly as she gazed down at their daughter.

Wow.

"I think I'm going to throw up." She mumbled as it suddenly hit her that she had a daughter, she was this little girl's mother.

She wasn't ready for that, she still got told off for leaving cheese puff crumbs all over the couch at home. And she still played video games. Sometimes long into the night. Mother's didn't do things like that did they?

Holly chuckled as she looked from her daughter to Gail, who to be fair had paled considerably in the last few seconds. Shaking her head Holly pressed her lips to the cheek within reach.

"Your brother will never let you live that down sweetheart, so maybe hold off until everyone has left?" She offered sagely.

Gail really did feel ill, how could she be someone's mom?

Holly grinned as she watched Gail's face cloud over with fear, she'd been seeing the signs of her wife's freak outs for months now and it didn't matter what she said, she never seemed to be able to assuage the blonde's doubts completely.

So now she found that she rather enjoyed teasing her wife, and adding to her worries instead. "You know, this is the most control we'll ever have over her, after this she'll learn to crawl and walk and-"

"Talk." Couldn't forget that, that part was going to be nothing but trouble.

"And say no when she wants, and pout and scream and cry," Holly continued as she watched Gail sulk at the thought. She chuckled and went in for the kill as the baby's hand wriggled out from the blanket and flapped about in the air causing Gail to offer her finger as the baby fussed. "Wait until she goes to school and meets boys."

Gail scowled at Holly. "You're being mean." Like Gail didn't have enough to worry about?

Holly laughed. "I'm trying to tell you that this is the best part, after this it's all downhill."

Gail let out an aggrieved sigh as she looked back down at her daughter as she clutched at her finger and Holly gently rocked her. "Like I said, our lives are over." She muttered sadly.

Holly thought that maybe they were but only in the best possible way. It would never just be the two of them ever again and there was something heart breaking about that, but staring down at their daughter, Holly couldn't help but feel like their world was suddenly so much bigger now.

She looked back over to Gail who still had that frown on her face. She smiled and shook her head until Gail gave her a questioning look. "I love you. Thank you for this." She added softly as tears built in her eyes.

Gail sighed then shifted over to kiss Holly gently on the lips, careful not to jostle the baby. "You're the one that did all the hard work. I just let you crush my hand." She replied with a shrug.

As Holly laughed Gail knew she was making it sound like she had done nothing but that was far from true. It had been a hard decision for them to have a baby together, Gail had worried about the dangers of her job and so had Holly, but they both loved each other too much not to take this step purely down to fear.

And it hadn't been easy, it had taken several tries before Holly's pregnancy had been confirmed.

Gail eyed the baby girl again and knew she was the greatest gift she and Holly could share.

"We should probably think about naming her, before everyone offers their own suggestions." Gail said only to cause more laughter from her wife. They hadn't wanted to know during the pregnancy although Gail suspected Holly had been able to tell from the later scans. But she'd never asked and Holly hadn't broached it or even hinted one way or the other.

"What do you think?" Holly asked as her chuckles died down. The baby had fallen back to sleep in her arms still holding tight to Gail's finger. It was the cutest sight.

"Ivy."

"No."

"Mistletoe, we can call her Misty."

"Again with the no."

Gail let out another heavy sigh. Truthfully she was just trying to get a smile out of her wife. Although she really did like the name Ivy but she knew Holly would never go for that having been teased all through her younger years because of her own name.

"How about Abigail?" Holly offered.

Gail snorted. She still had nightmares of her mother calling out that name, there was no way in hell she was going to call her own daughter that. "Nope."

"Well, are we going traditional, or something a bit more unique?" Holly asked.

Gail chewed on her bottom lip, she actually had a list of names on her phone, they were all relatively gender neutral, and that had been part of the appeal. She didn't like the idea of an Anne or John, she'd wanted something the baby could grow with and make their own. But not trailer trash unique.

Holly couldn't help but notice the look on Gail's face, her wife was hiding something. "You do have a name don't you?" She guessed with a growing smile. "Let's hear it."

"I don't have _a_ name but I did find a couple that I liked." Gail said then off Holly's look she rolled her eyes and got on with the sharing. "Jamie, Riley, Peyton or Winter."

Those were different.

Holly took her time as she eyed their daughter and repeated those names over and over in her head. "I can't see us using Winter, I'd feel like we'd have to call our next one Summer or Autumn." She told Gail with a giggle. "And that would be tough on a boy."

Gail smiled and was fine with that, but, "Already planning on the next one?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, although she did feel something stir in her chest at the thought of growing their family. Just maybe not this very minute.

Holly just grinned at Gail. They hadn't ever got around to talking numbers, it had been more than enough when they had agreed to try and had finally gotten pregnant. Another child to add to this one would be wonderful, but if it was meant to be it would happen when the time was right.

She shrugged at the blonde. "You did offer to go next." She reminded the blonde.

Gail snorted, yeah she did but that had only really been to get Holly to agree to go first. "But now you have experience, it'll be easier for you with a second."

Now it was Holly's turn to snort. But just as she was about to refute that claim a nurse walked straight into the room with a large grin on her face.

"And just how are mom and baby doing?" She asked coming over and smiling down at the baby that was now turning her head into Holly's chest and beginning to fuss again. "Ah, someone's suddenly realised that food is close by." The nurse said to mom with an amused look.

Gail winced at the idea. Another good reason not to give birth, she'd never have to have a small human with teeth chew on her nipples.

Holly nudged Gail as she saw the look. The blonde then tried to give her an innocent look that clearly Holly didn't buy.

Gail grinned and snuck in another kiss to Holly's cheek. "Have I mentioned how much I love you yet? And how wonderful you are to have given us a daughter?"

Holly couldn't help but grin. Even if Gail was trying to butter her up she couldn't help but feel loved because Gail had shown her nothing but that through all of her actions in these recent months. Gail had put up with her mood swings, her complaining, her weird food cravings and everything else pregnant Holly had thrown at her.

She gave Gail a dubious look and opened her mouth to reply but the nurse saved the blonde from trying to save herself.

"But first, why don't we let some of those visitors out there come in for a quick looksee?" The nurse suggested as she came back around and stood at the door to the room waiting for the okay to show some of them in.

Gail rolled her eyes out of view, she wasn't happy with the idea of having this time with Holly and their daughter intruded on but she knew she could do little to stop it.

Holly nodded to the nurse who quickly disappeared.

"They'll be gone before you know it." Holly whispered to her wife.

It'd be their friends from 15 and Gail's family for now, but later in the week Holly's side of the family would be here too. The baby's sudden arrival surprised everyone but Holly had already assured her parents not to rush and just arrive when they'd planned to.

Gail sighed and gazed down at her daughter. "I guess."

She didn't sound too happy about it and if Holly was honest with herself she wasn't eager to give up the tiny bundle in her arms either.

"Hey, knock knock?" Steve stuck his head around the door as he opened it, his eyes going from Gail and Holly to the baby in her arms and that's where they stayed as he drifted forward with Traci at his heels. "A girl?" He asked as Traci cooed.

Holly nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah."

"Can I?" Traci asked as she stepped in front of Steve, desperate to hold the baby. She and Steve had been discussing having a child ever since Gail had told them her and Holly were trying.

"Careful." Gail couldn't help but warn as she watched her friend take her daughter from Holly.

Traci gave her friend a look as she took the baby and started to pacify her with a small bounce. "I have one of my own you know." She reminded the blonde.

Gail scowled as Holly giggled. "You're not helping." She whispered to Holly though her eyes remained fixed on Traci. She knew the other woman wasn't going to do anything silly like drop her but that didn't stop the knot of fear she had in her gut now that someone other than herself, Holly or a qualified medical professional wasn't holding her.

"Relax." Holly muttered as she shifted to try and find a more comfortable position.

Gail snorted but tried to stop with the glares aimed at her friends as they surrounded Traci and all took turns cooing and waving fingers and hands in front of her daughter.

Of course it just made the baby wail and Gail couldn't help but smirk.

Holly sighed as she saw the look on her wife's face. She looked at her daughter and then back at Gail. "Oh, why do I get this sudden feeling of dread?"

Gail stuck her tongue out at Holly but the other woman quickly pulled her into a kiss. "Hmm." Gail grinned like an idiot as she eased back. "I'm so proud of you." She whispered as she dropped her head onto Holly's. "You did good."

Holly grinned lazily. She wasn't on any pain meds and she could definitely feel the aftereffects of the birth. But she was incredibly happy right now. She snuck a quick look over and saw Andy McNally holding their daughter now. She didn't begrudge their friends wanting to be part of this special moment with them but if she was honest she really just wanted more time alone with her family.

"We did good." Holly refuted. She may have been the one to give birth but this was their daughter and Gail had suffered through the pregnancy and birth just as she had. Holly had made sure of that.

Gail looked back down at Holly as her wife chuckled. She raised her eyebrow wanting to know what was so funny.

"How's the hand?" Holly had to ask.

Gail groaned at the reminder and flexed her sore fingers. "I'll never shoot a gun again." She complained with a pout.

Holly shook her head. "Good thing you're right handed then."

Gail grinned as she was caught out, she had hoped for a bit more sympathy but really? She had little to complain about, especially as she had allowed a member of the public to practically break her hand several years ago, Holly had more than earned the right to crush her hand at will.

Or at least during the act of giving birth to their daughter.

Gail glanced around the room and spotted Leo still by the door. Just as she was about to call him over her mother waltzed into the room, glanced around and then made a beeline over to Steve who now had the baby in his arms.

Gail rolled her eyes. What was it a game of pass the parcel?

Everyone shifted nervously as Elaine Peck stood in front of Steve and smiled at the baby swinging it's now free arms about. "Oh, aren't you a cutie?"

Gail understood as one by one some of the others said their goodbyes after coming over to them to congratulate them on their daughter.

And then it was just them Elaine, Steve, Traci and Leo, who had enough smarts to come over and stay by Gail and Holly.

Elaine pulled out her cell phone. "Let me get a quick picture of you two and send it over to your father, he going to love seeing his son and his granddaughter together." She said before snapping a few pictures as Steve clearly struggled to keep the smile on his face.

"She'll be gone soon." Holly whispered to Gail as she tightened her hold on the blonde. Elaine Peck hadn't been happy with their marriage and still made a few comments here and there. That had only got worse when she had found out that Holly was pregnant. She just hadn't been able to hold back her sadness that Gail wouldn't have a child of her own, but what were lesbians to do?

Gail had told her rather smugly that Steve had offered his services as a donor.

Elaine was still coming to terms with that fact.

Elaine snapped another picture then put her phone away and leaned in to look at the child. Her granddaughter. "It's a shame she doesn't look like a Peck, but then mixed-race children are all the rage these days."

Gail's eyes narrowed as she almost leapt at her mother. "At least she won't burn after five minutes outside in summer." She muttered, annoyed with herself for even giving a reaction.

Traci shifted away from Steve and Elaine and came over to stand with her son, clearly not pleased with the comment either. Steve however was still playing the dutiful son and kept his face expressionless as his mother stuck a finger out and touched a waving hand.

"Are you still adopting?" Elaine asked, as she gave her daughter a pointed look. "I mean you are still related after all but it would probably be best for all concerned to have it all right and legal. Just in case."

Gail felt Holly's fingers bit into her arm. "You haven't told her?" Holly hissed in her ear.

"Why would I tell _her_ anything?" Gail answered back. She'd did her best to try with the woman but she wasn't going to go out of her way to include her mother in anything anymore. If she found out she found out but Gail was beyond caring what the woman's opinion was.

Elaine huffed as Gail didn't reply. "And she doesn't look too premature." She continued eyeing Holly for a long moment before she reached over and took the baby from Steve.

Steve smiled as he took his own cell out and captured the moment then sent the picture to both his mother and his father.

Gail rolled her eyes as her mother started cooing and making baby noises. Again, while she couldn't be positive the woman did claim to have birthed her and Steve although there was no real proof of that fact, but she gave the women the benefit of the doubt and trusted her with her daughter.

For now.

Holly grinned as she watched on. "How does it feel to be a grandmother?" She asked.

Elaine ignored the comment, concentrating on the bundle of new life in her arms. "That's right, you're a Peck, can you say that? Can you say Peck?"

"Stewart actually." Gail informed her mother with a gleeful expression until Holly pinched her under her arm making her squirm.

"Nonsense." Elaine said as she froze and stared at Gail. She then eyed Steve but he held his hands up and stayed out of it. "She's a Peck, just like you Gail."

"Well no, because I'm a Stewart as well, that's what happens when you get married mother." Gail said, although the fact her mother didn't take her marriage to Holly seriously was still a sore point with everyone.

Taking Holly's last name was something Holly often teased Gail about, claiming jokingly that it was the only reason she had asked in the first place.

It was also one of the reasons Traci wasn't in a rush to marry Steve although she had accepted his proposal over the holiday's just past.

Elaine scowled at her daughter.

"Okay, well, visiting has been over for a while and the baby needs to be fed so..." A nurse said as she bustled into the room and not too subtly held the door open to encourage the extended family to leave.

Elaine looked set to protest but Gail had already got off the bed and come over for the baby. "Well, do you have a name yet at least?" She asked Holly directly.

Holly shook her head. "Not yet."

Elaine crossed her arms looking less than pleased. "When you do then, if you would let me know."

"Of course." Holly replied. She wasn't going to tell the woman but she was sure someone else would.

Traci put her hand on her son's shoulder and tried to guide him to the door after she dropped a kiss to Holly's cheek and wished them all well and told her she would be back when she could.

"But I haven't held her." Leo protested.

Gail eyed the boy then looked to see if Holly was okay with it, her wife nodded.

She ignored the snort of disbelief from her mother as she stood in front of Leo. "Well then, better hop up on the bed for a quick minute champ."

Leo's face lit up and with Traci's help took up the spot Gail had left vacant beside Holly, his legs swinging excitedly off the bed.

"Now hold your hands out, just like that." Traci instructed before moving to let Gail step in and gently exchange possession.

"There you go little man." Gail said with a grin as she kept her hand close and Holly held a hand to Leo's back and her other helped Leo steady the baby's neck. "Say hello to your cousin." Gail continued as she shared a wide grin with the boy who then looked down at the baby in awe.

Traci chuckled before quickly taking out her cell phone and took a couple of pictures.

But it wasn't long before the baby started to cry and Gail took her back as Traci helped Leo down.

"I think that's our cue." Traci said before kissing the baby then Gail.

"Call us tomorrow." Steve said as he placed his hand on the small of Traci's back and they all left.

The nurse eyed the white shirted officer wondering if she thought she was special.

Gail tried to keep her giggling under control at that and so did Holly.

Elaine kept her head up and took her time. She would not be rushed out the door by anyone. "I should get back to work. Girls."

And with that she departed.

The nurse flicked the sign on the door then closed it to give the new family privacy.

Gail reached over for her own cell phone and snapped a few pictures of Holly and the baby now that it was more alert and active. She then sent one out to all her contacts with the note 'It's a girl!' just underneath.

"Ready?" The nurse asked as she hovered at the other side of the bed.

Holly looked unsure for the first time tonight.

"It's easy." The nurse said and stroked the baby's cheek, the baby instinctively turned to that side with her mouth opening eager for something.

Gail tried not to smirk.

"See, they know exactly what to do." The nurse continued. She then tugged at the loose fitting top Holly had changed into once she had been cleaned up after the birth. "Need some help?"

"Lean forward a bit." Gail said before helping to lift the top up enough that Holly's breasts were exposed. The blonde felt a twinge at having her wife naked in full view of the nurse but she did her best to tell herself that the nurse saw breasts every day at work.

Holly leaned back holding the baby as Gail kept her hand around her back to hold the tee out of the way.

"Great!" The nurse enthused as she placed a pillow under Holly's arm as she held the baby to her breast. "This will help, it can get a little tiring but you'll get used to it. And we'll switch sides too."

Gail watched Holly try to encourage the baby to latch on but she didn't seem to get the right idea, too busy screeching to realise that her dinner was right there. "Poor thing." She muttered then tried the trick the nurse had used and it seemed to work as the baby's mouth searched for Holly's nipple.

"Do you mind if I?" The nurse asked but Holly quickly shook her head wanting all the help she could get. The nurse then lifted Holly's breast and rubbed the nipple against the baby's mouth and just like that the baby latched on perfectly and started sucking away. "See, a natural." The nurse informed the parents with a smile as she stepped back from the young family. "If there's any problems feel free to buzz me and I'll come back and help you switch sides in a bit."

Gail grinned at the nurse as she left then her eyes were drawn back down to her nursing daughter.

"This feels so weird." Holly muttered as she stared down at the baby suckling her.

With her eyes slightly teary Gail pressed her lips to Holly's head and cuddled around her as she watched. "I think it's amazing." She whispered.

Holly grinned, looking up at the blonde for a moment then back down at their daughter whose hand was now holding her breast as she happily had her first meal of her short life.

"Natural huh?" Gail asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. Now that they were alone a little teasing was definitely called for. "That's my girl." She praised the baby as she heard Holly chuckle.

"I don't think it's the same thing Gail." Holly replied finally.

Gail shrugged not even embarrassed enough to blush. "Well no I guess not." She admitted. "Does it hurt?" She asked curiously as she watched the baby continue to suck on Holly.

Holly thought about it. It wasn't really painful so hurt wasn't the right word but it definitely was going to take some getting used to. "Well it's not like when you do it." She said teasingly and this time Gail did blush.

Gail groaned and buried her head against Holly's shoulder.

"No it doesn't hurt, but it sort of tugs? Like I said the sensation is a little weird, but not bad or painful." Holly explained.

"That's good I guess." Gail replied. They had both wanted Holly to breast feed the baby for as long as possible so it sounded like that wouldn't be too much trouble for Holly. Gail settled against the bed and started to relax, it had been a very long day with Holly going into labour late last night and the birth not taking place for hours after that.

"Tired?" Holly asked softly. The baby was happy, she was happy if somewhat uncomfortable down below, but overall it had been a very good day now that they were finally alone at the end of it with their new daughter.

"Hm." Gail shifted Holly's top back down around the baby to cover them while she fed. She didn't feel like she had much right to complain but she was looking forward to relaxing and getting some sleep. "How are you feeling?" She deflected.

"Happy." Holly replied as she gave Gail a full grin and Gail smiled back at her. "And more than a little terrified." She then admitted with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh yeah, have you met Izzy?" Gail asked as she shook her head. She then reached under Holly's top and tugged at the baby's foot. "We're going to lock you up until your thirty, yes we are, yes we are."

Holly gave her wife a tolerant look knowing it was highly probably that her wife would have to be talked out of wearing her uniform the first time a boy turned up for a date with their daughter.

Gun in hand.

She chuckled and adjusted the baby against her. It was still slightly odd but she was getting used to the feeling. "Can we just agree on a name first before we worry about suitors trying to deflower our beautiful, innocent little girl?"

Gail's eyes widened then she narrowed them at her wife who couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "So mean, you hear what your mother just said to me Ivy? Hm?"

Holly bit her lip. The name was growing on her but she really was worried it would lead to teasing.

"You really like that name, don't you?"

Gail looked a little bashful as she shrugged. "I have my Holly, and now we have our Ivy."

Holly closed her eyes and considered. "Peyton." She had dismissed the other names when she put them with Stewart.

"Ivy." Gail repeated with a pout.

Holly sighed then pressed her lips to Gail's. "Peyton Ivy Stewart."

"Pis?" Gail asked thinking her wife couldn't be serious.

Holly rolled her eyes. Like anyone would call her that. "She'll pick one as she gets older, she'll either want to be called Peyton or Ivy. And she'll only ever hear her full name when she's in trouble." Then Holly gave that some thought. "And given she's biologically yours that could be a whole lot."

"Oh." Gail smirked. "Low blow, and I was never that much trouble."

Holly snorted. "That's not what Steve says."

"He exaggerates."

"Not according to your dad."

Gail scowled. "Traitors."

"Maybe they thought I needed fair warning before we got you pregnant." Holly grinned. "They did seem overly relieved when we announced I was the one carrying the baby." She reminded her wife.

"Whatever." Gail dismissed the comparison for the moment anyway. It would be a while before this one provided evidence one way or the other. "But what we could do, is call her Peyton but put it down as her middle name." She explained her solution to Holly.

Holly chuckled as she felt the baby pull away from her and fuss. She glanced at Gail as she shifted the baby around to her other breast. Gail helped to try and get her to latch on properly and after crying for a time the baby's mouth closed successfully around her other nipple and she happily resumed her mealtime activities.

"Totally amazing." Gail said softly as she watched their daughter feed, her finger touching the thin strands of dark hair on her head. She was a week early but her mother had been right, she really didn't look premature at all.

Which was good because it meant they'd get to take her home soon.

Holly nodded as she worked the baby free of the blanket and with Gail's help settled her more comfortably against her body.

"What do you think Ivy Peyton Stewart, are we ready for you?" Holly asked looking down at her daughter as she kicked her now free legs against her.

Gail tried not to grin too much on hearing the name switch. Instead she pressed her lips to Holly's cheek and when her wife turned to look at her she leaned forward for a proper kiss.

"I don't know Holly, we're you ready for me?" Gail asked softly.

Holly stared down at their daughter who once more started to fuss and kick out all her limbs. She looked back at Gail with a wry grin. "I don't think anyone is ever ready for you sweetheart."

Gail's smile blossomed. Maybe Holly hadn't been ready for her exactly, but they'd both made it through those early days and they had made it this far.

They'd made a home together, a marriage, and now they had the start of their family.

"It's going to be awesome." Gail whispered as the baby slowly stilled its movements now it was happily sated with a full belly.

Holly grinned and closed her eyes as she rested back in the bed. It had been a long day but here they were at the end of it, just the three of them.

"We're so not ready." She admitted to Gail.

Gail gave Holly a look to see how serious she was. Holly just stared back at her until they both broke out into laughter that started little Ivy Peyton Stewart off again as she wailed at them for disturbing her peace.

"So, so not ready." Gail agreed as she swooped the baby up in her arms and moved off the bed to try and soothe her back to sleep.

Holly watched on from her spot on the bed. She felt her heart swell as she watched Gail with their daughter.

They might not be ready, but they'd do just fine.

xxxxx

**AN/**

So that's it.

Maybe.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Girls adventure day**

Gail could hear the panting getting closer as she raced over the uneven ground.

"Come on, just a little further." She told herself as she ducked to avoid hitting a low tree branch face first. Sweat was soaking through her t-shirt, especially across the straps of the harness holding Ivy to her body.

A loud bark and growl sounded just at her heels and Gail did her best to pick up her pace, jumping over a fallen tree and through some underbrush that made Ivy squeal of happiness as she faced outward at Gail's chest.

Gail was not seeing the fun as another bark sounded, this time close enough to set the hair on the back of her neck on edge. She was trying as hard as she could to stay out in front but maybe running in a straight line wasn't the best option.

Looking around Gail spotting a dense shrub that looked thick with prickly thorns, if she grabbed a tree branch to help her she might be able to get over it without injury and just maybe she could lose the mutt snapping at her heels.

Another bark and she decided to chance it even with her precious cargo.

With the pounding of paws getting closer Gail split off to the left sharply and hoped for the best. She picked her spot carefully, a tree branch that was close to a low part of the thorny bush. It looked about three feet high but she'd have no idea how deep it went until she was on her way over it.

If she landed in it not only was she going to rip skin she was going to hurt her daughter.

And then she was lengthening her stride and getting ready to power over the thick hedge and it was too late to back out, too late to reconsider the consequences.

Bending deep on her dominant foot Gail pushed off with as much power and momentum she could generate, even using the swing of her arms to help her grab at the branch and push herself up and over just as a snarl and snap of teeth bit into the material at the back of her shorts.

And then she was in the air and letting go of the branch as Ivy cried out in delight at the feeling of lifting from the ground.

Gail almost smirked as she heard a frustrated whine and the scramble of the dog's body as it tried to stop from colliding with the razor thorns of the bush. Her smirk died when she saw a good reason for the thick bush being there in the first place.

Gail had just launched herself off the side of an embankment.

"Holy shit!" She shouted as she tried to brace herself and Ivy for the impact half way down the slope. With one hand she covered Ivy's head and pressed her tighter into her body as she did her best to lean backwards and not be thrown head first down to the bottom.

With probably nothing but blind luck to thank, Gail's feet impacted deep into loose soil and gave her enough of a cushion that she could lean her body back and with her free arm almost slide the rest of her way down on her back, keeping Ivy perfectly safe.

In a few seconds it was over and Ivy was chortling happily and clapping her hands as Gail stumbled at the bottom but caught her balance and was able to stop and turn back for a look.

Her eyes widened as she realised that the word 'embankment' didn't do the height of the slope justice. It was practically a small mountain. It had to be at least thirty feet high and what was worse was it was almost a vertical drop.

The dog barking from the top, hidden from view by the thick shrubbery made Gail blow out a breath in relief and shake her head at her own stupidity. Doing something like that was all well and good on her own but she had Ivy with her and she couldn't believe she'd just managed to throw them both of the top of that cliff.

Gail pressed a kiss to her daughter's head. "One word about that to your mom and I swear I'll ground you for life." She warned Ivy who just garbled happy sounds at her and waved her arms about, eager to get going again.

Gail rolled her eyes wondering where their daughter got all her energy from. But then, it wasn't like Ivy was doing any of the hard work.

With a sigh Gail got her bearings again and took off at a jog trying to make her way back to the car.

Over twenty minutes later Gail had managed to escape the deep ravine she had plunged carelessly into and retraced her steps back to the trail she had started out on over an hour before.

"Look, there's mommy!" She pointed out to her daughter as she spotted Holly leaning up against the back end of the family jeep. Maybe she should have stayed in bed this morning, Gail thought as she took in the knowing look her wife was giving her.

Gail smiled her best smile as she slowed down and Holly came to meet them in the clearing.

"There's my darling." Holly said in greeting only to ignore Gail's lips for a kiss to her daughter as Ivy wailed in glee at the sight of her mommy and struggled in her trappings to get to Holly.

Gail rolled her eyes as Ivy started to cry as they failed to work quickly enough to get her free from the harness and into Holly's arms. "Yeah, yeah, I see how it is." Gail mumbled in mock annoyance as Holly lifted Ivy up into the air making her squeal with happiness.

Now that she could take the rest of the contraption off Gail finally felt how overworked and painful her whole body felt. And it wasn't even midday.

As she threw the harness onto the ground and was about to join it when a growl from the back of the car made Gail snap her head over only to see the drooling monster she had barely escaped not half an hour ago.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She muttered with a glare at the beast as it lowered its head and stalked towards her with a snarling growl and snap of its teeth.

Holly grinned as she watched on. "He got back over ten minutes ago, he won, now give him his prize." She told her wife who looked more than a little perturbed by this development.

Gail scowled. "Then obviously he cheated."

The dark furred Alsatian/Wolf cross barked at Gail and inched closer, still pulling its lips back to bare its teeth at the blonde threateningly.

Holly, content her daughter had been returned to her unharmed by the experience of a run with Gail, turned and gestured to her wife. "Maybe you should have followed him, have you seen yourself?" She asked before walking over and pulling a twig and several leaves from Gail's hair.

And now that Holly was really looking, she spotted more than a few cuts and scratches to Gail's exposed skin, not to mention the dirt covering her trainers and shorts.

"I thought you were going to stick to the trail?" Holly asked as she puzzled over how Gail could look such a mess.

"I just go where she point's." The blonde refuted, laying sole blame for the state of her appearance on her five month old daughter.

Holly frowned but the really scary thing was that she believed Gail completely.

Gail grinned sheepishly under Holly's gaze and did her best to dust herself off, only now feeling the pain of scrapes to the palm of one hand. That must have happened sliding down the embankment. Which she was not ever going to mention. Then she frowned when she spotted a cut at her knee. How did that happen? When did that happen?

The dog barked at her again, growing impatient for its trophy.

Holly noticed the look Gail sent the dog and couldn't help but chuckle. "Just give Bear the damn thing already!" She hurried the blonde up. Left to Gail, she would probably stare off with their dog for the rest of the morning.

Gail sighed and pulled the small blue plush toy from what was left of her back pocket and waved it around in front of the dog. "You want this?" She asked it only to have Bear growl at her again and make its way closer, its eyes trained on the toy in her hand as it was moved around in the air.

"Catch." She said as she swung the toy into the air and the dog leapt up after it, trapping it in its jaws before landing gracefully back down onto his paws and chomping on the toy as he looked at Gail and wagged his tail happily.

For some reason Gail felt like he was trying to point out to her how to perform a proper landing.

She ignored him and turned to Holly to ask how long they had before they were due back only to find her wife nursing Ivy at her breast. "Oh I see how it is," She complained as she looked back at the dog now laying down and ripping at the new toy. Behind the dog just at the rear wheel she spotted the bowls of food and water. She turned back and gave Holly a pointed look. "Do you have water for me or should I try finding a stream or something?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "The cooler is in the back of the car."

Gail grunted then wandered over to that side of their jeep and pulled the lid off the 5 litre container. Inside there was bottled water, juice and even an ice pack. That made Gail grin as she opened a bottle of water and downed more than half its contents in one swallow. It hadn't been the longest run she'd been on lately but with the added weight of Ivy she'd definitely gotten a good workout.

"How was the ride?" She asked Holly while kicking at the mountain bike sprawled out on the ground covered in mud.

Holly grinned, coming over to Gail as Ivy continued with her lunch. "It was good." She told her wife. And it had been. Biking often bored Gail so Holly had taken her bike on one trail around the lake on the other side of the country park they were in and left Ivy to a jog with her other mom. It was a few miles outside of Toronto and surprisingly empty given the nice weather they were having.

Just what they both needed before returning home and getting ready for an evening with the Pecks.

"Ready to head back?"

"No." Gail sulked grumpily with her head down and refusing to look at Holly. She knew the brunette had given her fair warning about this and plenty of time to accept it, but Gail hated the idea of going to her parents' house for the rest of their day together. It seemed like such a waste.

Holly gave her wife a look as she adjusted Ivy at her chest. "Look, I know you don't want to go-"

"Neither should you." Gail muttered as she reached over and stroked her daughter's head. She studied Ivy, amazed at how much she had grown in these few months since her birth. This gorgeous little girl had stolen Gail's heart just as quickly as Holly had and the last thing she wanted for either of them was to be subjected to Elaine Peck the way she had growing up.

She looked up at Holly and tried to show her those years of hurt and disappointment every time she thought her mother had changed.

Holly's eyes softened at the pain she could see in Gail's blue eyes. She knew this was hard for Gail and she really did her best to limit their time with the older Pecks, but this evening couldn't be missed.

"You know Traci and Steve asked us to be there tonight." She reminded Gail softly.

Gail shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, I know."

"Gail."

There was an edge to Holly's voice that let Gail know her wife wasn't in the mood to argue with her over this. And not wanting to completely ruin their weekend more than she knew her mother would, Gail pressed her lips to Holly's cheek and then moved to pick up their dogs bowls.

"I guess we better get going then." She muttered as she threw what was left of the water away and stored the bowls in a bag. She then called Bear over and patted the floor in the back of the jeep and the dog jumped up and turned around a few times before sitting down and looking at Gail as he dropped the drool covered toy he had gotten from her down at his front paws.

Gail grinned at the mutt then scratched behind his ear before going to secure the cooler. "Want anything from this?" She asked Holly who was now strapping their daughter into her car seat just behind theirs. Holly shook her head so Gail picked out a fresh bottle of water for herself and closed the back of the jeep. She then popped the water into the cup holder up front before returning to the back to fix Holly's bike to the rack.

Holly climbed into the passenger seat after she had settled Ivy down with a toy. She knew her daughter would be fast asleep as soon as they started the drive home. Which was a good thing because she needed to talk with her wife.

Gail went as slow as she could but much sooner than she wanted to she was turning over the ignition and starting them on the dirt track out of the national park they were in.

"You know this place was a good find, we should probably come back up here again." She offered as the silence became stifling even to Gail.

Holly knew this was Gail's attempt at ignoring the obvious and while she agreed that a return trip was a good idea, especially with the warm start to fall they were expecting, they had less than an hour before they would be back home and Holly didn't want to be fighting with Gail all evening.

She placed her hand on Gail's leg, stroking it gently. "She might not have heard yet, she might actually just let tonight be about Steve and Traci." She said aiming specifically at the best outcome either of them could hope for.

Gail snorted not knowing whether to laugh at Holly outright for that little piece of bright siding it.

"Oh, she'll have heard." Gail insisted. "Not only will she have heard she'll have a copy of my transfer request by her side at the table waiting for the worst possible moment to bring it up."

Holly squeezed Gail's thigh. "Do you really think she'll do that to your brother?"

Gail shrugged as she turned the car onto the main highway that would take them towards Toronto.

"She'll give them their fifteen minutes, longer if it's about an actual wedding date, but then she'll start in about it. You wait."

Holly didn't doubt it but there wasn't much either of them could do about it. She sighed and looked out her window. "Are you sure about transferring?"

Gail scowled then eyed her wife. "We've discussed this Hol, you know it's better this way, it'll be easier in the long run." She added with a nod of her head as if she repeated it enough times out loud then it'd be true.

Holly studied her wife's profile. She loved the blonde more today than she ever imagined when she'd first had her run in with her. Just thinking back to that day made her grin. She glanced over her seat and watched Ivy sleeping for a moment.

It was amazing how perfect her life seemed as she considered everything she had with Gail.

Should she really be forcing the blonde to upheave their lives to start over again somewhere else?

"I can just turn the offer down." Holly said quietly.

Gail frowned and turned her eyes off of the road for a quick glance at Holly. Not wanting to have such a serious talk while she tried to keep them safe on the drive home, Gail picked up the hand still resting on her leg and pressed her lips to it before returning it to its position and then put her attention on getting them home.

xxxxxx

As they pulled into their garage they quickly fell into their weekend routine with Gail taking Ivy to get her cleaned up and put down for a nap while Holly returned her bike to the wall rack beside Gail's and grabbed Bear's leash to take him for a walk.

Gail was surprised when Ivy fussed after her bath, an activity she normally enjoyed, and had to be comforted with hugs and walks around the back garden before exhausting herself and drifting off just as Holly returned with Bear.

"I'll take her." Holly offered, reaching for Ivy and trading her for Bear's leash.

Gail kissed her daughter and held the leather strap loosely in her hand as they both stood and watched Holly and Ivy disappear back into the house. She pouted down at their dog but Bear just sat down and let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he panted in the heat.

She rolled her eyes and started back into the house.

As she was getting Bear some fresh water a pair of hands snaked around Gail's waist and she grinned as Holly buried her nose against her neck and hummed at her while swaying them gently.

Gail hadn't expected Holly to get all touchy feely while they were due to have one of the most serious discussions they'd ever have.

Holly felt Gail's body shake in silent laughter and it spurred her into blowing a raspberry on the skin beneath her lips.

"Holly!" Gail protested as she tried to wipe the slobber away as Holly giggled. "God you're as bad as the mutt."

Bear lifted his head at the sound of the name Gail often used for him but put it straight back down when both of his people ignored him. Such was a dog's life.

Holly adjusted her glasses and let Gail out of her hold just long enough to put Bear's bowl down then she wrapped her wife back up into her arms and proceeded to frog march them into the living space where the baby monitor was set up to keep an ear on their daughter's nap time.

"I need a beer." Gail grumbled as Holly forced them both down onto the couch.

Holly pinched Gail for that comment, given she was breast feeding Ivy and had been nice enough not to indulge while pregnant, listening to her wife pout over abstaining for another few hours left her with no sympathy.

"After the horror show, not before." Holly said.

Gail sigh. They would both be in need of it after tonight. "So you agree it's not going to be pretty?"

Holly pulled Gail closer into her body. She refrained from stating the obvious, they were going to be spending a few hours with Elaine Peck, and that was never pretty.

"We have a good life here, don't we?" She asked softly. "I mean the house, us, Ivy, our friends, your family."

Gail turned her head and gave her wife an amused look. "Us, after the house?" She queried.

Holly rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Gail replied as she turned and straddled Holly, taking her time to settle across her thighs and slide her hands through Holly's hair before pressing a kiss to her lips.

Holly opened her eyes after Gail shifted away from her lips. "Are you really willing to give all of this up?" That was the sticking point for Holly. Gail had lived her whole life knowing she'd follow her parents and her brother into the police force. That she'd be expected to live up to her family's expectations.

Her transfer was the first outward sign that Gail was leaving that path for one of her own, and there was no way that was going to go over well with Elaine Peck. Not when Elaine has had such a strong hold on Gail all throughout her career so far.

"I'm not giving anything up Holly." Gail refuted. "I'm still going to be a cop, I'll always be a cop, it's all I know how to be."

"And us moving to Vancouver?" Holly asked with a touch of apprehension.

Gail pursed her lips. "That's happening next year." She told Holly then leaned closer to whisper, "And we'll tell my mom that as we're boarding the flight."

Holly giggled as Gail pressed closer and pulled her into a deep kiss. When it ended Holly studied her wife, her hand lifting to trace her eyebrow and a nose, and a lip before Gail chuckled and snapped at her finger with her teeth.

"I just don't want you to give up everything just for me." She said as her fear slipped into her words.

Gail shook her head. "This is for us Holly." She told her wife. "Your family is there, this amazing job is there waiting for you, why shouldn't we take the opportunity and go for it?" She asked her wife. Gail had grown up having her whole life mapped out for her. She knew at every stage of her life what she was supposed to have achieved, from graduating high school, what undergraduate course she was going to take, when she would go to the Academy, even what division she would end up at afterwards.

This job that Holly had been offered, a job that wasn't even going to start for another twelve months, was the chance to live her life for herself for the first time. For Holly and for Ivy. In the city Holly grew up in, where her parents and her sisters still lived.

Didn't Ivy deserve the chance to get to know Holly's side of the family before she had to grow the thick skin that would allow her to deal with having Elaine Peck in her life?

And if Gail was truly honest with herself, another appeal to the move would be allowing their daughter to grow up under influences other than the Peck family history.

"Look Holly, if we go and we hate it," Which Gail didn't think for a second would happen. "Then you know we can always come back."

Holly shifted and dropped her head onto Gail's shoulder. Her wife made it sound so simple.

"I just don't want you to resent me for this." She muttered before Gail was lifting her head and forcing eye contact. The blonde gave her a puzzled look. "I don't want you to think that we have to put my career before yours." She offered in a distressed tone. This was Holly's real fear.

Gail's lips twitched and she stroked Holly's cheek gently with her thumb. "You sound any more like my mom and I'm going to have to divorce you." She warned.

Holly grinned.

"Oh, I'm serious Holly." Gail said trying to keep a stern look on her face.

Holly laughed.

Gail pouted and tried to move away from her wife only to have Holly roll them over and trap her on the couch and start tickling her.

Bear growled and snapped up on his feet before he realised the noises coming from the pair weren't a sign of danger or distress. He whined and laid back down, still keeping a watchful eye on the pair as he sat beside the baby monitor.

Holly struggled with Gail but managed to get hold of Gail's wrists and pin them down as she hovered above the blonde. "Do I get Ivy or the dog?" She asked her maybe soon to be ex-wife.

Gail snorted. "Both. I want the house."

Holly laughed at that, Gail had done nothing but complain that the area they lived in was too snobby for her liking, there was no way should would live here if she wasn't such a push over when it came to Holly.

"And I'll need spousal support."

Holly hit Gail on the shoulder.

"I'm just saying!" Gail cried out as Holly went back to tickling her.

Bear growled lowly and flicked his tail side to side, then his ears flicked up and he got back up, his tail wagging faster.

He sat and barked.

Holly and Gail stopped their game immediately and eyed Bear. It was then that they heard Ivy cry softly over the monitor.

"Good boy!" Holly praised as she started to get up from Gail only to find herself suddenly on her back.

Gail grinned down at her wife and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll get her."

Holly shook her head as Gail left and called after the blonde, "I thought I got her and Bear?"

"Only after the divorce Hol!" Gail shouted back, not worried about making a noise now that Ivy was awake.

Holly put her head back down and scratched Bear as he came over and laid himself along the base of the couch. It wasn't long before Gail was returning with Ivy and laying back down with Holly after she had handed their daughter to her wife.

Ivy sat on Holly's stomach as Holly held her loosely in place and waved her hands around with a happy yell.

"She's such a happy baby isn't she?" Gail said as she watched their daughter.

Holly smirked. "Weird huh? I had them check, she really is biologically yours."

Gail blushed and groaned into Holly's shoulder as her wife chuckled at her. Eventually she shifted away and looked back at the baby. "I just want her to stay like this for as long as possible." She whispered as her eyes stayed on what Gail always considered to be Holly's image.

Holly stilled, her eyes drifting to Gail but the blonde kept her eyes on Ivy.

"She will." Holly told Gail. "We'll make sure of it."

Gail smiled then met Holly's gaze and seeing the confidence shinning there, she lifted herself up and kissed her.

Ivy giggled and yelled out, pushing herself forwards to join in with her parents.

Holly and Gail giggled as little hands slapped at their faces.

"Oh, she's definitely yours after the divorce." Gail reiterated with an indulgent smile as Ivy laid herself down on top of Holly and made Gail retreat back down to her previous spot.

"Careful blondie, or I'll take the house too and make you move back home with mama." Holly threatened.

"Oh, them's fighting words Hol." Gail replied softly as she rubbed her daughters back as Ivy wriggled for a moment then settled and closed her eyes.

Holly rubbed her hand over Ivy's head then felt for Gail's hand and brought it to her lips. "You ready for this tonight?"

"Nope." Came the immediate answer.

"But we're still going aren't we?"

Gail pouted and snuggled against Holly. Her daughter had a great idea, maybe if she closed her eyes when she opened them again it would be morning and they'll have missed dinner at Casa Peck.

"I guess." She grumbled unhappily. They'd go because of Steve, Traci and Leo, but how long they stayed would depend on how long they could put up with Elaine.

Holly pressed her lips to Gail's head and laced their fingers together. "If she gets too much maybe you could mention our plans about Vancouver?"

Gail snorted. "Oh yeah, like transferring to 12 Division isn't bad enough news, let's just go the whole hog and give her a heart attack." Then Gail thought about that. "Actually…" It wasn't really that bad of an idea.

Holly grinned and closed her eyes.

They'd have to leave soon, but it was nice just to take this moment and saviour it.

Whatever happened this evening all that mattered was this, that her family was whole and happy.

She felt sorry for Elaine for never understanding that basic fact on what family was.

Holly pulled Gail a little closer. "Well, it would make the switch to 12 Division easier to take."

Gail grinned. It actually would.

"Let's just wait and try and get through tonight and hear Steve and Traci's news before we get to the tough stuff with us."

"Okay."

"So," Gail said after a long moment of silence. "What do you think? Wedding or baby?"

Holly had a very good idea of the answer given her medical training so she kept quiet.

Gail tilted her head up when she didn't get a response, only then did she notice the grin on Holly's face.

"No way! Seriously?"

Holly shrugged. It was an educated guess.

"Ha!"

xxxxxx

**AN/**

Would you like dinner or a shift to their lives in Vancouver up next?

The Vancouver chapter will be the last for this story.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Girls adventure day **

**Part 2**

"Can you get her?" Holly asked Gail as she rounds their jeep to let Bear out of the back and snap his lead on.

Gail rolls her eyes and goes to her hysterical daughter. The drive had barely allowed Ivy to nod off properly before Holly was pulling into the Peck driveway and Ivy was not happy.

"Okay, okay." Gail said as she unstrapped Ivy from her car seat and pulled her into her arms. The crying slowed to pitiful sobs after a few bounces. Ivy then put her head down on Gail's shoulder and continued to shed big fat tears from her eyelashes as she stuck her little fist into her mouth.

"I think she's teething again." Holly told Gail as she took in her daughter with an unhappy frown. Ivy already had two little teeth in her mouth with another just breaking through the gum line. It upset Holly that there was little they could do to help or speed up the process, their daughter would just have to get through it the same way every other child at her age did, by taking it out on their parents.

"More like she wants to be here just as much as I do, isn't that right baby girl?" Gail asked her daughter with a grin before she noticed Holly's glaring. With a defeated sigh she pulled the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder and then closed the car door and joined her wife as they stood and took in the Peck mansion.

Gail really did want to protest one last time but held it in for the sake of a happy home life later. As trying as her mother could be Gail didn't want to spend hours after this dinner fighting about it with Holly. She just wanted to get through this as quickly and as painlessly as possible and then forget she had parents until her next performance was due.

"After you?" She said to Holly and motioned towards the front door.

Holly reluctantly started forward, giving Bear's leash a tug to get him up from where he'd laid down at her feet. It wasn't like Holly wanted to be here anymore than Gail did and if it wasn't for Traci, Leo and Steve she probably would have given in to Gail's complaints about their inclusion in tonight's dinner. While Holly tried her best to keep things civil with Elaine Peck for the sake of Gail and the simple fact that the woman was Ivy's Gran, she detested the way the older woman treated her daughter and Gail had been right earlier, this wasn't going to be pretty.

Elaine Peck no doubt had heard about Gail's impending transfer out of 15, and if that was the case there was no way the woman was going to keep her opinion on that to herself.

She glanced at the blonde apologetically. "We should have waited on your brother and Traci." She said as she arrived at the door.

Gail hummed in agreement but given her years of experience in dealing with her mother, the only sure solution to these situations was avoidance and Holly had scuppered that from the get-go.

The door opened quickly after Holly knocked and Bill Peck stood there, his smile greeting them even as his eyes tracked to Ivy. "There she is!" He proclaimed before stealing Ivy from his daughter the second she crossed the threshold. "Look who's gotten so big!" He said enthusiastically as he lifted Ivy up above his head making her giggle and throw her arms about.

Gail rolled her eyes as she followed Holly further into the house and found somewhere to dump Ivy's bag. "Who knew all I needed to be ignored in this family was a child? The things I wish I knew."

Holly snorted as she walked through to the kitchen and opened the back door to let Bear have the run of the enclosed garden. "There you go boy, go play!" She instructed him and with a bark he bounded along the decking and raced to sniff out any changes to the place since his last visit.

Gail watched him for a moment as she stood beside her wife. "At least someone's happy to be here." She muttered softly into Holly's ear.

"Girls, don't let that dog foul in the garden, we're going to be eating out there soon." Elaine said as she entered the kitchen. "It's such a nice day for it."

Gail flinched at the sound of her mother's voice and thought about standing deathly still in the hopes that her mother would ignore her presence but Holly gave her an elbow to the side making her grunt. She sent her wife a glare but Holly just tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

With a soft defeated sigh, Gail turned and plastered on her grin. "Mother." She greeted.

Elaine stepped closer and took in her daughter's attire with a disapproving look.

Gail sent another glare at Holly for making her come today.

Holly, still with her back to Elaine, grinned and rubbed at the back of her neck. Then she straightened and stepped out onto the back decking. "No! Bear, no digging!" She said before leaving mother and daughter alone.

Gail was stunned by how Holly had played that move. That was a master class in escapism. She knew Bear wasn't digging anywhere and by the smirk on her mother's face Elaine guessed it as well.

The two of them stood there in silence for a minute or two before Elaine went to the fridge.

"Seeing as you have nothing better to do, you can help me with this." Elaine said as she pulled out a platter of bags that held marinating meat for the barbeque.

Gail obediently went over and took the plate.

"Do keep it covered until your father comes out. I don't want any bugs in my food dear."

Gail rolled her eyes and went straight for the open back door. She dropped the platter down on the ledge beside the grill and then looked around for Holly. Spotting her at the far end playing with Bear she headed for them.

The further away from the house the better as far as she was concerned. She felt bad for abandoning their daughter but right now it was every man for themselves and Gail felt remarkably okay with her own bid for freedom. Besides, her father was as big a softy as Gail was around Ivy, the kid would be fine.

"I can't believe you just did that!" She said as she came to where Holly was seated down on the lawn stroking at Bear's tummy as he rolled onto his back and stretched out for his rub down.

Holly chuckled. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad." She said as Gail joined her on the ground.

Gail pouted and leaned her head on Holly's shoulder.

"How long do you think we can hide out here?" She asked.

Holly grinned and turned to look at Gail when she was interrupted by the sound of wailing from the back door of the house. She chuckled as Gail groaned beside her.

"Time's up!" She told her wife.

Gail grumbled as she hauled herself back to her feet. "Damn kid. Thought she could have bought us at least a half hour."

"Watch it or you'll be on diaper duty for the next month." Holly warned as she brushed her jeans of any grass and dirt she might have picked up on her clothes from the ground.

Bear barked and rolled back onto his front and wagged his tail at them.

"You stay." Gail ordered with a point of her finger at him. "And be a good boy and learn to dig a few ditches around here. You never know, we might need one later."

Holly chuckled and pulled at Gail's arm. "Oh, stop. You know your mother will shoot him if he touches this garden."

Bear whimpered as his humans started to leave. He stayed where he was out in the warm sun and away from the strange smelling house. He put his head back down and flicked his ear as loud cries kept his attention but soon that stopped and he relaxed with a stretch out onto his side.

xxxxxx

Gail stood in the entryway between the kitchen and the dining room and watched Holly with Ivy for a moment as her daughter finally calmed as Holly used a bit of crushed ice to soothe the aching in her mouth.

"Teething?" Elaine asked having walked up behind her daughter and watched Holly with the child. The tears hadn't completely abated and from the looks of it most of the evening ahead would be taken up with trying to keep the child pacified.

"Yeah." Gail replied after starting at her mother's voice. She kept her back to Elaine as her mother started moving about the kitchen again as she waited to see if Holly would need her help with Ivy. Finally the clattering and banging caused her to turn her head to her mother.

"I thought we were barbequing?" She asked in a confused tone as Elaine popped a covered tray into the oven.

"We are." Elaine replied as she turned the dial. "I'm making dessert."

Gail rolled her eyes. In this weather no one needed a cooked dessert. The only dessert worth having was of the ice cream variety then by all means, but nothing hot, like the pie in the oven right now.

Elaine caught the look on her daughter's face. "It's your brother's favourite."

Gail's jaw clenched and she turned back to her wife, still seated at the dining table with Ivy in her arms. Gail was grateful that they were both out of listening range.

"Has he told you what tonight is all about?"

Gail sighed and willed her feet to carry her away from her mother but for some sick, cruel reason she didn't seem capable of escape right now. "No." She replied softly. It didn't matter what she thought tonight was about or Holly's suspicions, Steve and Traci would share their news when they wanted to. And really, that was just fine with Gail.

Elaine huffed and moved around to pull out dishes to set aside for later.

"I remember the days when I used to be kept informed of what went on in his life." She complained.

Gail swallowed painfully and bit at her lip.

"Not anymore, now I have to be told by other people. My own staff know more about the changes going on with my own children than I do." She continued as she went to a drawer and pulled out spoons and dropped them onto the top plate with a rattle of metal on porcelain. "Do you know how unacceptable that is for me?"

Gail didn't really care.

"My own children, keeping things from me." Elaine went on as she moved to stand beside Gail. "Is there anything you'd like to share with me?"

Gail turned her eyes to Elaine's for a long moment before turning away. Those eyes had been expectant and hard, and very _very_ unimpressed. It wasn't a new look for her mother. "I better check on Ivy." She said softly before leaving her mother to stand there alone.

There wasn't a doubt in Gail's mind that her mother knew about the transfer.

"She okay?" Gail asked Holly as she noticed her daughter was still teary eyed.

Holly smiled at the concern in Gail's eyes then lifted Ivy towards the blonde. "Why don't you see how she's doing?" She said as Gail gathered their daughter into her arms and cradled her against her shoulder.

"Baby girl not happy? Huh?" Gail asked her daughter as she swayed her upper body gently.

Ivy cried softly against Gail's neck and she could feel the wetness of tears that made her heart clench a little in sympathy. They had been through this before and while Gail knew they all just had to ride it out it annoyed her that there was so little she could do to ease the problem for her daughter.

She gave Holly a sad look.

Holly did her best not to grin but the sight of Gail pouting at her and an almost identical scowl adorning Ivy's features was almost too much. The poor things.

"Here, try this." Holly said as she gathered another piece of ice from the glass she had collected in the kitchen earlier and passed it over to her wife.

Gail took the ice sliver and tried to ease it into Ivy's mouth but her daughter turned her head away with a cry and then continued to refuse it until Gail shook her head and dropped the melting ice back into the glass. After which Ivy settled back into place and began to relax some, her body losing the tension it had previously possessed.

"Maybe she's tired?" She said to Holly.

Holly stood and placed her hand on her daughter's back, giving it a gentle rub. "Maybe." Ivy hadn't slept like she normally does in the early afternoon and with the teething, it was very possible that she was exhausted both from the pain and her disturbed nap time.

Gail and Holly shared a look then Gail grinned and closed the distance to press a kiss to her wife's lips while they were relatively alone. "Let me take her out back and see if I can get her down for a bit." She told Holly who kissed her again before patting her hip.

"Any excuse to hide out there, huh?" Holly teased.

Gail grinned. "You betcha!" She replied before adjusting her hold on Ivy and heading for the back door, disappearing outside before Elaine could say anything to her.

Holly had noticed the pair talking from her seat and had to keep reminding herself that she was putting Gail through this because they both cared for Steve and Traci so much. Both couples had been busy recently and with Ivy it had been hard to arrange anything together. Today was a chance to catch up as well as hear the other couples news.

Holly glanced at her watch and wondered how long they would be as she picked up the ice water and took it back into the kitchen. She stopped off at Ivy's bag first and picked out a plastic soother to fill with water and place in the freezer for Ivy if she needed it later to chew on.

"You both spoil that child." Elaine said as Holly emptied the glass into the sink and then rinsed it under the tap before returning it to the cupboard with the rest.

Holly smiled tightly at Elaine. Gail's mother was the very last person she ever intended to take child rearing advice from. Not after the stories Gail had shared with her. This woman was the reason Gail still doubted her ability to be a good mother to Ivy, often deferring to Holly for Ivy's care, especially in those first few weeks home.

In the end Holly had lost her patience with her wife due to her own tiredness and snapped at her that as long as she didn't drop Ivy from a height then it was unlikely she'd permanently harm the baby. And then she had grabbed for Bear's lead and left Gail wide eyed and alone to work out why Ivy was crying.

She had returned sheepishly not thirty minutes later, ready to apologise only to find Gail out in the back garden walking around with a sleepy and content Ivy at her shoulder. And as she released Bear into the back yard Gail had turned and just smiled at her, their argument obviously forgotten as Gail came over and kissed her hard on the mouth.

"Ivy's teething and it's making her uncomfortable, we're simply trying to make this as easy for her as possible." Holly explained politely.

Elaine shook her head. "Babies cry, there's no need to fuss over her so much."

Just as Holly made to reply Gail came in through the doorway with Bear at her side.

"Look, see, there she is!" Gail said brightly as she pointed Holly out to her daughter.

Holly dismissed Elaine and went over to her family, putting her hand out for Ivy as her daughter reached out for her. Ivy clutched at Holly's fingers then dropped her head back down against Gail's neck with a hiccup.

With one hand occupied Holly curled the other around Gail's waist and pressed into the pair, dropping a kiss to Ivy's head and then to Gail's lips.

"Spoiled." Elaine muttered as she watch on.

Gail's eyes went to the older woman briefly then she glanced at Holly and quirked an eyebrow in question.

Holly shook her head as discreetly as possible then breathed a sigh of relief as the front door of the house opened and Bear barked in greeting before taking off to get some attention from Leo who a called out for him.

Gail rolled her eyes then smiled at Holly as Elaine left them to say her hellos to the new arrivals.

"She doing okay?" Holly asked quietly as she brought her hand up to stroke the dark patch of hair on her daughter's head.

"Oh yeah, she great, just as happy as I am." Gail replied with a smirk as she tried jiggling Ivy whose face scrunched up as she lifted her head at the movement then she huffed and dropped it back down against Gail's shoulder.

Then she started to cry softly.

"Aw, baby." Holly pulled Ivy into her own arms and as Ivy snuggled into her and her crying increased. Holly rocked Ivy then gestured to the freezer. "Can you get her soother out, it should be nearly frozen by now."

Gail went over and pulled the water filled ring out and returned to Holly with it.

"Thanks." Holly muttered as she tried to work the ring into Ivy's mouth but she was crying so hard it took her a little bit to notice the relief to the pain she was being presented with. Finally she felt the cold seep into her mouth and with a tiny hand tried to pull it further in as her cries turned to cautious huffs of discontent.

Steve came into the kitchen and placed a case of beer and a bottle of wine on the counter, then he turned to stare at Gail.

"What?" She asked with frown. She had no idea why he would have the hump with her she's pretty sure she hasn't done anything but ignore him lately.

"Did you have to bring the dog?" Steve asked as he approached the pair, although unlike his reaction to Gail he smiled at Holly and the baby. "You know Leo will spend all night asking for his own pet."

Gail's scowl deepened. "Bear isn't a pet." She pointed out to her brother like she had several times before. Everyone knew she wasn't a fan of dogs.

Steve rolled his eyes then made faces at Ivy as he greeted Holly with a kiss on the cheek.

"He's not." Gail insisted.

"Whatever Gail, trust me, Traci will be after your head if she has to get a puppy for Leo. Dex already told him no and now he's saying it's all he wants for Christmas and his birthday this year." He told her as he gave her a pointed look that let her know he was just as unhappy with the idea as Traci.

"You know, dogs are really good for kids, they keep each other entertained. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea?" Holly said trying to broker some peace between the siblings.

Steve blinked. He hadn't thought of that and neither had Traci, their thinking was more along the lines of working long hours and trying to potty train a puppy and then make sure it was walked and socialised often enough not to tear their home apart.

He shook his head to dispel the idea. They worked too hard as it was, a dog would just be another issue to get in the way. "No. Not happening." He told the pair.

Gail watched her brother then let a slow grin spread over her features. "You should be careful brother, you never know what Santa will drop down your chimney one of these days." She teased.

"Don't you dare!" Steve told her as his eyes widened.

Gail chuckled then went over and pulled open the fridge to see if there was anything around she could snack on. "Score." She muttered to herself, delighted to have found a half-finished packet of chocolate biscuits. She pulled them out and just as she was about to pop one into her mouth her mother swooped by and snatched them out of her hand.

"You'll spoil your appetite." Elaine said before placing the packet into a cupboard and then shooing the group out into the garden. "Your father has gone to get some more lawn chairs from the garage, you can all wait out there. I'll bring some drinks out in a moment."

"Beer for me." Gail said before gripping Holly by a belt loop and tugging her back outside.

Steve disappeared in the opposite direction to go help their dad, passing Leo and Bear on his way as they came bounding into the kitchen.

Elaine eyed the child and dog then pointed to the open door. "Outside Leo, and take the dog with you."

Leo grinned and raced out the door with Bear hot on his heels.

Elaine shook her head then set about pulling the jug of fruit juice out of the fridge and placed it onto the counter while she went to retrieve enough glassware.

xxxxxxx

The lawn chairs had been arranged on the decking just a few feet away from where Steve and his parents were stood by the barbeque as the food was almost ready to serve.

Gail turned her head as her mother's laughter rang out, pulling her attention away from Holly and Traci who were talking about one of the pathologists that was covering for Holly while she was still on maternity leave. Or really, Traci was complaining about the guy and trying to hurry Holly into returning to work.

Which wasn't going to happen.

Holly was taking her full maternity leave and then she was using up all of her holiday leave owed to her to prolong her time with their daughter. And Gail agreed wholeheartedly. If Gail could have taken more time off she would have despite the comments her mother had already made about it.

Speaking of her mother, she glanced over at the trio and silently applauded her brother as she watched him refill her wine glass. She hadn't thought to bring alcohol with her but she was grateful Steve had. With any luck Elaine Peck will be too tipsy to focus back on Gail after whatever announcement was going to be made once the food was served.

"Aunt Gail?"

Gail snapped her attention back from her mother to see Leo stood in front of her with Bear at his side. "Yes? What can I do for you bud?"

Leo held out a ball that Bear looked very eager to get his teeth into as the wolf cross sat patiently, his tongue hanging out to one side.

"Little league starts next weekend, can you practise with me?" He asked earnestly.

Gail sighed as Traci and Holly, who had obviously just overheard Leo's requested, giggled. She looked around Leo to glare at the two of them then looked back at Traci's son.

"Between hockey and softball you're turning into quite the little athlete." Gail said as she accepted the baseball from Leo. She turned the ball over in her hands. "You know Steve was in little league?" She said as she wondered why Leo had come to her and not her brother. She knew Leo understood how awesome she was but it was universal knowledge that when it came to recreational activities Gail was at the back of a very long line. In fact she stood that far back she often couldn't be seen.

Leo shrugged. "But you never play with me anymore." He said.

The background giggling stopped abruptly.

Gail felt her throat close over and struggled to even look at Leo. "Uh…"

"Food's ready!" Steve called out.

Leo grinned and headed over to Steve, Bear following closely behind as he recognised the F word and decided to investigate.

Gail cleared her throat and stood. She was still holding the baseball. She gave it a look then placed it on her now empty seat and sighed. She glanced quickly at Holly and gestured to the gate at the side of the yard that led out front.

"I'm going to get Bear's food and bowls from the car." She said and left the awkwardness behind.

Leo was right, between Ivy, Bear and work, Gail hadn't been spending much of any time with him lately. She actually couldn't remember the last time she had taken him anywhere. There had been visits to the Nash-Peck residence and they had been over a few times since Ivy had been born but things had just gotten busy and…

Gail sighed and leaned against the side of the car.

"Hey."

Gail turned her head to Holly as her wife joined her leaning against the jeep. She felt tiredness seep in and let out another sigh.

"That hurt huh?" Holly asked softly. She knew Gail adored Leo, but with Ivy their time was pretty much taken up in her care. Even when they did get a moment alone or together, it was rare that they'd have the energy for much more than relaxing somewhere for as long as they could before Ivy needed them again.

"Kinda." Gail replied. It wasn't like she was going to lie to Holly.

Holly bit her lip and lifted her head to take in the bright blue sky. It was a beautiful day and she hated the thought of it going badly for them here. "I guess we've all been pretty busy lately."

Gail eyed Holly.

"Maybe next weekend we could arrange something?" Holly said, giving Gail a quick look. "The zoo or the park maybe."

Gail grinned. She loved that Holly always tried to fix things. Make everything better, even now.

"I love you." She whispered as Holly continued to come up with ideas for spending time with Leo.

Holly paused and frowned, second guessing her hearing, then she grinned as she took in the way Gail was looking at her. "I should hope so." She teased back. "You did marry me."

Gail chuckled. "I know! I don't know _what_ I was thinking."

"Oi!" Holly slapped Gail's stomach with the back of her hand.

Gail grinned and capture Holly's hand in her own. She intertwined their fingers and stared down at their hands, enjoying how they contrasted in skin tone but fit so perfectly together. And then she caught sight of her wedding band. She loved the symbol of their relationship, it felt like so much more than just a thin band of gold around her finger.

She loved being married to Holly, that she was spoken for and committed to this woman for the rest of her life. Ivy was a wonderful, yet terrifying extension of that love, but it was Holly who had given her this sense of peace and of wholeness.

Gail fit in the world now.

She had spent countless years trying to do that without success and then one day Holly Stewart had walked right past her at a crime scene and that had been that. Well maybe not _that_ easily, but their connection to one another had been there even then.

"You okay?" Holly asked softly as Gail seemed to get lost in her own world.

Gail looked over at Holly and smiled for her, trying to let her know that she was fine. She did feel hurt that Leo had felt her absence recently, because she knew he had a hard time going from Steve and Traci's to Dex and his new wife's home all the time. And then there was cancelled stays where, if Traci and Steve couldn't switch their shifts around he'd end up with his gran or overnight at a friend's house. It was a tough way to grow up, but he would be oaky because no matter what, both his parents loved him and they did their best to make it as easy as possible for him.

She'd make it up to Leo with a visit to a hockey game or a baseball game or something. Just the two of them and she'd let him eat a ton of junk food and he'd forget that she wasn't spending as much time with him as she used to now that she had Ivy to care for. And then school would be back and he'd be busy with homework and sports and his friends once more and it wouldn't matter as much that she wasn't around all the time.

"Wanna make out in the back of the car?" Gail asked Holly with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Holly laughed loudly, not expecting their conversation to go there.

"I'm serious." Gail said, wondering why Holly thought the idea was so funny. "We've lost the kid and the dog. We should take this opportunity and go with it."

Holly shook her head. It didn't matter how long she'd known Gail she was still constantly surprised by her.

Gail pouted. "Is that a no?"

Holly grinned then shifted so that she was pressing Gail back into the car and threaded her hands into Gail's hair as she rubbed their noses together. "Why don't we go all out and get in the car and take off?" Holly asked jokingly but let out a laugh as she watched Gail's eyes light up at the prospect.

"I'm kidding!" She told Gail.

Gail huffed in annoyance. "Damn."

Holly took pity on the blonde and pressed forward for a gentle kiss, taking her time to explore Gail properly as she felt a hand sneak under her top and nails scratch lightly across her lower back.

When they broke apart Holly wanted nothing more than to grab Ivy and Bear and drive them back home for some quality 'nap time'.

"I love you too." Holly whispered, picking up on Gail's earlier declaration.

Gail beamed and stole another kiss from Holly before shifting to pull out the dog supplies she'd come out here in the first place for.

"Come on." Holly says as she takes Gail's hand and leads them back towards the garden.

xxxxxxx

If anyone was paying attention throughout the meal they would have noticed Traci's frequent visits back into the house, mumbled excuses of getting drinks, bathroom breaks and making a few calls. But to Holly they were just more pointers that suggested she was right about the news Steve and Traci were planning to share. Especially when she saw how little the other woman ate, and how Steve tried to cover by sliding items over onto his own plate.

When Traci returned to the table after yet another trip inside Holly noticed the nudge she gave to Steve and reflexively nudged Gail who was rocking their daughter to sleep in her arms.

Gail glanced at Holly wondering what was up but Holly just tilted her head across the table and then she got it when Steve noisily cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention.

As all eyes fell on Steve and Traci, Steve grinned and took Traci's hand that was resting on the cloth covered table. "We would like to make an announcement." He said grinning widely at Traci then to the rest of the table.

Gail smiled back at the pair, just happy for them to be happy, no matter what was about to be shared.

"Well?" Elaine said expectantly, not one to let things drag on unless it was for her benefit.

Steve looked at his parents then back at Traci, sharing a look with her before turning back to Elaine and Bill. "We're having a baby." He told them in a delighted tone, his face lighting up like a kid at Christmas as he shared the news.

And with that everyone got up and congratulated them, hugging them both and asking for due dates and when the first few scans were and if they were going to find out the sex of the baby.

From what Gail could tell they both took it well, even when Elaine started in on telling them that Steve would have to get around to marrying the mother of his child at some point.

And then Bill returned from a trip into the house with a bottle of Champagne and flutes grasped in his hands to toast the occasion with.

It was then, after Holly had scooped Ivy from her that Gail noticed Leo off to the side playing with Bear, seemingly disinterested in the topic of Traci's pregnancy.

Wandering over, Gail took a seat on the ground beside the boy and watched him throw the ball for Bear to retrieve. She waited for those actions to be repeated several times before she broke the silence.

"So, a little brother or sister, huh? Excited?" She asked him as she took the ball from Bear this time and tossed it for him to go get.

Leo shrugged. "I guess." He muttered as he pulled at the blades of grass by his knee.

"You know Steve loved being my big brother, it meant he could boss me around and tell me what to do." She shared with Leo. "You'll like it too eventually."

Leo shrugged again.

Gail studied the boy as she continued to play fetch with Bear.

"What's really bothering you, Leo?" She asked him after a bit.

"The baby will get to stay with Mom and Steve all the time, like Ivy does with you and Aunt Holly, right?" Leo asked as he shifted to look up at her.

"Sure." Gail answered, although she was starting to feel bad for Leo as she gathered that he was worried about what that meant for him when he was shuffled between Traci and Dex every other week.

Leo nodded, already knowing the answer. "Then why can't I live there all the time too?" He asked as his face fell.

Gail's heart clenched for him, wishing things weren't so complicated for the boy. But she couldn't change that Traci and Dex weren't together anymore and she was glad of that, because Traci and her brother were really happy together.

As she opened her mouth to try and explain as best she could that both of Leo's parents loved him and wanted to have him live with them but that they had to accept that logistically that meant sharing his time, Ivy let out a very loud cry that made them both turn and look at her in Holly's arms.

"See that?" Gail said, pointing to her wife and daughter. "There are months and months of that that for your mom and Steve to deal with Leo. You however, are very lucky boy, for some of the time you can stay with your dad and sleep at night like a normal boy." She informed him with a chuckle.

Leo grinned and watched as Traci rubbed at Ivy's back as the baby wailed and fussed. He then leaned closer to Gail and picked up Bear's ball. "She does cry a lot." He whispered to her.

Gail grinned at him and they both shared a laugh as Leo then threw the ball for Bear to chase down.

"Trust me Leo, you'll be happy about the time you'll have with your dad I promise." She said and ruffled his hair.

Leo grinned but then he saw Holly coming over with the crying baby and scrambled to his feet and raced away with Bear.

Gail turned and noticed the reason for Leo's sudden departure and scowled after him. "Traitor!" She called to him but Leo just laughed.

"Here, you take her." Holly said, as she handed the struggling and very unhappy girl over to Gail and sat down beside the blonde. "Maybe we should head home soon." She offered. Between the teething and Elaine's comment's Holly had about all she could stand, especially now that they'd found out about Traci's pregnancy and congratulated the expectant couple.

"Fine by me." Gail replied as she attempted to comfort her daughter but Ivy's crying continued. "Poor baby." Gail muttered as she tried tucking Ivy's head against her neck.

"Me or her?" Holly asked as she felt as worn out and tired as Ivy looked.

Gail froze for a second, glancing at Holly with wide panicked eyes. "Both?" She tried.

Holly chuckled then forced herself back up onto her feet. She then took Ivy to let Gail stand up before handing her back over to the blonde. "I'll get everything back in the car, why don't you see what you can do about madam here."

"A walk around the garden it is." Gail agreed and after stealing a kiss from Holly set about wandering about her parents back garden, pointing out all the pretty blooming flowers to Ivy even as she sniffled and fussed at Gail when she tried to make her daughter look at them.

"Such a grump. Yes you are." Gail informed her daughter as she bounced her gently in her arms.

Ivy huffed and blinked tears from her eyes before hiding her face into Gail's shoulder, earning a back rub from the blonde holding her. Gail looked down at Bear, who was now pressed at her knees as she paused in her walk, and shook her head at him, at a loss on how to get her daughter to smile for her.

But he just let out a soft whine and panted. "Thanks bud, thanks a lot." She told the dog as he offered her no words of wisdom.

"You shouldn't keep carrying her when she's fussing." Elaine told her daughter as she came to a stop in front of Gail. She gave her a disapproving look when Gail met her eyes. "You're just making it worse for yourself and for Holly."

Gail narrowed her eyes as shifted slightly in an attempt to shield Ivy from her mother. "I don't need your advice on raising my own daughter." She told Elaine.

Elaine snorted and shook her head. "Like you're doing such a great job on your own?" She asked. "At least Traci has made something of herself, and whether or not Steve stays with her they will always have this child between them."

Gail tensed and her eyes looked for Holly but her wife wasn't back yet. Her brother and dad were up by the decking talking to Leo but there was no sign or Traci or Holly. She guessed the pair might be inside trading pregnancy stories or something.

Given the choice Gail would have been prepared to suffer through that if it meant not dealing with an alcohol fuelled Elaine Peck.

"You don't even have that much!" Elaine continued, not seemingly aware that she had raised her voice and was now attracting attention from the rest of the adults. "You are still just an officer after all these years and you can't even handle working at 15, no, you have to transfer to a division that barely does any notable work!" She fumed at her daughter.

Gail narrowed her eyes at her mother, the woman was making her Ivy upset and that, more than Elaine's words, was pissing her off. "Keep your voice down." She warned.

"You are a _failure_! And when that woman has had enough of you and leaves, you won't even have that child to pretend to be a mother to." Elaine continued as she ignored Gail.

"Are you done?" Gail asked, noticing the others watching on with concerned looks. She shook her head and moved to pass Elaine and go find her wife. But as she walked Elaine grabbed at her shoulder, nearly pulling her arm from its hold around Ivy, in order to pull her back around.

Gail's anger snapped at that, frightened by the jostle to Ivy it caused. She glared at her mother and ground out, "Bear guard!"

And with that the dog came to life in a series of snaps of its jaw, growls and barks as Bear inched in front of Gail to warn Elaine off.

Elaine was so stunned by the rage coming from the dog between her and Gail that she quickly backed up in an attempt to get away from it, but the alcohol in her system made her unbalanced and she stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, letting out a cry as she went down.

Holly having heard the sounds of Bear from inside the house raced out and joined Steve and Bill as they went over to Gail and Elaine, leaving Traci at the back door standing with Leo.

Holly unlike everyone else was acutely aware of Bear's training and as she took in the dog's stance in front of Gail she felt sick to her stomach. She had no idea what had happened but she guessed it wasn't good if the pained look on Gail's face was anything to go by.

Gail quietly called Bear off as Steve and her dad helped Elaine to her feet and Holly wrapped her up in her arms tightly. "Hey." She tried to greet her wife, but her voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.

Holly pressed her lips to Gail's head then to her daughters who was now reaching out a hand and giggling at Bear. "Time to go?" She asked the blonde quietly as she ignored the Peck's behind her.

Gail sighed, she was more than ready to call it a day. "Oh, yeah."

Holly felt her heart rate return to normal now that she was assured that Gail and Ivy weren't physically hurt, although she knew that in her wife's case the emotional damage Elaine could inflict was probably far more harmful.

The quicker they left the better.

Holly pressed a kiss to Gail's lips then petted Bear for being a good dog.

"That thing attacked me!" Elaine yelled at the pair, astounded to see Holly stroking the dog's head after it went for her.

Gail rolled her eyes and shifted Ivy in her arms. "You almost made me drop Ivy, be thankful I didn't set him on you." She bit out at her mother.

"Gail." Steve said in an attempt to calm the situation down. He'd been filling up their mother's wine glass all afternoon and a drunk Elaine was never a good thing once she got going.

Gail shook her head and transferred her daughter into Holly's arms then stepped towards her mother. "Don't you ever speak about my relationship with Holly or my daughter like that ever again. I only came today for Traci, Leo and Steve, not for you. If you want to pretend I don't exist then that's just fine by me. I use Stewart at work now for a reason mother." Gail told the stunned woman. "As for leaving 15, you'll be pleased to know that it's nothing to do with my ability to do my job but the fact that the Sergeant at 12 Division is from Vancouver and when Holly and I move there next year I'm hoping he'll be able to give me a Division to apply to and a good reference."

Elaine blinked at the sudden onslaught of information but before she could take it all in and try to understand what it meant, Gail had taken Holly's hand and was heading for the back of her house.

She stood there with her husband as Steve hurried after her daughter.

"She's leaving?"

Bill sighed and patted his wife on the shoulder. He wasn't even surprised at the news from Gail, in fact what surprised him most was not Gail taking her own path in life but that it had taken this long.

"So it would seem." He told Elaine then started after his children. He found all of their guests out by Gail's jeep as Holly strapped little Ivy into her car seat. As she closed the door over Bill stepped up and taped the window, smiling at his granddaughter. He then turned to his daughter who was currently being hugged by Traci.

Gail listened as Traci whispered that she'd better call her and Steve later to explain as she was hugged by the other woman. "Yeah, yeah." She muttered but she smiled as she was released, she then kissed Traci on the cheek and looked at her worried brother. "Congratulations again." She smiled at them as she touched Traci's stomach fleetingly.

Traci blushed and went to Steve who took her into his arms.

Steve nodded at Gail and watched her hug their dad quickly before climbing in beside Holly who was in the driver's seat. "Take care." He said then waved as the jeep pulled out of the driveway and out onto the road.

Now hadn't been the time to talk to Gail about what she'd said in the garden but that would come.

He felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket and as his dad disappeared back into the house he pulled it out.

_Like I said Bear's not a pet!_

He chuckled and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Traci asked as they paused outside, not eager to see what Elaine was going to do now. "Gail?"

"Yeah." Steve replied with a grin.

Traci eyed her boyfriend wondering how he felt about the news as she still tried to come to terms with the thought of not only Gail leaving 15 but eventually leaving Toronto. She and Holly would both be missed. It also made her sad that her second child wouldn't get to grow up with Ivy as cousins. Not in the same city.

"So what do you think, of them leaving?" She asked tentatively. Steve's relationship with Gail wasn't the closest she'd seen from siblings but they clearly loved each other a great deal and valued having each other.

Steve shrugged then put his arm around Traci and guided her towards the house. "We've all got to do our own growing, she'll just going to be doing it somewhere else." He didn't think for a second that Gail was running away from life under the glare of their mother, he knew there was more to it than that.

When Holly was first introduced to him by Gail at the hospital that night he'd quickly had a friend run a full background check on her. And what he'd learned is that most of Holly's life had been in Vancouver and it still was.

Gail simply loved Holly enough to move them back to that.

He was very proud of his kid sister.

But if she dared to get Leo a mutt as a leaving gift he was still going to kill her before she ever got on the plane.

xxxxxxx

**AN/**

One more chapter of this then I'll get another story up and running.

Thanks for reading!


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