If you're reading this, I am grateful. I know it's been a while. Thank you to all of you who've taken the time to favorite, follow, and review. All the messages of encouragement, the thoughtful criticism have made me a better, more confident writer. So thank you so much for that. I read and appreciate every one of them.

All of that encouragement led me to try my hand at an original story and I took the month of December off to submit that to a publisher. Something I'd never have done two years ago. So thank you. Your encouragement was...nurturing to me. This chapter is a bit longer than normal to thank you for that and thank everyone for their patience.

Oh – Cleve uses the word "git" in this chapter. I feel the need to explain this isn't the word as it would be used in the U.K. It's a phonetic spelling of "get" as in "get out of here."

Now, on with our story.

Mac sat on the love seat in Ryan and Holly's new hotel room next to Ryan's left side holding Ryan's left hand loosely in her right, her thumb tracing light patterns along the inside of Ryan's wrist that made the blonde grin wickedly and side-eye her. They were giggling like teenagers and Holly could feel her frayed nerves snap and crackle with tension.

"Oh for God's sake. Go…someplace else!" Holly snapped from her wheelchair. She was dressed in matching warm-ups that Rachel had bought for her. The pants were loose and had snaps all the way up the sides so they could open up completely for treatment of Holly's wounds.

Holly hated feeling helpless and maybe she'd been a little hard to live with herself. It had been two weeks and still no word from Gail. She'd tried calling. She'd sent messages with various visitors from Tracy and Steve, to Oliver, to even Nick. Nothing. Not one word of reply. She'd wanted to go over to Gail's apartment but she'd have to be carried in and that was more humiliation than she could stand at the moment.

"Holly, we want to be here for you," Ryan placated.

"You keep that up and I'll…"

"You'll what?" Ryan taunted. "The only reason you're out of the hospital is because Lisa worked some sort of angle. You're still not supposed to be up and moving around except from your wheel-chair to the toilet or the shower-seat in the bathroom. Your physical therapy doesn't start until next week. What are you going to do?" Ryan asked and smirked like she already knew that there was nothing Holly could do.

"I'll have Cleve shoot you," Holly answered smugly.

"What?" Ryan and Mac asked together.

"Cleve, if they keep this up will you shoot them for me?" Holly turned and asked Cleve who was reading a battered copy of Bliss.

Cleve didn't even look up when she answered, "With pleasure."

"You don't mean that," Ryan said.

"Try me."

"Cleve…"

"Nope. You two go out. Go get some dinner. I'll sit with Holly. We'll visit," Cleve said and Ryan looked like she wanted to protest. "Git."

"Thank you," Holly said shakily from her position on the love seat next to her wheel-chair. "I know I'm being petty, and they really are trying to keep me company but I…I…"

"It's overwhelming. Believe it or not you're not the first capable woman who's landed in the hospital and then out, probably before she should be. I know Ryan is just trying to keep an eye on you like she promised Lisa." Cleve smiled and Holly thought it was the warmest emotion she'd seen out of her, usually she was so official.

"Yeah. I…thank you, really."

"S'nothing. You'd do the same for me if I let you. Besides, if they don't do something about that attraction soon, I was afraid they were going to set the drapes on fire."

Holly laughed, "Right?" Then she thought for a moment and realized that she had no idea what was actually going on with Ryan and Mac. "Cleve, do you know…"

"Nope. Don't want to either," Cleve cut her off and looked back down seemingly about to read her book again.

"K," Holly said softly, dejectedly.

Cleve sighed and closed the book again. "When I was little I had a dog. Her name was Strut. Birddog. Man, she was something else. My daddy wanted to send her off, have her force-broke like a champion because she had the right bloodline."

"What's that? 'Force-broke'?"

"You train them with force, with pain. They learn if they do something wrong they're punished. Ruins good dogs, but hunters still do it. My dog came back different. Trainer said she failed. My daddy said we'd wasted money on her. But I didn't believe it. From then on every time we went out to hunt she was skittish; anything would spook her, doves taking flight, a gun going off.

"I was patient though. Every day I went out with her. I told her how pretty she was. What a good dog she was. How it didn't matter what other people thought. Just us. How much I loved her. Every day. After a while, I think she started to believe me. She started to trust me again. Trust I wouldn't let anyone hurt her. She and I became a team again. We started to have fun again."

"I know we're not talking about dogs here, Cleve but I'm still on some pretty good pain meds. You're going to have to spell this out for me."

"Your girl Gail. From what I can tell, she's got the right pedigree. She's a hell of a specimen but they've ruined her trying to force-break her. You're going to have to be the one to let her know she can trust you. That you know it's not her fault. That you won't let anyone or anything hurt her or change your opinion of her."

"What happened with Strut?"

"We won the Field Trial championship for our age group," Cleve said then opened up her book signaling to Holly that the conversation was over.

Ryan pounded on the door. Gail called out from the inside. "Go away! Unless you have tequila!"

Ryan knelt down and picked the lock so fast if Mac hadn't been standing there she'd have thought she had a key. Standing up quickly Ryan spoke as she opened the door. "Traci said you've refused to go see Holly. I'm here to hog-tie you and drag you over there."

Gail shook her head and looked over at them from her supine position on the couch her left ankle under an ice pack. "You can try. I'd hate to kick your ass in front of your new…friend."

"You could try," Ryan responded arching her eyebrow, "but I'm pretty sure even with an arm at probably 60% I could take you right now. How are the ribs? What happened to the ankle?"

"They're fine. Tweaked it getting out of the shower today. I landed on it funny that night when I was coming down off the telephone pole. I'm fine. Everything is fine. Now will you leave?"

"Nope," Ryan answered sitting down in a green chair at the end of the coffee table. Mac leaned on the chair's arm.

Gail narrowed her eyes at Mac. "And you are?"

"MacKenzie Maclean. We've met several times over the past two years, Detective Peck but you've never really noticed me. I hear that's typical for you," Mac said and Ryan looked over at her with interest. Mac winked at her.

"Ah, you're Ryan's bang buddy. Nice to meet you," Gail said icily.

"Peck!" Ryan yelled.

Mac laughed. "You're just as charming as I've heard you are. So tell me, why are you avoiding Holly?"

"Not big on preamble there are you?" Gail still didn't lift her head or so much as look at them.

"Nope, I don't see any point in it. You're obviously miserable here. She's miserable there," Mac answered.

"Downright snarky if you ask me," Ryan said.

"Aww, now tell me if it was you, you wouldn't have shot someone by now," Mac said and grinned.

"That's me. This is Holly. It takes a lot to make her snap," Ryan replied.

"Oh my God. If you two idiots think my tolerance for bullshit is anywhere in the neighborhood of Holly's, I'll shoot both of you," Gail groaned.

"Obviously, her's is higher. She put up with you didn't she?" Ryan joked.

"Fuck you, Parker," Gail said weakly.

Ryan winced. She hadn't meant that to land so harshly. She'd expected Gail to bite back not give up. "Hey, what's going on with you, Gail? That woman is pining for you like a hound dog does for a bone. The only reason she's not over here herself is that she can't actually walk yet, but when she gets…what is it, Mac?"

"Ambulatory."

"Yeah, ambulatory. She's gonna be over here and knock down your door herself. I have no idea why you're avoiding her but you won't be able to do it much longer." Ryan looked over at Gail who showed no signs she was even paying attention at this point. "You're not that stupid, Peck. When someone like Holly loves you like she loves you, you reach out and grab the brass ring and hold on tight. Not rollover and play dead."

"Go…" Gail started, but a knock on the door interrupted her. Ryan was sure that what Gail was about to instruct her to do was going to be colorful if not anatomically impossible.

"Hold that thought, Gail," Ryan said as she rose to open the door.

Ryan peeked out Gail's peep hole out of habit. It was a good habit and she had almost been able to forget the one time it had failed her. Almost. She took in a breath of relief when she saw Traci on the other side. She opened the door a bit slower than she would have just a few weeks before.

"Ryan, I didn't expect you here," Traci said as soon as she entered.

"Well, Holly threw us out, and threatened to have Cleve shoot us if we didn't leave so…"

Gail's laughter bounced around the apartment. She caught her breath and looked between Ryan and Mac, "Oh, you two left out the best part! What the hell did you do to her?"

"We were just…happy, Gail. That's all. Just happy," Mac answered her sadly. "She's miserable. I told you before."

Gail blew out a breath and turned her attention to Traci. "Trace, you here to lecture me on how I'm fucking up my life too?"

"No, I'm here to tell you something…hard," Traci trailed off softly.

"What is it?" Gail asked as she sat up and moved over to one side of the couch making room for Traci like she had not for Ryan or Mac.

Traci sat and gathered herself for just a moment before speaking. "Gail, I asked if I could be the one to tell you." She looked over to Ryan who had sat back down next to Mac, "I'm glad you're here too. The judge has thrown out Megan Stapleton's confession because she was, in his words, 'under the influence of mind-altering substances, and unable to properly make decisions.'"

"What?!" Ryan and Gail yelled together.

"He said we'd violated her rights by interrogating her when she couldn't properly decide whether or not she wanted a lawyer," Traci said.

"That's the biggest load of horseshit I've ever heard! I got the same pain shot she did. Didn't I, Mac?" Ryan turned to Mac and asked.

Mac answered, "I gave you both a ketorolac injection. It's an NSAID used to reduce pain. It's not an opioid."

Ryan swung her open hand palm upward between Mac and Traci. "See, see! And I wasn't impaired in any way."

"You did punch Dr. Gordon in the eye," Mac said.

Gail held up her hand, "You punched Boob Job? I want to hear that story in all its glorious detail but let's get back to Cuckoo for Coco Puffs. What does this mean, Trace?"

"He threw out everything. Everything on the victims in the States, everything about Denise Lambert and Maggie Davis here. Everything but what happened in the hotel room that Ryan and Holly can testify to."

"How is that even possible? I don't understand…" Ryan started. "Wait. Everything?"

"Not any actual physical evidence. So the physical evidence we got from Maggie Davis and Denise Lambert is admissible but not her confession."

"Put me in a room with her," Gail interrupted.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"I want to interrogate her. We're still allowed to interrogate her again aren't we, Trace?"

"Yes, but she'll have her lawyer with her now," Traci answered.

"I could give a fuck. I can break her." She turned to Ryan, "I read the transcripts. You seem to tweak her more than anybody but me and Holly, you want another shot at her?" Gail said.

"Hell yes!"

It was two more weeks before they could get Stapleton into interview. Traci thought that the observation room was especially crowded. Luke, Sam, Andy and Oliver were already in there when she entered, Holly, using a cane, following closely behind.

"Holly, darlin'," Oliver beamed at her. "You look like you're feelin' much better!"

Holly was walking carefully partially because she was sore from the physical therapy and partially because she didn't want to hurt anyone. Rachel had come by a few days ago with a cane that had a stun gun built-in. In her words, Honestly, Holls, it'd make me feel better. Just use the damn thing.

"Hey, Ollie. It's good to see you." She hugged him tightly.

"You're here to see our girl. Move out of the way boys. Let's get one of those stools over here for the good doctor to lean on," Oliver instructed.

"What have I missed?" Holly asked.

"Not much. Parker and Peck just got through reading Stapleton her rights again. Lawyer has been making noises about the 'travesty of justice' and 'waste of her client's time' blah, blah. Same ol' lawyer stuff," Sam answered.

"So what do you think, the old good cop/bad cop?" Luke asked.

"My money is on bad cop worse cop," Holly said.

"That I believe, but which one of them gets to be 'worse' cop?" Andy asked.

"I think the guessing is part of making the suspect nervous. Ryan and her ex-husband used to do it and quite well," Holly answered.

"Husband?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, ex-husband," Holly said.

"So, she didn't figure out she was gay until later?" Sam asked.

Holly tilted her head, "You all know that there are more stops on the sexuality spectrum than heterosexual and homosexual, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Sam said uncertainly.

"So what are you saying, Holly?" Luke said.

"Well, it's not my place to tell you Ryan's sexuality, Luke but it was fairly common knowledge that her marriage dissolved because she caught her husband in bed with his personal trainer, Brittani."

"What kind of idiot fucks something up with, someone like that?" Luke asked

"You," Sam coughed into his fist.

"I still fucking hate you most of the time, Swarek," Luke said with venom.

"Cool it, you two. I don't want to miss a minute of this," Andy said.

Holly hid her smile behind her hand and turned her attention back to the two-way glass. Ryan and Gail sat on one side of the table folders spread out between them. It was the first time that Holly had seen Gail since that night. She couldn't take her eyes off her. She couldn't stop drinking her in. She watched the bored expression and knew the keen interest that lay beneath those cool blue eyes.

Ryan laid out all the evidence that her team had gathered. Megan Stapleton's movements, her ties to Ross Perik. She presented mountains of evidence. She watched Ryan hammer away with questions and Gail's questioning taper off. She watched as Ryan seemed to get frustrated with Gail but she knew better.

About forty-five minutes into their little bit of theater at some invisible sign, Traci said, "That's my cue."

She walked out of the observation room and into the hallway and knocked on the door. Ryan rose in the interrogation room and walked into the hallway to speak to Traci. Holly couldn't hear what she said but heard Ryan's, "What?!" plainly enough before she closed the door.

They were back in observation with the others right after that eagerly watching what they had set up within the interrogation room. Gail took out her phone and looked down at it. She tapped at it for a bit then after a while, her posture relaxed conveying that she was at ease. The lawyer looked at her watch. Holly could see the exasperation on her face. Before she could say anything Andy beat her to it, "You know watching Gail piss someone else off is kinda liberating." They all laughed.

"This was all her idea. I hope to God it works," Ryan said.

The lawyer finally took the bait. "Are we boring you, Detective Peck?"

"Nope," Gail answered still looking at her phone.

"Look, if you don't have any more questions for my client, we're going to go," the lawyer said. Megan remained silent.

"Nope."

"No you don't have any questions?"

"Nope. You're not leaving."

"You can't just hold us here."

"Yeah, kinda can," Gail said still tapping away at her phone.

"Detective Peck! If you have no questions for my client, then you have to release her!"

Inside the observation room Traci said, "This is fantastic. Have you ever seen a lawyer this pissed off?"

"Once when Gail had one in booking on suspicion of drunk driving," Andy responded.

"C'mon, Megan. We're going to leave," the lawyer said standing up.

Gail looked up through her lashes at the two women across from her. She gestured with her phone hand tilting it so that they could see she was playing Candy Crush. "You are free to leave; she has to stay. My colleague believes she's the mastermind behind six murders. We have forensic evidence that ties her to them. We have testimony from two of the finest people I've ever known that your client killed an innocent boy, attacked them and helped Ross Perik abduct Holly Stewart. Then planned to rape and kill Agent Ryan. Only managing to dislocate her shoulder." Gail sneered. Then continued, "So she stays put."

"Agent Ryan dislocated her own shoulder," Megan spoke for the first time.

Gail chuckled, "Of course she did."

"You said Agent Ryan believes me to be the 'mastermind,'" Megan said and Gail nodded in response, "but you don't believe it," Megan finished. Holly knew by the look of unfettered interest on her face that Gail had hooked her.

"I do not," Gail said.

"Surely, you can see reason here. My client was a pawn, a victim. She's not that much different than you, Detective P.."

Gail held up her hand. "Stop right there. Do not compare me to that." She pointed at Megan.

"So you think that you'd have been better than me?" Megan asked studying Gail.

"Oh I don't think. I know. I'm not a sniveling excuse for a woman."

"Detective," the lawyer tried to interject but Gail was on a roll.

"I beat him. I beat him twice," Gail said.

With a superior gaze Megan said, "Your colleague, Detective Barber? Wasn't it? He outsmarted Uncle Ross but not without paying a very heavy price."

In Observation Holly put her hand on Traci's arm. Traci didn't look back at them but she said, "I'm okay."

"You don't get to speak his name. You piece of shit," Gail ground out. Holly knew then that Gail had planned this moment. She'd deliberately put her emotions on display to give the woman across the table a feeling of superiority, a feeling that Gail had a weakness that was easily exploited. It was a brilliant strategy.

Sensing she had the upper hand Megan smiled, "That got under your skin. I can tell. That's the first emotion I've seen you show. You didn't like that. You're still scared of Uncle Ross, what he almost took from you."

Gail leaned over the table Peck mask back in place. "I killed my boogeyman, Megan. Nothing scares me anymore."

"Not even if something happened to your precious Holly," Megan taunted.

"Ross Perik is dead. Nothing is going to happen to Dr. Stewart. I made sure of that. When he had us tied up he became very attached to her. He said he knew she was the key to me but she seemed to…I dunno, inspire him I guess. I woke up to the sound of him torturing her. When we were fighting he said when he killed me, he was going to keep her alive. Keep her alive because she was so much more than he thought she'd be," Gail said and shuddered and Holly had no idea if what she said was true or if Gail had just said if for effect.

"You're lying," Megan said.

"No. He said he knew that bringing Dr. Stewart into it was the way to get to me but I think he was really, truly, fascinated by her," Gail said carefully.

"What is she doing? She's giving that defense attorney all the ammunition she needs," Sam said.

"She's not. Look at Stapleton's face," Ryan said.

"That's not true!" Megan yelled.

"It is."

"Is not!" Megan was red-faced. "He didn't even know she existed! I had to find her for him! Chase her down in California! It was my idea to use her to get to you! He couldn't see past his own obsession with you! I laid it out so that a blind monkey would know they were connected to you but she wouldn't come back! I had to keep dropping bodies at her feet. I even had to put your fucking fingerprints on them!"

"I think that's enough," the lawyer interjected.

"You shut up! You stupid cow!" Megan screamed at her attorney. She turned back to Gail, "It was my plan! My plan! I seduced your idiot ex, Chris. I figured out if I jogged by your building every night the patrol officers wouldn't refuse my offer to buy them coffee."

"I don't believe you," Gail said.

"Megan, as your attorney, I must advise you to not say another word!" the attorney said forcefully.

Holly could see the madness in Megan's eyes, the fury. Megan turned between her attorney and Gail. Gail's face was as placid as ever but Holly knew she wouldn't let her prey get away. Gail spoke again, "You mean to tell me, it was you that took the shot outside the Penny?" Gail's face showed disbelief.

"Then you people are idiots. I was on my college sharpshooting team. I could have killed her if I'd wanted to. I could have killed them both but it was too entertaining to see all of you running around trying to protect the pretentious Dr. Stewart. She's not worth your time, Gail. She could have saved lives if she'd only come here sooner. She didn't want to be here. Be with you. I'm the only reason she's here in Toronto now! She's a fool, Gail! She's a fool!"

"Let me get this straight. You're saying that you killed four women to bring me and my ex-girlfriend back together? What were the other two for? Did you just get carried away?" Gail's face pinched together in irritation.

"Are you an idiot too, Gail? No to getting you back together. Yes, I'm the one who planned everything, executed it to perfection. Women that looked like you. I knew that the fastest way to get you to go see Ross was if you thought she was involved. I did it to get you to Ross and I enjoyed the hell out of it."

Gail turned to the two-way glass and winked. Ryan whooped, "YeeHaw!"

"Easy there cowgirl. You need to calm down before you get back in there," Andy said laughing.

Ryan grinned and tipped an imaginary hat at Andy and left the room. They were still celebrating in observation, more quietly, when she got settled back in her chair and began questioning Megan again. The attorney had tried and failed to get Megan to stop talking but Megan's need for Gail to recognize her genius and to take credit for her plan were severely limiting the attorney's effectiveness.

Megan laid it all out again for them, every sordid detail. The attorney kept trying to interject to get them to take a break but Megan kept talking over her. In the end, she confessed to all the murders, the planning and execution the attempt on Holly's life, absolutely everything.

By the end Megan was sobbing, "So you see, it was me. It was me, Gail. I did all this for you. I wasn't going to let him kill you. I was going to save you. You and I could have been happy together. We were going to be each other's salvation. We are alike, you and I."

"Holy shit, she's crazier than I thought she was and that's saying something," Traci said.

Gail pushed away from the table a hard look on her face. Holly saw the emotion that Gail finally, finally allowed to surface. "I think that's everything, Agent Ryan." She stood up and walked to the door abruptly.

Holly started out of observation to catch her. She'd lose her in a foot race if it came to that, but she wasn't above shouting at her across the station and declaring her undying love for her. She was not prepared to find her, hands on her knees, head down, and leaning back against the wall of the interrogation room. Holly just stood there quietly not wanting to interrupt the moment, too afraid that if Gail felt even more vulnerable she'd run away even more than she had already. Holly felt rather than heard the door at her back open and slowly close again. For the moment, they were alone in the hallway. She knew the moment Gail felt her. She saw her stiffen almost imperceptibly.

Gail raised her head and the naked emotion in her eyes almost brought Holly to her knees but she stepped forward so close she could almost touch her. "Gail, are you okay?"

Gail swallowed and spoke in a tone that suppressed almost all emotion but Holly knew it was there anyway. "I'm just peachy, Lunchbox. Just peachy."

"Gail, I…"

The door to interrogation opened and Ryan brought out Megan Stapleton handcuffed with her hands in front of her. Megan took one look at them, shook Ryan off and rushed at them. Holly didn't even think she held up the cane and pressed she stun button. Megan's body jerked back and she fell on the floor twitching and screaming. That cleared all the nearby rooms. Soon the entire hallway was filled with law enforcement.

Ryan leaned over Megan and smiled, "Stings doesn't it?"

"Add attempted assault to her charges. Not that it will matter much," Traci said to the uniforms who came to aid Ryan in getting Megan back into a cell to wait for transport back to prison where she would stay until her lawyer saw reason and pleaded out, or until trial, whichever came first.

"My client needs medical attention!" the lawyer, Holly never did catch her name, shouted.

"She'll get it counselor. She'll get it. We just have to ensure the safety of our people first," Oliver said with his arm, not touching the lawyer but herding her down the hallway. "C'mon folks, let's give them some space."

Holly shot him a look full of gratitude. Gail seemed to be in some sort of fugue state so Holly pulled her into the now empty observation room. "Gail, Gail, let me look at you, are you okay? Did she touch you?"

Gail looked up into Holly's eyes, "You, you, what did you do?"

Holly turned the cane over in her hand and showed it to Gail. "It was a gift from Rachel. I thought it was ridiculous when she gave it to me but it came in handy today."

Gail sighed, "Yeah, I guess it did." Then she looked back down at her shoes.

"So we're back to that are we?" Holly asked.

"Back to what?" Gail looked up.

"You avoiding me. What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Lunchbox. Nothing. I just…"

"You just what, Gail?"

"I just, I can't be with you like you want me to be. That's all"

Holly turned a circle in frustration and began talking to the walls. "That's all she says."

Gail stood stock still like she had been trained to do since childhood. She looked ready to be yelled at, cursed for not meeting someone's expectation. It made Holly furious but not at Gail. She decided on question that was easily asked but probably not easily answered, "Why, Gail?"

"I don't know why. Maybe it's just the way I am, maybe it was the way I was raised to be. I don't know. I can't be who you want."

Holly tilted her head and grinned slightly. "What makes you think I want anything other than exactly who you are, Gail Peck?"

Gail looked dumbstruck like she wasn't expecting this but she continued on, "C'mon, Holly you know at some point you'll get tired of me and my sharp edges. Everyone does. I'm never going to be warm and fuzzy. I'm never going to like 'Boob Job' and you love your friends…"

"That's not a deterrent. I don't like her half the time. But she's promised to give you another shot, or a fair shot. And I'm rather fond of all your edges. What else you got?" Holly pursed her lips and arched her eyebrow in challenge.

"I…I can't…I…goddamn it," Gail said and her voice trembled only slightly but Holly ached for her.

"What is it, Gail?" Holly asked as she carefully, gently took Gail's right hand in her left her right hand still holding her upright with her cane.

"I have cold feet and I snore."

"You do. I'll let you borrow some fuzzy socks and your snoring is adorable."

"You live in San Francisco."

"I'll move. I can fly anywhere to do the work I do. What else?"

"I can't lose you! I can't lose you! Okay?! Happy!? It almost destroyed me and you were safe and happy without me. I can't lose you if someone harms you and you're not happy or dead or I don't know something worse!" Gail said, and a single tear threatened to escape Gail's eyes. Holly wondered if there was ever anything more devastating that watching a strong woman try desperately not to cry.

Holly lost Gail somewhere in that and had to play it back over in her head. For a few seconds she looked like she was reading the answers off the underside of her eyebrows. "So, you think that us both being miserable being apart will keep me safe and eventually I'll be happy without you?"

Gail said nothing. She just stood taking in deep breaths.

Holly stepped closer. So close she could feel Gail's breath on her lips. Softly, she said, "Gail, what do you want? Not what you think you should do, not what you think I want. What do you want?"

"I want you to be happy," Gail said and her whole face in that moment was so unguarded that Holly felt herself fall harder, heart tumbling in her chest.

"Gail, I'm going to kiss you now. If you don't want this, then say so, but I think you've made me wait long enough." Holly leaned in with the intention of kissing Gail.

"I can't..." Gail said quietly.

Holly paused and pulled back, her eyes searching Gail's. "Gail, if you tell me that you don't want me, don't want to be with me, don't love me, I'll accept that. It'd be the hardest thing I've ever had to do but I'd honor your wishes and let you have what you want. But don't give me some crap about you being worried about me." She raised her left hand to cup Gail's cheek. "I know you're worried but I can take care of myself. I would never tell you not to be a police officer even though I'll worry every single minute.

"This could all have just as easily been my case that came back to us both. You can't stop it from living your life, honey. You can't. If you do, the Ross Periks and the Megan Stapletons of the world win. And I for one will not have that.

"I'm in love with a woman who's brave and good. Funny and snarky. She eats too much junk food and she has a hard time with words. But she is so sweet and beautiful inside and out. I feel how much she loves me, even if she doesn't always have all the words. I know how sensitive she is. I know how much she hides from the world. I love her with everything…mmmph…"

Gail took Holly's head in her hands and kissed her thoroughly. Holly wasn't sure if it was the kiss or her weakened condition but she had to pull away for air. Gail had a smug look on her face.

"You just had to stop talking."

"I won't say another word," Holly said, and leaned in for another kiss.

One of my betas asked when she read this if this was the end. What say you? Is this the end of our story or do you need more?