It wasn't necessarily by unspoken agreement that they hadn't consummated their reunion yet. Chance and unfortunate circumstances had also played a part. After spending the night in Holly's bed and missing the first few minutes of parade thanks in part to Holly's wandering hands while waiting for the coffee to brew in her kitchen, Gail was volunteered by Oliver to cover for a sick co-worker and ended up working a double followed by two more late shifts, which is why she was unable to even take Holly to the airport to send her off to San Francisco, but afforded her the honor of actually being free to pick her up.

Before Holly left, they'd talked and texted and even managed a heated make-out session where Holly's pants magically came unbuttoned and unzipped behind the closed door in her office when Gail dropped lunch off the day before she left, but they'd still managed to completely avoid the topic of what exactly it was they were doing. Or not doing.

Still, their lack of definition wasn't going to stop Gail from a little show of public affection, which was why she was currently holding her handmade sign up at chest level for Holly to see.

She knew Holly was just as tickled with the sign as she was with herself for coming up with the idea when Holly stopped midstride in her journey to get to her and threw her head back and laughed before quickening her steps. The sign that read "Has anyone seen my Lunchbox?" fell to the floor at the same time as Holly's carryon being shrugged from her shoulder, hands and arms reaching out to pull the other closer.

"Welcome home," Gail murmured, holding Holly tightly against her.

"I'm glad you're here," Holly replied, her glasses smashed against her face as she breathed in the sweet and alluring scent of skin on Gail's neck.

The ride to Holly's house was filled with an excited rundown of Holly's tour, introduction to the man she long admired and finally about the interview itself.

Gail listened closely, interjecting here and there, but she mostly just let Holly ramble. Ordinarily it was her favorite thing to do. There was nothing better than observing Holly getting her nerd on. But. This was different. This was Holly animatedly talking about a whole other life in a whole other city far, far away from and likely without Gail. The thought hit her like a ton of bricks and she actually found herself gasping for air.

Holly was startled out of her story, her hand shooting out to rest on Gail's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Gail was nodding before the words even left her mouth, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just.." she struggled with the decision to say what was on her mind or to continue pretending like her world didn't feel like it was possibly coming to a swift end. "What the hell are we doing?" So much for subtlety.

"You're driving me home?" Holly answered, purposely avoiding the question she'd been asking herself.

"Hol," Gail warned, flipping her blinker on and checking over her shoulder before smoothly maneuvering the car into the next lane and then into a parking lot of one of Holly's favorite Mediterranean restaurants that just so happened to be a few blocks away from her house.

Holly's face fell momentarily. "Honey. As much as I appreciate the idea, I am exhausted and gross. And full of airplane germs. Plus, it's impossible to get in after seven without a –"

Now parked, Gail cut her off by leaning over the center console and planting a sound kiss against Holly's lips. "Relax. I already ordered for us and I'm just picking it up," she explained with their mouths still hovering dangerously close to each other.

Holly was sure that scientifically speaking, it was impossible for her heart to grow in size, but it sure felt like it in that instant. "Oh." She leaned forward just enough to capture Gail's lips, thanking her profusely for her consideration.

"You don't eat before you fly because you're worried you'll be the one reaching for the airsick bag if the turbulence gets bad. I figured you'd be starving," Gail shrugged nonchalantly. As if it were no big deal that she knew Holly's quirks and dealt accordingly with them. Just the same as Holly dealt with her late night hair cutting quirks, among other things. "Be right back," she promised, pecking Holly's lips. She paused with her hand on the handle, grinning over her shoulder. "Remind me to tell you about the time Steve single handedly made at least a dozen passengers hurl on our way back from Vancouver by drinking soda from one of those airsick bags." The sound of Holly's laughter floated along behind her as she made her way inside.

An hour later, the contents of Holly's bag were in the washer, the food was decimated (and a hit!) and Gail was cleaning up the last of their mess while Holly showered upstairs. Gail heard Holly pad down the stairs shortly after the shower turned off. She knew if she stayed still long enough, Holly would find her and make her presence known. The corners of her mouth curled in pleasant anticipation. A few seconds later she felt arms slide around her waist and then tighten just under her breasts and the startling presence of wet hair tickling her neck and then the heat of Holly's chest pressed against her back. The officer's eyes slipped shut as she relaxed into the hold, her head dropping back and resting on the slightly taller woman's shoulder.

"Thanks again for picking me up," Holly murmured, briefly pressing her lips against the side of Gail's neck and loosening her hold while Gail twisted in her arms to face her, her hands coming up to cup her cheeks.

"Anytime," Gail answered, closing the short distance between them to give Holly an unhurried kiss. She loved the way Holly returned her kisses, always smiling as if kissing Gail was her favorite thing to do. The longer they kissed, the lower Holly's hands got. This time it was Gail smiling into the kiss. She loved what was surely coming. It was Holly's move.

She'd nip Gail's top lip and pull away just enough to draw a moan of pleasure and frustration before she dived back in to capture her bottom lip, biting a little harder while fisting her hand at the nape of Gail's neck to lightly pull at the hair there and it had the same effect on her every. Single. Time. This time was no different. Her stomach flipped and dropped in the best possible way and her need for Holly jumped from friendly arousal to rampant lust. She felt claimed, marked, desired, and loved. No one: not Nick, or Chris, or any other failed relationship she'd had before ever made her feel that way. Only Holly.

"Jesus," Gail broke away, her hands fisting in Holly's shirt as her neck was devoured.

"Nope. Just me," Holly grinned seductively, pulling Gail through the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Holly," Gail half protested. They still hadn't talked. Nothing was resolved. Not what they were, not whatever it was they were doing now and not where they were headed.

Holly pulled away, concern creeping through desire. "Do you want to stop?"

It was such a loaded question. She worried that sleeping with Holly would somehow affect her chance with Sophie. That she would be re-invested in a relationship that Holly was willing to walk away from because of a job in San Francisco. What if Holly met Sophie and they adored each other and then Holly ended up being another adult that disappeared from her young life? The reality was that Holly's mind wasn't going to be made up by how magnificent or awful (pfft.. yeah, right!) the sex was. Either way they were going to have to have that talk so why shouldn't they at least find some relief from the one itch they could scratch?

"No. I don't want to stop," Gail resolved, pushing Holly towards the stairs, her hands untying Holly's robe and parting the material to reveal inch after inch of Holly's silky smooth skin.

"Can't stop," Holly agreed, freeing Gail of her sweater with one smooth tug over her head.

Gail lay on her side, propped up on her elbow and watched Holly's breathing even out. Her fingertips glided over the moisture that collected on her collarbone. Holly shivered at the contact, a languorous moan of bliss escaping her lips.

"At least that's out of the way now," Gail grinned smugly, feeling very accomplished and very, very satisfied. So satisfied that she was already looking forward to the next time.

Holly opened her eyes and mock glared at Gail. "Such a charmer, Peck."

Gail pointed to herself and made a circling motion. "Not just a pretty face." She resumed lazily tracing her fingers over Holly's skin, stealing kisses every few minutes until the kisses and caresses grew heated once more. "Tell me something?" Holly made a sound somewhere between an acknowledgement and an agreement. "Are we just freaks of nature? Is it always this good?"

"It is with us," Holly answered honestly, tugging on Gail's hand until the officer's body was flush against her own. Any other wit and witticism was lost as Holly left a meandering trail of open mouthed kisses down Gail's neck, between her breasts and further south.

Their second and third round was much slower than their ferocious and intense encounter earlier, but it was the conversation between rounds that mends and builds things between them.

They can't seem to stop touching each other. Even when Holly is laying mostly on top of Gail and they've just made agonizingly sweet and tender love and Gail seems to be dead to the world, her face completely relaxed and her eyes are closed and perfectly still, her hand still wanders up and down Holly's body starting at her hip where the sheets have been pushed down to, up her side and just high enough to tickle the underside of Holly's breast.

"Tell me what you're thinking about right now?" Holly questioned, her eyes closed and her lips curved into a gentle smile.

Gail's fingertips kept sweeping along Holly's skin without interruption, but her eyes opened and in them, worry and regret swam dangerously close to the surface. "That I missed you and this, and I want to trust myself to not screw things up again," she answered honestly. "And if we have any chance of making this work, we need to start talking about the stuff we're afraid to say."

"It would also probably help if one of us didn't ignore the other for weeks on end when that stuff needed to be said," Holly suggested.

That stupid night at The Penny. It all kept coming back to that and maybe it was time to end that debate for once and all.

"The miscommunication didn't start that night, Holly," Gail pointed out. "I thought I knew what you were to me and what we were to each other before I heard you telling Lisa we were just having fun. There I am thinking this is it and you're 'The One' and then poof, all gone."

"Gail," Holly's head tilted in a mixture of regret and frustration. "It wasn't "all gone." I felt the same way, but.."

"But you never said anything!" Gail interrupted, hanging on to Holly when she struggled to get away.

With a huff, Holly stopped struggling and just let the words come out. "Of course I didn't! What was I supposed to say to my baby-lesbian-self-admitted-relationship-saboteur that wouldn't have sent you into a Peck Panic? I was in my own panic at falling in love with you and not wanting to get hurt and trying not to let myself imagine coming home to you every day and going to sleep beside you every night when it was the only thing I could think about!"

"Then why were you running away to San Francisco?" Gail pressed.

"Because YOU never said anything and you never let me tell you!" Holly countered.

"I was giving you an out," Gail confessed.

"I know that. You don't want me to take the out. Right?" Holly asked pointedly, pinning Gail to the mattress though it was completely unnecessary. Gail wasn't going anywhere. She was right where she was supposed to be and more importantly, she knew it. It was only a couple of seconds until Gail admitted that she didn't want her to take the out. "Good. I don't want an out. I want you. I want to get to know Sophie and I know that scares you and I also understand why. But.. Listen.

That interview? Dr. Baden and I discussed the possibility of working remotely from here. It would mean either renting my own office space or building a home lab if I get the job. Personally, I'm leaning towards building a home lab, because A) How cool is that? And B) It means one of us will pretty much always be home for Sophie. If I don't get the job, then my schedule can still be more flexible – " Gail tried to interrupt her the only way she knew how; by raising her head off the pillow to kiss her but Holly was too quick for her, placing her hand over Gail's mouth and gently pushing her head back down on the pillow.

"One last thing and then I won't say another word." She paused for effect, making sure she had Gail's full attention. "If you ever try to sabotage us again by capitalizing on something stupid you or I do, I swear to gods, Gail, I will kick your ass," Holly warned, her ramble taking another and equally serious turn. Her eyes bore into Gail's making sure the blonde knew she was not playing around. With any of it. Not her heart. Not her career. Not their chance to adopt. None of it.

Gail returned the look until a smile as bright as a sunny day lit up her face. "Uh-oh. Did I break you?" Holly wondered aloud, unable to keep herself from returning the smile.

"You're in love with me," Gail supplied succinctly.

Holly's eyes widened a bit and she tried and failed to suppress a giddy lopsided grin by biting down on her bottom lip. "I am."

"That's good. Because I'm in love with you, too." This time when Gail raised her head from the pillow to kiss her, Holly let her.

Hi Kids! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favorites. It means a lot. :) I feel like this could be a good place to end it but could be persuaded to continue if there's interest. It might be cute to see how Sophie and Holly interact.

One Love.