Whenever she thought she could get away with it Gail stole glances at Holly's lips. She had a fascination with them. One might call it an obsession but she would go with fascination, it sounded less stalkery. Granted she was enamored with Holly as a whole being but god her lips and what she could do with them haunted her.
It all started the day they met all those months ago. There was something about the way they curled into that lopsided half smile as the doctor threw Gail's snark back at her without missing a beat. Gail should have known then that her world was never going to be the same. Her fascination only grew while in the morgue later that same day, she slyly watched Holly chew on her lower lip as she puzzled over the set of bones. Every once in a while her tongue would dart out and sooth over the worried lip. At the time Gail could convince herself that it was merely her studying her new co-worker.
As time marched on Gail became more aware of her lip stalking, never to the point where she would admit to it out loud but was beginning to accept that people that are just "friends" probably don't spend as much time as she did wondering about how soft her friend's lips were or how they would feel against her own. And then the infamous wedding plus-one kiss happened. Never had Gail ever been so dumbstruck, it felt like it came out of nowhere but at the same time she almost knew that it was coming. She wanted to kick herself for not really returning the kiss and for not chasing Holly down and pulling her back into the closet. In her state of shock she just let it happen, Holly had magic lips it turned out, they had the power to render Gail not only speechless but immobile.
She spent the next few weeks replaying the kiss in her head, how in that brief fluttering moment Holly had smashed through twenty plus years of walls and defenses. It left Gail feeling raw and exposed, two things a Peck wasn't allowed to feel. She tried to push the feelings away but they kept rising to the surface. It was almost painful to look at Holly and not want to reach for her, to not remember how her lips tasted like raspberries and champagne.
The night at the Penny was pure torture for Gail, it physically hurt to see those beautiful lips smile at someone that wasn't her, the thought that they might kiss someone else, that they would say that woman's name in a moment of passion...it was killing Gail. She wanted... no needed to be that person. She went home that night and for the first time since her abduction she cried.
Gail's pov
Coming to work after a night of attempting to drink away the jealous demons that plagued Gail had been a bad idea but here she was; her head throbbing and her body tired. She leaned her head against the cool metal of her locker, sleep had alluded her as images of Holly and her "someone" invaded her mind, Gail finally admitted (at least to herself and her stuffed shark) that she had feelings for Holly. That admission had simultaneously lifted a weight off her heart and sucker punched her at the same time. She felt like an awkward teenager again, she had no idea what to do about this realization. It wasn't like she could walk up to Holly with some dumb excuse about delivering evidence and tell her that she liked her in a way that would hopefully lead to more kissing. She wanted to believe that Holly might feel the same way but with Gail's losing track record concerning relationships it felt unlikely. Standing she slammed the locker shut, she didn't have time to ponder this right now.
Holly's pov
The date if you could call it that had been an awful mistake, a disaster worthy of being documented in the national archives of bad decisions. Holly knew before she left her house that meeting this woman would lead nowhere but she needed to at least try and socialize, that is what Lisa had told her anyways. "How are you ever going to meet anyone when you spend every waking minute either around decomposing flesh and smelly bones or that cop?" Lisa had chastised. Holly couldn't deny that it was true but she held out this almost childish hope that Gail might feel a tenth of what she felt for the blonde. It was never her intention to fall for Gail but it happened and for all of their many differences she was convinced that given the chance to really be with her it would be the stuff of legends…an epic love... and now she sounded like a trashy romance novel. Holly sighed as she looked over the same report for the fourth time, she hated being this distracted, she wanted to talk to Gail, to tell her…what did she want to tell her? That was what was making this so difficult, because one of the things that she loved about her friendship with Gail was that they could talk…about anything and up to this point had. It was killing Holly that she wasn't being completely honest with Gail about her feelings when the friendship was based on being brutally honest and being direct with each other.
She closed the file and took off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose, these thoughts were not helping her get her work done nor would they help her get the girl so Holly decided to file them away for later perusal. Taking a deep breath replaced her glasses and picked the file back up. Holly was determined to accomplish something today and it was going to start with this file. "Hey Dr. Stewart did you hear about what is going down at 15?" her intern Josh asked from the door.
That got Holly's attention, "What are you talking about? What is happening? Are people hurt?" She really didn't give Josh the chance to answer her rapid fire questions as she grabbed her jacket and rushed out the door still holding the file that she had yet to read. All she heard before bolting from the room was 'gunshots fired'.
Holly liked to think of herself as a calm person, it took a lot to shake her but the thought of Gail being shot... hell she had been a nervous wreck just picking her up from the hospital for her burn and then she knew that it wasn't a serious injury (even though Gail had joked that it was touch and go for a while if they would have to amputate the whole arm). Holly hated how her hands shook as she gripped the steering wheel and the flipping feeling in her stomach, normally thoughts of Gail gave her happy tingles and she much preferred those feelings.
Somehow she made it to the station without causing an accident and she sat in her parked car, trying desperately to will Gail to be okay. Holly needed to tell the sarcastic quippy blonde that... okay she didn't know what to say but maybe when she saw her the words would come. She didn't notice until that moment that the file was still clenched in her fist. Holly exhaled and shook her head as she left the car and walked into the busy station. She was waved through security when she held up the file folder and she laughed a little to herself that the stupid file was at least good for something that day.
Once in the hallway Holly froze, she wasn't sure where to find Gail and what if she was the one that had gotten shot...no...Gail was fine. She had to be.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
At that moment Holly was sure that she had never been happier; Gail was here...walking towards her and clearly not shot.
It was all a blur to her what happened next, she remembered pulling Gail into the closest room, her mouth spewing out what could have been random words and then in the next instant Gail was on her. Lips covered her own, moving with and against hers. She could feel herself melting into Gail's embrace and was content to never leave this moment. When the kiss broke she wondered if it had been a dream until Gail pulled her in for another forceful kiss. This one left Holly weak, she had never been kissed so fully, so entirety consumed by want and need before. Holly wished that she was more musically gifted she would have written a song about it.
Gail's pov
As she readied herself to go in with the rescue group to get Oliver back Gail tried mostly in vain to shake thoughts of Holly from her head. She needed to focus... focus on getting Oliver back...not on how good and right it had felt to be held by Holly. "Dammit Peck!" she mentally scolded herself, "you can think about her after."
The problem was that as much as she attempted to ward them off thoughts of Holly were never far away. It wasn't until Chris rambled about how he called everyone that he cared about and shoved his phone in her hands and told her to make a call that she realized that Holly was that person for her, the person that you needed to just hear their voice to make things better. She'd never had that person before, never had anyone deserved her heart...but Holly had it.
Her fingers twitched nervously as she tapped the all too familiar phone number and let out a sigh of disappointment when she got the doctor's voice mail. It still brought a smile to her face as she listened to Holly blather on about leaving a message or not caller's choice. Taking a deep breath Gail slowly let it out as she left her message. "Hey lunchbox...I just wanted to say that before in the bullpen I...I wanted to grab you and hold you... but I couldn't. I...I needed to gah! Holly you... fuck I am bad at this. When I get back we are going to talk and kiss and eat... food. I...I...I will see you soon." Okay so it wasn't a perfect statement of her affections but Holly would understand what she was trying to say or at least she hoped she would.
Holly's pov
There was something so intimate about holding Gail's hand in the hospital waiting room. The small act spoke volumes of how much Gail cared for her and it didn't go amiss her friends and co-workers that kept looking their way. A few of them had come over to say hi and Gail had introduced her as 'her Holly' and that gave Holly warm fuzzy feelings. For hours they stayed linked by their hands until they were told to go home. It was decided without words that Gail would be coming over to Holly's place after she and Steve grabbed some things for Dov back at the frat-house. To be honest she didn't know what to expect with her blonde cop coming over, yes, they needed to talk…really talk about what was going on but at the same time Holly wasn't in a rush to label what it was the they had. Surely Gail needed some time to fully let the day's events seep into her exhausted brain, it wasn't every day that your friends were shot and/or abducted (at least Holly hoped not). No she would just be there for Gail in any way she was willing to let her. She was shaken from her musing by the front door opening and closing swiftly, she smiled inwardly that Gail had used the key Holly had given her a few weeks prior. It didn't take a genius to understand after Hurricane Gail swept through the kitchen in search of her favorite bourbon that the cop needed some time alone to deal and Holly let her, at least for a little while.
It was hard not to laugh at the tough as nails cop on the floor holding the remnants of her ponytail but that feeling went away the moment Holly saw the look of helplessness on Gail's face. Clearly the day had taken a toll on her and she needed comfort, not teasing. With a small smile Holly helped Gail into the bathtub and did what she could to salvage the remaining blond hair. Her heart perked at the mention that she was the 'coolest chick ever' but it was the sad smile on Gail's face when she questioned Holly calling her still beautiful that really did her in, her resolve for letting Gail come to her dissolved and she couldn't help herself when she slide down to face her and leaned into kiss Gail.
It truly amazed Holly how fast what was by most people's standards a simple and practically chaste kiss evolved into Gail pulling her incredibly close thus making Holly momentarily loss her focus. She pulled back and turned on the water hoping that the almost ice cold water would slow her racing pulse. But even the ice cold water didn't deter Gail from pulling her back to her and giving her the kiss that stopped all higher functions of her brain. She melted into Gail, her fingers tangling in the now short blonde locks. Any thoughts of slowing down were lost in the sounds of appreciative moans and the patter of falling water. Holly wasn't sure when Gail started to kiss down her neck or when she lost her shirt but it didn't matter when Gail's teeth began to nip at the sensitive skin along her collar bone. Sometime between Gail's teeth and tongue working what Holly could only describe as blissful torture the water had turned to scalding hot and the room filled with steam causing Holly to feel lightheaded for a number of reasons.
It was Gail that finally turned off the water and smirked at the dazed doctor as she braced herself against the wall. It took a moment for Holly to catch her breath, "I…uh…that was…you are really good at that." She finally said as Gail pressed a flat hand to Holly's bare stomach. "Where did my shirt go?"
Gail's pov
Gail shifted under the blanket and looked around the dim guest room, it was a nice room; far bigger than the one she had at the frat house, the bed was comfortable, the sheet had a higher thread count than all of her sheets combined. No the room was nice but it was missing the one thing that would help Gail get to sleep and that was the nerd sleeping in the room down the hall. Gail cursed herself for saying that they should take things slow, hell it had been her idea to sleep in separate rooms! She was a fucking idiot, right now she could be wrapped in Holly's arms and feeling the warmth of her body pressed up to hers but instead she was laying here watching the clock tick closer to morning. "Fuck it! I'm going in." she thought as she threw back the covers and padded barefoot down the hallway to Holly's room. Holly had left the bedroom door open so that she could hear if Gail needed her and while Gail hadn't said it out loud she had appreciated the gesture.
She stood in the doorway and smiled at the peaceful form sleeping in the bed before her. Once again her eyes drifted to Holly's slightly parted lips, Gail's pulse picked up at the sight of her licking said lips in her sleep. Gail was having a hard time believing that over the last thirty hours she had gone from dreaming about those lips to have had them tease, caress and abuse her own. She bite her lower lip and tasted the remnants of Holly's lip gloss. It was funny she had thought that after kissing Holly really kissing her would dampen down her obsession with Holly's lips but after tasting them and feeling them she needed to indulge in them again…and again. Gail felt a wave of desire wash over her and for the first time she felt no guilt or confusion over thinking of Holly in that way. They hadn't defined what they were to each other but Gail knew deep in her heart that they had crossed over from friends to that place where they were so much more, a place where they had the possibility to…well Gail didn't know, she had never felt like this before. It was all new territory for her and she was more than a little scared but as she watched Holly stretch in her sleep, it calmed her and brought her back to that dare she call it her 'happy place'; that what the pathologist had become for her.
As quietly as she could she entered the room and slipped into the warm bed and was welcomed by a still sleeping Holly wrap her arms around her. Holly nuzzled her face into Gail's neck saying her name as pulled her closer. Gail relaxed and closed her eyes, finally feeling content.
Holly's pov
She awoke to the sound of soft mewing that Holly instant recognized as a sound unique to Gail; she smiled at the realization that the blonde had crawled into her bed in the night. Holly opened her eyes and in the faint light saw the first rays of the morning sun shine on Gail's face. She lifted herself up to hover over the sleeping blonde, it was too good to be true that Gail was here for her. That Gail wanted her, that Gail had kissed her not just once but numerous times since her visit to the precinct. Holly felt dizzy with excitement as she lightly traced Gail's parted lips with her thumb. How many times had she thought about these lips? How many hours had she spent imagining their softness? Or how they curved into that perfect smirk? God this woman was amazing and Holly was determined to find a way to make this work. She was lost in her thoughts that she didn't feel Gail's fingers in her hair until she was pulled down into a crushing kiss.
Gail lightly traced her tongue across Holly's lower lip, begging for access, and Holly gave it without hesitation. She felt Gail's tongue slide into her waiting mouth and all the while Holly rejoiced that Gail wasn't running away but was running towards her. She lowered herself onto Gail and almost blacked out from the feeling of Gail's hips grinding against her and the realization that Gail wasn't wearing the pajama pants that she had lent her and was only in a thin pair of boy shorts. It was almost too much for Holly to stand without losing what little control she had when Gail pulled away.
Leaning back on the pillow Gail licked her lips in a tantalizing way that had Holly fighting the urge to attack them with her own. "You were watching me sleep you big dork." Gail teased in a low sleepy voice.
She had been caught, "Guilty. You climbed in my bed." Holly countered.
Gail gave her a shy smile and nodded weakly, "Yeah, the guest bed was cold."
Holly nodded knowingly, "And my bed was warm?"
"Yep." Gail replied popping the 'p' at the end.
"Did you sleep well?" Holly asked as Gail's hands rubbed the exposed skin of Holly's lower back.
"I did. You have a great bed." Gail said nonchalantly as her hands continued to roam.
Before Holly had a chance to comment, Gail in the most athletic move that Holly had ever seen the blonde make rolled them over. She sat atop Holly and smirked as she ran her hands down the front of Holly's loose fitting tee shirt. Holly stopped breathing as Gail's fingers traced patterns along her ribs and barely grazed the underside of her breasts, she stayed still for fear that Gail would stop if she did. As much as she enjoyed the feeling of Gail's fingers mapping their way across her body it was the look of awe on Gail's face that she loved. It was how her eyes widened as her fingers ran along the valley between her breasts or when she bit her lip when her fingertips dipped under the waist band of her pajama pants. As Gail's thumbs rubbed circles over her protruding hip bones that Holly couldn't take it anymore and moaned Gail's name. It was a plea, a desperate plea for Gail to stop teasing and surprisingly it worked as Gail's eyes darkened to a stormy blue and her hand plunged under the waistband and stopped just above where Holly wanted her.
Gail's pov
Her hand itched to touch Holly but it stayed still as she watched Holly hold her breath beneath her. "You don't have to…" Holly finally managed to say after a heated moment of quiet. "I understand if this is too fast…"
Gail leaned down and kissed her softly, "I want to…I really want to…I just need a little guidance." She admitted as she tucked a lock of hair behind Holly's ear.
This time Holly pulled her into a kiss that while was still laced with a hungry urge of need and want, it was also reassuring. "I would be happy to teach you but I think you are already doing fine. I trust you Gail." Holly said just above a whisper as Gail tested the waters by running her finger over her clinging boy shorts. Feeling a little more confident Gail brought her other hand up and under Holly's shirt to tease one of her nipples. The noise coming from Holly only encouraged her to push the boundaries a little further as she eased a finger under the elastic of Holly's underwear. Seeing Holly blush and nod as she gripped the back of Gail's tee shirt was the push she needed. She slowly slipped her hand inside and instantly felt a surge of heat in her stomach explode to her every nerve as she experienced Holly's wetness for the first time. She was the reason for this and it was an intoxicating thought that only amplified her need for Holly that much more.
"Gaaaail…" Holly moaned as her hips bucked under her fingers bringing her attentions back to the business at hand as she slid a single finger down into the hot heat as her lips found their way to Holly's neck. She lightly bit and soothed as she added another finger and curled them causing Holly's body to move in time with her own as she used her hips to aid her hand. Gail knew that Holly was getting close as she grabbed Gail's ass and dug her fingers in to pull her closer, she picked up the tempo and maybe it was how Holly kept moaning her name as if she were a deity worthy of praise or how the doctor rocked into her or a combination of the two Gail found herself hovering over the edge. She had wanted to draw out the experience of their first time but their bodies clearly had other ideas as Holly wrapped her leg around Gail's hip and the new angle sent both of them into a chorus of moans, 'oh gods' and in the case of Gail the silent confession in her head that she was so gay.
Gail rolled off of the panting woman below her, the smile on her face spoke volumes as Gail pressed a barely there kiss to the corner of her mouth. Holly sighed contently as she pulled Gail towards her by her tee shirt. "We are wearing too many clothes." She teased in a sated voice as she pressed a kiss along Gail's jaw.
"That can easily be fixed." Gail declared and quickly remedied the problem as she pulled her tee shirt off and raised an eyebrow towards Holly, "Your turn."
With lightening quick reflexes had Holly out of the bed and naked in a matter of moments as she flung her clothes haphazardly. Gail had to laugh as she pulled Holly's beaker and bunsen burner jammie pants off her head, obviously Holly was a little eager.
Gail wiggled out of her ruined boy shorts and motioned for her to join her back in the bed. Holly chewed on her lower lip as she walked slowly towards her and Gail couldn't take her eyes off of her as her gaze started with staring in to her dark chocolate eyes and lingered on her slightly parted perfect lips and after a moment continued down until she found her latest obsession, yes Gail would be fantasizing of the smooth dark naked skin of the beauty before her, something to keep her mind occupied while on desk duty. It was good to have hobbies.