I posted this a while ago on Tumblr. I thought I should add it here as an epilogue.

First Holiday with the Stewarts

Gail and Holly spend their first holiday with the Stewarts. (Same characters as my story Waking Up. I decided if baileychabot can borrow Izzy for one of her ficlets, I could give it a go too. Consider this my New Years present to those of you who wanted a sequel to Waking Up. This would be about 5 months past the end of Waking Up.)

"Holly!" Gail said with a pout.

"Gail" Holly answered.

They were in their bedroom in the cabin (Gail thought it was big enough to qualify for lodge status) that Holly's parents had rented for Izzy & Holly's birthdays, Christmas and New Year Holidays. All of the clan would be staying there, Gail and Holly, Holly's twin Izzy and her wife Tori, Tori and Izzy's twin infant girls, Holly's grandparents Gamma and Pops, and Holly's parents Jackson and Linda.

Holly's parents were just, to Gail's mind, as freakishly athletic as Izzy and Holly. The cabin was at a ski resort right outside Vancouver and was rented for a week and a half so they could all have a chance to ski without it interfering with family time. Gail honestly didn't know how she was going to get out of the vacation without a broken limb. Then she found out on top of all that, her gift to Holly was going to be unnecessarily delayed.

"But, Holly, I know it's your birthday, but I wanted to give you your present…just the two of us." Gail continued with what Holly thought was an adorable pout. God help Holly if Gail ever found out that it did in fact give her leverage.

"Well, Gail, in my family we play games on our birthday first, and open all the presents later. Mom tries really hard to keep our birthday separate from Christmas and tries to make it a big deal in itself. I think she feels guilty, even after all these years, that we're December babies. Sometimes they get lost in all the Christmas madness. After the games, I'm sure we can work in some 'just us time'." Holly finished and Gail's eyes lit up. Holly thought that was more adorable. She could consider her life a success if she kept putting that look on Gail's face.

"I can work with that. Wait! Games? What kind of games Holly?" Gail narrowed her eyes.

Holly just laughed. "C'mon Peck. We need to get back downstairs before Tori accuses us of having sex up here."

"Awesome." Gail said sarcastically.

"She's just jealous because ever since the twins arrived, their sex life has slowed down considerably." Holly replied.

"Holly, they look ill. Both of them. 'Considerably'? Try nonexistent." Gail retorted.

"You don't know them, like I know them Gail. They'd have to be dead. A little sleep deprivation isn't going to stop them." Holly smirked. "C'mon." Holly tugged Gail's hand so she would follow her. "Be a good girl and maybe Santa will reward you."

"Santa better plan on getting naked." Gail countered.

"Oh she does. She so does." Holly said as she closed the bedroom door behind them.

As they walked into the living room to the gaming table, Sally, who was shuffling a deck of cards and wearing a clear green plastic visor said, "I hope you two got done what you needed to get done up there, because nobody gets up from this table until they quit or I have all their money, whichever comes first."

"Is that so?" Gail asked.

"Oh, it's so, Copper. You've never been part of the Annual Stewart Christmas Eve, Peace on Earth, Knock Down Drag Out, Poker Birthday Battle Royale." Tori answered. "By the way, I'd have thought you two would have taken a bit more time. I'm impressed." Tori winked.

Gail blushed crimson. "I'm worried about you, Gail. You need to get tougher skin to hang out with us. I'm pretty sure you're not a prude." Sally looked over at Gail with concern. "She's not. Is she Holly?"

"No ma'am" Holly answered.

"Oh Gawd." Gail mumbled as she looked down at her shoes.

"Are you sure?" Sally asked.

"Gamma," Holly warned.

"What?" Sally tried and failed to look innocent.

"Hon," Pops addressed Sally, "Don't tease the children. At least, not until they've had some time to consume some holiday spirits."

"You spoil all my fun." Sally stuck her tongue out at her husband.

"Oh God," Holly said softly.

"What?" Izzy asked as she walked up to stand next to her sister.

"I've fallen in love with a younger version of Gamma." Holly answered.

"Yeah, but at least you haven't married yours yet. I'm married and have procreated. I'm stuck with mine." Izzy smirked.

"Would you change it if you could?" Holly asked her.

"Not a goddamn minute." Izzy answered seriously.

"Good to know." Holly said.

Two and a half hours later, Sally's hat was perched jauntily on her head and everyone but Gail had been eliminated from the Poker game. Gail couldn't help but love Sally. Who wouldn't love a card-shark eighty-something who drank straight bourbon while she played? "So…whatcha gonna do there Stewart?" Gail teased her. Sally was good, but Gail had learned to play with cops when she was just a girl. Her godfather insisted. Growing up Peck, she wore her mask all the time, so she had virtually no Poker tells. Holly might be able to ascertain one or two, but she had gone out so quickly it didn't matter.

"I'm going to see you and I'm going all in" Sally finally responded.

"You sure you wanna do that, Sally?" Gail arched her eyebrow.

"You're bluffing, Peck. I know you are." Sally grinned.

"Whatever you say." Gail replied.

"So if your girlfriend beats Gamma, what happens then?" Izzy whispered to Holly as they sat on bar stools overlooking the table.

"Has it ever happened before?" Holly asked.

Pops and Jackson were leaning over the counter behind them grinning. "1990. You girls were eight. Before that…maybe 1968. No…maybe 67…Uncle John drew that straight at the last minute. What was it…Canada Day? She doesn't lose often." Jackson said.

"Pay attention girls. I may never see another one." Pops smiled widely.

"Pops don't say that." Izzy said.

"Hey, it hasn't happened yet. You may not see it now." Jackson responded. "Holly, if Gail beats her…"

"What did Gamma do to Great Uncle John?" Holly asked.

Jackson looked at Pops for an answer. "I was sworn to secrecy" Pops replied and shrugged his shoulders.

Tori and Linda walked in, each holding a twin. They were wearing the matching onesies that Gail and Holly had given them. The onesies were complete with tiny hats. They made the girls look like two tiny R2D2s. "What's happening?" Linda asked.

"Mom is all-in and we're about to see" Jackson replied.

"Show 'em, Stewart." Gail demanded playfully.

Sally turned her cards over and said, "full house, aces over tens."

"Niice." Gail nodded and just as Sally was reaching for the pot Gail reached her hand out to stop her and said, "but I've got four sevens" and flipped over her cards.

"Goddammit" Sally said with a scowl and a cheer arose from the bar area from all the Stewarts. "Oh, how fast they turn on you. You remember that, Peck."

"They seem like an oppressed people who've been liberated to me" Gail quipped.

Holly walked over and put her arms around Gail from behind and leaned down. "Just so you know," she whispered in Gail's ear, "I've never loved you more, than in this moment." Gail smiled but it faltered as Holly continued. "However, I have no idea what Gamma may do in retaliation. We're in uncharted territory." Then Holly laughed, and after a moment Gail joined in.

What seemed like forever later to Gail, they were in their room, just the two of them. Gail had nervously taken the little wrapped box out of her bag and handed it to Holly. It was very purposefully wrapped in paper that was NOT red or green. Holly grinned widely like a little kid and attacked the paper with the enthusiasm of a seven year old. She opened the box to reveal a cartouche-like pendant on a gold necklace but instead of Egyptian lettering, it was engraved with numbers. Holly looked up at Gail confusion on her face.

"If you don't like it, I can take it back. I just thought…"

"They're GPS coordinates." Holly said.

"Yeah. If you think it's stupid or silly, I can take it back and get you something else. I mean…"

Holly took Gail's hands in hers, "Gail, you're rambling. I like the necklace. I just don't know where it is supposed to be."

"OH. Oh yeah." Gail shook her head slightly. "It's where we first met. I mean I know it was in the woods and someone was dead, but…but…I haven't been the same since. You changed me, or you helped me want to change…whatever. It was the beginning though, and I have this little piece of jewelry to remind me of you, and what you mean to me," Gail waved her left hand "but I know in the lab, you can't really wear jewelry and I always want you to have a reminder of me…"

Holly kissed her fiercely. She pulled back slightly and touched her forehead to Gail's. "I love it and I love you." She kissed Gail again softly. "When did the mighty Gail Peck start to ramble like us mere mortals?"

"I told you. You changed me Nerd."

"You love it."

"I love you."