Since we have to wait a year for resolution to Peckstein I've decided to end this one the way I want, canon be damned.

Nothing's changed since last week - Still don't own the show or its characters

Gail heard her name on the wind but kept on walking; if by some chance it wasn't her imagination she didn't really want to deal with it.

Dov saw them strolling further up the block and bolted to catch up. "Gail!"

Recognizing the voice (unfortunately not a figment of her imagination) Gail steeled herself and turned around. "What do you want, Dov?"

"Diaz send you to plead his case?" Luke guessed. He didn't know what had happened exactly but he sincerely doubted the bumbling fool deserved her.

"Don't do this," Dov panted.

Seriously? "Maybe you should spend less time worrying about what I'm doing and more on your cardio routine …" she suggested, eyebrow raised disparagingly.

He could have told her it was more from nerves than lack of lung capacity but it was hardly the point. "Look - you don't want to get back with Chris?"

Gail turned on her heel to walk away.

Grabbing her arm Dov continued, "Fine; I don't blame you…"

"Funny," Gail marveled, knocking his hand away to cross her arms over her chest, "I don't recall asking your opinion…" Who the hell did he think he was, anyway?

"But don't get involved with this guy…" Dov finished undeterred.

Luke raised an insulted eyebrow. "'This guy?'"

Realizing he was talking about a superior Dov added hastily, "No offence, sir."

"Of course not," Luke replied, rolling his eyes. "Can we go now?" he directed at Gail.

Gail looked away from Dov to nod at him. "Sure."

"Gail…"

"Go back to the bar, Dov," she sighed. "Commiserate with Chris on what a cold unfeeling bitch I am; call your little bomb squad girlfriend to remind yourself how great she is. Whatever you gotta do." Advancing on him she quietly advised, "Just stay the hell out of my life; you've screwed it up enough already..."

"And you think this is going to fix it?" Dov retorted, her tone setting him off. "Going home with a practical stranger?"

Gritting her teeth Gail pushed him out of Luke's earshot to hiss, "Why the hell not? I don't have a home anymore, remember? I lost it when I lost my boyfriend. Then I lost my self-respect because I was living out of motels and walking around like a wounded animal…"

He heard the accusation and frustration seeping into her words. "I didn't…"

She cut him off with a sharp jerk of her hand, giving up trying to control the volume of her voice because all her effort was going into keeping it from cracking. "And I am this close to losing my mind, too. So if I want to sleep with 'Can't keep it in his pants' Callaghan to make myself feel better then no one is going to tell me I can't. Least of all you!" She turned around before he could see her eyes had become glossy.

Luke fell into step beside her. "Let me guess – no offence?" he faked indignation, trying to lighten the mood.

Gail pulled herself from her thoughts to shrug unapologetically. "It's the truth…" It was also his most appealing quality at the moment. His least being that he'd taken so long and made them park two blocks away from the bar…

"Gail, can we go somewhere to talk about this?" Dov realized he'd taken the wrong approach but he didn't exactly have many options with Luke lurking.

"Now you want to talk?" she scoffed over her shoulder. "When I wanted to talk you pretended nothing had happened."

"What did you want me to do, Gail?" Dov huffed at her back. "Stand there while you let me down easy?" Frustrated, he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, snatching the other one out of the air just before her fist made contact. Holding them both he forced her to meet his eyes. "After everything I told you did you think 'easy' was even possible?"

"Don't give me that crap, Dov! You've still got your best friend, your girlfriend, your home!" Gail hissed, clenching her hands to try to get him to release her. When it didn't work she used his grip against him and drove them into his chest. "Considering you started this whole thing you got off a hell of a lot easier than I did!"

Ignoring the pain Dov hissed back, "If you think any of this is easy for me then you're even more self-involved than I thought!"

Gail narrowed her eyes at him and started to struggle in earnest. "Let me go!" As soon as her hands were free she was going to kick his ass.

Luke made to step in and Dov glared at him. "Back off, man." Turning his attention back to Gail he whispered huskily, "I have a best friend I've spent the last year resenting. I have a girlfriend who has no clue I'm in love with someone else. And I have a place to live, not a home, because somewhere along the line home became you…"

Luke watched Gail stop struggling and her expression soften. "I'm just gonna go…" Neither of them said anything (or even acknowledged his existence) so he followed through.

Gail swallowed hard, staring into Dov's eyes, then managed to shake herself out of the stupor he'd put her in to look around.

"He's gone, Gail." Thankfully.

Shaking her head Gail blithely informed him, "I'm looking for the dude with the little statuette – that was quite the performance…"

Dov was so taken aback he dropped her hands, brow furrowed. "It's the truth…"

"Sell it to someone who hasn't watched you go about business as usual the last month…" And yet she'd still almost believed him. Again. If being a cop didn't pan out and acting didn't tickle his fancy he could always try his hand at politics.

Was she kidding him?" I was trying to get things back to normal. I thought that's what you wanted!"

Yeah – she wanted him to be all happy while her life was falling apart; he knew her well enough to know she wasn't that gracious a loser. Or, you know, at all… "Do you know what it felt like to walk in on you and Chris joking around like I didn't even exist? How hard it was to listen to your stupid stupid declaration of whatever and then have you throw your perfect little girlfriend in my face all the time?" Choking back a sob she poked him violently in the chest. "That's what you wanted! Not me!"

She'd managed to hit the exact same spot as before and Dov winced, immediately grabbing her wrists again. Holding them against his chest he corrected her with a fervent, "I wanted to not be in love with my best friend's girlfriend. But guess what? It didn't happen. I wanted you, but I couldn't have that, either. So you need to stop acting like any of this is what I wanted; you don't have the market cornered on miserable!"

Death glaring him through the tears Gail reclaimed her hands and headed back in the direction of the bar.

"This is it, Gail," Dov said quietly, turning but not moving towards her. "If you walk away from me now I'm not chasing you…" It was a gamble – she could just as easily tell him to take his ultimatum and shove it – but if he didn't put his foot down somewhere they'd end up going back and forth all night.

Gail came to a stop without turning around, jaw clenched. If it were anything else at risk she'd keep going just to spite him, and she hated that he had the power to force her hand like that. "Who says I'd want you to?"

Dov smiled through the overwhelming relief, even if it only confirmed she was going to be stubborn straight to the end. "You don't need to say anything; you talk too much as it is…"

His tone was light but she turned to give him a dirty look anyway; she'd let him get away with far more than she normally would anyone else and he dared mock her.

Silence descended as they stood there in stalemate, ten feet between them like a showdown at the O.K. Corral. When the crickets started to chirp and the tumbleweed started to roll Dov finally huffed, "Can you help me out here? That's twice now I've poured my heart out to you, quite eloquently I might add, and a little positive reinforcement would be nice…"

Gail wasn't one to wax poetic, wasn't really fond of allowing herself to be vulnerable, and she couldn't hope to be anywhere near as 'eloquent' as he'd been anyway. "Oh – now you want me to talk?"

Figures she'd find some way to use it against him. "As long as it's something I want to hear…"

She could tell him what he wanted to hear, and mean it, too, but it wouldn't help them in the long run. Sitting on some nearby steps she took a steadying breath while he joined her. "My mother's had my whole life planned out pretty much since she found out I was a girl: become a cop, take the force by storm, and maybe start a family if it didn't distract me from the 'bigger picture.' I know she loves me, just wants what she thinks is best for me, but whereas most parents want better for their kids she wants me to be her. Seriously. When I was young she'd have these uniforms specially made so she could parade me around at her dinner parties like her little Mini-me…"

Dov assumed she was going somewhere with it so he decided to play along. That, and the image of a pint-sized pig-tailed Gail in a police uniform was just too cute to ignore. "I'd pay for a picture of that."

Gail shook her head. "You wouldn't have to; she shows them to anyone who asks, and those who don't. Usually with a sigh and a 'I had such high hopes for her then…'" Making sure Gail heard it, of course. "Can you believe I was 12 before I got to wear anything else for Halloween? And that was only because I'd ripped it putting it on…"

"Accidentally on purpose?" Dov guessed. He was surprised it had actually taken her that long.

"Yeah – pretty much." She glanced at him before staring back out to the street. "She had a staff meeting that night, didn't have time to get a new one, so my punishment was sitting at home while everyone else went out and had fun. I didn't care, though; I made my own costume." Smiling at the memory she confessed, "It wasn't much – Steve's football jersey and my ballet slippers and dad's briefcase – but it was mine. I was so proud of it that my dad and Steve turned every room into a different house so I'd get to trick-or-treat anyway." We won't tell your mother – will we, Luscinia?

When she paused Dov had to make sure he'd heard correctly. "You were a ballerina?"

Gail gave him the side-eye before admitting, "For 6 horrible years. My mom said it helped with agility and focus; if I ever need to fouetté a fleeing perp I'm all set…" It actually had turned out to be useful but that wasn't the point; the point was, "From day 1 she raised me to be a cop."

The regret in her tone was palpable and he felt the need to remind her, "You love being a cop."

She met his eyes and shrugged. "But do I love it because I love it or do I love it because I'm supposed to? No one dares go against Elaine Peck. Not even my dad. At work he's this awe-inspiring take-no-prisoners SOB but when it comes to my mom he's got the spine of an invertebrate. I doubt he's made a decision for himself since they started dating." She didn't think she needed to point out the similarities in her relationship with Chris. "Do you know they haven't even shared a bedroom since I moved out? But she won't let him get a divorce because it'd be proof she isn't infallible." That and she didn't want to give up his name. She had too much built on it, too many idioms attached to it. "'Pecks don't fail. 'Ever."

Dov couldn't say he was surprised, not after the way Gail had reacted when her mom had visited the 15. And from what little he'd seen of the Superintendent he could tell that beneath the genial facade she was a woman who demanded nothing less than excellence and absolute obedience. It made managing to impress her that much sweeter. But he didn't carry the constant weight of being her kid…

Wrapping her arms around herself Gail avoided his eyes. "Anyway, that was my really long-winded way of telling you that I don't know. I don't know that I want to be Chief of Police, much less a wife and mother. I refuse to think about the future because if I don't have any expectations then I can't fail." Or maybe not thinking about it was the one small act of rebellion she allowed herself.

Before she could tell him she couldn't deal with his expectations Dov defended, "I was high, Gail. I didn't realize half of what I was saying before I'd said it…"

"So you don't want to marry me?" she tested, eyebrow raised. "Or have kids with straw-colored hair and my eyes?"

Dov wasn't sure there was a right answer to that question so he chose an ambiguous, "Yes."

Gail turned her gaze back to the street. "I was so mad at you for that – planting that seed – because then I couldn't not think about it. About how you'd be just like Oliver, acting all annoyed while secretly loving every minute of it; dedicated and doting and not giving a damn that everyone knows you're a big sap when it comes to your family…" She allowed herself a soft smile before warning him, "If you ever tell him I said that I'll deny it."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Not because Dov didn't appreciate the comparison but because it might have been the nicest thing she'd ever said to him and he wanted to keep it for himself.

"I pity my dad, you know?" she confessed, leaning back on her elbows to examine the stars. "I love him, I miss him, but I don't respect him. And I can't even visit because the trapped look in his eyes makes my heart hurt. She's killing him slowly…"

It suddenly hit Dov that she wasn't afraid of failing, she was afraid of not failing and what it would mean. Whether she realized it or not. "Gail, you're not your mother…"

She laughed without mirth. "Don't kid yourself, Dov; we're practically carbon copies. We're demanding and demeaning and we'd rather have subordinates than friends; we make arrogance an art form. The only difference is she deserves her superiority complex." And Gail had yet to earn hers, as her mother was so fond of pointing out.

"You're wrong," Dov stated firmly, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. "I think you've spent so long trying to live up to her expectations that you don't even know who you are." He'd known her long enough, been privy to the rare times she'd let her guard down, to know she wasn't half as cut-throat or unfeeling as she liked everyone to believe. "If you'd stop focusing on who she wants you to be maybe you'd be able to see what I see…"

Blinking back tears Gail wished she could see herself through his eyes, if only for a second. "That's a very sweet notion, Dov, but it's just not true." She patted his cheek condescendingly for emphasis.

Dov knew arguing would be futile – he couldn't undo years of conditioning in one conversation – so he switched tacks. "Fine. Then I'm not your dad. Or Chris. I don't let you walk all over me and you know it."

She did know it – and she loved him for it – but that didn't mean it wouldn't change. She couldn't be responsible for him changing. "For now…"

God, she was stubborn. "I've been standing up to you for more than a year…"

"It's not the same thing and you know it," Gail mimicked. "What if a week from now, or a year, you realized it was the real me?"

"It's not." Dov knew it wasn't, and if it took him forever he'd make her know it, too.

God, he was infuriating. "Say it was – would you really be willing to give up your perfect girlfriend and less-than-perfect best friend for something that probably wouldn't even work out?"

Dov couldn't say it wasn't a lot to give up but he couldn't say she wasn't worth it, either. "It's gonna work out – I have a plan, remember?"

How could she forget the plan? The plan had turned her life upside down. Still, she didn't think he was grasping the gravity of the situation. "You're gonna catch a lot of heat…" Not just from Chris but from all his friends.

It was the first time she hadn't referred to them being together as a hypothetical and Dov was afraid to say something that would send her running. Giving her a cheeky grin he joked, "I know, right? I just signed myself up for a lifetime of you keeping me on my toes…"

She knew it was his way of saying he didn't care without actually saying it, and this time she couldn't stop the tears from escaping. Whether it was because of the faith he had in them (in her) or because she was almost absolutely certain he'd end up regretting it she didn't know. "Why are you such a loser?"

Her tone was more resigned than scathing so he just shrugged, bringing a hand up to wipe the dampness from her cheeks. "I only look like a loser next to you 'cause you're so awesome…"

Blue locked onto blue and Gail decided she didn't care whose eyes their kids had. When he started to move in she reluctantly put a finger to his lips and shook her head. "I'm not a cheater, Dov." Of all the things she might be that wasn't one of them. No matter what anyone else thought.

Technically he'd be the cheater, not her, but Dov didn't think she'd see the distinction. Not that he wanted to be a cheater… "Let's go…" Wrapping his hand around hers he stood, pulling her with him.

"Where?" she asked warily.

"You're going back to The Penny while I go talk to Sue." He wouldn't bring her with him, and he didn't want to have to put an APB out on her if (when?) she changed her mind and decided to disappear.

Gail's feet were suddenly rooted to the ground. "You sure you're sure about this?"

For someone so awesome she sure was insecure. Cupping her chin with his free hand Dov sighed, "Have you not heard anything I said?"

If she admitted she had then she'd have to admit what it did to her and she wasn't quite ready to do that yet. Tamping down on the dread she faked a flippant, "Not really – it was pretty much all 'wah wah wah wah' like the teacher in that stupid cartoon…"

There was just no winning with her. Dov threw up his hands in exaggerated exasperation, then started walking away.

Gail shook her head even though he couldn't see it. "Don't make me go back there…" It had been bad enough when they'd thought she was leaving with Luke. There was only so much 'deeply betrayed' and 'maternal disapproval' she could take in one night. That wasn't coming from her mother…

Dov turned to find her still standing in front of the steps, and he had to laugh at the awkward pout on her lips. If he ever got to see those pictures he was certain that was the expression she'd be wearing in them. "Come on – Traci'll protect you from Chris while I'm gone."

Eyes narrowed she informed him, "I don't need protection; especially not from Chris…" He gave her a knowing look and she realized she'd been tricked. Damn him. "Why would Traci protect me, anyway?"

She still hadn't moved so he wandered back to her. "She's the one who convinced me to come after you."

"Great – then if we crash and burn I can blame it all on her," Gail retorted, only half-joking. She should have known Traci's constant 'I'm just curious' questions were really an interrogation. And Gail hated being 'read' like a common criminal…

Dov saw her jaw clench. "Be nice – if it weren't for her we wouldn't be here…"

"I don't do nice," she reminded him. "How about I make her godmother of our firstborn instead?"

"Seriously?" That was easier than being nice?

"What? She's a good mom…" It seemed like a fair compromise. And it wasn't like Gail had a ton of friends to choose from…

Resigned to not winning the 'nice' fight Dov took her hand and started walking again. "If we don't do this there won't be a firstborn."

"But can't it wait until tomorrow?" she tried, dragging her feet. "It's late and Sue needs her beauty sleep…"

Dov ignored the half-hearted dig at his poor soon-to-be ex-girlfriend, knowing Gail was just trying to put it off. But he'd waited too long already. Turning to her he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "No – it can't." He brought his lips to her ear, whispering, "Tomorrow morning I want to wake up with you for the first time and wonder at my dumb, dumb, dumb, luck…"

Gail's heart skipped a beat and she could swear he was trying to see how many times he could make her cry in one night. She told herself the only reason it was working was 'cause her emotions were still raw from everything that had happened. "Promise me something?" she mumbled hoarsely, his face still in her hair.

Pulling away Dov met her eyes. "Anything."

His tone was so sincere Gail couldn't even mock him. "If you wake up one morning cursing your bad luck you'll tell me…" She wasn't stupid enough to hold him to what he'd said in the cruiser but she needed to know he'd warn her if he started regretting it.

"I promise." Dov wasn't worried – it wasn't going to happen. "Now you promise me something…"

Gail wouldn't make a promise she couldn't keep. Giving him a criticizing look she deflected, "We're not naming a son after you – I won't subject my kid to a childhood of bullying."

Copying her earlier pout he corrected her, "I was bullied because my parents were hippies and I was a wimp…" They weren't hippies and he sincerely doubted any kid of hers would be a wimp.

Aw. Setting thoughts of exacting revenge on whoever did it aside Gail forced a disbelieving eyebrow.

Okay, some of it may have been because of the name… "Anyway," he huffed, "That's not what I was asking…"

Damn it. Not being able to distract and/or intimidate her way out of things was going to take some getting used to. "Then what?"

Dov brushed her hair back with the hand that wasn't around her, his face becoming serious again. "Promise me you're not going to call it quits as soon as things get tough." He understood the position she'd been in with the Bibby thing but she hadn't even tried to work it out with Chris. "And you're not going to let your family dictate our life…"

"That's two 'something's…" Gail pointed out, partly to be contrary and partly because she wasn't sure she could follow through.

The argument could be made it was all the same (she'd broken up with Chris at Steve's urging, after all) but she'd probably refuse to see it. "Fine – then you get another one."

"Promise you won't let me…" It was pretty ingenious if she said so herself; that way if she broke a promise so did he.

She was so proud of her little loophole Dov didn't have the heart to tell her he hadn't been planning on it anyway. "Deal." Before he gave in to the need to kiss her (and thus run the risk of getting punched) he let go of her waist to take her hand. "Shall we go?"

Suddenly Gail was feeling better about the future; she might even have been (cautiously) optimistic about it. "Absolutely."

They walked in silence, Dov enjoying just being with her (finally), when he thought of something. "And you have to give me a private performance of 'Let's Get It On'…"

Gail laughed, smiling affectionately at his profile. "Promise." That one she was sure she could keep…