Simple Complexity

Part 1

It wasn't really the fact that the gun wasn't ready, nor was it that the Swiss Army knife was the intention, the intention was the motion, the gift, the representation. Because for Doctor Jillian Holtzmann, the action, the symbolic action of handing Professor Erin Gilbert the pocketknife was a promise. A promise Holtzmann secretly held tight to her chest, close to her thudding heart. Because her heartbeats were different around Erin, almost speedier, although at times she felt that the next beat wasn't going to come. 

And that was because sometimes Erin stilled her heart.

The quirky, clever, genius Jillian Holtzmann had never struggled to work anything out, whether it be formulas, equations, blueprints or women. Everything came easily to her, she attracted knowledge, and she attracted women.

But Erin Gilbert...now she was an enigma.

An equation, one that Jillian was determined to work out. To find out what made her tick, what made her happy, and sad, and what made her smile. What did she want to achieve, where did she want to be in ten years, what was her favourite perfume, her favourite travel destination, what did she dream about at night?

Everything.

Jillian Holtzmann wanted to know everything there was to know about Erin Gilbert.

Nearly two years after the events of Rowan and saving New York City, the four women had further developed their equipment thanks to funds provided by the mayor's office. And with the acquisition of the Firehouse the four women had created not only a positive name for themselves, but they had become a family. They were a family. It had become their home.

Small bedrooms had been set up on the upper floor, and even though they all still had their city apartments the four friends were often found spending most of their time in the building. Whether it be working on new inventions, improving current ones, or just sipping coffee together on the roof, they were never far from one another. They would go out for drinks at their local bar to celebrate successful Busts, sometimes they would walk to a city restaurant, enjoying a meal together. They'd attempted to all be at least awake or up early enough for breakfast at a diner, but that was yet to eventuate.

Jillian and Erin worked closely, and they shared the second-story lab of the New York Firehouse. A large wooden desk sat at one end, and the engineer's array of tools and equipment littered the surface, wires, spare parts. Along with plenty of discarded junk she had collected from the alley next to the building. Behind the desk, up against the wall were rows of shelves, more parts and metal pieces sat along them, it was organised chaos, with no one else daring to touch or question anything that resided there, with the blonde knowing every part and piece.

Two large windows framed the sides of the shelves, the room flooding with morning light, keeping the lab warm in summer but icy in winter. Erin's desk was not far from Holtzmann's and sat at the opposite side of the room and although much smaller its contents were arranged much neater. She had drawers and shelves behind, filled with her papers, and books, awards in frames and general organisation. The complete opposite of her colleague's, yet the two worked together in perfect harmony, Holtz often skipping over to Erin, dragging the woman up from her seat to show her something. The physicist always responding with a bright-eyed smile as she gazed over the woman's work, gushing with compliments and gentle arm squeezes.

The two women had a strong connection, often not even needing to speak, they just knew what the other thinking, feeling and they were almost inseparable.

The two were rostered on for the night shift together every fortnight, it made sense for them to be together, they were the half of the team that struggled to leave the Firehouse to take a break, with Abby and Patty often having to physically drag them away from their work. Having to change subjects constantly when they decided to have a movie night or go out to dinner. The conversation always returned to science as words escaped their lips, with Patty shushing them, suggesting topics to talk about. But each time Erin and Holtz found themselves next to each other, left alone by the other two as they continued to discuss, bounce ideas off the other.