Says Who?

The team spent the past 7 hours in front of the television in their makeshift living room at the firehouse. Abby and Patty sprawled out on their respective arm chairs while Erin and Holtzmann cuddled up on the couch. The adrenaline from the three busts they went on earlier in the day having completely worn off and was now replaced with anxiety and exhaustion.

After hours of switching between NBC, ABC, NY1 and CNN only to be confused by the different numbers on the screen, they finally set the remote down on one channel. The mood has shifted quite a bit in the they've spent watching. Starting out anxious but hopeful, going from nervous to determined but now in the final hour of the race, they're met with fear and uncertainty.

At first, booze made this dreadful wait somewhat easier to get through. However, the closer it got to the final results, their stomachs turned. Beers sat on the coffee table untouched and pizza sat cold in its box.

"I'm not sure I could stay awake much longer!" Abby says, Erin lifts her hand to concur considering she had been dozing off on Holtzmann's shoulder.

"Man, I'm not sure I could sit through this any longer." Patty says. They all make agreeing sounds.

"Donald Trump is the projected winner in Michigan..." CNN announces.

"Makes perfect sense!" Erin shakes her head.

Another half hour passes. The time on the cable box and on the screen is a blur. Tiredness having clouded their vision. All they know is that it's somewhere before or after 2 a.m. Almost ready to turn in for the night hoping for the best, the results on the television grab their attention.

"Donald Trump wins the presidency. The business tycoon and TV personality, capping his improbable political journey with an astounding upset victory," Wolf Blitzer announces.

Abby scurries to raise the tv volume, hoping the exhaustion was messing with their hearing.

"Donald J. Trump will become the 45th President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton in a campaign unlike anything we've seen in our lifetime." Blitzer continues.

They all stare at the tv in shock. Erin now fully awake sits up and stares at the numbers. She tries to make sense of them the way she would with an equation but sadly she can't use math to make sense of the inexplicable decision America has just made.

They switch the tv off and the four of them sit in stunned silence and darkness, the only light in the room coming from the streetlights outside. Abby rubs at her tired eyes, it's too dark to tell if she's also wiping away tears. Patty shakes her head before muttering a barely audible "unbelievable". Holtzmann sighs, leaning back so far into the couch, it's as if she's trying to bury her head in the cushions.

"Listen ladies, despite what the results are, we aren't going anywhere." Abby says. "This sucks now but we're gonna make it through this."

Patty sighs. "Yeah, we will but right now I just need some sleep. Wake me up in four years, y'all."

The tallest of the group gets up from her armchair and disappears up the stairs. Abby follows close behind, saying her good nights.

Erin and Holtzmann remain on the couch for a while. Neither of them says anything. They just sit there, listening to the sounds of each other's breathing and New York City reacting to the news coming in from their window.

After a few minutes, Erin decides to go into the kitchen to make them some tea, predicting that sleep won't come easy after all. When she returns from the kitchen, Holtzmann's no longer sitting on the couch. Assuming she probably went up into her lab, Erin heads upstairs but there's no sign of her girlfriend there. She goes into their bedroom thinking that Holtzmann may have just went off to bed but again, no luck. She checks the bathroom and then the bedroom that Holtzmann once called her own but finds that both rooms are also empty.

Erin checks the roof next, knowing the blonde likes to go up there to clear her head but when she doesn't see her, she can't help but begin to panic. She's just about ready to slip on her coat and run out into the streets in search of her girlfriend when she walks through the lab again and sees a pair of familiar legs poking out from behind the workbench. She walks over rather quickly and finds Holtzmann lying on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Holtz?" She asks, caution in her voice. "Are you okay?"

The engineer doesn't answer her, she keeps her gaze on the ceiling. When Erin isn't sure if whether she should give her some time alone or not, Holtzmann can sense it and pats the ground next to her for the brunette to join her. Erin wastes no time, quickly moving to her girlfriend's side. They don't say anything for a while. Holtzmann simply takes the physicist's hand in her own, staring at the ceiling while Erin stares at her.

It isn't until this moment that Erin realizes just how quiet her girlfriend has been, not just within the past few hours but today in general. The silence goes on for a while before Holtzmann breaks it.

"This sucks... this really fucking sucks!" She says. Erin simply nods, noting the emotion in her girlfriend's voice. "You know, I used to not care about elections and politics. I just didn't understand the point of them at first and then when I did learn to understand, it all just seemed like a big waste of time to me." She sighs. "I didn't care about voting but not because I didn't think my vote would matter. I didn't care because none of politicians represented any of the things I believed in. I thought that changed recently though. I thought we were finally making progress. Obama stood up for so many things near and dear to my heart and Hillary was going to do the same. Now I just- I don't know..." Her voice cracks. "What's gonna happen now?"

"I don't know, Holtz. But you heard Abby, we aren't going anywhere. As for the rest of the world, we just have to pray. We're gonna make it through this!" Erin squeezes her hand reassuringly.

"How do you know that, Er-Bear ?" Holtzmann finally turns to look at her girlfriend.

"As long as there are still ghost to bust, we're not going anywhere. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if we'll be busting his ghost any time soon." Erin says trying to lighten the mood but Holtzmann doesn't react.

"What's going to happen to us?" Holtzmann asks, voice filled with sadness.

It didn't strike Erin the first time Holtzmann asked what she initially meant by her question but the second time the blonde asks, it clicks. She sees her girlfriend struggling to get the rest of her words out.

"Y-you know that I love you. So much it hurts. It's killing me that someday I won't be able to kiss or show you off in public anymore. And I know we haven't been dating for very long but the fact that I may not be able to marry you-" Holtzmann is cut off.

"Says who?" Erin asks.

Holtzmann gives her a puzzled look. "W-what?"

"Says who?" Erin repeats. "Because I don't care what the big head, orange guy has to say about us. I love you and nothing is going to get in the way of that. Ever." She kisses Holtzmann's hand. "And we've still got a few more months before he's sworn in..."

Holtzmann studies Erin's face for a moment before responding. "Wait- are you saying..."

"If I can't marry you then... why don't we get married now?"

"Are you serious? Like right now?" Holtzmann asks, her eyes are wide and bright.

"Well obviously not 'right' now considering its after 3am but yeah, while we're still certain we can."

"So you'd marry me? You'd actually marry me?" Holtzmann asks again, her tone serious.

"Yes!" Erin gives back instantly.

Holtzmann pulls her in for a kiss. "Oh my God, Erin". She kisses her again. "Oh my God." She kisses her again. "I'm gonna marry you so hard!" Holtzmann exclaims. Erin giggles.

The engineer cups Erin's cheeks with her hands and stares into her eyes lovingly.

"I love you so freakin' much!" Holtzmann says.

"I love you more!" Erin gives back.

"Says who?" Holtzmann smirks and kisses her again.

All their fear and worries subside and they fall asleep on the ground, smiling in each other's arms.