Chapter 4

AN. Thanks everybody for all the reviews, I never expected that and totally happy about this and that you like my story :)

Distance

The next three days passed slowly… not that there wasn't enough work, but every day, Maura couldn't wait to come home. . She worked as precisely as usual, but felt restless on the inside. Around 10, mostly when she had just come home, a message would pop up on her phone. They quickly got used to the texting.

They never mentioned their daily life or any personal word – but did the most personal thing Maura could think of right now. They shared memories about their time, about each other.

After those three days, it stopped. When she didn't hear from Jane after two days, she called Korsak to check if anything happened, but he told her everything was as usual.

Maura started to think that it had been just a game, to hurt her like she probably hurt her before. She could call her, but she didn't want to invade her life like that. Maura got nervous. She called Korsak to check if anything happened, but he told her everything was the same as usual – Jane grumpy before coffee, busy with working cases.

And so, she stared at the quiet phone sometimes.

One rainy night, a beeping sound woke Maura up. She reached out and looked at the screen. "I want to see you" it said.

The relief that hit Maura made tears spring into her eyes. "Where?" she gave back.

"I want to take you to Cape Cod. I know a place you will like, I promise. It is quiet and we can spend time together. This weekend, we can meet Friday late afternoon – I can pick you up at the airport in Boston, or at Barnstable Airport… that would be on the way, and we will drive the rest. I will get us a cabin there, somewhere."

"Okay." She got up and grabbed her Laptop to check on flights. When she had planned her traveling route, she booked the journey and forwarded the dates to Jane. Maura put down her phone and realized her heart was beating like a drum.

She couldn't concentrate on work the following two days, and she didn't get much sleep those nights. She left work early on Friday, fed Bass, and made sure he had everything he needed. Then, she got the small bag she had packed the night before and her camera then drove to the airport.

When she flew in to Boston, she was deeply lost in old memories. She missed the city, though she didn't miss the winter's cold. Her connecting flight was on time; a very small plane. When she finally arrived at the little airport, she was nervously shivering. She got her bag, and slowly went to the exit. She didn't know what to expect, or how to behave…

The doors swung open, the other passengers passed Maura. She looked around and spotted Jane on a bench. She jumped up as soon as she saw Maura. Slowly, they walked towards each other. When they stood an arm length away, they could only smile. "Hi" Maura said softly.

Jane quickly let her look run over Maura. "Hey" she managed to say, her voice almost trembling. Maura wanted to hug her but didn't find the faith to move first, and Jane didn't make a first move either. "Okay" Jane finally broke the awarke silence, "come on, lets go." She reached out for Maura's bag. "My car is in the parking lot over there."

While they walked to the car, Maura spotted her from the corner of her eye. Jane almost looked like Maura remembered beside her hair was a little longer. They got into a car, and Jane drove. It was like usual; Jane has mostly been the driver. It was a one hour drive which gave Maura the chance to calm down a little bit. They tried to start a conversation, but it didn't feel natural and so unconsciously they both agreed to kept quiet.

They reached the national park and got the keys to their cabin from the park guard along with some instructions. They found their cabin, a cozy looking little place on a small opening, with green grass and wild flowers. Jane carried several food bags and a backpack and placed everything on the small kitchen counter. "Okay… that's it." She looked around. "Oh… I booked one with two bedrooms, but…"

Maura followed her look and saw a big king sized bed in the corner of the cabin and shrugged. "It's fine."

Jane looked at her. "I guess I should have invested more time in planning. I kinda rushed this… I'm glad you were able to make it though."

Now, Maura smiled. "Me too." She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry."

"How about we go for a short walk? Fresh air will do well after all the driving. And when we are back I will make dinner." She looked at Maura's dress. "You might want to change."

Maura quickly changed into Jeans and a shirt and her sport shoes, and followed Jane. She led her to a beach, they walked through the sand. The breeze was refreshing, but Maura was over tired and shivering.

After a while Jane guided her home again. She prepared bagels while Maura changed into her pajamas.

"I'm sorry"" Maura said when she entered the room again. "I didn't sleep well the last two days, had to work a lot, and the medications I still have to take don't make it any better."

"That's okay. Sit down on the bed, get some rest. I will go change and we can eat while we watch a movie. I got up at five this morning; I don't really mind sleeping early."

Later, Jane crawled into bed next to her. They started watching a movie, but didn't really care about what was going on. Maura finished her bagel and stretched out. When Jane was done she put the plates on the nightstand and switched TV and lamps off.

As the dark covered the room, Maura turned to Jane. "Jane" she whispered. "Do you hate me?"

"Why would I?"

"I… left."

"Without a goodbye, you mean, and disappeared…" Jane's voice got a little harsh, but she quickly calmed down again. "We can talk about that tomorrow. You are exhausted and I am tired as well, that's not the perfect moment for such a conversation" she said. She sighed. "See, I wouldn't be here in the middle of nowhere, in a little hideaway, sharing the bed with you again if I hated you." She turned around and softly brushed over Maura's hand for a second. "And I could never hate you Maura."

Maura let out a deep, relieved sigh. "Thank you."

"Thanks for coming." Jane whispered into the dark. She felt Maura moving around a little bit until she was comfortable, and then finally starting to relax. She smiled, knowing her friends eyes would slowly close, and her breath would become regularly. When Jane was sure Maura drifted into sleep, she snuggled into her own pillow and closed her eyes.