A/N: I'm sorry for the time it took me to write this chapter, I have no excuses. It's still not as long as I want to get, but it's definitely longer than the other ones. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!
"She refused to wear the yellow rain boots I had brought her because they didn't match her outfit! Can you believe that?" Jane shook her head, laughing at the memory. She and Maura had spent years, side by side, fighting crime in Boston. Both of them had some really great memories from their time together. There wasn't one without the other and even though they were completely different, like water and wine, they completed each other. "And then, BAM! She stepped right on a pool of blood with her precious Gepetto Za whatever." The lanky detective felt an unexpected emptiness and she frowned –luckily for her, no one seemed to notice–, remembering how long ago that was; how they were young and had their whole lives ahead of them to be together. She then thought of Hoyt and how different her life would be now if they had never encountered each other. The brunette took a long sip of her Blue Moon, the amber liquid soothing her sudden dry throat and found herself laughing a moment later as both Maura and Katherine calmly said "Giuseppe Zanotti" at the same time, correcting her.
"Are you done embarrassing me in front of my child?" Maura's tone was serious but a gleam in her eyes told Jane she was only messing around. The doctor thought that this day would be a grand disaster, that either she or Jane would end up saying something they would later regret. She thought that everything would be awkward and they wouldn't have anything to talk about. But now here they were, hours after lunch, reminiscing. Admittedly, the few glasses of wine she drank helped her take the edge off and just relax into the conversations.
The honey blonde wanted desperately to hate her ex best friend and girlfriend. She wanted to tell her she didn't want to see her ever again and that she wanted to be left alone. But listening to Jane talk about them and about the numerous moments they had together – moments she wouldn't allow herself to think about– with such a nostalgic tone, full of care and love did throw her off a little bit.
When Jane left without saying anything, consequently breaking her heart, Maura never took the chance to really process everything. Of course she had been angry, she had cried and had wondered what the hell had happened but then she locked all of her feelings in a box, buried it deep down in her heart and threw away the key. And now, all of these feelings, both good and bad – mainly good– were coming back like Jane was the key to them herself.
"Oh, I bet Maura have some juicy stories about you, Janie." Korsak had been there since the beginning. He was there when Jane made detective. He became a stable father figure to her, pushing her to be the great detective she was today. He taught her everything he knew, and he was always there when she needed. He was there on Maura's first day at BPD. He saw how nervous she was and made everything in his power to make her feel at home. He was her shoulder to cry on, her rock. He was there when they fell in love, in fact he found out before they even did. The older detective had been there through their ups and downs, but he never doubted that they would eventually find their way back to each other.
"Uhm, Korsak, you might wanna repeat that sentence in your head again." Frost cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at Maura and Jane. Like Maura, Frost was having a hard time letting Jane back into his life. Don't get him wrong; he loved her like a sister. But when she left, not only was he hurt but also witnessed the mess Maura became. The doctor had always been an extremely strong person, at least on the outside, and to see her fragile and not even wanting to leave her house hurt him even more. "We have a child present."
Katherine scrunched her face at that comment. She was 16 years old, she was capable of talking to anyone about literally anything and soon she would be going to college and she was still seen as a child, especially by Korsak and Frost who always had the need to protect her. "I'm not a child. But I am deeply disturbed by that thought."
Yes, they did have a few juicy stories: of them in the shower, in the car, in an elevator and even in Maura's office. Stories they would never share with anyone but each other. Maura looked at Jane who was hiding a smile behind her beer bottle and chuckled lightly. When chocolate eyes met hazel green ones, both women laughed like they haven't done in a long time. They felt light and for the first time in years, they felt truly happy.
"Well, I do have a somewhat "juicy" story about Jane." Maura laughed again at her daughter's groans and rolled her eyes. "Not the kind of "juicy" you're thinking, darling."
"Why do I feel like you're about to embarrass the shit out of me?" Jane said as she peeled off the wet label from her beer bottle.
"Watch your language." Maura smirked. She couldn't remember how many times she had repeated that one word to Jane over the years she had known her. " As I recall, we were at Adam Fairfield's memorial in the middle of the investigation of his murder. It was a fancy dinner and-" Maura was interrupted by Jane's exaggerated groan. "From all of the stories, you had to go there?"
The next few hours were spent just like the ones before, with a lot of stories –both new and old-, a lot of laughter and a lot of stolen looks.
Maura looked at her own reflection in the window above the kitchen sink and noticed a small smile playing around her lips. She knew that she and Jane still had a lot to talk about and a lot to figure out. But there was a glimmer of hope blossoming in her heart. Maybe, just maybe they could still be together after all.
"Do you need help with those?" Jane was leaning against the kitchen isle, a beer in one hand and a strand of raven hair in the other. Korsak and Frost had left a few minutes before and even though they offered Jane a ride, she didn't accept it. She wanted to spend just a little more time with Maura, especially now that they would finally be alone since Katherine had gone to sleep over an hour ago. "Maura?"
"Hm?" Maura felt Jane's presence as soon as she entered the kitchen; she always knew when the brunette was around, even when she didn't even make a sound. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" The doctor turned to face Jane, the small smile still visible on her lips. "I got lost inside my thoughts."
"I asked if you needed some help with the dishes." Jane chuckled as she took a sip of her beer, her eyes never leaving Maura's. "You can wash and I can dry." She rested the Blue Moon bottle on the isle when Maura gave her a simple nod before turning back to the sink.
Maura finished washing one of the glasses and when she handed it to Jane, their fingers brushed, their breath hitched and both smiled. They were quiet, simply enjoying each other's company in that moment.
When everything was washed and dried, both women moved around the kitchen to put everything in place. The only things left were the glasses, but Maura couldn't quite reach the shelf since she had taken off her heels. "Here, let me." Jane saw the blonde's struggle and laughed lowly. She didn't know why exactly, but she had always found the difference in their heights quite lovely.
Jane felt Maura gasp as soon as her front touched her back. She took a moment to appreciate the soft strawberry scent from the blonde's shampoo and in that moment she realized just how much she missed Maura. "There you go." The brunette's voice was throatier than usual and Maura shivered beneath her.
Maura turned around, well aware of the lack of space between her and Jane. She saw the way the brunette looked at her, nothing but love, respect and something else Maura couldn't quite place filled those beautiful chocolate eyes. "Thank you." Jane nodded as she put a strand of blonde hair behind Maura's ear. Neither felt the need to move.
"I should have never left you, Maur." Jane looked away. She could feel the tears coming and she tried hard to keep them at bay. Losing Maura was the worst thing that ever happened in her life and there was no one to blame except herself. "I'm so sorry." Her voice was practically a whisper and Maura almost missed the last part.
"Hey." Maura said softly, reaching out to stroke Jane's cheek. The brunette looked everywhere but at those hazel eyes that were desperately looking for contact. "Jane, please look at me." Maura wiped a single tear that managed to scape and smiled when Jane finally looked at her. "I know we still have a lot to talk about. We just need time to figure everything out and I do believe that in the end it'll be okay. We'll be okay."
"You don't hate me?" Jane hated feeling this vulnerable; she always had even around Maura. She felt small and weak, and she could only imagine how the blonde felt when she left.
"Oh, Jane." Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist, bringing her even closer to her body. "I could never hate you. Never." She put everything she felt in those words to make sure Jane knew she meant them.
Jane let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding and nodding, still not trusting her voice. She cupped Maura's cheek and rested her forehead against hers. "You really are something, Maura Isles." Jane finally smiled; a smile that could light up the entire city o Boston.
Maura stood on her toes, her lips inches away from Jane's, she never in a million years thought that she would be this close to her again. "We both are, my dear." She smiled, almost closing the distance between them.
"MOM!?"
