A/N: Closer and closer we get, yet still so far away. I hope you're still with me, still enjoying this. If you've been leaving me reviews, thank you so much for them. Getting reviews is like... "taking a substance". Thank you for taking the time to leave them for me.
Jane boarded her last flight and settled heavily into her seat. She was emotionally drained and she hadn't even seen Maura yet. She was so eager to get to Paris and see Maura again, yet she was terrified of the possibility that Maura would not see her. Jane understood how mean she had been to Maura, and she wouldn't, couldn't blame her if she wanted nothing to do with her. Jane just hoped that the magnitude of this gesture, of flying so far to say she was sorry, would make Maura give her an opportunity to apologize. There were no guarantees though, and Jane was terrified.
This was a short flight, but Jane decided to try and get some sleep while on it anyway, just so she could be focused when she got to Paris. It would do her no good to be completely out of sorts when she arrived. Despite her nerves, she fell asleep while the rest of the passengers were still boarding, and she didn't wake up again until she felt the landing gear touch down in Paris.
The flight arrived in Paris on time. Jane felt surprisingly well rested despite only sleeping for two hours in the last twenty-four. She surmised that she was running on adrenaline, because normally at this point with this little sleep she would be utterly exhausted. She looked at her watch. It was ten o'clock in the morning at home. That made it 4:00 in the afternoon in Paris. She changed the time her watch and followed the crowd off the plane to go collect her luggage.
Jane was initially confused that there was no one checking passports when she got off the flight, but then she realized that she had come in from the United Kingdom and they probably didn't need passports to travel between those two places. She felt like she was sneaking in to France though, and she didn't like the idea. She looked around one last time for anyone checking for passports for people not from the European Union, and when she didn't see any, she continued to follow the crowd to the luggage carousel.
Jane waited while the carousel started up, watching as one by one the suitcases came down the conveyor belt. She watched attentively while each suitcase arrived and was claimed by its rightful owner. As the crowd around her started to thin out, Jane suddenly realized she had been waiting for quite a while, and it had been a while since a new suitcase had shown up on the belt. She waited a few minutes longer and noticed that the same five suitcases were circling the belt, and none of them were hers. A moment later, the belt stopped altogether.
"Oh no." Jane mumbled. "This isn't happening." Shaking her head, she fished her boarding pass out of her carry on and brought it over to the baggage attendant.
"Excuse me, do you speak English?" She asked.
"Yes, of course," the woman said. Jane liked her accent.
"Could you please tell me where I can find my luggage? I waited at the carousel with my flight number on it, but it's not there."
"Certainly, madame. Just a moment, please." The woman started typing on her computer and Jane watched her frown. "Madame, I am so sorry." She said in her heavy French accent. "It seems the person that took your luggage in Boston accidentally entered the wrong airport code for your baggage. They entered CTG instead of CDG. I will put a trace on your luggage right away, and have it flown here immediately."
"Oh." Jane said, confused. "Where exactly is CTG?" She asked.
"Cartagena, Columbia." The woman said with a frown. "Unfortunately it could take two to three days for the baggage to arrive here. The airline must find it first, and they will put it on the first available flight to Paris. Luckily, Cartagena is a large airport, and there are many flights. Again, I am so sorry."
Jane ignored the voice in the back of her head that told her she deserved this. That this was going to be one of many complications on an already difficult trip. Instead she asked "So what do I do? Do I come back in two days to check for it?"
"No, no, we will bring the luggage to you. Please, can you let me know where you are staying and your mobile number and the date of your departure? Please if you could put it all on this form for me."
Jane filled out the form and gave the address of the hotel where she was staying. "I honestly don't know how long I will be here." Jane said. "It could be two days, it could be two weeks. I don't know."
"Well, I will indicate that we should call you on your mobile when the luggage is found. You can tell us where you are and we will forward the luggage to you. You can also phone us on this number to enquire about the luggage and let us know if your plans change. I also have this kit, it contains some toiletries and a t-shirt, so you have something to wear tomorrow. Please accept my profound apologies once more."
"Thanks," Jane said half-heartedly. She took the claim receipt and the kit and headed toward the taxi stand.
Monday morning dawned bright and early for Maura. She woke up and decided a jog was in order. It had been ages since she had been for a run, and the endorphins would be good for her.
"Mother, I'm going for a run at the Parque del Retiro. I will be back in a couple of hours."
"Enjoy yourself darling, and do be careful." Constance replied, happy to see Maura had somewhat come out of her depressed mood from the evening before.
"I'll be back in plenty of time before the preview." Maura said.
Constance waved at her as she went to go get ready. She would be spending most of the day at the gallery preparing for the preview and was glad Maura was finding things to occupy herself with.
Maura started her run at the entrance to the park. Within a few minutes she had her pace set. It felt good to get her heart rate up, and the fresh air was doing wonders for her mood. She followed the footpaths, mostly empty at this early hour. She let her feet lead her, and didn't think much about where she went.
Inevitably her thoughts returned to Jane, work and Boston. She realized that today was the day of Casey's surgery, and that in a few hours Casey's life could change radically. She worried for him, and hoped he would survive. Jane must be beside herself with worry. Maura thought. I should call her. Just to let her know she is in my thoughts today.
Maura pondered the idea for a bit before letting it go. Jane didn't want to hear from her, especially today, the day of Casey's surgery. Maura knew the day was going to be traumatic enough for Jane, she didn't need to add any additional stress to the day by calling her. Calling her was likely the right thing to do, but Maura decided the emotional toll on herself and possibly on Jane wasn't worth the rightness of it. She continued her run.
The longer she ran, the clearer her mind was. She finally felt relaxed enough to think about where she was, and where she needed to go from here.
Maura thought about her job. She loved her job, but part of the reason she loved it so much was because of Jane. If she took Jane out of the equation, she knew that she would be miserable at work. Seeing Jane every day, having to interact with her at crime scenes, it was all too much. Watching Jane meet Casey at the Dirty Robber when that used to be "their" thing would just be a slap in the face.
At the same time, Maura had a house and a career in Boston. A house that she loved and a career that she loved. She loved Jane's family, too, and she liked having Angela around. Angela didn't seem the least bit put off by the fact that Jane wasn't speaking to her. Angela cared about her, even if Jane didn't anymore. Why should she have to give all that up?
Could she learn to live in Boston without Jane? Could she learn to live anywhere without Jane? Deep down Maura knew that wasn't what she wanted. She still wanted Jane and the idea of severing all ties with Jane and her family, her job and her colleagues was still too much to even think about.
There was only one thing to do. She had to go back. She could try it out for a little while. If things were too painful for too long, she could sell her house and move to another city. With her credentials and her success, Maura would have no problem getting a job in her pick of cities. Anything she decided here and now didn't have to be permanent. If it became too difficult for her to return to her prior Queen of the Dead persona, she could pick up and leave.
She couldn't hide in Europe forever. That simply wasn't an option. She would take a week, maybe two, just to gather her wits and relax and then she would head back to Boston.
Feeling calmer than she had in a week, Maura finished up her run and headed back to the hotel. It felt good to have sorted out a few things. If she kept this up, taking small steps, it could definitely be possible to move past Jane and all the pain that was associated with her. All she needed was time, and without Jane, all Maura had was time.
Jane stopped at an ATM in the airport and withdrew some Euros. Yesterday she had mapped out how far it was from the airport to Maura's parents' house and she had tried to gauge how expensive the taxi ride should be. Based on what she had read on the internet, the fee shouldn't be too unreasonable. The hotel was just as far from the airport, and was within a mile of Maura's house. She had planned to walk to Maura's house from the hotel, but now that she didn't have any luggage other than her rolling carry on, she thought it would be a good idea to just go directly to Maura's. It was getting late, and she didn't want to arrive there at a time that would be considered rude or inconsiderate.
Then again, showing up unannounced after what she had done to Maura was already pretty inconsiderate. But would it be worse to show up later?
Oh screw it! Jane thought. Let me just get there before I lose my nerve. The hotel will still be there when I'm done.
And with that, Jane hopped into a cab that whisked her away to Maura's parents' house.
A/N: This is a short chapter. It was necessary in order to set up the next few chapters, where things finally start happening. If you're still with me, and I sure hope you are, we're getting closer and closer to Jane and Maura's reunion. Please keep giving this fic a chance. We are Rizzles-bound, folks. :)