Everybody say, "Super Fluffy!" Because that is how this chapter turned out, my friends. I'll let you decide for yourself how I did, just promise to tell me what you thought!

Miles been on the iFly International flight for over twenty four hours, and it had gotten dull after the first two. He stared out the window, watching the clouds for no particular reason. The plane was too high for him to see anything but the sky, so he no idea if they were above land or sea. He hoped it was land, though. It would mean they were only a few more hours away from arriving at their destination.

He had left Cohdopia after staying with Franziska for two weeks. His sister had insisted she was fine, but Miles wanted to make sure she stuck with the physical therapy her doctors assigned her. She still had a cast on her leg, but the prodigy prosecutor was well on her way to a full recovery. He knew she would have no trouble taking care of herself, as she had told him so several times, so yesterday he had boarded a plane back to the United States. Outside the window, white, wispy clouds were still floating by. Well, I suppose technically I'm the one that's moving. It certainly doesn't feel like it though.

Perhaps it would help if I went to the lounge for a bit. Standing up, Miles left his seat and took the stairs down to the lounge. He was thankful he had gotten on one of the older iFly jet models, for they were much more tasteful. There were mixed reviews about the new designs. Some didn't see anything wrong with them, or even considered them bright and fun. Others described them as what a chromophobe's nightmare looked like.

In the lounge, the maroon clad prosecutor took a seat at the vacant bar area. Perfect, now I can look at different clouds.

He skimmed through the catalogs and magazines packed into a podium on the counter. Nothing caught his eye, probably because he had read everything of interest the day before. Looking at a clock on the wall, he saw that there were still four hours left until they landed. Assuming everything went according to schedule.

A few days ago, he had contacted Maria and asked her if she could pick him up. He recalled their conversation, which had been through video chat. Miles could have just called her on his cell phone, but his sister had been pestering him about his relationship with the bookish prosecutor. So he decided to get two birds with one stone and introduce her to Maria.

A little blue ring popped up in the middle of an empty, blank screen. Inside the swirling circle was the word 'waiting'. The room was silent as he and Franziska did just that, until finally an image materialized in the window. A woman in her early thirties, with well kept brunette hair flowing past her shoulders, faced the screen. Her jade eyes gazed at them from behind polished wire-framed glasses.

"Hi, Miles," Maria said, a small smile gracing her features.

Miles just looked at her for a moment, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He cleared his throat, masking what he could only describe as momentary shock. "Hello, Maria. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine," Maria said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Yourself?"

"Quite alright," Miles said, with a nod. "I wanted to introduce you to my sister."

Franziska leaned in her chair until she was visible on screen. "Franziska von Karma, prosecutor."

"Maria Coldstare, I'm a prosecutor as well," Maria said, cradling a book in her arms. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Franziska said.

Maria stood in the baggage claim center, reading to pass the time. She had arrived at the airport a little early, so she decided to wait in one of the less crowded areas with her book. Since there were no flights landing in this section yet, the only other people with her were a couple man holding signs with last names written on the front. With their unreadable faces and strict, stoic posture, however, the signs were the most approachable thing about them. She didn't pay them much attention though. Standing quietly in the corner of the room, next to a plastic fern, the brunette prosecutor was happy to just read until Miles showed up.

If only she could pay attention to the words. She was a bit of a speed reader, but she had been on the same page for eleven minutes and counting. Just when she was starting to get immersed into the story, a thought of Miles would pop into her head and break her concentration. I'm acting ridiculous. Miles will show up when the plane lands, end of story. Thinking about it won't make him come any sooner, and he doesn't need to. No one's going to die.

Maria finally reached the end of page and turned to the next one. "We have been travelling for days, ma'am," Percy said. "We've crossed many miles and… She thinly pursed her lips, annoying with herself for losing her concentration again.

Am I really that easy? Snap out of it! Miles would think I'm being silly if he knew I was acting like this. She inhaled, exhaled, and cleared her mind before turning back to her book.

The brunette prosecutor lost track of time, finally drinking in the words. Her focus immediately shifted back to the world around her, though, when she heard luggage being conveyed into the room. Bags and suitcases were rolled onto a belt, where they began slowly circling around.

A scattered group of people walked into the baggage claim center. A couple people were able to grab their bags immediately and leave, but the rest were left swarmed around the conveyor belt with luggage piled on until they saw theirs. Maria scanned every face, searching for one in particular. In a sea of people with dark coats and suits, Miles was rather distinctive. However, he was nowhere to be seen. I imagine he's in another group. He'll be here soon.

She watched the passengers come and go from behind her book. Businessmen walked past her talking into a cell phone, children ran out the door with their parents in tow, friends and partners strolled out the door with a bag on their shoulders or suitcases rolling behind them. Just when it seemed the swarm of people was starting to thin out, more would show up. So far though, none of them wore a maroon coat and cravat.

Only a few bags were left on the conveyor belt now, slowing circling around. Maria watched as two women waited for their bags to come back around. Is this even the right place? What if Miles was on a different plane? Perhaps this is the wrong exit, it was flight C-20, right? I thought I read that right…

Just as the women were leaving, a man with shadowy bangs framing his face and his hands in the pockets of his maroon coat stepped into the room. He walked over to conveyor belt and waited for his suitcase to come by, unknowingly turning his back to Maria.

She felt her rhythmic, thumping heart beat against her chest. A grin crept onto her face before she suppressed it. I'm not about to get excited like child. There's no need to, it's just Miles. I doubt he would appreciate me embarrassing myself over him.

With her all her emotions in check, she took calm, careful steps over to Miles. With every step, she fought back the growing anxiety and excitement. It's just Miles.

She tapped on his shoulder lightly, and he turned around. Before she could react, he did.

"Maria!" Miles said, swiftly embracing her.

Maria flinched at the sudden contact. Unsure of how to react, she froze in place.

Miles quickly let go, and took a quick step back. He tilted his head to the side, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "I… sorry, heh. I, uh, I missed you."

She blushed, clutching the book in her hands. He missed me…

"It's good to see you again, Sparrow," Miles said, his cheeks beginning to color.

In that moment, everything that had built up in her chest was released. Smiling, Maria let go of her book and wrapped her arms around Miles. "I missed you too."

It was his turn to freeze in place. After a moment though, he returned her hug. It felt comforting to be held in his arms again, like nothing could hurt her. Maria closed her eyes, captivated in the moment.

A single burgundy suitcase rolled by on the conveyor belt, but no one paid it any attention.

The prosecutors walked out of the airport together, Miles towing a suitcase with his left hand and holding Maria's hand with his right. There was a chilled breeze outside, which blew directly at them. He glanced at Maria. Her hair whipped around behind her in the wind as she closed her eyes and hugged the book in her right hand against her chest.

"Not too cold for you, is it?" Miles said. Let me guess…

"No, I'm fine," Maria said, giving her windswept hair a quick shake.

What do you know, I was right. "Why don't we go to my office? I can make some tea."

"What does that have to…?" Miles watched her eyes glimmer as she calculated his reasoning inside her head. "Ah."

He smirked and squeezed her hand. "Well?"

"Sure, why not? I might be a little cold," Maria said. Her tone was exasperated, but her smile was genuine.

When they reached her car, Miles put his suitcase in the back and got into the passenger seat next to Maria. The drive to the Prosecutors Building was quiet, but not awkward. Both of them understood the beauty of silence, being able to calmly let your thoughts wander. Or if you're driving, focus on the task at hand. So Miles just looked out the dashboard, taking in all the familiar sights. He had to admit, it wasn't as beautiful as Cohdopia, but he was glad to be back.

It wasn't a very long drive, at least not compared to a thirty six hour flight. Maria soon parked her car in the "A" lot of the Prosecutors Building and stepped out. Miles was right behind her as they walked into the building. No one in the lobby seemed to pay them much attention, which was more than alright with him.

Maria, who was a few steps ahead of him, went straight for the stairs. Miles looked at her fondly and followed. There was only one person he wanted to be with right now.

Finally they reached office 1202 and Miles fished around his pocket until he pulled out a key. Unlocking the door, he and Maria stepped inside. The office was just as he had left it, files neatly organized in his bookshelves, work desk clean and open. If anything it looked a little cleaner. I wonder if this is Detective Gumshoe's work. He really should consider getting a hobby if he has so much free time on his hands. An inexpensive one, of course.

"What kind of tea would you like?" Miles said.

"Do you have lavender?" Maria said.

He nodded and began preparing the warm beverage. A few minutes later they were both seating on the couch, each with a cup of tea in their hands. Maria took a delicate sip from hers, and the steam from the tea covered her glasses. Miles took a sip from his cup as well to mask his smirk, just in case she could still see him. I wonder if she knows how charming she is when she does these things.

"So, how was Cohdopia?" Maria said. The fog had faded away, revealing her bright, inquisitive eyes.

He told her everything that had happened while he was away. Somehow the investigation hadn't come up when they were video chatting. He recalled how Franziska had gotten caught in an accident, finding out the car had been stolen, and how the guard dog had led them to the perpetrator.

"The dog?" Maria said. "How did you figure out a dog had such important evidence?"

"Her actions," Miles said. "She was very well behaved, but naturally being a guard dog she was aggressive to strangers. However…"

He went on explaining how Acely had been trained, to her protective behavior, and so on. At some point, he noticed Maria was blushing.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Maria said, taking another sip. "Sounds like it was an interesting day."

"It wasn't dull," Miles said, still a little perplexed. "So have you been busy at all these last two weeks?"

"I suppose so," Maria said.

For a moment, Miles thought she had leaned a little a bit closer when she said that. He shrugged off the feeling though as she began telling him about her recent trial. She and Ema had been on a murderer's trail for a few months, and at last she had been caught.

"It took a little work, but we managed to get a confession," Maria said. "As you can imagine, the trial went rather quickly after that. Once that was over though, not much happened."

"You and Detective Skye seem to make a nice team," Miles said.

"She's a good detective," Maria said. "I suspect I'll have to address her as a forensic investigator one of these days, though."

"She has been dead set on it for quite a while," Miles said.

"I picked up on that," Maria said.

They continued to talk, discussing anything that came up. Maria asked questions about Franziska, which lead to Miles retelling stories of when they were children. When he asked her about her childhood, most of her answers revolved around spending time with her went by as their conversation flowed and they eventually drained the teapot. Neither one found a reason to leave, so the prosecutors stayed exactly where they were.

At this point, they had fallen into a comfortable silence. When Miles put his empty cup down, he felt Maria rest her head on his shoulder. Surprised, he looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She fell asleep?

He glanced out the window and saw it was dark out. I must have lost track of time from the jet lag. How long have we been here?

Turning back to Maria, he found himself observing her up close. Part of her hair had fallen over her peaceful face, but her glasses kept it away from her eyes. Her arms were folded loosely over her chest, and he could hear her breathe faintly through her nose. Seeing her so relaxed and beautiful, and feeling the way she fit perfectly against him, was enough to make his heart beat audible.

She's the one. Miles was a bit surprised by himself, but soon recognized the thought as the truth. I think I've always known it, just never fully understood it.

Careful not to disturb her, he placed his arm around her shoulders. I could never bear losing her; I don't even want to think about it. Honestly I don't think I'd mind if we stayed like this forever, her asleep next to me.

Tell her then. The idea cause hot, constricting nervous energy to blossom in his chest. Should I? I suppose there's no reason to hide it from her, but… She's asleep right now. So there's no reason to say it.

Say it. He felt his face grow warm as he went back and forth with himself. There was a reason to not say anything, he was afraid she wouldn't feel the same. She asleep, she won't hear me either way. If I can't say anything to her now, I'll never be able to.

Several things ran through his mind at one time. A list of things he liked about her, different ways to phrase exactly how he felt, but finally he settled on one sentence. It was a short, simple sentence, only three words long, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd said it.

"I love you," Miles whispered.

Maria wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his, bringing him into a gentle kiss. His initial shock at her sudden movement was numbed by her soft, warm touch. He caressed her face, running his fingers through her hair. No doubt about it, I love her.

They eventually broke away. Maria smiled, her cheek tinged pink, and rested her head on his shoulders.

"I love you too," Maria said.

Miles felt a weigh being lifted off his shoulders. He didn't even know what to think, he was just happy. Without saying another word, he hugged her closer.

"But don't say something like that when you think I'm asleep," Maria said. "I want to hear it, so I can say it back."

Miles kissed her forehead and smiled. "Alright then, Sparrow. I promise."