Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews.

Chapter twenty-four: From Salem to Finnish

Her fingers slid under the silk of the bathrobe with a quiet audacity and brushed the breasts – bare – before following a path down to the waist. The touch elicited a moan from Maura, one that died in Jane's mouth; swallowed by a deep and sensual kiss. The piece of clothing fell down the scientist's shoulders, caressing her skin all along. She lay down – naked – and passed an arm behind her head waiting patiently for her lover to join her.

Still sitting up on the mattress, Jane caught back her breath and took her shirt off. They hadn't even bothered to turn the lights on. As soon as they had come back to the hotel, Maura had walked to the bathroom to take a shower while she had remained herself on the balcony to observe Salem by night.

What had followed had been the logical consequence of an entire day of stolen kisses and discreet – yet not so innocent – gestures of affection. A hand sliding on a lower back, fingers brushing a thigh.

She unhooked her bra – unzipped her jeans – and quietly got rid of the rest of her underwear. Her eyes went up Maura's ankles, the knees. As Jane's gaze reached her thighs, Maura slightly spread her right leg.

Suggestively.

Jane didn't miss the implicit invitation but took her time and resumed the study of her lover's body instead.

The lower stomach, the breasts. Her neck. Once she focused on the jaw, she finally lay down on top of Maura and captured her lips in a deep kiss.

She settled between her partner's legs with fluidity. Her body molded Maura's; their breath dying in sighs of anticipation, satisfied as soon as they both started moving their hips to the slow pace of a barely contained desire.

Jane closed her eyes.

She felt fine in Maura's arms. In peace.

...

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

The question made Maura smile. Margot was right. The sky was blue – the sun was warm – and she felt serene on the beach surrounded by a dozen of families. Spending the weekend in Salem seemed to be exactly what she needed after the lastest events that had made her life tip over. The distance with Boston gave her perspective.

"Yes, it is. A perfect Sunday by the coast."

She had put her feet in the waters as soon as they had made it to the beach but it was still too early in the season to go for a swim. The Atlantic was cold if not just icy.

Her jeans rolled up mid-calf – her hair tied in a loose ponytail, rebel locks floating in the wind – Maura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The sea air went to her head bewitchingly, echoing the seagulls in the sky.

"Jane is taking forever. Is she buying the whole coffee shop? What is she doing? I'm starving!" Margot's laugh rose in the air with a delightful lightness.

Jane had left them twenty minutes earlier to buy a take away breakfast. She would join them on the beach to share it before settling on a plan for the day. Their last hours far from Boston. Maura made a face and tried to ignore such fact. She didn't want to go back home. Not already.

"The only thing I know for sure is that once she leaves the coffee shop, they will be running out of caffeine. She is a bit sleep deprived and woke up all grumpy."

"How come? You didn't sleep well? The hotel was very quiet."

Margot's innocent comment made Maura blush. She looked down and nervously traced a path in the sand with her index finger. She shouldn't have said that.

"Ahem... It was, indeed. It was very quiet. This is not the reason why she didn't get much sleep...?"

The teenager tilted her head – frowned – and suddenly gasped. She put a hand in front of her mouth and started giggling nervously.

"Oops. Sorry. I can be dumb, at times." She shook her head and looked at the ocean straight in front of her. "Just because I am now leading the life of a nun doesn't mean the others are too. I should know that!"

"The life of a nun?" The remark had piqued Maura's curiosity.

Now it was Margot's time to blush and look embarrassed. The adolescent shrugged and let the sand slip through her fingers. A whole fist of it. She waited for her hand to be empty to speak again.

"I am on a break right now... I ahem... I am slowing down."

Maura remained quiet. She wasn't certain of what Margot was talking about. She had an idea but all in all, it didn't fit what she had assumed about the student. Margot seemed to be a quiet girl, and reasonable. Even wise for her age.

She didn't look much of a rebel.

"I went through a bad patch two years ago." As if she had been reading Maura's mind, Margot gave in. "I did many things by then. I'm not very proud of some of them but what can I say? It happened. Now I'm over that. I've come to the right conclusion and I've turned the page. This trip to the USA is my parents' way to show they trust me in spite of what I did. I won't disappoint them. I..." She shook her head as if to sweep away her past. "All of this is over."

Long seconds passed by. Long seconds of silence during which Maura tried to face the information she had just been given. None of this appeared in Margot's file.

And so what, Isles? At least this way, you haven't judged her. Nobody should judge one for a past that appears to be a bit troubled. Nobody should do that.

"I wish I had been a bit of a rebel at some point when I was a teenager. Instead, I remained quiet and kept it all inside. The tension built up but it never imploded. It just hurt."

"And now?" Margot wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips.

Maura spotted Jane by the pier. Paper brown bags in hand. Something warm embraced her stomach and sent a shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes again and let memories of the previous night rush back to her mind. She smiled.

"Now I am doing just fine."

Although it was more than that. She spent the day in Jane's arms laughing and smiling all the time. She talked to Margot – enjoyed an endless walk on the beach – and took plenty of photos. Her life had never been so sweet, so perfect. It smelled of sun and whispered promises.

But before she had a chance to realize what was happening, she was back in her car on their way to Boston; the heart full of unforgettable memories.

"We didn't listen to Led Zeppelin on our way here so I don't see why we would listen to Yo-Yo Ma on our way back to the city." Jane crossed her arms against her chest and pouted.

Maura raised her hands in abdication.

"Fine. Then what kind of music do you want?" She started the engine and drove off the gas station.

They had barely left Salem that they were already bickering. Nothing serious – as a matter of fact, she enjoyed these moments a lot – but the peaceful day on the beach was obviously long gone now.

"I don't know..." Jane turned her head around and looked at Margot. "Give me your MP3, Frenchie. We're gonna listen to your stuff." Margot obliged and Jane plugged the device. "I hope you're not a Justin Bieber fan."

Maura smiled but focused back on the road. She was the driver as Jane wanted to take a nap. The conversation she had had with Margot on the beach before Jane to show up with breakfast hadn't left her. The teen's words had been haunting her mind.

She wasn't curious about it but didn't really know what to do of such information and wasn't sure why Margot had told her that in the first place. The girl seemed fine, though; not bothered by it.

And perhaps it is all what really matters in the end, Isles. Margot trusts you. She simply felt like sharing one of her deepest secrets. You should feel honored that she did.

A strange melody filled the car as the first notes of a song rose up. Jane frowned – perplexed – and squinted her eyes.

"That's not French... What's this language?"

It sounded folkloric; something she had never heard before. Margot slightly bent over and smiled enthusiastically at Jane.

"It's Finnish!"

Maura held back a laugh and tightened her grip on the steering-wheel. Too bad she was driving, a picture of Jane's current face would have been phenomenal. Her reaction was priceless.

"I must admit that my Finnish is a bit rusty... But the song has a nice... Swinging beat!" All smile, she turned to Jane and winked. "Regretting your decision over Yo-Yo Ma, honey?"

Jane didn't reply. She didn't need to. The glance she shot at Maura spoke for her. She swallowed hard and bit her lips. For once, she wouldn't fall in the provocation trap. She focused on the adolescent instead.

"What... What's the song about, Margot?"

"Levan's Polka! It tells the story of a girl named Eva. A boy takes her to a house where they dance polka in spite of Eva's mother being against the idea... When he brings Eva back home, her mother is angry but the guy tells her to keep quiet because no matter what she tries to do, they'll always be together."

Jane nodded. She wasn't convinced but didn't have much to add. Unlike Maura. The scientist cast a glance at Margot in the rearview mirror.

"I didn't know that you spoke Finnish!"

"Oh, I don't. I just like the melody of the song. It's catchy, isn't it?"

Jane remained quiet before Margot's smile. She turned on a side – her head leaned against the door – and closed her eyes. The road to Boston would be long and painful.

Watch out, Rizzoli. You're surrounded by nerds. Maura has contaminated the kid. You're screwed.