Chapter 9: Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Boardwalk (Friday)

Schedule
Safari/Animal Kingdom
Lunch: Morocco (Epcot)
6pm The Flying Fish (Boardwalk)

Maura woke up earlier than she needed to Friday morning. She watched Jane sleep for a few minutes as she reflected on the past couple of days. She had known as soon as they started planning this trip that it would be one of her most cherished memories, but she had never expected just how special this week would be. She was at the happiest place on earth with her favorite person in the entire universe – Maura knew that she couldn't technically know this since she hadn't met every person, but she was still sure that it wasn't possible to like anyone else more – and that person felt the same way about her. What could possibly be better?

She leaned over to give Jane a soft kiss on the cheek before she quietly got out of bed to start getting ready for the day. She was just finishing her hair and makeup when she heard Jane stirring in the other room.

"Maur," Jane called out sleepily.

"In here," Maura called back. "I woke up early so I decided to get ready. I'll go down to the concierge lounge to get a light breakfast and coffee for both of us while you get ready," Maura said as she walked back into the bedroom.

"Mmmm, that sounds good," Jane hummed.

"If I leave are you going to get out of bed?" Maura asked with a laugh.

"Yes," Jane laughed.

"Okay, any requests?" Maura asked as she headed out the door.

"Something unhealthy," Jane replied.

Maura laughed but didn't respond, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the lounge where they had the usual continental breakfast spread laid out. She chose plain yogurt and fruit for herself and got Jane a pastry and fruit. She also got both of them coffee and a water bottle before she returned to the room. They were planning to have a relatively early lunch, so she didn't want to get either of them anything too heavy.

Jane was almost ready by the time Maura got back to the room. They ate breakfast quickly before walking down to the bus stop to go to Animal Kingdom. They arrived right as the park opened and walked straight to Kilimanjaro Safari. Luckily, they were among the first guests to get in line, so it didn't matter that they didn't have a FastPass.

They boarded the ride vehicle and were able to get seats on the far-left side of the truck. Maura sat on the outside so that she could take pictures. As they rounded the first bend of the road through the reserve, they saw their first animals.

"Oh, look," Maura said as she took a few pictures on her phone. "There are a pair of bongos." Maura turned to look at Jane as she spoke, "Did you know that bongos are the only tragelaphid. which is a genus of antelope, where both male and females have horns?"

"Meaning you can't tell whether those are male or female bongos?" Jane asked.

"Well, female bongos are usually more brightly colored than males, but since there are only two, there aren't enough to make an accurate comparison," Maura answered.

"I really love that you know that," Jane said causing Maura to blush. Looking to the other side, Jane pointed to an animal she had never seen before. "That is a weird looking animal," she commented to Maura.

"That is an okapi," Maura said. "Okapis are actually closely related to giraffe despite the fact that their legs have patterns more reminiscent of zebras. I've never actually seen one in real life."

"So, it's a giraffe wearing zebra pants?" Jane teased.

Maura just rolled her eyes and continued to watch out the side of the truck. They saw many animals that were common to zoos, including black rhinos – which according to Maura are the most aggressive mammals – hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffe, baboons, and elephants. As they turned another corner, they saw a large rock formation where a few lions were sleeping in the sun.

"They really are beautiful animals," Jane said quietly.

"Did you know they can eat up to 40 kilograms of food in a single meal? Although they don't usually eat that much in one sitting," Maura commented.

"In English?" Jane asked with a smirk.

"Well, the English actually use the metric system, so technically…" Maura started, but Jane cut her off.

"Mauraaaa…" Jane whined.

Maura smiled at her friend. "40 kilograms is about 88 pounds," Maura said.

"Holy crap!" Jane exclaimed. "That's a lot of food. Even I don't eat that much."

Maura rolled her eyes again. "You definitely cannot eat that much. You would be sick well before you consumed 88 pounds of food."

The safari vehicle returned to the station and they disembarked. Overall, they were glad they had decided to come back. They had seen many more animals this time than they had last time they rode Kilimanjaro Safari.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do here before we leave? I don't think we'll be back to Animal Kingdom on this trip," Jane said.

"I don't think so," Maura said. "Why don't we just walk by the Tree of Life again on our way to the front of the park?"

"Alright," Jane said. They made their way back through the park, stopping every so often to take pictures, especially close up to the Tree. They were able to take a bus directly from Animal Kingdom to Epcot, where they planned to spend the afternoon.

While they were riding the bus, Jane said, "I'm hungry. Let's get an early lunch at one of the countries in World Showcase."

"That is a good idea," Maura replied. "Do you have a preference?"

"I can't really remember what the options are."

"I have a map," Maura said as she pulled a map of Epcot out of her bag. Jane looked over her shoulder as they read through the dining options.

"What about Morocco? That's something we don't usually have at home," Jane said.

"Okay," Maura agreed. "That sounds like a good option. It looks like they have outdoor seating options, as well, which would be nice. We'll be back in the Boston winter soon; I'd like to enjoy the nice weather."

"Perfect," Jane said. "Let's head there first, then we can make our way around the lagoon. I think we exit through the International Gateway to get to the Boardwalk, which is where our dinner reservation is. We also have a FastPass for the Frozen ride at 3pm."

About half an hour later, they were sitting down with their lunches from the Tangierine Café at one of the outdoor tables. Maura had chosen the Vegetarian Platter and Jane had decided on the Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter. Maura, of course, had to try the chicken and lamb. She also stole a bite of Jane's Tangierine couscous salad, which she had hoped would come with her meal. Jane was able to order a beer and Maura decided to try the Moroccan wine.

"I can't believe we have to go home the day after tomorrow," Jane said sadly as they ate.

"I know," Maura replied. "This has been amazing. I'm not ready for the trip to end. I hadn't realized how much we needed this break from the stresses of work and home."

"We should plan our next vacation," Jane said. "I probably can't take this much time off anytime soon, but maybe in a year or so. That's not to say we can't plan smaller weekend vacations in between." With a smirk she added, "Because now you have to go on all your vacations with me."

Maura's face broke out into the biggest smile. She knew it wasn't possible, but she was slightly worried her face might split in half. She had believed that Jane loved her, but she was still afraid to think too much about the future. However, it appeared that Jane didn't have the same fear. She was already thinking about them still being together a year from now.

"Where do you want to go?" Maura asked.

Jane thought for a minute. "Well, I picked Disney, so maybe you should pick the next one. We could take weekend trips to Cape Cod, New York, Charleston; those kinds of places."

"I'd love to go to Paris with you. Or Rome," Maura said. "Oh, or maybe London. Okay, really anywhere in Europe."

Jane smiled, "I'd love any of those. I'd love to go to Europe with you. I've never been. I've never really had anyone to go with."

"We should plan early, though," Maura said. "That way, we can get the time off, and it's also easier to get the best reservations. Also," Maura paused before admitting, "I really enjoyed planning this trip with you." Maura felt herself blush as she went back to her food. She didn't know exactly why she was blushing. It's not like Jane didn't know she enjoyed the planning process. They both had, but something about admitting that a big reason she enjoyed it so much was that she was doing it with Jane made her feel a bit vulnerable.

"I did too," Jane admitted. "And I hate planning."

Maura laughed. After finishing their lunch, they browsed the shops in the Morocco pavilion. Maura found a few bracelets that she loved. She purchased a few for herself and for Angela. They decided to go the opposite way around the lagoon this time. While they had already visited the Japan, American Adventure, Italy, Germany, China, and Canada pavilions, they decided to at least venture through all of the countries again, since they had time. After leisurely shopping and stopping to take more photos, they made their way to the Norway pavilion where they had a FastPass for Frozen Ever After. Even with the FastPass, they had to wait half an hour in line. Since they hadn't had to wait in very many lines so far during their trip, they didn't mind.

After they disembarked, Maura commented, "I really liked that ride. The music and the story were so sweet."

"Yeah, I liked it too," Jane said. "I think the songs were the same as the movie, but it was a new story."

"Have you seen every Disney movie?" Maura teased.

Jane laughed and shrugged, "All the popular ones, yeah. I mean, most of them I saw as a kid."

"Wasn't Frozen released in the last 5-10 years?" Maura asked.

Jane put her hands up in surrender, "I plead the fifth!"

Maura laughed, "Well, next time make sure to invite me."

Jane smiled, "Deal. We need to make a list of all the movies you want to watch after this trip. I think we'll be back to the hotel at a reasonable time tonight. Maybe we can watch Frozen. It's one of my favorites because for once the prince isn't the hero."

"Yes, I like that idea," Maura said as they walked toward the Mexico pavilion. "I think we both need a relaxing night."

Jane laughed, "Yeah, going to Disney shouldn't feel like more of a workout than training for work, but somehow it does."

"It's because walking uses different muscles than running and punching," Maura started to explain.

"I wasn't asking," Jane teased. Catching sight of the outdoor margarita bar they had stopped at last time they were here, Jane said, "Can we stop for a drink and maybe a snack? I know our reservation isn't that late, but I really liked the food at that place." She was pointing to Choza de Margarita.

"Of course," Maura said. "I think I'll stick with the non-alcoholic beverage, though, personally."

They took a short break while they shared snacks and drinks at a small table near the outdoor bar. Eventually, they got up and continued making their way around the lagoon. The next pavilion was the Canada pavilion. They watched the Canada: Far and Wide 360-degree movie. The scenery was beautiful, but otherwise, they were unimpressed by the film. They loved walking through the Victoria Gardens, though.

Next, they made their way to the United Kingdom pavilion, which was built to look like a small village, where they enjoyed walking through the various shops.

The last pavilion was the France pavilion. The sun was getting low in the sky creating a beautiful glow opposite the fake Eiffel Tower. They decided to find the PhotoPass photographers to have a few more pictures taken in this light. They watched the Impressions de France film before heading back towards the International Gateway, which sat between the United Kingdom and France pavilions.

They exited the park deciding to go explore the Boardwalk before their 6pm dinner reservation. There was both a walking path and boats to transport guests between Epcot and the Boardwalk. They decided to walk to the Boardwalk and planned to take the boats back after dinner. They ended up being very happy with their decision as there were many places along the way to take pictures and they were able to take advantage of the low sun.

Once they got to the Boardwalk, they wandered through the shops, making a few purchases along the way. They still had about 20 minutes before their reservation, so they decided to just stroll along the water. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand for a while, eventually stopping to look out over the water.

Maura leaned into Jane as they stood there. The moment was perfect, and Maura didn't want it to end.

"I've had an amazing time with you this week," Jane whispered as she kissed the crown of Maura's head. "I know we keep saying that, but I don't care. I really think this has been the best week of my life."

Maura smiled warmly. She picked up her head from Jane's shoulder and turned to give her a proper kiss. "I love you, Jane," she said. "And I agree. This week has been absolutely amazing."

"I think it's a good thing that we got together on this trip because if we didn't, then I would have to pick between this week and the week we got together as my favorite week," Jane said.

Maura laughed, "I'm not sure anyone would have actually made you pick, but I do love the fact that we finally admitted our feelings for each other here. It just made the already special trip even more special." Maura sighed. She really didn't want this moment to end, but they did have a reservation and she hated being late. "We should go to the restaurant," she said.

"Yeah, we should," Jane said, taking Maura's hand in hers as they headed towards the Flying Fish.

Maura was skeptical about the restaurant by the exterior, but once she was inside, she loved the décor. They decided to split the Jumbo Shrimp and the Crispy Oysters for their appetizers. Jane had been planning to order a stake, but Maura ended up convincing her to get the Sardinian Seafood Pasta – apparently, she was impressed by the sustainable seafood. Jane ended up loving it, and she was glad Maura had convinced her to order it. Maura had a hard time deciding between the scallops, salmon, and swordfish, but she ended up going with the swordfish. This also turned out to be a good decision. They decided to forgo dessert in favor of getting ice cream at the shop they had seen earlier on the Boardwalk.

After their ice cream, they took the boat back to Epcot. They were getting tired, so they just walked through the park back to the monorail.

Once they were back at their hotel, they both decided they needed to rinse off. Jane was in and out in less than five minutes, so while Maura showered, Jane went to the Great Ceremonial House to fill their drinks before changing into her pajamas and crawling in bed to wait for Maura.

They agreed to watch Frozen as they had discussed earlier. While the movie played, they also went through their pictures from the day. Once of Maura's favorites was of them kissing in front of the fake Eiffel Tower. She decided then and there that their next vacation would be to Paris. She wanted a picture of them kissing in front of the real Eiffel Tower. They sent a few pictures to Angela before cuddling together to finish the movie.

"Mmm, I liked that movie," Maura hummed after the movie finished. She leaned over to give Jane a soft kiss. "I'm going to go brush my teeth. I'm exhausted."

"Me too," Jane said, pulling back the covers to go brush her teeth. If she didn't get up now, she knew she'd fall asleep before brushing her teeth – something she hated, especially when she wanted to kiss Maura in the morning.

When they crawled back in bed, Maura curled up to Jane, and Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, whispering I love you to each other as they quickly fell asleep.

A/N: Maura focused chapter.

Wow! I really struggled with this chapter. Idk why it was so hard!

I think in the show Jane said once that she'd been to Paris, but it always seemed more likely to me that she hadn't been, so I went with that.