AN: This is my first fic for this pair and these fandoms so I apologise for anything that looks off.

I speak 3 languages and none of them are Italian so if anything is inaccurate, please do tell and I will fix it up.

Thanks for clicking and bear with me, I'm sure I have a point in here somewhere.

"Nineteen! Let's wrap this up!"

The Captain assessed the scene: faulty electrics igniting a structural fire at an antiquities store.

The blaze appeared to have originated from the backrooms and hungrily licked its way outwards to the rest of store, eating its way through the well-loved and aged wares within.

Thankfully, they had arrived on favourable Seattle traffic which had allowed them to get a foothold on saving a good portion of the store. Her team created firebreaks inside by saturating much of the area immediately at risk at catching fire and physically moving furniture away from the flames. The open floor plan and relatively high ceilings also helped.

With the fire now put out and whatever cinders left were on their way out, Maya walked along the inside of the store and shone her torchlight this way and that, inspecting the damage and assessing the structural integrity of sections of the store.

The Captain quickly swung the beam downwards to the ground as Gibson and Miller huffed past her, carrying large pieces of what might have once been some antique chest of drawers.

"Watch the ground there! There's bits of chair sticking out." Maya called out as she illuminated the offending tripping hazards.

"Thanks, Cap!" the two carefully navigating their way through to add their loads to the growing pile of charred and waterlogged goods outside the store.

Maya continued her walkabout, moving bits of furniture here and there, methodically scanning the light around with keen eyes and a steady hand while the other reached for her radio. "Bishop to Herrera and Montgomery, update?"

The steady hand stopped when something glinted in the smoggy dark. At the corner of her eye, Maya noted Montgomery sticking his head out from the backroom, helmet first with a thumbs up to follow. "We're good here, Cap! Thermal's cooling down."

The Captain vaguely registered Herrera's voice echoing the same on the radio as she moved deeper into the store towards what caught her eye.

Standing proudly, beautiful stained, and gleaming in varnish amongst the black soot, was an upright piano miraculously almost entirely unmarked by the flames.

Something about the antique called out to her as she brushed gloved hands along the top and gently lifted the fallboard, revealing elegant ebony and ivory keys.

Maybe it was the way the old instrument survived the destructive powers that turned much of what was around it into ash and charred carcass? Maybe because it was still standing, still capable of beauty even when everything was dark and messy?

"Maya, can you play me something?"

"Maybe this can be our thing? Just ours?"

Instinctively, her fingers found chords untouched for years and gently, reverently played a tune unplayed for decades. Not since things were kind of good and simple.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! How come we never knew Bishop's got skills?" Andy swiftly came up behind her Captain, drawn to the surprising sound of music playing somewhere out in the store grounds and finding that—much to her utter shock and pure glee—her Captain was responsible for said music.

"Herrera!" Maya barked as she tried valiantly not to jump and punch her Lieutenant in surprise.

"Don't 'Herrera' me, Bishop. This is very pertinent information that you've been withholding! I thought we were friends?"

"What's Bishop been withholding?" Travis called out from somewhere still near the backroom, actually doing his job.

"The fact that Captain Bishop is a piano maestra." Andy chirped back.

"I am not," said Captain groaned, realising this may be the latest thing her team mercilessly teases her with. "I just noticed this thing back here is perfectly fine, there's a bit of soot and moisture but otherwise fine."

Andy hummed, doing a quick sweep around the piano and rubbing at the smooth surface. "You're right. Barely any fire or water damage." Then she poked at the keys with a finger, 'oohing' when clean notes replied, fully aware that Maya was shaking her head at her in the corner of her eye.

Travis poked his head between theirs, also staring critically at the piano. "Probably asbestos," he nodded and promptly walked away.

Maya rolled her eyes so hard they almost fell out.

— 19 —

Outside of the antiques store, Maya approached the small group of employees looking worriedly at the cordoned building.

"Hello, my name is Captain Maya Bishop. Which one of you is in charge?" Maya's eyes turned towards the elderly couple muttering to each other quietly before the man with greying hair came forward.

"I am Antonio Marino, and this is my store. What will happen now?" she felt her ear twitch ever so slightly as she absently noted the accent of the owner.

"We managed to stop the fire from spreading too far into the grounds itself, we had to tear down sections of the walls and ceiling to dissipate the heat around the back of the store and we had to use our hoses to wet a lot of the interior, so there may be some water damage." Maya told the elderly man succinctly.

"But can we go back inside? This store is our family's!" Antonio pleaded with the firefighter and Maya finally placed the accent to be Italian, but different to her girlfriend's.

She looked sternly at the owner. "Mr. Marino, the building is still structurally secure as far as I can tell, but you will have to wait for the authorities to give the all-clear before going back inside."

Maya softened her tone, smiling more assuredly at the man. "My team and I surveyed the area. We put the fire out before it got too bad, then we cleaned up what we could and carried out the worst of the damaged goods. I even found this lovely piano you had back there that looked good as new and sounded even better."

It seemed to work as Antonio's shoulders dropped in relief as he smiled charmingly back at her. "Sì. That piano is a special one, isn't it? Over a hundred years old and travelled across three continents and she still sings more beautifully than those piano elettrico!" he laughed, and Maya wisely didn't mention the tears she saw gathering at the corner of his eyes as he stared into the darkened store.

The elderly woman Antonio was speaking with earlier came up beside him and spoke in rapid Italian, probably asking to be appraised of the situation to which Antonio answered as best as he could from what little bits and pieces of conversation Maya could pick out.

Antonio then turned back towards the Captain and gestured to the woman. "Capitana, this is my beautiful wife, Serafina Marino. Bellissima, ti presento Capitana Maya Bishop."

The woman gently grabbed one of her hands, clasping it between both of her own as she stared right into her eyes and spoke with a heavier accent. "Grazie mille, Capitana Maya. Thank you for saving nostra casa."

Slightly overwhelmed by the sincerity and sheer gratitude in the couple's faces, Maya felt a slight flush building across her cheeks as she shook Serafina's hands. "Prego, signora. We're just doing our job."

The Captain had dealt with these situations before, with even more zealous people and even firefly groupies—Maya mentally shuddered at the thought. So why the hell is she getting flustered by this this couple?

It's the accent, isn't it? She's become naturally predisposed to find the Italian accent charming… Damn she missed her girlfriend.

"Lei parla Italiano!" Serafina beamed happily and Maya helplessly returned the enthusiasm with a small grin. "Solo un po," the fire captain pinched the air with her thumb and index finger, emphasising what little Italian she knew.

Her radio crackled to life, interrupting any further conversation with the couple. "Hey Cap, overhaul is done, and the hoses are packed."

Maya glanced towards her team for visual confirmation and pressed her radio. "Copy that, Gibson. Good work." The Captain turned back towards the Italians and said her goodbyes but before she could leave, Antonio surprised her one more time by holding her hand in both of his.

"Captain Bishop, thank you again for everything you and your team did. I must insist you visit us again in future." Maya simply nodded, reassured the couple once again and wished them all the best before walking away.

Hauling herself into the ladder truck, she rapped twice on the door and the engine revved to life. Just as she settled into her seat and pulled head headset on, she heard a familiar tune chiming electronically from tiny speakers and her shoulders dropped. With dread rising, she turned towards Travis who was leaning precariously towards the phone screen held in Andy's hand.

"Heart and Soul, Maya! That's adorable!" Andy crowed as Travis bobbed and weaved in the passenger seat.

"Heart and what? What's adorable?" Dean asked, trying to get a glimpse of the phone screen through the rear-view mirror.

"Nothing, Miller."

"Bishop playing the piano."

"Maya's hidden talent."

If there was any time to suddenly have the power to set things (read: people) on fire with her mind, Maya wanted it to be right in that moment.

— 19 —

After a gruelling 24-hour shift that was extended by another 7 hours due to a last minute 2-alarm call-out, Maya wanted nothing more than to just cuddle and hold her girlfriend… not that she would admit to being a cuddler. She just really, really liked being in the general vicinity of her very hot Italian girlfriend.

Alas, like ships in the night, Carina was already at the hospital by the time the firefighter got home early in the morning. They had been unlucky with their shifts misaligning the past two weeks—only occasionally seeing each other in passing for a few minutes as one arrived home while the other left through the door—and now it seemed to be extending into the third week.

Maya put her keys in the bowl and toed off her shoes onto the rack, ready to collapse onto the first vaguely horizontal surface she could find as her backpack slipped off her shoulder.

The only thing that stopped her was the faint, delicious scent of something still lingering in the air.

The blonde looked towards the kitchen island and sure enough, there was a note waiting for her and a post-it on the refrigerator door with a smiley face drawn on it.

Maya smiled as she touched the smiley feeling oddly refreshed at the sight. She checked inside the fridge and finding the covered dish of food for her which she happily heated and tucked into as she opened the note on the counter.

Ciao, bella.

Text me when you get home safe per favore.

Ti amo 3

She carefully folded the note once more and closed her eyes and simply held it her heart as if drawing strength from the neat cursive etched into the paper. God, she loved this woman.

Stomach sated and the subtle yet oppressive weight in her bones lifted, Maya headed towards their bedroom to finally rest, phone in hand.

Hey there,

I made it home safely.

Ti amo anch'io.

As she slept, she dreamt of shaggy blonde hair, eyes much like her own alight with innocent joy as their fingers danced along keys, ebony and ivory. At the corner of her eye were dark tresses swaying with beautiful bell-like laughter.

It was a good dream.

AN: Congratulations for making it this far and putting up with my drivel. This is the first time in many, many years I have written anything that wasn't work-related or even remotely fiction so I am out of practice.

Reading the Maya/Carina fics here have been fuelling my procrastination so I thought I'd try giving back to all of you beautiful people out there as a thanks of sorts.

The original idea for this was just a short-fluffy one-shot but I felt I'd already gone on long enough without even a Carina-sighting so I thought I'd break it up.

Any and all feedback, good and bad, is appreciated.

Have a good day everyone!