Notes: Disclaimer is with the first chapter. Thanks for all the reviews so far. Everyone, if you like Dennis/Maya fic then you should definitely read Wakizashi's story Ciao. It is superb. While my fic is a little more comedy-based with a little angst thrown in, her fic is more angsty with a little bit of comedy sprinkled on top. Her fic happens to be my most favorite on-going fic on ff.net and one of the best fics I have ever had the pleasure of reading. So read it, and I'm sure you'll love it too. Ok, remember to leave reviews…yadda, yadda, yadda.

11:00AM Saturday, Bronx Zoo

As Maya approached the entrance to the Bronx Zoo, she heard a woman's voice exclaiming, "Maya! Maya, over here!" Looking to her left, Maya saw Linda waving at her. Little Mikey was peeking shyly at her from behind his mother's legs. Maya smiled and made her way over to them. "Hey Linda, how are you doing?"

"Fine, just fine. And you?"

Maya just nodded with a smile as she bent down to peer at Mikey. Mikey giggled and ducked behind his mother's legs again. "Don't tell me you're going to get all shy on me now, buster. Get out here and give Auntie Maya a hug."

Laughing, Mikey ran out from behind his mother and threw himself into Maya's arms. A large grin appeared on his face as he gave Maya a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Hi Maya, where Finch at?"

Smiling up at Linda, Maya said, "I see where I rank in his list of favorite people."

Nodding her head, Linda replied, "Yeah, he's been talking non-stop about Dennis since last Friday. Do you know if he's here yet?"

Looking at first Linda and then Mikey, Maya shrugged, "Finch should be here soon, Mikey. I called him last night to remind him about today, and then I called him this morning just to make sure he was up. He'll be here really soon. I promise, Mikey."

Just as she said this, Mikey squealed and jerked himself out of Maya's arms. He started to run down the sidewalk with a grin yelling, "Finch over here!" Maya glanced up and saw Dennis Finch walking up to the entrance from the parking lot. Mikey ran up to him and grabbed him around his leg. Laughing, Finch began clomping his way to the entrance since Mikey was hanging onto his leg.

"Hey Linda, fancy meeting you here. Is this little monkey yours?" Finch asked motioning to the child hanging off his leg. Studiously ignoring Maya, Finch leaned over and gave Linda a quick peck on the check.

Linda saw the mischievous look in Finch's eyes as he continued to ignore Maya's presence. She also noticed the way that Maya's eyes had narrowed considerably when Dennis kissed her check. Laughing to herself, she thought, *Jealous are we? He's trying to make her jealous…that's too cute. Childish maybe, but cute. Looks like his plan is working, too. Good thing for him that I think he and Maya belong together, or I'd be pretty upset that he is using me to make Maya jealous.*

Finch had also noticed that Maya had stiffened slightly when he kissed Linda's cheek. Biting his lip to keep from smiling, Finch pried Mikey off of his leg and picked him up. "Ready to go the zoo, buddy?" Mikey nodded his head excitedly. Still ignoring Maya, Finch continued carrying Mikey as he ushered Linda towards the entrance.

Mikey looked back at Maya in bewilderment, and asked, "What 'bout Maya, Finch?"

Dennis just looked at him and said, "Maya who?" Mikey's brow wrinkled in confusion as he pointed to where Maya was standing. Finch turned around to look where Maya was standing, "Ohhh, that Maya. I forgot all about her." Maya narrowed her eyes and just stared at Finch with raised eyebrows. Giggling to himself, Finch thought, *Boy, does she look pissed. I bet no one can get to her as good as me.* Addressing Maya, he said, "You coming or not?" With an indignant huff, Maya just crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. Shaking his head, he walked over to Maya and grabbed her hand to pull her along to the entrance. A spark of electricity seemed to shoot through both of them at first contact. Their eyes connected and the world seemed to stop for just a moment. Finch shook his head slightly to dispel the slightly stunned feeling the moment had brought. Seeing Maya standing there with a dazed look on her face was enough to bring a huge smile to Finch's face. *Oh yeah, she felt that too. I knew that this thing between us wasn't just one-sided. Now to just get her to admit it. Then my life would be perfect…like a Norman Rockwell painting.*

Tugging on her hand, Finch started leading a still dazed Maya to the entrance. Mikey, who was still nestled in Finch's one arm, looked between the two with bewilderment. He had noticed the sudden change in the two and it confused him. "Finch, you and Maya okay?"

Mikey's voice seemed to snap Maya out of her daze, and she finally started breathing again. *What in the hell was that? Oh god, Finch and I had a moment. Dennis Finch and I had a moment. This isn't happening. Please tell me this isn't happening.* She finally noticed that Dennis was still holding her hand as he led her towards the zoo entrance. She also noticed how natural his hand felt in hers. That thought caused Maya's eyes to practically bulge out of her head, and she almost yanked her hand out of his. *No, just act normal. Don't want to cause a scene. You just like having your hand held…it's not because it's Finch doing the holding…it's not!*

Standing in the background, Linda shook her head and smiled as she thought, *True love…you don't see it everyday. And that is definitely true love. Heck, even Mikey saw it. I think Finch already knows he loves Maya so the problem has to be Maya.* Scratching her head, Linda tried to figure out what Maya's problem was. *Maybe she was hurt badly in a previous relationship. I know all about that with Mikey's dad. I'll have to do some investigating.* With a determined nod of her head, Linda yelled, "Come on, you slowpokes! By the time you get to the entrance the zoo will be closing for the day."

Finch pulled Maya up to the ticket counter and ordered passes for three adults and one child. Linda and Maya tried to pay him back for their tickets, but he just waved them off and said, "My treat."

Still carrying Mikey and holding Maya's hand, he approached the turnstile. As he was giving the attendant their tickets, she leaned over and cooed at Mikey. Looking at Finch and Maya, she said, "Your son is sooo cute."

Dennis stared at her in complete confusion for a moment until he realized that he, Mikey, and Maya did resemble a family visiting the zoo. He was, after all, holding Maya's hand and carrying a little boy in his arms. Finch felt insanely pleased that someone thought he and Maya were family. *Hopefully someday.* Smiling at the attendant, he said, "Actually, he's not our son. That's his mom back there." Pointing at Linda, he continued, "We're just visiting the zoo with him." He did nothing to contradict the attendant's notion that he and Maya were a couple though.

Maya was lost for words at the whole exchange. She felt a certain longing about being considered a wife and a mother. *I should feel completely repulsed by the idea of Finch and I being married and having a kid…but I don't. Must just be my biological clock working overtime or something.* Looking at Finch holding Mikey, she sighed, *Who am I kidding. I actually like Dennis. He's not really the jerk that he enjoys acting like at the office. Wonder why he puts up that front? But it doesn't matter, as much as I like Finch, any relationship is out of the question. He has the ability to hurt me so much more worse than Elliott ever did and I just can't risk that.* Finally removing her hand form Finch's grasp, she sighed and said, "Let's get a move on."

They spent several hours ohhing and ahhing over the various animals. Every cage or enclosure that they came to that held an animal, Mikey would ask, "Finch, is that a wild aminal?" And every time, Finch would say, "Animal, Mikey…aNiMal." They did have some trouble pulling Dennis away from the various large cats that they would come across, but all in all it was shaping up to be a fun day. Shortly after 2:00PM, they decided to stop for lunch. Both Finch and Mikey wolfed down their food ready to see more animals. Mikey soon started badgering his mother, "Mommy, I wanna go see the momkeys. Can we go see the momkeys now?"

"Honey, Maya and I are not finished eating. Just wait a few minutes, okay."

Looking highly disappointed, Mikey sat down in a huff. Finch smiled and said, "I'm through. I could take him over to see the momkeys…I mean monkeys, and you all could come over after you get finished eating."

Linda nodded in assent as this would give her the perfect opportunity to talk to Maya privately. Jumping up and down in excitement, Mikey grabbed Finch's hand and started pulling him towards the Monkey House. Shaking her head in amusement, she turned to Maya and said, "He has Dennis wrapped around his little finger."

Maya gave her a small grin and said, "Yeah, so I've noticed. Who would've ever thought that Finch was such a sucker for kids."

Clearing her throat, Linda inquired, "So how are you doing? You've been kind of quiet all day." Maya just shrugged her shoulders as she watched Dennis and Mikey disappearing into the Monkey House. "Does it have anything to do with this morning?"

Maya looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Linda ventured, "Well…ever since that lady mistook Mikey for your and Dennis' son, you've been awfully quiet. Does it have something to do with that?"

Maya sighed and said, "I guess it's just my biological clock telling me to get moving before it's too late. I mean I see all these people with kids and then I think how I should have had kids by now. It's like…everything is passing me by." Biting her lip in despair, Maya thought, *Ughh, I'm going to end up being one of those old maid who spies on all the neighbors for amusement.*

"Well, then you should find yourself a nice guy and settle down."

A sad look came over Maya's face as she explained, "It's not that simple. I want to find a relationship that I know will last. The last big relationship I was in ended in disaster. He proposed and then broke up with me because he claimed he wasn't ready to commit."

*Aha, I knew something had happened that was holding her back from getting involved in a serious relationship.* Smiling in compassion, Linda remarked, "Look at the bright side. At least he admitted his 'problem' before you were married. It would have been much more painful to have it happen after you were already husband and wife. Divorce isn't fun. Trust me on that one. I have personal experience in the matter."

Laughing slightly, Maya said, "Huh, I never thought of it that way. I guess it's true then… you can find a silver lining in any cloud."

"Did you love him?"

"You mean Elliott, the guy I broke up with?" Linda nodded her head as she waited for Maya to continue. "I thought I did at the time, but lately I'm not so sure. I mean sure I loved him…still do, he's a good friend. I'm just not sure that I was ever really IN love with him. Does that make any sense?"

Smiling slightly, Linda answered, "It makes perfect sense, Maya. Just don't let your past heartbreak keep you from taking risks again. Love is a scary thing, and you always risk your heart when you admit that you love someone because there's always the chance that they won't return the feeling. But if you don't take that risk then you'll miss out on that one true love that all of us have out there…somewhere."

Maya looked at her curiously and asked, "Ok, so I'll admit it's good advice, but exactly why are you telling me all of this?"

Linda glanced up at her through her lowered eyelashes and said, "I just don't want to see you pass up on something because you're afraid it might not work. Take Dennis, for example…I know you like him." Maya opened her mouth to protest, but Linda just shushed her and continued, "I know you like Dennis, Maya. It's totally obvious, but you seem too afraid to admit it to yourself…too afraid of being hurt again…and if I'm not mistaken, he cares alot about you, too."

"Ok, so I admit it. I like Dennis, but I have major reservations about getting involved with him. First, we work together. Elliott and I also work together, and initially, it was extremely difficult for us to work around each other after we broke up. Also, Elliott and I never had a break from being with each other. We were together all the time…at work, on dates, and so on. I think we started to get a bit sick of each other after awhile. I'm just not sure that I would ever again want to attempt a relationship with someone I work with."

"Is that the only reason that you're shying away from getting involved with Dennis? You could work around something like that. Take time off from each other. Have a designated girl's night or boy's night where you spend time apart. I'm assuming that there are some other reasons why you're not willing to consider a relationship with Dennis. Am I right?" asked Linda. When Maya didn't initially answer Linda just raised her eyebrows and leaned forward across the table resting her chin on her hands.

Sighing, Maya finally continued, "The biggest setback is that it is Finch. I mean, we are talking about Dennis Finch, who is probably…no, most definitely the biggest pain in the ass I have ever met. How could I ever seriously consider a relationship with someone who calls himself the Finchinator? I mean, come on…it's Finch!"

Trying to hide her smile behind her hand, Linda ventured, "Maybe the problem is that you've always seen him as Dennis Finch…the irritating co-worker, and you've never allowed yourself to see him as anything else. But now you're finding out that there is more to him, and you're just having trouble accepting it."

Maya nodded, "Maybe, but I'm not really sure that we would make a good couple to begin with." Resting her cheek in her hand, Maya considered, *We'd probably end up killing each other. We're just at odds too often.* Raising her eyes to Linda's, she sighed and continued, "I just don't know that we would be able to get along with each other for prolonged periods of time. I just don't think it would be a viable long-term relationship.

Taking another bite of her food, Linda considered what to say next. After chewing thoughtfully for a moment, she swallowed. Wiping her mouth with the napkin, she replied, "I personally think you all would be really good for each other. Like you said the other day, in many ways Dennis is like a kid and you provide a bit of a…steadying influence for him. Likewise, you're a little more reserved and Dennis tends to bring you out of your shell a bit…a good match, in my opinion." Maya tried to argue about those points, but Linda paid her no heed and kept on talking. "And all relationships have their little spats now and then…it's actually not healthy for a relationship when the two partners never have disagreements. Granted, that doesn't mean you want to have fights all the time, but one every now and again is actually good for the relationship. And to tell you the truth, you and Dennis seem to get along very well. I haven't seen you arguing with each other…maybe doing some harmless joking but no real disagreements."

Maya tilted her head as she pondered Linda's last point. "You know, you're right. The last week since the traffic jam, Dennis and I have been getting along really well. Huh, wonder if it will keep up? But I'm still not comfortable about getting involved with him."

Linda prided herself on a job well-done as she realized that Maya was less adamant now about not getting involved with Dennis than she was just a few minutes ago. *Ok, so we'll take this slow. Break down those barriers that she's built up around her heart a little bit at a time.* Smiling, she said, "Then maybe you should just spend time with Dennis as a friend. Do things together outside the office. It'll give you time away from your co-workers, especially that Elliott guy you mentioned, to find out whether or not you'd ever be able to consider him as more than a friend. And if you're not comfortable spending time alone with Dennis…then you all can do things we me and Mikey." Suddenly grinning to herself about her sudden stroke of genius, Linda remarked, "I personally think that you two would make great baby-sitters. And I'm sure that Mikey would whole-heartedly agree." *Yep, if I can get them to baby-sit together, then they'd have to spend time with each other.*

Licking her lips, Maya agreed, "Friendship I can do. But at the moment, I would feel a little uncomfortable doing things with just Finch. The baby-sitting idea sounds pretty good. It would give me time to get to know him outside the office, and not have the pressure of an actual date. Ok, so yeah, I'll give the friendship thing a shot." Berating herself, Maya thought, *Chicken…you know that you're already friends with Finch. You're just too scared to be alone with him. Too scared to admit that it might be more than just friendship you feel for Finch. Linda's right…you're scared.*

Standing up to throw their leftover food away, Linda said, "Let's go join the boys. Hopefully, they've been behaving themselves."

Maya snorted, "You don't know Finch. He is always getting into some kind of trouble." As they approached the Monkey House, she spotted Finch coming out the door with Mikey held in one arm. Waving her arm at them, Finch spotted her and made a bee-line in their direction. He quickly grabbed her hand and yanked her along behind them. "Hey Finch, what is your problem?" She saw Dennis glance over his shoulder towards the Monkey House. Turning to look at where his gaze was centered, she saw a guard come out of the door.

When the guard spotted Finch, he yelled, "Hey you, come back here!" The guard started following them into the crowd.

Finch started walking faster and tugged Maya along behind him. "Come on Maya, speed it up will you!"

Practically running to keep up with Finch, she looked over at him and asked, "What the hell did you do Finch? Dennis, I mean it…tell me what happened." Finch just shrugged his shoulders as he melded in with the crowds and lost the pursuing guard.