Maura wakes up at daybreak when the world is still quiet except for the birds chirping outside of her window. She feels the absence of Jane and turns around to see Jane's side of the bed empty. She sits up and the sheets fall off of her shoulders, making her feel the coldness of the air. Wrapping herself up in a satin robe, she ties it around her as Maura makes her way downstairs.
Maura hears her espresso machine gurgling, paired with the smell of freshly ground coffee beans.
"I didn't know that you knew how to use that machine," Maura says as she turns the corner.
Jane looks up from a stack of mail, her hair still wild from sleep. She smiles softly, putting down the letter in her hand before opening her arms up to Maura. "Good morning," Jane says.
Maura settles between those arms, grateful for the warmth it provided on this chilly autumn morning. "Good morning. Why are you up so early?"
Jane purses her lips as her smile fades. She hands Maura a piece of paper from the letter that she was holding, the top of the envelope torn wildly from where Jane opened it. Maura scans the contents of the paper as she feels her heart race.
"Are you going to go?" Maura asks.
The letter had disclosed information about Olivia's arraignment, where the charges against her would be declared and she would state whether she was guilty or not. It was usually not mandatory for the police officers involved to go, but Jane had the option to attend if she chose to.
As Jane rubs her hand down her face, her worry lines begin to make their appearance again. "I don't know, Maur. I want to know what is going to happen to her but I don't know if I can put myself through being that close to her."
Maura thinks about her own experience with Olivia. Maura had been her captive for almost a week and it had come close to breaking her. "No one would blame you if you wanted to stay away and just forget about everything that happened," Maura says as she tucks Jane's hair behind her ear.
"I know." Jane stands up, pausing to bring Maura's hand to her lips for a brief peck. She pulls out the milk from Maura's fridge, pouring the organic oat milk into the milk frother before grabbing two mugs. Jane makes sure to get Maura's favorite mug, a glass mug with the chemical structure of caffeine on it. As she prepares their coffee, Maura starts on the eggs and waits for the pan to heat up.
"It's happening today, Maur. This afternoon."
Maura watches as the egg white spreads out from the yolk, running across her pan before she uses her spatula to prevent it from getting too far. She can feel Jane watching her, analyzing her facial expressions to see how Maura's feeling.
"I'm gonna go, and then we are gonna put all of this behind us until the trial, okay?" Jane says softly as she pours the steaming espresso into the mugs.
"Okay." Maura swallows, her mouth already feeling dry from her anxiety about being reminded of that horrible experience.
The two women eat breakfast in silence, with Jane's right hand holding Maura's left as she eats with her dominant hand.
Maura decides to change the subject for now. "How is your mother doing?"
Jane sets down her fork. "Fine, I guess. I haven't spoken to her this morning yet but she was pretty knocked out when we left last night."
"I meant to thank you for bringing me home last night. That was sweet of you."
As Jane brings her plate to the sink, she turns to look at Maura. "Yeah, no worries. I know your back would've killed you if you had slept on that couch all night."
Maura rinses her plate off too as she thinks about what to say. "I'm sorry if I crossed a boundary asking you to sleep in bed with me."
As Jane looks up, Maura averts her gaze, not wanting to feel vulnerable with Jane yet. "I'm still your best friend, Maur. You didn't cross any boundaries."
Not sure what else to say, Jane begins to gather her things. Maura busies herself with cleaning the espresso machine, disassembling it, and washing the individual parts with soap and water.
"You don't have to leave, Jane," Maura says as she scrubs the frother.
"I think I should. I'll keep you updated about the arraignment, okay? I don't want either of us to be alone tonight when we find out information about it."
Maura nods as she straightens her shoulders. "I am alright with that plan."
"Okay," Jane says. Before she walks out the door, she looks back at Maura. "Maur?"
The two women make eye contact as Maura stops what she's doing.
"I love you," Jane says as she closes the door behind her.
Maura whispers into the emptiness of her house. "I love you too."
Jane didn't know how to feel. Seeing Olivia again made her feel sick to her stomach, but something about seeing the woman in handcuffs and a jumpsuit made her feel slightly better. She had done all that she could and now it was time for the legal process to take place. Hopefully, justice would be served.
Olivia's lawyer was the best that money could buy in the state of Massachusetts. Liam Santos was at the top of his class at Harvard Law and had an impressive track record to back his credentials up. He had a reputation for being aggressive, cutthroat, and manipulative as hell. Jane was not at all surprised that he had picked up this high-profile case, as he had a penchant for choosing clients who would earn him time in the spotlight of the media. Along with slicked-back, raven black hair and bushy white eyebrows that revealed his age, Liam had a deep baritone voice that carried itself with authority across any room. Liam's reputation preceded him and with an extensive clientele list consisting of corporate hotshots, he was the perfect match for the district attorney's office.
They were in for a long road ahead and Jane knew that it would be an uphill battle now that Liam Santos was involved. Judge Jennifer Miller had been assigned to this case and she was historically a neutral judge. She wasn't one of BPD's go-to judges, but she also wasn't usually one whom the department had to worry about either. Therefore, things could go either way. Judge Miller had posted the bail at 5 million dollars considering that a detective and the medical examiner of the commonwealth had been victims.
Jane realized that Olivia and Sarah must have been involved with some powerful people since Olivia's bond was paid almost immediately. She didn't see this coming, since Sarah was dead and there had been no evidence indicating the involvement of additional people. When Jane found out that Olivia's bail had been met, she had rushed to the bathroom on unsteady feet. With her forehead wet with perspiration and black spots in her vision, it had taken Jane several minutes to calm down as she processed that Olivia would be back into the world until her trial started. Jane's breathing evens out and she grabs her phone, dialing a number.
When Jane hangs up, she feels a tiny bit better. Without hesitation, she drives straight to Maura's house, needing to break this news to the woman herself.
Maura had taken the news better than Jane had anticipated. Maura had stared ahead the whole time, only interrupting her stare to glance at Jane a few times. She was looking into her tea now, watching as the water swirled around the little spoon that she was using to stir it.
"Maura. I called Director Patel at Quantico."
This catches Maura's attention, as she finally turns toward Jane.
Jane continues. "I asked him to let me delay my start date over there. With Frankie on his honeymoon and all of this stuff with Olivia, I really don't want to leave you alone."
Maura smooths out the front of her dress. "I'll be okay, Jane. I don't want you to have to change your plans just for me."
"It's for me, too, Maura. Seeing Olivia again today was really tough and it made me realize that I still have some stuff to sort through about that whole experience. I don't want either of us to be alone and the stuff with the FBI can wait."
"So after all that we have talked about, you're still moving to Quantico?" Maura looks hurt and Jane hates herself for being the reason for that.
Jane waits a few seconds before responding. "Can we just forget about that stuff for a while? If Patel agrees, I can be here in Boston with you for another month. During that time, I just want it to be Maura and Jane again. No drama, no pressure to label anything, and no worrying about our future. Can we do that?"
Maura frowns. "That's naive, Jane. Both of us would be aware of what awaits us at the end of that month. Besides, I have plans to go to Paris."
Taking a deep breath, Jane asks, "Do you have room for one more?"
Maura looks up in shock. "You want to come?"
"Of course I do, Maur. Maybe it'll be good for us to get away from all of this for a little bit and just enjoy ourselves in a different country. But only if you want me there."
A whirlwind of emotions hits Maura. She wants Jane there more than anything, but she also knows that this will make their eventual goodbye much more painful. Along with that, being in the city of love alone with the woman she's in love with would be borderline masochistic, considering she and Jane are not able to be together.
Jane tries her best attempt at a smile. "Plus, what else are you going to do with all of your mileage points?"
This elicits a chuckle from Maura, which lightens the mood considerably. "Only if you let me set the itinerary."
"Okay!" Jane claps her hands together in celebration as she picks Maura up from the ground. "We're going to Paris!"