Hey, guys. I know that I have to write a lot of other stories, but I had a weird dream some nights ago, and now this idea just won't leave me alone again. I can promise you that I will update and finish all of my still open stories. However, I hope you will like this story too. Enjoy.

T73.

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It's a sunny day in Boston and the blond woman on the park bench let the sun rays kiss her face.
She knows that it certainly won't be one of the last summers that she will witness, far too many had already passed by.
If someone would have told her a story like her own, she would have declared them as crazy and would have them committed.
That's why she only let her closest friends in on her secret.
Not that she would have many friends, though, not anymore.
"The guy from the coffee shop seems to be nice." says an older woman as she takes a seat next to the blonde.
Her hair is light brown and she has soft grey eyes. "You should go on a date with him, Maura. Give him a shot."
Dr. Maura Isles opens her hazel eyes and smiles softly at the other woman. "I'm tired, Emma. I'm tired of dating all these men in the hope to find The One. I really need a break."
Emma Marsden frowns slightly. "Well, perhaps he is the one that you are looking for."
"If you think so, why don't you date him?" Maura replies and gets off of the bench.
She tosses her empty paper cup in the trash can and shove her hands in the pockets of her summer coat.
Emma follows her immediately. "You know, for living a fairy tale you are pretty grumpy."
"You might call it a fairy tale, I call it a hex." the blonde says with a sight.
The other woman places her hand on Maura's shoulder. "Go with me to the bar that opened just yesterday. Let's have a couple of drinks, have a nice evening. Just you and me."
Maura chuckles and looks at her friend. "You're trying to hook me up with the barista, don't you?"
"No!" Emma answers and rolls her eyes as Maura tucks in her chin. "Yes."
The blonde smiles to herself. "I rather stay at home and have a glass of a nice pinot noir with myself, Emma."
"Come on, Maura. Let me help you."
"Not tonight, thank you."
"Then let me join you in the couch." Emma insists and raises an eyebrow when a hand so man ogles the blonde. "We can share stories."
Maura takes a deep breath and nods agreeing. "Fine, but you don't bring that barista with you."
Emma holds up her hands. "I would never do that."
"Oh, yes, you would." Maura retorts and raises her eyebrows.
Emma is huffing and picks on a leave of a bush. ""Well, maybe. But only if we would meet at my place. And then I would ask you to leave."
Maura scoffs and swats Emma's arm. "You are impossible. I didn't know that you like Italian men."
The taller woman shrugs. "I just like handsome men. And the barista was cute."
Maura rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
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The blonde puts a glass of wine on her coffee table and smiles at the young, blond woman.
Her name is Caroline Spencer.
She's working with Emma and Maura.
Caroline holds an old, well-thumbed photo album with a leather cover in her hands. "You know, you never told us how you did met him."
Maura sits down on her couch and sips her wine.
Emma takes place right next to her and nods agreeing. "Caroline is right, Maura. You never told us how you met your Prince Charming."
Maura takes a deep breath and crosses her legs. "It's a long story, girls."
"We have all night long." Caroline retorts.
"Yeah." Emma agrees and nods.
Maura takes another swig of her wine and hesitates.
"Oh, come on, Maura." Emma almost begs and nudge the blonde next to her.
Caroline takes her glass from the coffee table. "Come on, it has to be a wonderful story."
Maura raises briefly her eyebrows and shakes her head. "No, it don't has to be a wonderful story. It's a story of pain and resentment. Not every love story has a happy ending. As you can see."
The two other women become silent and stare ahead.
Caroline clears her throat. "You know, it is clear to us that you really loved that man. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here anymore. We don't care if it is a sad story."
Maura takes a deep breath and sips her wine. "As you know, it was a different decade, a different century. Already there my family had a lot of money and power. They had a friend in Toscana. He owned a winery there. That's why I got the opportunity to live there for a year. Well, that and because I was promised to the son of my father's friend. I was supposed to marry Henry Blake."
"I can't believe that parents did that to their own children." Emma pipes up and shakes her head. "I mean didn't they hear what love is really about?"
Maura raises briefly her shoulders. "Real love was a luxury in that time, Emma. Not many married couples were happy with each other."
"Well, that would explain why everybody cheated on each other." Caroline states.
"Yes," Maura chuckles and turns serious again immediately. "many people got married because that was best for family's business. And that's what my father also thought. Women wasn't much worth back then. What men said was law. So, my father decided that it would be best for me and the family when I marry Henry. So he sent me off to Italy." she takes a deep breath and looks down in her glass. "I was different, though. I was always an independent woman, and my mother always supported me secretly."
"Is that why you became a doctor?" Emma asks.
The blonde looks at her and nods agreeing. "Yeah. Well, as you can imagine, medicine was in its infancy. However, I didn't really like Henry very much. He was arrogant, cocky and treated other people in a lofty manner, especially the employees of the winery. I won't tell what Henry did when I took issue with him." the blonde says and licks her lips. "So, one day I took a walk in the vineyards to distract myself. I started to miss my home, my country but my father refused my wish to come back home.
Well, I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that someone has sneaked up behind me. I was so startled when this person tapped on my shoulder."
"And that's when you met him?" Caroline states with a smile. "Jacopo."
Maura smiles moony. "Yeah, that's when I met him for the first time. Well, the first impression really wasn't the best. He was all sweaty and dirty. He had this wattled basket for the wine grapes over his shoulder."
"What did he look like?" the other women ask in unison.
Maura us laughing with the two women and sighs. "He was tall, lean but also well-built. Jacopo had curly black hair and eyes so dark that they almost appeared to be black."
"Well-built like thoroughly fit?" Emma asks and Caroline rolls her eyes.
Maura is scoffing. "In that time we said that he was a really hard working man."
"So, muscly?"
"Emma!" Caroline hisses.
"Yes." Maura chuckles. "Yes, he was muscly. But when he looked you in the eye, you got the feeling that he looked right into your soul. And when he was around you, you had the feeling that nothing else did exist but you. And he had this incredible raspy voice."
Caroline starts beaming. "So, it was love at first sight."
Maura is shaking her head and laughs. "No. No, absolutely not. At first he made the impression of a intemperate person. He was all flirty and macho, and like a womanizer. And he had the whole time this cocky smile on his lips."
Emma furls her eyebrows. "But ... how did you communicate? I mean, you speak English and he probably spoke Italian."
"Oh, I spoke a little Italian as well, and Jacopo spoke a little English."
Caroline sips eagerly her wine. "So, you didn't like Jacopo in first place. What changed your mind?"
Maura takes a deep breath and refills her glass. "The vineyards became my refuge and I met him every now and then. He listened carefully to why I needed my space and made no move to come too close to me. One day he offered me to show me more of Toscana, to bring me closer to the Italian culture. He told me about his parents and siblings, and introduced me to his friends, treated me with respect. He never doubted my own opinions or my independence. On the contrary, he appreciated it. And after two months it just happened."
"You fell in love."
Maura briefly raises her eyebrows and smiles a sad smile. "Yes."
"Was he a good lover?" Emma asks curiously.
"Emma!" Caroline hisses again.
Maura closes her eyes. She still can feel his hands ghosting over her skin and his lips caressing her body. Smell his scent and hear him moan.
"Jesus," Emma laughs. "look at the blush on her neck. I guess this means yes."
Maura opens her eyes again and puts an hand on her neck. "I never again had a man who was comparable with him."
Emma starts grinning and refills her glass. "All right, but that all sounds like the perfect love story. What else happened, Maura?"
Maura starts frowning deeply and purse her lips. "One day Henry began to wonder and followed me after I sneaked out of the house. I didn't notice it and met Jacopo in the vineyards. Henry watched us as we ... Jacopo and I had sex. He went straight to his father and told him that I wasn't chaste anymore. That I would have had sex with one of their employees, that he saw it with his own eyes. Frederick of course believed his only son and sent out a couple of guys to get Jacopo. I didn't know about it and went back to their house. When I saw them standing in the living room, I immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. And then Frederick's henchmen dragged in Jacopo. Frederick was beside himself with rage when either Jacopo nor I denied our relationship. That we are in love with each other. He let punish Jacopo right in front of my eyes before he sent me back to my parents. Of course he told my father that I would be a slut and that the deal was broken."
"Punished?" Emma says slowly. "Do I want yo know what that meant in that time?"
Maura closes her eyes and shakes her head.
She still can her the screams of the one she loved as he got whipped in front of her.

"But that's not the whole story, is it?" Caroline asks hopefully.
Maura opens her eyes again. "No, it isn't. Jacopo and I didn't see each other for almost a year. I don't know how he managed it, but he followed me and got hired by my father as a groom. So we continued our love affair. I think my mother noticed it but she said nothing. She only wanted me to be happy. Frederick visited my parents one day and he recognized the man who humiliated his son immediately. Of course my father banished Jacopo and sent me to France. I was so heartbroken and lonely in that household that I wanted to end my life. The cookee, a gipsy woman, found me and patched me up. She asked me what made me so desperate and I told her my story. She offered me her help, told me that one day Jacopo and I would be reunited again. She asked me if I would believe in transmigration of souls. Of course I didn't, but I said yes. Just the imagination of being united with the love of my life again let me hope. So, I agreed to join a ceremony and Harild told me that as soon as I would find him again, my soul would come to rest."
"So ... what?" Emma says skeptically. "As soon as you find the reincarnation of Jacopo, you stumble to the ground and pass away?"
Maura raises her shoulders and sips her wine." I have absolutely no idea what will happen if I find him, Emma. I even don't know if I ever find him."
Caroline frowns slightly. "So, you stopped ageing after Harild and you performed this ceremony?"
Maura chokes on her wine and chuckles. "No, I aged normally until he died. I was twenty when we met."
"And how old was he?"
"The same age."
Emma holds up her hands and shakes her head. "Okay, technically you are thirty-five now. You loved a man for fifteen years even though you didn't know if he got married or had children?"
Maura thinks about the question and nods agreeing. "Yes."
"Wow. You should write a script and send it to Hollywood."
"But ..." Caroline toss in and looks long at Maura. "Did it ever crush your mind that Jacopo didn't come back as ... Jacopo? I mean, it's possible that he came back as a woman."
"Or a dog." Emma adds and Caroline nods. "Or an earthworm."
Maura glances at both of the women and starts to laugh. "That's ridiculous. First of all, I am not into women. Which means that I won't sleep with every woman that reminds me of him. And I surely won't sleep any kind of animal."
The three women share a look and start to laugh.
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The next morning, Maura is standing at the nurses' station and signs a medical record, smiling to herself.
"Excuse me." says a raspy voice to the nurse. "I am here for Melanie Shepard. I wonder in which condition she is."
A chill is running down Maura's spine and her heart rate increase, but she isn't brave enough to turn around to see the owner of this voice.
Since ages she hasn't had such a reaction.
She swallows hard and studies the next medical record.
"And you are?" the annoyed nurse is asking.
"Sorry, I'm Detective Rizzoli, Boston Homicide. Melanie is a very important witness. I really need to talk to her."
"Oh. Please wait a minute. Dr. Isles?"
Maura rolls her eyes and curse herself for not walking away as she still had the chance.
She takes a deep breath and prepares herself to come face to face with an old stout police officer.
She turns around and her breath hitch.
She sees the completely opposite.
In front of her stands a tall, lean, curly dark hair female officer.
But something is different. Somehow she recognize those hair, this facial contours, the high cheekbones, the nose, these intense dark brown eyes.
Her heart stops beating when the foreign woman smiles at her and dimples pop out, dimples that are so familiar to her.
The woman sticks out her hand. "Hi. I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli. Nice to meet you."
Maura is staring blankly at the tall woman. She even recognize these thin lips.
Jane lowers her head and furrows her eyebrows. "You okay, Doc? You look a little pale over there."
Maura is blinking a couple of times and drag her eyes up to brown ones. "I'm sorry." she says with a smile and shakes the other woman's hand. Even this woman's firm handshake reminds Maura at Jacopo.
She clears her throat. "I'm Dr. Maura Isles. You are here for Melanie Shepard?"
Jane is slow to do release the blonde's hand and an odd feeling overcomes her. "Yeah. I was wondering if I can interview her already."
Maura walks behind the desk and looks for Melanie Shepard's medical record. "Give me a sec." she mumbles and opens a file. "Here it is. Melanie Shepard came in with life-threatening internal injuries. She just came out of the OR. I'm afraid she's still unconscious."
Jane frowns deeply. "You guys took pictures of her injuries."
Maura hands the brunette a stack of photos. "Yes, we did." she says and holds her breath as their finger brushes. "May I ask what happened?"
Jane studies the photos closely. "Her boyfriend stabbed his best friend to death because he thought that Melanie cheated on him with his friend. And after that, he has beaten her up." she pauses and looks long at the doctor. "And I have absolutely no clue why I'm telling you this."
Maura smiles broadly at her and shrugs. "Perhaps I am Melanie's doctor in charge." she replies and nods at Jane's bruised knuckles. "What happened to your hand?"
Jane is inspecting her left hand. "Uh ... well ... Melanie's boyfriend accidentally ran into a wall as I arrested him."
Maura raises an skeptical eyebrow. "Accidentally?"
Jane lifts her right shoulder. "Yeah. Everything else would be illegal."
The blonde smiles a little. "Let's have a look at it."
"It's fine."
"I'm the doctor. Let's x-ray it."
Jane rolls her eyes but follows the blonde. "Doc, it's not broken. I'm fine."
Maura looks over her shoulder and smiles. "So, why are you following me?"
Jane realizes that this is a very good question, but it's like her body has a will of its own. "I have absolutely no idea."
Maura opens the door to a treatment room. "At least let me dress your hand."
Jane sighs agreeing and enters the room. "Fine."
Maura opens a drawer of a cabinet. "So, Rizzoli, huh? Are you Italian?"
Jane sits down on the stretcher. "My ancestors are, but I'm born and raises in Boston. Where does your ancestors come from?"
Maura gets rigid for a second. "Ireland." she simply says.
"Is that so, colleen?"
"Really? You dare to call me girl?" Maura chuckles and starts to dress the brunette's hand.
Jane smiles cockily. "So, you are from Boston too?"
Maura doesn't look at her. "No, I was born in Ireland."
"Why is it that you have no accent?"
"I ... live in Boston for a long time."
Jane scrutinizes Maura seriously. "Why are you familiar to me?"
Maura drags her eyes up to familiar brown ones."I don't know."
"We didn't date, did we?"
Maura focus back on her work. "I don't think so, no. I'm not into women."
"Oh," Jane breathes. "okay. Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
Maura straightens up again and smiles. "Don't worry, Detective. It needs a lot more to make me feel uncomfortable. You're free to go."
Jane gets up to her feet and is standing in the smaller woman's personal space. "Thanks." she mumbles.
Oh God, is Maura thinking and she licks her lips. "You're welcome."

Jane smirks before she's leaving the room.
Maura braces herself with an hand on the small sideboard and places her free hand on her racing heard. "Oh, my." she whispers and closes her eyes.