Hey, guys. I am so, so sorry for the long wait, but somehow I had a writer's block when it came to this story, but I hope it is over now.
I have to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Over 200 followers, that's more than I expected. It's wow … just WOW! Thank you all so much.
I hope you guys are going to like this chapter, and as always you are welcome to tell me what you think.
So, enjoy.
T73.
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A couple of days later, Maura is sitting at the head of her dining table and is sipping her morning coffee without saying a word. Since Jane had come to her workplace because of her headache she tries to avoid the Italian with the hope that the symptoms would ease at least. She knows that this is not the solution for the problem and that she needs to be straight with Jane, but that's easier said than done. She can look for any kind of explanation but none of them doesn't let her sound absolutely crazy and she is aware of that. Well, is there some kind of easy way to tell someone that you are over two hundred years old? There sure isn't!
Emma is watching her friend worriedly because Maura is staring into nowhere and stirs the spoon in her muesli for no reason, glancing at Caroline.
Maura had asked them if they wanna have breakfast together and then perhaps go to the city on their day off. Probably to avoid Jane for one more day.
It is surprising Caroline and Emma that Maura is not really talking.
The neurologist clears her throat and shrugs as the other woman glares at her. "So, Jane has been contacting me."
That sentence seem to snap Maura out of her haze and she drags her eyes to her friend. "Why? Have her headaches gone worse?"
Emma groans and leans back in her chair.
Caroline knows that sound all to well and shakes her head. "No, she wanted to know why you keep avoiding her."
"I'm not avoiding her."
"Maura, all of us are grown women," Emma says and furrows her eyebrows. "but you are currently acting like a teenage girl. You of us all! I know that you are looking desperately for a way to explain Jane what is happening, but sometimes the best way is to be straightforward."
"Even though it is the most ridiculous story?"
"But it is the truth, isn't it?"
Maura doesn't say anything but stares at her two friends with sad and tired eyes.
Caroline places an hand over the internist's and smiles reassuringly. "You are suffering, Maura, and you look like you haven't slept for years. I have never seen you like that. And I know you for almost my entire life as a woman."
Maura is holding her gaze and shrugs. "Maybe my time is over, Caroline. I mean, I have found … the love of my life and I always told you that I don't know what will happen if I find hi … if I find her. Maybe my vigor is running out."
Emma is getting up from her chair and she walks without saying a word to the sink, putting her plate in it. What the two other women can't see is that a tear is rolling down on her cheek.
That thought had never crossed her mind since she knew Maura and her story, and she knows her almost as long as Caroline. She always thought that the extraordinary woman would always be there until the day she dies, and now it looks like they are going to lost her.
Caroline is staring blankly at Maura and she doesn't bother to hide the tears in her eyes. "This not a question, Maura. You are not allowed to sneaking away cowardly after you found Jane, and after what you went through until you found her. Did you hear me?"
Maura looks long at the younger woman and smiles a small smile. She bad never waste a thought about that possibility since she learned about her new condition. Of course, she had never tried to die on purpose because that can end everyone's life, all magic spells aside. What is dead that stays dead, that doesn't come back. She takes a deep breath and squeezes Caroline's hand.
She doesn't say what she is thinking right now, but she can that Caroline can see it in her eyes. She is in no time up from her chair and kneeling in front of the sobbing woman. She is rubbing her hands up and down Caroline's thighs. "Caroline, come here." She softly says and engulfs the neurologist in a tight hug. "I am not going to pass away in the next couple of hours or days, all right?"
Caroline is nodding and holds her closely.
Maura smiles once more and looks at the crying Emma, and holds an hand out. "Come over here, so the mess can be perfect."
Emma smiles broadly and wipes the tears off of her cheeks and sits down next to Maura. She places her head on Maura's shoulder like she is only ten. Her whole body shakes as Maura wraps an arm around her shoulders.
Maura closes her eyes and a tear is rolling down her own cheek. She had experienced something like that only once in her life time. It was when her father had decided to send her away and as she broke the news to the children of her attendant. She was never like her parents in that say, their employees were more like confidants to her. Like the family she always wished to have. And that's how she is feeling about Emma and Caroline.
Somehow, she had taken the motherly role in their lives since they came into her life and she let them into the loop, and she knows that the two women do feel the same way like her.
Maura first kisses Emma's forehead and then Caroline's. "I love you both very much," she says and looks at them with a smile. "Though both of you really can be a pain in the neck."
Emma looks at Caroline and both of them starts to chuckle.
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Later that evening, Jane is entering Maura's house without bothering to ring and frowns. "Hey, heard that you and your girls saved another life." She says and smiles wryly.
Emma emerge from the bathroom and grabs six-pack from the Italian's hand. "That's what we are doing for a living. That's exactly what we are needing right now."
Jane is standing there, rooted to the spot, and blinks a couple of times. "Hey!"
Maura round the corner and smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jane. I should have call you and tell that my colleagues and I spend the evenings together when we worked the same case. I can send them home."
Jane quirks an eyebrow and hunch her shoulders. "No need to. I have a loud family, I think I can handle two of your friends."
Maura chuckles and takes Jane's hand in her own. "You sure?"
"No." Jane replies and chuckles nervously.
The doctor smiles reassuringly and leads the way into her living room. "Come on, I promise you that they won't bite you." She says and takes a deep breath. "Girls, let me finally introduce you to Jane." She looks at the Italian. "Jane, these are the most important women in my life. Caroline Spencer and Emma Marsden."
Jane smiles broadly and shakes Emma's hand. "Nice to meet you." She looks at Caroline and her smile falters for a second. "Miss Spencer."
Caroline clears her throat and nods a little.
Emma eyes Jane from head to heel and smirks. "Well, not bad."
"Excuse me," Jane asks a little confused and turns her attention back to the blonde. "Look, I shouldn't just barged in. I don't want to keep you from your girls night."
Emma splutter and hands Jane one of the beer. "Don't be ridiculous, Jane. If I am not totally wrong, you are a woman too." She let her eyes the brunette once again and smirks. "A very attractive woman. I can see why Maura's baiting for the other team now."
Caroline gasps in horror and swats Emma's thigh.
Maura rolls her eyes and scoffs.
Jane blushes a purses her lips. "Um, thank you."
Maura rubs Jane's back and furrows her brows. "Why don't you sit down. I'll be back in a minute."
Jane gets seated between Emma and Caroline. "Uh, okay."
Emma smirks and skids a little closer.
Maura rolls her eyes and heads to her kitchen to get herself a glass of wine.
Emma takes a swig from her beer and stares unashamed at Jane. "So, Jane. What are you doing for a living?"
Jane frowns and rolls the bottle in between her hands. "Um, I'm … I'm a cop. Homicide Detective, to be precise."
"Nice." Emma states with a nod. "And why did you become a cop?"
Maura sits with a groan down on a armchair after she joined them and Caroline shakes her head.
Jane smiles with furrowed brows at the doctor. "You didn't mentioned that I am going to meet your dad, Maura."
Caroline chokes on her wine and starts to laugh as soon as Emma's face goes blank.
Maura snickers amused and shrugs. "Me neither."
Jane smiles and licks her lips as she glance at Emma. "Well, being a cop has always been a dream of me, and I didn't want to run my father's business. I respect my father's profession, but being a plumber never crossed my mind."
"You didn't go to college," Emma asks skeptically.
Jane doesn't answer right away and clench her teeth. "No." She almost growls.
"What kept you from doing so?"
"Emma," Caroline interferes. "that's enough now."
"Thank you, Mom." Maura mumbles and takes a deep breath.
Jane scoffs and takes a sip of her beer. "It's a long story. How did get to know each other?"
"We got to know each other at work." Caroline answers and sips her wine. "I moved from Colorado Springs to Boston and was a little bit … lost. I am sure that you know how it can be when you are the newbie. Maura instantly noticed my insecurity and invited me for lunch. We had a nice time and repeated it daily. That's how our friendship started."
"I didn't like Maura in the first place." Emma states bluntly and takes a swig of her beer. "When I got to know her, I had the impression that she is a smarty-pants and a show-off. Well, in some way she really is a know-it-all. But the more often we worked together, I realized that she is an endearing know-it-all. And so I started to join Caroline and Maura at lunch and became friends with them as well. And I don't regret it at all, I learned a lot from Maura."
Maura looks at her friend and smiles sincerely at her friend.
"Yeah." Caroline agrees. "Me, too."
Jane is looking at the blonde and smiles broadly. "Maura really is a incredible woman." She chuckles as she sees the skeptical look of Maura. "What? It is true. I mean, it seems like you have abilities not many people have. And then look at me. I kept on bothering you, but you went on a date with me."
Maura straightens up and glares at the Italian. "You said it wouldn't be a date. That it only would be a get to know each other."
Caroline and Emma start to laugh amused.
Jane is pursing her lips and furrows her brows. "Well, uh, that was a lie."
Maura is scowling at her but smiles.
The Italian isn't impressed by that and props elbows up on her knees.
"Jane." Emma says and takes a deep breath. "Do you have any siblings?"
Jane is looking back at her and nods slowly. "I have indeed two younger brothers. Frankie and Tommy."
Emma draws slowly her eyes to Maura and frowns. "What a coincidence. Don't you think, Maura?"
The blonde drops her eyes to her glass and licks her lips. She knows exactly what her friend is implying. Emma is talking about the fact that Jacopo also had two brothers, but it seems like she has forgotten that he also had a little sister.
Maura clears her throat and smiles at Emma. "Yes, what a coincidence."
Jane is looking puzzled at both of the women and furls her brows. "Okay, what the hell are the two of you talking about?"
Maura's heart skips a beat and she frowns a little. "Uh, it's … well … Emma doesn't know what she is talking about."
"Didn't you say that Jacopo had brothers too," Emma asks without thinking twice.
"Emma!" Caroline hisses through clenched teeth and Maura's eyes get huge.
Jane's eyes never leave Maura's and she furls her brows. "Who's Jacopo?" And why does the name sound so familiar?
Maura is aware of the fact that she needs an excuse as fast as possible before Emma gets the chance to make the situation even worse. She swallows hard as she decides to tell the Italian a part of the truth. "He … he …" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "He is the man I prefer not to talk about. That I … can't talk about."
"The one you had a relationship even though your father was against it," Jane asks with furrowed brows now. Finally she has a name, even though it is just a given name but it's a start.
Caroline and Emma are sharing a surprised look now. None of them had none that Maura already told Jane a little bit of the story.
"Yes," Maura whispers and gets up to her feet as her emotions are crashing down on her. "Please excuse me, I do need more alcohol."
Jane looks surprised at the two other women before she follows the blonde into the kitchen. She pauses for a moment as she sees Maura standing at the island and frowns. Maura's head is hanging down and she braces herself with her hands on the counter. "Maura." Jane says gentle and takes a step forward.
Maura doesn't lift or turn around to Jane. "Jane, could you please give me just a sec?"
Jane frowns a little and shakes her head. "No, I gave you more than once a sec. Could you please tell me what Emma is talking about? It appears to me that the three of you are talking in riddles and that you are holding something back. And I can tell you, I don't like that at all. So, please talk to me, Maura."
Maura finally turns to the Italian and looks long at her with teary eyes. "He was … the love of my life, all right. Jacopo was the love of my life. That's why I didn't give a damn about what my parents said. I didn't care if they'd cut me out of their last will just because I didn't marry the man they had chosen for me, or abandon me just because I loved a blue-collar man. I rather passed on all the money and luxury and decided to be with him. Jacopo constrained himself to take a job at my father's household so we could be together, but my dad found out about our secret relationship and … and …" She pauses and press her lips together. "He sent me to France. That's what he did to keep me u happy, but he didn't know … he couldn't know that I was …" She trails off and close her eyes, wiping a tear off her cheek. "Father didn't know that I was pregnant with Jacopo's child, and I am sure that he wouldn't have cared about that much. I had a miscarriage briefly after I arrived in France, that was another reason why I turned my back on my parents and my home. I didn't just lost the love of my life, I also lost the seed of our love. Maybe now you are understanding why it is hard for me to talk about him, or to trust others, I am attracted to, in the first place. Why I don't trust myself."
Jane's eyes are hardening with every second the words sin in and she furls her eyebrows as she starts to finally understand, as soon as it all start to make sense. "You are still in love with this Jacopo guy, aren't you "
Maura realizes that she revealed more than she wanted to and makes a step forward when she sees the brunette's hurt expression. "Jane -"
Jane takes a step backwards and turns the corners of her mouth downward, lifting her hands. "No, it's fine. I got it. I was just an distraction for you until you and he get back together." She glances over her shoulder. "I, um, I should … I should go now. It's kinda embarrassing to think that a woman like you actually could feel more for someone like … me."
Maura realize that she couldn't have said more cruel things to the Italian like she did just moments ago, and her heart is breaking all over again. She knows that if she let Jane leave now, she won't see her ever again. But she also knows that taking Jane as a hostage won't end up well too, because Jane is a cop. She takes another step forward. "Jane, please -"
Jane huffs as she sees Maura's pleading look and turns around. "Take care of yourself, Maura." She says before she hurries out of the house, not caring about her jacket.
Maura closes her eyes and doesn't bother to swallow back a bitter sob that escapes from her throat.
Caroline enters the kitchen a couple of moments later and rushes over to the blonde as soon as she spots t heartbroken woman. "Maura, what happened?"
Maura opens her mouth and shakes her head, not able to say one word.
Caroline is hugging her tightly and frowns. "Oh, honey."
