Chapter 02

Maura had never been to the restaurant Julia had chosen. She had heard of it, but then again, her list of things to do was ever increasing and time was never enough. As she stepped into the courtyard of what had been once a factory she gasped. It had a few large trees – obviously transplanted, for the renovations seemed fairly recent-, shading the tables underneath. Maura was so thankful that the downpour earlier had been just that. The sun had come out again and it was dancing with the natural, almost organic, decoration of the restaurant. Julia was sitting at a table in a secluded corner, next to a wall covered with jasmine. The fragrance was most pleasant but not overpowering, and Maura felt like she had been magically transported out of town. She made a mental note to bring Jane before spring was over.

When Julia saw her approach, she got up and extended her hand.

Maura smiled. "My French education compels me to greet you the Continental way, if you don't mind." She leaned over graciously and gave Julia a kiss on each cheek. Actually, it was more of an approaching of skin on skin rather than full contact. It was the logical, warmer greeting almost mandatory after Julia had gone to the trouble to find such a delightful setting for their meeting. It was so logical to Maura that she didn't even notice the flush in Julia's face.

The waiter seemed to know Julia quite well. He greeted her with a tall glass of cold lemon water and a big smile.

"Don't tell me. You don't have much time."

Julia smiled apologetically. "I don't, you know how it is. But you know I rather rush through one of your wonderful meals than have more time by having to deal with a greasy burger."

Maura could see Jane's scoff in her mind, although she had to admit she understood Julia. This was exactly what she needed.

"So, he's the owner?" Maura followed him with her eyes, then turned to meet Julia's intense brown gaze.

"Yes, Aidan. We were best friends in high school; a shy and bullied scrawny guy who loved to cook instead of partying. Look at him now; this is his dream come true."

"Can't blame him. So you went to school here in Boston?"

"Yes, born and raised. Didn't even leave for college – BCU graduate." Julia's smile was contagious. She seemed to have this glowing outlook on life, which was almost incomprehensible for an assistant District Attorney.

While Julia was reading the menu, Maura seized the opportunity and took a discreet but good look at her. Her eyes seemed to smile all the time, even when she was concentrated. It made her face glow; not that she needed any help making her more beautiful that she naturally was. Dark curls were firmly tucked away in a bun that framed her finely shaped face. Her olive skin looked fresh, making her look younger than the mid-thirties Maura calculated her to be.

Julia raised her dark eyes and met Maura's with a friendly but deep stare. A fleeting twist inside made Maura feel airy and she forced her eyes down, lost for a second in what tasted like an adrenalin rush. She is so into you, Maur… Jane's voice whispered inside her head again. With a deep breath, she shut Jane out and decided to fully enjoy this new acquaintance.

And enjoy she did. Conversation flowed naturally, from work to travel, from fashion to movies, from art to food, all peppered with laughter and an uncanny sense of belonging. This was the second time in her life that she had felt as good and relaxed with anyone. The more they talked, the easier it became. It was exhilarating.

The buzz on the table went ignored until the culprit phone touched a glass in its vibrating fury.

"Excuse me, it's the office. I need to take this." As Julia didn't get up from the table to take the call, even Maura's best manners couldn't help her from overhearing about the postponed meeting.

"So. Meeting postponed. What do you say we go back to your office and continue reviewing the case?"

Maura shifted in her chair, ready to go. Had anyone, apart from Jane, suggested an impromptu meeting in the middle of a workday and she would have found it highly inappropriate, but Julia was pure energy, passion. She clearly loved what she did; actually, she seem to love everything she did, and that zest for life was a magnet for her proper, restrained self.

Half an hour later they were sitting on the couch in Maura's office going through every detail of the forensic evidence.

Julia pointed at a post-it note on the folder.

"Oh, that's Jane's… Detective Rizzoli's handwriting. We should ask her to join us, I'm sure she'll be able to help you with that and more…"

"I'll need to spend time with her too, but I'd prefer it if we focused on the forensics for now. I already read the case files but I found the studies you performed way over my head."

Maura shifted in her seat, suddenly self-conscious. "Well, I'm sure if I were to pour over the legalese of your case I'd be over my head too."

Julia's soft laughter inundated the room. "Oh, I doubt that. But I won't test you on that; you'll probably amaze us both. In any case, this is not so much about legalese; we have all the evidence we need. It's just the way you managed to put all the pieces together, the techniques you used…"

Maura smiled self-consciously and shook her head. "It's not just me. My team worked on this just as hard, and we have excellent equipment…"

"But it was you who looked for something that nobody else could have imagined being there, and managed to find it."

Maura shifted in her seat, a sting of pride straightening her spine. Treading carefully around her ego, she had to admit that this had been her case. She knew she felt particularly proud about it, but that was nothing compared to the look of pride in Jane's eyes. That look had felt even better than solving the case; it was a look that she had seen before but it meant so much to her every time she saw it.

Julia's look now was not of pride, but of sincere admiration. It was genuine, but it made Maura feel agitated; somehow she sensed that the admiration went beyond her professional achievements, and maybe Jane was right. But what if she was right? What if Julia indeed harbored something beyond friendly feelings? Would that be so bad? It wouldn't be the first time she became friendly with a lesbian, or the first time she was attracted one. She could easily find a way around it. The flurry inside was now more marked and she realized that Jane was right: if Julia were a man, she'd be swooning over him already. But Julia was a woman, and she was not into women. Such was the way of things.

Maura flattened her hands gently on her thighs as if closing her line of thought and got up.

"Well… You know my office door is always open to the DA's office, but I'm afraid I have to face a really busy afternoon." As soon as she ended the sentence Maura regretted it. She could see the effect of her words on Julia; the smile in her eyes was gone, now replaced by a polite stare down. In a desperate attempt for redemption, she continued.

"But I know we still have work to do. May I suggest we find another time this week?" Maura stood watching Julia's reaction, and breathed more easily to see the spark back in those deep, unsettling eyes.

"Of course, I have abused of your time. I had not planned to overextend lunch so much, but…"

Maura nodded. She hadn't either, but she didn't regret it. In fact, she would have much preferred stay talking to Julia than facing a mountain of paper work, but she had no choice.

Julia quietly gathered folders and papers into her bag and stood up without making eye contact. As she reached the door she turned around to face Maura.

"How do you call it? The Continental Way? I like it." Julia leaned over and touched with her lips Maura's cheeks. The contact was brief and soft, but it was a full contact of lips on skin.

"I'll call you soon." Julia gave her a wide smile and left.

Maura stood speechless, trying to process the distinctive tingling on her skin and flush inside. As the ADA left the morgue, she touched her cheek with her fingers, puzzled.

That's how Jane found her.