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Just a reminder: lyrics – flashbacks – present day.

Chapter Two
"Ours"
December 2010

Elevator buttons and morning air
Stranger's silence makes me want to take the stairs
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares
But right now, my time is theirs

For as long as I can remember, I have always hated Mondays. Because what is fun about waking up early after two days of sleeping in? Nothing I can think of. It got a little easier after school became work. At least work was usually enjoyable.

And then one Monday, I found that maybe Mondays weren't so bad. After spending the evening before avoiding a guy Ma had set me up with at a stupid party, one that turned out to be not so stupid, the last thing I expected was to see her here.

It was an easy enough maneuver. I had perfected it over the years as I learned to ditch the less than interesting guys Ma described as handsome and charming. I spotted a girl alone at the bar, chatted with her for a few minutes, and then promptly introduced her to my date. As they talked, I slipped away to survey the room.

And there she was. There was no mistaking the blonde in the middle of the room. Even from twenty feet away, I could see the way her eyes shined as she animatedly told a story to the circle of people surrounding her. For a brief second, our eyes met and the girl flashed me a smile.

I was sure I felt my heart stop.

And there she was at BPD the next morning, smile and all. I raced to follow her into the elevator and was relieved to find we were alone.

Maybe Mondays wouldn't be so bad after all.

But today, Maura wasn't here. And that meant Mondays were no fun. She had left for New York the previous evening when she found out her father had to have surgery. Constance assured her it was nothing serious, but Maura insisted on going.

And that's exactly why I love her, I thought to myself, a smile playing on my lips.

Seems like there's always someone who disapproves
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out, but my choice is you

"Ma, you're really okay with this?"

"Okay with this? Janie, I'm thrilled! My daughter is dating a doctor! I prayed for this for so long. You better not screw this up. Maura is a wonderful girl, you treat her right."

"Ma!" I rolled my eyes at her comments. "You realize I'm your daughter, right? Not her?"

"Of course I know that, Jane, I was there. I remember. I'm just saying. Be nice to her."

I bit my lip and looked around nervously before speaking again. "Do you think Pop will be okay with it?"

"Oh, Janie. I don't know. There was a time when I knew everything about that man. Now I'm not sure I know him at all."

I guess having three out of four of your parents approve is more than some people got. Maura's parents reacted much like Ma, just happy we were happy.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks and things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high
The water's rough
But this love is ours

Maura was set to come back in two days, the day before New Year's Eve. I smile, as I think about the diamond ring in the little blue box sitting in my car. Now all I needed was the perfect moment. Maura deserved the perfect proposal. She has probably been dreaming about that moment since she knew what marriage was. And I was going to give that to her.

I had it all planned out. On New Year's Eve, at midnight, I would take Maura outside beneath the stars, bottle of Champaign on standby, get down on one knee, hopefully it would be snowing, I thought, remembering our first kiss, and give her the long speech. I began to recite in my mind once more; I wanted to get it perfect when I asked.

"Maura, the past two years have been the best of my life. You know, it has been exactly two years, almost to the moment that we kissed for the first time. We had been friends for quite a while then, but little did you know, you'd had my heart since the first time I saw you smile. You light up the room every time you walk through the door, and by some miracle, you chose to love me. You make my day better just by being there and I never want to live without you. Maura Isles, would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

And then she would say yes. And there would be some tears. And there would be lots of engagement sex. I smirked at the thought. Yes, there would most definitely be lots of sex.

You never know what people have up their sleeves
Ghosts from your past are gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
But I don't care, cause right now you're mine

"Maura, please tell me what's wrong. You're making me nervous."

I watched as she paced back and forth, hand to her forehead, shaking her head. I could tell she was talking to herself, but I couldn't make out anything but a few grumbles. I stood from the couch and walked toward her, taking her hands in mine.

"Maura, honey, what is it?"

"Ian is here."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Not Ian. Anyone but Ian. Ian, the criminal. But no, that's not why I hated him. Ian, the love of her life. Yes, that's why I hated him. I felt the anger building up and fought the urge to drive over there and punch him in the face.

"How long is he staying?" I already knew the answer was too long.

"Just a couple days."

I took a deep breath, thinking of my two options. Both ended with making sure Ian knew that Maura was mine, and I wasn't about to give her up. But Maura would probably be upset with me if I chose option A and inflicted violence upon him.

"Will you stay with me?" I finally asked her.

"You don't trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. I don't trust him. He is a criminal, after all."

Her eyes softened and gave me a small smile.

"Okay, I'll stay with you."

It's not theirs to speculate if it's wrong
And your hands are tough but they are where mine belong
And I'll fight their doubt and give you faith with this song for you

I pulled into Maura's driveway with no recollection of how I made it there. Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't wipe them away fast enough. I cut the engine and drug my feet toward the front door, grateful when I heard it open and felt arms wrap around me.

I didn't hesitate to sink my head into her shoulder, letting her hands caress my back. I have no idea how long it was before she pulled back, but it felt like hours. She led me to the couch, wrapping her arms around me once more.

"What did they say?"

"Ma said she would kill me if I broke your heart." I gave a small chuckle through my tears and saw her give me a concerned smile.

"And your dad?"

"Not so much."

"I'm sorry, sweetie."

She held me until my tears dried and when I finally looked up again, I saw pain and dread had taken over her face.

"Maura, what is it?"

"I don't want to come between you and your family, Jane." I saw the tears in her eyes and wiped away the one that fell. "Your family is important, I can't ruin that."

"You are important. You matter. Not him. If he can't accept this, I don't want him anyway. Because what we have is special. And I can't live without you. So you are important. I love you, Maura, nothing anyone says is going to change that."

"You…love me?"

"Yes, I love you."

"I love you, too."

Cause I love the gap between your teeth
And I love the riddles that you speak
And any snide remarks from my father
About your tattoos will be ignored
Cause my heart is yours

For the tenth time in the last hour, I banged my head against my desk. It had been almost two weeks since our first date, and I had been determined to take things slow. But damn, sometimes Maura made that extremely difficult. We have been texting all morning and I'm beginning to think she is torturing me on purpose.

"Tell me something I don't know about you."

"I have a tattoo."

I had actually literally choked on my coffee as I read her confession. It took me several minutes to regain my composure and get all the guys to stop staring at me.

"Of what? And where?"

"You'll have to figure it out for yourself. ;)"

"Please? Can I at least get a hint?"

"It's very symbolic. In a place most people don't get to see."

"But you'll let me see?"

"Only if you're nice to me."

It had been driving me crazy ever since. She wanted nice? I can give her nice.

Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks and things that shine
But they can't take what's ours
They can't take what's ours

As we lay on my couch, as the credits of some cheesy romantic movie she begged me to watch with her began, I ran my fingers under the waistband of her shorts, stopping when I reached the small group of swallows just below her hip.

"They symbolize freedom, loyalty and love. What more do you need in life?"

I didn't expect to say the words that came out of my mouth next. But once they were out, I realized they were as perfect as the speech I had prepared.

"Marry me, Maura."

The stakes are high
The water's rough
But this love is ours

A/N: See, I told you this one would be happier! I actually had a lot of fun writing this one, it's such a great song. By the way, if you have never seen the music video, go watch it now. I don't really like music videos, but this one was perfection, it made me cry. Anyway, I hope you all liked, please review and let me know what you think!