Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!

Chapter Five: How To Let Doubts Invade Maura

"Dr. Isles?"

A few homestyle magazines in hand, Maura turned around and smiled at her interlocutor; a young woman in her early twenties.

"Sarah! How are you?"

It wasn't that summer had been gone for a long time now but with the rush of the wedding preparation and the short amount of time to do so, Maura had had very little time to think about the classes she had given in Harvard.

She had put this parenthesis of her life aside rather quickly to focus on her upcoming union to Jane but seeing her student standing in front of her now suddenly brought back fond of memories of an experience she didn't regret the slightest bit.

"I am fine... Busy, obviously. My internship has just started. What about you?"

Maura opened her mouth to answer when Amy arrived, coffee in hand. The honey blonde cast one very brief glance at her cousin before smiling back at Sarah.

"Sarah, this is Amy... My cousin. Amy... This is Sarah, one of my Harvard students. You know, from this summer when I err... When I gave some lectures, there."

The British woman raised an amused eyebrow – nodded – then shook the student's hand politely. A smirk lit up her features.

"Nice to meet you."

Sarah nodded in return and squinted her eyes at Amy; obviously noticing her accent that could not pass for a Bostonian one. The student forced a smile.

"Are you visiting?"

"More or less. I am here for Maura's wedding. Needless to say that we had all assumed that it would never happen but hey... Miracles and all that!"

The medical examiner shot a death glare at her cousin and swallowed hard. A powerful wave of heat rushed up her cheeks as embarrassement began to creep in. She was certain that Amy enjoyed all this way too much.

The socialite had always been this way with her; even as a child, she would do anything to tease her. Some things would never change.

"Oh." Sarah blinked and made an uncomfortable step backwards. "You are getting married? Congratulations."

Maura mumbled a vague thank you and was desperately trying to find something constructive to say when the young student made it easier by excusing herself. All smiles, she left the coffee store claiming a rather important appointment at the hospital where she followed her internship.

Amy went to sit down at a table by the large windows. For long seconds, the woman remained quiet and sipped on her drink observing the rumors of the street on a gray – cold – day. Maura joined her - a tea in hand - and started leafing - rather peacefully - through one of her magazines.

"You know what that is?"

The honey blonde frowned at the imprecise question and shook her head. She followed her cousin's gaze but nothing outside was worth being pointed at. People were coming and going peacefully. It was a rather classic urban scene.

"What are you talking about?"

Amy finally abandoned her mysterious contemplation to lock her eyes with Maura's. She pursed her lips, wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Her features had deepened under the weight of doubts.

"Sarah."

Leaning on top of the pile of magazines she had bought a few minutes earlier, the blonde shrugged and shook her head. Confusion embraced her face as she closed the publication she had started reading.

"As I told you, she was a student of mine this summer. A brilliant one, actually...! She wants to either become a neurosurgeon or a..."

But before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Amy interrupted her with a snort. Drink in hand, the socialite shook her head and swallowed hard.

"No. She is troubles. Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you? How she reacted when she got to know that you were getting married? She has a thing for you, Yankee. And that – believe me – is not something you want to deal with right now."

Maura blinked, completely taken aback by the statement. She turned around furtively to look by the window – as if hoping to see Sarah's ghost there for an explanation – but before the emptiness of it, she burst out laughing.

"You must be really jet lagged." She marked a pause and tried to deal with her cousin's absence of reaction. In vain. So so she went defensive instead. "And even if so... What do you want me to do? I mean... At least telling her that I was getting married must have reduced her hopes to nothing."

Amy produced an odd sound of disapproval and sighed rather loudly.

"Please don't tell me that you hadn't noticed it. I know that you can be rather blind when it comes to all of this but come on...! Hasn't she tried to reach you since you stopped teaching there? Oldest story in the world and you have to fall into this. You are such a genuine person - at times - Dr. Isles..."

Maura shrugged and – suddenly guilty – looked down at her hands. She let a few seconds pass by as a whirl of words began to bump against each other on her mind. Sarah had indeed sent her emails – but all of them had been related to medicine – and there was nothing insisting in her attitude. At no moment had she seemed to be flirting.

At no moment had the student tried to cross some lines.

"Perhaps Sarah has a thing for me but you are honestly seeing things where there is nothing at all to see. I am in love with Jane. Jane loves me, and trusts me. She knows that she can. The only thing – and yet – that interests me in Sarah is her love for medicine. Our relation is purely professional. As the one of a professor with a student should be. There is no trouble to foresee nor anything." A bit annoyed for a thousand reasons, Maura opened back her magazine and shook her head. "Don't take it bad, Amy, but you should stop watching Eastenders. Life is not a soap opera."

Amy didn't insist even if the face she made clearly highlighted the idea that she was not convinced.

The door of the coffee store opened, Jane came in. The socialite waved at her, putting thus an end – implicitly – to the odd conversation she had just had with her cousin.

"Did you get your car back?"

The Italian grabbed a chair – sat down – and kissed the honey blonde at the corner of her lips before moaning away Amy's question.

"Nah. Giovanni said it should be ready on Thursday, though. Fingers crossed. I'm so tired of having to drive around in the BPD car. You have no idea how many guys have asked me to handcuff them so far. A nightmare."

Maura laughed lightly – bit her lower lip – and shook her head apologetically.

"Would you like to have a drink? We are done shopping..." Discreetly, the medical examiner placed her hand on Jane's thigh and squeezed it. She offered her partner a smile, a peaceful one. "I swear I won't complain if you order half of their coffee pot."

Obviously in a good – rather light – mood, Jane smirked and got closer to Maura to check the menu of the coffee store.

"Why so good with me? I'm gonna start thinking I need to forgive you for something!" The Italian's joke fell rather flat. Immediately, she looked up and frowned at Maura; worried. "What happened?"

The scientist rolled her eyes and settled further on her seat. She repressed a yawn, fought against the urge to shoot another icy glare to her cousin for the ridiculous conversation about Sarah.

"Nothing! I am just a bit tired."

Which was true. She hadn't slept very well the night before. The wedding would take place within five days and she had the feeling that nothing was ready. A bunch of lies. In all honesty, they only had to double-check the catering company and the florist. And welcome their respective families.

"Are you okay?" Suddenly worried, Jane frowned – her voice hitting the air in a delicate whisper of doubts – as she pushed away a strand of hair from Maura's face to plant a kiss on her temple. "We can go home, if you want... Then have whatever Amy takes to be as much on top form as she is now."

The British socialite burst out laughing. Jane pointed at her as if to prove her point.

"See! Her flight landed this morning from London. She should be dead tired and yet here she is... Fresh like a daisy. This isn't normal. Nope. She hasn't even taken a nap. How on Earth do you do that?"

"That..." A smile began to play on Amy's lips, a very amused one. She picked a paper napkin then proceeded to fold it. "Is called the British touch. Accept it, Yankees. We Europeans are way better than you are at this game." She took a sip of her coffee, cleared her voice. "Fine. Now who is this Giovanni and can he make it to my list?"

Jane chuckled and turned around to look at a rather desperate Maura. Nothing had changed since Scotland when it came to men and Amy, obviously. If there was one around, the socialite felt the urge to have him.

"Well, Amy... Ask Maura what she thinks about him. I mean she surely has quite a nice story to tell about... Our dear Giovanni." Grinning like a fool, the brunette winked at her future wife. "Don't you, honey?"

Maura slapped her shoulder rather brutally. Jane winced, feigning pain.

"Ouch...?"