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February
Today is Valentine's Day. Their school has a tradition that during lunch break, everyone who wants to say something nice to their friend/boyfriend/girlfriend, has the chance to get up on an improvised stage and take the mic. Jane has been thinking about doing this, but she has no idea what to say and she's not sure if Maura enjoys being the center of attention.
What she doesn't know is that Maura has been planning to give a speech.
Lunch break comes way too quick for the blonde's nerves, and she starts fidgeting the second they walk into the cafeteria. Jane notices, and asks her what's going on. She doesn't know how to reply without giving away her surprise, but she's saved by the headmaster, who starts speaking into the microphone.
"Good afternoon, boys and girls. It's February 14th, and we all know what that means. Valentine's Day," he starts. "You all know our tradition, so I would like to ask the first volunteer to come on stage."
Maura looks around, and sees that a girl is already making her way to the improvised stage. She introduces herself as Natasha, and says she wants to thank her boyfriend for always being there for her. It's a short speech, but because Maura is too focused on keeping her breathing slow, she doesn't notice that a different person is already speaking into the microphone. It's a boy, and he thanks a couple of friends for some things the blonde doesn't quite catch, and he is done quickly as well.
After two more speakers, the headmaster grabs the microphone again.
"Are there any other volunteers who want to say something special?"
Maura knows that it's her time to go now, and she slowly pulls her hand free from Jane's grip to raise it in the air, indicating that she wants to speak. The brunette looks at her, surprised. "No way," she whispers. "Are you sure?" She knows Maura doesn't like to talk in front of crowds, but the blonde nods her head and makes her way to the stage.
The headmaster helps her get onto the stage and gives her the microphone. He winks at her, mouthing good luck before leaving her on her own.
The blonde looks into the crowd nervously, and she spots Frankie and Frost on her right. Frost puts his thumbs up, and she starts talking.
"Okay, so I'm Maura, and I'm Jane Rizzoli's girlfriend," the crowd whoops, making her smile right away. "At the beginning of this year, I was new here and didn't know anyone yet. Jane included me and made sure I knew my way around. I was terrified at first, but she made me feel at ease, and so did her friends, Audrey and Frost." More shouts from people in the audience, this time people from people who know Audrey or Frost.
"We got to know each other, and little did we know that there was more than just friendship going on between us. So now she's my girlfriend, and I'd really like to say some things to her," she is silent for a second, finding familiar brown eyes in the crowd, filled with adoration and love.
"Jane, I'm so … grateful to have you. You've taught me to live instead of just exist. You've shown me what real friends are, and what they can mean to you. Oh, I now read comics from time to time, and for those who didn't know me from the first day, that's …" she falters, not knowing how to explain. "A huge improvement!" A loud voice calls out from the crowd, saving her, like the girl who the voice belongs to always does. Almost everyone laughs and Maura smiles too, looking at Jane again. As if she could look anywhere else.
"So thank you, Jane Rizzoli, for being you. And I hope that we'll stay together for the rest of our lives, because I would want to spend it with anyone else."
The crowd whoops, clapping and cheering loudly. The headmaster takes the microphone from her, but he can't even start speaking. A chant of "Jane, Jane" has started, urging the brunette to go up the stage to her girlfriend. Maura waits and sees that Jane rolls her eyes, but is still smiling. The brunette walks up the steps and approaches her girlfriend, ignoring the loud cheers coming from Frost and Audrey. Jane looks at Maura with in her eyes the obvious question, and Maura nods almost imperceptibly, but just enough for Jane to see and know the answer.
The brunette leans in and kisses her girlfriend on the lips, in front of the entire school.
If possible, the cheers get even louder, but Jane and Maura don't notice during those three seconds of pure bliss. When the brunette pulls back, her eyes are twinkling. She mouths I love you before grabbing the blonde's hand and leading her off the stage, down the steps and back into the crowd.
The headmaster starts talking now and everyone silences, so Jane leans in to whisper in her girlfriend ear.
"I can't believe you did that," she whispers. "You're incredible, Maur."
The blonde smiles, looking into brown eyes. "You deserved it. I love you, Jay."
Jane smiles too, and they both look at the headmaster again who's just finishing his speech.
He asks for a round of applause for the ones who spoke, and then the bell rings, indicating that it's time for everyone to go back to class.
..
..
Maura has decided, after her short talk with Jane, that she wants to spend her birthday with her girlfriend. She had no idea what to do if she would invite people, so she decided against it. However, she knows that her girlfriend is planning something, but she doesn't know what. Sometimes, she catches Jane talking with Frost and Audrey, and they immediately stop when she arrives. Jane is really good at keeping secrets, and despite her efforts, Maura hasn't yet figured out what they're planning.
Today is February 17th, one day before her birthday. It's a Thursday, and she has an extra ballet practice till 6:30PM. She gets home at seven, and Jane rings her at exactly 7:40. It's like her girlfriend knows her exact routine and how much time she takes to get home, shower, and get dressed.
"Hey," Maura says, putting her dinner in the microwave.
"Hi yourself," her girlfriend replies. "I'm gonna tell you about some things you gotta do, and you can't ask questions, okay?"
"Umm, okay?" she replies, confused. She wants nothing more than to ask questions.
"Okay, listen up," the brunette starts. "I need you to pack an overnight bag and take it with you to school tomorrow. It doesn't have to contain much, just something to sleep in, a toothbrush and fresh clothes. Right after last period tomorrow, I need you to come to Frost's locker. Do you know where that is?"
The blonde nods, but remembers she's on the phone. "Yes. I know."
"Good. Do you have anything planned before Saturday 11PM?"
"No, but I thought I told you already. I just want to spend my birthday with you," she replies, hoping to get more information from her girlfriend.
"That has been arranged," Jane says, and Maura can hear the smile in her girlfriend's voice. "Don't worry, Maur. I got you."
After those words, her girlfriend disconnects, preventing herself from telling things she shouldn't tell yet, and the blonde is left to wonder about her present.
..
..
The next day, Maura arrives at school with her normal bag and the overnight bag Jane asked her to take. It barely fits into her locker, and she wonders how Jane imagined this to work. Her girlfriend asked to take 'just basic stuff', but Jane should know better by now. Maura's basic stuff could fill a two suitcases.
A lot of people say happy birthday to her in the hallways, even ones she doesn't know. When she walks into the cafeteria and makes her way towards their table, Frost, Audrey and Jane are already there, and they start singing 'Happy birthday' really loudly, making everyone look at them.
Maura blushes slightly and when she smiles nervously, Jane gets up to wrap an arm around her. When they finish singing, Jane presses a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek, smiling adorably. A few shouts of 'Happy birthday Maura' are heard, before everyone turns back around towards their own group of friends.
She sits down and Frost immediately pulls something from his bag.
"This is a card signed by everyone from your Spanish class, and this one is just from the three of us," Frost explains, before pulling a box of chocolates from his bag as well. "And we bought this as well. You once said that you never had any of these special chocolates, so we wanted to introduce you to these magical things. If you don't like the way they taste, I'm sure Jane won't mind eating all of them."
Maura smiles, taking the cards and the box of chocolates from him. "Thank you."
She puts the box down and takes out the first card, the one from her classmates. It's filled with all sorts of birthday wishes, and she loves it. Maura has never had a birthday card from her class before, and she thinks that Jane must've put everyone up to this.
Next up is the card from Frost, Audrey and Jane. It's in a shiny gold envelope, and the card she pulls out is beautiful. The front is a drawing of flowers and the back has a little heart on it. She opens it and immediately knows that Frost or Audrey must've written it, because the neat, round handwriting is definitely not Jane's.
Dear Maura,
We wanted to start off by saying happy 18th birthday. It's been great having you here with us, and we are more than happy that you're part of our group. So far, this year has been a bit of a mess because of the stuff that happened, and we're so glad you and Jane made up. You girls are made for each other (Jane just punched my shoulder, I'm sorry for the ink stain at the end of that word).
Just know that, even though we're most likely parting ways at the end of this year, we will always stick up for you.
We hope you'll have the most amazing day today, but we already know you will.
Have fun with Jane, and tell Frost and me everything when you get back.
- Frost, Audrey and Jane -
The blonde looks up and everyone is looking at her expectantly, and Audrey looks a little nervous. She wrote the card as Maura can tell from the last sentence, and Maura smiles at her before she feels Jane's fingers on her cheek, wiping away some tears she didn't even know were there.
"Thank you so much. I'm so grateful for you all," she says, before looking at Jane, pretending to be angry.
"You told them what we're up to, but I don't even know it!" she says, and everyone laughs out loud.
Jane looks at Frost and Audrey before looking back at Maura. "I had a little help from them. I couldn't have done this on my own."
Maura huffs, annoyed. "I want to know."
"You'll find out this afternoon," Audrey says. "Did Jane already tell you to come to Frost's locker after class?"
"Yeah, she did, but this day takes forever! It's only twelve, and the last class isn't until 3:35PM," she says. "And I'm nervous."
Everyone laughs again at the blonde's frustration, and then the bell rings. Students all around them get up, making their way towards the next class. Jane kisses her cheek before leaving for Spanish with Frost, who gives Maura a quick hug before running after Jane. Audrey lingers, waiting until Jane and Frost are out of sight.
"Jane's just as nervous as you," she whispers to Maura. "Just so you know. You didn't hear this from me, okay?"
Maura nods, smiling. "Thanks. I'm glad you're my friend, Audrey."
"I'm glad you're my friend too," her friend replies with a smile, before making her way into the hallway.
..
..
After school, Maura meets everyone at Frost's locker and lets herself being led to his car. She sits in the back with Jane, holding her hand, and Audrey and Frost are sitting in the front. She's trying to figure out where they're going, but she has no idea.
They drive past a train station, and suddenly Frost stops and parks his car on the side of the road. Jane grabs her bag, motioning to Maura that she should grab hers.
"Where are we going?" the blonde asks again, hoping to get an answer.
Jane simply smiles and gets out of the car, holding the door open for her girlfriend. Frost and Audrey are already on the sidewalk, waiting for them to get out. The blonde closes the car door behind her and stands next to Jane, looking around them for clues.
They are in front of a huge building, and Maura knows this building. It's where she arrived when she took the train from the airport when she first came to Boston. She looks above the entrance, seeking the letters she knows are there.
Boston South Station
She looks at her girlfriend, confused. Now she's completely lost. Where is Jane taking her?
Jane laughs at the look on Maura's face, making the blonde laugh as well, because she can't not laugh if Jane's laughing. The brunette makes eye contact with Frost, who nods and walks inside the station, Audrey right behind him.
"Promise me to not look where we're going, alright?" Jane says to Maura, giving her a quick kiss. "Trust me."
The blonde nods and does what she's told, even though she has the urge to look on every screen to see which trains are leaving from which platform, and most importantly, where those trains are going.
Finally, they're at the place where they need to be. Frost and Audrey make sure to stand in a spot where Maura can't see any of the signs that tell her where they're going, and although the blonde is a little frustrated, she's also excited. Jane has an arm wrapped around her, and she feels steady.
After a couple of minutes spend talking to each other, a train arrives at their platform. Lots of people get off and suddenly it's very busy on the platform. A few people who were waiting next to them already get on the train, indicating that it's time for them to go. Jane grabs her bag from the floor, hugging Audrey and Frost. "Thanks for taking us. And thanks for making this possible," she says. The blonde hugs them too, still clueless about the things that are happening.
"Ladies and gentlemen, from platform 2 will soon be departing-" Jane covers Maura's ears just in time and kisses her, momentarily distracting her. When they part, Jane's eyes are twinkling. "You'll know when we're on the train and it's leaving, okay? I promise. Just a couple more minutes, Maur."
Frost and Audrey say goodbye to them and make their way back up the stairs, towards the entrance hall. Jane gets on the train first, with Maura on her heels.
"Where do you want to sit?" the brunette asks.
"I don't mind, as long as we're sitting at a window and I get to hold you hand," the blonde says, smiling adorably.
"Got it," Jane replies, heading towards an empty pair of seats next to the window. "After you," she says, letting Maura in first so the blonde can sit at the window. Jane places their bags on the rack above their heads before sitting down as well.
"How long does the ride take?" the blonde asks after a few minutes of silence.
"God, I thought I was stubborn," Jane says. "I'm not telling you."
The blonde huffs, pretending to be annoyed. It doesn't even take three minutes until the train starts moving, and they're on their way to wherever they're going.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice on the speaker pulls Maura from her thoughts. "Welcome on the train with final destination New York City. We are right on schedule, so that means we will be arriving ..." Maura doesn't hear the end of that sentence, because she's staring at Jane with wide eyes.
"Are we going to New York, Jane? Oh my god!"
The brunette looks at her, amused. "Yeah, Maur. We are."
Maura leans in and kisses her girlfriend, arms sneaking around Jane's neck to pull her closer. Their kiss lasts longer than expected, and Jane really has to pull back after a while because she's out of breath. She rests her forehead against Maura's, inhaling her girlfriends perfume.
"Are you happy? Is this okay?" she whispers, feeling a little nervous.
The blonde pulls back to look into brown eyes. "Jane. I can't ... I don't ... How did you even do this?"
Jane smiles, tucking a brown curl behind her ear. "Don't worry. I had a lot of help." The blonde squints her eyes, not fully believing the brunette's words, but she lets it go for now. She turns a little towards the window before resting her head on Jane's shoulder, and her girlfriend puts an arm around her. She leans back, looking out the window, and listens to the train moving over the rails.
..
..
Their trip takes a little more than four hours, and Jane (not Maura, for once) is fast asleep by the end of it. Maura isn't sure whether to wake her up, but when the skyline of New York appears, she gently shakes her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Jay. Look," she whispers, waiting for brown eyes to meet hers.
The brunette blinks a couple of times before focusing on Maura. "Mm?"
Maura points at the window. "Look. This is amazing, Jane. That's New York over there," she says, still not believing everything that's happening.
Jane looks at her girlfriend instead of out the window. She'll always look at the blonde first, because there's no better view than that.
They arrive at Grand Central fifteen minutes later, and when they get off the train, Maura grabs Jane's hand. Together they leave the station, walking into the New York City sun. It's busier than Maura thought it would be. Sure, this is New York, but the blonde has to hold onto her girlfriend's jacket to not lose her in the crowds.
Jane puts her hand up when she spots a yellow cab, and it immediately pulls over, stopping in front of them.
"Whereto, ladies?" a brown haired woman asks them, once they're settled.
"Park Lane Hotel," Jane says. "Do you need an address?"
"No, I'm good," the woman replies and starts driving. After a few minutes of silence, she asks them if this is their first time in New York.
"For me it is, but she's already been here before," the brunette replies, pointing at Maura. The woman looks at them in the rear view mirror, smiling. "I'm sure you're going to love it here. What's the occasion?"
"It's my birthday today," Maura replies. "And I had no idea what we were going to do. A little over four hours ago we were still in Boston, and now we're here."
"Happy birthday!" the woman says enthusiastically. "I won't ask any more questions then. I'm sure your friend wants to keep everything a secret," she adds, winking at Jane, who smiles as well. "Yeah," the brunette says, not sure whether she should correct this woman and say no, she's my girlfriend.
She doesn't, instead puts her arm around Maura, placing a kiss on her cheek. Jane immediately meets the woman's gaze in the mirror, and she's sure she sees a twinkle in those brown eyes. The woman focuses on the road again, and Jane and Maura look outside, at all those people out there doing their own thing, living their own lives.
It takes half an hour for them to get to the hotel, since it's 8:30PM on a Friday, and everyone who wants to go out is on the streets now.
They pull up in front of Park Lane Hotel, and Maura looks at the building, thinking. She already thought she recognized the name of the hotel, but it isn't until now that she realizes where she knows it from. She once googled this hotel when her mother stayed here, and told her to have a look on the website when she wanted more info.
"Jane," she starts, looking at her girlfriend with wide eyes. "I can't do this. This is too much."
The brunette must roll her eyes, because the woman behind the wheel starts laughing. Jane gives her the money for the ride and thanks her, before looking at Maura.
"Honey, I didn't do this on my own. And I'm sure this woman would appreciate it if you could just get out of the car right now. We're staying in this hotel, Maur, and there's nothing you can do about it. I have already arranged everything."
"But, Jane, I know how much this costs. I can't just let you-"
The blonde is silenced by Jane's lips, that press against hers softly. She closes her eyes, a feeling of happiness spreading through her when their lips meet again. She has instantly forgotten what she wanted to say, and when they pull apart, the woman is looking at them with a smile on her face.
"I'm sorry," Jane says to the woman, smiling as well. "She talks a lot. And sometimes I have to shut her up."
"I don't mind at all," the brown-haired woman replies. "You girls are great together. I hope you have an amazing time here. Make good memories, okay?"
Maura finally opens the car door, putting her feet on the pavement. "Thank you very much. I have an amazing girlfriend, so I'm sure we will."
"Thank you," Jane says to the woman, getting out of the car as well. "I'm doing my best. Good luck with your shift."
The woman thanks them, and then Jane closes the car door behind her. She puts her hand up when the woman drive away, who does the same.
"Okay, Maur. Now, we're walking in there, and we're letting ourselves being led to our room, without saying anything about the price or something. Okay? I know I can't afford this, but I wanted to do this for you. Like I said about a hundred times in the past few hours, I had help. It's okay."
The blonde sighs, but complies, and walks towards the entrance, holding her girlfriend's hand.
..
..
They drop their bags in the room before heading downstairs to have dinner. Jane has a burger, simply because she doesn't know half the things that are on the menu. She's sure she can't even pronounce the names. Maura orders a salad, and they order french fries as a side dish.
"Do you want a dessert?" Maura asks when they've finished their meals.
The brunette looks at her watch. "I'm not sure we have time for that."
Maura frowns, looking at her girlfriend. "Why? What are we going to do?"
Jane raises her hand when the waiter walks by, signaling that she wants to pay. "We're going somewhere. It's a surprise."
"Ugh. I'm not sure I can hear that word again," Maura says. "You're making me nervous."
"Don't worry. You'll love it," Jane says reassuringly, and then the waiter returns with their check.
When they get back to their room, Maura first really has to use the bathroom. When she walks back into the room, she sees her girlfriend standing in front of the window, looking at the city from above. Thousands of lights from different buildings light the city up, and it looks beautiful.
Maura walks over to her girlfriend on her tiptoes, not wanting to give her presence away just yet. Once behind Jane, she wraps her arms around the brunette, who jumps from the sudden contact but relaxes when she realizes it's just Maura. The blonde entwines their fingers on Jane's stomach and looks at the city over her girlfriend shoulder.
"It's so beautiful here," Jane says quietly.
"You're beautiful," the blonde replies.
"That's cliché, Maur."
The blonde doesn't comment on this, instead presses a kiss to Jane's shoulder through her t-shirt. "My mother paid for this hotel, didn't she?" Maura asks, keeping her voice neutral. She's been thinking about this during dinner, and she needs to ask if she's right.
The brunette spins around in her girlfriend's arms, and her eyes already hold the answer to Maura's question.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" It's not meant as an accusation, and Maura hopes Jane doesn't take it as one.
The brunette stays silent, thinking. A thousand things are going through her mind, but all that comes out is "I don't know."
Somehow that answer describes everything she wants to say perfectly.
Maura waits for Jane to continue, gently rubbing her back.
"I think ... I think I didn't want you to be upset. Upset that you mother isn't here with you, or that she paid for this hotel, I mean," the brunette says. "I don't know, really. I just want to make you happy." Jane's shoulder sag a little with this confession. Brown eyes meet hazel ones, looking for emotions.
"I don't care about all of that. I'm happy as long as I'm with you. And I'm so happy that you arranged all of this, just for me. I feel special, and knowing that my mother helped arrange this only makes me happier. It shows that she still cares about me." Maura leans in, but doesn't close the distance between their lips just yet.
"I love you so much, Jay," she whispers against the brunette's lips, and Jane grabs the back of Maura's neck to finally feel the blonde's lips against hers.
They stand like that for a while, trading gentle kisses in front of the window with a view of the city.
Finally, they part, and Jane's eyes are a little hazy. Maura smiles, and the brunette's eyes dart back down to the blonde's lips. She manages to look away, and frees herself from Maura's hold. "You should get changed," she says, motioning towards Maura's bag. "I'll change in the bathroom."
"Change into what?" the blonde asks, confused.
"Something comfortable. Not too chic, just comfortable. I'm sure you must've something in that huge bag of yours," Jane says, smiling. She takes a set of clothes from her bag and makes her way towards the bathroom, throwing her 'I've got another surprise for you' smile over her shoulder.
A few minutes later, Jane emerges from the bathroom, wearing dark blue jeans and a black turtleneck. Her brown curls are up in a casual bun, with some strands of hair hanging loosely around her face. Maura is pulling the straps of a dress over her shoulder when she sees Jane, and the hand that was going to pull up the zipper on her side has frozen. "Wow," the blonde says, and although her girlfriend's outfit isn't necessarily chic, Jane still looks amazing.
The blonde finally manages to zip up her dress, and she makes her way over to her girlfriend to place a kiss on her lips.
"Let's go to wherever you're taking me," she says, taking a smaller bag with her for her phone and wallet.
"See? You're a fast learner," Jane says with a smile. "Don't ask so many questions. I know what I'm doing."
This time Maura is the one to roll her eyes, and she gives Jane a little push towards the door.
"Move, you."
..
..
Ten minutes later, they find themselves in another cab, but now Maura didn't recognize the directions Jane gave to the driver. It was an address this time, not a name, and Maura has no idea where they're headed to. She's leaning on Jane's shoulder, looking out the window at the many lights outside.
"May I ask you something?" she says, after a few minutes of driving in silence.
"Sure," the brunette replies, still focused on the things happening on the streets.
"How are you all doing at home?" Maura asks, and she feels her girlfriend tense up just slightly. "We never really talked about it, and I want to know," she adds.
"Yeah, okay," Jane says, and she starts the story about the moment her father left.
The brunette manages to talk about everyone but herself. She talks about Angela, who cried for two days straight after Frank left. She got better, slept better, and was less tense and snappy towards Jane and her brothers. Tommy missed their father, because Frank was his hero, but he didn't really understand everything that was going on. Frankie did, but the brunette wasn't too sure about how he felt about it. Frankie didn't talk about his feelings, just like his sister.
So Jane talks about everyone, but carefully avoids talking about herself. Maura realizes this, and doesn't let the brunette get away with it.
"And what about you, Jane?"
"Me?" the brunette says. "I'm good."
"Jane," Maura warns. "What?" the brunette counters. "My alcoholic dad finally left our home, what's not great about that? Fewer fights, less alcohol. It's good."
The blonde doesn't trust the response, but she also doesn't want to fight with her girlfriend on their first trip together.. So she leaves it and kisses Jane softly, showing that she loves her and that she'll always be there.
Jane gets the message, and smiles at Maura before looking out the window again, entwining their fingers.
The trip takes fifteen minutes. They stop in front of a building Maura doesn't recognize, and she finds that she doesn't have to, because Jane tells her that they have to walk for five more minutes. The brunette deliberately gave the driver a different address, because she wants to keep her surprise a secret for as long as possible.
They cross Broadway, but don't actually go into the street. Maura is thinking in silence, trying to figure out where they're going. They must be going to a musical, or something like that. She can't really think of a show, until Jane stops in the middle of the street.
"Close your eyes," the brunette says, and Maura raises her eyebrows. "Seriously?" she says, but does what Jane asks.
The brunette spins her around so she's facing the other side of the street. She didn't think to look over there, she was simply looking at the buildings on their side of the street. "Open," her girlfriend says.
The blonde opens her eyes, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the bright lights from the buildings around them. She looks in front of her, and immediately recognizes the building on the other side of the street. A bright screen hangs above the main entrance, reading:
New York City Ballet - Get your tickets now!
Tonight's show: Romeo & Juliet
Maura's mouth falls open, and she turns to face her girlfriend.
"Is this serious? Are you serious?" she says, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yeah, Maur," Jane smiles at the face her girlfriend's making. "Let's go, we have 10 minutes before the doors close."
The brunette wants to take her hand and cross the street, but Maura grabs the collar of Jane's jacket and pulls her in for a kiss, on the middle of the sidewalk. Jane wraps her arms around the blonde, lips curling up in a smile during their kiss.
"I love you so much. You're amazing. I can't believe that you did this for me, Jane. Are you sure we're going?" the blonde rambles when they part.
Jane smiles, this time really pulling the blonde with her across the street when the traffic light for the pedestrians changes to green.
"I love you too," she replies, pressing a quick kiss to Maura's cheek before taking the tickets out of her jacket.
"Let's go."
My chapters get longer and longer. I had to divide this chapter in two parts, because I found it was too long to post. I hope you don't mind, I promise I'll put the second part of their New York City trip up within a couple of days :)