Wow, ok, where to start? I apologize for my long hiatus, but a lot of things happened in my life. I got into a really bad car accident and totaled my car. My job is getting to be really stressful, but hopefully ::fingers crossed:: I'll be getting a new one soon. I'm also living with a loud and disrespectful roommate. All of these things have contributed to my stress and sent me into a crazy writers block. Once again so sorry. For those of you still with me I hope you enjoy.

***I was able to fix previous uploading issue***

Saturday, December 15th 1984

Gia used the pay phone outside of the gallery to call the pizza place. "Hello, Marco, yes, I would like a large..." She covered the phone and elbowed the eight year old. "You want any toppings?"

"Greek olives?"

Gia nodded. "Excellent choice. Hey, do you like pancetta?"

"Yes I do, you can get that on a pizza?"

"This is New York, Peanut, you could get jelly beans on a pizza if you wanted to." She returned to the call, "pancetta and olives, thank you, Marco."

"You and the pizza man are on a first name basis?"

Gia laughed. "What can I say, the man makes a great pizza."

After hanging up, Gia hailed a cab and the two entered. "The Lennox Building please," Gia addressed the driver.

"So, did you get to do any sightseeing in before the show?"

"Yeah, my mom took me to the Met," she smiled at Gia, "I bet you'll be in there someday."

Gia put her arm around Maura bringing her into a side hug. "You are so sweet, Peanut."

Maura sighed happily, resting into Gia's side, just happy to be reunited with her dear friend.

As the two arrived to Gia's apartment building, Gia grabbed Maura's bag for her. "I'll carry this for you."

"No, I got it."

"It's a ten floor walk up, you sure, it's kind of heavy?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay then."

By the fifth floor Maura's arms were getting tired and Gia grabbed the bag before Maura could complain. Even after all the time they spent apart, Gia could still recognize when the little girl need help without her needing to ask for it.

When they got to the top floor Gia put the key in the door and entered her studio loft with Maura behind her. She rubbed her arms. "My landlord was supposed to fix my heat today I guess he never got around to it. She sighed and put Maura's bag on the couch. She went to the closet and got a sweatshirt.

"Here ya go, peanut," Gia said as she handed it to Maura.

Maura put the sweatshirt on and smoothed the letters on top of it. "R-I-S-D... This was from your school?"

"That's right," Gia smiled.

The door bell rang.

"That must be our Pizza." She answered the door and paid the delivery man as Maura walked around the apartment, noticing the boxes.

Gia, holding the pizza box with both hands, closed the door with her feet and walked to the kitchen table. "Com'on, Peanut, let's eat before it gets cold.

The little girl walked into the kitchen and Gia handed her a plate. "So did you just move in or something," Maura asked as she grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it.

Gia laughed nervously, shrugged and replied vaguely, "or something" and quickly changed the subject. "Did you get the tortoise?"

Maura, distracted from her initial question, beamed with excitement. "Yes, I love him. I named him Bass, he's gotten so big."

"Yeah I thought you might have liked him. So... Bass wouldn't be after the famous forensic anthropologist would it?"

"Yes, how do you know about him?"

"Remember my doctor friend, she was offered a job at Body Farm, but she turned it down to go to Sudan instead.

"Wow, she must be very brave."

"Next to you, she's the bravest person I know."

"I'm not that brave," Maura looked down.

Gia lifted the little girl's head by her chin. "Yes, you are."

After they finished their pizza the two sat on the couch to watch a movie.

"Hey Peanut, remember when we went to the movies and saw..."

"Annie! Yes! I loved that movie," Maura replied.

Gia held up the VHS tape, "You wanna watch it?"

"Yes, please."

Gia put the tape in and started the movie, then she sat on the couch. Maura lay her head on Gia's lap. She thought about the countless times she had done this before,
how she would never do this with her reserved mother who only recently started hugging her. This was what she had missed about Gia the most.

After the movie was finished, Gia made hot chocolate for Maura and coffee for herself to warm them up as the apartment was still quite chilly.

"We could make this a weekly thing," Maura said before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Gia looked down and circled the rim of her coffee cup with her left index finger.

"You can barely see the scar, do you remember that day, Gia?"

"Yeah, of course I do, Peanut," Gia replied, smiling to herself. "You were such a great help to me."

"I could help you unpack all of these boxes," Maura continued, "it looks like you barely moved in this place."

Gia sighed, she was hoping that she wouldn't have to tell Maura until tomorrow, but now the subject was unavoidable. "It's because I'm moving."

"Back to Boston," Maura asked with hopeful excitement.

"No, Peanut, I'm moving to Australia."

"When? For how long?"

Gia took a deep breath, "This coming Friday, and I don't know for how long."

Maura started to tear up, "but that's not fair, I just got you back.

Gia started to tear up too. "I know, Peanut, I feel the same way."

"It's so far away, why are you going?"

"An Australian hotel magnate wanted me to design pieces to decorate the lobbies of his hotels, I signed a contract last week."

Maura wiped her tears on the sleeves of Gia's sweatshirt. "That's very impressive, I'm very happy for you." She walked out of the kitchen and lay on the couch and continued to cry. Gia immediately followed after her. She knelt beside the couch so she was face to face with the little girl. Gia ran her fingers through Maura's hair. "This doesn't have to be good bye, ya know."

Maura remained silent aside from a few sniffles.

"We could write each other," Gia offered.

"Everyday?"

"Sure, Peanut."

"You Promise?"

"I promise I will try my best." She tapped Maura's head and the little girl got up, so Gia could sit on the couch too, then she lay back down in Gia's lap.

A few moments later Maura fell asleep, and so did Gia.

/

Sunday, December 16th 1984

Gia woke up first, rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch. She gently nudged Maura who was still asleep on her lap. "Time to get up, Peanut so we can have breakfast before your mom gets here."

The little girl woke up and rubbed her eyes too. She followed Gia into the kitchen and the two made pancakes together. While eating Maura steered the conversation to Gia's departure.

"If it's okay with my mom, can I come to the airport and say good bye to you?"

"Of course, Peanut, I would love that."

After they finished breakfast, Gia and Maura sat on the couch waiting for Constance to pick her up.

"I can't take much to Australia with me, I need to leave most of my things behind. You may have anything you like, Peanut. Val will take the rest and whatever she doesn't want, I'll donate."

Maura walked around Gia's studio apartment selecting items that would fit into her bag. She took the waffle maker, the Annie tape and a few of Gia's art pieces including a metal sculpture of a bonsai tree, a mobile of the solar system made of glass, and a Christmas tree ornament of a biplane made of wood and metal.

"Is that it," Gia asked.

Maura was hesitant. "Not exactly..."

"What else?"

Maura took a deep breath and pointed to the picture on Gia's bedside table. "May I have that?"

Gia picked up the picture and looked at it. It was the one featuring her and her siblings on the steps of their house in Philadelphia. She hugged the picture. "Why do you want it?" Her voice quivered a bit.

"It's okay Gia, never mind." Maura regretted even asking.

"No, I'm going to let you have it I just wanna know why?"

"Because you look so happy."

Gia smiled and handed the picture to Maura who glanced at it briefly before putting it into her bag. Shortly after Constance arrived to get her daughter.

"Good morning girls, did you have fun?"

"Yes we did," Maura stated "Mom, Gia is moving to Australia this Friday, can we come to the airport to say good bye?"

"I don't see why not."

"Then it's settled, I will see you on Friday," Maura said bringing Gia into a rib crushing hug, before leaving with her mother.

I hope to update soon, hopefully a lot of my stresses will be reduced. Sorry if any of you got the messed up version of this. Thanks to those who are still with me.

Be well and have a splendid day :)