Chapter Twenty-One:

Jane had just set down her coffee on top of the car and was about to say goodbye to her relatives when she saw Maura walk out of the house and head toward her holding three bags in each hand. Jane sighed: Lorena had probably stricken again.

"What's all this? The trunk's already full."

Roberta had even given them one of her blinking Jesus. Jane hadn't dared to turn it down though chances were that the statue would end up in a cardboard box at her place.

Maura opened the door of the car and began to set the bags down on the floor between the driver's seat and the back seats. Her large Chanel sunglasses hid the expression Jane wanted to read in her eyes for they only reflected the street and the monotone row of tree-lined suburban houses.

"Leftovers... Although these look more like untouched dishes... And they're hot. Someone cooked them in the morning."

Jane rolled her eyes. Lorena and Roberta had probably been plotting right from the first hours of the morning to make sure that a bit of Staten Island would reach Massachusetts at noon. Well done. But since a dozen of relatives had joined them on the sidewalk, Jane didn't say anything. She didn't want to be impolite nor be the source of a last-minute drama.

"Call us every hour, Janie." Roberta tightened her grip on her jacket. "You know that I don't like cars."

Roberta looked worried. She kept on twisting her hands nervously and hadn't managed to smile for the last hour. She even spoke rather softly as it her usual loud tone of voice may jinx Jane and Maura's upcoming drive. Jane gave her aunt a nod. She had prepared four text messages that she would send every hour or so: easy.

"And by phone calls I mean phone calls, not text messages."

Jane froze as a wave of doubts invaded her. Had someone told Roberta about the subterfuge she had prepared or Nonna had had one of her infamous premonitions again?

"Maura's a good driver, Roberta." Angela took her daughter in her arms. The wink she gave Maura passed unnoticed to everyone else. "She'll be careful, don't be worried."

"So careful it'll take us eight hours to reach Boston instead of the usual four!"

They had woken up to a quiet house, or at least as quiet as an Italian-American house could be. The frenzy of the wedding was gone and most of the guests had returned to their respective cities and homes. Maura and Jane were the last ones to leave Roberta and Francesco's. Angela had a flight on Wednesday, Tommy and Lydia had left the evening before with TJ and Frankie.

Everything was over and soon enough Staten Island would disappear in the distance as Maura would drive away.

"Which is perfect." Roberta gave an appreciative nod to Maura. However, she squinted her eyes at Jane as soon as she looked at her. Her lips were pursed under the weight of reproach. "Why do you want to go so fast? Who do you think you are, Speedy Gonzales?"

Maura had won against Jane at scopa the day before. Unlike the first time they had tried to play, Lorena hadn't interrupted them this time and they had been able to take up the challenge till the end. That was how Jane had lost any chance to drive her way back to Boston.

The winner would drive.

After endless goodbyes and Nonna whispering something to Maura's ear – something that made Maura laugh lightly – they finally drove off. Jane remained silent for a while. Her head leaned against the window of the car, she observed the houses and the gray asphalt; the monotone frontyards. They all looked the same under the bright blue sky of another glorious, sunny day.

As a matter of fact, everything looked exactly the same. The world kept on turning peacefully and life was going on. It was her life that had changed, her and Maura's. They weren't just friends anymore. Within the last few days, they had decided to take together a new path that would lead them towards something they hoped to be just as sweet as the friendship they had shared until now.

"Do you want me to drop you at your place?"

Maura's question took Jane out of her silent daydreams. She looked down at her lap and let the words sink in. All the little details the question may imply. She finally shook her head.

"No... I mean unless you wanna be alone, of course."

The desire to spend each second of her day with Maura hadn't left her yet. Jane was even convinced that Maura felt the same. She could see it in her eyes, in innocent gestures and a tone of voice that betrayed silent wishes.

Jo Friday was at Korsak's anyway. She didn't have to walk her dog the moment she would be back to Boston. She had agreed with her colleague that she would get Jo back in the evening only, not before.

"I've been alone long enough like that."

Maura took advantage of a stop sign to slow down and look into Jane's eyes. A smile played on her lips, one full of warmth and delicacy. She leaned over to plant a quick kiss at the corner of Jane's lips.

The gesture touched Jane. She hadn't seen it come and the surprise caused a thousand emotions to start boiling in her lower stomach. She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile that would have probably looked a tad ridiculous; too foolish.

"If you think it's how you're gonna get me to listen to Yo-Yo Ma then I can tell you that you're wrong, Maura." Jane shook her head, delighted to hear Maura burst out laughing. "Nice try though. You may be the driver but I'm the DJ in this car... Janis Joplin, it'll be."

...

They reached Beacon Hill just before 1pm. Jane dropped her bag in the lobby while Maura trotted straight to the kitchen where she hoped to spot Bass. She had missed the tortoise a lot and was a tad worried that her absence would weigh on his delicate temper.

"I'll go get the leftovers."

Jane walked back to the car and picked up the different bags and lost her balance as their weight surprised her. She rolled her eyes. There was enough food to open an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. By the time she reached the kitchen, Maura was sitting on the floor talking to Bass.

"You're such a weirdo."

But a cute one. Jane sat down next to Maura and observed the tortoise with attention. He was looking at her – looking into her eyes – as if he was trying to read whatever was on her mind. It made her smile. She had grown fond of Bass even if she wouldn't admit it. An African-spurred tortoise was a singular pet to own but it made so much sense once you knew Maura.

"I know that there is plenty of food in these plastic boxes that Lorena and Roberta gave us but would you like to go to the restaurant?"

It was a sunny day in Massachusetts too and Maura didn't want to stay home. She wanted to feel the ground under her feet, and the smell of flowers go to her head bewitchingly. It was the perfect day for a stroll through Beacon Hill. She had missed Boston and was glad to be back.

"Sure, why not. I call Roberta to tell her we've made it here safe and sound and then we can go... Let's just make sure to not choose anything Italian!"

Twenty minutes later – after Maura unpacked and Jane spoke to her family over the phone – they walked down the street towards one of their favorite places. The neighborhood was quiet and its elegance sharply contrasted with the environment they had lived in these past few days. Staten Island looked so far, suddenly.

At the corner of two streets, Maura's fingers brushed Jane's. The quiet gesture would have passed unnoticed if it hadn't made them smile simultaneously. Within a few seconds, Maura was holding Jane's hand tightly.

They resumed their walk. Peacefully.

It was the first time that they held hands in public. The first time that they walked through the streets of the city as a couple. Not a single passers-by knew about it nor did one really pay attention to the gesture of affection they were now displaying but the importance of the moment caused their hearts to beat fast, and loudly.

It was what their life would look like from now on. It would be sweet and warm. Perfect, like this immense blue sky.

They reached Louisburg Square, a public garden where they often stopped by to talk for a while. Maura looked at it. There was something different about it. The colors were brighter, the smell of the flowers stronger and the place lovelier. With a sweet melancholy that she couldn't explain, she then looked at Jane and captured her lips in a kiss.

It was the beginning, the beginning of everything. As Jane responded to the kiss and slid a hand on Maura's nape, they both understood that they were at the right place; at the right time. The harmony they now felt was new and delicate, graceful like the smile that played on their lips.

They were in love but they didn't know it yet, or at least they still had to realize that it was the reason why their heartbeats went so fast whenever they looked in each other's eyes. It would happen.

It always does when it is meant to be.

The End

...

Author's note: Thank you very much for all the reviews, suggestions and messages. Once again, I'm glad to see you've enjoyed this story. The next one will be a tad angsty (a tad heavier) and maybe it'll be the sequel to this one since several people told me that they would like to know more about Isabella and Carmen. I still have to think about it. I should start posting the new fic on May, 9th.