Hey all. I just want to say thank you for the reviews on my other story (which will be updated a couple of times over the weekend - maybe tomorrow) but I felt the need to get this one shot out my head before I could give it my full attention.

This ones a bit of an experiment. A little one shot. I hope you enjoy! Let me know.

Thanks

Lucky Number Eleven

You have never been in love. But there were many times when you thought you had.

You remember it. Remember the first time that you felt love. You were 3 years old and you had given your Ma a cuddle before she went to work. You cried if you didn't get one, you didn't quite feel complete if she wasn't near. You missed her.

Your dad took your mind of her absence though. When she worked nights, he let you stay up a little bit later than you were allowed and he didn't mind that you slept with your light on until she got back. He kissed you good night. She kissed you good morning.

You loved them. Your parents loved you. You felt love.

As you got older you realised it was unconditional.

By the age of 4 you started nursery. You met new people. You made friends. You loved them. You thought that they would be your friends for life but you were wrong. Only one of them remained close, only one of them is your friend now. Frost. You thought you were in love with Frost but you were 4 and you didn't understand that being in love and admirable love were different back then.

You loved Frost. You chose him. You love him because he is you best friend.

By the age of 8 you discovered that you loved your brothers. They idolized you, you protected them. They didn't seem as much of a nuisance as they were when they were younger. You think it's because Frankie wants to be like you and that makes you feel good so you want to do better so he does better. You start to push yourself to make a good impression and he grins at you like your super human or like you're a power ranger and it makes you feel warm inside.

You love Frankie because you have the same ambitions, you have the same dreams. You love Tommy too because while he doesn't want to be like you he acts like he could always protect you, like he doesn't care but he does and you love them both because they are your brothers. They are a reflection of you.

When you are 10 you think you know what love for a stranger is. It comes in the form of a poster hanging on your wall. You don't know why you love him, you have never met him but you have seen him on TV and his music makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you feel happy.

You love him because his famous and because that's what every else does.

You love him because you love music.

By 11 you realise what love for a stranger really is. It happens suddenly and it scares you. You have finished school but your mum hasn't arrived to pick you up. She has been working a lot of nights lately and must have over slept. Your dad isn't here either but you know he was busy today.

You have been waiting with Frankie for nearly half hour and you are contemplating just walking home but your mum has always told you not to walk long distances and you are worried because Frankie is only small.

You're contemplating the walk when your eyes drift over to the school gate. A girl slightly older than you, with red hair is watching you closely, and before you can stop yourself you bite out "What?"

It comes out a little harsher than you anticipated.

The girl looks down and you would feel guilty but you're looking out for Frankie and this girl isn't stuck like you. She isn't like you at all. Her hair is perfect not messy, her jumper and joggers have "Reebok" scribbled over them and her trainers show the 3 lines indicating they are Adidas. She is standing just outside a black car that looks shiny and new.

The girl steps closer to you after a moment's hesitation and you instinctively put your hand on Frankie's shoulder; you need to protect him, even from her.

"Are you ok?" The girl asks shuffling from one foot to another. Her nerves reflect yours but you are better at hiding them. You grit your teeth and nod but Frankie doesn't realise and shakes his head before you can stop him.

"Our Ma hasn't come to pick us up" He says quickly, quietly, and you squeeze his shoulder a little harder than necessary. Frankie looks up at you, his eyes are big but his smiling "Jane's going to walk me home"

"Be quiet Frankie" you grumble. You're embarrassed and you don't want to look back at the girl but you don't want to look at Frankie either because he will be upset if he thinks he has annoyed you, which he has but you can't tell him that so you shrug your shoulder defiantly, as if your Ma not picking you up is no big deal "We only live a few blocks away"

The girl with red hair nods and after a moments silence she steps forward again "You shouldn't walk; it's not safe in Boston at dusk"

"We don't have a choice" You say. You will not accept lifts of strangers. You let one hand slide down Frankie's back and grasp his hand and you're about to walk around the girl when she reaches out and grabs your arm. You tense but her eyes are soft and her face is smiling and she is reaching into her pocket. Before you can process anything you feel her hand link with yours for the briefest of moments and when you look up she is walking away.

"Now you do" You hear her shout over her shoulder.

You feel something in between your fingers and when you look down you see a $20 dollar bill and suddenly your eyes get cloudy. Frankie asks if you are ok but all you can do is nod that you are. You don't trust your voice anymore. When you look up the red haired girl is gone.

You loved that stranger because for a moment, when no one else was there for you, she was. When no one else would have understood you, she did.

By the age of 14 you think that Love is overrated.

You don't understand because it is something you have always wanted and now you properly understand it because you have seen it on TV and in magazines and it looks magical, it looks beautiful.

But real life isn't the same and it's something you're learning more and more about as the days pass you by. A school day isn't the same as the film Matilda, having friends is not the same as the TV show friends. Love is not the same as the chick flicks that star George Clooney or Hugh Grant. You know this because you have a boyfriend but his kisses are not gentle they are sloppy, he doesn't take you out for dinner he walks you to McDonalds and you end up buying your own food. You go around to his house but you find out you was only invited so he can copy your homework. He plays football with his friends at dinner time instead of holding your hand.

You love him, because his your first boyfriend and because that's what your meant to do. You love him, because his popular and it makes you popular and that sort of makes you feel good but somewhere it just doesn't feel like it's enough.

Before you know it, you and Rich have broken up.

By the age of 16 you fall head over heels in love.

They say love is blind and you would believe it except thinking back you knew deep down that you saw it all along.

Your favorite colour is red. It has been since you were 11 years old. At age 11 you also decided you wanted a black car, it would be shiny and beautiful and you would call it Maura.

It's said that first impressions are never the best impressions. That you believe. Not because Maura's first impression wasn't perfect but because the generosity of the stranger that she met 5 years ago was only a small segment of the beauty she held in her heart.

Despite her generosity and despite you finding out her name the next day, it has taken you five years to pluck up the courage to talk to her, to thank her for getting you and Frankie home safely.

When you were 11 you didn't talk to her because you were embarrassed, then you didn't talk to her because you had no idea what you would say and once you had figured it out too much time had passed. You saw her in the corridors once or twice a week. Sometimes you nodded, sometimes you smiled but most of the time she didn't notice, choosing instead to walk past you with her head averted to the ground.

Five years later, aged 16, you finally speak. It's unexpected and you're not sure it's the right thing to do, but you have nothing better to do because you left the school premises on your dinner to go to the park and you came back too late to go to your lesson. You spot her while walking down the hall, or you hear her, you're not sure which came first but you know it's Maura and you know she is crying and before you can even think about what you are doing - lead by the sudden pain in your chest - you find yourself walking over to her. You sit by her side, you wait for her to acknowledge you and finally, after what feels like an eternity, she looks up.

"What?"

Her voice is sharp. It reminds you of the first time you met and instead of getting defensive or angry, you smile. "Nothing"

You thought she would smile back, she doesn't and part of you feels upset about that. She wipes her eyes angrily and rests her head in her hands. "So, what is your chosen name for me then?"

You frown, you're confused, but apparently your mouth isn't and you whisper "You're Beautiful" before your brain catches up. You chance a look at her and when you do you swallow hard. Her eyes, green, no light brown, pierce into you so dangerously you feel like you have been stabbed.

"That's what they told you to say?" Maura questions then continues "You're all the same"

"What?" You ask, and when she doesn't reply you try again. You slide slightly closer to her and reach out your hand but her body tenses before you touch her so you let it linger in the air for a second and then drop it to the floor between you. "Who Maura?"

She tells you, in between tears and almost in riddles, but she tells you. "You popular girls, you're all the same" she breathes deeply to compose herself between sobs "Just because I'm different, just because I'm open doesn't mean you have the right to pick on me"

She is crying again and it hurts you, you can feel it like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and it makes you angry. You feel angry that someone could hurt this girl who wouldn't hurt anyone to the point that she is bearing her sole in the school corridor. You reach out again and this time she doesn't pull away. You wonder if it's because she needs the comfort or simply that she was too busy crying to notice your arms fly around her shoulder and pull her closer. You don't ask any more questions, you just hold her. It doesn't matter that you don't know what she is talking about. It only matters that you are there and you are paying back a long overdue favor.

Eventually after what feels like forever she stops crying and she lifts her head up off your shoulder and looks up at your nervously. "You know my name?"

The question throws you off balance. Of course you know her name, you can't remember exactly who told you it five years ago but you remember asking around repeatedly until you got it. "I do" You confirm out loud and then you reach out and tuck a stray stand of hair behind her ear. "Whoever upset you, don't listen to them, you are beautiful" You try again and you know you would say it for eternity if it just made her smile.

She does, and your chest loosens, your heart beats again.

It takes you three days to find out the 5 names that are making Maura's life hell and you're angry at yourself for not noticing sooner. You are angry at yourself because they are your friends and because one of them is Rich. You pull them aside and ask them to stop and although they shrug and nod you wonder if they have listened.

By day seven, you know why they are doing it and you are furious. It started because Maura had stood up for a boy in her class. She was explaining to your bunch of dim witted friends that same sex couples were just as acceptable and normal as couples of the opposite sex and that comment alone lead to their pathetic bullying of your new found friend.

By day 11 you witness it. You're on the way to the library to return a book that you forgot you had borrowed and as you are rounding the corner you can hear them.

Dyke.

Slag.

Lesbian.

Bitch.

You run the last few steps and you don't know what has gotten into you but you know that Maura is there and you know that your friends are blocking your path to her and you know that you need to make sure she is alright.

You bang into Rich with so much force that he loses his balance and topples back into the wall. You follow suit, pushing hard into his chest hoping he feels pain.

"What the hell Rizzoli" he snarls, but his holding the back of his head and only then do you realise that he must have hit the wall with some force.

"I told you" You spit and then you push him again because you're angry and you need to feel something. "I told you all to leave her alone"

"What's it matter to you, she is just some useless Dyke" he tries again.

You would hit him, hard, but before you can pull your arm back the sniffles by your side force you to step away. Hurting Rich no longer matters, you just need to know if Maura is ok.

You pull her into your arms and you hold her, you hold her and you feel all your anger slip away. When you are with Maura, all you feel is flutters and butterflies and everything that is soft, like silk or velvet, your head goes to the clouds. It's beautiful and instant and you want her to know that its alright, its safe and you're wiping her tears but she is still crying and you are running out of ideas.

"She isn't useless" it's the first thing you say, but its soft and you are talking to Maura not Rich, or maybe your talking to them both. You need her to smile. "She is beautiful" You take a deep breath, swallow hard "And if she is a dyke then so am I" you finish. Its soft and gently and your body has taken control of your mind again because your pulling her chin up and your brushing your lips against hers.

Maura's lips are salty and sweet and when you feel her kiss's back ever so slightly, nothing else matters.

You had never been in love until you had met Maura Isles. You know its love, because nothing else in this moment, or since that moment when you was eleven years old, ever really mattered.

You know its love because when you're both together, everything seems better than it was before. Everything seems ok.

You know you are in love because she smiles.

Thoughts? Thank you for reading!