It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day, the sky pleasing to the eye and the sun shining just strong enough to assuage the harsh cold that Maura could still feel tingling her senses from afar. It felt good though; to see the solemn radiance after what felt a long time and she finally registered what made her feel so genuinely elated. Her eyes decided to discern her surroundings further and looking around she found herself in the park, the one near Jane's apartment. She was sitting on a picnic blanket and she could see an entire picnic spread around her. A smile graced her lips instantly. A gush of happiness and calm surged through her and she immediately tried to find the people she would most want to share that with. Within moments she found Alex and Jane, standing and playfully talking near a jovial, sun-loving tree, probably trying to decide on something. Maura head tilted on its own accord to unveil her confusion and yet a smile continued to lace her lips out of sheer adoration of the scene. It was simple, just two of her favorite people talking and laughing and yet it was a precious sight for her eyes. She decided to join them. Slowly standing up, she took small calm strides to walk up to them. Alex saw her first, smiling broadly and immediately rushed to her side, hugging her sideways, at the same time Maura came to a stop before Jane.

"M, please make Jane understand that there is a reason we split responsibilities." Alex whined in between hearty giggles.

"Jane..." Maura's voice rose to a question as she raised her enquiring eyebrows and a smirk that always made Jane spill her secrets.

"Maur, don't listen to her, she is just being an adorable ball of nuisance..." Jane playfully teased.

Maura smirked. "Since when did Alex become like you?" Giggles followed from both the Isles sisters.

"Maur!" Jane pouted. "This is not fair. You both can't gang up on me at the same time."

Maura extended her hand to hold Jane's and smiled, "You are just as adorable though, you know."

Jane pouted a little more and then leaned in to whisper with tight lips in Maura's ears, "Maur, Come on! I have a reputation to maintain. Not in front of the kid."

Maura let out a heartwarming laugh at that. "Okay okay, detective," Maura winked as she continued, "I will do whatever you two are so whiny to do."

Jane's face adorned her endearing lopsided smile with an adoration whose origin Maura couldn't place. "Nah, Maur, I will go fetch the stuff from my apartment, but that just means little Miss Alex owes me one."

Maura looked at Alex who was smiling victoriously still snuggling close to her and then back at Jane who was still smiling with the same adoration she had seen moments back. It was a rush of tranquility again and she almost wanted to stay in this bubble forever.

Maura's eyes opened. It had been a dream. She had taken her medicines and fallen asleep so quickly. Her hands rose up to her chest and her eyes looked at the watch. It had been three hours. Alex was right. She needed that sleep. Her mind was trying to get her back to reality, back to her room, to her turmoil-hit world, but she was still clinging to the elation and serenity that had transcended to her in her dream. She could still feel so calm and blissful. She was happy, safe, away from everything. A smile reminiscent of the dream snug her lips all over again. With everything that had taken a turn for the worse in the last few days, it was probably the first happy dream she had had. And somehow, it made her yearn for more. She didn't want to spend her waning days without the memories she could still have. Real ones. Not just dreams. She wanted to wind back to the time when she didn't know that she had a ticking bomb to a whole life she had built. But she couldn't. She couldn't do that. What she really could do was make the people most precious to her, happy with what she still had, however fleeting. For now, she just wanted to see them; see her baby sister and her best friend and tell them that she loved them.