Chapter Forty-Two

Her plate in her hand, Maura went to sit down on the sand to watch the sunset. The brouhaha of the barbecue was soft to her ears. It melted into the Latino music and the sound of the waves crashing. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for brief seconds. She would miss this place a lot more than what she would have imagined.

What had looked like a rather cheap destination at first had turned into one of the most important moments of her life. She hated the idea of clutching so much to a relationship but what she now had with Jane went beyond everything.

"Watch out with this sauce. It's very spicy." Jane sat down next to her partner and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You're okay? You look weird, like... Weird."

Maura nodded. She honestly felt fine, really fine. At peace. She set her plate down on the sand and rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

"I love you."

She was in love; with her best friend. As much as the days had passed by since she had come to such realization, Maura still had a hard time to think that it could be true. It was weird to be in Jane's arms, weird to wake up next to her in the morning. Weird but nice.

Jane's timid laugh disappeared somewhere in the distance. She hadn't expected Maura to be serious and tender. Not now. They weren't alone, after all. Thirty vacationers were partying all around them. It was anything but an intimate moment.

And yet...

"I love you too." Someone burst out laughing. Jane turned her head to check what was going on before focusing back on the moment of peace she was having with Maura. "Would it be okay for you if I didn't go back to my place any time soon? I mean, we could try..."

Maura sat up and locked her eyes with Jane's. She was quite surprised to see that her partner dared to mention this again for it was a very delicate topic to handle. It obviously meant a lot for Jane.

"Are you sure that this what you want?"

Jane nodded. She understood the reason why Maura remained careful, why she didn't let her joy literally explode at the prospect of them living together. Wisdom and experience told her to remain calm, to ponder the pros and cons.

"We could take it as a test. I keep my apartment in case I want to spend a day or two there but... You know..." Jane shrugged. The words were there, at the edge of her lips. She only had to let them come. "I'm not sure I can fall asleep again if you're not next to me."

Was she being mushy? Probably. Such thought made her blush. She didn't like it when she subconsciously showed a vulnerable part of her personality.

Yet in all honesty, she hadn't lied. She had spent the best nights of her life in Maura's arms. She had finally managed to have proper dreams, peaceful ones. Her insomnia hadn't showed up and she felt restful now.

"Let's do it then." Maura nodded, convinced. "Let's do it."

Joy embraced Jane's lips as a smile of relief lit up her features. She had a hard time recognizing herself right now. For years she had lived a life made of doubts, of insecurities. She had spent days and months trying to understand why her romantic life was not the sweet promise she had dreamed of once. But there she was, now. And everything made sense. At last.

With Maura.

…

Five years later

Maura took her sunglasses off and checked her surroundings with a smile of satisfaction on her lips: nothing had changed. The little buildings were freshly painted anew but the place was still exactly the same.

And it felt like coming back home after many years spent abroad.

"Maura?" Marion crossed the small bridge that separated her villa from Maura's and opened her arms for a hug. "Or should I say, Mrs. Rizzoli-Isles? Congratulations!"

Maura smiled. If nothing had changed in Hidden Beach then some things in her life were not exactly the same anymore. Like the wedding band she now wore on her left hand.

"Oh my god, Marion... It's good to see you!" Maura gladly hugged the woman who, through the years, had become a very good friend and nodded at her. "And yes, it's Mrs. Rizzoli-Isles now."

"I knew that you'd end up changing your mind." Marion winked. "Because Jane was the right one. Where is she? Tanita and Jamie should be here this afternoon."

They all had kept in touch after Jane and Maura's stay in Mexico but hadn't had a chance to see each other again until now. Life had kept them busy. Maura was ecstatic to be back to Hidden Beach.

"She's at the reception desk making sure that Magic Juanito has retired." Maura looked at Marion from head to toe. She shook her head in disbelief. "You haven't changed at all."

Marion rolled her eyes. She didn't believe Maura at all but the compliment was still a nice one.

"I thought you couldn't lie?" Marion smirked. She was delighted to be back to Hidden Beach with all the friends she had made there five years earlier. "How is your daughter? She looked so cute on the last pics you sent us."

A surge of pride caused Maura to smile at the mention of her daughter. Her and Jane's daughter, to be more exact. She repressed herself from showing Marion a dozen of pictures she had taken at the airport just before leaving for Mexico. It was a classic parent trick that she couldn't stand when it came to others so she desperately tried to avoid it herself.

"Ixchel is doing fine, thank you. She's at home with Jane's mother... We will celebrate her third birthday next month. She wanted to come with us."

If the Riviera Maya was still the same, Maura could barely believe how different her life now was compared to what it used to be.

Everything had gone fine. The moment she and Jane had come back to Boston, their existences had kept on making sense and they hadn't had a hard time at all to keep alive the harmony they had found in Mexico. Their days had simply followed an implicit logic.

What they had assimilated to a test at first had soon turned into an evidence and it hadn't taken Jane very long to sell her apartment. They were made for each other. It was just as simple as that.

Besides, they hadn't had to hide in Massachusetts. Everyone already knew for them and Maura was convinced that it had greatly helped them to build the strong relationship they now had.

As for Ixchel, it had probably been the best project of their life.

"She's still too young for the Riviera Maya but Jane and I want to take her to Mexico for her fifth birthday. It's important that she knows where she comes from too. We don't want to hide that from her. We want her to see it as a strength, a richness."

They had chosen adoption because it seemed to suit them better. The desire of having children had appeared quite soon in their relationship but neither of them felt like going through the roller-coaster of IVFs; especially at their age. Jane had had the idea of the Mexican orphanage and Maura had immediately liked it as Mexico meant a lot to them.

After a year and a half of administration deal and multiple travels to Mexico, they had come back home with a baby girl named Ixchel. The name was pure coincidence but Jane had seen it as a sign; a beautiful one.

Life had taken them in the sweetest whirl ever. This was how Maura saw it in the end. From parenthood to an unexpected wedding, theIR days were full of a beautiful frenzy.

"And still no brother or sister for Ixchel?"

Marion's question caused someone to gasp in their back. She and Maura turned around and burst out laughing as Jane walked towards them. She dropped her bag on the floor and went to hug her ex-classmate.

"What on Earth are you doing, Marion? Five minutes here and you're already plotting with my wife?" Jane laughed. "We have one Mexican tornado at home and it's enough for the moment."

Maura nodded to confirm Jane's statement. It was quite true: Ixchel had a lot of energy for a three-year-old little girl. Bass barely started getting used to the addition in the family.

However and against all expectations, the African-spurred tortoise had really bonded with Jane the day she had officially moved in. The two of them could spend hours together and he always finished his plate when Jane was around. Maura would have lied if she hadn't said that she took it badly. What was it that Bass was so moody when she stayed with him? It never happened with Jane.

"Ixchel has cousins she can play with... It's... Well, you know... A good alternative for the moment!"

Jane walked back inside the villa to grab a bottle of Tequila and three glasses. Back to basics. She couldn't stay in Mexico and not drink Tequila at some point. She poured three glasses and held out two, one for Maura and one for Marion. She raised hers and smiled brightly.

"To Hidden Beach... To... The 5.45pm curfew!"

The three women burst out laughing and emptied their glasses right away. Marion locked her eyes with Jane's and smiled playfully.

"Speaking of which... Do you still stick to your sarong strategy?"

Ah. Jane cast a glance at Maura. They had spent the last two months discussing this part of their stay in Mexico. If Maura was quite eager to do it, Jane was still reluctant to take everything off. She would start with her bikini top, and then they would see.

They hadn't gone to any other nudist resort after their first stay on the Riviera Maya.

As a matter of fact, coming back to Mexico was their first vacations in five years. They had gone for three-day getaways in the USA and the comings and goings between Boston and Mexico for Ixchel's adoption was not what one would consider as vacations either. But now they could finally have a rest and enjoy it.

"Well... We'll see. Though I'll make sure to check the time on my phone before doing anything here."

Someone called Marion's name a bit further down the resort. The woman excused herself and left Jane and Maura alone after making sure that they would have dinner together on the same day.

Maura watched how their friend walked away. Five years had passed by but she had the feeling that they all had said goodbye to each other the day before only. This was what home felt like. She loved it.

"Come here..." Maura's whisper died against Jane's neck as she grabbed her wife and settled in her arms. She took a deep breath then closed her eyes as a peaceful smile embraced her delicate features. "Happy anniversary."

Their wedding had been rather formal. It had taken place at the courthouse, just to make the adoption process easier and faster. The day was important to them but the truth was that if they had had to choose one day that would define their relationships then Jane and Maura would have immediately gone for the day when they had shared their first kiss.

At Hidden Beach; five years ago.

Jane's lips brushed her wife's head with a light kiss. She observed the trees, the lazy river swimming-pool and focused on the sound of the waves that she could hear from the terrace of the villa. This was it: they were back to the beginning.

"Happy anniversary..."

The End

Author's note: Thank you very much/muchas gracias for all the reviews and messages you have sent me during this long story. I'm really glad you have liked it. I don't think I will write a sequel (therefore this little five-year-later thingie in the last chapter) because it's been a long story and I guess I'd like to start a brand new one now. But... Who knows? I could come back on these five years, or even their first months as a couple in Boston at some point. I don't discard it entirely. The next story will be light and the next one a tad angsty. I hope you will enjoy them. Thanks again!