It had started so many weeks before, as this fleeting idea that wouldn't possibly come to fruition any time soon. Then it just so happened she was talking to her aunt (one of the few people on her father's side she spoke to) who lamented she wouldn't be able to make it to the states for the holidays. The wheels begun turning in Rory's mind, between late nights spent talking in the darkness with Maris -- or not talking at all. Every day seemed to make her that much more smitten. Every day seemed to head her down a path that she had no intention of turning back from. So when she'd floated the idea of actually going to Italy for some time during their holiday break, she hadn't told Maris that she had already researched flights. And places to stay. And restaurants they absolutely had to try.

Though she hadn't been back to the country since she was a pre-teen, stepping off the plane to the symphony of Italian language made her feel warm all over. She knew well enough to avoid Rome (a tourist trap that was fun for a day, but packed to the gills with people was not her idea of a good time). Her family hailed from Tuscany, and Siena specifically, but Rory had in mind to start with the Viareggio on the water before venturing up to villas and vineyards. The most she remembered about the coastal town was spending some time there in the summer, so she hoped it wasn't a complete bust.

At least, as they headed into their hotel, the woman checking them in spoke English after their initial greeting. Her Italian was shaky at best. "And we've gone ahead and given you the wifi password here, Ms. Berlanti. Along with two keys for you and your girlfriend." It rolled so easily off her thick-accented tongue, that it took Rory a full few seconds to register that it should have sounded foreign. "Oh, um." Rory stuttered, softly sighing through a smile. No, they hadn't had that talk yet, but she still ventured a glance to her paramour beside her. Manners said to thank the woman rather than correct her ... and was she actually wrong? "Thanks so much, grazie." She stumbled over her words, grabbing the envelope in one hand, and nudging Maris with her elbow before heading to the elevator with her bag. Rory felt like she had been a little too quiet since the counter, so turned to Maris with a conspirator's smile. "I hope you realize coming here in winter means you're going to have to stay exceptionally close to me at most ... all times."

"Oh, what a pity," she said with a grin, hoisting her bag more securely onto her shoulder as she stepped out onto their floor.

Maris was more than happy to stay by Rory's side under most circumstances, but especially in a foreign country when she hadn't had much time to learn more than the basic (but very necessary) greetings, thank you and how to ask for directions to the bathroom. She felt a bit well, gross at the notion that someone might peg her as a rude American tourist, who expected everyone to bend over backwards for them because she couldn't be bothered to learn about a culture other than her own but a wave of relief swept over her as soon as the desk clerk opened her mouth.

It was short lived.

Truth be told, she had been thinking about their relationship and the dreaded (?) g-word since her grandfather made his surprise visit to the cabin months before. Before she and Rory went to sleep that night she couldn't help thinking that next time she wanted to introduce Rory as her girlfriend and nearly opened her mouth to tell the other woman just that only to lean over and find her fast asleep.

There hadn't really been an opportunity to broach the subject since and something about asking Aurora to be her girlfriend out of the blue seemed very high school. Adults didn't need labels or suffer from some pathetic, insecure need to claim ownership of each other, but at a certain point weren't labels just facts? Something you, your partner and everyone else understood?

Though, or probably because she had only packed one bag, Maris' luggage was heavy. She tossed it onto the bed as soon as she was able, then set about hanging the clothes she was worried would wrinkle.

She bit her lip as she shook out the only dress she'd brought in case she'd have the occasion to wear it, wondering if it was finally time to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"That was funny, right? That she thought we were..." She made a bit of a face. "In a good way, really. Usually people assume two women going somewhere together are best friends." She wrinkled her nose. "Or sisters." The latter had happened to them on more than one occasion. Maris supposed it made sense. She and Rory were both tall and dark haired and it was a much more logical conclusion than the one a bouncer had come to when Maris and one of her college lovers, Carmen (who was very obviously latina) wanted to go out dancing. Maris had burst out laughing before she shouted that they didn't look a thing alike.

She cleared her throat, reaching out to refold a shirt, avoiding Rory's eyes. "It's nice is all. For someone to at least notice we're close, you know? Close in the right way.

"I knew that was really going to be a hard sell." Despite feeling like there was something hanging between them in the two minutes it took to get into their room, it didn't take away from the near-giddy feeling she felt being there with Maris.

A lack of labels didn't mean that what they were to each other was anything 'less than'. Rory didn't find it a habit to travel overseas with someone she felt just casual about. All the more so, with the intent to share places that meant something to her. If she remembered where they all were, of course.

The word seemed to silently repeat in her mind, over and over again as they walked into the room. She set her bag aside, walking over to open the curtains before she took a seat next to Maris' bag on the bed. She found herself at times, more so the longer they were together, just watching Maris as she moved about. She found her particularly intriguing most of the time, but all the more beautiful when she was lost in thought.

"It was funny in a good way." She agreed, tilting her head to the side as she leaned back on both of her hands. Her heart seemed to pick up pace just a bit. "I do appreciate that's where she went immediately. It's a bit awkward if they think we're sisters and I try to kiss you..." Rory made a face, wrinkling her nose at the idea. Here they were thousands of miles from home, and she had every intention on acting with the freedom that allotted them. With her girlfriend? Maybe.

Rory considered herself to be perceptive, and in the time they had spent together, she liked to think that she could pick up on the cues Maris laid out - intentional or not. Standing from the bed, she moved across the space that separated them, her arms coming around her waist to pull their bodies together. It was important to her to catch her gaze, but to do so, her lips pressed against her cheek a couple of times before she leaned back to look at her face. "I like that she noticed we're close. That you're important to me in that way." Teeth catching her lower lip, she felt very juvenile in trying to find the best way to put it. "I haven't had a girlfriend in a very long time... But I think you'd be a pretty spectacular one."

Though she had been trying to bring it back into the conversation, Maris still blinked, surprised when Rory used the word girlfriend and was downright shocked when she said she thought she would make a good one.

Maris had only been someone's girlfriend a handful of times and the majority of them had ended badly. More often than not her exes seem to place the blame on Maris' shoulders. She was closed off, cold outside the bedroom and occasionally more focused work and the lives of long dead strangers than her own. She knew she could be a stick in the mud, a stern person who often owned up to her feelings a little too late because she couldn't shake the idea that people would find her less appealing for having them, but maybe things could be different with Rory. It felt like they already were.

She thought about making a joke, something about how co-workers weren't allowed to date as per their school handbook, but it would have only been a cheap attempt to soothe her nerves and undoubtedly ruin a moment that she knew she'd replay once she got her heart to slow. Besides, a not so small part of her worried that Rory would take her seriously and immediately take back what she said, even though the fact that they worked together seemed like a total non issue, one they rarely even acknowledged anymore because if anything, it was a huge bonus, something that made their work and personal lives that much better.

"I would, you know. Be someone's girlfriend. If someone were to ask." Her lips twitched into a smile as she used Rory's hands to pull her closer until their lips were millimeters apart. "Someone tall, smart, not related to me in any way..."

Bold was the name of the game today, apparently. Actually, it wasn't so bold when she'd been thinking about their dynamic without actually putting a label on it. She spent as much time with Maris as she possibly could. Whether it was at her place or Maris' place, it was almost getting to the point where it felt weird to sleep in a bed without her. That was so mushy, but still true.

So saying the word, actually vocalizing it out loud -- was it really that big of a thing? From the way her heart hammered in her chest, the answer would be yes.

Girlfriend didn't even feel like the right word. Maybe it felt a bit juvenile, or not enough for how big her feelings were for Maris. It was however, a start. Whatever Maris put out there, Rory was soaking it in. She noticed just how much she adored the little things, how much she noticed and had begun to pick up on Maris' quirks, what she liked and what she didn't like.

Putting it out there in such bold terms (yet not outright, of course) left her feeling as though she were floundering a little, waiting to see how well (or terribly) it would be received. God, maybe she shouldn't have said what she had so early on in their trip.

Rory felt a palpable ease wash through her like a warm light as soon as Maris spoke again. Her hands easily laced through Maris', leaning into her as she got close. "Oh would you? That someone would be extremely lucky, even if she hasn't asked anyone to be her girlfriend in... any sort of recent memory." She could tell she was blushing, but she didn't care. Her nose brushed against Maris', her hips pressed comfortably against the other woman's. This was comfortable and safe and at the same time exhilarating. "Mostly lucky to be completely free of incestuous overtones to actually ask..." She laughed softly, swallowing hard against how fast her pulse raced. "So with all that said..." She couldn't resist pecking her lips softly against Maris' just to give herself an extra few seconds, and enjoy the feel of her lips even briefly. "What would you think if I called you mine, and you can do the same? You know, if you want."

Maris bit her lip at Rory's question, but despite trying to play it cool, it quickly turned into a smile. "Then I'd better go down and tell that leery taxi driver from the airport that I'm officially spoken for."

She kissed Aurora before she had a chance to reply to her joke. She wasn't sure she had ever been more hungry for one, but knew that this was a moment she didn't want to rush. When she finally did break away, she was left slightly breathless, her lips kiss swollen and sporting an entirely new shade of lipstick than the one she'd applied that morning because it was now mixed with Rory's.

"I haven't... it's just been you for a while, you know," she said a bit awkwardly, not entirely sure why she felt the need to assure Rory that she hadn't been seeing anyone else because even if she had it would hardly matter now. But it seemed the right thing to tell her in the moment, especially when that hadn't exactly been the case when other women had asked her to make things official. There were no complications this time around, no rushing to tell lovers to stop calling before things got messy, no slight wavering because she wasn't sure she wanted to give them and her freedom up.

It was easy. Like everyone said it was supposed to be. A step, but not a huge one because it just felt right.

It was so silly to feel nervous in those very few seconds after she'd said her piece. Only Maris' smile earned her a shred of relief, the feeling snapping some chord of tension and with it a wide grin of her own. "You better." She answered, just seconds before their lips found each other.

Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest from some level of nerves she hadn't been willing to admit she felt. Asking someone, in not even so many words, to be her girlfriend? That was a fear left for a younger version of herself. And yet here and now she was allowed a feeling even deeper, a relief, yes, but a joy that flooded through her entire body as their lips crashed together. Her lungs burned but she didn't even care. Breath could come later when she didn't have Maris' lips to swell with her own.

As a result, her breath came in a kind of 'whoosh' sound when their lips parted, her hands settling on Maris' hips to keep her close. "Yeah?" She smiled wide, her lips brushing against her cheek and then along her jaw. "I haven't for a while either." She was on the verge of saying something ridiculously cheesy - and would maybe take the hit because the moment was a significant one. Starting at a new school, in a new town, with people she didn't know had been daunting, but Maris had made every single day worth it.

"Thank god, this could have been a super awkward trip." Laughing, she pressed her lips back to Maris', her arms circling around her body to pull her in closer - if that was even possible.

Maris was surprised by how relieved she felt when Rory told her she wasn't seeing anyone else either.

She was an independent sort, fond of her freedom so jealousy was a trait she avoided in others and rarely felt. But there was no denying she'd been annoyed when some poor sap tried to buy Aurora a drink at trivia a few weeks before. Deep down Maris knew he didn't have a chance. Maleness aside, she had been pretty sure Rory's feelings were just as strong (and singular) as her own even before their current conversation confirmed them, but that churning of anger and fear in the pit of her stomach at the idea someone could somehow take her place and what she wanted to be hers.

"Oh you mean because we'd stuck sharing a bed in a strange country where only one of us knows the language if things went south?" she teased but there was a glint in Maris' eye that didn't have anything to do with her joke.

Body still pressed against Rory's, Maris used her weight to back her onto the bed, her kiss even hungrier than the one given moments before. Her heart was still pounding, but the initial giddiness over hearing that the other woman was exclusively hers had transformed into something else: desire.

It wasn't just for Rory, though Maris was pretty sure she'd never wanted her more. She suddenly wanted to show her exactly why she'd chosen her and just her, for keeps because for the first time in her life Maris really wanted to be kept.

She slid into her lap once Rory was steady, body heat already radiating off her in waves as she placed hungry kisses along the curve of her neck. "Speaking of beds, I think we should try this one out," she murmured against her skin.

In the moment it had been terrifying, something akin to fling off the edge of a cliff with arms outstretched, only hoping you would find a deep enough pool of water beneath. The relief of how everything had gone must have been similar to that cold water - only warm and beautiful and fucking great.

Maybe she hadn't even realized how much some sort of confirmation or agreement between the two of them would mean to her. She felt it flood through her like a wave, something that felt like home -- if she was going to get very romanticized about it. Truthfully, Rory had been "romantic" about Maris for a very long time. Hell, since the first night they'd spent together, every subsequent night felt as though Maris were just etching herself into her heart.

"Exactly, if one of us had to sleep on the floor, or wander around aimlessly...it would have been just terrible." She smirked back at her, fully aware even if this hadn't gone so well, she wouldn't have reacted so badly. It was funny to think of though.

So easily, warmth turned to heat in the blink of an eye, but even this felt different, better, even more charged than before. Rory sighed a sound into Maris' lips as their bodies shifted backward, the small room allowing for their trip to be short. Her kisses were increasingly greedy, tongue employed to sweep over her girlfriend's as her hands clung to her sides.

Nothing could break this reverie, and she'd challenge the end of the world to try. "Oh, I really had some other plans." She breathed, her tone distracted as she gazed up at Maris, her hands sliding up beneath her shirt and grazing her nails just softly over her stomach. "I thought a long hike, tons of shopping..." Her words tapered off as she kissed Maris' shoulder, then her neck, wherever she could kiss while greedily accepting every single doting kiss from Maris as well. "I guess..." All the more distracted, her fingers slid further up until her hands could deftly cup over her breasts, even over her bra sent a shiver down her spine. "There are better ways to wear each other out."

Part of her was touched that Rory had been thinking about their trip. Maris had been making plans of her own from the moment the other woman suggested it and most of those plans mirrored Aurora's own, but she wasn't sure she could stop even if she wanted to. Their agreement had set something into motion. A promise had been made and she was pretty sure there was only one way to cement it because it was something that required action as well as words.

"And we can have that," she murmured, pulling Rory's shirt up and over her head, her fingers quickly sliding under her bra strap to slide it off her shoulder so her lips could find the soft skin there. "Right after I have you."

Since meeting Rory, Maris' underwear drawer was fuller than ever before. She liked to look nice whenever she knew she was about to be intimate and since she and Aurora could never seem to keep their hands off each other...she had plenty of occasions to dress up. Besides, if she wore the same old bras and panties in and day out, Aurora would have gotten bored, memorized them all too quickly because she rarely saw her in anything else when they were off the clock.

She'd bought a few new things in anticipation for their trip, including the underthings she was currently wearing, a push up bra and panties in a deep forest green, but she didn't relish in revealing them the way she usually did. Rory's reaction was usually the best part, something she tried to observe and memorize as subtly as possible, but as once she'd unbuttoned her shirt she didn't so much as bat an eyelash before her hands reached for the button on Rory's pants. There was a nagging urge to slow down because this moment would have been a big one even if they hadn't just had an important conversation. They were on vacation, something that would have been memorable either way, but Maris didn't just want Rory. She needed her, which is exactly why she had agreed to be hers in the first place.

She shoved her back on the bed with a bit more force than she intended, hunger taking over as she hooked her thumbs into her panties and tugged them down, sliding them all the way off the edge of the bed.

It was smaller than she was used to. The owners' attempt to make the room seem larger than it was, but Maris didn't mind. It would force her to be closer to Rory than normal, which was more than fitting.

Her tongue traced the most sensitive part of her. Slow, but undeniably firm as it mapped out every inch like she was trying to learn it by heart even though she already had. She moaned softly against it as the taste of her lover trickled on to her tongue, pulling one of her legs over her shoulder as she began to lap at her in earnest, her hair tickling Rory's thighs with each movement.

Though they'd both planned and made time to get away for their trip together, Rory was well aware it would be a wonder if they managed to keep their clothes on long enough to explore outside their hotel. Surely they would, but would the alternative be a waste of a trip? No, just an expensive excursion to have multiple orgasms in another country. The thought alone might have made her laugh, if she wasn't so wholly preoccupied by Maris and the feel of her lips on her skin.

"Good, great." Was about all Rory could come up with, her heart was thrumming so hard in her chest with excitement and anticipation that it was hard for her to get much more out than that. Par for the course, to borrow the metaphor, was just how distracting Maris actually was to Rory. She didn't even have to do anything for Rory to find her thoughts wandering. Just two weeks ago in class, one of her students had read a whole three scenes of Twelfth Night (she was supposed to read one) before Rory snapped back to attention. All because she caught a glimpse of Maris walking by her classroom. The urge was constant, alluring and greedy. Most days she could barely wait until they were alone together.

The physicality was unbelievable, unabashedly Rory would pronounce that Maris was the best sexual partner she'd ever had, but their connection struck deeper and deeper chords the longer they were together. Rory didn't like to think of herself as someone who would become attached, but she had done exactly that. With her now girlfriend. And she wanted her all the more because of it.

A flurry of movement had her undressed and she couldn't even care to take her time with it. Their flight had been long and challenging because of it. Her own hands moved to help Maris with her clothes, inhaling sharply at the sight of green lace that perfectly contrasted her soft skin. She barely had any real time to admire before she was tossed unceremoniously back on the bed, laughing as she greedily reached for the other woman.

No matter how many times they found themselves in similar situations, it would never cease to amaze Rory at just how incredible it felt when Maris truly touched her. "Fuck," She murmured as her head fell back, having pushed herself to her elbows to properly take in the sight of her lover, her girlfriend. Rory had long since forgotten being anything that remotely resembled embarrassed as to how wet and aroused Maris had her seemingly all the damn time.

One hand gripped a fistful of the sheets, a soft whine leaving her lips as the other reached to smooth through Maris' hair, dragging her nails through as she began to just gently rock her hips to the friction of Maris' tongue. "Baby that feels ... fuck..." She whined her words, pressing her heel into Maris' back to continue rocking into her mouth.

She kept a firm grip on Rory's thigh to keep her upright and steady, even helping her rock a bit against her as her mouth caressed every part of her. While it was obvious she had been waiting to taste her, Maris was in no real hurry because she was just as eager to please, determined not to stop until the woman beneath her was completely satisfied.

At times she purred against her, mostly nonsense to send tiny vibrations against her skin and hopefully up her spine but more than once she spoke words she wasn't ready for Rory to really hear just yet. Words that let her know just how much she loved the taste of her and most importantly, how much she lovedher.

Words (and the one she used was especially sacred) had power. And even though there was no way Rory could hear them (or maybe because she couldn't), Maris felt braver, more empowered. Soon she was licking her harder and faster than she ever had before, her fingers pressing into her lover's thigh hard enough to leave their mark. Once she realized what she was doing, she let her short nails press into the sensitive skin there instead, the idea of leaving something behind to let everyone know she was hers turning her on more than she cared to admit.

Because she really was.

A trip overseas, one to some of her favorite places in the world no less, was something that Rory realized early on wasn't something she'd ever considered in a different relationship. She didn't often have relationships that lasted incredibly long, but moreover she hadn't ever felt like she necessarily wanted to commit to spending so much time - in another country especially - with someone else. The difference was Maris. Wrapped up in this intelligent, challenging, gorgeous, sexy as hell woman was someone that Rory wanted to experience everything with. There were words for it, a feeling this big.

Rory wished she had it in her to be wildly clever during, or even play down just how affected she was by sex with her girlfriend. That word, a definite good one. Rory however, was nothing but at the mercy to the whims of this woman, her body entirely reactive. She hummed a moan as her back arched, a sharp sound coming from somewhere deep in her chest as Maris' tongue lapped at her sex. The vibrations sent from Maris' sounds indeed raced right up her spine, an involuntary shiver hitting her hard every time.

"Maris," She purred her name for no other reason than it was the only thing she could really muster. Her name that dripped from her lips like honey between rough gasps and pitched sounds that came in increasing volume. Another moan came in direct response to the sharp feel of Maris' fingers digging into her skin. Something primal came from it. It wasn't the first time Rory would be marked by Maris in one way or another, but she loved it all the same -- more so, even. "Right there," She gasped sharply, telltale signs that she was close as she reached down and gripped her fingers over Maris' that dug into her thigh, keeping her there, almost laughing (almost) at just what this woman did to her time and again.

How she couldn't wait to return the favor.

Maris knew Rory. Even though that ever present, ever cynical voice in the back of her mind believed that you could never truly know someone. Everyone had hidden depths or even secrets they didn't let even their nearest and dearest in on and okay, maybe she didn't know things like the name of her first pet or the first person she'd ever kissed yet, but she knew this, the feeling of her lover's body underneath hers and so many ways to please it.

She knew when Rory was close and she heard the gasp that told her more wouldn't be far behind, she stopped, a few very brief moments passing before she straddled her, replacing her mouth with her pussy. She moaned, nearly as warm and wet as the woman beneath her as she started to rock against her before her mouth came down to steal a kiss that let Rory share the taste she couldn't get enough of moments before.

While Rory was not a total weirdo who counted the amount of times she and Maris had sex thus far, she could undoubtedly count that nobody had ever understood her body in a way that this woman did. Each time they were together seemed to just up the ante of the time before it, and so on. Nobody could accuse Rory of being a pillow princess, but she constantly found it hard to think beyond instinct when Maris was pleasing her like this. Her body was simply at the mercy of this woman, and god did she love (her for) it.

It was a shock to the system to feel the immediate seconds of loss as Maris moved, but soon enough her body was melting into the feeling of her weight on her hips, their slick pussies angled together in a way that sent shivers up her spine. Her mouth greeted Maris' greedily, tasting herself on the breathless kiss as she rocked her hips to grind at a pace. "Fuck," She gasped against her lips, moaning as her hands dug into her girlfriend's ass, keeping her there as she mercifully lost control. Her orgasm hit her in a sharp wave, a cry between their lips as she gripped her still - maybe a little too hard as she lost control of her limbs for a few seconds. "Stay," She managed to get out with a grin, her hands gripping her tightly as she once again began to rock her hips, jerking a little at her own sensitivity, but focusing on Maris instead.

"Oh, I definitely wasn't going anywhere," Maris said with a cheeky grin, but soon she didn't have it in her to tease or even speak a few desire slurred words of encouragement as her own orgasm started to build. An increasingly loud crescendo of soft ahs and even a very desperate, slightly uncharacteristic please floated up toward the (cracked, but charming) ceiling until Maris' body finally gave way, collapsing on top of Rory's because it just couldn't take anymore.

She could only manage to shift ever so slightly, doing her best to curl up on top of her lover in a way that wouldn't lead to squished body parts and awkward angles. After so many nights (and days and afternoons) of practice, she managed it in a matter of seconds, her body still buzzing and on some level, craving more but for now this was all Maris wanted, her lips automatically seeking out spots to prolong Rory's pleasure even though she still hadn't quite caught her breath. The room was nearly silent save for both woman's attempts to do just that until Maris lifted her head from the curve of Rory's neck. Her hair brushed the sensitive skin there as she kissed her way upward, her lips making the faintest puckering sound until she reached her ear, her teeth grazing the lobe before latching on to guide it into her mouth and suck.

"I think I'm in love with you," she purred against the shell.

"Phew. I was gonna have to pull out a full power point on why you shouldn't venture anywhere beyond five feet of me ... but..." She chuckled as she leaned up to kiss Maris' throat, her body moving in time with the singular focus on the woman above her. Every gasp and plea sent a shiver through her already sensitive body, heat spreading through her veins as she finally gazed at her girlfriend as she came undone. It would never cease to be some celestial experience.

Rory smiled as she slid her arms around Maris, kissing her cheek and then the side of her throat. Her own breath still came in rough pants, but she wanted to kiss wherever she could. One caught the side of her lips, another against her temple, finally landing on her shoulder as goosebumps trailed down her own arms from the warmth of Maris' breath on her ear.

Whatever she was expecting, she couldn't have expected that. Rory felt her breath intake sharply, the words flooding over her with a different kind of warmth. Her exhale was considerably slower, like some attempt to get her heart to stop racing. "Oh," She sort of whispered, though she couldn't even attempt to hide the grin that shaped her words. It was safer not to look at her face, but Rory wanted to, and so she tilted her head enough that she could gaze at Maris, her fingertips tracing along her jawline. "If we're confessing things ... I think I have been in love with you for quite some time now."