At first blink, entering a google search for something like "best private resorts in Bahamas" on her phone would have been seen as doing some recon for a potential honeymoon. It should have been, actually. But as Maris and Rory began talking seriously about stealing away together, Rory thought less and less about what she should be doing, and what she wanted. In an ideal world, those two things would be one and the same. Of course in that same ideal world, she wouldn't have anything holding her back, either. She wasn't an impulsive person, nor was she someone who found lying particularly easy. For all of those reasons (and more), it shouldn't have been so easy for her to come up with a convincing excuse for her to steal away for a weekend. She'd made up something about a teacher's conference, and only barely made sure to express that she was going as representative of the school's board of founders. It was summer after all, and the other three members were on vacations of their own. Tracks covered, so to speak.

Still, as she'd packed her bags with particular items in mind, she'd felt just a tiny pang or two of soul-wrenching guilt that she was escaping with someone who was not her fiancée. Something needed to be done about that, but for the life of her, she couldn't pause long enough to figure out what. Everything with Maris felt good, it belonged in a way nothing else ever had. It belonged to them, moreover, and Rory wasn't going to give it up. But it also scared her, just how head-first she was diving in, how reckless she was being not only in action, but with feelings both her own and belonging to others. She didn't need to deal with the fear today, or for the duration of the weekend. In fact, the second they arrived at the airport, she hadn't any reason at all not to bask in the glowy feeling it gave her.

Rory had barely taken her hands off of Maris for the entire flight; be it their fingers laced together while they scrolled through movies on the plane, or the absentminded way her fingers would trace lines across her skin while she dove into a good book instead. Even stealing kisses here and there, while not openly making out, felt like a luxury. The freedom this trip was giving her already felt unreal, but also maybe a new chapter. Upon their arrival in Nassau, Rory was more anxious than ever to be alone with Maris. Hours of travel did little to really help that, so as they were showed to their room, Rory's hand squeezed Maris' a little more intensely than normal.

The click of the door behind them was a relieving sound, Rory casting a smile to her paramour before walking into the room to explore a bit. The sea air wafted in through open windows, the warm breeze filling up the space. "I think this was the best idea you've ever had." Rory grinned, slipping her shoes off and sitting on the bench at the end of the bed. "What do you think?"

Maris needed a vacation in more ways than one. She was dying to have Rory all to herself, long uninterrupted hours where the other woman didn't have to run here or there to avoid suspicion, but Maris had managed to finally finish her biography while she was alone, further proof that a happy personal life (as messy as their current situation was) made for a fruitful professional one.

Well, hopefully. Maris had sent her book off to various publishers, but worry of rejection had set in almost immediately after. A change of scenery would be a welcome distraction, as would Rory. It was hard to think of anything else when she was around.

She smiled approvingly as she looked at the room, taking a moment to enjoy the view before tossing her suitcase down on the bed. Maris had always been in the habit of buying a few new things before going on vacation because looking your best usually made any occasion all the more enjoyable and this time was no exception.

The long black maxi dress she was sporting was new, as was her straw beach hat, though she'd spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find one that didn't have stupid phrases like vacay all day embroidered on it.

She took it off and plopped it on Rory's head with a grin, sliding into her lap to steal a kiss. "Inviting you in from the rain that night was pretty great, but you're right, I am brilliant."

Her grin widened against Rory's lips. "Shower? I wanna get the plane grime off me and maybe head to the beach."

It was tempting to just take her right then and there in a gorgeous new bed that was just begging to be tried out, but Maris also knew their time there was limited. She wanted to see the beach and a joint shower would allow her to have Rory and everything else she wanted.

Even though the last one they'd shared had gone on so long they'd ended up pruney and shivering once the water had gone cold.

Somewhere between stepping onto the plane and stepping into their room, Rory had made a very important decision. She wasn't going to second guess anything. Rory was going to allow herself the indulgence of this trip. She was going to allow herself to be even more present than she already was. Her time spent with Maris, Rory absolutely forgot about so much else; obligations, others who were counting on her, who even loved her ... those were things that pushed away out of her mind in favor of the intense heat that roiled between the two of them. But this was a different choice, and she felt it palpably. She wasn't going to let herself feel an ounce of what repercussions might come, or what guilt was inevitably always there to rear its ugly head. Rory was going to give herself fully to this vacation, and with that, maybe she'd be granted all the more clarity.

As she sat there, Rory's gaze never faltered once from watching Maris move about the room. Arguably there were a lot of things to look at; the stunning view outside their windows, the decor even ... but nope. The tall brunette had her undivided attention.

Rory laughed as she suddenly found herself wearing a hat, her gaze softer as she leaned into Maris' approach. "The most brilliant. I should really be keeping a tally." She smiled into the kiss, her hands coming to rest at the backs of Maris' thighs. This feeling didn't get old, and hadn't waned a single iota from that first fateful night in the rain. Something deep inside of her simply reached out to something in Maris, a kinetic kind of thing that couldn't be explained. No wonder it would never seem to go away.

"Wow." She huffed, her brows raised as she made a show of checking her smart watch. "Not even five whole minutes before you want us naked." She teased with a wide grin, leaning in to noisily kiss her shoulder, then her neck, before drawing her in, fingers under Maris' chin to give her a slow, languid kind of kiss. Nothing felt rushed or hurried. They were simply on their time.

As she broke the kiss (albeit reluctantly), Rory's fingers gathered at the hem of Maris' maxi dress, peeling it up over her hips. Maybe she let her fingers trail a little more suggestively over her sides and ribs as she should have, but she still grinned as she maneuvered it off of her. Her own flowy sundress felt rudely inhibiting then, as she licked her lips and gave Maris a little nudge with her nose against her cheek. "C'mon, before I get any ideas."

Skin still buzzing from Rory's touch, Maris couldn't help but smirk as she lead the way to the bathroom. The room's shower was much bigger than the cramped glass one she had at home (though she and Rory had certainly been able to work around it without much complaint) but she was more focused on getting the other woman undressed, pressing soft, calculated kisses to every bit of skin she exposed while she waited for the water to warm up. Stolen glances and subtle displays of affection at the airport and beyond hadn't been enough. No matter how intense her desire was for Rory, Maris was still a bit to nervous about flying and disgusting airplane bathrooms to try and have a little fun mid flight. When they were apart she could contain herself but when Rory was beside her, close enough to touch it meant Maris was overdue to do just that.

With their clothes scattered around the floor (Rory's underwear somehow landing on Maris' feet), she stuck a hand in to test the water's temperature before gently tugging Rory inside.

While her slightly darkened eyes and actions moments before certainly gave away that Maris wanted her, her first request was surprisingly tame.

"Turn around, I'll wash your hair."

To attempt to play bashful or even coy when undressing with Maris would be probably the most disingenuous thing she could do. Rory instead seemed to more wonder why they bothered with clothes much of the time -- save for, she supposed, going out in public. There was a comfort level that came from the time they had been together before, yes, but also a kind of showy aspect to it that surprised her. She liked to undress for Maris, liked to know that the other woman's gaze (and attention) was on her. She had never been particularly voyeuristic, but something about knowing Maris was watching her (if not helping her off with whatever she was wearing to begin with) added something heady to it. They'd now been hours together without touching properly, and that was damn near torture. How had they survived that day they drove out of town to a book fair? The same thing could simply not be done now.

The impressive shower could be fully appreciated later -- Rory's attention was too focused on the woman pulling her into the water. Her own skin felt hot already from the kisses Maris had delivered her, a soft sigh escaping her lips as the water hit them both.

Maris' request earned a somewhat surprised look, her brows raised, though a smile graced her features all the same. It felt, for lack of a more appropriate term, intimate (obviously), but in a different way. Not before leaning in to steal a quick wet kiss from her lips, Rory turned away from her, but reached one of her hands back to blindly rest against Maris' side. "You're going to lull me into some euphoric state in here, aren't you? We'll never go back."

"Well, now you've gone and ruined the surprise," she teased, a smile playing on her lips. When she reached for the coconut shampoo the resort left out for them, she nearly regretted her impulse. Her familiar, favorite brand was in the bottom of her suitcase and she suspected Rory's was in hers as well, but there was no point (or desire) to get out now. Hotel shampoos worked for no one, no matter how fancy your accommodations, but considering they were headed to the beach and would only need another shower straight after, it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

"Besides, I've probably inherited a knack for this," she said, starting to lightly scratch Rory's scalp once she got a lather going. Hotel freebie or not, she had to admit it smelled amazing. "My mom was working at a salon when my dad met her."

It was an offhand remark, but also a slightly strange one. Maris wasn't one to talk about her mother, mostly because she didn't have much information about her. Her father and grandfather had always been relatively quiet on the subject and while she once savored every little tidbit they did offer, a bit scared to ask for more, she found she cared less and less about her as time went on, though she would be lying if she said she didn't expect her to make some sort of contact one day now that they both were older.

"I'm glad you got away," she said after a beat, her hands coming to a stop if only for a moment. "It's weird, the other day I realized I haven't actually been on a real trip since our last one."

"I'm exceptionally good at ruining surprises, I feel like." She laughed, though the sound tapered off into a somewhat exaggerated sigh as Maris began to work her fingers through her hair. Maris would know, dammit, that she'd always had a particular weak spot for that, be it in a situation like this one, or just lying on the couch together, Maris' fingers idly playing with her hair. The smell of the coconut only accentuated the whole experience, really driving home that 'tropical getaway' feel - while her whole body buzzed with warmth deep from her core.

"Was she?" She asked softly, the hand still braced against Maris' side giving a soft squeeze. She knew how little Maris spoke of her mother, and when she did, the tidbits Rory had gleaned were just that - scraps. It was easy to get caught up in the intensity of their re-connection, of bare bodies and grabby hands but the emotional side of their intimacy was something Rory had missed too. Desperately so. That, she supposed, happened when the person you fell in love with also ended up as your best friend. The things she could tell Maris, she still didn't talk about with others. A sort of freedom in their intimacy. "You've got good genes." She finally said with a soft smile, leaving whatever door open Maris might want to take, but not pushing for more information. That was the way Rory often had been with Maris; encouraging, but never pushy. Everything in its own time.

"Well our last one was a good one." She said with a bit of a wistful smile, finally turning to face Maris, though she scrunched her nose and swiped shampoo from her forehead in case it trickled down further. Her arms slid around her body, dragging her fingertips over her skin and chasing the water that cascaded over her. "Sometimes I wonder why we travel, when it's hard to get us out of the room." Rory smirked, leaning in and stealing a soft kiss. "Now scoot, so I can rinse." Nudging her hips against hers, she bit her own lower lip as she ducked under the shower head.

"Yeah, he was having his last observation for tenure and he wanted to look his best but he'd been so caught up in preparing his barber was booked the day before so he sort of panicked and went to the closest salon where my mother got him sorted."

Though Rory probably couldn't see it on Maris' face there was a certain fondness in her voice. Her dad did have a way of letting things fall by the wayside because he was laser focused on his work. There were times when she had felt slighted by it as a child, but it really was more endearing than not. Adam was brilliant, but occasionally the cliched absent minded professor.

"Exotic locations mostly. Oh and an excuse to buy new clothes. At least on my part."

Once the shower was over, Maris was wearing one of her vacation purchases as they went on the short walk to the beach, an extra spring in her step because she was feeling nothing if not satisfied. She'd gone back and bought the bathing suit that inspired their trip in the first place, though it was partly covered by a flowy black beach skirt.

She was relieved to see they'd arrived early and wouldn't need to hunt for a spot, taking Rory's hand once she slipped off her sandals and stepped into the sand. Once they found what she thought was a good spot, away from the surf but not too far from it, Maris set about getting sorted. Their blanket was down, but she still reached into her bag for her towel, checking out her surroundings as she unfolded it. Since her sunglasses were still in her bag, she used her hand to shield her eyes as she nodded toward a group of people in the distance. They were far enough away to look blurry and antlike, but their voices were loud as they tried to put up a large white tent.

"What's going on over there?" she asked, nodding toward them. But she didn't have to wait long for an answer. A man in a tux and a blob of black and white that could only be a priest soon came out to oversee everything.

A wedding.

So much for avoiding everything back home.

The two of them came from such different childhoods, though similar to an extent. Rory didn't remember a whole lot about her father, but couldn't have imagined her life any differently than how it had gone. Her mother did her best, but she struggled too. The fondness she heard in Maris' voice made her smile. It was good, in her mind, to remember the good parts of the people who had left them behind for whatever reason. The thought of that led her mind to an easy connection of how they'd left each other (if they called it like that) before. It wasn't something she wanted to think about, but moreover not something she wanted to happen again. She just had to figure some things out.

"Oh right, to be good tourists is the long and short of it." Rory had grinned and kissed her way through the rest of their shower, only managing to extract herself with promises of the beach and further of an evening spent alone together. She'd bought a new suit for the trip, one that was more 40's vintage inspired with high-waisted black and white striped bottoms and a red halter top of the suit. She tied her wet hair up messily and grabbed her own sarong which hadn't seen the light of day in -- she didn't know how long. Flip flops, sunglasses, a book. All ready for the sand.

Once outside, she had her own set-up to do, including trying to angle her bag in a way that might make it a good headrest. She'd just smushed it down a bit when Maris grabbed her attention, her sunglasses sliding down her nose a bit as she looked in the distance. A wedding indeed.

"Ah," She said, feeling an immediate sinking of her stomach. It was so easy to put those things out of her mind when they weren't right in her face. "I guess we're too under dressed to attempt to crash it." She said with a small smile, sitting down on the blanket and drawing her knees up so she could rest her elbows on them. Her gaze went from the wedding back to Maris, struck, for about the millionth time, that she was here with her again.

"I guess..." Rory hesitated, shaking her head a little. "I'm not going to ruin our trip-mood. But at some point we should talk about some things." Even putting that out there made her feel a little dizzy. The reason could have easily been passed off as guilt or feeling like she had no options, but she knew better. Rory felt reluctant because whatever the outcome, she didn't want to give this up.

"I'm gutted to be missing the lukewarm potatoes and imitation crab," Maris said tersely. Her disdain for weddings was legendary, but there was an extra bit of venom behind her words that morning because hated them now more than ever. Rory's engagement had given her a reason to, a personal connection that had her worried theirs would be gone once Rory said I do.

Her stomach knotted when the other woman said they needed to talk. A certain conversation was inevitable, no matter how much Maris, known for being forthright, wanted to avoid it.

But the wedding in the distance seemed ominous, further proof that they really couldn't tiptoe around things for much longer.

"What sort of things?" she said as she sat up, sunglasses still hovering in midair because Rory's admission had stopped her in her tracks.

She knew what they were going to talk about, of course. Rory had her own gathering with overpriced food and fancy outfits in the works but what exactly was Rory going to tell her?

That it had to end soon? Or would they figure out how to keep things going even after Rory walked down the aisle?

As much as Maris wanted to think she had too much pride, or at least the moral fiber not to be involved with someone else's wife, deep down she knew she probably wouldn't be able to end things with Rory. She'd find a way to cope because being without her just wasn't an option, even if she wasn't truly hers.

But if Rory wanted off, there was nothing she could do and she found herself preparing for the possibility. Her posture shifted, every muscle taut as she braced herself for a blow that might not, but was still fully expected to come.

"But all the free shirley temples you want." She chuckled in an attempt to make herself less nervous, less ... wrought with whatever this feeling was. Not many people sprung for the open bar, she suspected. Everything shifted into this expectation of what Rory was going to do here. She supposed it was a long time coming, her decisions giving way to a time when she couldn't just hedge back and forth anymore. Pressure she could deal with, but this felt different, more final.

Sitting beside Maris, her gaze stayed on the woman beside her. Rory's mind so often went a million miles a minute with any given topic or worry, but with Maris, there was a sense of peace that just took hold. Maris was a capable woman, a smart woman who challenged her. She was ... well, if she was willing to be honest with herself, she was the love of her life, and wouldn't - shouldn't be given up so easily.

That of course, left the other half of it. The half where she was supposed to be committed to someone else. The half that knotted up with how genuinely scared she was that she'd make this decision, go down a road with Maris again ... and end up heartbroken all over. She'd barely survived that once.

"Heavy things." She answered simply, scooting just enough that she could brush her fingers over Maris' back, her head bowing to kiss the back of her shoulder and rest her chin there. She probably should have been pulling away for her own clarity, but she didn't want space between them. She didn't want to bring this up at all. Not on their vacation, not when they should be worried about nothing other than cocktails and making love as much as their bodies would allow.

"What we want. What we want to do." The words tumbled from her lips, maybe emboldened because while she rest against Maris, she didn't have to look at her face, didn't have to try to interpret an expression. We came so naturally. "I can't ..." She hesitated, feeling like a threshold was right in front of her she just needed to close her eyes and leap over.

"I can't break it off with her for you. It's too much pressure to put on ... If I did, it would have to be because it's what I want..." She sighed, trying to find the right words to articulate what she wanted to say. The pause, she realized, probably didn't seem great, so she rushed to finish some thought. "But I don't see a future with her. I can't see that anymore." That confession there had such a duality of feeling. Elation to be able to say it out loud, to know it and mean it, but a great conflict of guilt, that it was true and only took her this long to get to.

Rory wasn't the only one worried about putting pressure on someone else. Maris wasn't about to ask Aurora to leave Jess and not just because she found the idea of begging someone to be with you borderline pathetic. She didn't want Rory to resent her for it.

Maris may not have been willing to ask her leave her fiance but hearing that Rory was thinking of doing just that had her letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had been prepared to deal with whatever came next, even if that meant Rory going through with the wedding so long as they could still have moments like these.

"I wouldn't ask you to leave her. You know that," she said slowly. "Because you're right. This is something you have to do and figure out yourself, but..."

She took a deep breath, looking over at her. "But if you were to...sort it all out. Would you want to be..." Maris ducked her head for a moment feeling a bit sheepish. "I know you have a lot to figure out and jumping into another relationship is probably the last thing you'd want to do but..." She met her eyes. "I haven't been with anyone else. Since the move and since we've started up again." It was something she had a feeling Rory already knew but it seemed important to say, if only to show how invested she already was.

It felt kind of weird, saying something so decisive out loud. Of course she'd thought it about a hundred times over the past weeks. Anytime her phone buzzed with a text (which, she'd turned off any visual notifications of course), her heart would soar in a way that told her: she couldn't keep this up. Once, Jess had caught her with a dumb grin on her face and she'd quickly swiped to a dumb meme to show her for an excuse why she was smiling at her phone. Aurora wasn't a liar, she didn't like to feel as though she were swirling around constant deceit. At one point she might boast that she was a better person than that. And with anyone else, she would be. It was easy to put off flirtations of other people, when those people didn't mean a damn thing to you.

Maris meant everything, and that was abundantly clear the more time they spent together. But Rory also wouldn't do such a disservice to her relationship with Jess as to say it didn't mean anything. She had promised to marry the woman for god's sake. She'd loved her, and still did in some way that conflicted her mind. It just paled in comparison. If she were to actually go through with her marriage to the other woman, she knew the guilt would get the better of her - that she'd feel the need to put a stop to this relationship with Maris.

It just so happened to be abundantly clear that she refused to give Maris up.

"I know you wouldn't." She said softly, closing her eyes for a moment as she listened to Maris speak. Her heart was pounding in her chest, some kind of fear surging up her throat. It hadn't occurred to her before now that there was a genuine worry in her mind of what all this was to Maris. Maybe it was a long drawn out goodbye, or some fun to be had while she was tied to someone else. That latter part didn't feel like it, but ... fears had a funny way of preying on insecurities.

Rory drew her head away from Maris' shoulder just enough that she could watch her, studying the way she mulled over her words before she said them. When Maris finished her thought, Rory felt as though this weight of just the unknown was being lifted. They had been so focused on each other and what felt good, that they'd had so little time to actually discuss any of it.

She reached for Maris' hand, lacing their fingers together and raising their joined hands so she could kiss the back of it. "I have a lot to figure out. And I ... we have a lot to figure out." She wasn't naive enough to think that all their past problems would simply evaporate. "But I honestly don't ... I can't picture a future without you in it. That might make me seem rash or foolish or ... whatever, but it's the truth. I don't think I could give you up again."

"I don't think I could give you up again either," she said softly, Rory's confession having left her a bit lost for words. On some level she knew Rory still had feelings for her and she remembered how good it had felt to be in it, together with no complications years ago, but the revelation that there was something there felt almost new.

There was a lot of work ahead, so many obstacles to work through, but Maris couldn't help but feel almost excited about the future.

She smiled softly as she looked down at their hands, nodding. "We'll sort it out, but not yet. For now, we relax." She paused, biting her lip. "Just know that I'll... be here, you know? No matter what."

For a moment, Rory had worried over saying too much. She felt a certain way, and felt like Maris did too, but actually saying certain things aloud was ... scary, to say the least. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding onto tension until Maris echoed her sentiment. She exhaled softly, letting her forehead bow against Maris' shoulder in her own relief. Considering their history, she figured it was a 50/50 whether or not she should trust the way she felt. It should on the one hand be so easy to trust her feelings for Maris because she'd had them for so long, only dormant for a bit of time before they raged back. On the other hand, they had a lot to deal with, a lot to move forward from. It wasn't like she would end things with Jess and suddenly their life would be all sunshine. God, she didn't want that anyway.

Somewhere over the past while, since that fateful day in the coffee shop, Rory came to realize that she'd rather even a struggle to get through with with Maris than have anything easy - it was an illusion to begin with. What she wanted became clearer by the day.

Rory smiled, nodding a bit as she leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss against her cheek. "We'll relax, but I'm glad that's the case." She swallowed against a lump in her throat, just the affirmation that Maris would be there hitting her harder than she could have anticipated. "Are we gonna sun for a bit, orrrr..." She tilted her head to catch Maris' eyes. "You wanna race to the water...?"

Maris was relieved that Rory knew what she meant, that she would wait and stay however long it took to sort everything out. She would have stayed with her even if she hadn't made up her mind to leave her fiance because it seemed like there really was no going back now.

She was beginning to realize that staying by Rory's side meant staying in Maine. It still wasn't her favorite place. The house was still still big, Adam's death and the hopes and dreams her grandfather had invested in the retirement home he'd bought to spend out his golden years with his wife still making her feel vaguely sad and like an interloper. Maris still hadn't quite settled in to the city. She needed more friends and favorite places, but it was where she was and there was still work to be done even though her book was finished.

Maris knew what it was like to lose Rory. She knew what it was like to live without her and even a half life with her was better than none at all.

But she was still too proud to say it and probably always would be. The fact that Rory understood, without her having to take that agonizing, vulnerable step to actually say it meant the world and made her love her even more.

She still did, of course. She'd never really stopped, her feelings had simply been pushed aside, put on pause once Rory was out of the picture, but now they were back, stronger than ever and somehow Maris was sure she knew that too.

And if she didn't well, one day she would tell her.

But it hardly seemed like the right time.

"No sun," Maris grumbled, briefly sliding an arm around Rory's waist before slowly sitting up. "I hate feeling like I'm baking. We can race, but you have to promise not to cheat." The sentence ended with a somewhat cheeky grin, because Maris knew just how competitive the both of them were.

Rory had been with women throughout her life who needed constant reassurances. It was kind of exhausting, but usually Rory would try to be that person for them, particularly if she was trying to make a relationship work. While verbal cues were good of course, Rory had always been somewhat relieved that the feelings she had with Maris spoke far more than even two articulate women could muster. Of course she let the 'I love yous' flow freely once it was out there, but she never needed it to be this huge statement.

She supposed now that she'd let it out that she had no real intentions of going through with her wedding, that that in itself was a pretty big statement. She hadn't even said it aloud so much before today and honestly it was both freeing and terrifying. All the logistics would have to come next, some heartbreaking and utterly depressing days lay ahead for her. Did anyone ever like being the bad guy? Would their town become such a hostile place for her if everything were out in the open? Not that Jess had a whole mafia of people or anything. Then there was the worry over Maris, and if she'd want to stay in Maine. The idea made her heart sink a little, but she shook it away.

No matter what, she would bend to make it work. The alternative, being without this woman again was unfathomable. She wouldn't do it, couldn't do it.

This whole feeling likely swirled up into an idea that she'd never put much stock into before: Maris was, for all intents and purposes, the love of her life. Otherwise it would be easy to walk away from her. Otherwise it would have been easy to deny any feelings still there, much less ones coming back so strongly.

"Um, wow. How dare you insinuate I would cheat!" Rory gasped in exaggerated shock, though ... she had indeed been known to use some dastardly tactics in her favor. Tossing her hat and sunglasses off, she stood and pulled her sarong from around her waist. Maybe as she disrobed, she took care to stand in a particular way that Maris would get a good view of her in her suit. "I'll even help you up, that's just the kind of lady I am." She said with her hand outreached, wiggling her fingers as she waited.

Maris knew what Rory was doing, but she was only human and couldn't resist the urge to tilt her head and fully appreciate the view the other woman had so graciously (and deviously) provided.

Her eyes narrowed, a warning that she knew Rory was up to something before tentatively reaching out to take her hand.

Rory's lips stayed turned into a smile as she grasped Maris' hands, pulling her up without incident. "See?" She said as innocently as she could muster, keeping hold of her hand while she leaned in and pressed her lips against Maris' quickly. Rory had to stay on task, but kissed her another couple of times, purposefully lingering a little longer on the last kiss. "Catch up," She beamed and turned towards the water, barely containing a laugh as she bolted across the sand for the waves. A kinder person would have set up rules for this little race or given a countdown, but Rory wasn't about being fair when it was too fun to be a little wicked.

"I knew it was a trap!" Maris shouted as she took off after Rory. The kiss had left her slightly dazed, so she was a few steps behind as the other woman reached the water.

She lunged for Rory, managing to grab hold and pull her to her.

"You think you're slick, huh?" she challenged as her hands slid downward to tickle Rory's sides, simultaneously doing her best to dig her feet into the sand she could be anchored when the tide started pulling back in again.

By the time she made it to the water, Rory was just lucky she hadn't doubled over entirely from laughing so hard. It felt so free to be out here playing with Maris, being a total idiot and yes, still buzzing from the deliberate kisses she'd given the other woman.

Maybe just that one confession, one decision she made that she wasn't going to follow along her path with Jess that gave her an ability to feel so free now.

"Oh I know I'm slick." She countered as she jerked away from Maris' hands tickling at her sides. It didn't last long, as her arms swept around Maris' waist and pulled her flush against her as the tide crashed against their legs. "You're really cute when you lose a footrace." She teased, grinning as she lifted her just a little in a playful spin.

"Super cute," she said dryly, putting emphasis on the word she had obvious distaste for, but the squeal she let out when Rory spun her around was undeniably gleeful and girlish.

Maris wasn't the type of woman who was used to being swept off her feet in the literal or figurative sense. She had spent most of her life in control of every situation, including relationships. For the most part, she liked it that way but there was something to be said for letting go and letting yourself be half of an equal partnership and she had never really had that with anyone but the woman who was holding her.

"Look at you so butch and strong," she teased. "Surprised you can lift me, I had like four of those chicken tacos before we got on the plane."

She slowly reached up and cupped Rory's cheek once she found her footing again, using her thumb to push a strand of hair that had escaped the other woman's updo out of her face. She was mesmerized, her expression a reflection of the words she wouldn't let herself say just yet, her heart full with the knowledge that it was okay to feel the way she did for the first time since they'd found each other again because soon the nightmare would be over, however messily. Rory was and would be officially hers again.

Her hand slid down to lightly grip the side of her neck as she kissed her. There was an undeniable passion there, a particularly strong wave causing Maris to hold onto Rory just a bit more tightly in an effort to keep them both upright. The kiss seemed to last forever, but still wasn't long enough, especially when they were interrupted by a middle aged woman sporting a stereotypical, short, no fuss, mom haircut.

"Do you and your girlfriend mind? We're about to have a wedding and there are about to be children present."

"Oh fuck off," Maris said tersely. She had never been a shrinking violet and was hardly known for tact, but her reply was uncharacteristically uncouth. She simply didn't have time for this woman and her stupid wedding. She didn't want to wallow in the obstacles she and Rory were still facing. This woman wasn't going to ruin a moment, their moment that had been such a long time coming.


The woman was a bit dumbfounded, (which was good because she didn't have time for a proper argument either) even as Maris pulled Rory back up toward the beach to gather their stuff, the fact that they'd managed decided to pool all their beach things into one over sized bag working their favor. They were packed and halfway up the small path that lead to their room before Maris burst into laughter over what she'd done.

"I've heard people on the internet talk about Karens and thought they were joking but that, that was a Karen."

She caught Rory's eyes as they reached the front door, her large brown ones just as dark as they had been down in the water. Her need to be close to her still hadn't subsided and her anger over the woman's rudeness was only fueling the adrenaline rush she was currently on.

Which was probably why she pulled Rory against her even before the door slammed shut behind them.

They were still covered in sand and salt, the latter of which Maris could taste on her lover's lips as her tongue swept over them for entrance, a loud thud echoing through the room as their beach bag hit the floor.

Rory couldn’t help the fit of laughter that their teasing each other in the waves gave her. She well remembered how little Maris liked the word cute being used for her, which precisely played into why she used it. Being out here on the beach with her, feeling so free and so alight with how she felt for Maris allowed her a lightness even she wasn’t used to. “Oh yeah, I’ll show you how butch and strong I can be.” She laughed, rolling her eyes.

This was such a quintessential scene, making out in the middle of waves on a sunny day on vacation. She hardly paid attention to what was going on around them, not when her full attention was honed in on Maris and holding her tightly against her. She felt like her heart could burst right out of her chest in some sweeping romantic moment. How could she possibly, ever want anything other than this? Messy road ahead, sure, but it was worth it to end up with this woman, and she’d meant what she had said. She wasn’t going to be without her again.

She could tell her own lips were kiss-swollen as much as her heart was pounding when they finally broke apart, the woman interrupting them. Funny, she didn’t see her complaining at any other couples on the beach. It wasn’t like a small town in Maine was some beacon of love and acceptance, but Rory had settled in comfortably to being openly exactly who she was. Leave it to the mom-cut to wedge her way into her joy. She could have said something, would have — but Maris did that for them. Rory almost burst out laughing, from the utter surprise and joy that response gave her. And honestly, it was possibly the hottest thing she could have done. They were unapologetically together, unabashedly showing how much they wanted to be together. So yes, fuck off Karen.

“That was definitely a Karen.” She agreed, a little distracted as they gathered their things and headed up to their room. Her heart still beat fast in her chest, that heady aroused feeling lingering as they went. It was a wonder that they actually made it to their door, in fact.

She recognized that look well, and knew it mirrored her own.

Rory didn’t hesitate, dropping whatever she’d carried with her inelegantly to the floor, her hands slid around Maris’ waist and pulled their bodies back together. She hummed into their kiss, her lips immediately parting as her tongue tasted that same salt on her lips. Rory shifted them into the room more, her arm tight around her middle as they moved. “Off,” She demanded with a little growl to her voice, tugging at the straps of Maris’ suit with very little (to no) patience whatsoever. She could feel sun that lingered in Maris’ skin as her lips moved down her neck, her teeth and tongue gently raking against her pulse just as she got them back to knock into the foot of the bed.

Maris struggled a bit to get out of her whole piece because they were nothing if not impractical in bed and bathroom scenarios, kicking her suit to the side of the room with one foot once she'd managed to slid it down her legs. It may have been a pain to get undressed but she was slightly grateful she was fully so as her back hit the bed. She slowly laid back and took Rory with her, not caring in the slightest that her sand dusted feet were leaving their mark all over what had been crisp white sheets earlier that morning.

Her head eventually hit the pillows as she slid upwards, but her hands were busy trying to rid Rory of her own bathing suit, her lips never really leaving the other woman's until all that could really be heard was the soft pucker of their mouths meeting again and and again and the increasingly ragged breaths that escaped them.

It was any wonder that Rory managed not to tear at the fabric of Maris' suit to get her out of it. Patience was only a virtue for so long. She stood back for the moment to watch as Maris finally rid herself of it, her cheeks flushed and breathing hard for the moment until she moved right back against her, kissing her deeply. Climbing onto the bed with her, she settled with their hips pressed together, hers instinctively giving a suggestive roll into Maris'.

Rory laughed softly as Maris tried to get her suit off, her lips tearing from hers finally with a bit of a frustrated growl. She pulled the top off and tossed it off, stealing another kiss in between before her bottoms joined the pile on the floor. Kneeling over Maris, she grinned against her lips before nipping softly at them, one hand smoothing up her body to roll her palm over one of her breasts. Her lips dragged down her neck, humming a low sound as she lashed her tongue against the side of her breasts. "Very salty." She chuckled against her skin, sucking softly at the spot.

A soft gasp of pleasure and almost relief escaped Maris' lips as she felt Rory's tongue, goosebumps prickling up on her skin almost immediately. Maris hands automatically slid down to rest on her lover's hips, eyes never leaving hers even though there was suddenly so much more to take in now that they were both stripped bare.

Maris slowly spread her legs while keeping Rory between them. Her arousal and need for her was very much apparent but she played it as cool as ever.

"I am salty. Over that fucking Karen."

But the idiot at the beach was the last thing Maris wanted to dwell on when she'd actually done her a bit of a favor.

They were alone. Maris finally had Rory all to herself in every sense of the word because she really could have her behind closed doors.

"Fuck me," she murmured against her lips, punctuating the request with an almost chaste peck. "But don't rush."

Despite (or maybe because of) her heightened state of arousal, every little sound that she managed to glean from Maris sent this thrill of joy through her. It couldn't be called anything else, it was so distinctly that. Everything felt new again, familiar but new. Somehow ... more. She hummed a soft sound against Maris' skin, taking care to press pointed, open-mouthed kisses against her skin.

"Do you have any idea how fucking hot it is when you get all ... snappy and protective?" She laughed a little bit, punctuating her question with a kiss against her collar bone. Her eyes caught hers, a spark of mischief in them. "Ocean be damned, you made me wet." So yes, thanks Karen.

They didn't have to think of that now, or anyone outside of this room. That was in fact the vibe she was going with for the whole weekend. Anything that was not Maris and Rory belonged somewhere far outside of their world.

"Fuck," She sort of breathed the reply, lust-dark eyes drinking in the woman beneath her as she shifted over her. "Whatever you want." She mumbled as she leaned in to kiss her deeply, her tongue sweeping over her lips and then her tongue. Her knee pressed into the bed between Maris' legs as she slid her hand between them. She didn't hesitate or draw out the moment too long; just allowed her fingertips to drag up along her thighs before she rolled them against her sex. Rory moaned against her lips as she felt how wet she was, her fingers taking care to roll almost gently against her clit for a few passes before she slid just one finger inside of her.

Ready for her and with it, very sensitive, Maris let out a whimper as Rory's fingers grazed her clit. She may have longed for control and appearing like she didn't need anything or anyone, but there was no real shame or even coyness in this moment. She wanted Rory and she wanted her to know it.

She groaned softly as she slid inside her, somewhat regretting her request that Rory take it slow because she already wanted more, but she settled for slowly starting to rock her hips to make the most of what she'd been given.

Her hands slowly slid over to graze Rory's bare stomach then downwards, a silent signal that she wanted to please her too.

"I am protective," she admitted out loud, slightly breathless. "Because you're mine." She pressed a quick kiss to the side of her neck before whispering in her ear, "Nobody messes with my girl."

Hers. The sentiment alone, even said so easily threatened to steal her breath away for the moment. Surely Rory and Maris had done a good job of claiming each other physically time and again, but this felt different. She felt the shift almost as soon as they'd stepped off the plane, some sort of promise in the air that they were close to some decision. The more they talked and the more they spent time with each other, the clearer it became. Rory was hers. She always had been.

"You're right." She hummed her words against her lips, her fingers building a slow and steady rhythm as her hips rolled towards the action. "I'm yours." She affirmed, punctuating her words by rolling her thumb over Maris' clit, softly at first, then steadily more deliberately. "And you're mine."

The way Rory had always found she and Maris traded control was unlike anything she'd experienced. Here and now, she felt the power of her possessiveness, of being claimed and claiming her right back. She kissed her quickly, unsure if she was more breathless from how much she was trying to slowly fuck her or the Big Feelings currently constricting her chest.

"Touch me." Her words were a whisper, a grin spreading across her face as she slid a second finger inside of her girl, and used the moment to build up her pace just enough so she didn't go mad.

It felt dangerous to say, or at least like wishful thinking on Maris' part. Rory wasn't hers yet. Not fully. Promises had been made and like attachments, needed to be broken.But in that moment, it was true. Rory was hers, their problems far, far away. There was nothing to worry about but making sure they made the most of this, but making sure they made each other feel good.

The words may not have been technically true, but they were certainly felt when Rory echoed them right back, leaving Maris a bit surprised by just how much she wanted to hear them.

She let out another soft cry as Rory slipped another finger inside her, the sound quickly turning into a purr of pleasure as her body automatically adjusted to the other woman's rhythm, craving more. Soon, she was building one of her own, her fingers playing with Rory's clit before slipping inside her in an effort to mirror exactly what was being done to her.

"Feels so good," she breathed, sounding almost surprised no matter how many times they'd done this because she was and always had been. No one had ever made Maris feel half as good as Rory did and which is why she was almost...grateful every time that feeling came rushing back again.

"Fuck, almost....almost," she said hastily, picking up her pace in an effort to get Rory to do the same.

No matter what was going on with her relationship with Maris, back when they were together before, one absolute constant remained how much she wanted her. On a daily basis, sure, but she felt like her libido was ever in overdrive, seeking out connection in even the most chaste touches from the other woman. She had always wanted to be touching her or better yet kissing her, even when they passed each other in the hallway, she'd make a point to brush her fingers against her arm or rest her palm flat against her back while she reached for something in the teachers' lounge. They couldn't get their clothes off fast enough by the time they made it back to one of their homes. Up to the end, that craving feeling never stopped, and even afterward in her heartbreak she felt particularly bereft.

Maris had always been what Rory wanted, and it just sucked that it had taken her so long now to see that it wouldn't, couldn't go away. Rory wasn't going to allow herself to be so foolish again. She'd figure out how to make this work, all the more so once she was free.

Rory's grin only widened when she garnered that reaction from Maris, her heart thundering in her chest as she reveled in her lover. Of course, her features fell into a wince of pleasure of her own, already overly sensitive and ready for Maris. Her hips jolted a bit into her hand, instinctive and inelegant as it was.

"So good," She repeated through a moan, her own hips rocking into Maris' hand as she matched her rhythm with her own fingers, steadily thrusting inside of her. This level of want had never waned, only grown throughout their time together - and what a comfort it was that it only seemed to double now. "Fuck," She growled, her teeth grit together as she felt a shudder race through her, her arm moving to thrust quicker inside of her.

"That's it baby," She purred her words, her voice low as her gaze never wavered. "Come for me." Her voice faltered a little as she moaned, pleasure building within her as she swept her thumb in almost frantic circles now against Maris' clit, her two fingers fucking her faster.

Rory's request was what ultimately pushed Maris over the edge, her fingers never stopping in an effort to bring her right there with her. Her back arched as she came, Rory's name falling from her lips just as the sun began to set, the air coming in from their open windows a few degrees colder, not that she felt it. Sweat caused a few stray hairs to stick to her temples and her body was flushed as she, once Rory began to come down, pulled her in to rest on top of her.

Watching Maris come undone could have been enough in itself to push Rory over the edge, her name on her lips - all of it. As it was, the sensations Maris delivered with her own hand brought her there quickly, this time Maris' name echoing out loudly into the room. She jolted and trembled as she came down, her own hair a wild mess as she half-collapsed on top of the other woman. She laughed a little bit, kissing her chest and then her neck as she slowly pulled her fingers from her. "That's the kind of welcome to paradise I was after." She chuckled a bit, kissing her squarely on the lips. A moment later, she drew her own fingers into her mouth to taste Maris on them, her pointed gaze steady even as her whole body seemed to vibrate with how happy she was to be here, with her.