Chapter Text
Maya unlocked the front door entering as quietly as she could. It wasn’t late but she was still surprised to find the first floor in complete silence, the only light being the lamp on the sideboard by the front door. Maya smiled at the small gesture knowing in her like of work she could never take the little things for granted. She took a deep breath as she kicked off her trainers and places her keys on the hook.
Placing her bag on the sofa and her jacket over the bannister Maya made her way to the kitchen to find a plate of lasagna left for her, Maya had promised Carina she’d be home for dinner but a last minute 3 alarm fire had other plans. Wiling for the microwave to be quiet as she heated her dinner the light patter of feet down the stairs informed her she had been unsuccessful.
“Mommy?” The small girl questioned as if she was in disbelief to see her mom in the kitchen. “There’s my little blondie” Maya said brightly as she swept up the three year old to place a kiss on her forehead.
“Mi manchi mommy, I missed you!” Eleora whispered into her moms neck.
“I miss you too my baby” Maya returned swaying slightly just enjoying the moment with her daughter.
“You we’re gone per sempre” Eleora said, lifting her head off Mayas shoulder, her ice blue eyes identical to Mayas looking lovingly into Mayas.
“Per sempre huh?” She responded brushing the loose strands of hair from Eleora’s face.
“It means, forever mommy, you were gone for a bunch of forevers!” Eleora sighed moving her hands erratically reminding Maya very much of Carina.
“I know what per sempre means bambina” Maya smirked booping her daughters nose.
“I missed you” Eleora repeated cuddling back into Mayas neck “Mama said you’d be home for dinner then you weren’t and I missed you.” Maya felt her heart explode in that moment and sis didn’t think she could love anything as much as she did right now.
“I’m sorry bambina, I missed you too” Maya responded. “Shall we go sit on the sofa, and you can tell me all about your day with Mama?” Eleora grinned at her mother’s proposition and nodded her head. Maya grabbed her food and a sippy cup for her daughter just in case.
“So…” Maya threw her daughter on the sofa which warranted a loud giggle from her daughter “… what did you guys get up to today?” Eleora composed her self and crawled into her mother laps to recall the events of her day, telling Maya all about her adventures at the park and her play date with Scout and Pru.
“… and then!” Eleora exclaimed as she shot you out of her moms arm to explain “… Andrea pushed me down the fireman’s pole when I wasn’t ready and I.. I.. got look a bruise!” Eleora pointed to a small bruise at the top of her elbow.
“I only pushed you because you were taking forever to go down because you were a scaredy cat!” The voice came from the bottom of the stairs where Eleora’s twin brother stood, his dark curls unruly from where he’d been laying on the pillow and his big brown eyes looking as Maya as if they were enough to defend his actions. They were.
“I am not a scaredy cat!” Eleora protested.
“Are too!” Andrea retorted.
Maya giggled at the twins argument knowing there was nothing malicious in either action. “Shushhh, my babies don’t wake mama” Maya placed her finger to her lips to enforce her statement. “Come ‘ere bubs” Maya gestured to her son to join them in the sofa.
Both twins cuddled into Maya seemingly content in just being held. “What we’re you talking doing playing on the fireman’s pole?” Maya asked knowing that it was attached to an adventure playground for much older children than her 3 years olds. “Scout took us” Eleora states innocently “yeah we wanted to be just like you mommy” Andrea added. Maya couldn’t contain the smile that crept upon her face.
They stayed like that for 10 minutes, Maya wished she could freeze in this moment forever, holding her twins sat in the living of the house she shares with the love of her life. There was a time in her life Maya could never had imagined this is where she’d ever be but that all changed the day she met Carina. Maya was insanely apprehensive when Carina brought up the ‘kid thing’ but as soon as the twins were born, Maya knew they were everything she didn’t know she needed. That day she fell even more in love with the woman who changed her life.
The silence was soon broken by a loud yawn from one of the twins, though Maya wasn’t sure which child made the noise she knew it was now way past their bedtime. “Okay bambini, I think it’s time for bed.” Maya scooped up both children in each arm and carried them upstairs before she made it to the twins bedroom Eleora popped her head up to look straight in Mayas eyes
“mommy?”
“Yes bambina?”
“Please can we sleep with you and mama tonight?” Eleora asked.
“We’ll be good” Andrea added “we really missed you”
Maya had been on a 48hr shift with the added time to attend the 3 alarm it had been nearly three days since she last seen her family together, sure she had seen Carina at the hospital for lunch but they didn’t spend as much time together as they would have liked as Carina was paged 911 to the pit cutting their date short.
Looking left and right at the puppy dog eyes of both her son and daughter there was no way she would deny them a night of cuddles with Carina and herself.
“Okay, but just this once, I love you my babies” Maya finally responded as the twins high fives behind her head. “I saw that” Maya giggled, as did the twins.
Making her way to her bedroom she reminded the twins to be super quiet not to wake Carina as she placed them on the bed and disappeared into the en-suite to change into pyjamas and brush her teeth ready for bed silently thanking herself for showering at the station before she left.
When she returned to the bed just minutes later Andrea had a look on his face as if he was sacred to ask what he wanted to know. “Spit it out bubs, what’s going on in there” she said as she ruffled her sons curls earning more giggles for her son.
“Mommy?”
“Bubs?” Maya returned matching her sons pitch making Eleora laugh.
“Can you tell us a story about mama, please it will help us sleep”
Maya smiled widely at the innocent request from her son as she began to tell a story of Carina at the beach during one of their first trips together.
** 5 years ago **
“Carina, baby it is the middle of December, I get that you’re Sicilian and think that any wether is beach weather but it is Cornwall, UK the climates a little different to the Amalfi it might be bright and sunny and not a cloud in the sky but it’s also 4 degrees…” Maya said glancing at her Apple Watch “… that’s like 39 degrees in American” Maya stated quiet casually earning a laugh from her the girlfriend.
“Ah Americano’s and their belief that the whole world revolves around them, you know the rest of the world calculates temperature in degrees Celsius you could at least catch up” Carina retorted through her giggles.
“Whatever” Maya laughed off the comment knowing how much Carina loved to whine her up about Americanisms.
“Bella, come on it won’t be that cold I promise you” Carina pleaded already dragging Maya towards to water.
As they got closer to the edge Carina began to take off the shoes and socks and made a dash for the water forcing Maya to chase her.
“Damn Carina every thought about running in the olympics” Maya squirmed as she caught up to her.
“Cazzo! That’s so cold” Carina almost screamed as the tan back in the opposite direction causing Maya to buckle over in laughter “baby, i’d hate to say I told y-“ before Maya could finish her sentence Carina splashed the water at her. “Oh this is war Dr DeLuca” Maya grinned as she headed into the shoreline “I wouldn’t want it any other way Captain Bishop” Carina responded as Maya grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss.
“Ti amo, Carina”
“Ti amo con tufts l’anima Maya”
**Present time**
The bedroom filled with the sound of laughter as Maya tried to quiet her twins down again aware that Carina was now awake but still with her eyes closed hoping the twins wouldn’t notice.
“Mama really thought the water would be warm?” Andrea giggled
“Mama thinks every water is like Italy” Eleora added
“Okay, okay let’s settle back down it’s sleepy time, mommy’s tired” Maya attempted to calm the twins down.
As the twins snuggled further into the bed Maya waited until their breathing had evened out before addressing her wife.
“You know, it’s kinda rude to spy on your family Dr DeLuca” Maya finally said breaking the silence
“Hey, that’s Dr Bishop-DeLuca to you” Carina argued back with a smile on her face.
Maya pushed herself onto her side so she could see her wife over her sleeping children, moving her hand to cup her wifes face before moving it to her stomach.
“Hi baby” Maya smiled at her wife
“Ciao bella” Carina whispered returning the smile before leaning over and pressing and loving but chaste kiss on her wifes lips “I can’t believe you told them the Cornwall story” Carina scoffed. “Be lucky I told the cold water story, next time I’ll tell them the jellyfish story” Maya smirked, a smirk that was quickly erased by a pillow hitting her face and Carina giggled at the sheer look of betrayal on her wifes face.
“How’s my little champion” Maya whispered back brushing her finger tips over the barely there bump.
“They’re doing just fine, only made be throw up twice today… progress” Carina laughed.
Maya went to respond but was over taken by a yawn.
“You need to sleep bella” Carina spoke sympathetically.
“I love you so much Carina, and I love our babies” Maya said as tears threatened to fall.
“I love you so much too Maya, do you want to talk about the call?” Carina asked.
“No my love, it can wait, I think I’d rather drift into dream land surrounded by the people I love most in the world” Maya spoke “everything I need is here in the room”.
“Okay bella, but just so you know, if you want to it need to talk, I’m here” Carina reinforced.
“per sempre?” Maya asked mimicking the tone of their daughter
“Per sempre” Carina replied with a smile that reached her eyes.
With the smiling image of her wife and her babies tucked between them, Maya grabbed Carinas hand and drifted to sleep as soon as her head it the pillow.