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Jane led the way up the stairs to her apartment. Maura followed her, tripping a little in her heels, reaching out a hand to steady herself against Jane, her hand wrapping around Jane's forearm, Jane adjusting her stride to accommodate her friend's shorter stride. Jo greeted them at the door, Maura finishing her short verbal essay on fire door safety regulation history as it pertained to disability retrofits. They'd had a few drinks after work, and Maura had ended up in the cab with Jane as usual. It was usual, them going to one of their homes - usually Jane's because Jane's mother could feed Bass at Maura's and Jo Friday needed walking.

Jane let them into the apartment, Jo hustling around their heels. The dogwalker dropped in a few times a day, and a kid down the block fed her if Jane was delayed or at the station overnight, but small dogs had small bladders.

"I'll order," Maura called as Jane scooped Jo into her arms, grabbing her leash.

---

Jane paid the delivery guy at the door, letting herself back in. Maura was pouring them a glass of the wine she kept at Jane's. Jane's breath caught at the sight of her. The kitchen light behind her made her hair halo, her skin glowed with the warmth Jane had always been able to see in it, and Maura's smile eclipsed them both. Jane exhaled quickly, looked away and let Jo down, deadbolting the door behind her. When she looked up again the trick of the light was gone, but Maura's smile hadn't dimmed at all.
---
Jane's couch was old and lumpy and uncomfortable. Jane assumed that was why they always ended up in Jane's bed, the exhaustion from their day's work always slowing their sentences into silences that became more elongated, more comfortable as they drifted off. There was always a point of the night where Jane could say something. Something like:
"It's late, are you heading home, or would you like to stay over?"

There was always a point where Maura could say something. Something like:

"It's too late to head home, can I borrow something to sleep in?"

But somehow neither of them asked, or mentioned it, and they fell asleep next to each other, still dressed as though it had been an accident.

--

Maura had always taken a long time to fall asleep; it was the curse of an active mind. But somehow, despite the comfort of her own home, the luxury of her own bed, there was something that drew her to Jane's place, her flannel sheets and messy room. There was something about the lazy, comfortable conversations that lulled Maura's busy mind to sleep. She felt safe, even with the violence she hadn't expected in her job.

Of all the luxuries Maura could afford in her life, Jane Rizzoli was the only one that was priceless. The only good thing in her life she couldn't put a dollar value on.

Maura hadn't had many friends; the few friends she'd thought she had usually ended up teasing or deriding her for her social skills and hyperfocus on almost every scientific topic. But it was different when Jane did it. There was a fondness, a softness to her eyes, and in the next breath she'd express her admiration for Maura's skills. Maura felt safe with her. The things she said might be mean, at face value, and initially Maura had had to cover her hurt feelings often, but she'd learned that that was how Jane expressed affection. It made more sense when Jane started introducing her to the rest of the Rizzoli's, their causal affection melting parts of Maura she hadn't known were hardened. Jane was confusing and complex and casual, and her mannerisms were masculine, likely from her brothers tagging her in on their games. She was kind and sensitive to victims on the job, and rough and brutal with perps. Maura could study her forever, but instead she felt her eyes close as Jane talked over whatever had happened that day. Maura's place was larger, and more comfortable and had multiple spare rooms, but Maura usually managed to wile her way into going back to Jane's instead, the smaller older space giving her more reason to brush against Jane, giving her an excuse to fall asleep in Jane's bed.

To fall asleep next to Jane. Her best friend. Her only friend. The person she'd become used to waking up next to, the sunlight filtering in through the thin curtains Jane refused to replace. Jane was a physically affectionate person - she instigated incidental contact, and in the night, Jane crept closer into Maura's warmth, closer and closer until she was wrapped around Maura like a blanket. Maura always woke up with an armful of Jane, a face full of long hair and a heartful of warmth from the contact. Jane was always cranky in the morning, and Maura hated the instant coffee Jane insisted on using, so she had gifted Jane a French Press and some nice roasts to grind in the mornings. She always woke first, and she always thought she should get up and make the coffee before Jane woke so she could bring her coffee in bed, but each morning Jane had colonised her in her sleep, and any movement threatened to wake her, and Maura knew how Jane usually slept - poorly. She slept like a log - a heavy, human, soft warm log - on top of Maura when she was there, but Maura knew that on the nights Maura slept in her own bed, and Jane slept alone in hers, that Jane slept poorly, plagued with nightmares, and Maura didn't fare much better. Maura wondered how it wasn't obvious to the rest of the precinct, their synchronised fatigue and suboptimal moods. But Maura had always known that she was very observant, but surely the detectives at least would pick up on something so clear.

Jane woke slowly, and Maura had time to remove her hands from where they were rubbing up and down Jane's back as she slept. She always had time to pretend that she'd been asleep, time to watch Jane wake and roll over, away from her, time to pretend to wake up when Jane's weight gently jostled the bed as she put a fresh coffee on Maura's bedside table. Jane's hand would rest somewhere safe - Maura's shoulder or cheek - and then she'd wake Maura slowly and gently. Maura would open her eyes, and Jane would be smiling down at her like she was something precious. It always took her a moment to realise Maura was looking back at her, to school her face into something she felt was more on-brand. An embarrassed hand rubbed at her face and Jane drank her own coffee. Maura sat up and sipped at her own mug - Jane always had instant, but Maura woke up it was always to a fresh ground coffee. Jane was brash and impatient, and she wasn't a morning person, but she always had time to make Maura a proper coffee before waking her up.

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They had been sleeping over long enough that it would be weird to bring it up now.

If it had been a man looking at her the way Jane looked at her, Maura would know for sure what this strange dance was. When Jane's eyes dropped to her lips, when she looked at Maura like she was something she wanted, Maura felt the flutter in her chest that had no rational physiological cause. And when Maura woke in Jane's sleepy embrace, she was warmed all the way through. Here was someone who loved her, someone who wasn't put off with her social quirks and morbid work. Someone who listened to her, albeit impatiently at times, but well enough to surprise her by repeating some obscure fact she'd mentioned once years ago. If Jane had been a man, Maura would have asked her out a long time ago, those long bones and soulful eyes. But Jane wasn't a man, she was Maura's gorgeous best friend, and objectively she was a very attractive woman. It made the signals confusing. It made Maura's eager responses to those signals confusing.

---

Maura went home alone the next night. And the night after that, and the night after that.

Jane was looking stressed, but Maura couldn't figure out a way to go home with Jane naturally. As the days wore on, Jane's mood dropped, her hands shook with the caffeine she'd been taking to make up for her lack of sleep.

"Bring Jo over tonight. Your mother has been asking about her, and if she doesn't see her soon, you'll know what she'll do." Maura said warningly as they ate their lunch. Jane groaned.

"She'll show up and move everything around again. I'll bring her round tonight," Jane looked up at Maura and smiled, thankful for the warning.

"Bring a bag," Maura added, resting her hand on Jane's forearm. Jane's smile grew, and Maura felt her own face spread into a genuine smile as well before Jane ducked her head, turning her attention back to her lunch.

---

Jane yawned as she waited for Maura to open the door. Jo ran in ahead of her and took her place of honour on the bed Maura put out for her. Bass had decided it was his so Maura had to keep moving it on top of things; she'd bought him one of his own, but he still preferred Jo's.

Jane walked in, dumping her bag on the couch. Maura brought her over a beer as Jane sunk into the cushions with a groan.

"Bad dreams?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded, taking a deep drink and not elaborating. Angela came in and admonished Jane for not putting her bag away. Maura, to keep the peace, took the bag as Angela started a lecture to go with dinner, one about proper manners for a guest. Maura smiled and hesitated outside the guest room, then kept walking.
---
Angela served up dinner, remarking again on how wrecked Jane looked. Jane scowled but didn't argue, which alarmed Maura.

Jane showered and went into the guest room to grab her pyjamas. Her bag wasn't there.

"Mau! Where'd you put my stuff," Jane yelled as she pulled her towel tighter.

Maura appeared at the doorway.

"You're not really a guest, are you?" Maura asked, head tilted. "And this is a guest room. But you're not a guest so I put your stuff in with me." Maura's head tilted to the side, wondering if this would change the way they did this from now on, if it would shake it all out into the open. If Jane would interpret it some way, some way that Maura hadn't intended, unless she had intended it that way and was too scared to say it out loud. The way Maura woke first, longing to trace the lines of Jane's face with her fingertips, the way she felt Jane's breath close on her face as she pretended to sleep when Jane woke. Jane started at Maura, processing, then pushed past where she stood in the doorway to go to Maura's room, presumably to retrieve her pyjamas.

---

Maura slid into bed next to an uncharacteristically silent Jane. She managed to read half a page of her book before Jane spoke up.

"You got all these spare rooms in this house, why we gotta bunk up? This your way of..." Jane trailed off, and Maura sighed.

"I haven't been sleeping well. Neither have you, based on your peri-orbital circles."

"Yeah, well, you look great too. If you're lonely..."

"I have plenty of options, thank you Jane. And plenty of offers. But the only time I feel safe..." Maura trailed off.

"Bad dreams, huh?" Jane asked, echoing Maura's earlier question.

"It makes me feel more secure, having you close by." Jane rolled onto her side, looked over at Maura. Jane thought about all the times that Jane had saved Maura, all the times that she'd rescued Maura, all the times she'd had Maura fall into her arms sobbing after Jane rescued her. Jane had nightmares too, the ones that started with Hoyt in the basement, in that van, and ended with Maura, tied up and a scalpel descending on her pale flesh, Maura being tortured, Maura being shot. Jane kept her gun next to her bed, but the thing she prized most she liked to keep in her bed with her. She did sleep better next to Maura. She liked knowing Maura was safe for the night, and what better way than to be sleeping in the same bed. She liked the way Maura felt in her arms. She liked the soothing smell of the skin near Maura's neck, the softness of Maura pressed against her.

"Yeah. Me too," Jane admitted finally, Maura's smile fading as she turned off the bedside lamp.

---

It took Maura longer than usual to fall asleep. It was different, them both having a shower and getting into pyjamas and deliberately get into bed together. They couldn't pretend it was an accident anymore. The adrenaline of maybe having to have a confrontation had her heart pumping.

That's how she knew Jane was still awake when she rolled over into Maura. Maura felt those strong hands, the ones she knew had faced hours and hours of physical therapy, wrap around her torso to pull her close. The touch was warm, welcome and familiar. Maura had always assumed that Jane had been asleep when she started cuddling Maura, and now she wondered if Jane was always awake when she colonised Maura. Wondered if Jane lay awake, unable to sleep until she gave in and pulled herself into Maura. Wondered if Jane's heartbeat spiked like hers had when their bodies met. Jane's hands were so strong and sure of themselves on Maura's body, the way they were when they were both awake, but it felt different in the dark room, their slow breath the only noise.
Maura heard Jane sigh, felt the hand on her ribs slacken a little as Jane fell into what Maura hoped was a deep sleep. Maura raised her own hands to run across the expanse of Jane's back, holding her close.

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Maura woke first, as usual, watching Jane sleep splayed across her chest like a contented dragon atop its hoard. Maura could feel the warmth of Jane melting her heart, beating fast beneath Jane's head. Jane slept untidily - akimbo limbs and scattered bedclothes - and for someone who liked things neat, Maura found it strangely endearing. Maura could smell coffee, could hear Angela quietly puttering around in the kitchen. She heard Angela knock on the spare room door and worried for a moment that Angela would find this situation a little alarming.

Angela, with her usual lack of boundaries, at least knocked before she nudged the door open and came in, putting two coffees on the bedside table. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her daughter, face obscured by curly hair, resting on Maura's chest. Even in sleep Jane's hands gripped Maura tightly. Maura could see why Angela's overbearing mothering could be irritating; she hadn't counted on their sleepover being intruded upon. She had an overwhelming urge to insist that this wasn't what it looked like, but they were both fully dressed women with severe trauma, it was exactly what it looked like, but not what someone else might interpret it as. But this was her bedroom, in her house, and she didn't owe anyone any explanations about what happened here.

Angela looked up at Maura and smiled, sipping at her own coffee. Maura longed to grab hers, the one Angela had brought in in her favourite mug, but moving would jostle Jane, and Maura could tell she was in a restful deep sleep cycle and since they weren't working today, there was no need to wake her just yet; Jane would be annoyed at Angela and embarrassed at having been caught holding Maura overnight. The least Maura could do was let her sleep through this. She glanced at her mug wistfully though; it was an exquisite blend.

"I used to worry about her, you know," Angela said, her voice low in deference to Jane's sleep. "Her job, Hoyt, getting shot, but she never would stand down, and God knows I'm grateful, she's saved her brothers and you more than once. But I worried she'd be alone. What kind of man would be happy with a woman so successful? But being here, seeing how much more the world has to offer than what it did when I was young... I don't worry about that any more. You taught me that a woman doesn't need to reduce herself to accommodate a man's ego." Angela brushed some hair out of Maura's face, hand trailing down to brush over Jane's head as well, ending up resting over one of Maura's hands where it rested on Jane's back. "She lives in a one-bedroom, and you're never here. You're like a daughter to me, more like a daughter than this tomboy." Angela poked Jane gently, who grizzled and nuzzled deeper into Maura's chest. "If you're not coming home because I'm here, you don't need to worry."

Angela looked up at Maura again, considering what to say. "She looked so dreadfully tired yesterday. She's not sleeping." Angela paused, sought out the right words. "She sleeps better the nights you don't come home, doesn't she?" Angela asked, and out of all the detectives in the precinct it was the barista that made the connection. She had the advantage though - that and the proximity to tell when Maura wasn't home. Maura nodded slowly, meeting Angela's eyes. Wondering if she'd find judgement there, hatred. Jane had been brought up Catholic, after all. But Angela's eyes were brimming with tears. "I never thought she'd find someone... Someone like you," Angela whispered. "You're so good to her, you're so good for her."

Maura shifted uncomfortably. It seemed some assumptions had been made, and while she could correct them, on the surface the words hadn't been entirely incorrect.

"Can you take Jo Friday out please? And thank you for the coffee." Maura could feel Jane stirring and knew she'd be mortified if Angela was here when she woke. Angela smiled, still teary-eyed, and leaned down, kissing Maura's forehead. She ruffled her hand over Jane's back and stood, and Jane groaned into Maura's chest, nose brushing against Maura's throat.

"Of course, sweetheart." Angela clicked to Jo, who leapt down eagerly. Angela paused at the door, looking back fondly at the mess of tangled limbs on the bed. "My beautiful girls," she said quietly, hand over her heart.

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Jane woke slowly, and out of habit she went to move away from Maura, to get out of bed before she woke up to find them entangled. Maura held her closer, and Jane started with shock. Jane's wide eyes focused on Maura's then relaxed at whatever she found there, her momentary panic waning.

"Mau, let me get up, I can smell coffee." Jane complained, head falling back onto Maura's chest.

"Your mum made it," Maura said belligerently. "Hand delivered."

Jane turned her face further into Maura's chest, groaning yet again, giving up any pretence that she was unhappy snuggling with Maura.

"Did she ask you for grandkids?" Jane asked jokingly.

"No, but near enough." Maura sighed, running her hand over Jane's bare shoulder before propping herself up and getting her coffee. Jane's torso slipped into Maura's lap, and Jo ran back into the room to jump up and join the puddle of bodies on the bed. Jane propped herself up moments before Angela came back in, Jane scrubbing at her face and reaching across Maura for her coffee. Angela might not have boundaries, but she did make great coffee.

"I'm going over to Frankie's now, I'll be back after lunch," Angela said, "You'll have the place to yourselves," she hinted, and Jane scrubbed at her face again.

"Ma!"

"What? I'm just being supportive, do you want me to not be supportive? I joined PFLAG two years ago Jane, you can come to me with anything. You know I love Maura - you know that sweetie," Angela addressed an amused Maura, who was watching Jane's discomfort with some enjoyment. "But PFLAG said to wait until you were ready to tell me, so whenever you're ready, Jane."
Angela left a pointed silence before she flounced out of the room.

"Emotional manipulation," Maura noted. "At least she's supportive?"
"Yeah, of what? Me having a sleepover with my best friend?"

"Jane. I'm sure you're aware that most adult women don't sleep over in the same bed. I'm sure you're also aware that female friendships are statistically more likely to be sexualised than mens."
"Well, I was happy to sleep in the guest room," Jane pointed out. "But you were insistent and I'm a guest in your home. I didn't want to be rude."

"Either way, Jane, I would have joined you in the guest room." They both knew it was true; it was a dance they'd been doing a long time. There were few moments of comfort in the work they did, and every one of them had come from the support they'd had from each other. "Why don't you want to talk about this?"

"I'm not... if we talk about it... and I say the wrong thing, this all goes away." Jane sipped at her coffee, looked over at Maura and away again quickly. "I don't want to hurt you, but if we talk about it, I'll manage to, somehow. The only time I know you're safe is when you're with me. I've been sleeping like crap all week, Mau. If we talk about it and you say you're uncomfortable or you hate me for needing you like this, I'll never get another good night's sleep again." Jane rubbed at her face, put her coffee down. "Can we just have this? Just a good night's sleep a few nights a week, no nightmares, just sleep."

Jane looked stressed, so Maura reached out a hand, half-expecting Jane to flinch. She didn't, so Maura let her hand rub across Jane's back, the soft cotton singlet contrasting against the even softer bare skin of Jane's shoulders.

"Jane. I'm usually the one staying over at your place. If I didn't want to share a bed with you, I wouldn't go back to your apartment after work. Whatever comfort you get from this, you're not alone."
"Well, Ma is ready to throw us a pride parade." Jane said sardonically. Maura nodded seriously.

"I can see how she'd misinterpret our relationship. The Western world tends to believe that only sexual relationships can be physically close." Maura considered it a moment, then shrugged.

"And you're fine with her thinking that?" Jane spat out. "You know her, she'll try to trick you into proposing next week."

"She said she joined PFLAG two years ago. At least she's being supportive." Maura looked over at Jane, face still slack with sleep, voice rougher than usual. "And I could do a lot worse. I have done a lot worse. You would be classified as an improvement if you were ranked against my dating history."

"Are you saying you'd be into me if you were into women?" Jane joked, and Maura took a deep breath.

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"Jane. You know I study facial cues. The number of times you've looked at my mouth and breasts while I'm talking is on par with a heterosexual man." Jane coughed on the coffee she'd just picked up, trying to feign indifference, set it down and wiped her mouth. "If you were a man, I could pass it off as general interest - I know I'm conventionally attractive - but when I run those statistics against women the data implies that you find me attractive. That you're attracted to me."

Jane looked shocked; her eyes were wide. It was likely she thought she'd been subtle, or genuinely didn't realise how much more she looked at Maura than other women, how much more she looked at Maura than other women looked at other women.

"There are even times where, if you were a man, or a gay woman, or a bisexual, I would have assumed that you were about to kiss me. But you never do. And I know I could do worse, but Jane, so could you," Maura huffed.

"Mau!" Jane scrubbed at her face. "This exactly why I didn't want to talk about this, ok? I don't want..." Jane swallowed and looked over at Maura, gaze drifting down to her lips. "I don't want to do worse. I don't want to kiss you," she said quietly, without conviction, eyes still caught on the curve of Maura's lips. "I just... I just like your lipstick."

"Are you sure?" Maura asked softly, studying Jane's face, not bothering to mention that she'd just woken up and wasn't wearing any lipstick. "Would it be so awful?" Maura asked, even quieter. She looked dejected and Jane's hands stung with the desire to touch her, to console her. She'd been avoiding this conversation so she wouldn't hurt Maura, yet Maura looked hurt, and that hurt Jane. Jane could reach out and run her hands over Maura's back, she could shrug all this off with a joke - but Maura looked so hurt that Jane couldn't bring herself to act in self-preservation.

"You're... you're too important to me." Jane said finally. "You're in every part of my life. If I lost you... it wouldn't be worth it. I don't think kissing you would be awful." Jane turned her hands over, stared at her palms. "But the idea of you hating me because I kissed you - that's beyond awful. It's beyond comprehension. I'd have to get a new job, I'd have to give you The Dirty Robber and Frost and Korsak, there'd be no more jogging or spa visits, Ma would have to move in with me and I'd be... Maura, I'd be alone." Jane scrubbed at her face again, keeping it tilted away from Maura. "You're too important to risk even thinking... even wondering..."

"My hypothesis was that you are attracted to me. Without empirical evidence I can't prove my theory." Maura's face went blank again, the way it did when she was considering evidence.

"But... if you've suspected that I've been attracted to you, why have you been coming home with me? You always fall asleep in my bed, why would you..." Jane trailed off, suspicion growing. Maura had said that Jane wasn't alone in taking comfort from their closeness.

"You're the detective, Jane." Maura said seriously. Jane looked over quickly, saw Maura's patient, waiting face and looked away again.

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"Do you want to kiss me?" Jane asked, and it must have been the third or fourth time she'd asked Maura that same question now, Maura's pause always giving her brief hope. Remembering the Giovanni situation, and the lesbian nightclub, and the way Maura had always gently rebuffed her pointed questions. Jane looked deeply into her coffee cup, hoping its depths held the answers she wanted. She wanted Maura to say no, so that nothing would change, so they could have this, these brief vacations insulated from the outside world in the safe bubble of quilted softness. She wanted Maura to say yes, so that she knew she wasn't alone in this burning curiosity of what it would feel like to have the only person who really understood her in every way possible. She wanted Maura to say no, so that she could go back to half-heartedly pretending to date men that barely interested her instead of feeling the excruciating pull toward her best friend. She wanted Maura to say yes because Maura was so soft, and her lips looked even softer than her eyes did when she looked at Jane. She wanted Maura to say no because Maura was more than Jane deserved. She wanted Maura, she realised suddenly, Maura's words sinking in, making her blush. She'd been checking out her best friend, probably at work - no wonder Angela wanted her to come out!

Maura had been silent a suspiciously long time now.

"I don't want to kiss you," Maura said finally. Jane started getting out of bed, but Maura touched her wrist, held it gently to prevent her from leaving. Not actual restraint, because it was Jane and just the touch of Maura's hand was enough to keep her. Because it was Jane, and she'd been restrained too many times. Because it was Jane, and Maura knew how to handle her, how she minded being touched. "But I want to be kissed by you." Jane's brow crinkled.

"Maura, that's the same thing!" Jane burst out, confused and upset from the initial response and the follow up.

"It's really not, Jane." Maura said quietly, her thumb brushing the prominent pisiform bone.

"Then explain it to me, big brain, because I don't get it." Jane slid back onto the bed, on top of the covers but still wouldn't look at Maura. Maura sighed.

"I'm... traditional, in some ways. Tied into my identity. I'm used to being wooed. I'm not used to making deliberate physical moves, because sometimes I'm wrong about social cues. I could be wrong about you." Maura dropped her hand.

"Doctor Isles, wrong? That'd be a new one." Jane scoffed. She rubbed at the scars on her palms a moment, and Maura's chest hurt at the sight of Jane's vulnerable attempt at self-comfort. She longed to reach over and take those hands, but the conversation was too intense already, Jane was too flighty. Maura knew that if they didn't finish this now then Jane would never bring it up again. She'd just keep watching Maura's mouth as she talked, watching Maura with that soft longing in her eyes. So Maura kept her hands to herself.

"It would be unusual, but it wouldn't be new. You know I'm not good at interpersonal relationships, Jane."

Jane softened immediately, reached out a hand to rub Maura's upper arm over the silk of her pyjamas, crossing her legs and facing Maura.

"Hey, no, maybe once that was true, but you'd almost pass for a normal person now." Jane flushed. "I mean... Goddammit, this is why I didn't want to do this."

"No, I understand," Maura said, grasping Jane's hand, careful that her thumb didn't brush against the scars she knew were hypersensitive. "Your family has taught me a lot. But there are still large gaps, and this is one of them. I don't even trust my own judgement anymore - you know the kind of people I've been dating."

Jane's nose crinkled immediately - she hadn't thought much of any of them.

"I didn't want to kiss any of them either, Jane." Jane puzzled over this for a moment.

"So, you think I want to kiss you, and you think you want me to kiss you?" Jane asked slowly. "So, if I were to..." Jane leaned in slowly, but Maura reached out a hand, rested it on Jane's breastbone under her clavicle, holding her back gently. Jane rested on one arm, uncertain, brows scrunched in confusion.

"Not right now. Not in bed, after we've been talking about it." Maura let her thumb run across the delicate curve of Jane's collarbone, to soften the rejection. "I told you. I like to be wooed."
"C'mon Maura!" Jane's hand gripped Maura's free hand. "I'm not going to be brave enough later." In anyone else, Maura would consider this coercion, or manipulation, but Maura could feel Jane's hand trembling in hers, could hear the crack in Jane's voice on the word 'brave'. Maura's hand on Jane's chest softened and retreated, Maura's elbow bending to allow Jane to move in closer.

"Just one," Maura conceded. "A small one," she added. "For courage."

"One small enough to know if your hypothesis is correct," Jane added, leaning in again. "For science." Maura turned towards her, the hand on Jane's chest moving up to Jane's neck, slipping behind it to pull Jane closer. Jane paused, looking at Maura from barely an inch away, studied her face for a moment. If this all went sour, she wanted to remember this, she wanted to remember Maura's hazel eyes lidded and expectant, irises dilated, looking at her as though she was a mystery she wanted to solve. She wanted to remember how the light caught in Maura's hair, how she glowed in the morning light. She wanted to remember how Maura's breath had quickened, along with the pulse she could see thrumming in Maura's throat, tiny exhales brushing across Jane's face that smelled like ridiculously expensive coffee. She wanted to remember how soft Maura's hand was, pulling her closer, not just willing but impatient.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again as she leaned in, nuzzling her lips against Maura's before pursing them. Maura unsurprisingly tasted like coffee, but her lips were even softer than Jane had imagined - and it turned out that she had imagined this after all - not exactly this, not this exact kiss, but another one, where Giovanni was there and Maura was overacting and accidentally kissed Jane on the spur of the moment, or maybe they were undercover as a couple and they'd have to kiss to make it look believable, or maybe they'd win a baseball game against one of the other precincts and Maura would fling herself into Jane's arms and press her mouth against Jane's in the excitement, or Jane would wake up one morning and Maura would be looking at her the way she had been a moment ago... that was the closest to this kiss. She hadn't though it would happen like this. She hadn't thought it would happen at all. It was like all the other kisses she'd had before were depreciated, didn't count anymore because this was how they were supposed to be. Maura's mouth was warm and welcoming, the hand on Jane's head tightening its grip on the back of her skull. Jane propped herself up on one arm and reached for Maura's face, to cup her cheek. Maura's mouth opened in surprise, a sharp exhale that Jane caught between her teeth and swallowed to savour later. Jane brushed her lower lip against both of Maura's as she pulled up, and then away. It had only lasted a moment, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like the world had tilted somehow and they'd left it behind, like they'd been eclipsed by something much larger than them.

Maura's eyes fluttered open, her hand keeping Jane's neck in its strong grip, keeping Jane close.

"Was your hypothesis accurate?" Jane asked, watching Maura anxiously. Jane had done a few things that were technically illegal as a youth, but they hadn't felt as illegal as this. This felt like forbidden fruit, like stealing a work of art. Maura nodded wordlessly. Her hand moved from Jane's neck to her cheek and her thumb rubbed across Jane's lips as though she was still assessing the situation. Jane was relieved, elated. She had enough energy to run two marathons.

"Yes," Maura said finally, leaning forward.

Chapter Text

"I didn't... I didn't know..." Maura's eyes slid back down to Jane's lips as her thumb traced them again. Her fingers danced on Jane's cheek, dipping into Jane's dimples as she smiled at her with shining eyes. Maura dropped her hand suddenly and got out of bed, taking her coffee with her.

Jane stared after her a moment, then exchanged a look with Jo Friday before they both sprang out of bed, headed after Maura to the kitchen.

---

Maura was making toast the way Jane liked it. She looked up and smiled as Jane tentatively came in, handed Jane a plate. Jane took it, relieved since Maura didn't seem to be mad or annoyed. The toast on it was dark and buttery and Jane took a bite.

"My hypothesis appears to have been correct, but further testing is required." Maura said, inserting more toast. She smiled at Jane, then turned back to the toaster.

"What kind of testing?" Jane asked nervously. The smile Maura had given her was normal, was too normal after what had just happened. Jane had the ground fall away from her for a long moment, her stomach twisting.

"We should go out for dinner," Maura said, plating her own toast, a crisp golden brown.

"We go out for dinner all the time," Jane said, bemused and relieved.

"We should go on a date," Maura clarified. "To see how that feels."

"Okay. If I'm wooing, I'm guessing I'm booking too?" Maura handed Jane some strawberries and she got off the barstool at the counter and sat on the floor in front of Bass, holding them patiently for him as he snapped at them as gently as a tortoise could. Maura watched her fondly, knowing how much Bass had freaked Jane out so many years ago, knowing that their friendship now was something special.

"Pick somewhere nice," Maura cautioned as she filled Jo's breakfast bowl. Jane looked over at her and smiled, and Maura was struck again by her cheekbones, her cheeky grin, her dark playful eyes. If Jane asked her again, asked her if she wanted to kiss Jane, Maura could no longer answer no without getting hives.

"I know what you like," Jane said, voice huskier than usual, those eyes giving Maura a quick up-down when she stood from her crouch next to Jo. "It's me, and fancy food. You know I won't be able to get a booking anywhere you like without six months’ notice."

Maura hesitated. Jane was right. Her favourite places to eat all had enormously long wait lists.

"Roger owes me a favour," Jane said, leaving the rest of the strawberries in Bass's bowl, her hand barely brushing his shell - she knew how sensitive he was about being touched while he was eating. "I'll get us in next weekend."

"You don't have to, Jane," Maura said, thinking of Jane's scowl at the food the last time Maura had dinner delivered from Helio, Roger's restaurant. "We can go anywhere, as long as I'm with you." Jane sat back at the counter; her grin magnificent. She eyed Maura again.

"No, I like it there, but I like teasing you about quinoa better." Maura's mouth dropped open, and Jane laughed. "So, it's a date? Saturday night? Unless we have a case."

"I'm getting Paddy to put out the word. No murders on Saturday night." Maura said seriously. She bit into her toast, watching Jane again, her high cheekbones and tapered chin and goofy smile. There were so many things she enjoyed about Jane - not just visually, but emotionally, physically. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake. Jane had been so worried about things changing. Jane was usually the brave one, the one who made good choices, the one who judged people well. Maura wasn't used to making these kinds of choices, and if Jane had been so opposed to change despite her obvious attraction to Maura, perhaps she'd been right.

Chapter Text

They went back to work quietly, not exactly keeping it secret because it wasn't anything - it wasn't anything yet - and they weren't on the same team, there were no hierarchy issues there.

But it wasn't something they wanted to tell people about yet. It wasn't something they'd talked about, once they left the confines of Maura's house to go for a kickboxing session Maura had booked.

But all week Jane noticed how much she touched Maura, how much no one else did, how much she flinched if anyone else even looked like they'd touch her. And Jane noticed how her own eyes did indeed fall down to Maura's mouth as she spoke, was aware that she eyed Maura's figure too readily for a workplace. But she also noticed that Maura flustered when she caught Jane staring at her lips, that Maura's eyes likewise strayed and caught on the curves of Jane's body. Jane had worried that it might be weird and uncomfortable, but they started off with one of those weird autopsies that enthralled Maura and a case confusing enough to keep Jane occupied, and they slid easily into their usual banter and collaboration. Sometimes, though, when Jane looked up from Maura's lips, she'd find Maura watching her, a worried expression on her face.

---

Maura came over midweek, after their usual dinner at the Dirty Robber, and for the first time since Jane had known her, she slipped deliberately into the bed, between the sheets. Jane watched Maura wide eyes until Maura huffed. "You said it yourself, Jane. Both of us sleep better when we're in proximity. This isn't a come-on. I was serious about wanting to be wooed, I'd just prefer if we both had at least one decent night's sleep. For our professional productivity, if nothing else." The tension left Jane's body and she sighed, a little in relief, a little in exasperation at Maura's lengthy, wordy explanation. Jane slid in next to her, continuing her musings on their current investigation, bringing her arms around her friend as she readied herself to sleep, the gentle exhales of the best friend she'd ever had lulled her racing thoughts. Nothing had changed - here they were in bed together, wrapped up in each other. Like they used to be. But tonight Jane was aware of a thrumming undercurrent, of the way Maura's breath caught when Jane's hand skimmed over her ribs.

"I can hear your brain, Mau," Jane mumbled into Maura's jaw.

"What if I've ruined everything? What if we aren't compatible, and I've ruined everything? Our lives are so entwined, what happens if this doesn't work out?"

"Hey, hey. You're my best friend."

"What if that changes? What if this changes?"

"You're the one who always says you can't prove a theory without tangible proof, huh? Seems to me you're making an uneducated guess. You been this stressed out all week?" Jane asked gently, running her hand over Maura's forearm. "You seemed fine at work. You having second thoughts?"

"When you're with a man, you're fine for a few days, then you get - What do you call it, itchy feet? You start wanting your space. The only time it's worked out is when it's been long distance. What if it's a pattern, and you start needing your space? We're so emotionally codependent, if you draw away from me - you said you'd be alone if something happened, but I was alone before you. Before you, people avoided the crime lab, they avoided my autopsies. Then you came strolling in and somehow everyone stopped thinking about me as an upright socially inept awkward morbid scientist and started thinking about me as a quirky, charismatic professional. People started seeing me as a person. People started seeing me as a colleague, as a friend. You took me into your family. I went from always alone to always surrounded, always supported. I didn't feel lonely, even though I was alone. If all that went away, I would feel it now. I didn't know what I was missing, and now that I know better, I know I would miss it."

Maura turned her face into Jane's shoulder, and Jane ran her hands over Maura's back in a way she hoped was comforting.

"Mau, you can't go into this expecting the worst. And Casey, Dean....something didn't feel right. You're different, and do you know why?" Maura's head shook against her shoulder. "You don't resent my job. You respect my work, you'd never ask me to give it up. You don't expect me to quit and be a kept woman, an army wife. You know the stakes of my work, you know how important it is to me. That's the difference. You know who I am, and you don't expect me to fit in some mould of expectations."

"I would like it if you used the correct forks at dinner this weekend," Maura pointed out. Jane laughed and held Maura tighter.

"See, now that's a reasonable expectation that's not asking me to change my core values. That's the difference.'

"The only difference?" Maura asked, voice heavy with sleep. Jane's hands on her back were soothing, and she was struggling to stay awake.

"Well, you're prettier if that's what you're asking. Smell a lot nicer, too."

"Mmm, same," Maura mumbled into Jane's neck, and Jane felt the moment Maura fell asleep, her neck muscles relaxing as her head settled deeper into Jane's shoulder.

Chapter Text

Jane woke curled up into Maura, who smiled sleepily at her.

"I always mean to make the coffee, but I never could convince myself that getting out of bed with you was a good idea," Maura said softly. "Would you like a coffee?" Jane yawned and ran her hand over her face, letting it flop back down over Maura's torso.

"Not just yet," Jane said, pulling herself in closer to Maura.

"Remember when I hated you?" Maura asked. Jane nodded, face dropping into sadness. "I never really hated you. Even when I hated you, I still trusted you. I still loved you. I remember you shielding me from gunfire with your body, I remember you hunched over me with your weapon drawn, ready to fight to the death for me. And you thought I hated you, and you still," Maura ran her hand down Jane's arm. "You still kept me safe."

"I could never... I would never..."

"Whatever happens, I know you'll have my back. And you know I have yours. I'm less dramatic, I must admit, but we've been through enough that you should be able to trust that I will never let what we have change the way we work together."

Jane rubbed at her face again, withdrew and sat up.

"So you've stopped overthinking?" Jane asked cautiously. "We've got a date on Saturday night?" Maura got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, Jo at her feet. Maura grabbed her leash and set the coffee to go. She stood in the bedroom doorway, looking at Jane, tousled beneath the messy covers, boyish pajamas on her long limbs, delicate features squinting up at Maura, her dimples flashing as she made eye contact with Maura.

"You said I was too important to you to kiss. I think you're too important not to." Maura said seriously, and Jane looked at her soft mouth - a mouth she now knew was very soft, turn up into a smile.

And with that Maura was gone with Jo.

---

Maura unclipped Jo's leash as she came in, walking over to the French press to depress the plunger. Strong hands rested on her hips, then wrapped around her torso from behind, and Maura swooned a little into the sturdy chest behind her. Any other place and she'd have been on guard, would have turned to fight, but here in Jane's little apartment, with that familiar touch - it wasn't even an option.

"Smelled too good," Jane said, kissing the side of Maura's head, and what surprised Maura most was how familiar it was. Jane's hands weren't anywhere new, Jane's torso was familiar against her back, and Jane's lips had often kissed Maura's hair and face. Her mouth, even, just one time. She poured the coffee with a steady hand, then turned in Jane's embrace.

"Good morning," Jane said, very close, her hands having drifted down to Maura's lower back to hold her loosely. Maura bought her hands up to Jane's shoulders and leaned upwards, pressing her mouth against Jane's briefly, aware that she'd never kissed anyone in the morning without first brushing her teeth. Jane didn't seem to mind, from the silly smile on her face.

"Good morning," Maura said, handing Jane her coffee.

 ---

Jane struggled into yet another dress, huffing in frustration as she gave in and finally called Frankie to ask if she looked ok. Frankie wasn't much help; he just shrugged.

"Why wouldn't you just ask Maura? You know she'd be thrilled to help you with this girly stuff." Frankie said, confused as to why he was the first port of call.

"She's got her own date tonight, I don't want to distract her. Do I look ok or not?" Jane asked impatiently.

"Jane, you look fine. Ma's home, just call her?" Frankie was down to talk to Jane about baseball any day, but dresses? Not his forte.

"Ugh, no Frankie, you know what she's like. She'll want to know everything and I'm not ready for that."

Frankie looked back at his sister, his interest piqued. She looked nervous. Jane was never nervous before a date. Jane had never called him to ask if she looked ok before a date. Jane was never this serious about a date. He remembered Maura from earlier in the day at work, how flustered she'd been, how she'd finally left early, unable to concentrate, mentioning a first date. Frankie was new to detective work, but he could still put the facts together to create a theory. He looked over his sister again. No wonder she wasn't calling Maura or ma!

"I know Maura really likes you in the blue dress," he said casually. "I'd trust her taste, when it comes to dresses."

Jane nodded, relieved, and hung up. Frankie chuckled to himself.

Chapter Text

They had been out to dinner often enough that it was easy to relax into the evening. It didn't feel awkward, but they were both aware of how much they were looking at each other, how much they were touching each other, how different it felt. Usually Jane would find a reason to sit across from Maura in a booth and tangle their legs together, claiming that she was too tall, that the booths weren't made for someone her height, and Maura wouldn't question her because their calves and ankles under the table gave her contact with Jane. Usually they would end up sharing their meals, forks confused and shared between them, Maura leaning forward to wipe sauce from Jane's face. Usually they would reach out and be in contact across the table, Jane slapping Maura affectionately like she did her brothers, Maura pointing out a mole or a freckle that she needed to touch to determine the origin.

But those hadn't been dates, and all the things that mattered on a first date - personal values and morals and compatibility - they were already dealt with. It was just a matter of seeing if the attraction was there, and Jane couldn't help but blush at the look Maura gave her cleavage. Jane let Maura order, because even though Jane knew Maura liked strange meals, Maura knew what Jane liked, and Jane trusted her. She was relieved when something she recognised was placed in front of her.

Martinez came into the restaurant, and Jane ducked out of habit. Maura looked hurt and Jane immediately sat up straight and reached her hand toward Maura.

"Not you, I just don't want to deal with him! Especially not about this! I'm not ashamed to be seen with you - you look so good, I just don't want to see him outside work. Ugh, he's coming over." Maura patted Jane's hand in understanding. She knew how much Martinez bothered Jane.

"You look lovely as always, Doctor Isles. And you too, Detective. More so than usual." Jane turned her hand palm up, grasped Maura's hand.

"I had someone special to see this evening," Jane said after a moment's deliberation. She looked over at Maura and looked down at their linked hands. She looked back up at Martinez with a glower, and he nodded.

"Have a lovely evening, ladies," Martinez said, turning to be seated at his own table. Jane didn't even bother to look to see who he'd come with, instead she groaned and dropped her face into her hand.

"I don't know if we're telling people... I don't know if there's anything to tell yet... but I am never going to regret being seen with you," Jane said finally. "I regret seeing him."

"Don't let him ruin our night, Jane" Maura said, still holding Jane's other hand and rubbing her thumb over Jane's knuckles.

"You know I'm proud to be seen with you, right? I've taken you as my trophy wife to all the formal events I have to attend, and I always let people assume because I know I'm punching above my weight. And also because... It was nice to pretend for a few minutes." Maura smiled and looked down, flattered as Jane had intended.

"This is new," Maura noted, looking at their hands, still joined across the table.

"We've held hands before," Jane said casually, letting her thumb caress Maura's wrist.

Maura nodded, acknowledging Jane's words for the truth they were.

"But not in a context in which it could be considered romantic," Maura concluded. Jane hadn't looked around self-consciously even once, and her eyes were soft as they watched Maura process. "Are you enjoying your meal?" Maura asked, trying to think of anything she would normally discuss on a first date. Jane's face scrunched as she looked at her plate but she nodded. Jane picked up her fork and took a bite, and Maura noticed there were advantages to dating someone left handed - their hands were still joined, yet they were both able to eat. It wasn't really a first date - this was someone Maura knew intimately - but it very much was a first date.

"Have I told you how lovely you look yet?" Maura asked, concerned that she hadn't complimented Jane yet. "I've always loved you in this blue dress." Maura's voice caught on the word 'loved' but she struggled through. Then another thought came through - maybe Jane thought she was superficial, maybe Jane thought Maura only thought she was lovely in a dress, in makeup and out of her comfort zone. Jane blushed, and Maura immediately wanted to tell her more about how this dress in particular flattered her gorgeous best friend.

"You did, when I got here. Thank you. You look... You look like someone who stepped out of a fashion magazine. Is that the Jole Terra? I thought you were saving that for a special occasion?"

"I couldn't imagine an occasion I'd consider more special than this," Maura said quietly, glad Jane had remembered. This dress had been in her wardrobe a long time; Jane had seen it once, and she'd immediately teased Maura about wanting to keep it for a special occasion. Maura hadn't even known Jane would remember the designer; designers weren't Jane's thing. But they were Maura's, and perhaps that's what gave them merit to Jane. Jane, whose lipid eyes looked overcome.

"You could make Tyvek look good," Jane said huskily, turning back to her meal.

--- 

When the cheque came to the table Jane went to pay, and Maura whipped out her card.

"I booked it," Jane insisted. "It's my treat."

"You chose this place because of me," Maura countered.

"I made the booking," Jane argued. "If I were a man you'd just let me pay."

"If you were a man you'd be earning twice your current salary," Maura pointed out, putting her card away reluctantly. Her phone rang, and a moment later Jane's did too.

"Aw, come on!" Jane said, looking at the screen. "Rizzoli."

"Isles," Maura said as she answered her phone, aware that the operator, as always, could hear both of them on each line. She'd always liked the way their names went together, so much so that she usually let Jane answer her phone first.

---

Jane helped Maura into her coat and led the way to where she'd parked; Maura had let her car be taken by the valet and it would be safe in the lot overnight.

Jane opened the passenger door for Maura and stretched her long but perfectly proportioned arm along the door frame. Maura hadn't said any of the things she'd so much wanted to say, she hadn't asked any of the questions she wanted the answers to. But Jane leaned against the open door, the street light overhead making her hair shine, her eyes fixed on Maura like she'd caught sight of a fly ball she intended to catch. Maura's breath caught, and she reached out a hand to rest atop Jane's, slid her other hand to the curve of Jane's waist. Her heels were high enough that she only had to lean up a little, and Jane leaned down, that dimpled smile of hers disappearing against Maura's mouth. The last two kisses had been chaste; Maura had friends who kissed on the mouth, and there hadn't been much difference, physically. The difference had been the well of emotion that came with the press of Jane's mouth against hers. A light rain started to fall, but Jane's mouth was moving against Maura's and she didn't have the sense to come in out of the rain; she was senseless, helpless against the rush of warmth in her chest, a warmth that grew as Jane's hand reached for her, eventually gently pulling her away.

"It's raining and we have a crime scene to get to. Raincheck, huh?" Jane asked, looking Maura over. Maura's cheeks were flushed, but not from the single glass of wine she'd had with dinner. Jane wanted to tease Maura about the signs of arousal in the human female but it felt mean at this moment, with Maura's hair whipping in the wind, the collar of her coat flapping against her cheek. Jane reached out and smoothed the collar down, then smoothed her hand across Maura's cheek. She let go of the car door, cupped Maura's face in both hands, lifting it towards the light, towards her own face, the pedestrians on the street shifting the shadows, making Maura's eyes shift all the colours of hazel as they looked up at Jane like she'd found the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. Jane couldn't resist; with this weather it was likely to be a long night. She leaned in again, pressing her lips against Maura's, feeling Maura's hands grip her waist tighter, feeling Maura press against her, shivering slightly in the night air. Jane pulled back again, ushered Maura into her car with a hand on the small of her back.

Chapter Text

"Whoa, Rizzoli! Looking good!" Frost yelled from the ditch. "You too, Doctor Isles," he added respectfully. "You might want to get changed though, we're knee deep in mud down here."

Jane rolled her eyes and headed back to her car. Maura followed her, and Frankie held out a sweatshirt and pants he'd pulled from his boot.

"I heard you were getting called in on this one. Thought you might want to keep your date outfit nice for later. Good evening, Doctor Isles. You should have seen her this afternoon, she called me in a panic about a date tonight..." Jane froze. If she slapped Frankie, he'd know. "I told her you always like her in the blue dress." Frankie winked at her; he was a budding detective and he'd see them both get out of Jane's car. "I've never seen her so nervous for a date before - whoever they are, they must be pretty special." Maura blushed and looked away, and she and Jane walked back to Jane's car, Jane opening the boot and pulling out a Tyvek.

"Dreams can come true," Jane said, waggling it at Maura, who readied herself to pull it on over her dress. "Hey, no, that thing cost more than my salary. Here, you're taking these." Jane held out the sweats and pushed Maura out of view of the cops scattered through the crime scene, behind the open boot door. Jane held up her coat in front of Maura to shield her from the other side as she pulled the pants on under her dress. Jane leaned past her to rummage through the boot, coming up with a dry-cleaning bag for the dress.

"The zip?" Maura asked, turning her back, and Jane stepped in, shielding Maura from view with her body instead of her coat. Her fingers touched the soft skin at the nape of Maura's neck and drew the zipper down, stepping back and holding up her coat again as Maura pulled a shirt on top, pushing the dress down as she did so. Jane had to abandon her coat and help Maura pull the dress off over her head, and moments later she was pulling the Tyvek over her own dress, abandoning her low heels for her spare boots, holding out her gumboots to Maura, who was zipping her dress safely in the bag and hanging it from the backseat hook to let it drape.

Jane had noted the lack of pronouns on Frankie's part, and was a little relieved. She'd known people had suspected she was dating the ME, had known people had assumed she was gay for years, and her friendship with Maura had fuelled the rumour mill at work. But if Frankie was going to give her a hard time about dating Maura, she knew it wouldn't be because they were both women. She hadn't really thought this through - Frost's mums were accepted, and she had no reason to believe she and Maura wouldn't be, but last week when Maura had practically dared Jane to kiss her, Jane hadn't thought of any of this, of any of the reactions of the people around her. Part of her was disappointed that she had become the stereotype people had assumed of her from childhood, the stereotype of all women cops, but it made it easier in some way - there were plenty of lesbians in the precinct, no one would notice one more. Two more, Jane amended, looking over at Maura, rummaging through Jane's boot and coming out with two baseball caps with Boston PD on them, smiling triumphantly as she placed one on her head, reaching up to put the other on Jane. Not lesbians, Jane amended, remembering the vestigial attraction she'd had to Casey. She wasn't sold on bisexual either. She'd ask Maura later if there was a better term for whatever was happening.

Angela had already as good as accepted them, appeared to have assumed for the past few years that they were already dating. Jane thought of the strict, annoying mother she'd had as a child, the one who always begged her to like something girly. Jane looked over at Maura again, the new outfit not even dimming the beauty Jane saw in her. Maura was the girliest thing Jane had ever liked.

Frost and Korsak would be ok, they already jokingly referred to Maura as Jane's girlfriend. Tommy was going to be a little shit about it, probably, but only out of jealousy - his crush on Maura hadn't been subtle. Jane shook her head and threw her coat in the boot, closing it and following Maura into the rain, glad of the baseball cap to keep the water out of her eyes so she could watch Maura walk away.

Chapter Text

"Not exactly the ending to our date that I'd been hoping for," Maura said a few hours later, fingers deep in a chest cavity.

Jane swallowed thickly.

"What had you been hoping for?" She asked, voice trembling.

Maura looked over coyly and wiggled her shoulders and eyebrows at the same time.

"I've done some research," she whispered. "Did you know women orgasm 86% of the time with a female partner, as opposed to only 65% with a male partner?"

"No, Maura, I did not know that." Jane said sardonically, embarrassed and defensive. "Now, what are we looking at here?"

"Well, he'd been out there for a while in the heat before the rain, there is a lot of bloating." Jane gagged.

"Cause of death?"

"Can't really say so far. No obvious external injuries, and most of his organs look intact. We might get something on the bloods, and a scan of the brain. No bruising to the skull but it could be obscured."

"Identity?"

"Senior Criminalist Chang is running the prints." Maura became more focussed on her autopsy and Jane fidgeted, still wondering what Maura had imagined the end of their date would look like.

"I've had a blood test to rule out any common and uncommon STI's and I'd recommend you get one too, unless you're particularly keen on using protection," Maura said casually, neither of them noticing Susie come in and look panicked before immediately leaving.

Jane blanched. She didn't even know what protection Maura was talking about.

"Maura!" She hissed. "I'm not going to get you, you know, pregnant," Jane whispered the last word and looked around uneasily.

"That's not my concern. Women can pass on a number of STI's - herpes, genital warts and chlamydia among them - and I'm very discerning about who I consummate with."

"Consu... Consummate? Mau, I'll get the test, alright? I'm just... I hadn't thought that far ahead. Geez, I don't know what... I'm glad you're being responsible."

"I've done a lot of research," Maura said again. "And I've already purchased the recommended protection relevant to our relationship."

"And here I am, never even watched lesbian porn," Jane deadpanned. Maura's face scrunched up, unhappy with the merits of porn as a source of information.

"I really wouldn't recommend using porn as a primary source for your research, Jane. Studies show..."

"It was a joke, Mau," Jane said impatiently. "I'll, I don't know, check Reddit. Buy The L Word or something."

"I can send you a number of very detailed articles that outline most of the basics," Maura said helpfully, using the CT to image the head. "There we go. Blunt force trauma to the skull. See how it shattered here?" Maura pointed out a spot near the temple. "There appear to be fragments lodged in the soft tissue."

"Are we looking at a suspicious death?" Jane asked. "Or can I go home?"

Senior Criminalist Chang came in, eyes averted and subdued. Jane had a moment of panic, remembering their conversation hadn't all been about the case. Susie looked up at Jane for a moment, blushed and looked away.

"We have a match. Detective Rizzoli, could you verify?'

Jane followed Susie into the lab and looked at the match on the screen.

"Gangbanger. Odds of this being an accidental death just disappeared." Susie nodded wordlessly, and Jane looked over her shoulder to where Maura was studying the skull in the other room, apparently deep in thought. "You didn't happen to overhear anything... uhhh..." Susie blushed again and looked away. "There's no line of command, there's no rules preventing it, but if you're uncomfortable I could come down to the lab when you're not here..." Susie stopped Jane quickly.

"No! It's adorable! You're adorable! Uh, not you, by yourself, I mean as a couple!" Susie blushed and hurried away, back to another small room to test the contents of the wallet, sans ID. Maura looked over and Jane shrugged.

Chapter Text

Jane sighed and threw her coat on the rack as she came in, holding the door open for Maura. She groaned as Jo danced at her feet and grabbed her coat again, Maura still in her sweats. Jane came back to an open door, a delivery guy handing over a few bags.

"It's been a long time since dinner," Maura said. "And I know I worked up an appetite."

Jane turned the TV on, turned the volume down and pulled up a game she'd taped a few days ago. She already knew the outcome, but there was apparently a great play in the last quarter. Maura handed Jane a soft drink and a takeaway container and Jane put them on the table, standing and walking to her room to pull off her dress and throw it in the laundry pile. She pulled out some sweats that matched the pair Maura had worn earlier, having changed into a pair of Jane's pajamas after her shower.

Jane had a quick wash and came back out, settling in next to Maura who was rubbing her head with a tshirt Jane had discarded on the couch after work a few days earlier. She handed it over and Jane rubbed at her hair too, threw the shirt on the coat rack to dry. Maura smelled clean and fresh - Jane had bought some of the products she'd used in Maura's spare bathroom to make her place more appealing - Maura had complained about her single bar of soap in the shower until Jane had handed over all the products Angela had given her over the years. Maura always used the lemongrass body wash, and she smelled so crisp that Jane had trouble not digging her nose into Maura's hair.

Second dinner was a lot more relaxed than the first one, and Maura mused over the differences between the two meals. One had been dining outfits in a high-society 5 star restaurant, the second was Jane's feet pressing against the thigh of the borrowed pajamas and the 2 star Chinese takeout place around the corner they always picked up after an evening on call. Both experiences had their own merits, but relaxing with Jane after work was something Maura always enjoyed more than the food.

Despite the mess, Maura was comfortable here. She didn't normally go home with someone after a first date, but Jane had been her ride, and the evening date had ended hours ago, only to be followed up with work. She hadn't been getting a 'come up for coffee' vibe from Jane, who was contentedly slurping noodles and yelling at the players on the tv, caught up in the game.

She yawned and looked over at Maura, her smile softening the longer she looked at her, and Maura melted again, differently to how she'd melted when Jane had kissed her. Earlier in the night she'd been desired, and now, now she was loved, the warm affection no less warm since their date, their companionable silence no less comfortable since they'd kissed. Maura couldn't deny that she found Jane attractive, but despite her research she wasn't ready to really confront what that meant. She'd told Jane she wanted to be romanced, and Jane seemed to be on board with that.

"Neither of us are on-call next weekend, are we?" Maura asked innocently.

"Maura. It has been barely 2 hours. I have not booked a blood test yet, and honestly? The way you keep saying protection is freaking me out a little, ok?" Jane looked over at Maura.

"OK," Maura agreed. "I won't get us tickets to the hockey game," Maura said calmly.

"Maura!"

"I will get us tickets to the game?" Maura asked, and Jane gave an exaggerated nod, eyes wide and cheeks full of noodles. Maura chuckled and picked at the remains of her dinner.

"If you don't get those tickets, I'm breaking up with you," Jane said emphatically, chopsticks digging back into the takeaway container. Maura's face fell and Jane dropped her food on the table, hands immediately reaching for Maura. "I was kidding, god, Maura! I don't have 'itchy feet', I enjoyed going to dinner with you and I especially enjoyed the way you kissed me afterwards."

Maura sniffled a little and let Jane pull her into her, resting her head on Jane's shoulder. "You kissed me," Maura corrected Jane.

"You kissed me first," Jane insisted, glad Maura wasn't weeping or leaving. "I won't joke about it any more." Jane pressed a kiss into Maura's hair. She'd made jokes like this with the men she'd dated, but back then she'd always half-meant it. Maura snuggled closer into Jane and for once Jane didn't mind cuddling with someone she was dating. "Are we dating, Mau?" Jane asked comfortably. "Or just... Having a fling? Trying something new?" She didn't think she could stand it if Maura was just experimenting, just doing research on that 86%. And Jane worried that she and Maura might be the 14%.

"I suppose we are dating," Maura mused. "It's too soon to define the relationship any other way, but if I wanted a fling with you, I'd have had you already." Jane choked on her Sprite and Maura pulled away from the splash zone, grabbing Jane's shirt again and dabbing at her. "Even when we were just friends, we were always more than friends. There's no one else I'd be LLBFFs with, Jane." Jane laughed nervously. She remembered Maura saying that she didn't put out until the third date, and she wondered if hockey counted as a date.

Chapter Text

Maura yawned and walked into Jane's bedroom, pausing at the door and looking back at Jane.

"You coming to bed?" Maura asked and Jane looked back at the tv.

"I still need to unwind from work. I'll be in after the game finishes." Maura pouted but nodded.

Jane threw away the garbage from dinner, turned off the lights, and went to the bedroom. Maura had left a lamp on, and the glow made her look ethereal. Like one of those paintings Maura liked so much, Pre-Raphaelite or something. Like a work of art. Like a work of art, in Jane's bed, that she happened to be dating. Jane stood next to the lamp for a long moment, looking down at her dearest friend, the only woman she'd ever really found herself wondering what it would be like to be with. Maura shifted slightly, and Jane turned off the light, slid into bed next to Maura, instinctively turning to hold her. Maura shifted again, curling into Jane's arms, and Jane remembered that barely a week ago she'd panicked at being caught in the same position.

Maura sighed in her sleep, her open mouth brushing against Jane's throat, and she held her breath for a long moment. Maura had talked a lot about research, but Jane hadn't really thought past what it would be like to kiss Maura, to have Maura kiss her, hadn't really been able to get past that into the world of possibilities beyond. It had been beyond belief that Maura had reciprocated her affection, it was more than enough to know what Maura's mouth felt like, soft and willing, against her own.

But Maura had been doing research, and Jane found that intimidating. She had an idea of how, mechanically, it would work with women, but it had taken her a long time to master her own orgasms that the idea of having to provide them to someone else, someone she cared about, someone she wanted to provide with them, that was also intimidating. They were so comfortable together, even more so now than before, but Jane was nervous too. Maura was the one who started this, Maura was the one who knew what she wanted - which appeared to be Jane primarily, and romance in general - and Maura was the one calling the shots. Jane knew she could pump the brakes if she wasn't ready, that Maura would understand, but she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready.

Maura was the best thing in Jane's life. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Maura anymore, dropping down to the morgue multiple times a day, Maura strolling into the bullpen to bring up her findings, heading down to the cafe, going to The Dirty Robber after work and then home together. If they weren't together, they were on the phone to each other. Maura had adopted her mother and brothers, the entire Rizzoli mess, like it was nothing, hosting all their events and welcoming them into her extravagant home. Maura's life was messy and complicated now because of that, but over the years Jane had seen Maura learn to smile and joke with her family, watched Maura realise she was loved and accepted.

If Jane ruined this by being terrible in bed, if she ruined this by not treating Maura right because she didn't know how to treat a girlfriend - Jane felt her heartrate speed up at even the word - Jane didn't know how she'd go back to being a person who didn't have Maura in her life.

Maura sighed again, pulled herself in closer to Jane.

"I can hear you thinking," Maura mumbled against Jane's throat, and Jane felt her heartrate spike again.

"What if... What if I suck at this? What if I don't know how to..." Jane couldn't even articulate the ways she was scared of failing Maura. Maura, who'd been doing research.

"It's not like you only have one chance. We'll keep trying until we figure it out. I trust you. I love you."

Jane's heartrate speed up yet again. They'd expressed this kind of affection before but it felt different now. Softer.

"Love you too, Mau," Jane said, tightening her arms around Maura, comforted, knowing that Maura had reasonable expectations of Jane, a mere mortal.

Chapter Text

Hockey with Jane was always fun. It had been a long week, the man they'd brought in last weekend was a case that was still unsolved, but a new murder had been packed away neatly.

Maura wore the jersey Jane had given her one year, a present of sorts out of the blue before a game. Maura liked the way Jane looked in her jersey, liked the way she matched Jane in her own, liked the feeling of belonging that swept over her as they joined other fans in the stands, the feeling of community that came from being part of something.

"I got my results," Jane said around a hotdog. "All clear. I emailed it in reply to your email with your results. REF ARE YOU BLIND OR UNWELL?" Jane yelled, getting to her feet. "FOUL!" Maura had been watching, and the opposing team #9 had taken out one of the Boston Pride players.

"You're a wanker number niiine," Maura yelled, and Jane hid her head in her hands. Maura was surprised; her research indicated that this was something Jane would be impressed by. Maura checked her phone while the referee carded #9, and a moment later her hand squeezed Jane's forearm happily.

---

When they got home, Angela excused herself with a knowing smirk, and Jane rolled her eyes. She sat at the counter and Maura walked up to her, noting the height difference and taking advantage of it by tilting Jane's chin up so she could kiss her. Jane tasted of hotdogs and ketchup and beer, but so did Maura. Maura pressed in closer, and Jane's hands held her waist, slipped down to her hips, knees apart so Maura could press in as close as she wanted, which appeared to be as close as she could get.

Maura pulled away from the kiss and tugged off her jersey impatiently and Jane held her breath as what she was wearing underneath was uncovered. A blue lacy silky undershirt, cut very low.

"Clothes like that are wasted on men," Jane said impatiently, pulling Maura back into her.

"If you can correctly name this item of clothing, I'll remove it," countered Maura, a teasing smile on her face. Maura didn't often see Jane from this angle, and there was something nice about Jane tilting her head to look up at her for once. Jane swallowed. As much as Maura looked good in it - and she looked excellent - Jane wasn't sure she was ready to face a topless Maura - and face her she would, because she was eye height with those barely covered breasts.

"I know what it is, I'm just... Making a decision." Jane said calmly, her fingers still running over the silk. "You look too good in this, I want to appreciate it for a little while." Jane's fingers skirted around the edges of the garment, dipping in at her waistband for a moment to skim over Maura's smooth stomach, sliding up her vertebra a moment later to trace the straps up and over her shoulders and down her chest. Jane let her fingers lightly trace Maura's cleavage and finally dragged her eyes away, up to where Maura's darkened eyes were waiting. Maura had once told Jane that dilated pupils were a sign of arousal and Jane was unexpectedly proud - she hadn't been looking to turn Maura on with her appreciation, she was just following her instincts to touch Maura's skin. Jane had no doubt that her pupils were blown too, the way Maura looked down on her like she was ready to consume her entirely, like she was only just holding back from taking Jane against the counter. "It's a camisole," Jane said, voice husky. "And I can't believe you wore this to a hockey game."

Maura was breathless, looking down at Jane as though she'd just given a lecture on diversity in Asian songbirds. Jane had been correct; no man had ever treated her underwear with such reverence. Jane's fingers on Maura's bare skin was making her very aware of how much she'd been missing by excluding an entire gender - and then some, because gender was complex - from her dating pool by assuming she was a heterosexual. Maura always loved to learn, and right now the practical application of sexual attraction had her speechless.

"It is a camisole," Maura said slowly, crossing her arms to grab the waist with opposite hands and pulling it over her head.

Maura had been wearing a bra underneath, and for a second Jane was disappointed. But the bra was just as exquisite as the camisole had been, a blue lace that matched the rest of the outfit, Maura's nipples barely obscured, and the newly bared skin on display looked so pale and inviting. Jane's hands involuntarily sought out the soft skin exposed to her, running down Maura's ribcage, hearing Maura inhale as Jane found sensitive spots. Jane pulled Maura back into her, kissed her as she ran her hands across Maura's mostly bared back. She stopped at the clasp of the bra, paused and pulled away.

"I think you were hoping we'd get to second tonight, but I think it'd be too hard to stop there, and I know you have a three date rule." Jane leaned forward and placed a kiss on an errant freckle she'd noticed so many times before but never had the opportunity to kiss. Jane could see the effect it had on Maura when she pulled away, and for a moment she wanted to override the three date rule. But then Maura was tugging at Jane's jersey, and Jane raised her hands to let her take it off. Jane was wearing her usual white singlet underneath, and a black bra under that.

"Now we're even," Maura explained. "I always love the way you look in those singlets, with your elongated torso and strong shoulders. They really do highlight your atypically high percentage of musculature." Jane blushed and let Maura run her hands across her singlet, feeling her blood rush down as well as to her face. Whatever research Maura had done, it had Jane wound up like a wind-up toy. When Maura kissed her again, running her hands up inside Jane's singlet, Jane knew her worries about the physical part of their relationship were entirely unfounded. Jane had only been with men before, and the difference between them and Maura was staggering. Maura was all softness and curves, gentle hands that already knew Jane's body taking their time to explore new territory. The differences were an advantage - but Jane suspected that only Maura held that advantage. Jane got to her feet - unsteadily, because her blood was flowing all sorts of places - and took back her height advantage, wondering why she'd waited so long for this, wondering why she'd waited until Maura couldn't let it go unsaid any longer. Maura's teeth made an appearance on Jane's lower lip, and Jane remembered all the times she had nearly died not knowing this simple pleasure. Jane pulled back and pulled off her singlet too.

"No, now we're even," Jane corrected Maura, and Maura stared at her. Maura had seen Jane in a bra before, but she'd never been invited to look, never been invited to touch, and she agreed with Jane's statement from earlier - if they did make it to 'second base' as Jane called it, Maura didn't think she would be able to stop until she had Jane naked and satisfied beneath her. She'd always known, objectively, that Jane was attractive, but with this subjective evidence Maura finally knew. Jane was looking at her tenderly, knowing how she processed new information, and the initimacy of that staggered her as well. Jane pulled Maura in close for another kiss, but one by itself, as though it was a cooldown after a long jog. Another one, their bodies pressed together, then Jane reached for her jersey and shrugged it back on.

"Next date is mine," Jane said with confidence, making Maura the decaf she liked when she was home in the evening, and Maura put her jersey back on too, unable to believe that she - Doctor Maura Dorothea Isles - had nearly broken a rule, still wanted to break a rule. After all this time, what counted as a date? Technically they'd been on more dates - the highschool reunion had to count. But Jane looked smug and well-kissed, and Maura had been so overwhelmed by the sudden wanting that she simply nodded, still breathless. She caught Jane's slow, shy, pleased smile as she ducked her head to pour the coffee.

Chapter Text

A Sunday of not being on call was a luxury, one Jane fully appreciated from the comfort of Maura's bed, stretching as she woke, long limbs knocking against Maura, finding her and pulling her closer. Jane checked her phone out of habit, saw a text from Frankie - a selfie of him holding up Jo next to a pretty girl with the caption 'thanks for the chick magnet'. Jane chuckled. There were no noises from downstairs and Maura was still asleep.

Maura had seen her scars before, but last night Jane had been hyperaware of them as Maura looked everywhere. She'd felt Maura's hand pause under her singlet to trace the entry wound, then slip around the back to the exit wound. Jane hadn't wanted to feel Maura's fingers linger on the scar tissue and catalogue the healing. She didn't want to remind Maura of the time she'd watched Jane shoot herself, she didn't want to remind Maura that Jane made really impractical decisions under pressure. So she'd taken off her shirt and let Maura see her, hoping to distract her from the rough skin of her scars. And it had worked; Maura's brain, her big, supersized brain had shut down for a minute, despite the simple black cotton of Jane's bra - nothing in comparison to what Maura had been wearing. It was all so new, so different, but in some ways it was also familiar. Jane had been frightened by what she'd felt - it was so strong and powerful. She knew she'd made the right choice to hold back, but the memory of the soft smooth skin of Maura's cleavage had her regretting it a little.

Jane kissed Maura's forehead before untangling herself as she got up, brushed her teeth, made the coffee. Angela came in after Jane opened the blinds.

"I didn't want to come in until I knew you were both up. Good morning." Angela slipped an arm around Jane, kissed the side of her head.

"Thanks ma," Jane said, understanding that Angela was trying to respect a boundary. "She's still asleep. I'll wake her up with a coffee."

"Jane, what I said last week, you don't have to tell me anything. But please, please, don't hurt her."

"Ma! Why would I hurt... I'm your daughter, not her," Jane said indignantly.

"I know, but you're... Resilient. Jane, did you ever wonder, when you started bringing Maura around, why I never tried to set her up with your brothers? Charming, and a doctor. But I saw the way she looked at you, and I've never seen anyone look at you like that. I've never been looked at like that. And the way you looked at her. It wasn't what I'd imagined for you, but she's everything I'd hoped for for my children. And if you don't treat her right, I will be so disappointed in you."

Jane turned to the coffee machine, pouring one and handing it to Angela.

"I don't need your approval. I never did." Angela rolled her eyes, and Jane rested her hand on Angela's forearm. "But I appreciate it."

Maura came into the kitchen, pulling her robe closed, her hair tousled.

"Aw, Mau, I was going to bring it to you," Jane complained, pouring another coffee and handing it to Maura, who stepped in beside Jane and slipped an arm around her, sipping at her coffee. Jane pressed a kiss to Maura's temple, and Angela smiled. The girls had always been affectionate with each other - Jane was always tactile - but this morning scene was sweet. Jane made her own coffee and Angela sat at the counter, Jane blushing when she realised that was the stool she'd been perched on last night.

"Ma, would you mind watching the house for a few days next month?" Jane asked innocently. "There's an exhibition at the Smithsonian that Maura wants to see."

"Of course," Angela said, and Maura stared at Jane.

"The - the bone hall?" Maura asked.

"I booked tickets online last night," Jane said casually. Maura flung her arms around Jane and Jane hugged her, laughing. "I have some vacation days too, and they have the baseball exhibit as well. Figured we might as well make it a road trip." Maura held back from outright kissing Jane in front of her mother, but her pleasure was plain to see. "I should have asked you first, but I can cancel yours if you don't want to go," Jane said anxiously, hoping she hadn't presumed too much.

"You'd really go to the Smithsonian without me?" Maura asked, offended and Jane chuckled.

"I'm a complex human, Mau. And I like baseball."

Chapter Text

A few weeks was nothing against the amount of time Jane had spent wanting Maura and not acknowledging it. Their leave was approved easily without question, and everyone assumed Maura was the one dragging Jane along with her and no one disabused them of that notion.

But Maura would call, on the nights she didn't stay over, she would call and tell Jane all about her research and Jane would listen to her breathing and wonder what a fool she had been to wait so long, what a fool she had been to put the third date so far away. She'd listen to all the suggestions Maura had, all the ideas Maura had and she'd blush in the darkness.

Midweek Maura came around for a top-up on sleep, but it was becoming increasingly harder to break away from the kisses and go to sleep, with every kiss she felt her resolve melt. Maura would cup Jane's jaw and feel Jane open her mouth to her, melting as Maura's fingers catalogued the bones of her face.

"I know you booked the Smithsonian, but Jane. We could go to the carnival tomorrow and come back here." Maura said suggestively.

"Mau, I booked a hotel, you know how many people have keys to this place," Jane scoffed, and indeed Maura did know - all of the Rizzolis, excluding Frank senior. Frost, Korsak. For some reason, Constance. The dogwalker, the super. Sometimes it felt like Maura never had a moment alone with Jane, she had so many people in her life, walking in and out of her home.

But Maura had once been one of those people, and she'd been welcome in Jane's home the same as any of them from the moment Jane invited Maura into her life. She couldn't begrudge Jane her enormous heart, running her hand down to cover said heart through Jane's singlet, fingers brushing such soft flesh that she found herself blushing, even more so as Jane's heart caught up with her own, a stataco rhythm.

"I don't care who walks in on us. I just want you." Maura's hand caught on Jane's hip, slid around to cover Jane's butt, to pull Jane flush against her. "Carnival. Date three. Please."

Jane looked over Maura's face. Her eyes were dark again, her cheeks flushed, and she was fidgeting against Jane.

"Are you ovulating?" Jane asked. "I told you, I'm not getting you pregnant "

"Hmm... Elevated temperature, increased libido... You might be right. Doesn't make my request any less valid."

"I'm on call," Jane warned. Maura's hands were wandering again, and Jane had booked the trip so far out to buy her time, to get over her nerves, to do her own research. Maura was the anatomy expert.

Maura drew back suddenly. "Am I pressuring you? Do you need more time? Are you still not ready? I respect you and your consent."

"I just... I had a plan. One that ensured that none of my family would walk in uninvited. One that gave me time to get used to... To get used to you wanting me too. Time to see if I was going to screw it up."

Maura propped herself on an elbow and traced the delicate lines of Jane's face - that sharp nose and chin, and back up to those cheekbones. Jane really had no idea how attractive she was, how distinctive her facial features were. The structure of her skull was so aesthetically pleasing.

"I'm all in, Jane. If either of us screw up, we'll get through it. I'm not just in this for your body - although I do very much appreciate it. I'm sorry if you feel like I'm rushing you, I don't mean to. It's new to me as well. I'm nervous too, but not about you. Not about it being you. I know you'll take care of me. You always do."

Jane sighed. "Do you really want to go to the carnival?" Jane asked, in her most long-suffering tone.

"I can push it back to date four," Maura said. "I've always wanted someone to win me a giant stuffed unicorn. I can wait until Washington, and then some. It's up to you," Maura said, her hand having slipped down Jane's torso, resting over Jane's heart again.

"Those games are rigged, Mau," Jane warned her. "But I'm good at 'rigged'," Jane said, and her reward was a small kiss on her nose. Maura rolled away from Jane and pulled Jane's arms around her, sighing contentedly as Jane enveloped her.

Chapter Text

It was funny how things changed, Jane thought to herself, watching Maura in the afternoon sunlight. It was the golden hour, and Maura's hair and skin, already golden, glowed in the light. Jane couldn't keep her eyes off her, where once she'd have turned away, not willing to risk it all with a glance. Maura half-turned then, her face bathed in light, looking for Jane, who'd fallen a few steps behind, distracted by Maura in the perfect light. Maura smiled shyly, overcome by the look on Jane's face. Jane looked at her like she was something special, like something wonderful. But then, Jane had always looked at Maura that way; nothing had changed - except now, as she was caught looking at Maura like that, her eyes caught Maura's and she didn't look away, didn't school her face into something other than the abject wonder in her appraisal.

"Have you seen any unicorns you want yet," Jane whined, wending her hand into the crook of Maura's elbow, walking beside her now, looking over frequently. "We must have been past every game."

"Here," Mara said, straightening her arm and letting Jane's hand slip away. It was a shooting range, and Jane visibly brightened, slamming down a few dollars on the boards and taking a rifle. It took one shot to learn the gun had a leftward keel, and a second shot to learn the target distance was obscured. The third shot, Jane nailed it. Maura watched Jane cock the gun in the dusk light, her silhouette breathtaking and fierce, her biceps bulging against the sleeves of her shirt. All she needed was a cowboy hat, and Maura could believe she was in the company of a Western hero.

It took another 6 shots, all perfect, to win the unicorn.

Jane regretted it almost instantly, having to cart it around on her shoulders for the rest of the night, legs dangling over her chest like pigtails.

"Lesbians always clear us out," the owner said, sending them both a wink. "Can't say as we mind much, though."

Maura didn't do carnival rides, or carnival food, or carnival games, so Jane found herself wondering why Maura had wanted to come.

Maura grabbed the unicorn's legs and pulled Jane closer with them, kissing her as the fireworks started overhead.

Chapter Text

Jane woke up, face down on Maura's chest. Her phone was ringing.

"Rizzoli," she rasped as she finally managed to answer it.

Maura's phone rang too, and she was much more composed when she answered it.

"I'll drive," Jane said, shrugging out of her pajamas, her back turned to Maura in some facade of modesty.

Jane paused, pulling her undershirt on, feeling Maura's gaze on her back. She looked back at Maura, whose eyes were wide and sad.

"We're going to work," Jane whispered, pulling down her shirt and cradling Maura's face. "We don't have time to... Deal with this."

Maura rested her head against Jane's stomach, wrapping her arms around her, fingers catching on the scar tissue under the shirt. She pulled away, swiping at an eye.

"I know you did it for Frankie, for me, but I wish I hadn't had to see you do it," Maura said.

"Me too, Mau," Jane said, fingers still absent-mindedly running through Maura's hair. "But we've got a dead body, you know how much you love those!"

Maura smiled and got out of bed.

"I'll buy you a coffee if you can get ready in under five minutes," Jane said, already dressed and taking Jo out.

"You wouldn't ask Monet to paint water lilies in five minutes, you wouldn't ask Charles Dickens to write a novel in five minutes," Maura fussed as she got dressed; some of her clothes lived in Jane's wardrobe now, they had for years, and Jane's outfits had likewise crept their way into Maura's closet.

Jane's head popped back in the door, surprising Maura, who thought she'd already left.

"You know I would, Mau," Jane said, flashing her cheeky grin. "But you're the only work of art I appreciate." Jane eyed Maura, half-dressed and flustered. Her eyes softened "Ten minutes," Jane relented. "There'll be a line, anyway." Jane stepped in and gave Maura a quick kiss. "One for the road, since we have enough time."

And Jane was gone, leaving Maura with a hand over her heart.

Chapter Text

All crime scenes looked kind of the same after a while. Bodies too. This one seemed familiar, in a ditch across town. Jane pulled out her gumboots for Maura.

"You stay at Jane's?" Korsak asked congenially, and Maura started suspiciously, pausing in zipping up her Tyvek. Korsak nodded over at Jane's car that she'd just gotten out of.

"Yes, we went to the carnival, and it was late when we left. No point driving across town," Maura said with a tight smile, feeling a rash start across her chest. She ducked her head, slipping the ridiculous yellow gumboots on. It wasn't unusual for them to show up to a crime scene together, in the same car, Maura reminded herself. It wasn't unusual for Maura to spend the night at Jane's. When Maura showed up alone, Korsak and Frost always looked over Maura's shoulder, expecting to see Jane with her. Everything was the same - except nothing was the same, the feel of Jane's smooth skin broken by scar tissue still fresh on her fingers.

"It's nice. Jane would never admit it, but she was pretty lonely until you came along. After Hoyt... before Frost... It's nice that neither of you have to be alone, after all you've faced together." Korsak pulled on his own gumboots. "Most cops - most good cops - don't get to be my age without a lot of trauma to take home. I never could keep a wife." Korsak looked wistful. "But I've kept my friends. Be nicer if I could've had both."

Maura could sense that Korsak was trying to convey something to her, something kind by the look on his face, something accepting, but Maura couldn't draw the correlation between his words and his expression.

"She won me a unicorn," Maura said gloatingly, and Korsak chuckled.

"She's the best friend you'll ever have," he said prophetically. He reached out a hand, paused when Maura looked at it and let her get used to the idea of him resting his big hand on her shoulder. "Make sure you're the best to her too," Korsak said, patting her in a way Maura's father never had, the way she'd seen Frankie senior pat Jane with pride, back before. The way she'd seen Frankie and Tommy pat TJ. Maura slid her hand over his and smiled cautiously.

"I don't know how I'd do anything else," Maura said honestly, and Korsak chuckled again, turning away towards where he could hear Frost retching.

---

"What are we knee deep in, Frost?" Jane asked, swiping at her nose. "Because it smells like something crawled up a shark's ass and died."

"Run off from the docks," Frost said, gagging as well. Maura and Korsak crested the ditch and Jane reached out her hand to help Maura down the slope, the smile Maura shot her making her forget why they were there for a moment. Korsak brushed away her hand and the four of them looked over the body. Korsak called over a tech to photograph the body from a few angles, and Frost gratefully left the ditch to go scour the nearby surrounds for any trace evidence, Frankie scouting the neighbourhood for witnesses.

"How long's he been here?" Jane asked, looking him over. Burly, tattoos visible under motorbike gear.

"No rain overnight, and his body left an impact crater. No more than a day, in this weather."

"You're saying he was dumped here?"

"Looks that way," Maura said absent-mindedly, taking the temperature. "44. Overnight, a few hours. I'll be able to get you a more specific time-"

"When you finish the autopsy, we know Maura." Jane ran a hand through her hair. "Why does this seem familiar?" Jane asked.

"It is familiar," Maura said, considering the corpse. She brushed some hair away from his temple and nodded. "Remember Helios?" Maura asked softly, and Jane nodded, eyes casting aside at Korsak who was calling over the gurney, wondering if he'd overheard. Since he hadn't been killed here, they would still have the mud strained but they'd have to start looking elsewhere for their crime scene. Maura looked away from the body to make eye contact with Jane. "It's the same cause of death too."

---

Maura was used to doing autopsies alone, or she had been before Jane. Now she had an audience.

"I need to get a cast of the head wounds and compare them - Susie?"

"We could try wax?" Susie said doubtfully. "Maybe plaster, but it won't - wait!" Susie ran from the lab and came back with a device. "The 3d scanner!" Susie said triumphantly. She held it to the head wound and a series of red lasers started moving over the skull. "I'll pull out 554 next and send them to the IT criminologists, see if they can turn the negative into a print."

"Can you put it on the computer first?" Maura asked, and Susie nodded, moving the scanner slowly across the face. She plugged it into the computer, and opened 3DHawk. "Zoom in there, please," Maura said, pointing at an indent. Susie nodded and zoomed in, rotating the model.

"Is that a... a symbol? Some kind of mark?" Jane asked, peering at the screen.

"It looks like an eagle," Maura said. "Like he was hit hard enough by something with an ensign that it left a mark. Good work, Senior Criminalist Chang," Maura said, and Susie beamed happily, then awkwardly scuttled away to scan the other body's head injury.

"Yeah, good work, Susie, " Jane called after her, not seeing the delighted wiggle of Susie's shoulders, still looking at the screen. "So we're looking for something the size of a silver dollar," Jane mused, measuring the wound with her fingers. "Could it actually be a silver dollar?" Maura shook her head.

"It would be impossible to deliver enough force, given the surface area of the coin and the human hand's ability to grip something that small. But, it could be something made from a silver dollar," Maura said. "The practice of making jewelry from currency dates back centuries. It's believed it's been a practice since Ancient Egypt at least, although that's not confirmed. And in more recent history the tilling was invented to prevent coin shrinkage, where coins were trimmed for their metal to be made into jewelry, the coin then spent and no money lost to the cunning artificers." Maura looked up. Usually Jane would have stopped her by now, but she was watching Maura with an indulgent smile.

"Really, Mau? 'Cunning artificers'," Jane scoffed, but there was no edge to it. She looked down at her buzzing phone. "Got a lead. Keep me in the loop," Jane said, her hand brushing Maura's shoulder as she left.

"I always do," Maura said vaguely, looking again at the indent.

Chapter Text

Jane knocked on the door impatiently, Frost beside her looking through a window.

"Whadja think, come back with a warrant and kick the door down?" Jane asked.

"Nah, not enough for a warrant. We go to his workplace and hang around until his customers get uncomfortable with cops on the premises." Jane grinned at Frost.

"You're not just a pretty face," she said, grinning at him as they got back into the car. She drove as Frost cleared his throat twice.

"Spit it out, Barold," Jane said, knowing her partner too well to let him stew any longer. "Whatever it is, just say it."

"You know my mum, right?" Frost asked awkwardly. "And how she's marrying Robin?" Jane stared at the road as though it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen, despite the fact they were stopped at a red light. "She wanted to ask if you and Maura would be part of the ceremony. Bridesmaids. One for each of them. Since it's legal here, they are bringing some friends but they're..."

"Do I have to wear a dress?" Jane interrupted him, peeling away as the light turned green. Frost laughed, relieved that was the only question she'd asked.

"It's a lesbian wedding, I'm not sure if even the bride's will be wearing dresses. As long as you match Maura I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Yeah, I like Camille. You have to ask Maura though."

"Nah, you can ask her, she'll be your date." Jane chewed on the inside of her cheek a moment, wondering if Barry knew what he was implying, or if everyone did just see them as a unit, platonic or otherwise. Who else would Jane take to a wedding? No one, maybe one of her brothers or Frost if Maura couldn't come.

"You taking anyone?" Jane asked.

"I'm taking Nina, the new girl on the computer forensics team," Frost said, and Jane looked over at him.

"You work fast," Jane laughed. They'd covered a lot of ground today, Frost reminding her that he was a great ally to his mum and soon to be stepmother, and that his mum wanted Jane and Maura at the wedding as a pair, expected them to show up together. "She could do worse," Jane said honestly.

---

The workshop floor was average, the usual car pits and lifts, vehicles suspended overhead.

Frost and Jane were shown into an office eventually. A large man sat behind a desk; he didn't rise to greet them but he did extend them each a hand and indicated for them to sit across from him.

"Mark Taylor. What can I do for you?"

"You missing an employee?" Jane asked, pushing over a photo of their most recent corpse. The man lifted the picture and examined it.

"That would certainly explain why he didn't show up for work today. Have you notified his family?" Jane watched him. Very calm, but the picture had shaken him a little.

"Not yet. It's an open case." Mark handed the photo back.

"When you do reach out to them, please have them contact me for his paycheck. I'd call, but it doesn't seem appropriate if they don't know yet." Jane nodded, left the photo on the desk between them.

"Did he have any enemies here? Anyone hold a grudge against him?"

"We all have our differences. I assume you'd like to talk to the men? I can have them brought into another office, or you can have them come into the station."

"Here works," Jane said, finally pocketing the photo. Mark struggled to his feet, pulling out a cane and using it to get his balance. "We can see ourselves out," Jane assured him, and he sank back gratefully, putting the cane back in a metal brace on the desk.

---

Frost interviewed several of the men while Jane steamed at being oggled, even in her pantsuit. Eventually she slammed her hand down on the desk. The employee, James, jumped and his eyes went guiltily back to Frost. Jane sneered and left to look around the workfloor for anything suspicious. The two murders might not be related; the interviews Frost and Korsak had with the first body's friends and colleagues were pretty bland, and so were these. There was no evidence... Jane's phone buzzed and she answered a video call from Maura. She walked out and got into the car, hoping for a moment of privacy.

"Detective Rizzoli, Senior Criminalist Chang got an inconclusive scan from 554. However Detective Holiday has been able to do a blind reconstruction." Maura held the camera to the screen of her computer. "Look familiar?" Maura asked.

"Yeah... That's the same eagle. They're linked."

"It could be an eagle. It could be the same eagle," Maura said. "The science isn't exact with this kind of reconstruction, but we haven't shown anyone the first scan so this is promising."

"But it won't hold up in court," Jane mused. "Tell Nina that's some good work."

"Thanks Jane," Nina said, popping into frame behind Maura. Jane visibly started, glad she hadn't gone on to ask Maura about the wedding.

"And Susie, good work to her for thinking of the scanner." Jane didn't jump as Susie appeared over Maura's other shoulder, waving happily.

"Nina is going to print out what we think the murder weapon looked like, and we'll test what kind of force would be required. Are you coming over tonight? Angela's cooking dinner, and Hope and Cailin will be there too." Susie and Nina disappeared and Jane groaned.

"Do I have to," Jane whined, and Maura lifted a brow. "Ok, ok, Jo and I will be there. What time?"

"Angela said seven," Maura said. "But I don't mind if you're early. Or, if your work holds you back, I don't mind if you're late."

"You're a saint," Jane said, only a little bit sarcastic. Frost let himself into the car. "Oh remind me to ask you to a wedding later," Jane said, hanging up and starting the car. "When's the wedding, anyway?" Jane asked, driving back to the station. They had interviews to review, and Frost would want to watch the 3d printer at work which meant Jane and Korsak would be busy reading.

"Two months. Your invitation should be in the mail."

Chapter Text

Jane walked into a bloodbath. Well, a watermelonbath, and a Computer Forensic Detective, a Senior Criminalist and the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts wailing on them with a variety of weapons.

"Any luck?" Jane yelled over the moist slapping noises, and all three women looked up, startled.

"Oh, Jane. No luck so far. We've tried rings, knuckle guards, and a knife hilt, none of which could deliver enough force to strike a blow hard enough to shatter the pterion, despite it being the skull's weakest point."

"C'nI'veago?" Jane asked, hefting the knife. Maura grabbed some spare eye covers and slid them onto Jane's face, brushing Jane's hair out of the way. "Pretty light," Jane commented, hefting the print. She turned it backwards and slammed it into a fresh watermelon, which barely registered the impact.

"Good point, Jane. We're looking at prototypes, once we lock down a shape we'll print out a heavier version," Nina said, lifting her protective eye gear and popping a piece of stray watermelon in her mouth. Jane and Susie followed her example.

"The knife hilt - when Jane and Nina wield it, at least - is leaving the best impression. It allows for enough leverage." Maura said, looking up from her magnifying glass. Jane held out some watermelon and Maura took it absent-mindedly.

"How'd you crack this one, if none of these are effective?" Jane asked around a mouthful of fruit. Nina held up a tyre iron, which Jane eyed with interest.

"One of our vics was an automechanic," Jane mused. "What'd happen if you welded a coin to that?"

"I imagine it might leave an indent. I'll get the shop on it," Nina said, ducking out. Susie took the tire iron and hefted the untouched watermelons back into storage.

"Why does it feel like hours since I've seen you?" Jane asked.

"Well, it has been hours," Maura confirmed.

"You look cute in your goggles," Jane said. "You got a little splatter... Right there." Jane picked off some watermelon guts from Maura's labcoat and popped it in her mouth.

"Jane! You can't eat food that's come in contact with one of my lab coats, you don't know what I've come in contact with." Maura looked down, brushing at her chest, checking for more pulp. Jane's index finger caught her chin, tilted Maura's head up.

"I know you, Maura. You'd never wear a dirty lab coat out of the morgue. You use a fresh one for each room. You're clean. Take your goggles off before they leave a mark, ok?" Jane reminded Maura, looking down at her phone. "Damn, I gotta go. See you tonight." Very aware of Susie moving back and forth in the space, Jane ran her thumb down Maura's cheek. "Tonight," she said again, quieter, with the little smile she saved for Maura.

---

Dinner wasn't that awkward until Cailin joined Jane outside with Jo.

"How ya doing?" Jane asked. Cailin had been different after the kidney transplant, softer but more focused. Jane could see parts of Hope in her, parts of Maura in her. She had drive and ambition and hyperfocus. Cailin nodded with a tight smile, patting Jo.

"You guys are good together," Cailin said cautiously. "I didn't know I had a sister, and I certainly couldn't have imagined one like Maura - but since she exists, I'm glad she has you." Cailin ducked back into the house and Jane shook her head. People had been saying stuff like this to her for years, but she'd always brushed it off. Now that she and Maura were... dating.... these conversations made more sense.

---

Hope cornered Jane too.

"I admire the way you stand up for her, you know?" Hope said, standing next to Jane at the sink, giving her a nervous smile as she picked up a teatowel to dry. "I don't often get called out for being careless with people, and I certainly didn't appreciate it at the time, but as her... Biological mother, I suppose... I felt relieved. That she had someone like you looking out for her. I want a relationship with her, which means I need a relationship with you too. You were right; I treated her poorly. I was surprised but that was no excuse. I've apologised to her and I'm making my amends, but Jane, I hurt you too and I'm sorry. I hope we can move forward."

Jane looked over at Maura, laughing with Cailin over something in Latin. Maura looked over, and her smile grew as she saw Jane watching her.

"You testified against Paddy," Jane said, still watching Maura. "That buys you some leeway." She looked back to Hope, who was watching Jane look at Maura.

"Have you told her?" Hope asked gently. "Don't... Don't waste your time with her when you could be..." Jane turned to look at Hope, face schooled into a deadpan expression.

"Told her what?" Jane asked breezily, turning back to the dishes. "Plates go there," Jane said pointing.

"Thank you. I mean... Jane, I'm no detective..."

"You kind of are, according to Maura. Different field, but your work identifying victims... that's detective work."

"Well, thank you Jane. I was going to say that I'm no detective but I don't need to be. Anyone looking at my dau... Maura that way... "

"What way?" Jane asked, turning back to the sink. The way she looked at Maura hadn't changed, or she hadn't thought it had. She'd been careful, around company, to try to keep things the same. They still touched just as much, still comfortable, not drawing back in case someone might suspect. Jane looked back and wondered how it had been something Hope had seen. How it had been something that had Angela joining PFLAG.

"The way I always hoped someone good enough for Cailin would look at her," Hope said quietly. "I'm not used to... to being the mother to an adult daughter, especially one who has two mothers already. I know there's no room for me, but seeing her grown and successful and in love - that's more than enough." Hope swiped at her eyes.

"Hey, no," Jane grabbed the handtowel - she knew the difference now between a teatowel and a handtowel, thanks to Maura - and dried her hands before putting a hand on Hope's shoulder. "Maura can have as many moms as she wants. Constance brought her up, and when Ma heard me talk about the awkward new ME who had no family in Boston she strong-armed Maura into Sunday dinners. But she wondered about you all her life, wondering if you'd left her, wondering if you'd wanted her. There's room for you."

"I wanted her," Hope choked out. "I still want her. I missed so much, so much was taken from me, and Cailin grew up in that - that grief, that shadow." Jane's hand rubbed along Hope's back.

"I know," Jane murmured comfortingly. "But I'm not the one who needs to hear that." Hope pulled herself into Jane's arms, and Jane sighed and held her as she composed herself, signaling to Maura that everything was ok.

"Ang.. uh.. Angela has invited me to PFLAG," Hope said, pulling away and composing herself.

"Really ma?" Jane called out across the room, everyone looking over to her and Hope in the kitchen. "Uh, Hope hasn't seen Maura's school photos, she said you'd show them to her?" Jane said quickly.

Chapter Text

Angela was as proud of Maura as she was of Jane. She knew every one of Maura's photos, knew the stories for each of them, but she sat quietly with Jane, letting Hope marvel over small Maura. Hope pulled up photos on her phone of Cailin at the same ages, comparing their growth patterns, their development stages, and Cailin rolled her eyes, embarassed. There were photos with a younger Constance and Maura paused.

"Would you like to meet my... Would you like to meet Constance?" Maura asked. Jane reached out and took Maura's hand, knowing how hard it had been for her to ask. "She'll be in town next month, and she's expressed an interest. She was someone who saw the good in..." Maura trailed off, looked up at Jane for strength. "My biological father. She's visited him. She doesn't approve of his life choices, but she saw the person he could have been." Jane squeezed Maura's hand. "You don't have to," Maura said quickly.

Hope put down the photo she'd been looking at. It was a small Maura on a thoroughbred. "I would love to," she said finally. "I have so much to ask her."

---

Hope and Cailin stayed for coffee after the photos, and Cailin really did seem to have come to terms with Maura.

Hope and Angela looked over at their collective daughters playing a card game, Jane obviously cheating, pushing her best cards on to Maura, who was torn between admonishing Jane for cheating and being pleased that she wasn't losing to her younger sister.

"I'm glad she has you," Hope said quietly.

"I'm glad I have her," Angela said in return. "I know she's not mine, not the way she's yours, not the way she's Constance's - but she's Jane's and that makes her mine too."

"Are they... They would have said something to you, if they were..." Angela shrugged.

"They're never apart. If Jane's not here, Maura's at Jane's. I don't know if they've figured it out yet. I didn't like it much at first, and then Charles came back and I thought that was it. And then Jane shot Paddy, and Maura hated that she'd shot him."

"Jane shot Paddy?"

"Just a bit, he got better. But Maura and her were fighting, and it made me realise how much I'd come to see them as a single unit, as a partnership. And that it didn't matter who made my daughter happy, as long as she was happy." Angela looked over to where Cailin was having a spirited disagreement with Maura over the use of carbon-fibre limb replacements.

"The first time I met Maura, Jane brought her around for dinner. She looked like she'd stepped off of a movie set, out of a photoshoot. And she was so nervous! She brought a plate and a potted plant - I still have it. And every time Maura was uncertain - and she was uncertain a lot back then - she'd look at Jane, and Jane would take her hand, or smile at her and Maura would start breathing again. I found her so intimidating - so intelligent, so beautiful - she takes after you - but she was scared of us too. Always observing the relationships, the interactions, trying to see where she could fit there. And she fit with Jane. Jane's never been patient, but," they looked over to where Maura was slapping down her cards and raising her hands in triumph, Jane's face full of pride and obviously stealing cards from a laughing Cailin. "I've never seen her so happy," Angela said, and Hope didn't know which of the women in the other room she was talking about but she didn't need to ask, because all of them looked so happy in that moment. Angela whipped out her phone and took a photo, and another as Maura fell into Jane, knocking against her shoulder, still laughing.

"Would you mind?" Hope asked, looking over at Angela's phone.

"Oh sure," Angela texted the pic through to Hope, having exchanged numbers back when they met. Hope didn't look away from her two daughters, Jane having relented and surrendering her stolen cards back to Cailin.

"There's room for you too," Angela said. "So don't you dare hurt her." Angela looked stern and Hope was startled; she'd expected it to be Jane dishing out disapproval and ultimatums, but now Hope could see where Jane got it from. She looked away, swallowing. She knew she'd hurt Maura, but Maura had been trying to protect her in some way, and Hope really should have read all those articles about Paddy and his secret daughter. Cailin had known too, and not told her, and that hurt as well.

"I don't plan to, but with our history, I can't expect that either of us won't be hurt by the past," Hope said slowly. "But I do want to be in her life, somehow. I want to meet Constance and your sons. I want her and Cailin to be able to... To know each other. You've known her for years, and I know you love her as if she was one of your own." Angela nodded. "I was so intrigued by her, when we first met. She felt so familiar, so comfortable to talk with."

"I loved that scared, awkward sophisticated woman the moment I met her," Angela said.

"Me too," Hope said wistfully. "She was very awkward, but incredibly talented, I felt drawn to her, that's why... Well. I didn't handle it well. I imagined her a million times, but not a single one of those Maura's even comes close to this one."

They looked over to where Jane was clearly bullying Maura, slapping her hands away from her cards and crossing her eyes at Maura, who was feebly struggling to grab her cards and laughing at Jane's silly faces. Cailin took advantage of the distraction to steal Jane's cards, and Jane lunged across the coffee table at her, Maura grabbing Jane by the waist and hauling her away from an unflinchingly smug Cailin. Jane let herself be tugged back, landing messily in Maura's lap, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her face, Maura's arms still around her waist. Maura looked down at her, face soft as she brushed the hair behind Jane's ear, then Jane was up again and tipping all the cards out of the box into her hand with a triumphant grin. She handed half to Maura, and narrowed her eyes at Cailin, who again looked unimpressed by the intimidating woman.

Angela clicked her tongue. "That girl was always rough housing with her brothers, she's a bad influence."

"No," Hope said, watching Cailin stick out her tongue at Jane. "It's nice to see she can take care of herself."

They watched as Jane ruined Maura's play by tickling the back of her neck, and Angela leaned her arms against the counter.

"Do you think they think they're being discrete?" Angela asked, watching Maura grab Jane's right hand and sling it over her shoulder to keep it out of trouble.

Chapter Text

Maura relaxed as Hope hugged her goodnight, her eyes closed and her arms soft, and Jane could see the lonely child she'd known Maura had been be soothed a little. Jane let Angela put an arm over her shoulders and pull her close. Cailin hugged Maura too, making a promise to send through her research on the mating habits of the Eclectus parrots. She hugged Jane as well, and promised her a rematch.

"Well, I'm turning in," Angela said with a yawn as Maura closed the front door. She hesitated, about to ask something, then shook her head and headed out to the guest house. "Have a good night, girls."

"Are you - would you like to stay?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded shyly. "Good," Maura said. "I'm going to shower."

---

The unicorn was larger than Jane remembered, and It was covering her entire side of the bed. Jane stared at it resentfully for a long moment, then at Maura, already in bed and snuggled up to it.

"Mau?" Jane asked. "Can Captain Glitterface sleep in the guest room?"

Maura pouted, and Jane sighed and climbed under the blanket, moving limbs out of the way until Maura was snuggled up to her instead.

---

"Has anyone been having really supportive conversations at you?" Jane asked finally, her fingers softly tracing over the bumps of Maura's vertebra through her silk nightshirt. "Cailin and Hope both said something vague that sounded like approval tonight. That they're glad you have me."

"Korsak and Angela have both brought up the subject recently, I think," Maura said thoughtfully. "And Frankie seemed to know that our date was with each other. He sounded like he was trying to be supportive."

"How long has it been happening?" Jane asked. "Since we started seeing each other, or earlier?"

"Years, Jane," Maura said, sounding slightly annoyed. "It's been happening for years. Remember Paddy telling you to take care of me?"

"Was that him giving us his blessing? Ugh." Jane buried her face into Maura's shoulder.

"And remember when Angela and Frost set us up for that fracking site?"

"I thought they just wanted us to be friends again," Jane said, voice small and uncertain. "I didn't think..."

"Jane, they packed us a picnic basket!"

"A picnic basket isn't gay," Jane asked, then removed her face from Maura's shoulder. "Is it?"

"It's very cottage-core, which is gay-adjaycent."

"Your 'research' tell you that, huh?" Jane sulked. "So everything thinks we've been dating? Even though we weren't?"

"Weren't we?" Maura asked. "We often spent the night together, and you came to the gallery and museum patron nights, and all of my gala and social events. And I went to your baseball games and hockey games and highschool reunion. Does it really surprise you that people thought we were dating?"

"I guess not," Jane mumbled. "It's just so embarassing. I'm a detective and I can't even figure out..."

"Jane," Maura said gently. "You were operating under a false assumption."

"Yeah, what false assumption?" Jane asked, her fingers skirting the back of Maura's collar.

"That we weren't attracted to each other. That we were both heterosexuals."

"But we are, and we aren't. See, that's the kind of thing a detective is supposed to be able to figure out."

"If you'd seen anyone else in a relationship like ours what conclusion would you have come to?" Maura patted Jane gently, knowing that her own cognitive bias and fear of rejection had clouded her judgement as well. "If it helps, they were wrong until very recently," Maura said in a way that was supposed to be comforting. Jane looked up at her then, the light from the hall leaving Maura just visible.

"If you'd never said anything," Jane said in horror. "If you'd never said anything we still wouldn't be dating. We'd just be... I'd just be lying here wondering what it would be like... But not admitting it..."

"Your mother being supportive must be a relief," Maura said. "If that's what you were worried about." Jane chuckled.

"You're really not a detective," Jane said, her fingers finding Maura's cheek. "It wasn't Angela, or Korsak or Frankie or Frost I was worried about. It was you. I never imagined you'd even acknowledge the feelings I had for you, let alone welcome them."

"Oh," Maura said.

"I would have never said anything that could have impacted our friendship," Jane said. "I have medals for bravery and I couldn't even breathe when you got into bed with me, I was so scared you'd figure it out and hate me."

"I could never hate you," Maura said, kissing Jane's palm as it came in reach of her mouth, feeling the scar tissue beneath her lips, remembering Hoyt, how Jane hadn't been able to kill him until he'd threatened Maura. Maura too had been cowardly for too long. Jane shuddered and Maura took Jane's hand, kissed the back of it too, and each of her bent fingers on the knuckle. But there had been a reason for her cowardice; if this friendship was ruined, if they broke up or Jane shot another member of Maura's family Maura didn't think she could survive not having Jane in her life as her best friend.

"Oh! Susie knows," Jane added, leaving her hand in Maura's. "I mean, she knows for sure."

"How does Susie know?" Maura asked, knowing Jane wouldn't have told someone without asking Maura first.

"She might have overheard you in the morgue, talking about protection." Jane mumbled the last word, still not having looked at Maura's research. "She seemed ok with it."

"She did ask about the wedding you mentioned," Maura mused.

"Oh, Camile and Robin have set a date, we should get an invite in the mail soon. They want us," Jane paused, "both of us to be in the wedding party. One for each side. I said I'd be happy to go, and Frost said I probably don't have to wear a dress."

Jane could feel Maura's pout against her fingertips. "But I will if you want me to," Jane said, not quite reluctantly.

"I think that's something we can discuss after the invite gets here," Maura said finally.

Chapter Text

Jane woke up slowly, somewhat buried under a unicorn. Maura's hands were equally slow on her back, and Jane didn't have to pretend she hadn't been holding Maura as she slept, didn't have to pull away from the sleepy embrace. Maura's fingers were waking her in more ways than she thought possible, thinking back to that awkward conversation last night, where they'd both kind of admitted they weren't straight, which shouldn't have been a revelation at this point yet having the clarity and confirmation had helped Jane, had convinced her that she wasn't alone in wanting this.

In wanting her best friend.

Maura's fingers rubbed at the tension in the back of Jane's neck and Jane moaned, freezing with embarassment. Maura didn't even pause, and Jane relaxed slowly. When she finally lifted her head Maura was looking up at her with such tenderness. No one else looked at her like that; she didn't want anyone else to look at her like that. Morning Maura was always a little ruffled, a little less put together, and as much as Jane loved Maura in her well-fitted dresses and impeccable makeup, she loved Maura raw and bare in the morning light so much more because she knew she was the only person who got to see her like this. She loved Maura's bare ears and sweet eyes and soft mouth.

She loved Maura. It was a big statement to make, but it wasn't a leap; she'd always loved Maura.

But now she could love her all the ways she'd wanted to love her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Maura asked, her breath catching as Jane propped herself up to hover over Maura.

"Because it's you," Jane murmured, kissing Maura slowly.

---

Angela's car was gone when they finally made it downstairs, Jane heading off to work while Maura had the weekend off.

Maura made the coffee and the usually impatient Jane stood quietly, soft and subdued, pliant with the lazy morning kisses they'd shared.

"Dinner at the Dirty Robber? Korsak and his band are making a night of it," Jane said, still somehow shy. Maura's robe had fallen open, and Jane could see where her mouth had left a mark on that perfect neck. She hoped it didn't bruise, but seeing it still made her proud somehow.

Maura nodded, yawning.

"Jane, if I'm going to last two more weeks, you can't... You can't kiss me in bed." Maura said, trying to sound stern but instead coming across as pleading.

"No kissing in bed. Got it," Jane said, closing in on Maura. She rested a hand on either side of Maura's body as Maura backed into the counter, leaned in to Maura's ear. "But we're not in bed now, are we?" Jane breathed into Maura's ear, pressed firmly against her entire torso, and Jane could feel the warmth radiating off Maura in waves as she lowered her mouth to Maura's neck again.

"You... You have to go to work," Maura said sternly, pushing at Jane's sternum. Jane stepped away and took her coffee in her favourite travel mug. She turned back and pressed her lips against Maura's - already swollen from too much kissing - gently.

"It's you," Jane said again, walking to the front door backwards, so she could watch Maura longer.

Chapter Text

Maura examined yet another body with a head wound. They'd solved multiple murders this month alone, but this was the third body with the imprint on the temple.

"There's nothing to tie him to the others. He's a librarian, doesn't drive, single, no gang affiliations." Jane paced up and down next to the body, Maura too focused on the body to be distracted. "There has to be something," Jane mused out loud.

"Do you think you can solve it before we go to DC the week after next?" Maura asked, and Jane shook her head.

"We might have to leave it to Popoff and Frankie"

"Jane!" Maura admonished, looking up to catch the tail end of Jane's cheeky grin. Jane sighed.

"I don't know, Mau, there's some you don't win, you know? Fresh eyes might help."

"Want to go for a jog when I finish up here?"

"Yeah, swing by the squad room when you're done," Jane smiled, aware of Susie watching breathlessly in the corner, like she and Maura were some of those weird birds Maura had been talking about after her email from Cailin.

---

Jane listened to Maura talk about endorphins and dopamine fondly, the slap of their feet striking the ground in the same pattern as usual, Jane shortening her stride automatically with Maura at her side.

"Nina had the shop build some of the more effective prints we'd made, if you'd like to come back to the lab?" Maura asked, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She looked up at Jane, gloriously sweaty, biceps flexed as she stretched out. She yawned and lifted her arms over her head, and the sliver of skin it exposed at her waist had Maura blushing.

"Hey, are you ok?" Jane asked, crouching down to be at Maura's eye level. "You're really red, here," Jane handed over her water bottle and Maura sipped from it obediently, noting her lipstick on the mouthpiece as she pulled it away. She felt Jane's hands brush her forehead and shoulders, testing to see how warm she was, checking to see if it was sunburn. When Jane's hand slipped to the back of Maura's neck she choked and pulled the water bottle away. She handed the warm water bottle back and Jane stood to drink from it, and Maura could follow the path of the water down Jane's throat, could see the muscles contract, her jaw flexing. Jane looked back and squatted, peering up into Mara's red face, handing over the water bottle again. "Mau, you're sweating more than usual. Have you had any electrolytes? C'mon, let's get you back to the office." Maura let herself be helped upright, thankful for Jane's hands running across her back, embarrassed that the visual evidence of Jane's strength had her so weak. Still, it was a nice walk back to the office, Jane's concerned voice in Maura's ear, her strong arm firmly wrapped around Maura to support her. Maura stumbled once and Jane steadied her, both of them coming to a stop so Jane could check on Maura.

"I've got you," Jane said, her grip tightening on Maura as they started off again.

"You do," Maura said, letting herself relax into Jane. Because Jane had her, and she had Jane.

---

Maura slipped away back into the lab after her shower, not wanting a semi-dressed Jane to question her. When Jane came into the lab, still buttoning her blouse, Maura had a fresh Gatorade on one of the tables, condensation forming on the outside of the bottle. She took a delicate swig when she saw Jane rush in.

"Ah, Jane. Nina did some testing for us."

Jane skidded to a stop, then stepped up slowly to Maura, hand on her forehead again. Susie looked away, then back, then away again and focussed on some results, turning bright red herself.

"I'm fine, Jane," Maura said, taking Jane's hand and pulling it away from her face. "It was just warm," Maura said, and felt the hives rise. Jane saw them too and glared at Maura, who blushed again, and Jane suddenly understood. She left her hand in Maura's, smirking glibly, and Susie, also blushing, excused herself into the back room with the watermelons.

"I was really worried," Jane said lowly, her face tracking back to concern "I thought you were going to faint." She let go of Maura's hand and put her hand on Maura's shoulder. She thought back to their regular jogs, how Maura would struggle every few weeks, be warmer and thirstier than usual. "Is it my new workout pants?" Jane asked, trying to find a pattern.

"No, it's you," Maura confirmed. "But they do look very nice on you." Jane smiled again, looked at the screen.

"Hey, that looks like a full impression," Jane said, pointing at one of the watermelon photos.

"And it was done with..." Maura walked into the back room, and Susie squeaked and walked away from the doorway she'd been watching through. "This one," Maura said, holding up what looked like a crowbar with a coin welded on the end. "The shorter ones didn't deliver enough force," Maura said, gesturing towards all the rest of the coin weapons.

"Huh," Jane said, hefting the weapon. "I'm going to call all the associates of the first case back in," Jane said.

Chapter Text

Jane rubbed her forehead. The bikers were skulking around the cafe, waiting for their interviews. They had mostly clean records, some grass here and there but nothing Jane expected to see from a crime ring. Nothing suspicious either; they'd all seemed upset during the first round of interviews that he'd been murdered. No one had an unkind word to say about him.

Then again, they never did, after a murder.

But they all had access to heavy tools, the kind that could do the damage they were seeing, and leave a mark like that.

---

Then came the mechanics, some of them nervy and sweaty. The second body hadn't been as lucky; his colleagues didn't seem to have particularly liked him or the way he parked cars on the lot, always blocking the walkways. A couple of criminal records there, a couple of family members, like the way the Giovanni's did business and Jane made a mental note to call up Giovanni to check the reputation of Mark Taylor's mechanical shop. Jane snickered; years ago Maura had panicked and had Jane pretend to be her llbff, and here they were, actually dating. Jane wondered if she owed Giovanni anything, decided against it, then remembered the way it had felt to have Maura lean back into her arms like that so long ago, the way Maura had pressed into her at the high-school reunion and changed her mind again. She owed him for that much, at least. Owed him for making her open to the idea of dating Maura. Face-licking moron he might be, but she owed him for that.

---

The librarian was a bust too. He turned out to be a hermit who only left his home for work and food. None of his colleagues seemed to know anything about him, but they were able to pull a list of books he appeared to have enjoyed. No one ate lunch with him, no one brought him coffee, no one went past his office to ask questions. His house was a hoarder's delight, and all through the week teams had been sifting through his stacks to look for anything that would give someone motive to kill this reclusive nerd.

---

Frost and Jane dug through endless garages of the bike club members, using UV lights on all the tools but only the parts where a person might grip had any bodily fluids, and there were no blood splatters to be seen. Jane was impatient.

"Back to the shop," Jane said.

---

The workfloor was filled with the same cretins as before, still obviously leering at Jane and Jane remembered how Maura had been overcome with admiration at her form, how different it was to how these men reacted to her.

A couple of the tools turned up with fluids, so they bagged them and took them back for Susie.

Mark Taylor came out, leaning heavily on his cane, and Jane's eyes were drawn to it.

"Can I see that real quick," Jane asked, and he stumbled into a chair to hand it over, flinching at the movement.

There was a coin in the handle; it went with the silver desk grip. When Jane examined Mark's hands there was an imprint in his palm of a lady, not an eagle. The coin wasn't a match, but she'd been so sure. It was the only thing even close to the murder weapon so far.

Jane ran the UV light over it; nothing.

She tried to unscrew it, but it was mounted. She examined the coin, it was tarnished and the wear was consistent. The coin had been sealed in with what looked like epoxy, worn unevenly by the lines in his hands to expose the metal beneath.

"Do you mind if we take this to the lab?" Jane asked. "Do you have a spare? And can I see your spare?"

One of the workers opened a locker and a haphazard bundle of canes fell out, most of them with curved tips, the types of cane Jane was used to seeing.

"I'm sorry to do this to you," Jane murmured, looking over the canes, most of which had curved handles and no embellishments. She cleared one of blood and nodded at Frost, who nodded back. "Would you be able to use this one in the meantime?" Jane asked compassionately, looking again at the imprint in his hand.

"I can get by," he said, respectful of the police. "But how long do you plan on keeping it? It has sentimental value - that's the first coin I earned."

"We'll get it back to you as soon as we can," Jane said placatingly. "Do you have more at home? In your car?" Jane asked, and he nodded. "Send Frankie out," Jane said to Frost, and she headed back to the office, unloading at the lab with one of the techs.

---

The library was another non-starter, a couple of the rare book cabinets did have elaborate embossing, but none matched the pattern or showers any signs of tampering. Jane had a vague idea that they might have been unscrewed and added to a pool cue or similar, but the crime scene techs disagreed; the wood finish was completely undisturbed. There was a display of daggers on loan from somewhere, but they weren't looking for daggers. There was rat poison in the kitchen, next to the coffee, and Frost had a word to them about safely containing hazardous materials. But they weren't looking for rat poison. Jane wondered if they could get a more accurate print from the indent, if that would even help. She was lost and frustrated, the crime lab overrun with checking and testing all the random flotsam of three people's lives. No debts, no serious drugs, no angry neighbours, no intersections at all in their lives. There was still no reason Jane could see for all three men being dead, and yet all three were.

They still hadn't found their crime scene, let alone a motive, and they were three bodies into it. Jane huffed in frustration and Maura eyed her worriedly across the lab bench.

Chapter Text

Jane got back to her desk, rubbing her face with her palms. Nearly a whole week with nothing to show for it except the third body.

"It's an American silver dollar," Maura explained, holding the cane. "We've examined the adhesive but it's at least a decade old, and the wear pattern on the sealant is inconsistent with what I'd expect to see on the head wounds. No blood, and it's not been tampered with in the last decade," Maura said, handing the cane back to Jane. "It's an interesting assistive device though. You said the design was worn into his hand?"

"Yeah. He had nearly twenty canes in total, but this is obviously his favourite."

"A 1987 silver dollar - worth a little on the market, but not particularly interesting to a collector," Maura said, looking over the coin again. "With this much wear, it wouldn't be worth much, except to him."

"He couldn't stand without help," Jane remembered. "He would have been unable to use a cane as a weapon without losing balance, or hurting himself. So we're still looking. Did Frankie bring anything back?"

"Nothing like this," Maura said, resting a hand on Jane's shoulder. "I'm going home," Maura said, torn by the dejected look on Jane's face. "Do you need anything before I go?" Jane shook her head.

"I'd better get his cane back to him. I felt such an asshole taking it from him." Maura patted Jane's shoulder to reassure her. "Wait, you're going? Now?" Maura nodded and Jane stood, pulling Maura into her. "I'm going to feel like an asshole when I give it back to him too," Jane mumbled into Maura's hair.

"Well, you don't feel like an asshole to me," Maura said gently, letting her hands wander across Jane's back. "We needed to test it, and you said he had a spare." Jane just sighed into Maura's hair.

"He said it was the first dollar he ever made. Do you think someone was framing him?"

"I'd consider that a possibility," Maura said carefully.

"Well, at least that's a motive," Jane said, pulling back and grinning. She looked over to Korsak and Frost, working away at their desks, ignoring them. "I'll walk you down," Jane said, holding the cane. "I'm taking this back to Mark Taylor," Jane called back into the office, and neither of them looked up.

---

Jane walked Maura to her car.

"I shouldn't have hugged you up there, should I?" Jane asked. "it's just so hard to see you without..."

"Jane. I don't mind. Whenever you're ready, I will be too. It's not like they've never seen us hug before."

"I know, I just... Forgot they were there for a moment." Jane bit her lip, then pulled Maura behind a pillar.

"Wait, what?" Maura started, silenced by Jane's mouth descending on hers.

"Security camera blind spot," Jane said finally, pulling away reluctantly. "I'll be going over reports tonight," Jane added. "I don't know when I'll leave the office." Her hands rested over the soft material at Maura's waist, fingers running over Maura's sacroiliac crest and back to her spine. "I don't want this guy leaving any more bodies, I want to get him before he kills again."

"I understand," Maura said, and Jane loved that about Maura. That Maura knew how Jane worked, that she was driven with the desire to prevent homicides, that she put the safety of her family and friends ahead of her own, that sometimes even strangers qualified. Most of Korsak's wives hadn't understood him that way, and the relationships hadn't worked out, but Maura, beautiful Maura in the dim parking garage lights understood because it was her work too. And Jane understood, when Maura left in the middle of the night for a crime scene that wasn't hers, when Maura was called away to re-examine old autopsies, when Maura wasn't there because of her work because Jane understood and respected that work.

It might all fall apart, but their work wouldn't contribute to it.

Maura slid her arms around Jane, sliding up inside her blazer, running over the cotton of her button-down, pulling them back into the hug they'd started in the squad room, feeling Jane finally relax into her. Maura wondered how she'd managed to survive so long without Jane, without the all-encompassing affection she'd offered over the years.

"I understand," Maura said again. "But for the record, I don't mind who sees us. I don't mind who knows."

Jane looked around. The parking lot was probably the worst place to talk about this, exhaust fumes and rubber permeating the air.

"I don't know what we are to each other. How would we tell people? When do we tell people? Is this... Are we serious?" Jane asked.

"I'm serious," Maura confirmed. "Jane, I'm all in. I don't know empirically if we're sexually compatible but the preliminary evidence is incredibly positive. I would be willing to introduce you as my..." Maura paused, looking for a word. "Girlfriend?" Maura asked and Jane laughed against her.

"We're too old, and I think people might assume we're just friends."

"I have heard women use that term for their friends, which does complicate things. Partner?"

"Frost's my partner," Jane pointed out.

"That term would be confusing too, wouldn't it?"

"It's too soon for wife, isn't it?" Jane asked, tone light. Maura pulled away to look at her, saw Jane's strong jaw working like she was considering saying something she wasn't sure of. Maura kissed her uncertain mouth, hands tightening on Jane's shoulder blades.

"If it's too soon, it's only because you haven't asked me yet," Maura pointed out, and Jane blushed.

"Can I just introduce you as mine?" Jane asked, "and let everyone make of that whatever they will?"

"I'm not normally into possessive terminologies in relationships, but it would avert a lot of awkward questions. But I get to introduce you as mine too."

"Agreed," Jane said, and her smile, the smile Jane reserved for Maura, lit up the darkness of the parking garage.

Chapter Text

Mark Taylor was grateful for the speedy return of his cane. He gripped it with relief, his wife taking his spare and putting it away in the now-empty cane container.

"The rest should come back in the next day or so, but I wanted to make sure you got this back personally."

"I appreciate it," Mark said, his hand grasping the cane, reestablishing his grip. "Any closer to figuring out who killed Steve?"

"We'll make sure you get any official updates we can provide," Jane said. "Does anyone know the history of your coin? Do you have any enemies?"

"Most of my friends and family, and most of my staff know about my coin cane. It's distinctive; people ask. As for enemies, none that I know of. Why would I have any enemies?"

"Something similar to your cane struck the killing blow," Jane said carefully. "It could be someone unrelated, but it could be someone trying to set you up as a suspect. We're happy that your alibi checks out, and I'm convinced that this cane isn't the killing weapon, but if you could give me a list - disgruntled clients, unhappy neighbours, anything you can think of - we can make sure that you aren't being targeted." Mrs Taylor sagged at Mark's side, and he used his free hand to wrap around her shoulder, to make a comforting noise. "We can have a squad car come by, and you can call if you think anything is suspicious." Jane handed over her personal card.

Jane eyed the cane again; so close and yet so far. But who would try to frame this man? Jane made a mental note to get a FOI record for his reasons for needing the cane - based on the quantity of canes and wear on them, he must have been injured a decade or so ago. Maybe it hadn't been an accident. Maybe they should start there.

---

Jane went back to the office and worked through the files again.

"Mighta got something," Frost called from him desk. Jane joined him, looking at the screen. "Taylor is selling up. New place looking to expand, A1 Auto."

"Rap sheet on this Greg McHale?"

"Pretty clean," Frost said, pulling up some records. Jane checked over his shoulder, face screwing up in disappointment.

"I'll schedule him in for tomorrow. I've got an inside man I'm meeting up with - hoping he has some dirt to dish. See you tomorrow." Jane clapped her hand on Frost's shoulder and grabbed her blazer.

---

Jane met with Giovanni at the Dirty Robber. She pushed a jalepeno plant across the table at him. It already had flowers and a small chilli growing.

"Oh hey, nice, thank you. I love peppers. Looking good, Janie. Where's Maw?"

"We don't have to do everything together," Jane said, a little off-balance.

"Yeah, but you normally do, so?"

"She's working late," Jane said. Giovanni had known for years that they were dating, even when they weren't. There were advantages and disadvantages to that - the advantage being that Giovanni's big mouth meant they had less people to tell and that anyone who might have a problem with them dating had already been weeded out. The disadvantage was that some people - such as Angela - had been able to tell it was a ploy to let Giovanni down gently, and coming out (again) might be harder. That, and Giovanni always offering to join them.

"That's a shame. Say hi to her for me, won'tcha?"

"Of course, G. Now, what do you know about the Taylor's garage?"

"They fix cars," Giovanni said, shrugging. "The owner is thinking of selling, his nephew was hoping to take over the business. Keep it in the family. Y'know, like the Giovanni's."

"Thanks, I'll look into that tomorrow."

"Can I ask you something, Jane?" Giovanni asked, and he seemed serious so Jane nodded cautiously, sipping at her beer. "How'd you snag someone like Maw?"

"I don't know, G. We have a lot in common, we got to know each other, I guess I won her over with my wit and personality." Jane rolled her eyes, to show how ridiculous she thought that was, but Giovanni nodded sadly.

Giovanni sighed. "Yeah, you're a catch too. But how'd you... How'd you ask her out?"

"She told me to," Jane said, smiling to herself.

"Gee, you're lucky," Giovanni said. He shook his head. "I know I look good, I treat women nice, but shucks, sometimes it's all closed doors and no open windows, you know?"

"What do you have in common with these women you date? What kind of women do you date?" Jane asked, curious despite herself.

"Aw, y'know. The kinda girls impressed by nice cars."

"And what do they normally like to talk about, other than cars?" Jane pushed. Giovanni shrugged. "Maura and I work because we have a lot in common, but every now and then I let her drag me to an art gallery, or she comes with me to a baseball game. Would I go to an art gallery on my own? Hell no, but I enjoy myself while I'm there because I'm with her. You have to pay attention to what they like as well."

Giovanni thought it over, downing the rest of his beer as a fresh round was brought over.

"And that's all there is to it?" Giovanni asked. "Just listen? Look at some pictures and pay some attention to what they like?"

"Yeah," Jane said quietly. "It's compromise and communication."

"You did real well for yourself, Janie," Giovanni said, tapping the neck of his bottle against Jane's.

"Yeah, I did." Jane agreed, clinking her bottle back against his, her smile genuine.

Chapter Text

Jane kicked her shoes off at the door, pulling out her phone.

"Hey. I'm home safe," Jane said. "Why'd you want me to call?"

"I've been wondering if you've read any of my research." Maura said.

Jane blushed, running her free hand through her hair. "I read some of it," Jane admitted. What she had read was very technical and explicit, yet somehow no less stimulating despite all the scientific terms. She dropped her keys on the counter, unclipped her badge and gun from her belt.

"You don't have to read it all, Jane," Maura said, and oh shit, she sounded disappointed.

"I, uh, I did some of my own," Jane said. "Found some. Less... Medical journals. More practical application."

Maura sighed. "Jane, I told you porn wasn't a primary source and that your references..."

"Jeez Mau! It's not porn, ok? I'll... I'll send you a link, ok?" Jane had unbuttoned her blouse and sat on her bed, pulling out her laptop. "Sending it now," Jane said, downloading and sending her bookmarks panel. As embarrassing as it was, and it was embarrassing, at least Maura would know she'd been taking it seriously. She leaned back onto the pillows, Jo already asleep on her doggy bed in the other room. She'd been walked and fed, and Jane had eaten dinner at The Dirty Robber, Korsak and Frankie joining her and Giovanni. Jane was dying for a shower, but talking to Maura always took priority, and she didn't want to call too late. "See, not porn," Jane said, flicking through the bookmarks to reassure herself. A few tabs were on coming out to family and colleagues, another few on sexual identity in the workplace, a few about police stations and discrimination.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind," Maura said, sounding surprised.

"Try the one listed 'how to'," Jane said quietly. She could hear Maura's quiet breathing as she read, and she wondered if she should reopen the tab too.

"That's - that's certainly thorough," Maura said finally. Jane opened the tab - it was just a list of possible activities to undertake with a woman, but it was less clinical than the sources Maura had provided. "Have you tried any of these?"

"You'd know if I had," Jane said shortly. "It's not like I'd try them on anyone else."

"Not even yourself?" Maura asked, and anyone else would be asking that teasingly, but Maura was into statistics and information so it was an obvious question that Jane hadn't considered.

"Not... Not really?" Jane asked, her voice high.

"It's just over a week until we've scheduled sexual activities, and we should be able to at least discuss what we'd be comfortable achieving with each other before we get there. Is there anything on this list you'd like to try?" Maura always was practical, and Jane should have guessed she'd be practical about this.

"On myself? Some of those would be physically impossible."

"No. On me. Or on you. Is there anything on this list you'd like to try with me?"

"Oh. Oh! Uh..." Jane scrolled quickly through, checking the illustrations. "Number 7 would be ok, I guess," Jane said. It was something she would probably be comfortable trying with Maura - holding a partner from behind and letting them guide her hands.

"What are you wearing," Maura asked.

"Um... Just my shirt and slacks. Socks, too."

"Would you be comfortable removing any of those?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded, forgetting Maura couldn't see her. "Jane?"

"Yeah, Mau, sure." Jane undid her belt and slid her pants off.

"Do you want to know what I'm wearing?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded again. "Jane?"

"Yes please," Jane rasped. "Very much so."

"It's those silky pajamas you like. You're always running your fingers across the fabric." Jane wanted to tell Maura that it wasn't the fabric that had her entranced but Maura carried on, heedless of Jane's thoughts. "If you were here, I'd have all the buttons done up, but you're not, so..." There was a pause, and Jane could almost hear the apricot silk rubbing against the cool copper buttons. "I have a singlet you left here on underneath. I hope you don't mind."

"I... Uh... I don't mind," Jane said. "You're welcome to my entire wardrobe," she added generously, knowing Maura had little interest in wearing her clothes.

"That's very kind," Maura conceded. "But I'm wearing it because it still smelled like you when I went to put it in the wash."

Jane inhaled sharply, her breath coming back out ragged.

"Do you like me wearing your clothes?" Maura asked, picking up on Jane's change in breathing. "Remember how good I looked in your suit? Other women certainly thought I looked good in that suit. I hoped that telling you that would make you jealous, but honestly, wearing your suit, being able to smell you all day..." Maura's voice drifted off and her breathing picked up.

"Mau?" Jane squeaked, then she cleared her throat. "I like you wearing my clothes. You always look amazing, no matter what you wear, but I love the idea that you're wearing something that's mine. You looked good in my suit - you looked so hot - and I had to go on a fake date to question a suspect and you just let me go!"

"I couldn't interfere with your line of duty," Maura breathed, and Jane wondered how many buttons were still done up. Maybe none, by now. Maybe the singlet had ridden up on Maura, exposing her bare stomach and ribs and... "Would you like me to take your singlet off?" Maura asked and Jane looked down, confused for a moment. She pulled her own shirt off and discarded her bra, which was unceremoniously flung into a corner of the room.

"I'm not wearing a singlet," Jane said tauntingly. "But if you're talking about my singlet on your body then that depends," Jane said, lying down on the bed. "Do you want to take it off?" Jane let her fingers trace her scar on her stomach for a moment, the hitch in her breath from habit.

"I'd prefer it if you came here and took it off, but this is just a... a simulation. A dry run, so to speak, since there's nothing really dry about this situation right now," Maura chuckled and Jane felt her muscles clench at the implication. Of Maura being turned on just talking with Jane about clothes. Of the awareness that Maura was correct about her assesment of the situation, even though she'd probably been talking about herself rather than Jane. But now that Jane had noticed...

"Uhhhhhh," Jane said, inarticulately.

"Too much?" Maura asked, concerned. "I can finish up later if you're overwhelmed."

"Nononononoonono," Jane blurted. "I... Uh. I'm fine."

"And you're... Enjoying this?" Maura asked. "You're not uncomfortable with the fact that we're anatomically similar?"

"No, that's fine. Makes it easier to imagine."

"I wish you were here," Maura whispered. "Which is silly, because if you were, I'd still be fully dressed, wouldn't I?"

"Maura, you're killing me," Jane groaned.

"The French do call it 'le petit morte'," Maura said helpfully. "The little death, because the heart beats erratically and..."

"Please don't give me a French lecture right now. I love your lectures, I love the French, but you were... Doing something."

"Oh, yes, I was. Still am, actually. The idea was for you to guide my hands but I'm afraid we're too late for that." Maura hummed into the phone for a moment. "I got a little too eager to follow the instructions. And you know how I like following instructions. If it helps, the sound of your voice got me into this state."

"Me too," Jane choked out. "Just the thought of you... Touching yourself... God, I've never done this before."

"And you're ok?" Maura asked, and Jane could hear her best friend, concerned for her well-being, but she could also hear her Maura, could hear the desire in her voice.

"I'm ok," Jane reassured her. "Are you ok?"

"I haven't done - Ah - exactly this before, but I'm enjoying myself. Are you - uhm - are you enjoying yourself?"

"Very much," Jane said quickly. "I spent a long time trying not to wonder what it would be like with you, because I didn't want to be disrespectful," Jane paused as Maura moaned again. "Because I thought it wasn't something I could do and look you in the eye the next day."

"I love being respected," Maura said, "but you can be as disrespectful as you want right now, if it means you're imagining what I'm doing. If it means you're imagining what I would do to you." Jane bit her lip as a crescendo broke over her, her ragged breathing on the phone echoed back by Maura.

"Oh. My. God." Jane said a few minutes later, still trembling. "That was amazing. Is it always like that with you?" Jane joked, still feeling her rapid heartbeat trying to find a softer rhythm, feeling her muscles loosening and relaxing and then tightening again.

"I wouldn't know, Jane, I don't know how it was like for you," Maura said, "but if it was anything like it was for me, then I agree with your assessment."

Jane listened to Maura's breathing for a while, aware she still needed to shower but too relaxed to get up.

"Can I send you a photo?" Maura asked.

"Rembert what Holiday said about cyber security," Jane warned. "Don't send me anything you wouldn't want the entire precinct to see."

"Jane," Maura said, droll as usual. Jane pulled her phone away from her ear and a picture of a slightly disheveled yet content Doctor Maura Isles appeared on her phone, clearly satisfied. Jane's singlet was visible, as was the collar of the pajamas Maura had been wearing. Maura's chest was flushed with colour and she was biting her lip.

Jane stared at it until Maura's voice broke through from the phone.

"Oh, Maura," Jane said, her heart in her voice. "You're so..." She trailed off, unable to find an adjective to describe Maura. "Wonderful," Jane said finally. In her own camera she was equally unkempt, her hair a tangled mess. She took a quick photo anyway, sent it without thinking too hard about it, her cheeks still flushed.

Chapter Text

Jane didn't think she'd be able to look Maura in the eye the next day, but she caught sight of the ME on her way to the cafe and all she could do was smile and order Maura's coffee along with her own.

"Hi," Maura said, almost shyly.

"Hey," Jane said back, smiling as she caught Maura's eye.

"Hey," Maura said quietly, moving closer to Jane at the coffee stand, making room for other customers. Stanley glared at them, as usual, and Maura giggled into Jane's side as Jane put a creamer on the napkin holder. Jane could feel her chest flood with relief. Maura didn't hate her for last night. Maura was a little uncertain, like her, but she wasn't cross or upset or grossed out or regretful. She was just Maura, but she was so much more as well.

Jane handed Mara her coffee, watched her drink it.

"I didn't know if I'd see you this morning," Maura confessed. She looked up at Jane. "I'm glad I did." Jane nodded, a little flustered.

"I've got some interviews this morning, but I'll come down later, ok?" Jane asked, her voice low and soft, the way it was sometimes when she spoke to Maura. Maura nodded and they left the cafe, heading to seperate elevators for seperate floors.

---

Greg McHale was a boring man with a boring life. Jane could feel her brain trying to shut down as he spoke, a droning, single tone.

"So the sale hasn't gone through?" Korsak asked, and Jane was going to have to get a transcript to follow along later because she was unable to focus. She fidgeted in the corner, making Greg nervous.

---

Jane headed down to the basement, barely grunting that information out to Korsak in her haste. She checked Maura's office: empty. She checked the lab: Susie looked up and waved, and Jane waved back politely but without focus. Jane headed back to Maura's office and ran into Maura on the way. They smiled at each other for a long moment, then Jane shook her head. "Anything new?" Jane asked. "Or should I go ask Susie?"

"I can tell you we haven't found the murder weapon yet, but the last victim was killed in his home. I went upstairs to tell Korsak, he's sending out techs to the other homes to check again." Jane hummed in frustration; they still had little to go on. "I could have had the report sent up, but I was hoping to see you while I was up there," Maura said, all at once. "That's why I deliver all your reports."

"I did wonder why my team was graced with the presence of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts so often," Jane drawled, looking smug.

"Oh, and you're only down here for every autopsy because you're an impatient detective -" Maura trailed off. "Actually, that is accurate." Maura looked panicked for a moment.

"Relax," Jane said, hand reaching out and grabbing one of Maura's biceps. "I come down here to see you, the corpses are just a... a fun bonus," Jane said flippantly.

---

Jane hoped she'd be able to focus after leaving Maura's office but it had just made her distraction worse. She was in and out of her chair, pacing back and forth, scribbling on the whiteboard.

"They have to be part of some underground club," Jane said finally. "Some secret coin collecting asshole club."

"There's still nothing that ties our victims together, other than the imprint."

"And we're sure it's - it's the same weapon, isn't it?" Jane examined the crime scene photos again, the scans and the 3d prints from the skull indents. "Maura would have had Susie triple check all the tolerances," Jane said to herself. "So where's our murder weapon?" Jane asked.

Korsak sighed and held out a folder. "We got the FOI you asked for, it was a workplace accident." Jane snatched the folder, looking over the insurance forms, pulling out a cd of scans.

"I'm gonna need a doctor to read..." Jane turned, but Maura was already in the doorway.

"I texted her," Korsak said innocently. "Thought we might need a medical expert."

Jane handed over the folder and Maura looked through the papers, cross-referencing the scans on Jane's computer.

"He was very lucky," Maura said finally. "He sustained significant damage and severed several important blood vessels. The amputation saved his life, and the workplace insurance covered the prosthesis."

"Insurance paid out, huh?" Jane asked, looking over the incident report. "Seems unusual."

"Workplace insurance, and health insurance," Maura confirmed. "He also got a large compensation. Large enough to start his own business."

"Ok. So he really does need the cane to walk?" Maura examined the scans again, nodding.

"Pressure on the stump," Maura explained.

"I wouldn't have known he had a fake leg," Frost said. "Just thought he'd had a break heal badly."

"Yeah, well he does, and he wouldn't be able to swing that cane and keep his balance, right?" Jane asked, looking at Maura.

"I'd have to see him in person to confirm, but it seems unlikely."

"So we got nothing. Great." Jane groaned and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Not nothing," Maura said, looking at the report. "There were two other accidents that month, in the same workplace."

"So, what, this guy sets up a series of insurance scams and barely walks away?"

Frost looked up from his computer, having pulled the incident reports, and some background checks. "One of the people that didn't was his nephew's boyfriend," Frost said, and Jane turned to look at Frost, processing.

Chapter Text

Jane paced in the crime lab, looking over the scans again, the head wounds.

"If he was standing, someone would have had to have a really good aim and a strong swing, if it was a cane," Jane said. "If he was asleep, lying down, it would be downward pressure, from shoulder height down."

Maura looked over, stood next to her.

"We can run some tests," Maura said, looking over at Susie. "But your mother is making lasagna, and it's already late," Maura said, running her hand over Jane's back. "I'm going to grab Jo Friday, and Angela is expecting you by 8:30, so you'll have to leave by 8."

"What if I crack the case and need to make an arrest?" Jane asked absent-mindedly. "Lasagna reheats."

Maura looked hurt for a moment and her hand dropped from Jane's shoulders. Then she took a deep breath, and reminded herself of something Jane had taught her: that Maura was important, and that her feelings were more important than being polite, or accommodating other people. Maura stepped so she stood between the board of crime scene photos and Jane, coming in to her line of sight.

"Jane. You are invited as a guest to dinner at my house at 8:30. Business attire is fine."

Jane looked away from the board and at Maura instead. Her focused expression softened and her hand went out to Maura's forearm, grasping it firmly, looking over at Susie, who seemed engrossed with a blood sample. She examined Maura more closely, the veiled hurt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Isles. It would be my pleasure," Jane said finally. "I'll leave before 8," she confirmed, and Maura nodded, placated.

Maura collected her laptop and handbag, and on her way back past Jane, still puzzling away at the board, she put a hand on her waist, slid in and pressed a kiss to Jane's mouth in goodbye.

Maura was at the door before she realised they were still at work. She was turning as Jane turned to her, wide eyed, and they both turned to look at Susie, who had her hands clasped over her heart with a sappy smile on her face until she noticed their shocked gaze rested on her, at which point she buried her face in a microscope.

"I didn't see anything if you didn't want me to see anything," Susie said, coming through with the bro code after a long term of silence. "But for the record - before we scrub the record, if you want to - the anything I didn't see was the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a baby red panda fall over in real life, so I'm no novice." Susie looked up from the microscope, and Jane's hand was reaching for Maura's, finding it without breaking her gaze.

"Jane tells me you overheard a conversation about my relationship with Detective Rizzoli a while ago. While we appreciate you keeping it to yourself, I'm not using my authority as your superior to prevent you from telling anyone."

"I might," Jane growled, and Maura looked at her, surprised. "I had a whole plan," Jane complained. "You saw my research, and none of it involved being outed by Senior Criminalist Chang."

"Were you going to tell me your plan?" Maura asked curiously.

"I was going to wait," Jane said, looking down at her hands, Maura's still encased in one of hers. "Until we were... You know, official. Then my family - because you know Ma - then your family - biological and adopted, if you want to, and then work before Frankie could get around to telling everyone. And I had something - I wrote something - I was gonna get you to read it before - Maura tell her she can't ruin it!" Jane whined.

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone," Susie said honestly. "I just didn't know how embarrassed you'd be at being caught out and thought it might be nice to offer to forget I'd seen you."

"Oh. That was kind. Kind but unnecessary. Jane and I are dating, and the issue I have with you seeing us being affectionate is that I'm your superior - in the context of work, of course - and that it might make things uncomfortable if you didn't approve of my choice in... dating."

"I approve," Susie said nodding. "And Detective Rizzoli, I have no intention of ruining your detailed plans on coming out to the precinct."

"Well, I still need to go get Jo," Maura said, lightening the mood. She turned and put a hand on Jane's cheek before she leaned in, pressing her lips against a mouth that softened against her own.

"I'll see you there," Jane confirmed.

"I'll kick her out at 8," Susie called after Maura, and Jane turned to her, pointed at her menacingly before turning back to the board.

Chapter Text

Jane arrived at Maura's house with enough time to run a hand through her unruly curls and check herself in the rearview mirror. She pulled out some emergency lipstick and looked at it for a long moment before putting it away again. It was only Maura and Ma, after all. It would be suspicious if she wore lipstick. She looked down at the clothes she'd been wearing all day, wishing she had a spare blouse.

Jane knocked instead of letting herself in, hearing Jo's little claws patter their way to the door to wait for her.

Angela answered the door; she was wearing a nice dress and had her handbag over her shoulder. She kissed Jane on the cheek in greeting and closed the door behind her as she left. Jane swooped in to grab Jo, walking into the longue room.

"I thought... Oh." Jane took in the candles on the dining room table and the flowers. "Oh," she said again, letting Jo down so she could trot over to her doggie bed, currently occupied by Bass, who she happily snuggled up to. "Did you... Did she..."

"Angela was quite insistent," Maura said, shrugging and walking over to Jane from the kitchen. Jane looked over as Maura walked over to her, her pale dress shimmering gold in the candlelight, hair loose and glowing. Jane stared at her for a long moment before stepping in to claim Maura's mouth with her own. Maura tilted her head up willingly, her hands finding Jane's waist, untucking her blouse. "You did say lasagna reheats," Maura said breathlessly, her hand sliding higher inside Jane's shirt.

Jane froze, and Maura did too. Maura's fingers were over the scar on Jane's stomach, and Jane's breath caught. Maura slid her hands away from the scar tissue.

"We're going to have to work on that," Maura said, making a mental note.

"I'm so used to it hurting," Jane said quietly. "It's muscle memory." Maura pulled her hands free of Jane's shirt so she could cup Jane's face.

"It's not just muscle memory," Maura said. "You shot yourself, and we both have to live with that."

"I ruined the mood," Jane said, and Maura shrugged.

"I was jumping the gun," Maura said, then flinched at her unintended pun. "Do you need a date tonight, or do you need a friend?" Maura asked, watching Jane carefully, the flicker of the candles shadowing her face.

"You're both," Jane pointed out. She pulled Maura close and held her tightly, wrapping her arms around her. Maura's arms closed around Jane as well, the familiar feel of Maura's body against her own grounding her, the pressure of Maura's hands moving against her back soothing her. "And I always need you," Jane said, mumbling into Maura's hair.

---

They didn't need to reheat the lasagna, eating across from each other, Jane telling Maura how she'd managed to get Susie to let her at the watermelons with the tire iron and the carnage that ensued.

Jane tidied away the plates, stacking the dishwasher.

"Do you think she's coming home tonight?" Jane asked, thinking about Angela, wondering what to say to her about this obvious set-up.

"I don't think so," Maura said, pulling out cannoli Angela had made, serving it up. Jane blew out the candles and Maura carried the desert over to the couch, turning on the game for Jane.

Half an hour later, Jane was asleep, Maura's legs trapped underneath her torso, Maura's fingers running through Jane's hair. Maura heard Angela's car pull up, but she didn't come to the main house. Jane stirred, and Maura let her hands stop as Jane propped herself up to look at Maura. Jane took one of Maura's hands and looked at it closely, lowering her head to kiss Maura's fingertips before dragging her shirt up and placing those same fingers on her back, over the exit wound. She shivered as Maura's fingers made contact.

"There's no part of me that I don't trust with you," Jane said, tucking herself further into Maura, whose fingers were slow and gentle and stopped each time Jane's breathing changed. Maura had seen the wound multiple times, before and after healing. It was familiar to her, and Jane had always let her touch it, but now, with Jane's head heavy on her chest, Jane's arms wrapped protectively around her and her skin bared to Maura's hands, muscles slowly relaxing as Maura fingers traced the wound, Maura realised how truly intimate their relationship had always been, and that this, the next logical step of dating, had always been inevitable. Just the night before they'd shared something new, but tonight felt like it had weight in solidifying their relationship. Jane's head rose from Maura's chest again, yawned into Maura's shoulder.

"Bedtime," Jane said. "You might not need your beauty sleep, but some of us do."

---

Maura wasn't surprised, when she came out of the shower, to find Jane fast asleep, wrapped around Captain Glitterface. It had been days since they'd shared a bed, and Jane always did sleep poorly when they were apart. She was surprised when Jane wouldn't relinquish the enormous unicorn in her sleep, forcing Maura to get in behind Jane, pouting a little at not being held but finding that wrapping her arms around Jane from behind, finding the way Jane fit against her was its own reward.

Chapter Text

Jane woke up and wrapped her arms tighter around what she expected to be Maura, but her expectations didn't match the experience of squeezing Captain Glitterface, who was already quite compressed. Disgusted, she released the enormous unicorn and did a quick recon. She could hear Maura breathing, could feel the warmth of her against her back. In all the time they'd shared a bed, it had always been Jane, needy Jane pulling herself up against her friend's slumbering body. Jane always woke up holding Maura from behind, or sprawled on top of her, but tonight Maura was holding her, tonight Jane was being held and even though Jane was taller than Maura, even though Jane was the tough one, the one that protected Maura, she felt very small and safe in Maura's arms. Jane reveled in the sensations for a moment, then realised that a lazy hand was drifting over her ribs.

"Can you move over?" Maura asked, muffled against Jane's shoulder blade.

"What're you doing on my side of the bed, you noodle," Jane asked affectionately, shuffling forward. Maura slid back in behind her, pulling herself in tight against Jane's back again.

"Captain Glitterface," Maura mumbled. "You thought they were me and you wouldn't let go," Maura's hands had tightened on Jane's torso now. "I was jealous," Maura said sleepily.

Jane rolled onto her back, and Maura toppled on top of her, entirely unphased. Maura hummed when Jane's arms came around her to rest on her back, nuzzling her nose into Jane's neck.

"That's better," Maura said, pressing a kiss to Jane's jaw. Jane's hands slowly ran the length of Maura, from shoulder to hip, and she felt Maura relax, head falling heavier against Jane's chest as she fell asleep.

---

Maura woke up first, as she so often did, and was confused at being on the other side of the bed, confused that her mattress felt boney. She lifted her head and found herself mostly on top of Jane, remembering the first time she'd woken up with Jane entangled with her.

It had been after Hoyt. They'd only just started sleeping in the same bed a few months ago at that point, and Maura could remember how hard her heart had beat the first time she deliberately lay down beside Jane, Jane calling Maura her best friend, and joking about attraction and sleepovers. The next time they were talking about the kind of women they might like, and Maura had very casually climbed onto Jane's bed beside her to show Jane her dating profile and all the women that found her attractive. As a sounding board it had been effective - Jane wasn't resistant to the idea of dating women, and she'd only been mildly confused when she'd found Maura still in bed with her in the morning. From then on, neither of them brought up that they were sharing a bed.

It had taken a few months before Jane started creeping closer in her sleep, the confrontation with Hoyt the catalyst. Maura had woken up with Jane shivering against her, pressed firmly against her from behind, woken by the firm grip Jane had on her. Maura had turned as well as she could, not sure if she should wake this whimpering version of her friend, but as Maura ran soothing hands over Jane's back, Jane had stopped shaking, had relaxed into a proper sleep, and Maura had let herself stay in the safety of Jane's arms, had let Jane rest pressed against Maura.

When Maura had woken, Jane was still asleep. Maura knew what Jane had been through, knew that she hadn't been sleeping and didn't have the heart to wake her. When Jane awoke on her own, she pulled away from Maura and slunk out of the room like she was ashamed, so Maura didn't bring it up with her, always pretended to be asleep when Jane awoke, always pretended to wake when Jane brought over the coffee, her face warm when she looked at Maura. And since that night, when they shared a bed neither of them mentioned sleepovers, and Maura never mentioned that Jane held her possessively in her sleep. Maura had been too worried that whatever had Jane retreating from her in the morning wouldn't let Jane process the emotions she was having, had needed the comfort that Jane's sleepy encompassing embrace afforded her. She'd wondered what it had meant, what Jane pulling away abruptly meant, what sharing a bed entwined meant, what the glances Jane gave her lips meant, and also wondered what she wanted them to mean. She'd never really considered women as sexual or romantic partners, but more and more the context around the time they spent together blurred until she couldn't remember why she'd never really considered women as a serious option for a life partner.

The Rizzolis liked giving affection more than receiving it; even Angela squirmed and complained when Jane hugged her, the same way Frankie and Jane did when Angela ambushed them. Maura was much more docile, not having had casual physical affection, much more open to letting herself be held. Maybe that was part of it - but part of it might have been that Jane, like Maura, had wondered what kind of line was being crossed, if their friendship could withstand discussing the way their bodies fit together so well. Part of it was knowing how badly Hoyt had broken her, how much he haunted her, and not wanting to deny Jane any possible comfort Maura could offer.

Maura looked over at her bedside clock and groaned - she was comfortable and the alarm was about to go off.

"Good morning," Jane said, pressing a kiss against Maura's temple, her fingers running through Maura's hair, pausing on the spot the indents had been made on the bodies that had come through Maura's morgue. Two of them had been released, and the third was going to the funeral parlour today. "I hope you did end up washing my singlet, because I need a change of clothes," Jane said, and Maura blushed, turned her face away.

"It's clean," Maura said.

"More than I can say for you," Jane teased, and Maura blushed again. "I can leave my tee here, if you'd like that?" Jane said huskily, and fortunately Maura's alarm did go off because she was too flustered to know how to respond. She rolled out of bed and pulled out a small selection of Jane's shirts that had made their way into her wardrobe before heading downstairs.

Jo was dancing by the door, and Maura let her out, leaving the door open for Jo but also expecting Angela. Angela did come in, sitting at the counter. Maura eyed her; this was Jane's mother and Jane had a plan to come out and Maura should probably let Jane do her plan.

Jane came rushing out, holding her phone to her ear, still buttoning her shirt.

"Do you need a ride?" Jane asked, gesturing towards Maura's phone, which was ringing. "Thanks for dinner, Ma," Jane said, pouring herself an instant coffee as Maura answered the phone.

"I need to get dressed," Maura said. "I can manage it in 20 minutes." Jane looked down at her phone, where Frost was already sending pics through of the crime scene. Jane relaxed when she saw the inside of a house and the remains of someone with an axe in their chest.

"I can wait and give you a ride," Jane said, reaching for the coffee maker. "You want one too?" Jane asked Angela as Maura went back into the bedroom to get dressed.

"Did you girls have a nice dinner?" Angela asked smugly as Jane fiddled with the machine.

"Yeah, Ma, your lasagna is always great. I miss your Sunday dinners."

"I remember the first time you brought Maura along with you. I didn't get it, your dynamic, but Maura - auch - such a lovely girl. You'd never brought anyone home like that, not since you were a kid, and it made me wonder..."

"You know what makes me wonder? When you light a whole fleet of candles for a dinner I thought you were supposed to be having with us," Jane said, pouring a coffee. "Can you look after Jo today? Or drop her off at mine for the dogwalker, either way give Genelle a text." Jane asked, walking through to Maura's bedroom, texting Frost back at the same time. Angela rolled her eyes at Jane's deflection and turned to the two food bowls and four expectant eyes fixed on her, waiting for breakfast.

Jane came back in and took the kale from Angela. "Not the kale, Mau thinks it's agitating him. There's extra collards and some prickly pear." Jane quickly made a second coffee and handed it to Angela.

"So, what? You two are 'just friends'?" Angela asked finally. "Come on Jane, I'm not blind. I see the way she looks at you - she looks at you like you're Christmas wrapped in Versace."

"What are you asking, Ma?" Jane asked, jaw set firmly.

"I'm asking if I need to move out. If me being here is going to put a strain on your relationship then I need to go."

"I don't think that's necessary," Maura said, coming into the kitchen, turning her back to Jane to zip up her dress, and Jane did, smoothing the fabric down with her hands afterward, brushing it out towards Maura's shoulders.. "I invited you because I enjoy your company, and that hasn't changed." Maura said, reaching out to cover Angela's hand with her own.

Jane poured herself a coffee before turning off the machine and leaning against the counter, watching Angela fight very hard not to ask the question Jane knew she so desperately wanted to ask as Maura did her finishing touches to her hair and makeup.

"You look like a million bucks, let's go, crime scene is waiting," Jane said, feigning impatience. She kissed Angela on the cheek and herded Maura out the door.

Chapter Text

The crime scene was pretty gorey, and Jane predictably found Frost heaving outside the front door. She patted him on the shoulder and brushed past to inspect the body and the crime scene.

The axe was firmly embedded.

"So we're either looking for someone very strong, or we're looking at a very sharp axe," Jane said and Korsak nodded, looking impressed at the depth of the wound.

"Maybe both, even," Korsak said.

"He got a wife? Family?" Jane asked, looking around. No photos on the shelves, nothing personal on display. Jane checked the techs photos and asked for dustings and light checks on a few areas. "Looks like a ransack. What's he do?"

"Insurance adjuster," Korsak said in disgust, looking through his mail. "No wonder he's single.'

"Insurance...." Jane said thoughtfully.

"Neighbour saw the door open and called it in. Said he was like clockwork and worried when they saw his car parked haphazardly." Jane looked out the window to where the car was parked. It looked fine to her. "He always parked about a foot further away," Korsak explained. "Neighbour said he had a lot of quirks. Used to measure his lawn before he'd cut it, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like he could have had obsessive compulsions," Maura said, still examining the body. "It would explain the bitten nails," Maura pointed out, the quicks all chewed down, the nail ending well before the edge of the finger.

"So he would have had a routine," Jane mused. "Came home unexpectedly - according to the way he parked - and came across a burglary. Kitchen window looks forced, they're taking prints."

"If it's a break and enter, they didn't have a key, or they wanted to avert suspicion," Korsak said. "We'll have a look into his financials and see if he was cutting any deals on the side." Korsak went over to the kitchen window and Jane squatted next to Maura, looking over the body.

"How long's he been here?" Jane asked, looking him over again. Young, impeccably dressed, apart from the axe jutting from his chest. "Jesus, who breaks into a house with an axe?" Jane asked, and Maura pointed over at the fireplace, next to which was a perfect pyramid of firewood. "Weapon of opportunity. So they might not have meant to kill him."

"It's too early to be able to discern much, but I can confirm that the axe-wound is the cause of death, given the volume of blood and the location of the blood splatter. The gap here," Mara pointed at a clear part of the floor "Would have been protected by something, possibly the person who was holding the axe."

"Good work, Mau," Jane patted Maura's thigh and peeled off her gloves as she stood. "I'm going to go talk to the neighbours about how they missed seeing someone covered in blood fleeing the crime scene."

---

"We're going to have to tell Angela before we go to DC," Maura said as she peeled away flesh from around the axe in the man's chest. "Jason Huxley, 32," Maura said to Susie, who was waiting for the axe. The handle had been wiped, but they were going to test for prints as soon as the axe could be extracted.

Jane's face screwed up, partially at watching the man's tendons being pulled away from his ribs, partially at what Maura had said.

"Mau, no, she'll be impossible,"

"Yes, she will, but we'll be in DC."

"The entire precinct will know by the time we get back," Jane said. "Actually, that works. We tell Korsak and Frost and Nina - they'd be hurt to find out from anyone else - and Susie already knows - I'll tell Cavanaugh first... You're a genius, Maura."

"Yes, but you have to tell her." Maura deadpanned.

"Maura," Jane complained.

"What she did last night - I enjoyed your mother's cooking. I enjoyed your company. I didn't enjoy being awkwardly tricked into a pseudo-date with you. She's your mother," Maura pointed out.

"She's your houseguest," Jane countered half-heartedly. "Yeah, ok. When?"

"Whenever you're ready," Maura said, finally looking up and smiling. "And if you're not ready before we go, that's ok too. I just want you to be able to not worry about it while we're gone."

"I'll think about it," Jane said. "But only because you're really smart."

Chapter Text

Jane paced back and forth a few times in front of Cavanaugh's door. It was no big deal, she told herself, rubbing her aching palms.

"Knock or go away, Rizzoli," Cavanaugh called from the other side of the door, and chastised she knocked.

"I know it's not necessary, but I feel like I should inform you that Doctor Maura Isles, the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and I are seeing each other." Leiftenant Cavanaugh didn't look up from his desk. "Romantically seeing each other," she continued awkwardly. He looked up, looked worried for a moment.

"Is someone giving you a hard time about it? That's what all the sensitivity training was for," he said. "Give me names, and I'll make sure they're disciplined." He turned back to his paperwork.

"No. Um. I just thought. In case there was a conflict of interest in any future cases. That me being involved romantically with Doctor Isles would affect." He looked up, puzzled.

"And you're telling me this now... Because it's recent? It's a recent change to your usual relationship? And you're ready to start telling people?" Cavanaugh asked. Jane nodded, cowed, and Cavanaugh sighed. "Don't waste any more of her time, Rizzoli. And no one will hear it from me. And catch that coin killer. Dismissed."

Jane left the office confused but pleased. She rubbed her hands again for luck, heading down to the basement.

---

"There you are," Frost said, matching pace with Jane down to the morgue. "Same insurance company." Frost paused and held out his tablet, showing Jane the insurance company their latest victim had worked for. "They changed hands a few times, which is why I didn't recognise it immediately." He looked towards the morgue and fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm going back upstairs."

"I'll check if they've got any prints yet," Jane said. "Good work, Frost." Jane paused. If this body was connected, it would be the fourth in a series. They were looking at a serial killer. The MO was different, but the crime scene was obvious and messy - maybe they'd get lucky on this one. "Ask Nina to check his computer please. See if he took his work home. Computer should be in the lab." Frost nodded and headed back to the lift, and Jane went into the morgue, flinching at the sound as Maura pulled the axe from the chest wound. She was no Frost, but the grinding, wet flesh noise was revolting. She looked over at Maura, who handed the axe to Susie and peered into the chest wound.

"Very sharp," Susie said, examining the blade. "I'll test for prints."

"So the murderer didn't need to be strong," Jane said. "Just able bodied enough to get through a shoulder height window."

"True," Maura said, adjusting the light and measuring the wounds on the bones, collecting bone fragments buried in tissue.

"Looks like he worked for the insurance company that paid out the Taylor accident at General Auto," Jane said. "Could be a coincidence. He's too young to have worked there then. And no skull wound."

"If he'd been expecting the house to be empty, he wouldn't have bought the murder weapon," Maura pointed out.

"He?" Jane asked, and Maura sighed.

"The force required, coupled with the footprints at the window, suggests someone of a stature of an average sized man, or a strong and above average height woman." Mara said finally.

"But your subconscious bias had you saying male pronouns," Jane said. Maura nodded, clearly unhappy.

"It's not scientific," Maura said disapprovingly. "At least, not until I confirm the force and grip required for the wound."

---

Jane hovered over Nina's shoulder as she searched through the computer.

"Personal space, Rizzoli," Nina warned, and Jane stepped back to the bench where Susie was checking the axe.

"No prints," Susie said, disappointed. "And nothing from the windows either."

"That the keyboard for the computer?" Jane asked, walking over. They'd slid the case into a spare desk after dusting unsuccessfully.

"Yes, it's standard."

"Still trying to figure out how our perp got out of there without anyone seeing him," Jane said, pulling on gloves and grabbing the fingerprint dust. She hesitated. "No prints on the axe, huh? Are we looking for glove prints, or a wipe?"

Susie examined the axe handle again, took out another powder. She blew carefully across the surface.

"Glove prints," Susie verified. "I'll send the techs back for the window."

"Get them to swing by the librarian's house too, huh?" Jane asked, picking up a different powder and hesitating again. "On second thought, I'll let you do this one. You're an expert."

"It'd show us if he used the computer," Susie agreed, coming over, changing out her gloves. She grabbed the powder and delicately lifted the vague prints. "Could be latex."

"We'll get uniforms to collect trash for a few blocks too," Jane said, texting Korsak. "Thanks, Susie."

"I'll finish checking the axe," Susie said, and Jane stepped back over to Nina.

"It'd help if I knew what I was looking for," Nina said, frustrated.

"Do we have a time of death?" Jane asked Susie.

"Doctor Isles said between 6 and 7, and that matches the call from the neighbour. They said he left before 6 most mornings."

"Anything from this morning, up until 7," Jane told Nina. She went back into the morgue, watched Maura start to remove the organs with her steady hands and serious face. She paused in the doorway, watching Maura a little longer. Maura looked up at Jane, propped against the doorway, her stance casual and hips tilted, her long hair loose and framing her intent face.

"I told Cavanaugh. I guess... I guess it's official. Do you want to... invite Hope around for dinner next week? Do our mothers all at once? Video call Constance? I don't... I don't know how you want to do this, but if you want to..."

"We're leaving on Saturday, so Thursday night? I can pack early and stay with you on Friday if I have to," Maura said, not expecting it to be necessary but still aware that it might not all go well. "That gives us time at the precinct on Friday for our colleagues."

"I'm driving, so we'd get a good start," Jane mused. "Frankie and Cailin?" Jane asked. Maura nodded.

"They'd be hurt if they found out later," Maura agreed. "We could go down to The Dirty Robber, so if anyone needs space they can leave easily."

"And we aren't stuck trying to turf them out," Jane agreed. She looked at Maura, blood down the front of her scrubs and face mask. "How do you make blood splatter look so good?" Jane asked.

Chapter Text

Jane, Frost and Korsak split up in the insurance office: Korsak to talk to the old case manager, Frost to talk to their latest victim's manager and Jane to talk to the colleagues.

They met back at reception to debrief.

"Nothing suspicious," Frost said. "His manager did mention his quirks, but it was what made him good at his job. No enemies in the office, clean record, always on time. No big cases, and he'd only been with the company two years."

"His colleagues found him a bit annoying," Jane said. "But ultimately harmless. Sounds like they'd run things past him and he was incredibly thorough. Shamed them a bit, but necessary before sending out to clients."

"Not much from the Taylor case either. Just that the company was covered for these kinds of industrial accidents. They did a full investigation - turns out the metal composite the hydraulics used were recalled a few months later for corrosion on exposure to the fluids. Not the only garage affected, but one of the bigger payouts. Company went out of business after that."

Jane looked down at her phone.

"I have to get back to the precinct. The family is coming in to identify him."

"I hope Doctor Isles has him stitched up," Frost shuddered.

"Wrap it up," Jane said, heading for the car.

---

The immediate family was a bust too - Maura watched the interview from the other side of the glass. She briefed Jane with a few questions when she left the room, watched carefully when she went back in.

Jane was at her best in interviews. She was stern and emphatic, but she was empathetic and coaxing. There was a fire in her, one that always burned, one that always drove her, and it was for answers and justice. Very rarely had Maura been questioned like this by Jane, but each time she'd felt intimidated and impressed by that strong inquiring gaze, the authority in her voice as she asked what happened to the beer she'd left with Maura at the table while she ordered another round. There was something intensely attractive about the confidence in her, something Maura found incredibly compelling to study. Maura had questioned suspects, had comforted victims, and sometimes she had results, but Jane had the ironclad parents of Jason Huxley openly weeping, gripping each other's hands as they lamented the son they never understood but had always loved. Maura turned away, touched by how her questions sounded when Jane asked them, touched by the way Jane had covered their joined hands with her own as they started to answer the questions Jane needed answers to.

---

"Parents agree with your OCD diagnosis - they had him diagnosed and in therapy as a kid, but when he was stressed his coping methods didn't work," Jane said, heading back to the squad room. "The lawn, the car - all baseline. No new stress."

"If he'd been involved in anything illegal, it would have been worse," Maura agreed. "The nails were a minor stress factor, but otherwise he was coping. The funeral home is picking him up tomorrow. How sure are your intestines that this is related to our other bodies?"

"It's too coincidental," Jane said. "There's no link between the other bodies either, other than the head wounds. I have to be missing something."

"Found it," Nina said, walking in with a USB. "Whoever broke in accessed files at Jason's work remotely. Specifically the Taylor accident, and the other two related accidents at the same garage."

"Told you," Jane smirked at Maura. "When do my intestines ever let me down?"

"When you have too much dairy," Maura grumbled, looking at the files.

"Looks like the accident scene," Jane said. "Wait, Frost, pull up the BPD files." Frost nodded and pulled up the crime scene photos as well. "See that?" Jane asked, pointing at the hydraulic lift. "Police got in first?" Jane asked, squinting at the dates. Nina joined her, pulling up the timestamps.

"Yeah, by at least a week."

"And this is the first accident? The one the killed that Bailey kid?"

"Yeah. The other files accessed were the Taylor accident," Nina said, pulling up the next one. "Because the first one was a fatality it looks as though police attended this one as well."

"And the third one?" Frost pulled up the photos but Nina shook her head. "They weren't accessed? Because they were interrupted, or because they weren't trying to access them? Can you pull them up anyway?" Jane asked. Nina nodded. "Huh. A week again. That hydraulic look off to you?"

Frost and Nina shook their heads, and Jane sighed.

"It's ok, I know a guy," Jane said, pulling out her phone.

Chapter Text

Giovanni wasn't well-versed in many things, but he knew his cars, and he knew about car repair. Jane had printed out the photos and showed them to Giovani in the Division One cafe.

"Nah, that's not the same lift," Giovanni said, looking over the pictures. "Not the same in none of them," he added, looking over the other two sets. "Is that the one that killed all those mechanics? Ah, too bad, huh? I remember my pop being pretty mad at the time."

"What'd he know about it?" Jane asked, honing in. Mr Gibralti might be their next port of call.

"Not much, he was mad that the company made something they knew would fail when it was all that stood between mechanics and a couple tons of vehicle, you know?"

"Lunch is on me," Jane said, slapping his shoulder, and his open smile was her reward. "Your dad still live up on Poplar? And do you know the model numbers of these?"

"Yeah, thanks Jane. Oh, and your advice paid off, if you know what I mean," Giovanni said winking, and Jane shook her head, smiling as she patted his shoulder as he wrote on the back of the photos the manufacturer make and model of the lifts.

"Good for you, G, and thanks for the analysis."

"Hey, c'n I put that on my resume? Crime scene analyst?"

"Sure, Giovanni," Jane said, heading back to the squad room.

---

Nina was at a computer, looking up models of hydraulic lifts.

"Still looking up those models," Nina said, but Jane slapped down the photos.

"Told you I knew a guy," Jane said smugly as Nina pulled up pictures of the models. "So they were swapped out - but why, and by who?" Jane chewed on her lip a moment. "Did we pull the purchasing records from the garage?" Jane asked Frost, and he nodded.

"Yeah, but there was nothing suspicious," Frost said. "But now I know what we're looking for... I'll grab the purchase dates for the faulty models, and look through for any other hydraulics purchases."

"Thanks," Jane said, studying the crime scene photos again. "I still don't know how the librarian fits into it. He was clean, right?"

"Yeah, other than his bibliophilia."

"Bibliowhatia?" Jane asked, and Nina chuckled.

"Excessive love of books."

"Criminally excessive?"

"Citation for blocking the footpath," Nina clarified. "Unauthorised library stall - he was trying to attract young readers to the library."

"Young readers?" Jane asked, and Nina shook her head.

"No sex crimes for any of them, not even indecent exposure."

Jane nodded thoughtfully, grabbing the lunch she'd bought herself and heading out.

"Tell Susie the models while you're down there," Nina called after Jane, grinning.

---

Maura smiled up at Jane as she came into her office, sitting opposite her at the desk and unwrapping a Rizzoli special from the cafeteria.

"Giovanni sends his regards," Jane said drolly, handing over a napkin and half of the meal.

"How is he?"

"Considerably happier than last time I saw him," Jane said. "Had some good intel too - looks like the hydraulics were swapped out before insurance came around."

"So we have two deaths and a permanent disability, all with different benefactors?" Maura asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, finishing her mouthful before she spoke. "I should get back upstairs and keep looking into it."

"Angela said Jo is still at my place," Maura said.

"I can pick her up - I'm dropping you home anyway, aren't I?"

"You can..."

"I'm sensing a but, Maura," Jane said, dropping her fork. "You can go home with Ma if you're sick of me, and I can get Frankie to pick up Jo," Jane didn't look up at Maura.

"I was going to suggest you just stay," Maura said. "How could I possibly be sick of you?" Maura asked, smiling affectionately at her sweet detective. She reached her hand across the desk to rest on Jane's forearm.

"I'm all up in my head, I guess," Jane shrugged. "And we are spending more time together."

"Statistically, we're actually spending less time together," Maura said. Jane looked up, surprised, and Maura nodded. "Percentage-wise, it's an almost 5% drop in time spent together."

"That sounds inaccurate," Jane said. "It feels like we're always together."

"We're not," Maura said. "Would you like to stay over again?" Maura asked. "It's our last weekend on call before we take leave, and it does reduce our commute to call-outs." Maura's thumb rubbed against Jane's scaphoid. "You don't have to," Maura said, suddenly uncertain. "Not if you think we spend too much time together." Jane turned her hand so Maura's fell into it, wrapped her fingers around Maura's.

"I would love to," Jane said. "Now, eat before it gets cold."

Chapter Text

Maura liked going home with Jane almost as much as she like Jane coming home with her. She liked the extra privacy at Jane's appartment, and she liked the order in her own.

It was too soon to think of moving in, but Maura had thought about it too much already. She wanted to go home with Jane every night, Jane's hands soft on the steering wheel, Maura's head resting against the headrest, turned sideways a little so she could watch Jane.

She'd always known that she'd wanted more, but when Jane dropped by her office at the end of the day to escort her out to the car, Maura realised how much she'd risked by asking those few simple questions. If Jane hadn't felt the same way, Maura realised, looking up from packing her laptop into her handbag at Jane checking her phone, she might have had nothing left; no ride home at night, no crime-scene asides, no sleepy morning with Jane's head resting on her chest, no physical contact - maybe even no Angela, no one at home waiting for her porch light to go off, making her coffee in the morning, taking care of Bass. Maura dropped her face, looked deeply into her bag for a moment as Jane looked up from her phone.

It was Jane's influence, all of it. She'd never had the strength to ask for what she needed from the people in her life, had always reserved her own feelings. But Jane had taught her how to deal with people, how to ask for what she needed - and at that moment she needed Jane.

"Hey, you ok?" Jane asked, breaking into Maura's thoughts, and Maura looked up as Jane's hand reached out for her forearm. Maura shook her head, tears close to the surface, afraid of everything she'd lost through fear, ashamed of needing so much. Jane's arms wrapped around her quickly, rubbing Maura's back as she made soothing noises. "You can cry if you need to, but if you start then I'm going to start too, and Frankie just said the gang is down at The Dirty Robber." Maura took a shaky breath. Nothing bad had happened, and her hypothesis that Jane was attracted to her had been correct. Guessing hadn't ruined anything, and the evidence had been so strong that it was barely a guess, but Maura was still struck by how large a risk it had been, what a gamble she'd taken on everything in her life. If Jane had turned her down - out of fear, or internalised homophobia, or because she hadn't been attracted to Maura, Maura would have had to move out of Boston, out of Massachusetts. She would have had to start over again as the ice queen she used to be - a friendless waif on the outskirts of her colleagues - but she hadn't had to, and Jane was pressing a kiss onto the top of her head as she held her.

"Doctor Isles, I got the... Oh." Maura looked up quickly as Susie stuttered in the doorway, still holding out a file. Maura didn't disengage from Jane, just gestured to the desk.

"Thank you, Senior Criminalist Chang," Maura said. "Do you want to give us a brief?" She asked, still not pulling away from Jane, who looked nervous, her thumb brushing away the tears from Maura's cheeks.

"It can wait, it's getting late," Susie said. "And you've obviously had some bad news, I'm... I'm going to go," Susie put the file on the desk.

"We've made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry," Maura said as Jane's hands continued to rub over her back.

"No, I should have knocked," Susie said. "Um, goodnight. I hope everything..." Susie made a vague gesture, possibly referencing Maura's distress and left the office.

Jane patted Maura once and pulled away.

"What's going on?" Jane asked, concerned. Maura shook her head, unable to be honest about her thoughts.

"The Huxley parents," Maura said finally. "They were so stoic, but the way they described the man I cut apart yesterday... I could see the little boy they loved, even through their own confusion." It wasn't a complete lie; it had been bubbling all day under the surface. Being adopted, being neglected - seeing a parents love like that was always hard.

"And that hit home, huh?" Jane asked, not knowing Maura to become morbid about her corpses, but knowing that the child she'd been hadn't experienced that kind of love. "We can skip the Robber, Mau."

"No," Maura said adamantly. The Friday nights with the squad were something she would have missed out on, something she'd never had before Jane. "No, I want to go," Maura said firmly, brushing at her face. Jane pulled back and eyed her. She had a sense that there was more under the surface here, but Maura took the file and put it in her bag, composing herself.

---

Jane found a place to park not far from the door and she looked over at Maura, who'd been watching her silently the entire drive.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked, reaching out for Maura's hand. "I won't be disappointed to go home and have you all to myself," she added. "Whatever you need."

"I need to know how I got so lucky," Maura said, still watching Jane, grasping the hand that wrapped around hers. "I'm fine," she said, still seeing concern in Jane's face.

"Yeah?" Jane asked, her voice rising, her mouth pressing into a quirk. "I'm the lucky one," Jane said, looking down at their joined hands. Maura moved forward quickly, pressed a quick and surprisingly clumsy kiss against Jane's mouth. Jane's face spread into a grin, eyeing Maura. "Super lucky," she said, in a sing-song tone. "C'mon, before Frankie drinks all the beer," and Jane was out of the car and opening Maura's door before Maura could even reach for the latch. Jane's hand skimmed her waist as she reached behind her to close the door, then took up a grasp, arm around Maura as though she knew Maura was still a little wistful, a little sad, walking in beside her to greet their friends.

Chapter Text

Maura noticed that Jane didn't leave her side, glued to her by one hand at all times, her soft touch ever-present and ever-comforting. No one seemed to pay it any mind, and Jane was always able to boss around someone else to refresh their drinks - Jane on tonic after her first beer, since she had the car. Nina and Frost seemed to be flirting, and Frankie struck up a conversation at the bar with someone his type. Korsak was reminiscing about a case Jane knew about, and she was asking details and drawing Maura in as well, turning to her with that genuine smile, hand on Maura's knee. Nina, while new, was fitting in well, and Maura felt a pang of jealousy for how easy it was for her to find friends in a new city.

Maura felt a lot calmer now, because while she'd grown up introverted and unsure and emotionally neglected, she knew with full certainty that here she was accepted and the love Jane had for her - unsaid, still - was more than enough to compensate. Anyone else touching her this much might make her feel like they were being possessive, might feel stifling, but Jane's hands were so familiar and welcome on Maura's skin that she barely noticed they were there, usually on her forearm or shoulder, sometimes draped across the back of her chair, fingers dangling between her spine and shoulders.

Jane was more attentive than usual; usually she'd be boisterous, up and down and joking around, but she made sure Maura wasn't excluded, but also wasn't the target of any jokes.

---

"Ugh, this week," Jane said as Maura unlocked the door, Jo Friday scampering out to meet them. Maura handed Jane the leash and headed inside.

---

Jane came back to an empty kitchen, Maura's voice calling her from the bedroom.

"Jane? Unzip me," Maura said, her back turned to Jane as Jane stood to the doorway, looking over her shoulder. Jane remembered the first time Maura had asked that, in her home after one of those events Maura took Jane to that required dresses, remembered how the look Maura gave her over her shoulder had frozen her entirely, made her feel like a teenage boy on prom night, made her feel some sort of way she hadn't wanted to identify. She'd been clumsier than she should have been, nervous but not wanting Maura to notice that she felt like she was unwrapping a gift. Maura had chided her and checked the material and Jane had stepped away to rub the feel of Maura's delicious skin from her fingers. There had been other times, most notably in Maura's office, Jane uncertain as to why she was undressing her best friend in their workplace, doing it anyway because Maura had asked her to. She'd kept her back turned out of respect as Maura took her dress off, but Maura's skin had a glow to it that drew Jane's gaze like an arrow. She'd always wondered what it would feel like to touch the pale bare expanse of Maura's back - something she found out at a ball, Maura's backless dress giving Jane ample purchase on Maura's shoulderblades as she ushered her toward the food table - always wondered what it would be like for Maura to let her touch more of that skin but stopped herself from thinking about it, wondering if it was disrespectful for her to look at Maura without her knowing that she was feeling some type of way about her perfectly proportioned body, batting away any conscious thoughts she had about her attraction to the shorter woman.

Jane took a deep breath and stepped forward, fingers gentle against Maura's skin. She stopped where she normally would, but didn't move away. After a moment, when Maura remained still and silent, she resumed unzipping, pushing the dress forward so Maura could pull it off of her shoulders. Maura stepped out of the dress and put it across the back of the chair in her bedroom. Jane stepped in and held her from behind.

"Whatever you're going through, I'm here," Jane mumbled against Maura's hair. Maura let herself be held for a long moment, hands covering Jane's at her waist, leaning her head back so her cheek pressed Jane's chin. She turned in Jane's arms, let herself be held again, the experience entirely different when she was in just her shift.

Maura had dated a lot, through the years - now she recognised it as chasing intimacy; the only physical affection she could feasibly obtain appeared to be synonymous with sex, and for a long time Maura had made do with so much less than she'd wanted. Any of the people she's previously dated would have been pulling at her clothes by now, undressing her, nuzzling at her neck, even if they'd noticed her mood - if they'd even noticed her mood - but Jane was just holding her for the sake of being close to Maura, and Maura felt safe, finally, and secure in the knowledge that she was with someone who understood her. She hadn't been planning on telling Jane why she'd been upset; the cover of Jason's family seeming to have satisfied the detective, appearing to be cohesive enough, but Jane would understand. Jane would want to know. It seemed ridiculous, all the years they'd spent talking about everything in the world except the way they fit together in their sleep.

"I was wondering what my life would be like now if I'd been wrong about you being attracted to me," Maura said, shivering as Jane's hands ran over the silky material of her shift. "If I'd still be in Boston now, if I would have gone for drinks with the precinct tonight."

"You would have left?" Jane asked quietly. "I would have asked you to stay."

"I know you would," Maura said, looking up. "But I don't think I could have."

"You're lucky I love you then," Jane said, one of her hands cupping Maura's cheek. "But I'm even luckier."

Jane leaned in to kiss Maura and Maura knew Jane hadn't even noticed she'd told Maura she loved her. The warmth in her chest from being held expanded into a burst of affection for her gorgeous best friend and whatever else they were to each other. Lover sounded too lascivious. But Maura loved Jane, even when she hadn't been capable of love. She'd followed Jane home, shortly after they met, invited in with such a casual grace as though Jane was used to inviting guests into the messiest home Maura had ever seen. Maura had followed her to Jane's parents house, the love and warmth of Angela leaving her limp and filled to the brim with everything she'd missed. She'd followed Jane to baseball games, to hockey games, to tennis games, to racetracks and horse races, she'd follow her anywhere because Maura loved the way Jane made her feel adequate. More than adequate. Like someone worth something, and while Maura knew logistically and financially her own worth, emotionally she was never sure. Maura kissed Jane, her whirling thoughts settling.

"You love me?" Maura asked, pulling away to breathe, hand flat on Jane's chest, thumb at the hollow of Jane's throat. 

"Always have," Jane affirmed, not embarrassed or deflective. Maura pulled herself back into Jane's chest, the steady thump of Jane's heart reassuring her. "It's still early, we could watch that movie you were telling me about. The wanker one."

"It's a romantic comedy, are you sure?" Maura asked, looking up.

"You watch hockey for me, the least I can do is watch something you enjoy." Jane opened a drawer and pulled out Maura's pajamas. "Unless you'd rather have a bath?" Jane asked, and Maura watched her blush at the implication. "On your own!" Jane quickly specified. "If you need to unwind. I know you like to get the morgue smell off when you get home, and it seems like it's been a rough day." Maura thought about it; a hot luxurious bath would be perfect, but Jane was offering to watch a romantic comedy with her, and that had never happened before - unless you counted Thelma and Louise, which Maura didn't.

"Shower," Maura said. "Couch in twenty?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded, grabbing a singlet and sweats.

"Chinese?" Jane asked, on her way to the guest bathroom, and Maura nodded, loving that Jane knew their routine so well. Loving Jane.

Chapter Text

Maura woke up tucked into Jane's shoulder. It wasn't yet morning, and Maura was pleased to have a little time alone with her thoughts, the physical presence of Jane for company.

Jane appeared to have enjoyed the movie, chuckling ocassionally and commenting on how weird she found British humour.

Maura was enjoying the new rhythm to their life, not too dissimilar to the old one, just enhanced, like when the canons fired in a proper rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

Last night had given her some clarity; conflating sex with affection had been erroneous on her part. Part of her was still anxious, despite her research, about their deadline next week to consumate, but Jane had never pushed or pressured her, despite her obvious attraction to Maura. The mechanics were something Maura would need to consider a little more thoroughly - she hated being unprepared.

There was a whimper from Jane, and Maura sat up immediately, reaching for the lamp. Jane's face was screwed tight, and Maura quickly got out of bed. Her instinct was to physically comfort Jane, but Maura knew enough about PTSD - in specific, Jane's PTSD - to know not to.

She spoke quietly to Jane, reassuring her that everything was fine as she pulled the weighted blanket out of the closet, pulling it over Jane as she'd done before. Jane struggled against it for a moment, and Maura's throat swelled with anxiety, but Jane calmed quickly. With Jane's limbs immobilised, Maura got back into bed, talking to Jane the whole while. She carefully stroked where she thought Jane's arm might be under the blanket, and Jane's voice dropped from the high pitched whine down to a murmur.

"I've got you, Jane," Maura said finally, as Jane showed signs of waking up. "I'm here, and it's just us. You're safe, and I'm safe, and we're both safe. I can text Frankie and Angela and Tommy if you want, so you know they're safe too."

"No, it's ok," Jane's voice was thick with sleep. "How did you even lift this thing, geez Mau." Jane hauled at a corner of the blanket, pulling it off her torso, leaving it draped across her lap. "Did I... Did I fight?" Jane asked, sounding ashamed.

"You didn't, but if you did I wouldn't blame you. I know who you're fighting, and I'm glad he's dead. I'm just sorry he can still hurt you." Jane wouldn't meet Maura's eyes, was still as tense as a spring, not relaxing under Maura's hands. "I was there, Jane. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." Jane scoffed.

"Like you even have a worst enemy," Jane said incredulously.

"Lila Burton," Maura said immediately.

"Wait, what?" Maura could feel Jane relaxing a little now, pulled her head back onto Jane's chest. "How do you have a worst enemy?"

"She's the head of multiple boards I'm also on, and she never lets me run anything," Maura pouted. "She's really mean, Jane. Not like your highschool friends, really mean."

"She got a record?" Jane asked. "You want me to give her a record?" Maura slid her hand around Jane's waist.

"No, but it's very sweet of you to offer," Maura said. She sat up to turn off the lamp and settled herself more comfortably against Jane.

"Yeah, sweet," Jane said, and Maura could almost hear Jane rolling her eyes.

"This why I didn't want to say anything," Jane said into the darkness, unprompted. "You always know what to do. You're never scared of me, though you have cause to be scared of me, and you take care of me. I feel safest when I'm with you, and that's because I know you're safe."

"I feel safe with you too," Maura said, understanding now why Jane had kept quiet for so long. Maura's nightmares were frequent and graphic, always Jane, someone shooting Jane, Jane shooting herself. Drowning in a car with Jane. That prison hospital with Jane. Right outside the precinct where Jane had shot herself, those steps she walked up and down almost every day. She knew what Jane had been through, every detail, drawn out, coaxed from Jane on nights like this, always with the understanding that it wouldn't leave the room.

For what had happened to Jane - she'd been there for some of it, and saw how much harder Jane fought to keep Maura safe, even when faced with her own personal bogeyman.

"You're the first one I call, Mau. You're the first person I worry about when I wake up. Then my family. You always come first for me." Jane swallowed. "You're my safe place. I couldn't lose you."

"You won't," Maura whispered, letting her hands push Jane away from her so she could hold her from behind. Jane let herself be held, be safe in Maura's arms.

Chapter Text

Jane woke Maura with a kiss on the forehead and a fresh coffee, siting in the curve of Maura's body between her legs and shoulders. Maura stretched and sat up.

"Do you have plans?" Jane asked. "I was thinking about the farmer's market. I'd like to make dinner for you tonight, if we don't have any calls."

"I have an appointment at the salon this afternoon, but my morning is free." Maura waiting until Jane put her own coffee down before sitting up and wrapping her arms around Jane, pulling her down onto the bed with her. Jane let herself fall into Maura, landing in a tangle of limbs. "I love being with you like this," Maura said as Jane nuzzled into her.

"Me too, but we'll have to hustle to get to the market, so move that remarkable tush," Jane said, reaching down to give said tush a squeeze. Jane sat back up and rifled through the drawer Maura had set aside for her, pausing for a moment. "I have a drawer at your place. You have a toothbrush at mine. How did we never..." Jane shook her head.

---

Jane carried Jo through the market, worried she'd be trod on in the crowd. Maura laughed as she looked at her.

"We look like one of those couples," Maura pointed out. "The kind that babify their dogs."

"She's just small," Jane said defensively, looking over at the bell peppers. Maura had a cloth bag and a net bag, which Jane pushed her purchases into. Maura stopped by a stall, the proprietor obviously finding her attractive, and Maura lit up as he explained the process of mussel farming.

"I'm good, babe," Jane said, appearing out of nowhere and sliding an arm around Maura's waist. "Are you good?"

"I'm good," Maura confirmed, turning away from the disappointed retailer and into Jane, who smirked at the proprietor over Maura's head.

---

Jane had picked up some gozlemes from a stall and they headed to the park. Maura spread out the blanket she kept in the car, and Jane pulled out two health drinks from the bag. Jo begged for some food and Jane picked out some meat for her.

"Picnics are pretty gay. All this flannel," Jane said, patting the blanket. "Eating lunch with the most wonderful woman I've ever met? This is pretty gay," Jane stated, watching some kids play with a frisbee letting her hand rest on top of Maura's.

"Gay adjacent," Maura argued, turning her hand so they were holding hands, letting her head rest on Jane's shoulder.

--

Maura knocked at Jane's apartment door. She had a key, and the door was probably unlocked, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Jane opened the door, her hair evenly curled and shiny, black dress and black heels. Maura's breath caught; she hadn't been expecting this. She'd been expecting casual Jane, Jane in something comfortable, but here she was, a little makeup now that Maura looked closer. She looked a little uncertain, and Maura breathed out.

"You look amazing," Maura said honestly. "But I'd rather you were comfortable."

Jane stepped back, and Maura gasped. The usual disarray had disappeared, replaced by a clean semblance of order.

"You cleaned? Oh, Jane."

"I know it's too late for first impressions, but this is what I wish you'd seen the first time you came here." Jane eyed Maura's overnight bag with a smile, relaxing a little. "Come in," she said, moving out of the doorway. Maura pressed a kiss to Jane's cheek as she came in, holding out a bottle of wine.

"I wasn't sure what you were making, but from the ingredients we picked up this should work." Jane took it and read the label, nodding as though she understood from the label what it would taste like. "Jane. I like you as you are, this is all very nice but it's not necessary. You already won me over." Jane looked up from uncorking the wine, her biceps flexing deliciously in the sleeveless dress and Maura's mouth watered, not at the smell coming from the oven, but at the sight of Jane smiling up at her.

---

"Dinner was delicious," Maura told Jane.

"Ma taught me to cook. I never have time, especially not for just me. But it's not just me anymore." Normally Jane would be leaning back on the couch after dinner, but she remained at the table, chin resting on her palm as she looked over at Maura with sparkling eyes, and Maura was struck again by how attractive Jane was, how attractive she found Jane. Maura enjoyed Jane in her work suits and her workout clothes, but Jane in a dress was a special occasion. She hadn't complained about it once, hadn't tugged at the hem, hadn't kicked off her heels. Maura had seen Jane on dates before, and she'd never seen her look so calm and content.

"Time for dessert," Jane said, standing up and walking over to the door, which she deadbolted.

"Jane, you already served dessert," Maura said, confused, turning to look at Jane. The look Jane gave her told her in no uncertain terms that Jane was the dessert she was serving. "I thought we were waiting until next week," Maura said, standing and walking over to Jane, who grabbed Maura and pressed her against the door.

"Remember #4?" Jane asked, and Maura cast her mind back to the list Jane had sent her. "It's only first base, really. Maybe second. Something to take the edge off before we round third. Or fourth, I'm not sure what a home run really is for us." Jane's mouth descended into Maura's neck, making her way up to Maura's ear, which she nipped. "If you want to," she added uncertainly, as Maura focused on not letting her knees buckle, trying to remember how to speak.

"Frottage," Maura said. "Very safe, due to the lack of fluid exchange. It seems like an appropriate activity at this point in our relationship." She pulled Jane closer. "I'm game if you are," Maura said, pressing herself against Jane, who was unable to answer verbally. "It could be mutually beneficial," Maura whispered directly into Jane's ear, and Jane nodded, swallowing.

"The couch?" Jane asked. "You said no kissing in bed, and I plan on kissing you. A lot." Maura looked over at the couch and scrunched her nose, leaning back against the door, pulling Jane flush against her.

"Too far away," she said, tugging Jane's face down to kiss her.

Chapter Text

Maura had done a lot of research about the mechanics of sex with a woman, and all sources indicated that there was a steep learning curve and many difficulties in navigating that same curve. Last night had been none of that, Jane's strong arms keeping her upright. Jane's hands holding her close, Jane's thigh moving against her in a rhythm just right, Jane's mouth slack and open, pressing against whatever part of Maura's face she could reach. Jane's muscular body, all of those strong muscles working together for a common goal. Maura's hands finding Jane's rear and pulling her closer, humming in pleasure against Jane's teeth. Jane's breath close to her ear as she'd peaked, driving Maura to her own goal.

It had been the easiest thing in the world, even when Jane had fallen against her, trembling as Maura's fingers trailed across the plain of her bare back, running into and under the straps of her dress to sample more skin.

Maura had wondered if it was going to be possible to achieve orgasm together, and she no longer had to worry. The other items on the list increased in difficulty, but Maura knew that everything else would come in time. There was a difference between sexual chemistry and sexual attraction and sexual comparability, and it appeared that they had all three.

Jane's smile was bashful when she woke, her kiss to Maura's collarbone sheepish and tender.

"Oxytocin," Jane said, fingers trailing the path left by her lips. "You were always on at me about relieving stress. I don't think I could move a single muscle this morning."

As if on cue, her phone rang, as did Maura's, and Maura chuckled, waiting her usual few moment after Jane barked out her usual 'Rizzoli' to follow it with her own soft and polite 'Isles'.

---

Jane drove them to the crime scene, Maura having taken a taxi to Jane's.

"Jane, about last night..." Maura started, and Jane groaned.

"Please don't bring it up at work," Jane said. "We've traumatised poor Susie enough already."

"I was going to mention that you don't need to clean - although cleanliness is a value I appreciate - or dress up for me. I didn't fall in love with the Jane that opened the door last night, although she did take my breath away. I fell for the Jane that took an awkward colleague home to her safest place and made room for me on the couch by brushing off old pizza boxes, the one that made room for me in every aspect of her life."

"That was the first time I took you home, huh?" Jane asked. "How long ago was that?"

"Years, Jane. I didn't recognise it at the time, and then you seemed to brush aside my comments that we might be more than friends like so many old pizza boxes, so once I realised, I deliberately ignored it."

"You know I don't like to be seen as soft... But I'm soft for you, Maura."

"My point - if you'll allow me to circle back - is that while a certain state of cleanliness and primping is seen as socially acceptable, I don't need you to change for me. I like our differences. I like the way we complement each other, like the right wine with the right cheese."

"I just... I just did what I would normally do for a date."

"Yes, but you resented everyone you dated. I don't know how much of that was because you put in too much effort to be what you thought they wanted you to be, but I know you. And I love you the way you are. You don't need to be anyone else for me."

"You seemed to enjoy it last night," Jane pointed out, blushing into the steering wheel.

"I appreciate the occasional dress, but only when you decide to wear it. And yes, I enjoyed how clean your place was last night. But I don't... Your comfort in your own place... You never complain about my place being too clean." Jane snorted; she often complained about Maura's cleaning habits. "At least, not in a way to put me down, or try to change me. When we live together..."

"When we live together?"Jane asked, her voice rising in panic.

"Whenever that is, we'll review. I think you were supposed to take that left," Maura pointed out, looking at the GPS.

Chapter Text

This crime scene was at another surburban house.

"Looks like a break in," Jane noted, looking at the smashed front door. "Uniforms said the back was clear."

"Front door right off its hinges," Korsak said. "There was a 911 call, and a dogwalker called it in." Korsak leaned down to pat the Irish setter at his feet. "Buddy here came in and alerted the owner. She's over there," Korsak pointed over at a young woman with an emergency blanket around her shoulders, a vomit bag next to her. Jane looked past Korsak to the body. "Who's a good boy," Korsak crooned, and Jane absently patted the amiable head as she processed what she was looking at.

"Yeesh, that's overkill," Jane said, finally looking away.

"Literally," Frost said from outside, examining the windows with the crime techs.

"Multiple stab wounds," Maura said as she entered. "Have they taken the photos?"

"Most of them, need me to call them back?" Korsak asked. He gestured at the window, and one of the crime scene techs paled and nodded. "Janice Easton. 23. Lived alone, worked for a startup - Able Tech." Korsak handed over an envelope with the logo on it, and Jane glanced over the mail.

'She gets paid how much? Man, I am in the wrong job," Jane shook her head and handed off the envelope to another tech. "Just sitting at a computer all day, how hard can it be?"

"I'd like to capture this," Maura spoke to the camera operator, indicating toward something that obviously had significance to her but looked like a pool of blood to Jane. Jane looked at the body again and shook her head, heading outside to breathe something other than the thick, metallic smell of too much blood spilled.

"Check this out," Frost said, holding out his tablet and pulling up a 911 call. Jane listened to the harrowing voice of Janice - whose mutilated body she'd turned away from - report that someone she used to work with was parked outside her house, and that he was breaking an active restraining order. The panic in her voice had been real, and she said she could hear someone at the door and she was going to hide.

"Time?" Jane asked finally, once the screaming had stopped. She looked over at one of the uniforms that had attended the VRO breach, sitting next to the dogwalker, equally pale and also holding a vomit bag, the heft of which suggested it had been used. Frost checked the time stamp.

"0640."

"Great." Jane leaned back into the house. "Do we have a time of death?" She asked.

"It could be a 2 hour window, from the current time, although I'll have to do a full analysis to be precise," Maura warned, and Jane looked at her watch.

"Close enough, let's go."

"If you're chasing whoever did it, I'd profile them as extremely hostile." Maura looked up from the body, eyeing Jane with concern. "Unresolved anger issues, may attempt suicide by cop. This," Maura gestured to the body, "was personal. They don't value human life." The gurney rolled in and Maura stood. "I'll evaluate the rest during the formal autopsy."

---

Jane strapped on her bulletproof vest and looked over to Maura, assisting the medics with the body. Maura looked as though she was going to come over, so Jane turned her head to call out.

"Frankie, can you take her back to the station please?"

---

Jane looked at Maura in the passenger seat of Frankie's car. Maura wasn't quite pouting, but she was obviously displeased.

"Don't worry, we'll get him," Jane said, grinning cockily, moving her gun from conceal carry to her holster. Maura huffed.

"It's not him I'm worried about." Maura eyed Jane in her bulky vest. "You'd think they'd have one to fit you by now."

"They do, this is my spare." Jane tugged the velcro tighter.

"What happened to the one that fit?"

"It got shot," Jane said quickly. "They're supposed to get shot, Mau! I've got two on backorder, but they're custom so they take a while." Jane knew Maura was worried and wished she could kiss her to reassure her. She turned her head and suddenly Frankie was standing behind her with her back to them, calling in to another team, blocking Jane and Maura from the view of the staff across the crime scene. Jane leaned in quickly through the open window and kissed Maura, cradled her cheek as she looked into Maura's eyes. "Don't worry about me. I have too much to live for to let some dumbass on meth take me down."

Maura's hand covered Jane's other hand on the window ledge.

"Be safe," Maura warned, turning her head to kiss Jane's palm. "I need you in one piece for next week."

Jane blushed and turned away as someone yelled 'Rizzoli". She slapped Frankie on his shoulder, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for," he blustered playfully, batting at Jane.

"Figure it out, you're a detective," Jane grinned at him, stepping away to take a call. "Take care of her," Jane yelled over her shoulder, turning to point and glare at her brother before turning back, heading towards her car.

"Like I wouldn't," Frankie grumbled without ire. He turned to the car and got into the driver's seat, ignoring the blush on Maura's face.

Chapter Text

Jane and Korsak and Frost all piled into Frost's car, Jane with her phone on speaker phone as the name and address of the suspect were read out over the phone, as well as the details of the violent restraining order from their victim - and surprisingly, also his old workplace. He'd been escorted off the property by uniforms. Jane checked her gun once, and Korsak gave Frost's a quick check along with his own. A second team was being deployed, but they were a few minutes away and Jane wanted this bastard down now.

"Taser?" Frost asked, and Korsak tapped the one he'd picked up from his car. He synced his watch with Jane and she confirmed their location, time and date and occupants of the car to dispatch. She tightened her vest one last time as Frost pulled over.

They piled out of the car down the block from the address they'd been given, guns already out and only using sign language. No more hissed asides, no more quips, just clenched jaws and precise hand movements. Staying low, away from the windows, they surrounded the house, Jane waiting 70 seconds after the others left her sight to knock on the door.

There was no answer. She knocked again, and heard a struggle from the back of the house. She eyed the door, wondering if she should leave her station when it flung open.

"He's out the back," a resigned older woman told Jane. "I think he's really done it this time." She opened the door wide and Jane gave her a low thanks, heading through the house, checking each hall before proceeding to the next junction. She could hear Korsak yelling, but it didn't pay to hurry into an ambush.

Korsak was on the ground, and Frost was yelling at the man on top of him, gun raised. Korsak's arms were pinned and the man - the man Jane assumed was Tony Alstead, their suspect - was trying to bite Korsak's eyes. Jane could see Frost had a line of sight to Tony's forehead, and quick as thinking she took aim and took her shot.

One right through the ankle.

"Can't question a dead guy," Jane told Frost sardonically, tucking her gun away, turning the muzzle of Frost's gun downwards and hauling the dirtbag off of Korsak. "He hurt you?" She asked, tossing Tony aside once she'd cuffed his revoltingly moist hands so she could help Korsak up. Tony fell heavily to the ground, tried to struggle to his feet and was hauled upright again, this time by one of Frost's hands, his second hand calling the precinct for a medic to meet them in detainment, confirming that they'd picked up the suspect, starting to read Tony his rights as Jane checked Korsak over; he had blood on him, but it was all the still-damp shirt Tony was still wearing. Jane shuddered. "He say anything?" Jane asked, and Korsak shook his head, still catching his breath. Jane clapped him on the back and headed back to the house as Frost took photos of the yard, Korsak's torso and Tony, who he'd let go of to use both his hands. Korsak twisted Tony's cuffed arms up behind him hard enough to keep him from being able to use them as he frog-marched him out the front, taking some of his weight to keep it off the ankle that dangled limply from his calf.

---

The older woman wordlessly let Jane into Tony's bedroom.

"He's my nephew," she said, detached. She'd seen Jane shoot her relative and didn't seem particularly bothered by having to talk to her. "When his mother died I took him in, but I never really took to him, and he never really left." Jane looked at the walls, covered in photos of women with their eyes burned out. "Didn't care much for the decor," she added, "but the last time I mentioned it..." She held out a thin arm with a long line. "Compound fracture."

"And you didn't think to call the cops?" Jane asked.

"What was the point? They couldn't arrest him before he did anything. One broken bone in an elderly woman? You know as well as I do..." Jane looked over at the small, resigned woman next to her, wondered how much she'd lost to fear. She'd been right though; even with the broken arm and the VRO he wouldn't have done any time. He'd have been sent back to live with the woman he knew reported him. She'd seen it happen, seen what happened next. Jane rested her hand softly on that scar.

"We've got him now," Jane said reassuringly, trying not to think of the body she'd seen that morning, trying not to wonder if this woman could have prevented it by reporting her nephew or if she would have been his first victim instead. "You can testify if you want."

Tears shone in her eyes as she looked at Jane; clearly she'd come to the same conclusion.

"I will. For her sake."

The crime techs showed up, and Jane waved them in, ushering the older woman out, arm over her shoulders, reminding herself to send a welfare check out later in the day.

Chapter Text

Maura came rushing into the squad room, pulling up to a sharp stop in front of Jane, hands reaching for her.

"Someone needed medical assistance?" Maura gasped out, her hand brushing Jane's face, pushing her hair back to check for headwounds, turning Jane's face slowly to check the movement. "Someone said one of the detectives came back covered in blood." Jane batted Maura's hands away and pulled Maura into a hug.

"Not me, but this is a balm in any case," Jane said, holding Maura tightly. Maura pulled back, wiping at her worried eyed and did a quick audit of Jane's body, visual and physical. Satisfied once she'd finished her pat-down of Jane, she looked up. Frost and Korsak waved awkwardly, and Maura finally noticed that Korsak was doused in blood. Maura hurried over to Korsak.

"It's not mine, I promise. It was all over him when he rushed me. And you're not hugging me, it'll get all over you too."

"It's never coming out of my car," Frost lamented.

"And where is he?" Maura asked.

"Down in detainment, but they might have to take him to the hospital. Jane sure made a mess of his ankle." Frost gagged again at the memory.

"You shot his ankle?"

"I could aim for it, it got him off of Korsak. Don't blame me, Frost was aiming for his head."

"And I would have, too," Frost said, mouth twisting. Jane gripped his bicep in empathy.

"Me too. I saw what he did to her. He deserves to go through the process, all the same."

"He assaulted Korsak?" Maura asked.

Jane unstrapped her bulletproof vest and stretched her shoulders, breathing in to push her ribs out without restraint. "You finish your autopsy?" Jane asked. "I got a bunch of paperwork. Discharged firearm, Korsak's shirt needs to be submitted, we still need to process that asshole..."

"I'm done," Maura said. "Cause of death was massive blood loss. He chipped off parts of the bone in places. There's the full report," Maura gestured to a file on Jane's desk she hadn't noticed when she'd come in. Jane rifled through it, pausing at the crime scene photos again. What kind of monster did they have downstairs?

"Any evidence processed?" Jane asked, handing off the folder to Frost, who very much looked like he didn't want it.

"Susie will be in soon, and I'll tell her to come up here with her findings. I can go collect the suspect's clothes and do an external examination."

"No," Jane growled. "You're not going near him."

"Jane. It's my job." Maura narrowed her eyes. Jane had resented the men in her life for trying to protect her from her work, and here she was, doing the same thing to Maura.

"No offense, Doctor Isles, but Jane's right. Even with his ankle all blown off he'll need to be restrained the entire time. Don't know what he's taken but we're going to need those two linebackers from uniform to go through the process."

"Harper and Tiny?" Jane asked, and Frost nodded, and some of the indignance left Maura. "I'm just looking out for you," Jane said. "And it's unsafe by OHSA to have you in the room with him. You didn't see where he lived. Hey, make sure he doesn't have any female staff near him, if they do take him to the hospital," Jane said, showing Frost her phone. "He's hard enough to contain as it is."

"I guess... I guess I can go home then," Maura said, at a loss.

Jane looked over at her partner and Sergeant. "Hey guys, we skipped breakfast, I'll bring back some toasties," Jane said breezily.

"No tomatoes!" Frost insisted.

"Peppers on mine," Korsak said as he prepared to head down to the crime lab to get his shirt off and tested.

---

"We are... Not subtle, are we?" Jane asked as they walked out from the precinct. "We just kissed at a crime scene and you gave me the full up-down in the squad room."

"It's only a few more days... Maybe we should move it forward."

"We should tell all our mothers together," Jane said.

"But not our fathers?" Maura asked cautiously. "Arthur would prefer an email, and Paddy already seems to know... What about...?" Jane opened the door to a bakery, letting Maura walk in before her.

"He doesn't deserve to know," Jane said defensively. "After all he did, I'm not giving him any ammunition. He wants to say he never wanted to have kids? Then he doesn't get to have kids." Maura carefully ran her hand down Jane's forearm, taking her hand. "We were never good enough for him, Mau. Why weren't we good enough?" Jane reached the front of the queue and ordered for her team and herself, letting Maura order for herself.

"You don't have to have a relationship with him. But you know Tommy's going to tell him eventually."

"I'm ok with that," Jane shrugged. "I don't care if he knows, but he's not important enough to tell."

"What if we keep the Thursday, invite the precinct, but we do the video call with Constance tonight, with Angela, Hope, Cailin and Frankie? I'm pretty sure Frankie knew we were -" Maura's voice dropped "kissing."

"You think he happened to stand between us and the rest of the crime scene by chance? That's sweet. You're sweet." Jane picked up the orders. "You're really sweet, and you're done for the day so do you think you can organise tonight please? I'll bring home the tech report with me," Jane pleaded, her big brown eyes wide and beseeching. Maura chuckled.

"Only because you're such a charmer. Dinner at 6? You can invite Frankie." Maura said, opening the precinct door for Jane.

"Do you need a ride home?" Jane asked, suddenly conscious that she'd left Maura at the precinct without a lift. She handed over Maura's brown sack of gluteny goodness at the elevators. "This guy is going to take a while to get processed," she offered.

"No, Susie texted that she'll be in soon, I'll give her a proper handover. Angela offered to swing by when she heard I was at work. I'll let her know later." Maura pressed her lift button and Jane pushed her own. "Are you sure you want to do this today?"

"After last night, I'm pretty sure." Jane smirked when Maura looked flustered. "I'll see you tonight."

"Be careful with him," Maura asked gently. "Don't let him get the drop on you."

Chapter Text

Jane hummed impatiently, rapping her fingers on Maura's counter. Maura was unloading the oven, and while Jane itched to offer to help she knew Maura was still a little resentful of how forceful she'd been about protecting her from their perp that morning, knew Maura liked things in a certain way and that Jane was chaos to her at times. Unbidden she picked up the cutlery and set the table, using her memory to place the silverware.

"Are you sure, Jane?" Maura sked. "I've never minded what people thought of me, but I know you do. I don't want to push you to somewhere you're uncomfortable."

"I suggested it," Jane said, surprised. "And yeah, people are going to talk, but I'm pretty sure they already do. I'm a female cop; if it wasn't my hot girlfriend it'd be something else."

"I wish it was easier for you," Maura said, cradling the 'hot girlfriend' like a hot cider in a ski lodge, warming her inside as she brought over the plates.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning," Jane mumbled, the way she always mumbled when she had to apologise. "He's dangerous. Didn't want him hurting anyone else. Korsak has bruises all up his arms now from fighting him off. Couldn't get to his taser." Maura slid her hand onto Jane's shoulder, straightening a knife.

"I understand," Maura said. "But before I did I was hurt that you didn't trust me to do my job."

"And now that you know I was protecting you from a dangerous criminal?" Jane asked. "One with enough crack to kill a horse in his system?"

"Well, I'm relieved I didn't go in, now that I know. But you can't... You can't protect me from my work."

"No, but I can stop you from taking risks like that with your personal safety," Jane countered. "Are you nervous? I'm nervous."

"Everyone coming here tonight loves you," Maura reminded Jane, turning Jane to face her. "Well, maybe not my family, not yet, but they like you a lot. Everyone coming here tonight supports us both, and while we haven't been open with them, they've all shown acceptance in some way. No one is going to love you any less once they know."

"It's not just... It's not just 'oh hey I'm dating my best friend' it's also 'the person I'm dating is a woman and so I am but I don't know if we're gay or just in love' and that's going to be hard to explain." Jane fiddled with the strings of the apron Maura was wearing, looking at them instead of Maura, and Maura thought Jane's insecurity was cute on her.

"I've always considered myself open to bisexuality," Maura said. "I don't know if my attraction to women is all-encompassing or if it's just you, I just know that I've never felt so strongly about anyone in my life." Jane leaned back against the table, and she felt the table cloth move under her hands, turned to fix it. "Leave it," Maura said, stepping in and putting her hands on either side of Jane. "You don't have to come out as gay or bisexual or anything else. You don't need to label yourself to tell people you're dating me." Maura leaned in and kissed Jane, still struck by how soft and willing Jane's mouth was against hers, still struck by the soft inhale Jane always made when Maura's lips met hers. "It's going to be ok," Maura said as she pulled back, and Jane exhaled unevenly, hands on Maura's waist.

"It might just be easier. If I knew. If I could just say I'm the lesbian cop stereotype, you know?"

"I know," Maura said. "You know I like thing neatly classified, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jane said, rubbing her thumbs along the front of Maura's hip bones.

"What if this is something that requires more evidence before coming to a conclusion?" Maura asked. "You know how much more I dislike things incorrectly classified."

"Yeah," Jane said again, breathily, and Maura checked her line of sight. Maura's dress wasn't immodest, but the height difference was giving Jane a view down the front of it that appeared to have her entranced.

"Jane, my eyes are up here," Maura said gently, straightening up from where she'd been leaning forward into Jane. Jane's eyes snapped to Maura's eyes, and she blushed.

"I'm sorry," Jane started, but Maura cut her off with another kiss.

"It's very flattering, but we have family arriving and I don't think they'd appreciate walking in on me having my way with you on the table they're expected to eat on," Maura said, turning back to the counter and bringing over part of the meal. It was fortunate she did, because after a perfunctory knock, Angela came in with Frankie, and Jane struggled to her feet, turning and straightening the table cloth and silverware.

---

Jane wished they'd discussed this before dinner; at what point were they going to disclose their relationship? Jane was leaving it to Maura, as Constance would have to be called, and Jane hunched miserable and tense in a corner until Maura looked over. Maura immediately grabbed her tablet and started the call, scanning around the room as she introduced Constance to the people gathered in her home.

"Hi Mom," Maura said. "This is Hope, my biological mother, and her daughter- and my half-sister, Cailin, and I believe you remember Angela and Frankie - and of course you know my girlfriend Jane," Maura said, handing over the tablet to Hope, who took it as Maura walked over to Jane, pulling her up from the arm of the couch to place a single, careful kiss on her startled mouth, relaxing as Maura melted into her as usual. Maura tucked herself into Jane's side, and Jane's arm went around her instinctively.

"Yeah. What she said," Jane said, glaring around the room, but Hope was already in conversation with Constance, Frankie and Cailin were back to their discussion on geographic variations in football-type sports, and only Angela was looking at them, coming over to embrace them both.

"My brave, brave girls," Angela said, kissing them both on the cheek, Jane struggling, as usual, to get away.

Chapter Text

Maura thanked Angela politely and stepped back to the oven, leaving Jane alone with her mother.

Jane eyed Angela warily, not sure what she'd come out with.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" Angela asked, and Jane shrugged.

"It's only been a few weeks... Maybe a month?" Jane said, looking down at her feet.

"A month?" Angela asked, astounded, quickly quieting herself. "Only a month?" She asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"We wanted to make sure that we were going to be ok with dating before telling anyone," Jane mumbled, shrugging again, picking at a thread on her shirt. "Just in case... Well, it still might not work out." Jane shot a look across to Maura in the kitchen, her hair curling magnificently over her shoulders, a sweet smile on her face as she looked over at Jane. "I don't know how to keep a woman like her happy," Jane said quietly. "She extends inwards infinitely, and I'm all surface."

"Janie. Does she make you happy?" Jane looked away from Maura, focused on her task in the kitchen, over to her mother.

"Ecstatic," Jane said without a trace of irony. She went over to help Maura, some of the tension dissipated.

---

Frankie helped Jane clear up the dishes, letting her stack the dishwasher since he knew Maura was particular.

"So, girlfriend, huh?" He asked Jane, looking over to Maura.

"Yeah, what about it?" Jane asked, hackles up, ready for her brother to tease her.

"Hey, not for nothing, but if someone looked at me the way she looked at you back when you did that marathon together, we'd be married with three kids by now," Frankie said, handing Jane plates. "When you called about the dress... Was that really the first time you went out? It's the only time I've known you to be nervous about a date."

"Yeah, well, Frankie, maybe you haven't had your life torn up by being attracted to someone you ..." Jane looked over at Maura, and her harsh tone softened. "Someone you didn't think you deserved."

"Is it the gay thing? You know I don't care about that."

"No, I know you don't. Thanks for that. But it's more... You know when you used to dream you were in a fountain of ice-cream, scooping it into your mouth with your hands?"

"Too good to be true, huh?" Frankie asked softly. "Well, it looks like it's true to me, Janie. The things that woman does for you, for our family. Anyone says anything to you - either of you - anyone gives you any trouble down at the station, you let me know." He flexed a bicep and Jane laughed, closing the dishwasher.

"You're a good brother, Frankie," Jane said. "Now scoot," she shooed him away as Maura came into the kitchen, ready for dessert, carrying Constance with her.

"It's lovely to catch up with you all - and wonderful to meet Hope finally, if not in person. Now darling, would you leave me with Jane for a minute?" Maura handed the tablet over, and Jane walked toward the alcove, grabbing Jo's lead to take her out.

"It's been a busy evening," Constance said. "You look well."

"Yeah, so do you," Jane said, smiling a little shyly. "We weren't... Keeping it from you or anyone. It was just new."

"That's a shame, I thought you were dating when I met you, and Maura never corrected me."

"Huh."

"And Angela also seemed under the impression - oh dear, this is all coming out wrong. I must say I've always appreciated your role in her life, that she's had you to take care of her."

"You're not worried I'll be a bad influence?" Jane asked, her mouth twisting.

"Oh, that ship has sailed, darling. I know her father. I just wanted to say I'm glad it's you. You've always understood her, and she's an incredibly complex, brilliant woman."

"Yeah, she is, huh?" Jane smiled, following Jo back into the house. "You don't mind that I'm not a man?"

"I assume that's what she likes about you, Jane. And society is much kinder than it used to be, and I know you have a conceal carry. I'm not worried." Jane smirked. Constance sure was a trip. "Now, I know she might be too old for this, but do you think Cailin would mind if I sent her a Christmas present this year?"

"Hope might think you're trying to collect the full set," Jane joked. "They don't have much family. She's a good kid, I don't think she'd mind, but you can ask her yourself," Jane said, handing the tablet over to Cailin.

Chapter Text

The rest of the evening was much easier, Jane relaxing more as the night progressed. None of Maura's parents seemed upset or even disappointed that their daughter was dating Jane, nobody had asked any difficult questions, and Cailin seemed to be completely over her former resentment of Maura, laughing with her over entomology. Bass and Jo were cuddled up together on Jo's doggie bed, and upstairs Jane knew Captain Glitterface was sprawled across the soft, comfortable bed she'd be sleeping in tonight, next to the woman she loved. She stretched her arm across the back of Maura's chair and pressed a soft kiss to Maura's temple, and although they hadn't had much of a reaction when Maura had called Jane her girlfriend, this seemed to evoke more of a response, and Jane tried not to flinch at the attention.

"Would you look at them," Angela said, turning the tablet so Constance could see too, and Jane blushed, ducked her head as Maura took Jane's free hand. "Ack, so sweet." Maura used her free hand to brush Jane's hair out of her face, making Jane look at her.

"It's ok," Maura mouthed, and Jane nodded, exhaling loudly.

"They're still watching," Jane mumbled as Maura's thumb brushed her cheek.

"Because you're cute when you're being sweet," Maura countered.

"Can I... Do you mind if I... Can I kiss you," Jane asked, her voice squeaking on the word kiss.

"Be my guest," Maura said, and Jane leaned in carefully, ignoring the collecting 'aww' from their families.

---

When everyone else had left, Angela started wiping down the counter.

"So, have you had any thoughts about children," Angela asked nonchalantly.

"I have my fertility checked yearly," Maura said, and Jane stared at her. "What, I'm getting older, and you know I like information before I make decisions."

"I hadn't thought about it," Jane said, half-fudging it. She'd thought about having kids with Maura, but not to the extent of how that would look, which one of the would carry the children, if they'd adopt or if Jane needed a fertility check. "And Ma, it's been a month. Butt out."

"As long as you're thinking about it, I want grandkids when I'm still young enough to pick them up."

"Then go see Tommy and Lydia," Jane said. "TJ probably misses you."

"I should. I'll see if I can get some time off when you get back. Alright girls, goodnight." Angela headed for the door, then turned and looked back to where Maura was stepping in to hug Jane. She wrapped herself around them both, kissing both of their faces as Jane protested. "I'm so proud of you both! And I love you, my Janie. So much. And I love you, Mau."

Jane struggled feebly, able to tackle and apprehend any low-life in the city, but unwilling to move away from Maura. "Alright, Ma, we get it. I love you too." Jane stopped struggling a moment, leaned over to kiss Angela's cheek. "Thanks," she said sincerely, and Angela nodded, knowing Jane had still been a little worried about the night, about how she would react. Maura kissed Angela's cheek too, and echoed Jane's thanks, and Angela squeezed them tight.

"You better start working on my grandbabies," Angela warned as she let herself out, and Jane exhaled.

"I'm sorry," Jane started, but Maura shook her head.

"It was bound to come up," Maura said. "Apparently we're a few years behind everyone else in our relationship."

"What... Is your fertility ok?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded. "Were you planning on having kids soon, even if you weren't with me? Should I get tested too?"

"I wanted to be aware of all my options," Maura said. "There's a point where the outcome starts to drop, and if I was nearing that I was planning on either parenting alone or freezing some eggs. But statistically, given our ages, outcomes do start to drop in the next few years." Maura looked up at Jane, who looked overwhelmed. "But it's not a decision I was planning to make this year, or next year," she said, reaching for Jane.

"You want children?" Jane asked. "You have backup plans to have children?"

"And you haven't really thought about it?" Maura asked.

"Trudy," Jane said. "It would have taken too long to get set up to foster her, she needed an immediate home and my job - my hours - weren't suitable." Maura nodded. "You're good with babies," Jane said suddenly. "It makes sense that you'd want one of your own."

"And you're very career-focussed. It makes sense that you wouldn't consider taking time off for a pregnancy and an infant. You would consider adoption?" Maura asked.

"I've thought about it," Jane admitted. "Especially back when I was dating men. Some of the best people I know are adopted," Jane teased, pressing a kiss to Maura's forehead. "But now that you mention it, a bunch of little Maura's would be..." Jane trailed off, looking at Maura, remembering the way she looked holding a baby. "Perfect," Jane breathed.

Chapter Text

Maura woke up to Jane staring at her. They'd meant to fool around the night before, but the long day at the crime scene and the stress of the family dinner had worn them out, quiet voices chatting into the night about their plans for the future. Jane had questioned if it was all too soon, but Maura had reminded her that they'd been all but dating for years. They knew each other better than any of their former partners.

"I'm in for the long haul, Jane," Maura had said, and Jane had believed her. But it still felt new and scary, the fear always there that she'd end up neglecting Maura and their relationship for her job, the way Korsak had, or worse, end up being one of those cops that took the job out on their wife. Jane was no stranger to anger and violence, and while Maura sometimes irritated her - she was precise, and that made her slow, and Jane was impatient - but Maura never made Jane truly mad. Maura didn't push the buttons Angela and Tommy and even sometimes Frankie did. But that didn't mean it would never happen; Jane was aware of the statistics, had worked with police that had been put away for killing family members, and she wondered if she'd ever be pushed to that kind of violence. Maura was her safest place, the place she could be soft, but she was also part of her work, and her work wasn't safe and soft, it was hard and violent. Jane hadn't seen her psychologist for a while but between the still-recurring nightmares and the fear that she might be the perpetrator of domestic violence rather than the victim she'd suspected she might end up as, it might be time to check in.

In the meantime, Maura was looking at Jane the way she'd seen Maura look at an art installation she'd enjoyed. Maura was an elegant-looking woman, with an aquiline nose and classical mouth, and Jane had overheard Constance describe her. But it was the smile that really turned Maura into a masterpiece.

"You're so beautiful in the morning," Jane said, finishing her thought out loud, tracing Maura's cheek bones. "Without the makeup and the hair and the designer dresses. When it's just you and me, and it's just me that gets to see you like this."

"That's not true. Angela often sees me before I'm ready in the mornings," Maura pointed out, as Jane's fingers drew over her jaw, up to her brow.

"You don't take compliments easily, do you?" Jane asked sarcastically.

"Not when they're factually incorrect, no," Maura said.

"Well it's a factual statement that you, Doctor Maura Dorothea Isles, are the most intelligent, beautiful woman I've ever met."

"That's a subjective statement," Maura pointed out. "But I suppose it's acceptable."

"Maura," Jane whined. "Fine," Jane huffed. "You're gorgeous. End of statement." Maura nodded, examining the statement and finding it appropriate. "We've got an hour or so before we're expected at work - do you want to go for a run, grab some breakfast?"

"I could use the endorphins," Maura mused. "But you are exceptionally comfortable."

"Really, Mau? Really? You get, what, three separate compliments and I get 'comfortable'?"

"Exceptionally comfortable," Maura reminded Jane of her quantifier. She looked Jane over. "And if you weren't classically trained in multiple forms of martial arts, your eyelashes alone would be capable of a complete - as you'd call it - 'take down'. Your zygomaticofacial foramen is one of the most perfectly structured bones I've ever seen."

"My whatnow?" Jane asked, and Maura chuckled.

"Your cheekbones, Jane. They're textbook."

"Well, I've know I've never felt more attractive, are we running or not?"

"That depends. Does the fact we're dating mean you can't to make me coffee in the morning," Maura asked, pouting.

"I was going to, but you looked so peaceful. You didn't get much sleep on Friday... Or Saturday... I thought you'd rather be well-rested than caffeinated."

"Well, we're awake now, Jane, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't start rituals you don't intend to maintain."

"Geez, alright, I never said I wasn't gonna," Jane muttered, pulling away from the warmth of Maura's body reluctantly. Maura's hands tightened on her for a moment before releasing Jane.

"Your gluteus maximus is also perfectly structured," Maura said, watching Jane walk away, pulling Captain Glitterface close to fill the void Jane had left. Jane turned at the door and eyed the angelic-looking doctor in the bed, looking especially innocent with her cuddle buddy.

"Did you just say 'nice ass' to me?" Jane asked, then threw up her hands and walked away.

Chapter Text

Jane went down to the morgue, looked through the window at Maura starting the autopsy. She rubbed her hands before grabbing the door. Maura looked up and smiled when she saw Jane walking over to stand near her, looking over the body.

"You know, I couldn't come down here for a while. It was the scalpels. You know, after..." Jane held up her hands, palms up, the white scars jagged and visible against her skin. "My shrink said I should go slowly, explained immersion therapy. I used to come down here and watch you through the windows. Just a few minutes a day, to see someone with a scalpel who wouldn't hurt me."

"I know," Maura said, making an incision. "The other doctors said you'd only come down when I was performing an autopsy. I assumed it was me you came to watch. It was very flattering."

"The other doctors were too unpredictable," Jane mumbled. "Made me nervous. But I would stand there, and you were so calm and collected, you were slow and methodical and you used a scalpel like it was something as familiar and safe as a... A butter knife. They didn't look so scary in your hands. So I came in one day - I needed to know the calibre of a bullet to tie up a case, and you'd smiled at me through the window for the first time, like you saw me. Like you knew me."

"A lot of detectives are wary about autopsies. Most people are; it's an instinctive reaction. The human brain doesn't like seeing what the vessel looks like when it's broken down." Maura withdrew an organ and weighed it carefully after a visual inspection. "But you didn't seem squeamish. I'd seen the news in the papers, noticed you were on leave for a while. You seemed to be working through something, and I was used to being alone. No one else ever came to my autopsies. No one talked to me in the halls, no one tried small talk with me. I liked the way you'd wait outside and ask questions when I came out with the report. You were so driven. I knew whatever was holding you back wouldn't keep you away for long. You on one side of the glass, me on the other. It was the closest thing to a work friend I'd ever had. I liked looking up and seeing you there, the way you'd pump your arm when I pulled out the bullet. You seemed so fun and encouraging, even through the glass. You seemed like someone I could - someone I could - someone who could understand me." Maura looked up at Jane. "You know I don't like to guess, but I'm very grateful that I was right." Maura set aside the heart for further testing later.

"When you smiled at me I knew I had to explain," Jane said. "But when I came in, you hushed me and you started explaining what you were doing, like I was a med student you were training. It was calming. I was nervous. I'd been watching you for weeks and we hadn't spoken since I was in vice, and I hadn't exactly been nice to you, and the last thing I wanted to do was explain how badly I'd been shook by that last case. And my new partner was puking too hard to come in on autopsies... I felt lost and ashamed and you treated me like you'd expected me, like I was supposed to be there. Like I was welcome. I barely even noticed the scalpel as you cut him open, I just noticed how graceful you were, how respectful to the victim, how knowledgeable you were. I was humbled."

"I remember now," Maura said. "You only flinched when I put the scalpel down. It rattled on the tray. My hands were gloved or I would have touched your arm, and I didn't touch people back then. Not live ones. But you were back the next day. Always watching my hands."

"Watching the scalpel," Jane corrected. "Word around the station was that you were cold and aloof, and you were, but your movements were so sure and predictable that I managed to come back every day. My brain kept trying to tell me that I wasn't safe, that you were going to stab me, but my heart saw... It saw you. Someone a little scared and completely alone, but when you were working you were so focussed. I started bringing you coffee, to make up for you being part of my immersion experiment."

"That coffee was terrible, Jane," Maura said, weighing another organ. "Truly awful."

"Yeah, but you drank it," Jane pointed out. "For a whole week before you complained."

"I'd never had someone bring me coffee at work before. I was scared you'd stop if I didn't drink it," Maura admitted, relieved that she had more confidence in her relationships now.

"Aww, Mau," Jane looked over at her, fingers digging into an open abdominal cavity. "But you smiled at me when I brought you a coffee you didn't hate, and my heart sped right up, even though you weren't holding a scalpel. I felt like I'd won the lottery."

"Oh, Jane," Maura said, not looking up from her work. "Inflamed liver," she noted.

"The shrink said I could sit in on other doctor's autopsies to see if my aversion was dealt with, and I told him about... The way it felt when you smiled at me. He said it was common to feel attraction to someone who helped overcome an aversion and I accepted that at face value. The other doctors were fine, once I was used to you, but it was your autopsies I still came to watch. I still came down with coffee and one day you made a joke - something wordy with Latin names for organs that I didn't really get, but you looked so pleased with yourself, and every time you smiled... Every time you smiled I forgot about scalpels and murderers and cases and just thought about ways to make you smile. You gave me a lecture on coffee origins and roasting as you sliced open that body, and I didn't even flinch. I asked you what you were doing on Sunday night and your face... I didn't even think about it. Ma had been asking about you, I guess I'd been talking about you a lot," Jane ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"When you asked... I'd been so lonely," Maura said. "I was looking at jobs in other cities again, looking to move on. I had no plans, I'd never had plans, and you invited me like you were sure someone like me would be too busy to come on short notice." Maura sighed. "And Angela - you know how reserved I was, but she met me at the door and she enveloped me in a hug I'd been waiting my whole life for. Constance and Hope are my mothers, but that hug from Angela made me feel like I'd come home. Your whole family was so sweet and I was so nervous - I'd never spent time with a family like that before."

"You kept looking up at me, whenever you were unsure how to react," Jane said, her mouth twisting into a smile. "You were wearing that golden white dress, and whenever you caught the light you glowed, and when Ma asked about your family, your hand caught mine under the table."

"I didn't touch people much back then," Maura admitted. "I never knew when it was appropriate. It was easier to avoid physical contact entirely." Maura removed the liver and started weighing it. "I felt safe enough with you. I felt like you'd understand and give me the strength to answer, and your hand squeezed back and I remembered, when I felt the scar tissue, just how much you'd avoided touching me too. I think I realised then, why you'd been watching me. But you held my hand underneath the table and I answered all of Angela's questions with your thumb brushing over my knuckles." Maura looked up from the liver. "I should have known then, shouldn't I?" Maura asked, looking back over to the liver, slicing off a sample. "I remember you let me touch the scar tissue - I felt you tense, and you looked at me - your eyes were so wide and vulnerable, then you smiled and relaxed, let me trace the scar, check the damage to the underlying ligaments. It was very calming to me - thank you." Maura took a few more samples, labelling them for the tests she wanted run on them. She looked up and Jane was rubbing her hands.

"I'm seeing my shrink today," Jane blurted. "Because of the nightmares. I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger. Do you mind if I talk about us with him?"

"I don't mind, Jane. I don't mind who knows," Maura said. Senior Criminalist Chang came in warily to collect the samples. "Oh, Susie. I'd like to apologise again for Friday. It was unprofessional."

"We work with murder victims," Susie shrugged. "Sometimes they get to us. Crying on the job doesn't make you unprofessional, Doctor Isles. It makes you human." Susie rested her hand on Maura's forearm before she took the samples.

"This isn't one of mine, is it?" Jane asked, looking over at the corpse on Maura's table.

"No, it's a suspicious death. Overseen by Hollister and Paxton."

"Shoot, I gotta get back to work," Jane said. "Do you know if the crime lab got that computer?"

"From Tony Alstead? I think Nina is looking over it now. It's been physically processed and Nina said she'd do the data collection."

"Good, I'll go join her." Jane rested her hand on Maura's forearm. "Hey, thanks for letting me watch you back then, without having to explain anything."

"Thank you for involving me with you immersion therapy," Maura countered. "If you hadn't, I don't know where I'd be now. You're my anchor, Jane."

"I'm like a dead weight to you?" Jane asked, eyebrows raised.

"Maybe a compass, if I must stick to a sailing analogy. When I'm lost, you're my true North."

"Now that's an analogy I appreciate," Jane said, tightening her grip for a moment, radiant smile flashing at Maura before she was gone.

Chapter Text

Nina was sitting at a PC, a look of disgust on her face.

"What was he into?" Jane asked, knowing that look.

"Trust me, it's better if you don't know. Once I'm done I'm handing it over to the sex crimes unit. If he doesn't get life for murder, he'll get it for this."

"Anything about Janice on that computer?" Jane asked, trying not to look at the screen.

"Yeah, his email is synced, he sent her a lot of emails. None of them nice."

"Anything threatening? Anything to build a case for premeditated?"

"A few. Enough to convince a jury."

"We got him on domestic abuse too. His aunt is willing to testify," Jane said. "I'm going back there today, see if she needs anything, take a formal statement."

"Do you mind if I ride along? He ordered physical media that the crime techs didn't deliver, and I'd like to have a look around."

"Yeah, sure. You'd probably be less intimidating to her anyway. Frost can pick up where ever you leave off," Jane said. "She might need some help setting up her food stamps now that he's gone, if you have any experience? I'm trying to get a social worker out there but she needs to be in the system first."

"I'll give it a shot," Nina said. "Do you want to see something cool?" She asked, hitting a button on the black box, switching over to the laptop they'd picked up at Janice's. "Look at this," Nina breathed, pulling up a screen of code. She hit a play button and it launched a 3d application, moving the hydraulics for a bionic hand. "Able Tech is really keen to get her laptop back, and I can see why. The application for this kind of code is phenomenal."

"Why does Able Tech sound familiar?" Jane asked. "I remember hearing about it recently."

"Frost mentioned them on the Taylor case. He wanted a new leg, and this is the best place to get them."

"Any other companies in Boston that do spare legs?" Jane asked, and Nina shook her head.

"Not like these. They're slated to prevent pressure wounds as well as use nerve conduction to manipulate."

"Interesting," Jane mused. "Well, Frost is down at the hospital getting a confession out of Tony now he's sobered up. It looks like they won't need to amputate his ankle, otherwise it would've been pretty ironic."

Nina chuckled.

"Maura would get such a kick out of this, have you shown her and Susie yet?"

"I will, I'm just trying to get an answer back from her relatives to pick up the body." Nina switched to the emails. "Still nothing, damn."

"Can you look up her benefactors? She was young to be making that kind of money, surely she left it to someone?"

"Good idea, I'll ring around the attorneys. Thanks Jane."

"I'll let you know when I'm heading out," Jane said.

"Hey, Susie," Jane said, walking over to the wide-eyed senior criminalist. "Hey, it's ok. Just want to ask if you're coming to the Dirty Robber on Thursday night."

"Oh! Uh, sure."

"I know it's been stressful, but we'll be telling the rest of the squad then, before we go on leave. Frankie knows too, but we asked for him to wait until Thursday."

"It's ok, I don't talk to that many people anyway." Susie flushed in embarrassment; that hadn't been what she'd meant to say. "I mean, not that many detectives come down here. Your team is about the only one that recognises us as humans."

"You're good humans," Jane said. "You do good work - without you we wouldn't be able to get our arrests to stick." Jane sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not... I'm not ashamed of her or of being with her, it's just new. I wanted to be sure before..."

"I understand," Susie said. "I usually wait a few weeks before introducing the person I'm seeing to my friends." Susie shrugged, and Jane took note of the gender-neutral pronoun. Jane nodded thoughtfully.

---

Nina took charge of Tony's aunt's social security issues, and Jane poked around, looking for the stash Nina had mentioned. The room had been searched twice, but Jane pressed every floorboard with her foot until she heard a telltale squeak, felt it move under her boot. She called in Nina, and they called in the crime techs to collect whatever he'd needed to hide from his aunt. Jane took the older woman's formal statement and copies of her medical reports - 3 of them in total - as Nina watched the techs dig out whatever Tony had been hiding. The techs put it all in a black plastic trash bag, and when Nina came back into the lounge room, she handed over her card.

"Call me if you need any more help," Nina said, excusing herself. Jane stared after her, wondering if she'd imagined the pallor of her face. She wrapped up the interview, had her sign her statement and handed her card over too.

"You've been so nice to me," the older woman said. "I harboured..." She drifted off, her face sad and drawn. "And you're being nice to me."

"You can't help who you're related to," Jane said, thinking of Frank Senior, thinking of Paddy Doyle. "And you're helping us by testifying against a man proven to be dangerous. It's in our best interests to make sure you're taken care of. Nina will schedule the welfare checks for you, and once those are done your social security should start coming back to you. We might be able to seize his accounts and return anything he hadn't spent... If we can prove it was your money he was taking.'

"This is more than enough. Thank you." She put her hand on the back of Jane's hand and patted it, and Jane smiled at her, the genuine smile she tried not to show to the public slipping out.

"We need to get back, but we'll let you know if we need to come back out here." Jane stood and saw herself out, Nina hunched in the passenger seat.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah. It's just... A lot." Jane looked over, concerned as she started the car.

"You should've left it to the crime techs. They're used to everything."

"No, I have to toughen up. If that poor woman had looked at me for more than a moment she'd have known..." Nina shuddered.

"Well, she didn't, and you can take an acting class. I'd rather have a detective that feels it riding along than one who doesn't." Jane smiled over at Nina across the console, flipping her indicator and turning back onto the highway. Nina thought about it, nodding. "Any drugs in there? I'd love to find his dealer."

"Um, yeah. Couple bags, not sure what's in them."

"That's what the crime lab is for. I wonder where he got his money from?"

"She said he had an inheritance, and the life insurance from his parents," Nina said, sounding more confident.

"So we should check how his parents died," Jane mused aloud. "Insurance..." She swerved to the right suddenly. "Sorry Nina, we're taking a detour."

Chapter Text

"Are you able to let me know which files Jason Huxley was working on?" Jane asked, using her nicest 'you might be a murderer' smile. Nina looked up from her phone and smiled politely too.

"I'll have to ask," the receptionist said vaguely. "Wait here, please," he said, gesturing to the couch in the lobby.

"Can you check from here?" Jane hissed quietly, pointing to the receptionist's computer, but Nina pointed at the security camera without looking up from her phone.

"You'll have to come back with a warrant," the receptionist said. "Sorry," he added, not sounding very sorry.

"No, that's fine, thank you for checking." Jane looked over at Nina, who signalled her to stall. "Would it be possible for me to see his desk? Not his computer or files, I understand we need a warrant, but we're having trouble finding a next of kin. Does he have any photos on his desk?"

The receptionist hesitated. "I can't let you through, but I can grab the photo. You can't have it, of course."

"I understand, thank you," Jane handed him some gloves. "When we get the warrant we'll clean out his desk for you as well, anything not related to his work here will be retained at the station until we find a next of kin."

The receptionist left.

"I thought you already interviewed his parents?" Nina asked, voice low.

"We did, you needed time," Jane said, trying not to move her lips.

"I don't any more. I'm done here," Nina said, pocketing her phone.

The receptionist held out the photo. The insurance adjuster was standing next to a man.

"Do you mind if I..." Jane held out her camera, and the receptionist nodded. "Do you know his name?" Jane asked. "It would help us out if you did," Jane said, batting her eyelashes winsomely.

"No, Jason brought him to a company picnic but I didn't get a chance to speak to him. I thought he might just be a friend, but I don't keep pictures of my friends in a frame on my desk."

"That's fine. We really appreciate you working with us," Jane said, shaking his hand. "We'll be back if we get a warrant, or we'll send through his next of kin details."

"Thank you, Detective," the receptionist said, smiling as though he hadn't quite understood something.

---

"Wonder if a picture of a picture can give us a face match" Jane said, starting the car.

"Wait!" Nina said. "Check this out," she said, holding her cell out to Jane, who took it, scanning through. "I used the cached credentials on his work laptop to access the network. I grabbed a few that looked interesting, and took screenshots of the rest."

"Well, that name looks familiar," Jane said. "Good work, Nina."

"They might not be helpful, I didn't open anything."

"No, but we know they exist, and this is enough to get that warrant." Jane shook her head. "I just wanted to know if there was a link between Tony's parents' payout and Jason's company. Let's go get a warrant." Jane looked over at Nina, who looked a lot less pale and withdrawn. She handed back Nina's phone and considered patting her hand before deciding it might come across as condescending. "Really good work," Jane said. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Frost could have..." Nina started, but Jane stopped her.

"Own your wins, ok?" Jane said. "We don't get them often enough that you should brush them off like that. No way in hell I would have thought of hopping in on their wifi." Nina nodded, and Jane took the car out of park, heading back to the station.

Chapter Text

Jane had sent through the picture of Jason Huxley with the unknown man, and Frost was waiting for them when they walked in.

"Layton Taylor," Frost said, and Jane spun all the gears in her head into sync.

"Taylor Taylor? Mark Taylor Taylor?"

"Nephew," Frost confirmed.

"Boyfriend was killed by hydraulics, yeah?" Jane asked, sifting through papers on her desk. "And this was the same insurance company that handled the payout?"

"Handled all the hydraulics payouts," Frost said. "In Boston, anyway. Two other garages made claims. Both got payouts."

"Was the boyfriend or the uncle injured first?" Jane asked, still shuffling paper, walking up to their board and writing in 'Layton' with a line between him and Mark Taylor, him and Jason Huxley and writing in 'ex' and tying him in there too. "Got the name of the other garages?" Jane asked, and Frost read them out, Jane adding them to the board too. "Two dead boyfriends can't be a coincidence. We bringing him in?"

"Wait," Nina said. She projected the files she'd found on Joshua's home computer and the ones she'd found on the network of the insurance office. "Let me compare these first."

"Tony confessed to Janice's murder. And another one on our list - whoa, I go to the hospital for five minutes and you have all this?" Korsak approached the board. "Two dead boyfriends?" he asked.

"Yeah. Hey, who else did Tony kill?" Jane asked.

"Not going to ask how his ankle is, Jane?" Korsak teased, holding out the confession.

"Damn. He got Jason." Jane turned back to the board and added Tony, tied him to Jason and added Janice with a link to Tony. "He say why?" Jane asked, scanning through the confession.

"Something to do with Able Tech, he's still pretty out of it from surgery. I'll have to go back once he's off painkillers." Jane added Able Tech to the board, one line to Janice and Tony, another to Mark Taylor with a question mark.

"I'm going to pull FOI for the insurance payouts for David Taylor and... Kevin Bailey, Layton's ex," Korsak said.

"I'm working on that warrant for the insurance company," Nina said.

"I'll keep digging at Able Tech, I got a hunch," Frost said, tapping at his keyboard. "Might not be our serial killer, but I want Tony put away."

"I'll call Mark Taylor," Jane said. "Ask whose accident was first, and which company he uses for his prosthetics. Might as well ask about who was on his list of insurance payouts too." Jane excused herself to make the call, grabbing lunch and heading downstairs to make it to her appointment.

---

"It's been a while," Harold said. Jane handed him a coffee.

"Thanks for meeting me in the park," Jane said, sitting on the park bench and trying not to rub the scars on her hand. She always associated Harold with them, and he knew that.

"I know how you feel about my office," he said lightly. "Now, what's up? You don't call unless you need something."

"Yeah. Nightmares are still there, and I'm seeing someone. Uh, you know them. I've talked about them before."

"The doctor?" Harold asked, sipping his coffee.

"You said it was normal!" Jane said, rolling her eyes. "And I believed you."

"You were going through enough at the time without a sexuality crisis on top of it. That you'd acknowledged it was a good step."

"Whatever," Jane said, flapping her hand at him.

"You seem pretty well-adjusted. You were quite adverse to the idea a few years ago."

"Things change," Jane shrugged. "If other people want to label me, I know who I am, and I know who I love."

"Love is a strong word," Harold said, "You've never used it about any of your other partners." Jane looked down and smiled.

"It's accurate, though," she said quietly. She looked up sharply. "But she's a woman, and women who get involved with police don't often stay involved with police, you know."

"I know, it's a common issue I see in the force. Surely that's not what you want to see me about though? Couples counseling?" Harold asked.

"Not exactly. I need better... Coping skills, I guess. I don't want to hurt her in my sleep, and I don't want to snap at her when I'm tired and stressed. I don't want to make her regret taking a chance on me."

Harold nodded. "Now, that I can help you with."

Chapter Text

Jane came back after lunch with new information for the board, but it was nearly full now. The team had been working while she was out on lunch, and Nina had left a stack of prints on her desk, ready for the warrant.

"It doesn't make sense," Jane said, looking through the papers. "Why was Tony after all this insurance information? And Jason kept a photo of Layton at work, but the scene techs found none in his home?" Jane tapped her finger on the desk, looking through the files again. "I'll lodge the warrant. Might get it by tomorrow - Nina, do you want shotgun?"

"Yeah, I should be free in the morning." Jane looked her over. She seemed young to Jane, but she'd been in computer forensics a while. Whatever she'd seen on Tony's computer had rattled her, and Jane knew better than to poke around to find out what she'd uncovered. There was stuff you couldn't unsee. But still, Jane never had the patience for all the computer stuff, not the way Frost and Nina did, hunched over their computers, completely engrossed. Jane preferred being out in the street, doing physical research, talking to people, chasing down perps. But Jane was getting older, and while she was looking at going up to Lieutenant someday, if she and Maura were going to have kids then Jane needed to think about her career trajectory. Something that let her put away bad guys, but got her home in time to spend the evening with her family. God, it had only been a few weeks and Jane could picture a whole future with Maura, and she hadn't with Dean or Casey - wanting them out of the state, out of the country as soon as she was done with them, wondering what was wrong with her that even simple dating was such a chore. But Maura - when TJ had been there, and Jane woke up to go find Maura, and she was mechanically rocking him on the couch, exhaustion in her face, and she looked up and the sleepy smile on her face at the sight of Jane, the way she'd looked holding a baby, in rumpled pajamas because TJ had spit up on her - Jane wanted to come home to that. Jane had been offered husbands, but what she'd wanted was a wife.

"Thanks, Nina," Jane said belatedly. "I'd better send it through," she said, standing, squinting at the board again as though it would make more sense from a different angle. Until they went through the insurance company files, the hunch Jane had would remain unsubstantiated. "Oh, did you find any family for Janice?" Jane asked, adding a line for 'benefactor' beneath her name.

"Nothing yet," Nina sighed. "None of her personal contacts are responding on social media either. It's like... Wait..." Nina got to her feet and headed down the hall.

"Like what?" Jane asked, looking at Frost, who shrugged. "Hey, wait up!" Jane called, following Nina to the lift.

"It's like her computer isn't sending out any information. It looks connected but there must be something I missed." Nina pushed the call button and waited impatiently. "I could try to see if she has a block on her accounts, or if she has a vpn and a policy that prevents unencrypted traffic..." Nina thought out loud. "I've cloned her drive so I'm not tampering with evidence, I should be able to find..."

"You said you were on her socials?" Jane asked. "Any of her friends have a phone number tied to their account?" Nina stared at Jane for a long moment, then shook her head.

"Of course," Nina said. "You still use your cell as a phone."

"Give me a number and I'll call," Jane said, trying not to be offended. She'd seen Nina answer calls on her cell too. "I know you youths have a hard time using a telephone as a telephone," she jabbed, voice dripping with sarcasm, and Nina laughed. "For real, get me a number, let's do it old school."

---

Maura looked in as Jane hovered over Nina, tapping away at the keyboard. Jane smiled up at her, starting a call.

Three calls later and Jane had a next of kin.

Maura came over, drawn to Jane as always, wanting to ask if they would be spending the night together but not wanting to seem needy - they'd spend the last three nights together, it might be too much, it might be too fast, Jane's session may have gone poorly and she might have realised she was straight - or worse, gay but not attracted to Maura.

"Hey," Jane said, the low voice she used on small children that had been abducted, or women who had been sexually assaulted, on men in domestic abuse situations. Maura always thought of it as Jane's horse whisper, because it was a hoarse whisper. Maura smiled and looked up as Jane's fingers landed on her wrist. Maura looked over to Nina, still tapping away. "I got Janice's brother coming in tomorrow to ID her, and he's checking in with her lawyer to see if he's taking care of the remains and the funeral. Is she ready for viewing?"

"She was stabbed over two dozen times Jane, I've done what I can but it will still be traumatising."

"I'll get the civilian counselor on hand, and do the interview first so he doesn't have that image in his head," Jane said. Maura still looked dejected. "I'm sure you did a great job, Mau," Jane said, squeezing Maura's hand. Jane looked over at Nina but didn't let go. "Sally's tonight?" Jane asked, referencing a restaurant that did takeaway a block away from Jane's apartment. Maura nodded thankfully, grateful she didn't have to ask.

Chapter Text

Maura seemed a bit down, and Jane was concerned as she ate dinner next to Maura on her couch.

"I emailed Arthur," Maura said finally. "He extends his congratulations to both of us. He seemed quite taken with you."

"Good, but?"

"But?" Maura asked, confused.

"There has to be a but," Jane said. "You seem... Sad."

"It's not Arthur, it's Paddy. I go around with a target on my back because of him. I had one before, being a Medical Examiner, but it was much lower profile. But Paddy - his target is much larger, and it extends to you as well. We're in danger because of who I am, and if we -" Maura cut herself off, not wanting to mention children to Jane, who might not be ready to hear that Maura wanted them with her. "If we are together, you're in danger because of me." Maura looked down and put her food away. Jane put her food down too.

"You're upset. Do you want to stay upset, or do you want to be comforted? Do you want to be held, or do you want to be alone?"

"I want you," Maura whispered, and Jane's eyes widened.

"Uh, I guess," Jane wiped her hands on her pants. "I could shower, first," she offered, and Maura laughed lowly, shook her head.

"I want you to hold me," Maura clarified, and Jane immediately had her arms around Maura, pulling her tight against her chest. "And I want to be with you, but not if it puts you in danger."

"Maura, I'm a homicide detective. You were kidnapped by at least one serial killer because of me. Your relationship with me has put you in more danger than your relationship with Paddy Doyle has."

"But Jane, what if... What if there was someone else in our life, that we didn't want to be in danger?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded against her.

"Kids," Jane breathed. "We don't want to end up like Cavanaugh," Jane agreed. "Our lifestyles are too hostile right now, aren't they? I've been thinking about it, where I could move to in the precinct that would get me home at a decent hour."

"You have?" Maura asked, and Jane shrugged, hand smoothing over the smooth plane of Maura's shoulder blade.

"It's something I've been thinking about. Career trajectory and all that."

"I'm not asking you to change for me," Maura said immediately. "I love that you love what you do."

"Same," Jane said. "And Paddy is always going to be biologically related to you. Our lives are always going to be slightly more dangerous, but each of the bodies you dismantle... What percentage of those are normal people with normal lives."

"Well, you've put me in a difficult spot, Jane, I don't know offhand and you haven't given me a specific timeframe for reference."

"Last month," Jane rumbled.

"82%." Maura said confidently. "The other 18% of the suspicious deaths that came across my table were drug or gang related, but the majority were normal people whose deaths were unrelated to any criminal activity or affiliations on their part."

"See? So we're barely more at risk than anyone else," Jane said, pressing a kiss to Maura's hair. Maura tilted her face up and Jane saw she'd been crying. "Oh, babe," she said, kissing the trail of tears on Maura's cheek.

"Jane! Did you just lick my face?" Maura asked, pulling away.

"No!" Jane blustered immediately. "Of course not Mau, I know you're not into that." Maura considered it a moment.

"Maybe I don't mind if it's you," Maura admitted, and Jane grinned, kissed her on the brow.

"I know who you are, I know all your family, and when it comes to kids we'll have safeguards in place. I'm in a good position, in my job, to keep us safe. I'll look around, see if there's any promotions I can take that means I'm less attractive to serial killers."

"If you find anything that makes you less attractive to serial killers, let me know," Maura said, tucking her head back into Jane's chest. "Both of us could be less attractive to serial killers."

"Well, I can't blame them," Jane chuckled, knowing Maura was trying to bring levity to the situation. "Have you seen us?"

"We are pretty attractive," Maura agreed. She leaned in and ran her tongue over Jane's chin. "I don't see the appeal, but it's not unpleasant," Maura mused. She settled back against Jane's chest again. "If Tasha hadn't aged out of the system, you would have taken her, wouldn't you?" Maura asked.

"Yeah. I woulda had to buy a two bedroom and get off call for CPS to stay happy, but yeah I would have."

"She's happy at BCU," Maura said. "I set her up with Cailin to mentor her."

"Shoot, we should've had her over yesterday, shouldn't we?" Jane asked.

"Cailin asked her, but she stays with her foster mother on the weekends. I already asked her to come on Thursday," Maura said.

"There are so many good things about your family, Mau," Jane said. "That kid being one of them."

"She's nineteen," Maura pointed out.

"You're more than the sum of your parts. I know Paddy bums you out sometimes, but if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have you."

"You should send him a gift basket," Mara said.

"Yeah, and a cake with a file in it," Jane sarcasted. "We probably should get one for Susie though."

"A cake with a file in it?" Maura asked, her hand tightening on Jane's waist.

"No, a gift basket," Jane shoved Maura with her shoulder before pulling her tighter. They'd spent many evenings on the couch, Maura usually pressing closer to Jane even though there was room either side of them, sometimes lifting Jane's legs over her lap so Jane could lie down, when Jane was recovering from her gut wound. Sometimes falling asleep almost upright, her head lolling onto Jane's shoulder until Jane nudged her awake and led her to the bedroom, tucking her in and tucking an arm over her. To be able to sit here and hold her like this was something she'd wanted for a very long time.

Chapter Text

"There's no way we're spending less time together than before," Jane said as she drove them to the station the next morning. "We've spent the last four nights together."

"Well, perhaps this weekend... But normally we would be together anyway. Maybe not all the overnights, but we usually spend our weekends and evenings together. I miss you when I'm not with you, but I always have. Angela is good company, but she's not you."

"I think about you when we're not together," Jane confessed, turning right. "But I don't think I think about you more than I used to."

"Are you worried it's just infatuation, and that at some point we'll come to our senses?" Maura asked. "That does seem to be a lesbian phenomenon - the elongated period of pining, followed by speedy cohabitation, then lesbian bed death, and then seperation."

"I don't know Maura, I'm not a clairvoyant. I just know that when I think about my future, I see you in it. I always have, but now it's... Before I used to think about taking you to my award nights, about tagging along to your arts patronages, about how I could take you home and make an excuse to stay, or if you'd meet someone and flirt with them and I always wondered why it felt so... rotten inside to resent you for finding someone attractive. Now I think about... the same things, but it's a relief rather than an anxiety. Because I know I can just ask to stay. I don't need an excuse. We were already codependent, Maura. And we used to be such strong, independent women before we met each other."

Maura laughed, and Jane looked at her, puzzled.

"Jane Rizzoli, you're so dependent on your family it's not even funny. You were with them whenever you weren't with me. Your brother works in the same division as you! I doubt you ever spent an evening by yourself before we met; if you were too sick to be with your family they would have come to you."

"Yeah, well, maybe," Jane conceded. "But you're the same way now too."

"With your family," Maura said, but Jane shook her head.

"Uh-uh, with your family too! You're always calling Hope with questions throughout the day, and Arthur is always emailing you for your opinion on his latest study, and Cailin drops in between classes and asks you to edit her papers and Constance sends you postcards whenever she can't make your scheduled catch-ups, and Ma..." Jane gestured wildly at the stopped traffic ahead of her at the lights. "You were only ever independent as a... as a defensive mechanism, like one of those puffer fish."

"Full of neurotoxins?" Maura asked.

"No! No, just... Spiky and aloof." Jane sighed, knowing she'd picked the wrong analogy. "You know when Korsak brings in a stray," Jane started. Maura started objecting but Jane cut her off. "Please, just wait. You know when he brings in one that's been neglected, and it sits staring at the wall, trying not to be seen, too scared to interact with anyone? You were a bit like that. You didn't expect to have anything good to come from an interaction with a human, so you closed yourself off. Being an ME was like staring at a wall."

"Are you Korsak in this analogy?" Maura asked.

"No... Maybe... Yeah, I guess. Remember that Dalmatian, how he brought him in a week later to drop off at the fire station? And he was a completely different dog. He trotted up to everyone's desks and sat waiting until he got his attention, and then he was off again, waiting for the next person." Jane pulled into the parking lot. "All you needed was to know that you had unconditional support - and you do, if we ever break up my Ma is going to trade me in for you - and a couple of positive interactions and you were about as independent as a baby possum."

"Opossum," Maura corrected her. The Australian species is the possum, the Americas home the opossum."

"Oh, and the Australian possum babies are completely independent from birth, I suppose," Jane snarked, and Maura laughed.

"You were saying something about us being independent?" Maura asked, a little lost.

"Oh yeah. As soon as you had a Korsak - someone to provide positive interactions - you know what I mean," Jane said, putting the car in park. "Now, we're technically at work so I shouldn't want to kiss you goodbye, right?" Jane asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. Maura laughed.

"You just compared me to a dog and a poisonous fish and you think you're getting my freshly glossed lips all smudged?" Jane pouted.

"The Dalmatian was really nice, Mau," Jane wheedled. Maura chuckled and leaned in for a quick kiss. "That's not going to get me through to lunch," Jane protested, and Maura leaned in again, cupping Jane's cheek and meeting her eyes as she pulled away.

"You're lucky you're so cute," Maura teased as she pulled away to fix her lipstick.

Chapter Text

"Tony said he was hired to wipe Jason's harddrive," Frost said as Jane walked in. "And if he ever gets out of prison, he's coming for you for his ankle."

"Yeah, well luckily he's looking at life," Jane said, throwing down a second arrest warrant; one for the content of his harddrive and his floorboard stash. "He's never making bail," Jane said with confidence. "He say who hired him? I didn't think of him as bright, but he used to work in tech. You'd think he'd know to wipe his own drive, not run home covered in blood and sit there waiting to be arrested."

"Man's an enigma," Frost said.

"Man's a dirtbag," Jane amended. "We get the death certificates for his parents yet? We get one more body on him and he's going maximum."

"Nina was chasing up on the wills - all of the wills. Said she was getting the solicitors to send them through today "

"Yeah? You seen her?" Jane looked around. "Waiting on the warrant for the insurance company still. Want to check in; she really came through last time I took her, would like to have her on board again." Frost indicated with his head that Nina was behind her. "Oh hey, waiting on the warrant. You still keen to come with?" Nina had obviously overhead Jane praising her and she nodded with a smile.

"I got the wills for Janice and our biker. Nothing suspicious, next of kin. The rest should trickle through today." Jane took the printouts and checked them; nothing stood out. She handed them to Frost as Korsak came in with the warrant. Jane took it, pumping her fist. "You good to go? She asked Nina.

"Gimmie five," Nina said.

"I'll pull up out front," Jane said, heading for the lift.

---

An insurance agent who'd introduced himself as Bruce hovered over Nina as she worked on Jason's computer.

"Client confidentiality," he said again, and Jane rolled her eyes at Nina.

"We understand," Jane said. "Browser cache, bookmarks, anything?"

"He had a socks tunnel set up," Nina said, and the man behind them looked confused. "SSH tunnel to a frontend elsewhere," she said, but Bruce still looked confused. "He didn't cache his creds, but..." Nina opened a password program and ran a crack on it. "I'm in," she said, her fingers tapping merrily on the keyboard. "Looks like it's to a home server, but we didn't find one in his home." Jane looked over at the photo of Jason and Layton.

"Maybe it's his friend's," she said, pointing. "Anything suspicious there?"

"Not so far... It's strange, his home PC didn't have this set up on it at all..." Jane straightened.

"Grab everything off that connection." Bruce blustered, but Jane shrugged. "It's not on your network, it's not your problem." She said firmly, then paused. "Right, Detective Holiday?"

"Correct, Detective Rizzoli. Covered under our warrant, personal files only." Nina removed the USB from Jason's workstation and let Jane poke through the drawers. Nina checked through the client list, and his backlog, putting a separate USB in to take a screenshot of the lists. She saw Jane eye her, and assumed it meant Jane was asking if she needed a diversion. She shook her head, sifting through his folder structure to see if he'd hidden anything.

"You ever met this guy?" Jane asked, pointing at the photo.

"Yeah, company picnic. Don't know why Jason brought a guy with him though, knew he was weird but," Bruce's face scrunched up, and Jane watched him with interest.

"Would you like to elaborate?" Jane asked, and Nina looked up, grinned at Jane's tone of voice, settled back in the chair to watch.

"He had all these weird habits. Had to tap the desk three times when he logged in, had to flick the lights on then off then on. Weird, y'know?"

"I was asking about this man," Jane said smoothly, and Nina's grin grew. Bruce looked disconcerted.

"Well, I knew he was weird, but I didn't think he was gay, y'know?"

"Are you saying weird people can't be gay?" Jane asked, and Bruce looked downright uncomfortable now.

"No, no, just saying. Thought he might like to... Fly under the radar if he was, y'know?" The last word came out a little too desperate.

"Was he being bullied?" Jane asked. "Do you think this was a hate crime?"

"No!" Bruce looked scared and Nina chuckled. "Look, it's not the 90's, we know well enough to leave alone, ok? No one had a problem with him bringing a guy, it was just... Unexpected." Jane eyed him like she was going to say something, but she shook her head instead. "I mean, it might have been. Those photos you showed were gruesome. Someone with a lot of hate..." Bruce shrugged and tried to look smaller under Jane's piercing stare. "Weird though, Jason's... friend... had a long chat with one of the senior partners."

Jane nodded. "Is he here now?" Jane asked.

"No, he passed away early this year. Heart trouble." Jane tapped her fingers on Jason's desk. Nina looked up from where she'd been diving back into the files.

"I think I got everything," NIna said.

"We might be back. With our warrant," Jane grumbled at Bruce, and he nodded, obviously relieved to have his escort duty over.

---

"You are pure gold, Nina. Socks tunnel? How do you even find one of those?"

"Browser cache, he'd cleared it but there was a putty session still open. The external IP is static so it might be registered with an ISP; I'll get onto them when we get back to the office."

"What was on it?"

"Lots of photos. Looked like accident scenes, car crashes, cranes, all sorts."

"Insurance," Jane said, turning into the parking lot. "Thanks for coming with me, Frost has his skills but he's bogged down in our backlog."

"It was fun," Nina said, as Jane parked. She grabbed her bags and got out of the car, spoke to Jane across the top of the car. "I thought you were going to eviscerate Bruce, little disappointed."

"Well, it's not illegal to have an opinion," Jane said, hitting the fob. "Let's get you back behind a desk, huh?"

Chapter Text

They hadn't had any new bodies, so Jane didn't really have a reason to go down to the morgue. Nina was processing the files she'd pulled, so Jane couldn't go down to the crime lab. Frost and Korsak had gone out to interview Layton Taylor when Jane and Nina got back, so Jane sat alone at her desk, alternating between staring at her screen and the whiteboard, trying to make sense of the chaos. Occasionally Jane would get up and stalk over to the white board, glaring at it in accusation, and that was how Maura found her. Jane didn't acknowledge Maura; didn't seem to notice she was there and Maura took the moment to admire that stern jaw and glowering eyebrows as she glared at the board, willing it to make sense to her. She had taken Maura's advice a few years ago and tailored her suits, and the jacket was draped over her chair, the sleeves of her business shirt rolled up the way Maura had shown her, almost to the elbows, her brachioradius flexing admirably. Her hair was down and curled over her shoulders, the effect remarkably feminine.

Jane had almost nothing in common with the men Maura had previously found attractive, and perhaps that was for the best. She hadn't been particularly bothered with the update to her sexuality when she'd realised she found Jane attractive; she'd done the research, the Kinsey scale, and she understood mammalian instincts well enough to know that it was statistically normal to find members of the same and other genders attractive. But the men - they couldn't hold a candle to the strength in Jane's stance, badge at her hip. They were nothing but momentary distractions, people whose feelings Maura didn't mind so much if they were hurt. There had been no long term plans, no desire to include them in her life. But Jane - Jane was someone Maura cared about hurting, Jane was someone Maura could see in her life for a long time to come.

"I brought you lunch. Have you eaten yet?" Mara asked, and Jane shook her head, agitated and focused. Maura usually let her ride out these brainstorms, but she'd been in the room for a few minutes now and Jane hadn't looked away from the board for a moment. "I can leave it on your desk?" Maura asked, uncertain if she should break Jane's focus but wanting to make sure she ate lunch. Jane held up the index finger on her right hand, asking Maura silently to wait as her left hand drew a line between Layton Taylor and Mark Taylor and the cane. She finally looked over at Maura, and her face was clear and friendly as she took the open takeaway container from the Division One café Maura had brought upstairs with her.

"Have you eaten?" Jane asked, fork halfway to her mouth. Maura pulled out Jane's chair and nodded, pushing Jane to sit instead of eating standing at the board.

"I wish you wouldn't eat at your desk," Maura said. "But I'd rather you ate." The squad room was empty, so Maura let her hand slide onto Jane's shoulder. "I know you want to solve this before we go away," Maura said, and Jane's phone dinged.

"They got the warrant," Jane said smugly. "Hopefully they find that server."

"Check this out," Nina said as she walked in, holding out a folder. "Oh, Doctor Isles." Maura expected to feel Jane tense beneath her hand or shrug her off, but Jane just dug into her takeaway container with more fervour. "The wills are all coming in now, none of the deaths benefited any of the other people. Except Keith Bailey; his will left everything except the mortgage to his parents."

"Layton?" Jane asked, and Nina nodded and Jane swallowed more food before texting Frost the information while they were still there, scarfing down another mouthful as soon as her phone was on the desk. "Jason?" She asked after she swallowed, and Nina shook her head. "Anything back from Tony's parents?"

The will left everything to him, care of his aunt until he turned 18," Nina shrugged. She looked nervously at Maura's hand on Jane's shoulder. "I'm not... interrupting, am I?" She asked uneasily, noticing the lack of other people in the space.

"Only my lunch," Jane said. Nina looked at her watch; it was well past four. "Do you need me to drop you home?" Jane asked Maura as she threw the empty takeaway container away.

"I don't need you too, but it would be nice," Maura said, looking away when Jane's hand covered hers on Jane's shoulder.

"Deal," Jane said, standing and staring at the board again. "I haven't heard back from the life insurance," Jane said, pointing at Tony's name. "Be interesting to see the accident scene photos and report. We know who did the police report?"

"Seattle PD," Nina said, and Maura went to leave. Jane stepped away from the board and came over to her.

"Thanks for lunch," Jane said. "Text me when you're ready to go, or we'll be here all night."

"You can owe me dinner," Maura suggested, eyebrow raised.

"Deal, but takeaway and we eat on the couch."

"Helios does takeaway," Maura said, and Jane sighed.

"You order, I'll pay?" Jane suggested. "I trust you," she said warningly, and Maura laughed.

"Deal," she said, nodding. Her hand crept forward to touch Jane's for a moment before she turned and left.

Jane came back to the board, which Nina was staring at intently.

"We're still missing something, I can feel it. I'm going to pull the accident report," Jane said. "I've got a feeling it won't match our insurance report," Jane said, projecting her screen to the wall monitor. "Just for a change. Dammit, do I need to get Giovanni back in? Or can I get Angus from the crime lab to have a look at this one?" Jane asked, more to herself than to Nina, who she'd almost forgotten was there. The car crash looked like most car crashes to her, but then so had the hydraulic lifts looked the same to her. Sometimes her lack of extended knowledge frustrated her; it must be great to be like Maura and know so much about everything, to know where to start to learn new things about something as foreign as car internals.

"Doctor Isles..." Nina started, then paused as Jane looked up.

"Yeah?" Jane asked impatiently, going back to looking over the photos.

"She lives with your mother, doesn't she?" Nina finally asked, and Jane snorted and finally looked back at Nina, knowing it wasn't the question she'd wanted to ask..

"No, my Ma lives in her guesthouse. Divorce, he screwed her over and Maura..."

"She's nice," Nina said, shrugging. Jane eyed Nina for a long moment, then shrugged too.

"Yeah. She is."

Chapter Text

Frost and Korsak found the server in a hidden closet, and they'd brought it back for the crime lab. Frost had a handful of other electronic devices he'd seized and he and Nina had their heads bent over them, figuring out their purposes.

None of it was something Jane or Korsak could help with.

"How'd the interview go," Jane asked Korsak.

"He's snakey," Korsak said. "Never really answered a question."

"You find a cane in his house?" Jane asked, and Korsak shook his head.

"Of course, we weren't looking for one. Doesn't mean it's not there."

"Look at this," Frost urged them both. "It's a DMZ. He had this setup, why didn't he wipe it?"

"I don't think he knew we were interested in him until you showed up with the warrant," Jane said. "You got the password?" Jane asked.

"No, but I have a rainbow table attack set up. It's just a matter of time," Frost grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

"Hail Hydra," Nina said. "10 bucks says I'm in before you."

"You're on," Frost said, turning back to his desk.

Jane's phone beeped and she looked down at it. "I'm going home, text me any updates."

"Not like you to leave when we get a development like this," Frost said, not looking up.

"The tech stuff isn't my wheelhouse, and there's only the one computer. I'd be in the way." Jane looked to the doorway, where Maura stood waiting. For a moment Maura felt the intense gaze Jane had levelled on the whiteboard earlier that day, that same focus and scrutiny, but with something else alongside it, some kind of admiration along with a question. Jane knew she could sign into the server from her desktop and look around herself without hovering over someone's shoulder, she knew she could dig into the files until well past midnight, trying to piece together how everything fit together. The text had asked if Jane was ready to leave, and Maura looked uncertain, halfway in and halfway out of the squad room, not immediately obvious to anyone looking. "I'm already in overtime," she reminded them; Maura liked to get in early, which meant Jane had already had a long day. Jane indicated with her head that Maura should come in. "And someone made me a better offer than staring at a screen all night like you nerds." Jane could see the moment the rest of the team noticed Maura walking up behind her, their faces settling into understanding why she wouldn't be staying late to process the new evidence.

"I don't have a better offer, but I have a number of dogs waiting for their dinner," Korsak said, yawning.

"Sounds like a good time to me," Frost said, setting up another password cracker, not even bothering to respond to Jane calling him a nerd.

"You seem to have had a busy day," Maura addressed the team, looking again at the board. Jane watched her walk past; those legs, those calves in those heels, the skirt brushing just above her knees, her demure hairdo and brilliant smile. Jane slipped her phone away and started pulling on her suit jacket, pulling her hair out from underneath the collar. "I heard you found the server."

"Just breaking into it now," Frost said, cracking his knuckles.

"Not if I break into it first," Nina retorted, and Jane chuckled as she gathered her things.

"They'll be here all night, let's go. Did you order dinner," Jane asked.

"Ready for pickup in fifteen minutes," Maura confirmed. "I'm glad you're ready; traffic in downtown Boston after six is light enough for us to get there within a three minute margin either way - excluding any unforeseen road incidents, of course."

"Of course, Maura," Jane drawled. "We don't want any unforeseen road incidents to leave our dinner getting cold, do we?" Korsak chuckled, following them to the lift.

---

"Do you want me to drop you off and go home?" Jane asked. "Jo's been walked and fed."

"Why would I want that, Jane?" Maura asked. "Your dinner would be cold by the time you got home for starters."

"Well. I mean."

"Do you think we're moving too fast? Is that why you didn't come down today?" Maura asked, and Jane remembered the way Maura had hovered uncertainly in the doorway.

"No, we were pretty busy with the wills - but I didn't want to assume. Your home is your space, and I don't know... should I ask if you want me to stay over? I don't want to presume."

"You offered to drive me home. I thought it meant you'd be staying over; I would have turned you down if I didn't want that." Jane sighed.

"I just... I don't want to overstep." Maura laughed and Jane looked affronted. "What? I don't!"

"Jane, you practically live at my place, and I halfway live at yours too. I'm a grown woman, Jane. If I need space I'll let you know, but right now I want to go home and eat the dinner I ordered with my Jane." Maura paused and looked over at Jane's profile. "If you ever needed space, you would tell me, wouldn't you?" Maura asked, wondering if she'd read things incorrectly.

"You know I would," Jane said. "I'd try not to hurt your feelings, but I'd tell you."

"Would you like to stay over?" Maura asked shyly, and Jane nodded emphatically. "You're always welcome."

"I'll get Frankie to pick up Jo, so she's not alone all night," Jane said. She parked up outside the restaurant and went inside to pick up dinner.

---

"We really didn't talk about it much, did we?" Maura mused, dinner finished, her head in Jane's lap. "We were just separate people until we weren't. Maura and Jane. Rizzoli and Isles." Jane's hand ran through Maura's hair, rubbing at her scalp, satisfied by the hums of pleasure from Maura as she worked her way through that honey-gold hair. "But you were always with me, and I was always with you. It just happened. I was used to coming home to an empty house, up until I wasn't. Having Angela here helps a lot, but having you here makes it feel like home."

"So you don't mind that I'm always here, always coming down to your office while you're trying to work?" Maura wondered where this insecurity was coming from. Jane had always been so sure of Maura, so sure of being welcome even if she hadn't always been at first - Maura planning to read her journals and a little annoyed at Jane for showing up unannounced, Maura trying to work while Jane rattled off a list of suspects and possible motives for an unrelated case. But she'd been charmed too, that Jane had thought of her, that Jane had sought out her company. Jane had never been unwelcome, she just sometimes had poor timing. But she learned to read Maura the way she read suspects, and the adjustment period had been very short - barely a month between being annoyed at being disrupted while reading through to looking up from her science journals expectantly, waiting for her day to be made by Jane swinging by.

"I would tell you if I minded. When I opened my guest house to Angela, I knew I was opening my home to the whole Rizzoli family."

"Yeah, but you usually check before you come over."

"I used to, Jane. I haven't, not for years now. Sometimes, if a case was getting to you. But not often. You invited me home, and I kept following you home. Like the stray you compared me to this morning."

"I knew that was going to come back to haunt me," Jane chuckled. She cleared her throat. "I was thinking of myself as the stray today," Jane admitted. "Not housetrained and bad manners, bounding all over someone who might not be as interested in me," Jane's hand still in Maura's hair.

Maura sat up immediately, looked at Jane for a long moment before pressing her back against the arm of the couch and kissing her thoroughly. Jane's mouth was warm and familiar, welcoming and eager against her own.

"Never doubt me, Jane," Maura said sternly. "I'm not the bounding type, that's certainly true. But you were right. I was used to social interactions being painful, and I purposely chose a profession where I could endure minimal contact. I hadn't planned on someone like you breaking down all of my defenses, melting my walls and turning them into... garden furniture. I'm not the same person you met; I'm more relaxed and sure of myself. But you are exuberantly, delightfully you, and I find you completely fascinating." Maura punctuated her sentence with another kiss, feeling Jane melt against her. "You're welcome," Maura whispered as she pulled away, resting her head on Jane's chest instead of her lap, the rapid heartbeat under her ear making her smile. Jane's hands wended their way into Maura's hair again, rubbing away the stress of the day.

Chapter Text

"I think it's because we're so used to touching each other," Maura said as they pulled up to a crime scene the next day.

"You what?" Jane asked, looking at the body, squinting into the dawn light. She chugged at her coffee and rubbed at her eyes, yawning. She saw Frost's car pull up as she stood to block the harsh angle of sunlight from Maura's eyes so she could examine the corpse.

"We frequently indulged in physical contact at work, even before we started dating," Maura said. "It feels a little awkward now, because now we are dating and not sure it's appropriate."

"Huh." Jane said, remembering Maura's hand on her shoulder yesterday, the way it had felt like Nina had been staring at it. "So we're just overthinking it?" Jane asked.

"Well, no one seems to find it unusual any more. We did get some looks a few years ago, but it appears as though people accept that we're tactile." Jane remembered how Frost had flinched the first time she'd given him an encouraging pat, how he'd grown used to the way she'd tug him along, the way she'd tugged Frankie and Tommy around after her as a child. She remembered how Nina had stared the first time Jane had kissed her on the cheek for clearing her brother's name. How people watched when she and Frankie had one of their roughups in the cafe.

"I'm tactile," Jane said. "You're still..." Jane trailed off, unsure if which word to use. "Reserved," she said finally.

"If you mean I'm more aware of appropriate workplace practices, then I agree. Single shot to the head," Maura said, examining the skull. "Lack of decomposition - still warm - possibly shot sometime in the last 24 hours. Pool of blood beneath him is consistent with if he was shot here, yet no gun has been found." Jane waved Frost over. He shook his head and held up half a sandwich and Jane rolled her eyes and strode over to him.

"This one is barely even messy," she told him. "You'll be fine." Frost reluctantly followed her over.

"You check your texts?" Frost asked, looking away from the man's head. "Fancy dresser," he remarked. "How much does a suit like that go for - 6 gees?"

"More. It's been tailored," Maura said.

"You catch a break on that server?" Jane asked and Frost nodded, still turned away from the corpse's face.

"Read your damn texts, man," Frost said, gagging once before walking away. Jane pulled out her phone, shaking her head in amusement at Frost. There were numerous accident scenes Frost had sent through, one of which quickly caught her attention. She slid her phone away, turning back to the current crime scene.

"How does someone like this end up out here?" Jane asked, looking around. They were in a park next to the beach; it would have been a lovely picnic spot if it wasn't for the fashionable corpse littering the playground. Jane sipped at her coffee. "This feel like an execution to you?" Maura looked up briefly, pointing so one of the crime techs put a measure next to the body's distance to a slide.

"To early to tell," Maura said, and Jane turned.

"I have to ask," Jane said, almost an apology.

"I know," Maura said. "And you're more polite than most when you do." Jane came back over, pointed at some leaf litter to be collected, looked over at Frost who was checking some tyre prints in the sand between the park and the parking lot.

---

Back into the squad room Jane pulled up the picture Frost had sent her.

"Good eye," she said. "Now let's play spot the difference." She pulled up the Seattle crime scene photos and the report, scrolling through to find the cause of the accident that had killed the Alsteads. "Damaged brake lines," Jane said, looking at the police photos again. "They look worn to you?" Jane asked, pointing at the complete brake lines, then over to where the insurance photos had close ups of frayed brake lines. "Now, can we prove Tony did it?" Jane asked herself. "For the insurance, probably."

"After all this time, we'd need a confession," Frost pointed out. "Any physical evidence would be disposed of by now."

"But what were these photos doing on Layton's server?" Jane asked. "Blackmail? Did he hire Tony to kill his boyfriend? Was Jason helping Layton set up insurance fraud?" Jane asked, looking over to the board again. "Was Jason helping him stage the scenes, or was Layton just using him for access to the office? If we tie Layton to Tony, can we take them both down?" Jane started drawing new lines on the board. Then glared at it, arms crossed. The first three still didn't fit somehow. Tony had a line to his parents, with a line to insurance and a line to Able Tech, which had a line to Mark Taylor and Janice Easton, and a direct line from her back to Tony. Insurance had a line to Jason and both Layton and Mark Taylor, as well as all three Alsteads. Jane groaned in frustration. The first three bodies just had a line to the word 'cane' next to a question mark. The cane extended to Mark Taylor, then a line from him to Layton Taylor, who had a line to Keith Bailey and Jason Huxley.

"Maura would have started the autopsy by now," Frost said. "I'd go, but..."

"Yeah, yeah," Jane said, dropping the whiteboard marker on his desk. "Check the Keith Bailey files," she said on her way out.

--

"You're just in time for the Y incision," Maura said without looking up. Jane waited until she was finished before handing over a coffee. Her phone dinged and she checked the text from Frost. 'Bailey scene tampered,' it read, and Jane stared into the open cavity of their newest victim's chest. 10 years of insurance fraud. Maybe more.

"It's only Tuesday," Jane complained.

"Frankie can take over for you," Maura said. "It's unlikely you'll be able to solve this particular suspicious death before we leave. Thank you for the coffee."

"Anytime," Jane said, smiling. "Should I get Frankie down here?"

"Frost and Korsak will receive my full report," Maura said. "There may not be much he can learn by attending the autopsy."

"I always learn something from your autopsies," Jane said. "You always come up with something to teach me, even if it's how cute you are in scrubs." Maura blushed and sipped at her coffee. "You going to cut into him or what?" Jane asked, but her smile let Maura know she wasn't impatient.

"I'm waiting to see if Susie overheard you call me cute," Maura said, teasing.

"I did, it was adorable," Senior Criminalist Chang called from the lab, and Maura laughed.

"Thank you, Senior Criminalist Chang," Jane called back sarcastically, and Maura laughed again, finishing her coffee and digging into her latest client.

Chapter Text

"I checked Mark Taylor's will, since I was talking to the solicitors. Did you know his nephew is Power of Attorney, but only if he's incapacitated or incarcerated. If he dies, it all goes to Mark's wife." Nina watched as Jane gathered her hair into a pony tail and rolled up her sleeves. Frost and Korsak grabbed their jackets and the warrant.

---

Jane could hear Korsak questioning Layton; it was a soft guise, to keep him off guard. He was playing Layton as though they hadn't been able to crack into his server, asking him questions about his uncle as though they suspected him. There was no mention of Keith, or Jason, or Tony. Jane knew Nina was tracking down the payment Tony had received and while she knew in her gut that Layton had sent it, they needed evidence to hold him.

Frost pointed to the closet where they'd found the server, and then pointed up. An overhead space. Frost gave Jane a boost and she turned on her torch.

Two hard drives in a chassis, and a number of SD cards. No cane. Jane cursed under her breath, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as the dust crept into her respiratory system. She passed them down to Frost, crawling down and brushing herself off.

Frost pointed to the garage, and Jane nodded.

"He was always angry when people blocked accessible spaces, like sidewalks and the walkways in the shop. The cane, you know. It made it hard for him to maneuver, which made him angry. I've seen him take his cane to a car parked on a footpath," Layton droned, and Jane's mind went back to the biker gang and their citations for parking across sidewalks, and the librarian with the same fine, and the garage worker who'd left the walkways cluttered. If Mark Taylor was incarcerated, Layton would get the shop. If Mark died, Layton got nothing.

Frost checked the storage areas of the garage, and Jane looked in the trunk of the car. She lifted the cover for the spare tyre.

There it was - a near identical cane to the one Mark Taylor had. Jane took some photos and sent them to Susie before she picked it up carefully, noting the blood caked around the handle, and examined the head.

It was a coin; a silver 1986 American dollar with the eagle showing instead of the heads side, not the side with the lady that had been imprinted into Marks palm. The cane itself was nowhere near as old or as polished as Mark's; it had clearly been knocked up as a replica.

"We need to get that blood tested," Jane said as Frost examined the cane with her. "And we need to get him to the station before he kills anyone else. Careful; if he sees us with this..." Jane realised she hadn't heard Korsak's voice in a while, just Layton's droning on.

Layton stood in the doorway, gun levelled on Jane.

"Too nosy for your own good," he sneered. Jane pressed the autorecord on her phone.

"Dispatch knows where we are, and I've sent photos of this through to the lab already. You kill us, you get beat down every day you're in prison." Jane sighed; she was really getting tired of serial killers. She could see Frost tensing as though he was reaching for his gun and she shook her head just enough to warn him not to, eyes dropping to where her taser hung on her hip, easy for him to grab. "You'd like that, huh? Big strong men in uniform treating you like a bad little boy," Jane taunted, still holding the cane, looking it over.

"You have no idea what it was like, being a mechanic, day in and day out with the taunts, being bailed up in the locker room at highschool, being treated like dirt."

"Try being a gay cop," Jane said, feeling Frost flinch behind her. "That why you killed Keith? So he wouldn't out you?"

"I loved Keith," Layton said softly. "That was an accident."

"You were trying to get Uncle Mark, huh? And what about Jason? Was he just a means to an end for your insurance fraud?"

"It was so easy," Layton said. "No one ever questioned it, until Jason's boss. And then Uncle Mark changed his will again, but I could only access the business if he was incapable of managing it himself. I couldn't give him another accident, but I could..." Layton gestured with the gun at the cane. Jane knew he'd been talking because he expected to kill them; she knew his kill rate had to be a lot higher than they already knew.

"Pretty weak motive," Jane said. "We still hadn't pieced it together until you said that about him being angry about access being blocked."

"You able-bodied people never notice something until it inconveniences you, huh?" Layton sighed. "I really thought Boston's finest would put it together much sooner."

"We would have if Tony Alstead hadn't started leaving bodies around as well," Jane said, stalling. "Where does Able Tech come into it?"

"It doesn't, not really. Tony did my leg," Layton pulled up his pant leg, revealing a prosthetic. "And I threw off his insurance company."

"Did we know about that?" Frost asked, looking at the leg.

"We did not," Jane confirmed. "Mind telling us what happened?"

"Uncle Mark didn't see me in the driveway when I was about 5. Clean amputation. It's marvelous how far prosthetics have come." Jane nodded. "Uncle Mark was always complaining about his leg, boasting about his cane with the first dollar he ever made, and I thought, well, why not?"

"What's the plan here? You kill all three of us, leave us in your house while you jump on a plane? It'd barely buy you an hour, and the crime lab already has enough evidence to put you away for life." Jane's voice was soft and soothing. "You've been dealt a rough hand, but it doesn't need to be any rougher." She could feel Frost's hand edging towards her taser and she lifted her thumb off the cane in approval, ducking behind the car as Frost raised it and zapped him. Jane had him trapped beneath her knee in the next moment, cuffing him. "Korsak," she grunted at Frost as he came to help her. "Check Korsak." Frost nodded and ran out to the kitchen.

"Pity you didn't pay more attention to your Uncle Mark, or you'd know that his cane was heads up." Jane dragged him to his feet, hauled him through the house. Korsak was rubbing his hands and Frost untied the rag around his mouth. Jane sagged in relief, looked at the cane.

"Tails, you lose," Jane smirked.

Chapter Text

"Back there, what you said about being a gay cop... Has someone been giving you and Maura a hard time?"

"What? No, and we're not... Look, can this wait until tomorrow night? I gotta get this statement, have to get Mark Taylor in, he'll have to change his will..."

"Anyone gives you a hard time, you let me know," Frost said, still looking worried as Jane headed for her car.

--

Maura was in the squad room when Jane came in and she immediately walked over to Jane.

"He pulled a gun on you?" Maura asked, and Jane couldn't tell if Maura was annoyed or just asking.

"Yeah. I was between him and Frost, so he could get at my taser. Two shootings in a week isn't a good look, even with our arrest rate." Jane was aware of Cavanaugh coming in, of people watching the exchange. "Add in that he's a gay amputee and it's a PR nightmare."

"He pulled a gun on you," Maura said, her face scrunching up, her hand half-reaching for Jane then pulling back. Jane watched the hand approach, then pull away, saw the uncertainty on Maura's face and could feel her heart breaking - here was her best friend, who'd always touched her, always comforted her, no matter how public the scene, and here she was too scared to touch Jane because Jane had decided it was no one else's business what they were to each other.

"Aw, screw it," Jane said, closing the distance between Maura and herself, pulling Maura close and holding her for comfort for a long moment before pulling back to kiss her there in the squad room in front of the entire division. She pulled back, looking into Mara's face, hand on her cheek. "I'm ok," Jane reassured her. "He was never going to shoot. We're ok," she murmured, not looking away from Maura for a moment, sure everyone's eyes were fixed on them, needing to create this safe space for them both before facing the consequences of her hasty actions.

"Good work, Rizzoli," Cavanaugh called across the room, and Jane finally looked up. They were being watched, sure, but there was no hostility or gaping jaws, there was just Frost's open and accepting smile, Korsak chuckling and shaking his head, Nina looking entirely unsurprised but also charmed, and the rest of the squad kind of nodding as though something had been confirmed.

"Thanks," Jane called back as he left, and she pressed her forehead against Maura's, breath coming out in one long sigh. "Sorry," Jane mumbled. "I just..."

"You just did what you always do. You went on instinct, and your instincts as always didn't lead you astray." Maura leaned up to kiss Jane again. "I like you with your hair up. It usually means you've solved a case."

Chapter Text

Jane took Maura's hand and turned back to her team.

"Mark Taylor will come in later this afternoon." She looked down at Maura's hand in hers. "And, uh, we were going to tell you tomorrow but Maura looked so worried..."

"Congrats, and it's about time." Frost said.

"It's only been a month," Jane grumbled, and that was the moment of shock Jane had been expecting, heads snapping up in the squad room in surprise.

"We've been waiting years..." Korsak said, and then Jane settled a glare on him. "So have you, apparently," he said, mostly to himself. Jane turned back to Maura.

"Sorry about... You drew away from me, like you were worried more about people seeing you touch me than you were about the perp holing us up in his garage. The last thing I want to do is make you feel... However that made you feel."

"I didn't think you were ready," Maura said. "I'm glad you are."

"I'd... Uh... I'd better get my paperwork in order," Jane said. "If we want to put away these two serial killers, find any more bodies."

"Good work, Detective Rizzoli," Maura said, patting Jane's shoulder as she sat at her desk. Jane blushed and let her hair fall in front of her face, peeking up to catch Maura looking back at her from the door. Maura's smile was soft and shy and pleased, as though Jane had impressed her somehow. Jane was sure her smile was enormous and unfettered, and the quirk of Maura's lips confirmed it.

---

"We still getting those beers tomorrow night," Korsak asked, yawning as he put on his jacket. "I'm wiped. I know we just put the Taylor kid away, but it's been a long day."

"Yeah, I guess," Jane said, glaring at her computer. The computer lab was scrubbing all the crime scene photos to see how many fraud charges they could charge Layton Taylor with, and Frost and Jane had interviewed him again. He was refusing to speak until his lawyer came in the morning. "We haven't really closed the case, don't want to celebrate early."

"I'd rather celebrate two of my favourite people getting together than getting two serial killers," Korsak said, resting his hand on Jane's shoulder. "I've been in the force a long time. Things have changed a lot, but if anyone gives you trouble I can hide a body."

"Thanks, Korsak," Jane smiled up at him.

"You're the bravest woman I know. It hurt to see you scared about this," Korsak said. "We're a team. You know we have your back."

"I was never worried about you two," Jane said. "It was just... everything I thought I knew about myself changed, and I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. And you know what it was like, coming up through the academy. The worst thing you could be was a gay cop. It was back around Don't Ask, Don't Tell... things have changed, but I still remember how it felt, how people like me were treated. Worse than dirt, worse than perps. And I want to keep Maura safe, where I can. I didn't want her exposed to any of that, at least not until I was sure."

"And you are?" Frost asked, grabbing his jacket too. Jane took the hint and took hers off the back of her chair, locking her machine for the night.

"Never been more sure in my life," Jane said, smiling to herself as she punched the down button on the lift.

"You tell her any of that? The academy, the vibe back then?" Frost asked.

"No, but I will. She's been patient, but she deserves to know."

"Good communication, doing better than me," Korsak said as they got in the lift. "Good work today," he said, not mentioning being drugged and overpowered by their perp, the rescue they'd enacted for him. "And I meant it, Rizzoli. Anyone messes with you or Doctor Isles, we'll be coming for them."

"I appreciate it," Jane smiled, staying on the lift as they got out on the ground floor.

"Say goodnight to Doctor Isles for me," Frost said teasingly, and Jane rolled her eyes at him.

Chapter Text

"Do you feel ok about it?" Maura asked when Jane came into her office. "The squad room?" Maura looked a little anxious.

"I feel fine. It's a relief, really. I need to apologise, and I need to explain."

"While you don't owe me either an apology or an explanation, I would like to hear what you have to say," Maura said, coming to sit on one of her chairs as Jane flung herself on the couch.

"I'm sorry for making it a ... a secret for so long. Making you worried and insecure, making you doubt that I was invested. And I'm sorry for kissing you in the squad room without talking about it first, you just looked so lost..."

"I didn't mind, Jane. I've never minded who knows."

"And that's where the explanation comes in." Jane sighed. "You know Ma now, as an adult, decades after I was a kid. When she was with Pop she was more religious. We all got sent to Catholic school and we were taught that people like me, like us..." Jane looked up and Maura was surprised to see how hurt she looked. Jane rubbed at a scar on her hand, and Maura joined her on the couch, arm over Jane's shoulders as they slumped further. "And it wasn't just at school, it was at home too, and at church, and since I was a tomboy..." Jane's gaze dropped. "Kids started rumours about me. You ever wonder why no one was surprised I turned up to my reunion with you?"

"I think they were more worried about all the murder," Maura said lightly, and was rewarded with a small smile from Jane.

"I didn't have liberal arts parents, Maura. And when I went into the academy it got worse. The offhand jokes, the way they treated... It was always the worst thing you could be, was not straight." Jane looked up and Maura was surprised by the tears in her eyes. "So I've been trying to protect you from that, but being with you is the best thing I could be."

"Frost said a little about the academy. I don't know how bad it was, but in the last few years it's certainly been getting better." Maura took Jane's hand and held it. "And my mother was friends with a lot of artists who didn't survive my childhood. She's always supported the arts, so while a lot of my mentors were scientific marvels, a lot of them were gay artists. Most of her event proceeds went toward AIDS charities in the 80's and 90's. But so much of the lgbt+ population died back then, so I never thought I'd spend so much time wasted on not telling someone I loved them. Not when I knew how little time they'd had to be with their loved ones." Jane raised their joined hands to her mouth, kissed Maura's knuckles.

"Korsak and Cavanaugh were taught by people who used to have to arrest people like us," Jane said, her voice cracking. "I know it's not the same now, I know that they're not like the people who taught them, but it wasn't so long ago that we would have been illegal, just by existing."

"Then we're living our best lives, aren't we?" Maura asked. "We have our own jobs, our own lives. We aren't reliant on men or marriage, no one can come and arrest us if we kiss in public." Jane sank into Maura's shoulder.

"You get it, don't you? Why I haven't been showing you off like a trophy wife?"

"I get it, but I didn't need to get it, once I understood it wasn't about me. It was so hard - touching you is such a - a habit, now, and I could see you hesitate sometimes. That's why I let you create the timeline. Even if you kept skipping ahead. Although I was hoping that it meant that you'd let me take charge of something else, in the future?"

"We'll see when we get there," Jane rumbled against Maura's shoulder, and Maura poked her sharply.

"You're not falling asleep here. I can drive you home, come on." Maura stood and gathered her things, pausing at the door to take Jane's hand. The precinct was nearly empty, but Jane didn't let go of her for a moment.

Chapter Text

Jane yawned as she put her coffee down on her desk. She'd slept well - really well, with two seral killers in holding and her secret, for the most part, out. Once the charges stuck, they were home free. Two more sleeps, then they were on the road.

"Report came in," Susie said, putting a file on Jane's desk. "The blood matches the first three victims, and an open case another team had. His are the only prints on the cane."

"Thanks Susie," Jane said.

"Thank you," Susie countered. "The gift basket was very thoughtful. Doctor Isles told me yesterday that you'd made the announcement."

"Ah, yeah. I just... wasn't ready. Appreciate you keeping it under wraps."

"And Doctor Isles has the flowers on her desk," Susie said. "She said it was very thoughtful to have the whole plant delivered."

"Did she sound disappointed? I know she loves getting flowers, but it always feels like giving someone something that dies almost immediately is a bad omen."

"Jane," Susie said patiently, dropping the formality she sometimes used around her. "The look on her face - I'm sure she hasn't stopped smiling yet."

"Thanks Susie," Jane said, then looked at the file. "And thanks for this. I think I got the better end of the deal, if this puts him away." Jane stood and headed for the interrogation room, where Layton was still waiting for his lawyer, who'd been detained in the lobby. Jane texted Frost to let him through.

Nina looked over at Susie and smiled.

"Oh!" Susie walked over to Nina's desk and held out another folder. "Forensics came back on those drives from the ceiling that you asked for, Detective Holiday."

"Nina, please," Nina said, looking over the files. "Thank you. The encryption key matches. We've got him for insurance fraud, Keith Bailey's death and the attempted murder of Mark Taylor too." Nina stood. "I'd better get down there."

"Oh! Sure," Susie moved away so Nina could get past, then looked around the bustling squad room. She didn't often come up here, didn't know anyone else in the room.

"Want to come watch the fruits of your labour? Jane's a power to be reckoned with in the interrogation room," Nina asked, and Susie shook her head, already out of her comfort zone. "It's one way glass," Nina said enticingly, grabbing Susie's hand and dragging her along with her, mild protests cut off as they entered the corridor.

---

Jane sighed. Jason was being transferred to the prison hospital wing, and Layton was headed to genpop. It'd been a long week, and it was only Thursday. While it was a relief to know that those two were away from the public, the amount of paperwork she'd have to fill out before she left was formidable. It was late afternoon already and she felt like she'd used all her energy for the day. The interviews with both Mark and Layton Taylor had been incredibly draining; she'd had to read a lot of facial cues and body language, had to change tactics a few times from soft and understanding to harsh and commanding, and she had emotional whiplash.

Jane jumped as something cold was placed on the back of her neck.

"Lavender towel," Maura said.

"Wouldya cut it out with these?" Jane complained, not bothering to remove the towel.

"Oh, I'll take one," Nina said, and Maura beamed as she handed it over.

"Yeah, me too," Frost said, glaring at Jane as he took his from Maura.

"Hell, count me in," Korsak said, snickering at Jane's glare.

"Mau, you know I enjoy some of the things you want me to like, but this isn't one of them," Jane whined, still not removing the towel. Maura huffed and took Jane's. "Sorry," Jane added. "I just don't find it relaxing."

"I appreciate your honesty," Maura said. "I suppose you'd rather go for a run?"

"Yeah, but we're knee deep in these reports. Got to get them done by tomorrow afternoon."

"I told you we don't mind finishing up next week," Korsak said. "It's not like we'll have a new serial killer by then."

"Yeah but I'd rather get it done. Sorry Mau." Jane smiled up at Maura. "But seeing you is better than than a lavender towel." Maura ducked her head, smiling back at Jane.

---

Jane took a deep breath as she parked the car.

"I can drive us home, if you'd like," Maura offered.

"No, I'm still on call. I'll just have a beer." Jane turned to look at the miniature rose bush strapped into the back seat. "We'll have to take it to your place," Jane said apologetically. "Ma can take care of it while we're gone."

"It's beautiful. You're beautiful," Maura said. Jane smiled at Maura over the gearstick.

"How'd I get so lucky," she asked. "C'mon, you ever had a coming out party before?"

"Well, yes. But very different, contextually."

"You were a Deb, huh?" Jane asked holding Maura's door as she got out of the car. "We shoulda dressed up." She brushed at her work slacks and teeshirt.

"Speak for yourself, this is a Lois Frendel," Maura said, gesturing at her dress."

"Yeah, and who's he when he's at home?" Jane joked, opening the door to the Dirty Robber, ushering Maura in ahead of her.

There were streamers. It had been short notice but Angela was nothing if not determined. There were rainbows and streamers and Jane was going to have to kill her Ma. Before she could, a series of party poppers exploded from the hands of the friends and family that had surrounded them.

"Coming out is pretty gay," Jane said, heading for the bar. She turned halfway, to ask if Maura wanted that wine she'd liked last time, and Maura nodded before Jane could ask, exchanging a hug with Frankie. Jane smiled to herself as she ordered.

Chapter Text

Jane looked over at Maura, laughing with Susie and Nina over some simple security mistake Layton had made on his home server. The three of them were high-pitched laughter and flailing hands, and while Jane loved all of them - some differently to others - she couldn't handle that right now.

Jane walked past, her palm crossing the space between Maura's shoulderblades on her way to talk to Frost and Angela and Frankie, who were talking with Korsak about a band he wanted to book.

"Aw, sweetheart," Angela said as Jane came over, holding out her hands to pull Jane into a hug. "I'm so proud of you." Frankie ruffled her hair while she was trapped, and Jane glared at him.

"Thanks, Ma," Jane said, pulling away, immediately enveloped by Frankie, then Frost, then Korsak. "I wouldna come out if I knew there'd be this much hugging, Jeez," Jane said, sipping her beer. Angela rolled her eyes. "But thanks. I didn't think it was going to be easy, let alone this easy."

"Well, we love you, and we love Maura - honestly, it took you long enough," Angela said. "Why'd you waste so much time?" Jane glanced up, feeling very small.

"If she didn't feel the same, I'd have lost her," Jane said honestly. "And even the idea of that..."

"Aww, Janie," Frankie pulled Jane in for another hug, leaving his arm slung over her shoulder. "You have some nerve, you know, bagging the one hot woman in the precinct," Frankie complained.

"You ever call Maura hot again, and I'm arresting you," Jane threatened, shrugging off his arm and waving a threatening finger at him.

"I don't mean hot hot, I mean... eligible," Frankie said. "Korsak, can I borrow your thesaurus?" Korsak nodded, chuckling.

"That's better," Jane huffed.

---

Jane was quiet as she drove Maura home.

"You ok?" Maura asked comfortably, aware of the silence but knowing it wasn't tense or deliberate. She knew what it looked like when Jane was thinking, and it looked like this.

"I'm relieved it's over... but how many more times will we have to come out?"

"Well, none, I would hope. Everyone appears to have assumed we were a couple, from our parents to the precinct and everywhere else we've gone." Jane nodded, obviously still thinking.

"If anyone ever says anything to you, anything to hurt you, you'd tell me right?"

"Jane." Maura's hand reached out to cover Jane's on the gearstick. "I always do."

"Even if it's me?" Jane asked.

"I always do," Maura repeated, and Jane relaxed.

---

Paperwork completed, Jane looked around the squad room. Strange thing to be sentimental about, but she hasn't gone a week without being here since... Since Hoyt. Korsak looked up as Jane placed the folder on his desk.

"You can head out early, if you're finished," Korsak offered, seeing her nervous energy.

"Nah, Maura's doing an autopsy. Thanks though." Jane sat back at her desk and started cleaning her desktop, sorting emails. Maura's suitcase was already in the suprisingly roomy trunk of her Prius, and Jane handed her keys to Korsak reluctantly.

"Tell them to be nice to my car," she pleaded, then headed down to wait in Maura's office.

---

The drive through New York State was hectic, Jane driving as though she had the backup of lights and sirens at her fingertips through the heavy traffic. When they pulled over Maura took the wheel, only to pull over again a few minutes later, more stressed than before, ignoring Jane's knowing smirk as she held the door for Maura.

Chapter Text

"You got two rooms?" Maura asked, seeing the adjoining door, open and leading to a near-identical room.

"Yeah, they upgraded us. Something about how they didn't have a single room with two beds even though that wasn't what I booked - I didn't bother to argue. Plus, if you need space..."

"Jane, I don't need space from you," Maura said. "But if you put me down as 'Doctor Isles' in future, assumptions like that are less likely to happen." She put her bag down and started unpacking, fussing until she found a manicure set, at which point she sat on the bed. "Wash your hands and come here," she said, and Jane came over from where she'd been unpacking, slipping into the bathroom and coming back out, shaking her hands dry. Maura examined Jane's fingernails and fingerbeds carefully. "No broken skin," Maura said thankfully. "I did bring finger cots, just in case. A little long..." Maura said, pulling out an emery board. "Do you mind if I?" Maura asked as she held up the emery board, and Jane shook her head. Maura started filing down Jane's nails, checking every so often that they were smooth, Jane watching in bemused affection.

"Not that I don't appreciate a manicure, but what are you doing?" Jane asked. "I can do my own nails."

"I know you can." Maura looked up from Jane's hands, through what seemed to be incredibly long eyelashes.

"I don't really mind" Jane said, finally sitting next to Maura on the bed. "But why?" Jane asked again.

"I'd rather make sure, before..." Maura slipped one of Jane's fingers in her mouth, making sure it was too smooth to slice her cheek. "The skin of the mouth and vagina are very similar and both are prone to abscesses and infection from something as sharp as a fingernail." Jane blushed, looked down at her hands, looked down at Maura's hands. "I wear gloves for work; I'd really rather not wear them for you," Maura said, noticing Jane's glance. "But if it would make you feel better you can check mine too. I don't want to cut our time short when such a simple preventative measure can be taken." Maura tested another of Jane's fingers.

"Isn't that unhygienic?" Jane joked. "All nail dust and fingernail dirt?"

"You washed your hands," Maura said. Jane shifted uncomfortably as another finger slipped into the warmth of Maura's mouth, Maura looking up at her with those big hazel eyes. Jane looked away quickly, then back again once she remembered that she was dating Maura, that it was ok to feel this jolt of desire about her nerdy but well-intentioned best friend.

"We getting dinner?" Jane asked. Maura started buffing back another nail, focused on her task.

"We should be at least comfortable enough to discuss what we're going to do before we do it," Maura said reasonably, checking another finger, nodding to herself. "Nearly done."

"What are the other hazards, as you see them?" Jane asked, wondering what else she was in for, and Maura sighed.

"Well, we've both returned negative STI tests, so this is more for comfort than for safety, but the other factors are no more or less risky than safe sex with a man. Less, actually, since there's a much smaller chance of pregnancy between women. I know and trust you well enough to know that you won't engage in any disrespectful or nonconsensual behaviour and will respect my decision to stop at any time, and will notice if I appear uncomfortable with what's happening." Maura let go of Jane's hand and looked up at Jane. "Do you disagree?" Maura asked, and Jane shook her head.

"If there's a single moment you're even the slightest bit uncomfortable, you just tap out and I'm done." Maura nodded.

"Same," Maura said. She took Jane's hands. "It's going to be fine," Maura said, and Jane watched the hives rise on Maura's chest.

"EpiPen," Jane said, smirking as she grabbed one from her bag. "But it's nice to know you're nervous too."

--

They did get dinner, some place Maura had been dying to eat. The two rooms meant two showers, which meant they could both get ready at the same time which meant they made their reservation, Maura's hair curling softly over her bare shoulders, her blue dress a nice contrast, Jane looking soft in her red dress.

---

"Ugh, I can't believe you got me to eat snails, Mau. Snails!" Jane complained, kicking off her heels.

"You said you liked them, Jane," Maura said, lifting her heels off and locking the door behind her.

"Yeah, well, with enough butter and garlic anything would taste good." Maura chuckled, shooing Jane further into the room and turning on the lamps.

"I'm going to... Get into something more comfortable," Maura said suggestively.

"I'm... Uh... I'm going to shower," Jane said, suddenly nervous. She rubbed her smooth nails against her palm. Maura stepped forward, hugging Jane.

"It's just me," Maura said, voice shaking.

"Yeah, and do you have any idea how terrifying that is?" Jane asked, voice also unsteady.

"I might have some idea, yes," Maura said. "But I love you, and I trust you. If you think it's too soon, or if you're not in the mood, or if you change your mind..."

"It's not that," Jane said. "I'm just worried I won't be any good at it, you know."

"Oh, I know," Maura said shakily. "But our preliminary tests were very promising. Jane. It's just me."

"Ok," Jane said, pulling away and kissing Maura once, for courage. "Ok. Meet back here in ten?"

"Five," Maura bargained, and Jane raised her eyebrows.

---

Jane hadn't bought new pajamas in a while, and while she usually favoured a suit-type arrangement she'd been enticed to try something new. She felt a little silly as she walked into the room in her slinky sleepwear, but the moment she saw Maura she forgot to be self conscious. Maura was leaning against the wall in what looked like a new silky nightie. She looked effortlessly sexy, but she could see Maura was still nervous when she saw the shaky inhale, and Jane came over to her, touched her cheek to raise her face so she was looking at Jane.

"Sex is just a hormonal release," Jane said, quoting Maura from years ago. "No matter what happens, the way I feel about you, the space I keep for you in my life - god, I don't know if I'm nervous because I've never done this with a woman before or because I'm scared of letting you down."

"You've had sex before," Maura pointed out.

"Not like this. Not when it mattered." Jane ran her hand down Maura's arm, took her hand and led her to the bed.

"Any time you need a break, or anything, anything at all, you just let me know, ok?" Jane murmured, and Maura nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed. Jane leaned down to kiss her forehead, and Maura dragged her down onto the bed, straddled her in one easy move that left Jane breathless.

"The only thing I need is you," Maura said huskily as she leaned in.

Chapter Text

Men had generally lost interest in Jane once they'd finished with her, but Maura hadn't lost interest, and she'd never really finished with Jane.

Well, she had, on Jane's hand, and on her thigh and on her mouth, over and over, but she'd never quite seemed finished with Jane, her hands restless even in sleep, falling asleep with her mouth on Jane's throat.

Jane had thought it would be awkward or difficult, that one of them would change their minds but the whole night had been almost as easy as falling in love with Maura. There were moments of discovery, moments of adjustment, when Maura moved Jane's hand just a little with a hiss when Jane was finally where Maura needed her, when Jane pinned Maura beneath her to keep her from moving away from where Jane needed her. Maura was softer than Jane was used to, her body firm and toned for the most part from all the yoga and jogging, but she was soft in all the places Jane had never touched her, had always wanted to touch her.

Maura had such beautiful hands. Jane had seen those hands do things to a human body, things that should have made Jane fear them, but when they touched Jane they were soft and sure, as though she already knew her way around Jane's body - which in many ways she did, in all but one particular way she didn't, not yet, and even in that way she was a rapid pupil, the pressure just a little too light, making Jane press against her in sweet torture, her tongue always a little too soft, her curses always a little too clipped from being unused to using foul language, but they came pouring out of her like torrents over a cliff, the way Maura fell against Jane when she was sated - momentarily, always only ever momentarily before swooping back in to capture Jane's mouth with her own, still pulsing against Jane's fingers as her own teased more from Jane's taut muscles. They'd never really stopped, but Maura had gone slack on top of Jane at some point, mouth slipping from Jane's jaw to her neck as she mumbled something about a little nap.

And Jane had woken first as the alarm went off, Maura still on top of her, her breasts flattened against Jane's and her legs mixed in with Jane's like they belonged there. Maura's hair was extremely ruffled and Jane was torn between letting Maura sleep a little longer or trying to put her hair back into array.

Maura raised her head and looked at Jane, before lowering it to kiss her collarbone.

"I skipped that last night," Maura said apologetically. "I'd always wanted to..." Maura's lips traced the prominent bones. "You completely disassembled me last night," Maura said, pulling closer to Jane. "There were so many more things I'd planned to do, but you..." Maura took one of Jane's hands from where it rested on the curve of her back and raised it to her mouth, kissed the fingers, looking at Jane without a hint of the blushes Jane had been subject to for weeks. She remembered a moment from the night before, Maura's pupils fully dilated as she leaned in to kiss Jane, to claim Jane as her own. Jane felt claimed. She felt the marks where Maura had suctioned her skin to bruises with her mouth, she felt where Maura's thigh still pressed against her.

"The museum," Jane said weakly, pulling her hand away from Maura's mouth to run it through her hair. "Our booking," Jane said hoarsely, feeling Maura shift against her.

"We have an hour. The drive won't take more than ten minutes, and I can be ready in ten minutes. That gives me forty minutes to..." Maura's head dipped, and Jane moaned.

---

"I feel like all my bones have dissolved," Jane said, much later.

"The human body has 206 bones contained within. Would you like one more?" Maura asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm soooo glad I didn't use porn as a primary sauce, Maura," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "Now, get off me, we've got the rest of our lives to fool around, but that booking is for half an hour." Maura's eyes softened.

"The rest of our lives?" She asked. She propped herself up on her elbows, studying Jane's face - the strong, determined brow, the tapered chin, the soulful brown eyes staring up at her without even a inkling of concern over what she'd just said.

"If you want," Jane offered. "I know it's soon, but it's also been forever. I was never nice to you to get into your pants - although I would've been nicer if I'd known how..." Jane leaned up to kiss Maura. "How great it was going to be. I always worried that you'd just move on and leave me behind, that our friendship wasn't enough to keep you - and I wanted to keep you. I don't know how this is going to turn out - we both have demanding jobs, and if I get promoted we might not work together... But I do know that I'll do everything I can to make sure I have time for you. Speaking of..." Jane turned over to her side, Maura moving onto hers as well. "We're running out of it if you want your private guided tour of The Bone House." Jane got up and went to the bathroom on shaky legs, starting the shower, grinning when Maura joined her moments later.

Chapter Text

Maura had been enthralled with The Bone Room, and Jane, only mildly interested, had been enthralled with Maura's reactions.

They ate lunch at the Smithsonian Pollinator Garden.

"Are you glad you came?" Jane asked. "It wasn't disappointing, was it? I could hear you correcting the guide."

"It was perfect," Maura said, leaning in to kiss Jane.

---

The next day they went to the NASA and the international spy museums, and on Tuesday Jane got to see the baseball exhibit she'd been so excited about. Each night they spent together they learned more about how to please each other, about what they liked. After so many years of denying their attraction, they made the most of their privacy and anominity. But even so, there were times where Maura read her journals in bed, Jane sprawled across her checking her emails from work, sharp eyes looking across evidence. Frost tried to video call once from a crime scene, and they'd both had to scramble for some clothes, Jane calling back in 20 minutes in the other room, fully dressed but blushing like a teenager.

All of their concerns had dissipated after that first night. They'd been together for so long, but not together, and this was the missing part to their relationship.

---

"I hate that we don't live together," Jane mumbled against Maura's cheek.

"Ah, I believe this is what they call the 'urge to merge'."

"What?"

"The U-Haul stereotype. Women who start dating and move in together immediately."

"We didn't just start dating, Mau."

"We did," Maura said, and technically she was correct.

"We did and we didn't," Jane growled. "You know we were just looking for excuses to stay overnight because we didn't want to be apart."

"It took you nearly two years," Maura said.

"Huh?"

"From when we met to the first time you stayed over. You slept in the guest room, and you were so nervous when I came and lay down with you."

"I'd kinda hoped you were making a move," Jane said. "But you weren't. Were you?"

"I was testing the waters. You were so uncomfortable, and you immediately started talking about a man, so I figured you weren't interested."

"I was plenty interested. I just had 17 layers of Catholic guilt and a bunch of homophobic comments made to me since I started the force to deal with first. But you smelled so good, I swear, if you'd kissed me then I would have melted. I still remember how your bare arm felt against mine, the shock of it. You never touched anyone else back then. Just me. Sometimes Ma, but always as a formal thanks for the Sunday dinners."

"You weren't ready for me yet," Maura said, turning her head to kiss Jane's temple. "And I would love to come home with you, come home to you."

---

"I think this is my favourite part," Jane said, head cushioned on one of Maura's breasts, the other tracing up and down her torso, making little journeys here and there.

"My breasts?" Maura asked, and Jane snorted.

"No, your brain is my favourite part of you. Although these are really, really nice," Jane said, letting her fingers glide over the bare skin. "No, just existing together. In contact, doing our own things." Maura looked up from her book to the baseball game Jane had on the tv. "Not that the sex isn't good - you know it's good, you know I think you're an amazing sex goddess, and I love everything you do to me, and everything you let me do to you - but before we were dating, we did stuff together, right?" Jane asked.

"Yes. Jogging, hockey games, art galleries."

"No, I mean, in the evenings. You'd come over and we'd watch tv and you'd fall asleep in my bed like it was an accident and the whole time I wanted to... to be like this. The sex is amazing, but it's not why I'm with you. I'm with you for this. You always sat so close to me on the couch, even when no one else was there, and I always wanted to be closer."

"You're the closest," Maura said. "Closest to my heart."

Chapter Text

A relaxed Jane was someone Maura thought she knew, but Jane's mind was always active, always looking for something to solve, something to puzzle out. She put down mystery novels within the first few chapters, and turned off Bones after the first ad break. She switched off for baseball, football and hockey, but Maura could feel the itchiness within Jane, the urge to get her brain working.

Maura slid over a piece of paper that evening.

"What's this?"

"You'll figure it out."

There were two sentences on the paper. A quick mystery.

"It's not enough information, Mau," Jane complained.

"Perhaps you need to look a it from another angle?" Maura asked, happily perusing one of her medical journals.

---

Jane spent the evening pacing, hopping on the laptop next to Maura in bed, going over to the desk to check for codes, writing out each word backwards and forwards. She went on the internet again, then glared at Maura for a long moment before walking to the kitchenette and turning on the electric kettle. She held the scrap of paper over the steam, watching the letters come out on the paper.

"Smells like oranges," Jane said, copying out the words now they were visible.

"It's a primitive form of invisible ink," Maura said. "As well as the tasty snack we had for lunch."

"It was the butler," Jane said triumphantly, and Maura chuckled. "This was great, did you make it up yourself?"

"I saw your brain was missing having something to work on. Do you want another one tomorrow when we get back from the art gallery?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Jane said, going back to the bed, tucking herself into Maura's side, lazily reading the journal, relaxed now she'd solved something. "You're so good to me."

"You want to do a scavenger hunt at the art gallery?" Maura asked.

"I'm not a kid, Mau," Jane objected, then paused. "But yes, yes I would."

"Your brain is always working, always looking for something, for a solution, for a puzzle. Be honest, you miss working."

"A little," Jane said, her hand resting on Maura's hip. "But I'm not bored, and I wouldn't change any single moment of this holiday with you."

"Oh, Jane," Maura said, touched, covering Jane's hand with her own. She leaned in to kiss her, but the laptop make the Skype noise with Angela's username, so she settled for a peck before answering the call.

"You look very cosy," Angela said, and Jane smiled contentedly.

"Jane has very good taste in hotels," Maura said, putting her journal down and tucking her arm around Jane. "How is everything?"

"Bass was sulking when you left, but once he realised Jo was staying he was fine. Jo is happy - no licking her paws, and Frankie comes around after work to walk her - I think she adds to his street appeal."

"I'm going to have trouble getting custody of my dog, aren't I?" Jane asked.

"Well, it's not like you need the help," Angela said. "You already bagged a girlfriend, you know Frankie needs some help."

"She didn't 'bag' me, Angela," Maura said. "If anything I bagged her. You know me, I'm very determined when I see something I want."

"Did you just call me something?" Jane asked, eyebrows raised as she turned to a chuckling Maura.

"Jane!" Angela said, her tone obvious. "Be nice to her," she added.

"I am nice to her, Ma! Tell her, Maura."

"She has been very nice to me, Angela," Maura said. "I thought it was going to be harder - your family is very close, I thought she was going to be lonely."

"Well, we do call every day, she doesn't have time to be lonely."

"I've got Maura, how could I be lonely?" Jane asked, pulling closer to Maura. Angela smiled.

"I'm glad you're having fun," Angela said. "I'll speak to you later, girls." Jane closed the laptop as Angela signed off.

"Are you lonely? Your team is like family, and your family is like an extra limb." Maura looked at Jane thoughtfully. "I know I miss them," Maura said. "But I'm also selfish enough to enjoy having you all to myself for a little while." She squeezed her arm around Jane.

"I do miss them, but the team sends me daily updates, and we do video calls often. And being alone with you - just us - is amazing. I have a full social life, and so do you, which is healthy. And missing the people in our life is natural, but we're allowed to be a little selfish when it comes to spending time together."

"You're sweet," Maura said, kissing the side of Jane's temple.

"I'm just trying to get some sugar," Jane said suggestively, pressing her mouth to the enticing freckles on Maura's neck.

---

Maura woke as Jane mumbled in her sleep. She tensed for a moment, until she heard something about Captain Glitterface. Just a dream. She stroked her fingers through Jane's tangled hair, pleased when she felt Jane smile against her chest, even in sleep.

Maura had been chasing love for decades - forever, really. Her parents had loved her absent-mindedly, when they remembered to. Men had expressed the sentiment, but it always felt shallow, like they'd preferred her body to her mind. And then Paddy Doyle - his love had been wholehearted and blindingly obvious and not always welcome. But it had been there, and it had been honest, and it made things complicated. And then Jane had words with Constance, and the facade of the poised woman had softened into someone who could hold her when she needed her, someone who would risk her life for her, and some of that had been Jane, and some of that had always been there. And Angela - Jane would have been more than enough, but Angela was the warm, affectionate mother she'd longed for. And then Hope and Cailin - Jane had basically bullied them into playing their cards as well. Arthur too - Maura had managed to do most of the work there, but it had been Jane who'd inspired her to do it, and Maura could see a glimpse of the awkward, alone person she'd used to be in him, had wondered if he'd have blossomed if he'd have found someone like Jane.

But Jane had never failed to make her feel loved. Jane had never failed to make her feel safe and loved, and after decades of feeling alone, basking in the warmth of that love felt like sitting in a window seat in autumn sunlight, the sun through the glass just warm enough to spark a glow.

Chapter Text

"There would be advantages to living together," Maura said that night, Jane's fingers lazily tracing her spinal column. "One being not having to upkeep two places to live."

"Yeah, but I couldn't ask you to slum it with me," Jane said. "Otherwise I'd have already asked."

"You would have?" Maura asked, touched. "I know you're attached to your place," Maura said.

"I'm attached to you," Jane pointed out.

"But I do prefer to have extra bedrooms and a guest house," Maura said.

"You don't have a guest house, you have a permanent resident in your 'guest' house."

"I suppose I do. Would it bother you to move in to my place with your mother living there?"

"I don't know... Jo needs more company than she gets, and having someone home would keep her happier."

"And with our hormonal cycles synched up, there would be advantages and disadvantages to that. Simultaneous ovulation would mean we would both be in the mood at the same time."

"I thought we'd already synched?"

"If we lived together," Maura's fingers travelled down Jane's back, across Jane's ribs, cataloguing them by touch alone, "it would be more convenient. Angela did say she was thinking about heading down to see Tommy and TJ when we got back."

"Yeah?"

"So we could... I think I'd be worried, by myself. I never used to be, but so much has happened. So many people have tried to hurt me because of Paddy, because of my job, because of who I am. And so many people have hurt you for the same reasons. I feel safer when I'm with you, because I know where you are and I know you have my back as much as I have yours."

"You asking me to stay over while Ma's out of town?" Jane asked.

"Yes, I suppose I am. Jo would have access to the yard while we were at work, and I would feel... I think I would feel lonely, living alone."

"How did you survive without my mother," Jane asked, a little sardonically.

"I don't know. I was just surviving, back then. People weren't friendly to me, the way they are now. I was used to it - the loneliness. I was used to not fitting in, to just being a colleague."

"You know you made a lot of choices that got you where you are today, huh?" Jane asked. "I mean, I introduced you to people, but you charmed them on your own. Paddy I had nothing to do with, and that man loves you more than his own life. Arthur was all you, and Hope - she didn't know she was related to you, but you said she felt a kinship, the first time you met? Don't put it all on me.... you were only ever lonely because you chose to push people away. You pushed me away so many times. And then you finally realised I was in your corner, that I was here to stay, and you metamorphosised.... animorphed, whatever."

"You kept coming back, even when I was deliberately curt with you."

"I could see you, under your scientific veneer, under all that make-up. I could see you, and you looked like..."

"Like?"

"Like someone I could love," Jane said shyly.

Chapter Text

They hopped the border into Virginia, Maura curious but trusting Jane for the day's activities. She'd dressed as Jane asked, loose, comfortable pants and sensible boots. She was expecting a hike, but they pulled up at a stable, three girls on horseback in the ring playing tag on their horses.

"Looking for Max?" The blonde girl asked, riding over to the rail. "He's bringing in some horses."

"Thanks," Jane said. The brunette girl eyed them.

"You're not FBI," she said finally, walking her horse over.

"Not military either," the African-American girl added, joining her friends at the rail. Her horse had a lopsided star on his head, and Jane reached out to scratch it, the horse wuffing happily.

"You're right. Want to keep guessing?"

"I can see your conceal carry," the brunette said. "Which makes me think private security or law enforcement."

"Detective Rizzoli," Jane caved, holding out her hand.

"Stevie," the girl said. "Uh, Stephanie, I guess. And that's Belle." Jane rubbed the forehead of the horse, moving back when the entire face of the horse shoved into her torso. "She likes you."

"Lisa Atwood," the blonde said, with a firm and formal handshake that reminded Jane of Maura. "And Prancer." Jane nodded, and went back to the first horse she'd greeted.

"Carole. My dad's in the military, that's how I can tell."

"Thank him for his service for me, huh?" Jane said, shaking Carole's hand. "Oh! Uh. This is Doctor Isles."

"Arabian?" Maura asked, reaching for Belle's face.

"Mostly," Stevie said, patting Belle's neck. Maura nodded.

"I've always had a soft spot for the Arabians. The curve of the neck, very majestic. Oh, sorry. They're all lovely. Retired thoroughbred?" Maura asked Lisa, who nodded.

Maura eyed Starlight a long moment, and Carole laughed. "He's not registered," Carole said. Maura nodded and scratched under his chin strap, his eyes closing in pleasure.

"Ah ladies! Sorry to keep you waiting," a man walked out from the stables, wiping his hands on his jeans before offering his right to be shaken. "Max, I've just saddled up your mounts." He handed them a map. "Just stick the trail and you'll be fine. You said you'd both ridden before?"

"She almost went pro," Jane said, shoving Maura with her shoulder. "Decided being a doctor was more her speed."

"I have some experience, yes. I placed at the National Horse show in the 90's." All three girls eyed Maura with newfound respect. "But that was a long time ago."

They followed Max into the stable and retrieved their mounts, getting the health and safety talk on the way.

"I'll take you to the ring, just to check your form," he said, and they mounted at the mounting block. The three girls watched anxiously.

"You have to touch the horseshoe," Stevie called out finally, and Jane chuckled and touched her hand to the horseshoe above the stable door, Maura following suit obediently. Max watched for a long moment, then nodded, opening the gate.

"The saddlebags are filled as you requested," Max said to Jane, glancing at Maura mischievously. "But if you're not back by 3 I'll send the kids out after you."

The three girls whooped as they rode around the ring, Jane and Maura quickly leaving the stable in their wake.

---

The trail led through the woods and Jane relaxed into the horse beneath her, patting him on the neck, loosening the reins. He obviously knew where they were going. Maura looked like she belonged on a horse, her movement natural and almost an afterthought, her knees responsive to the point where she could have dropped the reins entirely.

"Surprised?" Jane asked.

"Delighted," Maura said. "I thought we were going to do more museums today, and it seemed a shame to waste such good weather indoors."

"We could have gone to the zoo," Jane said. "But I've been dying to get back on a horse."

"It's a perfect day for it," Maura agreed, "and the woods are so pretty."

"Not as pretty as you. This way, there's a meadow up ahead," Jane pulled away at a trot and quickly into a canter as she hit the open ground, Maura quickly catching up and outpacing her.

"You don't know where we're going," Jane called.

"The horse does," Maura yelled back, and Jane relaxed a little.

---

The trail led to a stream, and they hitched the horses to a tree that might as well have been made for the purpose, multiple hoofprints beneath the branch confirming that riders came out here often. Their boots came off, and they dangled their feet in the cold water.

Jane opened the saddlebags and brought out a picnic lunch, which she spread on the rock between them.

"This is one of the most thoughtful dates I've ever been on," Maura said, looking around at the dappled hues of the forest, the horses nosing around at the ground behind them in companionable silence. They were on a hill and the view was magnificent, but not nearly as magnificent as Jane's face in profile as she looked out over it. She'd seemed comfortable on a horse, and Maura could almost see her as a pioneer, staking a claim in the wilderness, shooting any man that opposed her. Robbing freight trains and banks to set up a farm, maybe even kidnapping a sophisticated woman like Maura to tend house... Maura shook her head. Clearly she'd watched Calamity Jane too many times. Jane packed up the meal, cutting an apple in half and extending each half to one of the horses, both of them messily pleased. Jane came back over to Maura, rubbed her hands on her pants, partly out of nerves and partly to wipe off the horse slobber. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a small box, watching Maura's face carefully, smiling as her eyes grew wide, her hands flying to her face.

"I know it's early," Jane said, getting down on one knee. "So it's not a 'proposal' proposal. But... can I make it official? Can you... Would you..." Jane swallowed and looked down, and Maura stared at her, tears in her eyes.

"Are you trying to ask me to marry you?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded quickly. "Do you want me to let you finish asking?" Jane nodded again, and Maura leaned up to kiss her, to rest her forehead against Jane's cheek, to take her spare hand to lend her strength.

"I never thought I'd be the one to ask," Jane said. "I always kind of assumed someone would ask me - some man would ask me - and I'd be... indifferent. I'd never thought that I'd actively want to be with someone so much that I'd be the one to ask..." Maura listened as patiently as she could, until she couldn't.

"Marry me," Maura said quietly, pressing her lips against Jane's in the quiet forest, the smell of pine and clean water, the warm afternoon sun on her face, Jane's hand in hers, an impossible and unknown future ahead of them with infinite possibilities, all of them more manageable if they were together. Jane returned the kiss, and Maura felt Jane relax against her, go from one knee to both so she could hold Maura.

"Only if you marry me first," Jane said finally, and Maura chuckled against Jane's open mouth, kissed her again, let Jane climb behind her and hold her, pressing kisses against her face. Jane dropped the box into Maura's hand.

"Oh, Jane!" Maura said.

"I called Constance," Jane said, sounding embarassed. "A while ago. I asked what kind of rings you like, and she sent this. She said it was your grandmother's and it was your favourite and I didn't have the heart to tell her I wanted to buy you my own ring. I didn't say... I didn't say it was for us, but she might have guessed."

"I love this, but I'd love to have something that meant something to you." Maura said, sliding the ring onto Jane's finger. "You can buy me a ring if you want to."

"Good, because I did," Jane said, rummaging around in her other pocket, pulling out something a bit smaller, a bit plainer, with stones the colour of Maura's eyes around the diamond.

"Oh, Jane," Maura said again, letting Jane slide it onto her finger, knowing Jane had checked her ring size years ago.

"You better not have bought any rings or we'll run out of fingers," Jane joked, trying to being some levity to the moment, pulling Maura tight against her chest.

"That certainly wasn't a problem last night," Maura said, tilting her head back so Jane could kiss her.

---

"I wish we could stay until sunset, but we have to get the horses back, and we don't know the woods well enough to go back in the dark." Maura looked at her watch; a lot of time had passed, sitting there in Jane's arms, watching the rushing creek and the distant city. Maura took a photo with her phone, then used the front camera to capture the moment. The look of contentment on her face was only matched by the one of Jane's.

The sound of hooves broke through the woods, along with teenage yells, and Jane checked Maura's watch.

"Thought he was waiting till 3 to send out the search party," Jane said, not bothering to move. The kids pulled up sharply, obviously not expecting the couple in what had to be their spot. The horses whickered to each other, and the kids looked at each other awkwardly.

"We um... Sorry. Max didn't say you'd be at the creek," Stevie said finally, blushing. "We'll head out," Stevie said, turning Belle to the left.

"No, we have to take the horses back now anyway," Jane said, reluctantly getting to her feet.

"Remember to tighten their girths," Carole said as they walked towards the horses, and Jane and Maura shared an amused look between themselves. "Oh. You'd know that. Sorry. We didn't mean to... And we're not embarassed because you're.... We didn't know you were a couple..." Carole looked panicked now.

"We don't know they're a couple," Lisa hissed, looking mortified.

"We just got engaged, actually. But don't tell my Ma we told you first, or we'll have to elope." The girls and horses milled around with excitement. "You've got good observation skills, the three of you. Ever considered law enforcement?"

"No, just horses," Carole said, and Jane chuckled.

"We have mounted divisions," Jane said. "Think about it." Jane held Maura's horse as she mounted, then she swung up on her own horse. They looked out over the expanse. "Enjoy, kids. Before your summers get shorter." With that they rode off into the woods, back to the stables.

---

Stevie dipped her feet into Pine Creek, sighing with relief. Lisa and Carole joined her, staring off into the distance, an unusual silence over them.

"So, have you asked Veronica to prom yet?" Lisa asked Stevie, and Stevie pushed her into the creek.

---

Chapter Text

"Do you have a timeframe in mind?" Maura asked, looking out over the fields of Virginia as Jane drove them through a mountain range. Jane shook her head, paying attention to the road.

"I'd do it today if I could, but Ma would kill me if I got married without even telling her I got engaged. But then, I just want it out of the way so it's done, so I'm already married to you, and I know we should wait a while. Make sure all the little habits we have aren't deal breakers when we live together."

"And you wouldn't mind introducing me as your fiance?"

"Well, not for work, but at your social events you bet I'm going to be bragging about my hot, smart fiance every moment I can. It depends though, if it doesn't feel safe, if there's any danger by having you associated with me..."

They were driving through a small town, and Maura asked Jane to pull over. They spent a happy half hour picking up gifts for their extended families. Jane carried the goods out to the car, even though Maura could have easily helped. It was those little moments, things that would have been a little rude and presumptuous from a man but seemed natural - that Jane would do it without asking in case Maura decided to go somewhere else or look at something else on the way back to the car - because Jane knew her so well, had been asked to carry things before. Maura opened the trunk for Jane and kissed her cheek when she leaned in to put down the packages.

"What's that for?" Jane asked, and Maura smiled, leaning in to help her arrange the packages.

"For being good to me," Maura said, closing the boot.

---

Maura drove the rest of the way to their dinner reservation.

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Jane asked, fidgetting with the ring. "It was your grandmother's. What if I lose it?"

"Do you normally lose jewelry?" Maura asked.

"No, but this looks expensive. I don't know that I should be wearing it at work, with the kind of people we interview."

"That is fair," Maura said. "I can get you something plainer, for work, and you can wear that on the weekends."

"Naw, I don't want to be that kind of person, with multiple rings."

"I want you to have something comfortable to wear to work," Maura insisted. "If you hadn't beaten me to the proposal, I would have asked if you wanted one from my family or one from me."

"Mau, you know I love your family. Well, most of them, Paddy senior is an ungrateful... But I love you. I'm marrying you. And this is something you've loved for a long time." Jane looked down at the ring, moving it around on her finger.

"So are you," Maura pointed out. "We can give it back to Constance, and then you'll only have one ring."

"Are you sure you prefer that one?" Jane asked as Maura pulled up to the restaurant she'd chosen. Maura looked at the ring on her finger.

"How could I not? I've loved that ring for a long time, that's true. But I love you more than a ring, and you chose this for me." Jane's smile was shy against Maura's mouth as she kissed her.

---

"Engaged?" Angela yelled over Skype, flinching when Jo started barking in surprise at the sudden noise. "Sorry Jo," Angela said, a lot quieter, pulling Jo into her lap. "Where?"

"At a creek, on a hill, during a trail ride picnic."

"Oh Maura, you planed all that?"

"Hey!" Jane said. "Why'd you assume she'd asked?"

"Janie, you know you're not one for commitment," Angela said, and Jane gestured at Maura.

"You ever seen me committed to anyone else?" Jane asked, and Angela shook her head.

"I just always thought Maura would take the initiative, I suppose," Angela said. "Did Jane get you that ring? Oh, it's gorgeous, Janie." Jane had learned to live with her mother's disapproval, but the part of her that longed to be a good person, to be a good daughter glowed at the assessment, at making her Ma happy.

"She did," Maura said, holding it up to the camera. "She has excellent taste in jewelry as well as women." Maura looked confused as Angela wiped at her eyes, Jo looking up and licking her chin to offer comfort. "Did I say something wrong?" Maura asked.

"No, I just never thought I'd see the day when my daughter, the big, tough Detective Jane Clementine Rizzoli, got herself engaged."

"Hey Ma, we're happy you're happy, but Maura still wants to tell Constance and Hope before it gets too late, and we only have the one laptop."

"You told me first?" Angela asked, crying harder, and Jane rolled her eyes.

"No, we found some kids in the woods and immediately told them instead. Ma! You live with my fiance, of course..."

Angela covered her mouth and nodded, waved her hand and disconnected.

"Is Constance going to cry too?" Jane asked, leaning back against Maura on the couch in the room they spent their time in.

"She's had a bit longer to prepare, since you asked her about rings. I don't know. Should we find out?" Maura asked, starting the call.

Chapter Text

Constance did cry, and so did Hope. They all asked about a date for the wedding, but Jane just shrugged.

"You did get divorced, right?" Jane asked, remembering Maura had accidentally been married a large number of years.

"Oh yes, the paperwork was lodged properly this time. I have to say it was a happy marriage, mostly because neither of us knew we were still married."

"If you were married to me, you'd know about it," Jane growled, and Maura laughed and kissed her.

---

"I can certainly tell we're engaged," Maura said much later, looking at her ring, the way it looked nice on her hand as it rested on Jane's chest.

Each time they were together, Jane always found some new way of showing Maura how much she cared about her. From their first night, Maura had expected that same passion, but every time with Jane was different. Sometimes Jane was fast and needy, sometimes she needed to be held as Maura slowly had her way with her, and sometimes it felt like Jane was reading her like a book, anticipating her every need before she even knew what she needed.

But even as different as all those experiences had been, Jane had always, always made sure that she was looking into Maura's eyes as she pushed her over the edge, the connection strong and unyielding before Jane caught Maura's mouth in another easy kiss.

Maura let her fingertips trail over Jane's torso, watching her ring catch the light from the bedside table.

"Did you ever think it would be like this?" Maura asked, and Jane sighed.

"I never let myself imagine you'd be interested in me."

"You're very interesting," Maura pointed out.

"And I never thought all of our parents would be so... into it, for us."

"Well, we still have two to tell, technically," Maura said.

"They can read the paper," Jane said flippantly. "You'll make the society pages."

"I always thought you'd find someone else, someone like Casey, someone as involved in their job, and you'd marry them and they'd try to keep you home or change you, and you'd be miserable and leave them, or they'd leave you, and you'd come back to me because you had nowhere else to go..."

"Wow, you really had faith in me, huh?" Jane asked, looking a bit shocked.

"You weren't interested in any of them. You kept wanting them to leave. I could see you trying to fit in, trying to be what you thought you were supposed to be and getting crushed every time. Dean, Casey... and then using them as an excuse not to date."

"I was that obvious?" Jane asked. "I liked them, but I didn't like them touching me. I didn't want to touch them. I thought that all woman had to force themselves to want to... but with you," Jane said as Maura's hand ran through her hair. "With you... it's not that I don't mind, it's that I want to... I want you. I can't believe I was going to settle for..."

"I can't believe that I was going to let you," Maura said, sounding sad. "I had my suspicions, but I thought if I asked you'd..." Maura trailed off, but Jane knew what she meant. It had taken so long to get to the point where she accepted she was attracted to Maura that any intervention beforehand would have been heavily resented. If Maura had even hinted that she thought Jane was attracted to her, Jane knew she would have lashed out, scared at being seen, scared at being obvious. She would have said that Maura was probably just projecting and had wanted to get into her pants this whole time, would have made Maura out to be predatory, would have wounded her any way possible to keep her attraction a secret, even if it meant ruining their relationship.

"Really? You would've just let me marry someone and watched me be miserable? Some friend you are," Jane scoffed.

"I might have kindly suggested it might not be something you wanted to do, but it wasn't something I could have commented on without you resenting me. And you're so stubborn you would have gone ahead and done it anyway, and then felt you had nowhere to turn when you finally decided it wasn't something you wanted. And part of it was wondering if it was just wishful thinking, that I was reading too much into it. That maybe I couldn't trust my own reasoning."

"I would have come to you," Jane said. "If I had, if all that had happened. If I'd realised it wasn't something I wanted. I would have come to you and got drunk and cried about my failed marriage and hoped you'd invite me back into your bed and just hold me that way you do. The way you used to, when you were asleep, sometimes. But I wouldn't have been able to ask... to put it into words. And I'd have gone back, because being with you even for an evening would have given me enough to tide me over for another week." Jane rolled onto her side, touched Maura's lips gently. "And I'd have always wondered..." She kissed Maura thoughtfully, pulled away slowly. "I never really thought much of marriage until I realised I could be married to you."

Chapter Text

The museum wasn't too bad, now that Jane had a scavenger hunt. She bustled through exhibits, coming back to Maura, always engrossed in something, with a smirk so that Maura knew she'd found something. Mara was worried they'd get kicked out, since Jane kept moving around so fast that at least two guards had started watching her. But Jane was a detective, and she knew when she was being watched, and Maura laughed as she led the security guards on a merry chase through the exhibits, her grin even cheekier than before when she sidled up to Maura at the end of her circuit.

"Just tell them you're doing a scavenger hunt," Maura whispered. "You're going to get us kicked out." Jane pouted, then looked at Maura.

"You'd be bummed if we got kicked out, huh?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded seriously. Jane sighed, her shoulders slumping as she approached the guards, holding out her list as she explained. The security guards laughed, not unkindly, and made a few notes on her list for her. Jane turned and stuck her tongue out at Maura, who turned back to the dinosaur bones she'd been admiring, shaking her head. Jane was having fun, Maura was having fun, no one was getting kicked out. Maura knew that if she had Jane at her side, Jane would be interested, but only interested because Maura was. She knew that Jane had already quickly scanned each exhibit, and while Maura was absorbing information, Jane was assessing the members of the public filtering through the building, examining each with a scrutiny Maura almost wished Jane would use on the exhibits. Almost, because Maura knew that once they were back at the hotel, Jane would happily listen to and absorb any of the information Maura had learned that day.

---

Maura had been busy with the exhibits, but the paper puzzle she handed Jane had her scratching her head.

"It's simply cryptography," Maura said, watching Jane pace and scribble. "Do you need a hint?"

"No, I'll get it," Jane said, scribbling again. Maura made the evening calls to check in, Jane only lending distracted grunts to the conversations.

"You liked that dinosaur, huh?" Jane asked.

"The triceratops? I like to see different bones, and while I was allowed to examine a dig site in Alberta, I didn't get to fully appreciate the magnitude of the entire skeleton. It makes me wonder what kind of muscular distribution they would have had, what kind of gait would have been the most efficient."

'Well, uh, here." Jane said, pulling something out of her pocket. It was from the souvenir shop, and Maura hadn't even noticed Jane go in there. "It's the right one, I checked," Jane enthused as Maura unwrapped it to find a small, Sterling Silver triceratops keyring.

"It's beautiful," Maura said honestly. "The detail is incredible."

"Yeah, and if you hold it like this," Jane took it to demonstrate, "you could easily puncture an eyeball." Maura took it back and held it herself, chuckling at Jane's protective nature. Function and form, the little trinket had both.

"Thank you. I spent some time in the gift shop as well. Where is your list?" Maura asked, and Jane eagerly handed over her scavenger hunt list. "Close enough," Maura said, chuckling at some of Jane's commentary. Maura reached into her bag and pulled out a NASA baseball cap. Jane immediately put in on eagerly.

"Do I look good," Jane asked, faux-posing, and Maura laughed.

"I'd always wanted to date an astronaut," Maura said wistfully.

"Too late now," Jane crowed. "You're stuck with a detective." Jane leaned in to kiss Maura, still laughing.

"Come on, I'll take you where no woman has gone before," Maura said flirtateously.

"Really, Star Trek?" Jane asked.

"How'd you recognise it if you're not into it?" Maura countered, and Jane chuckled against her cheek.

"I'm into you, nerd," Jane said. "C'mon, show me that final frontier."

Chapter Text

Maura took Jane to a jewelry store, looking through rings.

"If there's nothing you like, I have someone who does custom work," Maura said anxiously.

"You know me, I'm not one for all this stuff," Jane said, glancing her way through. She gravitated to the men's rings, and Maura followed her.

"You'd prefer something plain?" Maura asked.

"Something I don't have to take off for work. Something I can interview serial killers in without them knowing I have a weak spot."

"I'm your weak spot?" Maura asked, not sure of she should be flattered or offended.

"Yeah. Something I can wear on a chain maybe, so I can put it under my shirt. Something that my gun won't scratch up."

"Would you prefer one for the left or right hand?" Maura asked. "Right would be less conspicuous, and would be less in your way."

"One I could switch over after work, if I can."

"Can I help you ladies?" An assistant asked, looking primarily at Maura, as usual for these types of stores when Jane came in with Maura. It was like they could smell the money coming off Maura, and Jane was just a bad smell. "Something for your husband?" The assistant asked, looking at the case they were in front of.

"Wife, and I'm afraid you won't be able to help us," Jane said, smiling sweetly. Maura took Jane's hand and led the way out.

"Ugh, is this going to keep happening?" Jane asked.

"Did you at least like any of the rings?" Maura asked.

"Not enough to deal with her," Jane said.

"Would you mind waiting a few weeks?"

"Why, you got an idea?"

"My mother has a friend who does magnificent work, and now I know your requirements I think I can send through a design sheet. Would you mind if it had an inscription on the inside, rather than a visible diamond? Perhaps a pattern? Titanium, so it won't get scratched by your gun?"

"You're very practical," Jane said.

"Your needs are very practical," Maura countered. "What would you like to do for the rest of the day?"

"We could go to the zoo?" Jane asked, but Maura shook her head.

"I prefer to see animals in the wild."

---

They spent the day at the African-American history museum, then off to look at political landmarks. Back at the hotel, Maura looked through a number of material and designs as Jane worked through the cryptography puzzle Maura had made the day before.

"Is this based on anything we would have covered in the academy?" Jane asked, frowning.

"Any cryptography course should have covered this material, but perhaps not in detail."

"Ok, so it's nerdy. Probably ancient." Jane got up and swiped the laptop from Maura. "Got it," Jane said, handing the laptop back. "And I like that top left one."

"The rainbow tungsten?" Maura asked, pulling it up. "With the rainbow inside, and in a line through the middle. In black?"

"Yeah, it's badass," Jane said, scribbling away. "Aw, Mau, you're such a nerd. A sweet nerd, but a nerd nonetheless." Jane read the message back. "'I love Jane Rizzoli.' I coulda guessed that."

"Mulavediya is a very common cryptography method. I'm surprised you didn't get it earlier. What do you want inscripted?"

"Can I get this?" Jane asked, pushing the paper over. "Encrypted, so I don't forget you love me, but also so I don't forget what a nerd you are."

"A nerd that loves you," Maura said, sending through an email asking for the commission.

"You're the only nerd I could love," Jane said, taking the laptop from Maura and putting it on the table. "Now let me show you how much."

Chapter Text

Jane woke up holding Maura. A few months ago, she'd woken up like this, but they'd both been fully dressed because they hadn't admitted that they were sleeping together back then, and Jane had guiltily withdrawn before Maura could wake up and catch her wrapped around her like a baby opossum. She'd make the coffee Maura liked, because it was early enough that she'd have the time before work, or whatever they'd planned that day. She'd try not to think about the way she'd slept with Dean - poorly, on her own side of the bed, waking up to slap his hand away from her body, and she'd try not to compare it to the way she slept with Maura - well, on Maura's side of the bed, Maura's hands resting gently on her back.

But once the panic had faded, once the coffee was brewing, Jane would think about how Maura had felt in her arms.

And behind the guilt, behind the repressed sexuality, behind the worry that Maura would wake up first one of these days and catch Jane in her neediness, Jane always felt calmed and safe. Usually at least one of Maura's hands would have settled somewhere on Jane's torso and Jane had felt the warmth from that hand carry her through the day. Her nightmares stayed away, scared away by Maura and Jane had felt lighter, stronger, better.

But below that she felt guilty, using her friend as a safety blanket, creeping in on her sleeping body to gain even a small measure of comfort from her presence. At first Jane had woken up, having moved against Maura in her sleep. But as the years wore on, Jane's brain knew something was going on, she knew she was crossing a line but she couldn't stop herself from pulling Maura against her, the physical comfort the only thing getting her through her time with Hoyt, her time after being shot, after watching cars explode, after her brother, partner and nephew were trapped in a basement. After Jane was kidnapped. Korsak had gone to hug her, but Jane had pulled away, only to let Maura wrap her in her safe arms at the hospital, to let Maura take her home, tuck her under a blanket and hand her a beer. Jane knew if she wanted to talk about it, Maura would listen, but she also knew that if she wanted to brush it off, Maura would trust her to know what she needed.

And what Jane had needed, what Jane had really needed, was to have Maura fall asleep next to her on the couch, Jane shaking her half awake and leading her to bed, tucking her in, hesitating before slipping in next to her. That night, Maura had rolled over and slung her arm over Jane, still half asleep.

"You're safe," Maura had mumbled as she pulled Jane closer, and Jane, pinned under Maura's arm, knew it was true.

And now Jane had woken up, holding Maura, no clothing between them, no guise to get them into the same bed, no subterfuge or pretending, just a mutual decision to acknowledge and accept this part of their lives. Jane smoothed her hands over Maura's bare back, the way she'd always wanted to in the morning.

"Good morning," Maura mumbled against Jane's chest.

"I always felt bad about holding you in your sleep," Jane said. "Like I was taking something you hadn't offered. I'm sorry about that."

"I knew about it," Maura said. "I wouldn't have stayed over if I hadn't enjoyed it. And I was inviting myself over, if anyone was taking something unoffered it must have been me."

"I felt bad about it, but you were right about how much better I slept with you."

"You're very good at sleeping with me," Maura said, with no trace of irony.

"I couldn't have stopped without you getting suspicious, and I never thought I'd be ready to talk about it."

"But you're glad we did?" Maura asked, and Jane kissed her forehead, hand still trailing softly over Maura's bare back.

"I'm glad you waited so long. I was scared, but it was such a long time that I'd processed a lot of it by then. A year ago, I don't know that I'd have been ready for this."

"I'm glad you are," Maura said, humming in pleasure as Jane's fingers wound their way into her hair, rubbing at her scalp.

"And you're enjoying this?"

"I very much enjoyed this," Mara said propping herself up on one elbow, grasping Jane's jaw with her other hand, letting her thumb brush over Jane's lips. "All of this," Maura said, her hand slipping under the sheets.

Chapter Text

Much later, after Jane had made the coffee and Maura had shown her appreciation for Jane making the coffee, they headed out to the Arboretum. Maura had already thoughtfully downloaded the app on both of their phones so they could identify plants.

Someone yelled 'thief', and someone ran in their direction. Jane judged the distance, then stuck out her arm to clothesline the criminal, chuckling as he fell to the ground. She held him down and checked his pockets, pulling out a wallet, checking it quickly.

"You don't look like a 'Patrice'," Jane told him, watching as a security guard ran over. She handed him over happily, receiving thanks for the family that came over behind the guard.

"And I thought today was going to be dull," Jane joked, dusting herself off.

"Oh. We can go somewhere else..." Maura suggested.

"No, I'm enjoying all these trees. And you wanted to go meet one of the scientists."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're not in DC every day, and you wanted to come here."

"I feel like a lot of the stuff we've done on this trip has been for me," Maura said quietly. "I told you, you don't need to try to impress me."

"I'm not! I mean, I am a bit, but we went to the baseball thing and horse riding and the space stuff... Trust me, it's been pretty even, activity-wise." Maura narrowed her eyes at Jane, but she did trust her. "And I just took down a criminal! What's not to love about nature?" Jane asked, taking Maura's arm. "Now, tell me what the app got wrong about this one?" Jane asked, half-joking.

"Jane, I mean it. If you find this boring we can do something else."

"Look, Mau. I know how lucky I am to be with you. You're a gorgeous genius millionaire. You could be with anyone you wanted to be, and I'm just a white collar schmuck, tagging along trying to understand your hundred-dollar words with my dime vocabulary. I'm not saying I enjoy this guided walkthrough of the state trees, but I do enjoy the way you enjoy it. I'm happy doing anything you want, as long as I get to watch you enjoy it."

"Jane." Maura turned to look at a tree for a long time, and Jane expected a lecture on some idiom typical of the species. "I'm with who I want to be," Maura said finally, reaching in her bag for a tissue. "Everyone else just sees the millionaire, or the outfits and the face."

"I just see a nerd who knows too much about trees," Jane shrugged. "The other stuff's nice but it's not you. The stuff I like about you is that I know what to order for you at the administration office coffee bar while you have a vigorous argument with the staff about some of the 'fun facts' in their app."

"They're not facts if they're wrong, Jane," Maura said, composing herself.

---

"Do you want to go do the FBI tour?" Mara asked that evening as Jane hunched over a new puzzle. "Jane?" Maura asked, and Jane finally looked up, smiling when she saw Maura looking at her.

"If you ever turn bad guy, I don't think we'd ever catch you," Jane said, putting the paper down. "FBI HQ? Isn't that a four week lead time?"

"I applied back when you asked me to come here with you," Maura looked nervous. "You don't have to, I just - while we're here - "

"I didn't think about it until it was too late," Jane said. "And even then, I thought you might find it boring."

"Why would you think that?" Maura asked, pulling out the laptop. "Because we work for the police back home? The FBI has completely different caseloads and systems. I - I might have - mentioned your name." Maura showed Jane the laptop screen, and Jane left the desk to come over to the couch, tucking her knees up as she read the email response Maura had received.

"A private tour? Mau, how'd you even talk them into this? They're going to show us... Oh wow... That's the new system they're rolling out, even Frost hasn't seen it." Jane took the laptop from Maura, scrolling through excitedly.

"And you call me a nerd," Maura said affectionately.

"Yeah, you are, though," Jane said, kissing Maura's cheek absent-mindedly. She finished reading the email, shaking her head. "I can't believe you asked them to do this! I can't believe they agreed!" Jane put the laptop down on the coffee table, looked over at her puzzle wistfully, then hustled Maura into bed, to express her gratitude.

Chapter Text

Maura loved Jane's swagger, her cocky stride when things went her way. Jane walked into the FBI headquarters like she owned them, as proud and gallant as a Tennessee walking horse, Maura's hand clasped in Jane's as softly and carefully as though Jane was carrying a baby bird. Her tight black jeans made her look casual but not too dressed down, and her red shirt made her look bold and bright. Maura had accessorised with her fiance, in red heels and a black dress with red floral highlights.

They met their guide - a young man who blushed when Jane shook his hand, looking impressed at Maura's various titles. Jane waited until he left to get the coffee that had been provided to squeal at the FBI keycard with her face and ID on it. Maura chuckled, equally impressed with hers but she'd had a lifetime of learning restraint for the sake of public opinions.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, y'know that?" Jane asked, kissing Maura's temple, arm around her shoulder.

"You might have mentioned it at least once or twice last night," Maura whispered, watching Jane's blush with interest. Jane still blushed sometimes, even when they were alone. It was endearing. Jane didn't scope out the room before dropping her mouth down to Maura's, a quick kiss before their tour.

"Yeah, and I meant it then too, okay?" Jane muttered as their guide came back, beaming at them and holding out coffee. "If I'd known coffee was included, I'd've done this a lot sooner.

"I hear you've worked with our agency before," Clark said, showing them to an overlook for the glass ceiling of the lab. "Both of you, I mean," he said quickly, remembering that Maura existed.

"Yeah, once or twice."

"Oh wow," Maura said, looking over a machine. "Is that the new model LA-ICP-MS?" Clark looked flustered.

"I think so?" Clark said. "To be honest, most of the forensics I deal with are computer-based." Maura nodded, disappointed as they kept going past the lab, off to the bullpen. Jane stopped, looking back, letting Maura catch up at her own pace.

"D'ya think you could get one of the techs to take us through after? The Chief ME for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would appreciate it."

"She would," Maura said, smiling brightly, and Clark smiled back, a little daunted.

"I'll see if I can clear it; it depends on which cases they're working."

"Of course," Jane said, getting into step with Maura.

---

"And thus concludes our tour. My apologies again, Doctor Isles, that the lab was working on such a high-profile case, but if you're ever back in DC we might be able to show you around." Clark held out his hand, and Maura shook it politely. The tour had been interesting enough without access to the lab, but it had also made her aware that she was a little lonely without her fluroscope and mass spectrometer.

"Detective Rizzoli, it's been a pleasure meeting you in person - the Chief said so himself! Um. On a more personal note, would you care to have dinner tonight?" Jane's eyes flicked to Maura's, the trace of a smirk on her lips.

"Sure, but can my fiance come too?" Jane asked.

"Oh uh, of course. He didn't want to come see our headquarters?" Jane clicked her fingers, leaving her thumb pointed at Maura, who awkwardly waved.

"She did," Jane said. "Actually, I think we have plans, don't we?" Maura checked her phone, unable to lie.

"I did make that booking," Maura said, "you were so excited about their steak."

"Oh, that's tonight?" Jane gave a fist pump. "Finally!"

"You know too much read meat isn't... Oh. Thank you anyway. And thank you for the tour."

"Very informative," Jane added helpfully, nodding. Clark handed over the VIP tote bags, and waved goodbye wistfully as they left the building.

---

Maura watched Jane cut her steak, nodding approvingly when Jane exaggerated her movements to show that none of them were the exact size of a human esophagus. Maura speared herself one of the bitesized morsels, earning a faux-glare from Jane who, in return speared a bite of Maura's roasted wild mushrooms.

"I'm so glad we came," Jane said.

"Did you want to go to dinner with him?" Maura asked, pushing a mushroom around her plate with her fork. Jane stole that one too, relenting and replacing it with another cube of steak.

"With who?" Jane asked, looking up.

"Clark, from the FBI. He was quite interested in you."

"Was he? I had my eye on something much better looking," Jane said, winking terribly over the table at Maura, who chuckled, placated. "We're always going to get... men are always..."

"So I shouldn't be so insecure?" Maura asked.

"Of my feelings for you? No. They're the strongest, softest feelings I have, and no mere mortal could even come close to competing with you."

"You're trying to impress me again," Maura noted, smiling as she continued her dinner.

"When we go back, I'm going to work too much. There'll be times I won't be there for you because I'm at work, there will be days where I'll be cranky when I see you because someone decided to do a really good job of hiding all the evidence and we know they did it but we can't prove it, I just want to have some space where I can treat you right. I wish I could promise that none of that will happen, but..."

"Have I ever complained? You know the hours I work, the stress of my job. I've snapped at you for trying to make me guess even though I know the exact reason you're asking me to because their disembodied head is on my table. You've always treated me as a priority, no matter your case load. I'm not worried."

"You're never cranky though," Jane said. "Well, rarely. And I know when you snap at me that I completely deserved it because Doctor Maura Isles doesn't guess." Jane smiled over at Maura. "Is there anything I could do that wouldn't impress you?"

"Not unless you had a personality transplant. I didn't like it when you shot Paddy... But if he'd hurt you I'd have shot him myself." Jane shifted uncomfortably, about to apologise again, but Maura held up her hand to stop her, taking Jane's hand across the table. "As long as your intentions are good and you make it up to me afterwards, a little overtime probably won't hurt. As long as I'm the ME on call, of course."

"Are you implying I'd cheat on you with Popov?" Jane asked, looking scandalised, and Maura laughed, leaning forward, the way she usually leaned in toward Jane when she made her laugh. Maura bit her lip and looked down at the table between them, keeping her too far away from Jane. "We can get doggy bags," Jane said, looking down too. "Get in our pyjamas and on the couch and put on a documentary about turtles."

"Tortoises," Maura said out of habit. "No, the food is warm now, it won't be an ideal temperature like this when we get back." Jane pouted, and Maura let her ankle find Jane's under the table, pressing against it with her own. "But if we get the cheesecake..." Maura suggested, and Jane grinned.

Chapter Text

"It's not really that different, is it?" Jane asked. "If we'd gone on holiday before we would have got two rooms and ended up living out of one, like we did in LA."

"That was because the hotel BPD wanted you to stay in was atrocious," Maura said, feet tucked up beside her on the couch, leaning into Jane as she ate the last of the cheesecake. Jane fed Maura the last mouthful, then put the plate down on the coffee table, kicked up her feet beside it and stretched her arm around Maura.

"Would we have been cuddling before?" Jane asked, fingertips tracing over Maura's bare bicep before pulling Maura righted against her, Maura letting her head rest on Jane's shoulder.

"Probably not," Maura admitted. "Although we were trying to find a murderer."

"Hmm," Jane said, not convinced, letting her hand wander down to the bottom of Maura's FBI shirt she planned on sleeping in, slipping her fingers beneath the hem, stroking the soft skin of Maura's stomach. "Would you have let me do this?" Jane asked, and Maura pulled back far enough to look Jane in the eye.

"Yes." Maura said firmly. Jane swallowed, not expecting Maura to have called her bluff. Jane slid her hand higher.

"And this?" Jane asked, her fingers creeping over Maura's ribs. Maura nodded. "If I'd never said anything, you'd have still let me..."

"I may have questioned you, but I wouldn't have stopped you. I couldn't have." Maura broke her intense eye contact to look down at Jane's mouth, kissing her hard, pushing her down on the couch, clambering on top of her, all knees and elbows, but Jane didn't mind, Jane never minded when Maura took charge, when Maura set this frantic pace. Maura tore off Jane's shirt, struggling with Jane's pants, tugging them off triumphantly.

"Go shower," Maura said suddenly, the change of pace so sudden Jane almost had whiplash.

"Huh?" Jane asked, and she was rewarded by Maura rocking her hips into her, leaning down for a surprisingly tender kiss.

"You heard me," Maura said, reluctantly dismounting Jane, still in her sweatpants and shirt. Jane went off, confused, to shower.

---

Jane came out of the bathroom to Maura in her FBI shirt and a pair of black pants - Jane's recently discarded pants, by the way they dragged over Maura's bare feet. Her hair was in a strict ponytail, underneath an FBI baseball cap, the FBI pass hanging from the lanyard. Maura looked like a cop - like a hot cop. Jane had wondered sometimes what Maura would look like in Jane's dress uniform, but this was hotter, even if it wasn't regulation, even if Maura wasn't carrying.

"I heard you were doing credit card fraud," Maura said gruffly, and Jane stifled a laugh. Jane raised her hands.

"You got me," Jane said. "I did all the credit card fraud, it was super naughty."

"Are you to going to confess?" Maura asked, pushing Jane against a wall. "Or am I going to have to frisk you?"

"I'll never confess to all that naughty, naughty credit card fraud that I totally did," Jane said, resting a forearm against her forehead.

"I guess we have to do this the hard way," Maura sighed, running her hands over Jane's towel.

"Ok, but you can't frisk someone like that, I could easily get the drop on you by..." Jane raised her forearm against Maura's chest. "Sorry, you were trying to... Um, I mean," Jane's voice went back to seductive. "I hope there's no punishment for any of my naughty crimes."

"It's not like I ever get to see you arrest people," Maura pouted. "Is this too much like work? I just had an idea..."

"You got to watch me arrest that guy you stabbed, the werewolf case, didn't you? Anyway, it's not realistic enough to be like work. C'mon, you were about to tell me my punishment."

"You're going to jail," Maura said.

"Oh." Jane looked confused. She'd done a bit of roleplay, back when she was in uniform, but never as a perp, and never by someone so bad at being able to lie that their creativity was stifled like this.

"I'm ruining it, aren't I?" Maura asked. "What should I have said?"

"Usually it's a spanking," Jane said. "And while you're not pulling off the badass cop vibe perfectly, you do look adorable in my pants and the rest of that outfit. Like a nerd at comiccon."

"I'd always kind of pictured you being the cop, but you are the cop."

"Tell you what, let me work off all that credit card fraud, and next time we do sexy doctor. I'll be the doctor." Jane nearly laughed at the look on Maura's face. "I'll do a thorough examination of your epidermis," Jane offered, and Maura's eyes narrowed.

"Are our jobs really that sexualised?" Maura asked.

"Babe, you got me in a towel but I'm not exactly dry over here," Jane murmured. "Don't start a game if you don't intend to keep playing."

"Oh! Uh, drop and give me twenty."

"That's the military, Maura!"

"Like they never made you do pushups at the academy," Maura scoffed.

"Yeah, but we don't make perps do it. Can I... try something?" Maura nodded, and Jane grabbed Maura and pushed her against the wall, swapping their places.

"I've been undercover, and I've seen you taking those bribes from that credit card fraud ring. You're under arrest."

"On what charges?" Maura asked, and Jane let out a high whine of frustration before smirking, leaning in to kiss Maura long and slow, pulling off the baseball cap and cupping Maura's face.

"Stealing my heart, you felon," Jane said gently, pulling away a little. Maura's eyes were impossibly wide, and Maura started backing Jane up to the bed. She sat Jane on the edge of the bed and climbed onto her lap.

"You stole mine first," she whispered, kissing Jane again.

"Nuh-uh," Jane said, teasingly.

"You did," Maura said breathlessly. "I barely even noticed."

"Does that make me the felon now?" Jane asked, pulling Maura's shirt off. "Is this a federal crime?"

"It's criminal how much I love you when you're being so sarcastic," Maura said, and Jane flipped Maura onto the bed and pinned her.

"Aha! A confession!" Jane grinned, and Maura rolled her eyes.

---

"You haven't done much roleplay, huh?" Jane asked, letting the smooth pads of her fingers skim along Maura's back and shoulders.

"No, I just had a silly idea and..."

"It was a good idea," Jane said. "Just poorly researched, and that shows me how much you wanted to do it, because if there's one thing you love it's research." Maura blushed. "Do you want to... give it a proper go sometime? With roles that have nothing to do with our jobs?"

"Cowboy," Maura blurted, and Jane nodded.

"I believe I can make that work, ma'am," Jane drawled.

Chapter Text

"You haven't done much shopping," Jane pointed out the next morning. "There must be some local boutiques you've been dying to scope out."

"I didn't want to drag you along with me, I know you don't enjoy it, and the whole point of this was to spend time together. I'm sure there's some things you wanted to do here that you know I don't enjoy."

"We don't have to be together every moment, Maura. We are seperate people. If there's something you want to do, you should do it. We're driving home tomorrow."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"You want me to come with you?"

"Not for the whole time, not if you don't want to." Maura said, aware that her interest in fashion wasn't one Jane shared.

"Take me to the one you think is best, and I'll head out from there." Jane smiled mischievously. "I can keep myself occupied for an afternoon." Maura eyed her dubiously but nodded.

---

"Call me if you need anything carried out to the car, ok?" Jane said, kissing Maura's cheeks as she headed off out of the store. Maura nodded, distracted. Jane went down a few stores, grinning to herself.

---

"Looks like you bought something too? Should we leave it all in the car? To save us having to pack it all tomorrow?"

"Uh... I have to..." Jane grabbed her things and closed the boot.

---

Jane spent a long time on the computer, and Maura thought she was trying to solve the third puzzle she'd made for Jane.

"Just... Be right back," Jane said, and Maura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She looked at the laptop, but the search history hadn't changed or had been erased. She was going to have to enrol in that online computer forensics course, she reminded herself.

"Uh... Can you... The other room? For a minute?" Jane asked, closing the door behind her. "There's something for you in there. Take this," Jane handed over what looked like a script, and Maura walked to the other room, reading.

---

"Well, howdy there, ma'am," Jane said, kicking out the other chair from the table with her foot that was enclosed in a cowboy boot, knees spread wide, beer on the table in front of her. She wore rusty chinos, a black button down not all buttoned up, a brown suede waistcoat, a string tie and a stetson tipped low over her forehead. She tipped it back as Maura sat down, eyed her appraisingly in the dark blue corsetted dress Maura had found in the other room.

"Obliged, I'm sure," Maura said. "You see, I'm on the run from the law. My family planned me to marry this absolute swine of a man, and I just couldn't. Mighta stabbed him a few times when he made advances on me."

"Sounds like you've had a terrible time of it," Jane said, running her fingers over the neck of the bottle, handing Maura a beer too. "Now, how can I help you?"

"Well, I heard in town that you..." Maura paused, pulled her script out from under her dress. "You needed some housekeeping, and I keep a good house."

"I bet you do, ma'am." Jane rubbed her nails against her shirt. "But I don't have much use for women, seeing as I am one." Maura looked down at her script in surprise. "That shock you, huh? You don't want to be living with an ol' ornery crossdresser like me."

"Jane... Why is your character telling me this when they've just met?" Maura asked.

"Because shaddup, that's why. It's been lonely here in this deserted cabin in the woods, 60 miles from the nearest town, and when I saw you threwn from that thar demon horse," Jane pointed at the window, and Maura looked out of it obligingly, not seeing a horse because there was no horse there. "I thought to myself, well. I thought it's been lonely long enough. I don't need me a woman to keep for me, but I wouldn't mind having a woman like you to keep." Jane pulled off her hat, turning the brim in her hands, watching her thumbs before looking up. "How about it?" Jane asked.

"This feels like a lot of exposition," Maura said sceptically.

"Well, it's hard to write lady cowboys, Maura," Jane said, trying not to glare. "Now, how 'bout it?" Jane asked again, her voice low and soft.

"I'd pictured a train robbery or... Oh! Um," Maura pulled out her script again. "Yes! My betrothed was not a woman and that's why I resented him. Jane, that felt lazy."

"At least I did my research," Jane mumbled, and Maura looked over.

"I'm sorry, I'm ruining it again, aren't I?"

"Do you want to keep going?"

"I like the idea of the secluded cabin, and I like the lady cowboy..." Jane got to her feet, pulling the cowboy hat back on her head in one steady flip up her arm.

"Good, now c'm'ere, Missy," Jane said, pulling Maura to her feet and kissing her.

---

"Was that ok?" Jane asked later, stroking Maura's hair away from her face, which rested on Jane's chest, her shirt open but left on, the same as her pants. She grabbed the cowboy hat and put it on Maura's head. "Or did you want to be the cowboy too."

"I can't believe you wrote a script!" Maura said.

"You like to be prepared," Jane mumbled, embarrassed. "I didn't want you to feel like you had to improvise."

"It was lovely, but I think the best part was the outfit," Maura said, playing with the waistcoat. "And the idea that - like Calamity Jane, the musical. Two women alone in the woods, one disguised as a man. So they could be together." Maura propped herself up to look at Jane. "I'm just glad we live in this time, where we don't have to hide or disguise who we are, or go live in the woods so nobody knows." She kissed Jane. "I liked it very much, but the exposition is what worked for me."

"Aren't you glad I did so much of it?" Jane smirked. Maura slid her hand under Jane's shirt, bent her head down to kiss her.

"I sure am," Maura said. "Now ride 'em, cowboy,"

Chapter Text

Jane woke up, still tangled in the remnants of her cowboy outfit. She groaned and rubbed her face.

"I can't believe we have to go home today," she grumbled, pulling Maura tighter against her.

"We do both have an abundance of leave," Maura said, stroking across the plain of Jane's exposed stomach. "We could do this sort of thing more often."

"Looks like I've been saving it up for a honeymoon," Jane said, looking over at Maura, her hair tousled in the dawn light, her face bare and the freckles usually covered in a light dusting of makeup easily visible. Jane had meant to map those freckles like the night sky, to observe the constellations and name each of them, to kiss each shining star before it disappeared in the daylight. "We could go up to Canada," Jane said, thinking of her meagre bank balance. "I could get my passport," Jane said wistfully, thinking of all the places she'd wanted to go as a child and somehow never had time for. She looked over at Maura again, eyes narrowed. "And you need a very good lawyer to write you a very good pre-nup." Jane said seriously. "Even before we start talking dates."

"My family has one drafted, but I wasn't going to -"

"You should. Just because it's me doesn't mean I'll always do the right thing by you, you know how marriages get when there's money involved."

Maura sighed, digging her face deeper into Jane's neck. "We really do see the worst of people, don't we?" She asked. "I'll do it, if only so you won't have a motive if I get murdered."

"Aww, trying to protect me from a murder investigation, so sweet," Jane said, a little sarcastically.

"You're just lucky I have no motive to murder you," Maura retorted. "Angela is flying down to Florida mid-week, so you could just stay the whole week, if you wanted to. Jo's already there."

"You want me to?" Jane asked, feeling a little insecure.

"After a week of this, to go back to my own house, to be alone, to sleep alone - please," Maura said.

"I'd miss you too," Jane said. "Ok, I feel less bad about going home if I'm going home with you. I'm going for a jog - want me to make some coffee or bring some back?"

"Neither, I'll come with you," Maura said, reluctantly releasing Jane's suede waistcoat.

---

They jogged past The White House, then up to the George Washington statue, down to the Lincoln memorial then across to the Washington Monument and back to the hotel, stopping to grab coffee on their way back.

---

Jane would have been happy to throw everything into her suitcase, but she was aware that Maura was covertly watching her, aware that she had a tendency to get a bit feral at times. She folded things, even though she was aware they were just going to be put in Maura's high-tech washing machine as soon as they got back to Boston.

"I'm messy," Jane said suddenly. "And you're obsessively neat. What if we can't live together?"

Maura looked around the hotel room. Jane had managed to put her clothes away, had managed to throw the trash in the bin, had managed to wash their mugs every morning. She wondered if it had been a concern for Jane this entire time.

"I try to clean up after myself, but a lot of the time I'm straight out the door once the phone rings, and home after midnight, and I'd rather get some sleep than try to clean up, and then it compounds..."

"I've been to your appartment, Jane," Maura reminded her gently.

"But that's my space. I don't want to stress you out in your own home."

"Jane, do you remember the first time Hope came over?"

"Yeah, that was rough."

"It was, and what I remember most about that night now is how you made me take a wine and sit down with Angela, with her holding me even though she didn't know why yet, and you cleared the table and ran the dishwasher and put everything away before you came down and sat with me, and you took my hands and said that no matter what, I had your family, and I had my family, and Hope and Cailin were just people I was getting to know. That they didn't have to be family if I didn't want them to be family, and your hands were wrinkled from the dishes and I felt so - you knew I'd have stayed up cleaning for hours if you'd let me, so you didn't let me. And you always offer to clean up."

"I just worry - if I live there, I'll stop seeing things out of place and putting them back, like I do in my place."

"Nothing in your place has a place, that's why you leave things everywhere," Maura said. "Well, part of it."

"You'll be patient?" Jane asked, grimacing.

"I'll try," Maura said. "But you have to try too."

"Ok," Jane picked up Maura's suitcase and set it down, grabbing her own as well. "You do a walk-through, I'll put these in the car."

---

Maura joined Jane at the front desk to return the keys. The hotel had clearly realised their mistake but hadn't mentioned it or asked for the second room back, and Maura could see Jane winding up to tease them about it, so she dug her elbow into Jane's ribs.

---

Maura looked dreamily out at the woods as Jane drove through upstate Maryland and New York, watching eagles overhead and streams babbling past. She thought back to riding through the woods, her eyes drifting shut, imagining her and Jane in costume, riding through the woods two hundred years ago, and two hundred years into the future.

Jane looked over at Maura, sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat as she stopped at a traffic light. She hadn't known, for so long, that what she'd been looking for had been right beside her.

Chapter Text

Jane let Maura take the suitcases, gathering all the unruly bulky packages from Maura's shopping instead. Jo met Maura at the door, tiny tail wagging as Maura dragged the suitcases out of the way so she could pick up the bundle of happiness. Jane put Maura's bags down on the couch and took Jo as Maura went back out for more of her purchases.

"Oh, you're back," Angela said, coming in from the side door, wrapping Jane in her arms, Jo whining and licking them both. Maura came back in, and Jane wriggled free to go clear out the trunk of Maura's car. "I hope it's alright, I invited everyone around for Sunday dinner to welcome you back."

"I don't mind, it'll be nice to see everyone before we go back to work. Jane, is that everything?" Jane nodded, closing the door behind her.

"I'll put the laundry on, ok?" Jane called as she grabbed the suitcases.

"Is that the ring?" Angela gushed, and Maura slipped it off of her finger, handed it over. "Oh it's perfect. Janie, it's perfect." Maura slid it back on. "It looks so good on you, Jane I didn't know you knew this much about rings," Angela called, and Jane popped out, smirking.

"I didn't until I needed one for her," Jane said, disappearing again.

---

Angela went through all the holiday photos with Maura and Jane, one or the other of them skipping out to change over the laundry or refresh the teapot. It felt natural, being here. It always had, with the amount of time they spent there.

"I'm glad you're both here," Angela said, squeezing Jane. "If you're getting married, you won't want me in the guest house. I'm looking at places."

"Ma..."

"Our work hours won't be changing, and I have always appreciated your company after work, you feeding Bass when I'm working late and keeping an eye on the main house when I'm out of town. Jane will be staying over this week, and if things aren't working out we can decide from there."

"Ma, worst comes to worst you can have my place, don't go looking. You sank your education and your working career for a man who barely did the bare minimum for you, so you could take care of us. I'll take care of you, ok?" Angela squeezed Jane again, kissing her forehead.

---

Angela bustled around, getting dinner ready.

"I'm going to go see Paddy," Jane said, grabbing her keys.

"Really? Why?" Maura asked.

"Figure I should be the one to tell him. You know what the Doyle's are like about their kids."

"I'm coming too," Maura said firmly, and Jane ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

"Ok, but I talk to him first, ok? If it goes poorly, it's my head on the line."

"He loves me, in his own maladaptive way, Jane. He'd never put a hit out on me."

"And I'm trying to prevent him putting a hit out on me too," Jane said, jaw firm.

---

"Detective," Paddy said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm marrying Maura," Jane said without preamble. "And if you're going to put a hit out I'd like the courtesy of being the first to know."

Paddy squinted at her, then laughed.

"You think I'd put a hit out on my daughter's personal bodyguard? You know how much it would cost to replace you? And Maura, Maura would be real upset, anything happened to you. I'm not blind. You'd take a bullet for her, and that's the only reason you're still standing."

Jane looked at him, considering what he'd said. "And our children? They'll be safe too?"

"I hid her from my father. I watched her grow up from so far away. History won't repeat here. You have my word on it. She might be a target because of who I am, but my men are loyal and they have the situation under wraps."

Paddy looked at her, not quite smiling. "So I suppose congratulations are in order. Those Martin women, you know they have a way of getting hold of you. Making you feel like a better person than you could ever be. I hope you can live up to that." Jane nodded, recognising the challenge.

"Maura's here too. If you weren't amenable I was going to let her go home without seeing you, but for some reason she wants to." Jane turned and nodded to the guard, and Maura came in.

Paddy went to rise to his feet, then stopped.

"How are you," Paddy asked, that soft voice Jane only heard when Maura was in the room.

"I'm well. Paddy Senior sends his regards. We saw him while they arranged your visiting time."

Paddy chuckled. "You're the only thing he's ever admitted to being wrong about," Paddy said. "His letters... You certainly made an impression."

"Jane told you?" Maura asked, and Paddy nodded.

"I've seen the way she protects you. You know I don't like cops, but I like the way she treats you."

"That's it?" Maura asked in surprise.

"I figured you were together when I let you meet me. My love for Hope was disproved of by my father, what kind of hypocrite would I be if I followed that example?"

"A mobster with a heart of gold," Jane quipped.

"Speaking of Hope," Paddy said, and his eyes lit up, even more than they had when he'd seen Maura.

Maura sighed.

"She's well. She's still - conflicted. You told her you wouldn't hurt women or children, and she believed you. She believed in you. She doesn't trust you."

"Would she ever consider..." Paddy coughed. Brought out a letter. "The guards have checked it already. Thought it might mean more, coming from you."

Maura sighed again. Took the letter.

"Is she happy?" Paddy asked, and Jane could see a man who'd loved a woman for decades. Maura nodded.

"Sometimes," Maura said. "No one's always happy."

"And Constance?"

"She's doing well. I thought she had been sending letters?"

Paddy nodded. "She has, and they're almost as welcome as your visits." The guard coughed, and Jane turned, watching him tap his watch.

"You look happy," Paddy said to Maura. "I'm glad."

"She makes me happy," Maura said, following Jane out of the visiting room.

Chapter Text

After a week alone it was hard to spend time with other people. The Martin's car was there, as was Frankie's bike.

"I missed them," Maura sighed. "But I wouldn't change a moment of our holiday." Jane got out of the car, opening Maura's door for her.

"Neither," Jane said, "I already miss it."

---

"We're picking up Jane's ring next week," Maura said. "A local artist my mother knows is making it." Jane noted Hope's flinch when she realised Maura meant Constance. Jane's phone rang and she looked down. She wasn't on call, but she was itching for a case. Frank. Jane rolled her eyes and hit the decline button. It rang again once, and Jane heard Angela's phone ring. She saw her roll her eyes, look over at Jane and shrug, then turn off her ringer. Frankie was next, and he looked at Jane and Angela, putting his phone away. Hope, Cailin and Maura hadn't seemed to notice. Jane got a text.

'I told Tommy,' from Frankie.

'I was going to,' Jane texted back. 'but I knew he'd tell Pop.'

'He's probably upset,' Frankie texted, and Jane rolled her eyes. Maura noticed.

"Frost, asking when we'll be in tomorrow," Jane lied smoothly. Her father had ruined enough family moments; she wasn't going to let him ruin another. When Hope and Cailin were gone, they'd deal with him. But he hadn't bothered to call in eight months, he could wait. He knew what time it was too; it was just like him to try to ruin Sunday family dinner. Jane pushed him out of her mind, laughed at Cailin's silly joke about stalagmites.

---

"It's my fault, Janie, do you want me to deal with him?" Frankie asked as they loaded the dishwasher.

"No, we all knew this was coming. Ironic that someone with the morals of an alley cat suddenly cares who I'm dating."

"Call him now, if you're gonna. He lays into you, hand him over."

"I can fight my own battles." Jane said sharply, then softened. "But thanks," she aimed a punch at his shoulder and stepped out the side door.

---

"That woman has done more for Ma - your wife! - and me than you ever did! And if you're upset that you didn't get to her first, she's younger than me, you revolting old man. I'm not Tommy. I respect women and if you come near her - or me - or I hear her name in your mouth again, I swear to you, what Hoyt did to me will look like child's play. You wanted an annulment? Consider yourself annulled."

Jane hung up, fuming. How dare he - he left Ma in debt, slept with the same woman as his youngest son, and here he was, objecting under some sort of false morality. She started at Maura's hand on her shoulder, then turned to let Maura hold her.

"I only overheard a little bit, but do you need anything from me? Is there anything I can do?"

"Why is your mob boss gangster druglord father a better person than my suburban plumbing father? He's literally the worst parent you have and he's still somehow better than that asshole."

Maura sighed and stroked Jane's hair. "You're a good person, despite him."

"That's the thing. I used to think he was a good person." Jane head her phone ring again and rolled her eyes. "You know that nothing he says about you or to you is worth jack, don't you?"

"I know." They turned as Frankie came out, on his phone.

"You don't get to disappear and then pretend to be concerned this many years later. You're not important to us any more because you chose to run away. If Janie says you're cut off, she's being reasonable and making a sensible adult decision, one I'll be following. If you show up at Maura's again, we'll have uniforms on you quicker than you ran out on us. Don't call me again, and leave Ma out of this." Frankie hung up, giving Jane a wry smile. His pocket rang, and he pulled out Angela's phone.

"You need to learn how to listen," Frankie said, hanging up. "Restraining order?"

"Yeah, get one written up for Ma and Maura."

"You don't want one?"

"After what he said to me? If he comes after me he'd better be suicidal. I've faced worse."

"I'd prefer if you got a VRO as well," Maura said quietly. "A chain of evidence if he does show up. It's your choice, and I trust you."

"You're right, it's so annoying when you're right. You too, Frankie?"

"Might as well. He doesn't know any of Maura's family, does he?"

"Your call," Jane said. "He's not a threat, but he is an angry, pathetic old man. They should at least be informed."

"Later," Maura said, pulling Jane back into her arms. "It has been a long day."

"And we got work tomorrow."

"Whatever you do, do it fast. Ma's heading down to see Tommy and TJ and you know Tommy won't keep that quiet." Frankie said, looking worried.

"It's not your fault, Frankie. Ma woulda told Tommy this week anyway," Jane said. Frankie nodded, still looking chagrined. "He wasn't all bad," Jane said. "And he was less bad to Tommy. I get it, but I don't want to keep fighting the same fights, not with him."

"Get back in there," Frankie nodded to the house. "I'll call Tommy, rip him a new one."

Chapter Text

Jane sighed. It had been a long day, and with work tomorrow she didn't feel rested at all after her week off. She heard the shower turn off and turned to look at the bedroom door, idly stroking Captain Glitterface's ears.

Maura came in, after a few long minutes, and Jane still felt her breath catch at the sight of her. She was wearing the apricot satin that Jane hadn't stopped thinking about since that phone call, and Jane felt a pulse of desire from the memory.

Maura slid into bed like it was normal; perhaps it was now, after all this time, after all the years they'd been sleeping together. She pushed Captain Glitterface to the end of the bed and pulled Jane into her, cradling Jane on her chest, running her fingers through Jane's hair.

"You've always been there for me for my family problems, but I don't know how to be here for you for this. Part of me feels like it's my fault -" Jane cut Maura off with a fierce, determined kiss.

"My crappy family is none of your fault. If it wasn't this, he'd have found something else to object to. Tommy got engaged to his ex - knocked up his ex - and he got a free pass. He's looking to hurt me, looking to hurt Ma. If he believed in all the religious crap he wouldn't have got divorced or asked for an anullment. It's got nothing to do with you, with who you are as a person, and everything to do with how miserable he is that he wants us all to be miserable too. He was absent before we got engaged, he can stay absent, but if he ever contacts you or shows up here or says a single word to you, I'll..." Maura watched Jane's jaw clench and thought back to what Paddy had said, about how Jane's instincts were to protect Maura, even against her own family. Maura kissed that strong jaw, pulled Jane back against her chest.

"I know, dear," Maura said, stroking through Jane's hair again. "Part of me knows that, but part of me wants to... he was good to me too. When Angela took me in he didn't flinch, just accepted that there was another Rizzoli in the family. He was nice to me, and I miss the person he used to be."

"Me too," Jane said, sounding sad. "It's hard to reconcile the father he used to be with the deadbeat he is now. I guess it's part of why I waited so long. I wasn't sure about Ma, but I knew he'd hit the roof over this, and at some point my relationship with him was worth less than owning my own happiness." Jane nuzzled into Maura's chest. "This is the place I feel safest, and I won't give that up for anyone, especially not a grown man throwing a tantrum."

Maura's fingers continued to thread through Jane's hair.

"If any of my parents had disapproved, I don't think I would have cared. I have so many now, and you know how I used to chase approval. Angela though - if Angela hadn't -" Maura cut herself off, wrapped her arms tight around Jane. "If she hadn't come into the bedroom, if she hadn't hinted that she was fine with us dating, I don't think I could have said anything to you. Constance always thought you were mine, and Hope seemed to as well, they were never going to be an issue."

"I am yours," Jane said, still fierce and possessive. She kissed Maura suprisingly softly, and Maura could almost hear the unasked question, could almost feel the insecurity. Maura looked at the ring on her finger, then back at Jane's sad eyes.

"I'm yours," Maura said. "No matter who has a problem with it." Jane kissed her again, slow and sweet.

"Do you think we'll be like that when we're parents? What if our kids feel like this, what if we make our kids feel like this?"

"Cailin can be our generation bridge," Maura said calmly. "And I don't think you're selfish enough to make your child miserable over something you don't believe."

"I hope not," Jane said wistfully.

"You've been thinking about children?" Maura asked carefully.

"A bit," Jane admitted. "I keep thinking I'd want to adopt, but your brains need to be passed on."

"Are you saying you want to have my kids?"

"Some day. I don't know."

"I'd imagined a bunch of little Rizzolis all running around and getting into trouble."

"You'd hate that. They'd all be messy and loud and you wouldn't get a moment to yourself."

"Like I do now?" Maura asked ironically.

"You know what I mean," Jane grumbled. "I can go home if you want time to yourself," she added anxiously.

"No! You know I'd say something if I wanted time alone."

"Not if you thought it would hurt my feelings, and not if you knew my feelings had already been hurt." Jane propped herself up to examine Maura, scanning her eyes. Maura looked relaxed and a little amused. "Ok, I'm staying," Jane said, sinking back down to Maura's chest.

"Good!" Maura said emphatically. "Do you think I wore this for the unicorn?" Maura asked, letting her vocal range drop a little. Jane chuckled and reached for the buttons.

Chapter Text

Maura dropped Jane home before work; Frankie had been by to check on her place, but Jane needed something to wear to work, wanted to grab an overnight bag to take to Maura's, needed to grab her car. Jane patted her queen bed fondly, remembering how Ma had said she'd regret getting a one bedroom, remembering how Maura had crawled into bed with her that first night such a long time ago, surprised when she woke to Jo's barking. If she'd had a spare room, Maura wouldn't have ended up in Jane's bed so often - or maybe she would have, Jane considered. Maura had spare bedrooms, but when Jane stayed over, Maura would sleep in the spare bedroom with her almost every time. Either way, she owed her apartment some gratitude.

---

Jane had missed her car. Maura's was fancy, sure, but Jane's had the sirens. Squad cars felt like a second skin to Jane. Jane pulled up beside Maura's car, looking over in concern at Maura looking at her hand in the car.

"What's up?" Jane asked, opening Maura's door.

"It's the ring. If I wear mine before we have yours, are people going to think I'm engaged to someone else or that you don't want people to know you're engaged to me? Should I wait until you have yours before I wear mine."

"What do you want to do?" Jane asked, draping her arm over the open door, looking in at Maura. Sometimes Maura did get stuck in these social situation loops, anxiety over perceptions, and usually Maura could manage them herself.

"I want people to know it's you," Maura said, looking up, bottom lip protruding, muscles tight around the bridge of her nose. Jane knew she was holding back tears.

"It's ok, I promise. Look, see?" Jane leaned over Maura and grabbed a ribbon from one of the packages. "Tie this on. It'll do for now. It's symbolic, right?" Maura tied it off, retrieved scissors from her bag and cut it to size. "See? Nothing to worry about." Jane draped her arm over the car door again, and Maura stepped out of the car into her, feeling Jane wrap around her like a warm tortilla. Maura sighed; Jane usually knew what to do when she was freaking out, and when she didn't she was patient enough to just be there until Maura sorted it out herself. No one else had been able to calm her swirling thoughts so effectively.

"You know I love you," Maura whispered into Jane's throat, realising how lucky she was.

"Y'know I love you too," Jane said softly, kissing the side of Maura's head. "But we need to get to work." Maura hesitated, and Jane took Maura by the shoulders. "You are a strong, warm, intelligent woman. The crime lab will be so happy to see you - they've probably been making wild guesses and assumptions since you've been gone." Maura stiffened, and Jane could see her resolve harden. "Ok?" Jane asked, cupping Maura's cheek, and Maura nodded, turning her face to kiss Jane's palm, the scar tissue under her lips as familiar as her own reserved parking space.

---

Jane looked down at her hand ruefully. It was awkward, wearing this faux-ring, but it made Maura happy, so she'd wear it. It wasn't going to interfere with her typing or her gun grip, but it was going to be awkward if anyone asked about it.

Which Frost immediately did, the moment Jane walked into the squad room.

"That a conversation we need to be having, Detective?" Frost asked, and Jane gave him a bright, sarcastic smile.

"You're the detective, Detective, you tell me." Frost got up from his desk.

"Looks like someone was in too much of a rush to get engaged that they forgot to get a ring," Frost said, eyeing the ribbon.

"Oh, I got a ring. You want to see a ring, go down to the morgue. That didn't sound right. Maura has a ring. Maura has two rings."

"And you don't?"

Jane sat down, and so did Frost.

"Not until next week, maybe. She's having one made for me." Jane leaned forward, and so did Frost. "She didn't want anyone to think she was engaged to someone else," Jane hissed.

"Who else would she... Ok, fair. She wants to lock it down. She knows a good thing when she sees it."

"I'm not a 'thing'," Jane hissed again.

"No, but your relationship is, and it's good."

Jane looked mollified.

"How'd you ask her? A street festival of local artists? A boat race? Did you go to a baseball game to catch a flyball with a proposal on it?"

"Horseback to a creek overlooking the city, picnic." Jane said, embarrassed. Frost raised his eyebrows, pursed his lips and nodded.

"Wouldna thought it of you, but you got game after all. You just stalled in the first three quarters."

"Yeah, I know a good thing when I see it," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "Now shut up and share your open cases." Frost chuckled and sent through some emails, showing Jane the whiteboard, the victim's photo and a few lines with question marks already on it.

Chapter Text

Maura and Susie eyed each other warily. Maura wasn't overly affectionate, and Susie liked to be professional; a handshake was too formal, but a hug? Susie squinted and nodded, stepping forward to put her hand on Maura's bicep.

"It's nice to have you back, Doctor Isles," Susie said with a little squeeze, and Maura smiled, covered Susie's hand with her own.

"It's nice to be back," Maura said, meaning it as she said it. The same pat she'd given Susie she gave to the mass spectrometer, to the fluroscope, to the 3d printer...

"Do you think we could print a ring? It wouldn't have to last long... No, it's a waste of Commonwealth funds. Please, forget I said anything."

"We can, and you can chip a buck fifty into the spool pool," Susie gestured to a jar. "Does that mean we can talk about this," Susie asked, pointing at Maura's hand. Maura blushed and looked away.

"I know it's just metal and carbon, but..." Maura held it out for Susie to look at. "It does catch the light nicely." Susie looked suitably impressed.

"Have you set a date?" Susie asked.

"Not even a year," Maura said, shaking her head. "I want to see my mother first, and she'll be in town next week."

Susie nodded. "So you need one for Detective Rizzoli?"

"You can call my fiance 'Jane' in the context in which we are talking about her as my fiance," Maura said. "There are too many Detective Rizzolis in this station, I don't want anyone mistaken about which one I'm marrying."

"Alright, so you need a ring for Jane? Just for a week? I'll get Detective Holiday down here."

"It was just a thought," Maura said shyly, and Susie grinned at her.

"Relax, we've got your back."

---

Nina was enthusiastic as always to use the printer, grabbing an existing STL and changing a few metrics.

"You want it finished?" Nina asked. "Or just sanded?"

"Finished?" Maura asked.

"I can take it home and paint it tonight," Nina said, shrugging. "It's no different than my figurines."

"Figurines?" Maura asked, more baffled than previously.

"Tabletop games. You know, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Warhammer. Little characters. Lots of fiddly bits." At Susie and Maura's blank stares Nina chuckled. "I'll make two and bring one back in tomorrow."

"I thought that was just a stereotype," Susie said. "Computer people roleplaying."

"Oh, I LARP too." Maura looked confused. "Live Action Role Playing. You should see me in a gown."

"I have some questions," Maura started, then stopped and blushed when she had no reason to explain why she wanted them answered. "How many people attend these LARPs, and are there scripted events?" She asked, feeling like those were safe questions.

"Locally, we have 30 regulars and another 30 or so casuals. Some of it is scripted, but usually we just follow lore and might have a basic plot. Depends on the event." Maura nodded, thinking. "Would you like to come along? We have one in a few weeks."

"Maybe," Maura said. "Do you print your own figurines? Is that what the spool pool is for?"

Nina chuckled. "FDM has its uses, but I have a resin set-up at home. Better detail. I get the ecologically friendly resin, though. I like turtles." Maura and Susie stared at Nina as though nothing she'd said was comprehensible. "This will be done in a hour," Nina said, levelling the bed and starting the print.

Chapter Text

Jane didn't notice Nina slip away to the basement for a second time, too caught up in the case notes of her new case. Another washed up body, nothing inherently suspicious, but somehow still unidentified.

Nina came back and tossed something small onto Jane's desk on her way past. Jane looked down at the ring, printed in white, but didn't put it on. Nina came by later and saw it still there.

"She asked me to print that. She thought you might be embarrassed."

"She put this on me," Jane said, turning the ribbon. "Why would I be embarrassed?" Nina nodded, impressed. "She still down there?" Jane asked, and Nina nodded again. "I'll be back," Jane said to Frost, who nodded, smirking. Jane rolled her eyes and took off to the elevator.

"She won't take it off because Doctor Isles put it on her. Y'know, I'm not gay but I can see the appeal." Nina said, watching Jane walk away with determination.

"Dude, that's my partner, don't be gross," Frost said.

"No, not... The whole 'she gave me this so I'll wear it until I die' attitude. None of y'all would do that if your lady tied something to you. It's... sweet."

"Now I know I did not just hear you call Jane Rizzoli 'sweet'," Frost said, shaking his head good-naturedly. Jane came back in, and Nina saw that the ring was now firmly planted onto Jane's finger.

Nina stepped forward and touched Jane's cheek, Jane pulling back, looking disconcerted.

"Lipstick. Not your shade, either." Nina wiped her fingers on a tissue. "Being sweet pays off," Nina said to Frost, heading back to her station. Jane blushed and brushed at her cheek, sitting back at her desk.

Chapter Text

Jane sank into her booth at The Dirty Robber with relief. Travelling was no comparison to the comforts of home. Maura finished ordering and slid in beside her instead of opposite her, and Jane slung her arm over Maura's shoulders, drinking her beer as Frost and Korsak came over.

"You went to the FBI HQ?" Frost asked, picking the conversation back up from the office.

"Yeah, Mau got us the VIP tour," Jane said, squeezing Maura's shoulder.

"Did you get to see the new decryption program?" Frost asked, leaning forward and taking one of Jane's fries as they were placed in front of her. Maura handed over a small, hand-written list to Frost.

"No photos," Maura shrugged. But I have a good memory.

"Are you serious?" Frost asked. "Doc, you're amazing."

"Yeah, she is," Jane said. "But she's taken, and so are those fries." Jane leaned over and took the fry basket, putting it in front of Maura so she could dip into it.

"I have the restraining orders," Maura said. "Frankie handed over Angela's this afternoon. The texts alone were enough."

"Restraining orders?" Frost asked.

"Yeah, my Pop," Jane shrugged, popping a fry into her mouth.

"Mine too," Frost admitted. "Had to get one for Robyn too, and my stepbrother."

"Aw, that sucks," Jane said, pushing the fry basket back towards him. "At least it proves she was right to divorce him. Both of them." Jane sipped at her beer, her fingers tracing lightly over Maura's shoulder. "Wedding's pretty soon, huh? They nervous?"

"Rock steady. They'll be here next week before the wedding, they say congratulations, by the way."

Jane blushed and turned her face into Maura's hair. "That's great, we can talk outfits, the email was kinda vague."

"We haven't actually met any other women in relationships, does that seem strange?" Maura mused.

"Nah, we don't meet anyone, outside of work. Besides, Alex and Julie count, don't they?" Maura nodded, and Jane took her burger from the waiter, removing her arm from Maura so she could eat. "Oh man, I missed these." Jane said around her first mouthful, and Korsak chuckled.

"I'm sorry you all got dealt bum fathers, but if anyone needs walking down the aisle I'm available," Korsak said.

"I always figured Maura would be like, the 'bride' bride, and I'd just kinda... Be there. And she's got multiple dads, neither of them are the problem."

"Either way, I'm happy to pinch hit," Korsak said, and Jane covered one of his big hands with one of hers.

"Once we have a plan we'll let you know. Thank you."

Maura's salad arrived, and Jane screwed up her face at it.

---

Angela was on the couch when Jane and Maura got home, and Jane dug in Maura's purse until she found the right restraining order.

"He calls again, you forward it to the precinct like Frankie showed you, ok?" Jane said, heading for the kitchen. "Ice cream?"

"Frozen yoghurt," Maura said. Jane nodded and took out the tub, serving three. She handed Angela hers, sitting beside her.

"It seems so... drastic," Angela said. "Is it really necessary?"

"You didn't take his calls, Ma. You wanna read the texts? Page 3." Angela turned through the pages of the document, hand creeping to her mouth.

"Oh my..."

"So yeah, Ma, it's necessary. Forward his calls."

"I don't know who he is any more," Angela said, still reading. "Was he always like this, and I never noticed? Or did something happen to make him like this? This isn't the man I married."

"Maybe it's not just him who's changed, huh" Jane said, rubbing Angela's shoulder. "Maybe those views were more acceptable a few decades ago, maybe it was normal back then and you learned better, you learned to grow and accept that the church isn't always right. And maybe he's stuck in the past." Angela looked up and looked away.

"If I hadn't loved Maura so much, I might still be like that," Angela said. "I'm sorry for anything I said when you were growing up, anything that might have made you feel like you had to hide it. Anything that made you feel like... Like this." Angela smacked the papers, putting them down on the coffee table so she could turn and hug Jane. "I've never meant to make you feel like this. Turns my stomach just reading it. I can't imagine how much worse..."

Jane didn't say it was ok, or that it hadn't hurt, or that she forgave Angela. Because Maura only told the truth and that was something Jane admired about her.

"You're trying, Ma," Jane said finally. "That's all I can ask for."

Chapter Text

Angela headed out to see Tommy and TJ, and Constance came to stay instead. It had Jane a little off balance; as annoying and over the top as Angela could be, Constance still felt a little cold, and while she knew Constance and Maura enjoyed each other's company, she didn't really feel comfortable at Maura's the way she did when Angela was there. They ordered in, and invited Hope and Cailin over, and Jane felt like she was in the way.

"I can go home, if you want to be with just your family tonight," Jane said when Constance was out of earshot.

"Nonsense. You are my family," Maura said, patting Jane's hand on the counter beside her own, waiting for dinner or the Martin's to arrive; whichever came first.

Hope still knocked, and she was about the only person that still did, when it came to Maura's house, and as usual Maura fretted for a moment before opening the door. Hope came in, Cailin carrying the food as they'd intercepted the delivery person on the way to the door.

"My mother - Constance - will be coming in in a moment," Maura said, fumbling for words, still unused to this multitude of mothers. Jane took a bag from Cailin and headed to the kitchen to dish up. "Angela might call in later tonight, if TJ wakes up."

"It's strange being here without her," Hope remarked, and Maura nodded. "She has such a - a welcoming presence."

"I agree," Constance said, coming up behind Maura, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder and reaching the other one to shake Hope's hand. "I'm very pleased to finally meet you in person - between our Skype calls and Maura sending me your accomplishments I feel very honoured."

"Likewise," Hope said. "And you know Cailin, of course." Constance shook Cailin's hand too, taking in the similarities between the three women in front of her; the differences as well.

"I knew Paddy had a brilliant mind, but now I wonder if most of it came from you, seeing how Cailin is following in your footsteps." Cailin wandered over to join Jane unpacking and serving the food.

"Hey," Jane said, not pushing Cailin into conversation, merely responding to her presence.

"Hey," Cailin said. "Where do you want these?"

"Wherever you can fit them. This weird for you too, huh?"

"It's... I had a distracted mother, most of my life. Distracted by tragedies, distracted by the love of her life, distracted by the loss of her child... And every time I look at Maura, she has three mothers, practically, and you, and I don't have..."

"Constance and Arthur were pretty distant until recently. Maura went to boarding school of her own choice. They've learned how to be better parents now, but when she was your age... It took nearly twenty years, and I think she had to do the most work for it."

"She had to work for it with Hope too, and that was at least a little bit my fault." They looked over as Constance and Hope laughed at something Maura had said. "But she never..."

"Maura never learned to ask for much of the people around her, so she never expected much from them either. I'm working on that with her, but she doesn't hold it against you. She was young once too, you know?" Bass rounded the corner, and Jane warmed his collards in her hands before putting them in his bowl.

"It's weird, having a sister." Cailin remarked. "One with two whole other families."

"I've never had a sister, but it looks like I'm getting a sister in law soon, and I can think of worse things. You're inheriting my two brothers, for instance."

"Frankie's cool," Cailin said. "And Angela keeps showing up at BCU with meals for me."

"Yeah, she does that."

"It's really nice," Cailin whispered. "The food and the... the mothering."

"You can have her," Jane joked. "But only on odd days."

Cailin looked over at Maura again. "I know you keep trying to sell me on her being a lonely isolated introvert until she met you, but I can't see it. She's so warm."

Maura looked over, smiled at Cailin when she noticed Cailin was looking at her, then dragged her gaze over to Jane. The smile on Maura's face was replaced with a glow of happiness, and Jane reflected and returned it.

Chapter Text

"You'll never meet her biological father," Jane said as she and Cailin cleaned up. "He's in jail. Might be executed. He probably has a protection detail out on you and Hope, while you're in Boston at least. That man loves his family, and since you're Hope's, you probably count too. Constance does. Maura's biological grandfather tried to have her killed. And when you meet Arthur, you'll see what Maura used to be like. She was so burned by human contact that she thought the only place she could be safe was with the dead. And if you ever meet my father, you need to call the police. You're covered under Hope's restraining order. So it's not all... you're just seeing the best of her, ok?"

"I think you bring out the best in her," Cailin said.

Maura came up behind Jane and turned her, Jane opening her arms to hold Maura. Cailin hadn't noticed how tense they'd been until they relaxed into each other.

"I think it's going well, do you think it's going well?" Maura asked, looking over to Constance and Hope chatting together comfortably.

"They get along any better, they'll beat us to the aisle," Jane joked. She stroked Maura's hair away from her face. "Did I tell you how good you look yet?" Jane asked, her voice register low. Maura laughed and kissed Jane.

"Only twice, I was beginning to feel frumpy."

"And you smell so good."

"It's Mother's favourite fragrance."

"She has good taste," Jane said. "She chose you, didn't she?"

"Oh my god, you're worse than my classmates," Cailin broke in, and they both turned to her.

"What, it bother you that your sister's engaged to the hottest cop in Boston?"

"Gross," Cailin said, screwing up her nose.

"I haven't met every cop in Boston so I don't have an adequate sample array, but if I were to determine something as arbitrary and subjective as 'hottest' in terms of physical attraction, I would have to conclude that your assertation was correct."

"Is that how she flirts? Ok, I believe you," Cailin said. "She's lucky to have you."

"What? It's cute, you don't think it's cute? Tell me more about this sample pool, I wanna know who I beat out for first place."

Maura eyed Jane. "No one else even comes close," Maura said seriously. "No one else ever will."

"Ok, she's got game, damn," Cailin said, looking away as Jane kissed Maura.

"I, uh, I asked Hope, and she said it would be okay if I...." Constance said hesitantly, holding out an envelope. "I don't know what teenagers like, but this is what Maura asked for when she was your age." Cailin took the envelope and opened it, reading quickly.

"An lifetime pass to all of the museums in North America? Oh wow." Cailin looked up. "This is too much, thank you." Cailin caught Constance in a tight hug, all loose limbs and dangling accessories, and the usually reserved Constance returned it, Hope smiling wistfully from the table. Cailin glanced over at her. "Can I call you Aunt Constance?" Cailin ask, and saw Hope exhale with relief. "I mean, you will be once they set a date."

"That would be fine," Constance said. "I have a number of exhibits through the year, would you mind if I sent you an email now and then?"

Cailin nodded, pulling back to read the card with the pass. Constance went back to Hope, and Cailin joined her, looking more comfortable than when she'd come in.

"Our families are so messed up," Jane groaned.

"Yes, but not this part." Maura's hand rubbed circles across Jane's back. "Thanks for helping Constance with the gift."

"I just asked what her nerdy daughter wanted when she was that age. The nerdy apple doesn't fall far from the nerdy tree." Jane screwed up her face at Maura, who gave her a mock-glare.

"At least they're not nagging us about grandkids," Jane pointed out.

"Did I hear something about grandchildren?" Constance asked, and Jane and Maura turned to the hopeful faces of Maura's family awaiting a reply.

"Spoke too soon," Jane said, sotto voice, smiling through her teeth.

Chapter Text

Jane led Maura back over to the table.

"We're thinking about it. It's still early, but the adoption process is long, and IVF treatment will take even longer. We're still thinking about it, and whatever we decide it might take a few years." Maura nodded curtly and sat back down, taking the slice of pie Hope had slid in front of her.

"I know it's mostly sugar, but it's Cailin's favourite so I hoped you might like it as well," Hope said, her face uncertain, the way it often was when she had to make a solid choice on Maura's behalf.

"Sugar? My favourite," Jane said, taking Maura's plate and digging in with relish. "C'mon, Mau, this is great!" Jane offered Maura her fork, and Maura glared at Jane, taking a reluctant and dainty bite.

"It's not sanitary to share utensils, Jane," Maura complained, not flinching when Jane leaned in and licked her cheek.

"Cream," Jane said. "Sorry."

"It is really good," Maura said to Hope and Cailin, smiling brightly. "Did you just lick my face?" Maura hissed at Jane. "In front of my..." Maura gestured to the gathered women, who had gone back to their conversation.

"Yeah, didn't wanna waste any, it's really good."

"That was my plate," Maura pointed out, and Jane leaned over and served Maura her own slice. "If I wanted to date a face-licker, I'd be with Giovanni."

"Really Mau? For his conversational skills?" Jane asked sarcastically.

"No, I wouldn't. You're much more interesting."

"I know how you feel about face licking. I'm sorry," Jane whispered, puppy-dog eyes aimed at Maura, cute little pout on her lips.

"Maybe I don't mind if it's you," Maura whispered back. She pressed her lips against a spot of cream Jane had left on her own cheek. "And you're right, it's too good to waste."

---

Jane asked Constance to print out the family pre-nup, running through it quickly.

"I don't want any of her money if we break up. If there's any alimony it should be based on my wages, not hers." Jane said, scanning the document. "If we have kids, it can go to them."

"Do you know what I love about you?" Constance asked, and Jane shook her head. She'd been aware that Constance was fond of her, but love? "It's the way you protect Maura. I've heard you speak to Paddy Doyle in the exact some tone you used on me once. I know her job and her family connections put her in danger, and I know that you'll do anything to protect her. You always prioritise her. You're her translator and her champion."

"I'm just too stubborn to let people treat her badly, myself included," Jane shrugged.

"You've been an education in humanity, Jane," Constance said. "Very well, I'll have the documents amended and check with Maura. She won't want you destitute even if your romantic relationship doesn't work out."

"She gave a near-stranger her kidney. Don't let her be too generous, or she'll be too generous."

"It almost sounds like you expect your relationship to break down."

"No, I just," Jane rubbed the back of her neck, looking away. She looked back at Constance and sighed. :"You know the kind of people she used to date. Her intellectual and financial equals. There's such a... disparity... between us on both those counts. What if I'm not smart enough for her? What if she wants things I can't provide her with, like regular international travel? What if - what if I'm not good enough for her?" Jane looked away again, biting her lip.

'Then you're the only one thinking that," Constance said, reaching out her hand and resting it on Jane's forearm. "We know you're not - as the children would say - a gold digger. We've known you long enough to know you enjoy dressing like this. We know Maura admires the way your mind works, your ability to draw a conclusion not based on empirical evidence. We know she enjoys your company and your family - as do we - and we know she loves you. She'll never struggle financially."

"But what if I can't provide for her? IVF and adoption are both so expensive, and one of us will need to stop working, at least for a while. I don't want her to have to choose between a ketchup sandwich or sleep for dinner. What if she resents me for not being able to contribute? There are so many reasons why our relationship won't work out."

"Have you said any of this to her?" Constance asked gently. Jane shook her head, still chewing her lips anxiously. "Then you probably should. She needs to know that you have concerns regarding the longevity of your relationship. For what it's worth, I don't think you're giving her enough credit."

Chapter Text

Maura came home then and saw Constance and Jane looking over the paperwork and rolled her eyes.

She walked over to the counter and read over the papers, shook her head and looked at Constance.

"This needs to be redrafted," Maura said. She slid in behind Jane at the counter to hold her from behind. "I've got something for you," Maura teased.

"In front of your mother?" Jane asked, pretending to be shocked. Maura chuckled and kissed Jane's shoulder.

"Hold out your hand," Maura said, and Jane turned in Maura's arms, leaning back against the counter with her hands out. "Nina did a really good job. We should go LARPing with her."

"LARP-whating? I mean, yeah, she did a good job." Jane watched as Maura slid the ring off. "Seems a shame, it's really pretty for something temporary."

"Wait until you see this." Maura pulled out a small box and Jane opened it carefully. The rainbow shone from within the black surrounds, and Jane pulled it out to check the inscription.

"It's perfect," Jane said, letting Maura slide it on. Constance gathered the papers and left as discreetly as she could as Jane kissed Maura.

---

Later that night, Jane admired the way her ring sparkled, lying on her back with Maura lazily spread on top of her, yawning.

"I want you to have a strong pre-nup," Jane said. "I didn't make any of your money, and it's not why I'm marrying you. Your parents drafted that one for a reason."

"They drafted it after they met my first boyfriend. His intentions were not as honest as yours. They tried to warn me."

"Garrett? He ended up killing his brother for the company, didn't he? Glad you didn't marry him."

"And once it was written it seemed sensible to keep it. But Jane, if you came into... What even seems like a lot of money to you? If you came into fifty thousand dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it?"

"I'd take you to Dollywood," Jane said. "Or that dinosaur museum. Maybe that farm in France you visited when you were a kid. Give the rest to Ma for her retirement fund."

"And two hundred thousand?"

"I'd put some aside for TJ, for college. Some for Ma, some for Frankie. I always wanted a brownstone down by the water... Maybe use it to get a mortgage and rent it out until we have kids. See if I could find you something of cultural significance."

"And what about two million?"

"Same as two hundred."

"So you wouldn't go out and buy a new car, a new apartment, a new couch - you need a new couch, Jane - or something nice for yourself?"

"I'd get... mm, that gnocchi from Francos, and a nice steak from Helios."

"We really need to talk about investing," Maura said, shaking her head. "Everyone else I've ever dated? They've had eyes on my money. Had plans on what to do with it, what they could do for themselves with it. I was little more than arm candy - expensive, luxurious arm candy with money and connections. They'd listen to me for a while, until they thought I'd softened up, and then they stopped once they were sure enough of my affection, as though I was some sort of chore they had to work with until the money started coming in. You value me as a partner, as an equal. You have no designs on my money, and you listen to me - most of the time. You come to my museums and art galleries and autopsies - you show up for me. You're in my corner, not because it's diplomatically advantageous, but because you don't have anywhere else you'd rather be. You're everything I dreamed about when I dreamed about having someone in my life."

"A pre-nup is still sensible," Jane argued. "Maybe money will change me."

"You've had access to my money, home, jewelry - everything - for at least five years. If you were going to rob me blind, you'd at least have gotten yourself a new couch out of it."

"I like my couch," Jane lied. "Oh, if I had a million dollars, I'd get an agistment and a horse. You could have one too. And someone to take care of the horses while I work."

"If you had a million dollars, you'd still be a detective?"

"What else would I do, huh? Oh, if I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a green dress - but not a real green dress, that's cruel."

"Jane? Why would a real green dress be cruel?" Maura asked suspiciously.

"I'd buy you some art - a Picasso or a Garfunkel."

"Wasn't he a musician?"

"If I had a million dollars, I'd build a tree fort in your yard."

"Jane, the zoning laws prohibit erecting any further structure on the land. In addition we would need a Certificate of Appropriateness to ensure it fits within the historic guidelines, and its visibility from any external viewpoint of the suburb, and section 16-3 of the Beacon Hill Redevelopment authority is very strict about what counts as an exception for a non-conforming structure."

"You could help, it wouldn't be that hard."

"It's not the difficulty of building a tree fort - I don't even have a tree in the courtyard, and it's still illegal. Section 22-4 is very clear, Jane, you really should read the residential codes if you're going to be living here."

"Maybe we could put, like a little tiny fridge in there somewhere."

"It sounds very unsanitary, and it sounds like they drastically underestimated the budget."

"I'd buy you a exotic pet - like a llama, or an emu."

"I already have Bass, Jane, what is happening?"

"It's an old song. Barenaked Ladies. It's about what two people would buy with a million dollars, but mostly they'd buy each other's love."

"I'm not that cheap, Jane," Maura huffed.

Jane laughed against Maura's shoulder. "Djion ketchup," she said without further explanation.

"Can we listen to it later?" Maura asked, in the shy voice she used when she knew she'd missed out on something.

"I don't know, I love how adorable you are when you don't get popular cultural references," Jane teased, kissing Maura's nose as she huffed. "Yeah, we can do a 90's soundtrack for your car. You are going to love Alanis Morsette," Jane chuckled. "It's not even Ironic."

Chapter Text

Jane rubbed her face and yawned, looking toward the bedroom, waiting for Maura. There were two coffees on the counter, and Jane sipped at hers, loading the GPS on her phone for the crime scene. She scrawled a note out for Constance, saying they'd had to leave early and scrubbed at her face again, thinking about what Maura had asked last night.

If she had a million dollars, would she still get up at dawn's asscrack to pull bodies out of the mud? Probably. Right now it sucked, sure, but later, when Jane got to interrogate someone so guilty she could almost smell it on them, later when Jane was pursuing a suspect down an alley and tackling them like a linebacker, later when she was in court in her silly skirt and tidy hair, she'd be have more satisfaction than mere money could afford her. Talking to the victims' families, knowing she'd not allowed an injustice to weigh on them, knowing that she'd done the right thing, knowing that her intellect and physical endurance had brought some relief to the families - it didn't matter if she didn't have the kind of money to keep Maura, because Maura was her own person and would object to being kept. And Jane had no use for Maura's money, because she was financially stable by her own standards and didn't need to be a kept woman either. Even if Maura chose motherhood, her dividends would more than cover her ongoing expenses, and of course Jane would chip in, but her meagre wage wouldn't cover much. Jane wondered how much freezing eggs would cost - she knew it was a lengthy and uncomfortable procedure. She wondered how much IVF would cost, and she frowned to herself.

Maura came in, finally, dazzling in a black and white dress with matching heels, and Jane watched her drink her coffee.

"If I had a million dollars, I'd get you pregnant tomorrow," Jane said, sipping her coffee casually. "We got a crime scene to get to, I'll get your travel mug if you're ready."

Maura had stopped with her mug halfway to her mouth, completely frozen. Jane looked over from pulling out the travel mug and took the coffee from Maura, pouring it into the new container and handing it back to a still shocked Maura.

"Hey, are you ready? Maura?"

"You'd want me to carry our children?" Maura asked finally. "I'd always expected to have children, but I suppose I thought you'd want your own."

"Financially it makes sense for me to have them, but I'd rather have little Maura's running around saving the world. You know they're all going to be doctors and scholars, and mine are all going to be blood-soaked hockey players."

"And you would need a million dollars to get me pregnant?"

"Yeah, I know kids are expensive, and you'd be unable to work and I know my wage wouldn't even cover your land rates, let alone the medical fees. Ah, it's stupid, just forget it."

"No, it's good, we do need to talk about this - there are so many options, I've narrowed down some sperm donors - but really, Jane, we can't talk about it now - we're late for a crime scene."

"Hey, I was ready 20 minutes ago," Jane pointed out, opening the door for Maura, who squinted her eyes and drank from her travel mug as she brushed past Jane in the doorway. She melted as Jane's hand brushed her lower back as she locked the door behind them.

"When we get home, we can talk about it," Maura offered as she slid into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, at home, in front of your mother, instead of in the lab, in front of poor Susie."

"You're the one that brought it up," Maura said sensibly, and Jane ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"I know! I was just thinking and I said something stupid that I hadn't thought out properly."

"We have time, Jane," Maura said, pulling the car to a stop at the lights before reaching her hand across the console to rest on Jane's thigh. "We have plenty of time. We're both still young and healthy enough. We should scan your bowel walls though - the strain of pregnancy may cause rupture where they were repaired."

"Oh, goody," Jane said, a little mockingly. "Someone gets to look at my bowels again." Despite her snappy words and clear irritation she dropped her hand on top of Maura's, letting their rings brush. "I hadn't thought about that," Jane said, her voice low. "What if I can't..."

"I said we have plenty of options," Maura said, retrieving her hand to drive away from the lights. "Anyway, it would take more than a million dollars to get you to ride a desk for a whole pregnancy." Jane held out Maura's travel mug as they pulled up to the next set of lights, and Maura took it thankfully. "Unless I asked you to."

Jane took a sip before replacing the mug in the console and swallowed. She wouldn't give up chasing suspects through warehouses and docks, not for a million dollars. But if it made Maura happy? She'd have the paperwork filed and on the desk the next day.

Chapter Text

The crime scene was deep in the woods, a dogwalker watching traumatised as Korsak patted her dog.

Maura bent over the body. "Multiple gunshot wounds," she observed. Jane strode around the nearby area, looking for evidence of a gun, to see if their victim had been armed, if he had shot back and perhaps winged his attacker. She hunched over a spot of blood and beckoned the photographer over, then Susie to collect it.

A gunshot rang out from the woods, and Jane flinched, getting her body between the direction of the gunshot and Susie's body.

"Get the civilians out of here!" Jane yelled, pushing Susie in front of her, even as she complained about not collecting the sample. "We need to clear the area. Call any spare uniforms in," she called to Korsak, shoving Susie behind the open door of the lab truck for shelter, not stopping on her beeline to Maura, who was still crouched over the body, staring into the woods. Jane hauled Maura up as a second gunshot rang out, and Jane pulled Maura around so she was between the noise and Maura, pushing her towards Susie, providing cover with her body. Jane looked around; the crime scene was almost deserted by now, all officers and detectives covered behind car doors and strapping on bulletproof vests. Jane boosted Susie and Maura into the back of the truck, closing one of the doors, drawing her gun. "Someone will drive you out, ok?" She murmured comfortingly as she loaded her gun.

"Our crime scene!" Susie objected, seeing detective Frost and Korsak move across it, guns drawn.

"Area's not cleared. You can come back when it is. Oh, here." Jane handed Susie a leaf from the spot of blood she'd found. "I know it's tampering but..."

"You're wearing gloves, it's a valid collection," Susie cut her off. Jane looked down at her gun.

"I gotta get my vest on, track the shooter down. You stay safe, huh?" Jane said. It had all happened so fast, and Maura looked at Jane, her jaw set, her hair tied up and her gun ready. Despite the panicked rush, Jane's hands hadn't been any more rough or aggressive on her than usual, they'd been the same soft hands Maura had always known. She leaned in and gave Jane a kiss, wanting to wrap her hands in Jane's hair and pull it loose from her ponytail but very aware of the proximity of Susie, who was bagging the sample Jane had collected after swabbing it. "You make sure she stays safe, ok?" Jane snapped at Susie, who nodded as Jane closed the other door of the truck, providing cover for them both. She handed the keys Susie had given her to one of the uniforms, told him to get them out until the crime scene was contained. She headed for her car, pulling out her vest and strapping it on behind the open door, gesturing for two uniforms to follow her into the woods in the direction of the second shot.

---

The woods looked deserted. Jane caught chatter from the radio now and then, but she couldn't hear any footsteps or rustling among the underbrush. The smell of pine was strong, and Jane couldn't smell any sweat or perfumes that indicated anyone was close. She called in on her radio, checking in with her team, who were likewise out of luck.

"Have we cleared all the quadrants?" Jane asked.

"Affirmative," Frost said. "Heading back to the site."

"I'll meet you there," Jane said, looking around again, leaving her gun in her hand instead of tucking it away in its holster.

---

The body was gone when they got back. Frost was looking down at the puddle of blood where the body had been.

"The morgue techs come in before we cleared the site?" Jane asked.

"I'll check," Frost said, walking away to make a call. Korsak came out of the woods and Jane walked over to him.

"Something feels off. You think those shots were a distraction?"

"Maybe. Something's not right, that's for sure."

"Morgue techs haven't been by. They got stopped by uniforms up the road with the mobile crime lab."

"Then where the hell is our body?" Jane asked, finally putting her gun away so she could gesture broadly at where the body had been.

Chapter Text

Jane squatted down and looked at the drag marks where the body had been.

"Looks like he was dragged this way. Could be one person, could be two. None of the uniforms noticed anything?" Jane asked. Frost came back over, shaking his head.

"They say no one came in by the road," Frost said, following the drag marks with Jane. "Looks like they were in a hurry."

Jane held her gun at her side as she went back into the woods, the trail leading back to the road, well past the cars the police had parked up for the scene.

"Think they had a getaway car?" Frost asked, and Jane holstered her gun, grabbed her radio.

"How far from the crime scene did you say the lab and the morgue tech parked up?" Jane barked, climbing the slope up to the road.

"I'll ask." There was a few seconds of silence from Korsak before he answered. "About fifty feet." Jane cursed, coming up beside the mobile lab, opening the back and finding it empty.

"Morgue tech' are gone. So are Maura and Chang. They could be heading back to the crime scene..."

"They're not here, Jane," Korsak said, and Jane cursed again.

---

Maura had a protective arm around Susie as they sped down the road, unsecured in the back of the morgue truck, the body they'd been called out to investigate bouncing on every pothole.

They pulled off sharply, off the road and into the woods, if Maura had to guess, given the reduction in speed and the increase in bumps. They'd been transferred at gunpoint, and Maura could feel Susie whimper in fear as they slowed to a stop. Susie clearly had never been kidnapped before; or if she had, it was before she worked for BPD, and she'd never talked about it.

"If you get an opportunity, run. Hide in a tree, if you get away," Maura whispered, loosening her grip on Susie to grab a Leatherman she knew the morgue tech kept in his drawers. She hoped he was ok; she'd seen him lying under the mobile lab when they'd been moved.

"They have guns," Susie whispered back, voice high with fear.

"They need us for something, or they'd have left us where we were," Maura hissed as they drew up to a stop, not mentioning that they'd have likely been killed as witnesses in deference to Susie's mounting fear. The back door opened.

"He stole something from us, and we didn't find it on his body, so the way I figure is he swallowed it. Cut him open, find it, and we let you live." The men were still in balaclavas; the taller man was speaking to them. His clothing was generic, and Maura couldn't pick out any identifying features.

"I don't have a scalpel, and this isn't a sterile environment. I can't -" Maura stopped as the gun was levelled at Susie's head. "It's not sanitary, and I would be contaminating evidence," Maura finished.

"You can choose not to, of course, but we'll shoot her before we ask again. If I have to ask a third time, next bullet is for you." Maura swallowed, closed her hand around Susie's bicep.

"It's ok," Susie said quietly. "I know you value your work..."

"I'm sorry, Susie," Maura said, turning to the gunman. "Get me a knife." He nodded and pulled a hunting knife from his belt.

"I thought... you value your integrity..." Susie was limp in relief at Maura's side.

"I value your life more," Maura said sharply. "I meant I'm sorry you have to see me desecrate a body like this. I'm going to have to skip the Y incision - they seem to be in a hurry - and open the stomach." Maura dug out some gloves from a drawer. "It's going to smell, once I open his stomach. If it's not in there, I'll need to check the bowels." The gunman stepped back as Maura started slicing the body open, Susie holding open the incision as she poked inside. "This isn't ideal," Maura said finally. "It might help if you told me what you were looking for."

"Could be a USB, could be one of those little card things that go in a camera."

"Digital data. So it could be as small as... A micro SD card is 2mm thick and less than a centimetre long. I'll have to go by feel - I haven't been able to see anything so far. The light is significantly poorer than I am used to in here." Maura dug around, and the man in the balaclava flinched as the gas in the stomach exited.

Susie took a torch from a drawer and held it over the incision, still holding back one edge, head close to Maura's.

"Can Jane track you?" Susie murmured under her breath, feeling Maura's hair brush against her cheek as she nodded. "Would she have missed you yet?" Another nod. "If she doesn't find us... It's been a pleasure working with you, Doctor Isles." Susie swallowed, and Maura pulled back from the incision, seeing Susie's hands shaking.

"I'm going to have to try the bowel," Maura warned, pulling off her gloves to pull on a mask, gesturing to Susie to do the same before pulling on new gloves.

Susie's phone rang loudly in the tense space, making everyone flinch.

"Let it ring out," the gunman called, a moment before he took a bullet to the shoulder, forcing him to drop his gun. Another gunshot, and the driver came out of the front of the truck, hands up. A number of officers closed in, eventually cuffing the gunmen, and finally Jane came into sight, gun still raised as she swept the truck.

"You ok?" Jane asked, finally holstering her gun and climbing in. "Let's get you out of here, ok?" Jane took one of Susie's hands, thankfully enclosed in clean gloves, and helped her stand, handing her off to Frost, who helped her down. She reached for Maura, who flinched. "Hey, are you ok? I'm sorry, I should have stayed with you."

"They would have shot you. They needed us." Maura said firmly.

"Yeah, we found the morgue team. They're ok, they were just knocked out. Officer Finley is going to be ok too. Are you ok?" Jane asked again, gentler, and Maura looked at the open body next to her.

"I had to - they would have shot Susie. It's terrible, it's tampered with."

Jane looked over at the body.

"We probably won't need much from the body - we've got them on two counts of abduction ad we'll work out way up to murder."

"I think they admitted it. Oh, this is for Detective Frost." Maura handed over a bloodied glove, turned inside out. "There's a micro SD card in there," Maura said. "They killed him for it. Hopefully the data is still readable."

"That's my girl," Jane said proudly, taking the glove and handing it to Frost. "Now come here, please. Let me check that you're ok."

"I'm fine," Maura said, brushing past Jane and jumping down from the truck on her own. "I just went against all of the ethical guidelines of a field autopsy."

Chapter Text

Jane stood in front of Cavanaugh's desk.

"It's with the Medical Board now," he said. "I got an independent ME to come in - there's no way Pike would be impartial - so by tomorrow we should know how it's looking. As long as that SD card turns up something, you won't need so much from the body. Doctor Isles should be fine, but she'll be out on leave until the Board's decision."

"And what if it's... not good?" Jane asked. Cavanaugh stood and paced.

"They have to admit it was done on compassionate grounds under duress. There's no real playbook for destruction of evidence by an ME being held hostage, but the Medical Board still has to admit that preservation of life in two individuals ranks higher than non-standard body tampering, and that the alternative, as Doctor Isles believed it to be, was two dead BPD affiliates and a body that would have been savaged inexpertly anyway."

"That wasn't an answer."

"Her license." Cavanaugh turned. "We'll fight it, of course. One dead body doesn't weigh against our Chief ME. Especially not under the circumstances, and the fact that she managed to retrieve and hide the evidence they were looking for." Cavanaugh paused and leaned over his desk. "I'm putting you on compassionate leave for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we can reassess. Frost is conducting the interviews for now, but if he threatens them again he'll be off the case."

"Ok. I'll grab Doctor Isles and head out."

"Take good care of her," Cavanaugh said. "We need our Chief ME in good condition."

"I always do," Jane said cockily, and Cavanaugh chuckled and shook his head.

---

Constance was out when they got home, which made things easier as they hadn't got around to telling anyone about the abduction.

"I'm going to shower," Maura said, dropping her bag on the counter and kicking off her shoes. Jane picked them up, looking puzzled, following Maura to the main bedroom to put them in the 'to be cleaned' section of the shoe closet. She peaked into the bathroom, saw the steam and stepped in as Maura was about to get into the shower. Jane pulled Maura away from the scalding water, reaching out a hand and pulling it away quickly, hissing.

"Jesus! That's boiling!"

"Please let go of me." Maura looked away from Jane, at the dress she'd let fall to the floor. Jane pulled her hands away as if stung.

"It's not your fault. I should've have sent you off with Susie, that was my fault, and if I'd been there..."

"If you'd been there we'd all be dead," Maura said morosely. Jane turned off the taps, flinching as the hot water hit her skin, shaking her hands. "You would have pulled your gun and there would have been a gunfight."

"Yeah, maybe, but no one would have taken you and made you feel like you butchered a body - which you didn't, that was a clean incision, Maura - you did your job, which is usually to perform autopsies in order to determine cause of death, but today it was to keep you and Chang alive. Hey." Jane stepped so Maura was looking at her instead of the dress. "They would have killed you both, even if you'd handed over that chip. You did the right thing, and the body is still viable for an autopsy."

"It went against all of my values," Maura said finally, looking away. "It felt so wrong."

"You did what you had to do to survive. I'm so glad you did! I bet Susie is glad too. Here." Jane grabbed Maura's phone from the counter. "I'll ask her."

"Jane, don't."

"Hey, Chang."

"I'm off-duty. Call me Susie."

"They sent you home too, huh? How are you doing? I understand they threatened you first to get Maura to comply."

"I haven't been abducted before - does it get any easier?" Susie joked, pacing her apartment. Jane shook her head ruefully.

"No, sorry. I'm sorry I loaded you both up like that, left you as sitting ducks."

"I heard Officer Finley is awake now," Susie said, opening the fridge and looking blankly at the contents. "I'm guessing they didn't want to attract more attention to us, otherwise they'd have shot him?" Susie asked, voice ending on a high note Jane hadn't heard. Maura fidgeted.

"Probably. They really wanted whatever is on that thing Maura found. Hey, do you mind if I put you on speaker? Maura is here, and she's kicking herself over that field work."

"Doctor Isles? She saved my life. And it was a clean cut, absolute textbook." Jane reached out a hand towards Maura, who looked at it longingly, finally reaching out her own hand to catch Jane's and hold it.

"Thanks Susie. Do you have anyone watching out for you? I can send Frankie to watch the hall."

"My sister has offered to stay over tonight, but I would feel safer."

"Cavanaugh said there'd be uniforms watching both your place and Maura's, but if I sent Frankie to yours it gets him out of our hair," Jane said, relaxing as Maura crept closer. "You need anything, you let him know. You did good today, Susie. Thanks for taking care of her."

"I didn't do anything," Susie said, confused.

"You told her her judgement was good, and that her work was appropriate for the situation. That's what she needed now. Um. If you need to talk to someone, try the clinic on Main and Quarter. They deal with abductions, and cops. Mike in HR can do all the paperwork."

"Thanks, Detective Rizzoli."

"I'm off-duty. Call me Jane."

"Thanks Jane. Hey, my sister's here, I'm gonna go."

"Thanks, Susie," Jane said quietly. She hung up and looked at Maura, then stepped into the shower and turned the taps until an acceptable temperature of water came out. Maura's phone dinged, and Jane checked it.

"The Board is happy with your incision and your decision. You can go back to work as soon as you feel well enough."

"I can go back in now."

"You're kinda naked to go to work," Jane pointed out. "And the water is perfect. And I don't trust you to turn it up too hot again, so I'm coming in too. And for the record, if you're ever punishing yourself in future for a decision you made, don't make me part of the punishment. Do you know how it feels to watch you in pain and not be able to hold you?" Maura shook her head, pulling herself flush against Jane and pulling Jane into the shower. "My clothes," Jane objected.

"It's only water. Make me feel clean again," Maura said, handing Jane the body wash.

Chapter Text

Constance came home, looking questioningly at the police cars parked up and down the street and the two uniformed officers outside the door. She opened the door to find Maura rugged up on the couch, in Jane's fluffy flannel pajamas, under the soft mohair blanket she favoured. Jane was bringing her tea, and paused, rubbing her hand on Maura's shoulder as she looked up at Constance. Constance looked at her watch, then dropped her bag on the coffee table, sitting beside Maura.

"Darling, what happened?" Constance reached out for one short moment, then drew her hands back.

Maura looked up at Jane, clearly wanting her to tell Constance.

"Someone borrowed our ME from a crime scene," Jane said shortly.

"Borrowed? Oh no, Maura."

"I'm fine. Susie is too. They made me cut open a body."

"Oh, Maura." Constance slowly reached out a hand, Maura watching it, moving forward slowly until it rested on Maura's hand. "When you were four, you fell in the yard and skinned your knee. You wouldn't let me touch you, dressed the wound yourself, didn't want to be held. Whatever happened today wasn't your fault." Maura nodded, smiled wryly and curled so her head rested on Constance's shoulder.

"I always thought you'd send me to an orphanage if I did something wrong. That you wouldn't love me, if I did something wrong. I was so mad at myself."

"Why would you think something so terrible of me? You were a child, I wanted to hold you and bandage your knee and you were so stiff and resistant. If I'd known, I would have told you. Darling, I took you knowing who your father was. I took you because I could give you a good life, but most of all I took you because I wanted you." Constance ran her hand over Maura's arm. "There's nothing you could have done that would have made me give you up. Not for anything. I wish I'd spent more time with you, I wish I'd fought you on boarding school, but you were always so sure and independent."

"She still pulls away if she thinks she made a mistake," Jane said, bringing over a cup of tea for Constance. "It's agonising to see her in distress and..." Jane trailed off, wandering back into the kitchen to make a coffee. "I think we should take tomorrow off, huh?" Jane said over the sound of heating water.

"I'm fine, Jane," Maura said lethargically.

"Camille sent through the wedding party palate, remember? We need to get you a new dress," Jane said unflinchingly, coming back over with her coffee. "And I need to find something to wear too. Tomorrow's Friday, we might as well make a fresh start on Monday. There'll be paperwork to fill." Jane paused and swallowed. "I'll let you choose two dresses for me to try on." Jane offered.

"I don't want you uncomfortable at the wedding," Maura said. "You don't have to choose them, but I want to retain the right to tailor whatever you do choose." Jane chuckled.

"Atta girl," Jane said, standing. "I'll call Cavanaugh. I'm making soup and toasties, you want one?" Jane asked Constance, setting the pot on the stove. "It's just Campbell's and American cheese," she added. "Nothing gourmet."

"Sounds delightful," Constance said, bundling Maura closer. "I'm glad you're ok, darling. I assume the police are staying overnight?"

"Frost said he'd call if they get the all-clear. I'm staying anyway, but if you'd like to stay in the house rather than the guest house it might make their job easier. Less doors to watch."

"Sounds sensible. I never realised how... Busy your life here is."

Constance turned and watched Jane in the kitchen. Despite knowing Angela and her cooking prowess she'd never seen Jane as the kitchen type, and she eyed the gooey sandwich skeptically. She took a bit, and her eyebrows flew up in surprise, catching Jane's smirk.

---

"When you're hurt, it hurts me too," Jane said. "The only time I've ever felt as helpless was after Paddy got shot and you wouldn't..." Maura pulled Captain Glitterface into a tight hold, watching Jane with sad eyes. "You pushed me away. That's the only other time you've done that. No matter what else you've been through, you've always let me hold you. I didn't know what I'd done wrong this time."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I just felt undeserving of any sort of comfort. After what I'd done."

"You did nothing wrong."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"My love isn't that finicky. It doesn't depend on you doing everything by the book, especially when the book doesn't cover these kinds of situations." Jane sighed. "My instinct is to make sure you're ok, and not being able to check for myself was really hard. You weren't acting like yourself. Please don't withdraw from me as some way to punish yourself."

"I'll try," Maura said slowly. "My instinct is to pull away, because for a long time I thought I was the only person I could rely on. But I rely on you now too. I should be able to trust you with all the shame and guilt I felt, being forced to do what I did."

"You're compassionate. It's what makes you an excellent ME. Have you... Um." Jane went through the drawer on Maura's side of the bed and pulled out the journal she knew was there. "Have you processed? I can go watch that art show Constance was talking about with her, and you can join us when you're done." Jane pulled out the weighted blanket and draped it over Maura's lap, kissed her forehead. "I love you," Jane said. She closed the door behind her, hands shaking.

She'd come so close to losing Maura, and all Maura was worried about was a dead body she felt she'd disrespected. Jane knew what was on the card, knew that two whole divisions were organising a raid right now based on that evidence, and normally she would be there in her flack jacket, leading the charge, yet here she was, making comfort food and putting her old, worn in flannel pajamas in the dryer so they were warm when Maura put them on. The idea that someone could take something so important from her so easily frightened her - almost more than the thought that this evening she could have been sitting in the morgue, watching over Maura's own autopsy, watching over her body when it was finished, holding a cold hand that would never grasp hers again. She was fortunate enough that she and Maura had turned on GPS tracking when they got separated on a hike a few years ago, otherwise that might be her reality right now. She shut herself in the spare bedroom for a few minutes to let herself cry, then made the bed for Constance.

Chapter Text

Jane went into the kitchen and started hunting through the fridge. "What time does your show start?" Jane called through to Constance.

"Seven," Constance said. "Can I help you?"

"Naw, I'm just putting dinner together. Won't take long."

"If you cook anywhere near as well as your mother, I'll be very impressed."

"It's just lasagna," Jane shrugged, chopping up some eggplant. "The oven does most of the work." Jane turned the oven on the warm it and started layering. "Do you need anything? You can go out if you need to."

"I'd rather not alarm the poor officers outside. And Maura's library is sufficient. Can I ask if you know why they did this?"

Jane paused, then slid the lasagna into the oven. She poured a glass of wine and grabbed a beer, handing Constance the wine, propping her feet on the coffee table and popping open her beer, taking a long gulp with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Human trafficking," Jane said shortly. It wasn't the whole story, but it was close enough. "No offense, but I wish my Ma was here." Jane took another sip. "Don't tell her I said that."

"None taken. What would your mother do?" Constance asked.

"She'd be a pain in my ass," Jane said. "Don't tell her I said that either. She'd give me a hard time, asking why I didn't take care of Maura."

"But you did. You have." Constance said. "From what Maura told me, your first act was to get her out of danger.

"Doesn't matter. She'd still blame me."

"Was there anything else you could have done?"

"I was with Susie when I heard the first gunshot - they must have doubled back through the wood, fired it to distract us so they could get to the body. I had Susie in the van and was going for Maura when the second shot came, and I told a uniform to get them clear once they were both in the van. Then we cleared the woods, and the body was gone when we got back. I followed the drag marks, and the coroner's truck was gone, and the mobile lab was empty.

"I could have confirmed that the site had been cleared. I could have stayed with Maura and Susie, driven them out myself. I could have parked someone on the body, so they didn't have it and wouldn't need an ME, although they might have taken hostages anyway. I don't know. They probably would have. I hate that she had to choose between something that went against her moral code and the life of one of our techs."

"But you were able to arrest two criminals and glean information enough to shut down a human trafficking operation?" Constance asked. "It seems as though your efforts were worthwhile."

"We could have done it without putting anyone in danger," Jane said. "Especially not..." Jane trailed off, picked guiltily at the label of her beer. "This is the part where you tell me that I'm not good enough for your daughter," Jane said, focused on the label. "That I failed to protect her."

Constance's hand covered Jane's. "You were doing your job. Are you facing any disciplinary actions?" Jane shook her head. "Then you did everything you could. And you found her, didn't you? You caught the bad guys. You did your job, and she did hers. I can't say I wish it hadn't been the way it was, but I haven't changed my mind about you. It's not a matter of being good enough. It's about being what she wants, and she wants you."

Jane covered Constance's hand and smiled. "I should check on dinner."

---

Maura came in once Jane had returned to the couch, sat beside her. Jane's arm went around her shoulders, and Maura curled into her instinctively.

"Feeling better?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded against her. "Good."

"Any news from Frost."

"Yeah, they're making some arrests tonight. Some are over state lines, so we'll hear about them in the morning."

"Did they find out what was on the card then?" Maura asked, and Jane licked her lips, considering what to say.

"We can talk about it on Monday," she said. "It's an ongoing, high-profile case now."

"So it was worth it?"

"Yeah, Mau. Our John Doe died trying to expose a criminal ring. I don't know him, but he would have been relieved that you were the one to find and hide the evidence. His work is going to save a lot of lives."

Maura settled closer against Jane. "Then I'm glad I did it," she said quietly. "What can I smell? It smells like Angela's lasagna."

"Where do you think I got the recipe?" Jane grinned. "Comfort food. It'll be ready soon."

---

Maura said goodnight to Constance, coming in to her bedroom to find Jane facing away from her, on her side. Maura slid in beside her, leaving the lamp on so she could journal a little more before trying to sleep.

Slowly she became aware of Jane's shoulders shaking, of muffled ragged breathing. Maura put her journal down. "Jane? Are you - are you crying?"

"No," Jane mumbled out grumpily. "I'm sleeping."

"You are crying. Darling, what's wrong?"

"I'm glad you're ok, but that half hour or so you were missing was the worst half hour of my life. Other than when Dennis... Or when Alice..."

"Can I do anything?" Maura asked, letting her hand rest on Jane's back, rubbing gently as though she wasn't sure her touch was welcome.

"That's nice," Jane murmured. "More of that, please."

"Can you come here?" Maura asked, and Jane rolled over and looked at Maura, eyes shining in the lamp light.

"I nearly lost you," Jane said, playing with a curl of Maura's hair. "I looked away for a moment and you were gone. They would have killed you, whether you cut him open or not, whether you found it or not."

"You don't know that, Jane," Maura said comfortingly.

"I do, Mau. It's a pedophile ring. That SD card uncovered a long list of people involved in trafficking children. They'd have killed you. They're on suicide watch, because they know they're going to jail, and they know there's no way the prison system can protect them. I didn't want to say in front of your mother. But they would have shot you both. The only reason the morgue team and Finley are alive is because they didn't have silencers. They didn't count on BPD monitoring shot alerts out in the woods, or we wouldn't have got them or that body at all."

Maura was silent, then pulled Jane into her arms. Jane started to cry again, the worn flannelette absorbing her tears.

"When you were taken by that baker - when you went over that bridge - God, I cried, and I didn't let you see it, in case it made you wonder. I tried to pretend everything was normal, because you were making jokes. So I know how you feel. Like everything could have been ripped away in one fell swoop. But Jane, I'm here, and I'm sorry I never let you know how devastating it was to have you missing. Overnight. In the dark, in the water. You don't have to - to pretend to be strong for me."

"But you were the one kidnapped. It feels so... selfish, to lump you with this as well."

"I wasn't scared. I knew you'd find me. You always do. I was mad that I had to make a difficult choice, and I'm surprised that it was such an easy choice to make."

"Yeah, and you're processing all that. You don't need your shit-scared fiancé sobbing all over you too."

"Have I complained, or acted as though you're an inconvenience?" Maura asked.

"No," Jane said, settling herself more comfortably on Maura's chest.

"I have no complaints, and I'm not inconvenienced. It's sweet, that you were worried about me. Don't try to prioritise me over your own emotions. You're allowed to be upset after a day like that."

"You're so smart," Jane hummed, head heavy on Maura's chest. Maura let her hands run over Jane's back until she was sure she was asleep.

Chapter Text

Jane sighed. Maura had been trying on dresses for at least an hour, and Jane had been banished from the change room for 'being too handsy', as though such a thing existed when her Maura was bare-shouldered in the kind of high-class lighting this high-class store used. Maura had just asked her to help with the zippers, but the zippers were in all sorts of places, and Jane couldn't be held accountable for having to check each dress thoroughly to make sure it was fully zipped. Jane sighed again; she'd tried on two suits and liked neither. Maura hadn't found a dress for her here either. Jane fiddled with her phone, occasionally receiving updates from the interstate busts. It was her case, and she wasn't even working it, and two feet away Jane could hear the tantalising sound of silk against skin, knowing Maura was half-dressed and not being able to see her. The whole situation was frustrating.

The door opened, and Jane looked up, dropping her phone. Maura was in a teal dress, a flounce near the shoulders, another near the knees, where the dress ended. It pinned in at her waist, and flared out at the hips and Jane had never seen anything so beautiful in her life; not the dress, but the shining confidence of the woman within it.

"This one." Maura said firmly, as though her decision had been made.

"You have at least five more to try on," Jane pointed out, picking up her phone and blushing. "I don't mind waiting."

"No, it's this one. The look on your face - it's this one."

A shop assistant came over and fawned over Maura, and Jane's scowl reminded Maura of one of the pups Korsak had rescued; it had taken to guarding Korsak and it gave everyone the same exact look of suspicion and mistrust that Jane was levelling at the poor, now flustered, shop assistant.

"It's fine - I'll take it." Jane stood immediately, stepped towards the changing room where Maura held out a hand, chuckling. "I can manage," Maura said, tugging at a zip and exposing a delicious sliver of shoulderblade before closing the door, a frustrated whine coming out of Jane as she sat back down. At least this place had chairs and a waiting area.

---

Jane hated trying clothes on. She knew what she looked like, and she looked the same in anything; a tall, lanky cop with scars she had to look at each time she undressed. There was no dressing it up; she looked the way she looked, and that was good enough for her. But Maura was a precision shopper, leaving stores without letting Jane try on whatever she'd picked out, finally handing her a dress and a suit.

"Just try them on, please," Maura said as Jane turned to her with that hopeless, begging expression she used when she was being shanghaied. "Trust me," she added, and Jane's face relaxed.

"Only because you have good taste," Jane said, closing the changing room door. The dress was nice - no frills, no ruffles, sleek and straight but somehow flattering, the same shade of teal as Maura's - but it was still a dress. Maura looked pleased with it, turning Jane this way and that to admire her.

The suit was very understated, very demure, even with the teal blouse Maura had included with it. Maura a brow furrowed, and she examined Jane again.

"We can try somewhere else," Maura said with disappointment, trying again to lay the lapels flat against Jane's chest.

"No need," Jane said, handing Maura the dress. "This is great."

"Are you sure?" Maura asked, looking worried again.

"Yeah, I've worn dresses for stuff I've wanted to go to less than Frost's mum's wedding, I can manage to wear this one for a few hours."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Maura still looked perplexed. "I like it, ok? If Ma asks, you insisted."

"You know I can't lie," Maura protested to the cubicle door, hearing only Jane's pleased chuckle from the other side.

---

Jo was on Constance's lap when they got home, Constance absent-mindedly rubbing her soft ears as she read a book. Jo didn't get up like she usually did to greet them, too caught up in the attention, almost half asleep.

"Some guard dog, huh," Jane said, dropped the shopping on the counter. "More like a lap dog." Bass shuffled over towards Jane and she sat on the floor, rubbing his shell the way Maura had shown her. "Can we train Bass to attack intruders?" Jane asked as Bass slowly blinked trustingly at her.

"He's rather timid," Maura said doubtfully. "It would go against his natural instincts."

"Sorry, old boy," Jane said, giving his cheek an affectionate scratch. "And you, traitor! You find a comfortable lap and suddenly I'm not worth welcoming home, huh?" Jane asked Jo, scratching her scruff gently despite her criticism of the small dog. Jo merely yawned, used to Jane, and rolled over to present her belly to a willing Constance.

Chapter Text

Maura helped Jane cook dinner, standing still as she felt Jane's arms wrap around her as she stood in front of the oven. They'd got the all-clear, and the uniforms had taken off. Frankie was coming around for dinner and Constance had a gallery to attend afterwards, Jane and Maura invited as well but still undecided. It had been a long week.

Maura felt Jane's lips press cautiously against the scar along the back of her neck, usually hidden by her hair, which she'd tied up into a bun in order to cook.

"You're very brave," Jane said, lips resting against the scar tissue.

"It was a minor procedure," Maura murmered.

"Yeah, but you made a decision, even knowing your brain wasn't working at full capacity."

"I was losing cognitive function. Intervention was necessary."

"You made a tough decision."

Maura sighed. "Yeah. I did." Jane's arms tightened around Maura, and Jane's cheek rested against Maura's temple.

---

Frankie usually ate like a horse and drank beer at the table, but he was exceedingly polite with Constance there. Jo appeared to have missed him, sitting at his feet; the morsels he handed down may have been part of it too.

"Boy, I'm glad this week's over. Weird here without Ma, huh?" He asked Jane, mouth still chewing. "Good thing Mau can cook."

"Jane did most of the work," Maura protested, and Frankie gave her an irritating smirk.

"You mean she tested everything," Frankie teased, and Jane threw a bread roll at him. It bounced off his face and fell to the floor, Jo pouncing on it immediately.

"Children," Constance chastised.

---

Maura went with Constance to the gallery, Jane begrudgingly joining them. She found herself staring at what appeared to be a giant ass made out of melted crayons. She continued staring because it at least made a change from origami.

"I see you like my work," a soft voice came close to Jane's ear.

"It's, uh, something," Jane conceded.

"I find the female form to be so inspirational," the voice continued, and Jane turned a little, seeing an attractive woman eyeing her with pleasure. "Yours especially."

Jane swallowed and grabbed a flute of wine as the waiter went past.

"Uh, that's nice?" Jane said, moving away so the stranger's arms wouldn't brush against hers again.

"I'm sorry, so rude of me! Let me introduce myself. Claire Symonds."

"Uh. Rizzoli." Jane held out her hand awkwardly to shake. She felt a presence behind her but wasn't able to turn before Maura extended her own hand.

"And Isles. Pleased to meet you, I believe you toured in Florence with my mother?"

"Oh, Constance? She's a gem. She never said she had such an attractive daughter." Jane glowered over her wine, Maura's hand finding Jane's and holding it firmly. "Or that... Oh my. I didn't realise."

"No harm done," Maura said lightly, but her grip on Jane's hand was firm and possessive.

"If you ever feel like modelling," Claire said, pulling out cards. "Alone, or together.... Definitely together."

"We'll let you know," Maura said politely, leading Jane away.

"Was she hitting on me? Or you?"

"Both of us, I think."

"Is that a giant ass made of gummy bears?" Jane asked in disbelief, and Maura sighed, nodding reluctantly as Jane stared at it.

Chapter Text

Jane looked at her phone when she got home, yawning as it starting ringing. Unknown number. She hesitated, then answered.

"Heya, Janie. Where are you? I've been outside your place for hours."

"Oh. Hi Casey. Um, I had to go to a gallery showing."

"Oh, so you're at Maura's." Jane fidgeted, and Maura watched her anxiously, remembering how Jane had loved this man, how she'd been engaged to him, how she'd carried and lost his child. They might have broken up, but Casey was the most serious relationship Jane had ever had, and Maura wondered how much of it had been real, how much of it had been for show, so Maura didn't realise Jane might be into her.

"Yeah. I didn't know you were back in town."

"I should have called instead of coming by, but we talk on the phone all the time. Well, we used to. I wanted to check how you were doing. After..." Jane remembered the sharp sting of knowing she'd lost the baby she'd been terrified of, the baby she'd somehow wanted, even though she couldn't be with its father.

"That was a long time ago, Casey. Ma was there for me. I'll always regret not... not carrying to term, but I saved a life - a good life, a good kid."

"Between Angela and Maura you'd have been scratching at the ward walls," Casey said affectionately, and Jane flinched.

"Yeah. Hey, look, before you hear it from anyone else..."

"My mother told me. Word gets around. I shouldn't have come here, I just wanted to make sure for myself that you were alright." His voice dropped. "I know why we wouldn't have worked - our jobs are mutually exclusive. It'd be like taking a wild bird and throwing it in a cage, asking you to give up your work to follow me. And I wouldn't have coped as a civilian - I'm institutionalised. I'm not even 40 and I'm dreading retirement. I just wanted to say... we don't need to be strangers." He paused, and Jane could hear the scrape of him standing from her stone steps. "I should've guessed you were serious when you asked Maura to join us. I've never known you to be so... dependent on someone. It made me hope that you could depend on me, someday, but I should have seen it."

"I didn't see it either," Jane said, taking the decaf Maura handed her, sipping it gratefully. "And I'm a detective."

"You detect crimes, not feelings," Casey said affectionately. "Look, I'm not in town long, but I'd like to see Korsak and Paddy senior. And you and Maura, if you don't mind."

"No hard feelings, huh?" Jane asked. "I would have told you sooner," Jane said, twirling her ring on her finger. "But it's really soon. It feels really soon, and it was so scary and my family, and your family, and I didn't know if you'd think I'd been cheating on you - I wasn't, I swear, I didn't even realise how much she meant to me when I was with you - and..."

"I get it. We broke up, but we were friends first and we will be again."

"Text me," Jane said. "We can do a doggy day in the park with Korsak. He'd love to see Elsie."

"Is Maura there? Would she mind talking to me for a moment?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Jane passed the phone over and sank into her drink.

"Hi, Casey," Maura said shyly, having only overheard half of the conversation. "I'm glad you're home. How long this time?"

"Only a week. Look, I won't be long, I just wanted to say... take care of her, please? I know she looks and acts all tough, but she's always been soft for you. I hate that I wasn't there when she lost our child, even though she'd broken up with me, but I knew you were there to take care of her, and I guess you always will be now. So, thanks, I guess. For being there."

"I'm sorry, Casey," Maura said. "I know it must have been hard."

"The hardest part was knowing that I chose to leave," Casey said. "But I think it was for the best. I loved her as best I could, but I always knew the military came first for me, even after I was injured. I shouldn't have put her in that position."

"She loved you as best she could too, but her work came first too," Maura said quietly, remembering how every time Casey showed up, Maura had had to feign enthusiasm and interest in all of Jane's swooning soliloquies.

"We both know that if you'd said the word, she'd have left me for you in an instant," Casey said quietly. "When mum told me, it all made sense. I get it - guys in the military don't know, don't realise, don't ask, don't tell. I know what her family was like growing up, the Catholic schools. I get it. I wish it had been easier for her, that she could have realised earlier, but selfishly I'm almost glad she didn't, because she's amazing, and I'm so glad I got to spend what time I had with her."

"You are very understanding," Maura said.

"Well, when I loved Jane, I had to love you too. You were a package deal."

"Still are," Maura said. "I'll hand you back."

"Thanks Maura."

"Hey, so tomorrow afternoon, down on the commons? Great, I'll let Frost and Frankie and Korsak know."

Jane hung up.

"Somehow, I wasn't expecting that," Jane said, shaking her head. "He's always just randomly showed up."

"You don't want to... go to your place and see him?" Maura asked, her brows betraying her anxiety.

"What? No! If you think this is an open relationship, you can close it right now. There's nothing he can offer me that you can't surpass."

"You don't miss..."

"I miss him, but he'll drive me nuts in the first half hour I see him. And then he'll be gone again, which was most of the appeal."

"But you loved him, and he's only in town for a short time."

"I loved him because I thought I might as well. I love you because your heart fits next to mine. We're engaged. I love you. Casey doesn't come close to the way I feel about you. When he asked to marry me, I didn't answer because I guess I wanted you to say you didn't want me marrying someone else. I wanted to talk to you first, and then you cried - and shit, I shouldn't have, but I didn't think, I never thought there could be a world where I could have you, where I could tell you I wanted you. I don't like seeing you cry, but that time... It gave me hope, I think. I wish I'd said no, but I didn't want to hurt him, and I didn't see that it was how I felt about you holding me back."

"Jane, I don't want you to regret anything," Maura said, still looking concerned. Jane looped her arms around Maura's waist and kissed her.

"The only thing I regret is not doing that the moment I met you. And every moment afterwards."

Chapter Text

Jane fidgeted, looking around as she and Maura waited for the rest of the crew to turn up.

"It'll be ok," Maura said, laying her hand on top of Jane's where it rested on the picnic table.

"I'm not worried about Casey," Jane snapped. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Would you - would you have raised his baby with me? You said you wouldn't marry him."

"I don't know." Jane softened. "I had all these expectations, all these ideas of what I'd do, and most of them included you. Ma lives with you, and she'd babysit so I could go back to work, and I'd come home to pick up the baby, and Ma would cook and you'd say it was too late for me to go home, and I realise I should have said something at the time, that it was unreasonable for me to expect so much from you..."

"If you'd had the baby, there was no way I was going to let you leave. You, and Angela, and the baby. I would have had you living with me permanently by the third trimester. I could see us handing off the baby - the way we did with TJ, and falling asleep together, and maybe part of that was that I did want you for myself, but part of that was because I would have been so unbearably jealous if you got to be a mother without me."

"And you wouldn't have minded? It's a lot to take on, especially if it's not yours."

"If it's yours, it's ours," Maura said, squeezing Jane's hand as Elsie ran up to them, followed closely by Starsky and Hutch, the three of them circling Jo, tails wagging before bounding off after a ball Frost threw.

"I brought the baseball gear," Frankie said. "Figured we could get a start on the season. Oh hey, Casey. Good to see you, man." Frankie and Casey shook hands and slapped each other a bit, catching up as Frost and Korsak made their way over.

"He is very attractive. Would you consider asking him? He doesn't seem to have any plans to settle down, he wouldn't have to be involved. Genetically he'd be quite sturdy."

"I'm not asking Casey for sperm, Mau," Jane gritted through her teeth, smiling as Casey approached, standing to hug him.

---

Jane flopped down on the picnic bench, Jo panting next to her. Jo's little legs wore out sooner than the bigger dogs, and Casey came to join them.

"Hey," Casey said, sitting next to her. "I'm glad you're ok. I was worried - it sounded like you really took a beating."

"It was a really long time ago," Jane shrugged, rubbing at her palms.

"And I haven't bothered to come home since," Casey said.

"I'm not blaming you - you were working, we were broken up."

"And I'm not blaming you either," Casey said. "Can I blame her a little, though?" Casey asked, inclining his head towards Maura. "She's not my type, but she's certainly something." Maura was swinging the baseball bat in what appeared to be random notions, but was actually some sort of calculated physics thing Jane never could get her head around. She connected, and Hutch sped off to field the ball, closely followed by a lolling Elsie. Maura turned around and gave Jane two thumbs up before sprinting to Frost.

"She is, isn't she?" Jane chuckled.

"I'm glad you figured it out," Casey said, and Jane's eyes flicked to him for a moment before being drawn back to Maura. Jane patted his hand, recognising that he'd been genuine.

"Me too," Jane said, getting to her feet and punching the air as Maura slid in past Frankie in a cloud of dust. Starsky retrieved the ball took it to Korsak, who threw wide, and Maura was back on her feet and Jane ran to her, lifting her off her feet in a bear hug. "That's how we do, suckers!" Jane yelled, Maura laughing as Jane lowered her back to the ground. "I'm glad you took those pointers from Camille," Jane said, dusting off Maura's nose, sneaking in a quick kiss.

"I know my mom didn't teach her that," Frost said, heading in. "But if you want in this season, homicide will be happy to have you."

"Nepotism," Frankie coughed into his hand, and Jane shoved him.

"You were fine when it was you being neoptised," Jane said, screwing up her nose at him. "Speaking of, when's Camille heading in to town?"

"They're coming in on Tuesday. They let me do a lot of the booking - damn, I wish this was legal everywhere, but I have to say I'm a little bit glad they have to come here to get married."

"You really are the best man," Jane said, giving him a smaller, more gentle shove than she'd given Frankie.

Chapter Text

Maura poured out some water for a panting Jo, Elsie crowding her too, both lapping at the bowl. Casey came over and sat down, and Maura sat next to him, watching as he rubbed his legs.

"Are they giving you trouble?" Maura asked, and he nodded.

"I stay active, but I'll always need the braces. The muscles don't - oh, you know. She looks happy." Maura looked over to where Jane and Frost were keeping a ball away from Frankie, the dogs jumping up and around. "She looks happy with you," Casey said quickly. "You always made her happy. You make it look easy." Maura flinched as Jane elbowed Frankie in the stomach.

"She's an incredibly complex person. I think that's what drew me to her. I didn't understand at first, because she didn't look like what I was expecting someone like that to look like." Casey fiddled with Elsie's collar, and Maura sighed. "You know I don't understand social cues like the ones you're sending. What's on your mind."

"I could never give up my career for her. Maybe if I had... If I'd done it sooner..." He rubbed at his legs. "But I made my choices, and hindsight..." He sighed. "I'm glad she's happy, and I'm glad you're able to be happy out in the open, out here." He looked directly at Maura. "I'm not going to lie, some small part of my heart will always hold a moment of happiness on the thought of coming home, but it has never been enough to give it all up. I loved her with that part. It was never going to be enough. She's all or nothing, and you're always been everything to her."

Maura shrugged and looked away.

"When I was deployed, I always knew she'd be ok, because she had you. When she told me she was pregnant, part of me knew she'd end up at your house with the baby. When she lost the baby, I knew she had you. I knew you'd be there, and it was a relief. I never thought it was... Anything more."

"Neither did I," Maura said. Casey looked at her. He knew she never lied. He nodded.

"But when mum told me... It wasn't a surprise. It made sense, and not in a 'oh she's settling' way. You two have always had something." Casey rubbed his leg again and chuckled. "I guess that's just a lot of words to say I'm not... I'm not here to fight for her, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just home, and I have friends at the VA, but outside of work, all the friends I have are hers too."

"Same," Maura said.

"And your friends too. I hope I'm not overstepping, but I hope you don't mind if I take Elsie in to see Paddy senior? I write to him, sometimes." Casey looked down at his hands.

"Of course. You don't have to ask. I know the home appreciates you bringing Elsie by."

Casey watched Jane wrestling a ball away from Starsky.

"It must have been so hard for her. I knew her Pop, back when we were kids. He had a lot of opinions."

"Still does," Maura confirmed. "You have a lot of compassion."

"Jane and I were always off more than we were on. Maybe she liked it that way. Maybe I liked it that way too. Maybe I've been seeing someone too, someone that makes me understand..."

Maura nodded slowly.

"It's early days," he said. "But if she can be happy, so can I."

"Ten years ago, we couldn't have. Even with the marriage bill here, she couldn't have kissed me here, out on the commons. I'm not saying it's easy. It's just not as hard as it could be. As it would have been."

---

"I haven't had you to myself for for a whole week," Jane grumbled as she followed Maura into the house. "And Ma gets home tomorrow."

"You're right. We should have a date night once a week. At least when you were staying at your place we had some time to ourselves."

"Yeah, but we stay over there now and Ma's going to think we're, y'know, doing it."

"From what she said it sounds like she thought that's what we were doing for the past eight years. And we will be, if I have my way."

"What's the plan for tonight? Jane asked.

"Constance is back at the gallery," Maura said. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Jane's phone rang and she looked down, answered it.

"Looks like I have to come," Jane said. "That's where our crime scene is."

Chapter Text

"Looks different in daylight, huh?" Jane asked, scanning the exterior of the gallery. "They said it was right down the back entrance. You get hold of Constance?"

"Yes, she'll be staying in tonight, unless the gallery opens again tonight." They walked through the gallery, gathering the passes that had been generated to allow them access through the building. They'd been through before, so the exhibits didn't distract them from heading towards the crime scene, but they passed a few uniformed officers staring at the various butt sculptures in disbelief.

"Long time no see," Frost said, looking up from the keypad at the back entrance.

"Look tampered with?" Jane asked, heading to him as Maura knelt next to the body. A curator, pale faced, was standing outside. Korsak was resting a hand on his back, asking quiet questions.

"Not sure. Something's hinky, I've asked for the logs for the access but I'm waiting on a warrant. Swipe access with keypad override, so it might not even tell us anything. Waiting for the crime lab to get the prints, but all it would take is a screwdriver and a lockpick gadget to get it. Security cameras were recording, we should be able to get those too, once the warrant comes through."

Jane nodded, looking around. There were trucks in the loading bay.

"We had uniforms check them yet?" Jane asked, and Frost shook his head. Jane went back into the gallery to haul a few uniforms away from the asstrocities they were admiring and go through the trucks.

"Something is strange here," Maura said. "I don't think she was killed here."

"How was she killed? I'm not seeing any headwounds or gunshots."

"Not sure yet. Could be poison. Could be internal bleeding. I'll know more once I start the autopsy."

"We got an ID?" Jane asked, and Maura pulled out a lanyard from the shirt.

"Naomi Tildern. Looks like she was one of the general staff."

"Couldn't it have just been a heart attack?" Jane asked, looking over the body. "How'd the coroner determine it was foul play?"

"They looked pretty closely at her hands," Maura said, indicating. The nails were torn, and there was blood beneath the fingernails. "At the very least she was in a scuffle before she died. Enough to call in an ME for a suspicious death." Maura looked her over again. "There may be a puncture wound under the clothes, or a taser mark. If she had an underlying heart condition, that could have triggered a coronary episode. Between that and the value of the exhibits, they made a call."

"I'll go check in with the manager," Jane said, recognising them from the introduction last night as they walked over to Korsak.

---

"If you're already invited, you should go," Korsak insisted. "The gallery is opening tonight; Frost and Frankie and Riley and I will be in the catering staff, and Holiday will be up in the security room, monitoring the cameras."

"They're going to know we're watching the place now. Are we sure nothing's missing?"

"Everything was accounted for. Once the exhibitors come in the manager has agreed to ask them to check the authenticity of their work."

Jane sighed. "Yeah, ok, we'll go. We're not risking Constance, and I want Maura on a wire. She was kidnapped two days ago, remember."

"We'll put a GPS tracker on the both of you," Korsak said, and Jane rewarded him with a smile.

"Thanks. I know I'm probably..."

"No, it makes sense. We don't know what we're dealing with yet. Naomi looks like a dead end, but we'll keep running that down. Look, Frost and I will head back, get the equipment and meet you back here."

"Ok, we'll stay here, question the exhibitors as they come in."

"You don't want to get changed?" Korsak asked. Jane looked down at her slacks and tee, gun and badge on either hip.

"What's wrong with this?" Jane asked. Korsak chuckled.

"It's not exactly undercover." Jane shook her head.

"Ok, I'll come back. Can you stay until I get back? Keep a eye on..." Jane indicated her head to Maura, and Korsak nodded.

"She'll be safe, go get glammed up."

Maura stood as Jane approached.

"I gotta get changed, we're staying to watch what happens when the gallery opens."

"But the autopsy," Mara said, brow furrowed.

"Can wait, for now. We need you here; I can't use Constance and I need someone who knows art."

"Susie," Maura said. "She has an arts degree."

"She was recently kidnapped as well. She doesn't know these people. We need the social aspect too."

"She can cover until I complete the autopsy. I'm sure she'd like a night out, and I'm assuming we'll have coverage?"

"Yeah, no, good plan. I'll call her."

---

"Wow, Chang," Jane said as she got out of a marked car. "You scrubbed up." Chang was wearing her usual cat's eye glasses, but her hair was down and curled a little, and a bold red dress accented her lipstick. "I gotta warn you about the butt lady. She's going to hit on you in that getup. You been wired?"

"They did it at the station. This is my first time undercover - I hope I perform adequately."

"Maura will be in when the autopsy is finished, and we'll get uniforms to drop you home. Thanks for coming in on a Saturday night, especially after the week you had."

"A free pass to the biggest gallery event in Boston? It's my pleasure, Det... Jane. Do I need a cover story? Can I be an heiress from a far-off land?"

"You can be Art Professor Chang. You can stick with me if you're nervous, but Holiday has eyes on the entire building."

"You were here last night, weren't you? What was your favourite?"

"I... have to say Constance's, but you gotta see this." Jane dragged Susie through to what she thought of as 'the butt room', in which all the butt sculptures were displayed.

"This is amazing," Susie said, examining one of the sculptures. "The adhesion of gummy bears is incredibly difficult since they tend to melt on contact with most bonding agents."

"I'm glad to see you appreciate it," a voice came close behind Susie, and she jumped and turned. "Claire Symonds, I'm the artist. And you..." Claire turned to Jane, eyed her dress. "Are back again. With another woman."

"This is my friend, Susie. Susie Chang, my friend. Just friends." Jane said quickly, Susie nodding anxiously beside her.

"I like what you've done here," Susie said. "A social commentary on the objectification and consumption of women." Claire looked pleased, and Jane's eyebrows shot up.

"You get it! How delightful." Claire eyed Susie. "I'm always looking for models," she said smoothly, and handed her card over. Jane rolled her eyes.

"You say that to all the girls, huh?" Jane asked. "Seems more of a statement than your art."

"Every woman is a work of art to me," Claire said, and Jane could hear her sincerity. "Is Constance here? The public aren't supposed to be allowed in yet."

"I'm representing her tonight," Jane said smoothly. "Maura will be in later, and she'll be able to handle more detailed questions about her mother's art." Claire nodded slowly.

"You heard about the - Naomi?" Claire asked, clearly considering Jane as part of the behind-the-scenes of the gallery now.

"Yeah, we got a call. That's why Constance isn't here. Maura's protective over her family." Claire was eyeing Susie again, and Jane shoved Susie behind her. "So'm I," she growled warningly. Claire chuckled and walked into the next room.

"You were right," Susie said, looking flustered.

"Are you blushing?" Jane asked accusatorily. "You got her number," Jane said throwing up her hands. "Do what you want with it.'

Chapter Text

Susie was surprisingly good company, Jane had to admit. She'd always shown a sense of humour and a healthy respect of Jane's tendencies towards violence, and those - what did she call them? Die-oramas? Had always had an artistic flair. She was knowledgeable about the art and artists, but not in the same self-assured way Maura was, not an entire encyclopedia all at once. Susie knew how to curate her material to an audience. She seemed cheerful enough, given her life had recently been threatened, although she did shrink into Jane's side whenever there was a loud noise or movement. Jane found herself putting a protective arm over Susie's shoulders, aware that the gallery might not be the safest place for her. Susie gave a grateful smile, and from across the room Claire tilted an eyebrow at Jane, who immediately rolled her eyes.

Jane hadn't been the kind of woman to attract female friends. Women tended to find her intimidating or overpowering or too boisterous, and generally her lack of interest in anything considered feminine meant she didn't even interact with that many women. When she'd met Maura, in her heels and dress, Jane had felt ridiculous, and later, in her slacks and tee, felt frumpy. She hadn't thought she'd like the woman with the perfect makeup and the high-maintenance wardrobe, but after Hoyt, Jane had a lot of time watching the ME do her job, and from a grudging respect a friendship had grown; Jane's first adult female friendship. But it hadn't just been a friendship, it had always been more. And now here she was, with Susie at her side describing the kind of guns they used in the era of the painting they were looking at, with Holiday upstairs making snide remarks at Frost. They had their own interests and hobbies, and they didn't make Jane feel alien for having hers as well.

Not that Maura wasn't an excellent companion at a gallery, but Jane felt more relaxed than she had last night, despite being at work. Or perhaps because she was at work; she knew she didn't have to please anyone socially tonight, just get through without anyone getting murdered. And Susie, nearly a full head shorter than Jane, trusted her, even though she'd unintentionally put her in danger just a few days ago. Jane tuned back in from her own thoughts, nodding as Susie marveled over the miniature tea sets from another artist.

"Yours are better," Jane said gruffly, and Susie looked up, pleased. "What? They are. Hours of fine detail work in the crime lab paid off for you there."

Susie glowed, and Jane followed her, scanning the crowd, looking for anyone likely to be linked to that afternoon's murder.

Speaking of which... Jane watched someone who looked out of place, wanting to follow him but not wanting to leave Susie alone. Maura arrived then, her hair spilling softly over her shoulders, and Jane relaxed again, kissing her cheek in greeting. "Take her," she whispered to Maura, hand in her purse, on her gun. Maura nodded and spoke softly to Susie, and Jane knew she was updating the backup team.

"I'm following a man, mid-forties, stocky. Looks uncomfortable in a suit."

"Being uncomfortable in a suit isn't a crime," Korsak said.

"Yeah, not everyone can look as effortlessly stylish as us," Frost boasted, Holiday's giggle in the background.

"Well I'm following him out of bounds, so he's up to something." Jane pulled her gun, kept it low, finger off the trigger. She saw the man take a shortcut through the gallery to the bathroom and pull out a pack of cigarettes. "False alarm, maybe. He might be sneaking a smoke in the bathroom."

"On my way," Korsak said, appearing from another area. Jane skulked in the shadows and put her gun away when Korsak confirmed her suspicions.

"Anyone else acting sketchy?" Jane asked lowly, slipping in next to Maura, sliding an arm around her waist. "You get hit on yet?"

"No, but I just got here," Maura said.

"Then let me be the first. Someone should call the cops, because it's illegal to look this good," Jane murmured to Maura.

"That's no way to talk about a Lola Yarde, Jane," Maura tutted.

"You know we can all hear you, right?" Nina said, and Jane blushed.

"Yeah, Janie, don't gross me out at work." Frankie cut in. "Where's your chaperone?" Jane looked down at Susie and shrugged.

"I'm right, and I'm not sorry." Jane huffed. Maura chuckled, and Jane let them wander off, exclaiming excitedly over a pyramid made of used teabags, commenting about consumerism. Jane went over to Constance's exhibit, answered a few questions, glad Maura was wired in now. It made it easier for her to scan the crowds.

"Hey, what was the cause of death, after all that?" Jane asked, wondering if Maura had already said something.

"Poison, injected into the back of her neck. She wouldn't have seen it coming, and she would have only got that one swipe in before she fell."

"So we're looking for a needle in a haystack," Jane grumbled. "Anything on the DNA?"

"No hits yet, but I'm sure Todd would love to let you know once we get a result."

"Tell me you didn't give him my number," Jane whined, smiling politely at people who clearly thought she was insane.

"Of course not," Maura said. "I don't need another man chasing after you."

"Another man..." Jane's brow furrowed.

Chapter Text

Jane looked around again. She could hear Maura and Susie chattering away in her earpiece, could see Korsak and Frankie across the hall. Frost and Holiday cut in occasionally, but the police presence at the gallery seemed unnecessary. Jane wondered for a moment if the curator had murdered that poor woman so he didn't have to hire security for the event, then shook her head. He didn't have any visible wounds, and Naomi would have had to struck her attacker on the face or arm.

"We get anything back on that DNA?" Jane muttered, staring at what looked like a tree made out of toilet paper. Paper mache, maybe.

"Nothing from Todd," Maura confirmed, checking her phone. Jane could see her from here, her bare, exposed back, her slender neck. Skin that Jane knew so well, skin that would be so easy for a perp to puncture with a needle. Jane was too far away to tackle anyone that tried to assault her, but her bullets were faster than she was.

"We know what kind of poison it was?" Jane grumbled.

"Jane, I'll let everyone know when I get the update. Would it hurt you to admire the art for a while?" Maura asked, and Jane could hear Frankie snigger, echoed by Korsak a moment later.

"Probably," Jane complained, rolling her eyes and tugging at her dress. She saw Maura turn to look at her and schooled her face into a peaceful smile.

The other exhibitors were all nervy, and the curator told Jane that half the staff hadn't turned up. Naomi had been well liked, and her death had been a blow. Opening the gallery seemed a bit gauche, especially when the public hadn't yet been informed - the family had yet to know, so the press had been firmly shut down by Cavanaugh. It still felt off, like something was wrong. Jane knew Korsak had questioned many of the staff, but with Constance's tags she could be seen as an insider. She toyed briefly with getting Claire onside to introduce Jane, but she still didn't know if she was involved somehow. Jane eyed her warily; no marks to the face or arms, so she likely hadn't been the attacker. Claire saw Jane looking and gave her another tilted eyebrow smirk, and Jane huffed loudly, turning away again.

"We got anyone with scratches on the face or arms?" Jane asked, and received a flurry of negatives. "Anyone skulking outside?"

"All entrances and exits clear," Nina said.

"And no motive from friends and family?"

"Woman's a ghost, outside of the gallery. Still tracking them down. That lock was definitely unlocked twice though," Frost said. "Crime lab confirmed it, even if the footage was wiped. No one would go to that much trouble if it was personal."

"So what's here that so valuable that someone murdered that poor woman and didn't even take her swipe card... Unless..." Jane turned, heading for the curator. "We did a full sweep of the building, didn't we?"

"As far as I know," Frost said, picking up what Jane was putting down. "Looking at the building plan now."

"Checking cameras for areas not open to the public," Nina said, and Jane nodded, stopping in front of the curator.

"If someone broke in here, what would they steal first? Assuming they knew art and how much this sh... Stuff was worth."

"Well, the Isles pieces..." He started, then caught himself at Jane's impatient huff. "The Symonds exhibit, in its entirety, would sell for the most. But it's not exactly portable."

"Ok, so pricey but portable?"

"The DeLone miniatures," he said. "Or perhaps the... No, too fragile."

"None of the paintings?"

"No, they're theme pieces, so individually they're not exorbitant." Jane nodded and made a beeline to Claire, watching as Susie as Maura made their way over to DeLone.

"Anyone made you any offers?" Jane asked briskly.

"None I would accept," Claire said smoothly. "Although if this is one, the Isles gal is staring me down right now."

"Not that kind of offer," Jane said, flinging her hands in exasperation. "The work, your work."

"No, they're not for sale."

"Has anyone tried to buy them?"

"There was this guy, but he turned out to want... Well let's just say I don't need male models."

"Is he here?"

"No."

"What's he look like? When did he talk to you?"

"Are you..." Claire's eyes narrowed. "You're working with the police?"

"So? I'm trying to make sure no one else dies today." Claire's eyes wandered Jane's body again.

"I should have guessed," Claire laughed. "Let's see, he was tall, taller than me, and he was chewing peppermint gum. And it was here, last night."

"That's it?"

"Men all look the same to me, darling," Claire said, clearly tacking that on the end for Maura's benefit as she approached.

"Thanks," Jane said as Maura took her arm and led her to a painting.

"I have him!" Nina squealed. "Whoever wiped the footage didn't bother with last night's. Tall man, talking to that woman you were with. She looks uncomfortable as all get out. Frost, can you run him?"

"Give me a minute... Ah, he's got a prior. Stalking."

"Did he check in tonight?" Jane asked, heading for the curator again. "Did you find anything on the blueprints?"

"Yeah, there's a room off the main gallery where there shouldn't be a space."

Jane looked down at Maura beside her, then over at Susie. She checked the lanyards of everyone who hadn't checked in; Greg was among them. If he'd snuck in before the showing, he was likely to wait until afterwards to make his move, but Jane knew she couldn't afford to get complacent.

Chapter Text

Jane saw Frankie and Korsak heading towards the location they expected their suspect to be. She pulled Maura away, behind a wall, collecting Susie and herding them both towards the doors like a dedicated sheepdog, knowing that the last time she'd sent the two off to safety it hadn't gone well. But they were civilians, and Jane was responsible for them.

Jane always hated this part of a mission. When civilians were involved, just attending an event. Not knowing that some random person with a needle full of poison was running around, murdering people. At least Susie and Maura knew about the present danger, at least they were letting Jane...

"Got him," called Frankie. "Bastard tried to stick me though."

"Can you get him out of here quietly?" Jane asked, looking at Maura. A public arrest at one of her mother's shows might reflect poorly on the event.

"Heading out the back now. I'll book him. Frost, you coming?"

"I'll meet you down there," Jane cut in.

"No, you drop Susie home, ok?" Frankie said. "Make sure she gets home safely."

Jane looked over at the two women with her, some of her tension leaving her. There'd been no shoot out, and nothing bad had happened to the event or the patrons. Jane informed the curator and asked him to come down to the precinct in the morning as Korsak snagged a glass of wine, off duty for the night.

"It's not art, but it's something," Korsak said, looking at a human sculpture made, a sign proclaimed, entirely from socks that had lost their partners. Jane rolled her eyes.

"Pretentious," Jane muttered. Maura stepped in beside her, and Jane found her hand on the back of Maura's dress, sliding up slowly, fingertips trailing their way up Maura's bared spine where the dress opened at the back. "Why'd you reckon he did it?" Jane asked, serious again, letting her hand slide over Maura's shoulder.

"Frost and Frankie will let us know when they find out," Korsak said. "It's been nice and all, but I have the pups waiting for me." Korsak said, putting his wine down on a waiter's tray.

Claire looked over at them, clearly flirting with a woman in a flamingo pink dress.

"She knows something," Jane said, hand grasping Maura's shoulder.

"It can wait," Maura said sternly, and Jane sulked for a moment. Maura turned and caught Jane's cheek in her hand. "It's the weekend," Maura said beseechingly, and Jane nodded grudgingly, eyes narrowed at Claire.

---

Susie insisted on making them coffee before they left when they took her home, and Jane was glad of an excuse to see her safely inside her home. Susie kicked off her heels off at the door, suddenly tiny. Jane looked around the space; it hadn't been what she'd expected, but Susie was always full of surprises. The apartment appeared deserted, and Susie rolled her eyes. "You can check for intruders if you'd like," Susie said, firing up her coffee machine. Jane nodded and scoped the rest of the rooms, gun still in her purse. Clear. Jane relaxed and loosed her grip on her purse.

"Thanks for taking me, Jane," Susie said, handing Maura the first coffee.

"Hey, if I'd know you wanted to go, I'd have made Constance put you on the list too," Jane said, taking Maura's coffee, taking an impatient sip from the mug and Maura slid an arm around her, stealing the mug back and taking a sip of her own. "Good coffee," Jane noted.

"That's right, if there's ever an event you'd like to go to, please let me know. I have connections," Maura chimed in.

"You're my boss - it would be an imposition."

"I'm also your friend," Maura said, smiling. "You've invited me plenty of places - we need to go kayaking again, Jane hates being out on the water - and it's a two way street."

"Ok. Thanks, both of you. It felt a lot better, being out tonight, than it did yesterday, after all the police left."

"Hey look, I shouldn't have..." Jane started.

Susie smiled wryly, pouring the coffee. "You were just clearing the scene," Susie said. "I wasn't going to move on my own, and it really was the safest place on the crime scene. None of us counted on those guys getting a jump on Finley."

"It's part of the job," Maura said softly.

"And you've barely been back a week. I bet it feels like you never left."

"A little," Maura considered, sipping at her coffee, Jane taking hers from Susie. "But then..." Maura looked down at the ring on her hand. Her phone rang, and all three of them jumped.

"Sorry mother, we had to drop a friend home. No, everything is fine. Frankie was very discreet, none of the patrons noticed. Yes, in holding for the night. Attempted assault on a police officer. No bail. We'll be home soon. I love you too."

"We should get home," Jane said, draining her mug in one long gulp. "Really good coffee. You going to be alright?" Jane asked, looking at Susie. Without the heels she was so much shorter, looked so much smaller and more vulnerable, especially with that look on her face. "You say the word and Frankie is sleeping in your sitting room." Susie shook her head.

"I'll be fine, really."

Chapter Text

Jane glared at Greg Huntley. He'd been less than forthcoming, although the lab had managed to match his DNA with the skin that had been found under Naomi's nails.

"I'll ask again. What were you doing there? You were a patron, you didn't need to kill Naomi and break in, you had access to the events." Greg just shrugged, smirking, and not for the first time Jane wished that striking a prisoner wasn't illegal. "Ok, let me put it this way. We've checked up on you. You have quite the history with the gallery. You seem genuinely fond of art. You patronise most of the local exhibitions as well. So what were you there for last night? You're quite wealthy, you could have purchased most of the exhibits."

Still nothing from Greg. Jane sighed and gave up.

"We still have you for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, so you'd better hope your lawyer answers his phone on Monday," Jane growled, letting herself out and nodding to the officer on the door to take him back to holding. She went into the observation room. "Anything?"

"No. The lab verified the syringe he was carrying held the same poison as Naomi had in her system," Korsak said.

"Well, that's a start," Jane said. "He gives me the heebies."

"You talk to that woman yet? The one he was talking to Friday night?"

"She just said he wanted to model for her, and that she doesn't do men."

"She's the one with all those posterior sculptures, right?"

"Yeah, we can call her in but she won't give us much."

"You said she was... on your side of the fence?" Korsak asked. Jane stared at him.

"Like, an art fence? You think she's stealing art?"

"No, I mean, aw hell, Jane. That she bats for your team." Jane immediately got the softball reference because that at least was a known euphemism for being gay. Also Jane was moderately aware that softball was a thing with lesbians, and she had also played softball. There was a correlation there somewhere, probably, Jane mused, thinking back to how Camille and Robyn kicked the BPD team's collective ass. Ass. Claire. Korsak had asked if Claire was gay.

"Well, yeah. Hit on me, and Maura, and Susie. Gave us all her card." Jane thought a second. "Wait... She knows I'm a cop. And she can look up Maura. But she only knows Susie's first name."

"She saw Susie with you both, she won't talk to her." Korsak backpedealled.

"We won't know that until we try."

"Jane."

"Look, if Susie says no, I'll drop it. But I'd love to know what he was talking to her about."

"He was talking to a few of the other exhibitors on Friday night. I'll call them in this afternoon." Korsak looked over at Jane. "You should go home, isn't Angela coming home today?"

"It's fine, Hope is picking her up."

"I know you've got better things to do than hang around here on a Sunday. We won't know anything else until he lawyers up, get out of here." Jane nodded and walked out, her fingers already hitting Maura's number.

---

"I'm - I'm out at the moment," Maura said.

"Out where?" Jane asked, surprised. Maura had rolled over in bed after finishing her coffee, looking all the world as though she had no plans to ever move. Jane had pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder, then that spot on her temple that always made Maura sigh before heading in to the office.

"I'm - I'm at your place. I was worried about your fridge."

"I emptied it," Jane protested.

"The sauce that expired in 2012 would disagree with you," Maura chided.

"Why're you cleaning my fridge on a Sunday while I'm at work."

"It still doesn't really feel like you live with me, and Constance was out, and I didn't need to go in to work and your place is very - nostalgic for me. I hope you don't mind."

"I mind you swiping my sauce, but I don't get why you'd..."

"I missed you," Maura said simply. "Well, I missed us. I missed us being there."

"It does have more privacy, doesn't it?" Jane mused. "You want us to stay there for a while?"

"Not really. I just wanted to see what the appeal of this place was."

"And the verdict?"

"It was all you," Maura said. "Without you it's just a building - one I'm inordinately fond of for sentimental reasons - but it's just a building. Do you need me to pick up anything while I'm here?"

"Nah, I'll come get you. I'm done at the precinct."

"Oh I can meet you there," Maura said.

"Don't you dare. It's Sunday morning and if we go back to your place people are going to ask what we're doing in bed past noon," Jane whispered. "I'm coming."

"Not yet you're not," Maura chuckled, laughing at Jane's frustrated whine as she hung up.

Chapter Text

It was nice, in a sentimental sort of way, to be home. Jane had all her stuff here after all; all the stuff that would look drastically out of place at Maura's. All the baseball trophies and plaques, her boxing bag - which she'd missed more than she expected to, her collection of signed baseballs, the relics of a life well-lived. It felt like it did when they'd got back to Maura's after a week away; it felt like coming home after a holiday. It reminded her that while she was supremely comfortable at Maura's, she still thought of this as her home.

And yet, one bedroom was too small, since Maura was serious about having children. She didn't want to leave her home empty, but she didn't see any of her things fitting into Maura's space.

"What're you thinking about," Maura mumbled, her voice muffled by Jane's throat, where her lips were still pressed.

"Our living situation. Also about setting Susie up with Claire to get intel, but mostly our living situation."

"You want to pimp out my Senior Criminalist?" Maura said, sliding more comfortably against Jane.

"No, but we do need to question the exhibitors again. We're getting nothing out of Greg, and she was the last person we know she spoke to. I have a hunch."

"Your hunches..."

"Yeah, I know. And Susie doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to."

"So what about our living situation were you considering, then?"

"I don't know... How it's nice to have a nooner. How I miss my stuff and it won't fit in at your place."

"I have room for your things if you're happy to move in. We did suggest a trial week. I hope you don't want to move out because you don't think there's room for you and your...."

"No, I'm happy living with you. I know you have room. It just... Doesn't match your decor."

"Your baseballs would look nice in the longue. So would your trophies. The boxing bag... In the courtyard? Maybe the yoga room. We can mix and match. It's our space."

"It's your house," Jane pointed out.

"Do you want me to buy a new house, so you feel like it's yours as well?" Maura asked, concerned, propping herself up to look at Jane.

"No! All my money is in the Condo, I'm not ready to... It's early, ok. You're talking about buying houses and having kids - and so am I - and I don't know what I want."

"I don't need to buy any houses, or for you to sell anything in order for me to do so. Keeping the Condo would be wise, as it was a good investment. And we do need to talk about kids because it will take so long to have any. But I know what I want, Jane, and it's you. We can go live in a cabin in the woods or in a cave in the Arctic circle, as long as I'm with you."

"How can you be so sure? You must have so many better offers, so many people more refined and richer..."

"How can you be so... insecure! After everything we've been through. Implying that I don't know my own mind is a little insulting." Maura huffed against Jane's clavicle, and Jane rubbed Maura's shoulder reassuringly.

"I don't mean, I mean, it's... what if you wake up one day and you've come to your senses and you realise you could do so much better?"

"I won't, because I've only woken up like that once, and it was the day I asked you to kiss me. I can't think of anything better than that."

"I can't just... buy you a house, or a car, every time we have an argument."

"I wouldn't want you to. All I'd want is a sincere apology. Maybe a small gift. I don't need grand gestures, I've had them all my life. I need sincerity, and you're the only person that's given me that. In this dating context, anyway." Maura sighed. "I'm not with you for your money, Jane."

"And I'm not with you for yours. But I looked at the cost of adoption, and of IVF and Maura, I can't afford either. You'd be carrying the weight of it, and I'd feel... inadequate. Because you could have a baby with any man you wanted, you wouldn't need IVF, you'd be covering for what I don't have."

"Oh Jane. I wouldn't want to have a baby with anyone else, and my medical insurance covers IVF. I'll get you added to mine tomorrow, if you'd like - I know we haven't decided how or who yet, but you do have a dangerous job."

"I do," Jane agreed, looking at her scarred hands.

"And if there are any other areas you feel inadequate, please let me inform you that you certainly don't need to feel inadequate about sex, if you know what I mean."

"You were very clear about that a few minutes ago, and again right now. Are you sure there's nothing you miss about men though?"

"Ah. Penises. If you don't have your own, store-bought is fine."

"Huh?"

"I like the person that's giving me," Maura kissed Jane's mouth, still damp with Maura, "the most attentive and exquisite orgasms of my life. Not the equipment. Although I like that too. I like the way you feel around me, I like how soft you are, I like the way your chest is the perfect pillow. But if you miss something, anatomically, we can always purchase an accessory or two."

"I'm not complaining," Jane said, breath catching as Maura's hand started to wander again. "I was asking if you missed anything about men and you went straight to penises."

"Take away the penis and a man is just a person. I've found the person I want to be with, so that's the only relevant difference. A difference I haven't had the opportunity to miss."

"Sure there aren't any more differences?" Jane asked as Maura's hand inched lower.

"I'm not sure. The situation requires thorough investigation before I can draw a definitive conclusion," with a knowing grin, Maura slid under the covers.

Chapter Text

Angela and Hope came into the main house, and Constance looked up from her computer, squinting at an idea she'd had for a new piece. Their laughter brought Jo to the door, jumping up in joy at seeing Angela again. Angela scooped her up and kissed Constance's cheek.

"I've been in the house, the guest house is all yours. There was an... incident. Or two."

"Jane," Angela said, shaking her head.

"No, me this time, I'm afraid. A murder in the gallery I had an exhibit in. I assume the girls were being cautious."

"I thought Jane would be home," Angela said.

"She went to the station early, and I think Maura went as well. Trying to identify the type of poison used, I think?" Constance's brow furrowed, wondering how she would manage to sculpt such a large array of koi in so few months. Perhaps she could use clay instead of stone; it would be faster but it wouldn't... she shook her head and looked up. "Welcome home," she said belatedly, closing her laptop, standing and hugging Angela. "How are Tommy and TJ and Lydia?"

"He's so much bigger, you wouldn't even believe it," Angela said excitedly, pulling out her phone.

---

The whole crew rolled in over the evening, Tasha turning up with Cailin, Frost and Korsak with Frankie, Susie and Nina rocking up with a bottle of wine and, for some reason, a small cactus. Jane and Maura hadn't given their case another thought since that morning, relaxed and loose, Jane perched on the arm of Maura's chair, arm draped over her.

"When I bought that table, I remember thinking that it was a bad decision, that I'd never have a need for such a large one with so much room. Realistically I thought it was just for me, and an occasional guest, like my mom. And today, it's too small for all of us. Our family keeps getting bigger." Maura rested her head against Jane, looking over at the crowded kitchen, Frankie in Maura's apron, turning something in a frypan, Angela working the oven, Cailin chatting to Nina as Susie discussed the scientific differences of bacterial meningitis strains with Tasha.

"Are you sure we can't adopt her?" Maura asked and Jane sighed.

"Gwen has dibs, but Tasha said no. She's aged out of the system now anyway."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't need family," Maura said sadly.

"She's part of this one," Jane assured her. "Paperwork or not, everyone here is. You wouldn't adopt Susie, would you?"

"I would if I could," Maura huffed. "You can't tell me who I can't adopt."

"I should get a say in it," Jane pointed out. "And I don't want to adopt Susie. She's a whole-ass adult with a family of her own, honey."

"I know, I just - I feel like I've wasted so much time. With you, by not being with you. Maybe I'm trying to make up for too much of it all at once."

"I get it," Jane let her fingers trail down Maura's cheek, casually catching her chin so she could lean down and kiss her. "But we have guests, and we should be sociable," Jane said, smiling up at Korsak as he brought over some wine, Susie and Cailin taking the couch, Jo sitting at Frankie's feet, staring lovingly at him as he cooked. "I like it when we don't have to cook," Jane said, watching Frost and Frankie good-naturedly tease Tasha about her dux placement at BCU that year, Nina defending her and hitting Frost with a spatula.

Jane pressed a kiss to the side of Maura's head and walked to the kitchen to make sure Frankie didn't start another food fight, Hope and Constance deep in a discussion on the donations Constance had raised for MEND at the gallery, and if they should have a themed event for victims of genocide. Angela swatted Frankie with a teatowel before Jane could reach him, and Jane took over the oven so Angela could pull Tasha to her side and give her a cuddle.

Susie approached Constance timidly, eyes wide when Constance revealed that she knew who she was from Maura's conversations about her. Maura went back to Jane's side, sneaking a slice of chilli from Frankie's concoction.

"I like our family," Maura said, looking at what she would have called chaos before she'd met Jane. People everywhere, no ties or dresses, other than Hope, two mothers of her own, and a third Jane shared, a half-sister, a brother in law, a work family forged in gunfire. And of course, Jane, the person who'd brought all of these people into her life in the capacity they held. She knew how much she had now, and if Jane hadn't wanted to date her, her house would be empty now. But it wouldn't be - her mothers and her sister and her colleagues were hers now, and she wouldn't be alone without Jane. Jane had changed her in such positive ways - made her braver, stronger, helped her navigate social situations she found difficult. And what did Maura offer Jane? Only material things. But Jane was softer now, since she'd met Maura, more willing to withhold judgement and more patient. Perhaps they'd made each other better people.

Susie came over, stole some pepper from Frankie's dish, risking rapped knuckled. "I called Claire. I'm seeing her tomorrow night. You want me on a wire?"

"What?" Jane asked, brain full of oven temperatures and the bodily proximity of her future wife.

"The..."

"Oh! Oh, thank you Susie," Jane said. "You don't mind?"

"Well she's probably not a murderer. Constance Isles - THE Constance Isles vouched for her, that's good enough for me."

"You don't mind going on a date with a woman?" Jane asked, frowning at the oven timer, turning on the oven light to check the crisp on the roast.

"Why would that bother me?" Susie said casually, and Jane shrugged.

"Would've bothered me a few months ago. Glad you're living in a better future, kid," Jane said.

"Jane, I am barely five years younger than you. I'm hardly a kid. I lived with the same prejudices you did - more, actually."

"What can I say? I'm jealous, Susie. If I'd... I could have had her so much sooner." Maura slipped her arms around Jane, rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

"We can talk about work on Monday, Susie," Maura chided her. "This is Sunday dinner." She looked around the busy room, most of her friends and family mingling in unexpected but entirely pleasant ways. "We need to get married," Maura said into Jane's ear. "Not overseas under a volcano. At Fenway, on the pitchers mound so all the people we love can be there."

"Can I wear my jersey?" Jane asked.

"You can wear whatever you want, as long as you marry me," Maura said, unaware of the lull in the conversation, unaware that everyone was watching as Jane turned in her arms to kiss her.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure?" Jane asked Susie, who was in the back of Jane's car, Frost riding shotgun.

"I was going to call her either way. My ass deserves to be immortalised."

"Ok, you've got your safe word?"

"Watermelon," Susie confirmed.

"And we'll be right here, ok?" Jane said, and Frost rolled his eyes.

"She's not dangerous, Jane," Frost said. "It might be Susie's first time undercover, but she's not in any danger. She's just asking some questions about the guy we have in lockup."

"If you get stuck..."

"Watermelon, I know." Susie got out of the car and smoothed down her dress.

"Wish me luck," Susie said into the wire as she walked into the restaurant.

---

"I'm glad you called me. Surprised, but glad," Claire told Susie, running her fingers around the rim of her water glass.

"Why?"

"Your friends seemed to be a little affronted by my obvious interest in you."

"Oh, Jane's just protective."

"I'm surprised she let you come, then," Claire said, turning to the waiter and ordering wine.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Susie said, a wicked smile on her face. "How goes the exhibit?"

"Well, I suppose. You know, considering."

The murder had been front page news that morning, and the gallery had had to have uniforms staffed there to take calls for most of the day. That night's event was cancelled, fortunately for Susie.

"You'd rather be there than here?" Susie asked. "At the gallery, I mean. That's where you invited me."

Claire considered Susie across the table, reached out her fingers to stroke the back of Susie's hand where it rested on the table. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than here, with you," Claire said deliberately.

---

"She's smooth," Frost noted, and Jane nodded. "I'm taking notes."

"You've got you own moves," Jane pointed out. "Copying someone else - you don't need to do that."

"Sure, but I can always learn from a master, and that woman in there with Susie - she's a master."

"I feel kinda bad listening in."

"Susie agreed to the wire," Frost said. "But yeah, it sounds like a date."

"It's supposed to. Let's hope she can work that murder into the conversation - I spent some time with her on interrogation tactics but she's a scientist, not a detective."

"Trust her," Frost said.

"I do," Jane said, relaxing.

---

"But you're only booked in for two more showings at the gallery - won't missing tonight impact your work?"

"It won't bring back Naomi," Claire sighed. "It won't stop jerks from trying to convince me that men make better models, better lovers."

"They rarely do," Susie agreed. "Was someone trying to hire you?"

"I think so - he was pretty eccentric. He said he liked my work and tried to hire me to model him. He was pretty mad when I turned him down."

"You really never use male models?" Susie asked, sipping at her wine. "Not even if they commission you?"

"My work doesn't come that cheaply," Claire said. "And I wouldn't sell out. It wouldn't feel right, to me. I don't even know if I could, after all this time. And my heart wouldn't be in it. The models I use - they're all women that have inspired me in some way. I know I asked you to model, but this is..."

"An interview?" Susie asked. "I understand."

"My models aren't just beautiful women I want to immortalise. They're people I felt a connection to, however brief. Women I admire in some way."

"And you don't admire men at all," Susie concluded. "That would have made him mad."

"He said he'd..." Claire's voice broke off and she shook her head. "Enough about men! As though they don't monopolise most of our conversations. Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a scientist by day, an artist in my free time - what little I have of it. Nothing on your scale, but I enjoy it."

"Constance mentioned you do exquisite miniatures. Do you have any photos?"

Fortunately, despite telling Jane she didn't use dioramas in her everyday life, Susie had some normal looking examples on her phone, which she'd organised in case she had the chance to show Constance yesterday. She held out her phone, a copy of Boston Joe's she'd made a few years ago when Jane spilt coffee on that woman, the video that went viral.

"Constance always did have good taste. It seems a shame, that you're not showing anywhere. The attention to detail, the way you've conveyed attraction here -" Frost was leaning against the counter, talking to the barista "it really should be available to be studied." Claire handed the phone over. "You're very gifted."

Susie blushed, putting her phone away.

"It's just a hobby," she said, brushing her loose hair behind her ear.

"It's not 'just' anything." Claire was fixing a smouldering gaze on Susie, who blushed a deeper red. "It's amazing. You're amazing."

"I'm a better scientist than an artist," Susie said. "My mind... It likes exacts. I can shrink a real location down like this, but I can't create something new on my own."

"You don't need to. Look at my body of work. All I do is recreate what already exists."

"Is all your work to scale?" Susie asked excitedly.

---

"We've lost her," Jane groaned. "Are we going to listen in to their entire date?"

"We should," Frost said. "I mean, I said she wasn't dangerous, but after last week I want to make sure she gets home safely. I'm going to stop listening now, though." Frost took out his earpiece.

"Why would you do that?"

"I respect Susie too much to listen to her on a date," Frost said.

"You mean I gotta listen instead. You are so unfair." Jane flung herself back in the car seat.

---

"Would you like to come back to my studio? I'd love to paint you," Claire said suggestively as they left the restaurant and Susie, who had stuck to a single glass of wine, still stuttered her response.

"I, I would love to, but not - not tonight, it's, I'm not - I don't," Susie said ineffectively.

"You aren't the sort of woman I would normally take on the first date, but I'm only in town a few more days. Very well, I've enjoyed tonight. Can I see you tomorrow night? At my studio?" Claire's hand brushed Susie's face, cool against the warm cheeks. Susie nodded, and Claire leaned in, pressing her mouth gently to Susie's red cheek, taking her key from the valet and disappearing into the Boston night traffic. Susie looked dazed, and Jane got out of the car to collect her.

"What did she do to you?" Jane joked, doing up Susie's seatbelt.

"I... I don't know."

"You really going to let her paint you?"

"I'd already be painted if I wasn't wearing a wire," Susie said truthfully.

"Oh gross," Frost said. "Oh, no offense but that restaurant talk was hard enough to listen to. I've never heard so many euphemisms in a single sentence before."

Jane took the wire Susie had pulled out from her clothes and handed it to Frost.

"Aw it's still warm," he complained. "Uh, no offense again. I just know where it's been, is all."

"I think it's nice that you don't objectify your colleagues, Detective Frost," Jane said. "Let's get you home," she said to Susie. Susie nodded, hand to her cheek.

Chapter Text

Jane slid into the couch next to Maura, peppering her face with kisses. Constance and Angela didn't look up from their puzzle.

"How did it go?" Maura asked, finally lowering her journal.

"Susie did good, we have enough to question him on. I'd still like to bring her in for questioning but..." Jane looked over at Constance. "We'll see if we can use what we have first."

"Did you have dinner yet? I put some leftovers in the oven," Angela called from the table, and Jane went over to drop a kiss in her hair on her way to the kitchen. She'd been so scared, so afraid for so long, and now she didn't need to be. She had everything she needed, but most of all she had the love and respect of everyone that mattered to her.

"I hope Claire behaved herself with your young Criminalist - she has been known to be handsy," Constance said.

"Uh, Susie didn't seem to mind," Jane said, blushing. "And she got home safely," Jane answered Maura's unasked question. Maura nodded and picked up her journal again as Jane served herself leftovers.

---

"Alright, Greg. We know it has something to do with Claire Symonds. She wouldn't let you hire her? She didn't want to sculpt you out of margarine? She hurt your feelings so you thought you'd hide in the gallery and - and what? Kidnap her? Make her sculpt you? Were you going to Misery her?"

"No!" He yelled, getting halfway to his feet before his lawyer pulled him back down. "It wasn't like that."

"I think it was like that. I think that's why you killed Naomi. I think that's why you have at least one former stalking charge in your file."

"This is all conjecture," the lawyer said. "Those charges were dropped."

"Were they? Because the information we have is different. We checked in with your probation officer."

There was hissing between Greg and his lawyer, and Jane folder her arms and leaned back against the wall.

---

"She's so hot when she knows she has them on the ropes," Maura said to Frost, who looked at her oddly.

"Sure," Frost said, "Are there any of you that don't overshare?" Frost asked, shaking his head.

"Oh, I did hear about Claire last night. What an inventive use for artistic language."

"You call it artistic, I call it pornographic," Frost said, shaking his head. "Damn."

"Shh, this is the good part," Maura said, getting closer to the window.

---

"So what's the endgame here?" Jane asked, putting her palms on the table and leaning forward. Not enough to be called police intimidation, but more than enough to be intimidating. Greg shrank back. "Were you going to explain what you were doing in a private section of the gallery without a pass, with a syringe full of Strychnine - coincidentally the same drug that had killed a member of the gallery staff a few hours before - after being turned down by Claire Symonds?"

"My client has nothing to say," the lawyer said smoothly. "I suggest you submit bail for him. Enough of his time has been wasted."

"I think you're forgetting the other charges," Jane said smoothly, watching as Greg and his lawyer clustered together into a quiet argument. "Swinging at a police office with a deadly weapon carries a long jail sentence, and we already have him on that. Swinging at anyone with a deadly weapon technically does too, but I think I can get a few extra years tacked on in this case. On top of breaking and entering, we can hold him until it goes to trial."

"I had every right to be in the gallery!" Greg shouted. "I have a membership," he said, more quietly as his lawyer frowned at him.

"But there's still the matter of being in possession of a poisonous substance and the intent to use it on a police officer. Makes the rest of your argument pretty uncompelling." Jane narrowed her eyes at him, and Frost heard Maura's sharp intake of breath. He rolled his eyes, focusing again on the interrogation room.

"Why'd you have to kill Naomi, huh? She wasn't in your way. You hacked the code on the door, you already had a way in. What was it, was she just there and you decided you might as well kill her too?"

"Why should she get to..." Greg started crying. "Why should she get to have Claire treat her like a person, when she wouldn't even look at me?" Greg's lawyer whispered to him. "No! I didn't want to, but I had to. The gallery was supposed to be empty. She wasn't supposed to be there." Jane looked over at the mirror and nodded, and Frost nodded back, heading out with his cuffs.

---

"Here you are," Jane said, strolling into Maura's office. "I would have though you'd want to see me break down our perp."

"Oh, I saw. Trust me, I saw."

"Did you like what you saw?"

"I did, and I also like what I see," Maura said. "And that's why you need to go back to your desk."

"Huh?"

"I can't maintain a professional relationship with you at this moment. Poor Frost has already suffered. I'll be online for the rest of the day, and if you have anything work related, please feel free to stop by." Maura didn't look up from her computer.

"Why are..." Jane started, sounding hurt, and Maura looked up.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Maura closed the space between them. "It's not you," Maura said, taking Jane's hand. "Well, it is you. I found you so incredibly..." A flush broke out over Maura's cheeks.

"Hives," Jane said automatically, then pressed the back of her hand to Maura's cheek. "No, not hives..."

"It's the physical manifestation of sexual arousal and it's why exactly why you need to leave now before I take you down to the archives or the garage and have my way with you, and I know they have security cameras in both of those locations."

"Um... okay... I'll see you at home?"

"I texted Constance that the gallery is safe. She said she would take Angela tonight. I will see you at home, Detective Rizzoli," Maura said seriously, and Jane swallowed.

Chapter Text

"You really like watching me do interviews, huh?" Jane asked much, much later when they were in bed and had satisfied each other a few times. She cradled Maura's head on her chest and pressed a kiss into her hair. She tightened her arms around her fiancé and kissed her forehead lazily, thumb rubbing absently at the back of Maura's neck.

"You're very passionate," Maura said shyly. "And strong. It's sets off all my mammalian mating responses because it implies that you'd be a good provider and protector for me and any offspring we might have."

"Remember when you stabbed that guy in the leg?"

"Which one?" Maura murmured.

"There was more than - oh yeah. The werewolf hunter guy. And I took him down and you'd straight up stabbed him, scalpel still in your hand. You were all sweaty and breathless from chasing him and it was the hottest thing I'd ever seen."

"Mammalian," Maura agreed. "Surely you've seen something hotter?"

"It's always you," Jane said shrugging. "Jogging, at the gallery, in bed... you're the hottest thing I've ever seen, but I like you sweaty and fierce as well."

---

Jane and Maura put together a lazy dinner eventually; Constance and Angela would likely eat at the gallery, and go to dinner afterwards.

"Ma says Susie looks like she's having a nice time," Jane said, checking her phone. "I hope that doesn't mean she's going to get picked up for indecent exposure."

"Claire is a professional," Maura said. "I'm sure they'll wait until they leave the gallery."

"Unlike you this afternoon. Did you really mean it about taking me in the archives?"

"It's awfully dusty in there," Maura said. "And there are cameras everywhere. But yes, the impulse to have you was strong enough to consider that location as acceptable." Maura looked down at her phone. "Constance says Susie and Claire have left in a flurry of giggles." Jane's nose scrunched up.

"Good luck to them, I suppose."

"Claire really isn't your type, is she?" Maura asked, putting her empty plate on the coffee table and snuggling in to Jane's side. Jane slung an arm around her, pulled the blanket over Maura's lap.

"Nope. Not even a little bit."

"What is your type?" Maura asked shyly, tucking her face against Jane's chest to avoid looking at her."

"Hmm, well they have to be hot as hell," Jane stated, sipping at her beer. "Can play softball and hockey with me, has calves like granite, someone I can do a marathon with. And cute, with the kind of smile that you'd kill to see it aimed at you. Soft hands, that know their way around. Sweet lips. The kind of brain you didn't know real people had, and the nerdiest interests you'd ever hear of. Someone who buys a giant giraffe statue and keeps it for company. Someone I can cuddle up on the couch with after a long day. Someone soft, who can tell me when I'm being hard. Someone who likes dogs, and puts up with my attitude. Someone who takes literally everything literally."

"Sounds like a long list," Maura said sleepily. "Where can you find a woman like that?"

"Already did. I wasn't looking for you, and I don't know that before you my list would have looked like that, but that's what it looks like now."

"I'm not very good at softball," Maura said, sounding worried.

"Yeah, but you show up anyway," Jane said affectionately.

"You didn't mention money," Maura said. "Everyone else I dated said something about the way I dressed or looked. You said I was cute with good calves but you didn't mention..."

"You're going to look good to me no matter what you wear. I'm sorry I'm not the kind of woman who can appreciate your outfits the way you do, but I appreciate them the way I appreciate them, and trust me, I appreciate them. Your turn. Do you have a type?"

"I did date some trust fund men before," Maura mused. "My ex-husband - I did like him but mostly because I had a rush from being rebellious and my brain mistook the dopamine for affection. Hmm. I like people who are smart. That I can have a conversation with. But not so smart that they don't notice when I'm feeling down. Someone warm and full of laughter, but fierce and protective when I'm vulnerable. Someone who surprises me, who makes me feel wanted. Who makes me feel like I belong."

"Is that really how you think of me?" Jane asked, sounding surprised, arm wrapping tighter over Maura's shoulders.

"Of course," Maura said, snuggling deeper into Jane.

Chapter Text

Angela and Constance were laughing when they came in, surprised the lights were still on. Jane struggled upright on the couch, eyes unfocused before turning to the clock on Maura's wall.

"What time do you call this?" She asked jocularly, smoothing Maura's hair away from her face. "Honey, it's late, we should go to bed."

"Already went to bed," Maura complained, digging her face into Jane's chest to drown out the laughter of their mothers. "Comfy."

"You won't be if we sleep here. C'mon," Jane coaxed one of Maura's elbows off of what felt like her spleen - it had never really been the same since that gunshot. "We have company," Jane wheedled, and Maura sat up reluctantly, wiping at her face.

"How was the show?" Maura asked, helping Jane upright.

"Quite good! Shall we all go tomorrow? It's the last night, Hope and Cailin have expressed an interest as well."

"I think I'm about as cultured as I'm going to get," Jane said. "And I will never understand why a six foot ass is art." Jane smacked her lips, turned to Maura. "Unless you want to go?"

"I wouldn't mind," Maura said hesitantly.

"Yeah, put us down. You might as well close out in style."

"Are you sure?" Maura asked, knowing Jane had already seen the same exhibits twice.

"I get to chose your dress," Jane said. "And I get to watch you."

"Most people go to galleries to look at the art, Jane," Angela said, bringing over wine for everyone.

"Oh, I will be," Jane said, eyes still fixed on a sleepy Maura. "Where you go, I go too."

"Did you ever get that smuggling ring?" Constance asked, and Angela aimed yet another smack at Jane for letting Maura get kidnapped.

"Yeah, most of them. You never really get them all. They crashed some of the holding houses too, all over the country."

"I meant those terrible men who took Maura. Are they getting put away?"

"The Feds came in, but we told them those two couldn't get a plea deal. The rest is all out of our hands." Jane shrugged.

"I've never seen you this complacent about the Federal police taking one of your cases out of your hands," Angela said suspiciously.

"If they'd remained in my hands..." Jane took a deep breath and sighed. "It's best to get some distance from some cases. Hope has been coordinating a lot of the efforts to get the victims some help, she's actually amazing." She looked over at Maura. "Finish your wine," Jane said tenderly. "We have work in the morning."

Chapter Text

Frost looked up from his phone. "Hey, my mom is downtown, mind if I skip out for lunch?"

"Say hi for me," Jane said absently, filing paperwork. They'd mentioned the paperwork at the academy, but not the sheer volume of it, the necessity and the precision. "Oh hey, bring them to the gallery, Constance has spare tickets."

"What about Cam?"

"He can come too. I'd keep him away from..."

"The ass statues. Noted. I'll ask."

"And I'd keep your moms away from Claire," Jane said seriously. "Even with Susie as a diversionary strategy, that woman has moves."

"C'mon, Robyn and my mom are solid," Frost said, shrugging on his suit jacket, looking a little worried. "But yeah, she got game."

---

The last night was busier than Jane had expected, but then, Constance had invited almost everyone she knew, so half the crowd were Rizzolis or Rizzoli-adjacent. The murder had put a damper on the previous night, and the mood was still a little somber, Jane thought, eyeing Maura in a shiny gold dress with some satisfaction. Cameron was in chinos and a dress shirt, and it looked like he was actually interested in a few of the exhibits, Frost walking around with him and Maura as she introduced them around, describing the art.

Susie and Claire were obnoxiously happy, and Jane heard their laughter peel through the gallery more than once. She shook her head. At least she and Maura were mature about their relationship. She felt her hackles raise as Claire complimented Maura on her dress, and surprise when she slid Frost her card, Susie apparently ungruntled by this development.

"She's leaving town tomorrow," Susie said to Jane. "It was never going to be anything more than it was. But it's nice, having someone so confident pursue you. I was in a bad headspace, and..." Susie looked over at where Claire was handing her card to someone else, "she's harmless. And in a few months, I'll be immortalised in whatever medium she thinks fit for my ass. It's win-win. I won't make it big on the art scene, but my butt will."

"You're braver than me," Jane commented, wondering if a few months ago she would have found Claire attractive, if she would have been tempted by the offer she'd made. She ignored Susie's blush.

"No, you're, like, actually brave. Like, saving lives brave. I'm just open to new things. You should be too."

Jane looked over at Maura, laughing with Hope over what had sounded like a medical term for butt musculature.

"I'm getting there," Jane said, sipping her wine. She saw the genuine look of pleasure on Claire's face when she saw Susie, knew that her friend hadn't been taken advantage of, despite knowing that it was only a short term affair, and Jane let her guard down a little. "Have fun, huh?" Jane said, heading back to where she could hear her Ma chatting with one of the Councilors.

---

Jane came across Cam sitting on a step in a quiet part of the gallery.

"You come here to be alone, or are you bored?" Jane asked, shelving her wine. Cam shrugged, so Jane sat next to him. "You excited about the wedding?"

"I guess, it just sucks we had to come here," Cam said. "Back home I would have had my friends there, but we had to come here and it's not fair." Jane rubbed his back with one hand.

"It's not, is it?" She asked. "But I'm pretty selfish, and I like your mom and Camille so I'm happy to see them - and you - and I'm glad I get to come along. And Frost - Barry - wouldn't have been able to take time off this month, so I know he's glad too. He loves you, and your mom. He's so much happier when he gets to see all of you."

"Ok," Cam said. "It might not be too bad."

"There's going to be cake," Jane reminded him. "So it might even be good." She clapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon, show me your favourite part of the show." Cam got to his feet and led her through to a large butterfly suspended from the ceiling, its wings made from discarded plastic film, a light shining through from above showing the prints. In a corner was a nest made from milk cartons, and an eagle made from canvas was feeding its young ring-pulls.

"It's really sad, but the colour composition works so well," Cameron said.

"He's in art classes," Camille chuckled from behind her. "I wondered where you'd got to," she said to Cameron, who tucked his head back against her to grin up at her.

"He has good taste," Maura said, joining them. "This is my mother's exhibit." Maura started her explanation of the exhibit while Jane darted off, not quite in time to prevent a bemused Hope from taking a card from Claire.

"Ok, you gotta know we're all related," Jane hissed, taking the card back from Hope and handing it to Claire. "You get one, and you got Susie. Don't go hitting on women in front of her."

"I don't mind," Susie said, coming up behind Jane. "I know she's coming home with me." Jane's eyes narrowed.

"Well, be nice to her, anyway," Jane growled, and Claire's eyes widened with... Not fear. Oh, gross.

"You don't even want to know how nice to her I'm going to be," Claire purred. She looked around; after having distributed cards to almost every woman there she shrugged. "Might as well get an early start on it," Claire said, taking Susie's hand and leading her straight to the exit.

"At least Ma got out unscathed," Jane grumbled to herself.

"Oh she gave me her card too," Angela said, coming from behind the same corner Susie had used to sneak up on Jane. This building - it was impossible to keep track of everyone. "I wouldn't have called her, but it was nice to be asked." Jane shook her head, taking Angela's wine.

"That's enough for you," Jane said, tipping it back into her own mouth.

"We're all going out to dinner. Some barbeque place Camilla always takes Frost to. You and Maura coming?"

"Yeah, Ma," Jane said, looking around one last time at the enormous gummy bear ass. "I'll be there in a moment." Angela walked away, and Jane gave the gummy butt a quick smack, nodding in satisfaction at the jiggle.

"If I'd known you were into that, I'd have offered much sooner," Maura said.

"How many corners does this goddamn gallery have?" Jane groaned. "I'm not going to spank you - unless you explicitly ask me to, and even then..."

"Relax," Maura chuckled. "I'm messing with you." She kissed Jane. "We both know I'm the one who'd be doing the spanking."

Chapter Text

The rest of the week was a flurry of wedding preparations, of rehearsals and cake and laughter. Camille and Robyn were calm and practical, Jane and Angela were the ones who let themselves get flustered over cancellations and postage delays. Maura just watched indulgently, glad to see what it looked like when Jane cared about organisising.

Frost lived up to the title of Best Man, wrangling all sorts of extras from the event managers, making sure his mom and Robyn were being taken care of. He'd been in charge of the set list, and Robyn, already at the altar, delivered safely by Cameron in the most adorable tuxedo, laughed at what was obviously an inside joke when Sarah McLachlan came on as Frost walked Camille down the aisle.

They'd wanted a courtroom wedding, but Frost and Cameron and Maura had worn them down. Jane looked over at Maura, standing on Robyn's side of the front of the room, and wondered how anyone would be able to pay attention to the brides with Maura there. Maura met Jane's gaze bashfully, as though she knew what Jane was thinking, and was thinking something similar herself.

Frost, now next to Jane, nudged her.

"Close your mouth before you drool on your dress, fool," Frost whispered. Jane sent an elbow back his way and he chuckled low, close to her ear as the proceedings went on.

Jane stayed still and posed for the photos, stiff and cardboardish until Maura slid in in front of her, at which point Jane softened and melted around her, looking much more like a human than one of Susie's creations.

---

"I know you don't dance," Maura said, approaching Jane tentatively.

"You'll have to update that fact. I don't dance with anyone but you." Jane took Maura into her arms and led her around the dance floor. They looked over at Camille and Robyn, laughing as they danced, letting Cameron and Frost cut in. "Cameron was bummed out that they couldn't get married back home, so he could invite some of his friends too."

"It might be selfish, but I'm glad they did it here. Although hopefully at some point in the future we as women marrying women can get married anywhere we want, and be have our marriages recognised in any state."

"I don't know. I mean, I hope that too. But some days it feels like enough to know that we're not illegal where we live. That no one is going to come for us, that we're not getting arrested or mob-justiced. That Ma still loves me. That we can dance with each other at the beautiful wedding of my partner's parents without people booing and throwing things."

"People were throwing things," Maura pointed out.

"Frankie doesn't count as people, and they were snacks, and I caught them," Jane pointed out, pulling a skittle out of her bra. "We gotta eat these before they melt," Jane reminded her, popping it in her mouth.

"I would if you didn't hog all the red ones," Maura huffed. "And besides, the sugar and chemical..." Jane kissed Maura, there on the dancefloor, and act of bravery in a safe space. "You taste amazing," Maura said when Jane pulled away.

"Taste the rainbow," Jane quipped, dipping Maura into another kiss.

Chapter Text

Jane hogged Maura for another few dances, then handed her off to Nina and Frost for a few songs, going over to join Camille and Robyn in the evening shadows.

"I'm glad you came out," Camille said. "We thought there was something there between you when we played softball with you, but it wasn't our place to say."

"I'm glad you came out too, same thing with the softball." Jane watched Frost spin Cameron on the dancefloor, both of them laughing. "He's a good partner," Jane said seriously. "Thanks for having us in your wedding party. It was a beautiful wedding."

"Your mother did most of the work," Camille said bashfully. "But thank you."

"Cameron's a great kid too," Jane added. "Don't be surprised if he gets an Isles scholarship in a few years - he really impressed Constance." Jane looked over to where Constance and Hope were discussing the various types of knives they used in their work. Jane had thought the only thing they had in common were Maura and Paddy, but Angela had less in common with them and all three had been as thick as thieves since they'd met.

---

Africa by Toto came on and Jane and Frankie bounced around on the dance floor, yelling the lyrics at each other. Frost laughed, working on his set list as the evening extended into night.

---

Jane found herself back in Maura's arms as Time After Time came on. Jane wasn't much of a one for retrospect, but if they'd attended the wedding before getting together, Jane knew they'd have danced together, Jane knew she'd have held Maura as gently and carefully as she did now. Jane knew she'd have wondered if she could press her mouth against Maura's at some point, a lesbian wedding being a good time to try that. The Jane of months ago would have watched Maura dance with Frost and Frankie with envy, too scared of public opinion to dance with Maura for more than one song. The Jane of months ago was an idiot, never seeing the obvious signs that Maura loved her as much as Jane loved Maura. Jane would have brushed that golden hair away from Maura's face, would have eyed the cleavage on display, would have gone home with Maura afterwards, would have thumbed through a Hardy Boys book on Maura's bed, waiting for her to finish showering and get into bed, calling to each other through the open door, Jane very aware of how naked Maura would be in the shower, in the other room, behind the open door. That Jane would have waited for Maura to fall asleep before curling into her, too scared of rejection to show her hand to a cognitive Maura. That Jane would have insisted it was normal to smell Maura's hair, to sleep in the same bed as another woman, that it didn't make her gay.

Frost put on a Lady Gaga, and Jane laughed, still dancing with Maura. "I'm gay," Jane said joyfully into Maura's ear. "I'm so gay for you!"

"You don't have to decide right now," Maura laughed. "And I'm very gay for you too." Susie and Nina and Frankie danced over and Jane and Maura split up, dancing with the group in a joyful cacophony, joined by Frost and eventually Korsak and Cailin, Cameron busting out some sick moves from a video game he played online with Frost. Jane looked over at a laughing Maura being twirled by Nina, Jane breaking her rule to faux-tango with Cameron. The song wound down, and Frost hopped back onto the stage to close out the night, the BPD crowd cheering as the lights came on.

Chapter Text

Maura laughed at the round dye marks the skittles had left all through Jane's bra.

"That'll come out," Maura said, examining the bra. "And this..." Maura lowered her head, tongue working against the exposed flesh. "Is definitely going to come out." She decided, examining the stain on Jane's skin.

"I'm all sweaty, I could just shower," Jane fidgeted, dress still half on.

"Don't you dare," Maura said firmly, getting a firmer grip on Jane's waist, mouth descending again.

---

"She came to visit you," Jane pointed out, starting the coffee machine. "You, not Angela. We have the rest of our lives together, but she's trying to make up for lost time."

"But I wanted to spend time with you," Maura pouted.

"You can. Go to lunch with your mother, I'll go to lunch with mine and Frosts'." Jane ran her hand over Maura's shoulder. "It's not the end of the world, it's a few hours at most."

"I'm so scared sometimes that I'll wake up and this won't be real. That it's just been a dream. A really nice dream."

"That's what the ring is for, I guess," Jane said, looking down at Maura's hand, taking it with her own. "So you can see it when I'm not with you. So you can feel it, something tangible."

"You had fun last night, didn't you?" Maura asked, taking the coffee Jane had made for her. "Have you had any more thoughts about a wedding?"

"You were right, the other night. It wouldn't feel right to elope. I know you planned out your wedding differently..."

"But I hadn't counted on finding someone like you," Maura said. "And you're better than any imaginary wedding I could ever have. I never could picture anyone I wanted more than that wedding I'd planned, but you're the exception. You're exceptional." Jane ducked her head so she could kiss Maura where she sat at the counter, hands on her coffee mug.

"You taste like coffee. It makes me want coffee," Jane growled, headed back to the coffee machine. Maura chuckled and took another sip.

Constance came out, fully dressed, and Jane looked down at her red flannels. She made a second coffee and pushed it towards Constance, smiling as Constance greeted Maura with a quick but genuine cheek kiss.

"They say children keep you young, but I never imagined how busy my time in Boston with you would be." Constance sat at the counter too, and Jane started another coffee, expecting Angela to walk in since she'd opened the blinds.

"I'm hardly a child," Maura said, wriggling her shoulder, Jane unable to tell if she was pleased or annoyed.

"You're my child. It's true, I have more co-parents to share you with than I'd ever really considered, but you're my daughter, darling, through and through. And you and your friends have been such a breath of fresh air. Susie in particular - I wouldn't say she was wasted in her job, but her talents far outshone some of the people I've met on the art circuit. And it's been lovely to spend time with Hope and Cailin in person - telephony is all well and good, but in person always feels more genuine to me. I'm so glad you met the best parts of your birth family."

Angela came in yawning, also in her pajamas. Jane slid her a coffee, sipping it first since she'd already made three and had not yet partaken herself. Jane started on a fourth.

"Well, you don't need to be so introspective," Jane said, yawning. "You'll be back soon enough for our wedding, won't you?"

"And you're always welcome here," Maura added quickly.

"You've set a date?" Angela asked, too tired to be overly excited after the late night before.

"Not yet," Jane admitted. "But I think any doubts I had - about it being too soon, that maybe we weren't romantically compatible - I think..."

"You just went to a wedding, darling. Let the glamour wear off a little," Constance said kindly. "There's no rush, and legally you can register as a domestic partnership under the Commonwealth."

"We were thinking about doing that anyway. Since all the states have different rules, and the domestic partnership is legally recognised in states where equal marriage isn't." Maura said.

"I just have to update my primary place of residence," Jane said. "I don't really want to rent out my place."

"I could stay there for a while?" Angela said. "What, I'm a grown woman, I need my independence."

"Are you sure, Angela?" Maura asked. "I'll miss you. I really have loved having you here. With my long hours I used to dread coming home to a cold, empty house."

"Don't worry, I'll be here just as often. But I doubt the house will feel cold or lonely with Janie here with you. And you need your space, so you can start trying for a baby..." Angela hinted, and Jane dropped her head and shoulders with a groan.

"Ma! You can stay at my place if you want but don't speculate about..."

Constance and Maura chuckled at the Rizzoli affectionate banter that sprung up, Jane scowling into her coffee.

Chapter Text

Jane squatted next to the body, casting an experienced eye over it.

"Severe head injuries," Maura said, poking at the flap of skin covering what looked like the skull. Jane could hear Frost retch behind her, and she wasn't far off from that herself. "Particle matter," Maura added, examining the wound more thoroughly. "I'll take a sample now, before the body is moved," she decided, pulling out a swab from her case. The bubble of the swab under the skin had even Jane flinching. "It's unusual to see this much damage from a blow."

"What would you expect to cause this sort of injury, Doctor Isles?" Frost asked, still covering his mouth. Maura considered the body again, examined the tilt of the head.

"The skull fractures might be more consistent with a crushing injury," Maura considered. Jane scoped the immediate area, looking for footprints, reluctant to stray too far from Maura given what had happened last time. Frost nodded when she met his eyes, and he starting checking the radius. Jane felt herself relax a little, still keyed up from the last time they'd been out in the field together.

"Would you ever consider doing something less dangerous?" Jane asked, crouching next to Maura. "Oh, Ew."

"Disarticulated eyeball," Maura said. "See the optic nerve? Hopefully port-mortem, or from scavenger activity. And no, I don't consider being a doctor a particularly dangerous line of work, especially when most of my patients are already dead."

"You have to admit, your job hasn't been the safest since you came to Boston. I don't know how many times you got kidnapped before, but I'm guessing it was none."

"You're a very good guesser," Maura said, smiling up at Jane. "And you're correct. But by that metric, you might as well ask if I'd move out of Boston - which, no, I would not."

"So you don't feel your job is dangerous?" Jane asked. "Because the other week, when you were taken, that felt pretty dangerous to me."

"Now you know how Angela feels when you're in a shootout," Maura said calmly. "The same way I feel when you're in a shootout. Do you know how many times you've told me someone aimed a gun at you, so casually as though you were asking if we could have garlic bread for dinner?"

"I don't remember," Jane mumbled. "But it comes with the job! I'm in law enforcement, some measure of resistance is always going to be there, especially when the civilians are all armed to the teeth."

"I don't think your job would be less dangerous with adequate gun control," Maura said. "Although countries where firearms are regulated do have less shootouts."

"Do you have the stats on that?" Jane asked sarcastically, grimacing as Maura pulled up the victim's pant leg.

"Yes, scavenger activity. And no, not offhand."

"And do you have any statistics on how often a Chief Medical Examiner gets kidnapped in any other state or District or Commonwealth?"

"Not offhand," Maura said, measuring the bite marks. "That's odd, they look..." Maura leaned in closer. "Blunt incisors. Width 6cm for the jaw."

"Is that from a human?" Jane asked, looking in over Maura's shoulder. Maura shook her head.

"Too early to tell," she said. "I'll need a full autopsy to determine cause of death primarily, and then I'll look at that bite. It looks infected."

"Aw, no, Mau, not zombies, c'mon," Jane whined, beckoning the coroner over. "I don't do zombies, Mau," Jane whimpered.

Maura rolled her eyes and helped lift the body off the ground. She signed the papers and Jane examined the ground under the victim, calling over the crime techs to sample the dirt. Maura and Jane walked back to the cars, Frost meeting up with them.

"Nothing suspicious," he shrugged. "I don't even know what could do that to a human skull."

"The living dead," Jane said sarcastically.

"What?" Frost asked, perplexed.

"Bite mark. Looks human," Jane told him.

"Aw hell nah," Frost said. "I don't play with zombies,"

"You and Jane played Call of Duty Zombie Black Ops last week," Maura said.

"Yeah, but not in real life! That's messed up. A human bite?"

"Broke the skin too. Looked nasty," Jane screwed up her nose, less concerned now she had someone else to freak out with the information.

"Aw hell no," Frost said again, shaking his head, looking around the park.

---

Jane snapped on her gloves, looking down at the victim. His lower legs were uncovered and several bite marks were visible.

"I haven't washed him yet," Maura said, coming out in her scrubs. Jane threw a gown on over her clothes and joined her to look at the body.

"This is just too freaky," Jane said, watching Maura swab the wounds. "What if this is the start of the zombie apocalypse and that DNA is the key to solving it?"

"Then your goose is cooked," Frankie said from behind Jane, making her jump. She slapped at him and he grunted, arms out in front of him. "I heard we might have a zombie," he said to Maura, composing himself. "Wondered if you minded an audience?"

"There's enough Rizzolis in here to drown New Hampshire," Jane snarked. "C'mon then," Jane stepped out of the way so Frankie could get a good look at the man's ankle.

"Cool," Frankie said, nodding and grinning.

"I don't usually approve of autopsy as a spectator sport," Maura grumbled. "Whatever happened to this man, he deserves some respect."

"Aw, c'mon Mau, you know I respect all our guys that come through here. Y'gotta admit it's pretty cool though,"

"Get outta here," Jane growled, not menacingly, and Frankie took off. "You know he'll be spreading this on the CB," Jane groaned.

"You can go too, if you like," Maura said.

"Nah, I already said your job is dangerous. If this guys rises from the dead, he's getting two to the brain."

"His brain is already severely damaged, Jane," Maura scolded.

"If he tries to bite you, it'll sustain some more," Jane said, and Maura rolled her eyes.

Chapter Text

"The bites are from a human," Maura said, delivery the report to the squad room. "But that's not what killed him."

"Guessing it was the massive blunt trauma to the skull?" Jane asked, opening the report. "Called it."

"Wait, so his skull was bashed open, and he had human bite marks... Something was after his brains." Frost shuddered.

"We don't know that," Maura said. "Did you know that modem zombie depictions tend to be analogies of misanthropy and an overwhelming sense of existential dread associated with the repetitive nature of a workplace environment?"

Frost and Jane looked at Maura strangely.

"Or they're just monsters, Maura. Not everything is a metaphor," Jane said, looking down at the report. "So this guy got bitten, but he's dead, so he's probably not going to bite anyone."

"Did you put a padlock on his cold locker?" Frost asked Maura, who shook her head, laughing.

"He's definitely deceased," Maura said.

"For now," Frost muttered, and Jane was inclined to agree with him.

"If he did come back to life to bite us all, what would you do, Detective Frost?" Maura asked, and he shrugged.

"One between the eyes," he said, looking over at Jane, who shrugged too.

"I'd go for the kneecaps. Can't chase me without kneecaps," Korsak chimed in.

"You can't go wrong with decapitation. What are you talking about?" Nina said, coming in with a report for Frost.

"Zombies," Frost told her.

"I stand by my decision. Decapitation."

"C'mon, you're gonna need a sword or a machete for that," Jane said. "What if you only have your sidearm?"

Nine frowned, considering. "I'd have my steelcaps? I'd do a Korsak, both kneecaps, then knock out all their teeth. Try biting me now, sucker."

"Brutal," Jane chuckled. "What'd you do, Mau?"

"I'd use intramuscular muscle relaxants until I could restrain and study patient zero," Maura said.

"Scientist always dies first," Nina said, shaking her head.

"In that case, decapitation." Maura looked pleased with herself when Nina offered her a fist bump, and Jane watched the way Maura was filled with girlish glee at the joy of belonging somewhere.

---

"If there was a zombie, apocalypse, do you really think you'd trap and study them?" Jane asked, turning off the bedside light, pulling Maura into her arms.

"The world is full of parasites - there's a species of fungus that essentially turns ants into zombies, controlling their bodies until it finds peak conditions to propogate. Of course, the ants don't survive the process and there are graveyards of ant bodies 26 centimeters above the ground. The colonies affected by this fungus often groom each other to reduce the risk, and isolate the infected to reduce the spread of fungus through the colony - entire colonies have perished. The first known fossils of the fungus are 48 million years old. So if it was fungal in nature, I would know to prevent expose and the stay away from humidity. Tyvec, frequent bathing, and a mask would help in this case.

"But there is a species of wasp that will lay eggs on social species of spiders, and when the larvae emerge they feed off and control the spider, who then leaves the colony - which they don't do on their own - and spin a web, from which emerges a wasp, gorged on the remains of the spider. So in that case antiparasitics would be necessary.

"And then there's CWD, which is a TSE which produces zombie-like effects in the victims. It primarily affects deer, and makes them stagger and grind their teeth, which when it spreads to humans creates quite a zombie-like effect. They're always fatal, so the problem resolves itself. So in that scenario I would be very careful of any untreated water, and avoid meat and waste from any species that carries the disease, since it primarily spreads by ingestion."

"I didn't know you knew so much about zombies," Jane said, kissing the little scar on the back of Maura's neck. "I'd want you by my side in a zombie apocalypse," she said decidedly. "And not only because I always want you by my side."

Chapter Text

"We have DNA from the bites," Maura said the next day. "No hits yet."

"There might not be," Jane said. "Don't they stop the DNA results once you die?"

"They don't, and you know that," Maura said sternly. "Whoever bit our victim was very much alive when they did so."

"Any hits for him yet?" Jane asked, and Maura shook her head.

"I'll examine the strands, see if there are any heritage markers I can pull up."

"You know, the Wendigo used to hang around here," Jane said casually to Frost. "The Wampanoag didn't really have one, but culturally it could be significant."

"You been talking to Maura?" Frost said suspiciously, eyeing Maura with distrust.

"No, I listened in highschool," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

"First time for everything," Frost said. "So we've gone from zombies - a Haitian folklore - through to Native American folklore, huh?"

"Jane is - Jane is not entirely wrong. While the Native Americans in these parts have cultural roots with the rest of the Algonquin tribes, the Wampanoag didn't really have a Wendigo myth. Its origins were likely a social commentary on unnecessary qualities like greed, since the Wendigo can never be satisfied, growing larger the more it consumes. It would have been a cautionary tale for children, like Hansel and Gretel for Europeans: don't go out in the woods, don't desire too much in case it consumes you."

"Or you consume someone else," Jane interjected.

"Usually a Wendigo is created by cannibalism or from contact with an existing Wendigo but there have been reported cases of Wendigo psychosis, which could explain the bite marks, but the victim wasn't consumed despite being in the park overnight, and Wendigo psychoses reports only include cases of actual cannibalism."

Frost blanched visibly.

"I though zombies were bad enough."

"Was there.... enough brain left?" Jane asked. "Was any of it... missing?"

Maura hesitated. "The swab I took from the brain - the DNA matches the bites on the legs."

"Remember that bath salts case?" Frost said, trying to sound upbeat. "There was a whole bunch of those, people getting messed up and chewing on each other."

"Oh, Flakk. It was proven in at least one case - the Miami one - that there was no Flakk in his system. Other cases were less severe, and there has been no real evidence that Flakk caused incidences of cannibalism in the general population."

"Given our list of possibilities, I was really hoping it was gonna be drugs," Frost said, crestfallen.

Chapter Text

Jane sighed, running a hand through her unruly hair. She waited impatiently at the door, ready to knock again. Frost was circling the house, looking for signs of life. Jane knocked again.

"Councilor Harley," Jane called. Frost joined her at the front door.

"No signs of life," Frost said.

"And the office said he didn't come in today," Jane said. "And us without a warrant," she added, looking longingly at the door. A single kick near the lock and they'd be inside. "Are we sure this guy's the DNA match? He never seemed much of a freak."

"Yeah, it's his DNA alright," Frost said, pulling up the report on his tablet.

"If he's not at his office or his house, where is he?" Jane asked, checking the time on her phone.

"I had Nina check him out, he spends some time down at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, let's head down there."

---

"What're all the uniforms doing here?" Jane asked, slamming the passenger door, grabbing for her firearm.

"I have a feeling we're gonna find out," Frost said, pulling his gun from his hostler too, heading for a commotion at the West entrance.

"What in the hell am I looking at?" Frost asked, watching two uniforms wrestle with a man in a suit on top of another man - who wasn't moving but had several large head wounds - trying to gnaw at his face. "What the hell is wrong with him?" Frost asked, pulling out his cuffs and staying away from the man's snapping mouth.

"Calling the coroner," one of the uniforms said, fingers on the prone body's throat.

"You can take him in," Jane said, watching Frost trying to stay out of range. "You got the barrier in your car, right?" Jane chuckled at the uniform's terrified face. "We all go through it."

"He was eating someone's face," the uniform replied, shaking his head. "Y'get many of those?"

"More than I'd like," Jane said. She looked over as Councilor Harley started convulsing. "You know first aid?"

"Yeah."

"Then come on," Jane said. "I'd rather jail them than tag them."

---

"Nina did some digging. Turns out he was running a drug ring. We'll have to wait for the autopsy to see what's in his system, but the preliminaries aren't great." Frost said. "Man, I'm glad it was drugs."

"Was it really though?" Jane asked. "I mean, yeah, that's what killed him, probably. Whatever is in his system, whatever that was. But he was doing it for money and power, and he started eating people. I'm not saying he got Wendigoed but I mean..." Jane shrugged.

---

"Insatiable greed," Maura agreed sadly, reviewing the body before her. "While I know it's partially the drugs, and partially human nature, I can't help but feel as though part of this was because of his encompassing ambitions. He let them consume him, and now, here he is."

"Are we supposed to... do anything with him?" Frost asked. "Like a ritual to make sure he's at peace?" He eyes the corpse with distrust, waiting for the former Councilor to sit up and try to eat his face. "Is he going to eat my face? I like my face. All of it, but especially the face part."

"It's nice, you should keep it," Jane said.

"We can suggest cremation," Maura said. "It seems superstitious, but it was the favoured way to destroy many cryptids."

Chapter Text

"That was one of our weirder ones," Jane said, getting herself a beer, opening it and taking a gulp before pulling out a wine glass. "Y'want that leftover vegetable lasagna?" She asked, pouring Maura a glass. She looked around. "The house is quiet tonight," she commented.

"Mother and Constance are having dinner with Hope."

"And we weren't invited?" Jane asked, taking another pull of beer before loading the tray into the oven.

"We were, but we stayed back late at work. Do you never check your messages?"

"I do when they're from you," Jane said, winking. "Ma, not so much." Jane grabbed her phone. "Oh, yeah, she did say. In between spruiking a sperm clinic and asking where my spare sheets are."

"It's a nice apartment, it deserves to be lived in," Maura said mildly. "I hope Rafael is able to hunt down the rest of the Councilor's distributors - the chemical compounds of that are not something a human should consume."

"That, and other people's faces," Jane muttered. "I'm sure he'll get a task force. Nina and the BRIC unit are tracking down his cell phone GPS hits to see where he's been, who he's been dealing with."

"Do you think anyone else in the Council was involved?" Maura asked, and Jane glowered at her.

"Hu-uh, we are not going to sit in on a boring-ass council meeting just in case someone tries to eat someone else's face again."

"It wouldn't be a boring-ass council meeting if someone tried to eat someone else's face," Maura said sensibly, and Jane sighed.

"Aw c'mon, take Ma, she'd feel cultured and classy."

"Does Angela carry a gun?" Maura asked sipping her wine, and Jane groaned.

"Ok, ok, when?"

"Wednesday night. I've been meaning to catch up with the treasurer - I think you'll like her."

"Do I have to wear a dress?" Jane asked and Maura laughed.

"Chinos and a button down would do."

"Am I just your arm candy?" Jane asked, batting her eyes.

"No, but I like the way you look with your sleeves rolled up around your forearms," Maura admitted.

"Oh, you do, d'ya?" Jane asked, taking off her jacket, rolling up her sleeves, flexing her forearms. "Y'like that, huh?" Maura laughed and pulled Jane closer, kissing her.

"I very much like that. I like you," Maura said. "You're the first person who ever really saw me for who I was, for who I could be."

"I saw something beautiful when I looked at you. Still do. Always will. Not like, your face, although I would be mad if you let a Councilor eat it, but who you are. You're so compassionate that the lives of the living, all their hopes and dreams, were too much for you. You're so sentimental that you kept the cardboard coaster from the first time I took you to The Dirty Robber and framed it for your study wall. I like you too. Always have. But now I get to love you as well." Jane rested her forearms on Maura's shoulders and ducked her head to kiss her.

"As long as I get to love you too," Maura whispered, hands pushing Jane's button down out of her pants, letting her fingers in under Jane's shirt, flattening her hands to pull Jane tight against her. "You're where I feel safe. Where I feel home." The oven dinged but Jane didn't move.

"I'd go anywhere for you," Jane said quietly. "Even a boring-ass council meeting."

"Dinner's burning," Maura said, tilting her face up to kiss Jane before slipping from the stool to pull the lasagna from the oven.

---

Angela and Constance came in giggling like teenagers, and Jane eyed them wryly. Family came with baggage, but at least this was nice baggage.

"How's Hope," she asked, loading the dishwasher but not running it, mindful of Maura's bathwater still running.

"Delightful as always," Constance said. "Have I ever thanked you?" she asked suddenly, looking directly at Jane. "If you'd never tackled me head-on, I'd have always missed her. I'd have never known Hope, or Cailin."

"I don't like seeing Maura hurt," Jane shrugged. "Not then, not now, not ever. You were important to her. I'm just glad you didn't take offense, that I didn't make things worse for her. Not everyone likes the way I..."

"You are more direct than I was used to," Constance chuckled. "But I've had such a wonderful time here, and I'm so glad you're joining our family." Constance hugged Jane, who didn't squirm when it was someone else's mother hugging her.

Chapter Text

Jane fussed at her shirt, and Maura turned Jane to her, straightened her collar and rolled up her sleeves.

"How do I look?" Jane asked, moving aside so someone could enter City Hall, smiling blithely at them.

"Good enough to eat," Maura said, wrinkling her nose at Jane supportively. "Come along," Maura opened the door, ushering a bemused Jane in ahead of her.

---

Jane had been right. A Council session was a boring-ass experience. She'd eyed all the government identification of the contacts of the deceased Councilor that Nina and BRIC had uncovered, and now she was eyeing the crowd, wondering if anyone in the crowd was going to notice they were one Councilor down. The other Councilors and the Mayor had been informed earlier that day, Frost and Jane being subtle as they asked questions of the other Councilors, and a stand-in had been organised. Jane eyed him with distrust. He could have been involved in what they were informally calling Grunt, the drugs they'd found on Councilor Harley. Could have got him hooked so he could take Councilor Harley's place in the City Council.

"Any against the addition of pedestrian barriers for the refuge islands at Fresh Pond Parkway?"

There was murmuring, but no dissent, and Jane was pleasantly surprised. She'd attended a few scenes there, always gnarly and almost never survivable. She could feel Maura's smirk at her interest burning her cheek and she refused to turn her head to acknowledge it. She rolled her eyes and tuned out again, eager eyes bouncing through the assembled public now. She nudged Maura.

"Toby Hale," Jane whispered. "Frequently messaged Councilor Harley. Looks like he's looking for him. Looks... agitated."

"Jane..." Maura said warningly.

"You brought me because I have a gun, din'tcha?" Jane asked, frustrated. Her eyes were glued to him for the rest of the session, but disappointingly he didn't try to eat anyone's face. "Do we gotta stay after as well?" Jane whined.

"If you want to question the Councilors informally, now is the time to do it," Maura said sternly. "They spend a little time with the public after the session."

"Yeah, but you're hardly 'the public', are you?" Jane scoffed. "You have most of these mooks on speed dial, probably."

"Yes, but even I can't arrange for you to speak to them all at the same time. Approach the bench," Maura hissed. "I'll watch faces, you ask questions."

"Such a badass," Jane said drolly, rolling her eyes.

---

No one knew anything about a new drug on the Boston scene, and Jane wasn't getting any bad vibes from any of them except Harley's replacement. She looked over to where Toby had been, surprised to find him in line behind her. She figured she wasn't getting anywhere, so she bowed her way out, Maura waving cheerily at her side.

"What do you plan to do about the undead situation plaguing our city?" Toby asked the Councilors, and Jane startled visibly. "They walk among us, eating faces left and right, and you sit there in your ivory tower, letting the masses be public fodder for these madmen."

"Toby, I assume," Harley's replacement said, referring to a note in front of him. "My predecessor spoke of you. He said... that it's under investigation, and that nobody's faces have been eaten." Jane inhaled sharply between her teeth, then turned away, brushing her nose as attention turned to her. "It's hardly a city issue."

"No, but it is a police issue," Jane said, putting a hand on Josh's shoulder. "One I'd be interested to talk to you about."

Toby's eyes narrowed. "How'd I know you're not one of them?" He asked distrustfully. "What are you - a cop?"

"Yeah, actually," Jane said, pulling out her badge, wasting precious seconds as Toby darted away across the room, almost at the doors by the time Jane started after him. She sprinted out into the street, blinking in the streetlights, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness; night had fallen during the meeting and she was disoriented. She heard no running footsteps, couldn't see anyone running away into the night and she cursed, heading back for the door, stepping into Maura as she came out.

"You don't follow me when I'm chasing a suspect," Jane said sharply. "You stay safely inside, remember?"

"It's always safer wherever you are," Maura said, not bothered at all by Jane's sharp tone. "He got away, didn't he?" She asked, looking past Jane into the night. "Do you want to go back in?"

"Nah, we're done here," Jane said. "I think you said something about me looking good enough to eat," she added suggestively, and Maura chuckled.

"Let's get you home," Maura said agreeably. "And into something more comfortable."

"He was wearing jeans," Jane pointed out as Maura ushered her to the car. "I coulda been wearing jeans, couldn't I?"

"Technically yes, but Jane, you look so dapper."

"Damn, right," Jane agreed, her step getting a little more swagger as she slipped her arm around Maura's waist.

Chapter Text

Jane headed down to the lab, silly grin on her face as she remembered how Maura had made good on her promise last night. Frost was still tracking down Toby, but once they had an address or a place of work they'd hit the road and get him in for questioning.

"Anything on the chemical composition yet?" Jane asked Susie, settling herself across the counter from her. "And any plans now that Claire is out of town?"

"No plans, and we're still chasing down the strains. It looks like a combination of Flakk and another amphetamine, some sort of opioid as well."

"Got anything on Grunt yet? Martinez asked, coming up behind Jane, brushing her hair behind her ear, stepping away as Jane raised a hand to slap at him.

"Hands to yourself," Jane grumbled. He stepped back into her personal space and Jane shifted away uneasily.

"I was just telling..." Susie paused as a short yet incredibly fit blur slammed into Martinez, the force slamming him face first into a wall as Maura torqued his arm up behind him.

"Mau! What are you doing?" Jane asked, hovering in case Martinez got free and started swinging. "Have you lost your enormous mind?"

"Yeah, chill, Doctor Isles," Martinez said, trying to squirm out of her surprisingly strong grip, face still pressed against the wall.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts doesn't look kindly on sexual harassment from anyone higher in the ranks, do they Detective Martinez," Maura asked between gritted teeth. "Neither does BPD."

"It wasn't harassment," Martinez said.

"She told him to stop," Susie said. "She always does, when he's down here."

"We got witnesses," Maura snarled.

"It's just workplace banter," Martinez protested.

"Oh, so you do that to Frost too, huh?" Jane asked sarcastically. "Korsak too, I bet. And yeah, your position makes it hard to say anything. Ratchet his arm up a bit Mau, you got this."

"This is physical assault," Martinez complained.

"No, this is restraining a serial sexual harasser until Frost gets down here to take a report and pull the feed from the cameras."

"Aw, do we gotta?" Jane whined.

"I can rough him up a little instead," Maura offered. "But I'd rather you finally did something about this. He's the chief of detectives. If he's doing this to you, who else is he doing it to?"

"No one!" Martinez protested.

"Nina said something," Susie said. "So did Riley. It's why she left BPD as a homicide detective in Boston to go back to a drug unit role over in Maine."

"I didn't know that." Martinez stopped trying to get out of the death grip Maura had on him. "Really? I was just flirting."

"It's not flirting if you're in a position of power," Maura said. "And it's not flirting if the other person says to stop and you don't."

"Look, Mau," Jane paused, about to call Frost. "I'd rather not report it. I'll be sent back down to uniform or I'd be let go."

"It's illegal to retaliate or create a hostile work environment for anyone who reports sexual harassment," Maura said.

"Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it doesn't still happen. Don't you think Riley would have tried it if she felt safe? Her whole family's here, she uprooted her whole life because she wasn't sure the systems we have would protect her." Jane rubbed her face tiredly. "And that Bakersfield case? She's blacklisted from a job she wanted since she was six. That was worse than this."

"It's still harassment, Jane. I won't stand by and watch you be made uncomfortable in your own workplace."

"If I was ready to retire, I'd file it, ok? We can call Riley - I know Frankie still has her number - see if she's willing to risk it from a distance." Jane sighed again. "As much as I appreciate you coming to my assistance, you know I could've taken him down any time."

"Chain of command," Susie pointed out. "You wouldn't have."

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't have. But I can't do this and keep my job," Jane said, her voice cracking. "Let him go, hun."

Maura shoved him tighter against the wall, stepping out of reach as she released him.

"Hey, c'm'ere," Jane said, pulling Maura into her arms. "You're so strong. I can't believe you remembered all those moves I taught you."

"I can't stand seeing anyone else touch you," Maura said, muffled against Jane's hair. "I'm sorry. I know we're at work, but it keeps happening and it makes my skin crawl."

Martinez turned slowly, cradling his arm.

"Wait, is this a... I thought you were just teasing at Helios," Martinez said.

Jane waved her left hand, the engagement ring on her ring finger. He went to speak, and Jane cut him off.

"Don't. Don't make this a hate crime too. Just get out. Someone will email your results."

"Hey, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I didn't realise..."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda your job to realise," Jane huffed. "You know how to read a perp and you don't realise you're making your colleagues uncomfortable? Nah." Jane's hands were still rubbing over Maura's lab coat. "And you get my fiancé this upset again, you're gonna wake up on one of her tables."

"Fi... Okay, okay," Martinez backed out of the lab, rubbing his shoulder.

"You're so badass, babe," Jane said. "You know how you said seeing me interview makes you... uh, unreasonably attracted to me?"

"I didn't say that," Maura protested, then looked over at Susie, understood why Jane had edited what Maura had said. "Not in those words, at least."

"Well seeing you take down someone who pisses me off... You've never been more attractive."

"It's a dopamine response. You're thinking about how good I would be at protecting our offspring."

"Either way, thank you. Hopefully he learned something today."

"Riley was a huge loss to the homicide team," Maura agreed. "Wish we could report him."

"You never know, maybe she will." Jane shook her head, pulled away from Maura a little. "But she'd be risking her career for no benefit, so she probably won't. I think you put the fear of God into him though."

"If he ever touches you again..." Maura said.

"If he does, I'll let you handle it."

"I could've dislocated his shoulder if I wanted to," Maura said, not quite boasting but still sounding very proud.

"I bet ya coulda," Jane smiled. Her phone dinged. "We got an address, Frost and I are heading out." Jane let Maura go with a smattering of kisses to her cheeks, headed for the door. She swung herself back on the doorframe. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Chang," Jane said, and then she was gone.

Chapter Text

Frost had his hand hovering near his gun as he knocked on the door, and Jane picked up on his nerves, making sure her gun was easy to access as well. There was no answer.

"Toby Hale? It's the police. We have some questions about the zombies you mentioned in the Council meeting last night." Frost called, and there was a noise behind the door, Jane's jaw tensed as the door swung open.

"What can you do about them?" Toby scoffed. "One look at you and they'd have your skull ripped open." Frost shuddered.

"We just want to know how you know about them. We only just found out, and we'd like some help trying to find one," Jane said, using the soft voice she used on people she thought might run. He hesitated.

"You believe me?" He asked, and Jane nodded. "I know you. You're that... you shot that mob guy. You're not special forces." He relaxed significantly.

"Yeah, we saw one of them. We want to make sure there aren't more of them out there, so anything you can tell us would be really helpful. Why were you approaching Councilor Harley instead of the police?"

"I called the police station. They laughed at me," Toby's shoulders sank.

"I'm really sorry about that. We'll speak to the emergency line team about being more open-minded," Frost said, his most charming smile on his face.

Toby sighed. "You might as well come in, then," he said, walking away from the open front door.

Jane shrugged and Frost and followed him inside.

---

The house looked normal.

"Where was Councilor Harley last night?" Toby asked, sitting down at his kitchen table. He hadn't offered them a seat so Jane and Frost leaned against the counter, looking around.

"In the morgue," Jane said shortly. "Seems he's part of whatever's going on. There will be a public statement from the Governor later today. Strange thing is, we found him gnawing on someone's face, and we'd really like to know how you know about any of this."

"Crap, they got him too, huh?" Toby asked, rubbing his face. "Huh, well, I'm a janitor up at the school." He pointed, and Jane nodded. "Work outside school hours, mostly, but sometimes head in after lunch. Depends. Anyway, I was locking up one night - I stayed back late. Teenage boys painted dicks all up and down the hall - real messy, so I thought I'd let all that turpentine get to me when I saw this woman in a ditch chewing up on this guy - he was twice her size at least. I yelled, put my torch on them and she shambles off into the woods yonder. I called him an ambulance - he was pretty messed up - but the hospital wouldn't tell me anything when I called, so I figured it was a cover up."

Jane looked over at Frost.

"Which hospital," he asked, pulling out his notebook, making notes. Toby seemed mollified. "And what time did you leave the school?"

"Just after dark. It was two weeks ago, so a bit after seven, maybe? And the ambulance didn't say where they were taking him."

"Do you remember which day it was?" Jane asked gently.

"Must've been Thursday, that's the day the freshman have art class."

"And did you check the man's pockets for ID?" Frost asked. Toby shook his head.

"Any cameras up at that school?" Jane asked.

"No, I was too - there was too much blood, I was panicking. And the cameras are inside pointing out, so maybe, if they passed by the school, maybe there'd be something to see, but I don't know about the ditch. Might be too far. He was squealing and I don't know... I just ran toward the sound."

"You did the right thing. We'll try to find him, and we'll let you know if he's okay," Frost said. "Or... if he's not, if you want." Toby shrugged, then nodded.

"Can you tell me what she was?" Toby asked, looking between them. "Whatever she was, she wasn't human any more, that's for sure."

"The one we found certainly was," Jane said. "But there's a fine line between human and monster anyway, in our line of work."

Toby nodded sadly.

"Anything else you remember? What did she look like?"

"Long blonde hair, sundress, heels. Her face was all screwed up, like all the parts had fused. And he had brown hair, normal length, and dark eyes. Stubble."

"Caucasian?" Frost asked, and Toby nodded.

"Near as I can tell."

"And when the police didn't listen to you, you went to your local Council member, and he brushed you off?"

"No, he listened to me. He was good like that. Everyone liked him. You send him an email, he calls you back the same day. Real nice, y'know. He said he'd look into it. I gave him most of what I told you, and he said he'd speak to the hospital. And then he wasn't there yesterday..." He looked up, distressed. "Did I do this? Did they come after him because I asked him to look into this?"

"Whatever the Councilor did or didn't do isn't your fault. You saw something extremely traumatic, attempted to report it, and continued to attempt to report it. We weren't able to save his life, but with this information we could save others," Jane told him, and he nodded.

"Are you heading into work soon?" Frost asked, and Toby nodded. "Do you mind showing us the ditch?"

"It's rained since then," Toby said doubtfully, getting to his feet. "But sure. Let me get changed," he called, and they heard a door close.

"Got Korsak and Frankie following up on hospital runs that night, as well as incoming calls about zombies," Frost said, looking at his phone. "Poor guy. Spends his night cleaning up graffiti and ends up witnessing something like that and no one believes him."

"More like dickfiti," Jane said. "Seriously, why do teenage boys do that? Did you ever do that? My school was just covered in them."

"I can't say I publicly defaced school property with genitalia under the grounds that I may incriminate myself," Frost said, putting away his notepad and grinning.

Chapter Text

The ditch had water in at the bottom, and Frost cursed, considering calling out a tech team.

"Whereabouts? Do you remember?" Jane asked gently, noticing how spooked Toby seemed now.

"Right about here, near the sign," Toby said, pointing at the ground. "I gotta get to work," he said, heading back towards the school.

"Oh, wait." Jane jogged after him. "We're going to need to speak to someone at the school about the recordings. Do you want us to keep your name out of it?"

"If you could," he said. "I don't have many other options."

"Understood. We'll have to come in with a warrant. Oh, and hey," Jane stopped and he turned to her, waiting. "You did a good thing. Probably saved his life. Thank you."

"Was just doing what a decent human would do," Toby said, tipping his ball cap and heading back to the school.

"I can't see anything, and the mobile lab is going to look real conspicuous next to a school. I'll have been flagged already," Frost said.

"What can we do, start digging? He said she went towards the woods," Jane said, looking into them as though the held the answers she wanted.

"Nuh uh, no way," Frost said. "Catch me going into the zombie woods? Hell naw."

"C'mon, she probably went the way of the Councilor too," Jane said.

"Jane. I mean it."

"Rock paper scissors?"

Frost sighed "Fine."

"Rock paper scissors shoot! Ah, gotcha, c'mon."

"You coulda gone by yourself," Frost pointed out.

"You're my partner, and if you let a zombie eat my face, Maura would kill you herself. C'mon."

---

Jane drew her tazer instead of her gun as they entered the woods and Frost snorted and unholstered his sidearm.

"I want to take them alive," Jane hissed.

"I'm not sure electricity stops zombies," Frost said politely.

"Well if it doesn't, you got my back, right?" Jane asked, turning around to glare at him, missing being linebacked by a few inches, the person brushing past and sprinting deeper into the woods.

"The hell did she come from?" Frost asked as Jane spun around, peering past trees. Nothing. "Look, as the token black guy, I gotta say we gotta get out of here. I watched too many horror movies to end up..." Jane shushed him, creeping forwards and Frost watched his back carefully, following her. "We gonna announce ourselves?"

"Public property," Jane whispered.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Frost complained, keeping his gun low and his thumb on the safety. Jane stepped back into him and managed to taze the body hurting towards her. It dropped to the ground and Jane drew her gun too.

"Boston PD," Frost yelled. "Hands behind your head."

"Oh shit," Jane said, bolstering her gun. "Call a bus," she told Frost, pulling the body over, checking for a pulse. "Goddamnit! Not again." Jane started CPR.

"You can't breathe into her mouth," Frost warned. "For one, we don't know if these drugs transfer orally, and for another she ate a guy's face."

"Well, I don't have a face mask," Jane said, irritated, checking for a pulse. Nothing. "We call an ambulance out, they're going to take our body," Jane said. "Document this," Jane urged him, hearing the sirens. She kept going with chest compressions until the ambulance arrived, handing over and watching the shocks.

"They'll keep trying in the bus. Mercy heart. They didn't take the last body near here," Frost updated Jane as she looked around.

"Where did she come from, though?" Jane asked. "Is she just holed up in here, or does she have some friends?"

"Either way, we need a squad out here, not just two of us. She was fast, Jane. Like, horror movie fast."

"Okay, let's round up uniforms and search the woods," Jane said, calling Cavanaugh.

Chapter Text

Uniforms swept through the woods, Jane and Frost with them. They found something of a nest - old clothes in a hollow, and the first real evidence of Grunt outside a bloodstream - an almost full plastic baggie filled with grey powder.

"Y'think she was alone?" Frost asked, finally putting away his gun.

"Looks like it. I'da thought there'd be more bodies out here." There was retching from one of the uniforms and Frost chuckled.

"Sounds like they found something." Jane looked over and raised an eyebrow.

"That's... uh... the scat..." Jane said. "Crime lab will need it to check the DNA and drugs that went through her."

"They can come get it," Frost said, screwing up his nose. "Damn, who would ever do Grunt?" Frost asked, shaking his head. "Ecstasy I could understand, and weed's not even illegal. Opiates, sure, everyone likes not being in pain. But Grunt? We got two bodies so far."

"Maura would say we don't have a large enough sample size," Jane said. Frost answered his phone and wandered off, and Jane watched the crime lab techs collect the biohazardous material from the site.

"Your Jane Doe revived," Frost said. "Heart stopped for a while, and they had to restrain her in the ambulance. She's at Mercy, and her victim is over at Mass Gen."

"He talking?" Jane asked, looking over at the scat collection. "He missing any limbs?"

"He's aware and alert, Korsak said," Frost looked down. "Are there ticks in these woods?" He asked, slightly panicked.

"Probably. Do a tick check when you get home anyway."

"Real comforting," Frost said, following Jane out of the woods.

---

"Mr. Anderson?" Jane asked, looking at the man in the hospital bed. Half of his face was bandaged, and the other half wore heavy tooth marks, some stitched closed. He nodded, then winced at the movement. "Detective Rizzoli and Detective Frost. You mind answering some questions? Like what you were doing down by the school at that time of day?"

"I'm a teacher," he said, his voice cracking. "I was late finishing up my marking, and on the way to my car something came out of the woods and attacked me. I tried to fight it off, but it was so strong and fast. I don't know how I ended up here."

"Good Samaritan," Jane told him. "He's been trying to track you down - you mind if we mention you're... alive? He'd probably like to know, especially since he took such a big risk to help you."

"Sure, I don't mind." He sighed and went to rub his face, prevented by the bandages. "The kids are going to be pretty upset," he said. "Or mean. Not sure which way, yet."

"Probably mean," Frost agreed.

"You know kids, huh?" Mr. Anderson laughed, looking surprised a moment later. "I guess it's not the worst. And all my marking was in the office so I guess the kids didn't miss me."

"We'll be dropping by the school tomorrow with a warrant to see if we can spot who attacked you on the security cameras," Jane said. "We can talk to the principal while we're there, if you haven't contacted them yet."

"No need, I called in after the first surgery." He looked at their surprised faces. "There's been three," he said.

"Can you describe who attacked you?" Jane asked.

"I can't say for sure... it was dark, and I've been under a lot of anesthesia and sedatives."

"It's okay," Jane said soothingly. "Just do your best "

"You're gonna laugh, but you know that old movie, Dawn of the Dead? Like that, but faster. Strong too. Blonde hair, but her face was all..." Mr. Anderson went to make a face but stopped before he hurt himself. "All froze up. Like a grimace. Then she started biting and it's a bit of a blur."

"That matches with our witness report," Jane said, face serious and respectful. "We have a suspect in custody in another hospital. When you're well enough, do you think you could confirm that we have the right person?"

"I think so. I wouldn't have to be in the same room, would I?"

"No, we could call the detective guarding her to do a video chat, and leave his screen off."

"I hope that detective has an ounce of self-preservation," Mr. Anderson said ruefully, going to touch his face again.

"He'd better, he's my brother," Jane said.

---

"I hear you almost sent someone to my morgue today," Maura said when Jane finally got home. Jane walked over and kissed her, started shrugging off her clothes. "You smell like a deco," Maura noted as Jane headed for the bathroom.

---

"You smell much better," Maura said, curled up next to Jane on the couch after dinner. "Rough day?"

"Well, yeah, I told you I don't like zombies."

"And I told you they're not zombies. They're merely medicated humans, as far as I can tell. No words of power, no tetrodotoxin, no Datura. They're not trying to eat brains either - canibalistic humans would be a preferable term, especially given the speed you described them displaying."

"Yeah, she was fast. But not as fast as me," Jane boasted.

"It took you seven years to work up the nerve to kiss me," Maura countered easily.

"And aren't you glad I did?" Jane asked, tightening her arm around Maura. "And can we go to bed yet?"

"Constance flies out tomorrow," Maura reminded Jane. "Angela is taking her, since we're both working, so I'd prefer if we got up an hour before work to spend time with her. So yes, an early night sounds good."

"I'll show you who's fast," Jane said, pulling Maura to the bedroom by the hand.

Chapter Text

Constance was packed, her suitcase waiting by the kitchen counter when Jane came down.

"Coffee?" Jane asked, yawning. "I gotta make one for Mau," she added unnecessarily; Constance had seen Jane do this every morning and had strongly benefited from the routine herself.

"Yes, thank you." Constance pointed to some paper on the counter, and Jane read it while the machine heated up.

"It's still unfair," Jane said, reading the pre-nup.

"It's in your favour," Constance agreed.

"I don't want it to be. If we ever break up, do you really think money will make a difference to my life without her?" Jane asked. "It won't. I don't want it."

"With shared custody, it would be a requirement that you allow the children to be kept in the lifestyle to which they're accustomed," Constance said, pointing to page 17. "I've been as stingy as I can, but after all, they would be my grandchildren."

"Has Maura seen this?" Jane asked, still leafing through, pouring a coffee as she read and handing it off to Constance.

"Not yet, darling. We can always amend it, but this truly is the least I'd be comfortable with."

"It's more than I'm comfortable with," Jane mumbled.

"In which case there's a simple solution, isn't there?" Constance asked. Jane looked at her, perplexed. "Don't ever break up with her, and don't do anything that would make her break up with you. I know we don't spend much time together in person, but I would feel your loss very sharply."

"Love you too," Jane said, kissing the soft cheek of Constance as she slipped past to wake Maura with a fresh coffee. Constance held her hand to her cheek, looking stunned as Angela came in.

"Jane kissed my cheek," Constance said. "And said she... Loves me?" Angela made herself a coffee and rested her arms on the counter.

"Lucky," she said.

---

Jane approached the bed carefully. There were two uniforms outside the room, and their prisoner had been screaming for hours.

"Detective Rizzoli," Jane introduced herself. "Can you tell me what's been happening for the past week or so?"

There was no response. Jane wished she'd brought Maura with her - not just because she loved her and wanted to be with her all the time, but also because she had a way of connecting with humans that didn't respond well to humans. The wolf boy. The elderly hoarder. The Croatian women who'd been trafficked and didn't trust Jane.

But Jane also liked Maura's face, and as far as she could tell, this woman was still feeling the effects of the drug she'd taken. There was no way of knowing if she'd ever be comprehensible again. The heart monitor was erratic, and Jane sent a photo of the chart to Maura. Maura called, and Jane answered, glad of the company.

"That heart looks damaged," Maura said, not bothering to greet Jane. "It's probable the stun gun didn't help."

"Gee, thanks Mau," Jane said sarcastically.

"What's that noise?" Maura asked.

"Huh? Oh, she's screaming. Has been for a while. They have her on morphine but she's still screaming. No physical damage, but her face is still all grimacey."

"Have they tried valium?" Maura asked, looking through her files.

"I'll ask," Jane said, hanging up and leaving to find a nurse and make the suggestion. It took a while to get signed off, but the screaming finally stopped. Jane called Maura back.

"How did you know?" Jane asked.

"Muscular contractions. Muscle relaxants should counter them. Has she stopped screaming?"

"Yeah, and her face is all... I'll send a pic through, see if we get a match now she's not all zombied out. How long will Grunt stay in her system?"

"I'm not sure. She's our only living specimen, and we don't know how much she's taken, how long she's been taking it, or how long ago she took it."

"Damn," Jane said. "Can we get injectable valium or something? In case there are any more? I'd like to get the ambulances loaded up in case they get called out. Uniforms too. And us, as well."

"Intramuscular valium takes one to five minutes to work, but training would be required."

"Intramuscular? So like an EpiPen? Straight into the thigh?"

"That should work. I'll send out a mass email to the hospitals and suggest their emergency staff be aware. Cavanaugh will be informed as well."

"Any luck on the chemical composition yet?"

"Susie had an idea, I'm letting her test it now."

"Good. I hope we find out where it's coming from," Jane sighed. "Alright, I'm going to question her. I'll see you soon."

"Love you," Maura said, and Jane smiled.

"Yeah, love you too," she said. She hung up and turned to the woman in the bed, who looked terrified. "Detective Rizzoli. You mind telling me who you are and filling me in on your last week?

Chapter Text

"I don't really remember... I went to the HOA meeting, and then I woke up here." She coughed and winced. "Can I have something - a mint? My mouth tastes awful."

"And what day was the HOA meeting?" Jane asked, digging in her pockets. She used to keep some on hand for Frost, and sure enough there was a pack, mostly melted, in one pocket. She peeled one out and put it in the restrained woman's mouth, keeping her fingers well back from her teeth. She chewed, wincing.

"Tuesday, it's always Tuesday."

"Well, it's Wednesday now, so do you know if it was this week or last week?" She shook her head. "Do you know your name?"

"Harper Lyon," she said, and Jane nodded, shooting Frost a text. "It could have been yesterday? Why does everything hurt?"

"Do you remember attacking me?"

"What? No! I've never..."

"Do you remember where you've been for the last week?"

"Not really, there's a vague memory of walking in the woods, meeting someone..."

"Can you tell me what happened at the HOA?"

"I was only there because they wanted a permit for the goose eggs in the nest by the lake. To destroy them. I wanted to vote against it. I don't even like geese."

"Did you eat or drink anything while you were there?"

"Why am I..." Harper struggled against the Velcro cuffs on the sides of the bed.

"You were thrashing around, and you attempted to assault a member of the police force. Did you eat or drink anything while you were at the meeting?" Jane asked again.

"I don't know... They had coffee but it was late. I think they had doughnuts. Powdered sugar. They weren't very sweet."

"Thank you," Jane stepped away and an officer went back to guarding Harper. She called Frost.

"Got an address," he said.

"I'll meet you there," Jane said, hanging up and checking her texts.

---

The front door was open, and Jane pulled her gun as she pushed it open further with her gloved hand. A nice neighbourhood, the Cambridge Highlands, backing onto Fresh Pond. Jane could hear the geese Harper had mentioned, listening instead for noises from within the dwelling. She nodded at Frost and went in, gun ahead of her, a quick sweep through to clear the premises.

"Clear," Jane called from the back door, looking through to the pond.

"Clear," Frost called, heading back to Jane.

"She said she went to the HOA to make sure they didn't kill any nesting geese."

'It's a federal crime, isn't it?" Frost asked.

"Yeah, if you don't have a permit. C'mon, lets find the HOA paperwork. Last thing she remembers is a heavily powdered doughnut."

"She doesn't even remember trying to eat that dude's face?" Frost asked. "Small mercies, I guess."

"I'd rather it that way," Jane agreed. "It was weird. She was all... normal. Like we didn't see her zombie ninja her way through the woods and then just about die from a single taser jolt. I mean, they had her in cuffs, and she was in probably a lot of pain."

"So you think she's for real? That she's not faking it to get out of charges?"

"I mean, look around," Jane said, gesturing to the small, nicely kept home. She picked up a picture of Harper with her family.

"Serial killers fit in too," Frost warned.

"Not... not in the way that has them living in the woods for a week eating people's faces." Jane put the photo down to pick up her phone.

"Susie has come through again," Maura said proudly.

"We're not adopting her, Mau," Jane groaned.

"You can if you want," Susie said, appearing over Maura's shoulder. Jane gave her a very sarcastic smile. Frost came over as well, Maura shaking a test tube.

"We have the full chemical composition now, and we have an estimated half life of a few days. The amount in Councilor Harley's system was more than an overdose - the fact that he managed to wander outside and attack someone is amazing."

"Yeah, amazing," Frost said sarcastically. "Couple days... so Harper was dosed at the HOA on Tuesday, so she would have been..."

"We found that big sack in the woods, but there was no way she could have been taking it herself, right?" Jane asked.

"From what we've observed so far, no," Maura agreed.

"So.. every few days... it's Wednesday... We gotta get back to the woods, Frost."

"No!" Maura yelled. "It's drugs. They can go."

"It's homicide too," Frost said.

"I'm not going into the woods with Martinez," Jane said. "You can take Frankie and Korsak, huh? It might not be today, but it'll be soon. Just as well the mayor is keeping the lid on things, they won't be scared off."

Frost called Frankie, and soon they were headed to the woods together. Jane looked around a bit longer, finding the HOA agreement.

"Lila Burton, where have I heard that before?" Jane asked herself. She heard the geese fly overhead and went out the back door, noticing a camera facing the pond as she opened the door. The pond was quiet, other than the honking, and Jane was able to observe several pairs of geese tending to their nests along the shore. A few families walked in the afternoon sun; school must have finished for the day. Jane needed to head back to the school at some point, get the footage. Maybe whoever had been dosing Harper had been caught on the security cameras. They'd made a call, but Jane needed to get out there tomorrow. Too much happening, all at once. The house would feel emptier tonight without Constance, and Maura would be a little sadder, a little cuddlier; she always was after one of her mothers left. But Angela was staying on a bit longer, so Maura wouldn't feel entirely abandoned.

Jane went back into the house, locking the back door carefully. Frost had already taken the laptop with him, and Jane was surprised that nothing appeared to have been stolen or even moved since Harper had been gone for over a week. She picked up the camera, wondering what had happened to Harper's phone. She hadn't had it on her, it hadn't been in the woods, and they hadn't seen it in the house. If the camera was networked, it'd be accessible via an app - but if she'd accessed it from a webpage she was sure BRIC could pull down anything stored on the cloud. Jane shook her head. technology.

She didn't notice the person behind her until she'd already felt the sting of the needle in her bicep.

Chapter Text

In a single move, Jane managed to grab the hand holding the needle, pull it back fast enough that the woman hit herself in the head with her own hand, tucked that arm behind her, grabbed the other and drove her to the floor. Jane pulled out her cuffs, slapped them on her and left her knee on the woman's back, reaching into her pocket.

"If that was Grunt, I don't know what your end game was, but now you're handcuffed in an abandoned house," Jane said, hand still in her pocket. She looked up at the open door. "This house wasn't broken into or reported as abandoned even with an open door for over a week." Jane swallowed, aware of a smattering of sweat coating her palms. "On top of that, you've just dosed the only person in there with you." Jane wiped her hands on her pants, digging her knee in deeper. The woman underneath her remained silent, clearly waiting for whatever she'd injected into Jane to kick in. "So we're alone, and you probably shot me full of something that makes people eat other people. I don't know what your plan was, but I hope it involved cannibalism, because I haven't had lunch yet, and I've seen enough of your zombies that I'm honestly a little desensitised to the idea. I wouldn't say I'm keen on it, but it's not as repulsive as it was a few days ago."

There was still no response from the woman.

"Oh, and you're under arrest for assault on a officer of the law. If you survive the next few hours - or days - you'll be going away for a long time. And that's without what I'm presuming will be federal charges for interfering with migratory birds." Jane relaxed and pulled out her phone.

Maura answered quickly from her office.

"Hey, I'm at Harper Lyon's home and I think I've been dosed. Get someone down here in riot gear. Got a prisoner too."

"Oh, God, Jane, please don't eat anyone."

"I'll try not to, but I don't know how long I've got. I had that precaution in my pocket, but I don't feel so good."

"Hold on," Maura dialed up to Cavanaugh, apprised him of the situation. She hung up and spoke to Jane again. "Ok. So. Obviously I love you. Pull up the camera please?"

"If you have to watch me eat someone you're not going to love me any more, Mau," Jane pointed out.

"I'll get Susie to watch instead if you start gnawing on anyone," Maura said smoothly. "Please turn it on. I want to monitor your pupils and respiratory symptoms."

"You say the sweetest things," Jane grumbled, turning the camera on. "There, are you happy?"

"I'm always happy to see your face, Jane," Maura said. "Is your prisoner safe? Can you secure them somewhere in the house and lock them in so they can't get out and you can't get to them?"

"I dunno," Jane wiped sweat from her face. "I don't feel so good."

"You do look a little clammy," Maura commented. "Maybe drink some water?"

"Nah, I'm sitting on someone. I think they killed some geese? For the Home Owner's Association? I don't know why they stabbed me though," Jane's eyes drooped, and Maura called out sharply.

"Jane! Stay with me! Do you hear the sirens? They're not far. Just hang on a bit longer."

"Lila Burton," Jane said suddenly. "Why is that name familiar?"

"She's on several of my committees. Jane, if you're going to eat anyone... it might as well be her."

Jane's hand dropped the phone, and Maura could only see the ceiling, then the sounds of a struggle, then the police announcing themselves.

Jane was lifted off the prisoner, and Lila was taken away. Officer Charlotte Hanson picked up the phone.

"Oh, hi Doctor Isles. Jane's right here. She looks a bit..." Charlie handed off the phone to Jane.

"Is any of the team carrying injectable valium? Did you get a full shot?" Maura asked.

"It was in my pocket, it went through my pants. I thought..." Jane pulled and empty syringe out of her pocket. "Yeah, full thing. I don't know how much she gave me. Or if it's worse when it's injected. Oh Mau, I don't feel good."

"Ok, hand me back to Officer Hanson," Maura said, and Jane nodded. "Oh wait. I love you."

"I love you too, Mau," Jane said, handing the phone to Charlie.

"Ok, what I'm about to say please take it from a place of concern for your safety. Have you got your cuffs?" Maura asked. Charlie nodded. "Good. Now, listen carefully. You need to cuff Detective Rizzoli."

"I can't do that," Charlie chuckled nervously.

"I'm a doctor, and this could get ugly fast. For your own safety and for the rest of your team you need to do it now, while she's still conscious, because you won't get another chance. Take her straight to Mercy, I'm already on my way."

"I can't cuff her," Charlie said.

"Mau said to cuff me? Go ahead," Jane said. "Or give me the cuffs, I'll do it myself." Jane grabbed for the cuffs and Charlie handed them over reluctantly. Jane cuffed herself, head lolling back against the kitchen cupboards behind her. "Whatever's going to happen, it's not good."

"Get her to the hospital," Maura said, opening her car door. "Please," she added as an afterthought.

---

Maura met the police car at the hospital, peering into the backseat. Jane smiled up woozily at her.

"Hi Mau, I didn't eat anyone," Jane said. "But I don't think I can walk, hun."

"It was a lot of valium," Maura said, concerned. "Come on." She opened the door, reached in to pull Jane out. Jane pulled away.

"Don't, I'm not sure how much of this is valium and how much of this is Grunt."

"If you're talking, I think you're ok. Come here, let's get you inside."

---

Jane was passed out fully dressed on her hospital bed, having kicked off her blanket. Her hands were strapped to the rails, but she looked peaceful. The blood tests had come back with a high amount of Grunt, and the treatment plan was to keep her sedated. Maura had a little nest set up in a chair next to Jane's bed, and when Jane bobbed back into consciousness, Maura was already holding her hand.

"Did I eat anyone?" Jane asked. "Tell me I didn't eat anyone."

Maura chuckled. "You didn't eat anyone, Jane. And I need to get you on my health insurance."

"Did they get her?"

"Lila Burton? She's in holding."

"You should go back to work. I'll be fine," Jane said, stretching and yawning. "Especially if they keep shooting me full of valium. I don't remember what bones feel like."

"Jane, it's nighttime. I can go to work tomorrow if your blood comes back ok."

"You should go home, go to bed."

"You know I don't sleep without you, Jane," Maura said. "Angela has been by, and she'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm real glad I didn't eat no-one," Jane mumbled as the valium took her back to sleep.

Chapter Text

"She's sweet when she's sleeping, isn't she?" Angela asked, walking into Jane's hospital room.

"She's sweet a lot of the time," Maura said, hand still in Jane's where it was restrained. She hated seeing Jane in restraints, knowing that Jane was sedated so it probably wouldn't leave further mental scarring, but still hated the memories it brought up for her.

Hoyt, in the prison hospital wing. That baker who'd been obsessed with Jane, had her tied to a bed for hours. It was hard to see Jane like this without thinking of all the times she'd been restrained against her will for reasons that weren't for her own protection. Even in bed, Maura was careful not to make Jane feel trapped beneath her, not to hold her down or pin her in any way. And she knew Jane did the same for her; Hoyt again, and that basement she'd been held in, cuffed to an old radiator pipe. It was second nature at this point, making each other feel safe and wanted. In a way, it always had been, even before they'd been dating. Maura's fingers brushed at the Velcro, wishing she could release her vulnerable fiancé. She looked up at Jane's sleeping face, a small smile on it as though she was enjoying her sleep. She was relaxed and soft. Maura had brushed her hair and washed her face and hands, waiting for the next round of bloods before attempting to shower and get Jane into a gown.

"But she is especially sweet when she's asleep," Maura conceded, finally looking up at Angela, who was setting down a tote next to her handbag.

"I can stay, if you need to go to work. Not that you should, after a night in here, but I know you want to track down whoever's doing this to people."

"Are you sure?" Maura asked, looking over at Jane. "No, I'll stay until she's awake," Maura said. "And she'll let us know what she wants."

"She'll want you to go to work," Angela said, pulling out a small stuffed unicorn with a rainbow mane and tail, placing it on Jane's chest. "The one you guys have was too big to bring, so I got a substitute. If you leave your jacket, she'll have something that smells like you as well."

"You're very thoughtful," Maura said, noticing Jane stirring. She withdrew her hand. "Stay back until I assess her state, please."

"Hey, Mau," Jane mumbled. "Feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"Do you need more pain relief?" Maura asked, taking Jane's hand again. Jane nodded.

"I'm sick of the valium, but I know I need it. Hey Ma."

"Hi, Janie," Angela said, standing to take Jane's other hand.

"You should go to work," Jane told Maura. "Find out who did this before we get overrun with Grunts."

"I'd rather stay with you," Maura said. "And your blood tests have been providing valuable information that will allow us to treat people dosed like you and Harper were."

"I'd rather you didn't see me like this," Jane said, looking away.

"And I don't mind. Even if you'd started in on Lila, I wouldn't have minded. I wouldn't have judged you for having a simple chemical reaction."

"Still, I'd rather have these bastards nailed before I get out, huh?" Jane said, fading out again.

---

"We have footage of you destroying the eggs of nesting migratory birds, which we've handed over to the Feds. But we're not here for that. We want to know what you dosed one of our agents with, and where you got it."

Lila's lawyer spoke to her and she nodded, not speaking.

Korsak and Maura watched through the glass.

"She's not going to say anything," Maura said finally.

"Doesn't matter, judge came through with the warrant for her house. We keep her here, we snoop around. We'll find something," Korsak said, checking his phone. "I'll send Frankie to the school," Korsak added. "So it's not a conflict of interest. Nina can run through all the financials of Lila and the HOA."

"Can I speak to her?" Maura asked.

"That's right, you know her, dontcha?"

"Yes. I'd like her to know that I'm personally suing her for assaulting my fiancé."

"My advice? Send a registered letter. It'll get to her, and it won't let her upset you." Korsak patted Maura's shoulder, and she nodded reluctantly. "We might need to hand this over to the drug unit. I know, we've still got an unsolved homicide, but tracking down who's making and distributing this stuff is more important right now. We need to stop this getting into the community."

"We have her for the birds, at least. That should at least be a fine," Maura mused. "It's not good enough. She deliberately dosed Harper - more than once - to get that footage. The stun-gun could have killed her, and her heart is still under undue stress. Jane was luckier, but the Councilor and his victim, and our first body - we need more." Korsak looked at Maura's set jaw.

"We'll get her, don't worry," Korsak said. "You can help Nina with the bank records. Maybe the HOA paid her off?"

"It's a start, I suppose," Maura said, watching as Frost released Lila back to an officer to go back to holding.

"You'd clearly rather be with Jane, why don't you head back to Mercy. You can run more tests on the bloodwork we've been getting from them."

"No, Jane told me to go to work. I'll see if Nina needs anything, maybe Susie and I can go through the bodies we have again. Maybe we missed something."

"You, missed something? I doubt it, but go for it if you think it'll get us something," Korsak said. "And when you do go back to Jane, there'll be a card and a gift from the squad on my desk, so make sure you take it, since she's on restricted visits."

"Thank you," Maura said, looking touched.

Chapter Text

Maura sighed. She'd found nothing new on the bodies; the DNA and bite marks matched the Councilor's dental records and DNA, so they were no closer on finding out if there had been any motive there. The Councilor had died from an aneurysm; the stimulants that made the zombies move so fast also put too much pressure on the zombies' vascular systems. Harper would need to be kept under observation for at least another week, and at some point someone would have to tell her she'd eaten part of a school teacher's face.

Jane, fortunately, had shown no signs of cardiovascular distress so far, but the amount of Grunt still in her system was too high for Maura to feel comfortable yet. They'd tried breaking it down faster, but she wasn't comfortable testing on live animals, let alone her fiancé, so any progress was only hypothetical so far. It depended on how it was going to be distributed, what the goal of the distributor was. Maura sighed again. Jane was so much better at leaping to conclusions than she was. Even though they'd technically spent the night together as usual, Maura still missed her. Jane had been out of it, and while her very presence was comforting to Maura, she missed the snappy comments and brilliant deductive work that Jane did daily. She missed the snarky comments and kind smiles and soft hands. And she worried; if Jane had night terrors, if she woke up conscious and noticed she was restrained, would anyone be able to help her, or would be be fighting against her bonds until Maura finally made it to the hospital? Maura sighed again.

"That's the third sigh you've made in five minutes, Doctor Isles," Susie pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? We have enough staff to cover you easily."

"No, we need to solve this, so what's happening to Jane won't happen to anyone else." Maura stepped away from the microscope she'd been using. "I'll go see if Nina has any ideas."

"Okay," Susie said, eyes following Maura out of the lab uncertainly.

---

"She's been getting paid - but I still haven't found out who's paying her."

"Is she some sort of hitman for the council, do you think?" Maura asked. "We have a Councilor she knew well that has been dosed, as well as a woman who objected to her HOA decisions. She has ties to both."

"I don't know. I don't think she's smart enough to be an assassin."

"So she hired someone to dose the Councilor? None of this makes sense," Maura said pacing. "People make drugs to sell, don't they? But this is just - just poison with extra steps, and now that we know about it, what value is there to the manufacturer?" Maura sighed, and Nina sent another tally-mark to Susie. "Is she making the drugs and selling them? Is she trying to get them into schools?"

"You could call Jane," Nina suggested.

"No, she'll still be out of it," Maura said morosely.

"But Angela won't," Nina said. "And she knows how to stream video from her phone, doesn't she?"

"So I can watch her sleep?" Maura scoffed, then paused. "Thank you, Nina. I don't know why I didn't think of that."

"Your generation always forgets about technology," Nina chuckled and Maura turned indignantly.

"I have technology into the basement smarter than you," she said.

"Yeah, and who fixed it last week?" Nina asked, chuckling as Maura's ire deflated. "Check and mate."

--

"She's fine, Maura, see? Sleeping peacefully." Angela held the camera over Jane, who had the small unicorn resting on her chest. It was pretty adorable.

"Thank you, Angela," Maura said.

"You know it's always going to be like this, don't you?" Angela asked. "She's always going to wind up in hospital, and it's always for a good reason, but you're always going to feel like this. Every time."

"I know," Maura said, her voice low. "I know. I love everything about her, except her frequent hospitalisations."

"I know you both love what you do, but I worry about both of you. Your jobs are so dangerous."

"When I'm kidnapped, Jane comes for me. When Jane's drugged, I find a cure. We need each other, professionally."

"I know, sweetheart, and I'm not trying to put you off her - you're the best thing that ever happened to her - to me - to our whole family. I just want you to be sure you can deal with feeling like this, because somedays, I can't."

"Oh, Angela," Maura said, sympathetic tears rising to her eyes.

Chapter Text

Maura left work early, wanting to check on Jane. She did swing by the squad room, and there was a smattering of packages and a card in an envelope.

"Going to see Jane?" Frankie asked as she got in the elevator. She held the door open and nodded. "I'll come by tonight. Keep her updated on the case."

"She's pretty out of it," Maura said doubtfully, but Frankie gave her the boyish grin that looked so much better on his sister.

"You know our Janie - she'll want updates even if she's in a coma." He panicked for a moment. "Not that she's in a coma, or that I think she ever will be, but if she was, her stats would bottom out if she wasn't being updated on her case, you know?" He looked anxious, and he came into the lift with her. "Need a coffee anyway," he mumbled, waiting for the door to close to tuck Maura in under his arm and kiss her on the head, the way he did Jane. "She'll be fine," he said, getting out at the lobby. Maura nodded when he looked back to check on her, arms full of cheerfully coloured packages juxtaposed against her anxious smile.

---

"They just gave her some more," Angela whispered when Maura came in. "She was awake earlier. Bored, but not agitated."

"You can go home, if you'd like. I'll stay overnight."

"It's not home with you both gone," Angela said.

"Please. Jo and Bass will be lonely."

"Cailin and Tasha are heading there to have a study session tonight," Angela said. "Don't worry, they said they'd clean up after themselves."

"Good," Maura said, relaxing. She dropped the presents by the bed, seeing Jane still restrained. "But you should get a good night's sleep," she insisted.

"Later," Angela said. "Once she wakes up."

"Frankie said he'd drop by later," Maura said, running her fingers through Jane's hair, finger combing it. Jane woke and smiled up at her. The light was behind Maura, and it made her hair halo like a Catholic painting.

"Hey, you," Jane rasped, and Maura reached for the water jug, poured a glass and held the straw to Jane's mouth. Jane swallowed gratefully. "You're so pretty. I ever tell you how pretty you are? You're like... I love you so much. You're so nice." Maura checked Jane's chart and nodded.

"They've upped her dose." Maura informed Angela. "Based on the Grunt still in her system. I might be able to get her out of here tomorrow."

"Can you..." Angela turned her wrists to indicate the restraints still on Jane's wrists. Maura shook her head, pouring Jane another cup of water.

"Not until the tests come back clear," Maura said.

"Mau... Mau-Mau..." Jane said. "I'm glad you're here. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, Jane," Maura said, looking over at Angela, who shrugged and took herself for a walk in the corridor.

"C'm'ere," Jane said, serious again. "I gotta tell you something important."

"You can tell me anything," Maura said, wondering if Jane had gotten free and bitten someone, or if she had something important she'd remembered about the case.

"Closer," Jane insisted, and Maura leaned in closer, aware that she was now within the chewing range. "I love you," Jane whispered. Maura laughed with relief.

"I know, I love you too," Maura said, kissing Jane's forehead.

"No, I really love you. I can picture the rest of my life with you," Jane said seriously, and Maura realised she wasn't as with it as she'd thought.

"Jane, you've had a lot of medication..."

"No! I mean it! I'd do anything to get a smile out of you, and I thought that meant we were friends but I don't feel like we're just friends. I want more, Mau," Jane said, rubbing her thumb across the knuckles of Maura's hand where it was tucked into hers. "I want to... To take you on a hot air balloon ride and kiss you at sunset. And ride horses in the desert and kiss you by the campfire. And... I really want kiss you. With my mouth. On your mouth. Not as a friend," she clarified.

"We're not just friends, Jane," Maura said gently. "That's why I said I'd marry you." She held up the ring, and Jane stared at it, dumbfounded. She looked up at Maura's face in wonder, a slow, shy smile breaking across her face, eyes wide in disbelief.

"You will?" Jane asked. "You'd marry me?"

"Any day of the week," Maura said, sliding her hand in Jane's. "I hope you remember this," Maura said. "You have so much ammunition to tease me with, I want to have 'that time Jane was a zombie and forgot we were engaged and tried to pick me up'." Maura chuckled, but Jane was still gazing at her in wonder, still barely able to believe that her gorgeous best friend was going to be her wife.

Angela came back, eyebrow raised. Maura chuckled again. "She was trying to hit on me," Maura said. "She forgot we're engaged."

"Mau!" Jane hissed, and Angela laughed.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you have my blessing. And all of Maura's parents' too."

"What about Pop?" Jane asked, and Maura felt the same shock Angela did.

"He - he won't be able to come see you today, but Frankie will be in later," Maura said quickly. Jane relaxed again and looked at her.

"Have you seen her, Ma?" Jane asked, looking up at Maura, squinting as though she was too bright to look at. "I can't believe I get to marry her! She's so sweet. And pretty. And smart. And nice."

"I know, Jane, I've met Maura," Angela said shrugging, but Jane's loopy smile was enough to have her smiling back. She came over and took Jane's other hand. "You've done real well for yourself," Angela said. "She's everything I could have ever wanted for you, and more."

"Aw, Ma," Jane said, face crinkling as though she was going to cry. Instead she yawned.

"Yeah, go to sleep before your brother comes in to make fun of you," Angela said.

Chapter Text

"Are you on your way, Frankie?" Angela said, answering her phone. "A PTA meeting? Wait, Maura's here." Angela handed off her phone to Maura, who took it curiously.

"I don't think I'm gonna make visiting hours. We got called in to a PTA meeting, looks like everyone was dosed. It's a mess. Had to haul soccer moms off the baking moms, and the teachers are the worst of it."

"It's okay, Jane's asleep again anyway."

"Yeah, well tell her what we're up to, wouldya? She'd have loved it - a total free for all."

"Do you have a list of all attending members?" Maura asked. "This has to have been targeted."

"Yeah, I can send it through to Nina before she leaves for the day. Whatcha thinking?"

"It's an extremely odd form of poisoning - some people have died, others haven't, everyone affected by it becomes extremely violent. It's clearly not a party drug, and there can't be much of a market for it, yet it's showing up in middle and upper class events where we wouldn't expect to see much, if any, drug use. So the impact they're attempting to cause appears to be reputational. Harper would be unable to testify about the geese. The Councilor may have been aware of some dealings someone didn't want him to disclose." Maura breathed out suddenly. "I don't know how Jane does this," she admitted.

"Naw, that's real good, Mawr, you might be onta somethin'. I'll let Harper know."

"It would help if we could find the distributor. Oh! How are all the member of the PTA?"

"They're woozy - we didn't have enough shots to go around so we cuffed the less violent ones. Getting some busses to bring them to hospital."

"Thanks to Jane, we know how to treat them," Maura said. "No heart issues?"

"Do I look like I know how to check for heart issues?" Frankie asked. "But good point. I'll get the busboys to check before loading."

"Okay. Do you need anything else?"

"Nah, but I gotta say walking into a zombie death match like this one was wicked cool." Maura chuckled. "Who do you think made Jane hate zombies so much?" Frankie asked, and Maura handed him back to Angela, shaking her head.

---

Maura found herself outside Harper's room, wondering why the woman had been missing for a week unreported, wondering why she'd had no visitors. She went inside, the woman looking up sharply as though she was worried.

"Why am I being held against my will?" She asked coherently, shaking the Velcro that restrained her. Maura sighed; she knew this time would come. She sat in the visitors chair that had remained empty during her stay; her phone was still missing but they'd sent a few emails once they had her laptop, looking for anyone in town that could help them find a motive. There had been very few takers. Maura could have been her, just a few scant years ago. Before Jane, if she'd gone missing BPD would have waited a week before sending a welfare check. Her neighbours wouldn't have noticed her absence, or an open door. No one would have called her and been worried when she didn't answer.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Maura asked, putting her hand on top of Harper's. "You were drugged. It's affected your memory - hopefully not long term. And you attacked one of our detectives, and when she tazed you it affected your already stressed heart. You're restrained because of the violence you perpetuated while under the influence."

"What violence?" Harper asked, starting to cry. "I'm a pacifist, I don't even have a gun!"

"I... This will be hard to hear, and I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you. You were seen... Consuming part of a man's face. He's okay," Maura added quickly. "He's had some plastic surgery, and he won't be pretty to look at for a while, but he's okay. He survived. And so did you."

"I... Ate..." Harper cut off. "Get out."

"I'm sorry," Maura said, patting her hand and squeezing the attendance button. "For what it's worth, you're not at fault, and the police aren't looking to charge you. You're as much a victim as he is."

"But only one of us tried to eat someone," Harper said bitterly, and Maura informed Harper's nurse that she'd been informed of what she'd done under the influence of Grunt.

"Your recovery looks promising," Maura said, checking the latest lot of bloods. "You might get out of here soon." Harper didn't reply, silent and alone until the nurse came back with some medication.

Chapter Text

Maura waited at emergency, having borrowed a coat, to assist with triage of the incoming Grunts. The mayor and the Governor had been informed, and an older area of the hospital had been opened - not for quarantine, as the biting didn't seem to transfer any Grunt, but for the safety of the other patients. Unused to working with live patients, Maura hung back at first, carefully watching the other staff assess and clear the patients.

"Looks like a low dose - enough to make them angry but not so much as to make them incoherent," Maura mused.

"Looks like it was in the coffee," Frankie said. "The crime techs are out there, getting samples."

"Who profits from this?" Maura asked, checking a patient through. "What was the PTA agenda? Any geese?"

"No geese," Frankie said. "There was a motion to build a new playground. That seemed to be the boiling point for these poor schmucks."

"Has Nina checked on this school's funding?" Maura asked. "I believe all these instances of poisoning may be politically based."

"I'll get Nina to run it down. Frost and Korsak picked up someone in the woods too."

"But - Harper - Jane was dosed by Lila in Harper's house. I would have assumed Lila was responsible for Harper's dosing as well."

"Speaking of, how's Janie doing?" Frankie asked. "Visiting hours over?"

"I'm sure you can head in once we're done here," Maura said.

"You staying tonight?"

"I might as well. This is getting to be a high profile case so I may as well work from here. It's not like there's any reason to go home, either."

"She's lucky," Frankie said, shoving Maura's shoulder.

---

Maura woke when Jane stirred, instantly pushing her paperwork off her lap and going to Jane's side, despite it being nearly 4am.

"Hey," Jane said, looking up at Maura, blinking.

"How are you feeling?" Maura asked, her hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Like I got hit by a bus. But okay. I don't feel like eating anyone."

"Want some more painkillers?" Maura asked, but Jane shook her head.

"Just some Tylenol, hun," Jane said. "How long was I out?"

"Almost two days. Your bloods came back okay, so most of it's out of your system." Maura pulled at the Velcro straps, then hesitated and pressed the call button. "Chain of command," she said apologetically.

A nurse came, and checked Jane over. She looked nervous when Maura suggested uncuffing Jane.

"I'm willing to take full custody and responsibility," Maura said, and the nurse nodded, coming back with the Tylenol, flinching at the harsh sound of the Velcro. Jane sat up, rubbing at her wrists with relief.

"Shower?" She asked, taking her Tylenol. Maura helped her stand, helped her pull of the clothes she'd been wearing for days, helped her into the shower. She had her Jane back, blushing at the wink Jane had given her when she'd pulled Jane's shirt off. She almost wanted to cry - she'd been too busy to be lonely, but she'd felt the loss of her Jane, her partner, her fiancé - all the little jokes and asides Jane would have made, all the little moments she'd missed, the way Jane smiled when she looked at Maura as though she'd found a cure for unhappiness. Maura brought in the clothes Angela had thoughtfully brought with her, and readied herself with a towel when she heard the shower turn off.

"Oh, man, that was good," Jane mumbled, groggy again from the activity and the shower improving her circulation. Maura wrapped her in the towel and helped her sit down, started dressing her in her blue pajamas. "You been here this whole time?" Jane asked.

"Not the whole time, no," Maura said, drying Jane's feet before pulling on the purple fuzzy socks Angela had left. "But a lot of the time." Jane let Maura towel her hair for a while before tipping Maura easily into her lap, holding her close.

"Thanks for taking care of me," Jane said against Maura's throat. "I should have left with Frost, I shouldn't have been alone in Harper's house..."

"You did most of it yourself," Maura pointed out, wrapping her arms around Jane. "You took the injectable valium, you injected yourself and you called for help. You even managed to catch the person who Grunted you."

"She still in holding? I got a couple of thing to say to her."

"You'll have to wait in line. I'm suing her for damages."

"Damages?"

"You're mine, Jane, and that woman only cares about money, so it's only fair that she recompense me for pain and suffering."

"Your brain is on another level," Jane chuckled into Maura's hair.

"It wouldn't have made a difference to me, had anything happened to you, but it would have hurt her, and I need anyone who could do something like that to you to be really, really hurt."

"You're sweet," Jane yawned. "Can we go home?"

"Probably best to wait until morning," Maura said. "Get a full check, and another heart scan."

"Only thing wrong with my heart is missing out on two days with you," Jane said, nuzzling Maura's neck. "If you're staying, you're not staying in that chair."

"Jane, this is a public hospital with no right to privacy," Maura pointed out.

"And you've had two nights sleeping in chairs, wondering if I was going to turn into a zombie." Jane stood, letting Maura find her feet and going back into the hospital room. She slid into bed, pulling out the small unicorn. "See, just like home," she said, waving it enticingly. Maura rolled her eyes, but she climbed in under the blanket Jane held up for her, slipping into the strong arms she'd missed wrapped around her at night.

Chapter Text

Jane paced Maura's kitchen, Jo following at her heels. She hadn't had a win since that one guy had been hiding out in the art gallery. She'd had the Feds take the human traffickers and now it looked like Drugs were looking ready to snipe the Grunt case. Yet there were three bodies in Mara's morgue that deserved some answers, and at least two traumatised people still in hospital. If Martinez took the case, he'd be all about the drugs, and not about the murders. Two of those three bodies would remain unsolved, and Jane would never know what had motivated the seemingly random druggings across Boston.

She'd been cleared for duty, but Maura had insisted she stay home and take it easy. Which wasn't fair, because how was Jane supposed to relax without Maura? How was she supposed to relax with an active set of murderers roaming through her city? How was she supposed to relax knowing they still had no motive in the woman who'd injected her with the intent of making her attack people? Jane knelt and fondled Jo's ears, still thinking hard. It was a relief, to be able to think - at least she hadn't been plagued by nightmares, but it still hadn't been a great time. Jane needed a whiteboard, but she had to make do with a piece of paper from Maura's printer.

Councilor Harley. First and second body. He was the third. If he'd killed the first, then the first two murders were a result of the drugs. The third was him, when his heart gave out. So that one was definitely at least manslaughter.

Timeline. So Toby Hale had seen Harper Lyon eating a guy's face, and told his local Councilor when the police didn't take him seriously. Harper Lyon had been drugged at a HOA meeting.

Follow up on that meeting, Jane made a note. See if anyone else was drugged. Who else was against destroying goose nests? Welfare checks. See who was on the board.

Footage from the school. Did they follow up on that? Jane called Frost.

"You go by the school?" Jane asked when he answered. "Get that footage?"

"Yeah, Nina's got it, but we got the guy who was dosing Harper in the woods already."

"Check the footage anyway," Jane said, scribbling more notes. "Who's the guy?"

"A nobody," Frost said. "No ties to anyone, not In terms of the case at least. Trust me Jane, we're running everything down."

"Both schools and the HOA?" Jane asked. "There has to be something."

"Nothing yet, but we'll keep digging. Hey, what'd you do to Martinez? He won't go near Nina."

"Good," Jane said, hanging up. She called Nina instead.

"I have the footage," Nina said. "Going through it. There's not a lot. I can see the ambulance come for that teacher, and Toby heading home."

"Toby," Jane breathed.

"You got something?" Nina asked.

"Check his financials, wouldya?" Jane asked.

"You got a warrant?" Nina asked, and Jane cursed. "I like the way you think though."

"Yeah, works at the school, knows the Councilor... what about the geese though?" Jane frowned at her paper.

"This help?" Nina asked, sending through a picture of a gala, Toby with Lila Burton.

"I love your mind," Jane said.

"I'm sending the F-team out," Nina said.

"F-team?"

"Frost and Frankie."

"Who's the A team?"

"Any team with me on it," Nina said, hanging up.

---

"Frost said they had a whole lab in the school basement," Maura said, pulling out her laptop. "I thought you might want to go through the crime scene photos together." Jane dug through her Chinese takeaway, putting it down so she could focus.

"You're so romantic," Jane said, kissing Maura's temple, looking at the screen. "And you know me so well. That's insane," she said, looking at the photos of the drug lab in the basement.

"He dropped out of med school, and she had political aspirations. Frankie did well in the interviews." Maura rubbed Jane's upper arm. "I know you'd have preferred to take them down yourself, but at least homicide got both collars."

"I'm just glad to be home," Jane said. "Hospitals aren't my favourite places."

"You did really well," Maura said. "I was a little worried, but you responded remarkably well to both the treatment and being detained."

"You were there most of the time," Jane said. "It's hard to respond poorly to anything when I have you."

"Now who's romantic," Maura said, nudging Jane's shoulder with her own.

Chapter Text

"I'd almost forgotten about pride month, what with all the excitement," Maura said, filing through her mail. "Even my journals are on board, which is very encouraging."

"D'ya want to watch the parade this year?" Jane asked. "I never have. Never felt relevant, plus the whole 'no cops at pride' thing."

"I never really understood that."

"Well, technically oral sex is still illegal in Massachusetts under the old sodomy laws." Jane looked over at Maura's aghast face. "It's been overruled by a more recent federal law, it's fine."

"But technically illegal," Maura said, her brow furrowing. Jane sighed.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything," Jane groaned. "I was trying to demonstrate how the laws have been unfair towards the queer communities, and that law enforcement took a bit too much pleasure in disparately enforcing those laws. Politicians can get blow jobs in the White House with no charges, but if you're gay, you got the cops throwing you in lock up. And you only really deal with homicide - I won't deny we got some real bastards in some of the other departments. Twisted, bitter people on power trips, domestic abusers - hell, even Cavanaugh can't march them out. The union protects them."

"But you and Frankie and Frost and Korsak and Nina - you'd never do anything like that."

"Yeah, but this is the best homicide department on the East coast. And I had an opportunity to stop a serial sexual harasser and I chose my career instead of helping other women. I'm part of the system, and by not acting, I'm part of the problem."

"But you're a good detective. You save lives. Your career does help other women."

"Yeah, but not in my department. Not other detectives who are being harassed. It's a problem with the system." Jane sighed. "That's why I'm taking my Sergeant's test. I'm going to try to work my way up to Lieutenant, where I can make the kind of changes I want to see in the force. If I can make sure young women coming into this precinct aren't subjected to the same things I was, it'll be worth stepping away from a detective role. And with the zombie stuff, I can't be having stuff injected into me if we're thinking about having kids. I'm not doing that again. Not losing something I want so much."

"Really, Jane?" Mara asked, putting down her journal and looking at Jane. "You'd really step away from being a detective?"

"I'd have to someday, right?" Jane asked. "Plus, it's not like it's immediate, I need to study and pass and get promoted. I love being out in the field, I love my job, but I don't have the brain for BRIC, I couldn't go back to drugs, and I don't have anywhere else I'd want to be. I'd always planned on climbing the ranks. And it's not like it's a desk job - Korsak is a Sergeant, and he's out in the field too. It'll give me time to see if I'd like it. And being higher in the ranks means I can think about reporting misconduct."

"I support your choice," Maura said, musing. "It sounds as though you've thought about it a lot." She looked away.

"Hey, I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. You're the person I talk to this stuff about, but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure I'd even want to take the tests. It's a lot of work, and I might not make it." She looked over at Maura, picked up her journal. "Homosexual penguins exhibit criminal tendencies to adopt," Jane read. "Can penguins even be criminals?"

"I doubt that'll be on the test, Jane," Maura chuckled. "I wish you'd said something earlier."

"Well, y'know, we keep talking about kids. I lost the last one because of my job. I don't want anything to happen to you or your kids, and getting a promotion would reduce the risk."

"Okay," Maura said, nodding. The doorbell rang, and Maura got to her feet, taking a package.

"I got you something," Maura said, pushing the package out towards Jane. "Just a little something."

"Rainbow socks?" Jane asked, pulling out multiple packs. "Cute."

"You can wear them under your boots. They'll be like you - unobtrusively gay."

"You're so thoughtful. Wanna go do something illegal?" Jane asked, waggling her eyebrows at Maura.

Maura's brows furrowed. "I can't believe I didn't check the legality of our sexual activities by state," she said, sounding upset.

"Lawrence v Texas overwrote them all," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "Most we can do is arrest someone for public indecency."

Maura eyed Jane. "Did you bring your dress uniform over?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye. Jane nodded, mouth suddenly dry at Maura's wicked grin. "Good," Maura said, her voice low. "Go put it on, so I can take it off."

Chapter Text

"Are we ever getting married?" Jane asked, yawning and rolling over to pull Maura into her. "And can you wait a few minutes for a coffee? I just want to be here with you a bit longer." Maura tucked herself backwards into Jane's arms, pressing back against her, sighing as Jane's arms tightened around her to pull her closer still, Jane's mouth dropping kisses on Maura's bare shoulder.

"I'm not the caffeine addict," Maura said. "And I can certainly wait if this is how we're waiting."

"Mm, I missed you," Jane mumbled against the back of Maura's neck, mouth pressing against the small scar she knew the precise location of. "Missed this."

"Me too," Maura agreed, picking up one of Jane's hands to bring it to her mouth so she could kiss those brave knuckles. She rolled over in Jane's arms and kissed her. "But since you mentioned it, we should get our partnership registered federally first. Which means some paperwork today. Are you sure you want to live here with me? Are you sure you want Angela at your condo?"

"Yes, and yes. She can come back when we have kids if she wants, but if she keeps dating I'd rather not know about it, honestly." Maura chuckled, remembering Angela bringing Cavanaugh home. "I think she'd prefer it too - she misses having a large family, and she knows everyone in that building. Inside of a week she'll be hosting building game nights."

"I'll miss her too," Maura sighed. "Do you think she'd move back in if we needed help? When we... Decide. About children."

"I doubt you'd be able to keep her away, hun." Maura nodded contentedly. "I know you love her, but she's a nightmare," Jane said.

"I love her because, like any great artist, she crafted something I greatly admire," Maura said, kissing Jane again. "And if we're doing paperwork, you're going to need some coffee, sweetheart."

"Hint taken, caffeine addict," Jane teased, pulling on some clothes she'd left haphazardly through the room the night before, grabbing Maura's and putting them in the hamper, knowing Maura would make her own fashion decisions.

---

Jane opened the blinds and Angela came in, yawning, heading for the coffee machine.

"Maura's first," Jane warned, pouring the first cup.

"It'll be cold when she gets it," Angela complained, starting her own coffee.

"Not if I'm already here," Maura said, yawning in her kimono. "Good morning," Maura said, letting Angela kiss her forehead. "We're formalising our relationship with the government today."

"It's serious once you get the government involved," Angela said, pushing Jane the coffee she'd just finished making before starting another one. Jane stepped closer and put an arm around her mother.

"Are you sure you want to live at my place? I'd rather not rent it out, and you know Maura loves having you here - our hours are always odd, and she loves coming home to you having the lights on and the dinner ready."

"That's your job now," Angela said. "I'm ready. Thank you Maura - if there's ever anything you need you know I'm more than willing to help."

"You gave me more than I could have ever wanted," Maura said quietly, and Jane shoved the tissue box across the counter towards her. Angela slapped at Jane and came around the counter to wrap Maura in her arms.

"I will be here for you, whatever happens," Angela said. Jane pulled out the last coffee from the machine and handed it over to Angela, sipping at her own, watching the affection Maura was a bottomless pit for be delivered by her mother. With Angela gone, Jane would be the sole provider of affection, and so far she'd done a decent job but Angela had a limitless source when it came to Maura. She worried a little, having to live up to her mother, who did a lot more cooking and housekeeping than Jane did. Jo jumped up, and Jane took her out absent-mindedly.

"Do you want Jo? For company?" Jane asked when she came back in. "You've never lived alone, and she's a good guard dog. Well, she barks when people come past."

"I can't take your dog, Jane," Angela said. "But I can borrow her for the first week, if you don't mind." Jane's shoulder sank with relief; she hadn't wanted Jo to go, but she worried about her mother being alone for the first time in her life. "She'll give me a good chance to meet the neighbours," Angela said, nodding. She came over to trap Jane in a Rizzoli hug. "You're sweet when you want to be huh?" Angela asked, squeezing Jane too tight. Jane rolled her eyes at Maura, who demurely drank her coffee.

Chapter Text

Maura held Jo, both of them looking concerned and uncomfortable as Frankie, Frost, Jane and Angela moved Angela into Jane's condo. There was the typical Rizzoli yelling at each other, some muffled curses, and Jo's worried whimpers to contend with. Maura covered Jo's ears, taking her back out onto the street.

"Jane and I love you very much," Maura said as she sat next to Jo on the stairs outside. "But we think Angela needs you more than we do right now. It's her first time living alone - living in my guest house doesn't really count." Jo looked up and licked Maura's face. "I'll miss you too, and so will Bass, but I know you love Angela. You know she spoils you, and you really do need more attention than Jane and I can provide regularly. And I'm sure Angela will bring you over for dinner." Maura sighed. "I know you're Jane's, but you're a little bit mine as well."

"That's how I feel about you," Angela said, sitting next to Maura on the stoop, wrapping her arm around Maura's shoulders. "You're Jane's, but you're a little bit mine too."

"You'll always be a bit mine too," Maura said, leaning into Angela. "I know you want to be independent, but the Rizzolis are the least independent people I know. You always have a home with me."

"I'll be fine, and you have a wonderful, supportive partner who loves you very much. You'll be fine too."

"I'll miss you," Maura said, and heard Jane scoff behind her.

"You won't have time to miss her," Jane said. "She'll be around so often you'll have to take the locks off." But she ruffled Angela's hair affectionately as she brushed past them on the stoop. "You could have your conversation somewhere else," Jane said pointedly. "Or you could start unpacking. Upstairs." Angela got to her feet and snagged Jane into a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you," Angela said.

Chapter Text

"How hard would you say the Sergeant's exam was?" Jane asked casually, not looking over at Korsak.

"Pretty hard, why? You thinking of taking it?"

"Aw, maybe." Jane looked up. "You had a wife at least once," she said.

"I have one now," Korsak pointed out.

"And none of them minded that your job's so dangerous?"

"Well, none of them loved it, but at some point they loved me enough to overlook it. I wasn't always a good man, Jane. I don't mean I was a dirty cop, I don't mean I went home and beat my wife or anything. I just wasn't a good guy. I wasn't the kind of guy Kiki sees when she looks at me. It was a different generation - you guys have got it all figured out, the housework distribution and the separate finances. But growing up, all we saw were families where the father made the money and the wife did all the housework, and that didn't cut it in the 80's. Doesn't cut it now. And yeah, I resented that, but I'm glad that none of my wives were willing to put up with less."

"So it wasn't about the job, huh?" Jane asked, leaning her head on her hand. "Just the way you were socialised?"

"A lot of it was the job. Coming home bruised and pissed off, coming home drunk after one of the kid cases, not coming home during serial killer cases... It all racks up. I didn't realise how much stress I was taking home with me." Korsak shrugged. "But Maura understands. If anything, she's just as bad as you. And as long as you're working those cases together, it'll all work out."

"What if I wanted to... Climb the ranks?" Jane asked, looking around the mostly deserted squad room. "What if we weren't working cases together?"

"You think you could work in this precinct without Maura showing up at your door twice a day? You think you could work here without meeting her at the shooting range, the café, the basement every ten minutes?" Korsak chuckled. "You two have been in orbit so long I forgot you weren't dating. And then it turns out you were anyway."

"You know I snagged Frost as my best man, and while Paddy's unlikely to get parole for his daughter's wedding, Arthur is going to arrange his schedule. You made an offer, and I think I have to take you up on it."

"I'd be proud to," Korsak said, blinking rapidly. "You set the date yet?"

"Maura's up to something, so I figure I gotta get my ducks lined up." Jane pulled out the study guide for the Sergeant's exam, tucked it inside her jacket to take home.

"In case you don't hear it, I'm proud of you," Korsak said carefully, knowing Angela worried to much too about Jane's dangerous line of work to let Jane know outright, knowing Jane's father had several restraining orders against him. "You were green when we started, but if it wasn't for your fire, I don't know I'd still be here."

"Be where?" Frost asked, coming back with a sack of sandwiches.

"Where I need to be," Korsak said, taking a sandwich and tossing Jane the bag.

Chapter Text

"Jane, a word?" Frankie hissed, hauling Jane out of her chair by the bicep. She slapped at him, following him to the breakroom where they flailed at each other.

"What, Frankie?" Jane asked, exasperated.

"Frost? Really? Frost?"

"How'd you hear?" Jane said.

"Doesn't matter. Really, Frost?"

"He's my partner," Jane said, straightening her shirt. "And Maura asked if I'd mind... And you know I can't say no to her."

"Mind what?"

"You're my brother, you know you're in the wedding party, right? Maura wanted... She wants to ask you... She asked if I'd mind if..."

"Oh," Frankie said. "Oh!"

"Yeah, oh, but act like I didn't say anything, ok? She'll ask when she's ready." Frankie reached over and pulled Jane into a hug, and she rolled her eyes, arms trapped at her side. "Yeah, yeah, you like her better anyway," Jane grumbled.

"She's nicer to me," Frankie said, laying a smacking kiss against Jane's hair and strutting away, Jane watching him as she straightened her hair.

"Best man, my ass," Jane snorted. "He's lucky Maura likes him."

Chapter Text

"What's wrong?" Jane asked as she came in the front door, looking at Maura leaning on the counter, fingers pressing her lips. Maura wondered how Jane knew every one of her moods, how she knew just from a glance that Maura was upset.

"Frankie kept coming by and... Grinning at me today. As though we share a secret?" Maura asked, and Jane sighed.

"He heard that I asked Frost. He was upset. I thought you were going to ask him soon anyway, so... I may have suggested that..."

"You told him? I was going to ask him," Maura said, her brow crinkling.

"Not in so many words... But this is good, right? You were anxious about asking him, and now you know he's going to be happy about it at least," Jane offered. "He's my brother, he was really upset. I would have asked him, if you hadn't asked if you could have him instead. I didn't even know you wanted a best man."

"Well, it's not a traditional wedding, so I thought, if you were going to have a best man I could have one too." Maura came over to where Jane was leaning against the table. "I didn't think you were going to ask Frost so soon?"

"I haven't, really, I just asked Korsak and might have let it slip that Frost was the top contender." Jane put an arm around her. "I didn't think it would get back to Frost, let alone Frankie," she said soothingly, putting the other arm around Maura too, hugging her. "I know you wanted to ask him yourself. I'm sorry, but he look so hurt." Maura's arms came up to hold Jane and she sighed.

"I know, it can't be helped, but I didn't have..."

"Your index cards?" Jane asked. "Just ask him. Otherwise he'll be showing up at the morgue with his goofy face until you do. Have you decided what to do about your mothers?"

"I don't know, yet." Maura sighed again. "You know I'm no good with people," Maura started.

"Bullshit," Jane cut Maura off, both of them looking surprised at her vehemence. "Maybe a few years ago, that mighta been true. But you've used your powers of observation and deductive reasoning and you're good with people. Remember the Croatian women who were being trafficked? You were the only person they trusted on the force. And the wolf boy, and the old guy with the shotgun. They're all people, and they were all people whose instincts told them they could trust you. You are good with people. You're just scared. Why? Frankie's not going to turn you down just because you're not his sister, or because women don't usually have best men. So what's up?" Jane pulled away far enough to look Maura in the eye, deliver a soft kiss to her distracted mouth.

"It's not Frankie," Maura sighed again. "Well, it is. It's nice to know he's keen for the position. It's Hope and Constance. I want them both there."

"So ask them both. Hell, ask Ma too, I got Korsak on my side."

"I can't... I already have Frankie, I can't take your whole family for our wedding."

"We both know Ma is going to drive me nuts if I let her near me before the wedding. She'd love to do... Whatever you need a mom to do at a wedding for you."

"But I'm Constance's only daughter. Angela has you, and Hope has Cailin. Neither of them has to share a day like that." Maura looked distressed, so Jane pulled her in close again.

"It's about what you want."

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Maura said, and Jane could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"I know, honey, I know, but they're all grown women that love you. They want you to be happy." Jane pulled back and wiped her thumbs under Maura's eyes for her, holding her face and kissing her forehead. "Whatever you chose is going to be the right choice, because you always weigh all the options. There's just too many options right now. Why don't we call Constance tonight and check her availability?" Jane tucked Maura back into her arms and felt her nod against Jane's shoulder. "Then you have some information, and from there you can ask Hope what she'd like her level of involvement to be."

"I never thought the problem with my wedding was going to be too much family," Maura half-laughed, face still wet with tears.

"Don't work yourself up like this, huh, or I'll make you elope with me," Jane cracked, a soft smile on her face.

"We could do it at the courthouse while we're filing our partnership," Maura said seriously.

"Nuh-uh," Jane said sternly. "I know you want a proper wedding this time."

"It's so stressful," Maura said. "And we haven't really started planning."

"If you really want to get married at the courthouse, just sign the papers, I'm good with that. I would marry you in the rain, on a train, on a boat with a goat, in a courthouse, you're my spouse. Whatever you want. But I know you want..."

"Like Camille and Robyn," Maura nodded. "All our family."

"Yeah. But if it helps, we can get married before the wedding and just have a party? Whatever you want. Whatever doesn't stress you out like this," Jane said, hands rubbing over Maura's shoulderblades. "You're so tense."

"We can sign early," Maura confirmed. "I'd like that. I want to be married to you as soon as possible."

"Then it's sorted. Let me make some dinner and you can call Constance."

"I was thinking this day," Maura said, bringing up her calendar on her phone, pulling away from Jane and wiping at her face.

"Aww... I mean, sure, that works, we have the weekend off call. I'm sure we can book the week off after."

"Are you sure? You sounded disappointed."

"Red Sox game at Fenway," Jane shrugged. "I can always catch another game. Whatever you want."

"What about what you want?" Maura asked, and Jane reached over, cradled Maura's cheek, thumb brushing over Maura's lips.

"I just want to marry you. Anything else is gravy."

"What's gravy?" Maura asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Uh, it just means... marrying you is the essential part. Everything else is just a luxury. Like how luxurious your lips feel." Jane said, stepping in closer and kissing Maura slowly, savouring it, soft hand on the back of Maura's neck. "I don't know how you do it."

"Moisturising lip balm," Maura said breathlessly. "Would you really marry me on a boat?" She asked skeptically.

Jane sighed. "Yeah, if you really wanted to. But you don't want to, do you?" Jane asked, looking a little worried.

"I'm not the only person getting married here," Mara reminded Jane, holding her hips firmly as she kissed her again. "I want you to be happy and comfortable as well. Within reason," she added quickly, knowing Jane was about to ask if she could wear jeans.

"If you're happy, I'm happy," Jane said. "I don't mean to leave all the planning to you, but it matters more to you. If you need me to help out, I'm here, I just don't know what you need me to do."

"You're doing it now," Maura said, sinking back into Jane's arms, finding the comfort she'd been searching for in the arms of the woman she loved.

Chapter Text

Jane dropped her keys on the counter. It felt quieter here somehow, without Angela and Jo, but no less like home. Maura was here somewhere, Jane could see the dinner she'd picked up on the counter and she automatically went to dish it out, listening for the sound of soft footsteps as the crept up behind her.

"There you are," Jane sighed as Maura slid her arms around Jane from behind, the height difference bringing Maura's mouth to Jane's shoulder. "Not hungry?" She asked, concerned, as Maura turned the oven on low and stashed their dinner plates in it.

"Not for dinner," Maura said, closing the oven and rounding on Jane, pressing her back against the counter. "Remember that baseball game?"

"Yeah. Our second date," Jane said. "You were in that camisole and you let me touch all of that skin..." Jane gulped as Maura opened her kimono, revealing the baseball jersey she'd worn to the game, the same jeans.

"We never did get to the second base that night, did we?" Maura asked innocently.

"Only because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop there, and Ma has hearing like an eagle." Jane wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her jeans. "And it's just 'second base'. No 'the'."

"Mm, you know so much about sport," Maura said, pressing Jane back against the counter, tugging her shirt out of her slacks, pulling off the badge, gun and phone from her belt.

"That should go in the safe," Jane said. "Sorry, just a minute."

"Responsible gun ownership is incredibly sexy," Maura called after Jane as she hurried down the hall.

Jane came back quickly, wiping her hands on her pants again, looking at Maura. She knew what was under the jersey, and she knew what was under that tiny camisole too, but the memory of Maura being not just willing but in charge, of how much Jane had wanted her had her nervous like a teenager again.

"Are you sure you don't want dinner first?" Jane asked as she came back to Maura, who shook her head.

"I just want you," Maura said. "It's been a stressful few weeks, and when I wore this the first time, I had a very specific idea of how I wanted the night to go."

"Just second, right?" Jane asked, and Maura stepped forward, brushing Jane's hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Relax. It's not like we haven't done this before," Maura breathed, kissing Jane softly.

"That's the problem. Now that I know what it's like, I know I absolutely can't stop at second. I'll want you up against the counter, on the counter, on the table... And I know how you are about your kitchen surfaces." Maura looked around the kitchen with a keen eye.

"I see. You're very considerate," Maura said, kissing Jane's neck. "But there's a perfectly good wall for you to pin me up against right there," Maura pointed. "Quickly, or dinner is going to burn."

"You're going to be the death of me," Jane moaned, turning so she could press Maura against the convenient wall, pressed firmly against her as Maura melted against the wall.

"I hope so," Maura said, letting her fingers trace Jane's jaw before claiming Jane's mouth with her own.

Chapter Text

"Do you like this?" Maura asked, holding out a catalogue to Jane, who looked over and screwed her nose up. "For me, not you," Maura clarified.

"Oh, on you? It'd be gorgeous. Everything is, even Tyvek."

"I'm not wearing Tyvek to our wedding," Maura huffed.

"Of course not, but you wouldn't be any less beautiful to me if you did," Jane said agreeably.

"I want you to at least approve of whatever I plan to wear," Maura explained, flipping through the rest of the catalogue. Jane tapped away at the computer on her lap, held it out to Maura. "Oh, that's stunning. For you?"

"For you, silly," Jane said, her mouth quirking. "I told you I wanted to be wearing a Sox jersey at my wedding."

"And when I said that was fine, I didn't think it was me you'd be marrying," Maura complained.

"Didn't you?" Jane asked, looking up. "I did. I thought about it, at least. What you'd look like next to me on the pitchers mound, and it was in something that looked like this," Jane said, pointing at the screen. Maura sighed and took the laptop.

"It's surprisingly nice," Maura said, sounding pleased. "You have some skill, if an untrained eye. Would you be open to some tailoring?"

"Honey, you could show up wearing nothing but dirt and I'd still marry you. Although I'd have to kill all the attendees and the priest."

"We're having a priest?" Maura asked. Jane nodded.

"Unless you mind. Ma would... You know Ma."

"Do they even do gay weddings?"

"In Massachusetts? They'd be poor if they didn't."

"So, jersey aside, what will you be wearing?"

"I dunno."

"Do you remember that suit? That one we found when we were looking for something to wear to Camille and Robyn's wedding?"

"Mm, I could make that work," Jane said, taking her laptop back. She closed it and picked up her phone. "Rizzoli," she barked, right as Maura picked up her phone with a much gentler "Isles."

Chapter Text

It wasn't the worst body they'd seen, considering, but it was unsettling.

"What do you think got to him?" Jane asked.

"I can't speculate," Maura stated, looking at the torn flesh.

"Okay," Jane said amenably. "What about jaw size, tooth size. Please tell me we don't have more zombies out there."

"Bites do not appear to have been delivered by human physiology." Maura said firmly.

"So what? Did a bunch of geese get into the Grunt? A bear wandered into downtown Boston? Wild dogs? Bobcat?"

"I'll need to examine the saliva and measure the tooth imprints back at the morgue," Maura said.

"Great, so it's just a mauling. So what's homicide doing out here?"

"I believe this has something to do with it," Maura said, pulling up the victim's pant leg, revealing that they'd been tied to the tree behind them with rope.

"Okay, so this guy was bait," Jane said, taking a photo of what was left of the face and sending it to Nina to run facial recognition. She paced around the tree, looking at the rope, calling over one of the lab techs to swab a stain on part of the rope. She looked at the deep claw marks on the tree, as though something had climbed it. She peered through the branches with some apprehension.

"Did anyone get K9's out here?" Jane asked.

"Korsak would have mentioned it if they had," Maura said sensibly.

"I'm calling them in," Jane said, stepping back over to where Frost was pulling up.

---

"You get a size on the teeth yet?" Jane asked as she walked into the morgue.

"You can't rush science," Maura replied, measuring implement held to an open wound. "They're of varying sizes, but I'd feel comfortable ruling out geese, people and housecats."

"Dog?" Jane asked, looking through the torn throat of the victim.

"Still possible, although unlikely. Susie is running through registered large breeds just in case, and we've called the zoo. No escapees reported."

"What about..." Jane thought for a moment. "Imported pets. Large cats."

"There's a register."

"I'll get Frost to check for lions and tigers and bears," Jane joked.

"Oh my," Maura said, pulling a snapped piece of bone from the wound, looking impressed. "An incisor."

"I don't want to meet something with teeth that big." Jane informed Maura. "Or anyone who'd tie someone up as a meal for something with teeth that big."

"Do you suspect it's still loose?"

"In that area? We would have heard about it by now if it was wandering through the suburbs. Probably expensive too."

"Then why the body in the woods?"

"Maybe they thought whatever it was would finish him off." Jane shrugged. "Maybe they were interrupted and had to leave early. Who knows what idiocy lies in the minds of men."

Maura chuckled, knowing by now that Jane had misquoted on purpose for her amusement.

Chapter Text

"Did your friends from the zoological society come back with anything yet?" Jane asked Maura. "We sent them pictures of the claw marks from the tree as well, didn't we?"

"No and yes," Maura replied, looking into a microscope. "Gingivitis," she said finally. "The creature doesn't have sufficient healthcare."

"It's America; none of us do," Jane joked.

"That reminds me, did you sign the paperwork for my health insurance yet?" Maura asked, looking back into the microscope. "BPD covered your zombie bill, but I'd rather make sure you're covered off the clock as well."

"I thought I did, I left it in the study."

"I'll mail it out tomorrow," Maura said. "It's strange that they'll only take mail."

"You could fax it," Jane pointed out. "Every health system has a fax machine."

"They are HIPAA compliant," Maura pointed out. "And difficult to hack, unlike email and mobile telephony systems. An email is only as secure as the device the client and servers are hosted on, and while mobile phones with Bluetooth accessories are becoming more popular, the amount of vulnerabilities available to exploit are immense."

"You telling me we should get a fax machine?" Jane asked, fiddling with a small pair of forceps.

"No," Maura said, still examining the tooth. She looked up at Jane over the lens. "I already have one."

"Here or at home?"

"It's in the study. I'll show you how to use it, if you like," Maura beamed.

"I'm not sure how useful learning how to fax is going to be," Jane hedged, then sighed. "Okay, okay, but I get to choose the next nerdy thing we do," Jane pouted.

Chapter Text

"This is strange," Maura noted.

Jane came over and peered into one of the wounds.

"Looks like organs to me," Jane said, watching as Maura examined the wound.

"Yes, but the swelling of the wound suggests infection. He sustained this injury days before he died."

"So, what, he's been kidnapped and held by these people and they let their pet play with him before setting him free, making him think he was safe and then letting it loose after him?"

"Maybe," Maura said, not willing to commit to a theory that wasn't supported by solid evidence. "I don't know that it's the same animal," she added, examining the wounds again.

"Great, so there's a pack of them? A pride?"

"It is pride month," Maura pointed out with a little smile, the smile she made when she thought she'd said something clever.

"You're not funny," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, there's more than one of these things?"

"There could be," Maura confirmed. "It would explain the different teeth sizes and ages of the wounds."

"So if someone bought a pregnant tiger, it had cubs and then there was multiple tigers?"

"I believe that's how tiger reproduction works," Maura said drily.

"What if - we found his foot tied to a tree - what if that was a trap? What if they were being taught how to... hunt?" Jane looked up at Maura, and they both shivered.

Chapter Text

Jane and Frost spent an unpleasant day checking up on all the private exotic animal owners in the greater Boston area, getting stuck in traffic twice and being roared at by a tiger once.

"You might try McFadden. He's closed up shop, but I think he had to sell off the rest of his stock. If you're not getting anything from the importers, he might be able to help you out, since he was planning on selling in-state," Logan Falkirk told them, yawning along with the panther that sprawled across his lap like a kitten. Jane was tempted to try to rub the fluffy tummy, but she valued her hands too highly.

"McFadden, Thank you," Frost said, making a note on his tablet. He and Jane got to their feet and saw themselves out; neither of them wanted to know what happened if someone got up before the panther on their lap was ready for them to get up.

"Was McFadden on our list?"

"No, and all his licenses seem to be expired too. He doesn't have a resell license associated with his prior license either, so he should have gone through one of the dealers we spoke to."

"Well, we can get the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on board, see if they know of any black market buyers that know McFadden."

"They gave us the run-around last time," Frost groaned.

"Then we run faster," Jane said, starting the car and pulling into traffic.

---

"Hey, Detective Rizzoli, I'm here to -"

"Oh! Detective Rizzoli, from the goose case?"

Jane groaned. Still, it was better than what BPD were calling that case - the zombie case.

"Hey, Tilly. You got anything on McFadden? His licenses are out of date, and we can't find anyone that would have sold for him."

"Sure. Let me check the system." Tilly tapped at her keyboard for a few minutes. "Nope, nothing here. Sorry."

"Any known associates, anyone turned down for a license recently?"

"Might help me if you told me what you were looking for."

"Cats. Big cats," Frost said, leaning on the counter a little too casually. Good for him - Tilly was nice enough out of all their contacts at the DWF, and Frost had been single for a while. She typed quickly, cross-referencing the known contacts of McFadden and his previous sales through dealers.

"Doug Blight," Tilly said. "He's sold for McFadden before, but not recently."

"Thanks." Jane looked over at Frost, a smitten look on his face.

"Yeah, thanks, Tilly," Jane said, snagging Frost by his jacket and dragging him out with her. He looked up the home address of Blight on the system and Jane drove, wanting to rub her forehead. It felt like they were going in circles, chasing their own tails.

Chapter Text

"Got an ID on your victim," Maura said when Jane called in after the wildlife office. "McFadden. James McFadden."

"Shit, there goes our lead," Jane grumbled. "We think he illegally sold a bunch of his animals, but if he's dead maybe someone stole them."

"Do you need anything else?" Maura asked. Jane looked over at her mounted headset, then at Frost. Shrugging, she spoke confidently.

"Just to say I love you," Jane said. She could hear Maura's chuckle and it made her long, frustrating day much more bearable.

"Love you too. I'll pick up dinner on my way home."

"You're perfect," Jane told her, and heard another chuckle before Maura hung up. With a grin she turned to Frost.

"Let's go ask some questions." She was ready to get somewhere, anywhere with this case.

---

They went to Doug Blight's property, and stood at the fence, Frost noting the security cameras and the height of the fence.

"Pretty secure," he pointed out. "No fence needs to be this tall unless it's keeping something in."

The gate was locked, and there was no answer on the intercom. Jane was tempted to break in, pick the lock or jump the fence, but from the silence of the surrounding woods she thought that might be a bad idea. It was the eerie kind of silence that sprung up when a predator was around.

"Get in the car, Frost," Jane said out of the side of her mouth, not sure if the cameras had sound or if anyone surveilling them could read lips. "I guess we'll have to call him to see if he knows where McFadden got to," she added out loud for the benefit of the cameras.

"This welfare check is taking forever," Frost said, playing along, even though it was uniforms that usually carried those out. "He hasn't even been reported missing officially. But we need someone licensed to get into that property. No way I'm breaking down McFadden's door with all his pets loose in there. Maybe the Department of Wildlife can lend us someone? If they've mauled him, they'll need to be destroyed anyway."

"Always a shame, but these big game owners always think it won't happen to them right until it does." They were back by the car now, Jane's hand casually next to her gun, eyes darting to take stock of their surroundings. They were being watched - by the cameras at least, but she felt like the eyes of something predatory were watching her every movement as well. "We can try that dealer - he should be able to manage his - what were they, lions?"

"Probably. They're all big cats to me, and I'm allergic."

The show over, they got into the car, Jane driving slowly since she expected to be paced by a dark shadow in the overgrown woods that lined the long driveway. It wasn't until they were back on the local council road that Jane exhaled completely, loosening her jaw.

"Those vibes were bad, man," Frost agreed, tilting his head with a crack. "Felt like there were eyes in every bush, waiting to pounce. Now I know how a mouse must feel."

"Something's off there, for sure. If he was watching he'll be suspicious. But I don't think he'll be stupid enough to let loose a wild animal he isn't supposed to have on two detectives."

"Never underestimate the stupidity of a criminal, Jane, especially when they're stupid enough to hoard dangerous animals."

"True dat," Jane shook her head, chuckling.

---

Now that McFadden had been identified as the victim, they had cause for a warrant for his property. Tilly hadn't been available for any potential animal wrangling, so they met Boris Pavlov at the house. It was an average property, more land than most in the suburb, with large fences.

"You got tranqs?" Frost asked. "Because we're packing. And I intend to shoot first and ask questions later."

"I can do a sweep, check out the yard. I don't smell any fresh scat."

"We'll follow your lead. I just got out of hospital, my fiance is never going to forgive me if I get mauled today."

"Ah yes. The goose case. Good result, many thanks."

Jane cringed but nodded. At least they didn't have a bunch of local council members on the loose, chewing on civilians. Not that whatever was out there was any better.

"Can you clear the house first? We want to look at any records he might have had. Find out what kind of animal we're dealing with."

"Sure, is easy." With that, Boris kicked the front door open and yelled "HERE KITTY KITTY. IS DINNER TIME."

Frost and Jane drew their weapons, but nothing appeared. Boris shrugged and entered.

"We would smell, if he had any inside. I'll check yard." Boris headed out to the backyard, and Jane holstered her gun, Frost following her a moment later.

"Thanks," Jane said to Boris' back, bemused. Frost found McFadden's study and donned gloves, waking his PC. A spreadsheet, with species and prices.

"Looks like he was dealing. And breeding. He was making a mint. Yeah, we need this computer." Frost went through the open programs, found his email and started skimming it.

"Why would someone abduct him and have him killed but leave this kind of paper trail."

"Let me check the editing history on his spreadsheet. Oh. Maura said he'd been dead a few days?" Frost asked Jane to clarify.

"At least."

"Got an edit from two days ago. McFadden sold to Doug Blight, but his name has been changed."

"Now we're getting somewhere. That enough for a warrant for Dougie and this... Karl?"

"Yeah, but it's getting late. Won't get a judge to sign off unless it's an emergency."

"Wildlife eating the public isn't an emergency?" Jane asked, and Frost grinned at her.

"Well, it's just this one guy, and they were his at some point."

"I find," Boris called from the hall. Frost turned off the PC - BRIC would pull all the data they needed for their warrant overnight and they could lodge for one in the morning. They both went into the hall. Boris was carrying a jaguar more than half his size like it was a baby and somehow not being mauled despite the fact that it was obviously not sedated at all. "Is starving. Is baby. I have to seize. Is cruel to leave."

Jane opened the industrial fridge in the kitchen, tossing out a steak. Even with both hands full, Boris caught it and managed to feed it to the jaguar. Jane tossed three more, and the giant cat licked Boris' face in gratitude.

Boris giggled. Frost and Jane exchanged a wide-eyed look of discomfort.

"Is the rest of the yard clear? Can we get the crime scene unit in?"

"Oh yes, all the other cages were empty. Poor baby," Boris crooned to the now purring jaguar. It did not look like a baby to Jane. "All alone."

"Technically that's evidence, but yeah. Take it back to your office or wherever you keep your seized animals. But one thing," Jane said as he walked past.

Boris stopped halfway to the door, Frost following him to open his van since he had his hands full.

"Anything that comes out of that 'baby', we want."

"Good call. I save for you," Boris said, and Jane and Frost exchanged another confused look as Frost followed Boris out from the house.

---

"How was your day?" Maura asked, setting up plates with the takeaway she'd picked up. Jane washed her hands and joined her, pulling out Maura's chair for her when she brought the plates over to the table.

"All the better for being home with you," Jane said, picking up her knife and fork.

"Does it feel like home?" Maura asked. She was worried; she knew Jane was comfortable in Maura's house, but she worried that felt like it was Maura's and Jane was just a guest that could be asked to leave at any time.

"Feels a lot more like home now it's just the two of us," Jane said. Maura didn't want to say it felt a little lonelier without Angela, especially since Jane had been home relatively early. "Now that I have you all to myself. No one walking in without knocking." She shot Maura a wicked grin that made Maura blush. "I could take you on the table, and no one would know." Maura felt herself blush deeper, her mind playing through a series of images - Maura pushing Jane face down on the table and taking her from behind, or Jane pushing Maura up onto the edge of the table, tugging up her skirt urgently. She swallowed thickly and Jane's grin grew more wicked. "Pity I'm starving or I'd eat you right now."

Maura hadn't thought her face could turn any redder but she could feel the skin of her chest and ears burning now too. Jane smirked, popping her fork into her mouth, and Maura wanted to clear the table with one broad sweep of her arm and take Jane on it.

But Jane was hungry, and so was Maura, so she simply squirmed a little as she wolfed down her dinner in the least ladylike way possible, grabbing Jane's hand once she was finished and dragging her back to the kitchen, pushing her up against the counter.

"I said table," Jane pointed out, and Maura wanted to explain how she didn't want to wait any longer and that cleaning up dinner would take time and that they couldn't have sex on top of their half-empty plates and cutlery but instead she just kissed that smirk right off Jane's face.

Chapter Text

Jane sighed. She used to be married to her work, but soon she'd be married to Maura instead.

It would be an adjustment, for sure. She was used to long nights, long days, not always getting home to sleep.

But with Maura at home to sleep next to, Jane could see her overtime pay slipping away. She was glad she'd got Maura to sign a pre-nup; Jane never wanted to be a burden to Maura. Not financially. Not emotionally.

Which was why she was in therapy. She sighed again.

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Having serial killers obsessed with me and stalkers kidnapping me? Pretty pissed off, if I may be 'perfectly frank.' a term I've asked you to stop using because my deadbeat Pop's name is Frank."

"Good. So you're pissed off. What do you do when you're pissed off?"

"I work the case until I have enough evidence to get a conviction."

Janice sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You said you're getting married and want more healthy coping mechanisms."

"I did."

"How does your fiance feel about your work?"

"She likes it," Jane said without hesitation. "She works with me."

"But what if she doesn't. You sat the exam, didn't you? When do you get the results?"

Jane looked down at her hands. At the scars through the palms, at the tendons that hurt in the cold. Hands that weren't good enough for Maura but delivered her pleasure anyway. Hands that knew every part of Maura, that held Maura.

Not... Jane had to think for a moment. Not that guy who'd sliced her open. Hoyt, that was it. Jane had forgotten his name for a moment. Maura had pushed him from her mind. Maura had given her the courage to save herself so she could save Maura.

"I made Sergeant," Jane said so quietly that Janice had to lean in and ask her to repeat herself. "I passed my exam. I made Sergeant. I just have to go to Cavanaugh."

"That sounds like a change. You've had a lot of them lately." Janice looked over her noted, then peered over her glasses at Jane. "What would your job look like as a sergeant?"

"Korsak's a sergeant. He does pretty much the same thing as I do. Maybe less running."

"So it wouldn't be a big change."

"It wouldn't," Jane conceded. "Not like getting married."

"That's not a big change either. Not for you. You live together."

"We only just moved in."

"But you've been dating for a while."

Jane nodded and looked down at her hands again.

"And you've been in love with her since you met," Janice added, looking over her noted again. Jane had only been seeing her behind Maura's back for a few weeks, not sure how to break it to her, but Jane was impressed with her attention to detail. However. Jane had never said that. Janice caught Jane's sharp look and laughed. "Oh. You didn't say that much, but I'm good at reading people."

"You'd make a good detective," Jane said begrudgingly. Janice laughed again. She was a short, librarian looking woman with extravagant scarves.

"And you'd make an interesting therapist. Do you think you'll tell Maura you're seeing me? Or that you passed the exam?"

"I don't know," Jane said. "She thinks I'm grabbing lunch for us. I ordered from this place near the mansion I'm working. My partner will pick it up. It's hard to lie to her, but I wanted to make sure I could do this. That I wouldn't mind coming here, or dealing with you or all these memories locked in my head. But most of all I wanted to make sure I'm the best possible version of myself I can be for her. I learned a lot from my father; I don't want to pass any of it on."

Jane's phone dinged. She glanced at it and her face dropped. Maura was cancelling lunch. She slumped in the chair.

"She's too busy for lunch," Jane said mournfully. "Maybe you're right. Maybe our jobs do get in the way."

"So, and I hate to say it, our time is up for today. I want you to think about how it would feel to cut back on overtime and find a different way to address your frustration, and to think about getting the promotion you so richly deserve."

Janice shook Jane's hand; it was what had sold Jane on her. Janice had seen worse than Jane's hands. Jane didn't have to baby her or pull any punches; she'd worked with victims of human trafficking and incest and just about every evil under the sun. Nothing Jane said could shock her. And likewise, nothing Janice said would shock Jane.

"Doctor Isles? Would you like to come in?"

Well. Other than that, obviously. But there Maura was in the waiting room, pouting as she looked at her phone.

"Oh. I didn't realise you saw my fiance. Is this a conflict?" Maura didn't seem upset to see Jane, or embarassed to be seen in a therapist's office. She got to her feet and gave Jane a society kiss on the cheek. "I missed you," Maura said, her voice dropping low enough to make Jane ache for her.

"Missed you too," Jane said, her voice sounding husky to her own ears. "As for conflict, I think Janice is good at compartmentalizing. But if you'd like to keep seeing her, I could see someone else."

"No. I don't mind. I think it's incredibly sexy that you're seeking help for your trauma."

Jane blushed and glanced at Janice, who was also blushing.

"You're late," Jane said gently, pushing Maura towards the office by her hip. "I'll bring dinner tonight."

She left the office with a skip in her step. Sergeant Rizzoli had a nice ring to it. Sometimes change was hard, but nothing would change if she didn't ask for it. She headed back to the office.