The sight of Jane's ring on her finger is what makes something inside Maura snap. In the moment, she tries to smile, but her head shakes slightly, and Jane knows right then that she disapproves. It's not easy to hide her feelings from Jane, Maura knows. She takes a deep breath before forcing her face into a neutral expression, but it's no use. Jane is a detective, after all.

"Maura, what's up?" Jane asks, a puzzled expression on her face. "I thought you'd be happy for me."

Maura knows lying won't end well. She thinks hard about what to say. "I will be. I just need time to...process this."

Jane frowns. "Process what? The fact that I've finally found the one? Maura, you're acting like somebody died or something."

Maura turns away, not ready to meet Jane's eyes. She's about thirty seconds away from bursting into tears. She doesn't want to lose Jane, and something tells her that if this marriage happens, Jane will leave with Casey and Maura will be completely alone. Before she met Jane, she was used to being alone, resigned to it.

But then things changed, and Maura is not ready to go back to her pre-Jane life. She clears her throat. "Jane, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Without waiting for any verbal response, she turns on her heel and walks out of the break room.

She walks out of the police station, telling Susie on the way that she is taking the rest of the day off. It's not until she is in her car that she allows a tear to fall. The dam breaks and she cries for a good fifteen minutes. Then, like a lightning flash, the sadness she feels gives way to anger. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a scalpel and places it into her pocket. Maura collects herself, wiping her tears away. When she shows up at Jane's apartment, Casey is there. They make small talk, Maura making idle comments about the weather. The stupid man is so trusting of her that he turns his back to get her a cup of (instant) coffee.

That is his first mistake.

With feline grace, Maura slinks up behind him and slits his throat with her scalpel. It is a clean cut, and he is unconscious within a minute, the blood loss too much for his brain to handle. Maura stands over him, a wicked smile on her lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane feels a dramatic shift in the bed beside her. She cracks an eye open and sees Maura beside her, sitting up with a hand over her mouth. Jane immediately wakes up, knowing something is wrong.

"Maura, babe, what's up? Did you hear something?" Jane rubs circles on her girlfriend's back.

"I-I just had a really awful dream. I...I never knew I was capable of that..." Maura's voice breaks.

Jane scoots closer to Maura. "It wasn't real, Maura. It was just a dream, okay?" Jane envelops Maura in her arms, falling apart at how scared she looks. "Do you wanna tell me about it?"

Maura turns to Jane, her face pale. "I killed Casey."

Jane frowns. "What?"

"In the dream, I killed him. Because in it, you were about to marry him and I couldn't let that happen."

Jane laughs. "Really? Casey and I broke up six months ago, Maura. Seriously, there is no universe in which I would even consider marrying that controlling, manipulative, abusive asshole. I just feel stupid I even fell for him in the first place."

Maura turns to Jane. "No, Jane, don't blame yourself. He is the only one to blame for how he treated you."

Jane smiles. "I am so glad you're with me." Jane lays back her arms still around Maura. "Ready to go back to sleep?"

Maura breathes Jane's scent, and Jane can feel her girlfriend nod against her chest. "Yes. Good night, Jane."

"Good night, Maura."