"Ugh Maura, I'm not feeling so well." Jane groaned as she desperately clutched her cell phone to her ear.

"You sound horrible Jane." Maura's voice floated over the phone.

"Thanks Maur." Jane managed to grit out sarcastically. "I think it's something I ate." She sighed. "Your place is closer than mine, do you think I could go lay down there?" She questioned softly.

"Of course Jane, do you need me to come with you and check on you?" Maura asked her concern for her friend very obvious in her voice.

"No Maura I should be alright, I just need to lay down for a bit."

"But if you have food poisoning Jane…" Maura started.

"Then I will just have to get through it, I will be fine Maur trust me. Just the sooner I go lay down the better." Jane said seriously hoping the conversation was coming to an end.

"Ok Jane. Why don't you go sleep in my bed, I know you like it more than the one in the spare, and I will come check up on you once I have everything done here."

"Thank you Maura, I will see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Jane made her way towards Maura's home. She found herself on the front step a few minutes later, not even aware how she got there; last she knew she was still a bit of a ways off. Shrugging to herself, she used her own key and let herself in.

The ache in her stomach pain changed from the dull throb it was earlier to a cascading roar that nearly brought her to her knees. She found herself suddenly hit with a heat wave as she closed the door behind her and started to make her way down the hall. She was clawing at her clothing, pulling off several articles of clothing, but no longer aware what she had on anymore.

She made her way to Maura's bed, collapsing on top of it wondering if she still had any clothes on or if she had managed to pull them all off. How could she not know if she was naked or fully clothed, or in any other random state of dress?

The pain in her stomach started to slowly creep its way outwards. She felt a tight pain in her chest, spreading up to her shoulders and down her arms to her fingers. Her hips ached and burned as the pain webbed its way down her thighs, to her calf's and even down to her toes. What the hell was wrong with her? Even her hair seemed to hurt. How the hell did your hair hurt?

She groaned in pain and tossed her head from side to side. She felt like she was going to throw up. Was this food poisoning? Was she actually dying? What the hell was wrong with her? Maybe she should call Maura.

No she didn't need to call Maura; this was nothing but a little bout of food poisoning. She would be fine in a few hours she was sure. She had survived being shot in the gut, and she survived basically being crucified by a mad man, she could survive food poisoning.

But damn it, why did it feel like she was dying?

She could feel her temperature continue to climb, her body covered with a thin sheen of sweat. Maura would kill her if she got her sheets all nasty and sweat covered, she knew this, but she was having a hard time finding it in her to really care.

The pain in her body seemed to start dying off, allowing her to drag in huge gulps of air. Was that it? Was the worst of it over now? She regretted asking her question; even internally as her body was wracked with pain all over again, even worse than it had previously been.

'Yep this is it', Jane thought to herself. 'This is how I am going to die, I'm sure of it.'

Maura pulled her car into her driveway several hours later. She hoped Jane was feeling better. She had sounded so horrible on the phone earlier, and Maura knew from past experience that Jane usually fought through any illness. It must have been pretty had if she needed to call it quits early and go lay down at Maura's place.

Maura knew from her vast knowledge that there were several strains of food poisoning, from ones that would give you an upset stomach and possibly some vomiting, to ones that could make you in for a few very rough days. She hoped that Jane's wasn't anything to serious, nothing more than an upset stomach, but something told Maura this wouldn't be the case.

She entered her house to find total darkness. Jane hadn't bothered to turn on a single light and she was having a hard time deciding if that was a good thing or not. It probably wasn't a good thing; it meant Jane wasn't well enough to pull herself out of bed to even get herself something to eat.

Flicking on the entryway light she was greeted with the sight of Jane's clothing littering her floor, a line starting from the door and going to her bedroom. "Jane?" Maura called out to the darkened house as she picked up her best friends clothing and made her way to her room.

"Jane, are you alright?" Maura asked softly from just outside the bedroom door, Jane's bra hanging from the handle. Yeah this was most defiantly not a good sign.

Pushing the bedroom door open slightly, Maura quietly made her way in side. "Jane?" She tried again, her eyes trying to make out her bed in the darkness.

A soft groan floated to her ears from the bed, it sounded weak and pain filled, cutting Maura right to her heart. This had to have been worse then she thought. "Jane, are you alright? Please answer me."

Maura's hand made it to the wall beside her, feeling around for a moment for the light switch. She knew Jane probably wouldn't like having the light turned on, but she couldn't help her friend out if she couldn't see her. "Jane, I'm turning the light on." Maura said, trying to give the brunette at least a little warning. Perhaps Jane could shield her eyes before the light came on.

Again a pain filled groan reached her ears, along with the sound of someone moving around on the bed. She waited a moment or two giving Jane the time she needed, before flicking the light on.

The sight on her bed was something she would never have been able to prepare herself for, not in a million years. There lying on her bed was a large black cat. Not just any large black cat, but a huge black panther or a black leopard.

"Maura?" The cat questioned with a groan.

"Holy shit JANE?!"