Disclaimer: No mine, blah, blah, blah.

Still trying to improve my English. I'm on it, so thanks for your patience and for reading this! :)

It was getting late and the conversation was ending when she decided to go. Brad Adams was charming and interesting so she went along and let him take her home. Was she wasn't expecting was the "deathly" kiss Adams blew her and the things that happened afterwards.

Maura inhaled the scopolamine and before it took full effect, tried to fight Adams, but he took her to his car. The drug had finally settled down in her brain so she didn't fight anymore and the crook started asking her questions about the morgue. She had no will left in her so she answered all of his questions without hesitation.

Then he drove to BPD and told her to stay put in the car, which she did. When he had reached his goal and had the skeleton in his hands, went back to the car and started driving again so he could get rid of the bones.

Everything was going according to the plan, so Adams parked the car where he was supposed to meet Tucker Franklin and finish their deal. But he still had time enough to have some fun with the gorgeous doctor Isles, so he commanded her to go to the back seat. She obliged, so he started touching her. Brad didn't expect the drug to last so little, because Maura started struggling faintly against his hold. She threw a couple of weak punches that Adams repelled, causing some bruising in Maura's arms, but before everything could get more violent, Franklin arrived in his de luxe car and interrupted their "affair".

Adams went outside the car and started talking to his supposed friend, but Franklin had other ideas and killed the crook with a powerful punch to his throat. As expected, doctor Isles was still in the car so he took advantage of her presence and made her leave some of her DNA behind so it could be easily found by the investigators. And then drove her home so she could have a good night sleep before her real nightmare started.

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And her nightmare started. Everything was against her, everything was indicating that she had killed a man. And the last resource she had was the rape kit. Despite the humiliation she was suffering in all the process, she was wondering if maybe it would have been better for her to have been raped so she could have a justification for killing Adams. Even that was a better choice than not having anything to help her justify killing someone. Her nightmare wasn't only experiencing all the process of being interrogated, naked and explored all over her body, her real nightmare was to know that she might have become like her father, a cold blooded killer.

For Jane though, it was different. She was horrified by everything that was happening around Maura, but to know that her best friend expected to have been raped so she could have a justification for the murder was making Jane's stomach turn. That's when she realized how terrified Maura was about the possibility of having killed a man. And that's when Jane became even more determined to find the real killer, because she knew by heart that Maura wasn't capable of killing anyone. She had to talk to Maura about it, even if it wasn't the best moment.

"Maura? Are you here?"

"Down here!" She was in the kitchen on her knees, giving some strawberries to her beloved Bass.

"Oh, hi. How are you? Did you remember anything from last night?"

"No, Jane. And if I did I would tell you right away, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. But there's something bugging me Maura."

"What is it?"

"Did you really consider the possibility of being raped a chance to justify a murder?"

Maura cringed at Jane's words. "Of course not! Of course I didn't want to be raped, Jane! How could you say that?"

"I'm sorry Maura, it didn't sound right. But you told me that if the rape kit had been positive at least that would have been self-defense. So you really considered that chance?"

[Silence]

"Maura, look at me. You are not a killer and you don't need any justification because you didn't do anything last night, understand?"

Maura nodded silently and then started crying. Jane hugged her tightly and they stayed that way hugging in silence for a few minutes until the doctor felt better.

"Thank you, Jane."

"I'll be always by your side, Maura. I believe in you and promise me that you will believe in yourself too. Don't second guess yourself because of who your biological father is. You are NOTHING like him, ok?"

"OK. I love you."

"I love you too." They kissed with passion until oxygen became an issue.

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One day after her release from prison, Maura felt better. She expected to go back to work in a couple of days so she had time enough to rest and digest everything that had happened in the last few days. She still felt sad and was even considering leaving her job. Being the chief ME meant a big burden and as time was passing by, that burden was increasing considerably. But that decision came with many other implications and she didn't feel like considering them now so she just put that thought aside for another day.

What she couldn't stop thinking about was Angela's decision of releasing the infamous video. She had tried to forgive the old woman and they had even talked, but something in her heart didn't let her forgive so easily. So that day, when Angela went inside the house to make breakfast, Maura just gave her the cold shoulder and ma Rizzoli noticed it. Angela wasn't brave enough to address the issue so she just pretended as if nothing had happened and acted normally.

When Maura went back to work and everyone applauded her, Angela was there too and witnessed how the ME hugged Jane and Korsak, but when she came to her, her actions were limited to a couple of kisses on the cheeks, no hug included. So that night, Angela couldn't resist it anymore and went to talk to Maura, who was with Jane.

She opened the door to the main house from the guest house and shouted:

"Maura?"

"Yes Angela. Here on the couch. Jane and I are having dinner." Her words were polite but not her tone and Jane saw it.

"Hi Ma. Do you want some pizza? We still have some."

"Hi honey. No, I came actually to talk with Maura."

"Oh, do you want me to leave? You'd be better alone."

"No Jane! You stay. What your mother has to say, you can hear it too, right Angela?"

"Right… I.. just wanted to know how you are doing…"

"Great, now that I'm home. Jail is not the best place to be comfortable, you know?"

Jane was surprised by the bitter and sarcastic tone Maura was using with her mother. That wasn't like her but she knew the reason why, so she didn't say anything to add more fuel to the fire that was igniting.

"Of course… Maura, I'm so sorry for releasing the video. I shouldn't have done it."

"No you shouldn't. I don't know what hurts the most, to know that you believed I could be a killer or to know that your words about me being like a daughter to you were empty." Maura looked at Angela with a mixture of rage and sorrow. "I thought of you like a mother too, but I've realized I was wrong."

"Don't say that, please! You're still like a daughter to me."

Maura laughed bitterly. "Come on! Stop fooling yourself and trying to fool me. I am not like a daughter to you and will never be. In fact that's realistic, I've never been a Rizzoli so it's fair to think that way. I accept it, but please, don't expect me to forgive you so easily, because I'll need some time. And don't expect our relationship to be the way it was because it's been damaged beyond repair. I love Jane and you are an essential part of her, so we'll still have a relationship, but only because of her. Don't expect anything else from me. Good night." She gave Jane a good night kiss and went to bed.

"Give her some time, Ma. She's hurting so much right now, but I'm sure you'll fix it, ok?" She gave the devastated woman a hug and went to bed with Maura. And Angela went to the guest house crying like a little girl.

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Things were so tense between Maura and Angela that the older woman decided to go to her sister's for a while. That was a relief for both women, until one day Hope stopped by at Maura's and the ME let her in. In the beginning it was a nice talk about how her parents met and other harmless facts, until Maura talked about the trial and showed her disgust about Hope taking Paddy's dirty money to create M.E.N.D. From then on, everything went sideways because the word "trial" also reminded Maura of her hellish last week and raised the topic:

"Where were you last week when I needed you, Hope?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when I was set up and accused of murder. Where were you? Because I see you now very interested in knowing me but what about the last months?"

"I… I was very busy and after you were released I thought you wanted some time to rest and forget about everything so I didn't want to bother."

"Bother? That's a poor excuse, don't you think? Were you ashamed of me? Did you try not to get involved with me while I was accused just in case your reputation was affected or you just simply thought I was an actual killer and didn't want to know anything about me?"

"What? Of course not, Maura! How can you say those things? I want to know you and I would have killed to be your mother all these years."

"That sounds nice but your actions don't match your words, Hope. I'm considering if it's worth to have you in my life or not, because so far you've only hurt me."

"You can't be serious, Maura."

"Oh, I'm dead serious. I've never been so determined in my life. These last weeks have taught me something, and that's who can I trust and who can't I. And now I know who I want in my life and you are not one of them, Hope. You had your chances with me but you lost them. Now it's too late to make amends. Goodbye, Hope."

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One week later and Paddy Doyle's trial already over, Maura summoned her friends to the Dirty Robber. She called Jane, Korsak, Frost, Frankie, Susie and Cavanaugh and after a couple of delicious organic dishes – with Korsak's discontent for the new Dirty Robber–, Maura proposed a toast:

"For all of you, my friends, for being a constant in my life and believing in me even when the worst case scenario happens. Thank you for reminding me why the immersion therapy with the living worked for me. Salud!"

"Salud!" And all laughed and had fun that special night.