AN1: Thank you to IsaBabisa for proofreading this story. If you found some grammatical errors or misspelled words, they're all on me.

AN2: The story is based on the song 'Later' by Fra Lippo Lippi but every chapter is based on a certain lyrics of every song I like and thought would fit the situation.

Disclaimer: I don't own R&I and the song.

Chapter 1

"How could you memorize my name?

And forget who I am?"

~ Later by Fra Lippo Lippi

It has been two months.

It has been two months since Jane spent the night at Maura's house. Spending Friday nights at Maura's tapered off and then stopped altogether as the doctor's relationship with Jack Armstrong, a professor at BCU, progressed. It's the best relationship Maura's ever had with any man. He has dignity, class, and pride-man any woman would be proud to be with. Loyal, caring and thoughtful, not to mention that they're sexually compatible. All the strong qualities Maura has been looking for in a man can be found in Jack...great Jack Armstrong. He's always there for her and it doesn't seem like he's going anywhere.

It has been two months since Maura first noticed the shift in her and Jane's relationship. It somehow became strained. She doesn't know how it happened exactly. It just did. But to her surprise, it didn't happen in one hit. It happened slowly. One day she noticed that Jane had begun distancing herself. She wasn't really sure that's what it was, though, because she was not one to guess. She needed to gather more information, form a hypothesis, then test. But she could definitely feel something. They weren't synchronized quite like they used to be. Aside from that, they spent less and less time together. No more early morning jogging, no more shopping for whatever new outfit Maura had in mind to buy, no movie nights and no more lazy weekends spent together. All she knew for sure is that slowly but surely what's happening between them is killing Maura inside.

It had been a hell of a week for both of them, an open case of a dead kid with no leads. Dead end. Everything they did turned out to be for nothing. The case took up all their time. They never did go to lunch together because either Jane was out looking for leads that could link to their latest murder or Maura had urgent paperwork to do. That's how it was all week. That's why at the end of the week, Maura invited Jane to have a dinner with her at her house and also to catch up. And hopefully talk about whatever is happening to them. It was funny to think that Maura had invited Jane to dinner to catch up. In the past on a normal Friday, they would order takeout together, eat, then curl up on her couch to watch a movie Jane wanted to see or a documentary that Maura had picked. They would chit chat about what happened that day and discuss their plans for the weekend. They would not be talking about what happened in their lives over the past two months.

It was fine at first. It was easy. They were like back to their normal routine. It felt like the first years of their friendship where everything was still smooth between them. After eating their takeout, they grabbed their usual drinks-beer for Jane and wine for Maura. They headed for the couch for movie night. Finally, after two months of being out of step with each other, they felt synchronized. It was comfortable and normal. But then it happened. Halfway through their second movie, Maura's doorbell rang. They looked at each other. Maura knew she didn't have plans that night. She must have been hearing things. Then it rang again. Frowning, Maura stood up while Jane paused the movie. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Jack standing there with a big smile on his face. Eyes wide and mouth open, Maura turned to look at Jane who was watching. What she saw next made her heart shatter...for an instant she saw Jane's eyes go cold and blank. But it flashed and was gone immediately before it was replaced with what? Sadness? She couldn't be sure.

Maura explained to Jack that she and Jane had plans that night. She reminded him that it was the first time in a long time they had a chance to relax together after a long week. Inside, she was thinking it was a rare moment she got to spend a quiet night with the detective since the falling out of their friendship. As sweet as he was, he nodded and understood though sadness was visible in his dark brown eyes. What happened next caught her off guard. Jane stood up and told them that it was okay and that she was tired and ready to go home. Maura tried to stop her but Jane just smiled at her, said her goodbyes and left without glancing back. That smile froze her in place. It wasn't the Jane Rizzoli smile she was used to seeing. It was somehow pained and hollow, something she had never seen aimed at her. Then Jack entered her house like he owned the place.

Jack.

He is close to perfect. Dark brown eyes, dark curly short hair, perfect white teeth and a radiant smile. He's a loving and understanding man. He's ready to support her in whatever she wants to do in her life. He's very understanding of the hectic schedule she has because of being the Chief ME. He has never demanded her time. In fact, he seemed satisfied with however much time Maura had left for him. And she's much happier giving him time as much as she could. That's how they work. Sometimes, the will go out for late dinner and go back to her house to call it a night. But most of the times, they get to spend a lot of time in her house to have dinner to be quicker. He seemed to be the perfect fit for a husband. No. He IS a perfect fit. But then why is she wide awake in the middle of the night feeling indifferent? Why is it that when she felt his bare front against her bare back and his left arm draped around her waist, it felt wrong suddenly. Why is it when she pictured Jack's face in her mind, all she could see is the pained hollow smile of her best friend Detective Jane Rizzoli as she left her house that night? Why does everything between her boyfriend and best friend seem to be getting difficult and confusing these past few days?

Jane.

Somehow, Jane became predictably unpredictable and unreadable. It felt like Maura never knew her at all.

She tried to sleep but couldn't. This would be a long night for her. And it didn't matter since her morning exercise tomorrow with Jane had been canceled as well.

It has been two months.

It has been two months since Jane started drinking nonsensically. Most of the night, her beers became her constant companion as well as her small dog Jo Friday. Not that she's drinking too much rendering her to have an alcohol poison. No. She's not that dumb. She just needed something to knock her out and get her to sleep through sleepless nights of sadness and anger. She just needed something she can have that wouldn't be taken away from her. Like how her best friend was taken away from her. From time to time, when she's troubled or feeling any kind of negativity, like tonight, she will turn to one thing she thinks is good for her. Alcohol.

It was fine at first. Jane was glad that her best friend met someone who wasn't like those assholes the doctor dated before. Jack was willing to be there for her in any circumstance, willing to drop anything he was doing if Maura needed him. Someone who could make her smile like she never had before. Not someone who wanted to kill her, con her to get evidence out of the morgue or use her against the law. And especially not someone who just wanted her in times of need, who would leave her heartbroken eventually. Jane could at least be happy that Jack Armstrong wasn't like any of them. She could tell that Maura would be safe with him. He could protect her from the harsh world of reality.

But as days, weeks, and months went on, she found herself repeatedly being neglected. Plans were canceled, standing dinners discontinued. She knew Maura was just trying to be a perfect girlfriend to Jack and she was very supportive of that. But somehow in those moments, she felt like the one good thing that had happened to her, Jane, was taken away. Her best friend. And she didn't like that feeling. And she didn't really understand why she felt that way. She didn't know if it was only because she and Maura spent less time together and didn't do the stuff they used to do or if there was more to it. She didn't really have time to think about it. Or she didn't make time to sit down and analyze what was going on her head. All she knew was that two months ago, she and Maura weren't like this. They seemed close but somehow they had now become distant emotionally.

That distance became more apparent as Jane started pulling away from Maura. All the blonde doctor's invitations, plans and dinners...even the jogging they usually did together were all turned down by Jane. The detective always managed to find ways to be busy so she could decline all Maura's invites. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with Maura. She liked it. She loved it even. God, she missed it so much. All those times she and Maura just walked around the city doing whatever they wanted. Senseless or not. Those lazy days and nights where they would just collapse on the couch with their respective drinks and watch a movie. But nowadays, whenever they do those things, Jack is always in the picture popping up or calling to make plans with Maura. And because Jane is a very supportive best friend, she always encourages Maura to go even if she ends up feeling abandoned. This is Maura's best chance for a future and the family she has been craving for all these years. And Jane couldn't risk ruining it for her, so she's the one who gave way. But it hurts a lot.

She knew Maura had noticed the change in their friendship but she couldn't explain it. Not that the doctor was constantly asking but she knew Maura noticed it. The tense way Jane pursed her lips whenever she turned down an invitation or the way she frowned as she made excuses to the blonde when asked to go with her to buy something. Maura never asked about it so she didn't offer an explanation. They just let it be. That's why that Friday night when Maura walked into the bullpen and asked her to spend the night with her and do all the things they normally do on Fridays, she hesitated at first. She tried to make an excuse. But when she saw the hopefulness in Maura's eyes, she found herself nodding and followed her out of BPD.

Everything was going fine. After getting their favorite takeout, they immediately went to Beacon Hill. They settled in their comfortable clothes and ate their dinner. Jane was the one who picked the movie after Maura made her promise to spend the night at the Beacon Hill house. Feeling for a glorious moment that they were back to normal, Jane agreed and even suggested to Maura that they should go jogging the following morning. And that was a surprise because Jane was never a morning person, Maura smiled widely and agreed to the plan. But then Jack turned up. Again. She knew the moment Maura opened the door, it was over. Jane knew she needed to leave and let Jack take Maura's night. She saw the hesitation and pleading look in Maura's eyes when she announced she was going but she didn't care. All she wanted at that moment was to get out of Maura's house. After all, it felt like she wasn't really a priority at all. Yes, Maura tried to explain that it's their night, but she also saw the disappointed look on both of their faces about not being able to spend the night together. So she gave way. Her heart was filled with sadness and anger as she said goodbye to both of them.

She let out a heavy sigh once she was out of the house. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until then. And worse, she didn't have any idea why she was feeling this way. Maybe she was angry because they never got to spend time together without interruption. Maybe she just missed her best friend and the way they used to be. Maybe she didn't know how to share Maura, not that she owned her. Or maybe she was just plain jealous of all the attention Jack was getting. No. She couldn't be jealous. There's no way she was jealous of her best friend's boyfriend... But what explanation could there be? None. She had nothing. And that's how she found herself that night. Curled up on her couch watching a sports channel with a beer in her hand and four empty bottles lined up on her floor, with faithful Jo Friday as her company.

It has been two months since she stopped being that supportive best friend like she claimed herself to be.

It has been two months since her special friendship with Maura fell out.

Let me know what you guys think!