Dear who ever has stumbled upon this,

Firstly there will be Rizzles, but it going to be a slow burner, so please bear with me.

Secondly yes Casey is in the story, but he's not really the Casey that we know...

Thirdly of course feedback is always appreciated...

Lastly I hope you enjoy!

"Unless?"

"Unless I marry him…"

After a long silence Maura finally spat out, "Wow!" That's all she could bring herself to say. She knew how much Jane loved Casey, but she often found herself wondering if her best friend was IN love with him. She would soon have her answer.

"It's a lot to process. If I say yes then he'll be giving up his job which he's worked so hard for. If I say no then I'm scared I'll lose him forever. I don't want to lose him Maur."

"You won't lose him Jane, if you say no and he loves you then he'll wait. Whatever happens you're very intelligent Jane, you'll make the right choice, I know you will. Now if you don't mind I'd quite like to leave this place."

"Thank you Maur, it means a lot to know you have my back." The detective smiled at the blonde and then called out. "Casey, come on. Let's go."

The three of them spent the ride back to Jane's apartment in silence. Although Maura wished her friend would be spending the night at her house she knew that wouldn't be the case because her and Casey would have to talk over the marriage proposal. She finally pulled up outside Jane's apartment block. Jane and Casey stepped out of the car and bid farewell to the doctor as she drove off back to her house.

She got into her house and went to feed Bass. Her pet, although not the most interactive, she had found was an excellent listener; whenever a problem arose she would confide in Bass. After which she would come to a suitable conclusion herself. She was grateful that Paddy Sr. had moved out for more than one reason. It meant that Angela had now returned to living in her guest house which allowed her some much needed privacy. It wasn't that she didn't trust the older woman, she in fact loved her as a mother, she knew that this was something that she would probably never discuss with anyone, and especially not the mother of the person concerned.

She began to pour her heart out to her beloved tortoise, as she had done so many times before, this time was different however.

"Bass. Am I destined to live in this house, just you and me, alone forever?" A few tears began to trickle down her cheeks at the thought of being old and alone with only a tortoise to talk to. "Casey asked Jane to marry him, and she's considering saying yes; of course why wouldn't she? She can have kids, and he'll stay at home and take care of them whilst she goes to work. Eventually they'll have grandchildren and then grow old together." By this point the tears were free falling and Maura did nothing to stop them; she was picturing herself and Jane together, rather than Jane and Casey, and the harsh reality hit her hard. "It's what she wanted in high school, and I can't help but wonder if she doesn't really want that anymore." The tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she considered that her and Jane could one day end up together, and be happy. Then she thought about Casey, and she realised that she was probably being unrealistic, Jane could never love her. "Oh Bass, you understand don't you? I'm confused, and conflicted. You see I don't want to ruin our friendship in case what I'm feeling isn't really what I think it is. What if it is? I don't think I'd be able to cope with her being the one that got away. I can't help but think that she isn't in love with this Casey; I think she's still in love with the man she met in high school, and they're both different people now. I don't want to see her hurt, but I would feel so much worse if I was the one who hurt her, because then I would be helpless." The tears subsided as Maura began to try to think rationally. "I suppose that living with you isn't so bad. It was like that for a very long time, just us two."

The wedding day

"Jane, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Maura, you don't look so bad yourself."

Much to Maura's surprise Jane had picked a simple yet elegant white dress with a lace bodice and sweetheart neckline. She flashed back to the time when Jane had told her that she had wanted to get married in a Red Sox jersey – and although her friend looked stunning- and she hadn't considered the fantasy to be particularly elegant, she wished that Jane was in a Red Sox jersey simply because this didn't seem like the Jane that she knew.

Jane had asked Maura to be her maid of honor and she had let Maura pick out her own dress, knowing that the doctor had impeccable taste. She had chosen a royal blue dress which pinched at the waist and stopped just above her ankles. He shoes were a matching blue, had simple bows on them and a 4 inch heel. Her hair was in a bun and she had let two curls fall to frame her face. Maura said good luck to her friend and went to join the others at the altar.

After the ceremony Maura held a small gathering at her house. Jane had changed into a crimson evening gown, which her best friend had bought for her – telling her that it flattered her figure- knowing that if Jane had it her way she would be dressed in a t-shirt and shorts by this point. Jane and Casey's friends and family wandered around congratulating the newlyweds, and chatting amongst themselves. This continued until the couple announced they were heading home because it was getting late. Maura asked that they stay a little longer seeing as it was only a little after 10 but Casey insisted on them leaving; Jane thanked her friend and departed with her husband. By 11 everyone had left except Angela.

"Angela, you don't live here anymore you can go home. Really, you have no obligation to stay and clean up; this was my idea after all."

"Don't be silly Maura, you could use and extra pair of hands, I'm always happy to help."

Maura looked around, and the place was a mess. There were empty glasses and plates everywhere, food and drink littered the floor, as well as dirt trodden in from outdoors. "Thank you Angela."