Part 1

Maura's heels clicked against the hard wood flooring, as she walked past the kitchen island she placed her bag down and continued toward the fridge. She took the chilled bottle of wine and then headed towards the cabinet that held the wine glasses. She had never wanted a drink more so than this evening.

"can we please talk about this Maura" the request came from the woman behind that had followed Maura into the house from their car.

The tired doctor did not turn around to face the brunette instead she poured herself a much needed glass of white. She lifted the glass to her mouth and closed her eyes as she sipped on the alcohol – when the glass returned to counter top Maura reached for the bottle and topped up the glass before turning with it in hand. "I'm not sure that is a good idea"

"Well I disagree" Jane unclipped her gun and badge from her belt and placed then onto the kitchen counter. "come on Maur... don't shut me out."

"Shut you out? The last week you have been distant, distracted and unwilling to tell me what was wrong... and then I must find out from Frankie that my wife is the subject of some mad man's fixation. You have the nerve to stand here and tell me not to shut you out?" Maura shook her head in disbelief.

"Maura please...just let me explain. Firstly, it is not a fixation of a mad man, and it is not as bad as you are making out right now… the only reason I didn't say anything was because I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily is all… It's under control... honest"

"Jane...stop..." Maura was speaking too calmly for Jane's liking; the car ride home was too quiet. "your mother is in the guest room; our kids are upstairs and I'm so angry right now if I talk to you about this we will argue." Maura took her wine and headed out of the kitchen, "it has been a long day, I'm going to take a bath." She explained as she passed the detective.

"Brilliant! Just what I want to deal with after a forty-eight-hour shift!" Jane barked after her wife her voice raised – Maura did not retaliate, she wouldn't be pulled into this argument right now, she continued her way up the stairs. Jane was left standing in the kitchen frustrated and angry, "God damn" she growled. Slipping off her jacket she rested it over the back of the stool that stood between herself and the kitchen island. She took her phone from her back pocket and placed it onto the counter top before taking herself to the fridge.

She retrieved a beer. Then headed to the sofa to take a seat – she flicked on the television, turned on the highlights of the most recent baseball game that she had recorded and she settle herself. The clock on the wall showed it was just after one am. "happy fucking birthday" She muttered twisting the lid from her beer. She lifted her booted foot up onto the coffee table in front of herself and lifted the bottle to her mouth. The cold beer was a welcomed end to what shaped itself into a pretty terrible day.

Upstairs Maura stood in front of the mirror looking at her tired reflection. The anger and frustration was only mounting inside her and it had been since Frankie visited her in her office earlier that evening and let slip what had Jane so troubled for the past week or so. If she was honest with herself the anger was mixed with fear also and it was an emotional cocktail that she did not wish to deal with right now.

Deciding the only thing she could do right now was sink herself into the heat of the bath she'd ran and drink the wine she'd poured, she turned her back to the mirror and started to undress.


"Ma…"

Jane grumbled a response without opening her eyes, she could tell wherever she was it was bright, "urgh… go away" she moved her arm to cover her eyes.

"What are you doing down here…have you pissed mom off again?"

"Huh?" Finally giving in and opening her eyes Jane saw her son sat on the coffee table in front of her. Looking around she let reality sink in, "Oh god…" she moaned, it was morning, she had slept on the sofa and her back was making sure she knew it. "What time is it?"

"It's half seven…and you…watch your language" It was Maura who answered them both as she entered the room heading to the kitchen. She was dressed in a perfectly fitted summer dress, her heels clicking against the hard wood floor, looking as together as Maura Rizzoli-Isles always did.

Jane sighed once more as she turned to face the teenager at her side who had a 'we got caught' look upon his face. "Is that coffee?" she asked him. He nodded his head with a smirk – "you know you're my favourite child right?" she explained as she twisted herself into a sitting position, arms held out she welcomed the mug, "Don't tell them I said that tho Kid, our secret" the brunette winked.

"Happy Birthday Ma!" He passed her the mug of coffee that he had made for Jane before he had woken her, he then lent forward kissing her on the cheek before standing to his feet. Jane smiled a genuine smile as with her son hitting the age of fifteen it was not often he would willingly show any form of compassion towards his parents. Thank god for Birthdays.

"Thank you Kiddo" Jane took a mouthful of the coffee as she watched her son leave the living area and move toward the kitchen, she used her free hand to push her unruly hair back from her face. She had to admit she sure felt her age this morning, her back ached and there were dull stabbing pains which settled in her temples - the result of the empty beer bottles that littered the table in front of her. Welcome to your fifty-second-year Jane – she mused.

"Good morning"

For the umpteenth time that morning Jane groaned, her mother happy tones filled the house, "Morning Ma" Jane replied not looking up from the black liquid that she hoped would make everything better.

"Happy Birthday Sweetie" Angela's happy smile turned to confusion as she rounded the sofa to greet her daughter with a happy birthday hug, but instead Angela was stopped in her tracks by the condition her daughter was in. She looked from Jane who was clearly still dressed in last night's clothes boots included, nursing a coffee and a slight hang over to the direction of her daughter in law who was at the kitchen island preparing breakfast. "Did you sleep here?"

"Don't ask Ma" Jane stood to her feet, she needed to escape – she needed to shower.

Angela held up her hands in surrender and kissed her daughter as Jane attempted to pass her "you know if you're having to sleep on the sofa…it usually means you have done something wrong"

"Is this you not asking?" Jane shot a glare.

"There was no question there Janie…just a statement…" Angela pointed out.

"I'm Fifty-Two Years Old Today Ma…I've had to sleep on that Sofa enough times to know what it means"

"Uhhuh" Angela nodded as Jane walked in the direction of the stairs.

The older Rizzoli shook her head as she made her way toward Maura and her Grandson. "Morning you two"

"Good Morning Angela" Maura smiled softly, "Can I get you a coffee?"

"Thank you…that would be lovely dear."

"Morning Grams" Jamie offered from the seat next to that which Angela had taken, they were on the stools at the island "Are you here for Ma's party later Grams?"

"Sure am… like I'd miss an evening spent with you all" she placed an arm around her ever growing Grandson hugging him to her side.

"There you are Angela…" Maura returned placing the mug on the counter top. It was then Maura noticed the gun, badge and phone that was crowding them. It was unlike Jane to leave such items lay around another sign that the previous night did not play out as it normally would "Oh…I'm sorry… let me move these" she gathered Jane's things up and placed them on the work space behind them. "She's worse than the children sometimes"

Angela laughed and nodded her head in agreement, "Well, listen… don't you worry about this evening at all, it looks as though you could do with a day off. Me and my little helpers here will get everything ready – take the day?"

"Oh Angela… I couldn't let you have to sort it all"

"Yeah Grams…listen to Mom" Jamie offered in, wanting nothing more right now than to get out of helping in the kitchen and heading off to the shops with his Grandmother. It was Saturday, he had a full day of baseball and video games scheduled.

"Jamie…talk less…and chop more" Maura scolded softly with a smile as she watched him return to the slicing of fruits she has tasked him with when he had first joined her in the kitchen for punishment resulting from the earlier language she had walked in on him using, he was defiantly his Ma's son.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Was worth a try" he muttered.

"Don't listen to him dear… of cause its fine. You know I love to cook a family feast, and don't you worry these two will have a great day with me. You and Janie could do with a day off!"

Maura would not be arguing with that, the last case which they had successfully closed the previous day had taken up well over three weeks of their lives and had pushed the whole team. "Well, thank you…it is appreciated"

"It's settled…Jamie go wake your sister… I will finish the chopping…"

The youngest of the three placed the knife down and dropped to his feet, happy to be released from his punishment. "Thanks Grams"

"Breakfast in fifteen" Maura called out after him as he escaped the room, she then smiled at her mother in law "Thank you Angela, for all your help"

"Your welcome dear."


Exiting the en-suite Jane finally felt a little more human and a little less old. Still slightly hungover however.

"I should have woken you"

Jane was a little startled as she had thought she was in the room alone, looking up Maura was sat on the end of the bed, "Jesus Maur…you scared me!"

Maura let her eyes fall over her wife's athletic build – the brunette was stood in a pair of jeans and her black bra. Although they had been married for coming on ten years now seeing Jane stood before her in a state of undress caused Maura to react as if she was seeing her wife for the very first time. Attraction. Maura was drawn to the Detective, what they had – was real. "Last night, I should have listened to you, we should have talked. Or I should have at least woken you up when I found you on the sofa and we should have gone to bed together"

Jane did not blame her wife for the way she reacted, hell – if she could have escaped her own company last night she would have taken to chance. "So you're not angry with me"

"Oh no…I am" Maura corrected, she stood to her feet and walked over to stand in front of her wife – she placed her hands either side of Jane's hips, their bodies close "I'm not just the wife of a Detective Jane, you can't hide the horrors of our world from me. I'm put in the middle of it day in day out… its our job to keep it away from our kids, our family – not each other. I know after everything that has happened to us you want to protect me …but you can't."

Jane broke eye contact and looked to where Maura's left hand traced a still very visible scar across Jane's stomach – a raised white reminder or the reality of the world they lived. Jane closed her eyes, Maura's thumb ran softly over the area - Jane hated that scar. It acted as a reminder of the hell her family had been put through. "I know…" she placed her hand over the top of Maura's not able to let the blond touch her there so softly – she pressed the blonds hand against her side firmly, "I know"

Leaning forward Maura kissed Jane firmly, lovingly. She brought her hands up a little higher on the brunette's body away from the scar, they now rested just under the bra – thumbs resting across lower ribcage. She pushed Jane back slowly till Maura had her pinned up against the wall of their bedroom.

"Happy Birthday Jane" Maura smirked breathlessly as she pulled back from the kiss, her lips still pressed against those of her wife as she spoke. After one last kiss she attempted to stepped back out of the embrace, Jane however had other ideas, she stopped Maura from moving back any further by placing her arms around the Doctors waist and resting her hands on her lower back. "Sorry Hun, your Mothers finishing off breakfast down there and we need to go eat pancakes with our kids because it's your birthday and they deserve normal."

Swallowing hard Jane knew her wife was right. "Just a few more minutes before we play happy family?" she begged.

Maura shook her head, "You can have a few minutes to yourself to put on a top and pull yourself together. I however…need to leave now before I help you out of those jeans…"

Jane let out a low moan, "Not helping Maur" she whined lowly as she released her hold.

Turning away from the desire in the brunette's gaze Maura chuckled to herself softly, she knew exactly what she was doing. She headed in the direction of the bedroom door and pulled it open "Water and pain killers on your bedside table… should help the hangover."