In some cities, the snow in the depths of winter was beautiful. In some cities, a layer of powdered sugar layered the streets, making buildings look joyous and quaint. Those cities were in the thoughts and minds of people when the men and women on television said to expect a dusting overnight. Not in Boston though; nothing was ever what they said in Boston.

Boston was beautiful during the spring and the fall, the temperatures were great and the sunshine was plentiful. Right now it was winter in Boston, and everyone was feeling it.

The icy winds whipped through the bare trees, snapping their branches back and forth making terrible noises against windows. Snow fell in heaps, making cars disappear under the cold blanket ensuring their owners would be late to work. Fog floated about, making the streets turn into a depressing monochrome. Stores sat empty, the unlucky employees doodling on napkins trying to pass the time until their eventual trek home. Bridges and streets were plowed as quickly as possible; making sure that by the morning the city could continue on as if this blizzard never happened.

Jane Rizzoli shivered so violently that she felt the muscles in her back cramp again. Damn, it was cold out here. Her sweater had long lost the fuzzy fleece feeling and now just hung from her tiny body. It was probably letting more cold in than anything else but it's all she owned. Jane growled quietly and squinted against the pain, trying her best not to wake the sleeping form in her arms. The body let loose a tiny sigh and Jane's heart broke again. Maura wasn't used to this kind of life

her kind of life

the homeless kind of life.

Maura was used to heated homes and warm blankets, family dinners and stockings on Christmas. Jane was used to dirty needles and begging for food, black frozen toes and sleeping on cardboard. Why she gave all that up to caravan with Jane around Boston hiding from her parents, was the big question for the brunette. Now, with her tiny princess clad in just an too-long mens coat and a pair of wool leggings, Maura was shivering in Jane's arms clinging to her like a child in her sleep.

She would never forgive herself for letting someone like Maura fall in love with her. How could someone love her when she didn't even love herself? There wasn't a place in this world for Jane Rizzoli anymore but Maura Isles could change the world; if the world would just let her. Maura stirred a bit, scrunching up her nose and burying her head into Jane's lap. She never did like waking up.

"J-Jane? I'm so cold, is there a way to b-b-build a fire or something?" Maura stumbled over basic words for her teeth were chattering so loudly that she could barely even form sentences. She loved this girl with all that she had, but they were going to die soon if they didn't find somewhere to go. It was about 13 degrees in Boston, and all they had were dirty clothes and a backpack full of bread that they dug out of a dumpster the night before. It was frustrating that Maura had all of this wealth behind her but couldn't use it, she would be found if she did. If she was found, she would shipped off to Switzerland and her parents would order that Jane be killed. Maybe they could find a garbage can in the park and fight someone to light it for them, that took a lot of work though.

Maura had met Jane almost 3 years ago when Maura had gotten her driver license for the first time. The young blonde was so excited to go out on her own that she had gotten herself dreadfully lost in the outskirts of Boston. She sat in her car and tried not to cry and she mentally traced the route she had taken to maybe find out where she had gotten turned around. A small knocking noise had scared her senseless and like a fool, she rolled her window down.

"Excuse me ma'am, but you're idling in the mud and I just wanna tell yah that I've seen a lot of nice cars like yours get stuck for good once you turn your car off. So, do yah want me to push yah out of the mud? I aint got nothin better to do, and you're kinda parked on my house" The owner of the voice was a tall, very thin girl with an abundance of black curls spilling out over the tattered clothing she wore. She was hauntingly beautiful and made Maura's heart beat a little bit faster. Disobeying every warning her brain was firing, Maura rose from her seat and got of her car, wondering how she could be parked on someone's house?

"How could I be parked on your house? This is a baseball field and I don't see any structures that would be considered a home?" Maura asked with a hint of frustration, she was way outside her comfort zone and this girl made her feel so small and uncomfortable.

"You see that box underneath the rear driver's wheel, that's my house. I had to wait outside by the Best Buy dumpster for three hours in the dark to steal it from the worker before they crushed it. That's my house, and your damn Lexus is parked right on top of it. Now, since you didn't pay attention to where you were going, I have to wait outside again and try to find a box. If I don't find another box 'Ma'am' I'll have to go sleep under the bridge cause the crazy man outside of the park said there's a storm a comin" Jane yelled at the small girl, who had started to cry. Jane knew this girl was not from around these parts and she was just lost. But, Jane was pissed that she would have to dig her shelter out of the mud and try to dry it off before nightfall

"OH! I'm so sorry. Here, have this here. I'll just find my way home. Once again, I'm so so sorry for ruining your home" Maura backed away after handing Jane a $50 bill. She had crushed this girl's home and how she felt terrible because was going to go back to her large house on Beacon Hill and have everything this poor, haunted girl would not.

Maura turned around and walked back towards her car, her lips were quivering and her throat was on fire. No, she would not cry for this girl, she was 16 years old and she did not cry in public, even if it hurt her very soul just to see someone suffer this much. She was just about to grab the door handle with a shaking hand when she heard the tiniest little voice.

"House"

Maura spun around just in time to see Jane heave a sigh and spin around, turning to leave

"It's a house, not a home"

Maura burst into tears and ran back to the girl, grabbing the smaller form and hugging her so hard. She had no idea why she was reacting this way, she never interacted with people. She felt Jane's hand enter her pocket and she placed a small kiss on Maura's hair whispering 'thank you' into the blonde curls that smelled like sunshine. This girl was warm and she was freezing cold. She had left with a promise to return and realized halfway through her drive home that there was a crumpled $50 dollar bill in her pocket.

She had gone home that day and cried for Jane. She had cried and come back the very next day to see her flattened box with smears of dirt, a halfhearted attempt at cleaning off her house. She had visited Jane that whole winter, finally knowing her name and backstory after almost a month of bringing her goodies and warm food whenever she could. Maura had eventually fallen in love with her and that's how they ended up here, under a bridge in the middle of winter huddled together in a sleeping bag Maura had taken in a rush to get out of her house.

They hadn't eaten a meal in weeks, they lived off of dumpster food and sometimes, if they were lucky, the nice lady at the diner across the street would give them leftovers if they had enough change to buy a coffee to share.

Jane always insisted that Maura sleep under her; not even in a sexual way, but Jane needed to protect Maura wherever they went, she wasn't used to this lifestyle yet. When Jane shivered so badly that she bit her lip, Maura decided enough was enough and rolled over to spoon Jane, who had probably passed out due to hunger, from behind. The steadfast Jane had stolen a pack of expired chocolate from the dollar store and given it to Maura as a Christmas present, refusing to even eat one even though she knew that she needed something soon or she wouldn't be able to walk much further.

Maura snuggled her cold nose into Jane's cold bony shoulders and hoped that soon they would be able to find work or food. They weren't going to make it much longer.

The weeks passed as it got colder and colder and Jane knew Maura was burning out. They had taken residence in the auditorium of the high school since everyone was out on break. They had already swiped as much as they could from the lunch room, but all they really had were condiments; those didn't fill you up but they did make the hunger pains go away for a bit. Maura had been showering in the girl's locker room, stealing shampoo from whatever locker was left open but Jane refused to take anything from another person. She didn't care about businesses, they could handle it. But, Jane flat-out refused to steal from another person.

Maura let herself soak in the shower, knowing this is the last day that they would be able to stay here, it was warming up a tad so the park might be free. Stealing a glance at her lover, Maura noted that Jane's ribs were sticking out so badly that she looked like a walking skeleton. She could count all of her vertebrae and it was sickening to see the skin just hang off of her. Jane was dying, Maura knew it. She knew that she only had weeks, maybe days left with her. She coughed all the time, and was wheezing so badly that her normally sexy, gruff voice was just a pathetic whisper. She shivered under the scalding spray. Maura's heart was shattering knowing that Jane was sacrificing herself for Maura's happiness.

Maura had left her parents because they disapproved of Jane and would not allow Maura to help "common lazy filth" of the streets of Boston. So, when she was caught bringing food on Thanksgiving last year, her mother had told Maura to pack her bags and go live a life of trash and be done with her family. What her parents could not understand is that being wanted and being loved meant more to her than anything else on this godforsaken planet. Maura turned off the water and carefully walked over to the shower where Jane sat on the floor, shaking.

Maura sat behind her, pressing herself against the naked back of her love, whispering that she loved her and that she needed her to keep herself healthy and happy in order to live the future they had planned. Jane just shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest, mumbling that she would be okay. Maura just let her tears silently fall as she hugged Jane even harder, solidifying the fact that she would never let her go.

Jane was not doing well. Maura was sitting in the sand at the park with Jane's head in her lap. She could barely move anymore and she had a fever that had been burning for about two weeks now. It had been almost a year since Maura had left her family, and she had accepted the fact that she would probably go back to them before this year was up. She had gotten a temp job at the Diner, and was working under the table once a week for 50 dollars doing all the books for the place. The owner's wife, the nice lady who gave them all the leftovers, had passed away and her husband had no idea how to spell checkbook, let alone balance it.

The first thing Maura had bought was food. She went a little overboard and even bought some pie for dessert. Jane had almost refused it; she didn't want to take anything from Maura. But, Maura with some gentle prodding, and maybe few sugar-coated playful threats, had gotten Jane to eat a little but she still was looking worse for the wear.

The second thing Maura had purchased was two new outfits for both of them from the local thrift store. It was nearing April and soon the heat of summer would be just as ferocious as the cold winter had been. Jane was now too small for anything but children's clothing, so finding things to ;fit her was difficult. Maura was amazed by the stark differences between her thoughts now. A year ago, she wouldn't have spent less than $100 on boots but she was now deciding if $5 was too much to spend. She knew that Jane could care less what she wore, so long as it was warm. She was always cold anymore and wouldn't stop shivering.

Because of her new income, Maura had developed hope for their future. She wanted children, she wanted a house. She wanted to make love to her wife on an actual bed that they had in a house they had bought the sky was the limit!

But, Jane didn't have much time left…maybe a few days? Maura stroked her love's hair and sang songs from her childhood. She didn't want to admit it, but things were looking bad. Jane was shaking, nearly seizing and Maura just didn't know what to do anymore. Should she plan a funeral? Should she go the hospital? Should she just lie here?

"Maura, y-you know that you don't have to stick around. It's not going to be pretty from here on out and I don't want you to have to be there for the worst part. I love you and I just can't do that to you." Jane muttered, her eyes closing.

"Jane, I won't leave you. I promise. Okay? I swear"

"Okay?"

"Okay?

"Jane?"

"Jane?!"

"JANE?!" Maura cried, lifting the lithe form into a sitting position, shaking her by her shoulders trying to shake the life back into her. Was this the end?

"Remember that year Jane? I remember it, that was the worst year of our lives. We struggled so badly, I thought I would die the first time it snowed. I remember clinging to you all night, praying that we would just die together because I was so hungry that I was seeing things. Times were hard baby girl, they were so hard" Maura said snuggling her naked form up to her wife who was falling asleep as she spoke

"I rem-mer Maura, go to sleep. It's Christmas t-morrow, and I am not waking up at the asscrack of dawn for nothing. C'mere, I'm cold" Jane murmured into Maura's hair, which still smelled like sunshine.

Maura laughed a little, it's so weird to think that just 7 years ago, they were starving to death and now they had a cozy little apartment and a doe eyed 3 year old girl, Eva, to boot. Life was starting to become the future that Maura had dreamed of, and that in itself, was a Christmas miracle.