AN: Threw this out as a drabble that wouldn't go away, but I may develop it a bit as the plot bunnies dance about. Its untitled as I genuinely cannot think of an appropriate title, so suggestions are welcome!

Dont own a thing, suing me will get you squat.

The rain poured, hammering the roof of her car like hail. She had been parked for an hour just watching the lights in the house, tracking the inhabitant through each room. She was sure they were alone, but still she waited. Scarred and tired hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles growing whiter. The downstairs lights were still on, they hadn't gone to bed yet; but the porch light was off. They weren't expecting company. Leaning forward she rested her forehead on the backs of her hands. She shook lightly as the sobs racked her body.

It was supposed to be a secret, she was never going to tell a soul. Pushed to the back of her mind to never be spoken of or dwelled on. But when the whisky flowed, soon the tears began to follow. She hadn't been publicly drinking for months, too scared her defences would drop. Letting out something ferociously dangerous, fear of the destruction it could wreak kept her sober. She had been driving home from work, but took a detour. She had been doing it more and more of late. Thankful that her car was just so ordinary, it was hard to be spotted.

At the start she simply dismissed every look, every touch as just something friends did. Sleepovers at her apartment had meant two adults had shared a bed. That was practical wasn't it? Why sentence someone to a night of terrible sleep when there was room for another? It's not like anything had happened. It had been a cold night, and her boiler was shot so her apartment was freezing, it just made sense that they huddled together under the duvet didn't it?

But as time moved on and these moments began to linger just a little longer she couldn't dismiss the comfort they gave her as a normal friendship. Comfort from a friend was a good word or hot drink, not spending hours in a simple embrace. Asleep or otherwise. She had tried to fight against it, tried to convince herself that she was wrong. She tried so hard to deny herself. She was just hormonal, she was just tired, she was just lonely. She was all of these things, but most of all she was unequivocally in love.

The day she accepted that, she slept the whole night through for the first time in months. When she woke she berated herself for hours. It was all well and good accepting one truth, but now she had a whole new battle. What was she to do with this? What would she gain from telling someone, more importantly, what did she stand to lose? She repeatedly played through every scenario she could think of but no matter how she walked through it the conclusion was the same. She would be alone, and she would have lost the only thing that mattered.

That was the problem with the alcohol, it showed her another view, she could be happy. She could be happy and she wouldn't be alone. The nights the whiskey flowed her mind showed her wonderful visions. Acceptance had been first, then reciprocation. However the hangover in the morning would remind her that it was just induced fantasy. Not plausible in the real world. These realisations had made her angry, made her blood boil and resonate painfully in her head.

But here she was, she hadn't just driven by for a cursory check, she had parked. This was a new step but it was unclear in which direction. But situations had changed. More variables to the equation had been added, uncontrollable variables. And his name was Mark. He had gallantly stopped to help change a tyre on her car. Not that she wasn't capable, but it seemed the chivalrous thing to do, or so he said. If she had called instead of being so stubborn they would never have met. But replaying what had already passed was painful enough. What if's were painful.

She had thanked him of course, he waved it off. She offered dinner by way of thanks, completely innocent of course. But one dinner had become three, and before she knew it Mark was the only name she heard every time they spoke. This had been three months ago and showed no signs of faltering. He didn't deserve her, he had nothing she needed, he was just in the right place at the right time. What if it had been her? Immediately she scolded herself, she hadn't been there for a trivial flat tyre. No she had been there to put her back together, she had been there to save her life, more than once. And yet, he changes a tyre and takes away everything she ever wanted.

Of course they were still friends, it didn't matter that she was involved. They would see each other at work, they would still socialise. But the brunch for two became the brunch for two and a spare wheel. The spa weekends were postponed, of course they would go, but Mark's parents were in town. She was being fazed out and the only one that didn't know it was blissfully sharing a pinot noir without her.

That was it, she had had enough. Enough of replaying the past, enough of futile fantasy. She would assert herself, perhaps not in the way she wanted, but she would at least take her friend back. She left her gun in the glove box, pushed open her door and stepped into the driving rain. Her jacket shone as the rain soaked through in seconds, she shivered as errant drops hit her neck but she walked forward. One foot in front of the other she walked. Stepping onto the dark porch she rapped the door. The door swung open shortly after, she hadn't planned for this.

There he stood, champagne in hand, smiling from ear to ear, he opened his arms wide bellowing, "Jane! How good to see you, honey its Jane!"

The rain had plastered her hair to her face, only slightly hiding her shock when Maura ran to the door and embraced him. "Oh Jane its wonderful, I'm so glad I can tell you in person,"

She coughed weakly to try and clear the lump in her throat, "Tell me what Maur?"

A hand was thrust her way, a left hand, "Mark proposed!"

She would remember that moment for ever she was sure of that. That was the moment her heart crumbled to dust. The rain helped to disguise the tears that had escaped her, "Thats, thats unexpected,"

"I know, it was just so sudden, but here we are!" Maura stopped for a moment taking in her friends appearance for the first time, "Jane you're soaked, what are you doing out in this weather?"

She wrung her hands and searched her mind that seemed plausible, "There have been a few break ins in houses around the area, I had just been canvasing some homes,"

"On foot?" Mark was unwittingly catching her out.

"Only I saw something around the windows of the neighbours and I went to check it out,"

"Unarmed?" Her hand flew to her empty holster,

"I don't wear a uniform, and I didn't want any potential suspect to know I was a cop. Besides it was just a racoon." She shrugged her shoulders, mildly appeased that this seamed to satisfy his line of questioning. "I was going back to my car and I saw the lights were on and I thought I'd drop by to say goodnight to Maura. So, goodnight I guess." She turned before anything could be said and walked back to her car, she heard Maura shout out to her but she was cut off into raucous laughter. It cut through her like a knife.

AN: I may get chance to work on this some more but feedback will tell!