I was pleasantly surprised to find that many people seem to enjoy this story. Thank you to those who reviewed and to the others that added an alert. I am pleased that the story wasn't absolutely horrible.

Here is chapter 2, so enjoy.

When Jane walked into the precinct looking like the walking dead after all the progress she'd made to look like she was living again, Frost knew something had happened after Jane left yesterday. She hadn't even shown up for drinks after saying she would, though he figured that had been because she'd been passed out. Now though, he wondered.

He and Korsak exchanged glances.

"Hey, Rizzoli," Korsak said cautiously. Jane looked at him and forced a small smile on her face. "So, uh, we missed you last night."

Jane sunk into her chair. "Yeah, I was dead last night. Woke up long enough to eat and watch a little TV before passing out again."

"Yeah, I hear ya. Too bad, though, you missed Frankie drunk dancing," Frost said with a grin, trying to pull Jane from her stupor. Jane rolled her eyes, and looked at her computer. He was about to say something else when Cavanaugh walked in.

"Good news, you guys. Starting Monday, Dr. Isles will be back in the morgue," he said. Frost shot a glance at Jane; she didn't look surprised, only a little more haunted than usual. "Hopefully now you'll stop bitching about the autopsy reports, yeah?"

The detectives chattered about the Doc's return, gossiping about where she'd gone and why she was back. Korsak and Frost just studied Jane.

She shot them both a glare.

"What?" she snapped, though the word stopped having its usual bite several months ago. Neither gentleman flinched.

"You don't seem all that surprised," Frost stated, feeling only a little brave. Jane shrugged but turned her gaze back to the computer. "Did you run into her or something?"

"You're not gonna leave me alone until I tell you, are you?" Jane grumbled.

"Nope," he answered.

Jane sighed and sat back. "I've been stopping by her house every so often, to see Bass you know? So I went there after I left yesterday and we bonded over strawberries like usual, me on the couch and him beside it. I'd fell asleep, and an hour later I wake up and Maura was in the kitchen."

Korsak whistled. "That had to be a shocker."

"What did Maura say?" Frost asked.

"Thanked me for keeping him company. I dunno if she was gonna say anything else, I got out as fast as I could," Jane told them. "Now, can I get started on the paperwork finally?"

Angela had been as warm and open as usual when she'd walked in and found out Maura was home. She asked about all her travels, wanting to know everything. Maura was thankful when she didn't bring up Jane at first, unsure of how to talk about that still.

Still, avoiding touchy subjects just wouldn't be Angela, Maura decided. The woman immediately offered to make dinner, which Maura happily took advantage of. She was still worn out from her sabbatical.

"Have you seen Jane yet?" Angela asked while she cooked, Maura watching from her seat at the counter.

Maura tensed up again, her mind trying to come up with a way to move away from Jane. Not coming up with anything, she sighed and gave in. "Yes, she had been here yesterday afternoon to visit with Bass. I had been in bed at the time. I think she fell asleep on the couch or I wouldn't have seen her. She told Bass she hadn't planned on staying long."

Angela smiled fondly. "I knew she was coming by and taking care of Bass sometimes. I hadn't realized she was talking to him now. I know she used to ignore him when she'd come over."

"Yes she did," Maura reiterated with her own fond smile.

"When do you go back to work?"

"Monday, officially, though I thought I might go in tomorrow morning just to do some organizing. I'm sure my temporary replacement hasn't been as organized as I would prefer," Maura said.

Angela nodded. "You should stop by and say hello to everyone. The whole department up there has been whining about your absence when they would come to the coffee shop." Angela continued, putting together the finishing touches for dinner. "Did you meet anyone while you were gone?"

The next morning, Jane looked just as dead as the day before.

"Come one, cheer up, Rizzoli. At least it's Friday!" Korsak tried. Jane didn't even flinch, instead staring at her desk. Sighing, the old man shook his head and focused on his own paperwork. He was starting to wish Frost hadn't taken a personal day; he could use a little help getting Rizzoli to cheer up. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid had a sense of humor that topped his any day.

About midmorning, the familiar tapping of heels caught everyone's attention. Heads snapped up and cheers erupted as Maura walked into the bullpen. She smiled, thanking Angela mentally for giving her the push to come up here. She had wanted to put it off as long as possible, because she wasn't sure what to say to Jane yet. But seeing everyone happy to see her again felt good.

"Hey, Doc, good to have you back," Korsak said with a big grin on his face.

"Thank you, Vince. It is certainly good to be back," Maura admitted, her eyes going to Jane. The brunette hadn't bothered to lift her head. She felt her smile falter as she looked at Vince again. Vince saw, and tossed a paper ball at Jane, hitting her in the shoulder.

Jane jumped and looked at Korsak, confused. Then she saw Maura and winced, looking down.

"Jane," Maura started before pausing, not sure what to say.

"Welcome back, Dr. Isles," Jane said, her tone full of sadness and the words feeling foreign in her mouth. Even Maura flinched at hearing her professional name being said with Jane's voice.

"Jane, could we… talk?" she asked finally. Jane glanced over at her, contemplating the question. "It doesn't have to be now, just… Come and see me when you're ready?"

Jane couldn't find the words, so she just nodded. Maura felt lighter with that motion and offered Jane a smile. When Jane smiled back, albeit with a small one, Maura felt like she had won a small victory.

She turned to Vince and smiled. "I'll take my leave. I want to see how much damage my replacement has done do my office."

"You might want to start your relaxation breathing now, then," Jane told her, her eyes back on the paperwork as she continued working. "He's… not you, that's for sure."

Maura grimaced. "Thank you for the warning. I had expected some disarray, but I think you are implying something worse than I could imagine."

With no answer from Jane, Maura turned and left for the morgue.

It was almost quitting time when Jane appeared in Maura's office. It was starting to look like hers again, though Maura thought that she still had a long way to go. After Maura left, Jane couldn't even leave the elevator at this level. Even once she could, she never felt comfortable down here; it just wasn't the same without Maura and her quirkiness. Even getting through autopsies was hard.

"Jane," Maura greeted her, smiling brightly. Jane couldn't help but return the smile with one a little better than when they had spoken in the bullpen. "I admit, I thought it would take you a little more time to feel comfortable with… this."

"This" being approaching Maura to talk about everything, Jane decided.

"Yeah, I thought about waiting until tomorrow since Ma informed me we were having family dinner at your place again Sunday whether I liked it or not, and we need to talk before that happens, but…" Jane shrugged. "Part of me couldn't wait to see you again."

Maura was delighted to hear that confession.

"I've missed you, Maura," Jane admitted softly. "And, I'm really sorry about… about what happened. All of it, from the time I left you in the hospital with your mother to the moment that… that I…"

"I forgive you, Jane. I forgave you a few months ago, actually." Maura hadn't meant to admit that much, not wanting to cause a setback before they even got started.

Jane frowned at her. "Then, why didn't you call me? Or email me, or something. A post card would've been great, even. I was… afraid you were gone for good."

"I'm sorry, Jane," Maura said, looking at her hands. "Honestly, I was so wrapped up in my own world it didn't even occur to me."

Jane snorted as she collapsed on the couch. There was silence for a moment while they both considered the next thing to say.

"Jane?" Maura couldn't handle the silence again, feeling that even if she couldn't come up with something to say, she still wanted Jane's attention.

She watched Jane's eyes close and her head fall, the tears finally releasing after months of holding them back. "God…" she croaked. "I am so sorry…"

Maura moved to sit with her, pulling her into her embrace as she cried. "It's all right, Jane. Everything is going to be all right."