People literally begged me to continue the last chapter, even though it was supposed to be sad. So, here's part two of..three *sigh* I just can't say no to you guys. .

Hey, Frost- did we get an I.D. on the shooter in the park?" Jane asked from her perch on the corner of her desk. She rubbed her scars nervously, making the tops of her hands turn a furious red. She was quickly becoming impatient at the lack of knowledge in addition to the work that was piling up while she looked into this case, off the books of course. Normally, she didn't pry too deep into self-inflicted wounds, but she'd been a witness this man's demise. So, naturally as a Detective, she felt guilty for not preventing it or at least intervening.

"Maybe, the M.E. hasn't sent anyone up yet with any results. Why don't you go ask her? She's only been here like three years. I still don't know how you managed to avoid her this long, she's not as bad as Crowe makes her out to be. It'll be good for you to have a girlfriend… well I mean" Frost grimaced at his unfortunate choice of words. Jane was still touchy about the whole "Your job trumped your love life again" situation that had happened last month, and BPD had just learned to avoid Jane when she was in one of her "moods"

"Yeah, we all know that won't be a problem." Jane spat. Her grimace faltered- Barry wasn't being rude, she was just being too sensitive. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that, I'm just finding it weird that I didn't care about finding someone who loved me, until my time had passed. It's relieving, but it's also quickly becoming one of my biggest regrets." Jane sighed and grabbed the folder out of Frosts hand. She tapped his wedding band and winked at her partner, letting him know that it was okay for him to talk about Netta, and their developing family.

"You're a fucking asshole and you're the best partner ever" Frost muttered, making an over-exaggerated feminine wink back at the retreating form of his partner. Jane just held up her hand in agreement and pushed open the door leading to the elevator. Front spun his chair over to Korsak asked:

"Hey, you think Jane's gonna be okay? She's been through a lot, but I don't know if she's gonna bounce back from this one."

The older gentleman just shrugged sadly and went back to his paperwork. He'd never admit it, but Jane's conundrum had left him emotionally vacant- he thought of Jane as a daughter and wished that he would have been there to help. But, he also knew that Rizzoli was the type of person to put everyone and everything in front of her. So, if people had died because she was on a date, she'd eventually resent that relationship for getting in the way of her job.

Frost just looked down at his wedding band, and thanked God that he'd found Netta. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and she was also the brightest beam of light in his life. It was nice to love, and be loved in return.

Jane fiddled with the watch on her arm, still stuck on 00:00. The black digital countdown to a life she could have had, if she had just not been so...her. Maybe she was destined to be alone and the fates just entertained the thought of her having a soulmate for fun. The elevator beeped, letting her know that someone else had stopped them on the way down. She didn't notice when a blonde entered the elevator and pushed the button for the morgue. Jane, lost in her thoughts, continued to stare at her watch as if the pulsating numbers on the screen were going to change.

"Mine does that too" a small voice brought Jane crashing back to reality. She looked at the woman, who seemed surprised at the sound of her own voice. She smiled sadly at Jane and motioned to the piece on her wrist that still announced to whole world that her time was past.

"Mine does that too" Maura repeated, with a bit more confidence. "I missed mine too."

Jane felt her throat tighten and her eyes squint at the verbalization of her predicament. The blonde must have picked up on Jane's self-shame because she then took a step back and stared at her heels that were the same shade of red as her face. Why do you continue to speak to a general public that does not like you? Just go back to your office and leave these people in peace.

"Do-did, er, have you gotten over it?" Jane whispered hoarsely. Why was this elevator ride taking so long?

"No" Maura peeked up at the brunette beside her and saw nothing but sadness and torment in her beautiful brown eyes. "I don't think that I ever will; it's sad really."

The elevator doors opened, and both women moved forward to leave. Jane, ever the gentleman, stepped back and motioned for the blonde to exit out into the morgue. She soon followed suit and stopped in confusion when they'd reached the door that read: "CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER: DR. MAURA ISLES."

"Are- you're the M.E.?!" Jane asked with an unbelieving eyebrow cocked. How the hell have you managed to overlook her? Serves you right for being so self-centered.

"Yes, and you are….?" Maura looked down and saw a gold shield, aha, this is the other detective.

"I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli, I'm sorry we've never met Dr. Isles. The last medical examiner we had was not exactly friendly, so I learned how to avoid the morgue at all costs." She stuck out her hand and shook the warm, soft skin of the blonde in front of her.

"Call me Maura, please Detective. I hope that I didn't seem intrusive or nosy in the elevator- I'm not very good with people" Maura admitted, her gaze once again meeting the floor. Jane picked up on her body language, realizing that maybe this woman did understand.

"Only if you call me Jane or Rizzoli" Jane offered a small smile in replace of a handshake, her raw red hands still too sore for any foreign contact. Maura seemed to understand as she unlocked the door to her office.

"Come in! I haven't met any females on the force yet- I was beginning to think that Boston simply did not have any here." Maura motioned for the tall brunette to sit down on the couch in her office. It was refreshing to find another woman in the building, especially one who seemed to share her troubles.

"Oh, we're here, we just avoid the morgue. You replaced a handsy fellow, let's just say that." Jane watched as realization followed by disdain for the former examiner became evident. Maura nodded in understanding and pointed to a machine on the shelf next to her.

"Coffee or tea? I have to admit, I haven't been getting the recommended amount of sleep these past few weeks and I am in dire need of a cup of tea." Maura flipped the switch at watched as the tea started to pour into a mug.

"I'd say coffee, but I've had nearly a pot of the shit that Korsak claims is coffee." Maura sat down a held a petite hand over her mouth to stifle giggle at the woman's crass language.

"Well, not that I mind the company, but what brings you down here, Jane?" her name felt foreign to Maura.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I needed to know if you'd been able to identify the suicide from the park?"

"Yes, actually. His...partner came in to identify him. Patrick Doyle. Aren't you homicide?" Maura asked suspiciously, why did this woman care about a suicide?

"I am, but this one means a lot to me- I was there. I tried to stop him. But-"

"You!" Maura cried angrily, standing up to her full height- glaring down at Jane. "It was you who ran into me. You knocked me down and made me miss my soulmate!" Maura was in tears now, pointing angrily at the bewildered detective. After a moment, Maura's firm stare softened and her arm fell back to her side. Quietly, she whispered :

"You're the reason that I'm forever doomed to be alone!"

"I said I was sorry." Jane muttered, her voice breaking. Was she really guilty of ruining two lives with her incompetence?

"Sorry doesn't fix my life, Jane. Sorry doesn't take back all of those years I stared up at the ceiling, thinking of how much different my life would be when someone finally loved me. All I've wanted since I was 13 was to be loved by someone, and now I'm guaranteed to die alone."

"Hey! I missed my soulmate too, okay?! I missed the one chance I had at happiness. I didn't even realize that my time was so close until I had 20 fucking minutes to go. Twenty fucking minutes to try and erase everything about myself that I hated, twenty minutes to prepare myself to be happy with a man. That's not nearly enough time to fix me." Jane yelled back, her hands once again balling into fists.

"You aren't broken, Jane." Maura sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed for her outburst. There was no way that Jane was 100% at fault for her future. She pulled her watch out from a drawer in her desk and showed it to the detective, who had silent tears trailing down her face.

"I still keep it too, and I'm scared to put it on. Maybe I will someday, when I'm stronger. But right now, I just can't" Maura threw the silver band back into her drawer and slammed it shut with disgust. "I'm sorry for over-reacting and most likely making a terrible impression.

Jane just laughed, not the kind of laugh that she would normally let loose. No, it was one of those laughs where your cheeks are cold from old tears and your sinuses clear and you take inhale fresh air with a fresh mind.

"I'm sorry" Jane said after she'd calmed down a bit. "I really am sorry for knocking you down Maura. I was rushing to Mr. Doyle, and I had just rolled my ankle after stepping on someone's garbage. If it helps, I failed at saving his life, and I failed at trying to live mine too."

"I'm sorry too, I know that you're not the reason that I missed them. The fact that yours was also there is quite the coincidence. Does your watch just show zeroes all the time?" Maura was truly curious.

"Yeah, if I take it off and put it back on it sometimes lags a bit, but it eventually makes its way back down to zero. I'd feel weird takin' it off though; I've worn it since I was what? 18? Yeah." Jane held out a hand as a symbol of forgiveness, smiling softly. Maura countered her smile and took the warm palm of the detective.

"Hey, thanks for the name. I know that you probably aren't supposed to tell me, but I just needed to know. When's your lunch, wanna go up to the cafe? I'm sure that my Ma would love you." Jane asked, checking her other wrist for the time.

"Sure, let me just gather my things and put a lid on this tea. I'll meet you up there." Maura insisted, motioning for Jane to go ahead without her. Jane just nodded and walked out of the door, throwing one last meaningful glance towards the blonde, who was smiling at the floor again. She is so odd, but...I think that I like it, how refreshing. Jane smiled the entire ride up to the ground floor and all the way into the cafe.

She waved at her Ma, who was currently in the middle of the lunch rush, and picked a table in the corner. She set her things down and grabbed her phone. Frost had messaged her asking if she was okay. She tapped out a reply that she was fine and getting along with Maura. Barry just responded with a smiley face- Jane's biggest pet peeve.

"Sorry that took so long, I had Susie er- Senior Criminalist Chang, run you a copy of Doyle's records. Consider this a thank you for not judging me by my outburst. I'm just still sad about it." Maura rubbed her thumb over the tab of the manila folder that she slowly pushed across the table towards Jane.

"Hey, it's okay Maura. We all have our moments. Remember I yelled too? Yeah, I guess you do understand how vulnerable and... I don't know... empty it makes you feel to know that you've also ruined someone else's life by not being in the right place at the right time. It's... depressing." Jane looked to the side to avoid looking at Maura's hazel eyes, which would surely be full of pain. The sullen detective felt a warm hand on hers, a silent thumb rubbing over her knuckles.

"Hey, how about we go to dinner tonight? I guess since we're destined to be lonely forever, we might as well have a friend, right?" Jane reasoned out loud, hoping that she wasn't coming off too strong to the blonde. They really had just met, but something about the Doctor made Jane feel like it was okay to feel how she was feeling- someone to talk to without worrying about bringing them down.

"I would like that! We could make it a weekly thing, you and I. I didn't realize how little I've gone out since the park, and it can't be healthy to be keeping all these emotions bottled up. My only friend is Susie, er- Senior Criminalist Chang to you, and she's scared to even talk about her boyfriend with me." Maura admitted sadly- she and Susie had drifted some since the park incident.

"My partner, Frost- you probably know him, him and his wife are really happy together, and I know that he wants to tell me but he doesn't. I feel like a shitty friend along with a shitty soulmate. Man, we're a pair." Jane chuckled.

"Let's be shitty soulmates together then!" Maura insisted, laughing at the foreign swear on her tongue. "Are you one of the ones who go to The Dirty Robber after a case?" Maura asked, having declined many an invitation to there.

"Yes! Wanna meet at like, 8?" Jane threw out a random time. Honestly, if she didn't have plans, she'd probably stay at BPD until the wee hours of the morning to distract her.

"Sure, fellow shitty soulmate, it's a date" Maura winked.