"Jane!" Angela's voice resounded in the detective's apartment, freezing the aforementioned as if she had been caught stealing or worse.

"What?" Jane asked with her teeth tightly clenched, visibly irritated, as she continued emptying her closet, piling random pieces of cloth over her bed.

"What are you doing? I had just tidied that closet of yours."

"Tidied?" Jane turned to face her mother and signaled her closet. "I can't find anything there since you 'tidied' it," Jane emphasized with air quotes.

Angela dutifully started folding Jane's scattered clothes. "I don't know what you're talking about. All your clothes are here, not that you have that many. We should go shopping for more."

"No, Ma, no!" Taking away her clothes from her mother, she threw them back into her closet frustrated.

"My jersey is not here. It should be here."

"Come on Jane, that old rag has seen its better days already. I'm glad you finally got rid of it."

"I. Didn't. Get. Rid. Of. It."

Ignoring her daughter's complaints, Angela headed to the kitchen and started taking out ingredients from the refrigerator.

"Make yourself useful, Jane! Help me with dinner!"

Jane was sure even her neighbors over the next two buildings had heard her mother. Obliging, she joined her mother and started helping her. Jane was chopping some vegetables, still trying to remember where she had put her shirt. Or when had she last worn it, at least.

"...so...I obviously didn't understand what Giovanni meant by you batting for the other team."

Jane had been so absent minded thinking about her shirt, she didn't register her mother talking to her until her last phrase.

"What?"

"Jane! I'm talking to you. I always try to have conversations with you and you just ignore me."

"Sorry Ma, I was just..."

The front door slammed shut as Frankie entered his sister's apartment.

"Frankie!" Angela rushed to hug and kiss his son, and couldn't miss the glowing smile he was wearing. Jane didn't miss it either, and finishing emptying the chopped vegetables into the casserole, walked to the fridge and took out two cold beers.

She handed one to Frankie, and opened hers.

"Someone's a little too happy."

"Things are going well..."

"So, when are we meeting her?" Angela asked excited.

"We already met her Ma. You serve her coffee almost daily."

"Well... yeah. But I need to be introduced as Frankie's mom. It's different."

"Ma, everyone knows you're our mother. Trust me." Jane headed for the couch and turned it on, flipping the channels until she got to ESPN. Unfortunately for her, the program at the time was about soccer, which she really didn't follow. Idly, she took out her phone and texted Maura:

ILL B THR 2MOR 8AM DNT B L8

Jane kept her phone in her hands, waiting for Maura's reply.

"Who're you texting?" Frankie asked eyeing her.

"No one."

"Maura then." Frankie had noticed lately that Jane had gotten a little defensive when it came to Maura, but even if he wondered things, he thought Jane would talk to him when she was ready.

Jane arched a brow, but before she could confirm or deny anything, her phone buzzed in her hands.

She eagerly checked her screen to read Maura's answer:

The Queen of the Dead is never late. XOXO

Jane chuckled at the answer. She was really glad Maura was going with her. Somehow her presence helped her ease up a little the tension it meant for her to recall last year's events. She combed her hair back with her fingers and wondered whether to text Maura back.

"Dinner's ready!"

Angela's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Jane put her phone away and joined her mother and brother for dinner. They enjoyed their dinner together but Jane excused herself to go to sleep early.

"But it's your birthday tomorrow dear, surely you can oversleep a bit."

Jane smiled but shook her head. "I could, I know, but I'm picking Maura early tomorrow, we're having a little roadtrip."

"But tomorrow? We already have plans!"

"I know Ma. This is part of the plans too."

"Where are you going?"

"Maplewood Cemetery. I promise we will be back on time."

"Oh." Angela immediately knew what this was about and decided not to question Jane more. She stepped closer to her daughter and hugged her. Jane tried squirming out, her natural reaction to hugs, but finally hugged her mother back. "You two be safe, ok?"

"We will, g'night now."


A few minutes before eight, Jane parked her car in Maura's driveway. She was getting out of her car when she heard the front door opening and closing. She looked up and found herself almost jawdropping at the sight of Maura. It was a Saturday morning, and they were going to the cemetery, but still, Maura Isles looked as if she was going to hit the runway, if there were any runways early in the morning at least. The sober blue dress she was wearing brought her hazel eyes into a new shade. The outfit was completed with a pair of 4-inch high heels with two bands.

Jane was unprecedentedly drawn to Maura's femininity and wide smiled at they greeted each other .

"For the Queen of the Dead, you look striking."

"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it." Maura flaunted a pose and headed to the car, earning a light snort from Jane.

"I thought we would get back in time so you could get ready, but you already look very ready."

Jane opened the door for Maura and let her gaze linger in Maura's well formed calves before closing the door for her. Maura noticed the appreciative look Jane had given her, and she enjoyed the feeling. She had dressed up especially for her. She just hoped Jane's mood didn't foul much with the trip to the cemetery. She had tried to joke lightly about a date, so that Jane wouldn't feel too much pressure about facing Hoyt's grave and reliving all the memories that would trigger.

As Jane walked back to the driver's side, she noticed a presence. Glancing back to the back seat she found Jo Friday curled up napping.

While putting on the safety belt, Jane glanced back as well to check on her dog.

"I thought it'd be nice to bring her with us. Give her a chance to run around wildly in new places." Jane started the car and drove away.

"I think it's a great idea."

"It should be like a hour and a half drive," Jane informed Maura.

"I know. Maplewood Cemetery in Salisbury. It's a very old cemetery, dating from colonial times."

"Good thing is we're going in full daylight. I wouldn't want to be caught wandering around a cemetery after sunset."

"You'd never strike me as someone afraid of cemeteries, Detective." Lately Maura had taken a keen affection of constantly teasing Jane. For her part, Jane just stuck her tongue out at Maura and headed for the nearest Starbucks.

After their quick stop for coffee to go, Jane drove effortlessly, keeping her eyes on the road, occasionally stealing glances at Maura. She was looking especially good today. She really thought her mind wouldn't refrain from replaying in her mind the moments where she and Maura had been close to death, or worse, at the hands of Charles Hoyt. And yet, her mind seemed more fixed in Maura. Her impeccable, delicate look that clearly contrasted with her rather disheveled one. Her washed jeans and longsleeved gray cardigan didn't quite match with Maura's outfit, she mused.

Early in the morning meant less traffic, which allowed her to enjoy a real drive, as her car right now could actually keep a good speed for more than 5 seconds unlike the usual of driving in Boston.

As she shifted gears, her fingers accidentally brushed Maura's who was placing her coffee in the cupholder behind the stick. Neither women moved their hands apart and Maura linked two fingers with Jane's briefly before she had to shift gears again.

Jane's lips curved into a thin smile, still thinking of contrasts, she remembered the damned roadtrip they had taken to Sensei Matta's retreat. She sighed in deeply realizing how once again she had put Maura at risk that day.

"Are you ok, Jane? You seem a little pensive."

"Nuhuh, I was just thinking about the day we went to Sensei Matta's retreat. I'm glad we got back to normal, you know?"

"I don't think we got back to normal," Maura said nonchalantly. Jane looked at her for a moment with furrowed brows. "What I mean is, after everything that has happened, I feel we got closer...than before. I like that."

Jane nodded. "Yeah I think I know what you mean. I like that too."

The two women finally arrived to the cemetery. The place was nestled in a forest area, and they followed the low wall until they spotted the entrance.

"There's a place over there to park the car," Maura pointed at the end of the small road they were passing by.

The area was extremely quiet, there were no cars driving by, and they had just seen a few townspeople walking by. Jane and Maura got of of the car, but three steps later, Maura stepped on a rock and fumbled forward. Jane swiftly caught her below the elbows. "Careful there Doc!" Jane laughed, keeping her close in her arms.

Maura gasped at the sudden contact, but the increase in her heart rate had less to do with her almost twisting her ankle and more with being in such proximity with Jane. Holding on securely to the brunette's arms, she raised her gaze up and found herself looking directly to Jane's lips only an inch away. Maura wasn't used to having her mind going completely blank. For what it seemed like an endless moment, all she could think of was those lips right in front of her, that parted a bit, as if welcoming her. Moving a little more up she would be able to claim them.

Maura felt one of Jane's hands sliding to the small of her back, and she closed her eyes. She could almost feel Jane's breath on her lips, she could feel...a pair of paws anxiously tickling her just below her knee, which caused her to jerk back abruptly.

"Jo Friday!" Jane stomped her feet to enhance her command voice. Jo Friday woofed as if actually listening to Jane and got back in all fours. "Look, nature! Run! Enjoy freedom!"

Maura giggled and Jane turned her attention again to the wide smiling blonde.

"Are you ok? Did you hurt your ankle?"

"It's fine, I just tripped a bit. Thanks for saving me."

"Always," Jane winked. "Let's get going then."

"Of course, just..." Maura linked her arm with Jane's. "Just to be sure, the terrain can be hazardous."

"Absolutely, good thing I decided against bringing my high heels, or we would both be in trouble."

Maura gave her a friendly slap on her arm, after all the years they had known each other Maura Isles had finally started to understand when Jane was mocking her, or her choice of outfits.

They pushed open the old half moldy half rusty gate and entered. As they walked by, long lines of trees opened in front of them, guarding the dozens and dozens of different graves.

"How do you know where are we going?"

"Korsak got the info from of his contacts. He actually gave me a set of directions because it's an unmarked grave."

Maura nodded silently and let Jane lead the way.

After several turns they reached one of the far ends of the cemetery. Most of the graves looked quite old. Maura was right, some of the dates could still be read and they were of the early 1700s. One of the tombstones, however, looked newer than the rest. It also was completely blank.

"This must be it." Jane's expression turned dead serious. She placed a hand on Maura's hand for a second, before removing it, releasing their linked arms and stepped forward to the grave, hands tucked in her pockets.

Jane stared at the small piece of marble that covered the remains of one of the worst monsters she had ever come across. Jane's thoughts rammed into each other, until she took a deep breath, forgetting about everything around her. All the flashbacks came back to her again. The memories of that night were imprinted in her, the night that seemed that Hoyt had won. She had lied enough times trying to convince herself she didn't feel the pain in her hands anymore. Damn you Hoyt. I will never ever understand what makes someone flip and do the things you did. Or maybe monsters are just born. Or made. Whatever, I don't care. There are no excuses for all the horror you brought to so many people, including myself and the people I love. All that matters is I won, you son of a bitch. You tried to destroy me and you failed. I made sure you wouldn't hurt anyone ever again. Listen to me. And I would do it all over again. Everything. In a sick twisted way you are responsible for me being here right here, right now. And I am happy.

"And I would do it all over again. Everything. In a sick twisted way you are responsible for me being here right here, right now. And I am happy. I hope you are rotting in hell you sick bastard."

Maura stepped forward and silently hugged Jane from behind, resting her cheek in the taller woman's back. She had been silently respecting Jane's privacy, knowing she was having a mental conversation, with herself, or maybe with Hoyt as well. When she heard Jane's voice and the cold rage in it, she couldn't help herself. At the gesture, Jane suddenly realized somewhere along the way she had starting voicing her thoughts out loud. Breathing in deeply she realized how strongly Maura was holding onto her. She couldn't however notice the sorrow in Maura's eyes as tears threatened to fall. For a long while, they just stayed like that. Maura couldn't bear the idea of anything hurting Jane, and it was overwhelming to realize all the times she had come face to face with death, and the times that surely were yet to come.

Jane turned around to face Maura. One look at her face told her everything she needed to know. She wrapped her arms around her and pressed a kiss to Maura's forehead.

"Let's get out of here."

Carefully she brushed her fingers under Maura's glittering eyes. "I'd hate for you to ruin your mascara."

Maura managed a bittersweet smile and linked their fingers together. "Let's go home.".


Author's Notes:

I can't help but thank again all your reviews and PMs and all. I'm just sad I can't write back to the unregistered users. Thanks also for all the story adds, follows, alerts and all. I guess it means you guys are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. Somehow the inspiration kicked in, because this story turned out to be a bit larger than what I thought at first. Still short though. I know there hadn't been much Jane/Maura interaction on the story until this chapter. I hope this one and next one can make up for it... I guess next chapter is the final chapter :)