A/N- Picking up the moment that 405 ends...

The blind love.

Maura chuckled at Jane. It felt strange but delightful that no matter what kind of day she had endured, no matter the horror, she could always come back to this, she could always find some peace and some light with Jane. The importance of that made her feel suddenly somber and she stopped laughing abruptly.

"There is still something bothering you?" Jane guessed, noticing the change in Maura.

Maura let her eyes drift closed in acknowledgment. "I still do not believe that Hope did this for the right reasons. It feels as if she did it because I asked."

"Sounds like a pretty good reason." Jane admitted simply, folding her arms flat on the table and leaning toward Maura a little as she gave her friend her full attention.

"But she should have done this for them, for Lieutenant Cavanaugh and his family, for all the victims that Paddy left in his wake. Because it was the right thing. It is self serving of her to do this in an attempt to appease me." Maura shook her head hopelessly.

"Hey." Jane said gently. "You don't have to like every decision she makes for the two of you to have a relationship. You're family, you just have to deal with disappointment. Believe me." Jane smiled wryly.

Maura gave a small smile at this. "What would I do without you Jane? I feel like I have had so much going on lately, I don't know how I would have got through any of it without your support."

Jane shrugged. "That's what best friends are for right?"

"Yes, best friends..." Maura sighed wistfully as she pushed her own food around on her plate. Now was not the time to approach that particular landmine, she had definitely reached her drama quota for today.

"Anyway, I think you would have coped just fine Maur. What you did in that bathroom... Was amazing, truly. I mean I appreciate that you are seriously book smart, but that today... was... genius...It was people smart, intuitive. I was really proud of you." Jane managed the last sentence through the lump in her throat, making her voice even huskier than usual.

Maura just stared at the woman across from her, a flush across her cheeks. Jane grinned happily and went back to her food.

"I just don't understand how someone as bright as Hope could be so blind ? I realise that I have made some disastrous decisions concerning men but I would never knowingly be complicit in anything so...wrong!" Maura exclaimed.

"Don't they say Love is blind?" Jane said with an uncertain frown. Maura considered this.

"One translation of a piece by Plato, quotes "The lover is blinded about the beloved and prefers his own interest to truth and right."" Maura began. "However it was Shakespeare's use of the phrase in several of his plays, Two gentlemen of Verona, Henry V and The merchant of Venice, that cemented the popularity of the proverb." Maura paused briefly, fork hovering over her plate. "Modern day research supports the view that the blindness of love is not just a figurative matter. A study in 2004 by University College London found that feelings of love suppressed the activity of the areas of the brain that control critical thought."

Jane waited patiently throughout Maura's reasoning. "You see...so maybe you should ease up on her a little?"

"I thought you didn't like her?" Maura accused defensively.

"I don't like seeing you hurting Maur and you wanted to see her when you were upset about Paddy, so you must feel something for her...It's understandable." Jane added gently.

Maura frowned at herself quietly, her eyes cast downward once again.

"Unless it's that you are still mad about...other things..." Jane tried vaguely.

Maura's eyes darted to Jane. "Like what?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know...the fact that when she first found out who you were, she rejected you? Maybe?"

Maura shrank a little as she realised the truth in this. It was unsettling to have someone know her so well.

"You should just tell her how that made you feel, yell at her, get it out, you'll feel better and I don't think that it would make her leave again...if that...if you're worried about that?" Jane said, tilting her head sympathetically.

Maura sighed heavily with some acceptance of Jane's words and also considering all the other bottling up of feelings she was doing at the moment.

"Another drink?" Jane asked, trying to lift the tension.

Maura nodded her agreement but placed a hand over Jane's as she made a move to get up from the table. "Can we stay at your place tonight?" Maura said quickly.

Jane's brow creased lightly. "Sure. You're not worried about Paddy's men or anything? He still wouldn't allow anyone to hurt you, I'm sure of it." Jane assured her.

"It's not that, I just need to get out of my place for a while, so much has been going on there, Hope being there, Cavanaugh..." Maura explained.

"Okay, as long as you don't complain about the mess. One for the road then." Jane agreed, squeezing Maura's hand across the table.

As Jane looked up she noticed Frost had just walked in and approached their table tentatively.

"I am not...interrupting anything, am I?" He asked haltingly.

Jane frowned sharply at him. "Don't be stupid, you picked just the right time, I'm buying."

Frost smiled at his partner as she passed him on her way to the bar. He slipped into her seat at the table for two and looked questioningly at Maura.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Thank you." Maura said. "I'm fine. Jane's taking care of me."

Frost nodded repeatedly and cast a glance at the tall brunette detective who looked to be giving one of the new bar tenders a hard time.

"Did you two talk?" Frost plunged in, no time to be too delicate.

"We talk all the time." Maura replied, not being deliberately evasive, just in her habit of being overly literal.

"I mean, did you talk about, what we talked about? You know...the two of you?" Frost clarified.

Maura looked to Jane and kept her eyes on her friends back as she spoke. "No, not yet...it hasn't really been the right time, I'm not sure Jane is ready for that and selfish as it is, I need her right now." Maura admitted.

Frost twisted his mouth and narrowed his eyes as he listened to what sounded like another excuse. He had witnessed the state that Maura had been in lately and he knew better than even Jane that it wasn't all about her family. When Casey had dropped back into town, Frost hadn't known what was going on but he had called Maura on it and had not been prepared for the sudden confession she had made to him.

"There is never going to be a right time, you know that right?"

He didn't wait for a reply, but got up from his seat as Jane returned with some bottled beer and handed him one.

"I gotta go speak to someone." He waved a hand and nodded at a face he recognized across the bar.

Jane followed his eyes and shrugged. "Okay. I'll catch you later then?"

Frost nodded and put a hand to Jane's shoulder before he left, sending a pointed glance Maura's way.

Frost had considered the possibility that his partner and Dr Isles were more than platonic way back when he first knew the pair and he had for a while suspected that Jane may be the one more interested in the Doctor than was perhaps considered friendly. However he had come to the conclusion that if they had something going on he would know about it by now, he would have seen it. Turns out that Maura is the one who has fallen for her best friend and hasn't got the balls to make a move...literally.

Initially Frost felt a little awkward that Maura had let this slip to him of all people, but he supposed that he was a natural choice. Maura would normally confide in Jane or Angela and she didn't have that option in this case. He was happy to listen to Maura, after all, she was a part of their little BPD family, except now he felt like he had been invited to someones surprise party and he had to constantly watch what he was saying so as not to give anything away. The sooner Maura spoke to Jane the better, he didn't want to be forced to knock their heads together. And he certainly didn't want to try broaching the subject with Jane and run the risk of her closing up completely.

He watched from his safe corner as the two women in question left the bar, arm in arm, 30 minutes later and only then did he relax fully.

A/N- I am trying to move this forward a little but it is quite difficult as I would like to keep it running alongside the show and I don't know where the show is going. It is quite therapeutic though. Reviews are greatly appreciated.