A/N: I haven't forgotten about this story. Sorry folks. Here is the long awaited next chapter.

Day 44:

"I don't understand how you can eat all that and not feel distended for the rest of the day," Maura said to Jane from across the table, motioning to the double patty burger and fries that sat in front of her.

"I will admit that it's likely I will feel like having a snooze at my desk when we get back," Jane explained through a smile and a mouthful of fries.

Maura looked over the table at her friend who was happily enjoying her lunch. She watched on with a smile as Jane shoved another two fries into her already seemingly full mouth.

"What?" Jane asked her friend who was now shaking her head in disbelief.

"Nothing," Maura replied before loading her fork full of kale salad. "And don't talk with your mouth full. It's impolite."

"Bossy boots," was Jane's response… with food still in her mouth. She dramatically swallowed her food, however, when she received a lifted brow and a sidewards glance from her lunch companion.

They continued to eat in companionable silence, Jane monitoring the room subtly as she often did, and Maura monitoring Jane subtly as she often did. The comfortable silence was broken when Maura started laughing into her salad. Jane looked on with a bemused expression.

"What's so funny?" she asked before taking a sip of her drink.

Maura placed her knife and fork along her plate, indicating that she had finished her meal, before picking up her napkin to wipe the non existent food from her face.

"It just occurred to me…" she began, placing her napkin down and focusing her attention solely on Jane. The expectant look Jane gave her caused her to pause. She looked over her friends face, once again struck by her beauty; beauty that was always there, but has only recently been a cause for her distraction.

"Well, come on," Jane encouraged, having swallowed the last of her food. "Share the joke."

"It occurred to me," Maura continued with a pointed look at Jane, "that I do tend to boss you around."

Jane's face softened as she took in the honey blonde sitting across from her. She could see that the humour that she initially found in this revelation was now replaced with inquisition.

"You know I don't really mind," Jane responded with a smile.

"Yes, I know…" Maura replied, a questioning seemingly on the tip of her tongue from what Jane could see in her expression. At Jane's raised eyebrows – a silent insistence to continue – Maura did just that. "What I don't completely understand is why you don't mind."

"Why I don't mind?" Jane reiterated humouredly, seemingly searching for an explanation. "Well, I don't mind because… I'm not above bettering myself, and I know that your… bossiness comes from the goodness of your heart," she finished with a sideways smirk towards Maura.

"Besides," Jane started, putting bills on the table and standing to put her jacket on, "I can be pretty bossy myself. Grab your stuff, let's go," she finished before walking toward the door and holding it open for Maura who was many steps behind. "Come on. Come on. We haven't got all day," she added with a wink and a smile.

"At least my bossiness comes from the goodness of my heart," Maura teased as she walked past Jane and out the door.

They fell into step as they set off on the short journey back to the station.

"So how is the whole 'dating women' thing going, anyway? I haven't had an update in a while," Jane asked placing her arm out in front of Maura as they came to cross a road. Maura inwardly smiled at the gesture.

"Not a whole lot has occurred in a while," Maura explained, as she looked both ways with Jane and crossed the street. "Although I have been speaking often with Lexi."

"Lexi?" Jane enquired when they made it back to the sidewalk. "From the night club?" she probed further as they continued up the path.

"One and the same."

"Wow," Jane sighed as they weaved there way through a barrage of other pedestrians. "That's over two weeks now, isn't it? Have you met up with her?"

"No, not yet."

Jane subtly watched Maura's expression as they walked; looking for more depth in the words she was speaking than what was on offer.

"Not yet? So you will?" Jane asked casually.

"We've just been getting to know each other," Maura replied with an uncharacteristic shrug. "She's actually a very nice person."

After a brief silence, Maura glanced over to find a small smile on Jane's face.

"What is that look for?" Maura replied with a smile of her own.

"What look?" Jane asked, her smile growing larger as they approached the steps of the BPD.

"That look!" Maura insisted, pointing to her face. "With your 'I know something you don't know' smile."

Jane opened the door and ushered Maura through ahead of her, whispering "you like her" as she passed. She fell back into step with Maura as they approached the elevators. "And you not so cleverly avoided answering my question."

Maura didn't have to look at Jane to know that the smug smile had not dissipated. Jane's perceptiveness was both irritating and comforting.

"Sometimes I hate that my best friend is the best detective in Boston," Maura sighed as her elevator arrived to go down. She stepped in and turned to watch Jane give her a wink as the elevator doors closed.

*Later that same day* ;-)

"Maaaurraaa…" Jane wined as she stomped her way into Maura's office like a petulant child, only to be stopped in her tracks as she watched her best friend giggling on the phone as she paced her office. She shot Maura a questioning gaze.

"I'm sorry to have to cut our conversation short, but I have to get back to work," Maura spoke into her phone as she turned her back to Jane. "Yes… Yes, I'm looking forward to it also." Maura glanced over her shoulder to find a smile gracing Jane's face, not unlike the one she saw when they came back from lunch.

"Speak to you soon," she finished before hanging up the phone and turning back to face Jane. "Yes Jane? You were wining?" she asked with a smile of her own.

"Was that Lexi?" Jane asked with a grin, before she realised what Maura had said. "Wait, I wasn't wining!"

"Yes you were. 'Maaaurraaa'," she mocked before she started laughing.

"Fine. What ever," Jane conceded with a flick of her wrist. "Now tell me what you're looking forward to doing with Lexi," she continued mischievously.

Maura stopped mid stride on her way to the sofa and turned to look at Jane questioningly.

"Okay, don't tell me everything you're looking forward to doing with Lexi…" Jane clarified as they sat in the sofa together. "Although… have you… thought about doing that with Lexi?"

"We are going to have dinner next week," Maura explained, unable to rid the smile from her face. "And… yes, I suppose I have thought about it," she continued looking into her lap; her hands straightening out invisible wrinkles in her skirt as she was unable to keep eye contact with Jane.

Jane saw the uncertainty in Maura's eyes, and what appeared to be a fear of rejection. She understood that many people fought to accept their feelings when they didn't fit into the 'straight world'. She didn't want Maura to think that she thought any less of her as a result of her new found feelings for Lexi; and seemingly for women in general.

"Hey, you know it doesn't bother me, right?" Jane assured Maura as she gently rubbed her forearm comfortingly.

Maura looked up into big brown eyes and saw sincerity. Although she hadn't doubted for a second that Jane would be okay with the recent developments in her love life, the real misery she was feeling was because Jane had no issue with her pursuing a woman that wasn't Jane.

Although she liked Lexi, it was becoming increasingly obvious for Maura that her feelings for Jane were only intensifying. Speaking with Lexi was lovely, and it certainly boosted her confidence, but every time she sees Lexi's name on her caller ID she is hit with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. She didn't want to lead her on, but at the same time she wanted to spend time with her; she wanted to get passed these feelings she had for her best friend who didn't appear to have any romantic inclination towards her. She wanted to give herself a chance to find that with someone else; someone who could return her feelings.

"I know, Jane," Maura replied with a sad smile. "It honestly never crossed my mind that my attraction to women might be an issue for you."

"Good," Jane replied with her hand still covering Maura's forearm. "So… why the long face?" she asked with a sad smile of her own.

Maura shrugged slightly, searching her mind for a suitable answer. "It's a big change," she offered, hoping her less than entirely honest answer would suffice.

"Oh Maur," Jane sighed as she pulled her into her arms.

Maura let herself be comforted by her best friend. She let her head rest on Jane's shoulder, taking comfort in the familiar scent that lingered at the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around her friends' shoulders and clung on tightly as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Tears that accompanied the torn emotions that swam around inside her, causing hear heart to both flutter and sink simultaneously.

Jane felt the tension start to dissipate from Maura as she held her close. She intuited the sadness that Maura felt, wishing she could take it away, but also understanding that this was Maura's journey towards acceptance. Her heart ached to turn Maura's grief into happiness. She wrapped her arms tighter around Maura's waist, her hand instinctively searching for the skin at the small of her back, gently stroking her thumb back and forth. She turned her head, just slightly, to offer Maura what she hoped were words of comfort.

"Maur, you deserve to be with someone who makes you infinitely happy," she whispered into Maura's ear, causing the breath to catch in Maura's throat.

Maura pulled back from the embrace to look into Jane's eyes; Jane, who was now smiling sadly back at her.

"And if that person is a woman… If that person happens to be Lexi," Jane continued with a shrug, "then so what?"

Maura smiled through the tears that had run down her cheeks at Jane's words. She felt herself again being pulled into Jane's arms, and warm lips pressed against her temple as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you Jane," Maura sighed dejectedly.