Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter. I agree that Maura's reaction was definitely cold and cringe-worthy. Hopefully this chapter will explain a bit more.

Just so people know where this is headed, I am definitely going to flesh this out quite a bit and continue the story. And just so you know, I am starting my training towards becoming a firefighter in a couple days, so updates will likely become less frequent. But my training is not full-time, so I am anticipating still being able to update at least once or twice a week. Just FYI.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy.


Maura couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for several hours, she finally gave in and sat up against the headboard, clicking on the light. She reached for the book on the bedside table, noting the time on the clock as she did. 3:43am.

Sighing, she opened the book and began to read, but after only a few paragraphs, closed it again and put it down on the bed next to her. She was too distracted. Ever since leaving Jane's room earlier, she had been unable to focus on anything. She had gotten ready to head out to the conference, thinking that it would be a welcome distraction after the fiasco from this morning, but somehow ended up back on her bed crying. Maura had remained in that position for several hours, crying until she felt like she had no more tears.

Now Maura was just embarrassed. Not just over the whole situation, but also embarrassed about how she had reacted. She was, of course, not looking forward to the conversation with her parents about her Las Vegas nuptials, as she knew it would likely become a scandal within their social sphere. Maura's family was a prominent Boston family, and Maura's recent ties to the Fairfield family were only going to make the backlash worse.

Even though Maura was well aware of the damage control that would likely have to happen with her family's legal team, she was more concerned with how she had left things with Jane. It was an understatement to say that Maura had reacted poorly, and she knew that. The disappointment and anger that she had seen in Jane's eyes as she rounded the corner toward the elevator had been haunting her ever since.

Truthfully, Jane had handled things well in Maura's eyes. Yes, she was curt and bordered on rude a few times, but in the end had wanted to work it out and figure out a solution. And I just shut down – Maura cringed – and I shut her out. She reached for her phone and after a moment of hesitation, pulled up her photo album once again. She scanned the pictures once again, pausing for several seconds on one of the pictures of her and Jane dancing at the club.

A smile played across Maura's lips as she looked at the picture. She could actually remember this moment. Jane and her were pressed up against each other, Jane's hands resting low on Maura's back, while Maura's were around Jane's neck. Their foreheads were practically touching, and their eyes were locked on one another. If you looked closely, you could see that both their mouths were slightly open, as if they had just kissed or were about to kiss. Just looking at the picture, it was easy to see the attraction between the two young women.

Although she didn't want to think about it, Maura had to admit that she had felt the attraction between Jane and herself. But now that she had screwed things up, she knew the reality of the situation was that she would never see Jane again. They would take care of the legalities via correspondence or over the phone, and that would be it. I wish we could start all over – Maura thought – I wish that this hadn't been just a one-night-stand and that I could have gotten to know her. I need to make this right. But I don't know how to…


Maura's alarm blared loudly and she shot upwards in the bed, reaching out to silence it. She rubbed her eyes and rolled out of bed and moved toward the shower. Her flight back to Boston was leaving in a few hours and she needed to get ready to head to the airport. The effects of her mostly sleepless night were causing her to move slowly, but she eventually showered, dressed, finished packing, and was in a cab to the airport before she knew it.

The situation with Jane was still weighing heavily on her mind as she waited in various lines in the airport. I'm going to call her as soon as I land – she decided.

Maura was sipping her much-needed coffee in the seating area near the gate when a familiar figure passed by. She stood up quickly and tried to get his attention without causing a scene. "Frankie? What are you doing here?"

Frankie spun around, and frowned when he saw it was Maura. "I could ask you the same question. You have some nerve being here after what you did to my sister." He whispered fiercely.

"What do you mean? This is my gate, I'm waiting for my flight to Boston to board."

Frankie's eyes widened. "Wait, flight 2355 to Boston? You've got to be kidding…"

"No, I'm not kidding, flight 2355 is the one I'm waiting for." She replied.

He sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly toward the large glass windows that overlooked the tarmac. "Looks like we are on the same flight then. Look Maura, you better make yourself scarce before Jane gets here. You really did a number on her!"

Maura tried to pull her arm away. "Wait…you mean to tell me that you're from Boston?" Her brain was working overtime struggling to process this information. "And Jane is going to be on the flight too?"

Frankie rolled his eyes. "What are you stupid? Didn't I just say that?" He finally released her arm. "I guess what I'm trying to say is don't make this worse than it already is."

As Maura nodded, an idea popped into her head. "Hey Frankie, how does a seat upgrade sound?"


Where the hell is Frankie? –Jane thought, as she settled into her seat, fastening the seat belt. He took an earlier taxi with some of the guys, he should have been here before us. She pulled out a magazine and started to read while she waited.

"Is this seat taken?"

Jane pulled her gaze away from the magazine and looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise when she took in the blonde woman standing in the aisle, clutching a small suitcase. And not just any blonde woman…Maura. Jane willed herself not to react to seeing Maura standing there in front of her.

"My brother is sitting there." Jane muttered, returning her gaze to the magazine.

Undeterred by Jane's response, Maura put her carry-on suitcase into the overhead bin and sat down in the seat next to Jane.

Jane was more than irritated at this point, and looked up from her magazine again. "Didn't you hear what I said? Frankie is sitting there."

Maura turned to face Jane, studying her features before responding. "No…Frankie is sitting in my seat in first class. I traded seats with him." Jane's eyes locked on hers for several seconds in a steely glare. "Look Jane…I wanted to talk to you, and this seemed like the best way to do it."

"Great"-Jane huffed- "So stalking me seemed like the best way to do it? What kind of crazy person gets on the same flight just so they can talk?"

Maura waited several seconds before responding. "This is my flight Jane. Honest. I live in Boston." She watched as Jane processed this information, seeing some of the anger fade away as Jane turned to face her. "Look…Jane, I'm sorry about how I reacted yesterday. I just wanted to talk to you and try and figure this whole 'situation' out. When I saw Frankie in the airport and we realized we were on the same flight, it just seemed like a good opportunity."

Jane snorted. "By forcing someone to sit next to you for five hours? Great plan Einstein."

Maura smiled wistfully. "Yes…well, maybe it wasn't the best plan, but I couldn't wait any longer without apologizing for my behavior yesterday. I feel awful Jane."

Jane shrugged indifferently, and Maura took the opportunity to continue.

"I'm sorry Jane. Truly. It was a lot to process all at once. Without going into too much detail, our impulsive decision has a lot of implications for my family, and the idea of bringing shame to my family was overwhelming."

"Yeah, well, my Ma isn't going to be too happy about this either." Jane admitted. "Look Maura, I get it. You panicked. We made a stupid, impulsive decision. But you should have manned up and talked to me. We have to figure this out! I don't even know your last name for christsakes!"

Maura nodded slowly. "You're right." She turned in her seat to face front again. "It's Isles…by the way." She offered.

"What?"

"My name is Maura Isles. Or, at least it was…I suppose it may have changed after, well…you know…"

The two women were quiet as the plane finally pulled away from the gate and took off towards Boston.

The sudden sound of Jane's quiet laughter caused Maura to turn slightly to see what Jane was laughing about. "Jane?"

Jane composed herself after a few more chuckles. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. I was just thinking about how we don't even know our last names right now. I mean…you could be Maura Isles…or maybe Maura Rizzoli. Or maybe I am Jane Isles now…who the hell even knows! It is so ridiculous that all I can do is laugh."

Maura found this notion sad, not funny. Jane noticed Maura's face fall and how she had started to chew on the inside of her cheek. She reached out impulsively and grabbed a hold of Maura's hand, linking them together and resting their hands on the armrest between them.

"Sorry Maura. I didn't mean to laugh. We'll figure this out, okay?"

Maura was surprised by the amount of comfort she got from holding hands with Jane. She allowed herself to relax back into the seat and after taking a quick glance at Jane, rested her head on her shoulder. Jane flinched at first, but after several seconds a smile bloomed across her face.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"At some point, when we get to Boston and go our separate ways, can I take you up on the offer for dinner? To figure this mess out of course…" She added quickly.

"Absolutely. You have my number, after all…" Jane replied, glad that Maura couldn't see the small smile that had turned in to a full-faced one.