Author Note: Thank you for the comments - I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story. I don't have any of the next chapter written yet, and a busy couple of evenings ahead, but hopefully I will get more up soon. I'm working on a one-shot fic for a friend, so hopefully will have that up at some point, too.

Pulling on her jeans, Maura tugged the zipper back up and straightened her shirt. She turned around, her heart ached with sadness at saying goodbye. Jane stared at her, her fishnet stockings covered the legs that a couple of hours before were wrapped around Maura's head.

She sighed. "This isn't how I expected things to go between us."

Jane narrowed her eyes. "Sleeping together?"

"Having to say goodbye." Maura closed the gap. She snaked an arm around Jane's waist and trailed her fingers across her cheek. She smelled of passion. "I want to fall asleep in your arms."

"Me too," Jane said, forging a smile. She stepped back and busied herself with her heels.

"When can I see you again?"

"I dunno."

There was the kicker. Maura's shoulders dropped. She put on a brave face and kissed her goodbye. "Soon. I hope."

They left the motel room, hand in hand, walking through the darkness to the point of their meeting. Maura clung to Jane under the night sky. Tears built up in her eyes and she could barely speak, it hurt to swallow.

"I'll call you," Jane said.

Maura hoped that would be true, but given her workload, she didn't anticipate Jane doing so. She walked off in the opposite direction, her whole body slumped. The night was crisp. Her senses were heightened. She climbed into her car, parked a couple of blocks away, and set off home.

The house was empty. It always was. Saturday nights had become much more exciting over the last few months, and she enjoyed every second of it. Now she was back to dinner and wine for one, boxsets, and a feeling that the world owed her something more than this.

At least she had Jane.

If things between them could ever progress. Doubt flooded her mind and it hurt to think about. She slouched onto the couch and stared at the television, watching characters move across the screen; talking to each other like she wasn't watching. Maybe life would feel a little easier sometimes if there was someone watching.

She closed her eyes and pictured Jane above her, her thigh between her legs colliding with her sensitive spot. She got lost in the moment of Jane's hands touching and teasing her. In the darkened room, she brought herself to orgasm, if only to ward off the inevitable feeling that she was not good enough to not be alone.

Climbing into bed a while later, she lay on her side and listened to the sounds of the night. Her cellphone lit up on her bedside table.

"Hello?" She hadn't saved the number, but she knew it was Jane.

"Hey you."

"I didn't think you'd call."

Jane went silent. "Oh."

"I didn't mean, I don't know." Maura rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, imagining that Jane was there beside her. She didn't want to scare her off, but her feelings were overwhelming. "I guess I expected everything to fall apart."

She went silent again. The sound of her breathing went on for longer than was comfortable. Maura sighed. Jane's voice came out small and weak. "I dunno what to say."

"It's fine." Maura swiped at her cheek, brushing fresh tears away. "I'm glad you called."

"Are you crying?"

Maura cleared her throat. "No."

"You don't have to pretend you're okay for me." What sounded like the bedsheets rustled in the background. "I miss Lottie. Being with you tonight made a lonely night less lonely."

"You too," Maura said. Tears strolled along her chin, following gravity down the side of her neck. "I'm lonely a lot."

Another silence. Maura regretted saying too much. "You don't have to be lonely anymore."

It was easier said than done, but Maura appreciated Jane's attempts. "Meeting you is more of a blessing than I could have expected."

x

Maura ran her hands along her dress. She took out her lipsticks and applied it carefully. In the mirror she checked her appearance one last time before returning to the restaurant.

"Doctor Isles!" She glanced up to the man approaching her, fastening his suit buttons as he stopped in front of her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "It's lovely to see you again."

"Likewise," she said, running a hand across his shoulder. "We really must do this more than once a year."

"Please," he said, motioning across the restaurant to an empty table at the far side. She sat opposite him. There was already a bottle of wine on the table. He filled their glasses. "You must order the salmon; it goes beautifully with the wine."

After a few minutes of inane chatter and catching up on their careers, a waiter came over to take their order.

"Tell me about the bar," he said, once the waiter had gone, leaning forward with a glint in his eyes. "What better way to research the profession than to do the work."

Maura grinned. "It was enthralling, and eye opening. It's been a long time since I was surrounded by so many people with the sole aim of getting ridiculously drunk."

"You mean you don't frequent frat parties anymore?"

Laughing, Maura shook her head. "Are you trying to tell me you do, Alexander?"

"Once a year since I graduated," he said. "It's alumni visits. I go, I impart wisdom, and I play beer pong with the seniors."

"And everyone else!"

He smirked. "I'm not the police; it's none of my business if eighteen year olds are drinking at home."

"That was quite an adjustment at the bar," Maura said. "Whilst I don't condone heavy drinking for no particular reason, I had to remind myself to check ID. Having spent time in Europe I much prefer the method of allowing young people a wine with dinner."

"So," he said, leaning forward. "Tell me about your proposal."

"Later," she said. The waiter stood beside them, plates in hand. Maura lifted up her napkin and laid it across her knee. "Thank you. This looks nice."

She sliced into the salmon and lifted her fork to her mouth. Her cellphone rang loudly; Maura sighed and dropped the fork back onto the plate.

"I'm sorry, Alexander. This might be work." He nodded and continued eating. "Doctor Isles."

The call ended quickly. Maura lifted the forkful of her meal into her mouth and savoured it. She closed her eyes and committed the taste to memory. She sipped her wine.

"Well, is it as good as I said?"

"You're right." Maura sighed again. She placed her napkin on the table and stood up. "I'm very sorry but I have to leave."

"So soon?"

"When there's a death, I have to go."

He waved his napkin in front of him and stood up. "Surely you have assistants for that."

"Not this one." She leaned over the table and kissed his cheek. "They've asked for me. It's a serious incident."

"Let me call you a cab."

"I've barely touched my wine," she said, motioning to the mostly empty glass of water beside it.

"Very well." He stepped out from behind the table and kissed her cheek. "Call my office, if we can't arrange another meeting we can talk over the phone. I'd like to hear what you have to say."

"Thank you, Alexander." She picked up her purse and with a brief wave, headed for the exit.

x

A large crowd of police officers had gathered around the crime scene. Maura stepped out of her car and braced herself. As the medical examiner, people would expect her decorum and professionalism. They would also expect answers, and fast.

"Doctor Isles," she said, holding up her ID. The uniformed officer nodded and waved her through the gap in the police tape. She walked down the path around the side of the warehouse building. "Detective Korsak, what happened?"

He held his hand out towards the entrance to the warehouse, and she fell into step beside him. "A security guard found him an hour ago, called it in."

Maura stood a little taller. A group of detectives she recognised from the precinct stood around comforting each other. "I take it the information is accurate."

Korsak nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. The detective was identified by his partner ten minutes ago."

"Have his family been informed?"

"Not yet. We're struggling to trace his ex-girlfriend." He shook his head. "Poor guy had a young kid."

Maura stepped closer to the body. She hesitated, her eyes travelled across the blood splatter on the floor a few feet away. A bullet hole to his forehead evident under the lights. His hands were tied behind his back, his knees bent, a chair discarded on the floor. The pieces of the puzzle formed quickly.

"Execution style." She turned to Detective Korsak. "Do we know what he was doing here?"

"That's need to know."

She sighed. "Is that code for 'none of my business' or 'his actions are restricted to his team because he was undercover'?"

Raising his eyebrows, Korsak smiled briefly. "You're very astute."

"This is not my first cop killing."

"We don't know why he was here," Korsak said. "We don't know anything about his whereabouts for the last twenty nine hours."

Snapping on a pair of gloves, Maura leaned down and analysed the body. "Based on rigor mortis setting in in his neck and jaw, I would estimate time of death to be around three to five hours ago."

"So it's recent." Korsak lowered his head.

Maura joined him in a brief moment's silence. She didn't know the man in front of her, but his vest and tie allowed her to make a judgment on the kind of man he might be. He was bald, through choice, as his hairline was much healthier than she expected of a man with such little hair. Even if his outfit was part of an assignment, it suited him.

She stood up once more. "I will do everything I can to help catch this man's killer."

"Thank you, Doctor Isles," Korsak said, his smile returned momentarily.

A niggling feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She walked around the body and back to Korsak's side. "Is he anything to do with the assignment Detective Rizzoli is involved in?"

His chin lifted quickly, a crease formed between his eyes. "How'd you know about that?"

She shrugged, nonchalantly. "I think everybody's heard about the hooker in the cafe."

"I'm sorry, Doc, that's need to know."

"Just answer me one question, if you will."

"No guarantees but ask away."

"Is Detective Rizzoli okay?"

His shoulders moved back, his body straightened. "I hope so."