Author's note: Thank you all for your reviews; to the anonymous reviewer who is getting bored: I will never write action/crime fic, this isn't my thing, drama even less, sorry.

December, 14th

I am in love with you. There is nothing absurd about it, nothing incredible either. It just happened one day. I hope I am not scaring you because this is not my intention. As a matter of fact, I don't really know what I am hoping for through these two bouquets of flowers and this letter I am now sending you. I don't ask for your love in return even if it would make of me the happiest person on Earth but I nonetheless want to let you know because I need to be honest.

As much as Maura tried to focus on the x ray that she had just hung on the negatoscope, fragments of the letter kept on rushing back to her with an impressive strength. The words haunted her and stirred up emotions she wasn't sure to understand. She had absolutely no idea about the identity of the person who had sent it to her but she oddly felt touched by it; in a way she couldn't explain.

She didn't like it much when she began to extrapolate because her conclusions always ended up highlighting something she saw as extremely bitter. Her admirer would never be the right person so she knew deep inside that this sensation of dissatisfaction wouldn't completely go away. She couldn't afford to succumb to pointless fantasies.

Her romantic life had been rather sad until now, even pathetic. She had clutched to vain hopes too many times already. At least none of this could happen again now that she was single. It was a radical way to avoid disappointments but she had got used to it.

I hope you enjoyed both bouquets as I know you love flowers. I chose each one with fastidiousness because it was my first step towards you. I wanted to show you the seriousness of my feelings and how harmless my behavior actually is. It is the first time I actually do something like that. It isn't easy. A part of me is even embarrassed but I am nonetheless convinced I had to do it.

Whoever this person was, Maura had to admit that he owned a certain degree of politeness which she definitely appreciated. The level language was quite as well high which emphasized a distinct taste for literature and a certain education, or at least that was how Maura saw it. Perhaps it was one of her colleagues.

What if it were a she?

"I can't find the bullet. Are we sure nobody found it on the crime scene? This is very strange." Maura squinted her eyes and made a step closer to the x ray. She bit her lips. "There's nothing here."

Her assistant remained quiet. Maura hadn't believed her when the young employee had told her that she hadn't been able to find any bullet on the x ray yet now that she was standing in front of the negatoscope herself then she had no choice but to confirm the absence of any foreign object within the corpse.

She sighed. Her life was too mysterious and confusing right now to add such incomprehensible situation to her current list.

Somethings happens to me whenever I see you. It starts within my heart then spreads to the rest of my body. It makes me feel dizzy; in a sweet way. Not even the occasional pain to see you with someone else alters this reaction. Sometimes both just melt into each other and the result is strange. Strange but addicting.

This part probably had to do with Jane. Her admirer must see her on a daily basis interact with her friend yet it didn't make much sense. Perhaps she was wrong. How could she tell? Her frustration grew with every word she repeated in her head.

A knock on the door took Maura out of her daydreams. She turned around and welcomed Jane with a smile. Her friend's presence in the room was unexpected for Jane was supposed to go to the courthouse for a trial.

"What are you doing here?"

Jane timidly walked in and looked at the assistant long enough for the employee to understand that she had to leave both friends alone.

Nothing was going as planned. Since Jane had woken up earlier in the morning, her day had been nothing but a series of small disasters. First, she hadn't found the letter she was supposed to send Maura. Then, her car had refused to start. And now she was facing a wardrobe malfunction.

"I've spilled coffee on my shirt. Would you have an extra one I could borrow from you? I don't have time to go back home and my jacket won't hide the stain."

Maura's nod had a minimal but nonetheless positive effect on her level of stress. She followed her friend to her office and more or less patiently waited for the piece of clothing.

She had turned down Maura's invitation to have dinner with her and Constance the day before. Something had told Jane that a mother/daughter bonding couldn't do these two any harm. Constance rarely visited Maura in Boston, Jane didn't want to ruin the moment. She had spent the evening at her apartment watching television and wondering what Maura and her mother had talked about.

She had simply hoped that her name hadn't showed up in the conversation.

"This one should suit you." Maura walked out of her bathroom and held out a satin shirt to Jane. "You can change here if you want to."

Jane nodded. She grabbed the shirt and closed the door of the bathroom behind her leaving thus Maura alone in her office.

I think we should meet but not just yet. I am not in a hurry because I know my feelings can wait. This is a bit surprising coming from someone like me because I am really not patient. It is just that I don't want to ruin anything, not with you. You are way too important to me. Besides you probably need time to accept all of this. It came out the blue and I apologize for the confusion you must feel.

"Alright..." Jane rushed out of the bathroom. She walked to her friend and subconsciously leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I'm off, see you later."

The nature of her move only hit her the moment she found herself in the elevator. Her fingertips started burning as she played the scene over and over in her head: she had grabbed Maura by the waist then brushed her friend's cheek with her lips.

For absolutely no reason.

This wasn't how it usually worked between the two of them. Jane was not a touchy feely person. She and Maura never kissed.

Trying to escape her sudden panic by leaving the BPD as fast as she could didn't turn out to be very effective. Obviously it wasn't her day but she had other priorities for the moment: she couldn't make it late to the trial.

...

"Jane? I mean, Detective Rizzoli?"

Jane froze. She would have recognized this voice anywhere except she would have never assumed that a fast food was part of her interlocutor's usual plans. Her tray of food in her hands, she turned around and forced herself to smile.

"Emmanuelle, what a coincidence. What are you doin' here?"

The sudden thickness of her Bostonian accent caused Jane to swallow hard. She didn't want to show anyone that the situation made her feel uncomfortable. Emmanuelle looked too fine for that.

"I'm hungry."

The logic of the reply caused Jane to burst out laughing. There was something genuine and honestly kind in Emmanuelle's reply, something that matched the way the sculptor had shrugged almost apologetically when she had answered Jane's question. Jane nodded and repressed herself from making a remark about the contrast between Emmanuelle's glamorous life – or at least it was how Jane imagined it – and the random fast food they were presently at.

"Fair enough. I ahem... I'm on duty at the courthouse today, that's why I'm here." Emmanuelle hadn't asked Jane about the reason of her presence in an area so far from the BPD but giving an explanation was the least Jane could do. "Do you want to have lunch with me? I have an hour before going back there."

Emmanuelle looked almost as surprised as Jane by the invitation. She nonetheless nodded and followed Jane to a table nearby. An uncomfortable silence immediately started weighing on them. The situation was awkward, or at least it was for Jane. After all Emmanuelle had no idea how envious of her Maura's friend could be.

"Is it a case you've worked on?"

The question was completely rhetorical and only aimed at sweeping away the absence of conversation between the two of them. Jane nodded and grabbed a couple of French fries with shaking hands.

"Yeah it's part of our job. I don't like it much but..." She turned quiet. The brouhaha of the room made her feel dizzy and for some reason she started thinking about the letter she had anonymously sent Maura in the morning. "You're workin' in the neighborhood?"

Emmanuelle made a vague gesture of the hand.

"I have a client who doesn't live very far from here but I actually came to this side of town to visit my father. His apartment is... There... Just at the corner." She cast a glance at the table next theirs and seemed to hesitate for a couple of seconds. "May I ask you something, Jane?"

The question took Jane aback and suddenly woke her stress anew. She had no idea what Emmanuelle wanted to know but she was afraid it had to do with Maura. She timidly nodded.

Amount of days left: twelve.