A/N- Okay so I have one longish chapter planned after this one and then I am going finish this for now, with a view to doing a sequel in the New Year. I want to focus on my other story for a little while and feel like I can't do either of them justice while I am going back and forth between the two.

Chapter 21

Jane awoke under the, only just comfortable crush of a warm body draped over one side of her, but her mind skipped over that detail as it instinctively focused on the new presence in the room. Jane heard the familiar soft slick of a weapon and her eyes flew open instantly.

Jane saw the gun first as she looked down the length of the barrel and up to the face of the person stood over her; holding the gun only inches from her face.

"Veronica." Jane breathed the name almost as a plea.

The woman smiled down at her, narrowing her eyes. "A tad dramatic I know, but I have always wanted to do that; have someone wake to the sight of my gun." Veronica pulled the weapon back a little and pointed it away, as her posture relaxed slightly. "I'm here to talk." She offered. "I have a proposal." She said with the quirk of an eyebrow.

"You're not my type, besides I'm not really the marrying kind." Jane said quietly and looked quickly at Maura as she attempted to untangle herself delicately from the Doctors embrace. "We can talk on one condition….." Jane began.

"She is of no consequence." Veronica shook the gun in Maura's general direction.

"Then let's take this into the other room." Jane said as she extricated herself completely from Maura and the bed.

Veronica rolled her eyes as if bored and glared back over her shoulder at the sleeping woman in the bed. "She is awfully cute." Veronica remarked.

Jane gave Veronica a dangerous look which made her smile hugely; flashing her perfect white teeth.

They moved into the larger room in the suite which still contained the crumpled blanket on the sofa Jane had started the night off on. Jane stood and folded her arms stubbornly.

"So what have we got to talk about? You have some information on your sister's killer or do you just want to make a full and frank confession?" Jane said sardonically.

Veronica strolled around the room casually; the gun hanging limply by her side. "You know you have nothing on me yet, I happen to have a very good team; you may never find anything. But I know you're type; like a dog with a bone and even the best operations have the occasional mistake, I don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time." Veronica told Jane.

"Okay, so you gonna save everyone some time and trouble and come quietly?" Jane asked arrogantly.

Veronica stepped closer and raised her gun again. "You really don't have the first idea what you're trampling you're way into. You need to get serious really quickly, if not for your own smart ass then for the sake of your girlfriend in there." She tossed her head in the direction of the bedroom.

Jane finally quit smirking and stood up straight, a new; more serious look in her eye.

"Good." Veronica said haughtily. "Y'know I used to be in the business of selling sex, well now I'm in the business of selling secrets; much more lucrative as it happens, but of course the two go hand in hand."

Jane's brow creased as she listened silently.

"Luckily for you I have a secret which could be of some interest to you and I'm in a sharing mood. Of course I'm not going to give it to you for nothing. You need to back off, leave me and my girls alone; Becky too." The woman continued.

"Is she dead?" Jane asked quickly.

Veronica shook her head with a smile. "No, she has a new assignment is all; things were getting a little sticky with the Weis family as you are well aware."

"You're sister?" Jane pushed on.

"No more questions." Veronica dismissed the last with a swipe of her gun hand in the air. "I give you information, you call off you're goons; I don't care how you do it. Do we have a deal?"

Jane shrugged. "I'm not sure what information you think I would find that interesting …"

"Information about Daniel, about the family and about that night; information that could clear you're name." Veronica said smugly as she watched Jane's features freeze in shock.

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When Maura finally emerged from the bedroom Jane was fully dressed and sat gazing out of the window with both hands wrapped around a mug of coffee.

Maura paused in the doorway to watch and felt a pang for the obvious trouble that still settled over her friend like a dark cloud. Maura had to remind herself that one night of snuggles was not going to change that and that last night had only been a small breakthrough in winning this woman's trust.

"Hey." Maura said softly; not wanting to completely intrude on Jane's thoughts.

Jane turned her head quickly and the corner of her mouth rose in a wistful smile. "Well if it isn't sleeping beauty." Jane teased.

Maura self consciously fussed with her hair, her eyes cast downward. Jane shook her head in disbelief; Maura just didn't realise how beautiful she was, without all the carefully chosen outfits and immaculate hair and make-up.

Jane left the dregs of her coffee in the mug and stood. "You want me to order you some breakfast?" Jane asked fidgeting nervously and not quite meeting Maura's gaze.

Maura took this behaviour for more of Jane's usual hot and cold, will she won't she attitude and rolled her eyes. "Just some real coffee and a croissant for me please."

Jane crossed to the phone at once, happy to have something to do; as Maura headed for the bathroom.

Maura had showered, dressed and had eaten breakfast while Jane sat quietly; staring blankly at the pages of the case files,then Jane suddenly got up and shrugged on her jacket.

"I have to go out this morning." She announced, again not looking directly at Maura.

"Okay." Maura frowned.

"I gotta see Frankie." Jane explained.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Maura asked a little uncertainly.

"No, no that's okay. You saw what he was like last time he thought we were…." Jane trailed off.

Maura nodded slowly.

"I just need you to stay here, do not go anywhere, lock the door behind me and don't answer it to anyone. I'll be back soon , we can go out for lunch or do some shopping, anything you like." Jane said seriously.

"A yoga class?" Maura tested.

"Whatever you want." Jane said heading out of the door.

"Jane." Maura called, stopping the woman in her tracks. "Are you okay?"She asked, both suspicious and concerned.

"Sure, I'll be fine." Jane smiled reassuringly as she finally left.

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"Where the hell are we going Jane?" Frankie shot at her as she jumped into his car the moment he pulled up alongside the hotel.

"Drive Frankie, I have to see someone and I need you." Jane said looking at her brother with a desperately pleading look. "I need you to take me there, not ask me any questions and wait for me. If I don't come out in fifteen minutes I need you to call for back up."

Frankie's frown turned to a scowl as he considered her words. "I don't know Janie." He chewed on the inside of his mouth, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.

"Left here." Jane directed.

Frankie stayed silent and followed the directions his sister gave him until she asked him to pull up outside a large office building he knew well. "Here?" He asked loudly.

"Yeah." Jane confirmed with a nod and looked up at the large, modern, window fronted building.

"Jane, are you sure about this?" Frankie asked her gravely.

Jane clasped his shoulder. "I just need to speak to somebody. 15 minutes." She nodded once and got out of the car. "What have I got to lose right?"

Frankie shrugged and shook his head, but Jane knew he would do as she asked.

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Jane strolled right by the reception desk without at glance at the staff there and made her way to the elevator and up to the top floor. Jane had only been to this office once but she knew exactly how to navigate it; she remembered it well. She burst into the office and walked without hesitation to the visitor chair facing the guy and the desk and plonked herself into it; she had always liked to make an entrance.

The young man on the other side of the desk quickly finished his phone call and replaced the receiver, leaning back in his large leather swivel chair and considering his intruder.

"Let's cut to the chase. I had a visitor today, she's supposed to be a friend of yours but I get a feeling she has had enough of that arrangement, wants to spice things up a bit. This mutual friend, made me an offer, she has information and she has proof of I don't even know what yet." Jane smiled through an appalled look.

"What do you want?" asked the young man, who looked so much like his brother that Jane felt a strange kind of familiarity to him; like she had spoken with him every day since that night.

"She wants to use me to take you down." Jane said simply and leant across the table toward him. "All I want is a guarantee that you will leave Dr Isles alone, unharmed, safe; the rest of my family and friends too."

The young man frowned for the first time since Jane had entered his office. "That it?"

"And leave her to me. I am going to deal with her myself. We'll leave it at that for now. I just want to get on with my life." Jane said calmly.

"Nice that you have that option." Came the equally calm response.

Jane looked hard into the man's eyes until he looked away and nodded.

"You have a week to deal with her; after that she will have to be taken care of in our own way."

Jane rose slowly from the desk keeping her eyes fixed on him.

"When I take you down; I'll do it myself and not at the say so of some low rent crooked bitch." Jane said defiantly.

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Jane slipped back into the hotel room with her key card and was met with the sight of Maura with her legs tucked beneath her on the couch, her head propped up with cushions and her eyes fluttering lightly open and closed as she dozed in front of the quiet television screen.

Jane smiled happily feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The weight of being a killer, the weight of a decision and the weight of the world had been hanging heavy on her heart when she last left this room. Jane hadn't even been sure when she left the hotel; what she was going to do.

A large part of her wanted to take Veronica up on her deal, she would be vindicated somehow maybe even reinstated, have her life back. All she had to do was turn a blind eye to Veronica's crimes and what were they anyway; scamming some rich idiots who had mouths as loose as their wallets and no loyalty to their families. But when it came to it Jane couldn't do it; she didn't think she would be able to look herself in the mirror or look Maura in the eye. What did she have to lose? She'd asked herself, thinking the answer was nothing.

She crossed quickly to the sofa and knelt at Maura's side, studying the woman's face carefully as she gently pressed a kiss on her lips and stroked the back of her fingers against Maura's cheek.

Maura's eyes opened fully now and she began to stretch her body out, reaching out for Jane as she did so and returning the kiss more deeply.

"Where did you go?" Maura asked.

"I had to see someone." Jane said, stroking Maura's face again. "We can go home now." Jane said. "I mean you can pack; go home. I can go back to my place."

Maura looked mildly surprised. "You didn't take her up on her offer?" She asked carefully.

Jane stood up and pulled away from Maura, who also pulled herself up the sofa.

"You were awake? You heard?" Jane asked.

"Everything." Maura said. "I recorded it, on my phone. Some app that Barry downloaded for me turns your phone into a hi-tech Dictaphone."

"You didn't tell me. It was a test. You wanted to see what I would do." Jane had thrust her hands in her pockets and was balling them into fists, her mouth a firm line.

"No." Maura protested as she stood. "I wanted you to see what you would do."

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A/N- Hope it was enjoyable and not confusing. Let me know what you thought as always xx