A/N: What's this? An update? So, I managed to get myself injured while hiking on my travels. I've been stuck in the city for some time now while undergoing physio. It struck me not too long ago to get my notes sent over. They finally arrived, and voila! here is the end result. I hope you like. It's been a while since I've written anything besides a journal entry. I'll update as often as I can, and hopefully I can get this finished before I hit the road again.

Enjoy!

Week 36

Barry Frost was exhausted.

Ever since Paddy Doyle died everything had gone to hell. Jane fell apart and left, Maura turned back into the Queen of the Dead, and crime rates had gone through the roof.

Violent crimes in the last few months had tripled. To say BPD was stretched beyond its limits was a vast understatement, but every day Barry Frost showed up to work, less sleep than the night before, ready to do his very best to protect his city.

Looking around him, he knew everyone else was stretched to their limits. The fact that they knew why crime had surged had not lessening the pressure any. It had in fact made it worse. Intergang were notorious. Once they had their claws in a city they never let go. Boston would be ruined. Frost wouldn't allow it.

Knocking back his second cup of coffee since he woke up (a mere 90 minutes ago), Frost wiped at his bleary eyes as Korsak entered the room.

He didn't saying anything, simply pointed at the coffee sitting on Vince's desk. The older man nodded gratefully, then started to boot up his computer.

Taking a seat at his own desk, Frost did the same thing. Both men pulled up their email at the same time, and both did a double take at the name of the sender on an identical email they had both received.

Looking at one another they blinked a couple of times, then clicked open.

Jane had finally made contact.

A month ago he was James.

A month ago he was cheerfully vague and hungrily curious.

A month ago...

Reaching over, Jane brushed the hair from his eyes. Her own running over her friends face. His slack jaw, stubble showing beneath the nasal cannula assisting his breathing.

Everywhere she looked, wires. Wires hooked up to machines, an IV bag.

The air smelled of bleach and antiseptic. The flowers at the foot of the bed failing to make any impact on the hospital smell.

"...That's not the cheese, Jess. That's... no, I'm doing... all right..."

Watching James' head loll forward, Jane reached for his hand, hoping to calm him.

"...Baby baby baby blues in green..."

One month.

Then the cancer got busy. It got in his bones. It got in his brain.

"...How high the moon? Huh? Tell me, butterfly..."

It's a horrifying knowledge, knowing that the only thing keeping your best friend from screaming in permanent agony is a morphine drip.

Jane lay James' head back against his pillow, then sat back in her chair.

"It's not fair." Jane laughed at her almost silent admission. To say it's not fair is like saying rain is wet. Absolutely obvious and unhelpful.

She knew James would kick her ass if he saw how much she was wallowing in this; but not so long ago she would have drowned her pain in a bottle of whisky, so she figured she was doing okay.

Standing abruptly, an open copy of an outdated sports magazine fell to the floor. Jane could feel anger starting to rise. He deserved better than this. Better than to die in a hospital stinking of antiseptic and bleach in a city he didn't know.

He deserved to live.

Jane stopped her back and forth pacing as abruptly as it started. Sinking into her chair she looked at James. Really looked at him.

"You're not going to though. You're not going to because that's what people do. Leave. Die."

Jane's head thumped back on the chairs headrest. It was only a matter of time. It didn't matter how many radiation treatments he underwent... or what other kind of various treatments they tried for that matter.

Jane's eyes drifted to a package on James' bedside. It was covered in stamps from all over the world, Archie's letter sticking out. Tired eyes once more ran over what she could see of Archie's neat handwriting.

"I have made another trip to the sacred gardens of Rama Kushna. As I said in my last missive, the flowers enclosed are known to the monks for their curative properties..."

The doctors hadn't objected to the ingestion of the flowers. They all knew James' day were numbered. They didn't help though. Nothing helped.

Looking out at her city, Jane made a choice.

"This is a bad idea."

Standing on the tarmac of a private airfield, Maura was doing her best to keep her composure. A faux shearling jacket shielded her from the wet heavy snow coming down in droves.

She watched as Jane triple checked her supplies.

Behind them a chartered medical transport jet, about the size of a small learjet, was parked on the icy tarmac.

Jane had called Maura quite unexpectedly in the early hours of the morning informing her of her plan. Maura had raced to the hospital as fast as she could. Arriving just as James was being loaded into the ambulance that would bring them to the airfield.

The M.E. had convinced Jane to ride in her car behind the ambulance, and used the journey to get all the details for her absurd plan from her.

Concern was the sole emotion conveyed on Maura's strikingly beautiful face.

Jane shrugged. Opening a foam lined metal case, she counted the syringes inside one last time. It wouldn't do to run out of morphine before she and James reached their destination. Closing the lid, she shoved the case in her bag.

Clad in considerably less fashionable winter attire than Maura, Jane fastened the buttons on her rumpled down parka, and shoved her gloves in her pocket.

"James is as good as dead as it is, Maura. There's not a hell of a lot I can do to make that worse, is there?"

Jane shoved a few more things into her duffel bag, her back to Maura.

"No, but I'm not talking about him." Maura reached out and placed her hand on Jane's arm. "I'm talking about you, and I'm thinking this looks an awful lot like..."

Jane spun around at Maura's pause, a fiery glint in her eye. "Looks an awful lot like... What?"

Maura squared her shoulders. "Denial. Running away."

Jane's defences immediately went up. "No. No! Not denial. Defiance!" She took a deep breath, calming herself, hoping Maura would understand. "I'm not running from anything. Not this time. He deserves to go home, Maura."

The honey-blonde shook her head. It wasn't enough. "And at what cost? You really think he would want you to take this risk? The jet will only take you so far! There are no flights where you are going! No roads! " The frustration turned into a plea. "You can't hike a dying man up the Himalayas in the middle of winter!"

Pulling her duffel bag onto her shoulder, Jane pushed past Maura.

"The weather alone could kill you both!"

Jane paused in her retreat. She watched as James was finished being transferred onto the plane. The medics hurriedly retreating to their warm vehicle.

She could feel Maura behind her, could picture her beautiful features so perfectly. Could imagine the concern, the anger.

A member of the planes crew signalled her. Everything was ready.

"I know." Jane admitted. Eyes locked on the icy ground at her feet, it was so much more difficult leaving this time, but she had to go. Time was of the essence. She needed to get James home. Needed him to see his family one last time.

Maura grabbed onto Jane's arm again, gripping it harder this time. Spinning her round, forcing Jane to face her.

"Jane, please! Stay with me."

Hearing that plea, hearing Maura beg for her to stay, Jane felt something in her heart click into place. Something she thought long lost.

Jane pulled Maura to her, pulled her in tight. Held onto her like her life depended on it; like she had wanted to that terrible day in the warehouse.

"I just got you back in my life. I don't want you walking out again."

I don't want to, Jane thought fervently. Reuniting with Maura had been the only bright spot in these last few weeks. Her lips still held the memory of that magical kiss on Christmas morning.

Jane loosened her hold slightly. Whimpering, Maura pulled Jane in tightly again. As if she could just hold on tightly enough she could stop what was about to happen.

Jane squeezed gently and placed a kiss in Maura's sweet smelling hair. She ran her lips down to Maura's ear, speaking softly, gently. "He saved me, Maura. In every way possible, he saved me. I owe him my life. I owe him this."

Gently loosening Maura's hold on her, Jane pulled back. "I need to do this."

"Then take me with you." Maura had wanted to sound strong, commanding. So as to give Jane no choice in the matter, but instead she didn't think she had ever sounded so small.

Jane smiled at her. Cupped her cheek. "You know I would never allow you to risk your life for something that's my responsibility.

"You stay safe, okay. You do whatever Frost or Korsak tell you to."

Maura looked questioningly up at Jane.

"I sent them everything we had on Intergang. I wasn't about to leave you here unprotected, Maur. You use that brilliant mind of yours to help how you can, but keep yourself out of danger.

"If I pull this off, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

The 'if' wasn't lost on Maura, and tears slid down her ruddy cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

They didn't need to elaborate. They knew.

Jane gazed into Maura's moist hazel eyes. This was farewell, maybe forever. She leaned forward and kissed the other woman with everything she had. Defying the freezing temperature, they hungrily shared each other's warmth. They held one another as close as they could, savouring every brush of their lips, every taste. A long moment passed before Jane reluctantly pulled away from her long-lost love.

She heard Maura choke back a sob.

Pushing past the lump in her own throat, Jane managed a goodbye, then headed for the plane.

Maura stood there, fingers pressed to her lips long after the plane took off.