A/N: If any of you are still with me, I love you all dearly and wish I could hug each and every one of you right now. I am so, so sorry about the lack of updates; I lost sight of this story for a while and am just now getting back on track. Like I've said before, it will get finished! I swear it! :3 for now, happy reading! I'm hoping to get the next chapter up much, much faster than this one.

"So what you're telling me, Maura, is…finding out you and Jane are involved was enough to make Angela move out of this house?"

"Yes."

"That's why she's gone?"

"Exactly."

"You being in a relationship with her daughter is the reason Angela is no longer here?"

Sigh. "That is precisely what I'm saying, yes."

"Well, I think that is absolutely absurd."

I agree, Maura thought as she idly picked at a loose string on Jane's comforter. Out loud, she replied, "Mother, you must understand. Angela is a devout Catholic and raised her children to be just the same way. It's…more than a little shocking to find out that somebody isn't who you expected them to be, who you raised them to be."

"That's no excuse for leaving a child behind. I know I may sound hypocritical to you, but believe me when I say I never purposely stepped out of your life because of who you were, and I am shocked that a loving woman like Angela would do something like this!"

Maura stood up and began to pace the bedroom, agitated. "I think you're overreacting. Angela just needs some time to process this—there is no doubt in my mind that she'll be back. Did she take everything with her to Frankie's?"

"Aside from a few odds and ends, yes."

"Well, there you go." Maura gestured wide with her free arm. "Angela is made of odds and ends. If anything, that just further proves my hypothesis correct."

Through the phone, Constance sighed. "I so hope you're right, darling. How is Jane holding up?"

Maura stopped pacing and pinched her lips together. Jane hadn't shed a tear since Frankie left and was currently banging about the apartment, attacking every surface with a dust rag and a can of Lysol disinfectant. "She's compulsive cleaning at the moment."

"Oh, dear, is it that bad?"

"I think"—Maura glanced apprehensively at the door—"she may be pretending everything she scrubs is either her mother or brother's face."

"Well, that's just awful!"

"Maura!"

She jumped, and clamped the phone to her shoulder. "Yes, Jane?"

"Food's here!"

Oh. Maura raised her cell to her ear again. "I'm sorry, Mother, I have to go. Our lunch just arrived." She sat back down on the bed, exhaling softly. "Are you okay, being there by yourself? Or do you need me to come home?"

"Oh, no, my dear, I'm sure I can handle a couple hours on my own. I'll be sure to call you if I need you, though."

"Okay. You're positive?"

"Bien sûr. Goodbye, my dear. Give Jane my best."

"I will, Mother."

"I never thought it would be like this."

Maura looked up from her last bite of eggroll, surprised. She and Jane had barely spoken all throughout their meal, Maura assuming her friend just needed more time to process everything that had happened, and now, the doctor found herself unable to think of a proper response. "Um…"

"I mean"—Jane picked up every Chinese food carton with one sweep of her arm and turned towards the sink—"I don't know what I thought it would be like, but I just never…" Sighing heavily, she let the cartons tumble from her arms and into the trashcan. "Not like this."

With a soft click of her tongue, Maura picked up their two plates and went to join the slouched detective at the counter. "Jane…"

"Maybe I thought a mother's love was enough? Or…Frankie and I had a solid enough relationship? It's just…" Jane let out an aggravated moan, dropping her head into her hands. "God, I feel like such an idiot."

Reaching for Jane's shoulder, Maura started, "You shouldn't—"

"But I do." Blind to the doctor's attempt at contact, Jane turned around and dragged herself to the couch, where she promptly slumped into a half-seated, half-lying position. "I do."

Maura took a moment to think before she moved again. Slowly putting one foot in front of the other, she made her way over to Jane's side and sat down. "Why?"

"Because…ugh." Jane ran her hands over her face, visibly and audibly frustrated. "I don't know. Everything is my fault, but at the same time, I have no idea how I could have prevented any of this from happening. I mean, sure, I could've…postponed saying anything for a while, but the truth would've eventually come out, and then who's to say they wouldn't have had the exact same reactions?"

Maura shifted her position so one leg was tucked under the other and she rested one arm on the back of the couch, staring at Jane. "Well, who's to say they would have reacted the same way, if you had approached them at a different time?"

"Exactly. And that's why I don't know who I'm angrier at, me or my family." Letting her hands fall into her lap, Jane rolled her head to the side and gave Maura a helpless, pleading look. "I just wish things weren't so…complicated."

Those words hung in the air for a few moments before Maura gently took one of Jane's hands between her own. "Well, we're not complicated."

The detective snorted and stared down at their entwined fingers. "Oh yeah, all the evidence points to 'simple as can be' when it comes to our relationship."

Not even the slightest bit phased by her friend's sarcasm, Maura cocked her head to one side. "Well. Let's see if I can make some things…a little less complicated." She reached up with one hand and began to toy with a loose strand of Jane's hair as she spoke quietly. "I…simply adore you."

Jane looked up. Maura smiled lightly, and continued on. "You are simply the most courageous person I have ever met. It's simply astonishing how large your heart is and how much you are willing to sacrifice for not just your family, but for Frost, and Korsak, and me as well. I simply could not be more grateful for having the opportunity not only to know you, but to cherish you as my best friend and allow our relationship to grow into so, so much more. You're simply mine. I'm simply yours." Lifting up her second hand to wipe away the tears that had begun to track down Jane's cheeks, Maura turned the detective's face so she could stare right into the big, brown eyes she loved so much. "And I will honestly, wholeheartedly admit that I am simply, madly, and irreversibly in love with you, Jane Rizzoli. It doesn't get much plainer than that."

A watery smile slowly spread across Jane's face. "It doesn't, does it?"

Maura smiled back and barely shook her head. Jane put a palm over one of the hands on her cheeks and squeezed gently, swallowing a sob as she tried to speak. "Maura, I…I love you so much I can hardly stand it. I'm not as good with words as you, but…I hope you know that. I love you so much it hurts. A really, really good kind of hurt. Okay?"

"More than okay," Maura whispered.

"Good," Jane whispered back, relieved.

"Good."

Another pause settled between the two of them, and both became aware of how close they actually were. Jane saw Maura's eyes flick quickly down to her lips, and she felt her smile widen. "It's okay."

Their eyes met again. Jane placed one hand behind Maura's neck and tugged until their foreheads were touching. "I want to kiss you too."