Thanks for all reading and continuing to comment, etc. I appreciate it. Tomorrow night I'm working late again, so not sure if I'll be posting again until Thursday night UK time.

Jane, Robin and several other uniformed officers and plain clothed detectives stood in a semi-circle as Lieutenant Howard, of the Major Case Division, stood before them with a solemn expression on his face. He cleared his throat, stood up a little taller, and began a speech about safety, and working as a team.

"This bureau wide operation will hopefully get us the results we expect. The priority here is conserving evidence so that we can finally put a pin in Paddy Doyle's reign over the streets of Boston, whether it's drugs, homicide, whatever we have. Any information we can find on Detective Bucks will be a bonus."

Officer Garcia, a uniformed officer a few years ahead of Jane, raised his hand. Howard nodded. "Do we have any reason to believe Bucks might be anywhere near Doyle?"

Howard sighed loudly. "I'm gonna be straight with you all here. Bucks was a beloved officer, and a dear friend. He's been working on the Doyle case for a couple years now. But we have reason to believe he may have been involved in Doyle's operations. There's a suspicious paper trail, money deposited into his account regularly, and some other activity that I'm not at liberty to discuss here today. Something was going on with Bucks that may not be above board. You've all heard the rape rumours over the six months, and we're not here to claim that they are true. But if Bucks had any ties with Doyle, we want to find them so that we can bring him home to his wife and his two small boys."

"Are we expecting there to be any people in the building?" Robin asked. Jane patted her on the shoulder and smiled.

"If Doyle's previous behaviour is anything to go off, we expect the building to be empty. He's likely got ears on the inside, something that we are not proud of. We anticipate that Doyle will have emptied the building. However, that's not to say that he won't have been careless. Any evidence, no matter how small or insignificant it might be, needs to be bagged. Any final questions before we move in?"

Several questions were on Jane's mind, but her role in the raid was something she felt severely conflicted about. To ask questions felt like stepping too far over the line that she straddled between work and Paddy.

"Break up into your teams, move to your positions. There'll be further information over the radio."

The group disbanded, spreading out across the road and through the gates into the industrial park. Robin stayed by the entrance with Garcia, as instructed. While Jane stayed close to Officer Hall, her weapon in her hands. Detective Howard wasn't far ahead. They waited in their positions for a few minutes before the call was made. It was only her second visit to the industrial park, but it was a visit that left her feeling far more uncomfortable than she expected. They moved into the building en masse, a separate group using each entrance for maximum impact.

"This way," Hall said, checking the corner before he moved on. Jane followed close behind, her heart in her mouth as she anticipated what could happen if Paddy Doyle were still there. Or if there was evidence that linked her to him. Her whole life was at risk every single day that she worked for him, and though Maura had assured her she'd fix the issue with the forgotten drop, Jane was petrified. Being back in the building only heightened her concerns. Hall disappeared through a doorway. Jane entered the large warehouse behind him, the room she'd walked through once before. She nearly collided with Hall as he stopped abruptly. "Fuck."

Jane stepped to one side, so she could see what Hall was looking at. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, and her weapon. "Jesus Christ."

"Howard, once the building's clear, we're gonna need the medical examiner down in the main warehouse." Hall paused, gripping his radio in one hand as he closed his eyes. "We think it's Detective Bucks."

An hour later, Howard, the medical examiner and several other officers stood around. The body hadn't moved, but a formal identification had taken place. Jane stood beside her colleagues, a shared grief present between them.

The medical examiner's voice drifted across the room. "His hands are tied behind his back; the gunshot wound is from close range. I believe this was an execution."

Jane closed her eyes and stared down at the floor. She didn't know what to say, or how to act. Since she'd joined the police department five police officers had died; one in a car wreck while on duty, one in a suicide, two had heart attacks, and Detective Bucks. She had not been involved in the other cases, though she felt the loss of them all. But Detective Bucks murder was different. She could feel it in the way the case was being handled. The Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts himself was there handling the case, the Superintendent for the Bureau of Investigative Services was on his way. The murder was likely at the hands of Paddy Doyle, or on his instruction, which complicated matters further for Jane.

It felt huge. The largest case Jane had been involved in since she started out. She kicked the ground with the toe of her boot. Paddy Doyle murdered people, everyone knew it, but once again there was zero evidence that could link him to the crime, let alone the warehouse itself. Yet Jane was stood there, at the scene of the crime, knowing full well that she'd witnessed the result of Paddy's actions. That she was caught up in his world in a way that could mean she was next.

"Rizzoli, Hall, Edwards and Campbell," Howard said, standing in front of them. "You're relieved of your position here. Please return to HQ and report to your superior. You'll be reassigned for the rest of your shift. If anyone needs support, you know who to speak to."

X

'Horrible day. Did you manage to fix the broken faucet?' Jane finished typing out her message and pressed send before putting her cell into her locker.

She stripped down to her t-shirt and underpants, wrapping a towel around her waist for the walk through the locker room and into the female only showers. She hung her towel and fresh clothes onto a hook and stood under the steamy water. Jane and Robin had been let off shift early once Bucks body had been taken to the Medical Examiner's Office. She didn't want to question if it was because they were women - and thus would be feeling more emotional about his death - as the rest of the officers involved in the case were still at work, but she also didn't want to fight the decision because she was physically and mentally exhausted by the day.

By the time she'd changed, and tossed her towel into the laundry basket, Jane needed her bed. She grabbed her cell from her locker and slung her purse over her shoulder.

Maura's reply was brief. 'What broken faucet?'

'The one I couldnt fix the other day, so you had to go and get the new part'

She headed out onto the street, thankful that she'd caught a ride with Danny that morning. She hadn't forgiven him for what he'd said at the family dinner, but now they were engaged there was little else she could do but play the game until she could find the confidence she needed to get out. She appreciated the walk, despite how tired she was, it was nice to be outside to clear her head.

'I don't understand. Sorry.'

'Doesnt matter. You free?'

'No.'

Her cell phone rang out: Danny. She cancelled the call.

'Whats wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'Dont lie. I know somethings up. Youre not being yourself.'

'Are you at work?'

'Walking home now. Be twenty minutes.'

Her cell rang out again: Danny. She rolled her eyes and pressed cancel before it buzzed again, and she opened Maura's message.

'Ill meet you there?'

'Thought you were busy'

'Will you be there?'

'Yes.'

When she approached the apartment building, Jane could see Maura sat on the bottom step, her head in her hands. Spotting Jane, she stood up and she could see how drained she looked. The life had gone from her eyes, the joy she'd seen just a few days earlier had vanished. Jane gripped her fingers and dragged her up the stairs without a word, unlocking the door and pulling her into the building. They walked up the stairs in silence until they were inside the apartment.

Jane's cell rang out. She glanced at the screen: Danny, again. She let out a small groan and turned off her cell. She looked to Maura, to her pale skin and empty eyes.

"You look like someone died, what's going on?"

Tears filled Maura's eyes. Jane's shoulders dropped. She stepped forward, closing the gap as she enveloped Maura. She sobbed softly against her shoulder. Jane stroked her back, holding her tightly until the tears subsided.

"You want tea?" Jane asked, brushing tears from her cheek. "I got some in because I know you like to drink it sometimes."

A few minutes later they sat down on the couch with mugs of hot tea. Jane didn't much like it, but she drank it anyway, while Maura emptied her mug quickly.

"Talk to me."

"I don't know where to begin." Maura's eyes widened. She grabbed Jane's wrist and lifted her hand up between them. She hadn't yet removed the engagement ring that Danny had given her, after she wore it on the ride that morning. Much to her disappointment, he'd revealed their news to the whole station. Maura looked even worse than before. "You're engaged?"

"It's not like that," Jane said, snatching her hand back. She put her mug on the table, twisted the ring off her finger and placed it beside her mug. "He asked me, but…"

"Did you say yes?"

"No. I wouldn't, I don't…" Jane breathed in slowly, then out again. "I didn't say yes. Danny asked, and I ran out, and I got hit by the push bike. Then he asked me again when I was out of it in the hospital and I said yes, but I didn't mean to."

"But he thinks you're engaged?" The strain in Maura's voice broke Jane's heart. "He thinks you're going to marry him."

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't mean for you to find out this way."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes. The next time I saw you, but then things got complicated with the drop." Jane let out a groan. "That's what I was talking about in the message, the faucet, I meant the drop. Maura, what happened with the drop?"

"It's sorted."

"Are you sure?"

"It's done. You don't need to worry."

"But your father…"

Maura's voice came out so abruptly, and with such venom that Jane recoiled at her words. "I said you don't need to worry."

The crease between Jane's eyebrows only deepened. She wrapped her hands around Maura's and held it close. "Talk to me. What's going on? And don't start with that bullshit about everything being fine. I can tell it's not."

Maura closed her eyes. "I don't want you to hate me."

"I couldn't." Jane reached for her face, cupping her cheeks. She pressed her lips to Maura's. "Listen to me, nothing you can say could make me hate you."

"You don't understand." She opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on Jane's. "Sometimes I do things that make me hate myself, how can I believe that you won't hate me too?"

She slipped an arm around Maura's back, pulling her into her arms as she kissed her again. Maura responded quickly; her body closer to Jane's as the kiss deepened. Jane wanted to push her away, to stop her, but at the same time she wanted her to know how much she cared, how much she wasn't going to walk away.

X

An hour later, they lay on the couch, tangled up in each other's arms and legs. A blanket laid across them. Jane interlinked their fingers and rubbed her thumb across Maura's palm. She stared into her eyes and felt the overwhelming feelings she'd felt every single time she'd been with Maura.

"You wanna know why I couldn't hate you?" Jane asked, kissing her again. Maura nodded. "Because I love you, Maura Doyle. It's happened so fast, but I know that's how I feel. You stole my heart and I don't regret a moment of any of this. If committing crimes is what brought me to you, then I don't regret any of it for a second."

Fresh tears skirted down Maura's face. She burrowed it against Jane's neck, and they lay there in silence for a moment.

"I love you too, Jane. I love you so much, and I'm scared that that won't be enough when you know what I've done."

She squeezed her tightly, and kissed Maura's head. "If I hate you when you've told me, I give you permission to send me to your dad, because I don't want to live in a world where I don't get to be with you."

Maura's tears turned to sobs as her whole body shook in Jane's arms. Once the tears subsided, Maura sat up and turned away. She slipped her dress back over her head. "I killed a man yesterday."

The words stayed in the air. Frozen by the unexpected nature of what Maura had said. Something shifted and Jane questioned everything she'd said since coming home from work, but the thoughts dissipated into the hatred she felt for Paddy Doyle, and the dangerous things he made people do.

"Tell me what happened," she said, gripping Maura's hand so tight that she had no choice but to leave it there. "I want to know the full story, so that I can understand why you would do something like that."

"My father…" Jane opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it. Maura's hand shook in Jane's, her voice broke up every so often. "He wanted me to get used to other parts of the job. He put a gun in my hand, and he told me to shoot a man. They brought him in, tied him to a chair, and he made me shoot him in the head."

Jane gasped. The image of Detective Bucks dead in the chair in the warehouse flooded her mind and she couldn't breathe.

"I didn't want to do it," Maura said, crying once more. "I didn't, but he threatened me. He said that if I didn't do it then he would kill you, and I couldn't let that happen. But I still couldn't shoot him, so he grabbed my hand and he forced me to pull the trigger."

"I need some air," Jane whispered, letting go of Maura's hand.

Maura reached out to her, only for Jane to shrug her off. "But…"

She grabbed a pair of joggers and a t-shirt from a pile of fresh laundry by the door, slipped them on and left the apartment without another word. She stood on the other side of the door for a moment, listening to the heartbroken sobs on the other side, then she ran out of the building and along the street.