Chapter Three

Boston, Massachusetts

Jane stumbled into her apartment having tripped over her own feet; she may have had a few too many beers courtesy of keeping Kelly company for half the evening. Grabbing the couch to maintain her balance for a moment she slowly made her way into the kitchen, she needed coffee. While she was making this she glanced at her laptop and groaned, she had forgotten that she was meant to Skype Maura.

She glanced at her watch; it was just after 11pm, middle of the day in Tasmania. She sighed, figuring that her friend would be out, so Skype was out of the question. Finishing the coffee preparation she carried the mug over to the couch and sat down, a few sips later she pulled out her cell phone and called her best friend. "So, I'm an ass…"

"Hello Jane."

"What, no are you alright? No what happened to you, I was worried?" Jane asked a little incredulously.

"You're a detective, I am aware at times you will miss our Skype sessions." Maura responded, a little distractedly.

Jane could hear what sounded like aluminium connecting with leather in the background, and part of her felt irritated that her friend was at a softball game without her. She sighed and pushed away the negative thoughts. "Maur, what you doin?"

"Watching softball. Did you close the case?" It hadn't even occurred to Maura that what had kept Jane was anything but work.

Jane sighed again, before rather loudly slurping her coffee. "I, uh…"

"Coffee, Jane? At this time of night?" Maura interrupted, suddenly attentive to what she was hearing on the phone.

"Who said I was drinking coffee?" Jane asked a little too defensively. "Okay, fine yes, coffee. I had too much to drink tonight."

"Oh?" Her curiosity gave away the fact it had twigged in her brain that Jane hadn't missed their Skype session because of work, and this hurt the doctor just a little. She went on to add, "And coffee isn't going to help you in the morning. Drink water to ward off the dehydration, and eat something too."

Jane rolled her eyes, "Right, water, food, got it. Anyways I stopped at the Robber on the way home, was only gonna stay for a couple drinks, but ended up getting caught up most of the night. I'm really sorry Maur." Jane figured honesty, but not too much honesty, was best at this time. She wasn't sure how Maura would feel to have been stood up for a bartender and she really didn't want to upset her friend.

"Well I am sure you needed to unwind. I hope you didn't drive though." Maura let her attention be drawn back to the game in front of her; Gabby was at bat in the Eagles game against the Blu J's.

"I walked. So you're at a softball game huh?" The detective skipped back to the safer topic.

"Yes. I'm watching some friends." She sighed, she really wanted to tell Jane about Gabby, but she didn't think she could do it over the phone – she wanted visual clues to be able to interpret how her friend would take the undoubtedly unexpected revelation.

Friends? Jane felt like kicking herself that her first thought was to be surprised Maura had made friends. She was a classy woman and just because she had struggled in the past to make serious connections with people, didn't mean she would still struggle. In fact maybe their friendship had helped her friend understand social cues a little better to be able to succeed at this friend making caper. Of course her mind then flickered to the fact that Maura had been on a date the previous weekend, "Are you there with your date?"

"Yes." Maura kept her answer short and succinct, not really wanting to volunteer any extra information. She hoped the detective would leave it at that, but then she really should have known better.

"So what is his sister playing, or one of his friends?"

"Not exactly," she could feel the hives preparing to unleash their fury.

Jane's eyes narrowed and her nose scrunched up as she contemplated evasive Maura, which she knew anywhere. "Oh, so it's a men's game?"

"Not exactly." Maura cringed; she could already feel the itch coming. The silence on the end of the line told her that Jane was putting together the information to draw the only appropriate conclusion. To save further dancing around the topic she elaborated, "My date, Gabby, is playing in the game."

Jane thought it highly appropriate that Maura was at a softball game, because that revelation had come completely out of left field for the detective. She had not seen that coming. Why hadn't she seen that coming? "So, you're, uh… dating a woman?"

"Yes."

"Right, well, um… if that's what makes you happy then, yay?" Jane couldn't have sounded more uncertain in her attempt at enthusiasm; the fact was it felt different to her, not that she understood why, to learn that her best friend would actually date women. She had never liked any of the men Maura had dated, and now she found, instantly without any further information, she didn't like this Gabby either.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologise Maur, you have nothing to apologise for." Jane cut off, trying to prevent upsetting Maura more, because she knew the doctor was obviously nervous to broach the subject, or else she would have known about this before. "Have you always been into women?"

A little hesitation before the answer came through the line, "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Maura sighed, clearly worried. "Would it have made a difference?"

"Difference to what?"

"Us. Our friendship? Does the fluidity of my sexuality cause a problem between us?"

"Nah, never… I'm just shocked is all. I really thought you trusted me." She wasn't lying about that either, while the initial shock was wearing off she did wonder why Maura had never trusted her with this information. She loved the quirky doctor for who she was, sexuality didn't even enter the equation.

"I do trust you Jane." It pained the doctor to think her best friend could honestly believe she didn't trust her. "It just never came up. There weren't any women in my life while I was with you in Boston." In the back of her mind a nagging thought tried to push its way through to explain that there was an obvious reason there were no women while she was living in Boston, but she pushed the thought back into the recesses of her brain.

It was a sobering thought. Jane climbed off the couch, keeping the phone at her ear, as she wandered into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. "Okay."

"What are you doing?"

"Hydrating," it was the most natural thing really, if Maura told her to do something, she did it. Sometimes she would whinge about it first or make wisecracks, but in the end she knew the doctor knew best.

Maura couldn't help the smile that adorned her face, "Good. You will appreciate that in the morning."

"Yeah well, last thing I want is for you to give me an I told you so next time we talk." She slumped back down on the couch and battled with the cap, before finally freeing the bottle so she could drink. After sculling half the bottle she continued, "So this Gabby, she must be something special."

"What makes you say that?" Maura was curious as to how Jane had come to this hypothesis, having no other information about the woman beside her name.

"You told me about her." To Jane this seemed so matter-of-fact that she didn't really understand the doctor's query.

"Well, I didn't want to lie to you Jane. Conversation led us down the road, and I was honest."

Jane chewed her lip thoughtfully, "So she's not that special then?"

Maura sighed exasperated, "I think it is too soon to make a decision either way."

"You're watching her play softball Maura…"

"I watched you play all the time Jane." The doctor interrupted, feeling irritated by the line of questioning.

"And I'm special," Jane chuckled, feeling like she had the doctor firmly in her sights.

"Well, of course you are."

"You wouldn't watch just anyone play softball Maura, so she must mean something to you." The detective wasn't even sure why she was pressing this line of questioning as a big part of her didn't want this woman to be special; she didn't want to be replaced, and that's what she felt would happen if this thing became serious. Illogical thinking or not.

Fine, if you want to press this Jane, I'll tell you what you want to hear. "I'm happy when I am with her Jane; I don't miss Boston as much as I do when she isn't around."

Don't miss me as much, you mean. Jane sighed; this was fast turning down a direction she didn't want to explore. It was late; she should sleep as she was on call the next day. "I have to go Maur; I'll talk to you Wednesday."

"Drink another bottle of water before you go to sleep Jane. Goodnight."

Jane ended the call and resisted the temptation to throw her phone. Emotions threatened to run rampant within her and she hated that, she wanted them pushed down in their little box where they couldn't cause trouble. She finished the bottle of water she had taken from the fridge earlier before walking over and taking another. Yep, she would do exactly as instructed by her best friend; it was just how she was built.

Launceston, Tasmania

Gabby was focused on the field ahead of her as she settled into her catcher's crouch. Her Eagles were up by one run and the Blu J's had their speediest runner at first base with one of their bigger hitters coming up. Instinctively she glanced over at the opposition's third base coach and deduced that the steal was on. She signalled for her pitcher to throw it straight across the plate, it was a gamble but she wanted quick access to the ball to throw out the runner.

The ball slammed into her glove and she was up and hurling the ball to the shortstop that had sprinted to the bag to whip the tag into the sliding feet of the base runner. Gabby gave a quick fist pump as the umpire called the out. She smiled up at the batter Annie, "You guys will never learn. Don't run on my arm."

Annie gave an exaggerated sigh before a chuckle graced her lips, "Guess I'll just have to tonk this one outta the park to level the scores then."

Gabby laughed fully as she reset her crouch, "Like to see you try."

In the bleachers Maura had jumped out of her seat and cheered loudly at the out, she was quite impressed with the tightness of the throw. Gabby had a strong arm. She sat back down and tried to focus on the game but her thoughts wandered back to the phone call she had shared with her best friend.

Jane had seemed upset when she had ended the call; not that most people would have been able to tell from the conversation itself, but Maura wasn't just anybody. She knew the Italian detective well. She realised she probably shouldn't have given in to her exasperation and said that Gabby takes away some of the longing for Boston, which they both knew was code for Jane. She had basically delivered a verbal slap to the face and she hated herself for it. She missed Jane a lot.

"She's damn good." Melissa offered as she sat down next to Maura, determined to at least try and take the advice of Monica and play nice.

Maura turned to look at Melissa and tried to hide her shock. The comment had come across as rather friendly, "Yes she is, but I imagine you know that better than I do."

A smirk graced the Australian's lips as her mind took the conversation to a place filled with sexual innuendo before she decided it best to play it cool. "We've played against each other for years, so yeah."

Maura nodded slowly before offering up another observation, "I do believe you are quite talented yourself. Last week you drove in four runs and took the game winning catch; quite impressively if I recall correctly."

Melissa pulled her ball cap a little lower over her eyes, feeling a little sheepish about receiving the compliment from a woman she had dismissed rudely the week before. She sighed, "Thanks. I think I owe you an apology."

"Yes you do." Maura said rather bluntly, before allowing a small curving of her lips, as if to say all was forgiven. Grudges were tedious, and besides that, Gabby had all but declared this woman's importance in her life.

Melissa chuckled briefly before a more sombre look returned to her face, "It's hard you know. You seem like a nice person, and she needs that…"

"But it's not easy for you." Maura finished for the younger woman.

"Nah it isn't, but that doesn't mean I need to be a blockhead about it either." She stuck out her hand, "Hi my names Missy and I'm a blockhead, nice to meet you."

The doctor accepted the offered hand and shook firmly, "Maura, and give yourself some credit. Blockheads I suspect don't accept responsibility for their actions."

Melissa nodded acceptance of the comment and pulled her hand back by her side as she returned her gaze to the diamond in front of them. She had her own game to prepare for, but she just felt the need to sit in silence for a few minutes watching the game. She smiled at Gabby when she reached second base on a hit and looked up in her direction and received a nod of acknowledgement and appreciation. She knew being an ass about the situation this time was not going to end well. If the woman sitting next to her was going to be the happiness her ex deserved, then so be it.

"Missy get your arse down here before Shazza loses it." Monica's call from across the way caused both the blonde women to turn and look in her direction where she was waving urgently to get Melissa's attention.

"Gotta go; I'll catch you later no doubt." And with that Melissa was gone with deceptive quickness as she lugged her kitbag over to Monica before heading to the opposite field to warm up with her team.

Maura turned to watch as the Saints did their warm up jog and stretches before settling into pairs to toss balls back and forth to warm up their arms. She had to admit that there was a definite grace to the way Melissa moved around the field; she made a note to watch her more closely next game, as Gabby had already indicated a desire to stay after her game and watch the Saints as they took on the Blu J's who had the double header this weekend.

Half an hour later Gabby heaved herself up onto the bleachers beside Maura with a huff, it had been a gruelling game and she wasn't as young as she used to be. Catcher was an intensive role and her body ached all over as her muscles cooled. One of these days she was going to have to take a less intensive fielding role, maybe camp at first base and let one of the younger generation take up duty behind the plate. "Hey you," she almost whispered in greeting.

Maura smiled and pulled the woman into a side hug, "Hey yourself."

"Missy wasn't bothering you before was she?" She had some concerns, despite the fact the pair had seemed to be sitting together comfortably when she had looked up at the bleachers during the game.

"Not at all. She just wanted to apologise for her behaviour last weekend."

"Ah well good, I'm glad to hear that. I don't want her scaring you away or anything." Gabby had tried to joke about it, but it had come out a little flat, betraying the truth behind the comment.

Maura smiled broadly, "I don't scare easily." And it was true, she didn't. Not when she stopped to consider everything she had experienced during her time as Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Life and death scenarios she had been through, a little jealousy from an ex was not at all going to deter her from what she wanted. And she realised as she contemplated these things that Jane had been right, Gabby was someone special. Chalk another point up for the detective that probably knew her better than she knew herself.

"Holy shit!" Gabby's surprised cry drew the doctor out of her reverie.

"Language." Maura scolded playfully.

"Sorry, but look over there," she pointed down the field to where a tall man dressed in cream khaki's and a navy blue polo shirt was standing by the outfield fence. "That's Gary Beveridge, assistant coach for the national team." She was excited because she knew there was only one person he was there to see play. "He's here to scout Missy, I just know it."

"Oh, that sounds exciting." Maura didn't quite grasp the excitement, but she recognised the honour being selected for the national team would represent.

"Aw hell I gotta go tell her." Gabby was already at the foot of the bleachers and headed for the Saints' dugout.

"You're not worried his presence will make her nervous?" Maura queried after her, ever the voice of reason.

Gabby waved her off, "Nah, she thrives on pressure. Always has." She disappeared behind the corrugated tin that sheltered the dugout from the bleachers.

Maura watched the space her date had been standing and couldn't help the subtle frown that graced her own features. Gabby's eyes had screamed excitement, but more than that they had been filled with pride and love. Maura sighed sadly, she had the distinct feeling that she shouldn't allow herself to grow too much closer to the police officer. The history between her and Melissa might just be too much to combat, which if Maura was to engage in Jane speak; sucked majorly.

A/N: So here we are with chapter three. It's about the subtle stuff still at this stage... and a guest asked what kind of soap... it's totally going to be your Bold and the Beautiful, Young and the Restless kinda thing... cause I just wanna have fun and be over dramatic and mess with the girls a bit before they find their happiness. I thank you all for your reads, reviews, faves and follows. Let me have it, but please keep it kind or constructive folks :)