A/N: Working on a fluffy one shot completely unrelated, so thought I would drop this chapter tonight, cause might be a few more days before I drop the next one.

Chapter Twenty Four

"So whatcha think?" Gabby asked with a smirk.

The credits of the movie started rolling and Maura simply shook her head and switched off the television with the remote control. "That was not a Christmas movie."

"Sure it was," Gabby laughed at the seriousness on her girlfriend's face. "I'm going to get some juice, did you want anything while I'm up?"

"No thank you."

Gabby walked to the door into the foyer, turned back to Maura and repeated her favourite line from the movie, "Yippee ki yay mother fucker," before ducking away laughing all the way down the hall.

Maura simply rolled her eyes and called out quite fruitlessly, "Language, Gabby!"

The doorbell rang out a few moments later and Gabby, drink in hand, detoured to the front door and called out, "I've got it." She opened the door and almost slammed it shut immediately, but she sucked in a deep breath before exhaling to calm her nerves. "What are you doing here?"

"Talk to Maura." Jane braced her hand against the doorframe.

Gabby frowned. It was late and this was the last person she wanted at the door, ever, however she had known the moment she opened the door she was going to do the right thing, because no matter her hatred, she'd never keep Jane from Maura. Not even a version of Jane that smelled like a bourbon factory. "Maura," she called out, "It's for you."

"Who on earth is stopping by this late?" Maura asked as she exited the living room and made her way over to Gabby who was blocking her view.

"Jane." Gabby said, moving out of the way to return to the kitchen, because she had no doubt that the next step was to start sobering up the drunk best friend. She sighed and shook her head as she played the role of a dutiful girlfriend who knew her spouse all too well. "Yippee ki yay mother fucker indeed," she muttered under her breath.

Maura had instinctively watched Gabby walk away before turning back to look at Jane. "Ah," she unknowingly said out loud after her brain processed why Gabby hadn't reacted angrily. "Come inside."

Jane nodded in appreciation, only to feel her stomach lurch. She half walked, half stumbled inside and waved vaguely in the direction of outside. "Driver, needs cash."

Maura sighed, she shouldn't have been surprised. She suspected Jane wouldn't have been able to find her wallet in her current state. "I'll handle it." She glanced up as she heard Gabby return, "I need to pay the taxi fare."

"I'm on it," Gabby said before shooting a look at Jane and adding, "You should handle that." She handed Maura the bottle of water she had retrieved and headed outside to settle up with the driver.

Jane had shuffled over to the stairs to lean on the bannister. She looked up at Maura with sad eyes. "You guys are good… together."

Maura may have taken a moment to stop and appreciate how easily she and Gabby had slipped into caretaker mode if she weren't so busy assessing Jane's level of inebriation. There were some apparent deficits in brain function, however she wasn't slurring her words and she was interpretable. "Yes, yes." She walked over to Jane and wrapped an arm around her to help guide her to the downstairs bathroom. "Come this way."

Jane shuffled along, just happy Maura hadn't slammed the door in her face. Cause that's what she would have done if roles were reversed. "Where?"

"Where I won't have to clean up after you."

Jane's stomach lurched again and she brought her hand to her mouth, but thankfully she held it in. "Smart." She accepted the help and made it to the bathroom just in time to drop to her knees and heave into the toilet.

Gabby came back inside and closed the front door. She followed the sound of Jane chucking up her guts to locate Maura who was in the process of pulling Jane's unruly mane of hair back and expertly placing it into a ponytail with one of her own hair ties. Gabby grabbed the bottle of water Maura had placed on the sink and gently rubbed Maura's back with her free hand. "I've got this."

Maura turned and looked at Gabby incredulously, a little uncertain. "Are you sure?"

Gabby nodded, she was all too experienced with dealing with drunk women. "I know you'll want to get some food into her once her stomach settles, so go sort that out. I'll play nice, promise."

Maura placed a supportive hand on Jane's shoulder and reiterated what was happening. "Gabby will look after you, we can talk when you're feeling a bit better."

Jane was in no state to argue and she attempted to wave acknowledgement but had to grip the toilet bowl as her body expelled the last of her stomach contents.

Maura left the room with a soft hand of thanks gliding across Gabby's shoulder. It meant more to her than she could truly comprehend to see Gabby set aside differences to help take care of Jane. She understood all the emotional triggers Jane represented and the fact her girlfriend had pushed past them warmed her heart. She walked into the kitchen and set about making grilled cheese, knowing that Jane would appreciate that.

Fairly confident that there was nothing more to bring up, Jane used the sink cabinet to pull herself up and rinsed her mouth out repeatedly to remove the taste of bile. Feeling listless she shut off the tap, turned and slid down the cabinet. She took the bottled water Gabby offered her and mumbled, "Thanks. Still don't like you."

Gabby looked at Jane for a long moment before she chose to join her side by side against the cabinet. "I don't like you either," she admitted.

Jane started laughing, it was light at first but then got louder until it ended up turning into sobs. "Fuck." She muttered, wiping sloppily at her face to remove the tears.

Gabby tried her hardest to find sympathy for Jane, and on some level she did, but she had a sinking feeling in her gut that she was going to end up hating Jane even more before the night was over. Because one thing was certain, Jane wasn't at Maura's drunk off her face because of her feelings for Maura. Jane wasn't that stupid, Gabby was sure of that much. This was about Melissa. She sighed and turned her head to look at Jane. "What happened?"

Jane turned so that she was looking at Gabby, "Don't wanna get punched."

"I'm not allowed to punch you. Angry Maura isn't fun."

Jane managed a small chuckle and nodded. "Angry Maur…"

She never finished her thought, instead she just turned back and stared at the white tiles on the wall opposite her. Her thoughts had drifted back to earlier in the evening when Melissa had kissed her. She kept playing it over and over in her head trying to figure out why it was different to any of their other kisses. In the end she banged her head against the cabinet a few times, not hard but enough to distract. "Fuck."

"No thanks," Gabby quipped in an attempt to draw Jane out of the thoughts that were clearly spiralling badly.

"Dunno what you're missing," Jane commented drily before finally opening the water she had taken from Gabby earlier and taking a couple of small sips. She wasn't sure she liked spending time with Gabby, it meant that she might actually end up liking her. It was much easier hating her.

The smell of grilled cheese filtered down the hall and Gabby knew it was time to get Jane moving. "How's your stomach?"

"Settled."

"Reckon you could eat?"

Jane's brain finally processed the smell of grilled cheese. "Yeah."

Gabby climbed to her feet first and offered a hand, half expecting Jane to be stubborn and decline. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Jane was willing to take a helping hand. Out in the hall she said, "Dining room that way to the right."

"Yeah, I remember."

Gabby watched Jane shuffle down the hall and enter the dining room before spinning around and punching the air. It was inadvertent but it was a reminder nonetheless that while she was out of commission in hospital Jane had been in the house pining after Maura. She took a moment and recomposed her emotions, intent on pushing past her hatred, for the night at least. She then ducked into the kitchen where she found Maura sliding grilled cheese onto two plates. "For me?"

Maura smiled and pulled Gabby into a brief side hug. "Yes. I thought you might like a snack too."

Gabby pressed a quick kiss to Maura's cheek and took one of the plates. "I'll take this to Jane and clear our dishes from dinner earlier. Give you two some time to talk alone."

Maura studied Gabby's eyes and she could see her girlfriend was worried. "What's wrong, love?"

"Jane's here, a drunken mess." Gabby worked a kink out of her neck with her hand while her eyes told the rest of the story.

"Oh yes, Melissa." Maura placed a soft hand to Gabby's forearm, "Go to her if you need to."

Gabby shook her head, hesitant.

Maura gave a gentle squeeze to the arm she held. "I trust you."

"Are you sure you don't need me here?"

"I can handle Jane. Go."

Gabby leaned in and gave Maura a quick kiss. "Thank you," she said as she took the grilled cheese and put the plate down. "For the road," she added as she disappeared out the kitchen door. She popped her head back around the door, "I love you."

Maura smiled back. "I love you too."

The sound of a key in the door had Melissa off the couch and peering down the hall expectantly. "Jane?"

"Nope, sorry Kiddo." Gabby responded softly, hoping to diffuse any potential angry outbursts before they occurred. She knew she wasn't exactly Melissa's favourite person at that moment, and she had to push down a lot of her own hurt too, but she was going to be the friend that Melissa needed regardless.

"What are you doing here?" Melissa didn't have the energy to hate Gabby. It was consumed by her worry for Jane and her fear that she had pushed the woman away permanently.

"Was worried about you." Gabby walked down the hall and stopped in front of Melissa and addressed what she knew would be the primary concern. "Jane's safe, she's with Maura. Really drunk, but safe."

"Oh." Melissa's heart sank to even deeper depths of despair. Jane had run from her, drowned herself in booze and drunkenly chosen Maura. She turned and walked back to the couch, plopping herself down unceremoniously. She looked back at Gabby and asked, "And you left them alone?"

"I don't think it's what you're thinking, Kiddo." Gabby absolutely hated that she stood there basically defending Jane, without having even half of the picture laid out for her, but it was what she had to do for Melissa's sake. She couldn't stand the sense of guilt and hurt that filled her body at the situation they found themselves in. This really shouldn't have been their life and it didn't matter how happy she was with Maura, that fact refused to stop assailing her and she hated it. "I really think she just needed her best friend."

"If you say so." Melissa wasn't entirely convinced, but then she suspected she knew a lot more about Jane and Maura than her ex did.

Gabby slowly broached the space between them and sat at the end of the couch, keeping space between them, not beginning to presume she had the right to offer any level of intimate comfort. "What happened Missy?"

Looking back over at Gabby a whole lot of insight clicked into place in Melissa's brain. She may have already conveyed her feelings for Jane in a fit of spite, but it was a very different story in a moment where Gabby was looking at her with such concern; such care. She realised that it couldn't have been easy for Gabby to come clean about her feelings for Maura and all she had done was lash out in hurt. Gabby deserved the happiness she had found and all she had done for six years was make it impossible for either of them to move on.

"Well shit," Melissa uttered as more clarity came into focus. She shook her head, and motioned with her hand for Gabby to leave. "You need to leave."

Gabby shook her head in return, "No. I'm not risking that."

"You don't understand."

"You're hurting. That's all I need to know."

Melissa stood up and paced back and forth in front of the couch and her ex. She felt agitation building and it wasn't because of Jane, that would be what it would be. She loved her, but Jane probably didn't love her back. There wasn't a thing she could do about that, but she could save Gabby any more heartache. "Jane's a good person but she's broken and Maura, I think she genuinely is in love with you but she loves Jane too and..."

"I'm not going back there Missy," Gabby was adamant, standing and grabbing Melissa by the forearms. "I'm not leaving you alone right now."

Melissa shrugged away. They were falling into the same old mistakes, but it couldn't happen again. "Jane is so emotionally charged up right now, you have to go back there Gabby or you might lose it all."

Gabby searched Melissa's eyes, a little confused. "What the hell do you know that I don't?"

Melissa placed her hands against Gabby's chest gently. "I know you."

"Then you know I'm not leaving here tonight."

Melissa pushed Gabby back and turned away, beyond frustrated that Gabby couldn't see what she was trying to do. "You just don't get it."

"No Missy, you don't get it. I trust Maura." Gabby almost convinced herself, but it didn't matter. She'd rather die than leave Melissa alone during a triggering situation and while she still didn't know all that happened, she could hazard a guess.

Melissa swung on Gabby and roared, "For fucks sake, would you just listen to me for once?"

"Would you let me take care of you?" Gabby spat back desperately. "I can't bury you alright? I just fuckin can't."

Melissa's eyes went wide as realisation set in regarding Gabby's fear. Her voice softened, "Gabby, no."

Several tears slid down Gabby's face and she didn't even try to hide them. She hated the fact they were there of course, but she didn't hide them. "I know you love her and I know something happened. How could I not worry?"

Melissa walked straight into Gabby's arms and hugged her gently, to give her a chance to feel that she was still there, that she was okay. "I understand, I really do. But we can't keep doing this. Just trust me, just believe me when I tell you I will still be here, breathing, tomorrow."

Gabby clung tightly, emotions she had been holding in since she had found out Melissa had attempted suicide breaking free. Her heart ached and she started sobbing uncontrollably. "You promised me…"

Melissa rubbed circles against Gabby's back and just held her close, knowing that her ex needed it. She'd caused the pain and while it was incredibly overwhelming to see the vulnerable side of Gabby, she knew she had to soothe the fears. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry sweetheart, but you need to listen to me right now okay?" She felt Gabby nod against her shoulder. "Maura is me right now."

Gabby pulled back enough to look at Melissa's face, trying to understand what she meant. "I don't…. what?"

"She's happy with you, in love with you, but her best friend, a friend that would protect her with her life is in love with her and to top it off is hurting real bad." She really hoped that Gabby was getting the picture she was attempting to paint with her words. "Jane is Rachael."

Gabby furrowed her brow and rubbed at her neck, the tension absolutely killing her. "What are you saying?"

"That lines can blur and mistakes can happen and no matter how much you wanna take it back you can't. I just, I don't want you to go through that again. Because I know you. You won't forgive her if she makes a mistake tonight." Melissa had to blink away a couple of her own tears, there was a chance she was projecting her life onto Maura and Jane, but Jane had given her every single detail about the night everything changed and she knew that a mistake almost happened once before. It could happen again.

"You weren't in love with Rachael?" Gabby asked, a strong sense of urgency building inside of her.

Melissa rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "That's your take away from what I'm saying right now? Gabby, go save your fuckin' future already."

"Answer me."

Now? We're doing this right now? Seriously?

"How many times have I told you that I was in love with you and that what happened with Rachael was a mistake? How many times?" Melissa asked tersely, irked that Gabby was potentially dooming herself to history repeating.

"Just the other day you said…"

"I was trying to hurt you Gabby. I was never in love with her."

Gabby felt weak with emotion and had to walk backwards until she felt the couch and dropped down onto it. She looked up at Melissa with a fresh new heartbreak. Six years she had yearned for Melissa and been unable to forgive her, or trust her and now at a moment in time when happiness was within her grasp she was tossed into a hell of her own creation. "She was your protector growing up and she came to you and…"

"And I made a mistake. The biggest of my life. Not a day goes by that I don't regret hurting you like that." Melissa sighed. Gabby was wasting time going over the same old things they had discussed a thousand times before. She so desperately feared history repeating. "You need closure, I get it, but there's tomorrow for that. Tonight you need to chase your happiness."

Gabby recognised what Melissa was doing. She was letting go. She was offering her own forgiveness for the years Gabby had kept her hanging on and she was moving on and it hurt like hell. She thought she knew her path to happiness, but now that her heart was finally listening to the truth her brain had known for years she was left questioning what that path truly looked like. She knew she should stand and leave and go back to Maura, make sure everything up there was strictly friendly but she couldn't move. Going back to Maura was the safe move, the easy move, but she found herself wondering if it was the right move?

Melissa studied Gabby closely and started to worry that she was going to do something really stupid. She tried to cut it off at the pass with the truth. "Gabby, stop over thinking this. Maura is where you belong. I'm in love with Jane. Do you understand that?"

Gabby found the courage to stand. She took two strides so that she stood toe to toe with Melissa. Looking so earnestly at her she asked, "Do you think it's possible to be in love with two people at once?"

Melissa swallowed thickly, choking back a heartswell of emotion attempting to complicate things. "I think you can trick yourself into thinking that. I think deep down we truly know though."

Gabby glanced at Melissa's lips, making her intentions plainly clear. Looking back up into shimmering blue eyes she asked, "What if it's you?"

A/N: So about halfway through this second scene in this chapter my muse thought lets change things up, without my permission, hence I polled the fan group and those of you here who wanted to comment on what direction to take given I am not near done wanting to explore things. This is the moment things are going to start getting real interesting, but since you all were mostly content with me having my fun now... don't get your hopes up too much just yet! Yes Rizzles is end game, but we have just reached the end of phase one, we are now entering phase two.

Everyone is a villain in someone's story and unfortunately Gabby is turning into the bad guy here even though that was never intended, but we all gotta hate someone right? She's just flawed, but boy oh boy...

As usual I want to say thank you to those who interact with me here via reviews and those of you who just read quietly for your entertainment, thank you for continuing to choose my angsty playground.