Jane wakes up to Maura screaming. She feels Maura's body curled up, her muscles tight, and her body covered in a cold sweat. Maura's eyes are still shut and Maura begins breathing erratically. Jane rubs the sleep from her eyes, gently shaking Maura in hopes of waking her up.
"Maura. Maur. Wake up, honey. It's just a dream. It's okay," Jane says, consoling the other woman with quiet words.
Maura stirs, finally waking up as her hair sticks to her face from the sweat. She looks around them, pulling the covers up to her neck as she cries. Jane holds her, waiting for Maura's permission before holding her tighter. Wiping Maura's tears, she faces Maura and gently tilts Maura's chin towards her.
"Come on. Let's get you a new shirt," she says, tugging at Maura's soaked pajama shirt. Maura agrees, pulling the shirt over her head slowly. Jane stares at the bruises scattered along Maura's arms and chest and tries to look away, but she can't.
Maura catches her looking, reaching out for Jane to comfort her. "I'm okay, Jane. They don't hurt that badly."
Jane hangs her head. "I am so sorry, Maura. I should have known. I should have found you sooner."
Maura shakes her head, wanting Jane to stop blaming herself. "If it's anyone who should have known, it was me. I completely let my guard down around a very dangerous woman and let her inside my home. I trusted her and I feel foolish, ashamed, and embarrassed. Jane, I wish you knew the extent of what happened between us. I feel like I'm dirty."
Jane looks at Maura, seeing the outlines of her from the glow of the bathroom light. "Maura, you have always been the most beautiful woman in the entire world. You still are. You could never be dirty and I hate that they made you feel any less. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, so you could understand how much I love you. How much I adore you." Jane shifts to the ground, getting on her knees. "I worship you, Maura. Please don't say that about yourself."
Maura feels shocked, not expecting Jane to ever utter those words. She feels special being able to see this side of Jane, a side that no one else ever got to see. The brazen, confident, and indestructible detective in her most vulnerable moments. She had known Jane long enough to know how rare it was to witness Jane being in touch with her emotions. She also knew what it took for Jane to be able to admit them to not only Maura but to herself.
"As a best friend, right?" Maura asks, hoping to draw the truth out of Jane. Jane looks conflicted, opening and closing her mouth a few times before she speaks.
"Yes. But also as more. I want to wait until we heal from this before I say anything else. But I love you, Maura. With everything in me and with all of what's left of my heart."
Maura accepts this answer, for now, leaning her forehead against Jane's. "I love you, Jane."
Jane realizes how close their lips are and her heart races as her breaths become shorter and quicker. Maura places a hand on Jane's chest, feeling the thumps of her heart as her other hand rests on Jane's neck. Neither of them makes a single movement as they are afraid to ruin the moment. Jane's breath feels hot against Maura's face and Maura closes her eyes, finding comfort in Jane's familiar scent.
"Let's get some rest, yeah?" Jane suggests as Maura becomes suddenly aware of how tired she is. Maura nods, falling back into Jane's arms. She feels safe here as if all of her pain was held at bay.
Maura isn't sure how long she sleeps, but she feels well-rested when she is woken up by Jane's phone ringing. The exhaustion had settled in, causing Jane to be a heavy sleeper. She shakes Jane's arm, which rests across Maura's abdomen. "Jane, wake up. Your phone."
Jane groans, turning towards the sound, and grasps at the objects on her nightstand blindly. She finds what she is looking for, flips it open, and mumbles into it. Sitting upright, she suddenly becomes much more awake as she receives commands from the voice on the other line.
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir. Thank you, Lieutenant. I will take good care of her," Jane says as she becomes silent again while Cavanaugh continues to speak. As the conversation comes to an end, Jane hangs up after a "Goodbye, sir."
Maura looks at the detective with interest, curious at what Sean had said.
"Cavanaugh ordered a leave of absence for the both of us. It's currently a week, but we can extend it if needed. Frost and Korsak are on the case and they will keep looking for Sarah and Olivia," Jane says. Her voice softens when saying those two names as if she were afraid to trigger Maura. "He wants me to look after you. Uniforms are posted outside of your house and they will follow us until the two are apprehended."
Maura isn't surprised as she fully expected these protective measures to be set in place. Everyone was on edge, considering that neither of the two women had been caught yet. Jane gets up from the bed, putting on a BPD sweatshirt over the white tank top that she had worn to bed. She opens the bedroom door, turning back at the last second to look at Maura. "Sausage or bacon, Maur? I'm out of that turkey bacon stuff."
Finding comfort in their normal routine, Maura begins to feel a weight being lifted from her chest. "Bacon, please," Maura replies as she gets up from the bed as well. "And wait for me. I'll make the coffee."
Jane rolls her eye in fake annoyance, saying, "I wouldn't have subjected you to my instant coffee, Maura. I have standards."
Maura laughs and follows the detective down the stairs, where they begin cooking breakfast together. Jane's phone rings again and Jane sees jealousy flash across Maura's face as the words "Mary Anne" appear across her phone.
"Isn't that the woman from that bar?" Maura questions, "The one at the lesbian bar that we went overcover at?"
Jane places her cup down, "Yeah, the one where your boobs were out?" she says with a crooked smile.
Maura raises an eyebrow, pushing Jane for more. "Don't deflect. Are we going to talk about it?"
Jane raises the cup to her lips again, taking a long swig of the cold water. "What's there to talk about? We slept together once."
Leaning forward, Maura rests her weight on her elbows. "You know, I wasn't aware that you were into women."
"Me neither. I just felt this attraction and I acted on it. Call it projection or hormones gone wild, either way, it was a mistake," Jane says.
"Projection? So you have been reading those published journals that I have been sending you about the human psyche," replies Maura as she beams.
Jane laughs, "Don't be delusional. I've just been around you enough to pick up a thing or two."
"How was it?" Maura questions as Jane chokes on her food. Several forceful coughs later and with a red face, Jane manages, "What?"
"You heard me. Did you enjoy it?"
"It was hot, I guess. It was over pretty quickly."
Maura smirks, "Good quickly or bad quickly? Tell me that you made her orgasm, at least."
Jane shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "Maura, I can't discuss these things with you, okay? We slept together and it was over just like that. It's not a big deal and I just want to forget about it."
Maura teases the detective a final time before dropping the subject altogether. "First time?"
Jane turns around, grabbing a pillow before planting it in the middle of Maura's smirk. "Shut up!"
Maura giggles in response, running away as Jane throws all of the pillows on the couch at her. Jane tosses the blanket on Maura, grabbing her as Maura struggles to break free from her arms.
"It was a serious question!" Maura says as her laugh fills the air. It makes Jane happy to hear that sound again.
Jane pulls the blanket off Maura's head, the ends of Maura's hair sticking straight up due to the static. They're close in proximity to each other and Jane feels a rush. Jane wants nothing more than to kiss Maura right now. Every fiber in her being wants to just scoop Maura up and press their lips together. Maura feels the same, as her eyes stare intently at Jane's lips. Both women take a step closer to one another, about to close the remaining distance between their mouths when the doorbell rings, making the both of them jump.
"Janie? I know you're in there. Open up." Angela's voice needs no introduction as it travels through the thick frame of the front door. "I brought zeppole and I'm freezing my butt off," Angela sings.
"Think we should let her in?" Jane asks and Maura slaps Jane on the shoulder playfully.
"Go let that poor woman in. I want zeppole," Maura replies with a twinkle in her eye.
She sees Angela barge in with a tray full of fried goodness and her hands full of Tupperware with some of Angela's best dishes and feels thankful for her family.