Jane woke up early the next morning and made Maura a weird omelet with egg whites and kale. Maura got up not long after and joined her in the kitchen, sitting at the bar. She was feeling a lot better as she got lost in thought about how much she enjoyed watching Jane cook for her, then argued with herself over whether that was sexist.

"What are you doing up?" Jane kissed the top of her head. "You're supposed to be on bed rest. In bed."

"It doesn't have to be literal, Jane. I can rest here just as well."

"I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be literal," Jane laughed. "I'm almost finished in here. Go back to bed and I'll bring breakfast to you soon."

Maura looked at her with pleading eyes. "I'd rather stay with you."

Jane realized her friend didn't want to be left alone, even in the next room. "Move to the couch at least. You'll be more comfortable."

Maura didn't argue. She moved to the couch.

"I'll be right back," Jane told her.

Jane returned with pillows from Maura's bed and a heavy quilt. She propped the pillows up on one end of the couch so that Maura could lean against them and draped the quilt over her, tucking it around her. The fact that Maura was allowing Jane to take care of her without complaint made Jane feel like everything was right in the world.

Jane finished Maura's omelet and brought it to her with a bowl of cut fruit and a mug of chamomile tea. Frost would be over soon to bring them up to date on the case and deliver Maura the notes from the medical examiner who had taken over. Jane, having woken up starving, had downed two giant bowls of cereal the moment she got up and wasn't hungry anymore, so she got under the quilt and snuggled into Maura's side while she ate. Jane was convinced that nothing could feel better than this. She decided it would be the perfect time to talk about them and their future, but was delayed by a knock at the door. Frost.

Barry Frost settled in a chair in Dr. Isles' living room, trying not to stare at his two colleagues and friends cuddled up on the couch together. He was so confused about what was going on with those two. He'd been sure a few times over the past couple of years that they'd finally admitted their feelings for each other and one of them had made a move, only for one to start dating someone else. They gave him whiplash. When he'd found out about Maura's pregnancy, his hopes for his friends to come to their senses were smashed. Or so he'd thought. But now, by the looks of them wrapped in a blanket together, Maura leaning into Jane's side, and the way Jane absentmindedly touched her, squeezing her hand, rubbing her arm, playing with her hair, it seemed something was most certainly going on.

"Earth to Frost," he heard Jane say. "You in there?"

Damn. He really hoped his partner didn't realize what he'd been thinking about, but it's not like she could blame him for wondering about their situation when they were all over each other like that. This all made it really difficult for him to concentrate on telling them about the case. He opened the file folder he'd brought with him and handed a few pages to Maura. Autopsy results.

Maura scanned the pages. "The victim was shot to death by a 9mm at close range, like I thought. She died between 8 and 10 pm."

Jane took the reports, hearing the shakiness in Maura's voice. "Ciarra Hamlin, sixteen years old. She ran away from home three months ago. You spoke to her parents?" Jane looked at Frost.

"Korsak and I did. They say she was a rebellious girl, always getting into trouble with guys, staying out all night, and they thought she was on drugs."

"There were no drugs in her system," Maura said.

"I got strange vibes from the parents. They're the super religious type. Strict, overbearing, accusatory. They homeschooled Ciarra, along with her nine-year-old brother. He was in the room while we talked to them and even tried to speak a few times, but the parents shut him down. I wish I could talk to him alone. He could probably give us some real insight into what Ciarra was going through and why she left," Frost explained.

"That still doesn't give us much on who would kill Ciarra and why," Jane said.

"She was an easy target." Maura stared at the girl's face in an autopsy photo as she spoke. "Distant from her family. Hurting, alone, probably miserable. She was looking for something to make her feel alive and she took a risk that backfired."

Frost and Jane exchanged a look, unsure if Maura was still talking about the victim or more from personal experience. Maura was aware of the look; she recognized what it meant and she couldn't deny they were right. No, she hadn't ended up murdered, but she was having a difficult pregnancy with a stranger's baby and it could've been much worse. She could have gotten herself killed. Even now, the details of that night were so fuzzy that she didn't even remember giving consent. She had no idea who the man she'd had sex with was or what his intentions had been. She needed a minute. "Excuse me. I'll be back in a moment." She stood up too fast, steadying herself before hurrying to her bedroom and closing the door. She collapsed on her bed and let herself fall apart.

It wasn't long before the door opened. "Maura? Baby? What's wrong? What can I do?"

Maura didn't respond to any of Jane's questions or let on that she'd heard them. Jane didn't really need her to. She climbed into the bed and wrapped her arms around Maura, holding her close. She was willing to stay like that all day if need be.

It took Maura awhile to stop crying and even out her breathing. "What about Frost?" she whispered.

"He left. He won't be back for awhile. We aren't going to discuss the case anymore." Jane kissed her temple. "You and I need to focus on you being okay."

Maura nodded and grabbed Jane's hand, holding it over her own chest. Jane could feel how fast her heart was beating and she made her breathing slower, more deliberate, hoping Maura would match it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jane murmured.

"Just hold me for now?"

"I can do that."

A/N: Thanks for reading. All feedback is appreciated!