Hi all! Welcome back to the story! Hope you enjoy!

Thanks to JaneyGWF for beta services yet again!

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Jane's mouth hung open in shock at the sight of the dignified woman standing in her doorway. Constance didn't look happy; her mouth was fixed in a tight line and her eyes bored into Jane ferociously. After a few seconds Constance cocked an eyebrow at Jane, which snapped her out of her surprised stupor.

"Sorry, Constance, come in."

Constance gracefully swept into the room, her eyes scanning the entire place quickly before swinging back to rest on Jane. After closing the door and following Constance to the couch Jane finally took in the thick folder clasped in Constance's hands with trepidation.

Jane decided to try to stay calm. She hadn't seen Constance since her mother's funeral, and had barely spoken to her. She definitely wasn't expecting a surprise visit.

Clearing her throat nervously Jane decided to try Maura's usual hospitality icebreaker. "Can I offer you a drink? Water…uh, I may only have water. I just got back from the hospital."

Constance maintained her steely glare. "No, thank you. Please feel free to get one for yourself however, we have much to discuss."

Despite not being thirsty, Jane went to get a glass anyway and used the opportunity to take a few calming breaths. Constance was giving off an extremely confrontational vibe, and Jane wasn't sure why. When they had spoken previously it hadn't seemed like Constance blamed her for Maura's disappearance or her public downfall, but something seemed to have changed her mind.

Slowly making her way back to the couch Jane sat warily and looked at Constance expectantly.

Constance took a moment to scrutinise Jane before diving right in. "Alright. You can probably surmise that I am here about Maura. I haven't seen or heard from her in months, since she returned from that kidnapping. I noticed at the time that something had changed about her, but I allowed her to convince me that she was alright. That was obviously not the case, as evidenced by where we find ourselves now. Firstly I need to ask; have you seen my daughter since your mother's death?"

Jane suppressed the urge to flinch at Constance's accusing tone. "No, of course not. On medical leave or not, I would have to arrest her if I saw her. Maura knows not to come anywhere near me, or any of the other cops."

Constance raised an eyebrow. "She knows that, does she? Alright."

Jane internally swore. She had almost tripped up, but attempting to cover her fumble would look even more suspicious. Instead she allowed her gaze to become slightly icier to match Constance's and waited for the next question.

Constance didn't disappoint, flipping open the folder and glancing at the contents. "My next question is about your mother's murder. You gave a statement to Detective Korsak that an intruder entered Maura's house and threatened both you and Maura. At some point in the confrontation your mother walked in."

Jane stood up and looked at the sheets of paper in Constance's file. She could see crime scene photos, witness statements, possibly even an autopsy report.

Her voice was shot through with anger as she spoke. "How did you get those files? That's all restricted information, this is an open homicide investigation! An investigation into my mother's death! How dare you come and talk to me about that!"

Constance simply cocked her head to the side and gave Jane an amused glare. "You are in no position to lecture me about interfering with an open investigation, Detective. Now either you sit down and answer my questions or we move on to my next method of inquiry. I promise you will like it far less."

Jane glared at the proud woman facing off with her and weighed her options. She knew Constance could pull some hefty strings, and she didn't want to make things difficult for herself if it could be avoided. She also still felt guilty for being unable to tell Constance what had really happened, for allowing her to believe for even a moment that Maura had willingly killed someone.

Jane slowly sat back down, her posture still hostile. "Go ahead, ask your questions. But I won't tell you anything that might impede the investigation. And if you disrespect my mother I will throw you out on your ass, understood?"

Constance seemed unaffected by the threat and simply flipped to the next page of the witness statements. "My question for you is this. You said that the intruder grabbed your mother, then took out some sort of weapon. Maura then took the weapon and killed your mother. Is this the case?"

Jane vaguely remembered that being the story she had constructed. It sounded even more flimsy now than it had at the time. "That sounds right. I didn't see the weapon if that's what you wanted to know."

Constance smiled minutely, conveying no warmth with the expression. "No, that's not what I wanted to know. What I want to know is if Maura killed your mother with this weapon and the intruder left at that point, why was your mother's cause of death exsanguination? There was no blood found on the ground at the scene, there were no containers that could have stored the blood, so where did it all go?"

Jane forced herself not to react. By some miracle nobody had questioned that part of her statement before, even though Jane had thought it was an obvious omission. She imagined that whoever was investigating the case had decided to believe her statement at face value; the fact that Maura hadn't been seen since certainly suggested her guilt. The fact that a mob war had started a few days later had probably helped their case too; there had been nobody available to investigate anything properly.

Jane cleared her throat again. "I don't know what happened. Everything got a bit murky at that point; I'm not exactly certain when the intruder left. Maybe they were still there and took the blood, I'm not sure. Why does that matter?"

Constance snapped the folder closed loudly, her voice steely. "You are lying detective. I don't believe my daughter did kill your mother, but for some reason she was forced to run and left you free to accuse her. I am going to force the homicide department to revisit your statement. They will realise you are lying and stop hunting my daughter. I will make sure you never work as a police officer again!"

Jane jumped up from the lounge and was about to reply when a blonde figure rushed into the room. "You'll do no such thing Mother!"

Jane gaped at Maura uncomprehendingly. She thought Maura had left, but here she was facing off angrily with her mother, her hands clenched at her sides, her amber eyes blazing.

Constance looked unsurprised to see Maura, rising gracefully from her seat and turning to face her daughter with poise. Jane noticed her eyes flick between Maura's off-putting eyes and her expression momentarily waver, before the icy façade returned. "Hello Maura, thank you for joining us. I wasn't sure you were going to come out."

Maura frowned, Jane mimicking the expression as she stepped forward. "You knew she was here?"

Constance gave them an exasperated look. "Of course I did, we bugged your house."

Constance smiled knowingly at their shocked expressions. "I knew the moment Maura came in through the window. I also hired the security personnel that are watching every exit from the house to make sure she didn't run once I got here."

Jane looked at Maura in surprise, who nodded towards Jane. "That's why I'm still here, I spotted them when I went to the window."

Jane crossed her arms and glared at Constance. She didn't want to presume anything on Maura's behalf, but she was fighting the impulse to toss Constance out right now and take whatever petty vengeance she earned.

Maura on the other hand looked conflicted. Jane had seen the old Maura flare up for a moment there, but now she was returning to the uncertain woman she had always been around Constance.

Maura took a deep breath before speaking with a neutral tone. "What do you want mother? If it is to clear my name, I'm afraid that is impossible. I am guilty."

Constance finally cracked a little, her smile faltering. "But I heard what Jane's brother said. They both know you weren't responsible for Angela's death. I heard them say it. Why would they say that if you are guilty?"

Maura huffed in frustration. Jane felt bad for her; obviously they couldn't explain anything without revealing Maura's secret, and they both agreed that telling anyone else was never an option.

Maura crossed her arms, her closed body language telling Jane she was about to try to shut Constance down. "Mother, I can't really explain. I can only ask you to try to understand that I did do this. I didn't intend for it to happen, I would give anything to take it back, but I did kill Angela. Right in front of Jane. And it is right that I can't go back to my life; it's the least I deserve after what I've done. Please don't pursue this any further. It will only cause more pain for Angela's family, the people who least deserve it. Will you let this go? For me?"

Constance was shocked into silence. She clearly hadn't been expecting Maura to confess, she had been expecting a logical explanation that she could somehow use to come in and help fix everything.

Jane decided to speak up, not able to take the awkward silence. "Look, I understand why this all happened, and though we can't explain it to you, there is a good reason for this. Well, no, not a good reason, but there is a real reason why this happened. It took a long time but I've managed to find peace with it, I've forgiven Maura for her part in this since she really couldn't do anything differently. It really would be best for everyone just to let this drop, Constance."

Constance's eyes were starting to fill with tears. "Are you really telling me that my daughter is a murderer?"

Maura's face fell, her shoulders hunching miserably. Jane put a supportive hand on her arm before responding. "Not in her heart, but in her actions, yes. She never meant to hurt anyone. I don't believe she'll ever hurt anyone again."

Constance didn't seem willing to give up yet. "But, the reports, the blood, Angela's wounds, none of it makes sense! Surely…"

Maura moved to her mother, taking one of Constance's trembling hands into her own and squeezing it reassuringly. Constance flinched slightly at the touch, reacting to the cold, hard skin of her daughter's hand.

Maura closed her eyes against the pain of that minor rejection, before opening them and speaking firmly. "I realise that the scene doesn't conclusively show what happened. I need you to forget about that. All you need to know is that I deserve to lose my job and my life. I deserve to be hunted. I won't ever feel differently about that, it's the least I deserve. I thank you for your belief in my innocence and your attempt to help me, but I'm afraid I'm not deserving of the faith you've had in me."

Constance was crying in earnest now. She drew Maura into a hug, again flinching at the feel of her hard body. She sobbed louder and hugged Maura tighter, apparently deciding she didn't care, she just needed to hug her daughter.

Jane watched the hug awkwardly, feeling awful for her part in this horrible set of circumstances. She had spoken with Maura about trying to clear her name while she was in the hospital, and Maura had resolutely refused to entertain the notion. Jane knew she saw the loss of her job, her friends and her worldly possessions as a part of the penance she was serving for her part in Angela's death, but Jane still felt awful for not trying to help. She had been unable to convince Maura so far however, and it didn't look like Constance was going to succeed either.

Suddenly there was another knock at Jane's front door, causing her to jump. Maura pulled away from Constance abruptly, her face fearful. Constance wobbled momentarily, off balance after Maura's quick manoeuvre, before her face changed to understanding and she pulled out her phone.

"Oh, I forgot to check my messages. It's alright, it will be Hope. Can you please let her in Jane?"

Maura spun back to Constance angrily. "Hope? My biological mother? You brought her into this? Since when do you two talk?"

Constance put away her phone, obviously trying to regain her composure. "We started talking at Angela's funeral. We both didn't believe that you were responsible, so we decided to work together to try to clear your name. I had the money, she had the….connections."

Jane's brow furrowed. "Connections? Like Paddy Doyle connections?"

Constance looked uncomfortable. "Well, he got us access to the files we needed, plus other resources that could help us build a case. He didn't want to see you go to prison either, Maura."

Maura looked gobsmacked. Jane wasn't much better off. They both couldn't believe Maura's dysfunctional family had all banded together to try to save her.

Jane considered regretfully that they would fail, since they couldn't save Maura from what she was.

Another knock sounded at the door, prompting Jane to throw a questioning glance at Maura. At the small nod of consent Jane moved to the door, opening it just enough to see who was there.

As expected Hope Martin stood in her doorway. "Good evening detective. May I come in?"

Jane still couldn't find it in herself to be welcoming to this woman, so she simply shrugged and moved aside to allow her entrance. She carefully shut the door after Hope, locking it to ensure they wouldn't be interrupted.

Jane walked back to stand next to Maura. Hope had paused at the door, her eyes finding Maura instantly. Jane realised she had an odd look on her face.

Hope walked slowly, her face suggesting she had seen a ghost. As she got closer, her expression shifted towards fear and horror.

Jane glanced at Maura, who looked confused by Hope's reaction, as did Constance who was glancing between them with a frown. When Hope stopped in front of Maura she reached out a hand and touched her cheek, her eyes never leaving Maura's.

When her fingertips made contact with Maura's hard skin, Hope let out a small sob and pulled her hand away like it had been burned. She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

Constance reached out a hand to Hope's arm, which was instantly batted away. "Hope, what is it?"

Hope glanced at her in despair, before looking back at Maura with deep sorrow. "I'm so sorry Maura. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Maura's mouth fell open in surprise. "You mean…my medical condition?"

Jane's gaze shot between them. "Wait, you know?"

Hope nodded frantically, her tears spilling over. She took a deep shaky breath, glancing at Constance and taking in her bewildered expression.

Suddenly Hope's hand shot out, grabbing Constance's arm. "Constance, we're leaving. We were wrong, we can't help. It's best if we just forget about all of this and move on. Goodbye Maura."

With that declaration, Hope physically pulled Constance towards the door, yanking it open so hard it hit the wall. Constance was too shell shocked to resist, allowing herself to be removed without a backwards glance.

Maura realised she needed to act before they left. She flashed over to Hope, gently grasping her arm. "You know you can't tell anyone. It needs to stay secret. Anyone you tell will be in danger."

Hope looked furious. "You think I don't know that? That's why I'm getting her out of here. I understand why you chose to disappear, Maura. Do Jane a favour and leave for good."

Maura fell back with a gasp, releasing Hope's arm. Constance looked regretfully back at her daughter as she was pulled away from the door.

Maura nudged the door closed, turning back to Jane with a shattered look on her face. Jane crossed to her and drew her into a hug. Jane could see that all Maura wanted to do right now was cry.