I'm pleased the consensus was that Maura wouldn't kill Casey since I had already mostly written this. Thank you for your comments and thoughts. I hope you all enjoy this. Are you ready? The final chapter...

Chapter 2w3nty1

"Maura. Do you remember all those times that I couldn't stay away from a case?"

"I do. One of those times you ruined my good napkins."

"That all feels like a lifetime ago. Like it was another person."

"Only it wasn't another person. It was you."

"It is so strange. One different decision. One change. And we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be going to quit."

Maura sighs softly, "I don't want you to stop working Jane. I love that you help people. You love helping people. They need you. The sick, the lost, the hurting. I'm sorry I said you should quit. I was just afraid I might lose you." Maura clenches her fists tightly, "That I might still. I think I have always been worried about that."

"This isn't about what you said Maur. I just...I am confused right now."

Jane rubs her face and swirls her beer slowly before taking a sip.

"Those people you have helped...where would they be today if you hadn't done what you did...if some things had been different a long time ago?"

Jane licks her lips and struggles against a mountain of guilt.

"Someone else would have done the things I did."

"Would they have?"

Jane shrugs limply, "I guess." She doesn't sound too convinced

"There are few people as much or more dedicated than you Jane. And there are even less that care for others as much as you. That isn't even taking into account how you manage to solve cases as efficiently and assiduously as you do."

"Stop Maur." Jane says softly as she blushes slightly and hides behind her beer bottle.

"As much as I hate worrying about you...I know for definite that there are people out there that need you. That only 'you' can help."

"I...I don't know..."

"I want you to be safe, always Jane, but I don't want you to be anything other than who you are."

"Maur." Jane breathes, 'Thank you...but I don't think I know who I am anymore."

"You have experienced a great and tragic loss. That doesn't change who you are. It only changes how you see things."

"It all hurts me. It hurts when I see a young family together. Kids at the park. When people are reunited and happy. It hurts me that I almost had that. Even if I don't know what it would really have felt like to have it...I should have been able to find out."

Maura sighs, she already knows comforting words and understanding won't help Jane, she has tried for several weeks now.

"How do you feel when you solve a case and bring people peace and closure?"

"Sometimes it hurts me that they are so happy while I am trying to hide how much I really hurt inside."

Maura reaches out and rests her hand on Janes forearm swallowing heavily.

"You will heal in time Jane. But maybe it was just too soon to go back to work. You need to take more time."

"More time to feel sorry for myself? To dwell on everything around me? What I lost. What I gave up. More time to sit around wondering what I should be doing." She takes a breath, "I would go mad."

"So take it one day at a time. Just each day as it comes. Take lots of breaks. Come down to the morgue more often and see me. Talk to me. I am here for you. For you Jane. And I will be here for you regardless of what you decide to do."

Jane puts her hand over Maura's and squeezes a thank you.

"I know. I just hate that it hurts so much, even to help people. I feel...so conflicted."

"Would it hurt less if you didn't work in homicide? Would you be happier? Would your mother be happier knowing you were away from danger? Would I be happier?"

Jane pauses in thought, her eyes meeting Maura's for just a moment, "Probably not."

"Then don't quit. Not yet. Not today. Solve one more case and see how you feel tomorrow."

Jane bites her lip.

"There is no rush. Just take it slowly."

"Okay." Jane breathes out inside a heavy sigh

Maura smiles comfortingly, "I will be beside you the whole time. I promise."

Jane finishes her beer and plays with the label peeling the corners off, distracting herself.

"Jane?"

"Maur. What would cause you to have to quit?"

"Why Jane. Why do you need to know?"

Jane shrugs again, "Dunno. We just never talked about it. Maybe it would help me to know."

"The circumstances that would force me to resign would be when I was no longer able to do my work competently and professionally. I would be no longer able to find the evidence that answered the questions needed. No longer able to speak for the dead."

Jane twists her mouth slightly, "That is kinda sweet in a morbid way."

Maura chuckles softly, "Being professional means everything to me."

"What about morally?"

Maura plays with the ring on her finger in thought, no-one has ever asked her that before,

"Well..." She begins, "I suppose, being a doctor, the moral obligation was to first do no harm. Being a medical examiner means it is rather difficult to harm somebody already deceased, unless I behave negligently. But..."

Jane watches her intently, intrigued by the effort to answer what seemed like a simple question.

"I'm not sure I would feel the same about anything if I caused harm to someone. I think I would have to question everything I had worked for."

Jane bites her lip, "What if it was an accident?"

"I don't know. I might be able to rationalize it and continue forward knowing humans make mistakes. But I would probably second guess myself all the time."

"I suppose robots don't make mistakes so that won't happen."

Maura laughs at the joke, she will always laugh at that joke, "I do everything within my power to not make any mistakes."

Jane rubs her hands together, watching the scars stay white longer than the rest of her hand because of the slower blood-flow around the scar tissue. Scars that reminded her of all the mistakes she has made, accidents she has had. Her job isn't as clean cut as Maura's, there are no step-by-step guides on the protocols they follow. They are differences that match their personalities.

"I couldn't do what you do Jane." It's like she can read her mind.

Maura reaches over and puts her hand in Jane's preventing her from rubbing her hands raw, she starts to gently massage the muscles and nerves relieving the pain and stress.

Jane watches Maura's hands while she works, hands so clean, so spotless, so innocent.

"Have you ever killed anyone Maur?"

Maura pauses her movements, "I haven't Jane. I don't think I could."

"I didn't think I could once either."

"What happened?"

Jane pushes her hands into Maura's silently requesting her to continue

"You get trained to shoot at targets. It all seems so routine. But out on the streets, I don't know, you're ready but at the same time you think it won't happen to you. You think maybe you'll never be in that situation even though logic tells you that's ridiculous. But then...it comes down to you or them, and your training kicks in. It isn't like you stand there and get to analyze the situation, you just have to act. And then it's done. You did something you hoped you wouldn't have too. And you wonder if it will happen again."

Maura sighs softly, sadly.

"The only time I got to think about what I was doing, really think about it and know I could have done something different...was with Hoyt. I could have incapacitated him without killing him. I could have."

Maura see's the mixed emotions cross her friends face.

"I had a choice. And I don't regret what I did because that son-of-bitch would have gone another round if I didn't. He was determined to cause suffering to me. And the people he had hurt or killed...we still don't know how many in total. Yet the relief from the constant fear he caused was the most rewarding...enough so to make me do the same again I think. But...even in that relief, in the justice, I found myself wondering if I should have acted differently. He would have suffered in his death and he was dying anyway. I still see the joy in his face when I brought that scalpel down and plunged it into his chest. I wondered if that is what he wanted, for me to kill him in an act of revenge to bring me closer to being like him."

"You aren't like him." Maura promises

"He died knowing I didn't have to take his life. He won in a way."

"No. He lost. He wanted to take you to hell with him and he failed."

"Maybe Hell isn't a place you go when you die. Maybe its a place you can live in. And maybe I might have gone there too."

"Did you?" Maura asks softly confused. Jane had been almost excited after he died even saying it was the best birthday present ever.

"Only in my nightmares. Only when I had to do it over and over again every night. When I was awake I was free, not looking over my shoulder all the time. But for a long time, in my sleep, he still had a hold on me."

"I didn't know that Jane, I'm sorry."

Jane squeezes Maura's hands, "I'm ok. I'm ok now. It took time. And you being there for me. And maybe knowing he would have hurt you gave me what I needed to get past it."

"I'll always be here for you, Jane."

"Ditto."

"Maura..."

Maura looks up, her eyes wet with hurt and also anger, she gives Jane a look of confusion, internal conflict.

"I'm here for you. And because I love you I don't want you do this. It won't fix anything, it won't change anything...but it will change you. It will change me. And it will definately change us."

"I want to do this for you, Jane. To..to protect you."

"It might seem that way now, but doing this will hurt me, because it will hurt you."

Maura swallows heavily, her body losing it's stiffness, her strength waining, "I don't want to hurt you." Barely a whisper.

Jane reaches out and places her hand slowly over Maura's hands, a feather-light touch.

At the connection Maura bursts into tears.

She is suddenly like a lost child.

Jane closes her hand around the gun and pushes the barrel of the gun towards the ground and away from Casey's head and her other arm wraps around Maura. She slips the gun out of Maura's hands completely while Maura's sobs jolt through her own body. Maura slides to the floor taking a willing Jane with her.

Jane imagines the tears are mostly from relief, it is over, finally.

"You're ok baby. You're fine." Jane whispers into her hair.

Casey stirs again and groans.

Maura doesn't notice, she is lost in her own feelings, but Jane notices.

She holds his gun, and she holds Maura. And it's like last time, with Hoyt, she has a choice, she has time to think about it, and like last time, no matter what she chooses to do...she won't lose Maura.

Casey rolls onto his front and tries to lift himself up with one arm, he groans in pain but Jane feels no sympathy for him at all.

She watches him, if he gets up she could shoot him and claim self-defense. If he doesn't get up she could still shoot him, half the department would back her up.

Casey almost gets to his knees but collapses again. If she cared, she would hate watching him struggle. She hated watching him when he couldn't walk, when he was on crutches, when he asked her not to watch him walk away. She had cried for him quietly. That was before, he had changed after that, but even before he changed she didn't love him anymore, she wasn't sure she ever had.

After watching him for a few more minutes and seeing that soon he would succeed, soon he would be on his feet, she recognizes her need for him as far from Maura and herself as humanly possible, she doesn't want to ever lay eyes on him again.

"Korsak. It's clear. Get in here." Jane says out loud. If Korsak doesn't hear her she might have to stop Casey herself, either way it doesn't matter to her. The only thing she cares about right now is the sobbing mess sitting on her and soaking her neck.

It takes 9 seconds for the eight member SWAT team to burst through the door sending the table Casey had wedged behind it toppling into the room. Two of them have firearms on Casey within seconds. Cries of 'clear' echo off her walls of her home. Jane doesn't watch as they finally pull Casey to his feet and drag him outside. Jane had nuzzled her face into Maura's neck and hides there, just pleased he is gone.

She hears Frankie and Korsak sigh in relief when they see Maura is alive.

Jane lifts her head "She's ok." she mouths over Maura's shoulder to them.

Korsak nods and gives her a beaming smile. He is as happy now as all the times he found Jane alive when he didn't expect her to be.

"Gee that guy was a real jerk." Frankie says looking around the room wondering if there is beer in Janes fridge and if he should kick the celebrations off early.

Korsak looks at Casey's gun in Jane's hand, her own gun lying near the other wall, and a bloody baseball bat abandoned on the floor. He has a million questions he want's to ask. There wlll be almost as many questions the will have to answer with IA.

Frankie's attention in drawn to Casey's duffle-bag on the counter.

Weapons of all shapes and sizes. Grenades to a bear trap and strange things in between.

"You two have a pretty similar track record with guys now." Frankie says in Jane's general direction not realizing Jane has no idea of what Casey had planned for her.

Jane buries her face in Maura's tangled blonde locks again and wishes her brother was close enough to whack.

Korsak skims the items and wonders exactly what Casey did have in store and if he will talk. If he will plead guilty. He wonders if Jane will regret not killing him herself.

He turns to Frankie and raises an eyebrow. Frankie shifts uncomfortably and pulls out a pair of gloves getting ready to document and report everything.

Korsak shakes his head, "CRSU will do that. We can't run this investigation ourselves."

Jane looks at Korsak as he looks up from the duffel-bag. She had seen the bag when she first arrived, she didn't want to know what was in it.

After a minute more of waiting for Jane and Maura to get up, Frankie asks, "You two need a minute?"

Korsak turns to Frankie and thumps him lightly in the arm.

"Ouch. What was that for?"

Korsak holds his hands up in surrender, "Jane couldn't reach just then." He says defensively.

Jane smiles and chuckles, then closes her eyes just enjoying the feeling of her very alive best friend in her arms.

Korsak starts to walk towards the door, "C'mon Frankie. Lets give them a few minutes."

She hears Frankie grumble loudly before following him.

"That's what I just said."

She feels Maura move slightly and refocuses on the moment.

Maura slowly pulls away from Jane's chest, tears still slowly trickling down her face leaving pink trails, still shaking slightly, red eyes.

"Are you ok Maur?"

"I am...I will be."

Her hazel green eyes lock onto Janes brown ones and Jane smiles at the sight of her.

"Jane?"

"Yes Maura."

The slightest smirk plays at the edges of Maura's mouth, for a moment they almost light up her eyes like a Christmas tree.

"You said...you said you love me..."

Jane chuckles softly and studies Maura's face warmly

"Do you really love me, Jane?"

Jane's eyes sparkle like they sometimes do when they are flooded with warmth and sincerity, her dimples appear a moment later, "I would never ever deny it Maur. I do love you."

Maura sniffs softly, the tears have finally stopped and Maura studies Jane in return, Jane wouldn't just say something like that in the moment, but she half expected Jane to deny it.

Jane doesn't take her eyes off of Maura but she doesn't speak either. She will give her as long as she needs to process this ordeal. She won't put any pressure on her or confuse her in any way.

Maura looks at Jane's lips, silently debating whether she wants to kiss Jane or just stay as friends that care about each other more than anything else on earth, like they have for so long now. They could still carry on as they always have.

Finally her eyes lock back onto Jane's and she is grateful for the strength and love she sees in them. That she has always seen in them. She can't even begin to count the times she has seen that look and others like it. Some gentle, some protective, some concerned, some proud, some maybe a little bit of them all.

"I love you too Jane. I do. But...but what if...what if it doesn't work out? What if I lose my best friend?"

The what if rolled off her tongue like she had been saying it all her life. 'What if' separated the old her that would run away from Jane with the new her that might take more risks...because 'what if' it does work out. 'What if' she does run away and loses Jane anyway. 'What if' she doesn't try.

The future is so unknown, so fragile, so precious.

Jane doesn't reply because Maura doesn't like it when she guesses, she only smiles at Maura's words.

I love you too.

The last four weeks had been torturous...she could have lost Jane during anyone of those days that she was a captive.

And deep down she knows that Jane has always been there, and will always be there no matter what.

"I can't imagine life without you." It's barely a whisper but Jane hears it anyway.

"Maura. Whatever you decide...as long as it is within my power...you will never lose me."

Maura uncontrollably releases another few tears for an entirely different reason. She lifts her hand and cups Jane's cheek gently and she smiles, "Jane, You are all I have thought about since..."

"Since you were taken?"

"Longer" Maura says with a sigh

Jane grins, "So I am your type?"

Maura laughs softly and nods

"Can I kiss you Maura?"

Maura's face drops, "What? No."

Jane looks like she has just been soccer punched in the stomach.

"I...I thought...

"Jane...I...I really need to brush my teeth...it has been...weeks."

"A shower wouldn't hurt either." Jane says scrunching up her nose and tenderly tucking some stray hair behind Maura's ear.

"Jane..." Maura fakes a shocked gasp.

Jane leans close and presses a soft firm kiss to the side of Maura's face beside her ear, and holds it. When she pulls away Maura pulls her back in for a hug, "I missed you Jane. Thank you for finding me."

Jane squeezes her back and then pulls away pulling herself up off the ground, "C'mon, lets get out of here."

Maura places hers hand in Jane's outstretched one, "Where are we going?"

"You need to shower and brush your teeth...because I really really want to kiss you."

Jane puts her arm around Maura to leads her towards the door.

"Aww Jane. That is very sweet."

"And also we can't stay here...I have actually lost count of how many times my home has been a crime scene."

"Maybe you should just leave the police tape up this time."

"Maybe I should. By the way, nice swing." Jane says it proudly, she had helped Maura with using a bat, "Um...where did you find my baseball bat?"

"Why? Had you lost it?" Maura raises her eyebrows

"No Maura, I don't lose things. I just store them safely untill I have to hunt for them again."

They walk through the door leaving it open and head for the stairs.

"I should probably get a physical checkup by the EMT."

"Arggggg," Jane throws her head back and groans, "How long will that take?" She whines

Maura chuckles softly, "Not too long."

They emerge into the light and the hustle bustle of emergency crews doing their thing. Ambulances, police cars, SWAT van, crime scene truck, and tape for miles. Kent Drake gives a slightly worried wave in their direction as he carries gear from his truck. Cavanaugh is on the phone looking like it might be serious. There are reporters behind the tape calling out to them, their camera's flashing brightly. Jane spots Korsak over by the ambulance talking to a few guys in military uniforms. He smiles at Jane when he sees her and waves her over. She can't see Casey anywhere but the EMT is waiting beside Korsak anyway so they head that way.

Maura follows the EMT worker and drags Jane with her to the back of the ambulance unprepared to be separated just yet.

"Jane." Korsak appears interrupting the moment when the EMT first tries to get Maura to let go of Jane. Any other time it would look quite funny as she glares at him and slaps his hand.

Jane slips her hand into Maura's helping her relaxed and allowing the poor man to do his job and looks up at Korsak.

"Casey was never dishonorably discharged when he went AWOL. So he is still under and subject to Military Court. They will investigate and I guess he will be punished by Court Marshal. Because of the type of assault he will not only be dishonorably discharged but also face up to 10 years in confinement, among other punishments."

Jane nods and gives him a smile. It is good news. In Civilian Court he would have a better chance of pleading insanity or using PTSD to get reduced charges, and at the same time he wouldn't have access to the help he obviously needed. But he won't be able to hurt them ever again.

She looks at Maura's grimy face and messed hair, she see's the new frown lines that have formed across her forehead, she wishes Casey's punishment could reverse all that had happened.

"None of this your fault Jane." Maura says with a smile as she tries to put on a brave face. Jane squeezes Maura's hand and gives her a soft smile. Then her face completely changes as she looks at the EMT with an annoyed look that would be impossible to mistake for anything else.

"Aren't you done yet?" She growls at him.

The EMT looks at her in surprise and confusion.

Jane looks past him into the ambulance, "Do you have a shower or a toothbrush back there?"

Korsak chuckles and Maura laughs heartily, "Jane. You're incorrigible."

"It's practically a police emergency." Jane says with a serious shrug

"You have no patience Jane."

"You're absolutely right Maura. You said it wouldn't take long...and I am dying to kiss you."

Maura's eyes sparkle, "Well we can't have you dying now, can we?" she tugs Jane's arm pulling her closer.

"No we can't." Jane replies and closes the distance between them completely.

The moment their lips meet she can hear an outbreak of cheering behind her. She feels Maura smile and she can't help but blush.

The End

Yes it's a Hollywood ending. Not my usual style...however... I have convinced myself that just like real life... in the midst of despair and utter chaos we have to find the joyful and peaceful place, search out the good things and hold them closely...because like real life, if we don't slow down at times and take our focus off the messy, less enjoyable stuff... we will miss what makes it all worthwhile. Or...ya'll are just turning me into a huge softy.

Would so love to hear if you loved it or hated it.
And LOL at the comment by rehellams 'execution by fire ants'. Love it...that might have spurred a wee idea.
Sallyrally, always look forward to your comments, always always feeling the love from you. :)
Kik mentions '21 chapters of pure tension' deserves a happy ending'...quite right.
So I think I will do a wee EPILOGUE...one chapter with absolutely no tension...because I do forget what I put you all through and how slow it was getting out.
So keep an eye out for something extra soon :)
(Fanfic hasn't put up all the comments yet but I got them via email)

Blessings to you all,
JAM xx