Man oh man you guys…I take it from all the recent updates on fics I follow that many of us are in college, and we tend to write during breaks. If not, I guess it's just coincidence. During the semester I found it extremely difficult to write after school, work, working out, dinner, and homework. After all that, I'd much rather cuddle with my girlfriend. But, since breaks are filled with much needed rest and reevaluation, I want to finally give you guys (those of you who are still with me) an end to this story – this one, followed by another chapter, and perhaps an epilogue. I only hope that it makes a little bit of sense, and that you enjoy it. I have to say, for a story that started out as a silly but oh so perfect idea, it has been so fulfilling for me to know there are people out there who love it. Thank you all so much, and this chapter has been a pleasure to write and publish on an already wonderful birthday!

Chapter 11

Walking to the door of the suite and past her packed suitcase Maura had purchased, Jane prayed that she'd find the doctor on the other side. She wanted to apologize for her harsh words. She wanted to find some way to explain. She would just have to face the music, and be ready for anything – even if it was a slap in the face. Even if she'd never see the woman she loved again.

Instead, she found Constance on the other side of the door.

"Mrs. Isles…"

"Well, well. Hello again, Jane."

Something was up – Jane could sense it in the tension the woman brought with her. It was a force as cold as solid ice, and it only got colder as she welcomed herself into the room uninvited.

"I'm looking for Maura. I felt surely you could help me with that," Constance was oh so good at concealing her jabs.

Jane crossed her arms in front of her, swiveling to face the woman. She wanted to give Constance a piece of her mind, but she didn't want to make any more trouble for Maura.

"Maura's not here. Last I heard she was supposed to be with you."

Constance laughed giddily – or was it wickedly? It was hard for Jane to tell, and the tension only got thicker with each passing second. The officer shifted her feet awkwardly beneath her as Constance helped herself to a hefty glass of gin at the bar.

"No, no dear…Maura is most certainly not with me. If Maura were with me, she wouldn't have blown off the man of her dreams for a disgusting police work position and God knows what else."

With those last words, she shot a scathing look into Jane's soul. Clearly she blamed her for Maura's sexuality – something that was obviously determined long before Jane ever came into the picture. But nevertheless, there would be no convincing Constance otherwise. And Jane had seen what angry mothers were like many a time. She started to panic.

"Uh, Maura should be back soon…I mean, like any minute she could be home."

Now Constance was smiling, and this time it was undoubtedly wicked.

"You know…" as she spoke, the woman began walking slowly toward Jane, much like a large cat on the prowl. "…this is not your home, or Maura's for that matter. This is a hotel room. And you, my dear, are not 'the little woman'…" Constance was now only a foot from Jane, and she took the opportunity to lean in, spitting the next words into her face like venom: "…you're a hooker."

Jane could feel hot, angry tears welling up with the lump inside of her throat. Like she needed one more person to tell her she was less than – that she didn't deserve what she wanted in life. She started to open her mouth when Constance spoke again.

"You know, I guess I should amend that statement. You must be a sensational hooker to have turned my perfectly straight daughter into a delusional dyke just like you."

That one hit Jane so hard in the chest that she found herself turning away from Constance, audibly seething and gripping the edge of the couch.

"So how about it, Jane? Hmm?" She heard the click of a pen behind her. "How much am I going to have to pay to get you to leave my daughter the hell alone and get back to her life?"

Now Jane was shaking. She felt herself about to whip around and beat the shit out of this woman when something else happened. She felt a hard blow come down on her head, and everything became blurry when Jane's knees hit the floor. Through the ringing in her ears, she could barely hear Constance screeching, "Answer me, goddammit! How much you filthy whore?!"

And then, Jane heard another voice.

"MOTHER! What are you doing?! How dare you touch her!" Jane could only vaguely see the struggle behind her, but she would have recognized Maura's voice anywhere.

"Maura! You must get away from this woman, she's a whore! She's a goddamned, good for nothing – "

Smack.

Judging by Constance's gasp, Jane could only assume she received a slap in the face that had been a long time coming.

"Maura, what's wrong with you? I gave you a life that most children would die for! You had nothing and I gave you everything! And now you're just going to throw it all away?"

"Mother, cut the bullshit, okay? Sure, you gave me things, but you never once showed me that you loved me. Maybe the idea of me, but not me, because I never could seem to measure up to your ridiculous standards. I have found a way to move on without you and finally found something and someone that I love, and I will not let you ruin that for me."

"And regardless what you may think of me, I will not have my daughter ruining her life with some lesbian. I'll call the precinct right now and let them know of your pathetic relationship. You're a fool if you think they'd risk bad publicity to hire you."

Jane's vision was slowly coming back, and she could almost see the fire in Maura's eyes as she abruptly stepped forward, no more than an inch from her mother's face.

"And you're a fool if you think I'm going to let you run my life for one more second. If the precinct doesn't accept me, so be it. I'll find another place to work that accepts me for who I am – preferably one that's far, far away from you. Now get the hell out of my sight."

"But Mau –"

"GET OUT!"

Holy shit. Jane had no idea the honey blonde was capable of such fury, but sitting beneath the doctor in stilettos, Jane was grateful it wasn't her slinking out the door, tail between her legs. Head trauma or not, Maura was finally able to have this life-defining moment, and Jane was truly proud of her.

As the door slammed shut, Maura was rushing to Jane's side on the floor. "Oh my God, Jane…I'm so mortified. How could she do this to you? I'm so, so sorry I wasn't here in time to stop her."

"Eh, it's fine. I have two brothers and I played boys hockey six years in a row – I've been hit in the head with all kinds of things. It's a wonder I was able to graduate high school."

"But that doesn't give her permission…and all of the horrible things she said."

"It's not like I've never been called a dyke before, Maur."

Maura gasped and her hands came up to cover her mouth. "She called you that?"

"Yeah, uh…long story. Can I get some ice over here, Doc?"

"Oh shit, yes. Absolutely."

Several moments later, they were lying on the couch – Jane's head in Maura's lap, the doctor holding the ice pack to her patient's head.

"You know, I never understood how mothers know how to whack you good right on the head, so you'll get the point. At least it wasn't a hairdryer. That shit hurts."

"Not all mothers hit, Jane."

"Well, yeah. I mean mine gave me a smack here and there when I deserved it, but it was never mean-spirited. And she usually bought me candy later when she felt bad anyway."

Maura smiled distantly. "I wish I had time to get to know your mother…I wish I had time for getting to know everything about you."

Jane diverted her eyes downward. She didn't know if she still had the strength to tell her before it was time to go. In fact, she knew she didn't. Maura had just slapped her own mother in the face for Jane, the prostitute. What would she have done for Jane, the poser? The detective hopeful was still too afraid to find out.

"I guess I'd better get going."

"Yes, I noticed you packed."

"Look, you made me a really great offer, but I just don't know if I'm right for you. Your mother is right about one thing – what if the precinct can't take the heat on this one? I couldn't handle knowing I was the one standing in the way of a job that's so perfect for you."

"Jane, I'm not afraid of what people think of me anymore. You heard what I told my mother – you are more important to me than any job. If we continue this, it will be on our terms, and no one else's."

Shit. The easy excuse wasn't going to fly – besides, what was Jane going to do once Maura started showing up at the precinct everyday? Her disguise was useless, and she certainly couldn't hide forever. Well, if she couldn't give Maura the whole truth yet, she could give her some of it.

"Maybe a couple of months ago, this would have all worked as is. But the second you came into my life, everything changed. You made me want more for myself."

Maura scoffed. "I know about wanting more…according to my mother, I invented the concept."

"Look, forget about your mother, okay? Truth is…you made me want the fairytale."

If this wasn't already the fairytale for Jane, Maura wondered, what more could she possibly want? Maybe she didn't know their love was real after all. Or maybe, she was just waiting for Maura to say it.

"Impossible relationships – must be my specialty."

Jane sat up and looked Maura in the eye as she said just above a sad whisper, "Yeah, must be."

~LT~

Jane gathered the last of her newfound belongings and pushed the packages toward the door. When they got there, both women stopped dead, lost in their sorrow-filled eyes.

"I had a great time," Jane finally tried.

"Me too." Welling tears were the elephant in the room, both trying desperately to fight back what they needed to say. Yet, small talk was all they could manage.

"Do you want me to call the bellboy?" Maura asked.

Jane smirked. Did this woman still not know how strong and stubborn she was? "No thanks, I got this," came the reply as she reached for the door handle, unsure even where she was going.

Maura's hand suddenly covered hers, pushing the door shut again. "Stay," she begged in a barely-there whisper. "Stay one more night with me. And not because I'm paying you to, but because you want to…please."

Their eyes locked once more, as they dared each other for the truth.

Just say it, Maura thought. Tell her how much you love her – how you couldn't ever imagine loving someone more.

Come clean, Jane. It's now or never. Even if she's not ready to love you, she still deserves the truth.

"I can't," Jane heard herself say after deafening silence. She grasped the doctor's hand tightly, "Maura, I'm so proud of you. And please never forget that I believe you have so many special gifts. Thank you for sharing them with me. Goodbye."

And, just like that, Jane had walked right out of her life. Maura moved on autopilot over to her iPod dock, trying to find something to drown out the voice begging her to run down the hall and stop Jane. She pressed play, and oh how appropriate – another 80s classic. As the first sounds of thunder rumbled signaling the coming of evening in Boston, Roxette sang about how it must have been love, and Maura could no longer stop the tears.

~LT~

"I'm sorry sir, but I swear, I really didn't do it!" A bellboy stammered as Jane was getting off the elevator.

Barney was standing beside him, attempting to take control of the situation. He sent the frightened young man off to deal with the problem, assuring him that it would all work out in the end. Jane smiled to distract herself from her own worries. What would life be without great people like Barney? She knew no matter how upset she was, she couldn't just walk past without saying anything.

"Hi Barney."

"Miss Jane! How nice to see you."

"I wanted to tell you goodbye before I head out." When Barney's expression changed, she could tell he sensed something was up.

"Ah, I see. I take it you won't be remaining with Ms. Isles for the duration of her stay?"

Jane clearly looked confused. "I thought she was checking out tonight. Doesn't she only have the room for a week?"

"My apologies, Miss. I thought surely you would know. The doctor has extended her stay for another night or two so that she may get things in working order at her new home."

"Oh. Got it….come on, Barney. You and me live in the real world. This thing between Dr. Isles and I…it was really just business."

She could tell that Barney wasn't buying it, but as always, he remained a gentleman. "I see," he replied with a hint of sadness. "Have you arranged for transportation?"

"I was probably just going to ask the front desk to call a cab. My cell is shot, so –"

"Allow me." Barney flagged down Darryl, and asked him to take Jane anywhere she wished to go. As Darryl insisted on taking all of Jane's bags off to the car at once, Barney laid a hand of the woman's shoulder. "It's been a pleasure knowing you, Miss Jane. Come and visit us again sometime."

"I will," Jane assured him. But, she didn't know if she'd ever be back in Boston again, let alone at the Four Seasons. She took the piece of false hope as her cue to go, but as she walked away, she heard Barney's voice again.

"One more thing, Miss Jane."

"Yeah?"

"You still owe me one, Officer." He winked, and Jane stood in the lobby, mouth agape. He had remembered that day in the bar. If she had even been capable of calling after him, he was already too far gone, ducking into the lounge with the hostess.

But what could he have meant? Jane's heart sank as she suddenly thought she knew.

~LT~

The next morning, Maura had woken up in her clothes from the previous day. Her hand ached at the memory of her first fight, and her tears stained the cushions of the sofa. What did it all matter? They would just bill her, and her money would take care of it. Just like everything else – now, apparently, even her relationships.

As she checked her messages, she found that it was just after noon, and the movers had already taken everything as planned to her new home. All that was left was for her to checkout of the hotel, and have Darryl take her to the new place. She would need a good night's sleep before starting her new job tomorrow – numb, but at least fulfilled that she was finally doing something worthwhile. Something that she had chosen for herself.

Down in the lobby, Maura was rummaging through her bag for the card key to return to the receptionist when she discovered something long forgotten. It was the antique badge she had borrowed for Jane to wear during their night at the opera. Her mouth fell open, as she brought the item out in plain sight. She guessed that Jane had placed it in her bag when she packed, but Maura couldn't believe she'd forgotten all about her promise to return it by Monday. The archivist would be in promptly at 1 p.m., and Korsak had wanted the heirloom returned well before that time.

Before the doctor had time to panic, Barney was coming up to take the receptionist's place at the counter. "It must be difficult to let go of something so beautiful," he said. Maura looked up at him, and she suspected that he wasn't referring to the badge. She smiled guiltily, thanking Barney for everything. He had nodded, and told her it was a pleasure. Again, Darryl was dispatched, and Maura had instructed him to take her straight to the precinct. She would return the badge, and head straight for home to set to work before she had time to think about anything else.

~LT~

On Monday morning, Jane found herself at Kit's. She decided that she wasn't ready to face work, or even her Ma for that matter, but she also knew she couldn't handle being alone. So, after a night of tears and very little sleep, she and Kit had gotten Snapdogs when the stand down the street opened up. Sensing that Jane didn't feel like talking about her week, she decided to unload about her trip to the Hamptons. They had giggled like old friends and enjoyed a morning of talking about nothing. When they got back to Kit's tiny apartment, Jane had found her phone with full power, thanks to the use of her friend's charger.

For once, she had nothing but a single text from her mother that said, "I love you, Janie. I know you'll do the right thing." That made Jane smile sadly, knowing that her mother loved her, but also knowing she didn't really have the strength to do the right thing. If she told her the truth, Maura would hate her, and that was that.

She listened to the final voicemail she had from Korsak:

Jane, look – never mind what's going on with you and Dr. Isles. Cavanaugh is placated because she's accepting the offer. Between you and me, I know something is up with you, but that's beside the point, and you can tell me when you're ready. Cavanaugh just told me he has a job for you this afternoon. If you can make one last undercover bust, he wants to see you in his office at 2. I think he's really going to promote you this time, kid. And I'm real proud of you. Hope to see you soon.

"Great," Jane mumbled to herself. "Just when I decide to skip town, he decides to make up his mind and promote me."

"What's up, kid?" Kit came in to the main room, running a brush through her hair.

"Ah, nothin. Cavanaugh finally decides to stop being a dick for five seconds, and it's not really going to matter after all. I'm requesting a transfer today."

"Wait – you're leavin Boston?"

"Yeah, I've got to. I screwed things up big time with Maur – er, Doctor Isles. I don't want to ruin what she's worked so hard for by showing up at work, letting her find out she was tricked, and humiliating her. I don't think I could stand to see her like that, and then what would happen? How would we be able to work together after all that? It's just not possible."

"Nothing's impossible, babe."

Jane smirked at the memory of giving Maura that very same advice.

"So I've heard. Hey Kit, thanks for being great about all of this. You've really been there for me, and I wanted to give you something." Jane held out an envelope.

Kit muttered about how she shouldn't have, but opened the envelope anyway to find $3,000. "Whoa, what is this? You know Cavanaugh's already paid me, right?"

"Yeah, that was your paycheck, but this is a gift. Consider a part of the Isles scholarship fund. We think you got a lot of potential, Kit De Luca!"

Kit was beaming. "You do? Really…you think I got potential?"

"Yeah, I think you can get outta here and become whatever you want, Kit. I'm pullin for you." Jane fake-punched her new friend in the arm.

"All right, well I gotta split cuz goodbyes make me crazy, so…take care of you!"

"Yeah, take care of you too – I'll walk you out."

As they said their final goodbyes, Jane stood by the bus stop that would have to take her to wherever Cavanaugh needed her to be. As she sat down on the bench, she took out her phone and dialed.

"Okay, Korsak. Tell me where I'm headed."