See Ch 1 for disclaimers…


Jane took one look at Maura crouched next to the body with a sigh. "And Merry Christmas to me."

Maura was still trying to finish her in situ view of the body but the low branches of the Christmas tree obscured the victim's lower legs. She stood up for a moment and indicated to her scene techs to take additional photographs. Turning to Jane she pointed to the tree. "It would be unlikely that the assault happened here."

Jane nodded, the Christmas tree branches were undisturbed, laden with tinsel and ornaments. "Strangled again?"

"By strangled if you mean were there ligature marks that would indicate that at some point our victim had physical injury to epidermis of her neck, then yes."

They shared a look and Jane snorted with a half laugh. "If you are still looking for a Christmas gift for me, I think a book of coupons that I could trade in for crime scene conversations that start with me saying, 'look she was strangled' and you replying with 'yes she was', would be the perfect present."

Maura bit her bottom lip, moved closer and whispered under her breath. "Jane, does Santa Claus exist?"

Amused, Jane leaned in to catch her words. "What? No. Of course not."

Raising her eyebrows Maura dropped the stage whisper. "Same could be said for your chances of getting any sort of coupon book like that."

"Then you need to stop telling me I never tell you what I want for gifts."

Rapidly shaking her head Maura held up a hand. "That is not fair. You are impossible to buy for."

Jane cheerfully shrugged her shoulders. "Then don't get me anything. I keep telling you I have everything that I want."

Maura crossed her arms across her chest. "As romantic as that is, I said the same thing and I don't believe you are listening to me."

Frost cleared his throat and waited until they both looked at him, slightly sheepish. "Both of you may want to come into the living room for a moment."

They followed him over to the living room and stood back, waiting for a crime scene tech to finish bagging swabs.

Frost pointed to the mantle of the fireplace. "Possible blood, she may have been assaulted in here. I'm thinking they get into an altercation, she falls back, hits the edge and perhaps that triggers him."

Jane ran her thumbs lightly along her palms, manipulating the scar tissue back and forth, thinking. As the techs walked out of the room with their evidence the space quieted. With a quick look at Maura and Frost, she put all her focus on the scene and she knew they were doing the same.

If the assault had happened here, the perp had gone through the effort to move the body. The last victim had offered little forensic evidence which indicated they were up against someone with working knowledge of how rape scenes were processed yet here he was, willing to move the body. Jane felt Frost touch her shoulder and she sighed. "He was willing to move the body."

"I know. This isn't good. Maura's back with the body." Frost walked over to the fireplace and stared at the dark speck on the corner of the white mantle. "It would have been easy to miss this. Maura's guys are good."

Jane nodded. "The first scene was so clean. This guy knows what he is doing but the compulsion to move the body by the Christmas tree was strong enough that he'd risk leaving additional evidence."

Both of them turned around at the sound of Maura's footsteps. "Did either of you step on the hearth yet?"

Jane pursed her lips. "Do we look like rookies? We stayed outside the markers." She stepped out of the way when two techs came back in. Within minutes, lights were turned off and luminol briefly glowed hauntingly blue around the window next to the fireplace as cameras clicked rapidly.

Maura sighed. "Not unexpected. The head wound was obscured by her hair, but the depth of the wound and the lack of blood by the tree indicated we missed the area she was assaulted. The body was moved post mortem."

When the lights came on Jane considered the distance between the fireplace and where the blood had been concentrated. "So where he leaves the body is important." She rubbed her scars. "He took the time to clean up the blood. He knew he wouldn't be disturbed."

Frost crouched down by the window. "I think they must have been standing over here for some reason and when he goes to attack her she fights back. Maybe he wasn't expecting a fight and hit her head on the mantle to subdue her. That is the only way I can figure the blood would have been over here instead of all over the hearth."

Jane nodded. "That works and makes me think he isn't as experienced as I feared, at least with homicide. I bet the amount of blood caught him off guard. He was so careful to clean the area over here but he missed the underside of the mantel. This indicates he was disorganized at that point. Reacting." She turned to Maura. "Did you already move the body out from the tree?" At Maura's nod Jane walked back into the family room.

Immediately Jane noticed the ripped skirt against bare skin. She turned when she felt Maura at her back. "Her underwear is missing. Was it under the tree?"

Maura shook her head. "No and after a search it would appear it is not present at the scene."

"So he was worried we'd find something. Good. If he was worried that means we're going to find something." Confident now, Jane took a last impression of the scene. "Frost and I have to interview the victim's sister. She's already down at the station. They were supposed to bake Christmas cookies tonight. Husband is out of town on a ski trip with his buddies." She gripped Maura's forearm lightly. "I don't know how long this is going to take tonight. I'll probably crash at my place. I'm out of clothes at your house."

"Why can't you go simply go and pack a bag?"

"Because I have no idea when we'll be done tonight and there is no point to both of us having our sleep completely disturbed." Jane saw the flash of hurt and scrambled to explain. "Please, don't be upset. We both know if we plan for me to come back to your place you'll work half the night on the body and then wait up for me. You're worse than Ma with making sure I eat and then you'll be exhausted tomorrow."

Maura closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. "Jane, I believe that you think that is the reason you're staying at your place but I do not think that it is. I know you too well."

"Well then what is the reason?"

Maura sighed. "I don't know but I do know when this case is over we are going to figure it out together." She wanted to say something more but they were surrounded by their coworkers. She settled for pulling her arm away before walking off without another word.


The woman seated across from them was shaking her head. Jane and Frost took turns asking questions. Taking their time, not pushing, Korsak had arrived a half hour ago and delivered the shocked woman a cup of coffee.

Jane let out a deep breath and glanced over her notes. No her sister wasn't having an affair. No her sister and her husband were not having problems. No she wasn't having work done on her home. The sisters were having their annual bake-a-thon. The husband had finally been contacted and was rushing home from Vermont.

Eventually Korsak offered to drive the woman home. She was single and her parents had passed away a few years ago. Jane felt a small lump of sympathy in her throat thinking about the holiday season the poor woman was facing as she watched her walk out.

Clearing her throat she watched Frost packing up his desk. "Can I catch a ride with you back to my apartment?"

"You need me to wait around and drop you off at Maura's?" Frost slipped his suit coat back on.

"No, it's after 10 already. She isn't expecting me tonight." Jane avoided eye contact, knowing what she'd see. Maura had an ally in Frost. "Just don't start okay? It seemed logical that I stay at my place tonight, but I don't think it went over well. She hasn't called or texted since I told her at the scene so I'm guessing she'd rather not see me right now anyhow."

"You are an idiot. I don't know how she manages to not run screaming into the night on a regular basis. How is it that yesterday you were upset over the fact that you don't think she'd say yes to marrying you and today you're being a complete ass?" Frost started to follow her out of the bullpen. "And don't answer that. You don't make sense to me and I at least know you want wedding bells and happily ever after. Maura doesn't even know that. Do you understand how confusing that must be for her?"

They pulled their coats tighter as they exited the building, the cold air snapping around them.

The minute the doors were unlocked Jane jumped into the passenger side of the car and shut the door. Frost was pulling out of the parking lot before she broke the silence. "Marriage and living together are different things. Living together is fine but marriage means something. Marriage means that when shit goes down you have to work together to get through it. It means you're both serious about figuring out life together. The good and the bad."

"God, Jane, do you remember last year? That woman already had your mother living with her. She was ready to adopt the baby your father's ex-girlfriend and brother's, well whatever Lydia was to Tommy, left on her doorstep." Frost turned to look at her while sitting at a red traffic light. "As a reminder, she was willing to do this, without hesitation, the day she was almost murdered by Rockmond. I was there remember?" The light turned green and he faced forward, shaking his head. "She was willing to do all of this for you. For you. And you're claiming that you don't believe she'll say yes to a marriage proposal because of some conversation you two had at some point in your friendship?"

"You weren't there. She was serious." Jane stared out the window, arms crossed over her chest.

Frost hit his fist on the steering wheel. "So what? She probably was serious at that point in time, with the options in front of her. That was then, this is now. You should spend some time tonight, all alone in your apartment figuring out what the real issue is." He finally pulled up in front of Jane's brownstone. "It's not that crap about Maura saying no. I don't buy it. So think long and hard before you create more problems than you're going to be able to fix."

His dark eyes were dead serious and his face offered no opportunity for argument. Jane took a few rapid breaths and stepped out of the car. "I'll think about it okay? Really, I mean it. Thanks for the ride."

Frost simply nodded.


Maura's phone buzzed on the nightstand and for a moment she debated not answering. With a sigh she, put down the article she was reading and accepted the call, skipping a greeting. "How did the interview go with the sister?"

Jane cradled her phone against her ear, trying to picture where Maura was in her house. The clock read a few minutes before 11pm. "About what we expected. Nothing that we can see for the moment. Are you going to autopsy tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning."

Jane looked around her bedroom, putting the phone on speaker while she changed. "What are you doing right now?"

Maura felt her hurt and confusion from earlier start to bleed away at the longing tone in Jane's voice. She took a deep breath and let it out on a long sigh, now feeling irritated at herself for not being able to ignore Jane's melancholy. There was no reason for this. "If you were here you'd know."

"That is true." Jane had a good idea though, could picture Maura with a book or periodical on her lap, sitting up in bed, absorbed in whatever had caught her attention. They spent enough nights together that she realized part of her restless feeling was Maura's routines were becoming part of her own. It was why she needed to call. Maura's voice was something she was used to hearing just before she fell asleep and her apartment's familiar noises were grating on her nerves.

The feeling of restlessness intensified as Jane continued picturing Maura along with the hurt edge to her voice. Frost was right. She was an idiot. Jane decided to change the topic as she walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. "Did Tommy finish the lights?"

Maura knew Jane was avoiding the issue, but tonight she wasn't willing to offer that grace. "Yes, but I haven't seen them yet. They needed an extension cord to bring the power to the front of the house. Frankie was still here with your mother when I came home." Maura sighed. "He apologized when he left. Twice. So I'm not turning those lights on until you are here to live through it with me. Your mother left a plate for you. I put it away in the fridge."

Jane chewed her lip, turning off the lights in the kitchen and living room. "That would have been a lot better than the stale granola bar I found in my desk drawer." She heard Maura mutter something non committal at the other end of the line.

Maura tapped her fingers on the periodical on her lap. "She wanted you to know that she's doing Christmas cards tomorrow night and you are expected to help address envelopes if you still refuse to send out your own."

Jane dropped her hand from her apartment security chain and tested to make sure the door was locked. "And now my holiday traditions are complete. God I hate that job."

"I'm going to handle my handle my holiday correspondence with her. I think it will be nice to have someone to share that with."

"You are so weird. For the cards or for looking forward to filling them out with my mother I'm not certain." Jane sighed. "But you can let her know I'll be there. I always am. What I can't figure out is how Frankie never has to do stuff like this." She looked out the window, snow was starting to fall. "It's snowing."

Maura shifted so she could look out her bedroom window, fat flakes drifty lazily down, caught in the glow from the streetlights. "It is, it's pretty. We're supposed to get a few inches by tomorrow night." It was the type of night when she should be able to pull Jane close and hold her as the flakes fell down. Maura sighed softly. "Jane, I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

When she ended the call Maura watched the snow for a few more minutes until her vision blurred and she swallowed against the emotion. It was shocking at times how easily Jane fit into her life and how after a year of being together that her presence was so entwined with Maura's life that her absence on a night like this, purely by choice and not circumstance, hurt.

It was a change in herself that she was not certain she wanted to analyze. Maura dragged her eyes off the snow drifting past her window, sparking bright white, before disappearing into the night. She picked up her journal and went back to reading.

Maura was half way through her article when she realized Jo was whining downstairs. Listening she heard her back door open and close after a long pause. She sat up a little, watching her bedroom door.

When it opened Maura wasn't surprised to see Jane standing there, hands lightly clasping the wood frame, expressions floating over her features while the toes of one foot rubbed back and forth against the opposite ankle.

Jane wasn't sure what she should say. She had been locking up her apartment, already on her way over when Maura had ended the call abruptly. She stood there waiting, not certain of her welcome. They made eye contact and she felt her heart start to pound.

Maura breathed in and out while she studied Jane. She could see the snow hanging in brunette curls melting in the soft light of her bedroom. Whatever was going on was not simple and was not going to be worked through tonight. She shook her head slightly before calmly pulling down the duvet beside her.

Jane climbed into bed watching Maura whose attention was back on her reading. After a moment she saw hazel eyes glance her way and when Maura lifted her periodical up Jane felt relief wash over her as she curled up against her. She settled her head against Maura's abdomen, her arm around her waist, sighing softly when fingers started to rake though her curls. After a few moments her eyes became weighted. Jane heard the slide of paper over her head as Maura turned the page. Sleep tugged at her voice. "I want to send Christmas cards with you."

"Okay, I'll be glad for the help tomorrow, the envelopes are always the most tedious part."

Jane fought sleep as the warmth of Maura mixed with the rhythmic breathing against her cheek. "No, I want to send cards out this year from me and you. From us."

Maura smiled quietly, fingers stilling for a moment. "I think that sounds like a lovely idea."

Jane wanted to respond, but Maura's fingers were running through her hair again. Her awareness became hazy, words wouldn't form. She nodded against the soft surface, breathing in deeply as she gave into sleep.