I slowly wake up and frown a little because once again I wake up alone in a dark bedroom but this time it isn't my own but Maura's. Panic's flooding through my body, the last time we ended up in bed together didn't turn out so well. I prop myself up on my elbows and take a look at her alarm clock, it says 4.30 in the morning and I can't contain suppress a annoyed groan. What did wake me at such unholy hour? Perhaps the feeling of being left alone in the bed. I hold my breath as the door opens slowly and am glad that Maura comes in, dressed in a nightie.

She stops dead as she sees that I'm awake and blinks a couple of times. "Why are you up?"

I shrug and furrow my brows. "Don't know. And why are you up?"

She slowly walks towards the bed and takes a deep breath. "Haley usually wakes up at this time and sneaks into my bed. I just checked on her before she come in here and finds her Ma laying naked in here."

I nod slowly and smile mischievously as she comes closer to me. "That's very thoughtful and explains why you are wearing way too much." I say, grab her at the wrist and pull her back into bed.

She giggles as she lands in my lap and looks with a bright smile at me. She doesn't make the attempt to admonish me or to get out of my embrace. Quite the contrary, she places an hand on my shoulder and sighs. "I missed you." She whispers and it seems like something heavy has been lifted off her chest.

I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and sigh as well. "I missed you too, very much." I say and lean in a little before I kiss her gently. I prepare myself for her yelling at me or slapping my face once more, but she kisses me back and sigh in relief.

Maura pulls back and keeps her eyes closed for a moment. "Please tell me that everything's gonna be fine again, Jane."

Our eyes lock and I can see the hope in them. Oh, how I wish it would be that easy and that I could say what Maura crave to hear. "I -" I'm silenced by her lips and my eyebrows shoot up high. I pull her even closer as I hear a sob escaping from her throat. I break the kiss and frown as I look at her. "Everything's gonna be alright, Maura but either of us have to work hard on our relationship."

"Friendship?"

I have to splutter and look down at my naked body. "Obviously we aren't able to be just friends anymore."

Maura smiles at me and takes a deep breath. "No, obviously we can't. We're not going to tell anyone that we're trying it once more, are we?"

I perch my eyebrows and stare at Maura's chest without noticing it or ulterior motives. We already did that and the upshot was that we got divorced. I look up as she runs her fingers through my hair and start shaking my head. "No. No, we're not telling anyone for now. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up high. Let's see how we work out for a little while and then we can decide what to do." God, I hope we'll work out this time, anything else would be embarrassing.

She nods approvingly and frowns a little. "Okay."

It's clearly visible that something else is bothering her and I hope that it's not because of our kids. I know what it did to them as I was gone all of a sudden, that they didn't understand what happened. How could they? They are just kids. I push the thought to the side because now it's just Maura and me. "What is it, Maura?"

"I'm afraid."

"About what?"

She licks her lips and squints up at the ceiling. "That we're going to fail again, Jane. Not today or tomorrow, or in a couple of months. I'm afraid that we're failing when everyone else thinks that we're working out. Like -"

"Like the last time we tried to save our relationship." I finish her sentence in a whisper as she trails off and link her right hand with my left, sighing.

Maura nods again and squeezes my hand. "I'm not sure that I'll survive another time of separation, Jane."

I know the feeling all too well, I'm afraid of the same things and that this is going to destroy our little family completely. But I want to have Maura back, and apparently she wants to have me back too. All we can do know is to plunge in and see what happens in the future. Life's too short to overthink everything. I lick my lips and look deep into hazel eyes I love from the first moment I saw them. "Well, we have to work harder to make this work, Maura. No bottling up anymore, no more hiding and no more pretending something never happened. If we feel the need to yell at each other, then we yell. And after we calmed down, we can fix whatever has broken. Together, as a couple. Does that sound good?"

"Yes," she replies and gives me a kiss. "that sounds good." She gets out of the bed and smiles broadly. "I'm gonna take a shower now and then I head downstairs to prepare breakfast. You still have one hour left to go before I come back and wake you."

I groan loudly and lay back on the mattress, taking a deep breath. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Deepens on what kind of favor." Maura says with a mischievous smile and places her left hand on her hip.

I scoff and point at my neatly folded pants. "I have a bag with fresh clothes in the trunk of my car -"

"Yes, I bring it to you." Maura cuts me short and bends down and gives me a peck.

I stare down her cleavage and quirk an eyebrow at the sight.

Maura scoffs and swats my shoulder as she realizes what I'm doing and straightens up. "You are impossible."

"I know," I chuckle and turn on my side, away from her. I welcome one more hour sleeping very much because I didn't get much last night.

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After I had another hour of sleep I got showered and dressed in my extra clothes that Maura got me from the trunk of my car, well, my other pantsuit and a fresh shirt. I enter the kitchen and slow my steps as spot Ma standing behind the kitchen island and as she slowly looks at me. "Um, morning." I mumble and try to avoid eye contact with my mother.

Nick and Haley turn their heads in my direction and smile broadly while chewing.

"Morning." Ma says skeptically and pours a cup of coffee that maybe is for my person. "I didn't know that you stayed the night."

I am about to sit down at the head of the dining table and stop dead for a second. Now, it's my turn to become suspicious. I'm more than sure that she have seen my car when she came over. Ma doesn't miss anything that isn't her business. "Uh, yeah. It got a little late last night."

"Uh-huh," she simply says and perch her brows.

Maura raises her eyebrows high and stuffs a spoon full of muesli into her mouth.

Ma places the cup of coffee in front of me and a small smile plays on her lips. "You can have pancakes or muesli for breakfast."

I frown a little and don't find those options very appealing. "How about scrambled eggs?"

"Why do I even ask," Ma mutters and complies with my request.

I smile sheepishly as Maura scowls at me and look at our kids. "How did you guys sleep?"

"Good." Nick answers brusquely and I frown a little.

"My head don't hurt anymore." Haley says proudly with a mouth full of food and Maura is about to admonish her because of that.

I am about to check her head but she ducks it and glare at me. "Your head doesn't hurt if you don't touch it, right?"

She purse her lips just her mother and shrugs. "Maybe."

"And how did you sleep," Maura asks with a straight face.

In that moment I'm about to take a sip of my coffee and choke. I don't know why her question took me by surprise, but my reaction makes my Ma look at me. I clear my throat and look long at Maura. "I … Well, I always sleep well in the guest bedroom. The bed … the bed is more comfortable than mine."

Maura wiggles her brows and smiles as she takes a sip of her own coffee. "Good to know."

"Yeah," I mumble and smile at Ma thankfully as she puts a plate in front of me.

"So, Jane." She says elongated and I wish I could be somewhere else than here right now. "Are you gonna stay more often over night from now on?"

I shove a fork full of eggs into my mouth to buy some time before I have to answer. Why on earth does she have to make breakfast for us this morning? I think she chose it purposely because of my car in the driveway. Next time I'll park it around the corner. I still feel her eyes on me, that's why I take my time.

"Do you have to work, Mama?" Haley asks with hope in her eyes and shifts in her seat.

"Of course Ma has to work." Nick grumbles but doesn't look at either of us. "She's always working."

"Nick." Maura says warningly to him.

A deep frown finds its way upon my forehead and I have to admit, I'm a little taken aback because of his bad demeanor this morning. I swallow hard and put the fork down. "Why are you in such a bad mood this morning, Nick?"

He shrugs again and shoves his food all over the plate. "Just because."

Alright, I really try to be a very patient person when it comes to Nick and Haley, but sometimes either of them strain it sometimes just like right now. I know that it has to be confusing for them sometimes. One moment I am with all of them and try to have a good time, and then Maura and I start to argue in front of them. And neither of our jobs doesn't make it any easier. "All right, just because is not a answer. Would you please tell me what's going on?" Why do I actually ask? Maura told me yesterday why he sometimes behaves strangely when I'm around, but I would like to hear it from Nick, in his words. I am aware of the fact that a now eight-year old can't express every single feeling in right words, but it would help if he'd talk to me.

"Nothing." Nick simply says and heaves a sigh.

I look long at him blink a couple of times. I'm about to say something as the phone next to my plate starts to vibrate. They really have to be kidding me. Do they sense it when calling me is untimely? I close my eyes and sigh loudly, and Nick drops his fork and jumps up from his chair, running upstairs.

I really have to talk to Cavanaugh about some things, especially if I want to fix my relationship with Maura and our kids. Being called to a crime scene in that period is not very beneficial. I look apologetically at Maura and take the device into my hand before I get up to my feet. "I'm really sorry, Maura." I say and can see that she's whispering something to Haley, pressing her lips to a thin line together. I can't wait to her my mother's lecture later. I disappear around the corner and take the damn call though Maura's gonna be really passed.

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I sit at my desk and stare at the glass board with the newest case, trying to figure out why the man has been killed and in which way his girlfriend has anything to do with his sudden death. As far as we know, she had an affair with the victim's brother and wanted to see her boyfriend dead because he was a gambler and ran through a fortune with all kind of bets. But she and her lover have a solid alibi. God, my head is killing me already and I don't want to be here, but Korsak takes a further training and Frankie's driving Frost crazy at some point. I bury my face in my hands and groan loudly. Suddenly, I feel a presence and peek through my fingers to find my mother standing in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest. "What," I ask unceremoniously and frown.

"Can I talk to you," she asks me back and her voice is stern.

I lean back in my chair and take a deep breath. "Ma, I'm kinda busy here."

"No, you are not. You are sitting here and stare at this board. I'm sure you can spare me five minutes." She shoots back and her tone is final.

I know that this isn't a Can I please talk to you privately, it's a Don't argue with me, get your lazy ass up and follow me, or I drag you outta here. I nod slowly and get up to my feet, leading the way into the empty break room.

"What is going on, Jane?" She asks as soon as the door closes behind us and I have no time to come up with a counter question. "Do you really think that your children and I don't know that you are not just staying over night. You and Maura spend the night together every now and then, don't you?"

I scoff, cross my arms over my chest and furls my eyebrows. "This absolutely none of your business, Ma."

She huffs and glares at me, pointing at the door. "No, but my either of my grandchildren are, Jane. Whatever Maura and you are doing, it's confusing your children."

I clench my teeth and shake my head. "In which way is it confusing them?"

"Because you spend a night and half of a morning at Maura's place, then you're gone. She spend a night and half a morning at your place, then she's gone. And then the two of you start to fight and don't speak for weeks to each other, except it's necessary." Ma answers and her voice grows a little louder. "Even I'm confused because of that. Jane, you put them already through a divorce, don't you think that they need a break?"

I stare blankly at her and narrow my eyes. "Maura and -" I stop myself before I say too much and start to head for the door. "Neither have I the time nor the nerve to discuss this with you right now. I have a dead body down in the morgue that's waiting for justice, Ma."

"Did you forget that you promised Nick and Haley to go to CoCo Key Water Park today?" Ma throws in as I'm about to leave.

I sigh dramatically and my shoulders slump. "On Saturday, it's Thursday."

"It is Saturday, Jane." She replies and I swirl around with a horrified expression.

It can't be, can it? Did I really lost my sense of time? It would explain why Maura gave me another hour to sleep and why Nick was so grumpy this morning, like he sensed that I'm going to break the next promise, and why Maura wasn't called to the crime scene too. And why she looked rather flabbergasted as I took the call. "Maura went with them?" I ask and wipe my nose with the back of my hand because I'm on the verge of tears.

"Yes, they drove off an hour after you left." Ma answers and takes a deep breath.

I close my eyes and run my hand over my forehead because my head feels like it's about to explode. "I am good in my job, but I'm a complete failure as wife and mother." I mumble to myself.

Ma comes to me and looks me deep in the eye. "You're not a failure as wife and mother, Jane. You just have to learn how to set priorities."

I scoff humorlessly and furrow my eyebrows. "Ma, I had over eight years to learn how to make priorities, but didn't make any process in it. That's why my marriage failed, and that's gonna be the reason why Haley and Nick are going to hate me."

She leads me to a table and shakes her head. "They don't hate you, Jane."

"They just think that I'm flakey."

"That's more possible."

"Thanks," I chuckle and look long at her. I can see the sympathy in her eyes and furrow my brows.

She hesitates and licks her lips. "Can I ask you something?"

I turn the corners of my mouth downward and shrug. "Deepens on the question, Ma."

Ma rubs her hands with a frown. "Are Maura and you trying to … fix your relationship?"

I rub tiredly my eye and take a moment before I answer, "Every time we try it I screw things up, Ma, and then it's worse than before. Like today, for example. I'm sure Maura's gonna be mad as hell at me."

Ma nods slowly and seems to consider her next words. "Do you still love Maura?"

I don't need to think twice. "She's my life, Ma. She is my family. I would die for her and our children."

"You should tell her that."

"She knows."

"You sure?"

I open my mouth but shut it again immediately. No, I'm not sure anymore. I always tell Haley and Nick that I love them from the bottom of my heart, but since Maura and I got involved again I didn't tell her the same because I was too scared to be the only one who feels that way, though she told me yesterday that she can't love anyone else anymore. I am really such an idiot. That's how you fix a broken relationship, not listening to what your partner says.

My mother smiles as she sees that I realize what I'm doing wrong and place an hand on my arm. "Go, tell her, Janie. And go, talk to Sean. Explain the situation to him, he will be the last person who won't understand."

I nod slowly and get up from the chair. "You're right. Thanks, Ma."

"You're welcome, honey." I hear her saying as I hurry out of the break room.

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I enter Maura's house without knocking and drop the pizza box on the kitchen island with a loud groan. "Here we go," I sigh like I just lifted eighty pounds up.

Maura looks a little surprised at me and furrows her brows. "The kids and I already had dinner, Jane."

I nod slowly and lift up the bottle of Maura's favorite wine that cost me a salary. Don't ask where I got that one from. I open the lit of the box and flutter my eyelashes. "I know, probably grilled cheese sandwiches. But this is our dinner."

"It's pizza."

"Part mushrooms, part salami. And I have this fancy wine which name I can't pronounce."

A smile is tugging on her lips and she steps closer. "We hadn't that kind of dinner for a while."

I take a deep breath and nod once again. "I know."

"But that doesn't make up for anything, Jane. The kids were disappointed that you left for work." She says and crosses her arms over her chest.

The smile on my lips dies immediately. "I know, and I am so sorry. I I've lost my sense of time, I was thinking that it was still Thursday. But tomorrow I'm all yours."

Maura looks skeptically at me. "Until work calls."

I shake my head and place my hands on her hips, pulling her against my body. "Nope, no one's gonna call me tomorrow. I'm off duty tomorrow and the next week, and the week after. And if you have to work in that time, I'll gracefully take care of our little monkeys."

"Who are you and what have you done to Jane," she chuckles with a glint in her eyes.

I am the one who wraps her arms around my neck and hunch my shoulders. "I'm the one who came back to my senses after her mother knocked some into her head." I smile broadly as I hear a laugh. "Tomorrow we gonna do everything the little ones want to do, together."

"You are aware of the fact that we probably have to go to Coco Key Water Park once again."

"Yes, I'm aware and I don't mind. And in the evening Tommy's watching Nick a Haley so we can go to a restaurant of your choice."

Maura's looking surprised at me and smiles. "A restaurant of my choice? Even a fancy one?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," I chuckle amused.

"Without whining?"

"Maybe a little bit whining."

She smiles broadly and scrutinize my face.

I tuck in my chin and lower my eyebrows. "What?"

"What happened to you?" Maura whispers.

I shrug and smile wryly. "I just realized how much you mean to me and how much I love you, Maura." Panic raises in me as I hear her breath hitch. "Too soon to say that?"

Maura shakes her head and closes her eyes for a second. "It's just been a while since I heard you saying that."

I bend my head a little but then I place one of her hands over my wildly beating heart. "That's you and Nick and Haley." I furrow my brows as she sobs. "I love all of you so much. I love you so much, Maura."

She kisses me gently and leans her forehead against mine, eyes closed. "Jane," she breathes like I am back from a very long undercover operation.

I have my eyes closed as well and feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest. I nod slowly. "Yes." I whisper back and have to smile.