Maura could tell from the dark cloud that had been following Jane all day that something was wrong. Their day had started early and while normally she would consider the early call out a contributing factor, her friend had been even more sullen than usual, so far as to not participate in the typical banter that accompanied most call outs. There had been no playful teasing about her refusal to make any assumptions regarding cause of death. There hadn't even been a raised eyebrow at the deep red dress and heels she had rocked up in (she had barely arrived home from a function when the call out had occurred).

She didn't like for Jane to suffer alone, as the detective would often choose to do. It wasn't in the Italian's DNA to let anyone in on her concerns, but this attitude wasn't always healthy as far as the doctor was concerned. Because of this she decided that she would invite Jane over for dinner that night. The surprise had been how easily Jane had accepted; as such Maura found herself putting the last touches of a light meal together while awaiting her friend's arrival.

With impeccable timing, Jane walked in several minutes later when the dining table had been set. She strolled right over to the fridge and pulled out a beer before offering a half smile and a sound that bordered on a grunt in thanks. She chugged down half the bottle before placing it on the dining table and returning to carry Maura's glass of wine to the table.

Maura would have considered Jane's behaviour rather rude if not for the fact that she was aware something serious was troubling the detective. With a heavy sigh she carried their meals to the table and sat them down, one at her place setting and the other in front of Jane, who had sat down.

She took her place opposite the detective and took a moment to observe, while sipping from her glass of wine. If she hadn't already been sure something was wrong, the lack of sarcastic comment about the salmon and salad dinner would have set alarm bells ringing. Maura placed her wine back on the table and picked up her cutlery, "No complaints about the meal?"

"Nah, it's fine Maur. Thanks." Jane responded, so lost in her thoughts she had not paid any attention to what she was putting in her mouth. She ate on automatic while she battled with the thoughts in her mind. She really needed to tell Maura what was going on, because she needed to tell someone and the only person she trusted was Maura, but Dana had made her swear she wouldn't tell anyone.

"A dollar for your thoughts?"

Jane's eyes jerked up at her friend then. She couldn't help but smirk a little, for what felt like the first time all day. It was refreshing. "Penny, Maura. It's a penny for your thoughts."

"Oh I know that, I just took into consideration inflation and…"

Jane shook her head and looked down at her plate, where for the first time the fact the food was incredibly healthy registered. "Ew fish, really?"

"Salmon is very good for you Jane. It contains important amino acids, vitamins B12 and D, not to mention Omega 3 fatty acids. It's a very heart healthy dietary option." Maura managed to shorten what might normally be a long lesson in the benefits of eating the fish product. "Besides, I really didn't think you would care much tonight."

Jane stopped eyeballing the cloudy pink flesh on her plate and looked up at her friend. A defeated sigh escaped her lips, "I know, I haven't been in the best of moods."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Maura asked.

"I want to, heck I think I need to… but I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

"I was sworn to secrecy." Jane offered up as way of explanation, still debating internally if telling Maura counted. She figured that Dana must know that she would end up telling Maura. She told Maura everything, well if not everything close to it. She put her cutlery down and pushed back from the dining table, her appetite having disappeared.

Maura was concerned, she couldn't recall a time Jane had been unable to eat and that included times she would reluctantly eat something with Kale or Quinoa. "I'm worried about you Jane."

Jane met the searching gaze of her best friend and offered a half smile. "I'm okay, I'm just… processing."

"I don't want to encourage you to break a confidence, but you know I am more than capable of keeping your confidence. Perhaps I can help?"

While she wasn't sure about breaking Dana's trust regarding the rape and pregnancy, Jane knew there was one thing she had to discuss with Maura. Something she more than knew Maura could help with if she wanted to. "Well there is something I have been meaning to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

"I uh… aww hell it'll probably just be easier to show you. Wait here…" Jane jumped up from her seat and disappeared into the foyer and out the front door, returning a couple of minutes later. On her return she set a ring box on the table in front of Maura. She opened it to show her friend the simple, but elegant ring she had spent an entire weekend mulling over. "I'm going to ask Dana to marry me."

It wasn't the science exhibition, which was definitely a good thing in Jane's book. Instead she had taken Jason to see the Red Sox battle the Houston Astros. It was only his second game, and after the first time where he hadn't been as excited as she had hoped she wasn't sure how he would embrace it this time. She need not have worried as Jason had enjoyed the atmosphere thoroughly, and talked non stop on the walk back to the car and during the drive home about the Red Sox' victory.

"Upstairs and put your stuff away," Jane said as they walked in the front door. They had received a free Jason Varitek bobble head and Jason had been stoked that it was of his namesake.

"Yes Mama," Jason said, still riding a high from the days outing. He did as he was told and ran upstairs to place the bobble head on his book case.

Jane placed her keys in the bowl on the hall table and sauntered into the living room, where as she expected she found her mother and Dana. "Ma," she greeted tersely, still incredibly frustrated by her mother's inability to stay out of her business.

Angela rose from the couch and looked between Dana and Jane before shuffling her way towards the hall. "I'll go and get my beautiful grandbaby all packed up."

Jane's eyes flashed with confusion. "Huh?"

"I asked Angela if she could watch Jason tonight and drop him at school in the morning." Dana explained casually. She needed to talk to her wife and didn't want their son around in case things were to become heated.

"Alright then," Jane said, a little unsure as to why Dana had sprung this on her without talking with her first, although she had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with Maura's seemingly random disappearance. They had yet to talk about it and while she had hoped that Dana was content to leave things be, she knew that had been wishful thinking.

Sensing the tension radiating from Jane, Dana decided to keep things casual while they waited for Angela to finish sorting Jason out for his overnight stay. "Jason sounded pretty happy about the game."

"Yeah, Sox won and we were there early enough to get a Varitek bobble head, which is now apparently his new prized possession." Jane elaborated, taking a seat on the couch where her mother had previously been sitting.

Dana chuckled at the slight pout on her wife's face, "You're just jealous you didn't get to keep it."

Jane smiled at the friendly ribbing and offered a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. "Would have looked good on my desk at work."

"It would last all of fifteen minutes before someone in Homicide broke it or hid it from you. I think it's best we let Jason keep this one."

"No kidding right. My money'd be on Frankie breaking it within two minutes of noticing it." Jane agreed with her wife's assessment of the situation given the propensity her brother had shown to clumsiness with curios.

Several moments later Angela followed an enthusiastic Jason down the stairs; he always enjoyed time with his Nona. She stuck her head through the doorway, "Alright girls, we're off. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Her laughter disappeared down the hall and out the door; she never did see the eye roll Jane gave in response.

"So…" Jane started, not really sure where they would be going with this time alone. "Should we do some things she wouldn't do?" Her attempt at humour fell flat because her heart wasn't really in it, not when there was a giant elephant in the room, in the form of the secret she was keeping.

"I don't know," Dana said seriously, "That all depends on what the hell happened between you and Maura that would cause your best friend to just up and leave!"

Jane had two choices; flat out lie or come clean. So far her sin was of omission, although a week having passed would only make the situation seem uglier than it needed to me. She groaned internally at her feeble attempts to lessen the damage of her actions. It didn't really matter if she came clean last week or tonight, either way her actions were ugly. The situation was ugly. She had quite literally become the one thing she never thought she would and a brief thought of her father flashed through her mind.

It was that thought that caused her to stop sifting through her actions and to speak up. She was better than him because while she had made a terrible mistake, she wasn't going to run from it and she most certainly wasn't going to abandon her family. She just hoped they wouldn't abandon her. "I don't think you wanna know the answer to that Dana, but I'm not gonna lie to you."

The terrible feeling that had been slowly growing in her gut throughout the week increased exponentially. There was an ominous feeling floating around her wife's words. Dana looked away for a moment, steeling her nerves, before looking back across the room at Jane and asking, "Did you sleep with her?"

Despite the level of truth in the accusation, it still gutted Jane. If she hadn't been sitting she would have needed to sit down with the agony she felt. She winced at the words and fought the urge to look away, "Yeah. Dana, honey, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't!" Dana interrupted coldly. Her heart hurt immensely and the ache permeated throughout her entire body. It was one thing to suspect and to want to know, it was, she realised, an entirely different beast when the fear was confirmed. "I never thought you capable…" Her utterance trailed out as the betrayal sent shockwaves of anger pulsating throughout her body.

Jane hung her head, guilty as charged. She couldn't blame Dana at all, she herself didn't think her self capable, but she had and now she had hurt someone she loved. She looked up and across the room towards where Dana was sitting, head turned away. Jane knew she had to fix it, but she didn't know how, but she was damned if she was going to let Maura's sacrifice be wasted. Not really knowing what to say she said the God's honest truth, "I never thought I was either."

"I always knew she had feelings for you," Dana's voice was distant, barely audible, but there nonetheless. Her face was clouded over as the realisation of all she knew tumbled from her lips. "But I trusted her, because I could see how much she loved you and yet she always acted with nothing but respect towards me and our relationship."

Jane shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wanting to leap to Maura's defence, but recognising that now was not to the time to interrupt her wife, who had now turned to face her as she continued speaking.

"So now I am left wondering if I was wrong about that or if you are truly capable of such a selfish act..."

"Dana, please…"

"No Jane. You don't get to speak right now." It was taking everything within to prevent Dana from leaping out of the armchair and launching herself across the room at Jane. Her anger was pulsating through every pore, and yet she maintained a steady calm voice as she continued. "Maura is too damn considerate to go out of her way to seduce you Jane…. Not with so many people that could be hurt. It was you, wasn't it? You initiated it… you selfish…"

"Just stop." Jane growled, "This isn't helping anyone."

"Clearly isn't helping Maura, since she felt she needed to leave the city to get away from this." Dana snapped sarcastically, "You really are a selfish coward Jane Rizzoli. You couldn't even commit to your adultery!"

Jane shook her head. She refused to be baited into an emotionally fuelled argument. She understood Dana was hurt and it wouldn't do her chances any good to capitulate into the fight her wife was angling for. "I hurt you, I'm sorry."

"Just get out." Dana said, finally standing and pointing in the direction of the door. "Just leave Jane. Clearly you are done with me."

"Dana, it's not like that." Jane said standing and taking a tentative step towards her wife. "I fucked up, ok? I fucked up and it's cost me my best friend and I am hoping to God I can salvage this. I do love you Dana…"

"Just not as much as you love her, right?" Dana retorted bitterly. "It's really sad Jane, that I don't even have to ask you do you love her when the answer has been so obviously painted on your face all week. She's gone and you look like someone kicked your puppy."

"She's my best friend!" Jane snapped angrily, "Of course I am upset. I fucked everything up in a moment of Goddamned weakness and I know you're sure as hell not gonna let me forget it, are you?"

Blue eyes glowered angrily, "And why should I?"

Jane backed away with her hands up in defeat. "You know what? Just forget it. I'm not doing this with you. I'm going to take your advice and go. You need some space to think. I'll crash at Frankie's."

"Yeah, you do that." Dana spat bitterly, knowing all too well that the wind had died and her sails were left flat. Jane was leaving her with her thoughts and it scared the hell out of her. She followed her wife to the door with one final question, "Do you even want to be forgiven?"

Jane turned and looked her wife in the eyes, "Yeah, I do."

A/N: Hey folks, sorry for the delay, started a new job last week and it's sorta been kicking my butt. Anyways here's a new chapter, hope you enjoy.