"Lunch with Jane" translates to lunch with her entire family, Maura quickly learns as Jane waves her over to a crowded table on the far side of the café. Maura blinks a few times, ignoring the small pit in her chest. She scolds herself for her disappointment; she reprimands herself for expecting to be special. It would be rude of her to leave now, but she feels that familiar tenseness rising in her stomach as she forces a smile to her face. She has not prepared herself for such an exhausting endeavor, as she's swept into the rapid whirlwind of introductions.

There's Frankie, just barely twenty, who has just been instated as an officer. Maura recognizes him from her first day here, as the boy who clumsily spilled his coffee on her blouse. They make eye contact, feeling the mutual blush radiate of their respective cheeks, though neither of them have the courage to acknowledge their brief encounter.

There's hardly time for Maura to feel embarrassed, however, because Jane's mother swoops in like a hawk, bearing a platter of broken cookies and leftover donuts. She recognizes her, too, as the kindly woman who works the café register.

"I'm Angela," she grins widely, taking the seat next to Maura. "It's so nice to see that Jane is making new friends." Maura smiles politely.

"Ma," Jane groans, slumping in her seat.

Angela glares pointedly in Jane's direction, though she continues to address Maura instead. "You dress so nicely, dear." Maura feels the pinkness rise to her cheeks once again, glancing down at her aqua dress. "Perhaps you could give Jane a few tips about proper feminine workplace attire."

"Ma," Jane's voice comes with a warning tone now. Maura quickly shoves a bite of salad in her mouth.

Angela huffs, instead turning to fix Frankie's collar, though he quickly swats her away. Jane offers Maura a small, embarrassed smile. Maura's stomach flops a little, nodding appreciatively toward her in return.

Joining the Rizzoli clan are Barry Frost and Vince Korsak, both homicide detectives, whom Maura has seen briefly down in the morgue, though her interactions with them have been professional and brief.

"What's up, Doc?" Frost greets her through mouth full of donut. Frankie snickers. Maura blushes.

"I'm doing well," she answers him, though her eyes stray to Jane again.

"Have you lived in Boston long?" Korsak addresses her this time, keeping the conversation steady and polite. She swivels her head, almost suffocating from the amount of attention she's receiving.

She nods, sipping her water. "I was born and raised in Beacon Hill, actually," she answers, willing the conversation to flow naturally.

Frost lets out a low whistle. "Damn, the Doc's living the good life."

Maura blushes even deeper, mortification threatening to seep in. But she glances toward Jane, who looks unintentionally seductive as she sinks her teeth into her apple. Maura swallows a breath, reminding herself that she has the power to make this lunch date go successfully. She reminds herself how much she wants this lunch date to go successfully and prove to Jane that she is worthy of pursuing a friendship with, that she is capable of playing on the same social field. "I attended BCU for my undergrad program and Harvard Medical School for my MD, so I've never strayed far from the Boston area," she concludes. "While it is a wonderful city, I would not mind branching out in the future."

Jane jerks her head up suddenly, inserting herself back into the conversation quite abruptly. "But you can't leave the city with the damn best baseball team in the country."

It's probably unintentional on Jane's part, but Maura's head feels a little light and giddy at the prospect of being wanted. Maura debates whether to argue the logistics of Jane's reasoning or to merely tell her that sports are not her cup of tea, but Jane's phone buzzes loudly on the table, leaving the words stuck in Maura's throat.

"Damn," she hisses, rising immediately from the table. "I'll be right back."

"Casey," Frankie and Frost speak in unison, a hint of exhausted agitation in their voices.

"I don't understand why she can't wait until we're done eating to take his calls," Angela sighs loudly. "Or if it just can't wait, why can't she talk to him here?"

"'Cause all they do is fight," Frankie answers without missing a beat.

Korsak grunts in agreement.

"He already called her at least once today," Frost seems just as eager to pipe in with his own thoughts. "Must be a bad one..."

While Maura is glad that she has successively faded into the background, curiosity burns in her gut.

"Hush," Angela looks a little flushed, especially as her eyes dart quickly toward Maura. "It's none of our business anyhow."

Frankie practically snorts. "Coming from you, Ma. I think it's safe to say you're dying to know all the nitty-gritty details more than any of us."

"Who is Casey?" Maura's words are hardly her own, erupting so suddenly and thoughtlessly from her mouth, but her need to know has suddenly seized her.

"Jane's fiance."

She doesn't know who ultimately answers her, because the words are so unexpectedly startling that she can't breathe properly for a moment.

"I didn't know Jane was engaged," she answers dumbly, a little frantically, giving herself more time to process the news. The news that shouldn't affect anything, she tells herself as she swallows another breath. There is no reason for her to feel so horribly hurt and betrayed. "I didn't notice a ring," she adds meekly.

"Can't be wearing a rock like with the kind of undercover assignments she does," Frost supplies the logical answer. "But Jane isn't the kind of girl who be too keen on wearing one anyway, so I think she milks that excuse for all it's worth."

The rest of the table, thankfully, seems oblivious to Maura's quickly souring mood. She excuses herself politely, before secluding herself back down in the chilly confines of the morgue. She picks up a sheet of test results, ones that she has already thoroughly assessed this morning. Her hand shakes slightly as the words muddle across the page.

You're being ridiculous, she scolds herself. This doesn't change anything.

But the ugly knot in her chest refuses to go away.

XXX

"Maura, please come with me."

Ms. Jacobs' voice is soft, but commanding, as the other children file into the choir room. Maura's eyes dart once toward the door, before shuffling timidly behind Ms. Jacobs. They arrive back at her classroom, the silence soft and pulsing. Maura swallows loudly.

Ms. Jacobs sinks to her knees, her joints snapping lightly. She's level with Maura and now, and Maura watches her eyes swim with concern.

"We can stop this from happening," Ms. Jacobs promises her, reaching to touch her purple cheek. Maura flinches, but she does not pull away. "I can help you if you let me."

Maura mouth opens, but instead of words, a small, strangled sob bursts from her lips. Ms. Jacobs' form swims in front of her as her eyes pool with tears. Ms. Jacobs stands, swooping Maura into an unexpected embrace. Her body stings, her senses on overload, but the influx of emotion is strangely appealing. It's the first time she's been properly hugged, and she's certain she doesn't want it to end.

"I'm here for you, whenever you need me." Ms. Jacobs' words are hushed, but firm.

Maura clings to her more tightly.