AN: How is everything? Hope this chapter is good. Reviews are awesome and would make my day. Plus, tell me if you wanna see anything happen. Different ideas are always great and I will try my best to fit it in. Enjoy! :)

Maura sighed when she stepped out onto the porch. Night had fallen, the stars were twinkling in the dark curtain of the sky, and the moon smiled down at earth. Maura walked down the steps and moved towards her garden, which she had neglected, hence, its woefully deplorable state.

A voice somewhere behind her suddenly quoted a piece of poetry.

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;"

"Thus mellowed to that tender light/Which heaven to gaudy day denies." Maura finished off the poem as she whirled around and, once more, found herself facing Jane.

When Maura had left Jane to attend to other patients that afternoon, she had been constantly thinking of Jane.

Sure, Maura had heard of several other girls that had dressed as a man in order to join the army. She had even met a few before. But, there was something different about Jane. She did not act like the other ladies that joined the army. She did not put on a certain "swag" to act more like a man. She seemed to know exactly how a gentlemanly soldier should act. Not a boorish, uncultured brute. Not someone who thought that the only way to act more like a man, was to flirt with every single female that crossed her path.

"You again!" Maura greeted Jane. "Is this how you are going to greet me every time you see me? By quoting poetry?" Maura jested as she clambered back up the porch and settled herself next to Jane, who was sitting on the floor, with legs fully extended in front of her, back leaned back against the wall, and hands under the jacket that was spread over her torso.

"Weeeelllll, probably, since you don't seem to notice me, I'll need to always recite one to get your attention." came a snarky reply.

"Well," Maura countered "maybe if you stopped hiding in the corners or on the floor, I would probably notice you."

Jane opened her mouth to come up with a retort, but she couldn't, so she simply humphed in reply and used her shoulder to give Maura's shoulder a playful bump. Maura couldn't keep the wince that came out both from her mouth and facial expression. Jane saw it and immediately asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't hit that hard did I?"

Maura nodded her head. "No, it's not that. One of the wounded soldiers had dug his fingernails into my skin when I helped to clean the gash." she explained simply.

"Oh, does that happen often?"

"Not really. But it does happen at least once a week. Someone will usually always, scratch, punch, or maybe even bite."

"Man, that sounds like a really painful job."

"Well, it cannot be helped because we are not that high on alcohol or anaesthetic supplies. It would be more important that we clean the wound than to numb the pain. Studies have shown that if you do not clean a wound thoroughly, there will be risk of infections of various kinds, which might lead to fever, diarrhoea, or even pneumonia, which, in turn, runs the high risk of death. So you see, a washed wound is important."

Jane seemed a bit taken aback by the wealth of information that was coming out of Maura's mouth. "Whoa there, Doc. Okay, I get the point. Clean the wound, let the soldier use you as a punching bag."

Maura looked shock. "Oh, no. I don't let the soldiers scratch me. It simply cannot be helped. And not every soldier would do that, anyways."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Maur, I was simply being sarcastic." Maur, the nickname had simply rolled off her tongue. She heard another sharp intake of breath that Maura took.

"Th-that's what my parents used to call me." Maura whispered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'll remember not to call you that again."

"No, no. It's okay. It's just that I haven't been called that for about eight years now."

"This time, I hope you don't mind me asking. But, may I know what happened to your parents? I noticed that there was a picture, of a couple, hanging over the fireplace. Is it of your parents?"

Maura pause a bit. "I don't mind. And, yes, that is a picture of them, taken the day after they got married. Till this day, I think of them daily. Not a day or night passes when a small memory will flit through my mind." Maura sighed and sounded wistful. "They were happily married for the next thirteen years, before they died. I was twelve when they murdered."

"Murdered?"

"Yes. I was over at my grandma's house that night. When I returned home the next morning, my dad was tied up and posed on the wooden rocking chair and my mom was bound, lying on the floor. Both throats were slit. And there was one china teacup, which apparently came from my mom's collection, lying toppled on the floor. The police were never able to get to the bottom of their deaths. But, luckily, according to the person, to be exact, doctor Pike, who examined my mom's body, she was not raped. And they both died a painless death, for the police and doctor were both quite sure that the murder weapon was probably a scalpel."

Maura glanced over at Jane, uncertain what her reaction would be. What she wasn't not expecting, was for Jane's face to turn pale, and for her eyes to widen, dilating her pupils till it looked pure black. She looked wild, lost, and almost beastlike.

"Uh, Jane? Jane?" Maura warily put a hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Did you say a toppled teacup, scalpel, and a slit throat?"

"Yes, I did."

Jane did a few calculations. Maura said her parents were killed when she was twelve, hadn't been called by nickname in eight years, which meant that Maura was now twenty years old. That also meant that Jane was four years older than her, making Jane sixteen when Maura's parents were murdered and also, in the same year, that misfortune happened to Jane that would change her life forever. That two events had happened within the exact same year.

"Did he burn down the house?" Jane's voice rasped.

"No, he did not. Jane, please tell me what is going on. The look on your face is scaring me." Maura asked with a mixture of fear and firmness.

Jane was silent for a minute or two before she responded. "My parents were murdered too. The scenario would be a bit different, for they both were not bound and it looked like a surprise attack. Plus, the house was set on fire. But, the alleged murder weapon was also a scalpel, and the murderer had also left a teacup behind. This monster that murdered your parents sounds like he murdered mine too."

Now, it was Maura who was too stunned to speak. "Do you mean to say that that guy could have been a serial killer?"

"Probably. Maura, that's not all. My baby brother, Tommy, was killed when the house burned down. The roof fell down on his trundle bed and crushed him." tears were starting to flow down Jane's dark, brooding eyes. "You know where my other brother, Frankie, and I were? We were out gallivanting in the woods. We thought it'll be fun to sneak out and camp under stars. He was twelve, too, at that time. Big for his size. Maybe, if he and I had been at home, the two of us and my dad could have probably prevented all that from happening."

"Oh, Jane, Jane." Maura pulled her into an embrace, running her hand up and down Jane's back. Maura's own eyes were starting to water too. Her own heart ached for both her own and Jane's tragic story.

Jane pulled away from the embrace, rubbing her eyes with jacket sleeves as she did so. However, Maura kept her hand on her back, for which Jane was thankful. She had never, never, ever, ever, been so open about her past before. The only people who knew were sergeant Korsak, lieutenant Cavanaugh, the former slave, Frost, and her brother whom she knew not where he was.

Only Frankie was the only one who truly knew how she felt. She had never met someone else who had also been through the horror of losing both parents in one night. But, here, with this girl she hardly knew – here, she had found solace, someone who knew the dagger that will be forever stuck in the heart.

Jane grinned sheepishly. "My, I must look like the biggest idiot. I hardly know you, yet here I am, bawling into your shoulder. And I didn't even ask you how you are doing. I was focused on my own story."

"Don't be silly! I did tell you my story too. And I am more than happy that you decided to confide in me."

"Ha! You are such a nice individual, I bet you have tons of friends lying around just waiting to talk to you."

Maura's face fell and Jane regretted what she had just said. "Um, did I say something wrong this time?"

"I don't – don't really have any real friends." Maura hesitated.

"What! You've gotta be kidding me! How can that be so?" Jane exclaimed.

"I've never been that good with keeping human relationships for a long period of time. People usually get tired of me and gradually fade away."

"Then I think they are all fools!" Jane loudly condemned.

"They very might well be." Maura laughed. "Come on, Jedidiah, it is bed time. Another long day tomorrow." Maura commanded as she stood up and, at the same time, grasped Jane's elbow and hauled her up.

Jane leaned towards Maura and whispered in her ear. "You may, as you say, not have much luck in keeping friends; but plan on keeping me to be your friend for a very, very, long time."

Maura smiled and blushed slightly as they both walked into the house, hands intertwined at the elbow.