Author Note: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter written. I'd written most of a chapter then realised I didn't want any of it to happen just yet, so had to write it all again. It's also been a bit of a struggle writing, my motivation is low right now. But I'm pushing through it, it just might take a bit of time. I have a busy weekend as I'm working Sunday/Monday until Christmas and I'm busy all of Saturday, too. I know I have Lullaby to work on, too. Hopefully I'll get back into it soon.

"How pissed is he?" Luke asked, sitting on the couch.

Maura sighed and shook her head. "While you're here you're to use proper language."

"The origin of the word piss dates back to the thirteenth and fourteenth century, making it older than many words considered proper language today, such as selfie, and YOLO."

"That doesn't make it an acceptable word," Maura said, perching on the couch beside him, she dropped her phone onto the table. "Stop distracting me. Your father didn't answer the phone. But we do not deal with problems by running away from them."

Shrugging, Luke rested his head back against the pillows. "You ran away to Boston, then Dad took me to three different states. The phrase "actions speak louder than words" comes to mind."

She brushed his hair back from his face. "I know we've set some bad examples, but that's no excuse to follow in our footsteps."

"Why?"

"I'd rather you listened to us, rather than ignoring our requests."

"But why?"

"You're fourteen."

"For two more days."

"Your father and I deserve some respect."

"You do." Luke picked up the remote and turned on the television.

"Anyone for hot chocolate?" Jane asked, carrying a small tray over to the coffee table. She placed a hot chocolate in front of Luke, and handed a mug of coffee to Maura, before sitting down on the chair opposite.

"Thank you." Maura sipped her drink, silently wondering how best to deal with the current situation. The distraction was not enough to cut the conversation short, despite the glint in Luke's eye. She shut off the television and turned to face him. "Regardless of whether you think you should show your father respect or not, I'm taking you home. Immediately."

"No!" He picked up his hot chocolate and settled back against the couch. "Can't I just stay one night?"

Maura reached for her cellphone and attempted to call Gregory again, but for the second time it went to voicemail. She looked to Jane for help, but all she did was shrug.

"Finish your drink, we're leaving in ten minutes."

"Mom!"

"You can argue until you're blue in the face," Maura said. She pressed her lips together to ward off the smile that threatened to creep across her face. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to him calling her that. Clearing her throat, she forced her eyebrows to pull together tightly. "But I won't budge. We're taking you home."

"We?" Jane asked. "I've gotta get to work first thing, if I'm late or tired, Korsak's not gonna be happy."

"Me. You can stay here."

"On my own?" Jane raised an eyebrow. "Without you?"

Maura frowned. "It's not like you've never stayed here without me before."

"No, I haven't." She finished off her coffee and put the mug on the table. "I can always go back to my apartment."

"Are you sure? I thought you had. Wouldn't you prefer to sleep in a bed with a decent mattress?"

"My mattress is fine."

"You don't flip it."

"It said in the instructions that I don't need to flip it."

"You're still supposed to turn it around."

"Why?"

Sighing, Maura turned back to Luke. "If I didn't know any better, I'd be sure you took after Jane."

"Hey!"

x

The last remnants of sunlight disappeared into the darkness. The intermittent streetlights around the occasional property along the road made the drive a little less monotonous. Maura disliked driving on country roads once the sun had gone down, ever since the night she'd driven back to Boston after losing Luke. She clearly remembered the moment her heart leapt in her chest when she saw the blur of lights of a big rig coming toward her, her eyes too full of tears to fully focus on the road ahead. She'd spent the remaining hours of darkness on the side of the road, unable to sleep, for fear of someone breaking into her car. Feeling a wave of tiredness hit, Maura turned on the air con and the radio. It crackled to life with a song from the nineties she barely recognised.

"Where did you live after you left Connecticut?" she asked.

"I thought you didn't want music on," Luke said, frowning.

"I changed my mind."

Luke sighed and leaned back against the seat, he lifted his foot onto the dashboard. Reaching across, Maura pushed it down onto the floor again. He groaned and sat upright.

"Are you going to tell me where you lived?"

"Why?"

"I want to know more about your life."

"Vermont."

Gripping the wheel, Maura focused on the road ahead. "How long did you live there?"

"I dunno, eight years."

"Where were you before Vermont?"

"Maine."

"For how long?"

"Two years."

"Why have you reverted to one word answers?"

"Two years is two words."

Smiling, Maura nodded her head. "Very true. You're usually more talkative than this."

"Yeah."

"Not tonight?" Maura asked. "Or is this because I'm taking you home?"

"I don't want to go."

"You don't have a choice."

"You do!"

"No. I don't." Sighing, Maura leaned forward a little. She stared at the trees as they travelled quickly past them, it was almost hypnotic. "If it was my decision, we wouldn't be going back to Vermont."

"Then turn around."

"Lucas." She chewed the inside of her lip, frightened of the emotion that threatened to surface. She didn't want a repeat of the night she left him. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure, but her voice threatened to betray her. "If I break the rules of the custody agreement, then it will be harder to have access in the future."

"I hate him," Luke shouted, slamming his balled hand down on the dash.

"Luke!" Maura put on her blinkers and turned the car off onto the side of the road. She shut off the engine. Any semblance of light faded into the darkness. She turned, silently watching the shadowed form of her son. Luke hunched over, until Maura heard the click of his belt buckle, and he sprang out of the car. She checked her mirror and climbed out, wrapping her hands around his shoulders before he could move away from the vehicle. "Lucas, please."

"I don't want to go back," he whispered, his voice as broken as Maura felt. She wiped at her eyes, and held him tightly. The gentle shake of her shoulders made her heart break into millions of tiny pieces.

She kissed the side of his cheek. "I'm sorry. I wish I could make this better, I wish I could change it."

"Yeah."

"I'm trying to fight the arrangement, but it's going to take time."

He tensed up and stepped out of her embrace. Maura moved toward him but he returned to the car, and by the time she had seated herself back behind the wheel, he was buckled in and staring at the road.

"So," Maura said, as they set off again. "Tell me about Maine."

"I don't remember much."

"No?"

"We went in the summer after we moved."

"To the same house?"

"Yeah."

"What was your favourite thing?"

"Fishing."

"With your dad?"

"No. Just me." Luke leaned back in his seat, his chin down against his chest. "Dad stayed at an apartment in New York, he had to work. He came out at weekends."

"Oh." Several questions sprang to mind, but she could sense the tension in the car. "Where else did you live?"

"California, for a few months."

"Was that before or after Maine?"

"Before."

"I suppose you won't remember much of that, either."

A long silence followed. Maura turned her attention back to the wheel, so much so that she nearly missed when Luke started speaking again.

"I remember missing you."

For the next few miles, Maura tried to find the right words to respond, but every possible option seemed pointless, or insufficient. Fifty miles later, she still hadn't found anything to say, and neither had Luke, so she returned to the silence that had plagued much of the start of their trip.

x

"We could fly somewhere, go to Europe, he doesn't have to know."

"Luke."

Maura continued walking up the front path. Her shoulder's drooped. She would have loved to have booked them a flight and run away, but she knew it wasn't the solution. It would only cause more issues, and considering the arrangement, she'd be breaking the law.

He blocked her path. She stopped and watched him. His face lit up with excitement. "I could learn French, or German, or both!"

"I'm sorry."

"La France est un pays merveilleux. Comment dit-on "let's go" en Français?"

"You say 'allons-y'," Maura said, pursing her lips. "I know France is a wonderful country, but we can't go."

She stepped past him and approached the door. Breathing in slowly, she knocked loudly, then pressed the doorbell. A few minutes later and the door opened. Greg stood on the other side, a thin layer of stubble coated his chin. He held a book between his fingers.

"Maura?" He shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I tried to call, did you not receive my messages?"

"My cell has been playing up." His eyes travelled to Luke, stood behind Maura. "What are you doing out there?"

"He came to see me."

"You did what?" Stepping out of the house, he gripped the edge of Luke's shirt and pulled him toward the door. "I thought you were in your bedroom!"

Frowning, Maura crossed the threshold, wrapping her hand around Luke's. "You didn't even know he was gone?"

"He was meant to be in his room, studying."

"Well, he wasn't. He caught a cab all the way to Boston."

"You're going back to that school first thing tomorrow," Greg shouted, holding his hand out to the staircase. "Get up to your bedroom, right now."

"No." Luke moved closer to Maura, his fingers still gripped hers. "I don't want to."

"I have to go back to work next week, I shouldn't even be here. You should be in school. If you'd do as you're told instead of catching buses and cabs across the country, then we wouldn't be in this situation." He smiled apologetically at Maura. "Thank you for returning him, I'll handle it from here."

"No!" Luke stood in front of her, his voice crackled and broke as he spoke. "She can't go. Let her stay. Please."

"I'm sure Doctor Isles has things to be doing," he said.

"Actually," Maura said, but Luke jumped in.

"Mom, she's called Mom." He turned to her, his eyes full of tears and his cheeks bright red. "I've never spent a birthday with you."

"You spent your first birthday with her," Greg said.

"I don't remember it," Luke shouted, turning to face him. "It's your fault. Don't make her go. I want her to stay, just until the end of my birthday. Please, Dad."

Sighing, Greg waved his hand in front of him. "Fine. She can stay until your birthday, but only til lunchtime. We have plans in the afternoon."

"Thank you!" Luke's face lit up, he wrapped his arms around Greg's shoulders. Maura watched the brief exchange between her son and his father. She remembered the tense man who didn't know how to hug his son, how he still didn't know. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. That was one thing she knew how to do better. Luke gripped her hand and dragged her up the stairs.

"I don't have anything," Maura said. "I can't stay the night."

"Please, Mom," Luke said. "We have a spare toothbrush, it's new, I promise. You can sleep in the guest room. Nobody ever stays here because we're never here to have any guests. It's next to my room."

"Okay," Maura said. She followed him up the stairs and into the spare room. Her brain was telling her not to, that she had a job to get back to, but her heart clung to the additional hours she was being allowed to spend with her son. "I need to call Jane, let her know that I won't be coming back straight away. You should go to bed, it's late."

"It's not that late."

"It's late enough. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner we can spend some time together, tomorrow."

"Okay," he said, nodding. He rushed out of the room, then ran back in again. He kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."

Grinning, Maura cupped his chin and kissed his forehead. "I love you too, Lucas. Goodnight."

Alone in the spare room, Maura looked around at the simple but modern décor. She perched on the edge of the bed and took out her cell. It was later than she'd realised, so she sent a brief message to Jane.

'It's late, staying the night. Might stay two. I love you x'

'At a hotel?'

'No. At Luke's x'

'At Greg's?'

Maura dialled Jane's number and lay down on the bed. "I'm staying for Luke."

"But you're staying at Greg's house."

"It's Luke's house, too."

"But Greg lives there."

"What's your problem, Jane?"

"I don't have a problem," she said. "In theory."

"In theory?"

"I miss you."

Maura laughed and kicked off her shoes. "It's one, two nights at the most. I'll be back soon. You should be asleep or Korsak won't be happy."

"Gah."

"I miss you, too. I'd rather be in my bed, with you."

"I'd rather be in your bed too."

She paused. "Why aren't you?"

"Because you're not there."

"So?"

"So, why would I sleep in your bed if you're not there?"

Sometimes she forgot how early they were in their relationship, and how much she loved spending time with Jane. The last few weeks had been tumultuous to say the least, but in the midst of it, she'd lost sight of why she'd fallen for her in the first place. They had something special.

"You went back to your apartment?"

"No. I'm in the spare room."

"Jane." She laughed and rolled onto her front. "Why are you in the spare room?"

"I've never slept in your bed without you."

Maura closed her eyes and rolled back against the pillow. She listened the methodical sound of Jane's breath, perfectly aligned with her own.

"But you're okay staying at my house without me?"

"I'm not." Jane sighed. "It's not the same without you."

"We're supposed to be taking a break from physical contact, remember?"

"Sleeping in the same bed isn't physical contact."

"Jane!"

"I know, I know I'm the one who said we should have a break. But my body misses you."

"Your body will be fine without me for a couple of days."

"Why two nights?"

"It's Luke's birthday the day after tomorrow."

"That'll be nice." She paused, a silence that felt like it dragged out for eternity. "I wish I could be there with you."

"I know. Me too."

"Wish him Happy Birthday from me," Jane said.

"You can wish him that yourself, I'll phone you tomorrow."

"Okay."

A small squeal filled the receiver of the phone.

"Jane? What's wrong? What happened?"

"I thought I heard someone downstairs."

Her heart leapt in her chest. "And your first response was to squeal?"

"It was just your neighbor taking the trash out."

Laughing again, Maura rolled her eyes. "Do you realise how ridiculous you sound right now?"

"It's not my fault, I'm not used to the noises your house makes."

"You're a Detective."

"So?"

"You have a gun."

"Oh, yeah." Jane sighed loudly. "I can't sleep."

"Have you tried?"

"No."

"Then try, if you still can't sleep, message me."

"Why can't I ring you?"

"Because there are things I can write that I can't say out loud when my fourteen-year-old son is sleeping in the next room."

The briefest silence followed, then Jane purred. "Doesn't that break the rules?"

"No physical contact."

"True." She moaned softly. "Can we skip the bit where I try to sleep?"

"Goodnight, Jane."

x

"You look like you haven't slept," Korsak said, folding his arms across his chest.

Jane rolled her eyes. She felt like she hadn't. By the time she'd finished messaging with Maura it was late. The middle of the night wakeup call was anything but appreciated. "It's four in the morning, what do you expect?"

He leaned closer and sniffed her shoulder. "Smell pretty bad, too."

"Excuse me for not having time to shower when you call me up at four in the morning and demand I get here right away."

"You still could have showered." She scrunched up her nose and stuck her middle finger up as Korsak walked away. "I can see what you're doing."

"How?"

"Eyes," he said, turning around with a smirk on his face. "In the back of my head."

"Yeah, right." She followed him into the apartment building. "What's going on? Why are we at Sarah Frith's apartment?"

"Sarah was attacked by a masked man around midnight. She got a knock at the door, she thought it was her neighbour who sometimes comes around if things aren't going well with her abusive partner."

Jane's eyes bugged. "She's not dead?"

"No."

"Then why are we here?" Jane swallowed the lump that formed in the back of her throat. All she could think about was Luke. "Is her kid okay?"

"He was sleeping, he didn't know what had happened until he woke up and found the man stood over his mother."

The staircase wreaked of ammonia as it had on the first visit. Jane covered her mouth with her hand and traipsed up the last couple of stairs. She'd forgotten how disgusting it was. Maybe now they could close the case and she could drive up to Vermont to be with Maura. If they were lucky.

"Kid picked up a lamp, nearly killed the man. Thankfully he's just severely concussed. He's in police custody at the hospital."

"Do I really have to ask?" Jane stopped halfway to the apartment, and folded her arms across her front.

"Why are we here at four in the morning?" Korsak asked. "Because she's involved in our case and this man could be our killer. Quit yapping about the time and get in there."