Epilogue

Four years had passed since the last time Jane had seen Maura and Jane wondered if this was for the best. Her former wife and best friend was now a stranger to her. There were no phone calls or e-mails—there was no correspondence whatsoever between the two of them. The last Jane had heard about Maura was that she had accepted a job in Los Angeles shortly after their divorce was finalized. She hoped Maura was thriving in her new city, but her thoughts were mainly on Maura's personal life. Did she remarry? Does she have a girlfriend? Was she making any friends at all? Did Maura ever think about her? Although she never admitted it to her friends and family, Maura crossed Jane's mind every night over the past four years. She had blocked out everything that had happened during their separation, which had only caused her further heartbreak. Jane felt as if it was her right to remember Maura in any way she wanted and what she wanted was to remember the woman she had planned to spend the rest of her life with. She remembered their dates, what it was like to make love to her, and all of the little moments when Maura would steal her heart without being aware of it. What Maura also wasn't aware of is the fact that she still had Jane's heart.

In the four years that had passed, Jane hadn't been intimate with another woman. She was given many opportunities, but she knew no other woman would compare to Maura. She couldn't imagine herself in a relationship with any woman who wasn't Maura and she didn't want to reduce herself to having the occasional one-night stand for the sole purpose of getting off. There was always self-gratification, but even that became emotionally draining once the fantasies about Maura began. For four years, Jane Rizzoli simply went without.

With her romantic life on hold, Jane put all of her focus on her career and her family. She loved her job and she loved the people in her life, even if she still missed Maura. Jane wasn't sure when it had happened, when she had gone from being angry with Maura to wanting her back in her life, but it had taken her by surprise. Los Angeles was a five-hour plain ride away, which wasn't incredibly long if it meant getting back to the love of her life. But even if Jane made the trip to Los Angeles, as she had thought about countless times, there was no saying what would come out of it. She didn't even have Maura's phone number, let alone know where she lived or if she had a girlfriend or wife.

On what would have been their sixth wedding anniversary, Jane decided to spend some time in Boston Common. There was no definitive reason for her to be there, but it was her day off and she wanted to keep busy so her mind would stay off of Maura. Jane realized her plan had backfired on her when she noticed a woman in the distance who looked just like Maura holding the hand of a toddler.

"Jane!" she called out. It's Maura. Maura has a child. She's moved on and you're still in love with her.

Jane got up from the bench she was sitting on so she could meet Maura halfway. Maura's little girl wasn't able to walk very fast and Jane didn't want her to get tired out, so she made her way over to them as quickly as possible to prevent Maura and the little girl from walking any further. "Hi," Jane said to them, although she wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"This is Chloe," Maura said to Jane before turning to the blonde little girl in the navy blue blazer and khaki colored dress. "This is Mommy's friend Jane. Can you say hi to her?"

"Hi, Jane," Chloe said shyly.

"Hello, Chloe," Jane said in the sweet tone of voice adults use to talk to toddlers and babies. "How old are you?"

"Three," Chloe told Jane as she held up three fingers. "Three years and one month."

"You're getting to be a big girl," Jane said, which made Chloe start to smile.

"She must like you," Maura told her. "She's usually afraid of people."

"Like mother, like daughter," Jane said jokingly. "Where is her other—"

"There is no other mom," Maura interrupted. "It's just Chloe and me. I adopted her shortly after her first birthday."

Jane was relieved that Maura was a single woman, although this wasn't exactly how she had imagined being reunited with her. "What brings you two to Boston?"

"Grandma!" Chloe said excitedly.

Jane couldn't help but smile. "I guess that's my answer."

"We're meeting my mother for lunch in fifteen minutes," Maura informed her. "But I'm available tonight if you'd like to meet for drinks. My mother will look after Chloe."

"I'd like that," Jane responded.

"You would?" Maura asked just slightly surprised that Jane would want to spend time with her.

"I would," Jane reiterated. "Maura, I've missed you."

They were the words Jane couldn't leave unspoken and she hoped they would have even the slightest effect on Maura. Upon hearing them, Maura allowed her emotions to show through to Jane. She wrapped her arms around Jane—clinging to her for the reassurance that she was there and this moment was actually happening. "I never stopped loving you. I don't know if there's a woman in your life—"

"Maura," Jane interrupted. "Four years ago I said there would never be another woman and I kept my word."

"Four years, Jane?" Maura asked. "You and I have been holding on to each other for four years?"

"We have, but we aren't going to fall into place right away and it doesn't help that we live on opposite sides of the country," Jane pointed out. "But meeting for drinks tonight is a start."

"Then I'll see you tonight," Maura said as she finally released Jane from her embrace.

"My number is still the same," Jane told her. "If I see some weird L.A. area code, I'll know it's you."

Jane and Maura parted ways and, as Jane was walking away, she heard Maura say to her daughter, "Chloe Jane, you're not walking without holding my hand." Her middle name is Jane. Jane knew it couldn't have been a coincidence. Maura still loved her and, four years ago, she was right: if it was meant to be, they'd find their way back to each other.

A/N: For those of you who stayed with this story, you are hereby released from your torture. :)