Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, only their antics, and I profit not from their use.

A/N: My apologies in being so long to update with Chapter Five. This past weekend was my birthday weekend and I was out of town for most of it. The rest of it, I was preoccupied with cake.

Chapter Six

Maura woke to sunshine streaming in the window. She turned her head and noticed Kelly was still asleep, spread out over her side of the bed. Maura checked the clock and noticed it was already well after 8 a.m.

Maura was torn: she needed to leave soon for the office but didn't want to dash away without waking Kelly. Usually she didn't stay the night, but since she wanted to see if this time she could make it work with Kelly, she stayed the night. Maura leaned over and kissed Kelly awake.

"Hmm, I could get use to this," Kelly murmured. She rolled over on top of Maura and pinned her to the bed. Maura shook her head.

"Sorry, Kelly, I have to go. It's after eight and I need to be in the office soon."

"No chance for a quickie then? Or a shower together?" Kelly leered at Maura who laughed.

"I'm afraid not, sweetie. Why don't you call me later?" Maura suggested and headed into the shower. She was already calculating her timeframe for being able to run back to her hotel and change before her first meeting of the morning.

Jane flopped down on the sofa, too tired to do anything but stare at the ceiling. Yet she was unable to sleep. As predicted, she came home to a reheated dinner, short conversation with Joey about nothing, and crept upstairs to tuck in her kids. Angelo was busy chattering on about his new firetruck and how many ways he could shoot water out of it but Caitlyn noticed the tiredness around her mommy's eyes.

"You okay, Mommy?" she asked. Jane straightened the blanket around her daughter and leaned in to kiss Cait good night.

"Much better now that I'm here with you, sleepy bug. Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes. Mommy, did you hear Uncle Vince shot a hole in one on his vacation?"

"He did, huh? And how do you know that, missy?"

"He stopped by after Daddy gave us dinner. He left something for you or Daddy. Said it was an article on Dr. Islands."

"Dr. Isles?" Jane was surprised.

"Yeah. But Daddy wasn't happy, Mommy."

"Well, sometimes grownups are happy inside, Caitlyn but they don't show it on the outside."

"'Kay. Good night, Mommy. Love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Jane snapped off the room light and headed back downstairs. What could Korsak have left behind about Maura that Joey didn't want her to see? Jane went into the study. She could hear Joey in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher.

"Joe? Did Korsak come by today?" she went into the kitchen to ask.

"Vince? Yeah, stopped by to say what a nice vacation he had. Played some golf, said he hit a hole in one."

"Did he leave anything here?" Jane asked. She watched Joey's face. A completely unconcerned expression was on his face.

"No, he brought chocolate for the kids but I grabbed that before they knew anything about it. It's in the refrigerator," he answered. Jane started to say something more but decided against it.

"I'll be in the study again, going over the Thompson file," Jane said.

"Jane, wait. We have to talk sometime. I've missed you," Joey said and gave Jane that expression. Jane's began to see skiers in hell but she didn't say anything.

"Not tonight, Joe."

"When, Jane? You've been very distracted lately."

"Yeah, Joey, I have. We solved a large case and I've completely ignored other duties as a result. I'm trying to get caught up on things at the office."

"Maura," Joey simply threw out her name.

"Has nothing to do with this, Joey, other than the fact that I've never given you any opportunity to think I've been unfaithful to you. You find me in front of Maura's house, I told you nothing happened and you've treated me like a leper ever since," Jane was practically yelling as she finished.

"You've been distant, Jane. I believed you when you said nothing happened. That should have been the end of it. Instead you camped out in our office here at home or at the precinct. Did you remember Caitlyn's play is tomorrow night?"

"Shit, I almost forgot. I'll be there. What time is it again?"

"It starts at six. She has to be there by five-fifteen."

"I'll be home in plenty of time. We'll go as a family." Jane ignored the stern look on Joey's face and walked back to the study.

Maura listened to the various board members but she was distracted. She hoped she had an interested look on her face because these men and women gave their all for the foundation and she didn't want to be disrespectful but she couldn't quit thinking of her evening with Kelly.

That was fast, Maura thought. Everything progressed rather quickly. I didn't intend to go home with Kelly last night but it seemed the natural thing to do. Maura knew something was bothering her but she couldn't quite place what it was. Glancing up at the movie screen being lowered from the ceiling she allowed her thoughts to wander.

Jane's long legs tangled with mine, the bedclothes wrapped around us in total disarray, my head resting on her chest as we drifted off to sleep…I felt safe in Jane's arms, like I was home. I never felt that with anyone else, not even Michael. Maura's mind flashed back to the previous night with Kelly.

She isn't Jane, never can be, but maybe I can develop some deeper feelings for Kelly. I'd like to try. We were certainly compatible lovers last night. Maura was happy the lights were dimmed as she felt herself blushing in the dark. Her cell phone chirped, letting her know she had a text. "Hope ur ok today. Enjoyed last night. You're an amazing woman, Maura. Kelly." Maura smiled as she read the text. She remained smiling as the slide show presentation ended and the lights came up. She stood, ready to lead the rest of the meeting.

Jane sat on the end of the sofa, nursing a beer. She cut back on her drinking ever since her pregnancy with Angelo but still enjoyed one now and again. She felt entitled to it, given the amount of work she managed to plow through over the past few days.

So what did Caitlyn mean when she said Vince left an article about Maura that Joey denies receiving? Jane didn't want to think Joey would intentionally lie to her. Maybe he forgot. He was probably preoccupied in getting the chocolate away from the kids, knowing how much of a fight he'd have to put up if they knew Uncle Vince brought them a treat. Jane took another swig of her beer and put the bottle down.

If Joey had something he forgot about, where would he put it? Jane thought. She almost snapped her fingers when she realized Joey probably folded over the paper and slipped it into his pocket. She ran into the laundry room to check for Joey's discarded clothing.

Yep, there were his pants from earlier today. She thrust her hands into each pocket, finding nothing. Jane checked the pockets of several other pairs of Joey's pants just to be sure but didn't find anything more than a piece of Angelo's discarded bubble gum. She'd have to remind Joey to empty his pockets before throwing his pants in the wash. Bubble gum in the washer was a disaster in the making.

Jane was frustrated and growing angrier by the moment. She knew Caitlyn had to be telling the truth because the little girl was quite observant and didn't miss much. Like Maura, Jane thought then immediately dismissed it. She didn't want to lure herself into thinking of the medical examiner who once shared both her heart and her bed.

Jane stamped back into the kitchen and looked around. The drawers! She thought. Opening the various kitchen drawers she hit pay dirt with the "junk drawer." Anything that didn't fit the description of a working kitchen tool got dumped in the junk drawer, along with a flashlight, ball of twine and various other items. Jane grabbed the folded paper and returned to the study.

Opening it she found it to be a newspaper article, dated two months earlier. "Former Medical Examiner Returns to Boston" was the heading. Underneath, "Dr. Maura Isles is New CEO of Isles Family Foundation." Jane gobbled up the article, reading every word of why Maura returned to Boston. Finishing the article she sat back and thought.

"Jane, what are you saying? I love you and only you. You're my everything," Maura said before collapsing in a heap on the other side of the bed. Jane stood before the other woman, trying to close off her heart while she delivered the news.

"I'm leaving, Maura. This is wrong. I shouldn't have allowed myself to indulge in a same sex relationship since I never believed in them. I came by today to pick up my stuff." She wasn't sure if Maura was actually listening, she was sobbing hysterically. Jane gathered up the rest of her stuff and headed for the door. Stopping at the table near it she deposited her key.

"JANE!" Maura screamed at the top of her lungs as Jane walked out the door.

Despite a few last minute thoughts the two women never spoke again, until recently. Jane put her head against the back of the sofa and began crying. I fucked up, she thought. I should have turned back when you screamed my name, Maura, and asked your forgiveness. I could have been waking up next to you these past eight years, not Joey Grant. Picking up the newspaper article she decided to put it in her private desk drawer that no one else had access to. As she started to lock it away her gaze fell on a handwritten note written at the bottom of the margins.

"Joe-give this to Jane, I think she'll want to know Maura is back in town. I leave tomorrow for my vacation so I'll see you in a couple months. Vince."
Jane was stunned. Vince gave this to Joey before he went on vacation? So Joey knew Maura was in town all these weeks and didn't say anything? Without thinking Jane ran upstairs and flew into the bedroom she shared with Joe.

He was sitting up in bed, reading. He glanced at his wife with interest. Jane was returning to their bedroom? He thought then noticed the fury on her face.

"You lied to me!" Jane said loudly.

TBC.