Omg, you have no idea how much I needed to write this chapter. My sweet little pussycat is sick! (That is not a euphemism!) She's an old lady and she's not doing too well. Send good thoughts people, please... I can't even consider her odd little self not being with me. :(

Thank you so much for all your reviews. I love them and take every one of them to heart. I hope you like this one. And consider this in response to TNT thinking Maura and Tommy make a good pair. I think not! ;) I'm stickin' with the first season. (Btw - Angela does not live in Maura's guest house in this fic. She has her own apartment. Yay!)

Hugs, Tj. xx

"Don't see why you couldn't do this your damn self," Jane mutters under her breath.

"I heard that!" exclaims her mother.

"Good!"

She can't believe she's spending her day off playing plumber to her mother's kitchen sink.

"It's your grandmother's ring! I thought you'd be just as worried as I am about losing it! It was to be left to you when I pass away…"

"… which will be soon I hope…" she mumbles.

"… and you know it meant so much to her! It was the most beautiful engagement ring..." Her voice lowers in thought. "It'll probably be the only engagement ring you'll ever get…"

Jane rips her head out from inside the kitchen cabinets knocking herself on the way. "I'll forget you ever said that! And you haven't lost it yet so stop being so damn dramatic! God!" She crawls back into the confined space trying the wrench another time. "Damn stubborn piece a shit pipe…"

"I'll believe that when I have it back in my hands!"

"Ma…! For the love of god, will you please just let me do this and stop..." She's interrupted by her phone. "Hang on a minute…" She pops back out of the framework and answers. "Rizzoli…"

"Jane…?"

"Hey sweetie, what's up?" It's Maura. ThankGod!

"Are you home?" She sounds a little odd.

"No, I'm at Ma's, why? Did I forget somethin'? We didn't have anything on did we?"

"No, Jane, I have to go… I…" She's flustered. "I'm sorry but…"

"Go where? Honey, is somethin' wrong?"

By this stage Angela's hovering above her looking suspicious. Jane mouths to her who's on the phone.

"What's wrong?" Angela whispers back.

The detective flashes her hands in a request to 'leave her the hell alone so she can find out!'

"I have to go to New York. My mother… she's hysterical…! She keeps phoning, saying the board members are fixing a coup d'etat to push her off the board! I mean it's ridiculous…"

"What?"

"A sudden and illegal manoeuvre against a governing body or group…"
"I know what a coup is, Maura!" She grabs the bridge of her nose, and takes a breath. "So… when the hell are you leaving?"

"Now! I have to go now! But then I won't see you… and we'd planned to spend these few days together… and flying off to my mother is not something I want to be doing!"

"I'm coming round."

"What?" That voice was definitely not Maura's. Damn it!

"Hang on, sweetie…" She places her phone against her chest.

"Sweetie? Honey? You're calling her honey now?"

Shit! "Ma… I gotta go…" And grabs her jacket.

"What about your grandmother's ring?"

"It's in the P-trap!" She heads for the door. "You're a plumber's wife for christ's sake!"

"Ex-wife!"

And that makes her stop. God damnit! Internally stomping her feet. She turns around, feeling awful.

"I'm sorry, Ma. Look, I'll call Frankie okay? If he can't come round, I'll come back later and get it out, okay?"

"Fine! Go and do whatever you gotta do that's so much more important than your mother..!."

Ugh! Jane flicks her wrists in a vent before walking over and hugging her mother. "I've just gotta do this, Ma. Maura needs me, okay?" She holds her at arm's length. "Her mother's having some kind a crisis. Her mother, Ma!"

This earns at least some understanding, resulting in a cute little pout. "Okay, fine."

"Thank you." She smiles and gives her another squeeze.

"You give her a hug from me!" She hears as she walks out the door, bringing the phone back up to her face.

"I'm coming, baby." Her smile grows.

She knocks and Maura answers.

"Hey." Her girlfriend is huffy. Well, that's a first.

"Hi… you okay?" she says, amused.

"I feel like I'm going insane."

"Well, someone is…" She walks inside. "… a coup d'etat, Maur? Really?"

The door closes behind them. "And I thought Ma was dramatic." She follows her through to the kitchen.

"I just… I don't know what to do! As much as I realise my obligations, I hardly see the point of flying 215 miles to pacify an upper class mob who are behaving worse than any teenager campaigning for school elections!"

Jane barks out a laugh. "Come here, you…" She holds Maura tight. "Can I just say that I don't want you to go either?"

"God this is awful! I really don't want to go, Jane." Maura whines.

"Aw, you're so cute!"

She moves to cradle the doctor's face only to be on the receiving end of a glare.

"I am not cute, Jane Rizzoli!"

She steps back and points. "Well, tell that to your face."

"UGH!" Maura throws her hands up in the air and storms off to her bedroom.

"Oh, shit… Maura! c'mon!"

She follows, finding her shoving clothes into a giant suitcase. The handling of the ME's clothing starts to illustrate the gravity of the situation.

"I am not cute, I am upset! And I'm angry, and you obviously could care less about the discomfort I'm about to walk into…"

"Hey!" That does it. Jane turns her around and grabs her face pulling her close to hers. "You look at me and tell me I don't give a damn." Her look is fierce and it takes their breath away.

"I…" She's is at a loss, and before Maura can properly respond she feels the passion of Jane's kiss. The blonde loses herself, breaking free in order to breathe. "I didn't mean to imply…" She can't focus and Jane backs her up and on to the bed. "That reminds me of a popular culture reference…" She's losing her mind.

"That's not popular culture," Jane breathes into her neck where her lips are creating havoc.

"Wha…" She swallows. "What is it then?"

"Crap film making…"

They find themselves moving together subtly, thighs on either side, letting their bodies gain control. The mere thought of Maura not knowing what she means to her has set Jane's emotions alight. She craves to make her understand, to show her what it'll mean for her to be separated from her for the first time since what could have been the worst day of her life.

"Oh god, Jane…" Maura's hands grip her hair and their centres fall into a heartfelt and slow rhythm.

"I don't want you to go…" she breathes, looking down to the sweetest sight, "… and I don't want to be separated from you." She closes her eyes.

Maura reaches down, pulling her close. "Jane…" she whispers, and they begin to realise what is happening between them. They are close, so close… so close to spinning out of control and into oblivion. "God…" Jane whispers. "I have to stop."

Maura knows it and agrees, but that doesn't make it any easier for them. She too is wanting more for their first time together.

"Stop," she says, gripping Jane's face and halting her own body. "It's okay."

They gasp and cling, both struggling with their breath.

"Fuck!" Jane shifts to rest against Maura's pelvis, creating distance where she needs it most. "Oh my god…" Her body aches, and throbs, and she can feel Maura pulsing against her chest. "Jesus!"

"I agree… wholeheartedly." And then they laugh, sinking further into the bed. Maura wraps her fingers in Jane's hair, using her legs to push her back up, rolling them over so they tangle and embrace.

"That was…" the brunette splutters, "…that was…"

"Wow…"

Jane laughs. "God it was… wasn't it?" she says in awe, "Fuck me…"

"Jane."

"Sorry… sorry," she apologises, heeding her warning.

Two hours later and she's gone. Her gorgeous, sensitive, and adorable ME is on a plane, and she steels herself for the days to come, and the nights that'll be spent alone.

Please review... thanks. xx