"Jane? Oh, thank goodness. Jane, I- I need your help. Please…"

Jane wanted to cry.

Trust Alice Isles to be a crotch-blocker even when she wasn't in the room.

Maura watched on as Jane stood tall and half-naked in her living room and listened silently to whatever was being said to her over the phone pressed against her ear. The brunette's face quickly morphed from a displeased scowl to curious concern before she glanced at Maura then quickly turned her back to her, but all Maura could hear was the blood rushing in her ears and the gong-like thudding of her heartbeat. She flopped back on the couch with a huff.

At the sound of Alice's frantic voice, Jane's eyes instantly darted over to Maura. She was sure that the other woman could hear her daughter on the phone since she was practically shouting, but the blonde lay motionless on the couch apart from her heaving chest, with one arm slung over her eyes and the other hand over her chest, trying to calm her breathing.

"Listen," she said into the receiver, "I kinda have my hands full right now."

She heard Maura chuckle deeply behind her, showing exactly how she interpreted that statement.

"I'm really sorry. I just really need you right now. Please."

The desperation in Ali's voice prompted Jane to take her a little more seriously. A little. "I suggest you talk faster."

"Okay, look. I'm at Blake's house party right now and my friend Nicole, who I rode in with, has gone off with some guy she met here, and even if I knew anyone else here, everyone is too drunk to drive or too busy partying and I'm so over this; I just wanna go home, but I have no way to-" The girl's rant dramatically paused for a few moments as the sound of loud background music was suddenly muffled then followed by the shutting of a door. Ali took an audible breath. "So yeah, I can't get a ride and I can't call Mom, because I'm not even supposed to be here in the first place. She'll kill me. So will you come?"

At first Jane was worried, but then she heard the word 'party', which is unmistakably different from the word 'movies'. "Okay, whoa. Calm down. Let's rewind a bit. You went where?"

Ali was too desperate to even groan in frustration for having to repeat herself. "I'm at Blake's house. Blake Winston. Jane, please. I tried Nicole's cell, but she's ignoring me and Dad's... well, he's Dad. I just really don't wanna be here anymore."

Behind her, another very impatient Isles huffed again and smacked the back of the couch with her hand. "Jane…" she whined.

The tall woman simply looked over her shoulder at the miffed woman, raising her index finger in the universal gesture of 'just a second' and sighed as she turned away again deciding to play it off as a family phone call. "Look… uh, Ma…? I-"

"Shit. Are you with someone?" asked Alice.

"No!" Jane was quick to say. "No one. Just…"

The sounds from the party rushed back through the speaker, but then quickly died again. "Um, Jane?" Ali whispered, but something in the tone of her voice made Jane's gut clench and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She sensed panic.

The brunette instantly stood up straighter. "Ma?" she said, but there was no answer. "Ma…" she tried again.

"Can you please just get here? I-"

"Shit!" cursed Jane when she was abruptly assaulted with the dial tone. She immediately felt the adrenaline enter her veins while hysterical thoughts set in. Did she hang up? Is she in trouble? What if someone hurt her?

Maura heard her almost-lover curse right before she pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if waiting for it to speak back. She sighed. "The clothes are coming back on, aren't they?"

"What?" Jane looked up and was met with the forlorn expression on Maura's face. "Oh… I'm so sorry, Maur, but it's an emergency."

Maura sat up straight, her breathing back to its normal pace, although her skin still felt overheated in places where Jane's hands had just been, and cold in places she still longed to be touched. She wanted them back but apparently it wasn't in the cards tonight. "Is everything okay?"

Jane almost told Maura what the call was about, but a sense of protectiveness held her tongue. It took everything in her power to withhold such information from Maura, but something deep down didn't want this night to be ruined for her too much. And if things weren't as bad as they sounded, she didn't want Maura worrying needlessly. "That's what I'm gonna find out," she said instead, immediately gathering her clothes.

"Was it your mother?"

Gliding her pants up long legs before searching around for her shirt, she said, "It's just my, uh…. Ma was um…" Jane found her shirt behind the couch but ducked down for longer than necessary trying to figure out what to say. "She was… supposed to be watching Jo Friday tonight. Yeah, and she just called to say that she can't find her anywhere."

Jane realized too late that triumph was exactly the wrong emotion for her face to express when set against the backdrop of the grave picture she had just painted about her beloved pet, but fortunately, her boss hadn't seemed to notice.

A worried Maura was immediately at Jane's side, who was distractedly putting her shoes back on. "How long has she been missing?"

"Not sure," Jane admitted standing up and going over to retrieve her keys from the kitchen counter. "Ma thinks she may have found a way out of the backyard through the fence. I gotta go find her."

"Yes, of course." Maura picked up her own dress off the floor. "Give me a minute and I'll help you find her."

"No!" Maura froze with her dress halfway down her torso. "I mean, it's late and Alice will be home soon. I'm sure of it," she mumbled the last part to herself as she tucked her phone into her pocket after checking the time: 12.10 a.m.

Maura continued to pull her dress down, but much slower as she realized Jane's point was valid. "I suppose you're right." She sat back down on the couch, avoiding any eye contact. For some reason, even in the face of such misfortune, Jane's imminent departure felt a little like abandonment, especially since she was acting so weird about it. "Okay, well…" Maura sighed dejectedly, staring into her lap. "Be careful."

"I always am." Jane smiled down at her as she buckled her belt. Her blonde hair was mussed in different directions and although her make-up was slightly smudged, she still looked radiant.

But when Maura didn't look back up at her, Jane crouched before her and rubbed her hands up and down Maura's thighs. "Hey," she said, ducking her head to force eye contact. She refused to let an abrupt end to an unforgettable night ruin it all for them.

Maura realized that she didn't want that either and finally met those brown eyes head-on, gently cradling Jane's face in her hands. "Hey."

They shared an instant smile.

"Are you gonna be okay?" asked Jane.

Maura rolled her eyes and sighed. "I guess I can survive without sex for one more night."

"That makes one of us," Jane husked back. "I could use a 'good truck' right about now." Her hands never ceased their path over smooth porcelain.

The blonde wanted to laugh but gasped instead, stilling wandering digits on her hips. "You're not making this good-bye very easy."

"Neither are you…" retorted Jane, looking deep into hazel eyes. She leaned in and kissed her lips firmly before standing back up. "I'll call you later?"

"Please do. And Jane?" She pulled Jane back down to her level.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Thank you… for everything. Tonight has been amazing and you are amazing and even though you have to leave right now, this night has been perfect."

Jane grinned with stars in her eyes. "Then mission accomplished. I had fun too. And on that note, how about another one for the road?"

Maura cradled her face and gave her a long kiss good-night. One that would leave them both staying up at night wishing they were back in this very moment. Jane brought the smaller woman into a tight embrace, leaving a few sweet kisses on her cheek and neck.

"Call me when you find Jo," whispered Maura, prompting Jane to remember Ali's predicament.

Jane nodded and said, "Don't forget to lock up," as she started to walk backwards to the door and grabbed her blazer on the way.

"I won't. Good night, Jane."

"Good night, baby," she replied with a small smirk in response to the grin that stretched across the architect's face. They both liked the sound of that.

Jane Rizzoli thanked her lucky stars that she still had contacts in BPD. Moreover, that those contacts happened to still be up past midnight. Twenty-five minutes after receiving the address of one 'Blake Winston' from Detective Frost – or the 'whiz kid' as she liked to call him – she pulled up to a massive house. Besides the obnoxious size of it, she really couldn't have missed it with the swarm of cars parked nearby and the music pumping so loud the windows rattled.

She grimaced at the sight of teenagers stumbling all over the front yard. One blonde boy in particular came bursting out the door and barely made it to one of the sculpted bushes where he then proceeded to throw up the entire contents of his stomach. Another girl soon came after him with an annoyed scowl and an unflattering puke stain on her dress, shrilly cursing the day he was born.

Jane shook her head. "Alice, what have you gotten yourself into?" she mumbled as she exited her car and jogged up to the front door where a skinny stringy-haired guy leaned against the doorframe with a lit joint between his lips and an upturned hat containing some money bills in his grasp.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Alice Isles?" she asked him.

The boy took his time giving her the up-and-down through half-lidded eyes before he withdrew his joint and said, "Maybe," blowing smoke in her face.

Not having the patience, Jane realized she would have to do this the hard way. When she tried to push past him, however, he used his arm to block her path. "Whoa there, babe. Not so fast. You can't just… go in." He ogled her some more, smirking to himself.

Jane ran a hand through her hair. "I swear to God, kid. Move or I'll make you."

He looked insulted, snapping his eyes back to her face. "I'm not a kid. And it's twenty bucks to get in." His eyes wandered again before a sleazy grin returned across his face. "Or you could show me your boobs. Your pick, babe."

The brunette's eyes narrowed on the boy and her fists balled up in an effort to keep her cool. "Firstly, call me babe one more time, and I'll make sure you never reproduce. Secondly, even if you paid me $20, I wouldn't expose any part of myself to a greasy little shit like you, got that?"

The smile dropped from the boy's face and he stood a little taller in defiance. "Hey now, listen-"

"No, you listen to me," Jane spat as she closed in on him, easily towering over him. "You are going to get the hell out of my way right now, or I will make you. Your pick."

After a very short standoff, the kid moved aside. Stepping inside, her eyes immediately jumped from one sloppy drunk girl to the next, grinding on equally shit-faced guys with wandering hands. It was like something out of a trashy rap video that wouldn't last long on youtube before it's banned for explicit content. Alice had better not be grinding on anybody when I find her.

Jane searched the house front to back to front again, encountering countless underdressed and underage kids who had twenty bucks to get into a college party with alcohol, but alas there was no sign of Alice. Not on the makeshift dancefloor, not at the pool, not by the kegstand or the beer pong tables or any of the downstairs bathrooms and nobody seemed to have even heard of her. A part of Jane was pissed off that Alice would come to such a party and lie about it when she had no business being in a place like this. What was the girl thinking? And if she wanted to leave so bad, why wasn't she out front waiting for me?

Another part of her really hoped Alice was in one piece.

She continued her search upstairs.

"Babe, come on. You know you want to."

Blake was never really great with words, mused Alice as she sat stiffly on the bed while her boyfriend rubbed his calloused hand back and forth over her thigh. She leaned away a little as he continued to kiss her neck, not really in the mood. He wasn't a bad guy, but she especially didn't like him when he was like this. He'd been drinking all night – more than usual – and in their three months together after meeting at another party just like this one, he usually wasn't this… persistent… until tonight.

She gently pushed against his chest to create some space between them. "Blake, I… I think I should go home."

"What?" he slurred. "Nonsense. Aren't you having a good time?"

"I was, but I'm just not ready for where this is headed right now."

Before he could respond, they both looked down at the sound of her cellphone as it rang in his pocket. When she had stepped into the master bedroom to call Jane, he had followed her in, walking up behind her and playfully snatching it away so he could have her undivided attention.

"That's probably my mom."

He only shrugged and reached into his pocket to silence the phone. "It's only 12:30. She needs to chill."

That annoyed Alice. "What the hell, Blake? You can't do that."

"Relax," he laughed as she tried to take it back. "I said relax. You can call her back later. Don't you want to spend more time with me?"

"It's not that…" Alice wanted to say something, but couldn't think. Her nerves spiked higher as he sat closer and his hand grazed higher up her thigh.

Feeling her tense, he looked up into her eyes. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Blake," she scooted back even further trying to get away from his needy hands. "I said I'm not ready."

"But… Ali?" he looked at her like she must be joking.

"Just give me my phone so I can go. I can't do this."

Alice felt dread flow all through her when Blake grabbed her wrist harshly and the flash of anger crossed his face. "Why not? I mean, what's the big deal? We've been dating forever… it's about time."

Ali looked down in her lap and tried not to have a panic attack.

"Look at me." He roughly lifted her chin up to meet his angry, blood-shot eyes. "I bought you jewelry, took you to fancy restaurants, I let you tag along to all the parties you wanted, hell I even went to your stupid little band concert last week… What have you done for me?"

The girl's mouth fell open at his total demeanor change. This wasn't the guy that she started dating. "You said you enjoyed my concert."

He stood abruptly, throwing his hands in the air. "Of course I said that! I was trying to get in your pants."

Alice scoffed and stood. She contemplated telling him off, but she could already feel the hurt drowning out her fury as her eyes began to sting with tears. She shook her head and stormed past him, but before she could reach the door, Blake yanked on her arm, pulling her back to face him.

"Would you stop acting like a fucking child? This isn't high school. We don't just hold hands and steal kisses behind the bleachers. What did you expect?"

"I am not a child." She jerked her arm out of his grip. "I am, however, an idiot for falling for a low-life ignoramus like you who's only in college because of his father's connections."

Blake stood still for a second before his face twisted in fury. "What did you just say to me?" His face was intimidatingly close as he wrapped his hand around her upper arm, and this time she couldn't get out of his grip. Ali had never seen him like this before. They hardly ever fought. Or talked, come to think of it. How did I miss all the red flags?

"You're hurting me."

"It'll hurt a lot less if you stop fighting me."

They both jumped at the sound of the door opening.

"How many rooms are in this goddamn-"

Jane paused in the doorway and stared at the scene in front of her. She first looked over to Alice, whose face faded into relief, then to the large hand on the girl's arm before finally her eyes landed on the guy that it belonged to.

Her jaw tensed reflexively. She walked further into the room and said, "Let go of her."

Blake immediately snorted and turned a little more to the brunette, still keeping Alice in his grasp. "And who the fuck are you?"

"Do all you college boys inherently have something wrong with your hearing?" Jane sighed and shook her head. "Look, I'm going to tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go."

"And I'm going to ask you one more time. Who in the hell are- You know what? I don't even care. This is my house so get the fuck out so I can talk some sense into my girlfriend."

So this was the Blake Winston, Jane gathered. Frost had told her that he was a college junior. Doing the math, that would make him at least twenty-two years old. What the fuck was he doing with Alice?

If he wasn't seeing double before, Jane definitely fixed that with a swift punch to the face. He did not see that coming as he howled in pain and landed on the bed with its force.

"What the fuck, you bitch?!" Blake held his hands against his bloody broken nose as he tried to regain his balance.

"Shit." Jane shook the pain out of her wrist and knuckles, not paying him any mind. "Haven't done that in a while… You okay?" she asked Alice, who only nodded her head, rendered mute by Jane's action.

Jane quickly went over to her and guided her out of the room with a hand on her shoulder. When they reached the top of the stairs, Alice turned to the older woman. "Jane-"

"Save it, Alice," she interrupted and continued walking down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom of the hardwood staircase, Jane heard swift footsteps trailing them and a booming voice cut over the music and drunken chatter.

"You don't know who I am do you, bitch! You don't know what I'm capable of!"

Completely fed up with everything, Jane turned around so swiftly that the college boy almost fell backwards trying to avoid running into her. "I don't give a fuck who you are!" she shouted, pushing him into the wall, "But if you ever come anywhere near that girl again, so help you God, I will show you exactly what I'm capable of."

Blake went stiff against the wall, terrified he was going to piss himself. He tried to put up a front for the few party goers that were now watching the scene unfold but it was clear who lost this particular pissing content. And looking into his eyes, Jane could tell that he got the picture.

"Whatever. I didn't want her anyway," he grumbled as she let him go, walking away and disappearing in the sea of people. Jane watched after him for a bit before she felt a hand on her back.

"Can we please go, Jane?"

Jane reached the car first because of her long strides sped up with purpose. As soon as Ali neared the passenger side she pointed her thumb behind her. "In the back," she instructed. "The last thing I need is to be pulled over by a cop with an intoxicated minor in my car."

Wordlessly, Alice got in and sunk back into the car cushions, buckling in before a bottle of water was thrown in the back near her.

"Sober up before you get home." Jane buckled herself in as well before she pulled away. But not before a red solo cup full of beer suddenly came flying at her car, splashing its contents across her windshield. She didn't stop though, resolving to get her revenge later. Right then, her only priority was getting Alice safely back home to her mother.

They drove in silence for a while. As the weight of the evening's events gradually caught up with her, the teenager found herself sniffling, realizing her face was streaming with silent tears.

Jane caught a glimpse of her in the rear-view mirror and it broke her heart, dissipating her anger. She wanted to just pull over and go give the girl a hug, but she was afraid it would be unwelcome or inadequate. Ali, on the other hand, was craving some consolation. Comfort. Security.

Eventually, Jane cleared her throat. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

The girl wiped her cheek and released a quivering breath as she looked out through the window. "I just wanna go home and forget tonight ever happened," she mumbled.

"Okay... I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried there for a minute."

"I'm not… okay… But I don't really wanna talk about it either."

"Okay."

They stayed quiet the rest of the way back to the house. When Jane neared the Beacon Hill home, she thought it wise to park a few houses away and cut the engine.

The car sat idly for a minute, neither occupant moving until the driver cleared her throat once more and disturbed the peace. "You'd better get in there. You're already late."

Alice nodded and reached for the door handle, but didn't open it. "Are you going to tell Mom?"

Jane sat silently for so long that Alice thought she was ignoring her, but finally the older woman turned in her seat. "I don't like keeping secrets from Maura… and I really shouldn't have to. Neither should you."

"No," Ali shook her head, "I can't tell her."

"Sweetie, I don't think she would want to hear it from me."

Alice scoffed derisively, taking Jane's words as a threat. She became defensive, already feeling raw from earlier. "So, what, you're gonna go tattle to your boss about me? Are you her spy?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Really? Even now when I'm trying to help you?" She knew it wasn't just one of those playful comments from their own special brand of banter. "Look, I don't really care how upset you are right now, but you will show me some damn respect, you hear me? I'm your mother's assistant, not yours. When you call me on a Friday night to pick you up from a freakin' frat party, you don't get to play the boss's daughter card with me."

Feeling herself getting carried away, Jane calmed herself. "I'm here because I care about what happens to you – don't pretend you didn't know that – and I'm also here because you know you can trust me. Now trust me when I say that telling your Mom is the best thing to do right now. Okay?"

The blond girl was dead-set to argue; her default reaction to not getting her way, but Jane's words coupled with the look in her eyes left no room for discussion. And it wasn't even a look of anger which she had expected to see from Jane, but a startling mask of fierce compassion was etched on the Italian's face, as if no matter how much of a brat she was being, Jane still cared.

It was startling. Her breath shallowed and she fell back against her seat, the door handle slipping away from her grip as she finally let her tears fall freely.

Jane dropped her eyes for a second before she swiveled back around in her seat. "Christ sake." She got out of the car and walked around to climb into the back with Alice, and without prompting, the girl leaned into Jane and buried her face against her chest. Jane's arms automatically came around to hug her, rubbing circles on the crying girl's back. After a while, sobs turned into shuddering breaths.

"So… That guy was your boyfriend, huh?"

"Yeah… emphasis on was. I hope I never see him again… You know, he's the reason I started dieting in the first place. I should've known…"

They stayed in silence once more as stuttering breaths slowly even out, but Jane's hold never faltered. "I'm sorry he broke your heart," she finally said.

"Yeah well…" mumbled Ali, "who needs a heart anyway."

"Come on, you're far too young to be jaded already. You'll get over it eventually."

"And you would know?"

"I know heart-break. It's never forever."

"When did you realize that all men are idiots?"

Jane snorted but a sad smile adorned her lips. "When my Pop deserted us."

"I guess we sorta have that in common then."

"My brothers are pretty great though, so not all men are bad."

"Even the one who hit on Mom at the dog park?"

"Tommy's… yeah, he is a great guy. He just loves the ladies a bit too much. But you know, despite popular belief, women can be jerks too."

Ali gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Believe me, I know."

"Maybe you just need to lay off the bad-boy type and find a nice guy. Nice isn't always boring - he might surprise you."

Alice let go of her and wiped both cheeks with her hands. "Real talk?" she asked.

Jane's brows furrowed, sensing a shift in the conversation as Ali struggled to meet her eyes. "Of course…"

"I always thought Dad was a nice guy… I even thought Blake was at some point… Now, when I see the way you and Mom are, I kinda want a guy like that instead. Is that crazy?"

Jane's jaw went slack. She knows.

Alice couldn't help but find Jane's dumbfounded expression amusing. She rolled her eyes through a muted grin. "Come on, you didn't think you were fooling anyone, did you?"

"How did…"

"How did I know? Uh… Your shirt's inside-out, for starters."

Jane looked down at herself. "I… It is? I, uh, got dressed in the dark after you called, okay? Sue me."

"Okay," hazel eyes narrowed, accepting the challenge, "How about the fact that: Hello? I saw what Mom was wearing tonight. And who else would she be going out with besides you? On top of that, your breath smells like Mom's 'special occasion' wine and I can smell her perfume all over you. And I kinda heard her in the background when I called you… she was moaning your name, Jane."

"Oh, my Jesus Christ. We weren't- we were just- This is so awkward."

"Tell me about it!"

"Wow. Okay, so that cat's out of the bag."

"It was more of a pink elephant in a tiny room. That's how obvious it was. Even if I wasn't my class valedictorian, I'd have guessed."

Jane pursed her lips and understandingly nodded her head.

"So… we're talking about this then?" When the girl didn't object, she sucked in a breath and pushed her hair out of her face. "Okay, I'm not sure if your mother was ready to share this with you or not, but considering the fact that I'm up against a family of geniuses, I'd rather just air it out."

The teenager raised an eyebrow. "So you're dating," she stated.

"Yeah." Jane's ears burned, but she kept her cool. "How… do you feel about that?"

"Honestly, I want to be pissed. Because after what Daddy did, absolutely no one is good enough for my Mom, you know," she smirked at the other woman to take the edge off her words. "I honestly thought at first that you were just a rebound but… I can tell she's happy. More so than she's been in a long time… more than I've ever seen her be…"

Jane smiled and looked away. So this is what it's all been about. All of Alice's ill-tempered rants and nasty behavior towards Jane. She just didn't want her mother to suffer anymore. She looked back to the girl with a new level of respect for her.

Alice went quiet for a long moment busy contemplating her words while staring into her lap. She felt a little embarrassed, opening up like this. Talking about her Mom like this. Talking to Jane like this. Being this vulnerable. But after the night she's had, she sees things a little differently.

"And," she continued, "my little weirdo brother can't seem to get enough of you. And I guess you kinda saved my ass tonight. Big time. You've made a habit of being this superhero." She leaned her head back onto the seat before resolutely nodding and setting Jane with a stern stare.

"You better not hurt her, Jane. She's been through enough shit and… I don't think she'd ever recover from you."

Jane held both of the girl's hands and looked her squarely in the eye. "Look, I get it. You're protective of your mother. I respect that. But you can trust me with her. Maura's the best thing to happen to me in a while and I would never ever intentionally hurt her. I… I really, really like her. And I appreciate you being okay with all of this. Especially after your parents just got a divorce. Trust me, I know how hard that can be. Especially with a younger brother to worry about too."

The girl swallowed and her cheeks blushed.

"And I'm not just in it for your Mom either. You and Jake are important to me as well. You guys are amazing… no matter what some idiot boy says to you, Ali. And I may not always have the best advice when you're hurting, but I'm always here for you, okay?"

The girl smiled. She let one last tear slid down her cheek before brushing it away and letting out a loud groan. "God, I hate crying. It messes up my make-up."

"I dunno, hey. You make a pretty awesome raccoon."

"Be nice. I can easily play the girlfriend's daughter card any time, you know?"

Jane laughed.

Alice moved to get out of the car. Before she closed it, she ducked her head back inside and said, "You still have to convince me. Don't think I'm impressed by your crazy steroid fits. You don't have me wrapped around your finger like my brother or my mom."

"Are you sure? Because five minutes ago you wanted to date a younger, male-er clone of me. Which, by the way, I'm totally flattered by, so don't take it back."

"Compliments aren't usually my thing. It physically hurts me."

"Trust me, I know. Thanks anyway. And next time you need relationship advice, it wouldn't hurt to talk to your mother about it. That isn't my usual department either."

"You still want me to tell her about tonight, don't you?"

"To quote you… Duh."

"She's going to be so pissed," whined the girl, getting back in.

"Yeah, she is. But she's been lied to a lot, so she deserves for you to be honest."

"How is that fair though? Why should I tell her when she won't even tell me you guys are dating? I mean, I even had to find out about Dad's affairs from a bunch of stupid girls from school."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because… part of being a mother is trying to be strong for your kids. My Ma did it too. She doesn't want you to sweat the small things."

"But I want to." Seeing that Jane was still confused with what she was trying to say she readjusted herself in the seat and tried again. "I love talking to my mom, but she's always so perfect and I never know what's going on with her. Sometimes I wish she would share with me what she's going through. I know Dad hurt her, I just want her to talk to me too."

"Why don't you tell her that? Alice, that woman thinks the world of you and there's nothing and no one that can change that. Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel."

Alice smiled and nodded. "I will if you will…"

For the second time that night, Ali made Jane's jaw drop. Was it written on her face or was this girl telepathic.

"Enough sleuthing for one night, eh Sunshine? Now get your butt in the house before your Mom speed-dials a S.W.A.T team." She smiled and shook her head.

Alice rolled her eyes and walked into her house closing the door.

What a night…

It was well into the wee hours of Saturday morning when Jane finally collapsed onto her own bed, not even having the energy to do any more than strip herself of her clothes. It was non-stop with the Isles family; never a dull moment with those people. She chuckled to herself thinking back to her first impression of a put-together Maura Isles who seemed to have the perfect life.

The tired Italian pulled the covers over her body and reminisced. Maura and her kids had come into her life and completely turned it upside down. It was a complete mess, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. In its own way, it was perfect to her. The warmth that settled into her chest didn't take her by surprise. The pull at the back of her skull had been there from the moment she first heard Maura laugh and it wasn't at all unfamiliar. That incredible feeling… she was falling in love. And somehow, Ali must have sensed it too. That was a terrifying thought.

Jane forced herself to stop thinking and reached for her phone on the night stand to quickly create a new text message.

Hey, Maur. We found Jo.

She really hated lying to the other woman, but hopefully Maura's relationship with her daughter would be all the better for it.

That's a relief. Is she safe?

Jane couldn't help but think about Alice and consider the question in that way.

Yeah, she is.

Thank goodness. J I, on the other hand, have to deal with a certain someone who decided to come in the door thirty minutes past curfew.

Go easy on her.

I see where your loyalties lie. Are you two besties now?

The brunette smiled and wondered if that would ever happen.

To quote Ali: 'lol'. Just go easy on her. She's still a kid.

I know, don't worry. Goodnight, Jane. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sleep tight.

The brunette placed her phone back on her night stand and turned over to find Jo occupying the spot beside her. She smiled and scratched her behind her ear. "There you are. Don't tell Maura you weren't really lost, okay?"

The dog merely opened her eyes and huffed, then fell back to sleep.

"Yeah, I'm right there with ya," she mumbled sleepily, yawning as she closed her eyes and finally let sleep lull her wandering mind.

A/N: I just want to take a moment and say thanks to all of you who have stuck around with me. I mean...over 600 follows. Not what I was expecting when I started this. Anyway thanks all of you amazing people for indulging my daydreaming! Also, I'm so happy that some of you caught the story Sasha told in her Conan interview. I'm a little obsessed...;)