Okay so the rewrite is done for now and I've got a lot going on now. I was on a roll with the rebuild and didn't want to break the stride so I didn't send most of this to Z for Betaing and editing. I just started pounding on the story until I got it where I wanted it.

By five thirty they had finished court, went home and made love to their fiancés and had all gotten together for a quick bite at Louie's before they were taken to Manhattan Harley by Rick's car service. Rick and Maura were waiting as Jane and Kate rode out of the service entrance and stopped next to the black Lincoln.

A driver named Leslie was there but before he could pull the bags out of the trunk, Jane and Kate were already on it. It was quick work to strap the bags on and when it was done, Leslie closed the trunk and stood next to the rear doors.

He watched quietly as Mr. Castle wrapped his arms around Detective Beckett and kissed her. Oh to be so in love.

He then watched as Detective Rizzoli pulled Dr. Isles to her and they crashed together. He felt as if he should turn away at the raw naked passion there but he was frozen, it was like looking at a train wreck, you knew you should look away but you just couldn't help it. He wished he could get one woman to look at him the way the detective looked at the doctor. Or better yet, the way the doctor kissed the detective.

Rick broke away first and Kate breathed heavily as she smiled up at him, "We'll be back in a few days."

Rick smiled and looked over at Jane and Maura who were still kissing the life out of each other.

"Looks like you won't be leaving for a few days."

Kate shook her head, "Keeping up with the Rizzoli's is hard work." She shouted to her partner.

Jane never broke contact with Maura while she waved off Kate.

She shut off her bike and leaned into it as they watched. Maura finally pushed Jane away gently.

"You should go before we end up going back home." She said in a breathy voice.

"I'd rather go home with you." She replied huskily.

"I want that too but you'd lose your job."

"I have another one." Jane replied in a cocky manner, "You're the only thing I can't replace, Maura."

"And I'll be right here waiting for you." She said as she gently kissed her, "Please be careful so you can come back to me."

"Lo non potrei vivere senza di ti." Jane said.

"Et je ne peux pas vivre sans toi." Maura replied.

"Tia mo."

"Je te aime trop."

Maura let go and Jane let her. She hated leaving and this was the first time since she and Maura had been together that she had to go for more than a few hours. Her worry started to kick into overdrive but she forced it down. Even if someone did come for Maura, Liv was there and she was armed. Rick had also promised to visit often just to make sure. And to Jane this was a test to see if she could let Maura go long enough to go to LETO.

She sighed heavily as she straddled her bike and placed her helmet on her head. Maura took the straps from her hands and fastened the latch on the helmet before kissing Jane again.

She leaned down into her lover's ear and whispered softly in Italian, "Come home to your wife safely."

Jane's eyes widened slightly, "You are my life, my soulmate, and noting will keep me from coming home to you."

Maura smiled as she touched Jane's face as she made the words. "Hurry." She said as she let go and stepped away.

Kate looked back at rick, "I thought you were supposed to be romantic, Mr. Writer Man."

He shook his head, "I'm a mystery writer, but if I could watch them a few more times I'll bet I can become a romance novelist."

Kate elbowed him in the ribs, and he grunted.

"What was that for?" he asked, happy that Kate was starting to feel like her old self.

She passed him a smirk, "Just keeping you honest, Castle." She slung her long lean leg over the big bike and fired it up.

Rick smiled as Kate strapped on her helmet and went to stand by Maura next to the car.

"Keep an eye on Maura, Castle or I'll show you how my stun batons work!"

He smiled at Jane, remembering when Kate had said something similar, "You promise?"

A look from Kate and Maura gently elbowed him in the ribs.

Kate smiled as she blew a kiss at her man before dropping her Harley into gear and leading the way out of the parking lot. Jane followed up with a quick kiss and a lip lick before she rode up next to her partner.

Maura watched as they turned for the tunnel, both moving in perfect synchronicity. They rode like they had been doing it all of their lives and each small movement was perfectly matched. Maura was still in awe of how perfectly tuned Jane and Kate were and once again she thanked a god that she only vaguely believed in for her lover's friendship with that woman.

Rick shook his head, "All my life I wanted someone I could love like that and when I finally have her, I have to share her with another woman."

Maura nodded, "Fortunately our metaphorical hearts are big enough to accommodate them."

He nodded, "They're good together." He said as he opened the door for Maura.

She climbed into the back of the car and smoothed out the long red dress that she had worn to dinner, "Yes they are. I think that Ma said it best when she called them twins."

He sat down next to her and allowed Leslie to shut the door. "They're closer than twins, I think."

She nodded as the driver climbed in, "Where to, Mr. Castle?"

"Tamaro Tower." He said, "But swing by the Bella Roma."

Maura looked over at him as he finished with the driver, "We've got a family to feed at home."

He pulled out his phone and pulled up the number for the restaurant, "I know Alexis wants to have Italian tonight. I'm thinking Fettuccini Alfredo with an antipasto."

She smiled, "An order of gnocchi for Liv. Jane's family introduced me to the dish and it's always been a comfort food for me."

He nodded his agreement. "That sounds delicious."

Sitting in his home office, he regarded the dark liquid that swirled lightly in the glass. It had become his only escape from the nightmare he had created. The morose thought that ran through his fogged mind weren't any comfort, in fact they showed him his future and it was a disaster.

For years he and his mentor had groomed him for the presidency and now it was all coming to an end and he was surrounded. On one hand was the Raven, a sadistic woman who was taking over his old South American friend's business. In the old days all he had to do was make sure the DEA didn't catch up with his shipments, and in exchange he received campaign contributions that had helped him rise in both status and power. He loved it and wanted more, he knew that his own greed would be the death of him, he knew it twenty years ago when he had that lawyer killed to protect his secret.

And the other hand, that lawyer's daughter was his greatest threat. She was a homicide detective and looking at her record, a damn good one and worse was her partner. That detective from Boston who single handedly ruined his marriage.

William Bracken cursed at the women who were the bane of his existence. He would have them killed except that every attempt had failed. He thought it was incompetence but Jane Rizzoli had displayed a remarkable skill at defeating the hit men who he had sent. He would try again except that Rizzoli would kill him, he was certain of it. The dyke had no love of men in general and when James's hit man had gone after her woman, it had lead Rizzoli right to his doorstep with evil intentions. Bracken cursed and threw the glass of brandy at the wall where it shattered into a thousand pieces, a beautiful display of destruction. It oddly reminded him of his own life.

"Calm down, my friend," came the deep voice from the doorway.

Bracken looked up to see the well-tailored suit of his mentor, The Kingmaker.

"Come to finish me off?" He asked, "So I don't embarrass the party?"

"Nonsense," he said, his dark eyes glittering in the poorly lit room. "There is still time to repair this."

Bracken laughed fitfully as he leaned back into his chair, "How!? My marriage is over. My position is compromised. And worse yet, they are still out there. It's only a matter of time before they bring me down or she kills me."

"She's not stupid, Bill." The Kingmaker said, "She knows what is at stake here. She knows you would be better suited to her needs if you become the president."

"And those cops?" He barked loudly. "Beckett will bring me down. She's not going to let go, ever and Rizzoli, that one is a killer, I know it."

The Kingmaker walked over to the liquor cabinet and took out two more glasses. "But she is in a position to fix it for you."

"Like that worked on her husband." He barked, "She's a sociopathic killer."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He smiled kindly as he poured two more glasses of brandy. "Six months you've had peace with these women in your life and what has it gotten you. Their still pursuing your case just not directly."

Bracken reached and the Kingmaker gave him one of the glasses. "How do you know that?"

"Because like you, I hired a profiler." He smiled, "They'll pursue your case or they'll hand it off to someone they trust. I've heard of some recent activity concerning your finances though we can't find out who was looking."
"James was good at his job." Bracken groaned.

"He was a fool who acted out of turn." The man said calmly. "Now it's time to put someone on this who is capable of eliminating them."

"Who?" Bracken leaned back and tried hard to think of who was capable enough.

"The Raven of course." And there was a strange glint in those dark eyes. "It is time to reach out to her and find out what she wants in exchange for your problem to go away."

Bracken considered his mentor's words. It couldn't be that easy could it? "She'll want something big for this."

"And you will help her get it," The kingmaker downed the brandy in one gulp. "Just remember not to compromise our goals."

"For the party?"

"For us, Bill." He said as he sat the glass down on the counter, "You're doing this for us."

The Kingmaker slipped out of the room and left Bracken to his thoughts. A deal with Escalante had been one thing; a deal with the Raven would be another matter. This would inevitably cause his death but perhaps he could live long enough to protect himself.

He pulled that certain cell phone from his desk and turned it on. A fast dial of Escalante's number and he was connected.

"I have to say Senator." Her heated voice said through the phone. "You have impeccably poor timing."

Bracken swallowed audibly, "I'm not interrupting am I?"

"Not really," She said and there was a subtle whimper in the background. "I was just having a conversation with my house keeper."

A sharp wet slap sounded and a muffled cry of pain.

"Good help is hard to find." He said nonchalantly. "My assistant James was a good man but he always seemed to overstep the bounds of his job."

"As I recall he was killed in a mugging, wasn't he?" She said smoothly.

"Yes, thank you for that." He said smoothly, "I appreciate the lack of attention his death produced."

"Well it was the least we could do." Again a slap and a muted shout. "Is there a point to this call?"

"Yes there is." He said, "I have a small issue that could use your attention."

"Are you still pussyfooting around with those detectives?"

He cringed at her astuteness. "I find that I can't move against them directly without receiving some backlash that would eliminate my candidacy."

"And you want my help to eliminate your problem?" She laughed, "You know there will be a price."

"I have my checkbook out right now." His voice had become cold, less inebriated. "The sooner we can settle this the sooner I can get back to work."

"Well put away your checkbook." She said and he heard the distinctive sound of bones breaking. "Oh, Consuela. I'm sorry, your brother had a very skilled tongue."

He tried not to imagine what had just happened and focused on the task at hand, "If not cash, than what?"

"I need an increase in Coast Guard Patrols in the Gulf to catch my competitor's cigarette boats."

He thought about that. Her shipments don't come through the gulf? "And what of yours, I can't arrange a distinction."

"There is no need," she said, "I don't use them. Also an increase in the Border Patrol's budget along the Mexican Border as well as additional funding for the DEA would also be appreciated."

He blinked at her request, "Forgive me my lady but won't that make it difficult for you to run your business?"

"I'm prepared for that, my competitors are not." She sighed heavily. "Consuela, come and pick up where your brother left off." There was a needy moan before, "OH I should have had you show him how to do that."

Bracken cleared his throat. "I can arrange something to that effect."

"Good," She said, "then while you're doing that I will look in to your candidacy issue." She moaned again and then she was back, "Excuse me, senator. I had no idea my housekeeper had such an amazing mouth. I'll call you when I have something." She hung up.

She was absolutely insane and a perverse creature.

Grading homework was one of Maura's least favorite activities. Mostly because it was something that she had to do at home and therefore took time away from loving Jane. However Maura wasn't one of the typical professors who spent their time in class assigning class work and grading papers during that time, she believed in giving every student, every opportunity to learn, which is why she taught from the moment class started until the class. Every moment in Maura's classroom was spent furthering the education of the next generation of potential doctors which is why she felt as if she had no choice but to grade classwork at home. Although initially Jane had grumbled about how Maura shouldn't have to do this, once Maura explained how she taught and how important it was to allow every student as much access to the knowledge and experience she had accumulated and how her teaching methods were much more effective than the methods that had taught her. Jane smiled lovingly at her.

"You always put everyone else ahead of yourself." She said with pride, "it's why I love you so much. No one has a heart like yours."

Shortly thereafter, Jane often came home and helped her anyway she could. Though she was learning the school's curriculum, Jane preferred grading her multiple choice works since she could go off a chart instead of interpreting medical terminology. Though she was also known to look over Maura's shoulder at many of the essays and dissertations her students produced. Kaycee Linden was one of Jane's favorites because "she has a tendency to think outside of the box".

Maura finished Ms. Linden's Midterm document and set it down. She missed Jane and she'd only been gone a few hours. Her fiancé had to ridden to Philadelphia with Kate and she had found that she couldn't concentrate after last night's nightmare. Jane had run her hands all over Maura to make certain she was uninjured and she hadn't been terribly gentle about it. Her nightmares were getting worse and Maura was beginning to miss when Jane would prowl their condo with insomnia a couple nights a month.

Although she had been concerned at the time, Jane had been completely functional. Now, nightmares plagued her at least two nights a week and they were becoming vivid. The last one had scared Maura. Worse yet, Maura had no one to talk to since she didn't want to betray Jane's confidence but her need to help her fiancé was now overriding her sense of loyalty. It wasn't a place Maura wanted to be. To choose between her love of Jane and Jane's trust. Her only real confidant was Kate and Jane had specifically asked her not to talk to Kate about it. She didn't want her partner to think that she didn't have her back.

Maura had tried to explain to her how ridiculous she was being but Jane wouldn't budge and told her that if it began to affect her job, she'd tell Kate. Maura believed her because Jane wouldn't lie to her but again, her need to help her lover was taking precedence.

She leaned back into the couch and sighed as she rubbed at her eyes, trying desperately to contemplate an answer for the latest Jane Rizzoli puzzle.

She felt strong hands gripping her shoulder and begin to rub at the ache, "You look terrible, Maura."

She sighed as she looked up at Liv standing over her. Her dark eyes pierced with concern.

"I'm just worried about Jane." She said as she shrugged out from under Liv's hands.

Liv let her go and came around the couch to sit at the opposite end. "I wouldn't worry too much. Jane and Kate are great partners and they always come out of it together. They'll be back in a few days."

She nodded although the conclusion Liv had drawn was the wrong one she felt no need to correct it.

Not meeting her gaze Liv sat quietly and Maura couldn't help but notice how different liv was compared to Thanksgiving. Then she had been vibrant, confident, fiercely intimidating and held only a hint of the sadness. Now she looked tired, self-conscious and broken. Her sadness was an overwhelming sense of loss that squeezed Maura's heart.

"Liv, are you okay?" She asked.

She signed, "Not lately, Maura."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Liv huffed, "Not really." She leveled a not too friendly glare at her, "Let's face it Maura. We're here because Jane doesn't want either of us to be alone. You really don't care about me."

"That's not true." Maura said as she straightened, "I do care."

Liv rolled her eyes, "C'mon Maura. I've seen the way you look at me."

"And how have I looked at you?"

Her voice turned cold, "Like your waiting for me to try to take Jane away from you."

Maura smiled confidently. "Of all of the things in the world I could worry about, you taking Jane from me is not one of them."

Liv's face lifted into a tight smile, "Then why do you continue to stare at me like you expect me to make a move on her. I've told you everything that's ever happened between Jane and I. I told you that I've seen her naked, that I've kissed her when she thought I was you, All over five years ago and I've told you that I've held her a few nights when Kate had to work late and no one else was home for her. I took care of Jane's hands when you weren't there and I've never once given you reason to think that I'd try something so why do you keep looking at me like I'm going to fuck her on the floor of your condo?"

"Language!" Maura shouted angrily. Her voice showed her emotions far more than she wanted. "In my home you will watch your language!"

Liv didn't reply, just kept staring.

Maura pushed her anger aside and retook possession of her voice. "It would help if you didn't look at her like you want to have intercourse on my floor."

Liv closed her eyes as black hair flashed in her mind, an energetic presence in her mind that she had yet to come to terms with and her biggest secret.

"You know how I met Jane but did anyone ever tell you what happened that night?"

"I know that you got drunk and Jane took care of you the next morning." Maura replied tersely. "I also know that she's the only one who you are polite to after you drink."

Liv laughed, "I guess that's true. I want to tell you something tonight Maura. Because you are the kindest person I have ever met and I don't want you to hate me for how I still see Jane because it has absolutely nothing to do with your fiancé. But you have to keep this secret, even from Jane because I don't want her to look at me and know that I don't see her."

Maura opened her mouth but Liv cut her off. "I know how that sounds, I do see Jane but it takes me a second, even after five years of friendship, it still takes me a few seconds to clear her from my mind and see my friend. I'll tell you all about it but you cannot tell Jane."

The blonde looked at the older woman, "I do not keep secrets from Jane particularly when those secrets affect her personally and if there is something that you need to tell me about her then you'd be better off telling her."

"I can't." she said softly, "I've wanted to for years. I wanted to explain but I just don't know how."

Maura stood up and rubbed her hands together in thought. "I can't lie Liv and I won't distort or conceal the truth from Jane, ever."

"I know." She said, "I shouldn't be leaning on you Maura. You're too nice for the kind of things I deal with. And I know that you love Jane, I've never been happier to be wrong about a person as I was about you. I know that you hate me and I'm sure you have good reason but."

Maura stopped and knelt in front of her and took her hands into her own, "Olivia, I don't hate you. I… I just feel so… insecure around you and it's because of the way you look at my Jane."

Liv looked into Maura's eyes and saw the truth of it. "Then I'll tell you why I look at her the way I do but you have to promise to let me be the one to tell Jane."

Maura thought about it and looked back at her, "If Jane asks me, I will tell her that we talked."

Liv reached out and cupped Maura's cheeks. "I wish I could have been loved the way that she loves you, Maura. I'm envious of you and your loyalty to her is even more amazing."

Maura nodded, "Tell me."

Liv dropped her hand back into Maura's. "Honestly I think you are the only one who would understand. How do you tell a straight woman that you're in love with her?"

Maura got to her feet and sat down next to Liv. "I struggled with that question for years. Fortunately, I never had to find out."

She looked at her friend's lover, "But you and Jane."

"Jane told me the truth." She said distantly, "She was the one who risked it all and told me how she felt. I was never able to find a way to tell her though I came close once but I thought she hated me. I almost lost her that day. Had Rick not intervened then I would have."

Liv nodded, "Well as it turns out, telling a straight woman that your gay is easy. Telling her that you want to be with her is a lot harder and I couldn't do it."

Maura blinked," then how did you and Alex…"

Liv cut her off, "it was before Alex." She said calmly. "I was in love with someone before Alex. I won't lie to you Maura. I am attracted to Jane but I know that she's with you and I'd never betray your relationship. You see, I always seem to want what I can't have. I thought I finally had it with Alex but it was just as much a lie as it was with Abbie."

"Abbie?" Maura asked. "Who's Abbie?"

Liv took Maura's laptop off of the table and started typing. A few seconds later the image was on the screen. Liv looked up at Maura, "Abbie was a Prosecutor I worked with a long time ago. She's the one that I see sometimes when I look at Jane." She turned the laptop towards Maura and watched her eyes widen in shock, "Her name is Abigayle Carmichael."