Hi, sorry for the long delay. As you can tell, this is a long chapter, and will be the longest one. Hopefully you'll enjoy it and again, feel free leave to reviews.

oxoxoxoxo

When both women were in their separate cars as they travelled to work, both women thinking about the newly developed feelings they felt for each other. Jane was driving on autopilot, unable to get the image of Maura's breasts out of her head. They were much larger than her own, like a real woman. A woman. She was in a relationship with a woman. Women had vaginas. Her eyes widened, feeling completely overwhelmed and she swerved suddenly, driving a little too close to the curb on Congress St. She took a shaky breath, then giggled before she arrived outside the building to Dr. Carver's office. Luckily she was close to BPD headquarters. She grabbed her phone, and straightened her clothes before hopping out of the car and jogging up the stares. She signed in, took the elevator before she approached Carver's receptionist. "Detective Rizzoli…I believe Dr. Carver is expecting me."

The receptionist picked up the receiver of the phone, muttered a few words, then looked up. "Go right in," she smiled.

"Thanks," she gave the woman a slightly flirty grin and knocked on the door to the large office.

"Jane," he sighed. "Sit down."

"Nice to see you too, doc." Jane smirked and settled against the couch, curling up her legs.

"No boots on my sofa," he pointed, taking his glasses off huffily. She pouted and took her feet off the couch, crossing her legs at the ankles. "So how are you feeling?"

She smiled. "Good… really good."

"Ah," he nodded, pressing his fingers to steeple together. He looked at her for a long while. "So you've found love."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"I know that face. Dr. Isles, am I right?"

Jane's brow furrowed and she stood up, attempting not to pace. "Umm… and you know that, how?" Her feet moved on their own and she swivelled around, walking around the couch.

"Jane, I'm a psychologist… Last week I was having to do home visits. I don't even do home visits usually. This mood change isn't just because you're feeling better. So… how long have you known you were in love with Dr. Isles."

Jane fumbled with her hands and flopped back down onto the couch. "I thought this was about me getting cleared."

He shrugged, "humor me."

"When did I know? Am I allowed to say I don't know exactly?"

"Is it the truth?" He asked, chewing on the end of his glasses.

"Yes…no?" She sighed. "I've always loved her. She annoyed the crap out of me at first… Little Miss Priss. And then she was my friend, you know?" She took a breath, working out her feelings. "For some reason, I'd do anything for her. She's quirky, and ridiculously beautiful, and she's smart, but then completely naïve at the same time. Does that make sense?" Stop… you've said too much. You hate this guy, now you're pouring your heart out? He shrugged and gestured for her to carry on. Don't do it, Jane… Don't tell him another thing. "And I can handle that… I can't handle guys who act all tough, and you can't really see inside them. You can't see that little gem inside them."

"Like you?" Carver asked, leaning back in his chair.

She chuckled and pointed a finger at him. "You see you're wrong. I can be vulnerable around her, I'm not always tough around her." She looked at a spot of blood on the edge of her thumb, the skin having frayed slightly after nervously biting the digit. "She's the big spoon," Jane looked up with a grin, then cleared her throat realising where she was.

"And your health?"

"Like I said, baby looked after… changed diapers," she didn't tell him she couldn't quite manage number twos, "I've eaten… now all I want is some tuna salad for lunch and a few fries."

"So you're appetite is suffering then," he smiled sarcastically.

"It's destroyed." She wriggled in her chair. "Now, you gonna clear me?"

He sighed and held up the pad of yellow paper. "I'm going to send a copy of this to Cavanaugh. If he suspects you to become unwell again, he will tell me in an instant. There's no hiding Rizzoli."

"No reason to hide," she smiled at him with twinkling eyes. "Gimme gimme gimme," she chuckled as he handed the paper. She clapped her hands and picked up her car keys from the leather couch.

"Oh and Rizzoli?"

"Yeah?"

"Tone it down, you're starting to make me feel ill." She grinned more brightly and left, shaking her head before kissing the yellow clearing form in her hand. The man's words rung in her head and she looked around self-consciously then cleared her throat again as she left the building. Taking the one-block drive back to the precinct, she walked into the bullpen and approached Korsak from behind before waving the paper in front of his face.

"What the…" Korsak spluttered until Jane poked her head around with a grin, waving the paper again for emphasis. "Let me see that." He tugged the sheet off of her and watched from the corner of his eyes as Jane pulled a chair next to Maura who had already claimed the seat at the detective's desk.

"Hi…" Jane gave a moony sigh.

"Hey there," Maura said, a little more cordial, but friendly enough. She was happily tucking into an apple, making doodles on the woman's notepad. Frost cleared his throat and they both looked up.

"You ready Jane?"

"For what?" The detective now grumbled, feeling her former self appear without a warning.

He smiled and threw some keys at her. "BCU, we're gonna see what's going on."

Jane pumped her fist and stood up, shrugging on the jacket that she had just taken off. "Hey…"

It took Maura a second to realize the brunette was addressing her. "Mom's cooking dinner tonight."

"At hers?" Maura enquired.

"Ours," Jane felt her heart thud in her chest, but finally got her body to bend down and give the blonde a gentle kiss goodbye. "Text me when you get home?"

Maura nodded. It was all she could do, she couldn't even get her mouth to move to kiss the woman back she was in so much shock.
Frost's eyes popped out of his head, turning around to share a what-the-fuck-just-happened look with Korsak. He watched as Jane strode ahead of him, then realized she was waiting for him and jogged after her before they both left the office.
Korsak swivelled around to look at Maura who just sunk further into Jane's chair with a simper spreading rapidly on her face. "Haven't you got anything better to do than waste valuable paper?" He pointed to the love hearts she was drawing and she rolled her eyes, unaware of what she'd been doing.

"Nope…"

"Then if the reports are done, why are you even at work? On a Sunday?" He asked, then saw the smile never leaving Maura's face. "Oh… you knew she was getting cleared."

"We live together," the blonde stated the obvious.

"Ohh god almighty, I wish we could go back to when you were both sullen and grouchy and nobody was forced to inhale the love spores."

"Where did you read that? A Heinlein novel?" She smirked. "You do realize such an occurrence of said 'love spores' is highly impossible." Maura sighed and threw her apple core in the bin.

"And she's making jokes!" Korsak lamented to the rest of the relatively empty bullpen. "I've had enough of this," he grumped and she couldn't help but give a small giggle. She did know she'd have to make sure Jane lessened the PDA a little… just a little.

Smiling, she went downstairs to check her fax-machine. All toxicology results had come back negative of any suspicious substances; always a good thing to find out on an otherwise slow Sunday.

Getting out her phone, she dialled a number. "Angela, it's me."

"Hey there sweetie, is Jane back at work?"

"She's like a mad puppy running around in a pet store. She's just gone to interview some people about a case." Maura chuckled. "I'm just about to leave actually, what time are you coming over tonight?"

"I was gonna leave at five-thirty, is that too late?" The Italian woman's voice had a natural guilt-making inflection in it that caused her to get her own way. Maura was one of the only ones to never notice.

"Fine," Maura smiled. "I was going to get groceries on the way home."

Angela hesitated, looking around her bare apartment and down . "Umm… could I come with you?"

"Of course," Maura scoffed, "but are you sure? It's your day off."

The older woman sighed. "I'm bored, Mia's having her nap… this place is too lonely, Maura."

Maura juggled her lunchbox and her bag before slipping the former into the latter. "You can always move back into the guest house if you want," she said thoughtfully. "You didn't have to vacate so hastily… If you're struggling for money-"

"No, no…" Angela stopped her there, trying not to bite. Money unnerved her and though she was happy her daughter would be supported by her girlfriend should she need to be, the café worker detested the idea of being a charity case. "And anyway, you and Janie are in your little honeymoon period, sweetie. There is no way I want to be hearing anything coming from any bedroom whatsoever," she grouched. "No matter how much I support what you have going on there…"

The woman's grumbling made Maura laugh and she shrugged on her jacket, getting ready to leave. "See you in a bit, Whole Foods on Cambridge St alright? Half an hour." Angela agreed and they hung up, leaving Maura to gather the last of her things before she called it a day.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Frost pointed to the air, supposedly gesturing to the long gone headquarters of BPD.

"What?" Jane asked smugly, slinking down in her seat as Frost kept his eye on the road. She couldn't help but chuckle when she saw his face, eyes wide and unmoving. "Come on, it was just a kiss."

"Just a kiss? Just a… Rizzoli, you don't just kiss. You don't just…" He huffed, unable to finish the sentence. "What about when you were dating that Karl guy?"

"Who?" Jane frowned, pausing until she remembered after a few seconds. "Briggs?"

"See?" Frost laughed. "You didn't even know his first name! The amount of times he tried to give you a smooch and you acted like he was a leper."

"It wouldn't have surprised me if he was," Jane smirked. "But anyway, Maura's different."

He shrugged, admitting it was true. "How did this happen so fast anyway?" He looked at her incredulous grin. "You know what I mean…"

"No, I don't," Jane laughed. "You're saying you saw nothing…nothing at all these passed two and a half years?" He was silent. "Aww, stop fucking with me, Frost… I know you had a bet on with Korsak. And you lost."

His mouth widened in shock. "I can't believe he told you," he was rather effeminate in his expressions which caused Jane to chuckle even more until her belly hurt.

"Maura told me…" Jane smiled, resting her head on her forearm as Frost parked up.

"Yeah well…" He stuttered. "I'm not gonna tell Maura anything ever again because I know it'll just come back to bite me on the ass," he said petulantly and left the car in a huff. Jane had to wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes, settling her tender abdomen before she got out of the car. She knew the reason Frost was sore was because he lost the bet.

"Hey..."

"What…" He grumped.

She stuffed her hand into her pocket and took out two twenties. "Close enough."

"Jane, I can't… Don't be stupid."

"Rich girlfriend," her eyes danced. She knew it would come out of her pocket anyway, and never Maura's. She knew she'd never be able to take any sort of money off the medical examiner, but Frost didn't need to know that. "Go on…" He paused, looking at her with confused eyes. "Let this be a lesson to you. No more betting about my marital status."

"Yes sir," he finally took the bills from her hand and stuffed them down his pants.

Jane's nose wrinkled.

"What? If chicks can do it down their bras, why can't guys put it in their pouch-"

"Hey! Ohh!" Jane stopped him there, her face grimacing in disgust. "Because you have pockets!"

"So do you!" He was confused.

"And since when did you see me take my cash out of my bra?" Where the hell was this conversation going? This is the one thing she loved about the job; winding Barry up until he looked like he was about to faint from confusion.

"Good point."

"You are ridiculous," she countered. "Come on… doofus." The black man grinned and once again, chased after her, not quite able to keep up with her long strides.

When they were in the empty classroom and had set up a temporary interrogation room, the mood had changed in a more professional manner. Jane sat down in front of Femke's closest friend, a young girl who's hands were shaking with both fear and grief. "When did you last speak with your friend, Poppy?"

Poppy Dale stared at the scary looking woman in front of her and placed her palms on the table to stop them from shaking. "Three days ago," she whispered. "She came over to my dorm and we studied."

"Did you speak to her at all last night?"

The young blonde shook her head with wide eyes. "Is she dead, ma'am? Can you at least tell me that?"

Jane sighed. "I'm afraid your friend was found dead at Boston Public Library, yes." She watched tears flood the young student's eyes. She couldn't have been more than 19. "Was she seeing anyone? Did you know if she knew a Henry Luton at all?"

Poppy nodded slowly. "I…No, she wasn't seeing anybody… or didn't tell me if she was," she fiddled with her hands. "But… but she did know Henry, they were friends."

"You weren't in Femke's class for English Literature, were you?"

"N-No," she shook her head. This was getting hard. She just wanted to go to bed and cry and never stop. "But she talked about him."

"And you're sure he wasn't her boyfriend," Frost asked gently.

She shook her head again. "I…I think he's gay."

"Do you know of anybody who didn't like your friend, Miss. Dale?"

Poppy's shoulders shook. "No… I… She didn't have many friends, but nobody hated her."

"Alright," Jane nodded. "You can go home now. We'll contact you if we need anything else, alright?" She watched the student nod again with scared wide eyes.

"I…I have to get to class." She stumbled and got up off her chair.

Jane looked at the dean of humanities in the corner of the room who gestured discreetly. "Go home," the detective stressed again. "I don't suppose your brain wants to do much work, huh?" Tears that had threatened to fall from the girl's eyes did just that and she nodded before hastily leaving the room. Jane coughed back a few tears and blinked, looking at Frost who covered her back with his hand. "She was the perfect student. I don't get it."

He sat down next to her. "We have three more friends of Henry's coming in, then we'll go talk to the teacher?"

Jane nodded. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she looked at a text from Maura.

Your mother has officially talked my ear off.

Jane chuckled, sniffing a little to dry her eyes. Where are you?

Whole Foods. Mia is also talking my ear off. Of course, as well as a 6 month old infant can manage with limited speech development.

Jane rolled her eyes and quickly typed a reply. Sorry to hear that. We've got no leads, still interviewing. Miss you.

Maura looked up, watching Angela talk to herself as she ticked off some items off her shopping list. She turned back to her phone. I miss you too, Jane. May I also remind you that there will be no further talking from you when your mother leaves tonight.

Give me a little insight? Jane grinned and felt her throat tighten in excitement.

You'll just have to wait. Maura chuckled, knowing that there would be a pout forming on her lover's lips in the next oh… three seconds.

: (

Maura closed her eyes, laughing out loud at this new turn in her life. It was all so strange. Good strange, but still strange.

"Are you alright?" Angela came over, concerned when she saw the doctor wiping tears from her eyes.

"Sure," Maura laughed, "Mia's facial expressions are just incredibly humorous." She blamed the baby, knowing it was highly inappropriate to announce that she had just been sexting her daughter. She'd learned that much from Jane. Angela squinted her eyes but nodded, noting the woman suddenly stash the phone back into her handbag.

Jane squawked when Frost snatched the iPhone from her scarred hands. "Come on, Jane."

"Alright, alright," She sighed and got up, finishing her coffee before following him to Luke Jacob's office, still attempting to steal her cell back with small huffs.

Again, they put their professional caps on when they entered the office, both detectives standing cordially before they were invited to take a seat in the chairs at the desk.

"Dean James told me to expect you." He said warily.

"I'm sure you know what this is about…" Jane replied, her façade exuding pseudo friendliness.

"Henry and Femke," he whispered.

"Yes." Frost nodded. "Your two best students."

"They were very quiet… passionate young people." He said in that same haunting tone.

Jane felt a little uncomfortable and crossed her legs. "Can you think of anybody who would want to hurt these two students, Mr. Jacobs?" Jane asked, sticking to protocol.

He took a long time to reply. "I can't think of anybody who resented their academic success," the blonde man shrugged. He wore thin framed spectacles, had a handsome angular face, and reminded Jane of the kind of guys Maura used to date. Before her. That sent a little shiver down the detective's spine. She hid the smirk and looked into the man's grey eyes.

"Where were you on the night of both your students' deaths, Luke? From 7-9pm " She watched him cringe at the use of his first name. Interesting…

"I was at home, with my wife."

"And she can vouch for that…"

"Of course," Luke nodded.

"Anything else? Any phone calls you made from your home phone?"

His mouth widened. "Am…Am I a suspect?"

Jane's eyes flashed. "Would you like to be?" She saw him half shake his head. "Answer the question, Mr. Jacobs."

"I…" He thought back. "I was just in my office…" He saw Jane nod insincerely. "Is.. I mean, I was on my computer…at home! Surely you can track that?"

Frost stayed quiet, trying to work this guy out. What was he hiding? "Unless you don't have a firm alibi, sir… we can't trace anything back."

Luke grumbled and shifted in his seat. "So…so you're saying that because my life is shitty, because I do nothing but sit and read at night? I have no firm alibi, that makes me worse off?"

He became angry. "I loved those kids. Femke…she had this brightness in her eyes. Like… I'd be reciting Proust and her eyes would come alive… and Henry… his papers were near perfect. I couldn't compete with them if I tried. Why on Earth would I hurt them?"

Jane stood up, having had enough of his grovelling. "That'll be all, sir." Giving him a glare, she watched his knuckles tighten over his seat. There was something more…so much more.

"We'll contact you further when we need to." He nodded and stood up to watch them leave.

"What do you think?" Jane asked as they finished up for the day, after around 36 interviews. "That Jacobs guy?"

"I'm gonna do a background check when we get back." Frost admitted. "Something weird going on. It's like he's innocent, but he's not."

Jane nodded, knowing exactly what her partner meant. "Something tells me this guy's a good actor."

When they got back to the precinct, it was already 5 o'clock.

You still at work? Jane's phone buzzed irritably in her pocket.

Give me another hour and a half, I'm all yours. She typed back hastily, occasionally looking over Frost's shoulder to see if he had a hit.

This time, the phone began to let out a ring and Jane picked it up on the second vibration. "What is it, Ma?"

"Maura said you're not coming home for another hour and a half!" Angela grouched.

"She probably also tried to explain that two people lost their lives to some psycho." Jane grumbled back. "Ma, I'll be there. I promise."

"You better be," the middle-aged woman warned. "This little girl's going home soon and I know you just wanna give her some smooches," she looked at Mia who was suckling from a spoon as Maura fed her patiently. The baby was sat in Maura's lap, a small towel draped over her front to avoid any mess. Maura smiled as Mia opened her mouth clumsily for the next small serving of strained carrots and peas. "You're missing a pretty sight here."

Jane groaned and thudded her head on the table. "I'll be there, Ma!"

"Hmmphh…" Came the wordless reply.

"And Mia doesn't want smooches from me," Jane sighed. "Get Maura to give her some."

"Hmm, that's not what Dr. Isles told me, Jane Rizzoli," the mother smiled, knowing she was truly winding her daughter up. "She says you're pretty good at giving baby smooches."

Frost turned around when he heard another pained groan, then watched Jane's head bang incessantly against her desk. "Ma, I gotta go… and tell Maura she's in a lot of trouble." She felt her cheeks flare with heat as Angela hung up, knowing her girlfriend had dished the dirt on the whole babysitting affair.

"I got nothing," Barry sighed, looking through as many records as he could find on the blonde man. Jane put her phone down and looked at the screen. "Luke Jacobs, born in Chickasha, Oklahoma… went to OU, got his teaching certificate…travelled around a little. Europe, mainly France, England… Norway. Then came to Boston… Went to grad-school, then got his PhD. The dude's smart."

"Exactly…"

Frost looked at her. "You really don't trust him…"

She shrugged. "A gut thing." Pointing at the screen, she whispered, "carry on."

"Married his college sweetheart in 2003, Donna Jacobs. He started teaching here at 2007. Very popular with the students, as we saw today…" Jane nodded. "And no motive whatsoever." He heard Jane growl.

"Come on…"

"What are we doing?" Frost stood up, frowning at Korsak who shrugged, still looking over the files on their weak suspect.

"We're gonna go find that 'alibi,'" She smiled. "I'm driving." She dragged her partner towards the doors before the door slammed shut again as they left.

Korsak chuckled to himself, watching the two detectives leave before patting the $50 now 'weighing' his front pocket down. "Good to have you back Rizzoli." He sighed, then looked at the computer once more.

Jane rapped her knuckles against the large door at the house registered to Dr. Luke Jacobs in Newton. A woman opened the door, approximately mid-thirties, looking at both detectives with an inquisitive glance. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Jacobs?"

"That's me," the woman nodded, looking a little unsure at what these people might have wanted.

"Detective Rizzoli, this is my partner Detective Frost." She pointed behind herself. "We have a few questions about your husband's whereabouts last night, at 7pm."

The woman blinked. "He was here," she said frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"Can you tell me what he was doing, Mrs. Jacobs?"

Donna peered at the badges tucked against both officer's waists and noted their authenticity. "He was reading in his study. It's all he does," she sighed. "Wh… Is something wrong?" She repeated.

Jane sighed. "Mrs. Jacobs we're currently investigating the deaths of two BCU students. Have you heard anything about the victims? Has Luke said anything to you? Anything at all?"
Donna's eyes widened and she held her mouth. "No…He… He's not back from work yet,… Should I tell him you came by?"

"If you would, tell him we'll be contacting him in the morning" she nodded and turned her back, letting Frost follow her as she ambled back to the car with a heavy sigh. Annoyingly, it sounded genuine. Donna had said the same thing. Reading. Maybe he was reading? Maybe Jacobs was right all along… just because he had no technology to back himself up, albeit the odd email sent out, did that mean he had to be punished because he stuck to ink and paper?

oxoxoxoxoxo

Frost dropped Jane off outside and she waved a goodbye before getting into her own car. She sighed and looked at her phone, no new messages from Maura. Shrugging, she made the journey home, listening to Korsak rattling on about the case on her bluetooth. "Korsak…Korsak!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have anything relevant to tell me?" She sighed.

"Ummm…no, that's the thing. The parents are coming over from Aruba… it's a long shot but they might know something."

"And Henry didn't have a boyfriend."

"Nope," Vince shook his head. "Single… a dating profile not showing anything... no messages sent out or in. Guy was a loner. We're getting BCU to let us into their emails but it's taking a while to get them to."

"Why?" Jane frowned.

"Data protection," he rolled his eyes. "We're working on it."

"'Kay," she mumbled, pulling up outside the house. She grabbed the crate of beer that she'd managed to pick up on the way, knowing they were running out. "Just tell us if you hear anything," she said.

"Will do," he typed a few other things into the computer and hung up the phone, knowing tonight would be a long night, just like the one before.

Jane turned the key in the door to her new house and walked into the lobby where she was greeted by Joe Friday who was whirling around her legs in hasty circles. She picked her up and wandered into the living room where Maura was just settling down to a glass of wine, sipping slowly as she watched Angela cook. "Hey," Jane greeted with a smile as she sat down next to both Maura, and the baby who was wrapped in her arms. She leaned forward and kissed her gently, then pulled back, looking at her mother who was still pottering around in the kitchen. "I thought I was like extra late or something."

"Fifteen minutes late.. But she still hasn't served up," Maura smiled, lifting the child up and resettled her against her chest. Jane grinned back and pecked Maura on the head before walking into the kitchen.

"Need a hand, Ma?" Angela had to do a double take.

"What did you say, Janie?"

"I said do you need a hand?" Jane frowned.

"Set the table," her mother nodded with a grin, acting as if she'd just witnessed the most natural thing. Jane huffed and grabbed the plates, before putting them on the table as neatly as she could. Mia was getting very fussy and Maura stood with her, swaying the baby gently around the room. Her arms reached out for Jane and the brunette froze.

"Want her?" Maura asked, holding the little girl up against her chest. "She's bored of me…"

Jane pointed with her eyes and hissed quietly. "Grandchildren…hassling, Need I say anymore?" Mia began to cry, reaching out for Jane with a red face.

"Jane, she wants you…Just take her," Maura sighed. "I'll fend off the comments." she tried to be as discreet as one could yelling over a now screaming infant. Jane sighed and pulled Mia away, swinging her gently until the child settled in her arms, plopping her tired head on the detective's shoulder.

"Now you owe me," Jane whispered, but was merely answered to a gentle pat on the ass. "And you also get to do the laundry…this thing is gonna be soaked with drool in the space of five minutes," Jane looked down at her shirt and sighed. She couldn't help but listen to the small murmurs of happiness from the baby.

They were brought out of their musings when they heard a clatter from the kitchen. Turning, Jane felt the baby flinch, then calm down and looked at Angela who had dropped the bowl of tagliolini. The image of her daughter soothing a baby caught her by surprise and strands of pasta were decorated around the room. Maura's eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine," the older woman nodded, brushing herself down. "I must have left the bowl too close to the stove," she said. Maura nodded and picked the…stone-cold steel bowl from the floor. Maybe passing Mia to Jane wasn't the best idea after all. After rescuing what was left of the thick pasta, Maura and Angela managed to dish up the carbonara, a firm favorite of Jane's while the detective put Mia into her bouncer and sat at the table, using her foot to gently bounce the spring seat up and down. She handed the infant a breadstick and cautiously watched the child gnaw on it with her chubby little fingers. When she saw Mia was safe, she speared a thick slice of bacon, ate it and sighed.

"Ma… I gotta tell you something."

And there it is. Angela tried not to laugh and politely put her fork down, hoping that the atmosphere would clear once Jane came out. "What is it, honey?"

Maura peered at Jane with interest and gently slid her foot up Jane's calf, half to arouse her, the rest to encourage her. The detective closed her eyes. "I'm in love with Maura, Ma."

There was silence for a long while and Angela let out a little giggle. "I know, baby."

Jane's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"Maura told me you were together when you were angry I went on a date."

"You told?" Jane couldn't keep the hurt from her voice and Maura had to look away at the disappointed eyes looking back at her.

"I…Well, I didn't think it was a secret. Was it?" Maura whispered back, putting a hand on her girlfriend's.

Jane shrugged and pulled her hand away from under the one covering hers.

"Just wanted to have a little control I guess." She stood up and looked down at her food. "I'm not hungry anymore…"

Maura stood up. "Do you feel nauseous?"

"No…" The woman grumbled. "Just lost my appetite." She left the room swiftly and went to sit on their bed, wrapping herself in the covers before she let the mega pout emerge on her face.

Maura sighed and attempted to carry on eating, but her heart felt heavy and her chest felt tight. She didn't exactly know the scientific reasoning behind this… Why would Jane being grumpy cause such intense anxiety? "Excuse me for a second?"

"Go ahead, sweetie," Angela nodded. "Oh…. And Maura?"

"Yeah?" Maura turned, repositioning her skirt.

"Bring the baby… she's turning into a softy." Angela's eyes brimmed with tears and Maura smiled, scooping Mia out of her bouncer.

"Jane?" Maura knocked the door and opened it gently. "Hey…" She held Mia against her hip and approached the bed hesitantly before sitting down on the bare mattress, most of the covers now wrapped around Jane's body in a nest of bedding. Jane didn't look at her, but played with Mia's little foot as the baby babbled at both of them.

"I'm sorry," the blonde whispered to the sulking woman.

"It was the one thing I wanted to do tonight…" Jane replied evenly. "I just wanted to say how much I loved you. To my own mother…"

"Then you could have told me! Or warned me," Maura stressed, her voice staying quiet. Jane huffed and let Mia crawl up towards her. "Honey, I'm sorry okay? But she doesn't care. She knew before I told her."

"She did?" Jane was shocked and the doctor found it adorable.

Maura smiled and shuffled up the bed. "Sweetie, when you were under, she asked me if I loved you. And I said yes. You moving in with me just told her that we were working stuff out."

"She knew…" Jane repeated and worked it around her head. "And she's okay?"

"Quite happy," Maura smiled. "I'm also suffering a small contusion to the shoulder. Her hugs are particularly hard."

Jane let a shy smile and pulled down Maura's blouse to see reddening around her bra strap. "Heh, yep! you got Rizzoli'd." Maura just smiled back and closed her eyes before pulling the woman in for a gentle kiss. She smiled and felt Jane slowly reciprocate before pulling back, her lips tingling.

"Are you really not hungry?"

"I could handle a cannoli" Jane scowled still. "And I want lots of kisses tonight."

Maura smirked and bent down to kiss Jane's cheek. "Many," another kiss, this time on her lips. "Many… many kisses."

"Okay." Jane got out of her nest and watched as Maura picked Mia back up before they entered the dining room.

Angela had been waiting anxiously and saw two shy eyes poke out of the hoody that Jane had self-consciously put on. She stood up, and watched as Jane shuffled towards her mother, walking into her arms. It was a rare occasion, usually if Jane was upset, or hurt. This was a hug of gratitude and for Angela it was a hug of acceptance. The older woman held down the sob and kissed the top of her daughter's head as well as she could in spite of the height difference.

"I just want you to be happy, you know that?" Angela asked, her voice breaking, and the detective nodded against her shoulder. "Good… now finish your dinner." The woman patted her child's side and Jane snorted, sitting back down before she took a bite out of her leftover food with a gentle huff.

Maura shared a look with Angela and smiled, sitting back down with the baby in her arms. After three cannolis had been successfully eaten by the 'not hungry' Jane, the doorbell sounded out around the house. Maura sighed and had to face facts that they were coming to the end of the game - playing house with her girlfriend, at least for a while…