When Jane met Kate outside the restaurant, she greeted the other woman with a brief but intense kiss. It was an impulse. Second nature.

It felt amazing.

Liberating.

"Well that was unexpected," Kate rasped, grinning as they separated.

"Should I not?" Jane pulled back to look Kate in the eye.

"On the contrary," Kate shook her head. "Please feel free. I just… I wasn't expecting to hear from you. And I wasn't sure how eager you would be to see me tonight."

Their eyes held, and Jane felt warmth spreading through her whole body.

"I told you I would call," Jane replied. "And I'm thrilled to see you."

"I'm glad," Kate responded. "I'm thrilled to see you too."

Dinner was pleasant, but there was a charged tension between them that was utterly distracting. Kate kept touching Jane- her thigh under the table, her hand as she reached for her wine glass, her face to remove an imaginary smudge.

Halfway through the meal, Jane was practically too distracted to eat. Kate was intoxicating. Enchanting. Smart and funny and poised yet relaxed. She put Jane at ease and set her completely on edge.

She began to feel more confident, more self-assured with every minute that passed. As soon as Kate had finished eating and put down her fork, Jane pulled her in for a brief kiss.

"All done?" Jane asked.

"I haven't even gotten started," Kate replied. "Shall we?"

Jane got the check, paying rapidly and ushering Kate out of the restaurant.

"I drove," Jane said, leading Kate towards her car.

Kate's hands wandered Jane's body as Jane drove. At stoplights, Kate kissed her until she couldn't breathe.

At Kate's apartment, they paused while she fished out her keys and unlocked the door. Kate pushed open the door but didn't step through.

"Any ghosts around tonight?" she asked.

Jane looked at her hands, and the slight scars on her palms, and then back up at Kate's face.

Jane paused, looking up to meet Kate's eyes.

Blue.

She was startled to realize she had been expecting Maura's green eyes to greet her. She fought back a wave of emotions she couldn't identify.

Kate reached down and put a hand on Jane's cheek. Jane's eyes fluttered closed.

"You're beautiful," Kate whispered.

Jane opened her eyes, met Kate's in the dim light of the hallway.

Her silence was apparently answer enough.

"Still exorcising those demons, huh?" Kate suggested.

"Yeah," Jane nodded.

Kate kissed Jane slowly, thoroughly.

A benediction.

"No rush," Kate said.

Jane pulled the other woman close and Kate came willingly. Jane stroked her hands down the other woman's smooth, soft back, sneaking under her shirt. Kate played gently with Jane's hair, lulling her close to sleep as they stood at the threshold to Kate's apartment.

"Want to talk about it?" Kate asked finally.

Jane was surprised by the offer.

"Sometimes that helps me," Kate added.

"Just um," Jane hesitated. It's not like she could tell the woman she wanted to fuck that she was trying to get over being in love with her best friend. "I'm losing a really good friend."

"Ex-girlfriend?" Kate prodded evenly. "It doesn't matter to me. I just want you to know you don't have to hide it. I assumed you had dated other people in the world before we met."

"No," Jane shook her head. "Nothing like that. My best friend. I fell in love with her, I think."

She paused. Kate didn't rush to fill the silence. Didn't press.

It should have been odd to have such a conversation with a virtual stranger in a dimly lit hallway but everything seemed easier with Kate.

"Anyways," Jane added absently. "She's straight and we're drifting apart and I think I might be losing her. But I'm not really sure why."

"I'm sorry," Kate replied. "I can see how that would be really difficult for you."

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," Jane responded softly. "I know I shouldn't have."

"I asked," Kate smiled. "Life is messy. It's complicated. But I like you and you seem like a genuinely good person. I'm glad you're here. Would you like to come in for a minute?"

Jane smiled too, and felt a weight lift some from her shoulders.

At least she had something good, pure, in her life at the moment.

"Sure," Jane nodded.

Jane followed Kate into her apartment and they settled on the couch.

"Wanna tell me about her?" Kate asked. "Your best friend, I mean."

Jane debated for a minute, but decided she should only push her luck with Kate so much. The other woman had feelings and a heart Jane didn't want to bruise or break.

"No," Jane shook her head, kissing Kate lightly on the lips. "I want you to tell me about you."

"What about me?" Kate replied. "I'm an open book."

"First kiss," Jane blurted.

"Ronald Costas," Kate didn't hesitate. "Third grade. It was terrible. His braces caught on my lip."

Jane laughed and Kate kissed her.

"Yours?" Kate inquired.

Jane groaned, covering her face with her hand. Kate kissed her wrist, her arm, her fingers.

"Gio Mancini," Jane muttered. "He kissed me. And then I punched him."

It was Kate's turn to laugh, and the sound was rich, full.

They chatted and laughed until Jane glanced at the clock, realized it was after midnight.

"I should probably be going," she admitted.

"You're welcome to stay the night," Kate offered.

"Thanks," Jane replied, gently squeezing Kate's hand. "If it weren't a weeknight, I might take you up on that. But I've gotta be at the precinct early and if I come in wearing the same thing as yesterday, I'll never hear the end of it.

Kate smiled and nodded. As Jane shrugged into her jacket, she noticed a Red Sox pennant hanging on the wall.

Jane grinned.

"You like the Sox?" she asked, unable to resist the urge to reach out and touch Kate.

"Are there people who don't?" Kate retorted, pretending the thought had never occurred to her. She came willingly into Jane's arms.

"We'll have to catch a game some time," Jane suggested, idly fingering the hem of Kate's shirt. She wanted to strip it off and kiss every inch of the skin underneath.

But Maura kept creeping in an poisoning her thoughts.

"I'd like that," Kate agreed. They kissed, hungry and heated, and when Jane pulled back she could barely breathe.

"If you're gonna leave," Kate let the thought hang.

Jane nodded, releasing the shorter woman and stepping back.

Kate smiled and walked Jane to the door. Jane leaned down and kissed Kate again, pulling her close. She couldn't seem to help herself.

"I had a really nice time tonight," Jane rasped.

"Me too," Kate replied. "When can I see you again?"

"I'll call you," Jane told her.

"Sounds good," Kate said, opening the door. "Let me know that you're home safely?"

"I will," Jane assured her. And with one last, quick kiss, Jane turned to go.

The whole drive home she fought the feeling that she had cheated on Maura.

She texted Kate when she shut the door to her apartment. The other woman responded and Jane collapsed into bed. She could smell Kate's perfume on herself.

She hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't owe Maura anything.

She fell asleep repeating it in her head.

Maura doesn't love you. Maura doesn't love you.

She doesn't love you.

Jane arrived to work only to be immediately called out on a suspected homicide. A young man, likely a college student, had been found dead by the Charles.

She spent forty-eight non-stop hours tracking down leads with Frost and Korsak. When she found herself in the morgue, Maura was nowhere around. It worried her but there was too much at stake to deal with it in the moment.

Jane's gut told her the perp was a sleazy pimp they had talked to the day before. There was no real motive yet but she knew that was the guy.

"It's him," she insisted. "Frost. Come on. You know this is our guy."

"There's no motive and he had an alibi," Frost replied. They were both worn dangerously thin.

"Alibi's can be faked," Korsak suggested. "I'll run it down."

He met Jane's eyes. Jane nodded almost imperceptibly in thanks.

"I'm going back to the scene," she stood. "Maybe we missed something."

"Great," the Captain stuck his head out of his office. "Take Dr. Isles. She wanted to check something out anyways."

Jane wanted to complain. To argue. To stamp her foot.

She stood instead and nodded.

"Sure Cap," she replied. "No problem."

Jane made her way down to the morgue. Just inside the door, she stopped. Maura was leaning over a counter, in theory reading, but her eyes were closed. For a minute, Jane thought she might actually be asleep.

Her feet suddenly made of cement, Jane found herself unable to break the trance. Maura was flawlessly gorgeous and Jane's heart squeezed too tightly in her chest. Maura also looked utterly exhausted. Jane wanted to take Maura home, tuck her into bed, and curl up against her to sleep for days.

"Hey," she finally spoke, her voice a low rasp.

Maura jumped, banging her elbow on the table.

"Sorry," Jane rushed forwards. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Maura replied. "I must have drifted away for a second there."

Jane lightly gripped Maura's arm, inspecting her elbow. No visible damage.

"I'm fine," Maura repeated softly. She pulled her arm away. "I don't have the report ready yet, if that's why you're here."

It cut Jane that she couldn't just come visit without it being assumed she wanted something from the M.E.

When had that changed?

"No, I know," Jane shook her head. "I'm going back to the scene. Cap said you could use a ride over there."

"Oh," Maura replied. "That's alright. I can drive myself."

"You can't even stand up and read," Jane countered. "You're not driving yourself."

"And you're well-rested," Maura challenged. "You could just as easily fall asleep at the wheel and you know it."

"Well then I guess you'll just have to trust that I won't kill us both in a fiery ball of death," Jane snorted. "We're leaving in five minutes."

She didn't give Maura a chance to reply before leaving the morgue.

Upstairs she waited impatiently, leaning against the cruiser. When Maura emerged, only six or seven minutes later, Jane slid behind the wheel without waiting.

It Maura was going to push her away or let her drift or whatever the hell was happening, Jane sure as shit wasn't going to waste her energy on trying to fix it when she was already running on empty.

The ride was silent and Jane couldn't stand it. She flipped the radio on just to fill the dead air.

The dark of evening had brought with it a biting chill and Jane shivered when she got out at the scene. Maura practically ignored her, walking straight to the taped off area and stepping under the police line.

Jane followed, but as much as was possible she kept her distance in the small, cordoned off area. Maura poked and prodded a few things, took some notes, bagged a few items.

Jane waited for inspiration. For a clue. For something to jump out.

But she was exhausted, and nothing struck her as odd.

Other than being a crime scene, the small plot of park next to the river seemed totally ordinary. Jane crouched down, hating the way her body creaked and groaned these days.

And then she saw it. Footprints.

Just the lightest indentations, but there nonetheless. Leading away from the crime scene where no investigators had gone.

There was rustling and her hand moved instinctively to her sidearm.

"Jane?" Maura called out.

Jane held up a finger and Maura quieted immediately.

She could sense Maura moving behind her and she hoped the M.E. was returning to the car. When Maura appeared beside her, Jane bit back a groan.

"What is it?" Maura whispered.

"I heard something," Jane replied. "Be quiet."

Jane moved forwards slowly, staying crouched below the bushes.

On the other side of the hedges and a few yards down the rocky shore was occupied by a few shadowed figures. They were sitting by the water talking in hushed tones.

Jane focused in as much as possible and after a minute she let out a sigh of frustration. They were just college kids drinking in the cold. She turned, startled to find that Maura was crouching directly behind her.

They collided, Jane cursing softly. Jane caught herself but Maura's absurdly high heels weren't so forgiving. She toppled to the ground despite Jane's effort to stop her from falling.

"Maura," Jane bent over her friend, scanning Maura for injury. "Are you ok?"

"I'm alright," Maura's voice was tight with pain. "I just think I rolled my ankle a little."

"Let me help you up," Jane suggested, holding her hand out.

"I'm fine," Maura protested, trying to stand on her own.

Jane ignored the pang of hurt that Maura's refusal sent through her.

Maura stumbled, unable to bear weight on her injured ankle. Jane was prepared for it and caught her with a firm arm around her waist.

"Just let me help you," Jane asserted softly. "I promise not to read into it and think we're friends or anything."

Wordlessly, Maura looped a hand around Jane's neck and let herself be led back to the cruiser. When they stepped down at the curb, Maura miscalculated her balance and nearly fell. She pulled hard on Jane's lanky frame, but Jane kept them upright.

Maura was pressed flush against her, arms clutching desperately to Jane's body. Jane's spare hand found Maura's hip, the curve a perfect fit for her long, elegant fingers. Maura's chest was heaving, her breath coming unevenly.

"Don't worry," Jane rasped. "I won't let you fall."

Maura looked Jane in the eye. Licked her lips.

"I know," she replied.

Jane couldn't look away. The cold wind whipped at their skin, Maura's weight heavy and warm against her, and suddenly she realized Maura was staring at her mouth.

Jane's brain couldn't compute.

Everything froze. Time seemed entirely suspended.

All Jane could see was Maura. All she could feel was Maura.

The entire universe could have come to an end in that moment and Jane wouldn't even have noticed.

"Let's," her voice was low and gravelly. She cleared her throat. "Let's get you in the car and get that ankle taken care of."

"I'm fine," Maura breathed, unmoving. "Really, it's just a sprain."

"Still," Jane coaxed. "You should get off it and probably put some ice on there."

Gently, she lowered Maura into the passenger seat of the cruiser.

The feel of Maura pressed up against her was permanently imprinted onto her skin. It wasn't the first time they had touched, nor the most intimate- they had shared a bed, after all, but something about the way Maura clung to her after weeks without so much as a handshake… it set Jane on edge.

It set her on fire.

The car was filled with pressurized silence and Jane ground her teeth to avoid saying something stupid. She clenched the wheel to keep from reaching out.

"Thank you for helping me," Maura finally said. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.

"Of course," Jane shrugged. "I'll always help you."

"You sound so certain," Maura replied.

Jane chanced a glance at the other woman but Maura was staring out the passenger window.

"I am certain," Jane responded. "I'm always gonna be your friend Maura. I know we're going through something right now and I gotta admit it confuses the hell out of me. But we're gonna come out the other side of this just as strong as ever. I'm not going anywhere."

"You will though," Maura whispered.

"What?" Jane asked.

Maura looked surprised she had spoken.

"You'll leave," Maura breathed. "You'll meet a woman, fall in love, and go start a family. And you should- you deserve that happiness."

"I'm not just going to forget about you because I start a family," Jane said firmly. "You are my family. You will be a part of whatever I build. You are a part of it already. That won't change."

"I wish I felt so certain," Maura replied.

"Then stop pushing me away," Jane demanded. "It won't make it hurt any less, if that's what you're thinking. You're not going to lose me for any reason other than you decide to cut me off. But even then, I can be pretty damn persistent."

Maura smiled grimly.

"Yes," she allowed. "I'm aware of your penchant for badgering."

They lapsed into silence again.

"But that's not it," Jane began. "Is it? That's not what is keeping us apart."

"Can we talk about something else?" Maura suggested. "How is Frankie?"

Jane debated arguing, pushing the subject, but she knew Maura would only shut down.

"He's fine," she muttered instead.

They chatted for a minute about Frankie before falling back into heavy silence.

Back at the precinct, Jane rushed to help Maura out of the car.

"I'm fine," Maura insisted.

Jane wasn't buying it.

"You need different shoes," she asserted. "Sit back down." A gentle push was enough to send Maura back into the passenger seat. Jane dug through the trunk of the cruiser, pulling out a pair of converse and clean socks. "Put these on."

Maura looked horrified.

"Absolutely not," she responded.

"Maura," Jane held out the shoes. "You're not going to hobble back into the office in that Gucci stilt, so put these on and I will help you get downstairs."

Maura opened her mouth to argue but Jane continued.

"Put the shoe on or I take you to the Emergency Room," she finished firmly.

Maura pouted openly, uncharacteristically mumbling under her breath as she put the shoe and sock on her uninjured foot and put her shoes into her purse.

"Happy?" she demanded when she was done.

Jane grinned.

"Delirious," she deadpanned. In reality, she was caught completely off-guard by how adorable Maura was in her expensive suit and Jane's ratty converse.

"What?" Maura bit as Jane helped her to the door.

"You're just so adorable," Jane blurted before she could stop herself. "Especially when you're pouting."

Maura stopped short, her surprise evident.

"What?" she stammered.

"I uh," it was Jane's turn to stammer. "I just think those shoes really suit you."

"Thank you," Maura rasped. "They're rather comfortable actually, considering their total lack of arch support-"

"Maura," Jane cut her off. "Thank you is more than sufficient. You don't have to tell me all the things that are wrong with my shoes."

"I wasn't trying to insult them," Maura responded softly. She sounded hurt. "I'm sorry."

Jane was going to respond but her phone rang, saving her from trying to figure out what on earth she would have said.

"Kate," Jane smiled into the phone.

"I hope it's ok that I called instead of waiting for you to call me," Kate told her. "I've never been good with game-playing."

"No," Jane chuckled. "It's fine. I'm a little too old for games."

"Not all games I hope," Kate purred. Jane blushed, hoping Maura didn't notice. "I hadn't heard from you so I figured you must be busy at work. Thought I'd see if you wanted to have dinner this week."

"I'd like that," Jane agreed. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Perfect," Kate agreed. "Why don't I swing by and pick you up at work?"

Jane hesitated. She wasn't exactly out around the precinct. But she wasn't really hiding it either.

"Ok," she allowed. "I'll text you the address. I should be done around seven. Is that ok?"

"That's perfect," Kate told her. "I look forward to it. I've been thinking about you since the second you walked out of my apartment."

Jane found it wasn't a lie when she replied, "I've been thinking about you a lot too. I'll see you tomorrow."

She hung up and she had never felt more awkward than when she turned to see Maura.

"Hot date?" Maura joked, but it fell horribly flat.

The silence was stifling.

"Yeah," Jane shrugged. "Something like that."

To her great relief, Angela and Korsak saw them come into the precinct and rushed over to see what had happened. Jane made an excuse about needing to update Frost about something and handed Maura off to the worrying duo.

She didn't see Maura for the rest of the day.

They cracked the case sometime around two a.m. and Frost went down to the morgue to tell the M.E. to go home. Jane found an empty bunk in the crib, set an alarm and promptly passed out.