Jane was breathless and sweaty but kept running, her boots slapping the pavement as she pushed through the fatigue in her burning muscles. She could hear gunshots in the distance and she desperately wanted to put as much distance between her and the building where all hell had just broken loose. The burning feeling in her leg where she had skinned her knee a couple blocks back was not making this any easier. Turning another corner into an alleyway, Jane contemplated stopping to catch her breath, but decided to keep running for another couple of blocks. It was dark, hot, and humid out, which was really making the conditions difficult as she tried to maintain her pace.

When she finally made it out of the seedy neighborhood, Jane relaxed slightly- or as much as her heightened levels of adrenaline would let her. The gun at the small of her back dug into her skin and sweat dripped into her eyes. She swiped a hand across her face and contemplated the best way to get back to her apartment. There was a T-stop across the street, but Jane thought they would come looking for her and she didn't want to wait and see if they found her while she was waiting for the next subway train. A nearby stoplight changed, and Jane raised her hand to hail a taxi that was making its way toward her. It wasn't until she had told the driver the address to her apartment and the neighborhood was long gone in the rearview mirror, that Jane slumped down and allowed herself to completely relax and to process exactly what had just happened.

Jane glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before unlocking the door to her apartment. She entered as slowly and as quietly as possible, shutting the door before pulling her gun from the waistband of her pants and starting a sweep of her apartment. You can never be too careful - Jane thought, as she turned the corner into the small kitchen area, her gun sweeping from side to side. Jane knew the likelihood of someone being in her apartment was small, but now that her cover was compromised, the last thing she wanted to do was make a stupid mistake that would prevent her from going home safe to her wife. And kid, now. Foster kid…anyway.

A few minutes later, Jane was sure her apartment was secure and had changed her sweaty t-shirt before plunking down on the couch to make a few important phone calls. The first number she dialed was Martinez, not surprised when he picked up after the first ring. He had been apprehensive to say the least when she told him that she would be meeting with the third-in-command of the drug ring.

"Rizzoli?" His voice was laced with concern, something that was rare coming from him.

"Hey Martinez. I'm fine." She could hear him breathing out in relief on the other end. "But my cover has been compromised. The game's up."

He groaned. "Please tell me that you at least got something for us to make an arrest or two out of."

Jane paused, trying to quell the anger threatening to spill out over what had happened earlier. "Yeah." She rasped. "You can put through a warrant. And I'm pretty sure our guy will spill the beans on the rest of the head honchos, so more warrants are probably coming."

"Great." Martinez replied, grateful that Jane's four weeks undercover had reaped some benefit. "Who's the warrant on?"

Jane clenched her jaw. "Thomas Rizzoli."

Maura had just put Jack down for bed, and she headed downstairs to clean up from the day's activities. Her and Jack had a good day, spending some time at the park as well as stopping by the grocery store to pick up some items. He had been good as gold, even coming out of his shell a bit. Maura was surprised by how expressive the boy was, especially when he still wasn't speaking. Something about the way his eyes conveyed his emotions and some of the expressions he made, had reminded her so much of Jane.

After their shopping trip, she had succeeded in cutting the squirmy four-year-old's hair, and had rewarded him with making homemade pizza and extra playtime before bed. As she made her way downstairs she paused halfway down the stairs and looked out over the total chaos. Toys and games were all over the carpet in the living room area, and the kitchen was in total disarray, with dishes and ingredients all over the counter. So this is what it is like to have a child-Maura mused as she headed into the living room to begin picking up-Well, I'll take the constant mess if that's what it means to be a parent. She grabbed a wicker basket and started to put the toys into it, and only a few minutes later the living room was spotless.

She was just about to head into the kitchen when the landline rang. Maura dashed over to answer it, hoping the noise wouldn't wake Jack. Her heart fluttered when she saw that Jane was calling.

"Hello? Jane?"

"I'm coming home Maur. It's over." Jane sounded exhausted.

Maura couldn't contain her excitement, letting a small squeal escape before composing herself. "You don't know how happy that makes me Jane. When?"

"I have to stop by headquarters and fill out some paperwork, but I should be home in a couple hours."

Maura looked at her watch, mentally calculating when Jane was likely to be home. "Will you be hungry? I have some leftover pizza with your name on it." She could hear Jane sigh on the other end.

"That sounds great Maura. I gotta go. I'll see you a couple hours."

Maura was almost breathless with excitement. "I can hardly wait. See you soon."

After she disconnected the call, Maura placed the phone back in the charging station, noticing that her hands were visibly shaking. The feeling of relief that swept over her was almost too much to handle, and her legs started to wobble. Maura reached out and grabbed the counter to steady herself, suddenly realizing that tears were running down her face. She took in a shaky breath and wiped them away with the back of her hand. Four weeks had seemed like a lifetime. She was so grateful that Jane would be returning home to her, uninjured no less. This was truly the best outcome they could have hoped for.

Once Maura had gotten her emotions under control, she busied herself with cleaning the kitchen. Now that she knew Jane would be home, she knew that she was going to need to distract herself to pass the time. Maura opted to hand wash the dishes from dinner to take up more time and got started on them. When she had finished, she glanced around the room, looking for more things to do. She decided to throw in a load of laundry which ate up another few minutes, then headed upstairs to check on Jack. He was sleeping peacefully, so Maura picked up a book in her bedroom and headed back downstairs to take up residence on the couch until Jane came home.

As Jane pulled up into their driveway, she could see the lights were on in the living room. She pulled the SUV into the spot next to Maura's Mercedes and put it into park. She collected her duffel bag and gun box from the back and headed toward the back door. For some reason, nerves were fluttering around in her stomach, or maybe it was just relief to be returning home safely. Much to her chagrin (she had warned Maura many times about keeping the doors locked), the door was unlocked and she let herself in.

Stepping inside, she took a deep breath, savoring the familiar smell of their home. Jane slipped off her boots and placed her things down in the entryway and headed into the living room. She had barely entered the room when she noticed her sleeping wife on the couch, an open book lying on her chest. Jane grinned, knowing that this was the position she often found Maura in after coming home from work late at night. What was new however, was the large basket of toys and books sitting next to the TV, a reminder of the fact that there was now a little boy living with them. Jane crossed the room and after gently pushing Maura's legs away to make some space, sat down on the couch.

Maura immediately sensed the movement and her eyes opened, fixing almost instantaneously on the tired brunette beside her.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream. You're really home, right?" Maura struggled to sit up as she rubbed her eyes, her book falling to the floor with a soft thud.

Jane gave a small smile, and Maura could see the exhaustion on her face right away. "Yeah. I'm home." She closed the distance between them and kissed Maura, who responded by wrapping her arms tightly around Jane's neck. Jane scooted closer to allow for better access and Maura's lips found hers once again. Maura pulled away after a few seconds, tracing a finger down Jane's cheek before cupping her face with both hands.

"I'm so glad you're safe." Tears glistened in her hazel eyes as she held Jane's face and studied it.

"Me too." Jane said quietly. She leaned forward and kissed Maura's forehead, before wrapping her arms around Maura's waist and pulling her into a hug. Both women let out sighs as she did so, thankful to be together once again. "I love you Maura."

"I love you too." Maura pulled back. "You look exhausted."

Jane chuckled. "Gee thanks. You look great too." She ran a hand through her curls as the smile faded from her face. "I am exhausted." She admitted. "But I could really go for a piece or two of that pizza you mentioned."

"Of course." Maura got up from the couch and went to get the leftover pizza from the fridge. She put a few pieces on a plate and placed them in the oven to heat up. "Can I get you a beer Jane?"

Jane had followed Maura into the kitchen and was sitting at the counter. She shook her head. "No thanks. But a glass of water would be perfect."

Maura poured Jane a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge and set the glass down in front of her quickly fading wife. "So I take it the case is over?"

Jane took a long drink from the glass of water and set it back down. "No actually. It's not over completely. My cover was compromised, so I'm out." Maura couldn't help but notice Jane's jaw muscles clenching and unclenching. There was something she wasn't telling Maura. Maura grabbed a towel and pulled the heated pizza from the oven, placing it in front of Jane. Jane eagerly grabbed a slice and took a few bites.

"So if the case isn't over, what does that mean?" Maura pressed gently, not wanting to upset Jane but wanting to know more about what that would mean for Jane's role in the case.

Jane took another bite, chewed, and swallowed, before looking up at Maura. "We made an arrest, so we are going to use the suspect in custody to help get to the bottom of things." Anger flashed in her eyes and Maura reached over and grabbed Jane's hand.

"Do you want to talk about it Jane?" Maura was genuinely concerned, knowing that Jane was beyond exhausted, but something was obviously bothering her besides being tired.

Jane shook her head fiercely and swiped her hand across her face, quickly wiping away tears that had formed before they were able to fall. "Not…yet. I just want to go to bed Maur."

Maura nodded, clearing away Jane's plate and glass. "Let's go to bed then."

Jane paused just as she slid down off the stool. "Can I see him? The foster kid? I know he's asleep, but I promise to be quiet." She gestured toward the spare room where she thought Maura would have put him.

Maura smiled. "Jack. His name is Jack."

Jane gave a tired grin. "Really? That's awesome. You and I were just talking about how we liked that name before I left."

Maura held out her hand and Jane grabbed it. "He's actually upstairs. I switched the rooms so he would be close by in case there were any issues at night."

"Oh…right. Good thinking." Jane followed Maura upstairs and down the hallway to where Jack was sleeping. Jane put her hand on the doorknob, pausing to look at Maura before opening it. When she got an encouraging smile and nod from her wife, Jane opened the door and peered in.

It was dark, but in the light cast from the nightlight, Jane could make out the little boy sleeping in the bed. She grinned at the little guy clutching his blanket as he continued to sleep peacefully. Jane had been thinking a lot about him in the past week, and couldn't wait to actually meet him and to teach him everything about the Red Sox. Jane closed the door silently, and turned to face a smiling Maura.

"He's cute."

"He is." Maura confirmed. "Jane, you should know that he has selective mutism as a result of the trauma he experienced."

Jane frowned. "What does that mean?" They started to head back down the hallway toward their room. Maura shut the door behind them.

"It means he has some emotional block that is preventing him from speaking. He's physically capable, but he hasn't said one word since I brought him home." Maura sat down on the end of their bed.

Jane started to get undressed as she processed what Maura had just told her. "So how…how do we communicate with him?" She slipped her t-shirt off and started to work on the buckle of her belt.

"I just make sure to ask questions he can respond by nodding or shaking his head. You'd be surprised how communicative he can be with his expressions as well." Maura replied.

Jane slipped on a pair of basketball shorts and pulled back the covers on her side of the bed. "Is he okay though? When will he start speaking again?"

Maura stood and walked over to Jane, pulling her in for a few kisses before releasing her. It felt so good to be able to do that whenever she wanted. "He's fine Jane. He's a smart little boy. There's no way to know when he'll start speaking though. I imagine once he is completely comfortable with us his speech will return." She kissed Jane's cheek and turned to get ready for bed. "Get in bed Jane. You look like you are about to fall asleep standing up. I'll just be a few minutes more."

Jane followed instructions, practically falling into bed and groaning at the comfort that surrounded her as soon as she hit the mattress. It felt so damn good to be home. She settled under the covers and tried to stay awake until Maura returned so she could give her wife a goodnight kiss before sleep claimed her. Thankfully, Maura was quick with her nightly routine and shut the lights of and slipped into bed beside Jane within minutes.

"Mhmm. I missed this." Maura whispered as Jane's arms wrapped around her waist.

Jane craned her neck to kiss Maura. "Me too." She kissed Maura again and shut her eyes. "By the way, as soon as I have caught up on sleep, I plan on ravishing my beautiful wife. So consider yourself warned." Jane opened one eye and saw that Maura was grinning broadly.

"Duly noted Jane. Although I will admit it is taking a great deal of self-restraint on my part not to ravish you right now." Maura shifted closer and nuzzled into Jane's chest, listening as Jane chuckled softly. "But I guess I can make do for a little while longer. Get some rest Jane." She pressed a kiss to Jane's chest and shut her eyes, grateful to be back in her wife's arms once again.