The next morning Maura sat at her office desk and stared into nothing instead of focusing on the report in front of her. Since the fight with her wife she hadn't felt like herself. She knew that there wasn't anything that Jane wouldn't do for her, and all she could do was push her away. She wasn't really sure why she had done it at all. It was just an instinct, an impulse. Yes, she was mad at Jane, but to treat her that way wasn't what Maura normally did. She wasn't sure what she had to blame for acting like she had. Was it her pregnancy or that annoying little spark in her heart that still burned for Masterson? It annoyed her that her usual rational brain was suddenly so irrational. She knew that she had to do something about it. No matter how much it would hurt. Maura sighed and got up from her chair and left her office before she could change her mind. She entered the bullpen and recognized immediately the person she had to talk to. Maura walked to the desk and looked at the person. "We need to talk."
Masterson slowly looked up and frowned. "Okay, shoot."
Maura licked her lips and shook her head. "Not here. Somewhere we can be alone."
Masterson stood up and started to walk.

Jane looked at her wife worriedly as she saw the deadly serious expression. Maura followed Masterson and closed the door of the conference room. Masterson sat at the edge of the table and put his hands on it. "What is it, Maura? You look horrible." Maura sighed and hesitated for a moment. "Ryan, you have to stop this." Masterson raised his eyebrows confused. "Stop what?" "This whole thing. This flirting and trying to pinch me from Jane. It has to stop immediately." Masterson smiled a little and shrugged. "You seemed to enjoy it." Maura sighed heavily and looked at him. "I did and it was a mistake. It was my fault and I blamed Jane. It can't happen again, Ryan, because I am a married woman. I jeopardized my marriage because ..." she paused and shook her head. "Because I wasn't thinking clearly. You know, I thought we could be friends. But it seems like it is impossible for us."

Masterson frowned deeply and crossed his arms. "Well, I am not sure if I can promise that I can stop flirting with you. You know, I still like you ... a lot." Maura's biggest fear hit her hard and she swallowed hard. Now she knew what she had to do. "Then I have to ask you to leave this Department." Masterson chuckled and frowned. "Excuse me?" "You've heard me quite well." Masterson stood up and took some steps toward Maura. "I think that is something I can't do either. I have been here for three years and now I leave because you can't handle your own marriage? No. No, I won't leave." Maura stared at him and clenched her hand to a fist. "You are the reason my marriage isn't working right now. Because since the very first day you haven't cared if Jane was around when you flirted with me." "It takes two for that, Maura." Masterson replied already a little annoyed. Maura took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know. I'm to blame as well. I'm surprised that Jane had this much patience until now. You and I ... we are done. We can't have a friendship nor a relationship. And if you can't behave like all the other Detectives around me because we had a relationship I have to ask you to leave the Department." Masterson looked at her and sighed deeply. "Maura, I think you overestimate your own power here. I am working for the Boston Police and not for you. You have no right to ask me something like that." Maura exhaled loudly and nodded slowly. "You are right it is not my authority and I can't force you to leave the Department. But you surely know that I work very closely with Lieutenant Cavanaugh. And your transfer is within his authority. But for the sake of our friendship ... please ask him yourself to get transferred, Ryan. Ask for all our peace of mind." Masterson stared at her and clenched his teeth. "Is it worth it? Is she worth it that you would throw away everything we had and run away from your past?" Maura nodded slowly and looked directly in his eyes. "Jane is worth so much more, Ryan. It's sad that you haven't figured it out in the last three years. And I don't run away from my past, I've just moved on. You should do it too. Because ... because you and I ... are not going to happen." Masterson looked after her as she walked out of the room and exhaled loudly. He walked back to his desk and sat in his chair. Korsak looked at him. "Everything okay?" Masterson huffed and shook his head. "Depends." Jane looked at him and frowned, then she directed her eyes to her former partner. "Have you seen Frankie? He is not in the bullpen. I thought he would take care of Samantha's laptop." Korsak looked over his glasses and shrugged. "He was about to when Cavanaugh called him into his office." he checked his watch and frowned. "He's in there for a while though." Jane sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. "Great, it is not like we're trying to solve a crime. I mean we have all the time in the world. Who cares?"

Korsak smiled and was about to get up. "I'm going down to get some coffee would you like me to ..." He was cut off as the door of Cavanaugh's office flew open and a red faced Cavanaugh stomped into the bullpen. Korsak slowly sat down again because he didn't want to miss anything. Cavanaugh stood in front of Masterson's desk. "In my office." he almost growled. Masterson looked confused at his supervisor and frowned. "Why?" "This is something I want to discuss behind closed doors. In my office, now." Masterson sighed and stood up again before he followed Cavanaugh into his office. Jane stared at the closed door and looked then up at her brother. "What's going on?" Frankie looked at her and took Samantha's laptop to his desk. "Cavanaugh sensed that something was wrong in here and asked me what the hell had happened. So I told him." Jane exchanged a confused glance with Korsak, and then looked at Frankie. "What did you tell him?" Frankie opened the lid of the device and shrugged. "Everything. That you and Masterson had a fight a view days ago, and that you and Maura had a fight because of that. And that he has been the trouble spot for three years." Jane suddenly had big eyes and a deep frown. "You are aware that this can cost Masterson a lot of trouble, aren't you?" Frankie looked at her and drew his eyebrows together. "Hey, I just told the truth. Wouldn't you have done it too if you were in my shoes?" "Not if it meant that a colleague got kicked out of here." Jane replied a little louder. "Even if Masterson and I sometimes have a difference of opinion, it doesn't mean that I would drop a dime on him." Frankie rolled his eyes and closed the lid again. "Sometimes? Jane, the two of you are like a time switch. Three months or maybe four you are good friends, and then you are about to bite off his head because he's said something about Maura and her sex life or he looked at her like he's stripping off her clothes in front of everyone. I didn't drop a dime on him because of you, sister. The whole bullpen suffers because of the two of you. Cavanaugh asked what is going and I answered his questions."

Jane looked at Korsak and asked him with her gaze if it really was this bad and sighed as he discreetly nodded. Of course, not only she suffered when they had a fight. But in the heat of the moment she never realized it. Suddenly the ugly feeling if selfishness spread through every fiber of her body and the sense of guilt settled down deep in her heart. "Sorry." she mumbled. Frankie sighed and opened the lid again. "S'okay, Jane." The door of the office opened and a tense Masterson exited the office. He took a stack of files from his desk, handed some to a confused Korsak and Frankie, and then dropped the rest on Jane's desk. Then he walked back to his desk and opened the drawers. Jane looked confused at him. "What are you doing?" Masterson didn't look at her. "I'm clearing out those drawers." "I can see that. But why?" Cavanaugh cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. "Detective Masterson will be transferred to Brighton Police Department immediately." Jane's mouth fell open and frowned. On one hand she was relieved that Masterson was being transferred, but on the other she sympathized with Masterson. "Masterson, I am so ..." "Save it, Jane." he harshly cut her off." I don't need your Pecksniffian pity. Now you're on your own again." Jane looked shocked and confused at him. Cavanaugh looked at her. "Rizzoli, you are working with Sergeant Korsak and Frankie. Hopefully this combination will be a little more peaceful." Jane raised her eyebrows and wanted to reply as Cavanaugh turned around and walked away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane entered the autopsy room in which her wife was working on a body and frowned. "Is it bad timing?" Maura looked up and smiled a little. "Not at all. What brings you down here?" Jane sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "Cavanaugh transferred Masterson to the Brighton Police Department." Maura looked into the open chest in front of her and frowned. "I know." Jane pursed her lips and drew her eyebrows together. "Wait ... What do you mean, you know?" Maura scratched her chin with her shoulder and looked back into the body. "I talked to Cavanaugh." "Maura, is he getting transferred to Brighton because of you?" Jane asked carefully. Maura looked at her seriously and sighed. "I was one of the reason but he's getting transferred because there are a lot complaints about him. And not all had to do with your fighting. But I think Lieutenant Cavanaugh used that as his main reason." Jane looked long at her wife. "Maura, why would you want Masterson to get transferred? I thought he was your friend."

Maura straightened up and pulled off her gloves. "I thought so too ... and I was terribly wrong. I asked him to leave this Department on his own for the sake of us all. But he rejected it and told me that he is still in love with me. I ..." she paused and exhaled loudly. "Jane, I was so wrong. You've always seen it and told me that he still loves me and all I could think about was how jealous you were and that you wanted to destroy my friendship with Ryan." Jane frowned deeply. "I would never do such a thing." she said softly. Maura dropped her shoulders and looked guiltily at her. "I know that, Jane. And I don't know why I had those thoughts. Or felt what I felt when we had our fights. I blamed you for things that you would never have done to me. But I can't understand how you must feel after these three years of flirting that I've put you through." Jane raised her eyebrows. "So you agree that you have had flirted with Masterson?" Maura closed her eyes briefly and licked her lips. "God, yes. I mean, I must have done it unwittingly. Because if I had sent him the right signals, that I am not interested in him ... maybe Ryan would have stopped three years ago and we wouldn't having this conversation right now." Jane looked intensely at her. "So ... this is your way of telling me that you are sorry?" Maura bit her bottom lip and frowned. "Yes. And the way I try to tell you that I love you from the bottom of my heart. And that I wantno one but you as my friend, my spouse, my life partner and my lover. Because ... Jane, without you my life is so empty. Do you ... do you think you can forgive a complete nincompoop like me?" Jane had to suppress her laugh and closed her eyes briefly. "Under one condition." "Anything.", Maura replied with hope in her voice. Jane wrinkled her eyebrows. "We stop this stupid 'Our relationship needs a break' right here and right now." Maura had to smile. "I have no objection." Jane walked to her wife until she was in her personal space. "Can I kiss you?" Maura's eyes fell on Jane's lips and her breath hitched. "Yes, please." Jane leaned forward and closed the distance. She sighed deeply as she felt Maura's lips on hers and the world stopped turning. A huge smile was on her lips as they broke apart. "I have missed this." Maura smiled too and licked her lips. "Me too."