Maura looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She didn't know what she felt right now, but one feeling she did know she felt was anger. Jane was prepared to leave without ever telling her how she felt, not giving Maura the opportunity to have the frank conversation that was no doubt going to take place tonight at some point. The thing that hurt Maura the most was that Jane would have left and allowed Maura to think that there would never have been anything more than the friendship between them. She would have allowed Maura to move on and be with someone else that would never live up to expectations but Maura would inevitably go through the motions anyway because she would be alone...Jane would be in DC with her new life and Maura would have had to start to be build a superficial life to replace the life she had lost.

Wiping the last of the tears away, the honey blonde tidied her eye make up and stared at herself in the mirror. Confrontation head on was the best way to deal with this. She knew Jane, if this was going to go anywhere she knew she needed to tackle this head on or she would never get the answers she wanted, she needed...she deserved.

Striding out of the bathroom and along the corridor with purpose, Maura approach the kitchen and grabbed her wine glass. Jane looked at her apologetically and walked towards Maura holding out her arms to pull Maura into a hug.

"No Jane" pushing her away "I cant just smooth over this right now. I want everything on the table tonight because I want to wake up tomorrow feeling as happy as I did two hours ago and I can't feel that way if I don't get the answers to the questions I have."

Jane swallowed hard and looked directly into the doctors eyes "Ok Maur, I'll try to answer anything you want me to, but please don't walk off again if you get upset. We can work through all of this, I know we can. But I can't do it by myself, so please...don't walk out. If you're angry, shout at me, I'm sure I deserve it, but don't leave."

"Ok, that seems a reasonable request. Can we sit?" Maura asked as she walked towards the dining table and sat at one of the chairs. Jane picked up her glass and the bottle of wine and sat across from Maura.

"So..." the Italian began to speak.

"No, Jane. It's my turn now. I need to say a couple things and I need you to hear me."

"Ok. Your turn, I'll sit quietly."

"Jane, I have had feelings for you for so long now it's hard to remember when they started. I had resigned myself to the fact that anything Iwanted other than this friendship would never happen and I learnt how to suppress any feelings I had. I tried to be 'normal', I had the relationship with Jack thinking it would fill a void, fill a gap of intimacy that was there, but all it did was make me realise I couldn't pretend whilst there was the chance of us. Could I make do if you left? Sure, but I've never seen myself as someone in life that just settles...until you made think I had to. The moment you told me you were leaving my heart broke. I realised if i ever wanted to not be alone, I would need to just settle. Find someone who would love me, who would stick around, someone I could form a bond with that in my eyes 'would do'. I would come visit you in DC or you would come home to Boston and I would exaggerate the truth, tell you that this was my life now, that whoever the guy would be is a nice guy, that he loves me. All the while I would be devastated that the life with you I longed for was just a figment of my imagination."

Jane reached across the table for permission to take Maura's hands, Maura linked their fingers and continued talking.

"This was how I saw my life, until this afternoon and everything came to life. You made me come to life and I was so happy. And don't mistake what I am about to say to mean that any of those feelings towards you, towards us, have changed - they haven't. But you stood there and told me you were prepared to just leave me, prepared to leave the prospect of us, 'incase' I get hurt again. You were prepared to go and let me try and pick up the pieces of the life i had left, let me go into a relationship I would never be fully invested in, come visit me and watch me in this phoney relationship, all because you were worried that you were a catalyst in any danger that may come my way."

"You might think thats honourable Jane, and I can understand why in a way. But from my perspective it's extremely hurtful. The decision you made, without telling me the true reason why, would have changed us forever, it would have changed the path and the outcome of the lives that we both lead. I'm so glad that you have had the courage to tell me your true feelings, that was brave. But that's the Jane Rizzoli I'm in love with, the brave, courageous, bold, caring, sensitive, loving Jane Rizzoli. Not the coward, deceptive, hurtful Jane Rizzoli your actions in relation to your decision have portrayed you as. And at the moment, i'm a myriad of emotion as to whether I am on cloud nine or whether I am hurt and disappointed that the one person I care about most in the world was prepared to leave me without being honest about why, letting me believe I would just never be enough to make you stay."

Both women were now crying. Jane was trying her best to not by biting her lip, but the tears were flowing. She felt awful, how could she have made the person she loves feel like this? Jane stood up and walked around the table pulling Maura out of her chair.

"I know you probably don't want to hug me right now and I know I still have some answers to give, so this isn't me trying to get out of anything. Let me hold you for a minute ok? I'm so so sorry Maura, I love you. I'm so sorry."

Maura relaxed into the embrace, her face nuzzled against Jane's neck. As upset as Maura was, she could get used to this.

Maura pulled eventually away, Jane saw that as a sign to sit back down.

"Ok, my turn I guess" the Italian said in her raspy voice whilst running her fingers through her hair. "I'm so sorry that my ridiculous thought process has made you feel this way. This is exactly the opposite I hoped would happen by me leaving. I wanted you to be safe, to have stability, to be happy without having to worry about me doing something stupid or putting you in danger. I thought I would be able to leave and watch you build a life that wouldn't be so invested in me, watch you find someone and move on with them, live a stable, safe life with them. I totally agree with you, I was a coward. I should have been totally honest and then it would have been your decision whether you wanted me or not, I took that choice away - that was wrong of me."

"It's been these last two weeks that has made me realise how stupid I have been. We have had an amazing time, as I knew we would, but I thought I would be able to see this as our last major milestone, I'd be able to leave here and feel satisfied that I could love you but from afar. I can't do that and I don't want to do that. This morning I had this clarity, I suddenly thought why on earth would I want to leave this and how would I ever be able to watch someone else do these things with you. I want to be the one, I want to go the museums with you even though I hate them, I want you to bore me with art galleries, I want you to force feed me horrendous foods just so that I can say i tried it...I don't want anyone else to have those opportunities with you. I want them for myself. I want you for myself. I am so in love with you Maura and I want a life with you. I am so sorry i've ever jeopardised that, but I promise I wont do that ever again. I just want to be with you...if you'll still have me?"

The hazel eyes looking into Jane's had darkened with passion. No one has ever made Maura feel this way and she wanted to show Jane. She stood and walked round to Jane's side of the table, pulled her out of her seat and captured her lips in only what can be described as the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced in her life. They were in total sync, tongues perfectly matching each others rhythm. This was what love felt like.

Both women pulled away for breath, chests heaving for air, both smiled, losing themselves in each others eyes...until Jane's stomach let out a loud grumble. Both women looked down at the source of the noise and laughed.

"So...shall we eat?" The detective smiled and walked towards the food.

Maura pulled Jane back and stepped forward on her tip toes to give Jane a chaste kiss on the lips "I think that's a great idea."