Author's note: Thank you very much for all your reactions - right now for Jane and Maura, I'd say it's one step forward, two steps backwards.

December, 8th:

I kissed her. Not fully nor with great abandon but still. I kissed her on the lips. It wasn't planned, definitely not voluntary. I got lost in the moment – retrieving my belongings – and before I realized what I was doing, I had kissed her. It is the first time that it happens. I have never done that before nor has she. A stolen one on the cheek, yes. Plenty of times. But not on the lips as I did.

It didn't last very long so I hope that she will not interpret it as something else than my stupidity. It means nothing. It doesn't have to. I didn't try to seduce her, I didn't succumb to any desire. It is just a mishap, a ridiculous and so embarrassing one.

She made me watch a movie once that tells the story of a girl who falls in love with her friend. At the end – while the screen was turning black again – she told me how miserable such love could be.

It was probably a key-moment for me. Not that I had nourished hopes before that but it was now way too clear that Jane would never see in me something else than a friend; a mere friend. A good one but definitely not the delicate strength of a lover.

It didn't break my heart, no. Reality simply put things back into order to remind me that it was fine to have some dreams but that I didn't have to expect from them to become concrete. Perhaps such kiss was just the disapproval of my subconscious yelling that it wasn't true; that things could be a tad different. Who knows? The only sure thing is that I feel ashamed, uncertain of the way I should now face Jane.

She is going to pretend that nothing happened. Somehow, it makes me feel relieved but deep inside this isn't the truth and we both know it. May the passing of time help us to overcome it. This is not disastrous – even less the end of the world – but it doesn't help an already complicated friendship.

I am not good at handling human relationships. There is a reason why I have decided to work with the dead. They don't judge me. They don't ask anything but me to speak for them, to build a bridge between them and their families; and the forces. But they are always peaceful. They accept me the way I am; with all this oddness that people who are alive don't know what to do with. I guess that – to an extent – I scare them.

That's why I have taken my distance with society, to an extent.

I can't afford the same to happen with Jane. It adds a lot of stress – especially combined to all these feelings – but there is no way that I destroy this incredible relation we have.

For once, someone has the capacity to make me feel like being listened at. She takes me as I am.

Small wonder why she means so much to me.

8.45am

Wearing her usual black scrubs, Maura stepped out of her personal bathroom and walked a very last time to her desk to check potential messages that would have been left while she was changing. She sighed, rubbed her nape. The night had been short. She hadn't slept well at all.

Jane hadn't showed up at her place the day before. Expected after that kiss coming from nowhere. It was obvious that the Italian was now trying to find a way to sound casual again when they crossed each other.

The medical examiner closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was not the right time to think about all this. She had an autopsy to practice and reports to revise. A full day of work. Honestly, it was everything she could ask for; the best way to forget about the silent chaos of the day before.

"Maura?"

She turned around – surprised – and smiled at Angela who was standing by the door frame. She had not heard her arrive.

"How are you, this morning? May I help you?"

The matriarch pouted and made a step into the office. She seemed uncertain of the way she should say the words that were somewhat burning her lips. Crossing her arms against her chest, she stared at an invisible point behind the honey blonde.

"Have you seen Jane?"

As much as the question couldn't be more casual, it made Maura blush. She immediately shook her head and cleared her voice out of nervousness.

Would it be like that, now? Would she feel way too embarrassed when someone mentioned her friend? It was ridiculous. Why couldn't she simply turn the page? This kiss didn't mean the slightest thing.

"As a matter of fact, I haven't."

Angela frowned and pursed her lips. Obviously, she didn't seem much satisfied of the answer. She plunged her hands in the pockets of her pants.

"Has something happened?" It was a bit abrupt – direct – but she hadn't found any other way to tell it. "You didn't see each other, yesterday."

"We both have our respective lives, you know. We spend a lot of time together already. Isn't it quite normal to have an afternoon far from each other?" Not really at ease, Maura grabbed a file and with determination walked towards the door. She didn't like the way the conversation was turning into.

"Of course. But usually when it happens, you have breakfast together the day after." Angela paused. "You didn't, this morning." She raised a hand in the air to sweep away her remark and turned on her heels but as she reached the corridor, the matriarch stopped and turned her head to look at Maura. "Jane cares a lot about you, you know. Really a lot. She is just not very good at expressing it. Don't hold it against her. It is the way she has always been."

...

6pm

Focused on Daniela's gestures, Jane rested her chin on the palm of her hand and squinted her eyes at the adolescent. Sitting next to her, Maura looked just as confused; lost.

The rest of the group - however - seemed rather amused.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what kind of movie you're miming. I mean... It's a movie, right?" Jane sat up and sighed loudly before running a hand through her hair. Playing Taboo was not turning into the fun activity she had assumed that it would be in the first place. She turned to Maura. "Any idea?"

The scientist shook her head.

"No... Love? Loving? We got the heart, Daniela. It is the second part of your mime that we have a hard time to understand."

A couple of teenagers giggled in her back. She turned around and stared at them. As if she had not been stressed enough to drive all the way to The Home For Little Wanderers to spend a few hours with Jane – outside of work, which meant that she couldn't hide behind any excuse to avoid a rather obvious embarrassment – she also had to face the possibility that the teenagers of the orphanage were plotting against her.

And she knew why. They hadn't let go of their ridiculous plan to get them together. Thankfully – or not, Maura wasn't sure – they weren't too blatant about it.

"Oh my God! I know! It's Loving Annabelle!"

Maura made a face. Alright. Perhaps they weren't as discreet as she had assumed them to be. Doing her best to not roll her eyes nor moan of despair, she politely nodded at Grace - one of the teenagers - who had given the answer.

"Well done."

"Such a great movie. Nice story. Don't you think so, Jane?"

The Italian turned around to look at the adolescent but found herself stuttering. She cast a very brief glance at Maura – for help – and swallowed hard. They had barely talked, today.

As much as she tried to pretend that nothing had happened, her behavior showed the exact opposite and she was quite miserably failing which went on her nerves. A lot.

"Ahem... Actually, I'm not sure... I'm not sure I saw it...?"

Amelia gasped before a smirk curling up her lips. She was way too delighted to Maura's taste and Jane's utter confusion.

Why had the girls to suggest her a board game when she could have spent some time with the boys outside or even just watching a game on television?

"Why, Maura..." Amelia winked at the honey blonde. "I'm sure you saw it, right? What do you think of it?"

Maura swallowed hard.

"About. We say 'what do you think about'. And yes, I have – indeed – watched it." Playing with the hem of her sleeve, she shrugged at Jane. "It tells the story of a student who falls in love with her... With her teacher. Her female teacher."

The brunette blinked – took a deep breath – and nodded politely; trying to ignore the giggles on her back. Volunteering would be long, today. Long and confusing.

Yet an hour and a half later, she finally passed the doors of the orphanage along with Maura. It was a very cold evening; the wind blowing hard. She crossed her arms against her chest and forced the words to come out.

"So... I'm going back to work, now. Last-minute change in my schedule. Being nice to Frost who is going on a date with some girl."

Maura smiled.

"This is really nice of you, Jane."

The brunette shrugged and looked at her car parked a bit further down the street. She motioned at it and turned on her heels; ready to leave.

"Oh well, you know... It's not like I had anything planned tonight. That's fine. Gotta go, now."

Maura nodded but as her friend started walking away, she called her name a bit too desperately to her own taste. Jane stopped and turned around. The honey blonde cleared her voice.

"Would you like to go to the opera house, tomorrow night? I have an extra ticket and I would love it if you came with me." Realizing suddenly that it sounded a bit too much like a date and that it was really not something that Jane liked doing, Maura looked down at her shoes; feeling sorry.

And yet.

"Sure."

The blonde looked up only to see Jane smile brightly; the Italian's hoarse voice sweeping away the silence that had preceeded her answer.