Author's note: thank you very much for all your reviews, I know that I am repeating myself but it is really a pleasure to read them and reply to each of you every time.

December, 22nd:

1pm

"Where are Friday's samples? We have a dozen of them. Could someone - please - bring them to me? Or at least, the results. I asked you to work on them, this weekend."

The young employee avoided Maura's gaze as her question hit the air. He blushed and looked aside; visibly embarrassed. Hands on her hips, the medical examiner frowned and cast a glance at the rest of the lab team.

Everyone seemed rather embarrassed.

"What is going on? Have I missed something?"

Silence. One after the other, the technicians looked down at the lab bench and began to show signs of nervousness. Maura swallowed hard, repressed a sigh. For some reason, the situation made her laugh; ironically enough, though.

"Come on, this is ridiculous! Just tell me what is happening!"

Too bad Susie had taken a day off. Maura knew that she could count on the senior criminalist. The young woman would have spoken by now. Openly. She had a strong professional conscience. And everything would be clear.

"They got contaminated... By accident... While you were away?"

Miranda – a technician in her early thirties – finally revealed the issue none had dared to talk about. She shrugged and bit her lower lip in apologies. Maura raised an eyebrow and remained silent for a while before finally nodding evasively.

"Oh. Alright. Let's get new ones, then."

The technicians looked up in perfect synchronization before widening their eyes in surprise. Maura forced a smile; an uncomfortable one. Being stared at like that was peculiar. She wasn't a dreadful – heartless – boss but a meticulous one and expected the same from her team. She hated it when dust came to gum up the work and thus their efficiency.

As well as the image of her office.

"Excuse me?" Leo – another technician – shook his head in disbelief.

"Well... What has been done cannot be undone so – instead of losing time hiding the truth – let's all work on getting new samples. And now." Maura forced a reassuring smile which didn't have much of an effect on the crowd.

A bit disappointed by her very own failure, she turned around and started walking towards the exit; yet not missing a murmured comment on her back.

"She's on drug or what? I've never seen her that easy-going..."

The remark made her blush yet she preferred to pretend that she hadn't overheard anything and kept on walking outside the lab instead.

What could she say? She was happy. Plainly happy. She had had a fantastic time with Jane in the mountains and couldn't be in a better mood to start a new week now at work.

Perhaps, she wouldn't have minded to stay at their cabin for a bit longer but the skyline of Boston in the morning - appearing straight in front of her - hadn't dragged her down either. No.

She was simply happy to breathe; to enjoy life as it was. Because it was sweet, plainly sweet. And it had been quite a while since she had felt that light.

...

9pm

"Say what you want, I'm pretty sure it's the lead pipe." Jane grabbed her glass of beer and shook her head at Frost. She took a sip of her drink, wrinkled her nose.

The young man laughed, rolled his eyes. Pencil in hand, he focused back on the board and took one long breath; his eyes reduced to the thinnest slit in deep concentration.

"I haven't gone to the ballroom yet so don't rush me into anything, Jane."

Maura tried to repress a chuckle. In vain. They were in the middle of a game of Clue but Jane and Frost actually reacted to it the same way as in real life. The Italian was impulsive and nervous.

Her colleague a lot calmer and wise.

"What's funny, Maur'? 'Care sharing with the rest of the class?" The brunette raised an eyebrow and smirked at the scientist sat on the opposite side of the Dirty Robber table.

Clutched to her glass of Pinot Noir, Maura shook her head and exchanged a knowing look with the fourth person at the table: Korsak. It had been a while since they had spent an evening playing this. At some point, it had almost turned into a tradition in their lives. Every week, they met at the bar – after work – to play a few games and have a drink. She was glad that they had given in again. There was something nice in the idea; something simple and warm.

The delicate comfort of friendship she liked so much.

"Why won't you take the secret passage, Detective Frost? You are close to the lounge that leads right to... The conservatory. Then, you are one room away from the ballroom."

The honey blonde showed the virtual road with her index finger and - satisfied - took a sip of her wine.

"Maura, you're cheating! You're not supposed to help him!"

Amused, the medical examiner shrugged at Jane's remark before rising both hands in the air as if to apologize.

"Professional quirk. My bad." She giggled and pushed away a strand of hair from her face. "This is my job. I am paid to help the police solve cases! Don't look at me like that, Jane! You know it!" Maura's eyes glimmered, echoing the bright smile on her lips. She was in an excellent mood.

Unlike the brunette whose winning spirit had swept away the rest.

"Yeah except nobody really got killed, here. It's a game so let him solve it all by himself. Gosh, it's not that hard..."

"I don't know, Jane." Korsak pouted; yet looking very serious. "It could be with the candlestick..."

The Italian heavily – dramatically – sighed and rolled her eyes before crossing her arms on her chest like a child of five. She pursed her lips; snorted. But she remained quiet.

"Remember how you rushed into things while playing Mysteries of Old Peking?" Maura pouted at her own remark. For some reason, she had a feeling that this would reward her a night alone at her place.

Jane gasped and straightened up on her seat. She looked offended, and upset.

She had been reluctant – at first – when Frost had suggested a night out at the Dirty Robber but then she had realized that it was a fair enough request. She hadn't spent time outside of work with her colleagues for a while.

An evening alone with Maura could wait. After all, they had just come back from a weekend spent far from everyone else.

And nobody knew anything about them. She had made sure to keep a reasonable distance with the medical examiner all day long to not raise suspicions. It was odd, especially after having been that close to Maura.

She had missed the contact with the honey blonde; the smell of her hair. Her smile only directed at her and nobody else. She felt like taking her in her arms, covering her of kisses and whispering stupid things to her ears; the same words that she had always insisted on avoiding.

Her life had changed. Completely. She just didn't always know yet how to face it.

"I read The Wise Man's message wrong once. Just once. Are you going to hold it against me for the rest of our life? Seriously?" She huffed. "Freaking couple argument, here."

Frost and Korsak looked up – turned their respective heads – and frowned at her; confused. For quite a while, she didn't understand their reaction. Why they were staring at her with such perplexity. And then she realized. Her very own words seemed to have finally made it to her mind. At last.

Unfortunately.

She swallowed hard and avoided Maura's gaze. Anyway, she was probably mortified. Trying to play it casual, Jane leaned against the back of her seat and motioned evasively at the board.

"Well... I... Err... It's..."

A disaster. It was a disaster. Not a single explanation came to her mind, not one that could excuse her mishap.

Frustrated, she bit the inside of her cheek and pointed at the left side of the board. "Take that secret passage. Mau-... She's right."

Even saying the scientist's name was hard. Yet if she had looked up and locked her eyes with Maura' s hazel ones, Jane would have noticed the peaceful – delighted – smile on the honey blonde's lips. It was the first time that the detective had alluded to them as a couple. The first time she had said it.

The first time she had put words on their relationship.

Unfortunately, it hadn't happened at the right time – nor with the right people – but she had still said it and it meant a lot to Maura. Jane had defined what they were; somehow. With all her clumsiness.

And the honey blonde would never forget that.

Frost grabbed the dice – raised an eyebrow of incomprehension at Korsak – and forced a smile at the medical examiner.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Dr. Isles."

Hoping that the awkwardness of her mistake had vanished once and for all, Jane rolled her eyes and tapped nervously on the table; focused on the board of the game. She wrinkled her nose with pride before snorting again; mumbling an obvious statement between clenched teeth.

"Ten bucks it's the lead pipe."