I realize that there are many different ways this could have gone, but this is the way I saw it in order to set up some upcoming scenarios. I hope you enjoy…thanks for reading and sticking with me through this.

Moving Right Along

"I still think the blue looks better." Maura said holding up the blue button-down shirt for Jane to see.

"Yeah?" Jane turned around and stopped buttoning the red shirt she was wearing. "You don't think it'll be too much blue?" She raised an eyebrow as she opened her shirt to slid it off her shoulders. Taking the shirt from Maura, she slipped her arms in and adjusted herself so she could button it.

"No, the black buttons contrast and your jeans are a faded denim. I think it looks good." Maura gave a shrug of her shoulders as she dropped down on the bed and bit her bottom lip, indicating something was bothering her.

"Maur…I know you're worried…" Jane took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

"Yes. I am worried." Maura looked up at Jane who had a pained look on her face. "You and Frost…doing whatever this is that you're doing without back up." She huffed in frustration and ran her fingers through her hair with a little too much flair.

"We've been through this…" Jane held her hands up in surrender as if that might work. "We have to keep this under wraps until we know what we're dealing with. Besides, he's got my back and I've got his. If I can't trust him with my life, who can I trust?"

"You can trust me." Maura's eyes darkened with the anger she was trying to control.

"And I do, sweetheart. More so than anyone, but you can't be involved any more than you already are. The best thing you can do is stay here and keep tabs on us with that mega computer you've got in your office." Jane tried to reason. She knew the minute that Frost had told her his plan there would be resistance from Maura but his plan was foolproof…almost. "Look we've been through this more times than I want to count but we'll go through it one more time." She waited for Maura to indicate she should go on. "Frost is going to pick me up and you are going to say goodbye to me at the door with a lot of fan fair giving our invisible audience a thrill."

"So, you still think we're being followed?" Maura asked.

"Yes. Probably Paddy and the DA…" Jane continued to button up her shirt but stopped when Maura stood up and waved her hands away so she could take over.

As Maura buttoned the shirt, Jane leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I know this is hard but I've got to make that phone call. Frost and I will hit a few bars…have a few beers…and then hopefully our tails will relax their surveillance giving us the time we need at his friend's place."

"And who is this friend again?" Maura finished buttoning and put her hands on her hips giving Jane an expectant look.

"Arnie…he went to the academy with Frost and dropped out before he could graduate. He owns the Hideaway and has quite the computer set up in his office. Frost can't stop talking about it…" Jane took a chance and reached for Maura. When she didn't get any resistance, she pulled the smaller body against her own and let out a heavy sigh. "He's gonna let us use his computer so Frost can log into the one here and transfer everything to you. He'll record the phone call and try to trace it…although I know he's good but I don't think he's that good."

"So, all of this is just some elaborate ploy to distract the people that may be following you?" Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and rested her head against a broad shoulder.

"Yes. If anyone finds out I've been in contact with Sean…" Jane's voice trailed off as she shivered.

"Okay. I understand. I don't like it, but I know why you have to do this." Maura gave Jane a gentle squeeze before she let go.

"You'll know where I am at all times." Jane held up her phone. "Just like everyone else…" her voice dropped an octave and she frowned.

Maura reached up to place her hands against Jane's chest, smoothing down the starched and ironed material under her palms. There were no wrinkles to speak of, but she needed this contact to reassure herself that they were making the right decision.

Grabbing the hands that were wandering over her shirt, Jane pressed them against her chest so Maura could feel her heart beating. "I'll be home in a couple of hours. And hopefully I will have some answers that will get us a little closer to bringing an end to this."

Allowing Jane to press their joined hands against her heart, Maura nodded her understanding. She still didn't like it, but she knew what she had to do to help things along…listen to Jane and follow the plan. "Are you nervous?"

"Hell yeah…" Jane blew out a puff of air causing her hair to flutter up and away from her face. "I'd be crazy not to be."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you take this seriously." Maura tried to smile. "I'm still not sure what the man who murdered my brother could have to say to justify what he did." The attempt at a smile turned into a frown.

"That's just it Maura. I know Sean and there has to be more to this story…" Jane immediately regretted saying anything when Maura pushed away from her, a sad expression on her face. "I'm not saying that there is any reasonable explanation but I have to listen to him…" She watched Maura pace around the room. "Don't I…?"

When Maura nodded, Jane let out a sigh of relief. She knew all this new information hadn't been easy on Maura but they needed answers and she had a gut feeling that Sean was willing to provide some. "Are you okay?" She asked as she watched Maura fidget nervously with her hands.

"No." Maura didn't even hesitate when she answered but then she turned to look at Jane and her expression softened. "But I will be the second you walk through that door and I know you're home safe."

They stared at each other, willing the other to back down as silence surrounded them, but they knew neither would. It was the sound of the doorbell that broke the pained silence, causing Jane to clear her throat nervously.

"It's ShowTime." Jane tried to sound nonchalant as she clapped her hands and rubbed her palms together. "Remember…you need to be by the computer at nine so Frost can log in."

"I will." Maura was moving to follow Jane down the stairs towards the front door. "You should wear the boots. They give you height…not that you need it much but it makes you look more intimidating."

"Intimidating…huh?" Jane grinned. "I like looking intimidating."

Maura watched Jane slip her boots on, feeling the slightest bit of guilt wash over her. She had only suggested Jane wear her boots because Frost hated how it made him look so much shorter than Jane and she couldn't help but want to needle him just a little for coming up with this plan they were about to undertake. As immature as it may be, she didn't care and she allowed a sly grin to crease her lips.

"Here…" Maura took Jane's leather jacket off the coat rack and handed it to her. "This will round out the ensemble." She waited for Jane to slip the jacket on before reaching up to pop the collar and pull her down into a quick, but deep kiss.

"Whoa…" Jane held up her hands. "You keep doing that and I won't want to leave."

"Then you'd better leave before I decide not to let you." Maura gave Jane a gentle push towards the door.

Jane opened the door to reveal a somewhat nervous and anxious Frost who smiled at Maura but his dark eyes were asking her forgiveness for not involving her.

"Ready?" He asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Yep…right?" Jane glanced at Maura waiting for her to give them the A-Okay.

"Be careful and bring her back in one piece." Maura tried not to laugh, but there was no denying that both Jane and Frosts nervousness brought some levity to the situation. They seemed more afraid of Maura than the task at hand.

Frost gave her a sheepish grin and nodded. "Just remember to be by your computer at nine."

"I got it." Maura held up her hand before he could go on. "And you…" she lifted herself up on her toes and placed a slow, sensual kiss to Jane's lips before pushing her away rather abruptly. "Get outta here before I change my mind."

"I'll be home to tuck you in." Jane grabbed Maura by the front of her shirt, pulled her closer and kissed her with a promise she didn't need to give a voice to.

"I count on it." The look in Maura's eyes was hopeful as she gave Jane one final push out the door. "Be careful." She said as she shut the door, leaving Jane and Frost standing on the front porch.

"I guess that's that…" Jane reluctantly turned to follow Frost to his car.

"Hey, try to look like you're having fun." Frost said over his shoulder.

"Yep…fun…" Jane held her head up high and tried to smile while she waited for Frost to unlock the car doors. Glancing around in a casual way, she saw a black car parked down the street trying to blend into the background. With a heavy sigh, she climbed into the front seat and shut the door. "This is gonna be a long night." She slipped her seat belt across her lap as Frost pulled out of the driveway. As they passed the black car, Jane couldn't stop herself from giving whoever was sitting behind the wheel a middle-fingered salute.

"Promise me you won't ever change." Frost laughed as they disappeared around a corner on their way to their first stop of the night.

Maura peeked out the front window and watched as they drove away. The black car that sat parked several houses down waited until Frost's car disappeared around the corner before following as inconspicuously as possible. But Maura had noticed and she was sure that Jane had too.

Trying to push her worry away, Maura wandered to the kitchen to find something to busy herself with. She wasn't hungry but thought she could use a glass of wine to settle her nerves, but after careful deliberation, she decided to have one of Jane's beers instead.

When she opened the frig, she found a six pack of cold, brown bottles nestled in their cardboard carrier and she leaned in to study the blue label with a moon on it. She wasn't much of a beer drinker but for some reason she was craving the bubbly, carbonated beverage. On several occasions, she'd had this particular beer and had enjoyed the hint of orange and slight dryness brought on by the coriander and even though she wasn't hungry she grabbed the bag of potato chips off the counter because that was what Jane would do.

Carrying her bounty of beer and junk food, she attempted to twist the top off but only succeeded in almost crushing the bag of chips. With a heavy sigh, she decided to park herself in front of the computer and wait for nine o'clock to roll around even though it was still two hours away.

The shrill ringing of her cell phone across the room startled her and she almost dropped the bottle of beer her fingers were wrapped tightly around. Setting the bottle and bag of chips down on the table, she moved quickly to answer her phone before whoever it was could hang up. When she reached her destination, Ryan's name and number flashed on the screen.

"Hello…" Maura was breathless from her dash across the room.

"Hey Maura." Ryan sounded tired.

"Is everything alright…Carly…?" The fear that something might go wrong with Carly's pregnancy hadn't left Maura even though the doctor had assured them all that things were alright.

"Oh, yeah…everything's fine." Ryan shifted some papers across her desk trying to locate what she was looking for. "I've got some new pictures of Valley to send you. Are you by your computer?"

"As a matter of fact, I was just heading that way." Maura walked over to her beer and bag of chips, scooped them up, and headed towards her office. "How are things going with the investigation?" She asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Coming along…" Ryan let out a heavy sigh. "But still slow."

"Hold on a sec…I'm going to put you on speaker phone." Maura dropped everything down on her desk and set her phone up so she could still hear it. "You still there?" She asked as she settled back in her chair and waited for Ryan to respond.

"Yep…still here." Ryan's response was followed by a chuckle. "I'm gonna send you the email now so check so give a sec before it goes through."

Maura moved the mouse, bringing her computer to life with a flash of light taking her to her home screen. Logging into her email account, she clicked through a few steps that lead her to her unopened mail and waited. "How is Carly?" She hit the refresh button just to be sure but still no email.

"She's good, but I think we're both ready." Ryan watched the progress bar on her screen indicating the email was almost sent. "It's sending…should only be another minute. There are about ten pictures so it's a decent sized file."

"Ryan…?" Maura was hesitant but continued anyway. "I know you can't tell me specifics but can you at least tell me she's being well cared for."

"Yes, I promise." Ryan knew that this was hard on everyone involved but to protect Valley it was best that none of them knew specifics. "I do know she is being taken care of by a retired FBI agent and his wife who is a retired teacher. I suppose they are like surrogate grandparents…" She didn't finish her thought.

"Okay." Maura's voice was soft, like a whisper. She was quiet for a moment and then a chime indicated she had new mail. With a shaky hand, she clicked the email and waited for the pictures to appear. When they did, she gazed through tear filled eyes at the little girl who looked so much like her. The smile and the dimple in her left cheek matched Maura's own but those deep, dark brown eyes could have belonged to Jane. Those eyes…so expressive and filled with the joy of a toddler who had known nothing but love and affection in her young life gave Maura a renewed sense of hope that everything would be okay.

"She looks like you." Ryan could hear Maura clicking through the pictures. She was grateful to the couple who had taken on the responsibility. They had been willing to share pictures and had even started to tell Valley about her two moms' and how she would soon be with them.

Maura took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she went from one picture to the next. There was so much uncertainty with each new day they faced but one thing she knew for sure was that the little girl in the photos was destined to be her and Jane's daughter.

"The waiting is the hardest part." Ryan spoke before Maura could. "I should know." Her laugh was more like a frustrated huff.

"At least you have some idea…" Maura's voice trailed off as she continued to stare at the photos.

"I know Maura. And I hope to have some answers soon." It was the best Ryan could offer.

"I just want her home and for this all to be behind us." Maura let out a heavy sigh that made her shiver. The thought that Jane was working tirelessly to bring Valley home to them gave her a moment of pause. Jane, who would do anything to make her happy, was out trying to get the answers they would need to finally bring an end to the uncertainty that had followed them ever since Paddy had entered their lives. And even though she hated having his presence haunt them, he was the final piece of the puzzle and she reluctantly accepted that.

"Hey…" Ryan blew out an exhausted breath. "I've gotta go. Carly wants me to go get her a corn dog and chocolate chip ice cream."

It took everything in Maura not to spew the facts on nitrate filled hotdogs. All she could do was clear her throat against the urge to chastise.

"I can tell you're trying to hold your tongue but you've never dealt with a pregnant woman with cravings." Ryan tried to explained.

"I know…" Maura laughed. "I realize there are some things you have to concede."

"She's been really good about eating the right things…staying away from caffeine and stuff…it's just that sometimes she really wants something and it's usually something she would never eat." Ryan pushed herself away from her desk and turned to find Carly standing in the doorway, arms crossed in defiance. "Um…I've gotta go Maura….and…" she gave Carly a sheepish grin before continuing. "Hang in there."

"Give Carly my best and thanks for the pictures." Maura could hear the change in Ryan's voice and knew that Carly had entered the room. She smiled at the thought of Carly and Ryan and the love they shared for each other. It was the same kind of love she and Jane shared. It was the same kind of love that could get them through anything life threw at them. With that last thought she hung up, sat back in her chair, and opened her beer as she waited for nine o'clock to arrive.

Jane leaned back in her chair and peeled the label off her beer bottle, trying to appear interested in what Frost was saying. They were at their second stop of the night and as soon as they finished their beers, they would move on to the Hideaway where they would try to make their move. She was already tired and ready to go home but they had to keep up appearances. The black sedan had followed them, but no one had gotten out this time and it was safe to say that no had followed them inside. Even though they'd had some semblance of privacy, Frost kept the conversation to a minimum and it was mostly because Jane was a million miles away.

A chime on her phone indicating she had a text message drew Jane's attention from Frost. With clumsy fingers, she opened it and a smile spread across her face at the picture. It was a black and white picture of Valley wearing a Red Sox hat and holding a baseball. She looked happy and healthy and the image caused Jane's breath to catch in her chest. The message said 'She already takes after you…'

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Frost asked as he drained the last of his beer from the amber bottle he held in his hand. He'd noticed the hard expression on Jane's face soften when she looked down at her phone and he wondered what could cause that change.

"Ah…nothin'." Jane couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face. "Just Maura."

"Please tell me she isn't sexting you." Frost had the decency to look away.

"Really?" Jane tried not to sound impatient but it didn't work. "Do you really think that's what I would be doing when we're working a case?"

Rethinking what he had said, Frost suddenly felt a little foolish. "Nah…I didn't think that. I guess I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. You've been brooding all night and maybe I'm a little jealous that one text from Maura could make you smile like that when I can't even get you to listen to me."

"Aw…come on. It isn't that bad. Is it?" Jane realized that what he said was true. "Okay, okay…sorry. I just really want to get this over with."

"You and me both." He set his bottle down on the table and glanced at his cell phone. It was almost eight-thirty, time for them to move to the Hideaway. "Ready to move on?" He asked as he set a few dollars down on the table. "You've got the next round."

Taking one last swig of her light beer, Jane used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth. "Yep…locked, loaded, and ready."

"Alright then…lets hit it." Frost jumped up and Jane followed as they headed out the door. Not a single person paid them any attention as they disappeared on their way to somewhere else.

When they stepped through the door of the Hideaway, the first thing Jane noticed was a wall filled with old vinyl 45's. Their different colored labels contrasted against the off-white background they were pinned against but the effect was striking. Along another wall to the left were dart boards and video games lite up with neon, flashing the high scores of those who had attempted to conquer their predecessors. It wasn't a big place, but it had a dive bar charm that made it appealing and welcoming. In the middle, a pool table sat surrounded by several people drinking and laughing as they watched someone miss a shot and Jane smiled as they walked past.

She followed Frost across the room to where a long bar loaded down with drinks and patrons perched atop barstools congregated to watch the Red Sox game or argue about whatever it was people argued about these days. As they approached, the bartender looked up and smiled broadly in their direction.

"Arnie Holden…" Frost grinned as he reached across the bar to shake Arnie's hand.

"Barry Frost…" Arnie grabbed the offered hand and shook it with enthusiasm. "It's been too long."

"Yeah, sorry about that. You how it is." Frost let go of Arnie's hand and rested his elbow on the bar, reaching back with his other hand he pulled Jane closer. "This is Jane Rizzoli…my partner."

"Ah…the infamous Jane Rizzoli." Arnie offered his hand in greeting. "What'll ya have?"

"Um…you got an IPA on draft?" She shook his hand. "And I don't know about infamous…" her grin was lopsided as she dropped her gaze to take in the surface of the bar that shone bright with copper pennies trapped behind a slick resin.

"I just tapped a new one from North Carolina. It's a Highland IPA…not too hoppy with hints of citrus and without that heavy bitter aftertaste." Arnie reached for a pint glass. "You wanna try?"

"Yeah, thanks." Jane couldn't help but feel a sudden kinship with this short, stocky guy who was obviously a Red Sox fan. If the pennants and jerseys on the wall behind the bar hadn't given it away, the hat he had on backwards with the Red Sox emblem did. He had a nice, easy smile…that is if you could find it behind the weeks' worth of stubble that covered his cheeks and chin. If it hadn't been for the black, horned rimmed glasses that framed his dark brown eyes, she would have guessed he was more the athletic type, not the geek Frost made him out to be.

Cheers erupted around them as the Red Sox got a homerun and everyone looked up at the television screens to watch the runner trot around the bases, high-fiving his way home. When Jane looked back across the bar, Arnie was grinning at her and holding out a pint glass for her to take.

"Thanks…" she took the cold glass and brought it to her lips. The golden liquid moved over her tongue, waking her up with its hints of citrus and tropical fruit and as she swallowed, she savored the ever so slightly bitter finish. "This is good." She smacked her lips before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'll have the same." Frost said when Arnie gave him an expectant look. When he turned back to Jane, she had gulped down nearly half her beer.

"Whoa there, tiger…" Arnie warned as he handed Frost his beer, noticing that Jane's was half gone. "That's a high gravity beer. It's 7%, so you might want to pace yourself…considering." He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head towards his office.

Jane's eyes widened as she looked down into her half empty glass and nodded her understanding. She had never really been a fan of the IPA's but the new ones mixed with fruit flavors had started to appeal to her. This, she would have to take slow if she planned on making it to nine.

Frost glanced down at his phone as if he had read Jane's mind on the time and then looked back at her with a serious expression. "You ready?" He asked as he shoved the phone in his pocket. When she nodded, he picked his beer up in one hand and the keys Arnie had slid over to him in the other. "Give me five minutes then come on. Third door on the right." With a tip of his chin, he silently thanked Arnie and left them alone.

As Frost walked away, Jane pulled out her cell phone and texted Maura. 'Shouldn't be long…I love you.' After she hit the send button, she glanced up to find Arnie grinning at her.

"He talks about you all the time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had a crush on you."

The words caught Jane by surprise. "If he knew better, he wouldn't." She tried to deadpan but couldn't stop herself from smiling. "I love him like a brother."

"Yeah…I can see you guys are tight. That makes all the difference when you're out there on the streets." He said and then elaborated when Jane gave him a questioning raise of her eyebrow. "My dad was a BPD detective years ago. His partner was his best friend." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey…he wasn't Ken Holden, was he?" She asked, suddenly very interested.

"Yeah, he was." Arnie smiled fondly at the memory of his dad.

"He's kinda a legend." Jane took a sip of her beer. She peered at him over the edge of her glass and noted the way he looked away. "I was sorry to hear about his passing."

"Thanks." He cleared his throat nervously. "It was quick but unexpected nonetheless."

"I hear he was a good man." Jane set her now empty glass down. "I guess I'd better see what Frost is up to."

"You need another pint?" He asked as he turned away from her to get another glass.

"Nah…not now. Maybe once we get this shit over with." She waved her hands in the direction she was heading. "Third door on the right?"

"Yep." He said over his shoulder as he turned to help another customer, leaving Jane to find her way to his office and into whatever trouble Frost was going to get them into.

As Jane wandered down the dimly lit hall, she was beginning to feel the effects of the two light beers from earlier and the IPA she had just downed in record time. It wasn't an unsteady feeling, just a calmness that usually followed a few drinks. She was still mentally sharp but the edges were just starting to soften enough for her to relax.

Stopping outside the third door on the right, she took a deep breath and then knocked lightly before twisting the knob to open it. She had wanted to give Frost a little warning that she was coming in so it didn't surprise or startle him.

"You ready for this?" She asked and closed the door, eyes widening at the sight before her. "Damn…and I thought you were a computer geek…" a low whistle escaped her lips as she looked around at the three monitors bigger than her television mounted to the far wall over a desk where Frost sat, tapping away at the keyboard.

"Come here..." he pointed to the empty chair next to him. "I've got everything ready."

Dropping down in the chair, Jane picked up the cellphone that waited for her. It was attached to the computer with a cord that would be used to record the call. She gave him an expectant look and he just shook his head, indicating she should wait as he continued tapping away.

"Maura online yet?" She asked as she tried to take in all the equipment, some of it totally foreign to her.

"Yes…" Frost continued to work.

"And?" She tried not to sound impatient at her inexperience with the technology they were using.

"And…I'm just setting up the files. We'll be ready to go in a minute." He glanced over at her with a frown on his face. "Let me do this…"

"Alright, alright." She held her hands up in mock surrender as she watched him. She could see that he had a chat window open where he and Maura were going back and forth. As she watched with interest, something of concern occurred to her. "Um, can Maura see and hear everything you send her?"

"Yeah. Why?" Frost finished what he was doing before looking at her.

"No reason…" she looked away from him to hide her uncertainty.

After a moment's hesitation, he went back to what he was doing before letting out a heavy breath and turning his attention to the phone. Picking it up, he punched in a number and then handed it to her carefully. "I haven't hit the send button yet, but that's the number. When you're ready…" he didn't need to finish because she knew what he meant.

Taking the phone, she tried to hide the nervous tremor in her hand. With a heavy sigh, she allowed a shiver to run its course through her body releasing some of the tension that had followed her in the door. "Okay…" she lifted her arms above her head in a dramatic stretch, took a deep breath, and hit the send button.

It rang once but only silence greeted her. She gave Frost a look of confusion before he shrugged his shoulders. "This is Jane Rizzoli…" she tried not to let her voice crack nervously as she struggled to speak.

"617-555-4529…he's waiting for you." The disembodied voice spoke and then hung up.

Jane looked down at the phone as the call disconnected. She wasn't sure what to do as she stared down at the blank screen but Frost was quick to act as he took the phone and pulled the cord from the computer. With the precision and knowledge only he had, he flipped the phone over and pulled the battery out of it and slammed it down on the desk, shattering the screen.

Frost's actions startled Jane and as she watched him gather up the pieces, she finally found her voice. "What the hell? Was that necessary?" She brushed the shards of the broken screen off her pants.

"Maybe…maybe not." He didn't look at her as he dropped the pieces in a black plastic bag. "But I'm not taking any chances. We're dealing with some bad dudes here, Jane.

"Okay, but how am I gonna call the new number?" She pointed to the bag of pieces.

"Here…" he slapped a new phone down in her hand and she could only stare at him in wonder at its miraculous appearance. "Wait…" he plugged the cord still attached to the computer in it.

"So, I'm supposed to call this number…" her eyes sought out the number that Frost had written down. With shaky fingers, she typed it in, then paused and looked at him. "It's Sean…isn't it?" All she got was a blank stare as an answer so she hit the send button and waited.

Again, it only rang once but this time a familiar voice said her name on a shaky breath.

"Jane…?"

"Sean…" she wasn't sure how she should feel or what she should say. This was the man who had used her service revolver to kill Maura's brother.

"Meet me Sunday…10:00 PM…Hildebrandt's Pub…alone." The words came out in a rush and were followed by silence as the call ended before she could respond.

"Hildebrandt's Pub?" She set the phone down, knowing what would come next as Frost repeated his earlier actions.

"Give me a sec…" he said as he swept the remains of the second phone into the bag and set it on the table next to the keyboard. After a few clicks, he found what he was looking for and pointed to the middle screen to show Jane. "Here…"

"Hmmm…that's a rough area but I can see why he picked it." Jane frowned at the little blue icon that indicated the pubs location on the map. "Not even Paddy's guys would venture that far into Russian mob territory."

"Do you think that means he's working with the Russians?" Frost tilted his head as he tried to figure out where exactly this place was in relation to where they were.

"Not him…the Irish…" she bit down on her lip and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Little pieces were coming together to form a bigger picture but she wasn't sure if the image forming in her mind was the right one. "It sounds like this is a coupe against Paddy."

"I suppose I won't be able to convince you to let me go with you on Sunday…will I." It wasn't a question because Frost knew the answer already.

"No, you won't but the bigger question is whether I can convince Maura that I need to go alone." Jane ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. Knowing that Maura would soon be able to hear the phone call once Frost transferred it over was making her palms sweat and her heat beat faster. It would have been better if Maura didn't know, but at the same time she knew that if Maura found out after the fact she would be furious. This whole situation was a double-edged sword for Jane and she just hoped that she wouldn't have to throw herself on it in sacrifice to save those that she loved. "Come on…I need another beer before I go home and face the Spanish Inquisition." She pushed herself up from the desk. "You coming?"

"Yep, I'll be right behind ya…" he said as he finished up what he was doing on the computer.

As Jane moved to the door, she glanced back with a sad smile. She knew he would be right behind her…no matter what was asked of him…he was always there…right behind her.