Jane pressed her palms together in efforts to stop her hands from reflecting her minds activity. A case had come in around five that morning, Dispatch said they couldn't get a hold of the Detective on call Henric Riley, Jane wasn't surprised, but considering she slept on her couch the night before and probably wasn't able to get back to sleep she took it. It was a lead on a missing persons, nothing she couldn't handle, nothing that would ever grace her desk, unless that person was found dead of course. She'd write up her notes and drop it on Riley's desk the next morning. It distracted her long enough to buy a cup of coffee and pull into the International Arrivals terminal at Logan.

There was nothing on the radio she cared for, all her mirrors were adjusted…

Jane drummed her slender fingers along the steering wheel before shaking her head. She reached for her coffee and decided with a great deal of adolescent pleasure that she didn't have to make up her mind about how she felt because it was Sunday, and all that other bullshit could wait couldn't it? She was excited to see her best friend, and that she was focusing on. Not that she had worn the suit Maura liked her in most to the call because she knew she wouldn't have time to change before she picked her up at the airport. Or that she had received yet another email from the FBI's Human Resource Bot asking her to complete her file for review so that the psychological evaluation could be scheduled for her contracted classes. Or that her father would be in town soon no doubt stomping all over the family balance that they created over the years. Or that she admitted to liking kissing her best friend who she was half certain would do it again because that was Maura; she did the things she liked and seldom really asked for consultation on the matters, except this time Jane was the matter, and what was the matter anyway? Maura was beautiful, charming in her own goofy way… a woman.

Jane shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

Who was she really kidding though? She had such a love for Maura, she knew it wasn't normal, or at least hadn't grown to be placed in some category or the other. It was organically their own thing that couldn't be matched, she had no idea what would even attempt to match against it.

The Detective checked her watch again and sighed. "What are you doing?" She wondered aloud as she reached for her coffee to take another sip. Maura had texted her that she had landed ten minutes ago, and in reality Jane wasn't really bothered, but at least she could effectively hide whatever had just happened to her stomach behind her annoyance.

Why couldn't anything just stay still for one moment so she could grip onto it long enough to understand?

Caught in her thoughts Jane had almost missed Maura stepping out onto the curve clad in a beige rain coat, black heels and a green dress. Her hair was down cascading in different hues of honey and catching the sunlight as she slowly detailed the car path. Jane honked her horn to get her attention before hopping out.

"Maura!"

The ME's face lit up as Jane strode toward her. "Jane! Hello." She couldn't help but smile widely; nothing about landing had signified quite the exact homecoming that Jane did.

Jane smiled back. "Hi." She greeted back as they wrapped their arms around each other in a warm hug.

"Gun and a badge too?" Maura chuckled as she brought Jane at arm's length to examine her fully. "This suit is so becoming, Jane. You look lovely, but fierce." She smiled up at her as she tugged gently at the suit's jacket lapels. "You're welcome." She had made Jane buy it a year ago after tricking her into going shopping.

Jane looked down to what she was wearing and laughed. "Yeah, I'll be able to pay it off in four years…the blazer I mean. The pants I'll have to leak my pension for. Thanks." She swatted playfully at the hand Maura had just used to touch her cheek and brush something off her shoulder. "Stop it."

Maura shook her head with a dismissive smile. "Do I need to change? Did we get a call?"

Jane began to wheel her carryon bag toward her unmarked car. "Riley was MIA this morning, I took in a MP…" Jane paused and finally realized what had been off to her since approaching her friend, "Maura?"

Maura was preoccupied looking for her cell phone in her bag. If she had missed an important call from dispatch she would have liked to know about it. "Jane?"

Jane looked between the leather wheeling bag and her preoccupied friend. "This isn't your only bag right? There is no way this is your only bag."

Maura looked up. "Of course not Jane. I could hardly carry my shoes in this."

"Well where are all your other bags?"

She continued to rummage through her purse. "Robert said it would be about another ten minutes to unload—ah ha!" She retrieved her cell phone. "I know I'm technically still off but I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss an important message. I already have emails coming in."

Jane pressed the button on her car keys to pop the trunk of her unmarked open. She'd need to move the shot gun and bullet proof vests aside she supposed. Even though she had wrestled all of the other woman's bags onto the curb a week ago for the life of her she couldn't remember how big they were. "Robert?" Jane asked as she fit the carryon bag into the trunk strategically.

Maura nodded as she caught up on the email she had been referencing. "Yes, our pilot, Jane. Extremely handsome, we got to talking during the flight; aviation is that much more interesting in flight, who knew." She chuckled at herself as she scanned the email she had just received from Kent on supplies for the lab.

Jane closed the trunk and looked around them. "Do I need one of those?" She pointed to the line of luggage carts near the accessibility wheelchairs for the airport.

Maura slipped her cell phone back into her purse now satisfied with having caught up. "There seems to be two sizes." She pointed out.

Jane looked at her fined with disbelief. "Maura you need the big one." The fact that she was even debating this blew Jane's mind. The smaller option looked like a toy compared to the larger one and she was sure this new addition to Maura's luggage collection had at least five pounds on her.

The blonde pursed her lips together in thought. "It's hard to tell the real surface space from here…"

Jane began toward them. "C'mon, maybe Robberrt will help me carry your shoes back to the car."

Maura chuckled and was just able to grab her arm to link and walk with her. "I don't think he will."

"I don't think so." Jane agreed with a laugh caught in her throat.

"Thank you." Her hazel eyes brimmed with appreciation and Jane shrugged as they neared the luggage carts.

"Don't mention it, Maura." It was bashful.

"Let's hurry though. I smuggled back the most amazing cheese."

"Cop, Maura." She reminded as she let the shorter woman guide the baggage cart along.

"What is illegal is us not having access to fromage l'Trappe here." Between the two of them they were able to wrangle Maura's four additional suitcases onto the baggage cart and into Jane's unmarked car. The detective had finally hopped into the driver's seat and buckled up as Maura continued to google mouth about pasteurization which for some reason lead to a rant on fermentation. It didn't take a detective to know her friend had probably been stifled of her talents while with Constance, a woman who thought Maura's scientific rambles were unbecoming and not endearing, and besides Constance knew everything anyway.

"So where is Connie?" Jane asked mid maceration and holding vessels.

Maura paused and seemed to realign her thoughts. "She had work in Dijon, she sends her love."

"Does it bite?"

Maura shook her head. "No, of course not Jane." When the Detective looked over at her she sent her a knowing smile as if to say that it was okay she knew she wasn't being literal. "I think we needed this trip."

Jane sighed as she came to meet bumper to bumper traffic leaving the airport. "Yeah? I think so too. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Jane reached for her aviators and slipped them onto her face to block the glare from the sun in front of them.

"It was truly lovely; you have to come next time."

Jane shook her head. "And interrupt Mommy and Me time? Never."

Maura smiled. "I have at least a terabyte of pictures to show you and Angela but—"

"A wha?"

"A terabyte… One thousand and twenty four gigabytes…" Jane blinked. "It's just over a trillion bytes of memory."

"Oh right yes, now I understand."

Maura smiled and sat back in her seat. "You know your sarcasm is telling." Jane sighed and sent her friend an apologetic look. "I was going to say that I will want you full attention for each byte, there was so many things that made me think of you both but I want to know what I missed first." Maura tapped Jane's knee playfully. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"I'm not grumpy."

"You seem it."

"Are you guessing?"

"No, it's an observation."

"Well I'm not grumpy."

"Moderately agitated."

Jane nodded. "Just tired Maura."

"You didn't go to sleep after we spoke? It had to be late here." Concern wrinkled her brow.

Finally traffic began to move at a pace acceptable to the homicide detective. "I watched this documentary on Bass." She recalled the baby tortoise taking hours to find a little whole to climb into to sleep. It was the last things she remembered before waking up that morning with a back ache and a beer soaked rug.

"You wait until I'm across the world to watch a documentary on my favorite forensic anthropologist?" Maura shook her head. "I'm shocked Jane Rizzoli."

Jane laughed. "Maura, the turtle—tortoise, excuse me."

"Oh…" She shifted in her seat and tried to register her emotions and appropriate them. "Well they are very fascinating creatures."

"Cute little things, yeah…"

She nodded. "I still have George Herman when you're ready to resume full custody."

Jane glanced at her friend guiltily. George Herman Ruth was what Jane had named the baby tortoise Maura had bought her to keep her company after her old apartment was trashed for the first time. Upon inspection on his wellbeing months later Maura revoked ownership and was nursing the little runt at her own home. He was only a pointer finger bigger now than before, but research and experience had taught her that he would hit a growth spurt in about five years. "C'mon Maura I really thought he could eat those little carrots. How long you gonna hold this over my head?"

"He was a baby. He barely had teeth."

"Well you better keep him" she shrugged. "It's clear I'm not good at relationships animal or otherwise."

"Is this about Casey?" Maura pressed lightly. She wouldn't ever it, but Maura knew Jane still harbored feelings of disappointment within herself about the miscarriage.

"No."

"Are you moderately agitated about Frankie and Nina?"

"What? No, I'm really happy for them, Nina is great for Frankie, and he needs to settle down already and have kids so Ma can stop looking at me." Jane pointed at Maura then in warning. "I'm only slowing down long enough to roll you out of the car Maura, she won't stop bothering me about wedding planning."

Maura chuckled softly before pouting when she looked at her feet. "No, I'm not wearing the right shoes, Jane."

Jane couldn't help but wear a wiry grin at that. "Alright I'll come to a complete stop, but the engine will be running."

"Don't you want to get brunch?" Oddly enough she hadn't even considered the fact that Jane had other things to do today until then. She felt just a little embarrassed by the assumption but decided to lean into that embarrassment. Another part of her meditations was to lean into things that were not harmful but made her uncomfortable, being embarrassed was one.

Jane tried to think of a reason why she couldn't which was especially confusing because with the pathologist back she finally felt as if a certain balance was restored in her life. Just being around the shorter woman made her happy, and she'd be a fool to pretend to not know it.

"Now that I'm back in America I suddenly have the urge to consume red meat and wear denim." She joked. "A steak and egg breakfast at Pomeroy? What do you say?"

Jane nodded, because she couldn't really say no to Maura and Maura knew that. "Is that before or after I lug all of your bags back into your house and get roped into looking at invitation cardstock because Nina is wise enough to stay across town where Ma can't sink her teeth into her?"

"After." Maura smiled confidently.

Three Hours Later

"Oh my goodness, this pattern looks divine!" Maura leaned forward to examine it. "Is it lace?"

"Isn't it just the cutest little thing? Janie what do you think? Do you think Nina would like this?" Angela held up a doily to her daughter who was sitting on the couch looking at the ceiling with her eyes closed. "Jane, can you see it from there?"

Jane groaned into her hands. "Maura…."

"Oh Jane we'll only be a moment more. I put out some of that cheese for you."

"It smells like feet." She whined as she flattened her hands on her legs. She was going to die here, they were going to forget about her and she was going to die here on Maura's couch.

Maura looked back to Angela. "Has she been exhibiting symptoms of mild agitation, fatigue, an inability to cope with every day stresses?" she asked in a hushed tone that really wasn't very different from her normal tone.

Angela Rizzoli nodded slowly the way any mother would before going into detail. "It's a funk I'm convinced."

"A funk." Maura articulated slowly.

"Yes, you know, a funk."

"Concerning the case?" Jane had mentioned that it had been bothering her.

"—Korsak is leaving, my Frankie is getting married, it's a lot of change happening all around her."

"I'm right here guys." Jane called form the couch.

Maura glanced from the kitchen counter covered in patterns and clippings and back to Jane and then her mother. "I'm sensing a bit of depression because of it."

"Not depressed." Jane opened her eyes. "Just starving—"

"Do you think?" Angela's eyes widened and looked over at her little girl.

Maura nodded with a measureable level of concern as well. "Now I'm not a psychologist—"

"I ate at seven this morning… it's now one—"

"—But I think you may be right Angela."

"Between you and me, Maura—"

"It's not Ma, because I'm sitting right here!"

"—I think she may be a little frustrated as well. If you know what I'm saying?"

"Oh…" Maura did not.

"What happened to that nice FBI recruit—"

"That's it!" Jane stood from the couch suddenly and picked up her suit jacket. "I'm leaving."

Angela and Maura looked up with disappointment.

"Oh Jane, no, I'll be ready once I change, ten minutes." Mara pleaded knowing by the stride in the Detective's step and the determination in her dark eyes that she had pushed the other woman too far. Get in the way of Jane Rizzoli and eating and suffer the consequences. "Eight minutes." She bargained as Jane came around to kiss her mother on the cheek.

"Bye Ma." Jane stood upright. "We both know it doesn't take you eight minutes to change." She came around the island and before she knew what she was doing she leaned in and kissed Maura on the cheek as well. "I'll see you at work." Jane stood upright, a brow furrowing in the process. Maura wouldn't see it to completion though because Jane had turned and left within seconds.

Angela merely shook her head. "She gets so moody if she doesn't eat."

Maura chuckled softly, the tips of her ears beginning to warm with a small blush. "I know."

##

"What is that, a milkshake?" Frankie asked as he slid onto the stool next to his older sister at the Dirty Robber forty five minutes later. Nina went to visit her mother for the weekend, and he wanted to see if Jane wanted to play a pickup game at the park when he called but Jane was adamant about not leaving her meal.

"Let me try?" Frankie reached for the thick old fashioned milkshake glass.

Jane grabbed it back from him before he could take a sip. "Gross, no—then it'd be like kissing Nina." Jane put the glass down and picked up another one of her French fries. "That's exactly how you get Coodies, Frankie." She warned mid-chew.

He chuckled. "Hey it aint half bad."

"Double gross." She smiled at her younger brother though. He was clad in a simple leather jacket and jeans and shirt combo. "You ride here?"

He nodded as he flipped through the Dirty Robber food menu. "Brunch huh? When did we get a Brunch menu?"

"Where's your helmet?"

Frankie looked up at her. "In the coat room, Ma."

"Hey, I only ask because if you weren't alive and getting married she'd be up my ass again." She grabbed a french fry and waved it at him. "And because I love ya."

"You're really loving this aren't you?"

"Not when it keeps me from eating."

"Huh?"

Jane shook her head. "Nothing, Ma wanted to know if Nina likes doilies." Frankie made a face. "Yup, thought so."

"Doilies for what? It's not a funeral."

"It's happening, you just don't know about it yet."

Frankie shook his head. "I'm going to kill Kent." Jane only laughed. "He promised he deleted it…or was going to, or whatever, I knew he'd forget." He flipped over the menu. "How'd you get that burger?"

Jane looked over his shoulder at the new brunch menu. "I guess I just ordered it…"

"Milkshakes but no burgers?" Frankie shrugged. "Amway speaking of up our asses, Janie..."

Jane nodded as she shook the red basket her burger came in to bring some left over fries from under a soggy piece of lettuce in the corner. "When's he due in?"

"Tuesday afternoon. Tommy is coming in too."

"Course he is."

Both Rizzoli sat at the bar in silence for a moment. They could handle bad guys, hell even the occasional good guy turned bad guy, but when it came to their own family affairs both siblings held a registered amount of hesitation.

Jane pushed her basket away from her and pulled her milkshake closer.. "You gonna order a milkshake?"

Frankie nodded. "Yeah…"

More silence.

"You think Ma knows?" He asked before waving a waitress over.

Jane nodded. "Probably."

"So if she doesn't you're gonna tell her right? I mean we can't just no tell her."

"I really think she already knows."

"Yeah… Where's Maura?"

Jane paused. "What?"

Frankie shrugged. "Just figured you guys would be spending the day together."

"Why?"

"Uh, because she's been gone for a week and you've been moping around for just that amount of time…" Jane was giving him a look. "I passed that detective's exam fair and square."

"I'm not moping, and she's with Ma picking out patterns for your wedding."

Frankie ordered a chocolate shake. "They do know it's not for like at least a year and a half right?" Jane shrugged. "Maybe it's a distraction."

"Yeah you're right, you did pass that exam."

Frankie shook his head. "What the heck kind of estate planning does he have, Janie? They sold the house; he left Ma to deal with IRS. What estate is left for him to damage?"

"Maybe he married rich, wants to put us on the new family trust."

Frankie let his shoulder drop towards her. "C'mon."

"When do we have to see him? I'm in the middle of a case."

"I've got cases too!"

Jane played with the red and white straw in her shake. "Well whenever it is it's not going to be Maura's house again." She had never been more embarrassed by her father in her entire life, and though she really hoped this time would be like the old times she didn't like the idea of putting Maura up again to be insulted, even if he hadn't meant it that way, Jane was taking it that way,

"Yeah well, not at my place." He paused. "Nina's moving in."

"Oh he's gonna want to meet her."

Frankie looked mortified. "She'll change her mind!"

Jane actually laughed and capped a reassuring arm around his shoulder. "No she won't."

Neither sibling commented on the others choice in ordering a second milkshake, and then a beer. A Celtics highlight reel was playing on the tv high above them and the two who had now been sitting in the bar long enough for the brunch menu to disappear and the young hip crowd to go with it so the Robber could begin it's steady but true transformation of returning to their beloved weekday cop bar.

"Yeah but he's been miserable this season." Frankie nodded.

Jane shrugged. Just then her cell phone which had been sitting on the bar beside her began to buzz. A call from Maura. "Yeah but we can't risk Golden State getting any better—Hey Maura…. At the Robber with Frankie…." She glanced at her brother who was pretending to be minding his own business. "I can check for you….tonight?" Angela and Ron had tickets to some show tonight that wouldn't be available for a while so for the first time in a decade she canceled Sunday dinner. Jane didn't see a need to really go back to Maura's at all but she had forgotten a bag in the Detective's unmarked and it was apparently very important that she unpack it tonight. Jane had to shake her head in amusement as the doctor continued to stress the importance of her unpacking routine. There was something about airing and spraying luggage to ensure international mites and bedbugs didn't nestle into her home, laundry, dry cleaning, reorganizing her new purchases in her closet, comparing her traveler's insurance clam with her items she left with, the list went on. "Alright alright Maura, stop talking okay?" She was smiling. "I'm on my way." They hung up.

"Duty calls?"

Jane stood up from the bar stool and stretched before reaching for her suit jacket. "You could say that."

Frankie laughed and stilted his beer up at her. "See ya."

Jane slipped her jacket on and located her car keys in her pocket. "Go home Frankie,"

"I will I will, just twenty more minutes in this game." He motioned to the TV. "I'll see you tomorrow."

##

"You have no idea what time you're saving me." Maura thanked again as Jane entered the door thirty minutes later with Maura's rolling carry on that she had packed so well in her trunk that she hadn't even noticed to bring it out earlier.

"I thought you'd end up on your own table if you hadn't had a chance to spray for international mites tonight." Jane put the bag down in the foyer and instinctively reached for her gun and her badge that was still on her hip. In the entrance to the Isles Manner there was an end table drawer that Maura had put a lock box in for her to put her gun and her badge when she came over. Jane emptied her pockets as well into the drawer and slipped out of her shoes. "Where's Ma?"

Maura was in the hall closet arranging something. "The coastline is clear Jane, she and Ron left forty five minutes ago." Maura located the reel of industry grade plastic she was looking for. "Are you hungry?"

Jane took off her jacket and tossed it onto the coat rack near the door before padding into the living room and checking just in case they were going to ambush her again and Maura was the bate. "It's just coast, Maura." She continued her way into the kitchen and noted a bottle of red wine open on the counter. Maura's glass sat beside it, Jane could tell from the small pink lipstick smudge on it.

"Pardon me?" Maura called form the hall.

Jane reached into the cupboard and took out a glass for some water. The idea of eating anything after two milkshakes and a beer didn't seem appetizing at all. Then again if she knew her mother there was lasagna somewhere in this house, and one bite, because it was Sunday traditions, wouldn't really make her feel any worse right? "Never mind!" She opened the fridge and frowned. "She didn't even make lasagna?"

Maura came into the kitchen with her sheet of plastic. "If you're hungry I have some lovely whole wheat and flax crackers-"

Jane turned finally noticing Maura was wearing what looked like painter jump suit with the sleeves cut off. "No Maura, you can't replace lasagna with crackers….what are you wearing?"

"Well at least have some wine; it's a blend of Groslot and Pinot Noir."

"A onsie?"

The shorter woman laughed. "Well I had planned to spend most of the afternoon with my best friend but when you left—"

Jane reached for a clean wine glass. "After three hours" She found one. "of very patient waiting might I add."

"You may."

Jane nodded. "Hmph, thank you."

"Anyway when you left I decided to get some house work done. This is a romper by Celina Monetone, the renowned interior designer turned fashionista." She turned around leaving Jane to notice and then try and unnoticed that the legs to the romper were rolled up to Maura's mid-thigh. "What do you think? I bought it in Paris."

Jane sloshed the wine in her glass about and nodded. "It's interesting."

Maura's smile faltered just slightly. "You always say that when you don't like something."

"And I always eat lasagna on Sunday's, See? I'm switching it up. It's um, it's nice." She nodded "It's.." Pretty? "Totally you… This wine is good too."

Maura smiled. "Well I'm glad you like it. I bought a case from the producer; he's going to be in New York for a wine show next month and will send it then." Maura stepped back out into the hall and a loud stripping of the roll of plastic she had been holding was heard. "Although after catching up on some emails I may be invited to sit panel for a pathology conference so I may just bring it back with me…"

"Mm." Jane nodded and came over to the couch with the bottle and two glasses before sitting down and reaching for the remote. She moved to turn the tv on but then sighed to herself when she realized something was missing. "Maura!" She called.

Maura pocked her head into the hall. She was holding a squirt bottle an wearing gloves. "I'm right here there is no need to yell."

Jane patted the space on the couch beside her. "I want to see your terenbytes."

Maura paused but then smiled softly at the apologetic look on her friend's face. "It's terabyte, it would be foolish of me to have more than one, and you're feeling guilty you left aren't you?"

Jane nodded. "But I'm not apologizing."

"I see."

"That would mean I would have to take back the milkshakes, which no one would ever do."

"Right."

Jane patted the sofa again. "C'mon, I want to hear all about the fromage and the paperclips, and Constance and... what else?" Maura looked back at her work in the hall. "I'll spray down the suitcases after, scouts honor."

Maura Isles was not a woman to break important procedures. Whether it were securing a body for transport to the funeral home, emptying bowls, transcribing her reports for her own personal records, or even spraying down her suitcases after any travel to prevent any sort of invasion. They were all important and all had their reasons of importance. She liked to see them as enzymatic primers that facilitated her goals both personally and professionally, but since her friendship with Jane (a woman who did little for prevent grave medical horrors from growing in her refrigerator) the good doctor was learning that life was better spent with those you cared about whenever possible, because even though she could calculate statistically that her risk of catching bedbugs from travel was around one point three percent, she couldn't count the days they would have left with one another.

There also just wasn't enough scientific peer reviewed work on these feelings, she had checked.

Jane began to grin as Maura made a dramatic show of taking her gloves off. Her grin turned laugh when the other woman sling-shotted them at her with a surprising amount of speed and accuracy. "Hey! What's this abuse for?" she laughed.

Maura crossed her arms to her chest as she approached the couch with a firm smirk in place.

"Not apologizing."