The human hand has twenty-seven bones, not including the sesamoid bone, the number of which varies between people, fourteen of which are the phalanges (proximal, intermediate and distal) of the fingers and thumb. The metacarpal bones connect the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist. Each human hand has five metacarpals and eight carpal bones…

It all made complete sense for the range of motion expected to conduct daily tasks.

Fingers themselves though contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings in the body and are the richest source of tactile feedback for all humans.

It was a fact that made Maura wonder if Jane could feel her as she brushed the tips of hers as she traced the inch-long jagged scar tissue on her inner palm.

She had fallen asleep an hour ago, so the only logical explanation would be that she hadn't minded or found the sensation somewhat comforting.

That's what Maura told herself anyway.

The medical examiner had not been personally close to her when she got the scars, and once Jane had let her look at them, but Maura had never been this close. Never had Jane's arm hanging loosely over her left shoulder once pulling her closer as they kissed, now simply resting, conveniently exposing her most private nightmare.

She was transfixed with her hands soft roughness, the length of elegance that were her fingers themselves, and the callous dryness right under her pointer finger and thumb undoubtedly formed over the years of use from her firearm. There was even a near invisible hair line scratch across the expanse of her knuckles Maura had never noticed before.

They had helped pick TJ up when he was just starting to stumble about learning to walk, helped her mother move out of their family home, saved her own life on several occasions, helped carry Barry to rest…

When Jane shifted in her sleep Maura looked up at her from her position and smiled faintly before looking back at their hands and letting the facial expression fade.

No medical instrument nor piece of weaponry could tear her apart quite like the instruments she so carefully studied now and Maura knew it.

They frightened her.

And yet…

She found them beautiful, and wanted them as close to her physical person as physically possible.

It felt to the doctor like an unhealthy contradiction, something a naïve woman would exclaim. She was sure she wasn't that, in fact she was sure she wasn't trying to contradict herself either it just felt… impossible to understand. The ME was aware that a vast majority of the world population believed in life's most important questions not needing an answer, the pursuit of one universally was seen as mad, but as a scientist (surely a mad one) she couldn't help but be curious of the answer, or possibly some sort of evidence that two contradictory things could inhabit the same sane mindset.

Was this intimacy?

"Whaddya doin'?" Jane mumbled some moments later.

Maura could feel Jane curl her fingers effectively holding her hand in place where it had been tracing her scar.

"Examining you." She replied quietly before turning to look at her.

Jane let out a small breath before smiling sleepily. "For?"

"I don't know."

Jane seemed amused by the very unusual response. "Thought you knew everything."

"Do you have feeling…. Here?" She let her caught hand remain caught but let her finger continue its tracing. Something in Jane's eyes changed before she shook her head no. "And this?" Maura whispered motioning to her knuckle where the curious hairline scratch lay.

Jane seemed to wake further even though a rustle of raspiness would remain in her tone for the remainder of the night. "Some goons jumped Frankie on his way home one day." She let out a small laugh. It made Maura smile. "I had softball practice—"

"Of course."

"Mhm." Jane created a fist with the hand before opening it and letting Maura take it in both her owns to examine it closely.

"Something sharp." The ME concluded after tracing her finger along it. "This is barely visible." She longed for her lab equipment but then chided herself softly for it.

Maybe Jane wasn't the only one who needed a vacation.

Jane cleared her throat softly. "Glass." Maura looked up at her at that with a winced expression. "We fell into the street and well… Ma about died."

"I could only imagine." She let Jane's hand go before looking back at her. "Impossible even then."

Jane narrowed her eyes at her playfully. "I wasn't going to let some punk named Ronnie Pervis thrash on Frankie all day. He had a crew too." Jane recalled the incident. "Wasn't far where we lived either."

"No?"

"Tommy I guess was on his bike riding around because he got earlier than us and jumped in too." A sudden laugh erupted from her. "Turned into this big thing and all these adults were pulling us all off of each other. Tommy lost a tooth, Pop even—" Her face hitched in an odd fashion before settling back. "Got a gardening hose…Sprayed us all down…." There was a long pause. Maura eventually rested her right hand on Jane's thigh. Jane looked at it there and then back up to her face at the ME's request for her truth. The detective tried to ignore the heat growing at her sinus as she spoke. "I think he's sick again, Maur." She swallowed hard.

"Where is that coming from?" Maura asked carefully feeling the air around them change so suddenly.

Jane was grateful she was quickly able to manage her tone again as she shrugged softly. "He came to The Robber to meet Ma… "

"Well there is a number of reasons why he could have been there, Jane." Jane was shaking her head. "Don't assume." Maura said slowly. "Did he seem..." She didn't know how to ask about his appearance in relation to his health. The last time she had seen Frank Rizzoli Sr. was at the hospital and only judging by the amount of periorbital edema fluid sacked under his eyes and the weight loss in his face alone did have her draw a conclusion that he had been rather unwell.

Jane had already known what she was thinking though. "He looked like crap, Maura."

"Has Angela said anything?"

Jane rubbed at her temple with her right hand. "She called me a few times but uh… I haven't picked up."

"Why not?"

Jane sighed. "'Cause Maura…I kinda left… in a way." Maura nodded slowly. "He… Apparently reached out to Lydia to um. Hook up and Tommy knew."

Maura couldn't help her shocked expression. "Oh Jane, no."

"Yup." Jane let out an exasperated sigh. "My old man."

"How is Tommy taking it?"

"Frankie is hanging with him, I mean between case stuff." She looked out at the city again. "I feel a little guilty for taking off like I did but y'know… I'm actually kinda glad I'm not home right now." She glanced at her. "Is that messed up?" She had no idea where to being with the latest Rizzoli family scandal.

"No, you take so much responsibility for your father's actions. I don't understand it."

"For Frankie and Tommy." Jane frowned. "I'm their older sister, Maur.—"

"They're grown men, Jane."

They stared at each for a moment and Jane tempered the defensiveness she felt at the statement. She couldn't claim that Maura didn't understand, because Maura had been her best friend for years now. Of course she knew…

"It could be something else right?"

Maura nodded. "I'm not saying it isn't Jane but little stock should be taken to prepare for absolutes when so little evidence is provided." The detective nodded but distractedly stared ahead of them as she processed their conversation. Maura used the time to excuse herself to the restroom before returning to find Jane straightening up where she had fallen asleep by grabbing their glasses and bottles and bringing them into the kitchenette. Maura smiled knowingly as the detective rinsed out the cups with her back turned. "Jane."

The taller of the two turned off the small facet and shook her water glass clean before setting aside and turning toward her. She leaned against the sink and shrugged. "How can I relax when all this is going on?"

Maura leaned against the bathroom doorframe opposite her and crossed her arms. "How do you even know anything is going on at all?"

"'Cause he broke my Ma's heart, Maura." She crossed her arms to her chest as well. "Several times, and it doesn't really matter how good she's doing now." Maura bit back her correction. "He still broke her heart, left her holding the bag with the IRS, homeless, and then had the audacity to ask for an annulment. I don't care who you are, you're not going to schedule to see someone like that just because you wanna talk shop." She shook her head, a confidence in her voice resembled that of the Jane Maura was used to seeing in the bullpen. "When he was sick the first time Ma was there for him, she'd do it again, she's just like that."

Maura saw her points. "What did your father say?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Idiot thought he'd show up early to take her to lunch."

"Wouldn't that imply an illusion of things happening in a more positive direction?"

Jane paused. His sheepish optimism about their meeting was definitely suspicious. "Yeah… He mentioned living in some new place, not that hotel I was telling you about. He said it was helping…."

"That sounds costly."

Jane looked off center away from Maura for a moment. "Yeah.." She agreed slower this time. Rizzoli & Sons came to mind then. "He's still drinking though." Jane looked over at Maura. "I could tell…"

"From my research on addiction it doesn't seem like an easy thing to overcome by ones self."

Jane shook her head. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Take his side."

Maura raised a brow and exhaled carefully. "Jane I was not aware there were sides to be taken here, I am simply providing my opinion, that's what you would want correct?"

Jane nodded. "Yeah but it's so… Even after he pulled this stuff with Lydia and clearly has some kind of issue with you."

Maura shook her head. "The truth?" Jane raised her brows in challenge and motioned for her to go on. "I'd imagine he has suspected something between us from the beginning, thus launching his initial suspicions surrounding me. I did not fall into a specific stereotypical position in the life you all had and it concerned him, and when my suspicions grew of his addiction it concerned him more. When he came into the morgue, he asked about you, and I did not lie to him about my feelings surrounding his return."

Jane tried to process the information as quickly as Maura spoke it. "What did he ask you?" A lot of seemingly meaningless conversations or occurrences with her father through the time when he and her mother were together suddenly ran a ribbon of memories through her minds eye. Him asking if Maura might bring someone to a family gathering, asking if it were really necessary that they spend so much time together, or even the more obvious one, using Maura as a wedge to get back into the family, as if somehow knowing that a deceit from her best friend about her father would throw their friendship into turmoil.

"If I were protective of you."

"He give you the speech that I should find someone?" Maura nodded and Jane exhaled heavily. "This is stupid." She mumbled not really trusting herself to limit herself to one curse word. "So he never liked you?" Maura offered her a small shrug and the detective suddenly felt ill. "Maura why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Jane." She paused her. "He was never impolite, and he was important to you, and even when he wasn't I know he will always be your father, and that is important regardless."

Jane was shaking her head. "Maura this… Changes everything."

"I don't see how it could."

"Maura." She looked bewildered. "There is no way I'm even entertaining the idea of a relationship with him if he doesn't get that you, your… like the only person who gets me."

There was a small pause between them where the weight of her words anchored them to the room and it's emptiness. "Jane." Maura began softly. "I just think he assumes we are too close, and that somehow I am hindering you from a life that he preordained."

"And when we have to publish?"

Maura grew confused at the phrase but then chuckled quietly at it, the action clearly annoying the passionate woman across from her though. "I'm unsure of how you would like me to respond to that." She said honestly.

Jane crossed her arms again. "What happened to your opinion?"

"I have none on the matter."

"You have no opinion on telling people about… this?"

"I did not say that."

"Well then what did you say?" She sneered in frustration. "I can't do the ask a million questions to get a single answer thing right now, Maur."

Maura shifted her stance now and scoffed lightly at the comment. "I have no opinion of what your father thinks of me." She let her arms fall. "I only care, about what you think." She finished evenly.

Jane huffed quietly before looking elsewhere in the room. She took a measured breath and looked back at Maura who seemed just peeved enough to really get into it which took a lot, and for that she felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry." She motioned to the hotel room. "I'm just… Frustrated."

Maura nodded. "I know."

There was a very long moment of silence between them as the tension slowly oozed out of the room leaving Jane feeling even more exhausted than before and leaving Maura wondering if the conversation was truly worthy of their time to get into with the other woman given her state of fatigue and the tenderness of before.

Jane closed the distance between them, and Maura touched her shoulder as the detective leaned in to press a kiss on her cheek. "If I don't pass out in the next five minutes, I'm gonna say something stupid."

The mumbled comment onto her face made Maura smile to herself and rub Jane's shoulder once. "Goodnight then."

##

"Ma!" Frankie called as he used the spare set of keys on his key chain strictly appointed to him in secret by Jane for emergencies to enter Maura's front door. With a shake of the head Frankie sighed when he heard his mother's voice somewhere nearby but muffled by a wall. "Mother!" He called out again. It wasn't terribly early, but he had already agreed to meet up with Tommy in a little so he and TJ could go with him to a local bookstore, and then he was to drop them off, and then he was to meet Nina for lunch to pretend to have some semblance of a normal relastionship and then they were to meet Korsak back at BPD HQ to dig further into the information they had uncovered on Khury.

"I'm in here, Frankie!"

"Here." He shook his head. "Where is here?" He mumbled before combing the halls through Maura's first floor in places he had spent very little time and was almost uncomfortable venturing through without the ME present. "Where is here, Ma!?"

"The Wednesday Room!" Her voice became louder as he walked down the hall.

"Maura has a Wednesday room?" He asked himself noticing curiously that Jane's running shoes sat outside the door with a familiar sweat band of hers placed neatly on top of them. "Huh." He shrugged before turning the small corner and raising his thick eyebrows at the scene before him.

There, in the center of the room that resembled more of a dojo than a day of the week his mother stood still clad in her pink and white striped pajamas with plastic curlers still clung in her hair holding what looked like a green mesh net meant for a fish tank in one hand, and a Tupperware container in the other.

"Uh…" Frankie began. He jumped slightly when something green literally ran in between his legs and into one of Jane's sneakers. "Ma what the heck—"

"Honey grab that damn shoe!"

"Alright alright!"

##

Back in New York Jane furrowed a brow and took her cell phone away from her ear. It was the third time she had attempted to call her mother that morning and received her voicemail. Now the matriarch was notorious for having her phone die on her, but Jane had also called her house phone, and then Maura's house phone and still nothing. It was around ten in the morning so surely she had to be awake by now. "Hm." She stuffed her phone into her pocket and took a long sip out of the coffee cup she got from her hotel room kitchenette. The detective was dressed for the cold in long blue denim and grey beanie that hugged her long ponytail behind her, a grey hoody, and a firm leather jacket she really liked but never got a chance to wear. She stuffed a pair of gloves into her jacket pocket just in case and existed her hotel room only to step three feet over to Maura's door.

She'd take the responsibility for making last night kinda weird. After a full night's rest and the morning spent in bed while Maura tied in to a conference call made her realize how reactive she had been when Maura was just doing what Jane admired most about her personality these days, calling it how she saw it. The detective realized that part of the reason she got so upset was because her not realizing Maura and her father's past tension made her feel like a self-absorbed friend. Were there times Maura felt uncomfortable at her old place? Did she ever want to not be around her because of her knowledge of her father's general mistrust in her intensions?

Had she really been that oblivious?

She wanted to blame the job, but she knew she couldn't. Realizing that her old man had a reason to be suspicious of Maura to begin with was way beyond her emotional bandwidth at the time and she knew it. it would have meant she needed to take a look at all the reasons why he would feel that way in the first place.

Sure Maura was different, but that's why Jane liked her in the beginning and obviously now. She was an attractive woman with a goofy side no one would imagine just by looking at her, and without so many words she made Jane's whole world seem brighter when she smiled at her.

So maybe, for whatever reason, her father had a right to be suspicious.

He did not have a right however to make her feel uncomfortable. Jane swore to herself that she'd find a way to handle that when she got back.

In the meantime the Boston native was hoping to find a way to say all of this to Maura over some expensive coffee and pastries at this little French bakery Maura had been gushing about on the cab ride back from dinner last night.

She'd even suggest they go shopping if that's what the ME wanted to do.

Jane took a deep breath and knocked on her hotel room door.

Maura appeared a half moment later all smiles. "Are you ready?"

Jane raised a brow with a small laugh when she exited the room without even looking back for any personal items to bring with her. "Were you standing by the door waiting?" Maura was wearing a sleek black coat with a deep purple scarf with her ear muffs already on and in place.

Maura glanced at her as she pulled the door in. "Don't be ridiculous."

##

Frankie darted his vision from left to right. If he were able to launch himself in front of George Herman's path the panicked pet would crawl right into his palms. It was just a matter of trajectory…

"Just don't smush him, your sister will kill me."

"Ma, I'm trying to concentrate here okay?" Frankie readied his jump when George poked his little head out from behind the living room coffee table. "C'mon little guy." He cooed.

"Frankie don't smush him!" Angela waved the green guppy net as she spoke.

"Did you ever stop to realize that maybe he's running away from us because you keep yelling?"

"Yelling!? I'm not yelling!" Angela paused. "Alright… just don't'—"

"I know. I know." Frankie inched closer to the tiny hiding space palm open and muscles tensed acutely with anticipation.

##

It had flurried at some point in the early morning leaving the city pavement a darkened with dampness while the banks and the lightest of branched maintained the snows integrity creating a charming scape that reflected the sun perfectly. Everyone seemed to be in a better mod because of it and as the homicide detective and the pathologist passed small groupd of natives the conversation almost always surrounded the coming spring and the warm season.

Maura and Jane walked north on sixth avenue away from the hustle and bustle of Rockefeller Center and to a less crowded area of the city. They hadn't said much yet to one another, but the silence was a comfortable one, and even though they had an entire sidewalk to themselves they maintained close as they walked side by side taking in the sights.

"How was the call this morning?" Jane asked as they waited for a light to change at fifty first street to give them direction.

Maura looked over to her right at the taller woman. "Productive, I am glad I could reschedule it for this morning."

"Any new approvals for cool lab toys?"

"Unfortunately No." They continued on quietly before Maura thought of something. "Maybe you could accidentally take your coffee near our aging mass spectrometers?"

Her tone was serious, but Jane could see the jest in her features when she looked over at her. It made her grin. "Yeah sure, and then have it sue the pants off me?" Maura chuckled at the memory. "But not before putting it on social media."

"I will have you know Nice Detective Jane has now reached one thousand likes."

Jane snorted at that. "Gee, a literal five years later."

"Oh come on."

They smiled at each other as the light signaled them to cross the street. "Y'know, we've had some rough days." Maura nodded knowing this to be the damn truth. "That one though, that one sucked." She chuckled. "For no reason."

"It truly was a series of unfortunate events."

"God that condo." Jane shook her head.

"At least you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Jane looked at her friend incredulously. "Maura it got burned down with all my stuff in it."

Maura nodded once trying not to laugh "Yes well—"

"All I had to my name was that damn couch and a cactus." She thought of something. "Thank God George Herman was at yours, he'd have been a turtle slider for sure."

Maura winced at the joke. "Oh, Jane."

##

A bead of sweat ran down his back as he smiled triumphantly at the little face staring back at him. "You my friend, need an Olympic medal for those moves." George Herman still looked completely stressed out but with the little stroke on his shell from the somewhat familiar voice did help to sooth him some. Frankie disregarded the Tupperware Angela was handing him and went in search of his actual tank. "What were you thinking letting him out?" He asked walking away. George's little webbed feet tickling the palm of his hand as he tried to steady himself.

Angela huffed feeling the sense of dread leave her body. "The booklet said I could take him out to clean his tank." She followed her first son. "So I thought I could do that and water the hydrangeas too, he's a turtle how fast can he move?"

Frankie found the tank in the first floor bathroom and rested George down in it carefully. "Ma those are like two different kinds of turtles."

"Alright well then if you know so much how come they didn't ask you to take care of him?" She put her hands on her hips.

Frankie shrugged. "Do I look like I can take care of anything right now?"

"Well you better start thinking about it."

Frankie rolled his eyes but then took in a small breath. "I need a glass of water or something." He could barely understand why, Jane hadn't really been particularly attached to Jo Friday in the way that she was George, but he knew if anything happened to the little green thing her sister would be devastated, and then shortly after out for revenge. "We don't mention this to Jane." He warned his mother as he left the room calmly as if he hadn't spent the last hour chasing around one of the animal kingdoms slowest members.

Angela met Frankie in the kitchen as he gulped down his glass of water and then opened the fridge to pour out some more from the filter into his glass.

"Anyway honey I'm glad you're here."

Frankie grumbled good naturedly at being still out of breath. He turned and regarded his mother. "Ma, what were you doing with Babe?" He motioned to the hall where Maura's supposed "Wednesday room" was. He needed to get the story straight in case Jane asked him an elaborate question regarding the incident, if the little guy ended up in cardiac arrest after all the running he had done.

She sighed. "I took him out and thought I heard my phone ringing, then when it stopped, I came back to get some water and—" She paused. "Babe? I thought his name was George?

Frankie finished a sip of his water before resting his glass down. "George Herman Ruth, Ma… Babe Ruth…."

Angela waved him off not being able to be bothered. "Like I said I'm glad you came by."

Frankie nodded and crossed his arms to his chest. "You said you needed a ride to the bank, but I'm guessing maybe that's not true."

Angela closed the small folder Maura had provided with instructions on how to care for George that was sitting on the island. "Have you spoken to your brother?"

Frankie nodded. "You haven't?" That was a surprise.

"He won't answer my calls."

Frankie uncrossed his arms. "Never seen him that pissed about anything."

"I have." Angela came into the kitchen. "You want some coffee, hon?"

Sensing there was something she needed to tell him Frankie nodded again and went around the island to take a seat. "Yeah alright." If they weren't actually going to the bank he had some time.

Angela moved over to the coffee pot and got him a mug. "You know when you kids were small Thomas had this fixation with sling shots. Do you remember that?"

Frankie thanked her as she brought the mug over to him. "Yeah Pop made me and Tommy one each."

"Oh your sister hated it."

Frankie chuckled. He'd never told his mother that he was the one who helped Jane sneak into the shop class at school and help her make her own. Of course that resulted in him staple gunning his finger on accident. He silently rubbed the small scar under his right thumb. Jane had felt so guilty that he took the fall and the grounding that she promised to teach him to make of his own and better yet to shoot it. "Janie made her own." He nodded before taking a sip of the hot brew.

Angela sighed. "She did, Lord knows why that teacher let her." Frankie only shrugged. "Anyway If you could see the way the two of you would fight over hers when she wasn't home. Finally I took all of them away, do you remember?" Angela refreshed her own coffee. "Tommy was so angry he stomped his little foot and he gave me this look." Angela would never forget it. "Of course an hour later we were all fine and he was helping me in the garden, but I don't know when the last time I saw you brother so upset was…"

Frankie nodded slowly. "Yeah… He really cares about Lydia y'know… Trusted Pop too."

"They can relate."

"A little too much."

"You'll tell him to call me? I'm worried about him."

Frankie took another sip of his coffee. "I think he's embarrassed." Wondering if there was more Frankie waited, but when his mother wore a thoughtful expression and said nothing else he raised a brow in her direction. "We played pool yesterday, I'm taking him and TJ to get more books later." Angela only sipped her coffee and Frankie nodded once. "Some series he likes right now…"

"He's growing up so fat, reading already."

More silence.

"Ma." Frankie started.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"You're not going to tell me what Pop wanted?"

Angela nodded once. "Your father asked for my help with something, and I agreed to help him this once. That's all you kids need to know."

"Seriously?" Frankie shook his head. "Needed your help with what?"

"Some money he wanted to invest." She shook her head signaling the end to his interrogation.

"Ma, he left, left you pretty much in the slumps, did Lydia and then tried to do it again, how in the world could you want to help someone like that?" He asked truly unable to understand. His mother was a smart, resilient woman, she had been a great mother, and continued to be one of the people in his corner that grouned him and reminded him of what an example was and how high of a bar to set in life. "He wanted to cancel us."

Angela smiled softly and reached across the small island to cup his jaw where a thicker than usual stubble lay after a day and a half without a shave. "But he gave me you kids, and for that, for you, I would do anything." She wasn't an ignorant woman, she had been wronged by this man, betrayed by this man, and hurt in ways she could tell by just looking into her son's eyes that he'd never understand, but if she had learned anything from it she learned that there was always good to give and she wanted her kids to see that.

Frankie slouched in his chair. "What do you know about investing money?" It was all he could think to ask. When her mind was set on something, like sling shots being the gateway weapon, it was hard if near impossible to change it.

Angela laughed softly and took her hand away. "Maura has been teaching me some of her secrets."

"Ma." Frankie sighed. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

She patted the island. "I do, now help me with this heating lamp…" She motioned to the folder Maura left her.

Frankie took a swing from his coffee cup and got off of his stool. "Yeah okay, should we get a dictionary?" He eyed the folder and its thickness worriedly.

Angela smiled. "Maybe huh?"

The two chuckled as they headed for Maura's wensa where they had returned George Herman's tank. Angela rested an affectionate hand on her sons back as they went. "It'll be okay." She reassured sensing the young man's mind was still awash with their current family drama.

Frankie nodded. "Yeah I know." He thought of something then. "This place he's staying in, he tell you anything about it?"

Angela shook her head no. "and I didn't ask." An edge of annoyance returned to her tone that somehow reassured the middle child. At least they could rule out her getting any ideas about his new leaf.

"Y'know Janie thinks he's sick."

Angela's face twitched at that as she motioned to the room. "We might need to take Baby George out again to do this last part."

Frankie watched her enter the room. "Baby George? Ma that's not his…" He sighed and shook his head not even bothering to correct her before something hit him, and like a punch to the gut a rapidly sickening thickness formed in his throat.

"Baby Ruth George whatever." Angela chuckled before turning and frowning deeply at the sadness Frankie tried to hide in his eyes.

"Francesco." She chided softly.

"Is he?"

##

Le Pin was just as cute and French as it got for the US Jane imagined as she wondered back down the narrow walkway cluttered with snow jackets and patrons far to tall for the tiny country style tables. It was about ten thirty and it was packed but everything from the fancy bottled water to the chocolate croissant she had ordered had been incredibly delicious, and it was kinda cool to see the bread baker working on a randomly placed slab of wood near the rare of the bakery. She watched his thick hands kneed a piece of dough a moment as a mother and her toddler rustled by the tiny space to head to the restroom Jane had just visited. Jane smiled politely as the mother muttered a thank you, the little girl with her wild curly blonde hair merely regarded Jane in that blissfully unware way that children that small had about them. It made Jane smile back at the little girl before finally being able to maneuver back to the corner seat she and Maura were incredibly lucky to snag.

Maura had taken off her coat and draped it on the back of her chair and was nibbling on the small chocolate brick shaped item Jane wasn't about to try and pronounce.

When Jane got back to the table the ME smiled. "Our coffees will be here shortly." She announced.

Jane looked over her shoulder at the male barista who ironically enough only spoke French and was way too young to be so boldly making eyes at the medical examiner but did it anyway.

Europeans

Jane looked back at the blonde. "He say all that?"

Maura rolled her eyes. "Jane he can't be more than twenty four." She broke off a piece of the chocolate bark cake and handed it to her. "Here, have some, it's delicious."

Jane gave in and took up the cake and put it in her mouth as she sat. "Mmm." She nodded happily as the thickness of black forest cake coupled with an interesting note of some kind of fruit and nut melted together in her mouth. "It's good." Maura reached over the table and used an surgical pinky finger to dab away at the small crumb of cake at the corner of the cop's mouth. Jane blushed and wiped at her face. "Quit it." She grumbled cutely.

Maura only smiled and brought her hand away and up in surrender. "Next time I'll leave it."

"I was really hoping to save it for later." Jane reached for a napkin.

"Were you?"

"I was."

Maura chuckled at her serious expression and all the cracks of playfulness within it. "I'm so sorry." They made eyes at one another a moment before the young barista came over and put their coffee order gracefully down in front of them.

Maura smiled up at him. "Je vous remercie, Denis."

He beamed. "Pour la plus belle femme de la chamber."

Maura reached across the table for Jane's hand and gently pushed the coffee toward her. "Pour toi, ma puce."

Jane furrowed a brow but nodded and took the coffee from her with her free hand. I mean that's what she guessed she should have done. Denis glanced between them curiously before grinning.

"Ah, excuse me." He managed with a very thick accent. He turned to Maura sheepishly. "Votre petite amie ne parle pas français?"

Maura fought a grin. "Pas en public."

"Ah!" The young French man chuckled hard and gave them both surprisingly loving smiles. "Très bien très bien. Amusez-vous." He did a small bit of a bow before heading back to the espresso machine.

Maura was smiling wildly and reaching for her coffee but stopped when she looked over at Jane. The detective laughed when she continued chuckling to herself obviously very comfortable leaving the other woman out of the joke.

"Do I even want to know what you told him?" Jane couldn't help her grin at her giggling. Maura Isles, the comedian.

Maura allowed herself to calm down by taking a sip of her lemon water and clearing her throat a little. "He simply asked if you spoke French as well and I told him you didn't, in public at least."

Jane's faced reddened deeply. "Maura." She groaned, a laugh plaguing at her lips at the forwardness of the joke. "No c'mon." She glanced over at the barista who grinned back at her before winking. "I am going to kill you."

Maura amusedly went about sipping her coffee, a faint blush of her own forming at her cheeks. "Will you come with me next time?"

"So I can learn some French to be able to stick up for myself? Yes absolutely." Maura laughed. "I'll even book my ticket in advance this time."

Maura huffed at that. "Surely we will experience our next extinction before that occurs."

Jane broke off a piece of her croissant and took a big chunk out of it and watched the ME carefully. "So what's a puce?"

Maura tried to hide her grin behind her cappuccino. "I beg your pardon?"

"That's what you called me right? You gave me that coffee that was supposed to be for you." She recited the interaction perfectly. "Then you said something to me and ended with that, what is it?"

Maura put her cup down and returned to her sweet yet simple breakfast. "It's a term of endearment" She explained simply.

"What is it?"

Maura glanced up at her. "It's French."

"Which I am not, what'd you call me?"

"My flea."

Jane made a face. "Seriously?"

"It's a term of endearment." She tried to defend.

"You said that already."

Maura smiled. "It has no real translation in terms of term used here, however it is mostly used like we use my sweet, or sweetie—It's nice." She tried to convince as Jane maintained her over all look of displeasure.

"Don't fleas like, suck the blood out of things?"

Maura chuckled. "Yes, they form the order Siphonaptera."

"Uhuh." Jane crossed her arms.

"… As external parasites of mammals and birds, they live by consuming the blood of their hosts. However." She put up a finger. "I think that may in fact be quite fitting."

Jane's jaw dropped and her features twitched with amusement. "Oh really?"

Maura nodded happily as she went about eating her cake. "You're incorrigible."

"And if I called you a pain in my ass in the middle of an autopsy—"

"I'd be very hurt."

Jane laughed and shook her head.

##

Nina smiled. "Hey handsome."

TJ gleamed up at her. "Hi handomse."

The three adults laughed. "Hey TJ buddy, you call women beautiful—" Frankie tried.

"Uh don't tell him that." Nina corrected. "I really appreciate him calling me handsome, you know you never call me handsome."

Frankie chuckled and greeted his fiancé with a brief kiss on the lips. "Well you know I always thought you did have a bit of a masculine energy about you."

Nina smirked. "It's why you like me. I always knew that." She purred.

Tommy rolled his eyes. He liked Nina a lot, but you had to be a little weird to find his brother anything but a goober. "You wanna show Aunty Nins what you got?" He leaned down to pat his son on the back.

Nina had long since detached herself from Frankie and was squatting to see what he held in his bag. "Let me see little man."

"Books!"

They four stood in the windy parking lot of the Finland and More Bookstore that had been in the Southie neighborhood for as long as they could remember. Right next door for years before it closed down was where their mother used to buy most their meats for family dinners, and beside that was a worn down laundry mat that somehow was still standing. As the day etched on helping his mother with George took a lot longer than Frankie expected leaving bringing TJ to the bookstore to start significantly later and pushing lunch plans with his fiancé back indefinitely.

Frankie watched Nina ooh and aah over the children's books TJ was excited to show her and smiled. She was incredible for understanding, then again she was just incredible in general.

Turning to his brother he nodded. "You guys wanna get ribs?" Luckily Korsak was being held up as well at the vet and they probably wouldn't meet at the precinct until later that night.

Tommy tucked his bare hands into his navy windbreaker and shrugged. "You know you don't have to babysit me, Francis."

Frankie shrugged. "I'm not, we're already going."

Tommy seemed to be thinking it over. "Ma's not cooking?"

Frankie hesitated. "Um, no she and Ron had something to go to." He lied. "C'mon it'd be fun."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah okay. Ribs sound good."

"You wanna call Lydia, see if she wants to come?"

"She's working, won't be out until later. I was going to pick her up after setting him at home."

There was a pause between them then, and for the briefest moment it seemed as if either of them was going to bring up something that was weighing on their mind. The moment however pregnant, passed, and both Frankie and Tommy simultaneously brought their attention back to Nina and TJ.

"Daddy." TJ came over and tugged at his father's leg when he noticed his attention. The penguin inspired beanie on his head a little too large for him so the action of tugging inadvertently allowed the fabric to slide down his face. The little boy pushed it up without concern and looked at his father with hopeful eyes. "Diss big book is for Aunty Maurwa." He held up the novel sized book neither brother had noticed he snuck into the basket.

Nina came over and could barely container her laughter. "Think she'll like it?"

Frankie grabbed the book from TJ and raised his brows. " The Atlas of… Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants and.." He cleared his throat and decided to forego reading the last bit.

Tommy looked down at his son unsure of whether to be stern or to laugh as hard as he wanted to. "How'd you pick this one, Bud?"

TJ was unsure of what the energy he was reading from the three adults around him meant. He wrung his little hands. "Um, it was the biggest book I sawd." He explained hoping he didn't pick something out his aunt wouldn't enjoy.

Nina grabbed the book. "You know what, I think she's gonna love it."

Frankie chuckled and Tommy grinned. "Yeah." "Oh yeah for sure."

"You do?" TJ looked excited.

"But you can't go sticking things in the cart without us knowing." Tommy nodded.

Nina finally stood at her real height and looked between the two brothers. "Ya'll should've known when five kiddie books came out to nearly sixty dollars."

Tommy waved her off. "Should we wrap it?"

Frankie felt a tension slip away from him he couldn't explain as he laughed. "Well now we almost have to."

##

Jane planked herself onto Maura's bedspread the second she was able to drop the shopping bags in her hand.

"Shoes." Maura piled into the room behind her and with a tad more attention to detail and grace placed the remainder of her shopping bags down beside the pile Jane had made.

The detective groaned in response but made a point to exhaust her leg muscles further by shimmying her feet over the edge of the bed so her sneakers weren't touching the soft fabric.

"Do you think I should wear this new skirt to dinner?" Jane could hear Maura moving about the hotel room, then the sound of her heels coming off, then the sound of more movement, and finally the ruffling of paper and plastic as she dove into the spoils of the day. "Jane? What do you think?"

Jane exhaled softly into the darkness of the hotel comforter. "I dunno Maura…" Why did everything hurt? Places she wasn't even certain could hurt ached with such a pestering dullness that it kept her from truly being able to relax and close her eyes.

Maura continued talking to her, Lord knew about what. The skirt maybe? Sure it not only rode a little high and appreciatively complimented her figure. But it was a skirt, there was only so much nodding Jane could do. It wasn't a pair of pants, it did not have pockets, it was a pleasing stament aqua marine, and yes it was a skirt.

The better part of the day was spent in agreement. They would take it easy, walk around, have lunch here and a bite there. When Jane brought up shopping Maura seemed genuinely happy about taking her to all her favorite boutiques in the west village, the detective was even happy to accompany her even though most stores carried hardly anything of interest to the detective. Almost instantly it got cold and dark fairly quickly, and when the wind whipping around an avenue and slapping Jane in the face hard snapped her out of her agreement she was so glad for Maura suggesting the head back to the hotel and rest before heading downstairs for dinner.

"—It's a magnificent material..." Maura glanced over at Jane for her confirmation before letting a small smile slip on to the side of her face. The detective's head buried into the duvet unresponsive. "Are you sleeping?" Her only response was Jane slowly kicking out of her sneakers. With a rueful chuckle the medical examiner went about her unpacking and clipping tags. She tried on a few items and then packed a few others away neatly. The hotel room had been surrounded in silence for at least fifteen minutes, but something told her Jane was still fighting to stay awake. Maura came over to the side of the bed Jane's body had curled up on and smiled down at her. "It is only your guilt that brought you here."

Jane let out a small cloudy noise of amusement. "I know…" She rolled onto her side a little and blinked up at the ME. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. "'bout last night."

"I have taken no offense." Maura offered softly when she watched as the other woman try not to yawn. Jane fell asleep quickly after stumbling about an explanation for her defensiveness and yawning several times, she found the whole thing adorable but ultimately unnecessary. Aside from a few placed comments Frank had never mistreated the ME, in fact she was sure they held a mutual indifference about one another until she and Jane started spending more time together, and even then it was… insignificant to the medical examiner. Her own personal life had really taken center stage with discovering her lineage and dealing with all sorts of the unpleasantries that followed. Still, she knew Jane wanted everyone to get along, and the thought that maybe she and her father hadn't for so long must had been difficult.

Especially now.

Jane did care what she thought, Maura knew that, but she was almost certain there lay a thin layer of anxiety regarding how and what everyone else close to them thought. She felt it too, especially in regards toward Angela, but if last night were any indication on how the two would handle conflict the ME reasoned that it was a lot better than when they were just friends, and that instilled confidence.

Later that night after a lovely dinner alone downstairs at the hotel's in-house restaurant Mouvedre Maura returned to the suite and quietly went about her nightly routine before pulling the heavy curtains closed that overlooked the city and gingery pulling the duvet back to climb into bed beside Jane. She watched her friend sleep for a moment before deciding finally with a small yawn of her own that she didn't want to wake her.

At some point in the night the ME woke to the sensation of the mattress dipping and the sound of a familiar rumble. She turned to her left and allowed herself to stretch her legs out some and rest her hands above the covers onto her stomach in an act of comforting herself until her eyes adjusted in the dark.

Jane's long figure came into focus as she fought to get out of her jeans in the dark. Eventually she was able to stand upright once her legs were freed leaving her in a pair of black boy shorts and a white tank top. She gently kicked the articles of clothing to the side and turned to get back into bed however froze when she realized Maura was awake. For a weightless moment the two just stared at each other before the doctor dipped her chin wordlessly inviting her back into her bed. Jane grinned sheepishly as she got under the covers fully and scooted a little closer to the ME who automatically turned her body to face her.

"I think I missed dinner." Jane whispered.

Maura's chuckle was silent but all the amusement it held lived in her voice as their eyes met. "I think you did."

AN: Love all the kind words you guys have been sending out. I've really enjoyed writing this Fic in general but knowing you all are enjoying it and sharing it with others is almost overwhelming. Thank you! Consider this chapter the wind up before the pitch. ;)

KathleenDee