A/N: The delay is because I suffered a catastrophic data failure, resulting in the loss of this chapter, which was done. Auto save my a$$. I spent a couple of days trying to recover everything. Then I spent a couple of days being being pissed. Then a couple of days being uninspired. And now this. Hopefully, this re-writing is as good or better.

3 Days Later

Jane had kept an eye on Maura since Garrett's arrest, and was surprised and a bit hurt when the doctor had sent her home after that first night. Maura had kept to herself since that night, declining all invitations to lunch and dinner. All of which prompted Jane to drop by unannounced at the doctor's house.

Jane opened the door, and finding it quiet, she called for the blonde. Getting no answer, she climbed the stairs figuring she would find Maura either soaking in the tub or curled up in bed. She found neither. She did find evidence suggesting Maura had gone out for the evening. She sat down on the edge of the bed and felt sad. And mad. She knew the fact Maura had not told her about her plans, meant she was on another date with the woman from before. The one she'd met while jogging, without Jane. And she knew, technically, she had no right to be upset. All she had to do was come out to her family and work colleagues and figure out how to do her job and keep Maura safe. The first two things she could do. The last? She hadn't found a way to ensure Maura's safety, and every time she thought they were safe, something happened.

Her mind shifted to the woman Maura had now gone out with twice, that she knew of. She flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling before falling asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Merch Nightclub

Maura looked around the crowded club, trying to find her date, and finally found her in a booth. Taking a deep breath, she approached her date, feeling nervous. Seeing the blonde approaching, the tall, dark haired woman got up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Maura, good to see you again."

"Claire, good to see you as well." She returned the kiss on the cheek and they sat down.

After ordering drinks, they talked and Maura genuinely found Claire interesting. She was a commodities broker, intelligent, attractive, and always looked like she might be brooding. And in that moment, she realized, her date was a lot like Jane.

Maura, surprised by what she had just realized, let out an audible, "Oh..."

Claire watched her, and seeing the guilt wash over the blonde, she put her hand on Maura's and gave it a squeeze. "Maura? Everything ok?"

"Oh Claire, I'm sorry, I just realized you remind me of someone."

Seeing that Maura was distressed, she leaned in close and asked, "An ex?"

Maura, aware she couldn't lie, but also aware she had no idea where she and Jane were headed, tried to figure out how to answer. That delay told Claire all she needed to know.

"Maura, you are a beautiful woman and I would like nothing more to take you to bed and go over every inch of your body. However, it seems you have some unfinished business with someone?"

And before she knew it, she had confided in this near stranger her feelings about Jane, sans naming the detective, being bisexual, and her fear for her and Jane's safety. She was embarrassed by her willingness to share so much with a near stranger.

Claire gave her a soft smile, and patted her on the hand. "Maura, I do not know what the future holds for you and your lady, but it will all work out." She signaled for another round of drinks. "Maura, just so you know, I don't date married women, attached women, semi-attached women, or bisexual women. And you can easily fit into any of those three categories, and definitely into that one, so, I don't mind hanging out with you, grabbing a drink or something, but we won't be dating or anything else."

Maura appreciated the directness of Claire and found herself nodding in agreement. "Thank you."

They sat talking for another half hour before she left. As she drove home, she reflected on the encounter with Claire, and felt hopeful about her future with Jane. Feeling lighter than she had in a while, she entered her house and bounded up the stairs to her bedroom. She had just entered when she stopped short at the sight of a sleeping Jane, fully clothed and half on the end of her bed.

She undressed and got ready for bed, surprised when she found the brunette in the same position she'd left her in. She bent over Jane and gently shook her by the shoulder, rousing the detective.

"Jane? Jane...wake-up."

"Maura?" Jane sat up rubbing her eyes. Squinting, she looked at the blonde. "Why are you in my apartment?"

Maura sat beside her and took her hand. "Jane, you are in my house. In my bedroom."

Jane stretched and then remembered how and why she ended up at Maura's. "I thought you might be up here,and then I got sad when you weren't because I know that means you were with her." Jane looked at Maura, praying she would tell her no she wasn't, but when the doctor didn't say that, she sighed and hung her head.

Maura tilted her chin up and sure she had her attention, she answered, "Yes, I was with her, having a couple of drinks. However, she doesn't date women who are attached or bisexual, so she said that rules me out."

Jane looked at Maura, "She won't date you because you are bisexual? Well that's just rude."

Maura chuckled. "And I'm attached." She leaned in and kissed Jane. "To you. Not that she knows your name, but I told her how I feel about you."

Jane smiled at her admission and stood up. "I should head home."

"Stay." Realizing how that sounded, Maura added, "Just to cuddle."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

4 Days Later

Jane drove like a maniac from their yoga class to the crime scene. She had noticed that Brock looked at Maura a little too long and longingly. And while Jorge was sexy, she wasn't particularly interested in him. That did not stop Maura from giving her a hard time about Jorge. And if she was honest with herself, she knew it was just a matter of time until Maura got tired of waiting for her, and there would be a man or woman waiting for the doctor.

As they pulled into the crime scene, she put all of that out of her mind and focused on the dead body sprawled in the alley.

Jane's blood ran cold as Maura showed her the picture of their female victim and her wife. From their wedding. "We may be looking at a hate crime." Her eyes met Maura's and Frost caught the subtle and silent communication between them. He knew what they must be feeling, and wanted to give them a modicum of privacy.

Jane, unaware of what Frost was trying to do, made a comment about marriage and what it said that the spouse was always the first suspect. She wanted nothing more than to get Maura back to the safety of BPD and the morgue. She urged Maura to get back to BPD.

Preoccupied, she headed back to the station to make the death notification and interview the wife. She knew if she slowed down, she would have to think about the murder of a married lesbian in what was shaping up to be a hate crime. And that made her think of Maura and the very real dangers the doctor faced for being in a relationship with her.

XXXXXXXXXX

BPD

Jane found Maura in the morgue and felt immediate relief upon seeing the blonde. As she got the run-down, Maura used the black light to illuminate the club stamp on the dead woman's arm. "Merch, Welsh for girl."

"Girl? So..."

Maura finished for her, "Merch is a lesbian bar. Higher end."

Jane tilted her head as she realized Maura's knowledge likely meant she had been to the bar. "You've been." A statement, not a question. "With her?"

Maura nodded. "Yes."

Jane nodded as she left the morgue to go question the wife.

Jane was sitting across from the deceased woman's wife, Mel Gaynor-Randall. Jane's heart went out to the woman, as she flashed on Maura in the same situation. She couldn't help but reach out and rub the woman's arm in a comforting way.

Jane decided to go to the bar and investigate. In more ways than one.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Merch

Jane had resisted the urge to flash Maura's photo and find out if anybody recognized Maura. She had to admit the bar was a lot nicer than most of the "straight" bars she had been in. The bartender had given her the once over and commented on her looks. She was mildly flattered until she thought about that woman, ay woman, making a similar comment to Maura. Then she took the flier the bartender gave her and headed back to BPD.

XXXXXXXXXX

BPD

Jane had to work hard to keep from rolling her eyes as the short man with a sorry ponytail railed about lesbians and affirmative action hires. She groaned inwardly at the ignorance of the man and his archaic beliefs. And there was a tiny part of her brain that listened to what he spewed. She couldn't help it.

After Frost suggested she act as a decoy and post on a lesbian dating site to possibly draw the killer out, Jane ducked out and went home, calling and asking Maura to stop by after work. She poured herself a healthy glass of wine and sat on the couch, waiting for Maura to arrive.

The doctor had stopped and bought a pizza on her way to Jane's. She let herself in and was surprised when Jane pinned her to the door and kissed her deeply, the taste of red wine on her lips.

"Jane?"

"Please don't go back to Merch until this is over." She leaned back in and kissed the blonde again. "Please."

Maura took in the scared look on Jane's face and slowly nodded as she stepped around the detective. "Let's eat and we can talk."

Jane almost laughed at the way Maura went about eating a slice of pizza, but decided against it as she saw the way the doctor was looking at her.

"Maura, this could be a hate crime and I can't keep you safe. Just please don't go back there until this is over. Please? If something where to happen to you..."

Maura placed her fingers on Jane's lips. "Shh. You asked and I won't. I promise." She got up and held her hand out to Jane. "Let's go into your bedroom. I need to tell you something."

Jane's Bedroom

"What?! I told Frost and Korsak no!"

"Relax. If it were up to them, you'd be butch."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Merch

Jane couldn't believe she was about to o undercover as a lesbian in a night club, or that Maura was going to be helping her. As she entered the club, the was greeted by Maura. A scantily clad Maura, wearing a push-up bra that almost had her breasts pushed out of her shirt. She tried to cover the doctor with her shirt, but the blonde refused and sashayed away, leaving the detective behind.

Jane suffered through date after date, half listening to the women before her and trying to keep an eye on Maura. She knew Maura had no clue how many women had watched her all night. She decided, once again, that she did not want Maura with anyone but herself.

She was lost in thought about Maura, and caught by surprise when a woman sat across from her. The woman was intense and Jane found her to be a bit unnerving. The woman had just told Jane her name, when Maura approached their table.

"Would you like...Claire!"

Claire sat up straight and stared at Maura. "Maura!" She then looked at Jane and back to Maura. "Maura and I..."

Maura, aware that Frost and Korsak were listening, answered, "Know each other. Professionally." Maura rationalized that both women were professionals and they knew each other, so it wasn't a lie.

Jane quickly realized this was the woman Maura had gone out with. At least twice. She sent up a prayer that Claire was not the killer, for Maura's sake.

Jane had driven Maura back to the morgue to start running the DNA samples against the killer's DNA. They hadn't talked all the way back to the morgue, and Jane knew Maura was upset that she might have once again dated a killer.

"Jane, I'm going to stay here while these run. You should go home."

"No, I'll stay with you."

Once all the samples started the process of identification, Jane led Maura into her office. She settled on the couch and pulled the doctor down. Maura settled her head onto Jane's lap and allowed the detective to cover her with a blanket.

"What if she's the killer?"

"Shh. We don't know that."

"What if I've gone out with another killer?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Maura was relieved when the DNA wasn't a match and was happy she had gone out with another killer. She was less than thrilled and more than a little curious as to how Jane had gotten the killer's saliva onto her neck. She decided not to concentrate on that, and to wait at her house for Jane to arrive after the sting.

She was curled up asleep on the couch when Jane arrived and allowed the detective to lead her up the stairs, and put her to bed. She pulled Jane's arms around her as the detective crawled into bed.

"Maura, please don't go back to Merch."

Maura looked back at Jane. "But you caught the killer, right?" Jane nodded. "So it should be ok to go back, right?"

Jane exhaled deeply. "As safe as any club." She sighed. "I don't want you going there because I don't want you dating any woman but me."

A/N: I had surgery on Friday and have a follow-up on March 6. Gonna get as much done as I can, but sitting up is difficult.