The back alley would be the quickest way, but Jane knew how dark it was and didn’t want to risk falling. She followed every instruction she got in regards to Maura’s safe return. She tore around the block, and to her surprise, the entire house was dark. Was this a Paddy Doyle ruse as well?

Maura said she would be home today, so where is she dammit? Jane began beating herself up immediately for allowing this to happen at all. She should have knocked Maura off the park bench, tackled her and handcuffed them together to keep her from returning to Boston’s biggest crime thug. Was Maura ever coming home?

Jane sat down at the foot of the bed, her mind reeling and heaved her shoe at the door. The second Nike followed midair in concert with a furious expletive, ”FUCK!”

Out of nowhere, Jane heard a tender, ”Can we at least kiss hello first?”

Squealing ”Maur-,” Jane leapt from the bed and stumbled into the en suite.

Maura was running a bubble bath and hoping she and Jane could quietly reconnect in warm water, begin healing the wounds this case had created.

Jane wrapped herself around Maura’s small satin robed frame and began sobbing. Maura could barely move or speak in the tight grasp, so she stroked Jane’s hair and then wiped the side of Jane’s face that was not buried in her shoulder.
”Baby, it’s okay. I’m right here,” Maura consoled, kissing Jane’s neck as she wailed.
Jane began sliding down to the floor as she cried, so Maura went with her and held the inconsolable woman in her lap while she fell apart.
”Don’t you ever do that again,” was delivered into Maura’s sleeve in a garbled mumble.
”Jane, let’s go to our safe place. Can you walk?”
Maura guided the bereft woman to their bed as Jane began the onslaught of questions.
”Maura, how could you do that? Really?” It wouldn’t have been Jane Rizzoli in her arms, if she hadn’t snuck in her signature inquistion.

”I’m sorry, love. I just couldn’t bear to lose you. I was trying to keep you all safe from the Doyle’s. I didn’t plan it that way. I just left to get some answers, because I had to know. I didn’t imagine he would actually help me.”