I have fought with myself about whether or not to write my own Rizzoli & Isles story for a while now, and finally gave in and started typing away.

This is a JanexMaura femslash.

I will warn you that I jump around a little so some parts may be a little confusing but it eventually the timeline explains itself.

I hope you enjoy.

Maura had disappeared three days after Jane made the biggest mistake of her life.

Sure, they could have tracked her through her bank cards, but then they would have had to explain to Maura when she came back why they had felt the need to do so. Neither Frost nor Korsak wanted to be the one to tell her it was because Jane looked so miserable; that Jane had started to say she was going to the morgue during cases when they were getting nowhere fast and then stopped mid-sentence and half standing and staring off in space for several seconds that seemed to drag on before sitting down and staring at the paperwork in front of her.

No one wanted to tell Maura. They wanted her to see for herself.

But that would mean she needed to come back, and after four months they were starting to wonder if she ever would be coming back.

Paddy had died from the fall. Dean was in D.C. again after getting an earful from Jane about how he betrayed her trust and she never wanted to see him again.

For the first time in Jane's career as a homicide detective, she had an unsolved case that was actually going to have to move to cold cases. There wasn't enough forensic evidence, and the new M.E. wasn't as meticulous as Maura.

Everyone felt that loss.

But after four months, they were starting to see the old Jane peeking through again. She was still a shell of her old self, but she wasn't going straight home from work every night, was starting to go to family dinners again. Angela was still living in Maura's guest house, taking care of the main house and Bass, who had been left behind much to Jane's surprise. Family dinners were now at Jane's apartment though; no matter how healed she was becoming, she still couldn't go to Maura's house, at least not if she thought she would be seen there.

Angela knew, of course. She would see Jane's car, or would walk in to see that Bass was already fed. Knowing Jane, though, she chose not to say anything about it. It made sense that she would want to be close to the other woman. After the final incident with Hoyt, Angela could see Jane had become a little more open about her affections towards Maura. She had suspicions before about their relationship, but given Maura's propensity for dating she realized that it was probably one sided on Jane's part. The deal with Hoyt only made her daughter's feelings for Maura that much clearer for Angela, though it seemed that Maura was still oblivious to it.

She wondered if perhaps Jane wasn't as aware of them herself.

Still, four months without seeing the woman you are in love with… Angela studied Jane. She was making an effort to move on, but there was still that empty look in her eyes. Somehow, she thought that it would never leave, not until Maura returned and she could at least see her again.

Ignoring the emptiness, Angela smiled at her three kids and enjoyed their time together. Jane may not be complete now, but at least she was still here.

She walked into her house and set down her luggage. The cab driver carried in the rest and set them down as well.

"Thank you," she told him, giving him a generous tip. He tipped his hat and walked out, the door closing behind him. Taking a deep breath, she gathered the bags and slowly made her way up to her room to unpack.

They had finally found a solid lead in their case on Tuesday, and it was closed on Wednesday. Jane smiled and made a show of celebrating. She even agreed to join the team for drinks that evening. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in several days because of this case, and she felt it. Telling Frost she was going to get a little rest before joining them at the Robber, Jane gathered her things and left the precinct.

She considered going by Maura's. Her mother was still at work, and Bass probably wouldn't mind a little company. He would probably appreciate a few strawberries, too. Smiling fondly, she drove that way.

The house was silent, as it always was when she arrived. Closing the door, Jane walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge to get the strawberries. Turning, she closed the door and looked for Bass, frowning when she realized he wasn't within sight. The tortoise rarely left the kitchen and living room anymore, unless Jane was here and crashed on the guest bed. Curious, she went to the guest room and smiled; Bass was peeking out from under the bed.

"Come on, bud," she said, kneeling down and offering a strawberry. Seeing a familiar person, Bass didn't shy away and stepped towards her to get the strawberry. "Let's go to the living room, eh? We can share these by the couch." Standing straight, she started to walk down the hall before looking back. Sure enough, Bass was following her. A fond but sad smile on her face, she continued to the couch to sit down. She ate a couple strawberries before Bass appeared, and then sprawled out across the couch and offered him another strawberry. He settled in next to the couch and took the strawberry; this wasn't the first time they had done this.

It was the first time that Jane fell asleep during this ritual.

Maura woke up refreshed. Traveling had messed up her internal clock, so the sleep was a relief. She was glad to be in her own bed again. With a small smile, she moved to the bathroom to shower and dress in something without wrinkles.

Feeling a lot better, she took a deep breath and left the room to go into the kitchen; Bass would surely want some attention from her. Despite being a tortoise and not being as interactive and a dog or cat, she knew he liked her and wanted her around. She felt bad for not speaking with him before falling into her bed, but she had felt so tired after arriving in the early morning. Walking through the kitchen in bare feet, she opened the fridge to see if Angela had made sure to keep things for Bass in there. She had expected to find strawberries, knowing that she had reiterated to Angela that they were his favorite, and frowned when she saw none.

She heard a bump from the living room, and turned. Bass must have gotten caught on the coffee table.

"Unn…" A moan, from the couch? Maura froze, unsure of what to do. Her first thought had been that a burglar had broken in and decided to sleep on the couch, but she quickly tossed that thought aside. "Hey, Bass, what're you doing? Is the table in your way again?"

Jane sat up and put the strawberries on the table before pushing it a little. Bass, obstacle now removed, moved on happily. Amused, Jane chuckled and ran a hand through her hair.

"Man, I must've been more tired than I thought. I only meant to stay for a half hour to keep you company, bud, so you could have a few strawberries," Jane told him before yawning and standing. She lifted the strawberries and turned to go to the kitchen. She hadn't gone more than a step when she froze.

Maura had relaxed when she had recognized Jane, but then she tensed up again. What was she doing here? No one knew she was home, she was sure of it. There was no way Angela had been up that early and seen her. And even if she had, Maura doubted she would tell Jane. But when Jane admitted that she had come to visit Bass, she couldn't stop the smile as the tension fell away again.

But then Jane was standing, and their eyes met.

"Jane…"

"Maura…"

They stood there staring at each other for a few more seconds before Jane's eyes went wide.

"Shit, I'm sorry! Ma told me you'd left Bass, so I've been coming by and… God, I didn't even think about if you'd want me to or not… I mean-" Jane grimaced and her shoulders dropped. Maura studied the brunette, noticing that she looked thinner than before, and her stance wasn't as proud or strong. She wondered what had happened to Jane.

She happened.

Maura felt guilt sink in. She had been angry with Jane, blaming her for what happened to Paddy; for killing her one connection to her true identity. She felt betrayed, and that feeling made her run away.

But it hadn't taken long for her to forgive Jane. It had been easy, actually, when she found herself in Italy, surrounded by the culture that was Jane's heritage. Interacting with the people there, she felt a little more comfortable in her own skin because despite her shortcomings socially, they reminded her of Jane in some way. And she was always accepted by Jane.

Coming out of her reverie, Maura saw that Jane had walked up to the counter and put down the strawberries, eyes downcast, before turning to leave.

"Jane…" she breathed. The brunette didn't pause, continuing to the door. "Jane, wait." And Jane waited, hand on the door handle. "I… Thank you, for keeping him company while I was gone."

"No problem. He… It helped," Jane said before opening the door and leaving before Maura could stop her again.

And leaving Maura alone with her thoughts.

Jane never did show up at the Robber that night, either.