Disclaimer - I do not own Rizzoli and Isles~

Author's Note - Because it has just been bugging me, and bugging me, and bugging me, I just had to write this story to address Angela's truly horrible betrayal of Maura. I must admit that I didn't like Angela's character for practically all of season 1. But during season 2, the writers scaled back and majorly toned down her antagonistic, overbearing, busybody ways and actually made her into a good, likable character. I'm not sure what the purpose or motivation was now, in essentially destroying her character with this episode. I'm having a hard time reconciling the Angela that I've grown to love, with this person who would so willingly sacrifice Maura's future and life, all to protect her 'real' daughter. I believe that Maura will be devastated when she finds out what Angela did. But I really can't see the show's writers actually letting them have any kind of meaningful heart-to-heart about it, and if they actually do I will be truly surprised. But for myself, I simply had to get this story out. Hope you all enjoy what I've written ^.^

~In High Heels: The Talk~

"Why Angela...why?" Maura asked with tears that shone brightly in her hazel eyes, that she absolutely refused to let fall before this woman whom she'd let into her home...into her life...who had so blatantly and cruelly...betrayed her.

"Maura, oh god Maura I am so sorry. I truly don't have anything else to say in my defense. I just...I didn't know what else to do. If I'd given the video to Janie she would have...god I now know just what she would have done...she told Frankie and I as much," Angela Rizzoli said tearfully, as she stood by the pristine marble tabletop in Maura's kitchen. Her hand came up to her mouth, and she tried to stifle the cries that wanted to escape her, as she looked into the eyes of the young woman before her, and truly saw what her betrayal had cost her. Angela could see the hurt and the utterly shattered trust in her, shining clearly through the watery eyes of the woman she did consider a second daughter.

"Do you...do you want me to move out of your guesthouse? I would completely understand if you did," Angela said quietly, as she looked morosely over at Jane who was leaning against Maura's stainless steel refrigerator, arms cross, and lips sealed tightly as she silently watched the exchange between her mother and best friend.

Maura lightly licked her lips and briefly tasted the salt from a tear, that had managed to slip free from the iron-clad control she had over her tear ducts. For one very brief, selfish moment she actually did want to say 'yes'. It hurt to look at Angela right now. The older woman who she'd taken into her heart as another mother. The warmest and kindest of the three mothers she seemed to have now...had broken something in her, when she'd been a part of incriminating her. Maura understood intellectually why Angela had done it...but it still hurt when she thought about the fact that Angela did it at all. Jane had never doubted her innocence. Even when Maura herself had doubted, Jane never had. Jane had even been willing to throw away her entire career for her. There were so many confusing and conflicting emotions she felt where it came to Jane, but there was one thing she would never doubt about Jane Rizzoli...Jane cared about her above all else. Above her career and seemingly even above her own family, as she had been willing to walk away from both just to protect her.

Maura would examine what these feelings and emotions in her heart towards Jane meant later...for now she still had to deal with Angela.

"No Angela, I'm not kicking you out. What you did...hurt me...terribly...but I understand why you did it. You were trying to protect Jane, and that's a mother's love. I just..." here Maura swallowed hard as a tearful lump filled her throat, and Jane quietly pushed herself off and away from the fridge, so that she could stand behind her best friend in silent support. "I just wish that when you told me before that you thought of me as a 'second daughter', I just wish I'd realized that unless I was 'blood-related' it didn't really mean as much. That no matter how much of a 'daughter' I may be to you, if I'm not actually 'related' to you like Jane is...then I'm not as important," Maura whispered as her head dropped towards her chest, and the tears she'd been fighting back for so long, began to flow down her face.

Jane's heart broke for her hurting best friend. She tenderly wrapped her arms around Maura's shoulders, and gently rested her chin against Maura's neck, as she held the crying woman tightly against her chest.

"Maura, that's...Maura sweetheart, that's not true. That's just...not true. I do love you. I love you as much as I do Janie," Angela cried out, as tears also began coursing steadily down her face.

What had she done...just what had she done to this poor, sweet girl who trusted so wholly in her...whose trust and possibly love she'd just destroyed with a single, hurtful act.

"No Angela, no you don't love me as much as you do Jane. How could you? I'm not really your daughter. Every 'mother' in my life has hurt or rejected me in some way or another...why should you have been any different? If it had been Jane facing life in prison, I believe you would have destroyed that video. You would never have let it see the light of day," Maura said with a light sniffle, as she once again looked over at Angela.

"I wish this didn't change our relationship with each other. I truly wish...that I could look at you and see the same warm, caring 'mother' that I did just a couple days ago. But I can't anymore. You've destroyed something between us, Angela. You were willing to 'sell me out'. And I want to be the bigger person...I really truly do. I wish I could just let this all go...but I just can't. Maybe someday I'll be able to forgive you, and fully trust in you again...but it won't be today...or tomorrow...or possibly anytime soon. I need time. As I said, you may remain in my guesthouse. You're Jane's mother, and I would never throw a member of Jane's family out onto the street. I just...don't think I can think of you as my family anymore...not right now," Maura said softly, before she turned away from the sorrowful face of Angela, and turned her tearful gaze up to Jane...her rock...her protector...and so much more.

"I'm going to go upstairs to shower, change, and rest. Would you please stay with me tonight? I...need you," Maura said softly as she leaned forward, and pressed her face against Jane's chest.

Jane tightened her arms around the smaller woman leaning against her, and dropped a soft kiss against honeyed curls, not caring that her mother was still there.

"You didn't even need to ask," Jane whispered softly into a small ear. Maura let out a soft sigh, before pressing her face further against Jane's chest, soaking up the feelings of warmth and safety being this close to Jane always made her feel. Then with a slight nod of her head, and a final quick heartbreaking look over her shoulder at Angela, Maura gently pulled away from Jane's comforting hold, and slowly trudged upstairs.

"Jane, I..." Angela quickly began to say, but stopped immediately as her daughter held up a hand, and shook her head with a decisive shake.

"No Ma, I can't really talk with you right now. I love you. I love you dearly. But you hurt Maura. You above all people should know how hard it is for Maura to trust in others, and then open her heart up fully to loving them. She let you in...she let you in, Ma. And then you just...threw it all away. You took her trust, her belief, her love for you and you just...destroyed it. And now I have to pick up the pieces from that betrayal. I would do that for her regardless, and so much more. As I've told both you and Frankie, I would sacrifice my career...my very life...for her. Now, I'm going to go upstairs to be with Maura, and try to convince her that not everyone in her life will hurt her, when she allows herself to love them. Hope has hurt her, Cailin has hurt her, Paddy has hurt her, and even her adoptive parents have hurt her time and time again with their negligence in the past. Everyone who Maura has considered 'family' has consistently hurt her. She has such a free, caring soul. But how much more of these inflicted hurts and pains do you think even a soul as giving and loving as hers, can take before it begins to darken and close itself off in desperate self-preservation. I will not allow Maura to believe that everyone she allows herself to love will betray her. You haven't made my job tonight any easier with that, Ma...far from it in fact. But I love you...and I know that deep down, beneath the hurt Maura is suffering through right now, she still loves you as well. But as she said, she's going to need time. I think that for now it would be best if you gave her that needed time and space, and limited your interactions with her to the unavoidable, like when she comes into the precinct cafe. Other than that though just give her the time she needs, okay Ma," Jane said softly, as she gently placed her hand on her mother's shoulder, and watched with a heavy heart as her mother burst into uncontrollable tears.

Jane let out a long, deep sigh before she gently pulled her mother into a quick hug. She then released her to send her on her way back to the guesthouse. She was incredibly mad and disappointed in her mother, but she knew that one day she would forgive her as well. More than likely much earlier than Maura would, but then her mother hadn't hurt and betrayed her. She'd done that to Maura. The sweetest soul her mother could ever hope to have the privilege to know.

Jane let out another deep sigh, before she turned and made her way upstairs. She could hear the shower on in the en suite bathroom in Maura's bedroom. She made a quick stop in the quest bedroom to use its attached bathroom to shower. After the shower she changed into a pair of sleep shorts and tank top, from the small supply of clothes she kept stashed away in the room. By the time she made her way back into Maura's bedroom her friend was already in bed, and she sent Jane a wan smile when she saw the dark-haired woman enter the room.

Jane returned the faint smile before she climbed onto 'her' side of the bed, and without a single word opened up her arms for Maura to practically collapse into them. It had been an extremely trying, exhausting, and painful couple of days...both mentally and physically. All Maura wanted to do now was sleep...simply close her eyes, and sink into the warm comfort offered by Jane's arms.

So, she did.

As her eyes closed and sleep slowly pulled her under Maura felt the lightest, most tender of kisses placed against her head. She let out a soft, contented sigh and pressed even further against Jane's slender, warm body.

She was finally safe.

Tomorrow she would further examine her feelings for Jane, and see if the vibe she was now picking up from her friend matched her own. For now though, she was happy and content to be this close to Jane, and to fall asleep with the brunette's lips pressed gently against her head for the rest of the night.

AN - Hope you all enjoyed. Please review~ =3