It became Maura’s new obsession; she’d go through Jane’s pockets, searching for a clue to the identity of her new lover. When she found nothing, she resorted to that all American source for the paranoid, the Private Detective. They’d followed her for a month or so, reporting back to Maura once a week but not confirming her darkest suspicions. Finally, Maura insist they send in a woman, a honey trap. Between the detective and herself, they chose a stunning woman whom anyone would be a fool to turn down and off she went.

The results stunned Maura, she was totally convinced that Jane would hop into bed with her, hell, even she was tempted, but Jane politely sat and chatted with her, had a drink but when it came to any physical attention at all, Jane recoiled, almost in horror, told her nicely but firmly that she was in a relationship and wasn’t interested. The woman had given Jane her number which Jane had taken but as soon as they parted, Jane had thrown the number in the trash without even looking at it. Maura had always feared that Jane would find her too strange, too clinical and logical and leave her for someone more ‘normal’.

That night, Maura had welcomed her home and they’d talked for the first time in months.
It was going pretty well until Jane found out through a work colleague that Maura had had her followed then, once again, the shit hit the fan. This trip, this was it, the do or die, the Final Jeopardy question.

“Maur?”

So lost in thought was she, that Maura hadn’t noticed Jane in the doorway. Snapped back into the here and now, Maura wiped at her face and looked up.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…… I’m a jerk.” Jane said softly, her own eyes red and betraying her sadness.

“Yeah, I am too.”

Jane stepped out onto the deck and hesitated.

“Sit down?” Maura offered sadly. “Is this what we’ve become, all these years together and we can’t even sit together without the other asking?”

Jane pulled her chair in closer to the intimate table and sighed. It was true, she was nervous around Maura. They were almost strangers again, less than shadows of who they used to be.

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Jane said, finally meeting Maura’s eyes. “We can start all over from the beginning?”

Suddenly Jane jumped to her feet and stepped back inside, grabbed her cases and disappeared into the bedroom where she’d previously been crying.

Maura sat there in stunned silence, staring into the space that Jane had previously occupied.