“Good to see you again.” He grinned, slapping her shoulder as she passed him.

Jabbing at the down button on the elevator, Jane couldn’t contain her grin. It felt like a lifetime of interruptions before she shoved open the doors to the morgue and threw her arms open.

“Here’s Rizzoli!” she cheered, making Maura jump, her scalpel falling into the chest cavity of her latest cadaver.

“Jane, I really wish you wouldn’t do that!” Maura chastised, retrieving the tool and setting it on her tray before peeling herself from her gloves and bloodied coveralls.

“When have I ever done that before?” Jane laughed as Maura practically ran across the room, wrapping her in a huge hug.

“It’s good to have you back.”

“And!” Jane’s excitement bubbled, making her both feel and look like a child on Christmas morning. “I got you a present.”

Maura grinned, peering around the detective for a clue.

“Close your eyes.” Jane told her, laughing as the doctor tried to peek through half closed eyes.  When Jane was sure her eyes were actually closed, she reached into her pocket, pulling out the folded sheet and setting it in Maura’s outstretched hands.

“Look!” she bounced on the balls of her feet as Maura unfolded the paper. It was her target sheet from the gun range, a perfect cluster of shots killing the poor paper man stone dead. “I did it.” She whispered, her voice thick with emotion when she saw the tears welling up in Maura’s eyes. “I did it because of you.”

Maura looked up at her, a single tear rolling down her cheek and dropping onto her deep blue dress. “Oh Jane.” Maura breathed softly.

“I want you to have that.” As far as presents went, this one was cheap by anyone’s standards but Jane knew how much it would mean to Maura. Her hands found Maura’s and she squeezed them gently before pulling away.

“So, what happened here?” she pulled away, afraid of opening a can of worms with the next thing that wanted to say. It had taken many hours of therapy with Thomas – not Tom – before Jane had finally accepted that she didn’t need to label herself, that she could love whomever without having it make a political statement at the same time.