Jane reached out, taking a warm but shaking hand in her own. “You’re the best person to help me with this. You’re the only one that really knows me.” Maura met her eyes slowly. “You’re the only one I can trust with this.”

Jane desperately wanted to look away, to hide the insecurity she felt from her surprise admission but she held Maura’s gaze and smiled weakly, taking comfort from the warm hazel that filled her. Maura’s hands steadied in her grasp and she rubbed her thumbs slowly over the dense scars on the back of them. Her eyes dropping to look at the raised pink flesh as she massaged it gently.

“I trust you” Jane whispered. “I know you won’t let me hurt myself and if I do, hey, there’s already a doctor in the house.”

Maura laughed despite herself and squeezed the long fingers. “Ok.” She took a few deep breaths to centre herself. “Let’s take care of these dishes and we’ll begin.”

-/-

Jane stood in the middle of the living room and shook her head. Maura hadn’t been kidding when she said today was going to be harder. Maura had already checked to make sure she was using her journal and seemed pleased that she’d at least made an effort to write something. Jane had been glad she’d not read the entry but rather opened the simple notepad to see if she’d made one.

“I’m not sure I can do this.” She admitted.

“Of course you can, Jane.” Maura sat with a box on her lap as she waited patiently. “Just do 4 and then you can have a break.”

Jane chewed on her lip and paced slowly. Maura had washed, dried and put away the dishes while she had fetched her ‘gifts’. Now, standing with a brown paper bag in her hand and a thick rubber band around her wrist, she felt foolish.

“Now, get the notepad and a pencil.” Maura instructed softly. “The more you think about it, the harder it will be.”

Snapping the band on her wrist, Jane winced as the rubber bit into her flesh. Maura had been right, of course. The pain from the band snapped her from her impending panic and she strode towards the answering machine.