OK, so this is a little more angsty than I usually write. It's also super short. But I think it might be leading somewhere. Let me know if I should keep working on this one.

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They were in Maura's kitchen when it happened. The day had been a long one. A tough case, too many lingering questions, pressure from Cavanaugh… Jane was clearly stressed out, and Maura was preoccupied. They ate their dinner silently, still standing, famished from their non-stop workday.

Maura took a deep breath and a sip of wine. She rolled her neck from side to side and kicked off her heels. Her feet ached, though she would never admit her Louboutins hurt her. Nothing that pretty should hurt. Maura looked at Jane.

Jane, hunched over her box of noodles and chicken. Jane, hair pulled back in an unruly ponytail. Jane, still in her suit jacket. Jane, taking a pull from her beer. Jane, not noticing Maura's stare. Never noticing Maura's stares.

Nothing that pretty should hurt.

"I'm sorry Cavanaugh is being so tough on you," Maura said quietly. Jane shrugged and didn't answer. Maura could see the lines on her forehead, though. The stress was evident. "I should have the toxicology results back tomorrow," Maura continued, mostly talking to herself. "There could be any number of-"

Jane stepped behind Maura to drop her fork in the sink and her empty take-out container in the trash. "I'm going to go," she said, interrupting Maura's mini-monologue. "I'm going to watch the game, drink about sixteen beers, and pretend this day never happened." She offered up a half-smile, but her eyes were tired.

"Sixteen beers is a lot for a school night, Jane," Maura said. She was pleased when that earned her a smile.

"Maybe two beers then," Jane countered. "And an early bed time."

Maura nodded. She didn't really want Jane to go, but she knew when the detective needed her space, plus Maura was one hundred percent certain Jane would text or call once she got home. Especially after more than one beer. Maura could tell Jane needed to talk through the case, figure out which of the suspects killed that cop. And when Jane was ready to run through some theories, Maura was ready to listen.

"OK, Poindexter. I'll see you in the morning." Jane play-punched Maura's arm and Maura swatted it away.

"Careful, Roly-Poly Rizzoli. I can break a board with these hands." Maura play-punched Jane back and they laughed soft, tired, end-of-the-day laughs. "Drive safe, Jane," Maura said as Jane walked toward the door. Maura went to follow her out so she could lock up, but her phone dinged. She pulled it off the kitchen counter and scrolled through her new messages. "Jane!" Maura's voice was urgent, excited. "Susie's working late. The toxicology results just came back."

Jane whipped around, her ponytail swishing, her eyes wide, expectant. "And?"

Maura looked into Jane's hopeful face, smiling. "And it was a phenobarbital overdose. Just like you thought."

Jane took four long strides back into the kitchen. She stood next to Maura, looking over at the message on Maura's phone. "Could it have come from that pinprick you found?"

"I can't say with certainty, but since there was no residue of the medication in his digestive tract and he had-" Maura trailed off as she scrolled through the data.

Jane gave Maura's chin a little nudge with her finger so that Maura lifted her eyes to Jane's. "That sounds pretty certain to me." She showed off her dimples with a huge grin. "I think you just broke the case, Dr. Isles."

Maura smiled, but shrugged off the compliment. "I didn't break the case, Jane. It was the science. It's always the science. You can trust your hunches all you want, but," Maura was startled into silence as Jane squeezed her in a spontaneous hug.

"Oh, Maura," Jane breathed with relief. "I better call Korsak and Cavanaugh. They can get the warrants we need to catch this son of a bitch." Jane moved to pull away from the hug, but Maura felt herself still holding on. After such a trying day, and working so many dead ends, after standing alone in the morgue all day, surrounded by death, having Jane's warm, vibrant, humming body next to hers was a relief. A pleasure, really. Maura held the hug even longer and pushed her face into Jane's neck. Then, for just the briefest of seconds, she let her lips brush the flushed skin. She felt Jane's body relax for just a moment, and then it tensed. Jane broke away from Maura, staring at her best friend, the room filling with heavy silence. Maura's lips burned from where they'd touched Jane's neck. Her cheeks were hot, her heart pounding. Jane's hand was on her neck, holding the spot where Maura had grazed her.

Jane opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her eyes were wide, confused… and something else. Something unreadable.

"Jane, I…" Maura started, but didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do.

The two women stood, breathing hard, saying nothing, staring like it was the first time either one had actually seen the other.

"I… I have to go," Jane said. Her voice was low, tight. Her hand still on her neck. She turned quickly and was out the door before Maura even had a chance to really register what had happened.