A/N: Hi, guys. Long time, no update. I had wanted to put this up last Tuesday night, but then life got extra crazy and things got away from me and now here we are.

This chapter gets a bit heavy, but I'm not going for graphic details, so the rating is staying at T unless anyone thinks I should change it. Let me know.

If anyone wants to see anything in this, let me know about that too. I have an idea as to where I want this to go, but ideas rock because I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of before I post these chapters.

Also, for anybody who read and reviewed mentioning my sister, she was only in the hospital for two days and she's doing really well. Almost back to normal. Still as smiley and happy as ever. Thank you all so much for caring! I love you all. Okay, long note over. Happy reading! Please drop me a review and let me know what you think.

O.o.O

The sun was what woke Jane up the next morning. Or at least, she thought it was the sun that had woken her up. She felt a warm body move next to her and she instantly tensed up, forgetting where she was. Wide-eyed, she looked around the room and, remembering the previous night, looked down to see dark blonde hair splayed out on the pillow to her left, Maura's body tucked against her side, Jane's right arm under Maura's neck.

How the hell did we get like this? Jane wondered. She didn't want to move her arm, for fear of waking Maura up, but she also didn't want Maura to get the wrong idea, even if Maura didn't actually know that Jane was gay. Being gay doesn't mean you're a pedophile, though some people believe that.

Jane felt Maura stir again. She looked down to see sleepy hazel eyes looking up at her. "Hey," Jane said, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

"Good morning," Maura said, making no efforts to move. She was extremely comfortable. She didn't get much physical contact from her parents even when they were around; she never had. They weren't huggers and Maura had never learned how to ask for contact, which she craved. Waking up with someone like this, snuggled together and warm, was the best thing Maura had experienced in a while.

"How, uh, how did you sleep?" Jane asked awkwardly, arm still around the dark blonde.

"Very well. And you? This bed has to be better than the couch," Maura said, smiling because she knew she was right.

"Yeah," was all Jane could say.

Her stomach growled then, making Maura laugh. "Would you like some breakfast? One of the things our cook did teach me to make is pancakes. And we have fruit to go on top," Maura said, knowing what Jane's answer would be.

Jane couldn't help but smile back at her. Though waking up with Maura snuggled into her side had been momentarily frightening, it was nice after she had figured out where she was and who was next to her. The contact hadn't scared her like most did. "That sounds great," Jane told her.

Maura moved to get up, but Jane was comfortable, so she figured she'd stay an extra minute or two when she heard Maura gasp from beside her. When she'd gotten up, Maura had moved the blanket off of herself and it had shifted on Jane as well, whose shirt had ridden up a bit in the night to rest a little under her bra, giving Maura a full view of Jane's abdomen, of which, about half was covered in purple bruises.

"Oh, Jane," she said, her hands flying to cover her mouth in shock.

Jane had been so relaxed she'd forgotten about the bruises until Maura had spoken. She quickly adjusted her shirt to cover her torso while struggling to untangle her legs from the sheets and get up out of the bed.

"It's fine, Maura," she said, not turning to look at her.

"That's why you were in pain yesterday," Maura said. It wasn't a question. Jane didn't answer. "Jane, it's not fine! How did that happen?" she spoke again to Jane's turned back.

"I walked into a wall," Jane lied quickly and badly.

"Jane Rizzoli, that's a lie and we both know it," Maura said sternly.

"Seriously, Maura, just drop it," Jane said, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

"You could have internal bleeding. You need-"

"I can walk and talk and breathe without it hurting. I've had worse," Jane said, still not looking at Maura.

"Internal bleeding is bad, Jane. Left unchecked, it can be fatal," Maura told her. "It's not the same as a broken bone; it's not always painful."

"It's probably just a cracked rib or two. And they can't do anything for that except prescribe medication, which insurance pays for, well some of it, anyway. And I can't do that. I'll be fine in a week," Jane assured her.

"Do you not have insurance?" Maura asked.

"I do, but-" Jane stopped herself.

"But what?" Maura pried.

"But he won't pay the bill when it comes and I can't afford a hospital visit and then a prescription. It's a few hundred dollars that I don't have," Jane told her, still adamantly looking anywhere else besides at her friend.

"He who? Your father?" Maura asked, the pieces coming together. Jane could only nod, not wanting to lie any further to Maura. "Oh, Jane," she said again, taking an involuntary step forward, but Jane saw it and took two steps back. Maura felt ready to cry. Everything was making sense now. Why Jane shied away from contact. Why she backed away whenever anyone ever reached toward her. "I'm so sorry," Maura whispered.

"It's not your fault, Maura," Jane said, finally meeting her eyes. "It was my-"

"Don't you dare say that this was your fault, Jane Rizzoli! Your… He…" Maura was lost for words as the tears finally fell from her eyes.

"No, Maur. Don't cry. Please," Jane said, taking a step towards her.

Maura didn't move, knowing it would deter Jane. Jane, the first person to be nice to her at her new school. Jane, her first real friend. Her first best friend. The last person she ever wanted to scare away.

Jane took another step and was only an arm's length from Maura now. "I'm sorry, Maur," she told her.

"Why on Earth are you sorry?" Maura asked, wiping her tears from her cheeks, her eyes never leaving Jane's.

"I didn't want to dump that on you. It's not yours to bear," Jane told her.

Slowly, Maura moved her right hand towards Jane's left. She stopped before touching the brunette, letting Jane come the remainder of the way, smiling through another on-set of tears as she did. "Nobody should have to bear it. And especially not alone."

"There's nothing I can do. I don't have the money to move out. I don't have anywhere to go," Jane told her solemnly.

"How long has this been happening?" Maura asked, moving to sit on the bed, pulling Jane lightly with their still-clasped hands. She couldn't help but notice how well their hands fit together.

"He's always been a bit rough with us. But it started getting bad a few years ago," Jane told the floor next to Maura's feet. She felt ashamed. And weak.

"What about your mother and brothers?" Maura hated to ask, but she felt like she needed to know. She had to protect Jane.

"Ma stays out of the way. He's only this bad with me. That's why I usually stay with Frost's family on weekends. I work after school three days a week. The other two I avoid the house," Jane said.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Maura couldn't think of anything to say. This was an awful reality, but she'd never faced it or knew anyone who had before Jane. Maura loved to learn facts, but facts wouldn't help Jane.

"Not many people do. Just you and Frost and obviously my family."

"Why doesn't your mother help you?" Maura asked before she thought it through.

Jane sighed. "She's afraid of him. He doesn't go after the boys so much because they're going to carry on the family name. I won't be. And he doesn't respect my 'life choices'," Jane air-quoted the last part. She'd known Maura for just about two weeks now. She'd never opened up like this to anybody she'd only known for that long. But it was all just tumbling out of her mouth. But this was Maura, who hadn't judged her up to this point.

"'Life choices'?" Maura quoted back, confused.

"He doesn't like that I'm gay. He thinks this is the cure," Jane said in a low voice.

Maura felt her heart ache for her friend. She couldn't imagine not being accepted by her parents. And, even if they didn't accept her, they were away so much that it didn't matter. "Jane, I'm so sorry," she said, moving her free hand slowly and carefully to rest on Jane's knee. Jane flinched a little, but made no effort to move away from the touch. Like Maura, she also craved touch, but the little she got at home scared her. She knew that not everybody was like her father, but she knew any of them could hurt her just like him. That was what scared her and made her move away.

"It's not your fault, Maura. You don't have to keep apologizing," Jane told her.

"I didn't see it. I didn't see that you were hurting."

"I didn't want you to see it. Like I said, it's my burden to bear," Jane said, looking up at Maura, her eyes wet, but no tears had fallen.

"And I said you don't need to bear it alone. I'm here, Jane. I'm right here," she whispered. Jane's shoulders hunched and a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away, but not before Maura saw it. "Jane?" she asked.

"What?"

"Can I… Can I hug you?" Maura asked. She had never asked to hug or be hugged and she didn't know if Jane would let her.

Jane smiled a little, her chin trembling only slightly. "Yeah, Maur, you can hug me," she said.

Maura stood up and pulled Jane along with her. When Jane finally stood up, Maura let her hand go and tentatively reached up to put her arms around Jane's neck. Jane wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist and rested her head on Maura's shoulder. Maura tightened her arms just a bit and another tear fell from Jane's eye, followed quickly by another one, and then another.

Maura held on until the tears stopped and Jane's breathing calmed down. She knew that hugging released a hormone called oxytocin, which triggers dopamine in the brain which makes you feel better. She hadn't realized how powerful it was before.

She felt Jane loosen her grip a little and followed suit, letting her arms fall from Jane's shoulders as Jane wiped away the tear tracks with her shirt sleeve. "Thank you," she told the brunette.

Jane looked confused. "For what?"

"Letting me in." Maura smiled a little, even though her heart was breaking a little inside. She knew it was not physically breaking because that wasn't possible, but if she had to describe the feeling, that was how she would do it. "I know you have a difficult time doing that. So do I. But I'm here for you, Jane. You're welcome to stay here any time."

Jane felt another surge of tears at Maura's confession, but she willed them to stay in as she asked another question. "What about the other thing?" she asked.

"What that you're gay?" A nod. Jane was afraid of the answer, though she had no reason to be. "Jane, don't be silly. Your sexual orientation doesn't bother me in the slightest. I mean, there are so many reports that state everyone is on the spectrum somewhere. My parents are very progressive and I was taught growing up that sexuality is fluid and ever-changing." Maura knew she could go on, but Jane's real, genuine smile stopped her oncoming lecture. "Now, how about breakfast?"

O.o.O

"Jane, could you get the vanilla extract for me? It's in the cabinet next to the plates," Maura asked as she cracked an egg into the pancake mixture that she'd made from scratch. Instant pancake mix didn't exist in the Isles house.

"Vanilla?" Jane asked as she crossed the kitchen to get it.

"Yes. It was the cook's special secret. It makes them sweet," she said.

"So you don't know how to make chocolate chip cookies, but you know a special secret ingredient for pancakes. You are quite the enigma, Maura Isles," Jane said, handing over the bottle of vanilla extract.

Maura just smiled as she added some of the vanilla to the batter. It felt like something had changed between the two since Jane's confession in her bedroom. She felt like there was less of a wall between herself and Jane; it felt more open. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing that Jane trusted her enough to tell her everything she had.

As she cracked a second egg to add to the mixture, she shivered a little. The house was big and empty and cold and she was only in a short-sleeved sleep shirt and thin pants. Jane noticed the shiver from her place opposite Maura, sitting at the bar.

"You cold?" Jane asked. When they had come downstairs, Jane had grabbed a gray hoodie from her bag that was still by the front door. The previous night, while making cookies, she'd taken off her black hoodie and had forgotten where she'd left it. It wasn't until she had her gray one on that she saw the black one hanging over the back of the couch.

"A little. I usually remember to put something on before coming downstairs. I just forgot today," she told Jane. "I'll just run upstairs and grab something quickly and then I'll come back and finish this."

"No, don't do that. Hold on," Jane said, getting up from the bar stool and grabbing her black sweatshirt from the couch. "Here," she said, reappearing and holding it out to Maura, "you can just wear this."

"It's yours, Jane. I don't want to get any batter on it," Maura protested, though secretly a little thrilled. She'd never shared clothes with anyone before and the sweatshirt did look warm and comfortable.

"I don't care about the sweatshirt. That's what washing machines are for," Jane insisted, taking another step closer. "Seriously, take it."

Maura reached over and took the hoodie from Jane. It was soft. She'd never owned anything like it, preferring sweaters. Fashion sense had been drilled into Maura from a very young age by her mother. She slipped it on over her head and was immediately immersed in Jane's scent, lavender and a hint of vanilla.

Since the sweatshirt was big on Jane, it was also big on Maura. She rolled up the sleeves so her hands were free, but she reveled in the length. It was so comfortable and it smelled like Jane, a scent she was learning quickly to love.

O.o.O

A/N: So what did you think? Please let me know! I have a few ideas, but I'm always open to suggestions.

Also, just wondering, do any of you guys watch Orphan Black? Seriously the season 2 finale messed me up. If you don't watch it, go watch it right now because it is a masterpiece.