A/N: This is my first foray into the Rizzoli and Isles fanfiction community. Happy to be here. I hope to write more of this story if you all like it so please, please, please review. I'm always up for suggestions and construction criticism as well. Get at me.

I do not own these characters. No disrespect to TNT, Janet Tamaro, or Tess Gerritsen. They own these characters, I'm just here to have some fun with them.

Chapter One: Like Kissing Your Best Friend

Jane shifted nervously. Maura's arm was brushing up against hers.

So many nights ended up this way: Jane in Maura's bed, after consuming just enough alcohol to diffuse the day's wearies; Jane enjoying her best friend's company while feeling completely uncomfortable with the proximity of their bodies in the doctor's bed.

Jane gulped down the saliva her mouth insisted on producing as she listened to Maura ramble on about the importance of… enzymes? Or betadine? Or strychnine? Jane wasn't sure. Her head felt fuzzy, though she hadn't drank that much. Had she?

Maura shifted, rolling to her side to look at Jane directly. "…isn't that astounding?" Jane heard the words and realized that Maura had finally stopped talking.

"Yeah, uh… sure, Maur. Astounding." Silence hung thickly in the air. Jane stared at the ceiling. Maura stared at Jane. Neither said a word.

"Um," began the detective, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything," came the reply.

Jane paused, wondering how to word this without hurting her friend's feelings. "You don't…think this is weird?"

"What's weird? Certainly not the way in which living cells produce complex proteins in order to catalyze specific biochemical reactions? That's really quite natural, Jane."

"No, no. Not the enzadine thing. This." The detective gestured largely to their surroundings.

"My bedroom? Do you not like the way I decorated it? I find the color to be quite soothing…"

"No, Maura! This! Us! In your bed. Together. You talking about zymanine or whatever. This doesn't make you feel… awkward?"

Noting Jane's exasperation, the blonde propped her head up with her forearm. "Awkward? What's to feel awkward about?"

"Come on, Maura. How many women our age do you know that spend time in their best friend's beds?" Jane noticed that the doctor seemed to be taking the question rather seriously, perhaps actually trying to count women she knew that acted in such a manner. "Not a real question, Doctor Dweeb."

"Well, I don't know! It doesn't seem weird to me. You're my best friend and…" Maura swallowed. Unsure of precisely what her next words meant, she spoke tentatively: "I like you."

"Well, that's just great, Maur. You 'like' me?" Jane's voice was filled with frustration.

"Certainly I like you!" Now Maura began to feel awkward. She was unable to articulate an explanation for Jane. This was perhaps a first for well-spoken doctor.

Jane suddenly sat up. Legs bent, she rested her elbows on her knees. One hand gripped the other. Maura noticed the tension in Jane's muscles and suddenly began to worry. Had she said something wrong? The blonde had never before realized that these late night chats in bed have made her friend feel uncomfortable. For her, it simply felt, well, as natural as living cells producing enzymes. She had not given much thought as to why she enjoyed spending time in bed with Jane. Or cuddled up on the couch with Jane… Something in Maura's mind suddenly clicked. Perhaps Jane feels discomfort at participating in such homosocial behaviors. The doctor placed a comforting hand on Jane's back. It took Maura less than a second to realize that was the wrong action in this moment. Jane shot up and fled out of the bedroom.

"Jane!" Maura walked out of her bedroom toward the kitchen where she was surprised to find Jane putting her jacket on. The tile felt cold on Maura's feet. She crossed her arms across her chest as she spoke. "Jane, what are you doing?"

"Leaving. What does it look like?"

"Why, though? What's the matter? I don't understand…"

The brunette took a deep breath. "It's just weird, okay? I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do what? Be my friend?" Maura's voice revealed how hurt she was by Jane's words. How could this be happening?

The detective scoffed. "No, Maura. Jeeze. No. Of course I want us to be friends. It's just…" Unable to articulate just what it was, her voice trailed off. She looked at her friend and saw the sadness in her beautiful eyes. She didn't mean to upset Maura.

"What's wrong, Jane? What's different?"

"It's nothing, Maura. It's just…" She stopped. No, she couldn't talk about this. "It's nothing. I can't… I'm leaving, okay? I'll see you tomorrow." Jane turned to leave. As she placed her hand on the door knob, she was surprised to feel a hand on her upper arm, holding tight to stop her.

"Jane, please. Just take off your coat. Come and sit on the couch with me, okay? Let's talk about what's bothering you. Please."

How could the brunette resist? Her friend's words were so sincere. She moved to take her jacket off and found Maura sliding it off her shoulders for her. She watched the blonde fold it neatly and drape it delicately over the back of a chair at the kitchen table. Maura then held out her arm, gesturing for Jane to take a seat. Jane walked toward the couch and took a seat, Maura trailing right behind her. They sat at opposite ends of the couch and stared at each other in silence. Finally, Maura spoke.

"So, what is it? What's bothering you?"

Jane took her time contemplating what would come of telling her best friend the truth. Maura waited patiently. As Jane gazed into her friend's eyes she saw that nothing bad could become of this. Perhaps nothing good, but she knew that, no matter what, Maura would love her just the same. Jane silently chided herself for not realizing what a good friend she had earlier.

Taking a deep breath, the brunette finally began to speak: "Well, I had this dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes, a dream… about…" Jane paused, "about sex," she blurted.

"Oh?" Maura was titillated. It wasn't like Jane to expose sexual conquests or fantasies. In fact, Jane never wanted to talk about it. Maura, on the other hand, always wanted to talk about it. She couldn't wait to hear what Jane had to say next.

"Y-you were, um, in it," Jane managed to stutter.

Maura was shocked. She had never before imagined what her friend's sexual fantasies might feature. To find out it was the blonde herself was a surprise, to say the least. Jane had never expressed having feelings of a sexual nature toward any women. In fact, she had expressed just the opposite on more than one occasion. While Jane and Maura were very close, the doctor never thought of their intimacy as sexual in nature.

"Well, Jane, it's not a big deal! While many studies link subconscious thought to dreams, not much has been suggested to scientifically prove that to be true." Maura did the best to comfort her friend. She was not lying, for if she did hives would certainly have sprung, but she sort of, well, spun the truth. It was incredibly likely that this dream came from some subconscious desire that Jane was experiencing, but again, no one could prove that. "People dream all sorts of crazy things. It doesn't necessarily mean anything…"

The brunette gave a sigh of relief. Maura watched as tension fled from her friend's body. "Oh, God… I'm glad to hear that. I've been freaking out about it all day. Thank you. Thank you, thank you!" Jane leaned across the couch to hug her best friend and lingered there for an uncomfortable moment before returning to her side of the couch. However literal the doctor may have been in her understanding of people's speech patterns, body language was something she knew and what happened in that hug was undeniable.

"Jane, you're still not okay with this, are you? You still feel, well, awkward as you said, around me, touching me…"

The detective had shifted on the couch, having placed her elbows on her knees; she was staring at the floor. She focused on a particular spot, as if it would reveal the answer to her problem if she only looked hard enough. Maura considered for a moment what she was about to do. Maybe she shouldn't… maybe it'd be too much for Jane…

Wiping away any feelings of doubt she had, Maura inched forward on the couch and placed one hand on Jane's upper back. When the brunette didn't respond, Maura reached for Jane's face with her other hand and turned her. Jane looked directly into Maura's eyes as her friend traced her cheek bone with the pad of her thumb. The blonde began to lean forward, but then stopped; looking into Jane's eyes to make sure that she was okay. The brown eyes were almost sad, but knowing. They were peaceful and aware. With that, Maura closed the space between them, capturing her friend's lips in hers. Neither woman moved. They simply sat there, lips pressed against one another, for what felt like an eternity. Maura pulled away and returned to her place on the couch. While Jane's eyes had fluttered open, she still had not moved. The two were silent for a moment.

Maura straightened her blouse as she spoke, "Immersion therapy is a well documented scientific technique. That is, sometimes, in order to move on from a fear or subconscious desire, you need to experience it. I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable, Jane, but I was only trying to—"

The blonde was cut off by her friend's sudden lunge toward her. Jane pressed her body against Maura's, sliding her downward on the couch so that Jane was practically on top of her. Wrapping one arm around the doctor's waist and tangling the other in her hair, Jane kissed her friend. She moved her lips slowly against her friend's, waiting for a response. Maura began to reciprocate, bringing her arms to rest around Jane's neck. The two lay there, kissing as if they had been together for years, as if this were a common occurrence between the two. This, Maura thought, is what kissing your best friend feels like. Like truth. Like serenity. Like love.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are shiny!