"Jane," Maura says, taking off the last of her make-up. "Cailin's going to be here soon. She sounded weird on the phone…I think she's finally going to introduce us to the secret boyfriend she's been seeing," Maura finishes, excitedly. "If you want to stay here for that, you're more than welcome."
Jane walks out of the bathroom, having just showered. It had been a tough day at work, and Maura had invited Jane to her house. Jane readily accepted, the prospect of Maura's fancy shower too much to resist. "Sure," she says, grabbing a dark green towel off of the rack and towel drying her hair. "If he's a douchebag, be warned that I might have to turn on my bad cop routine."
Maura smiles. "I'm not sure Cailin would appreciate that."
Jane smirks. "You can play good cop to even it out."
The doorbell rings and Maura hurries off to answer it. She opens the door and sees her half-sister standing there with a girl who is clutching her hand nervously. Oh.
"Hi, Cailin," Maura says. "Please come in."
"Hey, Maura, this is Jesse. She's my girlfriend, and I wanted you to meet her."
Maura hears Jane footsteps behind her.
"Hi," Jesse says, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I've heard so much about you guys. It's good to meet you. You must be Jane," Jesse concludes, looking up at Jane.
"Yeah, that's right," Jane says. Maura can't see her face, but she can imagine what is going on in her friend's head.
"So, how long have you been seeing each other?" Maura asks, gesturing for them to go into the living room.
"About four months," Cailin says. "She and I met last semester, and we've been dating over the summer. We met at the coffee shop by Cambridge University."
"Yeah," Jesse pipes up. "I'm taking Gender Studies."
"Neat," Jane says, and Maura can clearly see that it's up to her to keep the conversation going.
"Well, it's really nice to meet you, Jesse," Maura says, reaching her hand out to her.
Jesse takes it and smiles. "Yes, you too. So how long have you two been together?"
The silence is cloying. Maura feels Jane shift beside her on the couch. Maura can't seem to say anything, so she's grateful when Jane does.
"We're, uh, not together."
"Oh, I'm sorry—I just assumed…I mean, Cailin talks about you both so much, and I just figured…"
"Nope. We're just good friends." Jane says.
Cailin pipes up. "Well, it looks like we have to go. We should do this again. Bye!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jane looks at Maura, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Getting mistaken for a couple is nothing new; Jane and Maura are very close friends, so it's inevitable that sometimes, people see something that's just not there. But this time, it strikes a chord with Jane. She's just tired of correcting people. Jane gets up from the couch and stretches her legs.
"You're pacing, Jane."
"I'm not. I'm just walking fast. Why does this always happen, Maura?"
"Because people see what we have, and immediately think it's something more. I'd think you'd have gotten used to it by now."
"I have! Mostly. I guess it just threw me a little. I mean, Jesse was here for like, five minutes and made that assumption. She barely knows us, and she has the nerve—"
"Why are you upset?" Maura asks, sitting upright on the couch.
Jane turns. "Because I want to know what is going on. Is it me? Do I give off a lesbian vibe or something?"
Maura laughs. "Well…"
"Maura, this isn't helping." Jane sighs and sits back down on the couch. "Can I stay here tonight?"
Maura smiles at her friend. "Of course."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cailin opens the door to her dorm and pulls her girlfriend inside. She checks to make sure her roommate's not there, then plops down on the bed. Introducing Jesse to Maura and Jane had been stressful. She feels bad that she left so quickly, leaving so much unsaid, but Jesse had kind of ruined everything.
"Why did you ask them that?" She asks, for the umpteenth time.
"Because I honestly thought they were a couple, Cailin!" Jesse says, waving her arms. "It was my mistake. I'm a socially awkward person, okay? Sorry if I embarrassed you."
Cailin pulls herself into a sitting position, and Jesse slowly sits down beside her. "Is that what you think? You didn't embarrass me. It's just that…I think you're right about them, but they don't see it. They are so far inside the closet, I'm surprised that they haven't met the Pevensies."
Jesse leans back against the wall and grins. "I knew I had good gaydar."
Cailin smirks. "Excuse me, but you had no idea that I swung your way."
"True." Jesse says, and leans in to kiss her. They spend the rest of the afternoon taking full advantage of the fact that they're alone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jane rolls over and cracks an eye open, the smell of bacon and eggs rousing her. She smiles, pulling herself into an upright position. Maura is an angel. She knows that the only thing that will get Jane out of bed is the prospect of a good breakfast. Angela's working at the precinct today, so Jane knows that Maura is downstairs, making her a heavenly smelling meal. She pulls off her pajama shirt and grabs one of Maura's collared ones. It fits her well and smells like Vanilla Twilight perfume.
Jane finishes getting dressed and hurries downstairs, smoothing down her hair, even though she knows that's pretty futile. Her wild mane has a mind of its own.
"Good morning," Maura says, without turning around. "Sleep well?"
"Yep," Jane says. She sits down at the table, her stomach growling loudly. "Thanks for letting me stay here."
"Jane, you know you can stay here any time. I'm here for you, no matter what."
Jane feels a twinge of something pull inside of her when she looks at Maura's face. She knows she can rely on Maura, totally and completely. Her friendship is something Jane treasures more than anything else in her life. "Thanks. I…I'm glad we're friends."
"We always will be."
"So...lemme ask you something."
"Yes?" Maura turns around fully, placing the frying pan of eggs on the table.
"Does it ever bother you? That people think we're a couple?"
"No. I don't make it a habit to concern myself with what strangers think."
"But…Cailin isn't a stranger, Maura."
"It was Jesse who said those things, not Cailin." Maura corrects, placing her hands on the counter.
Jane shovels some eggs onto her plate and shakes her head. "Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if Cailin thinks there's something going on."
"But if there's not, what harm does it do?" Maura asks, crinkling her brow.
And there's the million dollar question, Jane muses. Why is it bothering her so much? So what if people think that Jane and Maura are dating? There's no truth to it. They spend time at each other's houses, but so do lots of straight best friends.
Yeah right. She can't think of any people her age that still sleep in the same bed as their totally platonic, totally straight best friend. The eggs she is eating suddenly taste ashen. What is she doing? Maura is making her breakfast, for God's sake. They just slept in the same bed. Why wouldn't anyone assume that they were gay?
She gets up quickly, panic sweeping through her. She has to leave; she desperately needs some space. "Uh, thanks for breakfast Maura. I just remembered that I have to get home early to feed Jo Friday. She's probably freaking out wondering where I am. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Jane practically flies out of the kitchen, leaving Maura standing there, sipping her cup of espresso.
She feels really shitty when she peals out of the driveway like a maniac. She knows that this whole misunderstanding doesn't change her and Maura's friendship; they are still the same people they were before Jesse said what she did. Jane sighs and grips the steering wheel hard until her knuckles protest. She's not sure what is going on in her own head. She just knows that she needs to figure out what Maura means to her. And why everyone and their mother thinks there's something going on between Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles.
'Maybe there is,' is the thought that flashes through Jane's mind while she's waiting at a stoplight. She shakes it off, but at different intervals in her day, it comes back stronger. While she's taking Jo for a walk. While she's trying to read the latest Jim Patterson novel. While she's cooking dinner for herself, which results in burnt lasagna and the smoke alarm going off three times. She grabs a towel and waves it in front of the alarm, coughing as the smoke from the oven engulfs her.
Three hours later, she's lying in bed, and still, Maura is on her mind. 'What would Maura do if she was here? I know what I'd want her to do'… Jane sighs. What the hell? What is wrong with her psyche, that she's having these definitely romantic thoughts about her best friend? Maybe she just needs to get laid. She's been going through a dry spell. That's all.
Jane finally falls asleep, but her dreams are hardly restful. She wakes up four times during the night, and each time, she wishes Maura was there to comfort her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Maura pulls on her blue gloves and prepares herself for the autopsy. She mentally goes over what she already knows. Male, in his late thirties. Died in a car accident. She picks up her scalpel and cuts the Y incision with an expert touch that speaks of her many years of experience. She picks up the heart and examines it, concluding that he had a healthy heart. Methodically, she studies his liver and kidneys, and concludes that the death was not tragic accident. She sighs and pulls off her goggles and strips off her gloves. Her phone rings and she steps outside of the morgue to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Maura, it's Cailin,"
"Hi, how are you?" Maura asks, walking into her office.
"I'm good. I was wondering if we could have a do-over from Friday. I'd really like it if you got to know Jesse better. She's sorry she ever made that assumption—"
"It's already forgotten, Cailin." Maura says warmly. She knows that Jane might not feel that way, given the hurried way she left on Saturday morning. She hadn't spoken to Jane at all over the weekend. "I'd love to cook dinner for you."
"Great. We'll see you and Jane then," Cailin says, and hangs up.
Maura bites her lip. She didn't have the time to tell her half-sister that Jane would probably not be too comfortable having dinner with the person who thought she was gay. She wonders why Jane is having such trouble with it. She sighs and sits down in her red chair, contemplating what to do.
She hears a knock at the door, and she looks up to see Jane standing there sheepishly.
"Hi," the detective says. "I was just wondering if you have the results for the autopsy for Mike Gregor?"
"Right here," Maura says, getting up and reaching for the papers on her desk. Their fingers brush as she hands them to Jane, and she feels Jane break the contact soon, all too soon, as if she can't stand to touch her. Well.
"Is something wrong, Jane?" She asks, trying to get a hold of the hurt and anger simmering inside of her.
"No. I'm fine. Are you okay?" Jane says, backing towards the door.
"Yes. I've been meaning to ask," Maura begins, stepping towards Jane, "why did you leave my house so quickly on Saturday? Surely Jo Friday didn't need feeding at 9:27 that morning."
Jane bites her lip. Maura can tell she's uncomfortable, but she can't fathom why. "Well, she's been kind of clingy lately. I—uh….just needed to make sure she was okay."
"And was she?" Maura asks, stepping even closer to Jane. She hears Jane's back press against the door, and still she steps closer.
"Yeah...yeah she was good." Jane averts her gaze, and Maura notices that her friend's breathing is becoming more shallow, and there's a slight flush to her cheeks. How curious.
Maura closes in on Jane until their bodies are about 2.5 inches apart. "I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner on Thursday," Maura says, keeping her voice casual.
"D-dinner? With you? Um, gee, Maura, I think I have some family stuff to deal with that day…maybe some other time?" Jane tries to back up, but the door isn't budging. Maura can see Jane's hand reach for the handle, so she grabs it.
"Friday then? Jesse and Cailin will be there as well."
Jane relaxes. "Oh. Okay then, sure. I'll bring some beer."
Maura smirks and lets go of Jane's hand. "All right. See you then."
"See you," Jane croaks, and gives her one last look before pulling open the door and all but sprinting down the hall. Maura shakes her head, wondering what is going on with Jane. The detective has never been particularly easy to read, and that's one thing that Maura finds most intriguing about her. She's tough, strong and brave, yet, moments ago, she was acting like a nervous teenager. The physical responses she was exhibiting correlate with sexual desire. Maybe Jane had seen Martinez upstairs. She'd always felt her friend's heart race when Maura would clutch her hand and point out that Martinez was looking at her. There had been many occasions where she would feel Jane's pulse race even when he wasn't there, so Maura concludes that that must be what's going on.