A/N: As some of you may have noticed at the end of the last episode, Maura lied. And quite easily. I didn't quite like this sudden change of something that was so deep in her personality and my favorite part about her is the fact that she can't lie – regardless of it being big or small – so I am throwing out my own theory on how this might be possible.

XXXXX

"So… what the hell, Maura?"

Said woman looked up from her computer, screen showing she was on the hunt for strapless heels. "Excuse me?"

"I just realized something… you lied."

"What?"

"At the spa. You can't lie like that… I know you can't. Okay, first of all you did it easily, even though you confessed about the lie moments later, and second of all, you didn't start to hyperventilate like you said happens." As she spoke, she got up close to the M.E. to stare her down.

"Jane? Am I under interrogation?"

"You tell me. Have something you want to confess?"

"Jane… I told you that I was kidding about the maternal thing. It wasn't a lie, it was a joke."

"Yes but when I said 'you're lying' you said yes."

Maura just sighed. "I don't know… I guess I did. But it was a little one."

"No." Jane pointed a finger at the doctor, obviously upset. "A little lie is still a lie, Maura. That's not you!"

"Why are you getting so distressed over this?" She asked incredulously.

"Because it's not you! Okay? I like the fact that I know for a fact that you will not lie to me. Now what am I supposed to believe? And how is this even possible?"

Maura just shrugged. She honestly didn't know when the ability to deceive actually became possible. Not with big things, of course, but little things. Not that she could actually keep it up for very long.

Jane sighed and placed a hand to her head. "Maybe it was all that friggin' Utah mud."

"Clay." Maura corrected, resulting in an eye roll from the detective. "And I highly doubt that's the cause of it. After all, that wasn't the first time. I don't know what happened but lately I've been able to."

The taller woman looked absolutely horrified. "Really? I feel like I don't even know you anymore, Maura." She actually sounded slightly heartbroken over it.

"Of course you do, Jane. You know me better than anyone has." She placed a hand on Jane's nearby arm.

She wrenched away. "How do I know that's true?" She spat out as she walked away.

Maura watched her go and her heart rate shot up as her breathing picked up. She was having quite an intense response and she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was for. Fear? Anxiety? Was she having a delayed panic attack due to her untruths? She had no idea… and it was kind of scaring her.

Meanwhile, Jane plopped down at her desk and let out a very irritated sigh. Everyone in the room turned to look at her oddly but most turned away after a moment. Frost and Korsak, however, kept their gaze on her.

"Everything alright, Rizzoli?" The sergeant asked.

Jane blinked one eye open and considered him for a moment before sighing and sitting up. "You ever think you know someone and it turns out everything you thought you knew about them was a lie?"

He laughed. "Of course. Haven't you met my ex-wife?"

She just gave him a glare, causing his smile to disappear.

"What happened?" He asked in a more serious tone.

"Turns out our Medical Examiner can lie."

"What? Maura? You're kidding." Frost jumped in, obvious disbelief on his face.

"I wish I was." She shook her head. "God, I just can't believe it! It makes me wonder what else she's been lying to me about."

"Relax, Rizzoli. Even if she can lie it doesn't mean she suddenly likes to. She's not like that. I know that as well as you do."

"Yeah, well… I don't know what to believe anymore." She let out another sigh and grabbed her stuff. "I'm calling it a day." She yelled over her shoulder as she prayed that her mother would not be at her place.

Her prayers were unanswered, it seemed, when she walked through the door and spotted Angela cleaning out Watson's cage.

"Ma, what are you doing? You did that yesterday!"

"I did?" She looked down at the glass box, befuddled, before looking back up at her daughter. "What are you doing home so early?"

"Don't worry, I'm not cutting class. I just needed to get away from there."

"Did you have a fight with one of your friends?"

"Wha - ?" She looked at her for a moment, slightly flabbergasted. "How did you – "

"A mother knows." She answered, giving her a pointed look. "So who is it this time? Barry? Vince?"

"No and no. I'm not talking to you about this, I'm going out." She tossed her jacket on the couch before turning to the door.

"Uh-uh-uh. Don't you leave, young lady. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

With another roll of her eyes she steeled her nerves and turned around. "I don't want to talk." She answered lowly.

Angela's heart sunk momentarily at the tone her own daughter was giving her until it clicked in her mind. "It's Maura, isn't it?"

Jane's widened eyes gave away the obvious answer but she said nothing. She cursed her mother's intuition as she walked through, and then slammed, the door.

Several minutes, and a couple blocks, later, Jane entered The Robber.

Sam looked up from his spot behind the bar. "Jane? What are you doing here? It's only two. Don't tell me someone's been killed nearby."

She shook her head. "No… I just needed a distraction." She answered, plopping down on a barstool.

"Oh." He let out a little sigh of relief. "So… the usual?"

"Yep."

He filled up a glass with beer and placed in front of her. "Need an ear?"

"No thanks… just turn the game up."

"The game?" He looked to the television and saw the women's All-American lacrosse championship playing. "Sure." He pressed the volume button a couple times before sneaking a quick glance at his most loyal customer. He's never seen her act this way, that's for sure.

Jane downed the glass easily and tried to get invested in the sport currently being played but her mind wouldn't stop going back to earlier. She decided, quite foolishly, that she would just drown her problems out with some good-old MGD-64. She knew her brother Tommy had a problem with alcohol so it wasn't very smart of her to use it in this way as well but she just couldn't help it. She wasn't sure what to say to the M.E. and she knew there was no other way to get her out of her head.

XXXXX

Maura Isles finished stitching up the Y-incision on yet another bus accident victim. About five victims were carted in hours earlier and she just finished up with the fourth. Though she was upset at the fact that these lives were lost, she was grateful for the distraction. But as her eyes shifted towards the final body her mind drifted away from the task at hand. She was worried about Jane but didn't even dare to go upstairs and see her. Her heart was unusually heavy for what had happened between them and she couldn't place what she was feeling – something very disconcerting to the doctor.

She shook away her thoughts and unzipped the last bag. She sighed when she discovered this one had sustained the most damage from the crash, as the face was pretty much unidentifiable. Luckily though, the teeth were unharmed, giving them a chance to get a match through dental records.

She went through the various tasks effortlessly and, a couple hours later, she was done. She didn't even have to look at the clock to know that it was well past midnight so she cleaned up quickly and headed home.

When she walked through her door she was met with something unexpected: Angela sitting in a chair facing the door.

"You're home late."

"Yeah… a bus crash happened earlier and there were several victims." She had a sneaking suspicion that Jane had faced this many times in the past and it was slightly disconcerting.

"Oh, yeah… I heard about that." She recalled. "But what I want to know is what happened between you and Jane."

Maura's heart sunk. "I would rather not talk about that."

"Again with this? Why doesn't anyone want to tell me anything?"

"I'm sorry, Angela, but it's late and I'm tired."

The older woman narrowed her eyes at the M.E. but sighed. "Fine, fine… but don't think you're off the hook just yet."

She just nodded and made her way to her bedroom. As she got ready for bed a thought crossed her mind. Her newfound ability to lie came only after Angela started sharing her residence. Was there a correlation? She spent the next few hours tossing, turning, and mulling over this new evidence. When the sun began to rise she wasn't much closer to the truth as she was before.

Figuring she wasn't going to get a single minute of rest, she hopped out of bed and headed into the kitchen to make coffee, only to sigh at seeing a familiar face smile over at her.

"Maura! Good morning!" She chimed before flipping a pancake. "Sit down and have some breakfast."

Maura contemplated just turning around and going back to her room but something told me that if she didn't talk with Angela, the other woman would force it out of her.

She took a seat and a moment later there was a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of her.

Angela poured them both some coffee and then joined her at the table.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before the inquisitive mother spoke up.

"Is it a boy?"

"What?"

"You and Jane. Are you fighting over a boy?"

This caused Maura to laugh. "Of course not! That's – " She stopped and her face dropped as realization set in. "That's not what it is…" She spoke slower, her tone much more even.

Angela noted the sudden shift and was even more curious. "So what is it then?"

Though she heard her, Maura didn't answer. Her mind was too busy racing as things started to fit together. This wasn't the first time Angela had brought up either her or Jane's love life in the time she's spent here and the M.E. just realized the fact that she had been lying ever since then. It was subconscious, of course, as she had no idea that she was even in love with anyone when she was asked about it, though her body apparently knew otherwise. Over time, it seemed, she just became desensitized to the act without ever realizing.

"Maura?" The older woman called, concerned.

It was enough to shake her out of her thoughts and she stood up. "I have to go!"

"Wait! You didn't finish your breakfast!" She called out to a fleeting figure.

Minutes later and she was staring up at the twelve on the door. She fidgeted before bringing her hand up. After hesitating for a moment she brought her hand against it, letting it rap on the door three times.

Inside, Jane looked up from her coffee. It was too early for this, she mused, thinking it was her mother at the door. Hearing another knock she figured she should just answer, knowing how stubborn the woman could be.

"Ma, I told you! No visiting until – bunny slippers?"

She ignored the look on her friend's face. "Can I come in?"

"Uh… only if you tell me why you're at my doorstep at six o'clock in the morning wearing your pajamas."

"I had to see you."

The sincerity in her voice, paired with the look in her eyes, hit something deep inside her and she stepped aside to let the M.E. in.

A few moments passed before Jane spoke up. "You were so desperate to see me you couldn't even change clothes? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Well… your mother was being rather persistent."

"Ah! You don't need to say anymore, I completely understand." She walked back over to her kitchen counter to grab her almost forgotten coffee and took a sip. "Do you want some?" She asked, holding up the cup.

Maura shook her head. "No… but I do need to talk to you."

Jane nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. Look, I'm sorry for my outburst yesterday. It was a little extreme."

"No need to apologize, Jane, I understand how you felt."

An uncomfortable silence met them for a moment as Jane was thinking of what to say. "I just don't get why, all of a sudden, you can just lie." It boggled her mind to say the least.

"I didn't get it either until a little while ago."

Jane looked over at her, thoroughly interested in what she'll say next.

"Turns out I had been lying these past few months to your mother, even though I didn't know it at the time."

The detective's face gave away her clear confusion.

"Well," she continued. "You know how she is: she kept asking me about my love life and about yours and I kept telling her that I wasn't interested in anyone. Turns out, I was… but just didn't know it."

"How is that even possible?"

The M.E. shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I guess my body got used to the fact that it was lying and eventually let me be able to without going vasovagal."

"So… you like someone?" She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice and was shocked she even felt that way.

She shook her head. "No… I'm in love with someone." She admitted and then had to look away, lest the whole secret be let out.

"Who?" The detective prodded.

"I'd rather not say."

"It's someone you're embarrassed about?" This definitely shocked her but then her face twisted into disgust as she thought about the possibilities. "It isn't Frankie, is it? Or Korsak? And for the love of god it better not be Frost!"

Maura let out a light giggle at the other woman's rantings. "No… I'm definitely not embarrassed about loving y – " Her eyes widened when she realized she almost let it slip.

Jane didn't catch on, however, and put a hand to her chin in contemplation. "Y? Who do we know whose name starts with a Y?" As hard as she tried she couldn't come up with a name, even of anyone she didn't know. Y was a pretty odd letter to start a name with. "Okay, I give up. Who is he?"

"Can I have some coffee now?" Maura asked, deflecting the question.

"Uh-uh. Not until you give me a name."

She sighed. "Jane…" Though it was a definite way to express irritation at the other girls actions, she couldn't help but get a jolt of worry at the fact that she just did give the name. She hoped Jane didn't notice.

"Fine, fine… have your coffee. But I'm getting it out of you by the end of the day whether you like it or not."

Maura sent a worried glance at the detective as she stepped forward to get the beverage. She figured, though, that if she was able to keep this under wraps for months – even to herself – she should be able to last another day.

That hypothesis proved to be incorrect as, with her newfound knowledge of her feelings now surfaced, she found she couldn't keep her eyes off the other woman.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Jane asked when they were headed off to work – Maura now dressed in clothing she insisted Jane on wearing weeks before, to no avail.

She twisted her neck so quickly to face the window that she swore she got whiplash. "No! I was – I was just – uh – " Crap, she thought, seemed like this lying thing was a lot harder than she had initially thought.

"Maura?" Jane asked, looking over at her friend's odd behavior. She waited a few moments for a response and then pulled into an empty spot on the street: a rare find during Boston mornings. She put the car into park and locked the doors before turning to Maura. "Speak."

The M.E. just kept her gaze fixed on a wall outside.

"Maura." She touched her hand and saw the other girl shiver. Considering the way above average temperatures, it was odd. "Maura, please." She pleaded uncharacteristically.

She couldn't stand it any longer and turned to face her.

"What is it? I know there's something bigger than just you being in love with somebody. Whatever it is you're afraid to tell me… I thought we were best friends."

"We are." She confirmed. "But…" She paused, unsure of what to say next.

Jane's face fell and she didn't want to hear anymore. She reached for the handle but let out a low growl when she was met with no resistance, and thusly no opening.

Maura reached over before she could finish her escape. "Jane, wait."

"No. I don't want to hear it!" She said, looking over at the other woman. The image was foggy, however, as tears threatened to escape. "I know what you're going to say and I don't want to hear it. Maura, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've never had a friend like you before and I don't want to lose you."

"I know, Jane. I feel the same way but… but I want more."

Jane sat still and just looked at her. "More?" What could she mean by that? "Like… you want to spend more time together? I'm not sure how that's possible short of moving in together, Maura. We spend an awful lot of time together."

Maura shook her head. "Not necessarily more time just… spending it differently."

Jane's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher the code. "You're going to have to be more clear with this. I didn't get much sleep last night."

The M.E. thought for a moment before coming up with the only way she could make it crystal clear. Quickly, and without warning, she closed the gap between them and placed a kiss on the detective's lips.

Jane pulled away quickly. "Maura! What the hell was that!" She yelled in protest, though she didn't want to admit she definitely felt something during the brief exchange.

The other girl reeled back in surprise at the outburst. "I… I just thought…"

"Go on…" She said, looking at her expectantly.

"You're the one I'm in love with, Jane, and I thought you felt the same."

Her words were met with a sigh. "You could have gone a different route. Like, oh I don't know… words?"

Maura looked down. "Sorry, Jane."

"Just… get out."

She looked over at the driver, alarmed, before nodding and stepping out of the car. She watched Jane speed off as she made the slow trek to their workplace.

When Jane arrived she didn't talk to anyone or even make eye contact with anyone. She just sat down at her desk and distracted her mind with cold cases.

Hours later and she didn't get a single moment of relief; she just kept thinking back to that kiss. As she skimmed another case file – a woman who was born the same year she was killed in her own home. It made her think. This poor woman was all alone in life and in death. None of the facts in the case seemed to fit together but the pieces in her mind started to. A few more minutes of mulling things over passed and she stood up suddenly, startling the two men nearby, as she realized the mistake she made.

She booked it down the stairs to autopsy – too impatient to wait for the elevator – and pushed the doors open.

Maura looked up and her heart sunk. She figured it was time for round two, as Jane probably had thought of something else she wanted to say in the matter. Imagine her surprise when, instead, the detective crossed the room and brought them into a searing, passionate, kiss.

Jane's mind reeled at the sensations that were a hundred times stronger than what she felt in the car. She could barely keep herself standing but didn't want it to end.

Maura, however, was just blank. There were no sensations attached as her whole body was on overload at the unexpected, yet wholly welcome, surprise.

When Jane finally had to pull away for air she kept a close eye on Maura's face, hoping she didn't cross any boundaries.

A few minutes later, Maura was finally able to speak. "Jane? What was – I thought…"

"I realized I made a stupid mistake. I love you too – and sorry for making you walk."

The M.E. just smiled. "That's fine… just promise me you won't do that again."

"Of course not." She leaned down to capture her lips in another kiss. "And, by the way, I would love to be more than friends."

XXXXX

A/N: Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I know this fic was total trash and I probably won't even keep it up if no one likes it. I was very tired when I wrote it and it was just something I needed to get out after that last episode.