"Ugh, that creep," Jane says as she drives hurriedly away from Gilberti and Sons, the mechanic shop where Giovanni works, "Next time, just listen to me, Maura!"

"I know, Jane, you're right..." Maura sighs as she glances back through the car's passenger window to get one last look at Giovanni, "but, c'mon, he's sexy. You can't blame me for wanting to sleep with him."

"Ew. Yes, I can. Maura, he wanted to lick your face."

"Okay, well, before I knew about the face-licking fetish, I was interested in sleeping with him. You know, studies show that sexual intercourse releases Immunoglobulin A, which is scientifically proven to be beneficial in -"

"Warding off colds. Yes, Maura, you've informed me of all your little...joyful fun facts about sex," Jane says sarcastically, rolling her eyes, but smiling to herself because she simply would not change the ridiculous way that Dr. Maura Isles sometimes is.

"You can't blame me for enjoying sex, Jane. But, I'll admit, Giovanni was more of a passive attraction than a smart, logical interest."

"Ya think?" Jane remarks, exasperated, but slightly amused.

Maura continues, not at all amused, in fact, somewhat distraught, "It's just...it has been a while since my last...indulgence."

Jane couldn't help but smile, though she too knew Maura's plight. "Well, same here. But you don't see me so desperate that I'm running to hook up with Giovanni. And you don't have to resort to that anyways. You're beautiful and genius, the chief Medical Examiner of the Boston Police Department, for Christ's sake! You could have anyone you wanted. Just, stay away from those face-licking, pepper-wearing, Italian auto-mechanics, even if you think they're sexy."

Maura's mood is lightened, and she laughs with her head thrown back, that full, oh-so-Maura laugh that Jane happened to love. Jane's mouth formed its famous Rizzoli smirk, knowing she had been the prompter of that heart-warming laugh.

"Well, that's very nice," Maura says after laughing, in the same oblivious and sincere tone that she had told Giovanni it was "very nice" that he offered to "try it with two girls" after he was tricked into believing Jane and Maura were lovers, "but what makes you think I could get anyone I want, Jane?" Maura asks flirtatiously.

"Because!" Jane exclaims. She's slightly flustered, and she isn't quite sure why. "Like I said, you're a freaking genius and gorgeous."

"You think I'm gorgeous?" Maura cocked an eyebrow at Jane.

"Yes! I mean, of course you are, Maur."

Maura sat up in bed with a book, some chocolate, and a glass of red wine. She didn't realize she was distracted until she caught herself re-reading the same sentence. She closed her book, set it aside, and took a sip of her wine, her eyes fixated on a distant thought. Her mind had been replaying the scene in Giovanni's garage over and over again...

A smiled crept across Maura's lips and she remembered how the scene played out. She remembered staring up at Giovanni, flustered, not knowing how to decline his invitation of work, much less break the news that, despite what he thought, they weren't in a relationship. She remembered how, without thinking, she had turned to Jane, searching for help in Jane's face. She recalled stammering, so unlike her, when the idea came to mind. Her heart was warmed as she recollected the ease with which Jane swooped into her plot. One term of affection, one address of Jane as "babe," and Jane caught right on.

Something about the way Jane was so attentive to her, something about the way Jane connected with her, could seem to read her thoughts, something about the way Jane came to rattled Maura's aid so quickly... Something about the way Jane had laced her arms around her in that unnecessarily protective embrace...

Gave Maura butterflies.

Maura loved Jane, of course. And Jane often looked at Maura with an unmistakable love that made Maura's heart ache with affection. But this was something even more, something different. What was it?

Maura couldn't deny a slight attraction to Jane, but she had always considered that natural and attributed it to their close friendship and reverence for each other, her own appreciation of human anatomy, and Jane's decidedly attractive features. But when Jane's hands slid across her stomach, when Jane's arms clung to her hips, when Jane's body pressed comfortingly behind her, there was something more than a passing, admiring attraction.

Maura pondered. She analyzed her breathing, her body's sensations. She decided, somewhat hesitantly, but conclusively, that that "something more" was sexual arousal.

But, like Maura had told Jane, it had been a while since Maura's last indulgence in sex. The feelings, the butterflies, were most likely attributable to sexual frustration. Was she truly attracted to Jane in a sexual manner?

That was likely not the case.

Jane sat in her apartment, feet up and beer in hand, TV muted. She was thinking, so that she didn't notice when the commercials were done; the TV remained on silent, even into her show. Something about today got to her, but she couldn't quite understand what it was. Something about Maura and Giovanni got to her, something about her own feelings got to her, and something about the whole situation puzzled her.

Jane was glad Maura wasn't pursuing Giovanni. Glad she would stop talking about his...shoulder to hip ratio, or whatever. But that wasn't it. There was something else. Jane was glad that Maura wasn't after Giovanni because...because...

What she had felt had been unnervingly similar to jealousy.

Jane didn't like hearing Maura talk about sex. Something inside her froze when she heard Maura mention her lovers. And, something about wrapping her arms around Maura, something about coming to assist that adorably flustered, impossibly gorgeous, incredibly intelligent Maura in her plan to stop Giovanni's advances, something about holding that beautiful person protectively in her arms...

Filled Jane's chest with warmth.

The more Jane thought about her affection for Maura, her hesitancy to speak or even think about Maura's lovers, and her physical reaction to embracing Maura, the more certain she became the most logical label for her feelings was, in fact, jealousy.

Nah, it couldn't have been jealousy. Why in the world would she feel jealous of Giovanni? And why over Maura? It must have been her protective side coming out. After all, Maura was her best friend. She loved Maura; the two shared an intimate friendship. She wanted to see Maura with someone better than Giovanni. Yeah, that's it.

...But it wasn't serious! Maura wasn't looking to really "be" with Giovanni, just to sleep with him. She wasn't going to fall for him. Jane knew that. It wasn't about seeing Maura taken care of, seeing her with someone better. No, this was about Jane's feelings about Maura sleeping with Giovanni. Something about that, specifically, bothered her. Could it really have been because she was jealous?

A fleeting thought passed through Jane, not even so coherent so as to be dubbed a thought. Rather, it was a passing fear, one that quickly seized her and then subsided upon quick dismissal. Was she...jealous for Maura? ...even...sexually attracted to Maura?

Nah.