I do not own the characters and I'm not making a profit.

Rated T to M

Caffeine With A Side Of Brown Eyes

Chapter One:

The sun filtered in through the bright floor to ceiling windows, illuminating all the patrons in the coffee shop as it cracked and bounced off the tables. I sat at a corner table next to a window, sipping my skinny latte and reading a month old Cosmopolitan. I flipped through the pages with little interest, I didn't stop in for the reading material. I wanted a sip of good coffee, and I suppose I was killing time after my hair appointment because I didn't want to immediately go home to an empty house.

My sunglasses shaded my eyes from both the light and any curious onlookers. I was safe.

The door chime beeped as yet another patron entered the shop. The noise barely registered because I had heard the noise four times since sitting down, so I paid it little mind and continued to flip through the colorful pages. As I read about man behavior complaints, I heard the most beautiful laugh, it was deep and full, an unrestrained sound of happiness. I turned my head to see the person responsible for the laugh, and my eyes encountered the most beautiful specimen of the female form.

Deep brown eyes, the color of dark chocolate met my gaze. My breath escaped me as I saw warmth reflected back at me through her glance. Pressure built in my chest and I finally gasped for breath, ducking my head as I opened my mouth to inhale more air. As the tightness inside eased, I glanced up. She had turned away from me, and was walking away from the table of people she chatted with just a moment before. A table of people whom made her laugh so deeply.

As she stood at the counter, placing her order, I secretly watched her. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at the barista. Fear at being caught in my observing, caused me to focus on my magazine more. I flipped through several pages, gazing without interest and listening to her voice as she paid for her coffee and left a tip.

A shadow fell over my magazine. I gazed up, taking a deep breath and getting ready to ask my shadow causer to please move, then exhaled in a rush as those dark brown eyes focused on me.

"Hello, I couldn't help but notice you sitting over here by yourself. Do you mind if I join you?" she husked in a deep alto, raspy and full of promise. Her voice caused my heart to accelerate to an abnormal speed.

"I…Uh..No," I stuttered. My throat felt twice its size and I couldn't take a deep breath. I grabbed my mug and took a big drink as I pointed to the spare chair, an ascent for her to have a seat.

She thrust out her hand. I glanced at it through my sunglasses, taking note of her short and clean nails. "I'm Jane Rizzoli."

Without thinking, I reached and grabbed her hand, giving it a brief shake. "Maura Isles." I normally didn't shake hands with strangers, but something about this woman put me at ease. "Errm. Please have a seat."

"Don't mind if I do," she smiled as she sat down and stretched out her long legs under the table, being careful to avoid bumping my shins. "So Maura Isles, what are you doing sitting in here on such a beautiful day?" She sipped her iced coffee as she watched me.

I removed my sunglasses, wincing at the bright light as I met her gaze, then said, "I was…just relaxing. I came downtown for a hair appointment," I pointed around the shop. "Then I wanted some coffee."

"Yes, they have the best coffee here. The finest in Boston." She took another healthy drink and I watched her throat moving as she swallowed. "I haven't seen you here before. Are you new to the area?"

"This is my first time here. I moved to Boston last month." I sat back and focused on her mouth as she wrapped her lips around her straw. Oh, such perfect, moist lips. My body warmed as my blood flushed throughout my body.

"You'll come to love Boston. It grows on you." She flashed me a grin full of white teeth. "And I should know, I was born here." She took a sip of her drink then said, "so what do you do?"

My palms started to sweat as my body reacted to my phobia. I was afraid to tell people what I did for a living because they usually ran away or asked imposing questions out of curiosity. "I'm a Doctor."

"What kind? I know a few Doctors, and whew, they are such assholes." She rolled her eyes, waving her hand as she talked. I noticed as she waved that her fingers were perfectly proportioned to her body.

I stared at the table, ducking my head. "A Medical Examiner," I muttered, then turned my head to look out the window. For some reason, I couldn't bear to see her reaction.

She gasped. "Ha. You're THE MAURA ISLES?" Then she did the unexpected, and laughed her deep belly laugh. I looked at her, not believing that she, a stranger, was laughing at me.

"What?"

"Nothing," she giggled.

I'd had enough and reached out to grab her hand then squeezed. "What Jane? How do you know about me?"

"I'm sorry. Um Detective Frost, my partner, told me you stepped on his toe when he heaved his lunch last week during an autopsy. I didn't know you so it wasn't that funny, and now it is. Face to the name and story." She shrugged, but her lips stayed lifted in a smile.

"I told him not to watch but he didn't listen," I murmured, smiling back at this funny woman sitting at my table.

"Yeah, he never does. Try working with him." She glanced at her watch as she finished her coffee with a few loud slurps. I wanted to cringe at the sound, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to criticize this friendly woman even though I was itching to do so.

"Hey, are you busy for dinner? I'm starving." And to prove her point, her stomach growled loudly. I smiled as she looked down sheepishly. "Sorry. Like I said, starving," she said.

"I'm not busy." She stood up from her chair, walking over to toss her empty cup into the trash then sauntered back to stand beside me, gazing down at me.

"So, yes to dinner? Because I have been craving seafood all day and you look like a seafood type of gal."

I nodded eagerly, secretly excited for the play-date with my new colleague. "How do you discern what type of food I prefer based on my appearance?" I asked as I looked down at my discarded magazine, my empty coffee mug and my dress and shoes. I looked the same as a normal workday even though it was late Friday afternoon and I tended to look nicer on the weekends. I stood and gazed up into her twinkling eyes.

"Just do. It'd take too long to explain." She turned on her heel and said over her shoulder, "come on Doc."

"Has anyone ever told you how impatient you are?" I sprinted behind her as she marched out the door to the coffee shop, then walking swiftly down the sidewalk. "Slow down Jane," I shouted, and followed her as a quick pace, balancing on my high heels to avoid a fall. She kept walking, but slowed down as she headed toward the Police Cruiser parked up the block. I recognized the standard issue dark blue sedan.

A few steps from the car, she stopped and turned to watch me walk toward her. She smiled at me as our eyes met.

"Oh," I squealed as I stumbled, losing my balanced walk and almost falling down.

"Are you okay Maura?" she stood just in front of me, obviously having moved quickly toward me to catch me before I hit the sidewalk.

I recovered quickly then smoothed my dress down as I sauntered forward. "I'm okay. But thank you for almost catching me."

"Um, thank you for almost falling." She fidgeted from foot-to-foot as she watched me approach. "I'm driving by the way."

"That's fine. It's hard to drive in these heels." I stared down at my light blue heels then up at her eyes. She had the perfect tone of brown Irises. I couldn't help looking into them.

She grabbed my elbow and pulled me close to the car then opened the door. "Here you go," she husked as she held out her hand, presumably to help me get in her car without falling down.

I smiled and I grabbed her hand. "Thank you." I eased down into her car. As I clicked the seat belt shut, I noticed all the fast food wrappers and donut bags littering the floor of the backseat.

She jumped in the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, then started the car, and avoided my eyes. She didn't meet my gaze again until she pulled the car into traffic at the next block when we reached a stop sign. "So, seafood okay?"

"It's fine." I looked at the leftover boxes then said, "do you spend a lot of time in this car? Because those food sacks contain penicillin by now…probably."

"I share the car with my partner. The puker… But yes, we do spend time in this car when we go and be detectives. It's not a nine-to-five job."

I reached out and touched her wrist as she drove. "I didn't mean to upset you." She nodded then stared down at my fingers, wrapped tight around her slim wrist. I let go of her warm skin even though I didn't want to. I could spend a few hours just touching her soft skin, it was so warm and perfect beneath mine.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, then said, "where are we going to eat?"

"I'm craving Long John Silvers. Hmm those hushpuppies," she moaned as she glanced into her rearview mirror and made a turn off the busy street.

"Seriously? That's about the dietary equivalent of eating a can of lard," I commented, trying to distract myself from the effects her moan had on my nervous system.

"Are you saying you don't want to go. I'm going there and you're welcome to come with." Her eyes faced forward, watching the road, then she glanced over at me with a smile on her lips.

"I'll come. Somebody will have to resuscitate you when you have a heart attack."

"Haha. I didn't know you were a comedian too Doc. The smashing of Frost's toe though…pretty good." She pulled the car into the restaurant and put the car into park. Then those brown eyes focused on me again.

"I'll try your hushpuppies Detective if you come out to dinner with me tomorrow." I smiled at her as I unfastened my seat belt, not quite believing that I agreed to come here. The grease alone will ruin my outfit in minutes. But as I kept gazing into those eyes, I knew I'd do whatever she asked. I wanted her to like me.

"Okay, but your buying tomorrow. I'll buy today." She jumped out of the car, shutting the door with a bang. I stayed in my seat as I watched her slide across the hood to reach my side then she opened my door and held her hand out for me. I gazed up and took her hand, standing up and holding onto her strong fingers in a tight grip. She kept my hand gripped in hers as she eased me away from the car, then shut the car door and locked it with a click.

My knees felt wobbly and weak.

Our eyes locked.

She smiled again with her perfect lips, her perfect teeth showing in the blinding sunlight.

I smiled back at her and let her lead me slowly into the restaurant while she told me the benefits of hushpuppies. I listened to her explanation quietly as she opened the door and led me inside.

A/N: this is just a story to get my muse back on track. I was in a coffeeshop trying to write and the idea sparked. I'll probably write another couple chapters, but I wanted something to cheer me up and thinking of how Maura and Jane could have met does. -_o