A/N: I do not own R&I. I was planning on posting this on Friday but I figured that it is Friday in most of the world so I might as well post it now. Check for updates tomorrow and Sunday as this will be a three-shot Halloween special!

XXXXX

Jane walked into Maura's lab, not even flinching when she saw that the M.E. was elbow deep in a corpse. "Hey, Maura."

Maura didn't look up, her concentration placed solely on the body before her. She could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile appear on her face though.

Jane just nodded, knowing that when she gets like this that it's best to wait it out. And wait it out she did. It didn't take too long, however, for Maura to pull her hands out and make her way to the sink.

"Hello, Jane." She said, finally acknowledging the other girl's presence. "The autopsy report's not ready yet."

"I know." She said with a "duh" indicated in her tone, since the body was still being worked on.

"Then why are you here?" Maura asked.

"Can't I just want to watch you cut open a dead body?"

Maura gave her an incredulous look.

"Okay, fine!" Jane gave up lying. "My parents want you to come over on Sunday."

"For family dinner? Will there be Gnocchi?" Maura had been invited to the Rizzoli's once before and found it to be quite a pleasant evening, surprisingly.

"Seriously, Maura?" Jane gave her a dumbfounded look.

"What?"

"Halloween? You know, candy and costumes? Didn't you celebrate it when you were a kid?"

Maura shook her head. "My parents thought it was a 'foolish holiday that was only celebrated by the weak minded'."

"Thanks." Jane said, sarcastically. "You coming or what?"

"… Will I have to be in costume?" Maura asked hesitantly.

"Of course!" Jane crossed the room to stand closer to the doctor. When she saw the look on Maura's face she thought again. "Only if you want." She spoke softly, understanding that Maura was somewhat sensitive about things like this, not having a real childhood and all.

"Maybe…" Maura said.

Jane could see the wheels in her head turning as she thought, and was pretty sure she was starting to come up with costume ideas. She was kind of afraid to think of what "Dr. Death" might come up with. "Yeah, well, Frankie's gonna be there so don't do anything too scary."

Maura looked up at Jane and smiled. "I won't."

"Alright then! Ma wants us to show up at eight." Jane said and then started towards the door.

"Jane." Maura spoke, stopping the detective in her tracks.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing later?"

"It's Friday… I figured we were heading to the bar. Why? What's up?"

"Um… well…" Maura looked down at the floor then shook her head. "Never mind, it's stupid."

Jane's eyebrow quirked up. She walked over to Maura. Standing in front of her, she put one hand on the M.E.'s shoulder. "Nothing that crosses this mind," she tapped on Maura's forehead, "could ever be stupid."

Maura visibly melted. "Oh, Jane. That's so nice!" Her grin faded away when she saw the expectant look on the other girl's face, telling her that she was waiting for an answer. "Well… I was kind of hoping that you could… teach me?"

Jane's brows furrowed and she reeled back slightly in shock. "Teach you? What?" What could Maura possibly need to be taught?

"How to do Halloween." Maura was unsure of herself, which was rare.

"Do Halloween? Maura, you don't do Halloween, you celebrate it." Jane was amused at the hopeless naiveté that was Maura.

"Okay… how?"

"I don't know… eat candy? Wear costumes… hang decorations… carve a pumpkin..." she listed off and then stopped. "Wait… how do you not know any of this? I understand that your parents were… well… your parents but… you don't know anything?"

"Well, I know that its origins date back to a Celtic festival called 'Samhain' because the Celts celebrated New Years on November first and, on the last day of the year – October Thirty-First – was when they believed ghosts of the dead returned to earth so they dressed up in attempt to scare those spirits away… but I'm unsure as to your traditions and I would like to learn them."

Jane stared blankly at Maura. "Right… well, actually that just about sums it up!"

Maura perked up, her face brightening. "Really?"

Jane winced internally. Great, now she regretted teasing her. She didn't want to let her down but… she knows how much Maura hates being lied to. "No." She said bluntly.

"Oh." Maura deflated.

"Okay, you know what?" Jane placed her other hand on the other shoulder of the doctor. "You're leaving with me today… I need to take you somewhere."

Maura tilted her head, much like a dog does when it hears an unfamiliar sound. "Where?"

Jane leaned in, her mouth inches from Maura's ear. "It's a surprise." She whispered. When she pulled back she was met with a skeptical look. "What? Don't you trust me?"

Maura's look changed to something that Jane couldn't pinpoint. "With my life."

Maura's tone was serious. And oddly passionate. Jane wasn't sure what to make of it so she just nodded slowly before stepping back. "Right… well I'll let you get back to him," She pointed at the cadaver. "I'll be at my desk 'till you're ready to leave." She left the room.

Maura watched the fleeting figure of her best friend before she headed back to the table. She was distracted, as her mind was trying to think of the possible "surprises" Jane had in store for her tonight but, as always, she didn't let it affect the quality of her work.

XXXXX

"Ready?"

Jane looked up from her paperwork to a beaming Maura Isles. She took on an amused look. "Excited?"

"Yes." You could tell that she was trying not to bounce up and down.

Jane just laughed. "Okay. Just let me finish this report."

Maura frowned at this. She didn't want to wait much longer for the "surprise".

A few minutes ticked by and Maura found herself tapping her foot in impatience. She looked around for something to pass the time and almost resorted to reading the book of rules and regulations of Boston when Jane put her pen down just in time.

"Alright, let's go!"

XXXXX

"This is your big surprise?" Maura asked reluctantly as she looked out of her window and saw families walking through a field of green with scattered dots of orange.

"What?" Jane looked over at Maura after she parked. "You said you wanted the full experience. This is step one." She got out of the car and headed over to a table near the front of the patch.

Maura sat there for a few moments before sighing and following her best friend.

"Jane! It's so nice to see you! I thought you said you couldn't make it this year." The woman behind the table stood up and met the detective on the other side, wrapping her in a hug.

Jane returned the hug. They pulled away. "Yeah, well…"

Maura showed up, practically gluing herself to Jane's side.

"Who's this?"

"The reason I'm here."

The woman face took on a look of unabashed glee. "Jane, that's so adorable! I'm happy for you." She looked over at Maura. "You're a real lucky lady."

"What?" Jane and Maura said at the same time.

"She… I…" Jane tried to find words but couldn't. She didn't really know what was going on.

"Jane is trying to show me Halloween." Maura said while Jane was still struggling with her words. "I didn't have much of a childhood growing up."

"Oh." The woman seemed confused. "Okay…" she said slowly. "So you two aren't…?" She pointed back and forth between them, trying to indicate her meaning with actions instead of words.

Neither of them understood.

The woman decided to forget about that and try again. "Hi! I'm Chelsea!" She thrust her hand forward, causing Maura to jump back at the sudden movement.

"Dr. Maura Isles." She shook the offered hand.

Chelsea was a little taken aback by the formality of the introduction but shrugged it off. "Anyway… I take it this is your first time at a pumpkin patch?"

"It is."

"We're happy to have you here." She turned to Jane. "Do you want to do the whole 'newbie tour' thing for her or…?"

Jane waved her off. "Nah, I think I can handle it. Besides, we can't spend too much time here if we want to finish the carvings tonight."

"Right, well," she returned to her seat behind the table, "have fun, girls!"

When they got a few feet into the field Maura asked: "How do you know her?"

"Rizzoli family tradition. I can't remember a year me, Frankie 'n Tommy weren't dragged down here." She had a wistful smile on her face as some fond memories entered her mind. She wished Tommy never started acting up. She really missed those times.

Maura glanced over at Jane, who looked like she was in another world. She found herself admiring the other girl. The way her ebony locks cascaded down, reaching the middle of her back. The way her skin looked so perfect in the fading sunlight. The way her lips were so… inviting.

Maura stopped walking.

A few steps later, Jane did too. She looked back, giving Maura a questioning look.

"Um…." Maura didn't know what to say.

A light bulb went off in the detective's head. "Oh, that's right. You don't know what we're lookin' for, do you?"

"I'm assuming a pumpkin."

"Not just any pumpkin. The perfect one. Or maybe two." Jane looked at all the oddly shaped orange spheres around them.

Maura joined her in the search. "How about this one?" She pointed to one that was slightly larger than the ones around it.

"No. It won't stand up right. You have to find one with a flat enough base so it will stay stable."

Maura tucked that piece of information away in her head and continued her search. "Is this one good?" She said a few minutes later.

Jane leaned down for closer inspection. Maura silently chastised herself when she realized she was admiring the woman beside her instead of the pumpkin. She turned around, trying to ignore the not wholly unwelcome feelings bubbling up inside her.

"Good!" Jane said. She smiled up at the M.E. but it turned to a frown when she was met with Maura's back. "Maura!" She barked the name when she didn't turn around the first time.

Said girl jumped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"I said it's good." She stood up, pumpkin in hand. "You okay?" Her concerned eyes searched the face in front of her for any signs.

"Um…. so…. are we good to go?"

Jane wanted to push it but she didn't want to carry a pumpkin and a passed out Maura if she attempted to lie her way out of this. "Just the one?" She held up the spherical squash to indicate what she was talking about.

"Do we need another?"

Jane considered it for a moment. "Nah, we can carve this one together." She headed back to the entrance. She stopped after a few feet when she didn't' feel the familiar presence beside her. "You coming?" She didn't even bother stopping because she immediately heard the sound of leaves crunching behind her, beneath designer boots.

"We'll take this one." The table shook a little as the round object was placed on the scale.

"Good choice!" Chelsea admired. "You've always had the best eye for these things, Jane."

Jane just smiled at the older woman.

"Are you two staying for the hay ride?" Chelsea asked as she took the money from the Rizzoli.

"No." Jane shook her head.

"A hay ride? That sounds like fun." Maura said, perkily.

"No, Maura!" She shot back forcefully.

"Please, Jane!"

Her resolve weakened when she felt Maura's hand on her shoulder and saw the pleading hazel orbits in front of her. She sighed. "Oh all right."

"We're gonna start loading up in a few minutes out back." Chelsea informed them.

After the two went to Jane's car to put their pumpkin in the backseat they made their way to the wagon on the other side of the only building in sight.

"You know, I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting there to actually be hay involved in a hay ride." Maura said as they got a closer look.

"Changing your mind?" Jane asked, hopeful.

"No." Maura smiled.

"Fine." Jane conceded. Since they were the first ones there they got first pick to the seats. Maura sat in the back right corner, so she had her back against the back and could still look over the side. Jane sat down next to her.

As more people showed up, the wagon got increasingly crowded, causing Jane and Maura to sit very closely. Their sides were pressed together and Maura found herself to be uncomfortable in two different ways. On her left side she was pressed up against rough, splintery wood. Her right side, however, was on fire. Every inch of that side was in contact with the other girl. Jane's left foot was crossed under her right and every time the wagon jostled, which was frequently, the detective's foot lightly brushed against her calf, sending shivers up her spine.

As things got bumpier, Jane instinctively wrapped an arm around Maura's waist protectively, pulling her in closer. Maura inhaled sharply as Jane's hand touched her cloth covered stomach. She had to fight to stay in control as the ride went on, since Jane's fingers unconsciously drew patterns in the silky fabric of her blouse.

Minutes passed and Maura tried to will the horse to stop. She found herself having to close her eyes frequently, to try and shut away the urges upwelling often unexpectedly, most of them involving pressing her lips to the one's not too far away.

Her prayers were answered when, not two seconds later, the wagon came to a stop. As they were in the back, they were one of the last to get off. When it was their turn, Jane leaped off before offering her hand to the M.E., who took it and carefully stepped down.

"So? What'd you think?" Jane asked, bumping her shoulder into Maura's.

"It was… an experience." Maura answered nervously. She stepped a bit to the side as they were walking to try and distance herself from the detective.

Jane just glanced at her curiously. She closed the gap that developed between them but Maura widened it again. Jane frowned, and then made her way to the driver's side of the car. The ride back was in silence.

XXXXX

The door to Jane's apartment opened. Joe Friday barked in greeting before jumping down from the couch and making her way towards the two. She jumped up at Jane first but soon realized her owner had her hands full. She went to Maura instead.

"Hi Joe!" Maura bent down to ruffle the small dog's fur.

Jane put the heavy fruit – or was it a vegetable? – on the counter. She watched her best friend interact with her furry best friend and smiled. She loved moments like this. She couldn't explain what it was about it. It was just… comfortable.

Maura looked up and saw Jane's stare. "What?"

Jane looked away. "Nothing! I just – " She reached for a knife. "Ready to carve this bad boy?"

Maura giggled at Jane and joined her at the counter. "What do we do first?"

"We take out the seeds." She plunged the knife into the top of the gourd and then turned to Maura. "Actually, you might be better at this part than me."

Maura looked at her curiously, wanting to know the reasoning behind that statement.

Jane saw her look. "It's a lot like an autopsy. You just pull out the guts of the pumpkin!"

Maura gave her a look of disbelief but took the knife and deftly cut a circle around the top of it, as per Jane's instructions. She was unsure of going right to it as Jane told her but, after the first few handfuls of orange goo, she nimbly extracted the rest, as if this was her hundredth pumpkin.

Jane watched in astonishment from across the counter as Maura expertly cut away at some stubborn strands of gunk. "You sure this is your first time?" She teased.

"What?" Maura looked up, surprised. "Ow!" She yelped, and glanced down. She stared, unbelieving. This was the first time she cut herself since med school. And even then it wasn't really her fault.

"Oh my god, oh my god. You're bleeding!" Jane became frantic and darted around the room, searching for a towel.

"Jane, it's fine!" She tried to calm her nerves but the other girl was too frenzied.

"God, you didn't chop it off did you?" She reached for a hand towel off the counter.

"It's just a nick." Maura held her hand up, attempting to convince the other woman that it wasn't that bad.

"You sure?" Jane leaned in and saw it was no worse than a paper cut. She sighed in relief. "Guess you won't be needing this then." She said, holding up the towel.

"Yes, Jane, I'm sure." She said, eyeing the towel warily. "And I'm pretty sure that would do more harm than good."

Jane's head slunk down. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."

"Well… thank you." Maura smiled genuinely, even if she was this close to getting a horrible infection. "What do we do now?"

"Wash it off and get a band-aid?"

"I meant about the pumpkin."

"Right…well… um, why don't you wash that off – band-aids are in the bathroom – and I'll set up in here."

Maura did as she was told and came back to an array of items strewn about the counter. "What's all this?"

Jane looked up from examining the pumpkin. "Well… in order to properly carve a pumpkin, we need the right tools."

"A potato peeler?" Maura picked up the object in question.

"It's perfect for scooping out a stubborn piece." She explained. "Just trust me on this."

"Okay…" She took another look at the counter. "I just find it hard to believe that you need more tools to carve a pumpkin than I do to perform an autopsy."

Jane laughed. "I hardly ever use all of it. Most of these are 'just in case'." She picked up a knife, a smaller version of the one they used earlier. "Come here."

Maura did, albeit hesitantly.

Jane handed her the knife.

"You want me to do it?"

"You wanted me to teach you, so I'll teach you."

"But what if I mess up? You only bought one."

"You know, it's funny that you're stressing over a pumpkin when you cut into dead people every day," she mused.

"Yeah, well… I've had practice."

"Look, it's no big deal. If you mess up, we'll get another one." She offered the knife again.

Maura took it. She stood in front of the pumpkin, staring at its intimidating orange skin. She glanced back and saw that Jane was uncomfortably close.

They stood in silence for a second before Jane spoke up. "So what we do is basically carve something, like a face or a cat or something, and we'll put a candle in it so it glows."

Maura's face indicated her confusion.

"Here! I'll show you." She said, leaving the room.

Maura let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't completely sure what was going on with her. Ever since the hay ride she's been on edge around Jane. She didn't like it.

Jane appeared a few minutes later, laptop in hand. Images of Jack-O-Lanterns filled the screen.

Maura's eyes got wide. "We're supposed to turn this," she pointed at the pumpkin, "into this?" She pointed at the computer.

"That's the plan." Jane glanced down at the computer again. "Though most of these are pretty complex. We're mostly going for something like this." She pointed to an image of a traditional carving, with triangle eyes and nose and a simple mouth.

Maura nodded and studied the images on the screen before pressing the blade against the pumpkin. It went though easily and cleanly and soon Maura was expertly removing chunks.

It only took a few minutes for an image to be visible. Jane stood behind her, awestruck at the talent Maura possessed. She knew she was good with a knife and all but, still, it was her first time.

"Skewer." Maura put her hand out and expected one to be placed there. When there wasn't she looked up to a bemused face.

"What do I look like, a nurse?" Jane laughed and handed Maura the skewer anyway.

Not ten minutes longer and she was done. They looked down at a realistic skull staring back at them from the depths of the pumpkin skin.

"Wow." That was all Jane could say.

"Is that a good wow or a bad wow?"

Jane just looked at her incredulously. "A good wow. I just wish I had a porch or something so I could display it. I can't put it out in the hallway…"

"Don't your parents have a porch?" Maura suggested.

"Great idea Maura!" Jane went in for a hug.

Maura backed away.

She tried to take a step towards the M.E., but it was like they were magnets with the same charge. "What? Do I smell?" Jane asked.

"What? Of course not!"

"Then why are you so intent on staying at least five feet away from me?"

"I'm not." Maura insisted.

"Okay, two feet." Jane corrected her over exaggeration. "But seriously. What's up?" She was starting to get worried about her friend. It was unlike her to act like this.

"I… I just want my space. That's all."

"That it? There's nothing else?" She prodded.

"Uh…" Maura's voice was high, showing strain. She was debating whether or not she was willing to pass out just this once when a knock on the door saved her from making that choice.

Jane took one last glance to the doctor before she went to the door. It was Marisa.

"Hey!" Jane greeted.

"Oh, I didn't realize – " She pointed to Maura, indicating that she didn't expect Jane to have company over.

Jane waved her off. "Nah, it's okay, we were just… what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come down for dinner. I made extra and I'd be nice to have some company."

Jane turned around. "Maura?"

While she was hungry, she was more grateful for the distraction from the previous topic. She nodded her head eagerly.

"Yeah! Sound's good!" Jane stepped out into the hall, waiting for Maura to join them before she closed the door.

XXXXX

"You have a lovely apartment, Marisa." Maura complimented.

"Thank you!" She smiled and directed them to the table before heading over to the kitchen. She brought out bowls of pasta for each of them before sitting down. They all dug in and expressed their favorable opinions of the food.

"So what are your plans for Halloween?" Marisa asked her guests.

"Me and Maura are goin' to my parents house." Jane answered for them.

"Oh, that's nice." She eyed the two of them, questions entering her mind. "I'm just staying in with a friend. Horror movies are made for Halloween."

Jane nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was thinking about doing that tomorrow. I'm showing Maura the whole Halloween experience because she never got to do any of this stuff before."

"Never?" Marisa was surprised. "That's a shame."

"Yeah, well, no one better to share my first Halloween with than Jane." Maura looked over at her in adoration.

This look, seemingly, answered a few questions Marisa had and made her feel less hesitant about asking some more. "So how long have you two been together? I mean, I see you over here a lot." She said, looking at Maura.

The two were confused.

"Well… we, uh… met a little while ago. At work. And just started hanging out." Jane's tone indicated that she didn't quite understand the question.

"No, I meant, um… how long have you been dating?" Marisa had no idea that her question was off the mark.

"What? You mean each other?" Jane finally understood what was going on. Maura, on the other hand, was beginning to regret coming.

"Yeah, why? Was I wrong?" She was confused. She was usually never wrong about these kinds of things.

"We're not together." Jane said, pointing in between her and Maura to further emphasize the point.

"Oh." Marisa looked dejected after hearing that. "Sorry… I just thought…"

"It's no big deal. You're not the first." Jane said, recalling what happened earlier with Chelsea.

That didn't surprise her. They acted like they were a couple. She could have sworn she saw some glimmers of love or something in Maura's eyes earlier.

After the slight awkwardness of that topic lifted, they enjoyed a pleasant conversation which mostly consisted of how things at their respective workplaces were going.

"Dinner was great, Marisa, thanks." Jane said when they were finally done eating and outside Marisa's door.

"No problem. We should do this more often." She turned to Maura. "And it was so nice to finally meet you, Maura."

"Likewise."Maura shook Marisa's offered hand.

When the door was shut they walked away. In different directions.

"Where are you going?" Jane asked when she felt the absence of Maura.

"Home?" She said on the other side of the hallway.

"Your car's at work, remember?" She reminded her.

"Oh, yeah."

"You can just spend the night. It's not like you haven't fallen asleep over here before."

"No… I should probably go home. Bass hasn't eaten yet."

"So you're gonna make me drive you all that way for him?"

"I can call a cab." She held up her cell phone, already starting to dial.

"Maura." Jane warned. She knew that Bass was not the main issue here.

"He needs to eat." Maura insisted firmly.

"Fine." Jane conceded. "Go home to your turtle."

"Tortoise, Jane!"

Jane smiled. "I know."

"Then why do you-?"

"You're cute when you're angry." She teased.

Maura's face flushed and she turned around to keep Jane from seeing. "I'm leaving." She started to walk.

"Wait, Maura!" Jane started to run over to her friend who stopped when her name was called. "You coming over tomorrow?" She saw the light blush on the M.E.'s face but decided not to bring it up.

"Actually I thought I could shop for a costume tomorrow."

Jane's face lit up. "Cool! Can I come?"

"You hate clothes shopping." Maura pointed out, remembering the past failed attempts to shop with Jane.

"It's not clothes shopping. It's costume shopping." She said matter-of-factly.

"I kind of wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh… okay that's fine. Meet me for lunch?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow." Jane said. "I can take you home, you know. I was just kidding earlier. You don't have to call a cab."

"No, it's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow." Maura was insistent. She just wanted to get out of there so she could reevaluate today in peace. Maybe a nice cup of tea and some meditation will help.

Jane went in for a hug goodbye but Maura shrugged it off and headed for the exit. Jane stood there in the hallway, surprised at how much hurt she could feel from such a simple action. That was it, she told herself, tomorrow she was getting to the bottom of this. She wasn't a detective for nothing.