One shot. Wrote it by myself. Just something that was floating in my head. Nothing belongs to me. It's all Tess, TNT, and those other important people.

Jane Rizzoli had never fancied herself a lesbian. In fact, she had secretly thought about what her perfect husband would be like ever since she was old enough to know that there were differences between boys and girls.

If she were to admit it to herself somewhere besides very late at night while she was alone in her bed with only her thoughts and the left overs of bad sci-fi romance novels floating around in her head, she would have to say that the thought of kissing a girl was appealing.

Everyone wonders. Everyone has a moment where they think about what it would be like to kiss the same gender. Everyone wonders what it would be like to spend one night experimenting.

At least, Jane was pretty sure everyone did. She did. She had. But, she wasn't gay. She was just curious, like most women.

But, her curiosity had never extended further than a fleeting thought or an occasional dream until she befriended Maura Isles.

At first, it was just a mild curiosity. What kind of kisser was Maura? What did Maura wear to bed when no one was around? What did Maura wear to bed when someone was around? What did she feel like to hold? What did her lips taste like?

Jane's wandering mind had started to get bolder, and her dreams, when she had them as opposed to nightmares, were getting more graphic with the passage of times.

Maura was the type to touch as a way of reassuring, and she had no fear when it came to Jane. Unlike the others, the petite doctor was never intimidated either by Jane or Jane's reputation. Instead, the doctor was intrigued by the mysterious detective, and the challenge of keeping Maura at bay had just made Jane that much more fond of the other woman simply because she admired the persistence that Maura displayed.

When sleepovers started happening, Jane finally knew what it was like to hold Maura, and, when Maura wasn't there, Jane's arms ached for her, which frustrated the detective. Jane was not gay, so wanting to hold her best friend as she drifted off to sleep was weird.

It shouldn't be happening.

But it was.

Jane found that she looked for reasons to be in the same room as Maura. There was a growing checklist of them:

Maura's laugh made her laugh

Maura's rambling googlemouth was cute

Maura's touch was soothing

Maura's eyes were captivating

Maura's perfume made her feel warm inside

Maura's space made her feel safe

Maura's proximity made her feel safer

Maura's presence was enough to relieve the worst of stress

Maura's gentle bossiness helped her refocus

Maura's hands were memorizing to watch work

Maura's voice was incredible to listen to

The fact that needing to see the doctor to actually do work was nowhere to be found on her growing list did not go unnoticed by the detective, and the fact that the one reason that should be on there wasn't made her uneasy. So, she chose not to think about that.

She chose not to think about how much she thought about Maura when Maura wasn't around, how much she stared at Maura's body when she was sure no one would notice, how her arms ached to hold Maura, how her eyes often found their way to Maura's lips as her mind thought about how those kisses might taste, how her hands flexed with need at the sight of Maura half clothed, and how she was pretty sure that Maura flirted with her… and she flirted back.

She chose to ignore it all. She wasn't gay. She was not a lesbian. She was straight.

She had been straight all her life. A person doesn't just up and change how they are, in a fundamental sense, just because they're curious. That's not how these things worked.

But, trying to fall asleep next the object of her curiosity after almost a year of choosing not to think about things was impossible. Everything weighed heavily on her mind, and, try as she might to stop it, she tossed and turned on her side of the bed with unspoken frustration.

She couldn't stop the fidgeting… or the ache… or the need …or the want…

She couldn't stop any of it, and, as she rolled over on her side to face the other woman, she couldn't stop the gasp of surprise at seeing hazel eyes intently watching her.

With a grunt and look of apology, she started to roll over, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Jane waited, wondering what Maura was up to.

Silently, Maura rolled onto her back, pulling Jane toward her and guiding her to settle against the petite woman. Small but strong arms wrapped around Jane as the detective settled against her friend, but the feel of Maura's body beneath hers and the smell that was uniquely Maura was too much.

Jane tried to pull away.

Maura refused to let her.

Dark brown eyes flashed with anger fueled by frustration. She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced with a kiss.

Surprise. Confusion. Fear. …Relief.

This is what Maura's kisses tasted like. This is how it felt to be in her arms. This was what it was like to be the singular focus of the other woman's attentions.

"Now that you know," Maura quietly said as the kiss broke, "you can stop wondering, and we can go to sleep. We haven't slept in almost 24 hours, Jane. We both need to rest, and then we can talk about this."

"How did you…"

"You talk in your sleep. Your dreams are becoming more graphic, but I am pleased to hear you think so highly of my skills even if you haven't experienced them yourself," with a smirk, Maura added, "yet."

Jane's body tensed, her mind a sea of various emotions, some unfamiliar and some familiar despite herself. "Maura, I can't help what I dream. You can't just assume…"

"I'm not assuming. I have a great deal of empirical evidence to base my hypothesis on." Maura nodded to herself, shifting to pull Jane back down against her. "I'll happily give you the list tomorrow, after we've slept."

"Okay, first of all," Jane started as she settled against Maura, "stop picking up my habits. Interrupting people is my shtick. Second of all, I don't think I appreciate how smug you are about all of this. Third of all, just because I'm curious doesn't make me gay, Maura."

"I never said you were."

"I… but you… and the kiss… you're frustrating. Do you know that?"

"So you have told me," Maura turned her head to nuzzle her nose through Jane's hair. "I've always liked your shampoo and how it smells on you."

Jane grunted, allowing herself to enjoy the intimate feel of Maura's touch before asking the question she really had to ask. "So, really vivid dreams?"

"Oh yes, with a great deal of commentary."

"Graphic commentary?"

"Lately, yes."

"Even when I'm sleeping at my desk at work?"

"Let's just say that the pool going to see how long it will take for us to become an official couple has gained strength in numbers recently."

"Crap." Jane sighed, giving in. "Tomorrow we'll talk about this?"

"Yes. Do you think you can go to sleep now?" The tips of Maura's fingers began to gently run through Jane's wild hair. "Are you ready to try?"

Jane stretched her arm, reaching for Maura's free hand. She captured it with her own, intertwining their fingers and settling them on Maura's stomach. "No, but I'm going to try anyway."

"That's all I ask."

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