Hearts on the Shopping Block Part 1
Jane Rizzoli should have been seriously questioning just why she was traipsing through New York's elite fashion district on a Saturday, when she could so easily have been lying on her couch back in Boston preparing to watch a game.
Given her choice this wasn't how she would have spent her day. With a quiet sigh, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the reason she was here, her best friend Maura Isles.
She was here because Maura had asked her to come and Jane had to admit that when it came to Maura, well there wasn't much she wouldn't do. Including trudge through high end boutiques looking at clothes and shoes she couldn't dream of affording.
Maura on the other hand not only could afford them, she had the looks and figure to wear just about anything well. She was also a well-known and very welcome face at a number of boutiques they'd visited so far, as attested to by the pile of bags that Jane was helping Maura carry.
"More dresses Maura? Haven't you got enough already, I swear you keep several fashion labels profitable all on your own" Jane got a cheerful smile in return.
"Now Jane you know that's not true. I buy classic pieces, rather than following trends too slavishly. I buy from stores that stock timeless styles and I only buy what I need"
"Really Maur? Only what you need? Then how come we already have four new evening gowns here?"
"I do need them Jane; I have three charity functions in New York and two in Boston to attend, all on behalf of the Isle's Foundation, as you well know, as you've already agreed to attend the Boston ones with me. I do need one more. You really should consider letting me get you something more appropriate for you to wear as well"
"What's wrong with how I dress?" Maura smiled gently.
"Nothing Jane, your slacks and jackets suit you well at work, but for formal functions I think you should dress a little more feminine, you are quite a striking woman, despite your best attempts to hide it"
"There's a reason for that, I can't chase down suspects dressed in heels and dresses, it's hardly practical" Maura sighed, this was a long-running bone of contention between the two friends.
"Yes, but your hardly going to be required to do your 'gumshoe thing' at a charity reception now are you?"
Before Jane could reply, Maura smiled.
"Here we are" A discreet shopfront featuring a number of what even Jane's inexperienced eyes could tell were high end evening gowns stood before them. The place screamed discreet, exclusive and expensive.
Holding the door for her friend, Jane got an adorable smile in return, watching as Maura was welcomed with enthusiasm by the manager, a well presented woman in her fifties.
"I'm sorry I wasn't aware that you were visiting us Ms Isles, if I'd known I would have booked the dressing and viewing rooms for your exclusive use. I have another good customer using them"
"Oh that's fine Julia, I can wait, or we can share if your other customer doesn't mind"
"Let me find out Ms Isles, thank you for being so understanding" She disappeared into another room as they looked around the shop.
"I do hope they can accommodate us Jane, Julia has some wonderful designs, I've been coming here for years"
Julia breezed through the door, a smile on her face.
"Good news, Ms Cabot is happy to share" Maura smiled as they were led through a corridor and into a viewing room. It was dominated by a short runway, perfect for small scale fashion shows. There were a few comfortable chairs set along one side, one of which was occupied by an attractive, short haired brunette in slacks, a shirt and a leather jacket, Jane approved of her attire, both comfortable and practical.
"Ms Isles, this is Ms Benson, a friend of Ms Cabot. Ms Benson, this is Ms Isles and her friend…" The manager trailed off.
"Jane Rizzoli" The woman nodded from where she was sitting, before her expression sharpened and she stood.
"Olivia Benson" She stared at Jane for a moment, before relaxing. "Sorry, you bear an uncanny resemblance to a woman I used to work with, a prosecutor named Abbie Carmichael" Jane shrugged, the woman was direct.
"Well, I sorta work in the field, not a lawyer, police" Olivia looked at her, taking in the slacks, shirt, jacket and practical boots.
"Same here, sorry, I don't recognise you. Which section of the NYPD you in?" Jane smiled.
"I'm not, Boston PD, Homicide, what about you?" She shrugged.
"SVU" Jane nodded, that was a hard division, way too easy to burn out. In some respects Homicide was easier, the victims were dead. In SVU the victims were often still alive, but the aftermath of the experience left them dead inside. At a slight cough Jane suddenly remembered her manners.
"Oh sorry, this is Maura Isles; she's our ME, Maura, Detective…" She got a nod. "Detective Olivia Benson, NYPD" Maura smiled, she worked with Boston's SVU and appreciated the heartbreaking nature of the crimes they dealt with.
"Lovely to meet you, may I call you Olivia? At a nod she smiled and held her hand out, which the other woman shook. "Please call me Maura" They stood there for a second, before the manager, Julia, returned with a shop assistant.
"Sorry to interrupt ladies, this is Carolyn, she'll be assisting you this afternoon Ms Isles. Now what exactly were you looking for?" Maura turned to face them, leaving Olivia and Jane to share a look before they both sat.
"I have a function at the end of the month here in New York, the Governor's Charity Dinner, and I need a gown" Maura was interrupted by a clear female voice.
"You can have anything in the store for that night, just not this one" Looking up, Maura saw a slim and strikingly attractive blonde with piercing blue eyes behind square rimmed glasses wearing a sumptuous red cocktail dress.
"I beg your pardon?" The woman smiled.
"I have to attend the same function and I've decided that this is what I'm going to wear" Maura ran her eyes over the woman and decided that while she liked the dress, it wasn't worth making an issue of it.
"Oh, ok then, Carolyn, do you have something else that suits?" As the assistant hurried out the blonde walked up and smiled.
"I'm Liv's friend Alex Cabot, nice to meet you" Maura smiled, mimicking her.
"Jane's friend, Maura Isles" They smiled at each other for a moment, as Alex took the woman in. Beautiful and stylish, the pale blue Vera Wang she was wearing was the current season, as were the complimentary Jimmy Choo's. The women had both money and taste. While lots of people in New York had the former; the latter was in somewhat shorter supply.
"Are you also in law enforcement Ms Cabot?" Alex blinked.
"Please, call me Alex. Yes, I'm an ADA here in New York; I handle a lot of SVU cases with Liv and her team; and you?"
"Medical Examiner in Boston, I work with Jane and her team in Homicide" Both women re-evaluated the other. Behind the clothes and the money, both realised they were the same, working in the system to bring criminals to justice. Maura took in Alex with an appraising look.
"An attorney? You wouldn't happen to be of the New York Cabot's?" Alex nodded.
"The same; and you'd be from the Isles of Boston?" Maura smiled.
"Yes I am; I'm attending the Charity Dinner on behalf of the Isles Foundation"
"Ah, well it'll be nice to know someone else there who isn't going to spend the night kissing the Mayor's ass" Right then and there Maura decided she liked Alex.
"Well, I don't know the man and as I can't help his re-election I doubt that will change, so I hope we can spend some time together, help pass the time as it were" Alex smiled. It was nice to meet someone from their strata of society who wasn't a complete asshole.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that both of them spent their lives doing something meaningful, so many of the people she met at these functions were oxygen thieves; she had no time for them.
Smiling, she turned to look at Olivia and got her first good look at the women sitting next to her. Frowning she took a step closer, it looked like…
"Abbie…?" The woman stood up, she was older, carried herself with more confidence and if anything was even more strikingly handsome than Abbie Carmichael. She held her hand out.
"Nope, Maura's friend Jane Rizzoli, nice to meet you"
"Oh, nice to meet you as well Jane" Alex shook the proffered hand and they smiled for a second, before she turned to Olivia.
"So Liv, what do you think about this one for the Dinner?" One of the vast number of things thing she appreciated about Olivia was not only her willingness to come shopping with her, even though it wasn't the striking detective's favourite thing, but she always gave straight opinions about the clothes Alex wore.
Olivia looked her friend up and down and smiled.
"Team it with matching shoes and a clutch and you'll look great"
Alex twisted and turned back and forwards, swishing the dress around her legs.
"You think it's appropriate? Not too casual for a formal dinner?" Olivia ran her eyes up and down the beautiful woman in front of her, having a hard time reigning in her thoughts, which were about as inappropriate as they got for someone who was supposed to be Alex's best friend.
"No, you look fantastic Alex, you're perfect" 'Oh good one Benson, mind your tongue'.
Alex smiled, she trusted Liv's advice, she was the person she felt closest too, her best friend. 'And that's all she'll ever be' she sighed to herself.
"Then it's agreed. Now I only need two more for the other two events" She ignored Liv's eye roll with a smile as she turned towards the corridor leading to the dressing room, only to be halted by Maura's question.
"That wouldn't be the New York Art Gallery fundraiser and the Mayor's Gala for street kids?" Alex looked back at the honey blonde.
"Why yes I'm attending both" Maura smiled happily.
"Ah, then you'll probably be tired of tripping over me, as I have to attend both as well" They smiled at each other.
"Not at all, that makes it a far more attractive proposition, as the only person I wanted to take won't go with me. She apparently feels attending a Yankee's game takes precedence" There was a snort from Jane.
"Someone obviously has no taste" Both Alex and Olivia looked at Jane, questions in their eyes. Jane looked up and smiled. "I mean, the Yankee's? Please!" Olivia got a disgusted look on her face.
"Sox fan right?" At Jane's grin she shook her head. "There's no accounting for taste"
Maura just shook her head fondly at Jane and then looked to Alex who was gazing at Olivia with a smile.
"I believe we are about to see a refighting of the Yankee's – Sox war, so we might leave these two alone to settle their differences while we try on dresses" Alex laughed, looking at them both before mock scolding them with a waved finger.
"Just remember, you're both off duty, so no guns" With that both blondes turned and wandered down the runway into the corridor leading to the fitting room. The two brunettes were left to look after them as they left.
"How long you been friends with Maura?" Jane looked back at Olivia.
"Almost five years, best M.E. I've ever worked with, she's that good. What about you and Alex?" Olivia shrugged.
"Almost a decade really, on and off." She sighed. "It's a long story. Alex's a fine prosecutor, we couldn't have got half our convictions without her" Jane nodded.
"Same deal with Maura, we wouldn't have anything like our closure and conviction rate without her" Jane stretched in the chair. "So the Yankee's, really, you're tossing a night out with her for them?"
"Like you wouldn't if it was the Sox playing?"
"Hey, the Sox games are sacrosanct. Maura knows better than try and rope me in for anything when the Sox are playing in Boston. God knows, I do everything else she asks" Olivia just chuckled. 'Damn, sounds like me and Alex, the woman only has to smile at me and flash those big blue eyes at me over her glasses and I turn to mush'
"So she's got you whipped?" Jane's head swung round to face Olivia, ready to deny the charge, before seeing the look on Liv's face. It wasn't amused, more reflective.
"Yeah, suppose she has, you too?" Olivia threw a cautionary look up the corridor towards the dressing room before nodding.
"Can't say no to her, she just hits me with the baby blues and the 'please Liv's' and I crumble" Jane nodded.
"Maura gives me that pout and her smile and I'm helpless. It's pretty pathetic really" Nice to know I'm not the only one who's got it bad for their best friend' "Only friends?"
Now it was Olivia's turn to turn and stare; until she saw the soft, questioning look on the other detective's face. She nodded slowly.
"Yeah, just friends" Jane could pick up the regret in the other woman's voice; god knows she knew exactly what it was like. Olivia sighed.
"So Homicide eh, might as well swap some stories, I think we're going to be here for a while" Jane looked back up the empty corridor to the fitting area.
"You're probably right there. So how come you got into SVU, that's a hard gig"
Inside the fitting room the blondes were happily chatting, both realising that despite their differences in outlook and careers, they were more alike than they first thought.
They worked through a series of dress options, before Alex found herself wearing a emerald green evening gown, strapless and almost backless, it hugged her in all the right places and she felt herself falling in love with it right there and then.
Maura had on a dark crimson satin gown, one that hugged her curves and drew the eye to her hair.
"What do you think Alex?" The attorney turned, admiring the women's curves, they reminded her of Olivia's wonderful figure. Alex wished she had a figure that curvy, she was far more the slim athletic build.
"Nice, I think that would be a wonderful choice. Do you think this one works?" Maura nodded, admiring the lawyer's lovely long legs, something she envied.
"I think you look great, but I suggest we go and get our friend's opinions, otherwise I think they may feel neglected. Jane only comes along because I ask her to" Alex looked at her and laughed.
"You sure you're not talking about Liv, she's not really into the shopping thing either"
"They sound even more alike than I thought. Lead on Alex"
As they strode down the corridor they could hear the two brunettes exchanging war stories about cases, colleagues and criminals. Stopping at the entrance to the viewing room, Alex cleared her throat, getting both detectives attention.
With their eyes on her, she sauntered down the runway, enjoying the admiring looks both women gave her. 'Oh yes, this one's definitely a keeper'
Stopping at the end of the runway, she turned to watch Maura glide down towards them, graceful despite her five inch heels. Maura stepped up next to her and pirouetted on one heel, before coming to a halt with her hand on Alex's shoulder as she leaned into the other woman, both enjoying the looks Olivia and Jane gave them as they posed together
"So, do they get your approval?" Olivia was slightly faster.
"Sure do"
"Shit yeah" Maura shook her head in gentle reproof.
"Language Jane" Alex laughed.
"Well Maura, looks like these get the seal of approval, looks like we keep these"
Maura smiled at Jane while Alex spun slowly in front of Olivia's gaze. As she watched Olivia's eyes widened as she took in the smooth, bare back so beautifully displayed, moistening her lips with her tongue, before pulling herself back together.
"So, you like Liv?" Trying to act nonchalant, the woman nodded.
"Yeah, you look wonderful, you should definitely keep that one" Alex shone a happy smile on her friend before turning and striding back down the runway, as Olivia's eyes followed her, a range of emotions playing on her face, intriguing Maura. 'Curious, I wonder what the matter is'. Mentally shrugging Maura made a note to ask Alex, before smiling at Jane.
"You like this one?"
"It's nice Maur, really nice" At the compliment Maura smiled. Jane's approval was something she strove for. Something she sought. 'At least she can appreciate how I look, pity that's all'
Banishing such thoughts, easy given long practice, Maura smiled happily at her dark haired friend and turned, following Alex down the runway, before looking back over her shoulder to see both women watching her, Olivia with approval, while Jane had a different expression on her face, a little wistful.
Frowning at the image, Maura turned and continued walking back out to the fitting room.
Back in the fitting room, they slipped out of their gowns, each quietly admiring the other's figures. Hanging her gown back on its hanger, Maura turned to Alex.
"You and Olivia make a wonderful couple"
"Oh we're not together, we're just friends"
"Alex, surely you're joking"
"What do you mean?"
"You're not together? Oh dear, I'm sorry if I've assumed… it's just the way that Olivia looks at you…"
"What are you getting at Maura?"
"I'm sorry if I've offended you, I truly am"
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
"I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to cause offence, please, accept my apology and we'll let the subject drop"
"No we will not. What exactly did you mean, the way Olivia looks at me"
"Well…" The lawyer crossed her arms, completely forgetting they were both standing there in their underwear.
"I'm waiting"
"Alex, all I can say is that when Olivia looked at you in that dress, it was with a look of both longing and well, desire"
"Desire? Olivia?"
"Yes"
"You must be mistaken!"
"Alex, I can only report what I saw, Olivia saw you and she admired you as more than a friend"
"Oh my god, you're joking right?"
"No, I wish I was, but no. I'm just stating what I saw, nothing more"
"Olivia and…me?"
"Yes"
"It can't be, I mean she's not that way, she wouldn't…"
"As I stated, I can only report what I saw. That's why I assumed you were a couple"
There was silence in the room for a moment, Maura apprehensive she'd said something dreadful and caused offence, Alex as she considered what she'd been told.
"Maura, please, this is terribly important to me, tell me exactly, exactly what you saw in there"
"You turned away from Olivia, to let her see the back of your dress, I watched Olivia moisten her lips with her tongue, then catch herself as you turned back to her, at which point she told you that you looked wonderful in it. You smiled and turned to walk back out here. It was at that point that Olivia ran her eyes over you and the look I saw on her face was a combination of desire, longing and sadness" Hazel eyes met blue as tears began to form in the blue.
"Oh dear, Alex, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Alex let herself slump back on the bench, her mind struggling to grasp the concept, 'Olivia wanted her, she wanted her'.
She looked up as she felt her hands wrapped in the other woman's as she knelt in front of Alex.
"Alex, I'm so sorry, I really need to learn to be more tactful. Should I get Olivia in here for you" Maura went to stand.
"No!" Realising how panicked that sounded, Alex tried again. "Please, no, don't. Just sit with me for a moment" Maura smiled a little uncertainly, before rising from the floor to take a seat beside the other woman, still holding one of Alex's hands in hers. For a moment there was silence before a wondering Alex sought reassurance.
"You're sure that's what you saw? Honestly?"
"That's exactly what I saw. I take it this was something you were not aware of?" The answer was almost a sob.
"God no, I had no idea" Maura considered the woman's reactions, trying to fit the evidence into her still incomplete understanding of emotions; it was still something she was getting used to. Her next question was tentative.
"Is it something you wanted?" Alex laughed, a bit hysterically in Maura's professional opinion, probably a stress relief.
"More than anything, I've wanted her more than you could imagine, for years"
"Then why have you not said anything to her? Olivia cares for you deeply and you have just told me it's what you desire"
"Because I was too afraid that she wouldn't want it, that she was just my best friend, nothing more. I couldn't risk that, she's my best friend" Maura felt a clutch in the pit of her stomach, Alex's words hitting too close to home. Jane.
Jane, her best friend, the woman she loved more than anything she'd ever loved in her life, the woman she needed in her life, the one who had made her whole, helped her experience all of life's happiness and joy, the one she wanted. Jane was her best friend, the one relationship that Maura wasn't going to jeopardise, no matter how much it hurt to deny her love for the detective.
"I understand. I honestly do, more than you perhaps realise" Alex looked up, her prosecutor's ear picking up the sincerity in Maura's voice, putting two and two together.
"You and Jane?" Maura nodded slowly. "Why not?"
"Because I considered the likelihood that telling her how I really feel might place our friendship at risk and that is a chance I will not take"
"So Jane isn't interested?"
"Jane has never expressed any interest in a relationship with a woman, so I was forced to accept that we will never be more than the best of friends" Alex thought about the gentle teasing, the looks they shared, the closeness both women so obviously had, how much they reminded her of the playful relationship she shared with Liv.
"Are you absolutely sure Maura?" Maura frowned at her.
"What do you mean Alexandra?"
"I could have sworn that there was nothing between Liv and I until you spotted it, I thought we were just really close friends. When I listened to you and Jane together out there, it sounded so much like how we interact that it was almost scary" Alex turned to look the honey blonde woman in the eye. "Are you absolutely, utterly sure Jane isn't interested in you"
Maura paused, the automatic denial dying in the face of the other woman's words. She cast her mind over so many things, scenes flashing through her mind.
Jane there whenever Maura needed her, comforting her after Ian left, holding her through the night's screams and nightmares after they were both attacked by Charles Hoyt, telling her that her kidney was Maura's for the asking, the touches, the hugs, the smiles, the late night conversations, the long looks, together doing everything that Maura loved and Jane professed to hate, simply because Maura asked, putting her life on the line to protect Maura time and again, the sleepovers, the innumerable times that they were there for each other, no questions asked, no matter what.
All this and more flitted through her mind, all of which she'd put down to being best friends. What if it wasn't, what if it was more. Finally she reluctantly spoke, her words slow and wondering.
"No, not absolutely" Alex looked at her, seeing the wonder in her hazel eyes, before speaking softly.
"Do you want more?" Maura slipped her tongue out, moistening suddenly dry lips, the silence stretching out, before she gently spoke in a soft voice.
"Yes"
The women sat there for a few minutes, both dealing with the raw emotions coursing through them, before Alex sat up.
"There's one way we can find out, find out for sure" Maura looked up, focussing on the striking blonde's words.
"How?" Alex's grin was quick and wicked.
"The same way you found about Olivia" Maura felt uneasy.
"I'm not totally happy with this Alexandra; I don't want to make Jane uncomfortable"
"Trust me, just run with it"
Several minutes later Alex walked out onto the runway in the display area, wearing a black evening dress that emphasised her legs, finding both women sitting together talking quietly. Catching their attention, Alex smiled.
"Seeing that you thought that dress looked good on me Liv, we've decided to try an experiment" Olivia smiled at her, her eyes flicking over the dress before lingering on the split in the dress exposing her legs, starting a warmth deep within Alex as she contemplated her friend in a whole new light. Olivia's warm brown eyes suddenly flicked back up to meet Alex's blue ones.
"What kind of experiment?" Alex smiled happily back at her before turning to the intense looking Italian.
"Maura was wondering if it would look as good on her. Jane, what do you think?"
As she spoke, Maura swept out onto the runway, wearing the same dress Alex had just stripped out of. Maura's higher heels made up for Alex's extra height, but there was no denying that Maura's fuller curves made the dress a lot tighter than it had been when Alex had worn it.
Alex had to admit she liked the dress; it made her look and feel stunning, classic and beautiful, on Maura's wonderful curves however it transformed, she looked like irresistible temptation wrapped in satin and silk, an indulgent pleasure waiting to be unwrapped.
Alex was watching Jane like a hawk, so she didn't miss the sharp intake of breath or the sudden widening of Jane's eyes as she took in her friend before the detective got herself under control. 'Well, well, well, isn't that interesting'.
Maura strolled up and down the runway, all controlled poise and grace, before stopping and twirling in front of Jane, smiling at her friend.
"So Jane, do you think it looks good on me?" Jane nodded slowly, her eyes partly closed.
"Yeah Maur, I think you look great. Probably wasted at a charity event though" Maura looked over her shoulder at Jane, her eyes all wide eyed innocence, as she exposed her bare back all the way down to the swell of her ass.
"Oh why? I thought it suited me" Jane surreptitiously swallowed before answering, as her eyes took in the bare back. Alex smiled to herself, 'Oh yeah, she's got it real bad'.
"Oh it does, but probably too…um, sexy for a charity function" Jane looked her friend up and down and smiled. "Can't have you scandalising the cream of Boston society, it might be bad for your reputation" Maura smiled, slow and seductive as she stepped down from the runway and close into Jane's personal space, her voice a purr.
"You say that like it's a bad thing Jane. Everyone should be a scandal, at least once"
With that, she turned and slowly sashayed back into the dressing room, her hips swaying seductively. Alex smiled; Maura had put on a hell of a show, one that Jane was still recovering from.
As she watched, Jane's eyes swept up and down Maura's body, slow and hungry, the desire naked in her eyes, before she realised she was being watched, her eyes flicking up to Alex's before she flushed crimson and turned away. 'Gotcha'
Spinning to face Olivia, Alex went to say something when she caught a similar look of longing, immediately suppressed. If she hadn't been attuned to it, she was sure she would have missed it. Maura was right; Olivia's eyes had been lingering on her legs where they were visible through the split in her gown. With difficulty Alex held a shit eating grin in. 'Gotcha too'
"So Liv, do you think I look good in this?" She spun in place, letting Liv feast her eyes on her curves, the cut outs at the waist and over her cleavage emphasising her figure, before coming to rest with one leg thrust out to one side through the split, drawing Olivia's admiring gaze.
"It's great Alex, you look…amazing. You should wear that, yeah" Acting on impulse Alex decided to seize the moment, leaning in to kiss Olivia on the cheek, bringing a flush to her unsuspecting victim's cheeks.
"Wonderful, I love shopping with you, I always get honest opinions" With that she turned and strolled slowly back towards the corridor leading to the dressing room, adding a little extra sway to her hips, sure that Liv was watching.
As Alex disappeared through the door, Olivia suddenly remembered to breath, slowly sinking back into her chair before looking at Jane, who was staring at her hands.
"Oh shit" Jane nodded.
"We've got it bad, don't you dare try and deny it" Olivia sighed.
"Yeah, we have" They locked eyes. "So what now?" Jane shrugged.
"We do what we've always done, bury it deep and be their friends" Olivia groaned.
"Easier said than done" She got a nod in return.
"Especially when they dress like that" Olivia nodded slowly.
"Fuck yeah" There was silence in the room for a while after that.
Back in the dressing room, Maura and Alex were staring at each other, eyes wide in shock and excitement, as they struggled to keep their voices down as they compared notes.
"Oh my god"
"You were right, Liv wants me"
"Jane wants me, she really wants me"
"Oh god"
Before they knew it both women were in each other's arms, bouncing up and down, exchanging frantic hugs as tears of joy ran down their cheeks. Finally they subsided enough to pull themselves together. Maura spoke first.
"Now we know, what do we do now?"
"Damned if I know, but we have to do something"
"Agreed; Alex, we need a plan"
"We need some time to plan" Maura nodded.
"I have an idea" With that she strode back out and stood in the corridor leading to the viewing room. "Jane, Olivia, do you have a moment?" Jane's voice floated back as both women appeared in view at the far end of the viewing room's runway.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Alex and I will need some time here. Why don't you and Olivia get some lunch and meet us back here, say in an hour?"
"You sure? You haven't had lunch" Maura smiled at their equally concerned faces. They really were more alike than they realised, both were wonderful, beautiful and adorable.
"We will be fine" Olivia looked a little concerned.
"Should we bring you back anything?" Maura turned back to where Alex was standing, listening. The other blonde shook her head.
"No, we are both fine thank you. We will see you both in an hour"
Both detectives nodded a trifle dubiously, before they turned and headed for the exit. Maura quickly turned and made her way back to Alex.
"That gained us an hour. What do we do with it?" Alex looked at the other woman.
"What do we want?" Maura swallowed, before nodding conclusively.
"I want Jane, the way she wants me, I want her" Alex nodded.
"I want Olivia so bad I can taste it. I've wanted her for years, I need her" Both women looked at each other for a moment. Finally Alex spoke. "We need to get them into a position where we can manoeuvre them into having to acknowledge how they feel openly" Maura nodded.
"Both of them are so used to hiding and denying their feelings, we have to get them out of their comfort zones" Alex looked speculatively at Maura.
"What are the things they least comfortable with, what works to our advantage?" Maura smiled at her co-conspirator.
"Jane tries to downplay her looks as part of her job, but she really is quite striking. I've occasionally coaxed her into a dress and heels and she looks breathtaking, even though she gets quite embarrassed at all the attention she attracts" Alex nodded slowly.
"It's the same with Olivia, she's not really comfortable with being very feminine, her job doesn't really allow that, but when she does get dressed to the nines, it's so worth it. I love seeing her in a beautiful dress, even if it was just sweet torture seeing her get hit on by both men and women" Maura nodded.
"Yes, we just need an excuse to get them dressed up" Alex smiled as a thought came to her.
"Oh I think a dinner at a really nice restaurant will do it. How about a private dining room at 11 Madison Park, it's a Michelin rated restaurant that does contemporary food, it's really good" Maura smiled, before a thought came to her, making her frown.
"It sounds wonderful Alex, but how will we get a reservation on such short notice?" Alex smiled.
"Maura, you're an Isles, I'm a Cabot, are we really going to let a maître d' stand between us and what we really, really want?" Maura laughed easily.
"When you put it like that…" Alex joined in the laughter, pulling out her cell phone.
"This is going to be so good" Maura nodded.
"I can't wait"