When Detective Rizzoli pushed open the door that led into the morgue she was met with a gust of cool air and she fought the urge to shiver. No matter how many times a day she entered the Doctor's domain she could never fully prepare herself for the sudden drop in temperature. It often made her wonder how Maura could parade around all day in skirts and dresses when it was cold enough that if she had been a man, her balls would have become goddamn ovaries.

Shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her dark slacks, Jane carefully stepped inside the morgue so as not disturb Maura's work. She watched from the safety of the sink area as Maura continued to stare down into the gaping incision she had recently made in the cadaver's chest. This was a rare sight. It was not often that Maura could be found daydreaming on the job. Indeed, Jane couldn't recall the last time she had ever found Doctor Isles directing less than one hundred per cent of her concentration upon whatever task she was conducting.

Maura's brow was slightly furrowed, and her hair had been tucked under a scrub cap to prevent cross contamination. A lock of her reddish blonde hair had escaped the confines of the plastic cover and had curled around loosely around her left ear. Jane wrestled with an inexplicable urge to hurry across the room and tuck it back under the cap, as if to prove to Maura that she understood the high standards she upheld, that Jane was capable of comprehending the logistics of an autopsy, that she respected everything Maura's occupation entailed just from that tiny gesture.

The Doctor's face was partially shielded by a pair of wide, blue rimmed goggles, but Jane was convinced that if she were able to look in her best friend's eyes at that precise moment she would find it to be vacant, void of expression. The thought disturbed her a little, she didn't like the fact Maura was yet to notice her presence. Nothing escaped the attention of Doctor Isles, it was common knowledge. She might find it difficult on occasion to follow some conversational topics, but she was an incredibly intelligent, observant woman, and Jane felt a flicker of unease at the flat, unexpressive planes of Maura's usually vibrant face.

Unable to come up with something to convey the concern she was experience, most likely without probable cause, Jane backed up against the sink and announced, "Doctor Isles! Slacking on the job! I'm horrified," in her best attempt at a school teacher's scolding tone.

Detective Jane Rizzoli's highly unique, rather raspy voice alerted Maura to her arrival in the morgue, however, at that particular point she had been gazing into the chest cavity of the deceased male specimen on her table for the last ten minutes or so, and she came close to dropping her scalpel when Jane startled her so. Maura stepped back a little, her hand hovering somewhere above her heart as Jane looked on smugly from her position by the sink. "Jane! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, especially when they're engaged in a delicate procedure such as this!"

Jane snorted, gesturing vaguely at the gunshot wound in the man's forehead, "C'mon Maur, the guy's not gonna get anymore dead, it's not like I interrupted life saving heart surgery here is it?" Doctor Isles narrowed her eyes at her best friend, who was gazing back at her, wide eyed and innocent.

"Remind me why I agreed to allow you in my morgue whenever you pleased?" Maura muttered darkly under her breath as she returned her attention to the body lying on her steel table. This man's death had been billed as a suicide from the moment the assistant Coroner arrived on scene, but Doctor Isles had insisted on conducting a full autopsy, not satisfied even with a preliminary examination. Detective Rizzoli had quietly mentioned that she sensed the scene might have been staged. A gun lying just a little too close to the dead man's hand, a blood pattern that didn't seem to quite match the predicted trajectory of the bullet, no suicide note to be found and an elderly neighbor who swore blind that she heard raised voices the night before. Too many things just didn't add up, and Jane wanted confirmation as to whether or not she had a homicide on her hands, or simply a whole load of coincidences.

Jane shrugged, pulling her blazer a little tighter around her shoulders as she watched Maura's hands move with practiced, controlled ease.

"You found you missed my sparkling wit and amazingly accurate hypothesis," Rizzoli suggested helpfully, quirking one side of her mouth into a grin even though Maura wasn't looking at her. Jane sighed and then admitted, "You got sick of me constantly calling down here to check if my results were ready."

Doctor Isles nodded, "Indeed, you are here at my behest Detective Rizzoli, do not force me to banish you back upstairs whilst I deal with this in peace." Her tone was sharp, but there was an unmistakable note of humor in her voice that Jane immediately recognized.

Jane gasped, "No way Maura, Korsak and Frost are eating donuts right now and you know what a sight that is," she broke off, shaking her head as though warding off unpleasant images.

Maura pointed her scalpel at Jane and smirked, "Well I suggest you quiet down Detective, or I'll have Susie escort you out," she said, eyes twinkling. By this stage, Doctor Isles' expression had brightened considerably and she seemed more like her usual self. Jane still couldn't blink away the image of Maura standing there, looming over the dead body before her, with the kind of vacant stare mostly reserved for the corpses she dealt with.

"Oh not Susie," Detective Rizzoli said, raising her hands defensively as her voice became high pitched in an imitation of terror, "Please no," she retorted sarcastically, pivoting around to wash her hands, keeping an ear attuned to the delightful chuckle Maura released at Jane's words. She had devoured one of those donuts herself mere minutes ago and had been slowly growing irritated by the stickiness coating her fingers.

Jane managed to remain silent for around four minutes at the most before she eventually released yet another loud, dramatic sigh and caused Maura to glance up over the rim of her goggles and roll her eyes impatiently. "Okay, you win Jane," Doctor Isles said, placing her bloody tool down on the tray and peeling off her gloves, "I'll fill you in on what I've found so far. Or, indeed, perhaps it would be more accurate to explain what I haven't found," Maura looked down at Mr. Peter Lavern for a moment and then pressed on, "There doesn't appear to be any sign of a struggle that might have occurred if someone had attacked this man, however," she beckoned Jane over to the table with one finger.

"What I did find was some trauma around the nose and mouth area…" Maura looked up at Jane, tipping her head to one side as though calculating something. "Most of the bruising was confined to the inside of the victim's mouth… Jane, do you mind if I try something?"

Detective Rizzoli peered across the autopsy table at her friend and colleague suspiciously. "What kind of something?" she enquired warily.

Maura untied her surgical gown and dropped it into the waste disposal before walking smartly towards the sink to thoroughly wash her hands. After that was done, she stood beside Jane and held out her hand.

"Tell me what you feel when I put my hand against your mouth and press against it, okay? Tell me exactly what you feel," Maura instructed almost amicably and, before Jane could protest, reached out and cupped Jane's mouth with her hand, mashing her upper lip against her front teeth.

Jane wriggled around, murmuring a few muffled curse words before realization dawned on her and she gently pried away Maura's deceptively strong hands. She stood there, still holding onto Maura's wrist, and then said, "My teeth cut into my lip," she glanced at Lavern and jerked her head, "You think someone tried to shut him up by doing that? Or holding something against his mouth and nose?"

Doctor Isles fidgeted uncomfortably, "I'd only be hypothesizing, but judging from the extent of the bruising, I suspect that this man had something pressed against his mouth with enough force to cause numerous contusions and some burst blood vessels."

"You don't think…" Jane's mind had a tendency to jump from one conclusion onto something that might appear entirely unconnected at first, but would soon turn out to be a fact later down the line. Her brain worked differently from Maura. Where the Doctor followed the evidence and moved from A to B to C and so forth, Jane's mind would leap from A to P to Z and to hell with the gaps, she could fill them in later. "Maybe the neighbor was right about the argument, and whoever this guy was arguing with tried to shut him up by doing what you just did to me… And maybe… Maura, do you think you'll be able to tell if he suffocated?"

Maura cocked her head, "Jane, do you think the gunshot is simply a cover up?" she asked, watching in silent awe as Jane's expression grew more animated as time went on and her theory settled into place inside her sharp mind. There was something incredible about bearing witness to Jane as she worked through the possibilities of her current case.

"I dunno, I just have a feeling. Humor me Maura, do what you gotta do, I'm gonna head back upstairs. Call me if you find anything, alright?" Jane said, already backing up towards the exit. Maura watched her rapid retreat, her gaze drawn to the Detective's long legs as she hurried away.


By the end of their respective shifts the case was solved. That had to be a new record, at least according to Detective Frost as he snapped a set of cuffs on Mr. Lavern's friend who happened to be in the system for a possession of drugs charge from a year ago. After conducting a more invasive examination on the body, Maura had unearthed a number of interesting things. First of all, she found that his sternum was cracked, indicating an assault or that someone had tried and failed to perform CPR on his lifeless form. Additionally, she located traces of some kind of material lodged between the victim's teeth, and after sending it to the lab for analysis, it was found to be some kind of synthetic fiber, the source of which was yet to be identified.

Furthermore, she discovered traces of saliva on the victim's neck that did not match his DNA. After some theorizing, Jane decided to have the victim's clothes sprayed with a mixture of starch and iodine, which would reveal any more traces of the foreign DNA. There was a particularly large spot on the shirt, and Jane, Frost and Korsak agreed that it seemed like someone spat on the deceased.

After testing the DNA they found a match quickly and found Mr. Michael Jones hiding out in his mother's basement. After conducting perhaps the shortest interview to date, Jane had a signed confession in exchange for a reduced sentence from murder in the first degree to manslaughter. Apparently the two friends had been arguing over some money Lavern had given to Jones, expecting to be repaid in full. The argument escalated and Lavern threatened to call the police. Knowing that he would be prosecuted for possession of narcotics and would receive a jail sentence, Jones panicked, and whilst he tried to silence his friend, accidentally smothered him with a pillow from the dead man's couch.

Overall, Jane couldn't say she felt good about the investigation. Jones was a pathetic creature, clearly out of his mind on drugs, but he seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done. In any case, as she signed off her final report on the matter for the evening, she failed to produce the same satisfaction she usually found after solving a case this quickly. Even though the Lieutenant had commended her judgment and actions from today, and both Frost and Korsak had voiced their admiration for the way she followed her instincts, Jane didn't feel much like celebrating.

When the boys headed over to the Robber, she found herself driving in the opposite direction from her own apartment. It wasn't until she pulled up outside Maura's house did she realise how late it was and that her friend might not want to entertain her unannounced arrival. However, after wrestling with her conscience for a minute or so, Jane decided she would take that chance.

Maura opened the door almost before Jane stopped knocking and stared knowingly at her friend for a long moment. "I thought you might come here," the Doctor said, opening the door wider and stepping aside to allow Jane entry, which she gladly accepted, wiping her feet before stepping into the warmth of Maura's home which contrasted starkly with the cold morgue she spent so much time in.

Jane smiled sheepishly at her best friend as she closed and locked the front door behind them both. "There's beer in the fridge and Chinese take out in the microwave. I already set the timer so just press start. You can take a shower first if you want; you know where I keep your t shirts and sweats. There's a movie starting in a half hour I think you might like so… Go on," Maura said, giving Jane's shoulder a light push, "Be quick" she squeezed Jane's arm for a fraction of a second, letting her know without superfluous words and reassurances that she was welcome here, in her home.

"Thanks Maura," Jane said humbly, and Maura once again watched as Jane beat a hasty retreat towards the guest bedroom.

Doctor Isles settled back down on her sinfully comfortable couch and tucked her legs under her body, swiftly tossing a blanket over her body before lifting her phone. She had two unread text messages and was pleasantly surprised to see one was from her Mother asking how she was. Now that was certainly progress. After responding to that in detail, she opened the other.

It was from Christopher. They had arranged to go for breakfast tomorrow and he was simply clarifying the arrangements, but as soon as Maura looked at the words there on her screen she started to wonder if perhaps now was the right time to introduce Jane to the idea that she was being pursued by Chris. Maura still felt uncomfortable with the whole concept of lying to her best friend, but she was also growing increasingly desperate. Only that morning had Jane been gushing about Casey's looming return from Afghanistan, and Maura had to firmly excuse herself under the pretence of heading to the ladies room to ward off the impending onset of tears or making a snide comment.

Maura was still considering this predicament and her moral stance on it when Jane returned from the bathroom and began pottering around in the kitchen. The simple, honest domesticity about this whole arrangement stung at Maura's mind like a scorpion's tail. It seemed unlikely that Jane had never noticed that their friendship certainly skipped over what could be regarded as universal boundaries, and Maura tended to reflect on their practically non existent personal space more often than not these days.

The Detective slumped into the couch with a contented sigh, plopping her beer down on a coaster and sitting closer to Maura than could be deemed necessary on such a large surface area, something that did not escape Maura's attention. As the Doctor started the movie, Jane's cell suddenly produced a charming little ring that sent a shiver down Maura's spine, for she recognized it as the tone set to Casey's name.

"Oh, Casey's arriving back a day early," Jane announced, her fingers galloping over the keyboard, "Two weeks then," she said quietly, almost as if she was unaware she was speaking aloud. Oh but Maura was aware, very aware. When she had finished typing Jane tossed her phone onto the coffee table and continued eating, blissfully clueless about the raging emotions jostling for prime position on Maura's face.

Maura Isles sucked in a deep, steadying breath, and then set her jaw, "I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing him again," she said flatly, and watched as Jane nodded, her mouth full.

"Sure, yeah," Jane replied, apparently too engrossed in the movie playing on Maura's television to inject much enthusiasm into her tone. "Say, you busy tomorrow? I was thinking we could maybe do something…"

There was a moment where Maura considered cancelling her plans with Christopher and spending as much precious time she could with Jane before Casey arrived back in Boston and received most of the Detective's time and attention. But then, in what she might later regard as a few minutes of temporary insanity brought on by a sudden rush of adrenaline and rage, Maura said, "Oh I'm afraid I can't Jane, I already made plans with Christopher," making sure to keep her voice light.

Jane's head turned almost robotically and Maura forced herself to avoid eye contact for as long as possible before she eventually turned and met Jane's narrowed, suspicious looking eyes. "Who's that?" Jane said gruffly, as though half expecting Maura to inform her that she was going out on a date with Satan himself.

"Oh we met at conference," Maura said blithely, surprised at the ease with which the words were coming to her even under the intensity of Jane's gaze, "He's a well renowned surgeon, highly talented and respected in his field," she added, consciously injecting an air of innocence into her tone.

Jane grunted and faced the television once more, but her apparent dismissal of the subject did not last long. "So what are you and Christopher doing tomorrow then?" she enquired casually, but Maura noticed she had placed her cutlery down with deliberate motions and had redirected her full attention towards Maura.

Doctor Isles shrugged, "I think we're going for breakfast at one of his favourite restaurants, and then from there he's promised to entertain the entire day, so I'm not exactly sure what we'll be doing," Maura decided that by withholding as much information as possible, it was naturally persuade Jane to seek more from her.

"Sounds interesting," Jane said, but her tone did not reflect what she had said, "How long have you known him Maura, y'know… I don't wanna sound like your worried parent or anything but uh… You haven't had much luck in terms of dating recently…"

Maura smirked, "I've known him quite a while Jane. Christopher is different," she said slowly, letting the words sink in, "Much different," she added as Jane shifted on the couch and then moved into the kitchen to wash her plate. Doctor Isles privately wondered if Jane appeared so rattled because Maura had declined her invitation in favor of another, or if she was jealous. Whichever it was, she was determined to find out now that she had somehow endorsed this scheme Baxter had come up with just days ago. She would follow the evidence as it was revealed to her.