Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles does not belong to me.

Chapter 3

Maura groaned. She definitely felt a headache coming.

Placing her hands on either side of her temple, she drew circles in an attempt to ease the growing ache. Mistake number three had come in the form of Angela Montenegro, her friend from her BCU days. Although, if she were being logical, it wasn't technically her fault given the fact that she hadn't been the one to 'introduce' the two. That, had been something on both her friends' shoulders rather than her own but still...she couldn't deny that she hadn't played a part in the whole mess.

Her mind drifted as it thought back to that day...

"Hey, Maur." Maura looked up to see the brunette strolling through the doors to her office. She smiled, always glad to see her best friend. Plus, it would give her the chance to ask her something she had wanted to ask her since this morning. She'd just never found the right moment.

"Jane." The Detective stopped in her tracks. She knew that look. It meant the blonde wanted something.

"Okayyy..."

Ignoring the brunette's tentative tone and distance, she picked up the file before standing up and going round her desk to give it to the Detective.

"I presume you're here for the lab results," she asked.

Jane smirked.

"Did Maura Isles just guess?" she teased, taking the file from her friend.

"No. I made a logical deduction given the fact that I just called you to tell you they were in and you said you'd be 'down in a few'," she quoted. "Although, I fail to see how half an hour is a few," she replied, a frown evident on her face in an attempt to process the correlation.

Jane shrugged. "Frost came up with something, and then as I was on my way down to you, Ma caught me." She grimaced remembering their conversation.

Maura winced for her friend. "Is she still on at you about you standing up that guy she set you up with?"

Jane rolled her eyes.

"That's one way of putting it. She'll never let me forget it." She raised her hand as if in gesture to forget all about it, opening up the file. Her eyes skimmed the report. "I gather from your excited tone that you found something?" Maura didn't reply. She was too busy admiring her friend's form but fingers snapping in front of her soon drew her out of her daydream. "Hellooo? Earth to Maur?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You'd tell me if you were a cyborg, wouldn't you?" the brunette teased.

The ME tilted her head to one side seemingly thinking about the question at hand before she quipped, "no, I don't think I would." Jane laughed, her eyes twinkling with mirth. The blonde appeared very proud of herself for her little joke. Jane reached out a hand to squeeze Maura's arm gently.

"You're getting there, Maur."

Maura gave her a brilliant smile. "Thank you," she said.

"Ok, so results?" The question brought the ME back to the topic at hand.

"Oh, yes. Well, as you can see, your gut was correct. The hair found on her body belongs to that of a Charles Patterson."

"Yes!" Jane pumped her fist in triumph.

"Although, as I've told you before, it's not reliable to rely on your gut feeling, Detective."

"It's never let me down so far." Though she was loath to do so, the blonde had to agree. "Now, tell me. What else is it you want?" she asked.

"I beg your pardon? What I want?" she looked confusedly at Jane.

"You have that whole look going on," she said, gesturing to Maura's face, her finger rotating round.

"What look?" she asked. The question came innocently enough but Jane was not a Detective for nothing. She saw how the ME was fidgeting with her ring, twirling it round and round.

"That 'I want something' look."

Feeling terribly exposed, Maura turned, making her way back to her desk. "I don't know what you mean," she said as she began re-arranging stuff.

"Maur..." The ME sighed. There was no getting away from this. Once Jane was hooked, that was it. She'd be at it till she got to the bottom of it all. She faced her friend hesitantly.

"Ok well, my friend from my BCU days is in Boston on a visit and she contacted me. She wants to meet up and I said yes" she said, looking up at Jane.

"Okayy..." The brunette was completely at a loss about where this was going.

Maura winced in the knowledge that what she was about to say would not be taken with pleasure. "So I said yes but I kinda said youchristophandIwouldmeetherfordinner. Tonight."

Jane's eyes bulged as the clockworks to her mind cranked into action, deciphering the ME's words in the jumbled sentence she had just delivered. Her eyes narrowed.

"You what?"

"Well, she called and we got talking about you, and then about Christoph and she mentioned how she just had to meet the two of you and then it came to me. Why not kill two birds with one stone."

Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of all the damned phrases, she had to get that one right.

"It came to you?"

Maura held up her chin defiantly. "Yes." The tone made an eyebrow on the brunette's face go up. Maura sighed before coming forward to take both her hands in her own. "She was the closest thing I had to a friend during my college days. She was my flatmate. You're my best friend now. I just want the two of you to get to know each other," she said, "besides, I've hardly seen you this last month. Ever since I left you and Christoph together to go to the bathroom that evening, you've been pulling away from me, from us. I just want my best friend back," she whispered. "Please, Jane, please." She looked pleadingly at the Detective, pulling out all the stops. Puppy dog eyes, pout placed firmly on her lips. Jane let the eye roll happen, no holds barred, knowing she had never be able to refuse the blonde when she gave her that look. She never had. Now, it was Jane's turn to sigh. She knew she had been neglecting the ME; she just couldn't tell her why.

"Fine," she said giving in. She couldn't help but smile at the look of apprehensive joy on her friend's face.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she assured. "On one condition."

"Anything." The word came out before she could stop it and despite noticing the mischievous look in the brunette's eyes, she waved it off thinking that at this moment in time, she'd willingly give Jane anything she wanted; she was just so happy Jane had agreed. It had been a while since they'd hung out aside from work, in part because she'd been spending so much time with the Frenchman who had over the months insisted on treating her to the best of the best when all she really wanted was to put her feet up at home and watch a movie while snuggled beside her best friend, glass of wine in hand.

The corners of the brunette's mouth quirked up, holding off the smile that was just begging to come through.

She was so gonna regret this.

"That ignoring whatever fancy restaurant we will be going to, I get to have the biggest, most unhealthiest cheeseburger and fries ever." She grinned. She couldn't help it, knowing exactly how the blonde would react. As if on cue, Maura's eyes narrowed, her nose wrinkled and her brows came together, effectively displaying her displeasure at the Detective's request.

"Jane," she said firmly, in an attempt to make it clear that her tone brooked no argument, determined to change her mind.

Jane waggled her eyebrows with the knowledge that she had won.

"Uh uh uh, Maur," she teased, shaking a finger at her, "you promised. And it's either that, or nothing."

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms in front of chest to show that although she had agreed, she by no means approved. Catching the ME off guard, the brunette placed a chaste kiss to her temple.

"So 8 o'clock tonight. You'll text me the name of the place, yes?" All Maura could do was nod mutely. By the time she came out of her trance, it had been to see the Detective leaving her office, file in hand, a quick, "thanks, Maur," thrown her way.

She'd been true to her word. Albeit a little late, but she had turned up.

Seeing the brunette weave through waiters and tables, she waved a hand in greeting, feeling a fluttering when she smiled her way. With Christoph seated to her right and Angela across from her, the Detective sat down on her left, face apologetic.

"Sorry I'm late, Maur. We took a while finding Patterson and then when we finally did, he took hours to fess up."

Maura reached for the brunette's hand, squeezing it affectionately. "You're here now. That's all that matters," she said, smiling at her.

"Hey, Jane." If Maura noticed the tight smile she gave the Frenchman whilst she nodded in acknowledgement, she didn't say anything, choosing instead to introduce her friend.

"Jane, I'd like you to meet my friend and ex-roomate, Angela..."

"Montenegro," the brunette finished staring across the table at her. Angela's lips quirked at the corners as she took a sip of her water.

"Well, well, Detective, we meet again," she greeted, her eyes twinkling with merriment. Jane blushed. "If Maura had told me her best friend was Jane Rizzoli, I'd have insisted on meeting you earlier." If possible, Jane turned an even darker shade of red.

Maura frowned in confusion, her eyes darting between the two. Apart from the odd reference about Angela over the years, she was sure she had never told her her last name before but she saw the look that passed between the two women; it would have been hard not to notice it; it was one of familiarity.

"Do you two know each other?"

Her ex-roomate grinned at Jane who mirrored her expression. "Of sorts," she replied, rather coy about the whole thing. She ran her eyes down the top half of Jane's form drinking her in. And then it sunk in for the ME.

Oh, god.

"Jane?"

The brunette glanced at her best friend who was giving her a questioning look but it was clear to her, she already knew the answer.

"We met last week."

"Oh?"

Jane shrugged feigning interest in her napkin which she eventually laid on her lap. She caught Angela's amused gaze.

"At Merch."

Maura nearly spit out the wine she had been drinking. She put her glass down.

"At Merch? But...? Since when...?"

For the first in forever, Maura found herself out for the count, speechless, flummoxed. Notwithstanding the series of questions running through her head, she simply couldn't find it within herself to form a sentence. It just wouldn't come. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked to see the concern in Christoph's eyes. In fact, as she came to look round the table, she found three sets of gazes on her, all quizzical in their form.

It was Christoph who broke the silence, the tinge of his French accent coming through. "Maura?" She looked back at him realising they were all waiting for some kind of response that she was still with them. She stood up, taking Jane with her. The fact that she had never thought to let go of it since she'd sat down did not fail to go unnoticed. By her anyway.

"If you'll just excuse us for a few minutes," she said, practically dragging Jane out of the restaurant, the Detective's protestations dying on her lips. Door closed safely behind them, Maura finally let go, turning to face her friend. Jane rubbed her wrist, certain that after the honey blonde's grip, there would bruises tomorrow.

"Jeez, Maur, what was that?" she whined.

"What was that?!" she said incredulously. "My best friend drops a grenade on me saying that she's not only kissed a woman, who happens to be one of my friends, but she has also slept with one, the same one who's been sitting opposite me this whole time," she hissed, "and you ask what was that? What the hell, Jane!"

The Detective looked down at the pavement, scuffing her boot against it. "Bombshell," she muttered.

Maura frowned. "What?"

"It's drop a bombshell, Maur." Her mouth quirked up the corners, and Maura could tell, that despite the situation, she was trying very hard not to laugh. Maura threw her hands up in frustration before placing them on her hips in an intimidating manner.

"Really?!" she deadpanned. The brunette sobered up seeing the expression on her best friend's face. She ran a hand over her face in mock surrender.

"Ok, ok," she said, not quite knowing where to start but deciding to jump head first. "I went to Merch last week to blow off some steam after that case involving Casey Anderson, the little boy." Maura nodded. She knew the case Jane was talking about but she had been away for a conference in New York so she hadn't been the presiding ME on the case, instead leaving Dr Gillian Moore in her place, knowing that Dr Pike's presence and many inadequacies would most definitely not be welcomed. "So anyway, I get there, and I'm drinking at the bar for about 20 minutes when this brunette approaches me and we get talking, buying each other drinks and such and one thing led to another and the next morning I woke up in her hotel room." She looked at Maura apprehensively who held her gaze.

"I don't understand. Was it a one time thing, an experiment? What?"

"With Angela or women in general." Maura shrugged.

"Both, I suppose."

"With Angela, it was a one time thing. I left her room forgetting to get her number. I was late for work. As for the other, what can I say? It's not like I've never had relationships with them before," she replied. For the second time that evening, Maura was left speechless, a myriad of emotions bombarding her person. The fact that Jane mentioned that she'd forgotten to get Angela's number thus implying that she wanted whatever it was between them to at least continue left her dazed and temporarily inarticulate and dumbstruck. She opened and closed her mouth several times reminding the brunette of a goldfish but she thought it wise, given the situation, to not mention that little tidbit.

"S...since when?" she eventually stuttered.

Jane scratched the back of her head uncertainly. "Err...I guess since the Academy? I can't really remember. I mean, I always knew I liked them since high school and there were stolen kisses and such but nothing to actually constitute as a relationship."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

She considered the ME carefully, raising her shoulders and then dropping them again. "It never came up," she said. "You always thought I was into guys, and I never told you otherwise."

"Bu...but your mother! Jorge!" The woman got out, clearly struggling with this new information.

"Ma...sort of has an inkling...but I've never confirmed it and she's never asked. And Jorge...well, let's just say that match was a moment of temporary madness on your part," she teased. Maura flushed remembering how she'd eventually gotten the male nurse to leave the brunette alone by telling him she was gay and how Jane had never raised a defence in light of her words.

God, she'd been so naive. Why hadn't she questioned the Detective's lack of reaction?

"I thought I was your best friend," she whispered, looking down. "I thought we told each other everything..."

Jane immediately kicked herself. She should have realised what with the ME's feelings of her lack confidence when it came to people and how much her opinion mattered. Despite being a genius, she sometimes forgot her own self-worth. She moved closer to her, taking her hands in hers and she was struck by the familiarity of the whole thing; how Maura had taken up the exact same stance earlier that day with her.

"We do. You are."

"Then why?"

The Detective shrugged. "It never came up," she replied. "And I never thought to tell you. I'm so sorry, Maur. It was never intentional on my part. I just...I guess what with my job and everything, I refused to live up to the stereotype that all female cops are automatically homosexual. But I swear to you, I never meant to keep it from you. Ever." Maura studied her friend, noting the warmth and sincerity and complete regret in her tone and immediately felt reassured.

"No," she said, squeezing the brunette's hands in assurance. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have over-reacted." She gave her a small smile.

Jane was still unsure. "So...we're okay? You're okay about this? And...about me?"

"Yes."

"And if I asked Angela out...you'd be okay with that? With us?"

And that had been her fourth mistake.

"No, I wouldn't," she thought.

Grateful for the Hermes scarf that adorned her neck, she gave a rather forced smile before saying, "of course." Feeling relieved, Jane let out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. She grinned, letting go of one of Maura's hands but keeping the other to tug her towards the restaurant she had so abruptly been pulled out of.

"So...about that really huge, unhealthy cheeseburger..." The ME fought the inclination to roll her eyes.

"Jane..."

And with that, the two women disappeared into the restaurant.

Reviews welcomed as always guys! Thank you so far for all your support! :)