Authors note: general disclaimer, I don't own rizzoli & isles or any characters involved etc I wish I did but Santa can't get you everything it seems!

again any comments/feedback/criticism will be welcomed as its my first fanfic x

thank you for the feedback so far it's amazing how many people have read it so I finished this next chapter a little early to say thank you xx

Maura sat at her kitchen counter, head in hands staring at her coffee as if it could explain the morning's events to her when she heard those distinctive footsteps come bounding down the stairs. She looked up and dark chocolate eyes met her hazel ones and the tension in the air crackled like a storm was on the way. Neither woman said anything which was unusual but each was trying to figure out how to approach what they were thinking.

Maura pushed a cup of coffee towards Jane who took a step towards her beaming, she reached out to take the cup and their hands brushed against one another. The effect was physically astounding for both of them, Jane flushed red, dropped her eyes and cleared her throat. Maura stared at her hand like it belonged to someone else as it tingled before she abruptly jumped up squeaked out Bass' name and practically ran to the fridge to feed him.

Jane gripped her cup as hard as she could and grimaced. "Rizzoli you have to snap out of this. You cannot spend all day with her if you are gonna act weird. This is Maura she's gonna know, she'll notice if your oculary-fibula-doo-dah contract or whatever and she won't let it go. You know how insistent she is when she thinks something is wrong with you. Get a grip Rizzoli!"

Maura knelt down holding out a fresh strawberry for Bass and hoped that Jane wouldn't notice how much her hand was shaking. She had to get a grip on her emotions, if the detective noticed anything was wrong she wouldn't hesitate to just ask Maura outright and whilst Maura loved Jane's bluntness which showed she cared, it was problematic when Maura couldn't lie to anyone, especially not her gorgeous best friend who could seemingly read her mind.

The pair looked at one another and smiled nervously, Maura opened her mouth and both ladies turned and sighed in relief as Angela Rizzoli came bustling through the doorway rambling about how lucky they were to have a day off together. Maura sighed inwardly as Angela's voice faded to mere background noise as the medical examiner used the moment to settle the butterflies in her stomach and swallow her feelings.

Never before had Jane been so happy to see her Ma! Jane had no idea what Angela was talking about and she couldn't care less, she loved her Ma but first off she needed to reset her poker face before they went out for the day.

By the time Angela had given them a full weather report for the day both women were feeling decidedly better. More comfortable in each other's company now they made eye contact and grinned at each other, the look wasn't loaded, it wasn't awkward and they both felt the relief.

Maura waved at Angela as she bustled out of the door just as abruptly as she arrived and looked over at Jane to catch her rolling her eyes at her mother. Maura laughed, she adored the interaction between Jane and her mother, it was so different to her own relationship with her mother and although Jane would moan incessantly she knew how fiercefully she would defend Angela. Loyal and loving. That was her Jane.

Jane was rolling her eyes at her Ma as she went full blown weather girl on them, and as she watched her mother disappear she heard a sound that lifted her heart and made her smile so wide it hurt. She turned to face Maura who was laughing gleefully. Jane felt her chest swell with pride, it was only really her who got to see Maura so uninhibited and delighted and it always made her feel better about anything.

Maura practically jumped up and down with excitement as she revealed her plan for their shopping trip out together today. She couldn't wait, she had been working hard recently and online shopping just wasn't quite the same. She couldn't wait to take Jane out shopping, to her favourite boutiques and if she was lucky Jane would allow her to buy her a gift. It wasn't that Maura hated the way Jane looked, the opposite was true in fact, but she loved Jane giving in a little and allowing Maura to spoil her on occasion.

Jane couldn't help but smile, even though they both knew Jane would go shopping with her all day just because that's what Maura wanted, it never stopped Maura trying to convince Jane just how much fun it would be. Jane sniggered as Maura hamped up her reasoning.

"It's actually a very private boutique, they tend to have only single copies of certain items, the workmanship and stitching is phenomenal. And the best part is I know the owner and she actually donates most of the money she makes to- what?!"

Jane was biting the inside of her cheek and shook her head

"Jane why are you smirking at me?"

"I'm not!" Jane held her hand to her mouth to stifle a snigger.

"Detective Rizzoli! I know that you are making fun of me or being sarcastic in some way or another but I am going to choose to ignore you because you are simply trying to wind me up so that you don't have to go shopping!"

Jane does her best at feigning shock and horror "Doctor Isles! I wouldn't dream of being sarcastic towards you about shopping! It is a life and death matter!" She grins at Maura and Maura scowls back at her, secretly loving their silly interactions.

Maura puts on her poker face and says completely deadpan "Oh good! You'll understand the importance of skipping lunch and going to a charity fashion event then won't you?" And with that she saunters out of the front door swaying her hips and trying her best not to burst out laughing at the expression of sheer horror she saw on Jane's face.

Jane spluttered and coughed as her coffee went down the wrong way at the horrific suggestion that she would have to skip lunch and she bolted out of Maura's house after her. "What? No! Lunch is my only time to recover from all your shopping-ness! Come on Maur! Pleaaase?"

Maura bit her lip to keep a straight face as she turned to face Jane. "Fine. We can have lunch Jane. In fact you can choose where!"

Jane eyed her friend suspiciously "Alright...who are you and what have you done with Maura?"

Maura shrugs laughing "What? Jane, I can be flexible" her voice dropped seductively and she tilted her head to one side and smirked.

Jane squinted at the ME, stepped into Maura's space and gently caught Maura's chin slowly turning it side to side. "Well...it certainly looks like Maura..."

Maura didn't move and just simply smiled one of those smiles that lights Jane up and they stood gazing at each other, and not a single thought went through their minds. Suddenly a car horn sounded and broke them out of their revery. Jane lowered her hand and dug into her pocket for her car keys. Once she had found them Maura simply held out her hand expectantly and cocked an eyebrow.

Jane snorted "Fu-"

"Language Jane!" Maura nods at her hand and Jane drops her jaw.

"No! No! No...you are not driving! Maur! I actually want to get somewhere by this evening!" Jane stamps her foot like a toddler and sticks out her bottom lip.

Maura places her other hand on her hip and tilts her head to one side simply smiling at Jane. Jane puts her hands on her hips and tries to give Maura her best 'I'm more stubborn than you' look and juts out her hip defensively. "Please let me drive Maur!" When there is no response from the medical examiner Jane almost throws a tantrum and wails "Pleeeeeaaaaasssseee?" Again Maura does and says nothing and simply looks at Jane.

"It's my car!" Is the stroppy last resort before she huffily dumps the keys in Maura's hand. "Only because you'd pick somewhere awful for lunch if I drove." Maura smirks triumphantly as Jane throws herself into the passenger seat and giggles as the door is slammed shut. She had Jane wrapped around her little finger and she loved it!

As Maura climbed delicately into Jane's unmarked and began adjusting her mirrors she glanced over at the lanky detective who sticks her tongue out and gets her iPod and connects it to the sound system. As she scrolls through her music she can feel a pair of hazel eyes burning into her and she looks up to confirm the ME staring at her eyebrows raised.

"No! You drive, I get to pick the music!" Jane scowls, she needed a win at some point today, it just wasn't fair!

Maura clears her throat "Detective. That is not the rule and you know it."

Jane growls and then a realisation hits her and she sits up happily, "You're right! My car, my music!"

Maura looks around her and had barely realised they weren't in her car, she stumbles for a comeback "Erm well I'm...driving?" Jane shakes her head cockily and Maura concedes "Fine."

Jane pumps the air "Ha! I win!"

Maura growls "Fine. But no Led Zeppelin!"

Jane laughs "Sorry Doctor my car only runs on good tunes!" She selects Led Zeppelin and settles back into her seat with a wide grin, she puts her feet up on the dashboard much to Maura's disapproval and begins playing air drums and guitar as they pull away.

Maura chuckles in spite of herself and glances over at the detective waving her arms in the air, eyes closed and singing at the top of her voice completely out of tune.

Jane was so busy rocking out and singing that it was only into the song that she realised which song it was and what lyrics she was singing loudly;

"You've been learnin', baby, I've been yearnin',
All them good times, baby, baby, I've been yearnin',
Way, way down inside honey, you need it,
I'm gonna give you my love... I'm gonna give you my love"

Jane blushes slightly as her singing tails off but she keeps up the air drums in the hope that Maura won't notice her embarrassment. Maura barely noticed and was still smiling and laughing until the song got to the instrumental and she gripped the steering wheel tighter. With Jane no longer singing along, the echoes of the song seem to get louder and both women are inundated with suggestive groans which do nothing but flood their brains of images and sounds from events of that morning. Suddenly it's extremely hot inside the car and Jane tries to stop the music fiddling and fumbling as her hands sweat and Maura cannot for the life of her get her window down.

Although they were nowhere near any of the shops Maura had planned on going to, she could barely concentrate on driving anymore. She was gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles had gone white. She couldn't stop picturing Jane moaning in that deep raspy voice she had that vibrated straight down to Maura's core. She took a deep breath, this was getting out of control she shouldn't think of the detective like that, she wasn't attracted to Jane like that...was she? She could feel herself sweating the more she thought about the effect Jane had on her and she kept trying to get the window down. She tried to ask Jane to help with the windows but as she glanced over at the brunette all that came out of her mouth was a sheepish squeak. She couldn't bare to stay in the same small contained space as Jane with no relief, she had to get out of the car so she could clear her head. She pulled the car abruptly into the nearest parking space and mumbled incoherently whilst pointing at a boutique.

Jane looked at Maura as indistinguishable noises came out of her mouth and she pointed to a shop out of the window. Jane nodded hurriedly, whatever dreadful, overpriced shop Maura was gonna take her to would be ten times better then staying in this increasingly hot car watching the stunning medical examiner get sweatier. Jane grabbed her iPod and with sweaty hands she fumbled trying to turn it off, as much as Jane loved Led Zeppelin it had done nothing for her resolve and determination; every groan in the song in her head was Maura and when she closed her eyes to settle herself she saw Maura's ass. Every nerve ending, every cell in Jane's body was on fire and she would never have believed it but she would have begged Maura to take her shoe shopping just to get her mind off the current subject. Once she had yanked her iPod free she nodded hurriedly at Maura and they both stumbled out of the car and sighed in relief as the cold fresh air hit them and helped to lift their minds out of the gutter.

thanks to a review I have amended the last part of this chapter thanks .raven what you said made a lot of sense, I'm still not 100% happy but I think I'm back on track a little more (I hope!)

as previously mentioned all feedback good or bad is great it helps a lot! X