Please read Ch 1 for disclaimers…

BUT HOLD YOUR HORSES – CharlietheCAG is playing beta. This is very very nice of her and very very good for all you dear readers. She's all about your reading pleasure. Make sure you say thank you when out and about (especially on tumblr) – Thanks Charlie :) (right now she is twitching because I'm sure I made a billion errors in this unedited paragraph)

Nothing with Jane was ever simple.

Maura let out a long sigh and met Jane's gaze evenly but the detective didn't budge. Minutes slipped by and Jane remained practically immobile, looming over her with a delighted smirk lighting up her face.

Shaking her head lightly Maura took a quick glance at her watch. It was still a bit too early for lunch but it didn't matter. Some conversations were better served up with distraction. Food could provide that.

Without a word she stood up and grabbed her purse and walked to her office door to grab her coat. Looking back over her shoulder she noticed Jane still standing by her desk. The posture was not unlike that moment in an interrogation when Jane was positive she had the situation managed.

Maura watched Jane look her up and down, analyzing her, before turning to face her fully with a hip resting up against her desk.

Maura narrowed her eyes. Jane was feeling cocky. Full of herself as it were. Asking politely was not going to work at the moment. A direct order however might. "Come on, let's go."

Jane folded her arms over her chest. "Go where?"

"Lunch. I'm buying." Maura waited patiently hoping the offer of food would buy her leverage.

With a quick glance at her phone, Jane shook her head. "I don't think so. It's too early."

Turning around to hide her groan, Maura pulled her coat off the rack. "No, I don't believe it is." With her light green coat and her patience in hand, she turned to face Jane. "I was thinking Davios."

"I'm not ready for lunch. Especially there." Jane pushed off the desk and slowly stalked over, determined to get the upper hand back. "Nice try. You're deflecting."

Amused by the prowl, Maura stood her ground, letting Jane invade her personal space. She waited a moment before handing over her coat with a little shrug. "Deflecting what? And you love their steak."

"Maura!" Jane couldn't help the high pitched whine as she accepted the coat and held it open for Maura to put on. "Come on. Do you know how exhausting you are sometimes? I haven't been able to get a simple answer out of you in 24 hours and you're trying to bribe me with steak?"

Buttoning up and tying the belt, Maura couldn't help the small victory smile. Nature would always rise to the surface. "I thought I was answering you."

Maura was smiling at her, perfectly pleased. Jane felt like she was missing something and confusion creased her forehead. "By running away from the situation?"

"Hardly." Shifting her purse to her arm Maura walked out the door and started down the hall, raising her voice so it would carry back to Jane. "If I was running away I would not, as you phrased it, just have given you your answer. Now I would like to go to lunch, let's go."

For a second all Jane could do was stare at the empty doorway. Maura did not just leave. She did not just walk away like that.

Jane put both hands on her hips. Enough was enough.

As if she, Jane Rizzoli, was about to follow Maura Isles' command, simply because someone had decided she wanted to go to lunch?

After Jane had just quite clearly told her no?

And somehow a piece of steak was making this okay?

Jane tried to keep from tapping her foot and failed. She was not going to budge an inch, Maura could come right back and explain herself.

The office threshold remained empty. A tech walked by pushing a cart of chemicals and stared at her for a second before quickly looking away.

Jane rubbed a hand over the back of her neck. Nope she was not going to simply follow Maura. Even if it was really good steak. Even though she did love the caramelized onions on top and the fantastic steak fries.

After all there were times when holding one's ground was important in any relationship.

Even Casey had learned that he wasn't going to ever get to toss out that marmite.

Minutes ticked by.

The doorway remained maddeningly empty. Jane leaned forward trying to catch sounds of returning footsteps. And what in the heck did Maura mean, that she had already answered?

Annoyed, Jane glanced around the empty office and realized there was only one way to find out. And that one way was gliding through the hallway on her way out to lunch.

Growling out a 'Jesus Christ' under her breath, Jane look off through the door letting her longer stride close the distance.

Patiently waiting by the elevator, Maura couldn't help but enjoy the indignant body language and emphatic hand gestures that always livened up these more fervent discussions between them. One of the things she loved was the passion Jane brought to every little thing she did. Maura almost wished she could hear whatever it was that Jane was muttering under her breath. Almost.

Dark eyes bore into hers.

Finally at the elevator Jane punched at the button to go up a few times. "If you keep doing this running out thing Dr. Isles, I swear I am going to start using the cuffs."

There were a few things Maura had learned during their friendship. One key lesson was when she managed to get Jane to do as she wished despite the other woman's feelings to the contrary, ignoring sarcastic retort commentary was a must. Anything else simply complicated the situation.

The next lesson was that changing the subject was a good method to redirect focus. "You do realize it won't make the elevator arrive faster, no matter how many times you strike the button."

"Uh huh. So you keep telling me, and I keep telling you it makes me feel better." Jane hit the button one more time for good measure. "Right now, I'm taking what satisfaction I can get."

Maura didn't bother saying another word as she stepped onto the elevator. Jane stood beside her, eyes looking straight ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, rocking lightly against the heels of her boots as the elevator climbed.

It wasn't until they were out of the Precinct and walking through the parking garage that Jane started glancing at her. Maura wondered if she should start counting down to the moment when Jane realized it wasn't her car she was headed towards. Five, four, three…

"Oh no. No and I mean no. First off I'm already following you like Jo Friday for a piece of meat. Secondly, you drove the last time." Jane started to turn on her heel when she suddenly stopped. "And third.." She let out a long sigh and turned around slowly. "Damn it all. I'm supposed to be acting more like you so that means you get to drive. This sucks."

When they were safely out of the parking lot and headed for the Mass Ave Bridge Maura turned slightly towards Jane with a smile. "You could have driven you know. I believe this morning's experiment was over the moment you stormed into my office."

Jane shifted in her seat to face Maura. "Back up a minute there. How so?"

Maura congratulated herself for getting Jane into a locked vehicle that she wasn't in control of for the next 10 minutes. A captive audience. "Surmising from your expressive commentary in my office it is safe to say that everyone noticed your behavior changes and everybody reacted to them? And you found the response less than satisfying? Never mind the fact that it made you uncomfortable to try to monitor your interactions?"

Jane snorted. "You could say that. I got nothing out of it but a headache and the loss of prime tickets to the Red Sox game." Jane slumped back against the seat "But the whole idea was nuts to start with. If I'm going to try this I need to try it with people who don't know me. Those baboons all think of me as me. They know me too well. All I did was frighten the heck out of them."

"Well isn't that an answer though?" Maura stole a brief glance at Jane. "You acted a little more like me and it didn't fit with how you feel about yourself or how other people view you? In fact it made everyone, including yourself, uneasy? You're innately a powerful person. You're not afraid to react or interact with others strongly. Stronger at times than even many of the men you work with."

"Powerful and strong. Great. That sounds wonderfully feminine Maura. This is just freakin' fantastic. You proved I really am a man." Jane turned to stare mournfully out the window. "No wonder Korsak and Frost think I'm butch. I soften up just a little and they all think I'm losing it because normally I'm more man than either of them could hope to be."

Maura sighed softly. "Or you could realize that they like you for who you are. A powerful personality does not make you a man. There are plenty of men who aren't as naturally self assured as you are. Society simply tends to find fault with women who have the same inner power as their male counterparts, but being powerful has nothing to do with gender expression. It's a fortunate trait to have regardless of being a male or a female." She tried another tactic. "Jane, were you happy this morning?"

"What do you think?" Jane closed her eyes. "I had to put up with crap from Crowe, and Martinez actually thought he had a shot for lunch with me. I don't know which one of us was more unnerved by that little exchange."

Maura tapped her fingers along the steering wheel as she waited on a red light. "And it bothered you didn't it? Frustrated you?"

"Of course it did!" Jane cracked an eye open and looked a Maura out of the corner of her eye. "Have you ever tried having to consider every action and reaction you have in a given moment? You'd be frustrated too."

Chuckling Maura turned onto the Mass Ave Bridge. "Actually I have tried many times in the past. Enough that I would imagine you found it rather unnatural and unpleasant."

"Exactly." Jane opened both eyes when she realized exactly what they had been discussing during the entire car ride. "Oh my god you did it again! How in the hell do you do that?"

Confused, Maura flicked her eyes towards Jane but still couldn't figure out what had upset her. "What precisely did I do?"

Jane drew a circle in the space between them. "Deflected. Made me forget my question. The question I followed you out to lunch for." This time she tapped Maura's shoulder to punctuate each word. "One last time. Dr. Maura Isles have you realized how you act around me?"

"Oh Jane," Maura shook her head slightly, "I already told you that I answered that before we left."

Jane slapped the dashboard. "No you certainly did not! I was right there."

Maura tried not to smile but couldn't help it. "I'm getting there. Remember when I handed you my coat."

"Yeah, so?" Jane did not enjoy that particular little smile on Maura's face. That always meant the doctor knew something Jane hadn't figured out yet. She didn't even bother to try to swallow the groan. "And your point to this test of my short term memory is?"

Maura shrugged a little. "You asked if I realize how I behave around you. I thought I was clear when I handed you my coat."

"You are going to drive me to drink." Jane desperately wished she could go back to last night and just show up at the Dirty Robber before this mess started. "But okay, I'll bite. Help me out here. What does your coat have to do with anything? Because, I'm warning you, I'm about 10 seconds away from jumping out of a moving car."

"You helped me into my coat." Maura's smile grew a little. "I'd never assume that someone like Bonnie would help me into my coat but I would assume certain other people would."

When Jane didn't respond Maura decided to push a little more. "Frost I'm certain would, depending on the situation we were in. Frankie would also be the type to naturally be chivalrous. I'm sure Casey would do the same for you." Maura could see all the pieces fall together as Jane's mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. "So as I said, I believe I proved I'm well aware of how I behave around you."

"Well fuck." Jane slumped down in the seat and threw an arm over her eyes. Nothing was making sense anymore. "I demand a do-over."

A/N – well per the reviews you all wanted more…