We all have these little lies that we tell ourselves. Some classics include telling ourselves that we don't care what people think. Or that microwaves are to be trusted. Anything that gets that hot without fire is clearly from the devil.

Or that we aren't secretly attracted to our boss. Maybe that last one was just Jane.

She contemplated that very possibility as she stroked the Yorkie in her lap . She entertained it for all of three seconds before burying the notion deep down.

After all, she had been working for Maura for years. She knew about her controlling tendencies. Her inability to admit, on the rare occurrence, when she was wrong.

Her stubborn refusal to let her walls down. Her inability to recognize sarcasm. Admittedly the latter was one of Jane's favorite quirks about her.

The truth is that for every trait that the doctor possessed that Jane deemed 'a deal breaker', there were a dozen others that she adored.

Though she could never admit it.

She was her boss and even though she drove Jane up the wall at times, she respected and admired Maura a great deal. She's ambitious, smart, talented, funny without trying or knowing it, dorky, and incredibly beautiful.

Jane sighed exasperatedly, causing the sleeping figure next to her to stir awake and sit up.

"We're still on the plane?" she asked in a daze.

"No. Your mother remodeled on an industrial scale. This is actually the guest bedroom, care for some peanuts?"

Maura furrowed her brow in confusion. Jane tried her best to ignore the sudden pang of catholic guilt for screwing with sleepy Maura after drugging her and very nearly getting them both taken to airport jail on the same day.

"Sarcasm?" Maura asked slowly.

"Nothing gets by you. How you feeling?" Jane scolded herself for the gooey tone in her voice.

All of a sudden she was struggling to find the balance between pestering Maura with sarcasm and crawling up her asshole with thoughtful words and gestures.

"My mouth is quite dry and for a moment I actually believed that my mother might have remodeled her home in London to look like the inside of a plane" Maura reached for the bottled water in her cup holder.

"Tough day" Jane gave a final scratch behind the dog's ear before reaching for her phone. "You think that's bad?… I found a video of me stealing an angry Italian man's dog"

Maura's mouth fell open as she watched the video. From what she could gather between the cussing and the poor camera work, the man was very rude to Jane who kept telling him that he didn't deserve a dog because he was treating it badly.

"What's he saying?" Jane finally asked. Despite being Italian, most of the words she knew in Spanish were the names of authentic dishes that her mother made on Sundays.

"He's calling you a dog thief… among other things" Maura's gaze narrowed in on the phone and she reached out to hold it, cupping Jane's hand. "Very poor camera work. It's mostly just feet running away"

Jane wasn't watching the video anymore. Her eyes were glued to Maura's hand on her own. She cleared her throat and brought her phone out of Maura's grip and into her lap.

"Yeah we had to make a run for it. You took the video by the way!" she added before bursting with laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"Did I?" Maura covered her mouth to stiffen the laugh that wanted to escape. "Jane this is serious"

"I know! What the hell are we gonna do with this dog??" Jane looked at him. "He doesn't seem that bent out of shape about it… maybe we did him a favor?"

"Regardless. You stole someone's dog-"

"You helped!"

"All I saw on that video evidence was the legs of a woman doing her best to document a crime in progress while running in 6 inch heels and you" her eyes landed on the dog. "Did he happen to mention its name before you managed to steal his dog?"

Jane scuffed. "No. I was a little busy. Then again, I'm not the one that's fluent in Italian…" She pursed her lips mockingly before she continued. "…doesn't even have a collar either. I'm telling you, we did the right thing. He's much better off with us" The dog barked as if in agreement. "Thank you" she petted him, eliciting a wagging tail in response.

Maura rolled her eyes. "My mother won't take kindly to a dog accompanying us- oh shoot!"

"What?"

"My mother. We only have two hours left before we land. We haven't even started to prepare-"

"Maura relax. Before you start hypperventalating-"

"You don't know my mother!-"

"Would you take a breath? Moms love me"

"Jane"

"Maura"

Maura scrambled for her iPad and notepad. "First and foremost. My mother can never know the truth of how we came in possession of this dog" she started writing furiously. She stopped and met Jane's gaze with a grimace as if she was in pain.

"Fine. Just stop making that face."

"You're going to have to tell her about the engagement. My father would be more content with the news but she'll want the entire story of how you proposed to me-"

"Come again?" Jane tried her best to keep the anger out of her voice. Sure the whole thing was a sham but Maura was just as much a part of it. She made Jane do it after all.

"Jane, I can't lie to her" she sounded on the verge of tears. Jane's expression softened. She composed herself and cleared the emotion from her voice. "You know how I break out into hives when I tell a lie?"

"Indeed I do. You almost got leprosy that one time when you were pressured into complimenting Pamela's new blazer on her birthday-"

"That thing was criminally out of date, not to mention the hideous assortment of colors- what kind of self-respecting designer combines brown and dark gray on the same item!?"

Jane looked at her with wide eyes. She hadn't seen her this high-strung in a very long time. "Wow"

"Well… I don't even get the chance to break out into hives when attempting to lie to my mother because I hyperventilate and then immediately go vasovagal"

Maura took a deep breath. "I need you to understand how important it is that my mother take the news… in the right way"

"So… you want me to do all the talking?"

"Just the lying part" Maura corrected.

Jane rolled her eyes.

Maura continued her diligent writing.

"What's that?"

"Just a list of things you should avoid mentioning"

Jane scooted closer to inspect the notepad. "Instant coffee? How the hell would that even come up in conversation? Oh, you don't want her knowing that I prefer instant" Jane sat back with her arms crossed.

"Correct. Did you pack that hideous shirt? The one you wear religiously outdoors?"

"My old Marlons jersey with the mustard stain? I sure did, why?"

"Don't wear it at my mothers' house"

Jane opened her mouth but thought better of her response since they were in a metal bullet, 9000 feet above the ground.

"You should wear that blue button up with the white collar" Maura enthused with her lecture finger rising excitedly.

Jane's expression softened once more. Does she want her mother to like me? She cleared her throat. "You like that one?"

"I like all the ones you got from Abercrombie and Fitch last fall" Maura recalled the first time she saw Jane in a well tailored suit and a faint smile threatened to creep up.

"The ones you insisted I get because my clothes were quote, frumpy?" Jane stressed the word.

"Yes." Maura stated simply.

Jane thought for a moment. There was something unavoidable, piercing her brain. The same thing that divided her from Maura from the very first day.

"You gonna add the fact that I went to community college on your little list?" Her tone was cold, causing Maura to stop scribbling.

Maura furrowed her brow momentarily. "Why? I don't see why she would care" she replied simply.

Jane was caught off guard. "You don't think she'll take issue with the fact that someone like me is marrying her daughter?"

Maura tilted her head quizzically. "You're trying to confuse me"

"Oh come on. Don't tell me it wasn't the first thing you thought of when we decided to do this?"

"Your College background?" Maura asked genuinely.

"My background! Growing up in Revere where pigeons fly upside down cause there's nothing worth shitting on-"

"Language-"

"Going to Community College. Staying in a crappy little appartement on the wrong side of town??" Jane blurted out.

She nodded slowly. "I see… well, I admit that I haven't given much thought to any of that because it's rather inconsequential and my mother doesn't pay attention to inconsequential matters-"

"That's bullshit-"

"Excuse me?!" Maura swung around fully in her seat.

Granted, people skills weren't exactly in her quiver of talents and many things about human interaction confused her.

Though in this instance she was positive that Jane was in the wrong for being so fixated on such a trivial assortment of details.

"You can't tell me none of that matters. I know how your world works. It's all about the degrees on the wall and the size of the family bank account. Just admit it?"

"Admit what? That you have a remarkably biased view of my background?" Maura shot back. She was starting to become annoyed with Jane's tone.

"Just admit that it bothers you. That I'm not the kind of person you thought you'd be bringing home to mommy and that my background is gonna be an issue" Jane's voice became gravely and layered with emotion.

Maura thought for a moment.

An uncomfortable silence went by as Jane finally finished her rambling. She felt slightly better having told Maura what was on her mind but she also felt like she may have let the heat of the moment consume her.

"Of course you're not the kind of person that I initially thought I'd be introducing to my mother as my fiance"

"Exactly! Cause I'm broke, you can say it"

"No. Because you don't know who Delacroix, Cèzzane or Matisse is. You don't know how to relax. You routinely drive at least 12 miles over the speed limit." Jane rolled her eyes and sat back as Maura ticked off her fingers.

"You think that having children is a ponzi scheme created to sell yogurt-"

"You have to admit the uncanny connection between the two-" Jane interjected.

"You embarrass me every chance you get like the time when we met with Paul at the Mercer Hotel and you used the napkin ring as n monocle-"

"How was I supposed to know that he'd walk in right as I did my Downton Abby bit?-" Jane's voice went up an octave, defensively.

"For entertainment you call the numbers on the missing dog posters and bark-"

"I was joking when I told you that." Jane rubbed her face frustratedly. "Remember how we talked about the definition of a joke and sarcasm?"

Maura narrowed her gaze and pointed her finger right at Jane who sat back slightly at the action. "That's another thing. It's like you speak another language with all the sarcasm. I do not understand you-"

"Well that makes two of us cause I have no idea what you're talking about half the time either-" a flight attendant walked by awkwardly as Jane was in the middle of her heated monologue.

"One minute you're telling me that a human body decomposes 4 times faster in water than in the ground and 8 times faster in open air than in the ground. The next moment you're reciting a Latin poem or telling me that when given access to it, butterflies will happily drink blood" Jane took a deep breath after her rant.

Maura sat back into her seat and stared ahead. She was mildly impressed that Jane had retained some of the factoids that she had told her. "So we're in agreement? We are two vastly different people."

"And we would never work as a couple" Jane added. Maura met her gaze briefly then looked away. "Hypothetically… just saying" she added before picking up a magazine to distract herself.

Both women reflected on the bizarre conversation they just had for the remainder of the flight…

"Thank you good sir-" Jane greeted Maura's driver at Heathrow airport as he helped her load mostly Maura's luggage into the boot.

"Stop" Maura warned when it looked like Jane wanted to curtsy.

In the car Maura finalised the do's and don'ts for Jane. Jane took in the London sights through the backseat window.

She felt even more out of place than before. The jorkie was moving excitedly from window to window and Jane knew she too had never been there. She gave a weak smile and petted the dog's belly…

Her mouth fell open as they entered the gates and the castle-looking mansion grew in size the closer they got.

"Must've been tough growing up here as a teenager huh? You'd run away from home but still be on the property." Jane teased.

When Maura didn't respond by dissecting her comment as she usually did, Jane looked over. Maura's leg was shaking slightly and her eyes were the size of saucers.

Without thinking Jane placed her hand on her leg to steady it.

Maura met her gaze and bit the inside of her cheek.

"What's the worst that could happen? Right?" Jane shot her a soothing smile.

Maura relaxed a bit more before nodding in appreciation and stepping out of the car.

Jane could hear Angela's voice inside her head. Freaking out about the sheer size of the house. Threatening to try and fit the artworks into her purse.

"Mam Will be down shortly. Do make yourselves comfortable in the sitting room" the elderly butler stated as they followed him through the foyer. "Could I interest you in some refreshment while you wait? Perhaps some chai tea, doctor Isles? I remember how you delighted in an afternoon brew" he ended with a practiced smile.

Maura smiled at him fondly. "Two of those would be lovely. Thank you Edgar" she took the yorkie from Jane and handed him to Edgar. "Please make sure mother doesn't see him just yet. I'll introduce them after the party" she added with a knowing wink.

Edgar winked back "Certainly". He took the dog and left the room.

She'd told him numerous times to call her Maura but she suspected that her mother insisted he adres her with the proper titles as is tradition.

Jane stood in the middle of the gigantic room as Maura sat on the cream colored sofa.

She didn't know how to stop looking. Everywhere her eyes landed was something new.

Art decorated the walls in spades. The furniture seemed too good to sit on. The ceiling seemed miles away and had all kinds of patterns decorating it.

"Would you sit down? You're making me nervous" Maura stated just as Constance entered the room.

"Darling!" Her arms were stretched wide and her graceful smile was doing very little to soothe either woman's nerves. "Oh I've missed you"

Maura stood and kissed her cheek. "Yes, I've missed you as well, mother. Where is father?" She enquired, causing Jane to quirk an eyebrow.

Who calls their dad father? Yuk, she thought.

"Oh you know how he busies himself in that study of his when he's not at an excavation. He does sigh occasionally to let me know he's alive" her eyes landed on Jane. "And who is this stunning creature?"

"Mother!"

Jane's eyes grew wide. Maura mentioned that she was eccentric though she did not expect that.

She let out a nervous laugh.

"This is Jane Rizzoli" Maura moved closer and placed her hand on Jane's back. Jane swallowed at the action.

"American, I presume?"

Jane opened her mouth to respond when Maura interjected.

"Yes. From Boston, originally"

So much for me taking the lead, Jane thought.

Constance looked between them both. "You brought me a mute model from Boston? Darling you know I haven't painted in ages"

Maura held the bridge of her nose miserably. Jane knew she had to dive in at this point.

She shot out her hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you Misses Isles. Maura's told me so much about you"

She ended with her best smile.

Constance looked down at her hand before grinning wickedly and taking her hand. "My mother was Misses Isles. Call me Constance, please."

They took a seat just as Edgar entered with their tea.

"Another Martini please Edgar, less olives this time it's not a salad"

"Yes, Mam"

Jane peaked at the time. It's 5 o'clock somewhere I guess. Maura never mentioned the drinking.

"What is it you do, Jane?" Constance asked as she eased back into her seat.

Maura stiffened visibly.

"I'm Maura's assistant."

"Ahh… The sarcastic, irreplaceable tower that you mentioned on the phone six months ago- thank you" she took the frosted glass off of Edgars tray and resumed her gaze on Maura.

Jane cranked her neck to look at Maura.

"I never used the word tower" Maura said softly.

Figures. She hardly spoke to her mother yet she found a way to take a phone call from 6 months prior, completely out of context and use it to make her uncomfortable.

"Won't you go get ready? The guests will be arriving shortly" Constance announced before taking a long sip of her martini.

"You said your anniversary party only starts at seven. It's only-" Maura glanced at her watch. "Three thirty"

"Oh darling, didn't I mention we decided on an earlier time because I have an unforeseen showcase in the morning to prepare for"

Maura's face fell. "No you. You didn't-"

"Please don't be mad Bambi. It couldn't be helped. I promise we'll have next weekend though."

Maura swallowed thickly. Her mother used to call her Bambi after an argument or after she'd hurt Maura's feelings as a peace offering.

Though the pet name quickly became part of the manipulation sequence.

Her heart started to race at the thought of the inevitable and necessary conversation.

"I understand," Maura smiled politely. "It's just that I'd hoped to have some time to talk with you about-"

"Of course darling. We'll have all night to talk. But right now I'm afraid you'll have to go put on something chic. Will your friend be joining us?"

"Actually I'm-"

"Yes" Maura interjected, causing Jane to meet her gaze with contempt. Meeting the parents wasn't exactly going as planned.

"You'll need to be quicker than that, Jane. Maura can be quite domineering." Constance teased…

"What the hell was that??" Jane asked angrily as she unzipped her suitcase.

"I don't know. I couldn't do it. I felt like I was going to faint" Maura started to pace the guest room.

"Hence the plan. You know the one we spent two hours and lengthy car ride discussing? Me do talking ring a bell?" Jane pointed to herself.

Maura's face crumpled as the realization set in. They may have to tell her parents with all their guests watching.

She started breathing heavier and unzipped her dress swiftly before stepping out of it and fanning herself with her hand. She suddenly felt unbearably hot.

Jane's eyes grew as she took in Maura's near nacked state. Her dark green lacy panties were barely enough to cover what Maura had an abundance of.

Her eyes dragged up to Maura's gorgeously full breasts, all but spilling over her bra. It was only when Maura's rapidly moving mouth caught Jane's attention when she realised that she had gone into a complete tailspin.

"It's going to be a complete disaster. My mother is going to disown me and I'm going to pass out in front of everyone just like I did at my debutante dance-"

"Wowe. Take a breath" Jane grabbed her arms and forced Maura to meet her gaze. "In" she motioned for Maura to inhale. "Out"

When Maura composed herself, Jane let go and took a step back. Maura still seemed oblivious to the fact that she had stripped down to her underwear.

"Everythings gonna be fine. We just gotta postpone. Obviously. We're not telling them tonight with a room full of strangers there." Jane concluded, utterly fixated on the features from Maura's neck and upward.

Maura took a deep breath. "You're right. We'll just tell them afterwards. Yes. I much prefer that approach" she added, mostly for herself.

Maura's mind was like a wasteland of fragmented thoughts. A state of mind she had almost forgotten of since she moved out.

Though it always returned in full force whenever Constance was within a 50 mile radius.

She looked at Jane with perplexion. Somehow she always managed to soothe her, no matter how crushing the circumstances at hand.

She felt guilty for blindsiding Jane by not telling her more of how her mother makes her feel. She never shared anything about her personal life, as a general rule.

Though she felt urged to share something with Jane. Anything.

"I… did run away" she added softly, remembering Jane's comment in the car earlier. "Once"

She unzipped the cocktail dress that she had brought for the occasion and tried to get Jane's attention but she didn't meet her gaze for some reason.

"Mother and I had, had an argument and Father was on a business trip in East Africa. I wanted to go there… far away from her." She stepped into the dress. "So I packed a bag. Even took my microscope"

Jane smiled absentmindedly as she imagined teenage Maura, stuffing her leggings and encyclopedias into her vintage briefcase along with her microscope.

"I got all the way to the library on the other side of town before I finally stopped running" she fiddled with the zip.

Before Jane could change her mind she pulled up the zip on the back of Maura's Deep red cocktail dress. Brushing Maura's fingers lightly with her own.

Maura lost her train of thought momentarily before continuing. "I stayed away as long as I could until it got dark outside. The library finally had to close so… I headed back home"

"Let me guess, you were grounded before you even made it past the first tennis court?" Jane quipped.

Maura smiled faintly. "I was in no trouble at all." Jane huffed. Had it been Angela, Jane wouldn't have been able to sit for a week. "She hadn't noticed I was gone."

Jane's heart throbbed at the thought.

"Oh Maur" she growled just below her breath. She reached out but changed her mind halfway and ended up linking her pinky with Maura's.

Maura wiped her eyes and smiled brightly. "Mother daughter relationships are universally a complex phenomena"

Jane pursed her lips in thought. "Yeah".

A comfortable silence filled the room as they continued to get ready.

She had a sudden desire to make Maura laugh. She always liked making people laugh in general but there was just something about making her laugh in particular and in this moment, Jane decided to play it a little closer to the chest.

"The first time I realised that we were poor was when we went to another family's house for Thanksgiving and we all sat… on the same kind of chair." She waited for that liquid giggle to fill the room.

Maura finally broke and chuckled deliciously.

"I mean they had like 11 of that one chair type. And I was like, you a duke of some sort? What're your lands and titles?" She uttered in a comical voice.

She never liked Maura knowing the details of how she grew up.

Though in this moment, hearing her laugh after what she'd just gone through with her mother, it was more than worth it.

"Every holiday meal at my house involved me lugging the computer chair down the stairs for grandma. I always sat on the piano bench with my brother." She added and Maura wiped the laughter from her eyes.

"You're kidding" Maura composed herself. "That's how you found out you were poor?"

Jane chuckled. "Yes… so please. I need you this weekend. I have no idea what a chilled fork is or why cutlery suddenly has moods and personalities"

Maura started laughing fully again.

"Also cricket is a bug not a sport so ya know? I will die out here if we don't stick together" she reached out. "Deal?"

Maura smiled a dimpled smile and took her hand. "Deal"

Thank you for all the love you guys. I really appreciate everyone's concern.

I especially love that you have all taken to this story so well. To all the British readers out their, I apologize for the misspelling of London (it was Grammarly. I started doubting how to spell it cause even google said it's Londen)

Please review!