Doctor Isles had been made aware that Detective Rizzoli had returned to active duty. It was hard not to be aware of the tall, attractive detective - she was everywhere, in the cafe, abusing Stanley like she had been the first time they'd met, in the squad room when Maura took reports to Cavanaugh, down in the morgue, staring through the window as though she wanted to be cutting into Maura's bodies herself. When Maura met that fixed gaze, Jane's face always brightened, and she'd indicate that she'd like to come in, but Maura turned away. She knew the detective had a good hit rate, that she put away more killers than anyone else in BPD, but her methodology was erratic, and she was disruptive to Maura's careful processes. So Jane stayed on the outside, looking in.

Her new partner, Barry, was too squeamish to come in, so Maura took her reports to Korsak, ignoring Jane when she could, answering her questions when she couldn't. Jane asked surprisingly good questions, Maura admitted begrudgingly.


Maura ducked under the crime scene tape, in sleeveless lime green dress, her shoulders bare in deference to the warmer weather, joining the detectives and sergeant at the body, pulling out her knee bag before kneeling down next to the victim. She took the liver temp, and Frost made an excuse about canvassing.

"We have an ID?" Jane asked, rifling through a purse that had been next to the body. Maura looked at the face, something she tried not to do when there were people around; sometimes she had to pretend that the bodies hadn't been people until she had them alone. It was part of her process.

"I know her," Maura said, jerking back. Rizzoli's bare hand landed on her shoulder, steadying her. "Iris," Maura added. "Iris Macmannon."

"How well did you know her? Do we need a different ME on the case?" Jane asked, always thinking about her case first.

"I can do the autopsy. She was a friend of my mother's, not mine. I met her at a few exhibits." Maura said, looking at her. "It won't be a conflict of interest," she added coldly, but Janes' hand remained on her shoulder, the hard knot of scar tissue obvious against Maura's bare skin.

"We wouldn't ask it of you," Jane said softly. "We'll call someone else in. I'm sorry for your loss."

Maura wanted to argue, wanted to shrug off the warm hand on her shoulder, but as much as she loved her work, she had to admit that this one would be hard, even for her, even for someone with no friends and a hard heart. She'd see Constance on the table, lifeless and limp. Maura looked up, and Jane helped her to her feet, retrieved her knee bag.

"I'll get Frankie to take you back to the station, huh?" Jane said, putting her fingers to her lips and letting loose a loud whistle. Maura nodded numbly, aware that Jane's hand had moved now to her back, where she was making the comforting strokes Maura had seen Jane deliver to victims of crimes. To the family left behind. It was nothing personal; it was completely impersonal, but it was more kindness than Maura had seen for a while, and she turned her face away, ashamed of the tears that still came too easily when someone showed her simple empathy. She knew Jane had noticed, because a moment later she was pulled into a firm hug, hands still brushing over her back. Even though Jane and Maura were on shaky terms, Jane was offering this comfort, and Maura couldn't turn it down, couldn't turn away even the smallest scrap of kindness offered her. Jane made soothing little noises against Maura's hair, but she didn't hurry or rush her, just held her until the tears stopped before she pulled away, wiping Maura's cheeks, shielding Maura from the inquisitive eyes of the crime scene techs. Frankie came, and Maura went willingly with him, pretending not to hear Jane's hissed directive that he should be nice to her.


Maura hovered outside the morgue. It was her morgue, but it wasn't her body. Jane joined her.

"You must be pleased," Maura sniped. "You know Pike will let you in."

"I'm not," Jane snapped back, equally irate. "He's lazy. I have to go in and monitor him, or he'll miss something." Maura had wondered why Jane had never insisted on coming in, and the idea that she trusted Maura's work implicitly shocked her. "I understand why you can't, but I wish you were," Jane said, pushing through the door. Maura could see her arguing with Pike, see her fling her frustrated hands around. It wasn't just Maura, then. Jane lived in a state of permanent agitation, at least at work. When she came out, heading for the lift, Maura reached out a hand and caught Jane's forearm, surprisingly wiry beneath her soft hand.

"He didn't floss her," Maura pointed out. "Her lipstick was smudged when I saw her on the scene." Jane slid her arm upwards to grasp Maura's hand for a moment, heedless of the scars the Maura could feel against her own palm, then turned and went back into the morgue. There was more animated arm-waving, and finally, with a resentful glare at Maura at the window, some flossing from Pike.


"I'm running DNA on the skin particle we found in Iris's teeth," Maura announced. "Well, I'm not. The lab is." Maura looked a little forlorn, a little left out.

"We're heading down to the Dirty Robber when we wrap up, you want to join us?" Jane asked, reading the report Maura had slid onto Korsak's desk. She looked up, surprised at the panic on Maura's face.

"I have matters to attend to this evening," Maura said finally. "But perhaps some other time."

"Anytime," Jane mumbled, buried in the report, barely noticing Maura's swift retreat.


"We need to get into that gallery showing," Jane said the next day, looking at the white board. "She was dumped two blocks away, after a major event."

"I have tickets," Maura said, coming over and looking at the board. "My mother funds the gallery; I always have tickets."

"Good, Jane and Frost can go," Korsak said, sipping his coffee.

"The tickets are in my name," Maura said. "The gallery won't accept transfers."

"We can't... you can't come on an undercover operation." Rizzoli said firmly.

"What is the purpose of going to the gallery?" Maura asked, bracing herself to defend her aptitude for the proposed plan.

Jane sighed and rubbed her face. "We need to see who knew her, who might have a motive. Frost found some bank records that look really off, like she was taking bribes, and the only thing worth money she was involved in is in that gallery."

"So it wouldn't be an undercover operation, merely a reconnaissance mission," Maura pointed out. "Which would be fine for me to escort one of your team." Maura checked her phone. "I happen to be free tonight or Friday night, if that helps your schedule at all."

"I got a date," Frost said. "Rizzoli can take this one."

Jane eyed Maura, and Maura eyed Jane back.

"Do you have anything appropriate for an art gallery event?" Maura asked dubiously, remembering the only feminine thing she'd seen Jane wear. Jane rolled her eyes.

"I have a LBD, yes," Jane said.

"Perhaps you'd better avail yourself of my wardrobe and accessories."

"If I knew that was on offer, I'd have left my hat in the ring," Frost joked.

"We're hardly the same size," Maura chastised him. "But I could have something tailored for you in an hour, if you need."

Frost laughed. "Nah, Rizzoli's got this one."

"I can dress myself," Jane grumbled. Maura took Jane's mouse and keyboard, tilted them towards her and opened a new tab, pulling up the event. "Okay, maybe I can't," she admitted, looking at the finery, the people dressed up in clothing more expensive than most cars. "Look, tonight works for me. Bring something you think will fit me by the station and we can get miked and head out from here after work. Korsak will clear it with Cavanaugh."

Maura nodded, then hesitated. "People may make some assumptions on our relationship status if you show up with me," Maura admitted.

"We can use that," Jane said, nodding. "Yeah, we can use that. You have an all-access pass or something?"

"I do have privileged access, yes."

"So no one will question what we're up to if we get caught somewhere restricted. Perfect." Jane looked through some more photos, tapping her pen against her chin. She looked up at Maura, who was hovering over her shoulder. "Any of these people familiar to you? Any of them feel off?"

"He's handsy," Maura said, pointing to a man who had his hand a little too low on a woman's waist. "Avoid him if you can. And he," Maura pointed to someone else, "is a big donor, so be nice to him, please."

"I'm always nice," Jane grumbled, and Maura expelled air from her nose in a rush in consternation. She pointed at someone else.

"She's another of my mother's friends," Maura said. "She mostly does modern art, I'm surprised to see her at that event."

"She's good," Korsak admitted of Maura. "Normally I'd be against letting a civilian on an operation like this, but we really do need this inside information."

"I'll be carrying, so make sure you bring a purse that fits my gun." Jane looked up at Maura. "Please," she added, her eyes wide, obviously an attempt at manipulation. Maura's eyes narrowed but she nodded.


They got dressed in Maura's office; Maura had a screen so she could change into her scrubs easily. Jane tried on one dress, complaining the whole time. Maura had brought a suit as well, but part of her felt spiteful pleasure at Jane's complaints. Maura shook her head at the dress, not fitting the way she'd wanted it to on Jane's trim body. Korsak rolled his eyes, unpacking the wireless microphones.

"We'll be right outside," Korsak reassured Maura. "And Jane has her gun and won't let you out of her sight. It'll be me and some uniforms, if I thought there was any risk involved I would have vetoed it as soon as you suggested it." Maura nodded. Jane came out again in a sky-blue dress, her hair wild and bouncing off her shoulders as she turned, her belly flat and hip bones faintly visible. It was low cut enough that there was some cleavage, and Jane's heels, while not an exact match, would do. Maura nodded her approval once she caught her breath, stepped forward to put a simple gold necklace around her neck, and some rings on those long, strong fingers.

"How'd I look?" Jane asked quietly, her face close to Maura's as she fastened the clasp around Jane's throat. Maura pulled back to look up at her face; Jane had put her own makeup on, and while it wasn't how Maura would have done it, it suited her exceptionally well. Jane's eyes had drifted to Maura's mouth, then back up. "Do I pass muster?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow, and Maura remembered to breathe, her breath coming out in a rush as she stepped back, looking Jane over as though it was a professional gaze she was using on her.

"It'll do," Maura said briefly, regretting it when she saw the flash of hurt on Jane's face. It was what they did, snippy little insults, but Maura was sick of it. Jane knew how to hurt Maura, and it looked like Maura knew how to hurt Jane too. She wished she could take back that first meeting, wished they didn't have to be like this, but Jane was too proud to back down, and Maura didn't know how to change their social standoff. "You'll do," she added. "You look very nice." But it was too late, she'd already seen the hurt on Jane's face, and now Jane knew she'd seen it too.

Maura was already dressed, but she put on some earrings and a bracelet she reserved for these kind of events. Silver tonight, since Jane was in the gold. "Yeah, well you look..." Jane petered off, let her eyes scan Maura. "like you normally do. Which is too good for a police station."

Korsak coughed and they turned to him. Jane took the microphone he held out and tucked it into the top of her dress. She eyed Maura as she took the second microphone, then shoved her behind the screen. Jane's hands were careful as they pulled the fabric of Maura's dress away from her skin, tucking the microphone in under the hem, using the tape to stick it to the dress rather than Maura's skin. "I hope the tape doesn't hurt your dress," Jane mumbled, smoothing the fabric back down over Maura's... she was clearly touching Maura's breasts as she smoothed it down again, unhappy with the placement. "Sorry," Jane said, looking up and blushing. "I can see it, it might have to go, um." Jane touched her own cleavage, where the dress wasn't tight against her skin. "You can..."

"I'm not trained," Maura said, enjoying Jane's embarrassment. Jane took more tape and moved the microphone, her fingers brushing against the cleavage she'd clearly been trying to avoid. She brushed the fabric down again, eyeing Maura, checking her from the side as well as the front.

"Okay, I think we're good," Jane said, coming back out from behind the screen. "Soundcheck?"

"I could hear every word," Korsak chuckled.


Outside the gallery, Jane turned to Maura, looking her over one last time.

"Remember, just say 'bananas' and we're out of there," Jane said. "Just act normal - or as normal as you usually are, and enjoy the art. Tell me about the people we meet, and the layout of the gallery. Tell me if something seems strange or out of place. If I push you out of the way, get down and out as fast as you can. I'll cover you, but we're not expecting trouble."

Maura nodded. She hadn't expected an element of danger, but it made the evening more exciting; she'd not attended this event and hadn't intended to. With Jane as her date - was Jane her date? She'd be listed as that on the website and event donor book, but people would assume the two women were friends, rather than on a date, which seemed a shame. Their looks blended perfectly; they'd contrast beautifully in the event photos. Maura looked down at her forest green dress, unable to see the mike tucked away, her golden hair lightly curled and falling over her shoulders. She carefully curated all of her looks, and she'd put a little more effort than normal into this one. Because she wanted to show off how much more feminine she was than Jane? Was she competing with her? Jane certainly looked very feminine right now, all curves and red lips and impossibly large eyes accentuated by her mascara and eyeliner. Or had she just wanted to look nice on her first sting operation? Would she have put in as much effort if it had been Frost she'd been escorting instead? Impossible to know, now. She nodded again at Jane's concerned look. Jane let herself out of the car and opened the door for Maura, handing her out onto the curb easily. Once Jane had closed the door, she tucked Maura's hand into her elbow and patted it once, letting Maura lead her into the gallery.


The building was full of snobs, Jane thought, trying not to curl her lip at the opulence on display. Maura showed her contributor card and got two gold lanyards for them.

"These hardly match our outfits," Maura complained, and she slipped them both to Jane to put in her purse. "Jane Rizzoli," she added at the door staff's questioningly look. "My date for the evening."

"Thank you, Doctor Isles. You'll find the appetizers in the hall, as usual."

'Thank you, Fred," Maura said, smiling at him, turning three-quarters with Jane for the arrival photograph, aware of how good they must look together.

"'Date', huh?" Jane asked.

"I could have called you my escort," Maura said breezily. Back when she'd briefly assumed Jane was a prostitute, she'd considered attempting to hire her. Lovely long bones, a magnificent skeletal structure. And then it had all gone to hell, and here they were, still snapping at each other. "Technically both are true."

"Yeah, well, I don't normally date women," Jane grumbled, and Maura handed her a flute of champagne to shut her up. "Whoa, what is this?" Jane asked, downing the glass in one go. Maura rolled her eyes.

"Classy," she reprimanded. "Behave yourself, please. This is my reputation you're trading on right now."

"Sorry, I didn't realise this was a date," Jane rolled her eyes too.

"Actually, use that if you have to," Korsak chimed in. "People are going to ask," he added, rolling his own eyes. Frost had got a warrant for the security system of the gallery, and he was in the van with the officers, watching the night play out. He could almost hear Jane roll her eyes again. A woman made a beeline for them then, and Maura greeted her with pleasure, a kiss on each cheek and then the taller woman pulled away, looked Maura up and down and pressed a third kiss against Maura's closed mouth, Maura pressing forward to meet her, clearly a ritual they were both familiar with. Jane bristled at the familiarity with her date.

"Claire, this is my date for the evening, Jane Rizzoli," Maura said before Claire could say anything. That same gaze swept over Jane, and Claire leaned forward and repeated the greeting, and Jane, ordered to be polite, didn't pull away, aware as she was that the mouth touching hers had just been touching Maura's.

"You look positively delectable," Claire said as she pulled away. "Separately, gorgeous. But as an ensemble, you put the exhibits to shame." Claire smiled and walked off, and Jane stared, stunned, at Maura, who just chuckled, leading Jane to a small group of people she recognised.


Jane smiled politely as Maura made a lot of small talk with a lot of people she knew, always introducing Jane with enough ambiguity that Jane felt like she was on display. She tried not to fidget, but it didn't seem like they were learning much. Later she'd get the conversations transcribed and go over them, see if Maura noticed anything, but right now she was laughing at something someone had said, her teeth exposed and delightful as she leaned forward. Doctor Isles had a dimple when she smiled, which Jane hadn't seen before tonight, because Maura had never smiled at her. Not intentionally, not without some measure of irony. It made her wonder what else she'd missed about the doctor, what else she hadn't seen. She'd seen more than she'd expected that afternoon, accidently grazing what must have been Maura's areola, the skin soft and rosy when she'd been trying to position the mike. She checked the front of Maura's dress again but it was still concealed, and Maura had, of course, chosen that exact moment to check in with Jane, who was clearly staring at her chest. Jane looked up, eyes wide, and Maura chuckled, her face soft and open. Jane had always been able to see how pretty Maura was, but right now she was gorgeous, the smile complimenting the outfit, more so now that it was aimed at Jane. Jane looked away, blushing, and heard Maura make a teasing remark about Jane's actions to whoever she was speaking to - Jane hadn't been able to keep track, only scanning the rooms for threats and so far, finding none. The champagne came around again, and Maura stopped her when she reached for it.

"You're working," Maura said quietly. "And your face is flushed, which indicates that you may have already imbibed too much." Maura pulled away, and ushered Jane over to a painting on the wall, extoling its virtues, but all Jane could see was the green that matched Maura's dress, the gold that matched Maura's eyes, the pinks that matched Maura's lips.

"The Lady of the Lake, by Artimer LeStrange. Quite magnificent," Maura said, stepping back a little to get the whole painting into view.

"Yeah," Jane agreed, still not looking away from Maura, who looked up, caught Jane's gaze and chuckled again.

"You're laying it on a little thick," Maura said quietly, guiding Jane to another painting, launching into another explanation of the artist and the history of the piece.

"I'm a little out of my element," Jane pointed out, trying to listen to Maura.

"I do wonder why they're not showing the Blue Horizon," Maura mused. "It's the most valuable piece in the show." Jane's ears tingled with this information, remembering the weird activity on Iris's bank account.

"Where would you expect it to be?" Jane asked.

"In pride of place. Right there." Maura pointed to a wall with a small, delicate painting on it. "That's barely worth looking at, in comparison. The arrangement is all off, if the Blue Horizon wasn't supposed to be there, the next in line would be Space and Time, but that's over there, where the second most important painting would be. But it's much more well-known and prominent than that - it looks like they pulled it out of storage at the last minute, and didn't rearrange the rest of the art."

"Suspicious?" Jane asked.

"Very," Maura agreed, leading Jane to the replacement painting. It was too small for the wall space, and the plaque looked hurried. Jane touched her pinky to the plaque, and the ink was still wet. She held it out to Maura, her eyebrows raised, and Maura nodded. Maura led Jane into a deserted hallway, then scanned in her patron card and let them into another area of the gallery that was clearly off limits.

"We still have eyes on you, but you'd better hurry - one of the security officers is headed your way fast," Korsak said on the headset. Maura quickly checked a storage rom she knew about, finding it empty, and moved on to an office, where she saw the painting propped against a wall. She backed out into the hall and headed back to the gallery, dragging Jane behind her. When the hallway door opened, Maura pressed her back against the wall and pulled Jane against her.

"Pretend to have an argument," Korsak suggested.

Their faces were close, and their torsos were pressed together. Jane pushed back a bit as she heard the door close, heard footsteps. "Do you trust me?" she whispered, face still close to Maura's. Maura paused a moment, biting her lip, scanning Jane's eyes. She nodded. "Go with it. You won't need to try to lie." She adjusted her hands so one leaned against the wall behind Maura's head, the other at Maura's waist. "Lady of the Lake. It's obviously the best piece," she said at a normal volume. Maura's mouth dropped open.

"How can you say that? Space and Time clearly has the best brushwork, and The Paddock has some of the most complicated techniques I've ever seen," she argued. "Your choice is very subjective, and I need you to be objective about art."

"Ask me why I think it's the best," Jane insisted flirtatiously, aware that the security guard was very close, was drawing to an awkward stop a few feet away, taking in the scene. It must have looked compelling, Jane tall, eyes flashing, Maura shorter but no less insistent, her hand resting on Jane's hip. Maura huffed, obviously irritated by Jane's attitude.

"Okay, I'll humour you. Why do you think Lady of the Lake has any merit in this exhibit?"

"Because it matches your dress. It matches your eyes. It makes me think of you, and you're the only thing I care about in this whole gallery." Maura saw Jane's eyes slip down to her mouth, knew what was coming, let her lips fall open as Jane's mouth met hers, pressed as she was against the wall. There were no other options, not really, not after Jane had said something like that. She hadn't known Jane had given the painting more than a quick glance, let alone Maura's outfit, hadn't known that Jane would be able to distinguish a colour palette match like that. Jane's mouth was warm and she tasted like champagne, her lips soft and tentative where they brushed Maura's, and Maura found her spare hand looping up behind Jane's neck, heard a whistle over her earpiece from Korsak. She pulled back, and the goofy grin on Jane's face was almost infuriating. She looked so pleased with herself. Jane leaned back in, brushing her nose against Maura's. "I only started the fight so I could get you alone. I couldn't wait another minute to..." Jane's mouth descended again, so tender that Maura wondered if she'd ever truly been kissed before. There was a cough to the side.

"Oh. I know we're out of bounds," Maura addressed the security guard, blushing but not making any move to shift away from her place in Jane's arms.

"How did you even get here?" the guard asked.

"My mother - Constance Agatha Isles - is a patron."

"That means you must be... Doctor Maura Isles. Your name comes up a lot - your funding paid for our security system." He looked away and coughed again. "I don't mean to... but it does make my job harder when patrons are out of bounds during an event. I'd appreciate it if you allowed me to escort you back into the main gallery."

"Aw babe," Jane said. "You never said you were a major donor."

"I donate to many local businesses," Maura said. "But he is right - I am overstepping my guest pass, and we should go back to the exhibition."

"Can you give us a minute?" Jane asked. "You know how it is, people always stare when... when people like us express affection in public. And you know the Doctor - so does the paparazzi back in there. We'd like to keep this, well, private a little longer." The guard nodded, and Jane turned back to Maura, who had pushed away from the wall, ready to head back to the event now that she'd found the painting she was looking for and evaded scrutiny by the security guards. "Of all the exhibits, all the paintings in this museum, not one of them holds a candle to how you look tonight," Jane said, and Maura looked up at her, eyes shining. Jane could lie; Maura knew that. But in this moment she seemed completely sincere, and Maura believed her. She leaned up a little to press a kiss against a mouth she was becoming too familiar with, then used her pinky finger to smooth out the lipstick she'd smudged. Jane's fingers repaid the favour on her own mouth, and it felt far too intimate, even more intimate than the kisses they'd just shared. Her heart was beating so erratically that she was sure it was muffling their conversation over the microphone. Jane took Maura's hand and nodded to the guard, who let them back into the main hallway, following them back to the event before fading away into the background.

"Quick thinking," Maura commended Jane, her heartbeat still thrumming too fast. Maybe it was from nearly being caught, maybe it was from the kiss, or maybe it was from the way Jane had looked at her, was looking at her. She looked back at her shyly, aware that they hadn't planned that, that there had probably been some other way to convince the guard that they were there for a good reason. But Maura couldn't think of any at the time, or even now. None that would have been as effective. The photographer advanced, and they posed for some photos, Jane's arm resting a little too casually on Maura's hip, Maura's head the perfect height to rest a little against Jane's shoulder.


"The Blue Horizon I found was a fake," Maura said quietly, when they had a moment to themselves. "It was cleverly done, but there are several distinguishing factors the original artist used."

"You sure? You only saw it for a second?" Jane asked.

"Do I ever say anything I'm unsure of?" Maura asked blithely.

"You got that Korsak? Forgery could be the motive."

"Roger. I think you girls can leave when you're ready."

"Great, I was ready two hours ago."

"But Jane, we only got here ninety minutes ago... oh."

"Art's not my thing," Jane shrugged. "This champagne is, if we're done for the night."

"Just one, you need to come out to the van and get the mikes off before you're officially off-duty," Korsak warned. "And your car is out here too."

"Do we have time for one more pass? I'd like to confirm the authenticity of the rest of the exhibit, now that I know there is one forgery in the building." Maura wasn't quite ready to leave yet; she could tell with one glance that the rest of the artwork was the originals.

"Good plan. One more pass, then out the front. We're half a block West of the entrance."


Jane listened impatiently as Maura admired each and every piece in the exhibit. She stopped again in front of Lady of the Lake, looking it over again. There was a lady in armour taking a sword from a semi-submerged woman clad only in lilies. There was something about it that she liked; the strength of the woman in armour, her helmet tipped back, her jaw firm and strong, that it was a woman taking the sword, the unusual take on an old tale. Or maybe it was the blonde lake-dweller, soft and fragile pale skin, exposing herself only to someone she trusted. Or maybe it was, like she'd said, that the colours reminded her of Maura, the way she looked in that dress. Jane brought her fingers to her mouth, her lips still tingling since the moment their mouths had met. Maura was awkward in the precinct, she was awkward at crime scenes and she was awkward at the café. But here, tonight, with these people, she was entirely at ease. She fit in here, and Jane felt a small flash of resentment of everything Maura had, of the way these kinds of people treated people like her and her family, the way they acted like they were above the law. But Maura wasn't like them, not really. She was the goofy, clueless, adorable doctor that was so meticulous she could find DNA on a body she wasn't even examining. She'd gotten an ID from only a foot once; she was amazing. And she was gorgeous. The lighting in here was really doing favours for her, her hair shining in the light, her pink lips drawing Jane's eyes again, her eyes glowing. The deep green of the dress, the silver accents against her pale skin. Jane looked at the painting again, looked at the price tag, saw a 'SOLD' sign placed there by a curator and felt a flash of disappointment. Not that she'd have been able to afford it; it cost more than six months of her mortgage.

Maura looked over then and smiled at her, and Jane felt herself smile back instinctively. She knew now that the misunderstanding was because of the way Maura's mind worked, that she had no malice, that she hadn't been trying to further humiliate Jane back when they'd met. And now that Jane knew Maura, she knew she'd hurt her, and she'd never really apologised. That Maura had trusted her was a miracle. That Maura had agreed to bring Jane was an ever larger one.

"Thank your mother for the ticket," Jane said when she joined Maura, sliding an easy arm around her waist. "And thank you for the guided tour. And, uh, I'm sorry."

Maura looked up surprised. Was Jane apologising for kissing her? She hadn't minded, but it would be weird to say that.

"When we met," Jane clarified. "Sorry about that. I just realised... I never said I was, but I am, so now you know."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I mistook you for a prostitute, but I was merely trying to help someone clearly down on their luck." Jane chuckled, remembering those awful outfits from her days on the drugs unit.

"You were trying to be kind, and I'd just had enough Stanley. It wasn't about you." Maura looked up, her eyes narrowed, and gradually her face relaxed as she read Jane, believing her. She nodded.

"We can go now, if you want," Maura said, posing for another photo. "Everything on exhibit appears to be genuine." Jane tucked Maura in closer to her side, turned sideways a little so Maura's head rested on her chest.

"Might as well give them a show," Jane shrugged when the photographer left. "It is your reputation we're trading on, after all." Maura rolled her eyes but gracefully let Jane lead her from the gallery onto the street. Night had fallen, and their breath huffed in the suddenly cold air. Maura was grateful for Jane's warm but lumpy hand in her own as they went to the van parked down the street. The back doors opened, and Jane used them as a shield to retrieve her microphone before diving back into the front of Maura's dress, just as careful as last time, looking up at Maura as she pulled it out, cheeks flushed again and Maura watched her curiously. Korsak would take Maura back to the station, where her car was, and Jane would go home and launder Maura's dress. They'd use the information they'd learned tonight to track down the motive and identification of the killer, and everything would be normal again. Maura felt deflated somehow, like she'd lost something important at the last minute. The look Jane gave Maura told her all of this, but it also held something that looked like regret. Like she'd enjoyed her evening with Maura. Jane handed over the microphones to the officers in the back and made her goodnights, walking back to her car, her ass spectacular in the dress.

"Wait," Maura called after her, walking a little away from the van as they started to pack up. Jane stopped on the street, no traffic at this hour. Maura came after her, unaware of the possibility of impeding traffic, rubbing her arms, wishing she'd brought her coat. Jane rubbed Maura's arms when she reached her, her hands still warm somehow. Maura dropped her hands, folded her arms to hold herself, to brace herself to ask this question.

"Which of the exhibits did you really prefer?" Maura asked seriously.

"I told you. The Lady and The Lake," Jane said, her voice as soft as her smile. "But if you were to ask me what the most magnificent work of art in the gallery was tonight, my answer would have to be you." Tomorrow it was likely that they would slip back into old habits, that Jane would be annoying and haphazard, that Maura would be cold and distant, but tonight was theirs, the distant stars overhead the only thing Maura was aware of behind the smile on Jane's face.

Jane was leaning forward already, so it was easy enough for Maura to lean up a little, to meet that kind smile with her own again, to kiss Jane in the middle of the street in downtown Boston in front of the Gallery of Modern Arts. It would have been impossible not to, after a night like that, after a compliment like that. Maura had taken many dates to art exhibits, but none had listened to her like Jane had, none had made her feel like she was worth more than the art. None had been so attentive, so aggravating, so kind, so accommodating. But Jane's mouth met hers like she understood, like she'd been alone all this time as well, like the walls she put up had dropped at Maura's lips pressing against hers, like she knew Maura had seen something in her that she liked, like she'd seen something in Maura that she'd liked. It wasn't much, but it was a start, a change from the animosity they'd shared before. Jane pulled Maura closer, enveloped Maura in the safety and comfort she offered, hands soft but steady across Maura's lower back. It felt like hours before Maura pulled away, shivering.

"Thank you," Maura said, turning back to the van, crossing the street quickly, suddenly aware of where she was, of the uniformed officers and Korsak waiting for her. It took a little longer to pack up, but when the van drove away, Maura looked back at Jane still standing alone on the street, one hand raised to her mouth.


They found Iris's killer, and Constance called Maura personally to thank her. Jane wandered in as they were wrapping up the video call.

"Oh wait, this is the detective that solved the case. We tracked down the forgery, but she figured out it was Iris's charity that had commissioned it." She paused. "Please be careful, mother. I worry."

"I worry about you, going undercover," Constance huffed. "Detective Rizzoli, was it really necessary to put my daughter in danger like that?"

"She offered," Jane shrugged. "Thank you for the tickets, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit."

"I saw the photos, I know exactly what you enjoyed," Constance said wryly. "You intentions with my daughter?"

Maura laughed at the look of surprise on Jane's face. Maybe she really hadn't seen the photos of the event; Constance hadn't exactly jumped to a conclusion that was unfounded.

"Uh, a working relationship, I suppose," Jane said, clearly caught off guard. "You must be very proud of her," Jane added. Constance's eyes narrowed.

"I am. Not only does she do her own job - magnificently, so I hear - but she also managed to do yours." Jane's eyebrows raised, but she remained calm.

"If there had been any danger, she wouldn't have been allowed to come. Do you think I hold your daughter in such low esteem that I would play dangerous games with her safety?" Jane asked, and Maura held her breath. Constance looked to the side, probably at the event website, the photos showing Jane looking at Maura with clear adoration.

"Don't let it happen again," Constance warned. "Goodbye darling, it's very late here."

"Goodbye," Maura said quietly, and Jane waited until she'd hung up to exhale. "Jane, you need to see these." Maura pulled up the photos, and Jane blushed. She looked so possessive, so stern, so enraptured with the woman she held in each photo. They looked incredible together; she could see why they'd made the front page.

"I purchased The Lady and The Lake," Maura admitted. "I bought it for myself, so I could remember how you made me feel... so I could feel like that again. The exhibition closes tomorrow, and I thought I should let you know. But if you'd like it, I could have it delivered to you instead." Jane's jaw dropped; she knew how much the painting cost, and Maura was offering it to her as though it was half of her coffee on a long day.

"No! Oh my god no, Maura, no, that thing costs more than my pension. Geez," Jane shook her head, held out the dry cleaning bag. "I just wanted to give you back your dress."

Maura eyed it. "It looks better on you," she admitted. "You can keep it."

"Are you trying to buy me off or something? I looked up how much this designer charges, and again, more than my life is worth. Please." Jane held out the bag again, and Maura took it reluctantly. "However, if I hypothetically needed to borrow a dress... would you be hypothetically willing to lend it to me?" Jane asked, making her eyes all big and beseeching like a beagle. Maura chuckled, hanging up the dress in a small closet she kept clean scrubs and at least one spare outfit in.

"Clearly we've come to some sort of middle ground. How does this sound; I keep the painting, but you're welcome to come to my house and visit it any time you like. The same goes for the dress."

"What do you get out of this arrangement?" Jane asked, looking suspicious.

"Company. You may not believe this, but up until recently I lived a fairly solitary life. I wouldn't mind company, now and then, as long as it was yours."

And there it was, the indulgent smile Jane had given her the other night, laced with affection.

"You're coming to dinner this Sunday. My Ma saw the photos and wants to meet you for herself." It wasn't a question, it was an order, but Maura was starting to understand the way Jane worked. If she asked, Maura could refuse. If she stated it as though it was a factual future that was going to happen, Maura would have to accept it.

"That sounds lovely," Maura accepted happily. Jane leaned forward from where she was perched on the edge of Maura's desk.

"With god as my witness, you'll never go lonely again," Jane said seriously, despite the obvious quote and Maura felt warmth spread through her chest with that reassurance. Jane could lie, but she wouldn't, not to Maura. She might never get the opportunity to kiss Jane again, so she was glad she'd taken the opportunity that night to really appreciate it. She smiled up at Jane, and Jane's eyes slipped down to Maura's mouth, and Maura let her eyes drop as well. Then again, maybe the opportunity would present itself again one day. Maybe. One day soon.


Notes:

This is set between the meeting of Jane and Maura (Season 3, Episode 1 via flashback) and the first episode (Season 1, Episode 1), with the show starting shortly after the end of this fic. No solid relationship since the show doesn't go there (but at least they had this!)

Pike flossing certainly is a mental image.