Monday

Jane went down to the gun range. She'd always felt happy and confident down there. She checked out a bay and put on her safety gear. There was a new supervisor, a cute blonde who had her hands more than full with men trying to impress her. Nevertheless she came over while Jane loaded her firearm.

"I've heard a lot about you. Alex," the supervisor said, holding out her hand.

"Rizzoli," Jane said, looking down at her hands before reluctantly extending one. "Jane," she conceded.

"Booth 4? Need anything?" Alex handed over the glasses and earmuffs, seemingly unbothered by the abrasive scars still evident on Jane's palms.

"Different set of hands?" Jane joked nervously, and Alex didn't flinch, still didn't look down to Jane's hands.

"I've seen your ranking, you'll be fine." She patted Jane on the shoulder and Jane raised her gun, made her sight and squeezed off a full round.

All through the chest.

"Nice work," Alex said, when Jane pulled off her earmuffs. "You're testing Wednesday, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Shoot like that and you won't have any trouble."

Jane smiled and Alex walked away to correct someone's stance and Jane carefully peeled her hands from around the grip. Getting her gun back would help her feel like the person she was, the person she used to be until a year ago. She'd feel brave and strong again, she'd be able to walk straight into the morgue and watch any ME slice open any corpse. Hell, she'd slice them open herself. Maybe she wasn't allowed to do any boxing, but what would she need boxing for when she had her firearm back at her side? And she'd been coping - maybe not thriving, but coping at least - since she got back to work. She could handle this. She could be who she was before Hoyt had dismantled her. She was still rebuilding, but she knew she could be the Detective she used to be.

Doctor Isles was in the Division One café when Jane went down for a coffee, and Jane, full of confidence, stood behind her.

"I'll get that," she said as Maura started to pay for it.

"That's unnecessary," Doctor Isles said, still reaching for her purse.

Jane slapped a 10 on the counter. "Same again, and you get the rest as a tip if you can manage a smile." Stanley grimaced as he poured out Jane's coffee.

"Really, this is not necessary. I am well reimbursed for my time here."

"It's not about the money, Doctor Isles," Jane said, swaggering off with her coffee. Doctor Isles watched her walk away, shaking her head before sipping at her coffee with a grimace at the taste.

Jane paused at the morgue door. She could see Doctor Isles in there, doing her usual monologue as she measured something in the body's chest. She watched as Doctor Isles looked up, forgot to duck. A few moments later she waved sheepishly, and Doctor Isles pointed to the door. Jane pointed at herself wide eyed, questioning her wordlessly, and Doctor Isles rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Uh, hey. Find anything yet?" Jane asked.

"Could you help me roll him onto his side?" Jane nodded and pulled a pair of gloves on. "You're not squeamish," Doctor Isles noted, crossing one arm across the chest and pushing the shoulder as Jane pulled the hip towards her.

"I used to be, a little bit. A deco in summer will still make me retch."

"Understandable. But this - a dead body that you're touching, the prominent holes in the chest and torso - that doesn't bother you?"

"You've cleaned him, right? I'm wearing gloves, and you don't need me to dig around in those wounds."

"He's been washed, and no, I don't need a Detective to poke around in a body."

"Then no, it doesn't bother me." Jane took the shoulder as Doctor Isles measured a wound on the back, speaking into the recorder as she did so. "You recording all of this?" Jane asked as Doctor Isles finished, examining the back for more wounds before taking the shoulder to lower the body back down.

"I like to keep a record, to see what improvements I can make." Doctor Isles continued her examination of the body. Jane watched her, the scrutiny in Doctors Isles' eyes focused on someone else for once. She looked up and caught Jane watching her, a little smile on her face. Doctor Isles was tempted to interpret it as mocking, but there was something too soft about the lines of her eyes, the curve of her mouth. For a moment they eyed each other warily "You can leave," Doctor Isles said finally. "Unless there was something you needed?"

"I... Uh..." Jane knew she should tell the doctor she was using for immersion therapy that she was using her for immersion therapy, but she also didn't want anyone in the precinct to know how fragile she was, to think that on top of having wonky hands she had a wonky brain as well. "Do you mind if I watch, sometimes? From..." Jane gestured to the windowed doors. "It, uh. It helps me think."

"And here I thought I had a secret admirer," Doctor Isles said smoothly, observing the blush crossing Jane's cheeks with interest, filing that away for later. She'd meant it to be a jab, but it had come across as coy. She hadn't quite meant to say that, and it was concerning; Maura usually planned every sentence around Jane, her guard up, her words her only armour to defend her dignity from a woman who'd publicly embarrassed her once. Once. Just once, but Maura trusted her instincts, her first impression. However, as a scientist she kept gathering more data about Jane Rizzoli, data that made that first impression defunct. Doctor Isles shook her head, let out a frustrated laugh. "You're quite the conundrum. You come across quite harsh and abrasive, yet you handled this man as carefully and respectfully as though he was an infant entrusted into your care."

"Not his fault he's dead," Jane joked. "Unless it is, and even so, I'm not going to interfere with evidence."

Doctor Isles nodded thoughtfully. "Okay," she said finally, nodding. "I don't mind you watching, especially not if you occasionally assist. But on one condition."

Jane pulled off her gloves, wiped her sweaty hands on her slacks. "Yeah?" She croaked.

"Please stop ducking when I look up. It's very distracting."

"Oh. Uh. Sorry, I was trying not to distract you."

"I don't mind having my autopsies observed, but the hiding I do mind. I find it more distracting than simply having an audience."

"I mean, yeah, deal, I'll just..."

"Okay," Doctor Isles said, turning back to the body. "Would you like to stay for the Y-incision?" Doctor Isles paused with her hand over the instrument tray, watching as Jane's eyes flickered to her scalpels, seeing the sharp intake of breath and the involuntary step backward.

"Not... Not today, thanks," Jane said swallowing hard, wiping her hands on her pants again, aware of how clammy they were. "Thank you, though. I'll be back." Jane turned and left as slowly as she could, watching through the window as Doctor Isles started cutting into the body.

"I know you will," Doctor Isles said absently, starting to narrate the rest of the autopsy.

Notes:

Finally, an interaction not inherently negative.