Frost is spinning mindlessly in his chair.
"Boy you sure look bored for someone who has a lot of murders to solve."
He rolls his eyes. "I'm waiting for lab to call me about prints." But he stops spinning anyways. "You okay?" he nods to the elevators, indicating the morgue.
She nods. "Yeah-yeah we're fine." Jane scoots her chair closer to her desk. She wiggles the mouse and waits for the machine to moan to life.
His eyebrows hitch. "Really?"
Off his "I don't buy that for a minute" look she rolls her eyes. "Alright we're obviously going through a rough patch."
Frost lets out a laugh as he leans back into his seat. He tosses a pen in the air then catches it easily. "You know who goes through rough patches?"
"Nah, but I think you're gonna tell me."
"Married couples."
She only sighs.
"My Ma and Pop went through a rough patch too. Now he's married to the Navy and she's marrying a woman."
"You sayin' I'm gonna marry my job and Maur's gonna marry a woman?"
He looks at her curiously. "I'm saying there's obviously some reason you two are bickering like an old married couple that shoulda divorced years ago."
"Enlighten me almighty all knowing." She rests her chin on her fists and gives him her full attention.
He purses his lips. "Well, I noticed the way you got defensive last night."
"You called me a dyke."
He flinches, out of respect for his mom. "I never said that word. And you only use it when you think it applies to you. Which I guess I figure, cause it applies to butch lesbians and you are one-"
"Finish that sentence, please I dare you."
"Well anyway, you get all protective every time a man shows any interest in Maura."
"Well can you blame me? The woman's dated two murderers and Giovanni." She laughs suddenly, realizing what he's getting at. "You're trying to tell me I have a thing for Maura, aren't you?"
He shrugs. "It's not really impossible, Jane. You two still have sleepovers."
"Sometimes I get too drunk and crash at her house." She dismisses. But continues after a beat. "It keeps me from wrapping my cruiser around a tree and saves me cab fare."
"Okay, I'll buy that. But what's her excuse? I can't imagine the great Doctor Isles getting drunk. Buzzed? Maybe. But not drunk."
"You'd be surprised how many glasses of wine can influence Maura the lightweight."
He rolls his eyes. "Denial."
"It's not denial if you're wrong."
"Am I, though? Am I really?"
"Yes." She says, terminating the conversation in one syllable. Frost turns his attention back to his monitor and Jane mumbles something about working with idiots. He smirks because he knows he's just planted a seed.
When Jane unlocks her apartment door, she's thinking about texting Maura to cancel their dinner plans. She's tired and she hasn't been able to stop thinking about Frost's implications earlier. She doesn't have feelings for Maura.
But she doesn't know how the hell to describe what she does feel for Maura. It sure as hell isn't something she feels for all her other friends.
Her apartment is still messy from neglecting to clean it all week and somehow she feels naked, bare, like each and every insecurity of hers is on display yet she doesn't understand what that has to do with her apartment.
Something just doesn't feel right within her.
She quickly drafts a text to her best friend and sends it before hurrying to the shower. Jane is in her black bra and dark blue boyshorts, vacuuming the living room. Jo Friday lifts her head from the armrest on the couch and Jane notices the movement from her peripheral. There's a knock on the door then after a beat Maura uses the key.
She walks in on a half naked Jane and an excited Jo.
Jo Friday barks her greeting but Maura is carrying a large brown paper bag in one hand and holding her purse with the other.
"I didn't mean to intrude," Maura only half-heartedly apologizes.
Jane waves her off. "You've seen me in much less."
There's a nervous laugh shared between them.
Maura turns her attention to the bag. "I got us Italian."
Jane's stomach thunders loudly and she feels a little embarrassed. "Sounds good. Listen, I'll go get dressed. You can-" she gestures to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable."
Maura stays in the kitchen instead. She pulls up a stool to the counter. She waits patiently, casually going through her text messages and emails, she even chews lightly on a roll.
"Sorry 'bout that," Jane re-emerges from her bedroom. "I kind of got lost in cleaning."
"You clean when you're nervous." Maura states like it's another fact from a textbook.
Jane blushes a little. But doesn't say anything. Instead, she digs into the containers.
"Do I make you nervous, Jane?"
She pulls up a stool next to Maura. "No," it's not entirely a lie but...it's not entirely the truth either. She doesn't look at her friend. "I mean, I don't know. No. No I don't think you do but maybe you do and I don't know it."
Maura doesn't press.
Off her friend's silence, Jane continues. "You got any scientific explanation for why I don't know that?"
The Medical Examiner shakes her head, quietly. She nibbles on the roll in her hands.
There's a beat of silence then Jo Friday barks.
"Why is this awkward?" Jane asks.
Maura shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure. I've learned to stop applying science to our friendship. Theoretically speaking, we shouldn't even be friends. Let alone like one another."
The Detective laughs. "Yeah, but I guess I didn't really like you when I first met you anyway."
"I liked you." Maura's voice hitches. Her mouth twitches and her eyes fall.
Jane gets up and gets two plates for them. "Yeah but that's because you like everyone. Never got a bad thing to say about anyone."
"I'm not very fond of Dr. Pike,"
"But you didn't hate him at first. You got to know the guy and realized he was a colossal asshole."
"Your mother always intimidated me." She shrugs. "I didn't not like her, but I was afraid of her."
Jane grins at the possibility her housewife mother intimidated Dr. Isles. "Really?"
Maura nods.
"You want some wine?"
"You have wine?"
Jane looks sheepish. "I uh, yeah, I do. I figured the next time you came over I could have some for you like you have beer for me." She rounds the corner of the counter back into the kitchen. She digs into the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of cheap wine. "It's nothing fancy. But Ma likes it."
Despite it not being her of her usual tastes, Maura accepts the wine with a touched look. "Thank you,"
"No problem." Jane goes back to retrieve her own beer. "You know, I was actually reading up on where to store good wine if I ever got it. You got a wine cellar, right?"
"I do," Maura nods, pouring the white wine into a glass Jane retrieved for her. "It's in the basement, actually."
"I figured,"
"Why?"
"You just seemed the type to be prepared for that stuff." She shrugs. "It's actually one of the things I like about you."
"And there are things you don't like about me?" the honey-blonde asks in a teasing tone.
"Oh, yeah. But I- we'd have to be a lot more drunk to go into that territory. There's no way I'm letting you hold any of that over my head."
"Well, now I'm scared."
Jane smirks.