Title: Truth Love Dare
Category: TV Shows » Rizzoli & Isles
Author: Alwaysbringback-up
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Drama/Angst/Friendship

Truth Love Dare

Pairing: Jane/Maura

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the R&I universe. All characters belong to Janet Tamaro. I promise that my writing is done purely for recreational purposes only. No ill harm is intended.

A/N: Woot! Woot! Things get interesting in this chapter. Mainly, this chapter delves into their feelings of friendship before things exponentially heat up in the next chapter!

I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I

Maura's sweet and almost carefree laugh resonated through the otherwise silent air around them as they excited the car and turned to walk down the sidewalk towards the club.

Their bodies bumped together a little bit as they made their way down the bleached concrete sidewalk that was riddled with lots of small cracks. To anyone watching them, they looked to be having the time of their lives. Laughter bubbled up spontaneously in their throats as they acted the part. They wove slightly back and forth as they walked, pretending to be a little tipsy from their latest excursion. Maura's two-inch heels clicked in a steady rhythm on the sidewalk as they progressed, and Jane silently wondered how her friend was able to walk in those heels. Jane could hardly walk herself, and she was wearing brown leather boots, with a good sole on them.

Jane laughed as she wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulder. She felt the woman next to her shiver involuntarily and erroneously assumed it to be an effect of the cold. Jane paused to slip out of her jacket, and Maura staggered to a stop next to her. Jane's intentions were clear as she held up the article for Maura's inspection. Maura just couldn't bring herself to amend Jane's conclusion that she was cold and bit down on her tongue. It wasn't the cold that made her shiver. It was Jane's touch. Maura opened her mouth, but didn't trust herself to speak, and so she gently reached out and laid a hand on Jane's forearm, trying to stop her before she relinquished the coat.

"Jane," she breathed, the name of the woman next to her hitching slightly, "It's okay… You really don't have to. I…I'm fine."

"Nonsense," Jane wouldn't hear anything of it. "Maura, you must be freezing. I mean… you're in a little black dress and it's gotta be like 20 degrees out here." In careful drawn out movements, Jane slipped the article of clothing around Maura's shoulders. She selfishly let her fingers graze Maura's skin as she helped Maura slip her arms into the sleeves. Maura squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the touch, but even that didn't seem to be enough. The skin of her neck and shoulders burned where Jane grazed it, and Maura couldn't seem to breathe. Jane, too, held her breath as she pulled back Maura's soft curls, so that they didn't get caught in the jacket. They were so soft, and despite the fact that Jane had played with those curls before (in a strictly platonic way, of course) she couldn't help but imagine doing it again in a slightly different context. Meanwhile, Maura's whole body seemingly started humming in response to the brunette's touch. Maura didn't mean to, but she found herself imagining what it would feel like if Jane's fingers were raking across the base of her back. A blush colored her cheeks a healthy red as Maura started to feel warm all over.

A gasp escaped her as she experienced a surge of hedonistic desire. This very same sharp intake of oxygen told Jane she was making the blonde uncomfortable, and so the detective quickly retracted her hands, hoping she hadn't done any damage to their friendship. Maura's eyes flickered open as Jane finished slipping the wool jacket around her bare shoulders. Neither of them could voice it aloud, but both felt as if something in their relationship had shifted dramatically in the last minute or so. Their eyes were locked in an intense gaze of scrutiny as they tried to figure out what on earth had just happened. Jane struggled not to close the distance between them, knowing that any such gesture could ruin their friendship. Jane, who was not able to bear the tension any longer, broke the connection and looked down at her boots.

Maura's eyes raked up and down Jane's body again, wondering how on earth Jane could be comfortable. The detective's outfit couldn't possibly offer a much of a barrier from the cold, but she had given Maura her jacket without a second thought. Lucky for her, Jane didn't seem to mind the biting cold. Maura stared at Jane's hands as the brunette started wringing them in front of her. The medical examiner knew all too well that this was a sign that Jane's hands were hurting. And Jane's hands usually hurt the most when she felt stressed or was upset about something. Maura's lips drew out in a frown as Jane continued to avoid her gaze. Finally she asked. "Hey," she spoke, reaching out to remind Jane that she was still there. The brunette jumped at the touch, a look of surprise on her face. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jane nodded, reluctantly meeting Maura's eyes. "Sorry. I uh… I was just thinking." She held out her hand for Maura, "Should we get going? We're almost there."

"Thank you," Maura voiced finally, holding Jane's doe-like brown eyes as a smile slipped onto her lips, "You know… for the jacket." She slid her hand into the crook of Jane's elbow, wrapping her fingers around the muscular limb.

"Any time," Jane smiled, and they resumed walking towards the car. "It's what I'm here for, after all." Then. "I live to serve."

After slipping past the bouncer, and entering the club, both women took a minute to take a look around. It was a nice club, nearly packed to its full occupancy. A steady thrum of bass reverberated around them, as the D.J. played dance music. He must have cranked up the volume to the speakers, because Jane could feel the bass shake the floor underneath her feet. To Jane it was a little disorienting.

"I need a drink," Jane said finally, struggling to be heard over the music.

"Jane," Maura replied in her signature sweet, but reprimanding tone.

"What?" Jane shot back. "I'm not actually going to drink the booze." Then. "I'm shocked that you think so little of me."

"It's not that," Maura argued. "Believe me, I want a drink too. It's just…we can't."

"I know," Jane shouted over the music.

"I need to use the bathroom," Maura shouted after a long bit of silence.

"Save you a seat at the bar, then?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded. They parted ways.

Jane wove her way through a standing crowd of countless people. She wondered what they were even doing at the club if they weren't dancing.

After breaking through the crowd, Jane found a seat at the bar, and waited for the bartender to make his way over to her.

She tapped her fingers on the bar as she waited.

"Why, hello!" a disembodied voice coming from a man next to her greeted. She could hear the whoosh of air come from the bar stool as they plopped down in the seat to her left. Jane turned to greet the individual sitting next to her and felt her throat close up on her. He was wearing a deep green dress shirt that clung to him perfectly. Jane could see the muscles straining against the fabric in several places. And don't even get her started on his tight black pants. His bright blue eyes were captivating as you looked into them. "Do I know you?" he asked after a long pause. Jane couldn't help but feel as if she did know him. She'd certainly seen him before, but she couldn't place him.

"No," Jane shook her head.

"No," he asserted. "I do know you from somewhere. I just need a minute to figure it out." Jane held her breath as she waited. She urged the bartender to move faster.

"Oh! Now I know," he said finally with a wide smile. "You're a detective…from homicide."

"Shh!" Jane hissed as she glared at him. "Not so loud! I…I'm undercover."

"Oh! Gosh, I'm sorry," he said while looking sheepish. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"It's okay," she replied. "I take it you're a detective too?" Jane asked as she met and held his eyes.

"Yep," he smiled, "I work in burglary. I'm James."

"Jane," Jane offered as she held out her hand. He took it without any reservations whatsoever.

"You work in homicide, correct?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Jane just nodded.

"You're sort of a legend, you know?" he teased.

"Don't know why that would be," Jane said honestly.

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked. "You're humble Jane. And you know what else? I like you." He pulled a napkin from the edge of the bar his way and pulled out a pen. Jane watched as he scribbled his name down on the napkin, followed by seven digits. "Here's my number," he said finally. "I…I really hope you'll call," he said with a disarming smile as he stood up. "It was nice to talk to you, Jane."

"You too," Jane said honestly. But she knew deep down already that she wouldn't be calling that number. She watched him walk away with a pang of sadness.

"What can I get you?" the bartender's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, uh," Jane cleared her throat, "A sparkling water and an iced tea." She tried to ignore the funny look that he gave her. She slipped a five-dollar bill onto the counter while he fixed their drinks. He picked up the bill as he slid two glasses towards Jane. And then he briskly walked away to wait on someone else.

"Hey," Jane swiveled in her chair as Maura suddenly occupied the seat that James recently abandoned.

"Hey, you," Jane smiled. "I got you a drink." Maura arched her brow as she looked at Jane.

"Relax, Maur," Jane spoke into the blonde's ear as she leant forwards. She took pride in the fact that Maura shivered a little. "It's just sparkling water." Maura nodded, and lifted the glass to her lips. Jane leant back as she took a sip of her own drink. It was sweet.

"So," Jane spoke as she set her glass back onto the bar, "What took you so long?"

"Well, I got stopped several times," Maura confessed, "A lot of people wanted to give me their number." And Jane's heart constricted painfully in her chest. She tried to shake it off, but the feeling stuck with her.

"So," Jane swallowed, "How many numbers did you get? I'm just curious."

"Uh… Seven I think," Maura replied. "We should come out more often."

"Any possible prospects?" Jane inquired.

"Yeah," Maura smiled. "There was this really cute…." Maura trailed off as she saw Jane flinch, and look away. Jane shoved her hand into her pockets. She continued describing the man for Jane, afraid that Jane would know she'd been found out, but even her heart wasn't in it.

"You wanna take him home?" Jane asked. She suddenly wished she had a sock to put in her mouth. "Cause I wouldn't be offended if you did."

"I don't know," Maura shook her head and shrugged, "I'm just not feeling like it tonight."

"Whoa! Hold on a minute." Jane commanded. Maura had no time to react before Jane's hand darted out to touch her forehead. "Are you sick or something?" Jane asked incredulously. Before Maura had a chance to answer, Jane continued. "Let me get this straight. You, the very same Dr. Maura Isles who always talks about casual sex in terms of being a perfectly understandable need, didn't feel like taking prince charming home for a night between the bed sheets? Something is seriously wrong here… You must be coming down with something." Maura, who was suddenly hearing the deafening whooshing of her heartbeat pounding through her ears, pulled away from the brunette's touch, while batting away the brunette's hands. Of course she hadn't expected Jane to react any differently. After all, Jane was right. Although, Maura had always been particularly selective when it came to choosing sexual partners, she didn't put much weight on getting to know someone before sleeping with them. But something had changed over the last several months. Maura found that she no longer felt any gratification from her one-night stands. And as she sat beside Jane in the middle of the bar, she was pretty sure that she knew why.

"I just don't feel like it tonight," Maura said honestly. "I don't know. Ever since I found out I was dating a serial killer; all of the fantasies I've had about finding the perfect man have just fallen short. It's like the magic is gone." Maura sighed sadly. The fact was, the M.E. only trusted one person with her heart, and that person was her best friend.

"Besides…" Maura murmured softly, "It would have been a little awkward for you."

"Oh?" Jane laughed. "Why? Because I don't have someone?" Jane's brows rose up on her forehead in a teasing manner, "Because I'll have you know, I managed to snag a phone number from a really irresistible looking detective from burglary while you were off in the bathroom."

"Y-you did?" Maura felt something lurch inside of her, as Jane pulled out the napkin, unfolded it, and held it out for inspection. At first, Maura was impressed. Usually, Jane didn't put much of an effort into finding a potential date. In fact, Maura was sure that the only reason that Jane dated at all was because of Jane's very persistent, and very annoying mother.

Maura didn't know why she suddenly started to feel very sick to her stomach as she stared at the digits scribbled on the napkin, but assumed it had something to do with how she was feeling. When Jane had announced that she'd gotten the number, Maura was sure that she'd felt dread. Now, she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Finally, Maura decided that it didn't matter. She forced a smile, hoping that it looked convincing enough. After all, she should be happy for Jane. That was the normal reaction, wasn't it? A thought occurred to Maura, and the ME suddenly realized that the reason she was feeling that way, was because she didn't want to have to see Jane with anyone else. She didn't want to have to think about some man running his hands all over Jane's body. Maura recognized the emotion. It was jealousy. Maura could only hope that Jane didn't know what she was thinking.

"I have to say that I'm honestly impressed, Jane," Maura spoke in admiration, though underneath Jane's coat, her arms erupted in hives. "Good for you! I just wish that I could've met him, because then I could have given you my full stamp of approval." Jane shrugged.

"Eh, it's okay," Jane replied in a relaxed manner. "I don't think I'm going to call him anyways."

"You're not?" Maura couldn't conceal the level of surprise from her tone. "W-Why?"

"Well," Jane replied, "Have you seen the crazy hours I've been working lately?" Jane couldn't help but smile. She knew that Maura did know the crazy hours she worked, because the Medical Examiner worked them too. "Okay… Just multiply that by two, and then subtract the amount of time that's left. What do you get? Because I'm pretty sure it's not enough time to have a relationship."

"Oh," Maura muttered. "I see. So you think that you wouldn't have any time left to spend on the relationship." Jane nodded.

"Yeah," Jane agreed. "I'd be getting calls in the middle of the night. He'd be getting calls. It…just… It would never work." Jane sighed. "And as much as I liked him, I really need to be realistic about the whole thing." She met Maura's eyes, with her own.

Then Jane looked down at her hands. She sighed, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What?" Maura asked with genuine concern. "Jane, what is it?"

"N-nothing," Jane muttered, as her eyes opened again. She wished that she was brave enough to tell Maura the real reason she didn't want to call James. It was because she only had eyes for one person. Maura.

"That's an evasive answer, Jane," Maura pointed out. "If you were like me, you'd be erupting in hives."

"Forget it," Jane tried to salvage the conversation they'd been having. "Anyhow…What were we talking about?"

"I'll ignore the grammatical mistake in your statement," Maura smiled, "Just this once, Jane, but I do believe we were talking about why you couldn't make a relationship work."

"Thanks, Maur," Jane laughed. "You're too kind." Then she did it again, just to annoy her best friend. "Anyhow… I believe I was saying that I just don't have the time available to make it work."

"Well," Maura said pointedly, "We've found a way to make it work, haven't we? I mean, we get together for lunch on weekdays, go to the dirty robber on Friday nights, and spend Saturday nights watching movies together. We find the time to make it work."

"Yeah," Jane conceded, "But that's different. We're best friends. We've already built our relationship, and so the work has been done. AND we work together, so it's not hard to find free time to spend with each other. I don't know…" Jane swallowed. "I think that you get me better than anyone else. That guy?… He-He doesn't know about my past. And if he had, he probably wouldn't have been interested in me at all. Hell, he'd be running for the hills."

"How can you say that?" Maura replied almost angrily. "Jane?"

"Well, it's true isn't it?" Jane asked, while looking down at her hands. Maura saw Jane starting to close herself off, and reached out. Jane was all too eager to build up walls around herself. Maura knew it to be a coping mechanism for the detective, but it killed her every time that she saw it happen. Maura had worked so hard over the past couple of years to get the Boston homicide detective to open up to her.

"You clearly don't see yourself the way that others see you," Maura sighed. "Jane, I think that everything you've been through defines who you are," Maura said wisely, "And I'm not just referring to your abilities as a detective, but also to your ability to be a good friend. Personally, I think he'd love you more if he knew what you've been through. You're one of the strongest, most courageous people I've ever known."

"You forgot to add stubborn and stupid to the list," Jane joked. Maura didn't find it funny.

"I'm serious, Jane," Maura spoke as her eyes flashed. She looked deep into her friend's doe-like brown eyes as she tried to gauge Jane's feelings.

"So am I," Jane challenged. "Look, Maur. Can you just let it go?" She sighed, as she pulled away from Maura and turned so that she could conceal herself from the medical examiner. One of Maura's unique characteristics was in her ability to read facial expressions. Jane hated being analyzed by her best friend. "I think over the last few months I've realized that my job is my life. Ma can bug me however much she wants, but I clearly don't have time for a relationship right now. I mean… Why can't I just be happy with the way things are right now?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean?" Maura asked.

"You know," Jane shrugged as she turned around to meet Maura's eyes. "With you and me. We're good friends. I trust you, and when you're around I don't feel as lonely. It might be a little unconventional, but I like it. You… You honestly understand me better than anyone else. You know what I do for a living, and you're not intimidated by me like most men are. You've also seen me at my absolute worst, and you never thought less of me for that." Jane's throat grew dry as she realized the sort of thing she was describing. "I just feel like I don't need anything else right now, so long as you don't get sick of me and decide to leave."

"I would never do that," Maura replied. "And I know what you mean. I just feel like my heart isn't into dating anymore. The truth is I'm not interested in the idea of dating strangers when I…"

"When you what?" Jane asked as Maura trailed off mid-thought.

"Nothing," Maura breathed, knowing that there was no way Jane would accept it for an answer. "It's just that I… I think I'm developing feelings for someone else." Jane, who had been inspecting the bar in both directions, suddenly locked eyes with Maura again, completely transfixed. This was brand new news to her, and she wasn't sure she liked its connotations.

"Wait. What? You are?" Jane's low raspy alto voice asked as she started wringing her hands again. They were suddenly hurting quite a bit. "Who?" Maura suddenly looked very guilty, and a horrifying thought came to Jane's mind. The brunette tried not to sound too jealous when she said. "Maura, I swear to god, if it's Frankie? I don't think I could handle that. I know I said that I didn't want to keep you from achieving happiness, but I just don't think I could…" Jane swallowed, trying to figure out how to voice her protests. "Look, I know you like him, but I'm telling you, it would be a disas…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Janie," she heard Frankie say into his mic. She kicked herself. She forgot that others were listening to every word she spoke. She knew that Frankie was in the club somewhere. She just didn't know where he was.

"Jane," Maura's hand reached out for her friend's hand instinctively, hoping to still her friend's anxious pacing. "Just relax, okay? It's not. It's not Frankie." Maura gave Jane's hand a squeeze. "I promise. I wouldn't do that to you, especially when you feel so strongly about it." Maura swallowed. "You come first."

"Okay," Jane sighed in relief. "So who is it?" Jane asked, her eyes darting down to where their hands were joined. Jane's jaw clenched as she struggled to maintain her composure. On the inside, she felt like screaming. Her fingers were tingling, her hand throbbing at the contact. The feeling, and the affinity for the contact point was so intense, it was almost painful. Maura, after realizing she was still holding Jane's hand, let go. And Jane mourned the loss of contact.

"Jane…I," Maura struggled for the words. How do you tell your best friend that you think you are falling for them? Especially when you know the risks. It could change everything, and Maura wasn't sure she could handle it. Wasn't Jane right? Couldn't Maura just be happy with the way things were between them? Maura was torn between settling for what they had, and wanting something more. They'd both been through so much together in the last year. Maura felt as if she deserved a claim to what they had. She didn't want to have to worry about some guy (or girl) coming along to take Jane away from her.

A flash of movement in the corner of Jane's vision had her turning her head away from the honey-colored brunette next to her. Jane reached to her belt instinctively, hoping to encounter her holster. However, when Jane's fingers brushed her hip, she was reminded that she didn't have it on her.

"Easy, Jane," Maura soothed her best friend, as she pressed a hand to Jane's shoulder. "Remember where we are, and what we're doing…" Jane looked slightly embarrassed as she dropped her hand from her side, then stared into the countertop.

"Sorry," Jane muttered, "I just…"

"I know," Maura nodded, in complete understanding. Jane watched as she stood up. "Come on," Maura said as she held out her hand for Jane. "It's time we start dancing."

'Oh, god,' Jane groaned inwardly. She was going to have to touch her best friend, and she wasn't sure she could do it without getting carried away. 'Please, god, don't let me fuck this up.'

A/N: Next chapter? Dancing. I'm so excited about the next chapter (and I'm the one who wrote it!) Please review and let me know you're still with me! Thanks for reading! :P

Also, I know this is tacky, but the truth is that I don't have a beta reader. I proofread everything myself. And I'm sure that I don't have to tell you how difficult that it can be. It's hard when you've already written something, to then have to go back over it again and again. By then, mistakes get missed. Sometimes it really helps to have a fresh pair of eyes. So if you're interested in being a beta reader, please PM me and let me know!