"Hey! That's my ice cream!"

Ian plops down on his bed beside her, a little sweaty from his basketball game. Maura inches away from him, spooning another scoop of cookies 'n cream into her mouth.

"That's it, I'm cutting you off." He snatches the tub away from her hands and plucks the spoon from her mouth.

"Excuse me?" She grumbles, rousing herself from the pile of blankets, swatting at his arms, but he keeps the frozen treat shielded.

"Nope, you've had enough. What are you watching, anyway?" They both turn their attention to the TV facing the foot of the bed.

"A documentary about the life of the mathematician, Paul Erdős." She licks her teeth, the sticky sweetness already beginning to taste stale.

Ian takes a bite of the ice cream. "You need help. This moping has gotten out of hand."

"I am merely educating myself on a topic that interests me and enjoying a snack of my choosing." But even as she says the words, she feels her cheeks flush, betraying her immediately.

He places the tub of ice cream on the bedside table before plopping down beside Maura. They both stare at the ceiling. Maura counts the panels until he speaks.

"You should come play basketball with me next time. You know, come meet some people…" He says it as delicately as he can.

She rolls over onto her side, peering at him with wide eyes. "I didn't know it would be this difficult."

"Hm?"

"Letting people in."

"Oh." Ian pauses for a moment. "But there's a beauty to it, don't you think? Even when there's pain, something new has happened to your heart. It's preparing you for the right people. They'll mean more to you because of it."

He sounds like a tacky message on a Hallmark card. "What if there isn't something more?" she mutters morosely. "I grow exhausted hearing reassurances when there is no evidence. Love is circumstantial - it's mutually exclusive. The success stories of others finding love has nothing to do with me finding love."

"You are also only just eighteen years old. As brilliant and realistic as you are, I don't believe you have room to jump to an conclusions just yet."

"Neither do you."

"You're impossible. Can't you try to be hopeful?" Ian exasperates.

She rolls over to her back again. "Being hopeful hurts. I used to be much better at convincing myself that everything else matters more - a career, success. But it's different when you know what it feels like to ache for someone."

"Well I'll be hopeful for you then," Ian counters. "And I do have proof, you know. I love you. I put up with all your ridiculous shenanigans. So I know it's quite possible. And you are right - there's much more to life than finding romance, but that doesn't mean you've got to shut out people entirely. That's what I'm most worried about. As much as I care for you, I'd love a chance to share you everyone else."

She doesn't speak for a moment. Nor does she scowl, or smile, or show any kind of emotion at all. She's savoring his words, memorizing each one of them.

XXX

"I brought you a bagel." Jane has a sloppy grin on her face as she enters the morgue. "Actually, I brought you several. I didn't know what kind you liked." She hands Maura a bulging Panera bag, ready to burst at the seams.

"What's the occasion?" Maura pries a cinnamon raisin bagel from the bag, still warm.

"I dunno. It was just a bagel day, I guess. I wanted to share the happiness." She rips a chunk out the bagel in her grasp, smiling through a mouthful of bread.

Maura is wary. A cheerful Jane has thrown her for a loop. She cautiously nibbles at her own bagel.

"What?" Jane accuses quickly when she catches Maura looking at her.

"Well, it's just that I don't think I've ever seen you so...jovial before," she answers hesitantly.

"I'm just happy, okay?" Jane snaps, her voice sharp, a bit aggressive. It's this tone, however, that leaves Maura feeling at ease. Jane sighs, relaxing her eyebrows. "I'm just not very good at being, you know...a girl." She pauses dramatically. Sighs again. "Casey has just been really, really sweet lately."

Her bagel feels like a brick in her mouth as she swallows. Her voice is tiny. "I'm glad."

Jane seems oblivious to her distress. "Yeah, he's even been more, you know...affectionate." Jane blushes hard. Maura chews on her tongue. "Gahhhh, I told you I'm so bad at this. Just ignore me." She rakes her hands through her hair. "Enjoy your bagels. I'll see you after work."

Jane is gone before Maura can execute a proper reaction. A new voice startles her.

"Maura Isles?"

She peeks up, her chest tightening as she recognizes the woman hovering by the doorframe. Kalinda holds herself stiffly, her lips pulled into a severe line.

"Can I help you?" Maura smooths the front of her scrubs, conscious of Kalinda's eyes on her.

"I'm Kalinda Sharma," she steps over the threshold, her heels clicking softly. Her face doesn't change, not even as she speaks. She brings with her a certain caution, a surge of tension. "I'm with Lockhart & Gardner. I hope I'm not intruding." She loosens her lips, just ever so slightly. Maura's eyes land on them for just a fraction too long.

"No. Not at all." Maura's words are dry.

"I'm sure you're aware that we are representing James Addison," she says carefully.

"I can't let you see the autopsy report." Maura's response is firm and spoken too quickly. She watches Kalinda's face. It remains stoic.

"I fear that Detective Rizzoli has warned you about me." Kalinda moves her gaze slowly up Maura's face until she locks eyes with her. "We both, however, are merely trying to do our job."

Maura draws her lips into a tight line. Her intrigue and her frustration meld together in an uncomfortable knot.

Kalinda speaks again, her voice a bit softer now. "I was wondering if I might be able to buy you a drink. I imagine it must get lonely down here."

Maura's breath catches.

Kalinda's continues, her voice slow and deliberate. "I promise I will not try to obtain the report from you. That would put you in quite the compromising situation, I realize. But since I often work so closely with your department, I have been trying to build a better rapport." She might be lying. Maura has never been very good at being able to tell.

But she remembers Jane's giddiness, now wicked with jealously. She reminds herself of Ian's words. "Alright. A drink sounds reasonable."

A/N: your feedback means so much. Thanks for all the kind words