All throughout the rest of the day, Maura couldn't get her mind off Frankie Rizzoli. It was crazy. This had never happened to her. Maura had always prided herself on being dedicated and focused on her work. But today was different. It seemed like every five minutes she was thinking about the way his muscular arms wrapped around her waist or the way his voice sent shivers down her back as he leaned over to whisper in her ear. Maura couldn't believe it had even happened. Frankie was extremely good looking, not to mention smart and brave. He could have any girl he wanted. And he chose her. 'This is absolutely irrational. I've never acted this way with any guy before. Why is Frankie different?' she thought to herself. But she knew the answer. Frankie was not only the man she spent a great deal of the day thinking about, but he was also her best friend's brother and her friend. But Frankie is different than any guy she had ever dated. He is a good man who would never hurt her intentionally. He's smart and brave. When he had subconsciously protected her from those men this morning, Maura felt a sense of safety and completeness that she had never truly felt before. He would keep her safe. And he knows her: he knows how awkwardly goofy and what a know-it-all she can be, but he still wants to get to know her and date her... "Oh boy, I need to take a quick walk and get my thoughts straight." she said to herself.

The rest of the day, Frankie's head was in the clouds. Maura had said yes! The sweet, beautiful, smart, woman said she would go out on a date with him. He had waited for this for so long. Ever since her first met her, he had his eye on her. But she was a doctor and came from a life of wealth. He was just a Boston cop who didn't have a lot of money. He never thought he had a chance. She was way out of his league... but she said yes. She would give them a chance and hopefully, if Frankie played his cards right, she might go out with him again. 'Whoa... slow down there, Frankie. Let's start with this date before we plan for more.' Frankie thought to himself. But in the back of his mind, he knew she was everything he wanted. She was smart, caring, sweet, and definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She always looked like she just walked off the catwalk. The way she smiled made his heart do back flips and her laugh always warmed his heart as well as her awkwardness which was adorably cute... "Wow, OK I need to step out for a minute." he said to himself.

Maura grabbed her jacket and headed out to take a quick walk through the little park down the street. As soon as she stepped out of the double doors, she walked head first into Frankie. "Oomph!" he grunted and turned quickly only to find Maura staring at him with her big hazel eyes. "Frankie! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. Are you ok?" she rushed. "Maura, calm down. It's ok; you just startled me is all. What are you doing out here?" he asked. "Oh, I was actually just stepping out to get some fresh air. There's a park down the street. I was going to take a walk. What are you doing out here?" "Oh, pretty much the same thing." he said. "Well, would you like to join me?" Maura asked shyly. "I could use the company." she smiled at him. "Sure." Together they walked to the park. "It's so beautiful this time of the year in the park with the leaves changing colors and all" Maura said gazing up at the huge trees in wonder. "Yeah, they are... definitely beautiful..." Frankie said looking at Maura adoringly. Maura looked over at him and blushed when she realized he wasn't talking about the trees. She took a deep breath and slowly took his big strong hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. "Frankie, can I talk to you about something?" she said hesitantly. "Of course you can. What's up?" he said.

"I'm not good at keeping relationships. I tend to scare guys away with what I do for a living and whenever I go out on a date with a guy I have this unfortunate habit of telling them all their medical problems and then they think I'm a freak and leave." Maura looked down ashamed of this part of her. Frankie stopped walking and turned Maura so she was facing him. He pulled her closer to him and put one finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up to look at him. He saw all the pain and embarrassment in her eyes and he vowed she would never have that look in her eyes again. Not if he could help it. "My sweet Maura" he whispered lovingly. "I know that. I know what you do for a living and how you tell people all their medical problems and it's OK. It's ok because that's your job and that's your way of connecting to people. That doesn't make you a "freak". You are so smart and beautiful and if all those other guys left because they couldn't handle your smarts, then they don't deserve you. I will never leave you. I'll be here for as long as you want me." He wrapped her up in his strong arms and she buried her face in his chest. He softly rubbed circles on her back. After a moment, she pulled her head back slightly to look up into his eyes and almost cried at the love and gentleness she saw there. "I know, Frankie. I know you wouldn't ever hurt me. I just needed you to understand that part of me."

"I'm glad you trusted me enough to share that with me. And if it makes you feel better we can sit down and you can tell me all of my medical issues. I'll listen but I can't guarantee I'll understand half of what you tell me." he joked. "But I won't leave." he promised. Maura laughed and replied, "that might actually help me..." Frankie laughed along with her and gazed into her eyes. Slowly he brought his lips down to hers, but stopped a millimeter away. "Tell me this is what you want. If you don't want me to kiss you, tell me now." he whispered. As a response, Maura stepped up on her tip toes and softly pressed her lips against his. At once Frankie felt this overwhelming rush of love and warmth and everything behind his closed eyelids went white. Maura was not prepared for such a reaction either. Her knees buckled at the rush she felt. Frankie's strong arms were there to support her and she leaned into his chest. His tongue gently traced her lower lip begging for entrance which she gave. Their tongues softly danced together as they clutched each other oblivious to the rest of the world. When air became necessary, they slowly pulled apart to catch their breath. Frankie leaned his forehead against hers and waited for her to catch her breath. "That was... wow..." Maura sighed. She looked up to see Frankie gazing down at her with so much love and tenderness. "I've never felt that before. It was... indescribable..." he said softly. Their moment was interrupted by the shrill ring of Maura's phone. Seeing that Maura was making no move to answer it, Frankie chuckled and said, " You need to answer it. It might be Jane with a new case." "I don't want to answer it. I don't want to leave..." But knowing Frankie was right, she pulled back to rummage through her purse to dig out her phone. "You're right; it's Jane."

"Hey Jane, what's up? … Wait, what? How? No, nevermind. OK I'm on my way. Fill me in when I get there. I'll be there as soon as possible!" Maura hung up. "What's wrong? Is Jane alright? " Frankie asked. Maura looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "Hoyt escaped."