Hey! The last few reviews I got all said that until now Jane is acting like a jerk and that it is really time for a change and some Rizzles. And they have been right. Since I don't want to let you wait or even loose any followers I tried to hurry up and post chapters 8 and 9 at the same time because in chapter 9 I tried to get some change in Jane's behaviour.

So enjoy. And as always comments and reviews are welcome ;-)

When Jane had arrived at Caseys she had geared up herself for the worst case, for crying and break downs and PTSD and... . But when Casey had opened the door, he wore a pleased smile on his lips. He had greeted her with a kiss and a comment of her finally being there, led her into his apartment. He had prepared some dinner and chosen a movie to watch. Even a few candles were lit. It had taken Jane a few minutes to compose herself. She had asked him several times about the dramatic insights he had had in the session with his therapist, but his only answer had been that everything was alright as long as she was by his sight. She had glanced at him during the cheesy love movie again and again waiting for the revelation but it never came.

So when she woke up the next morning the first to things she felt were annoyance and guilt. Annoyance, because Casey got her to spend the evening with him by arousing pity and guilt because she had let Maura down and forfeited the chance to make up with her. She left the apartment early before Casey woke up.

She entered the department early than she used to. Still feeling bad about the last evening she had stopped by Maura's favorite coffee shop and bought her the tea she always ordered together with some cupcakes she liked. Jane knew very well, that this would not be enough to make up but it was a start. She had assumed that, due to the earliness, Maura would not been in her office yet, and that she would just leave her gifts on the desk. But when she stepped in the medical examiner's office she found her best friend face down on her desk slightly snoring. Jane smiled at the sight and silently walked over. She placed a hand on Mauras shoulder and squeezed gently. "Hey sleepy head. What are you doing here?"

Maura startled and tried to focus on Jane. "Oh, good morning, Jane." She rubbed her eyes.

"Good morning, Maura. I ask again, what are you doing here?"

"Obviously I have been sleeping, Jane."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I have seen this. But why are you sleeping on your desk?"

"I have been working through the night and I must have been falling asleep." She stretched, as her eyes landed on the two cups in Janes hands. A smile spread over her face. "Oh Jane, you brought me coffee? And cupcakes? That's so sweet."

Jane heart filled with warmth as it always did when Maura gave her this smile. Though she still felt the guild, even more now that she knew that Maura had spent the whole night working. "Uhm, yeah, you know, to say sorry for last night. But it's just tea, Maura. I thought that ..." Jane said suddenly a bit nervous. She wanted to do this right.

"It's fine, Jane. Thank you very much." Maura smiled again and took the cup, "Please. Sit down."

Jane felt relieve. Maura was still talking to her and didn't seem to be angry or sad with her. Damn, she always gets along with me even if I'm acting like an ass and she never holds anything like this against me. She's the best friend one could imagine and I definitely have to make it up to her.

"So, Dr. Isles. What have you done all night? There isn't a dead body and you never delay on doing paper work this much that you need a whole night to catch up. Have you written an article for some of these journals?" Jane tried her best to sound interested and give her friend the feeling that she cared.

"You are right; there was not so much paper work to do. Dr. McMorrow informed me last night, that she has finished her report about the trace. So I met with her to discuss the results."

Jane almost choked on her coffee. "You drove to the university in the middle of the night to meet this strange and talk about her results?" she asked unbelievingly.

Maura nodded. Somehow she had the feeling that she shouldn't tell Jane that she spent most of the night talking about anything but the results. She had recognized a hint of guilt in the detective's behavior, most probably because she had canceled on her last night. And she knew, that, if she told Jane that they had spent the night chatting about anything and everything, Jane would feel as if she had been replaced now that she tried to make up. So Maura felt almost guilty herself.

"And that took the whole night?" Jane inquired suspicious.

Maura sighed. Since lying was out of question and deflecting would alert the detective even more, she decided to tell the truth. 'It's not like I have betrayed Jane, not that I'm even in the situation that I could betray her. And all I have done was having a nice conversation.' she argued with herself. "No, that didn't take all night."

"So you decided to make a new geeky friend in the middle of the night?" Jane tried to sound teasing but actually she felt sick. She remembered how excluded she had felt in McMorrows office while she had observed Maura and this doctor talking. She swallowed.

"Jane, we just got carried away. You don't have to bother."

Jane had to smile. Maura could just read her to good. She decided to drop the topic. "So, what has Dr. McMorrow found out?"

"Do you mind, if I refresh myself before we talk about the results? You can wait here, or I come to the bullpen when I'm finished."

"No, go ahead. I will head upstairs, get you a coffee in the café and we will meet at my desk, okay? Frost and Korsak should be in by now, too."

"Thank you, Jane." Maura replied affectionately.

Two day later Maura, Jane and Frost were sitting in the Robber drinking beer respectively wine to celebrate that, they had finally solved the case. Due to Dr. McMorrows findings combined with a lot of research on the employees of the possible institutes they had been able to find a connection between one of them and the victim. Jane and Frost had brought him in and started the interrogation. It had taken a while but he finally confessed.

Jane raised her beer and beamed. "Cheers. To the best homicide team and the best medical examiner!" They clinked the glasses and Jane looked happily at her friends. Two hours later and after a few more drinks they were in the middle of a cheerful conversation, even the banter between Jane and Maura was back and Jane felt that this was a perfect evening as she saw his brother stepping through the door. She waved at him excited but let her arm drop suddenly as she saw who entered behind her brother. She frowned. Frankie had made his way over to their table. "Hey Sis, Frost! Maura, Sam here was looking for you at the station so I brought her here, hope it's okay." he said and already was on his way to the bar.

"Good evening, Sam." Maura greeted the woman joyfully. "You were looking for me? How can I help you?"

"Hey, Maura. You forgot your umbrella in my office and since it's gonna rain tonight, I thought you could need it."

"Yeah right. Because she only has one single umbrella!" Jane muttered and earned a look of reproach from the medical examiner while Sam studied her obviously thinking. After a second she laughed: "I haven't thought about that. Sorry. That happens to my mind when it's too warm."

In this moment Frankie came back with a few bottles of beer in his hands and offered her a bottle.

"Here drink this, it doesn't help your mind but it's at least cold."

She shook her head. "Oh, thank you. But I don't want to interrupt your get together. I should get home before the rain."

Jane looked at Maura. She really seemed pleased that Sam McMorrow was there. Jane still felt bad about her lack of time and attention towards her friend lately and she still had the feeling that she had to take special care for their friendship. Damn. She groaned but said: "No, you're not interrupting. Get a chair and sit down. We are celebrating that we solved the case, and since you helped..." The genuine loving smile Maura gave her assured Jane that her attempt was worth it. In the meanwhile Frankie had caught a chair from the table next to them and shoved it towards Sam. She in turn shrugged and sat down.

Detective Frost had watched silently but interestedly the scene feeling that he missed something. He cleared his throat. "Uhm, hey. I'm Detective Barry Frost. I work with Jane." he said while he extended his hand.

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Sam almost looked guilty. "I'm Sam." She took Barry's hand, who still eyed her confused. Maura shook her head and tried to clear the situation. "Barry, this is Dr. Sam McMorrow. She analyzed the metal sample we found on the victim."

Frankie had a hard time not to spit out the sip of beer he had taken. He swallowed and watched at the unknown woman. As he had seen her, with her more than casual appearance, standing in lobby and asked her if he could help her she had introduced herself as simply 'Sam'. "You're a doctor?!" he gasped, "You can't be. You look like..." He couldn't find the right word as Frost, who looked equally surprised stepped in: "Like a student or surfer or musician."

Frankie violently nodded and added: "And doctors should wear scrubs or suits or..."

Barry interrupted again: "Or designer outfits." He winked at Maura. Jane tried her best but couldn't stop the broad laughter as she observed the two men misjudging the doctor as much as she had done.

Meanwhile Maura shifted nervously around. She didn't feel well listening to her old friends making fun of her maybe-new-friend. But as Sam joined Janes laughter, she relaxed a bit.

Sam said: "Yeah you're right. That's what doctors should look like, but I like to run around in incognito."

Hours passed by and Jane became more and more silent while observing the scene. She had to admit that this Dr. Physicist was an easy fellow. She was fun and nice and polite and educated and able to keep up with Maura's google mouth in a way no one else in the group could but still she was … suspicious. Jane didn't like the way she and Maura were acting but couldn't pin down what was annoying. She sighed and got up: "I gonna get more drinks."

As Jane stood at the bar waiting for her order, she studied the scene again. Sam obviously had said something very fun because Maura was leaning toward her, had placed her hand on the other doctor's shoulder and was laughing hard while Sam beamed at her. In this moment it hit Jane. The physicist was flirting. Jane gasped for air and focused on Maura. She is enjoying this. Maybe she doesn't recognize what McMorrow is doing. Maura was again leaning to Sam and seemed to whisper something into the others ear. Okay, she knows. The detective felt suddenly sick. Her stomach convulsed as a shiver ran down her spin. Maura is flirting with Sam. Could it be, that Maura is actually interested in her? Like in romantically interested? Could it be, that Maura is into women? I haven't known. Why haven't I known? I'm her best friend, I should have been aware of something like this. She often has said that sexuality is something fluent. Maybe this was her crazy way to tell me, that... that...she is gay or bi or what ever? No matter what, I should have known! Once again Jane Rizzoli had the awful feeling that she was too far away from Maura, that she wasn't part of her life like she had been, that she had sometime in the last months lost contact. And she wanted to cry.

"Jane?"

Jane jerked at her name calling and came back from her thoughts. Maura Isles was standing in front of her, a concerned look on the face.

"Jane, is something bothering you? You look distraught." Maura had placed an affectionate hand on Jane's arm.

Jane shook her head to clear her mind. All she wanted to say was, that she didn't want Maura Isle to flirt with Sam McMorrow, that Maura shouldn't even talk to her because Jane didn't want her to. She wanted to forbid any further contact because deep down in her heart Jane knew that she was jealous of the way they were talking, how Sam made Maura laugh and how Maura responded to Sam. But she couldn't say any of this because she knew that she hadn't have any right to do so, and because she couldn't explain to herself why she was feeling these things. So she just said: "No, Maura. Everything is...it's okay."

For a few seconds Maura studied Jane's face as if she was searching for something. Jane look nervously away and tried to ease the situation: "What brings you to the bar? Are you afraid I might order the wrong wine?"

Maura smiled slightly and answered: "No. I want to thank you, Jane."

"Oh really? For...?"

"Well, I know you don't like Sam and that you would prefer her not being here, but as I recognize you try your best here. Most probability because you know that I like her, so, thank you, Jane. That means a lot to me." Maura stepped closer and placed a kiss on Jane's cheek. "Thank you, Jane Rizzoli." she whispered again and turned to get back to the table, as Jane suddenly grasped her upper arms.

"No Maura, don't go."

Maura looked surprised. "Jane, I just want to go back to our table."

Jane had reacted on instinct. After she just had felt that Maura had walked away from her emotionally she couldn't stand the sight of Maura literally walking away from her. "Maur. Stay. I …" She looked deep in the medical examiner's eye's. "Maur!" She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Maura, can you help me carrying the drinks?"