"Jane, can I ask you a question?" Maura asked.
"Of course," she replied.
"Never mind," she spoke softly.
"Maura," Jane spoke gently, "we nearly died together, and I had to operate on your leg, I think you can ask me anything."
"It's about Frankie?"
"You don't want to date him do you?" Jane asked slowly, visibly braced.
"No?"
"Okay, is that 'no' you're not sure, or 'no' you weren't expecting the question?"
"The latter."
"Then this isn't going to be weird, shoot," she invited.
"When we were still mad at each other, Frankie helped Frost in the recovery of a floater."
"The one that then linked to our other case?"
"Yes, that one."
"What about it?"
"Frankie made the supposition that the two cases were connected-"
"Ah," Jane breathed.
"I was rather firm in my response, almost mean, because I was-"
"Mad at me," Jane finished. "And he happened to make the wrong comment at the wrong time."
"He was excited, because he had the sense that it was a murder, and he'd be included," Maura supplied.
"And after you felt like you'd kicked a puppy?" Jane guessed.
"Yes," Maura sighed, relieved.
"And you want my advice about what to do about it?"
"That would be good."
"Okay, since I know you can't do nothing," Jane retorted, getting a smile from her companion, "find a quiet moment, and pull him aside. Tell him that you prefer to let the evidence speak for itself, and if you feel the need to, apologise."
"If I feel the need to?"
"After his response, you might not feel the need," she replied easily.
"What would you do?"
"I'd just say 'we good?', and go from there."
"Is it really that easy for you?"
Jane smiled. "He's my little brother, and we bicker all the time," she retorted, lifting a shoulder. "Occasionally one of us goes too far, and if the other one can't immediately let it go, we apologise or talk it out. But most of the time we don't need to."
"I've envied you that more than once," Maura admitted.
"It helps that I think like a guy a lot of the time," she retorted, causing her companion to snort. "Yes!" she crowed victoriously.
"Why do you always feel the need to celebrate such moments?"
"Because snorting doesn't fit with your elegant image, like drinking a beer," she spoke with a grin. "It's nice when you do something that's a bit more on my level."
"Does my elegant image make you uncomfortable?"
"No," she replied honestly. "There are times when I'm afraid to ruffle you, others when I really want to, and occasionally I just don't understand you, but I'm never uncomfortable."
"Never?"
"All right, maybe a little when me and Ma met your Mother," she conceded. "Definite country mice meet city mice moment, but we are who we are, and we're still friends even with our difference, which is what's important right?"
"Yes it is," she replied with a smile. "Jane?" Her companion hummed. "Whenever you're confused, feel free to ask me. We might not be able to reach a mutual understanding, but I can try and explain my point of view at least."
"Sure thing Maura."