A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites! Also, i'm making it known that this is finals week here at Uni, but I really hope you like this chapter. Anyway, happy reading:)

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"What else was I supposed to do, Maura?"

Maura strode slowly across the Country Club's dining area. As she got closer, the scowl she had fixed on her brother grew darker.

"Mr. Spencer from Spencer's Construction? You should really be ashamed of yourself, Colin. You know you could go to prison for fraud."

"I should be ashamed of myself? No, what's really shameful is the fact that I had to make a fake appointment to speak to my own damn sister. I mean, honestly? How many times have you canceled lunch in the last two weeks?"

Maura's frown wavered a little. It was true; she truly had been neglecting him and she felt terrible about it. Since she came back to Boston, she hadn't had much time for anything. As soon as they had returned, the Parker Project took chief priority over everything. Including her relationship…? with Jane.

Acknowledging that she was just as much at fault, she slowly pulled her chair out and sat down across from him. "I'm sorry. I've been very busy."

"Yeah, sure you have." Colin narrowed his eyes at her in frustration. He'd been calling his sister nearly every day since she came back from her business trip, only to get either her assistant claiming she was too busy, or actually make plans only for her to call back later and cancel.

"So…" he began, and ended.

"So?" Maura echoed as she placed her napkin over her lap before gingerly sipping her glass of water.

"How was your trip to Cali? See any movie stars?"

"No," she tittered at his grin and rolled her eyes. "But it was… interesting."

Colin's eyebrow shot up. He never knew his sister to be so vague, at least with him, and he was having none of it. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"We had a few incidents, that's all."

He stared at his sister, gesturing with his hands for her to go on.

"Well, Jacob consumed food with lime in it."

Colin was instantly worried. "Oh my god! Is he okay?"

"Of course," she shrugged a little too cavalierly for her brother's liking, "If he wasn't, do you really think I wouldn't have told you by now?"

"Well, what happened then? How did he get his hands on lime?"

"They all went out to lunch and I guess when Jane stepped away to take a personal call, he stole some of her fries which, unfortunately, were seasoned with it."

"Wait, who's Jane?" asked Colin, looking confused. He knew the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"My assistant. The woman who tells me you call ten times a day." She smiled as her brother rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah, whatever. So what happened?"

"Jane, she… she got him back to the hotel and administered his epipen."

His eyebrows shot up even higher. "How did he last an entire car ride without it? I've heard LA traffic is the worst."

"She didn't drive…" Maura said as she smiled at the way Jane demonstrated the way she had 'cave-manned' it out of there. "She ran with him."

"Even worse, he ran?"

"No, she carried him to the hotel. Five blocks…"

Colin's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Damn. She must be mega butch."

"You would think so, but she isn't." Maura suddenly excited and straightened in her seat. "She had to have been extremely fast, but then again, she does work out every day. And she has these subtle muscles, but they are… they're pleasantly hard to the touch. You wouldn't think she's incredibly strong just by looking at her, but she really is. Alice even," she laughed at the thought before she could get the words out, "she even joked that Jane must be on steroids… But she definitely isn't."

Maura's full grin, as she rambled about her assistant, didn't go unnoticed by her brother. Finally, she settled her gesticulating hands into her lap when the waiter placed her salad in front of her. When will he stop ordering salads for me? Her smart remark died on her tongue as she looked up to see Colin, mouth poised to speak as he stared at her.

"What?" she asked casually.

"Uh…" he sat back in his seat and cleared his throat. "Nothing. So what else happened besides your kid's face blowing up like a balloon?"

Maura opened her mouth, prepared to talk about the most exciting and terrifying thing that had happened to her when she stopped. I can't tell him. "Nothing. That was it."

Colin instantly noticed the reddening around her neck and the way she found her salad so interesting all of a sudden. He narrowed his eyes at her before placing his fork down on his plate.

"Maura…" She didn't say anything. "Maura, is there something you want to share with me?"

She shook her head without looking at him. She could sense him getting irritated and the more she denied it the more curious he got.

"Okay, I'm your twin, remember? You've got so much anxiety right now that my own damn hands are sweating."

She looked up at him and he could tell that she wanted to tell him something. They continued to stare at each other without saying anything. Sighing Colin smiled and reached across the table to take both of her hands.

"Look, Maur. I know that I've been kind of a sucky brother lately. I should have been there for you more and I'm sorry." Maura ducked her head to avoid his eyes. She really did love her brother, even when he did things that she didn't care for. "But I want you to know that you can still tell me anything."

Maura looked back up and found nothing but sincerity in his eyes. She was just dying to share this new development in her life with someone. A slow smile spread across her face as she thought of her favorite brunette. As the memory of them dancing seeped into her mind she blushed and put a hand over her face to fiddle with her bottom lip.

"God, you're as red as a tomato! Would you just tell me what it is?"

Maura laughed and pulled her hands away to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. She leaned in slightly and lowered her voice to make sure no one could hear them. "Okay. I… I met someone."

"What!? And you're only telling me now?"

Maura leaned even closer to him after quickly looking around to make sure no one heard his little outburst. "Shhh! Would you please lower your voice?"

"You know what," he said completely ignoring her pleas for him to be discreet. "I bet I know who it is. It's that Dennis Rockmond guy, right? I knew he always had a thing for you."

"My word. Of all the- Dennis? Really, Colin?"

"Well," he shrugged off her annoyance and raised his eyebrows sarcastically, "Who is it then, Ms. Popular?"

"It's…" Suddenly Maura's breath was trapped in her throat. What would he say? Would he judge her? Would he make a scene? Knowing her brother, all of these things were plausible.

"Come on, Maura. Just tell me his name."

"Her name," she mumbled looking out the window beside their table.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Her name. It's a woman, okay. And I didn't so much meet her... Well, I guess I technically did meet her or I wouldn't be talking about her. She's not a figment of my imagination or anything though. Of course not Maura, that makes no sense. She's just- I just… I've known her for a while now and…"

Colin watched as her rambling explanation turned into an inner monologue complete with her not even noticing him gaping at her like a decked fish. "Maura, what the hell are you talking about?"

Sighing, she took another quick sip of her water and decided to bite the bullet. "I have feelings for… a woman. And her name is Jane."

It only took a second for her brother's face to slip from comprehension and quickly into unadulterated shock. He gasped as his hand shot up to his mouth and his eyes bulged out.

"Jane? As in your assistant? The woman who tells you that I call ten times a day, Jane?"

"…Yes."

Maura sat uncomfortably in her seat for the next five minutes, watching her brother wordlessly processing the information. She wondered what was going through his mind. He wasn't looking at her, but off somewhere behind her with his elbow resting on the table and his chin in his palm. Eventually he cleared his throat and looked straight at her.

"A few questions, sis," he said in a patronizing tone. Here it comes. "Well, they're more statements rather than questions."

"Go ahead."

"Right, number one." He sighed heavily before morphing into a smirk. "Dear sister, since you've somehow neglected the fact of your major heterosexuality, allow me to remind you of your husband of nearly sixteen years and your two children."

"And…?"

Her brother huffed loudly. "Operative word being heterosexual, Maura."

"You know what, why does everyone just assume I'm straight?" she asked thinking back to Jane's similar reaction when they were in the hot tub.

"Once again, sixteen years of marriage… to a man. Does it get any straighter than that?"

"I know that, but Colin… sometimes things happen. I don't know exactly how these feelings started, nor did I ever expect to fall for my assistant, but you know me, Colin. Just because I've never dated another woman, doesn't mean I wouldn't. You of all people should know what I mean."

"This isn't about me." She rolled her eyes but before she could speak up he continued "Falling for your assistant? As in love… falling in love?"

She shook her head saying. "No… That's not what I said. You're… you're confusing me."

Her brother scoffed and crossed his arms. "I'd say you're pretty confused already."

"Look," she said blowing off his comment and taking a cleansing breath. "Yes, I was married to Ian, who also happens to be a man for sixteen years, but I wasn't happy… not for at least the last ten years of our marriage, if you can call it that. We did get a divorce, after all, and I can't help wondering if maybe that's why."

"Oh, that's another thing," he paused thinking she would catch on, but when she didn't he continued and tried to tread softly, "Sis, I know your marriage was… rough, but you did just end it. Barely four months ago?"

Maura slowly turned her head to him. He immediately regretted what he had said as soon as he looked into her eyes. Hazel eyes with unshed tears and guilt.

"Don't you think I know that?" She didn't seem to care about her surroundings anymore as she raised her voice a little. "You don't think I think about how all of a sudden I'm in a relationship with someone else after just getting out of another. God, I know okay. I already feel just like him without you-"

"Hey, no." Colin quickly reached across the table to grab his sister's free hand; the one that didn't have a death grip on her glass. He squeezed it harder until she looked at him. "That is not what I meant. And you know damn well you are nothing like him."

Maura wiped angrily at the one solitary tear that barely made it to the bridge of her nose.

"I just meant that… Maura, you've been hurt, and I hate seeing you so sad. And whatever you're feeling, it's okay to feel it. You know I'm behind you one hundred percent no matter what. Even if you're batting for the other team now." They both smiled, easing the tension. To reassure her brother, Maura turned her hand in his to grip it tightly.

"Well, I don't know what it is that I'm doing exactly."

"See, that's the thing. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt trying to figure this out. I mean, it's okay if you're just having a fling or whatever, but when the f-word pops up so soon, I see red flags. What if something happens and she ends up hurting you?"

"No," she said sitting up and pulling her hands into her lap. "Jane would never hurt me."

"Okay," he put his hands up in surrender seeing her agitation returning. "But you did just get out of a heart breaking relationship. Don't you think you need time to heal?"

"I know. I can't help it though. She's just so," she let her eyes settle on the table as she thought fondly of the brunette. "She's so caring. Probably the most considerate person I have ever met. And she does these little things that are just so…" Maura tried to find the words that escaped her. She couldn't help the smile that was spreading across her face as a result of her dining partner grinning.

"So what?"

"I don't know," she said with a shy shrug. "She takes care of me like no one else has. And I guess that was kind of her job in the first place, but it's more than that. Jane seems to always know what to say that makes me smile. And the kids love her."

Colin's scrunched in disbelief. "Even Alice?"

"Well," she truly wasn't sure about those two. One second they were arguing and taking shots at each other and the next, Jane was placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder or asking Alice to do her hair. "Their relationship is…complicated."

"Have you been spying on your daughter's Facebook account again? Complicated?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes complicated, even more so than Jane and I. But Jacob absolutely adores her. They get along so well. I find myself wishing Jacob could have something like that with his father, but…"

"So the kids know about you two dating?"

Dating? She wouldn't go as far as to call it dating considering that they hadn't actually gone on a date yet. They hadn't really done anything different in the last two weeks since their declarations. Were they technically even in a relationship?

"Of course not, it's still too early, but they almost caught us kissing in the hotel room once."

"Hmm." Was all he said. She looked at him for a second as she sighed basically knowing exactly what he was about to say next. She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What?"

"Kissing… so you're attracted to her?"

"Colin, where in the hell have you been for this entire conversation?" She brought the tips of her fingers to her temples and slowly massaged in tiny circles to ease the oncoming headache. "Of course, I'm attracted to her."

"Then has there been anything other than kissing going on?"

"Oh my god." Despite herself, she couldn't help the slow smirk that appeared on her mouth and the slowly reddening cheeks now hidden behind her hands.

"There has hasn't there?!" He laughed at her and tried to pull her hands down from her face with much resistance. "Come on, Maura, spit it out. I can't believe you! How did I not know you were into women? You know, I'm a little offended that you didn't care to share that with your twin brother."

How does he do this? Once again, Colin succeeded in making her situation into his own. Surrendering, she let him pull her hands down and smiled broadly at him. "Will you stop it? This is not about you, remember?"

"The hell it isn't. I've got to meet this woman who has my sister blushing like a teenager, and not even Alice gets like this. She must've done quite a number on you to have you so flustered."

"For you information, Colin, no one has done anything on me… yet."

"What?" he said pausing in taking a sip of his water and bucked his eyes seeing Maura duck her head slightly trying to hide her embarrassed blush. "You're telling me you have these crazy lesbian feelings for this woman that you made out with two weeks ago and you haven't fucked yet?"

"Colin!" Maura turned her head from side to side so quickly he thought she would get whiplash. Satisfied that no one heard him, she squinted her eyes at him across the table. "Must you be so crass?"

"I don't have to, but seeing you freak out is so worth it," he deadpanned. "But seriously, you guys haven't fu-"

"No!" she interrupted him. "We haven't done…anything." She tried to make him understand without saying the words. As realization dawned on him and he gasped she was glad they were twins.

"You haven't even kissed again, have you?" He harshly whispered across the table.

Maura merely shook her head. Her brother gave her an expectant look as if to ask And why? "We've been busy, okay. As soon as we got back we had to hop right on the Parker Project, which left no time for-"

"Hopping on anything else?" He smirked when his twin tilted her head and shot him an annoyed look. "Yeah, sorry. Listen, if you haven't kissed since…well the first time you kissed, how do you know she still feels the same way as bef-" They both were brought out of their private conversation by the shrill sound of Colin's cellphone ringing.

Looking down at the device on the table, he huffed and picked it. "Sorry, it's the school." Answering the phone she watched her brother try to get out of whatever he was needed for. Relenting, he hung up and looked back to her. "I have to go. Mini-crisis."

Maura nodded understanding as her brother got up and kissed her on her cheek. "Don't think this conversation is over though." She smiled up at him knowing good and well that he wouldn't just let it go.

As she watched him leave she took a sip of her water, letting her mind drift back to the tail-end of their conversation. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she considered his last words.

What if Jane didn't still feel the same way? She hadn't mentioned the trip or anything that had happened. In fact, they hadn't talked about anything other than the Parker Project. In the last two weeks it was like nothing even happened in the hot tub…or the dance floor…or in the living room. Maura couldn't help wonder if Jane was avoiding her. What if what happened in LA, stayed in LA?

Thinking back to how she vowed that she was not a child playing childish games, Maura picked up her phone and created a new text message.

Where are you?

She hardly waited thirty seconds before her assistant texted her back.

I figured since you had a lunch meeting I'd grab something to eat too. Did you finish early? Need something?

Maura let her thumbs hover over the keys for a moment, trying to figure out how to go about this.

Yes, I do. Can you meet me?

You okay?

Yes, I'm fine. Can you meet me at the office in fifteen minutes?

Of course. I'm on my way.

Maura replaced her phone in her purse. Salad long forgotten, she had one final sip of her water before leaving a tip on the table and leaving the country club.

What is this? I never pace. For the past ten minutes Maura had been burning a hole in her office's brand new Persian area rug. Walking up to her desk, she sat heavily into her chair. It had taken her fifteen minutes to get there and when she arrived to see that her assistant hadn't made it in yet she thanked god for this moment to herself.

Now that her eyes were finally open to her budding attraction to Jane, all of the signs were more obvious. She thought back to the day when she sat in that very chair and shivered when her assistant's warm breath rolled across her cheek and her long, dark hair tickled the side of her neck. Maura cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. Boy, did Jane Rizzoli drive her crazy.

Maura couldn't keep her mind from drifting to the way the woman's tanned skin developed goosebumps under her touch. The way Jane had to practically push her off before she humped her leg in the hot tub. Maura had never experienced that level of attraction to anyone. Not any woman, not the naïve boy she lost her virginity to decades ago and definitely not Ian.

Maura's head cleared at the muffled curse she heard as her door opened to reveal a very disheveled Jane. She hurried into the room and right up to the desk, placing a pastry in front of her boss.

"Sorry I'm a little late. It suddenly started raining." Jane walked around to the window, opening the blinds a bit more to show the down pour outside. She continued talking as she went over to the couch and took off her wet jacket. "I got you one of those raspberry muffins you like so much."

Maura swallowed hard as she slowly stood from her desk, paying no mind to the muffin. She carefully walked in front of her desk and leaned her back against it as she watched Jane walk about her office.

"Can you believe how hard it's raining right now?" Jane exclaimed as she strolled back over to the window. "And out of the blue too. I hope your muffin didn't get too wet in my hand."

The blonde's eyes nearly bulged out of her head and she nearly choked on her tongue. Did she just say what I think she just said? And did my mind really just go there? Jane, oblivious to the effects of her words, turned to the woman slightly bent over and apparently coughing up a lung. She went over to her boss and gently patted her back, wondering what she was choking on.

"You okay?"

Maura finally got her lungs to function properly and brought her gaze up to meet deep brown eyes. Slowly hazel dipped to pale thin lips that were faintly smiling. "Do I need to go get your epipen now?" Jane chuckled. When Maura only stared she realized that the woman hadn't said a single word since she came into the office. "Maur?"

A loud dragging sound rang out in the room as Jane stumbled back into a chair, causing the legs to screech against the hardwood floor. And before she could gather her wits about her, her boss was kissing her. She's kissing me? When she heard a deep moan, Jane chose not to over analyze anything and wrapped her hands around Maura's waist, greedily pulling her closer into her lap.

She tried to breathe through her nose to prolong the kiss, but just when she was starting to respond full force, the soft, eager lips pulled away. She opened her eyes to look up at the shorter woman whose eyes were still closed. She quickly assessed the situation. They were clinging to each other in Maura's office with the woman straddling her lap. Maura, whose eyes were yet to open, with slightly bruised lips and her fingers tangled in her assistant's hair. At work.

They sat this way for a moment without a word, labored breaths intermingling. Then, Maura brought Jane back to her lips and held them together for a longer moment. However, when she pulled back this time her eyes were wide open and she swiftly moved off of the brunette causing the taller woman to fall forward into the desk trying to follow her lips.

"We…Okay, yeah we definitely need to talk," said Maura as she walked to the door and without hesitation locked it and around the desk that separated her and a still shocked Jane.

The brunette looked around for a second as if trying to put the pieces together. Talking was definitely overrated right then.

Before Maura could stop her, Jane's arm was back around her waist, roughly pulling Maura into her. The air rushed out of Maura's lungs at the impact of being pulled into Jane, who didn't even give her a chance to regain her breath before she grabbed the back of Maura's head and slammed their lips together. The smaller woman tried to keep up with the heated kiss, but when she reached for the woman's face, Jane's hand slid down to her ass and squeezed, causing her to bite the other woman's lip. A deep groan ripped through the tall woman and vibrated through Maura.

Thinking she had a handle on things, Maura kissed Jane with all of the week's pent up energy. She felt the woman give her another squeeze and then she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Jane sat her down on top of her desk and leaned in dipping her tongue even more into her mouth.

"Jane." Maura gasped. Not deterred at all by Maura releasing her mouth, Jane started to kiss down her neck, stopping at her pulse point to give a small tug to the skin as she rolled it between her teeth. Jane grinned briefly against Maura's neck as she felt the woman's nails through her shirt dig into her.

"If I knew this is what you needed, I would have run here my damn self," Jane mumbled against her ear and then swirled the tip of her tongue around her lobe. Maura released what was supposed to be a chuckle, but turned into a breathy whimper.

Maura's skirt slid up as she wrapped her legs around the woman standing between her thighs and used the heel of her stilettos to pull her closer. "So you do still want this? Want us?" She panted out.

With great restraint Jane pulled back to look up at Maura as her hands continued to roam the woman's back and down to her thighs. "What?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Closing her eyes for a second, Maura took a deep, centering breath.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Maura brought a hand up to the younger woman's face. "Nothing's wrong. I just…we should talk. We haven't really talked about us since we've been back."

Jane nodded in understanding, "Yeah, okay." Maura looked down to the woman's stomach still nestled firmly between her legs and then back to Jane's face.

"Okay, well Jane it's a bit problematic for me to think when you're…" She gestured to the position they were in and Jane stepped back at the realization. She helped Maura off the desk, who quickly pulled her skirt down. Jane's breath grew shallow as Maura grasped onto her arms, falling forward a little. They made eye contact as Jane's thumb rubbed back and forth on the small of the smaller woman's back. "Maybe…you should sit somewhere…away."

Jane swallowed as she nodded her head and walked to the other side of the desk sitting down and running a hand through her and down her neck. Maura slowly took her seat and pulled herself up to her desk.

"What are we talking about again?"

"I guess I was just a little nervous, that you had changed your mind, because we haven't spoken about what happened since we got back."

A smirk instantly grazed Jane's lips as she sat back in her chair. "That's why you attacked me when I walked in here? You thought I was running?"

"No. Well, maybe…I don't-" Maura sputtered out her answer but then noticed her assistant trying to hold in her laughter. "Oh. You're teasing."

"Mmhmm." Was Jane's response as she enjoyed the blush decorating Maura's cheeks. "Look, it's just been super busy, you know. Trust me, I…haven't forgotten about it."

The blonde woman sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and tilted her head. Smiling, she asked, "You haven't?"

"Definitely not. You're not exactly a woman that someone could forget, Maura." Jane said chuckling. "No, it's just…you've been very busy, we both have, and I didn't want to get in the way."

"But you wouldn't get in my-"

Jane quickly raised her hand to cut her off before rushing on, "I know. I'm not selling myself short. Or whatever this is going on with us. But I know as much as you do that this Parker Project is important. And I know that it takes precedence over me, at least for now."

Maura looked down into her lap for a second then bravely raised her chin. "What if I don't want it to?"

The brunette scooted to the edge of her seat placing her elbows on her knees and smiled at the woman. With a curious look in her eyes she got up from her seat and moved to pull Maura's chair out and kneel in front of her.

"I want to take you out on a date. Would you like that?"

Maura pursed her lips as she looked down at the shining eyes and deep dimples of her grinning assistant. She took the woman's face in her hands and leaned down to place a lingering kiss on her lips. "I would love that," Maura whispered against her lips. She could feel Jane smiling. Then she pulled back and stood.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have voicemails to screen and calls to return, Ms. Isles." Jane said. She tried to yank the door open but looked down when it didn't budge. She jerked it a few times before realizing it was locked. Looking back up at Maura with a smirk on her face, she unlocked the door. "You weren't playing around, were you?"

Not expecting an answer, Jane made to leave the room when she was called back by the blonde who stood and sauntered up to her.

Maura leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the brunette's cheek. "Thank you," she said leaning back.

"You're very welcome… Enjoy your wet muffin." Jane winked and finally left.

Maura laughed and shut the door after her assistant as she turned and leaned her back against the door. She'd never look at muffins the same again.

Standing there with a goofy smile on her face, Maura would never imagine that her assistant was on the other side doing exactly the same thing.