A/N: In honor of tonight's premiere...wishful thinking.

The moment her usually levelheaded teenage daughter quietly stepped in through the front door with blood-shot eyes, Maura's stern expression dissolved into worry. "You've been crying," she said, leaving her phone on the coffee table and standing up to meet Alice halfway.

As soon as Alice felt her mother's arms wrap around her, she remembered just how exhausted she was. She clung onto her silk nightgown, exhaling a breath from deep within while Maura whispered into her ear. "What's wrong, sweetie? Did something happen at the movies?"

Alice sighed against her neck, shaking her head. "Is it… is it okay if I sleep in your room tonight?"

"Of course. You're always welcome, but honey…?"

Maura pulled back to look her daughter over, hands grasping her shoulders. She didn't need to say it; Alice could see the questions written all over her face.

"Tomorrow, okay? I just wanna go to bed right now."

Maura nodded in understanding, even though she was confused out of her mind and worried to bits. She cradled her daughter's face in her hands. "Let's go get your face cleaned up."

Late into the next morning, Alice woke up feeling unexpectedly refreshed as she lay facing her still slumbering mother. As a kid, whenever she had the occasional nightmare or was feeling particularly clingy, she used to wake up to the sight of her mom watching her with so much awe and adoration in her eyes. She'd almost forgotten about those types of memories, but now she got to be the one watching her. And she couldn't help but also be in awe and feel nothing but adoration for this woman. She looked so peaceful in this moment, like a Michelangelo painting, so much so that Ali was almost afraid to wake her.

Earlier, when she had walked in past curfew, she'd expected a lot of things but not the amount of unconditional care and love she felt as soon as they had hugged. Whereas Jane's hug was tight and strong like a shield of security, Maura's embrace was soft and warm like a blanket of comfort.

"You're staring," croaked a sleepy Maura in her morning voice, eyes shut but mouth quirked.

Ali slowly wiped the sleep from her eyes. "I swear, it's like looking in a mirror sometimes."

"You wish you looked this good first thing in the morning," she mumbled.

They both chuckled lazily. "Hey, that's my line." Alice yawned.

Maura finally opened her eyes and it truly was like looking in a mirror. She reached out to run her fingers through her daughter's messy bed-hair. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Ali shrugged, looking off somewhere. "Good and bad at the same time…"

"Is it too early, or do you wanna talk?"

"I broke up with Blake last night."

"Oh, honey." It made so much sense to Maura now. Her little girl had her heart broken.

Ali flipped onto her back, taking a deep breath. "I was at his house last night…"

Maura propped her head up on her elbow. "Oh… but-"

"I know. I…" Alice bit her lip for a second. She was afraid of disappointing her mother, and Alice had never been a disappointment. From her grades to, until most recently, her behavior; she was always the perfect daughter. "I lied… to you. I'm sorry."

There was silence as mother and daughter stilled with the sudden tension.

Maura watched as the internal battle raged inside her daughter. She sighed heavily as Jane's last words to her filtered through her mind. Just go easy on her. She's still a kid.

"Is that all?"

The teenager turned her face to look at the older woman. "All what?"

"Is that all you've lied to me about?" Maura amended.

Alice felt her heart skip a beat as if her mother already knew. Maura sensed the panic. "You can tell me anything, sweetheart. Whatever it is, it's going to be okay. Alright, Sunshine?"

A small giggle and a burst of air rushed out of Ali's lungs. "Jane calls me that… Sunshine."

Maura knew that. No matter how rocky the dynamic between her girlfriend and daughter appeared to be, one thing that always stuck was that nickname. Maura smiled back at her daughter, but concern grew like a grease fire when the subtle smile slipped from pink lips and Alice began to pick at the bedding.

"There was a party at his place," she confessed. "And he's a College Junior."

The teen's hands were intertwined on her stomach, and that's where she focused her eyes, not yet ready to see the disappointed look on her mom's face. Sure, her mother was also dating someone with an age difference, a whopping decade between them, but they were both legally adults for years before they ever even met. Alice was still a teenager.

But instead of a long lecture of some sort, she felt a warm hand slip over hers, squeezing for good measure. "What happened?"

There was no disappointment or judgment in Maura's tone or her eyes. Alice didn't quite understand why not. That's what she had expected. That's why she didn't feel she had the strength to deal with it before. But she was still glad she waited. Even though she still felt a little raw, she was calmer and could collect her thoughts better after a good night's rest.

"I dunno, everything was great when we got there. I met up with Blake and Nikki clicked with one of his friends… we danced, drank and whatever. But then he just kept drinking and as the night went on he just started getting… pushy, you know?"

"He pressured you to do things?" Maura asked carefully.

"Yeah… he was getting all touchy and I didn't want that, so I went upstairs and he followed and then when I was trying to leave he wouldn't let me and…"

Maura let Ali talk at her own time, but when the girl didn't finish her sentence, she prodded a little. "He became angry?"

"Pretty much. He said all these hurtful things about me and… Let's just say I saw his true colors and now I've learned my lesson."

"Which is?"

"That… we share bad taste in men?"

Maura tucked a strand of hair behind Ali's far ear and kissed the crown of her head. "Come here," she said with open arms and Ali readily obliged.

"Let me tell you a story. I met a guy in College once. He was a classic bad boy. Dressed in too much leather, rode a bike everywhere, drank too much, partied too hard and he was always with a different girl whenever I saw him. But he was hot and I was feeling a little rebellious, plus my friends insisted, so when he asked me out I said yes. We dated a while until one day I caught him with another girl... That was the day I went over to tell him I was pregnant."

"Dad?"

"Yes. Anyway, he didn't talk to me for months until he suddenly showed up with an engagement ring and promises of change. I was young and scared so I said yes. Your grandparents were not happy about it though, but thanks to them I didn't have to drop out of school. Things were hard, I won't lie, but once I held you in my arms, it was all worth it.

"He never kept his promise though, and by the time Jake came along, my marriage had already gotten so bad that all I wanted to focus on were my children and my career. Then work slowly began to take up most of my time because I didn't want to think about all the women he was cheating on me with; like I wasn't good enough. Bad boys make bad husbands, I learned.

"Fast forward to today: I'm divorced at almost 38 and… I'm much better off without him. I couldn't be happier. It's the first time I've ever felt like a woman and not an object. It took going through all of that for me to recognize what a healthy relationship should look like and I don't want you to have to go through that too."

"Mom… I know I messed up by lying to you and putting myself in that position-"

"No." Maura shook her head. "I don't blame you for any of it. I was young once; I understand how magnified everything feels for you at the moment, but you can't take responsibility for the way he acted."

"It was just… I was kinda scared of what he might do, you know?" Maura bristled at the thought and vowed she would put that boy in his place. "Because Nicole had disappeared and I didn't know anyone else at the party and… it was just a really long, terrible night."

"Then, sweetie, how did you get home?"

Ali looked up. When she thought about it now, surely her Mom would be angry with Jane if she told that part. Running her hand through her hair, she tried to improvise. The last thing she wanted to do was get the woman who had saved her ass, and probably her virtue, in trouble. "I called a friend…"

Maura's eyes narrowed at the shady way in which her daughter answered her question. She'd never known this girl to beat around the bush. "What friend?"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"I can promise to be reasonable..."

Ali sighed. "I called my friend… Jane."

At that Maura's eyebrows shot up. She didn't think before she said, "You mean my Jane?" And before she could analyze her own slip up, the puzzle pieces from last night seemed to slot into place. The strange hushed phone call, the abrupt departure, Jane not wanting her to help look for Jo, the text on Ali's behalf…

The longer Maura was silent, the guiltier Alice became. "Are you mad? If you are, then be angry with me, not Jane. I called her and told her not to tell you. Don't take it out on her. She was just helping me because I was afraid how you might react. I wasn't even gonna tell you how I got back, but she made me because… well, because she's Jane."

"You know… I never thought I'd see the day when you two would be defending each other." At her daughter's confusion, Maura went on. "She actually asked me to take it easy on you. And now…" She shook her head and laughed. "And now you're defending her."

"So, you're not mad?"

"Are you kidding me? Of all the people you could call besides me, I'm glad it was Jane."

"Really? You're not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad, honey… I'm just glad you're okay and nothing happened to my baby." Running a thumb across her cheek, she soothed the girl's blush. She could tell that the girl wasn't buying it though, and she was proven correct when the intuitive girl sat up and pulled her Mom's hand into her lap.

"You're not mad, but…"

She shrugged, not wanting to ruin the moment. "It's nothing."

Ali sighed. In that moment she decided that it was time to come clean. Jane was right. No one is a mind reader; so, you have to be clear about what you want. "Mom, I know we're in a better place in our relationship, better than before, but I want us to continue to grow.

Maura sat up and took her hands in her own. "Ali…"

"Please, just let me finish. You are… so amazing, mom."

Maura could feel the tingling of tears at the back of her eyes. Through the fog of confusion at this sudden change in topic she couldn't help but be intrigued and moved.

"You are the smartest person I know, and I go to a preppy school. You're compassionate and loving and I don't think I could have asked for a better woman to raise me and my brother other than you."

A single tear trickled down Maura's her face. She wasn't sure what prompted such heartwarming words, but the emotion quickly took over as she slightly sat forward and placed her hand over her chest.

"And despite how much I joke about Jane being on steroids, you are the strongest woman I know. The way you protect me and Jake from everything and the shit…um" she almost forgot who she was talking to. "Sorry, the stuff that you've gone through with Dad was just…"

Maura ducked her head and hastily wiped away the tear.

"Jake may be a kid, but I'm not. I'm almost nineteen. And Dad may be my Dad but… I know how badly he hurt you. And I admire you for being so brave. I'm so incredibly proud of you."

The older blond let out a harsh scoff as her watery eyes searched the ceiling. "Brave? I'm a thirty-seven year old divorcée."

"Come on, Mom. Don't be like that." Taking both of her mother's hands she scooted as close to her as she could "You're brave because you kept going… you kept going when you could have just stayed on the ground, but you didn't. You got up every day and took care of us. Even from afar. Sure, we didn't always get along, but we have always loved each other. And I know you've practically been a single mom for a while, but I want you to know that you're not a burden." The architect looked up with heavy eyes and Alice could immediately tell that she knew exactly what she meant.

"But Alice, you're just kids."

"Yes, but we're your kids. Mom, I want you to talk to me. About the good and the bad and the ugly. I need it."

Swallowing and pursing her lips Maura saw exactly what she's been fighting against for the last few years. A woman. Alice was growing up and Maura couldn't bear it on her mother's heart. "Okay. You want to know how I feel? I'm hurt."

Alice smiled at the admission for a second before the meaning registered in her brain and the smile dropped from her face. "You're… hurt?"

"Yes, hurt; that you didn't feel you could trust me. That you called anyone other than me. Even if it was your father, I'd still be hurt."

"I'm… sorry."

"I know, but it's something I need to work on with you. Everything you've just told me makes me trust you more, not less. But you have to understand, Ali, that you may be growing up so fast, but you'll always be my little girl. And all I want is to protect you from the big, bad world, even though I can't always be right there. I know you trust Jane, and I couldn't be happier about it, but I'm your mother and I'll always be here. Okay?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just… Sometimes, you can be intimidating. I know that's a big part of your job, but sometimes it makes me feel like you're judging every little thing I do." The teenager tucked her chin into her chest, a little embarrassed by her admission.

"Baby," She heard her mother coo and felt a finger under her chin tilting her head back. "If I ever made you feel like I was judging you, or am disappointed in you, I am truly sorry because that is far from the truth. And I'll admit that sometimes I forget how tough you are. If I wasn't positive Ian was your father, I would swear you got your spunk from somewhere else." This got the girl to laugh.

"You always said I got it from Grandma."

"Well, your grandmother is… something else. Anyway, I want you to know that you can come to me with anything. And I mean anything. No matter what it is and I will try my best to help you. I'm your mother… that's my job."

Alice smiled and nodded.

"And I want you to come to me whenever you need someone too and I will always listen. I'm your daughter so I'm making that my job."

Maura smiled at her first born and opened her arms wide pulling her in. This was their deepest discussion in a while and the blonde could already feel the weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

Kissing the girl on the head, she knew they would be alright.

"Mom? Are all boy's stupid?"

The blond couldn't even allow herself a bit of joy from being asked a typical teenage question. This Blake kid could have harmed her daughter and there was no way she was letting that go. He'll get his.

"Yes, baby. They are… except your brother." She kissed the girl's forehead. "I'm sorry your heart is broken."

Ali shrugged. "Don't be. I'm not. I deserve better anyway…" Between her conversation with Jane and this one with her Mom, Ali truly believed it.

"That's right. Only the best for my daughter."

"But I'm still grounded?"

"There's my smart girl."

They shared a chuckle.

"So, that was my night…" Ali started. "How was yours?" She could hear her mother's heart beat faster at the question.

"Uh… my night was…" she sighed. "I haven't been completely honest with you either."

"Whatever do you mean?" asked the younger of the two, feigning oblivion.

This conversation was long overdue so Maura just took a deep breath. "Last night, I was on a… date."

"A date? Who's the lucky guy?"

"About that… I know it might come as a shock to you, after me being married to your father for most of your life, but I'm actually dating a woman."

"What! That's… that's… that explains a lot."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh come on, Mom. I've seen you check women out before, and then pretend you were only looking at their dresses. Trust me; I know the difference between that and checking out a dress. You were undressing them."

Maura covered her face with both hands. "I am so embarrassed."

"I seem to have that effect on people…" laughed her daughter. "Relax though, nits fine. I'm cool with it."

"I'm dating Jane."

Ali shrugged. "Yeah, I kinda figured that out already."

"What gave it away?"

"The morning we left L.A. I knew something was different between you two, but last night was confirmation."

"Feelings? Thoughts?"

"She's alright, I guess."

"Alright you guess? I think that's the biggest compliment you've ever given anyone outside of this family."

"Actually, she's more than alright. We had a long chat last night and now I'm actually sorry I was such a brat before, to her. I just felt protective of you after what happened with Dad."

"Sweetie, is that what it was?"

"Yeah. But I think the fact that she's still around goes to show that she's serious about you. Are you serious about her?"

"Very. She's just so amazing… I'm sorry, I don't mean to gloat after you've just broken up with someone."

"No, go on. I gotta hear this. Tell me about the date. The PG13 version of course."

"It was… it was perfect."

Jane wondered to herself, 'When exactly did Boston's morning traffic become as congested as Fat Albert's arteries?', as she slammed her foot on the brakes for the fifth time in the past two minutes. Snails and tortoises were speeding by; it was getting ridiculous. Barely resisting the urge to flip off the idiot that had just cut her off, she took a deep breath and only focused on her goal: getting to the office… on time? She cursed under her breath after a quick glance at the back seat revealed that her boss's blueprints had fallen to the floor.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! You watch your language."

Her mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Jane had completely forgotten that she was holding the phone to her ear. "Sorry, Ma," she said sheepishly.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just… stressed."

She accelerated as the red light turned green. She had actually set her alarm super early for that morning so that it wouldn't become the first time since working for Maura that she came late. Apparently that didn't work. They had been completely slammed with the Parker Project, tying up loose ends and hitting the pavement. Maura had been riding her especially hard. Not in the way she would like, mind you, but it kept her busy. At least it was Friday.

"I know just the thing to cheer you up. How about you come over for dinner on Sunday? And you can bring someone with you."

"Uh…" Jane absentmindedly responded, not really listening to her mother. "Sure."

"Great! So you'll bring her?"

"Who, Ma?" she asked pulling into a parking space and jumping out of the car.

"Janie, are you even listening to me?"

Before she could apologize yet again to her mother for her passive listening skills, a flash of blonde hair disappeared into the elevator ahead, catching her eye.

"Maura?" she mumbled to herself, quickening her pace to the elevators.

"Of course, Maura. Who else would you bring to dinner?"

And that's what got Jane's attention. "What? Ma, no. We've only been dating for three weeks. I'm not inviting her to Sunday dinner. She's not ready for that freak show."

"But-"

"I gotta go. Love ya." Dashing into the elevator just before it closed on her, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Hey."

"Well, well, Ms. Rizzoli. You're late," drawled Maura as she clutched her bag in an effort to keep her hands to herself.

"I know and I'm sorry. It's just my phone fell under my bed last night after we hung up, so I didn't hear the alarm. And then the freakin' idiots at the coffee shop gave me the wrong 'usual' so I had to go back, and then traffic was a complete clusterfu…" Jane trailed off. "Wait a minute. Did you only just get here?"

The architect laughed out loud; busted. She leaned forward to press the button to their floor since Jane was on pause. "Yes, well… I was halfway here when Alice called to inform me that she locked her keys in the car, along with her text book. And I had to drive to the school with the spare set. So, I guess we're both model employees."

"So, you're not really mad at me then?" Jane smirked. The last time she had asked that question – about picking up Maura's daughter from a college party a few weeks ago and not telling her about it – Maura had been very gracious, happy even, so she knew if that didn't piss her off, very little would. They had grown so much and developed a lot of trust in their young relationship that Jane sometimes had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't high… or dreaming.

"I can't be mad at you," Maura smiled at her favorite adult person, as Jane came closer and handed her, her coffee. Hands now free, Jane pressed lightly against Maura's hip, backing her against the elevator wall. The blonde sucked in a sharp breath. "Especially when you do things like that."

The taller woman chuckled as she proceeded to press soft pecks against her delicately perfumed neck. A breathy whimper fell from Maura's lips when she felt Jane grip her hip tighter and use her tongue to circle her pulse point. She wanted to remind the younger woman that they were indeed at work, but was rendered speechless when thin lips tugged on her ear.

"Jane…" Contrary to her warning tone, Maura pushed closer to the younger woman, her breasts pressing into Jane's chest while trying not to drop her coffee.

Then Jane suddenly pulled away, moving quickly to a confused Maura's side. Before she could question what was going on she watched her girlfriend glance back at her, swipe a hand on her neck to wipe away any traces of the kiss and snap her head forward. Next thing she knew, the elevator door opened and in walked the last person she wanted to see.

Garrett Fairfield stepped in, considering both ladies impassively, from Jane, who sported a tight-lipped smile and then to the completely stunned, red-faced Maura. He cleared his throat before walking to the other side of the elevator. He pushed the button to his floor, letting them stew in awkwardness.

"Good morning, Mr. Fairfield," said the brunette woman separating him from the architect.

"Morning…"

"Jane," she finished for him, sticking her hand out for a hand shake. "Jane Rizzoli." She'd heard a lot about Mr. Fairfield from her boss… not always pleasant things. Mostly about him being an entitled, arrogant ass if she had to paraphrase, but he was still her boss's boss, so she had to play nice.

"Maura's assistant, yes?" When Jane merely nodded her head, he looked over to Maura who was staring straight ahead, having a sip of her coffee. "Morning, Ms. Isles."

"Morning!" Maura squeaked and Jane had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the woman's obvious discomfort. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Good morning, Mr. Fairfield."

The elevator was dead-silent for the remainder of the realistically short but seemingly long journey. As soon as the doors opened onto their floor, Maura walked out of the small space without a backwards glance.

"It was nice to meet you," her assistant said, following her boss to her office. Once in the safety of the office, Jane fell into a laughing fit. "Okay, what the hell just happened to you?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Okay, well, when something like that happens, it's best to play it cool. And that was far from it, Maur."

Maura put her purse away as her blush reappeared. "I know, but I was caught off guard. I didn't even hear the elevator ding." The woman knew it probably had something to do with the blood that was rushing around in her head. She looked back up to her assistant, who was now putting her blueprints on the shelf, and couldn't help the sudden burn that rekindled low in her stomach when she caught sight of Jane's ass.

"Lucky for us, I heard it." Jane strutted over to her seated boss, walking around to sit in front of her on top of her desk.

Maura looked up to her. "I'm glad one of us did, because that would have been incredibly embarrassing." Sipping her coffee once more, she shifted her focus to her e-mails.

"I don't know…" The brunette started, scooting closer to obstruct her view. "Pretty sure if we'd kept going everyone would've heard how loud you were moaning."

That obstructed Maura's brain function. She immediately stopped scrolling and slowly turned to face her assistant. She leaned back and looked up at the woman who was baring all teeth in her famous Rizzoli smile.

"Aren't you supposed to be answering my phone, Ms. Rizzoli?" she said teasingly. Jane promptly slid off the desk, surprising Maura with a kiss and headed for the door.

"Yes, Ma'am," she gave a sarcastic salute before ducking out of the office. When she made it to her desk, she dropped her smile, realizing that people might think it strange that she came out of her boss's office looking an awful lot like the cat that ate the canary.

A workplace romance… it wasn't her first. In fact, this is how she started what she once thought was the most important relationship she'd ever have. Until she met Maura.

Jane sighed when she looked up and saw that she came to her senses and dropped her smile a moment too late. He walked over to her with his shiny bald head and his cocky smile. What a douche.

"What are you so happy about, Rizzoli?"

She sighed again, ignoring in the hopes that he would take the hint and leave, but alas, he didn't. Coming over to her desk, he sat on the edge expectantly.

"Go away, Crowe."

"Aw, don't be like that. If I came out of that office after having a 'meeting' with my boss, I'd be smiling like that too."

Jane's head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. Don't play dumb. Everyone in this office knows you're fucking."

Jane's eyes widened as she whipped her head all around. Did they really know? They had only been dating for three weeks and she thought they were being careful. And as for fucking as he said…. well he couldn't be further off base. There was none of that going on. She looked back to Crowe and regarded him. Then again, he could be fishing.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But you better get your sorry ass off my desk and outta my face, Crowe."

He looked at her with a sour expression on his face. Slowly standing he decided today was not the day. "Jeez. Take a Midol, Rizzoli."

Ignoring his insistence on having the last word, she began absentmindedly clicking at her computer. She was so lost in her thoughts about everyone in the office knowing about her and Maura that she barely heard someone clearing their throat. Looking up her cubical wall, she saw her diminutive, black-haired assistant neighbor peeking her head over.

"Hi," she greeted with a short wave.

"Hey, Susie."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Susie pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and handed her an envelope. Turning it over in her hand, Jane wondered out loud, "What's this?"

"It's an invite to the office party." The brunette opened up the letter to see big red words printed: COME JOIN US!

"Um… I'm not sure if I can make it," Jane grimaced. She really hated these office parties, and pretty much everyone in the office. She avoided them all like the plague, except for Susie, who she found the most intelligent to speak to.

"But it'll be fun. Old man Fairfield is finally retiring and leaving the company to Garrett Fairfield. It's a farewell party. It'll be so fun."

If this party was about Maura's direct boss, she would bet that the blonde would be in attendance. Which meant Maura would make her go anyway. Jane sighed and tucked the invitation into her drawer. "Okay, thanks."

"Cool."

Susie beamed and went back to work. Then she quickly sprung back up and looked over the edge. "And don't worry about what Crowe said… not everyone knows."

Jane's head shot back up. If that was supposed to make her feel better, mission failed. Rifling through voicemails, she froze again when the most recent one floated through the speaker. Jane gently placed the phone back down and dialed Maura's line.

"Jane, it's barely been five minutes. Miss me already?"

If Jane wasn't a little alarmed at the moment she probably would have played along. "Ms. Isles… Mr. Fairfield would like to see you in his office." When she was only met by silence, she looked back over to Maura through the small glass section of the wall to see her staring back at her.

"Did he say why?"

Jane merely shook her head and watched as the woman hung up the phone and slipped out of her office toward the elevators without a word.

On the ride up the elevator the architect cursed herself for fidgeting. "I never fidget." She said to herself, passing back and forth in the confined space. Though wringing her hands behind her back stopped the obsessive twiddling, it did nothing to stop her racing mind. What does he want? Is this about what happened in the elevator? Oh goodness, is he going to try to fire Jane?

No, she refused to allow him. It was not his job to fire anyone that worked for her and she would not let it happen again.

With the sound of the elevator opening came the confidence that oozed from hard-ass architect Maura Isles that didn't take crap from anyone and would cut you down in a second. With a steady knocking on the door and a quiet answer, Maura strode right up to Fairfield's desk and waited for him to speak.

"Have a seat." Electing to save her energy to tell him off later, the blonde sat down and folded both of her hands in her lap

"What's this about?"

He quickly made one last correction to his email before closing his laptop and turning fully to address her.

"Why, you and your assistant, of course."

After that weird morning and another long day, Jane kept a wary eye on her boss as she waited for her to finish packing up to leave for the day. The blonde had been acting a little strangely all day. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the small differences, but Jane could.

The way Maura walked a little further away from her as they left for lunch. Or how Maura pulled Jane slightly to the back of her office, away from the glass wall, for the quickest kiss they had ever had. Ms. Rizzoli this, Ms. Rizzoli that… She was sure that it had to do with Maura's meeting with Fairfield, but when Jane brought it up, she only brushed it off.

Now walking the older woman to her car, Jane wondered if she just wanted to be left alone. "Hey, Maur? Are you sure you're okay?"

Tired hazel locked onto concerned deep brown eyes. She quickly glanced around the empty parking garage before walking up to Jane and kissing her soundly on the lips. When she pulled away, Jane looked even more confused.

"I told you. I'm fine." She unlocked her car, placing her bag in the back seat.

"So, we're still on for dinner tonight?"

Slipping into the car, Maura looked up to her girlfriend. "Of course."

"Cool. I'm just gonna follow you home, okay? So don't show me up by using all those horses you got under that hood. I'll be very upset."

Maura chuckled and pulled her leg in. "Don't worry, there's only one stallion I plan to mount tonight." Then she shut the door and drove off as if she didn't just blow Jane's mind.

And just as she'd expected to happen, Jane got stuck at a red light. It was a good thing she already knew where Maura lived because she made a quick stop before she was walking up to the front door and turning the knob, which easily gave way.

"Maura!" she yelled as she walked into the house, depositing her blazer and arming the security like she already owned the place. The brunette had frequented the house a lot since her first time – to watch a movie or have dinner and cuddle after a long day – and almost any time she was expected to arrive, she found the door unlocked.

"In here, Jane," Maura's voice drifted in from the kitchen.

When Jane walked in she found the woman had laid out all of their ingredients on the counter, and was waiting cradling two glasses of wine. "How many times do I have to tell you to lock that damn door?" she asked sounding annoyed, but then she handed Maura a single rose, pecked her cheek and took one of the glasses before she took a large gulp, grimacing.

Maura smiled at the sweet, unexpected gesture, but merely shrugged her shoulders, taking her own sip. "I knew it was you. And thank you."

Jane rolled her eyes. "You can't always know it's me, babe. And you're very welcome." Leaning in for a lingering kiss, she couldn't help think of the day and night attitude of one Maura Isles since leaving the office. But then again, her girlfriend was always a bit bipolar. Placing her glass down, Jane went to work on making the lasagna.

They worked in silence, apart from the soft music in the background, Maura placing the pasta in the water and Jane adding in her 'secret' ingredients to her sauce. Every now and then they each made up excuses to bump into each other or steal a peck here and there. Finally, Jane put the sauce on the stove and turned to Maura, who was tossing a salad.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mm-hm," she hummed in response, a little distracted.

"What did Mr. Fairfield say to you?"

Maura paused in her ministrations for a second before resuming tossing the salad. "I told you, Jane. It was nothing."

"Well, honey, you forgot to tell that to your face because it looked pretty bothered after you came back from his office."

Maura sighed, walking past Jane and placing the garlic bread in the oven before setting it on low. "He just… mentioned… the elevator."

Maura tucked a blond lock behind her ear as Jane slowly approached her. "Talk to me."

"Garrett, I have no idea what you're talking about."

He looked at her skeptically as she rubbed lightly at the reddening around the collar of her shirt. "Okay, look, Maura. You're not in trouble. I just wanted to warn you."

Maura had given up trying to swallow the lump in her throat, its size increasing with every word that came out of his mouth.

"I really couldn't care less who you date…" She cringed at that. He was the last person she wanted to find out about her relationship with Jane. "…but others might."

"What do you mean?" Concern replaced the defensiveness lacing her voice.

"Well, there aren't any restrictions on romantic relations between employees, however, people can file complaints on indecent conduct. And although I, personally, think your new… development is pretty sexy…" he chuckled.

"Pig," she scoffed.

Throwing his hands up in surrender, he continued. "Hey, all I'm saying is that those complaints go straight to the board, and they might not be so understanding. And trust me when I say that there are a lot of people gunning for your position."

She silently pondered this new information. "Why are you helping me?"

He seemed to contemplate this for a while before smiling softly. "Let's just say I've been… going through something with my brothers, and I know what it's like when someone is trying to take something away from you. Especially when they have no right to it…" he paused while his eyes darkened and he stared down at his desk.

"Garrett?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. Uh, it's just been a while since I've seen you blush as hard as this morning." Smiling, Maura ducked her head. "I want you to hold on to that."

The architect looked up to her boss and wondered where her 'real' boss went. "Wow… thank you."

"You sound surprised. You know, I actually care about this company and its employees. I don't know why everyone around here treats me as if I'm a murderer or something…"

"He just warned me to watch my back, and I guess when I came back down, I got a little paranoid." She was mindlessly fiddling with the napkin in her hand when she felt strong hands on her shoulders.

Jane was trying to keep her face impassive, yet couldn't help but let through a twinkle of… anxiety. After finding out that their relationship was making the rounds through the grapevine, she wasn't too pleased herself. "Maybe he's right. We should probably cool it when we're at work."

Maura nodded her head a little sadly because she would miss all those interactions they had, but then resolutely when she decided it was more important to protect their jobs and reputations. "Okay… so we should have rules?"

Jane quirked a brow quizzically. "Rules."

"You know… of unattraction," shrugged Maura.

A/N: Bonus points if you know where the last line comes from.