Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone that has reviewed, favorited, or put this story on their alert list so far. Thank you SO much! It means a lot to me, really! :)

I would also like to thank RaynaDarkstorm, who has volunteered to be my beta for this chapter. Apparently, the last chapter was so horrid that I desperately needed someone to help fix my mistakes in characterizations and grammar. I don't think it helped much though, because I still find the characters awkward. Oh, well.

There will be at least one more chapter to this story. Jane has to see the fort after all. And that's all I really have to say for now. Read and review! Know and be grateful that I don't own Rizzoli & Isles. Follow me on Twitter if you want to (I'm nannyluvscmu). And most importantly, have a great day! :)

XOXO,

Nanny

PS. If you have Twitter, I would suggest you follow Angie Harmon (She's Angie_Harmon, btw) because she's in a race to get to 100,000 followers. She still needs like 31,260. Also, follow Sasha Alexander (She is SashaAlexander1. The 1 is important. Haha). Poor girl only has 37,000+ and she's actually funny! xD

Maura Isles was in the morgue on a pleasant Thursday afternoon. The city of Boston was having a lull in the way of murders, which meant that her schedule was pretty open. She was currently performing a routine autopsy on the body of a man, forty-two years of age, who was most likely the victim of poor dietary habits. That is to say, he died from a heart attack that appeared to be entirely preventable. However, because he was alone at the time of death, she had to officially rule that there had been no foul play. Having already completed and filed the remaining paperwork she had had from previous cases several hours before this autopsy, Maura was actually quite capable of calling it a day. The dead man on her table was not a person whose death was of any particular interest; at least not now that she had discovered that his death was in fact due to natural causes. However, this was her job. She was supposed to examine every dead body that came through her door. And, also, performing this duty allowed her to keep her mind off of Jane.

After the revelation that she was in love with the detective, Maura found herself entertaining fantasies entirely inappropriate for a person to have about her best friend. Yet she could not help herself. Maura Isles was a healthy, sexually active woman and when she found herself interested in someone, her libido kicked into overdrive. The things she was imagining were not innocent, but they were not all terribly dirty. She wanted more than just a physical tryst with Jane, after all. In fact, she needed more than just that. She knew this with absolute certainty. If she was going to pursue a relationship with Jane Rizzoli, Maura wanted the real deal. Every ridiculous thing she had ever seen in romantic comedies, she desperately wanted now. She wanted that for Jane and herself. She wanted to go out on a date with Jane. She wanted to call Jane hers. She wanted to be called Jane's. She wanted to hold hands with Jane and have the looks they received be deserved. She wanted to be able to kiss Jane in public for all to see. She just wanted to be able to kiss Jane.

So concentrated was Maura on these thoughts, and carefully stapling shut the y-incision of the middle-aged heart attack victim, she did not hear the familiar footsteps of her favorite detective. And with her back turned, facing the door, she did not see Jane enter the morgue. She did not notice when Jane came up behind her. She did not notice Jane's presence at all. That is, she did not notice Jane on a conscious level, however something inside of her did. That was the only explanation for her reaction to Jane wrapping her in a tight embrace from behind. Maura did not scream. She did not even gasp in surprise. Instead, she just leaned into the hug.

"Jane," she breathed, having just finished inserting the last staple, and held onto the arms that were holding her. She turned her head to look at the detective. "What are you doing here? Has there been a murder?"

"No," laughed Jane, releasing Maura from the hug, "not a murder. I just wanted to come see you. Paperwork sucks and Frost said I was too grumpy for him."

"Hmm," said Maura, instantly missing the close embrace but glad to be able to turn fully around to face Jane. "Have you finished your paperwork? I'm done here. We can go out for drinks at the Dirty Robber if you want."

"Actually," Jane said, rolling her eyes, as she displayed the papers she held in her hand, "I still have some work to do. You don't mind if I just sit in here to do it, right? It feels like it's been forever since I saw you last."

Maura smiled. Normally, she did not like Jane's use of hyperbole, but when Jane referred to the few hours that they spent apart as being "forever" in a tone that sounded just a little shy of being whiny, she found that she liked the exaggeration. "Of course you can stay here, Jane. I am more than happy to accept your company."

"Good," Jane said as she began walking towards the doctor's office, "because I never intended to leave."

Laughing, Maura began cleaning up from the autopsy. She wanted to quickly put the man currently on her table away, so that she could join Jane in her office. Now that the autopsy had been finished and the death declared natural, she had one final report to finish before the work day was over. At least she would have something to do while in the office with Jane. Lacking anything else, she had no doubt that she would just sit in her office and stare at Jane until the detective finished with her own paperwork.

When the body was properly stored and the equipment carefully sterilized, Maura made her way to her office to find Jane had taken up her desk.

Hand on her hips, Maura said, "Excuse me, Jane, but what do you think you are doing in my desk?"

"Paperwork," Jane answered without looking up. "Why?"

"You know what I mean," Maura sighed. "Why are you sitting at my desk?"

"Oh, that," Jane said, finally looking up, smirking, "because your chairs suck. I swear, Maura, those things were built for torture."

"You do realize that there is a sofa right there," Maura said, pointing to the aforementioned piece of furniture situated next to the wall across from the door.

Jane looked to where Maura was pointing, and then she said, "Huh, no, never saw that there. But I have no desire to move. Why don't you sit in one of your lovely chairs while I finish up these reports?"

"I don't think I'll do that, Jane," Maura said, her voice holding a tone of warning. "That is my desk, and I have my own paperwork to finish. I plan to do so in my desk. So if you would so kindly move, I can get to that task."

"Make me," Jane said, obviously daring Maura to do just that.

"No need," Maura informed Jane as she walked to stand even closer to the detective. "We can both sit at the desk if you really don't want to move." And with that, Maura sat in Jane's lap.

The contact, although perfectly innocent in its intention, sent a jolt of sensations through both women.

Oh my God, Jane thought. She's sitting in my lap. My lap! Maura is sitting in my lap. Oh my God. Is it weird that I like it? That I don't want her to move, ever? Crap! When did I start holding her?

Maura, on the other hand, had slightly more coherent thoughts. That was probably not the most well thought out plan I have ever had, although it does seem to be the most rewarding. Jane's arm around my waist is very comforting. I like sitting in her lap, and she has yet to protest. Maybe this will not turn into anything awkward.

The room was silent, both women lost in their own thoughts, trying to work out the situation. They were both more than aware of their current positions. It was their feelings that they were more concerned about. They had both come to the realization that they liked each other more than best friends did; however neither of them was aware that the other had reached the same conclusion. Although neither made any move to change the way they were sitting. Maura remained in Jane's lap, perfectly content. Jane also left her arm casually wrapped around Maura's waist.

Before the silence became too deafening, Jane decided to speak, "You know, Maura, it's a little hard to do paperwork with you in my lap like this."

"Oh," Maura said, a little disappointed, "I'll just get up then."

"No," Jane said, unconsciously tightening her hold on the medical examiner. "Stay. I was just making an observation. You don't need to move. My handwriting will just look worse than normal."

Maura giggled. Yes, she giggled. She liked it when Jane told jokes, but she liked it even more when Jane showed reluctance to let her get up. "Okay. I like sitting here anyway."

"Good," Jane said, suddenly feeling hyper-aware of the situation. She was tempted to tell Maura how she felt. She needed to tell Maura how she felt. "I have to say something."

"Jane, you've been talking this entire time," Maura said, her head tilted.

"No," Jane laughed, "I meant I have something that I need to ask you."

"Oh," Maura said, "why didn't you just say that then?"

Jane shrugged, "Anyway, hypothetically, let's assume that there were two friends, right? They were best friends and they spent a lot of time together. Well, one day, one of the friends decided that she liked the other friend a lot more than she should, as friends. That she wanted to pursue a relationship, a romantic relationship, with her friend. Do you that that would be awkward, for the other friend? Or do you think that the one friend should just keep quiet?"

"Jane," Maura said, "you know I don't like hypothetical situations."

With that statement, Maura took a big risk. The biggest risk she had ever made in her entire life. A decision made without absolute certainty. Yet she felt no fear as she connected her lips with Jane's. No panic that Jane would pull away from her. No dread at the thought of the consequences. She did not think of consequences. She only thought about kissing Jane, her Jane, finally.

The kiss was chaste. Their lips connected only for the briefest of instances. However, it was a kiss full of implications, full of everything that had gone unsaid, full of promise. And both the detective and the medical examiner knew it. They knew they had to talk about it, about everything. Although in that moment, they threw caution to the wind. Their lips connected again, this time in a kiss full of passion. It was only a second before one of them, and neither knew which, deepened the kiss.

The only thing that mattered to either of them in that instant was each other. They were kissing, something both of them had dreamed about all day long, and unconsciously hoped for longer than they cared to admit. Everything they had built up over the years they had known each other was being revealed through this kiss. No words were needed, no explanations.

They reluctantly broke apart, needing to breathe. Silence once again descended on the pair, but this one was comfortable. Both were assured the other returned their feelings. There was no need to worry about rejection.

"Wow," Jane breathed, regaining the ability to talk. "Maura, that was really, just, wow."

Maura smiled, a brilliantly radiant smile, "I know. Let's go back to my place. We need to talk, about everything. The morgue is no place to do that. And if things go the way I hope they will, we really do not want to be down here later."

Paperwork quickly forgotten, Jane stood up, cradling Maura in her strong arms. "Let's go!"

Laughing at Jane's enthusiasm, Maura said, "Jane, put me down!"

Jane looked down at the medical examiner in her arms and shook her head. "No, I like this. You feel nice. I'll just carry you to your car."

"Fine," Maura huffed, secretly enjoying being carried by Jane, "but at least let me get my purse."

Jane turned around, having seen the purse on the desk. She walked to go fetch it, but realized that her hands were full. She waited until Maura grabbed the purse and then she started walking to the door, out of the morgue.

As they were waiting for the elevator, Jane still holding her, Maura took out her cell phone.

Coming home with Jane, Maura typed a message to Angela Rizzoli. Please stay in the guest house. She and I need to talk, privately. Thank you.

"Who'd you just text?" Jane asked, trying to see the phone that Maura was hiding inside of her purse.

"A friend," Maura said, not really lying.

"Okay," Jane said, still suspicious, as the elevator doors finally opened.

Maura's phone chimed, signaling that she had received a text message. Being careful to hold the phone where Jane could not see it, Maura read the reply from Angela.

I knew it! Angela had typed. I'll go visit Frankie. Get out of your hair. Have fun! ;)

Maura laughed. She certainly planned to have fun.