With Jane in the kitchen and no phone to distract her, Maura flipped through the channels on the TV for something to watch. Although there were hundreds of channels to choose from, she still found little to take her mind off of the fact that her dad was having a private talk in the kitchen with Jane. She imagined him telling Jane that she could never come over again and blaming the entire situation on Jane. That wouldn't be too far from the truth. I could have gone unnoticed for another six months, another six months of being alone on Saturday night while my friends and even my parents are out having fun. She continued to flip through talk shows, soap operas, and sports highlights before finding a TV show about haunted houses that she hoped would entertain her until Jane returned. Maura wasn't sure where she stood when it came to whether or not hauntings were real, but for a brief moment she found herself wishing some entity could haunt Cassidy and Sophie. What am I thinking? I'm in way over my head.

"I love this show!" Jane said as she entered the living room. When Jane took a seat next to her on the couch, Maura finally felt at ease. "Me and my brothers used to watch it a few years ago and it'd scare the hell out of us―not me, though, just my brothers."

Maura grabbed Jane's hand. "It's okay to admit that you were scared."

"I wasn't."

"You'll still be my knight-in-shining basketball shorts."

"Okay, I was," Jane admitted. "But that's back when I was eleven. I'm not afraid of this stuff anymore. I'd protect you."

"I doubt it," Maura teased. "Even the brave Jane Rizzoli is no match for one of these entities."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'm more of a match against Jason or Freddy Krueger or one of those guys."

"They're immortal," Maura pointed out.

"I'm trying to prove my physical prowess to you and you are not making this any easier."

"How about Leatherface? He's not a ghost and he's not immortal. You could protect me from him."

"Yes! You thinking I could protect you from a chainsaw-wielding maniac is a good sign," Jane smiled at her. "It means we're meant to be."

Jane had done it again―she had managed to put Maura at ease with irreverent conversation. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For spending the morning with me."

"And the afternoon," Jane added. "Your dad is letting me stay. We just can't go up to your room and we can't do anything more than holding hands."

"I'm seventeen. I should be able to kiss you."

"Let's just stick to his rules, okay? This is better than nothing," Jane looked around to make sure they were alone before whispering into Maura's ear. "Next time we're in my car, we can do way more than kissing."

Maura wanted to ask what Jane had in mind, but she feared her reaction to what Jane might say. Even the thought of kissing Jane had already gotten her worked up; the thought of doing anything more than kissing would be enough to make her want to pounce on her right then and there.

"What do you want to do today?" Maura asked, hoping Jane would respond with something other than a vagina euphemism.

"You."

"Jane!"

"You asked me," Jane said in her own defense. "How about if we build a blanket fort?"

"Are you planning on seducing me in your blanket fort?"

"Maura Dorthea!" she heard her dad shout from his bedroom, upstairs.

"It's like I'm living in a George Orwell book," Maura shook her head. "Big Brother is always watching."

"Maybe he wants us to be in the Junior Anti-Sex League," Jane said jokingly, but Maura was too frustrated to see the humor in Jane's reference.

"I can't take this anymore."

Jane's eyes grew wide. "You want it that bad? I can take you to my room. We'd have to walk to my house, but it'd be worth it."

"No. I meant I can't take this anymore―being treated like a child."

"It's really no big," Jane shrugged. "Your dad and I kinda have an understanding now. I think me and him should join forces to end your grandpa's reign of strictness."

"I'm going to hold you to that. My parents are having a party next month for their 30th anniversary and you're going to be my date."

"I am?" Jane asked nervously.

"My knight-in-shining basketball shorts should not let me face this alone. If you don't show up, I'll be the only person there under the age of forty."

"Yikes. Enough said."

Maura neglected to mention the party had an '80s theme and guests were expected to dress in '80s attire, but she figured she'd break that news to Jane at a later time. For now, they had an entire afternoon together and Maura would have enjoyed it had she not been so worried about how to entertain her guest. The people who usually visited her were her two best friends and they were comfortable enough to just enjoy each other's company regardless of what they were doing and whether or not they were even talking. Sometimes, all they'd do was watch Vines together and show each other funny Tumblr posts and that was enough to keep them entertained, but Maura wasn't sure if she had reached that level with Jane. They had watched a movie together the first time Jane had visited, but even watching a movie wasn't enough to occupy the full amount of time they were going to spend together.

"I still think we should build that blanket fort and watch a movie," Jane said, which made Maura wonder exactly how long she had been preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"I'll get some blankets from upstairs."

She stripped the comforter and sheets from the bed in the guest bedroom before grabbing a few fleece throws from her closet. They were Disney princess fleece throws that she hadn't used since childhood, but she figured the more blankets she had, the better the fort they could build so she grabbed them despite the possibility that Jane might tease her.

They could stream Netflix from the TV in the living room, but Maura hoped using her iPad would create a more intimate viewing experience. If we use the iPad, she'll have to get close to me. Maura noticed her iPad wasn't in its usual spot on top of her desk and neither was her laptop, so her first instinct was to go to her mother's office.

"I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no," Maura's mother told her before she could even get a word in.

"My iPad is―"

"It's in a safe place," Mrs. Isles interrupted her. "Your laptop is, too."

"Where are they?"

"Maura," Mrs. Isles shook her head. "You didn't think I'd be that naive, did you? I know you can access the same social media accounts on computers that you can access on a phone."

"Mother," Maura pleaded.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Besides, if you're going to watch a movie, you can use the TV."

"I don't want to stream something from the TV," Maura snapped at her.

"You have hundreds of channels to choose from and you can stream movies. You don't need any other device," Mrs. Isles reminded her. "When I was your age―" she began to say until she caught herself. "You're making me turn into my mother. I'll return your phone, your iPad, and your laptop to you; just not right now."

Maura knew there was no arguing with her mother, so she rolled her eyes and left the room.

"And don't roll your eyes at me, young lady," she heard her mother say as she left.

With guidance from Jane, the self-proclaimed blanket fort expert, Maura was able to successfully build her first fort. It was nowhere near as intricate or picturesque as the ones she saw on Tumblr that used gauzy materials and white lights, but the blankets were thick enough to provide them with a secluded spot in the middle of the living room.

"I don't care about watching a movie," Jane pointed out. "I really just wanted to lie down with you."

While gathering materials for their fort, Maura had forgotten to bring pillows, so she grabbed a couple of decorative pillows from on top of the couch and put them side-by-side in the fort.

"This is what I've been waiting for," Jane said as she lied down next to her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring my iPad."

"We don't need it. Any movie we watch would just be background noise."

Maura felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She didn't have to worry about entertaining Jane because Jane was happy just to be around her. They had reached a level of comfort that Maura had only ever experienced with her two best friends and she began to wonder if this was what being in a relationship was like―cuddling, relaxing, and just enjoying being within close proximity of each other.

"Do you want hot chocolate?" Maura asked after she turned around to face Jane. She had yet to offer Jane any refreshments and she was starting to feel like a bad hostess.

"Later. I had a soda earlier with your dad," Jane responded. She wrapped her arms around Maura and pulled her as close to herself as she possibly could. "Right now, I just want you. I don't want to think about school or what those girls were saying or anything like that. You're what matters most to me and, when it comes time to face them again, I'm going to be there with you. I'm not going to let them bully you again, even if it means leaving my friends."

"You'd leave your friends for a girl?"

"Those girls aren't my friends," Jane pointed out. "But if my friends are okay with what those girls are doing, then I really don't want to be around them."

"I'm not going to let you do that," Maura said, sternly. "We're going to Brad's party on Saturday."

"But they're all going to be there."

"I don't care," Maura smiled. "They're calling me Maura the Whore-a. I'll show them that I can live up to that name."

"What?" Jane asked in disbelief. "I don't want you compromising who you are because of them. You're not Maura the Whore-a"

"I'm not compromising who I am," Maura insisted. "It's just a name and they only started calling me that because they think I had sex with you. Those girls want you and they can no longer have you, but I can. All that nickname means is that I enjoy having sex with you and I enjoy pleasing you, physically, which I will when we finally have the opportunity. They're upset because they think I did something to you that you like. I'm going to take my mom's advice. I'm yours and I want to enjoy being yours. I'm not going to let them shame me for my sexuality and for liking a girl who likes me, too. You're Jane Rizzoli. You're a person and not an object to be paraded around and fought over."

"So, you're saying I'm not a cheap sex toy?"

"There's so much more to you than sex."

"That's a shame," Jane gave her a half smile. "Because I was hoping to be your cheap sex toy."

Maura tried not laugh. "We're finished here."

"Your dad hasn't interrupted us," Jane pointed out. "He's either asleep or cutting us some slack."

"Definitely asleep," Maura responded. "Cutting us some slack would mean he'd let you kiss me on the cheek. We've repeatedly said the word 'sex' and he hasn't yelled my first and middle name from upstairs. He's definitely asleep."

"In that case, how about if I break the rules?"

Maura knew what Jane wanted to do, but she decided to take control. Her fingertips played with the waistband on Jane's pajama pants as she leaned in to kiss her. Maura's kisses were chaste at first, but the more she thought about slipping her hand down the front of Jane's pajama pants the more forceful her kisses became.

"Maura Dorthea!" she heard her dad say from the living room entryway.

"Hi, Dad," Maura practically squeaked, now even more grateful that they used thick blankets to build their fort.

"How is this little fort of yours any better than being in your room?" Mr. Isles asked. "You two could be doing who knows what in there."

"Oh, Blane. Just leave them alone," Maura heard her mother respond. They're both in here now?

"We were just uhh...getting ready to make hot chocolate, sir," Jane nervously told Mr. Isles.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Mr. Isles asked. "Making hot chocolate, giving each other cupcakes and muffins. What's wrong with your generation and why are you so obsessed with baked goods?"

Maura thought about getting out of the fort, but she feared yet another flushed skin and dilated pupils talk from her mother, so she opted to stay inside the fort all the while having to control every urge she had to laugh.

"Come upstairs with me," she heard her mom say to her dad. "I know how to take your mind off of this."

Maura felt like covering herself with the pillow. "I didn't want to hear that."

"And I didn't want to hear what you and Jane were talking about," Mr. Isles retorted.

"Touché," Jane responded.

Maura knew her parents had no intentions of doing anything other than watching a movie in their bedroom, but just the thought of anything else happening was enough to turn her off.

"How about some hot chocolate?" Jane suggested.

"Actual hot chocolate or is that going to be a euphemism for something sexual now?"

"Actual hot chocolate," Jane reassured her. "My mind is so far from sex right now. In fact, I might even claim a second virginity."

"That won't last long," Maura winked at her. And neither will my disinterest in sex.