Maura sat at the head of her large mahogany dining table, enjoying a spring salad when Thomas brought in a very nervous, very attractive, tall brunette. Maura swallowed her food and eyed Jane fully, regarding the woman who had rescued her with charmed surprise. She smiled brightly and extended her hand in greeting.

"Jane Rizzoli, correct?"

For a moment, Jane was speechless. Initially this was due to nerves about possibly being fired for ruining the publicity stunt, but as soon as Maura smiled at her, every thought instantly vanished and she was simply awestruck. She had seen Maura Isles in some of her movies and on a few late night talk shows in the past, and of course during the incident earlier, but this… this was different. Face to face, without an adrenaline-fueled crisis, Jane was completely taken aback by how absolutely, undeniably beautiful this woman truly was. It was easy for her to see why Maura was a movie star. How could anyone so stunning be anything but famous?

Realizing she was being rude, Jane shook her head to right her thoughts and finally answered sheepishly. "Uh, yeah… er, yes." Get it together, Rizzoli! She cleared her throat and finally grasped Maura's hand. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry."

"No need to apologize," she shook Jane's hand, "I'm Maura Isles."

Jane couldn't restrain a chuckle and a smile. "Yes, I know who you are. It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Miss Isles."

"Would you like to sit down?" She gestured toward the chair on her left.

"Sure," Jane answered warily, taking a seat.

"Jane, I want to talk to you about what happened today at the studio."

"About that, please give me a chance to apologize-"

"Oh Jane, you have nothing to apologize for! The mistake was not yours, believe me. That should never have happened. I was honestly terrified before you stepped in, which I realize was quite a risk for you. I really appreciate that."

Jane smiled and sighed with relief. "Thank you. I was just doing my job."

"No, thank you. And you did a better job on your first day than the guards I've had protecting me for years," she said, shooting a quick glance at Thomas, who only shrugged, then returning her gaze to Jane. "I think you have good instincts. So I've told Thomas that I want you to be my number one. I want you by my side, protecting me everywhere I go, until this tour is over. Would you be okay with that, Jane?"

Jane was genuinely shocked. She'd thought this conversation was more likely to leave her unemployed than technically promoted. "Um, sure. If that's what you want, Miss Isles."

"Excellent!" Maura smiled at Jane's agreement. "Oh, and you should call me Maura. We'll be spending a lot of time together, so it's probably best that we're on a first-name basis, don't you agree?" she added, rather matter-of-factly.

"Of course... Maura." Jane smiled. There was a quirkiness about Maura that she found amusing and intriguing. She was nothing like what Jane had imagined, and very pleasantly so.

Maura dismissed Thomas to resume his usual duties, leaving the two women alone, then turned back to Jane. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, thank you."

"How about a beverage?"

"Sure," Jane answered gratefully, her mouth bone dry. "Some water would be great."

Maura rose and walked the few steps into the large open kitchen to retrieve a bottle of SmartWater from the fridge, and handed it to her with a smile.

"So, Jane," she started as she returned to her seat, "tell me a little about yourself." The request was a socializing technique that Maura had been taught many years ago, but it excited her to realize this was the first time she could remember being so truly interested.

"Okaaay," Jane shot her a sideways glance. "What do you wanna know?"

"Anything."

They spent the afternoon sharing various details about their lives and touring Maura's magnificent home. As they spoke, Maura learned that Jane was from Boston, had two brothers, and used to be a homicide detective. Despite her curiosity, she did not find out why Jane had so recently packed up and moved across the country. She wanted to ask, but Jane's clenched jaw and clipped comments suggested it was a rather sensitive subject. Maura listened eagerly when Jane spoke of her family, all still back in Boston. She told Jane how her own parents had died in a horrible accident when she was nineteen, which Jane didn't admit that she already knew from a Google search she'd done the night before. What she did not previously know, however, was that Maura had studied forensic pathology before switching to acting. This seemed strange, not only because the career paths are so vastly different, but mostly because she just couldn't picture the chic, refined Maura Isles in a morgue, cutting up dead bodies like Dr. Pike back in Boston.

Both women secretly found themselves quite surprised at how quickly they established a connection. Despite their vast differences, there seemed to be something about them that just clicked. They had become so wrapped up in each other that they were startled when another guard came to relieve Jane at the end of her twelve-hour shift.

"Wow, is it really that time already?" Jane asked, glancing at her watch with surprise.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Maura answered dolefully. The instant connection she felt with Jane was rare and special, and she was afraid to say goodbye. She wanted to invite Jane to stay, but decided it was likely bad form. Instead she met Jane's eyes and gave her a sweet smile. "I hope we can continue our conversation tomorrow. I've really enjoyed talking with you, Jane."

"Me too. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Maura."

"Goodnight."

As she walked out to her car, Jane tried to identify the warm sensation growing inside her. It was exciting and foreign and decidedly wonderful. Maybe things were finally starting to look up.