Maura’s designer heels clicked across the floor of the morgue. She made her way, manila folder in hand, and gave it to the tall, brunette detective. The doctor took notice of how the other woman’s chestnut curls cascaded over her shoulder. The detective scanned the papers inside and then put them under her arm with a grin.

"As you see it’s the report as requested," Maura said with a flirtatious glint to her voice and a sexy smile on her lips.

"Ohhh, you are the world’s loveliest," the detective said taking her hand and kissing the back, "...loveliest..." she said again kissing the other hand, "...medical examiner."

Maura gave a schoolgirl giggle. Before either one of them could speak another sound penetrated the room. The noise of someone clearing their throat, rather loudly and exaggeratedly, interrupted them. The two women turned to see Det. Jane Rizzoli standing there, arms crossed and an aggravated look on her face.

"Sorry to... interrupt?" she announced sarcastically.

"Not at all. I was on my way out," the other detective said as she gently let go of Maura’s hands. She turned back to the M.E. "Our very beautiful and intelligent Doctor Isles gave me what I came here for." The detective playfully winked and Maura blushed again at the suggestive tone. "Seriously, thank you, Dr. Isles. I'm glad you were able to take care of our overflow at the 14th," she said with a chivalrous and grateful nod.

"You’re very welcome Det. Rivers. Anytime I can be of assistance, let me know."

"I certainly will."

Det. Rivers gave her another nod and made her way toward the exit where Jane was slowly making her way inside. As they passed, Rivers gave Rizzoli a nod and said, "Detective," in a short, almost competitive, infliction.

Jane returned the gesture with a curt nod of her own and made an exaggerated annoyed face that went unnoticed by Rivers, yet made Maura grin. After the door had closed completely, Rizzoli asked, "Gave her what she came here for, huh? And what exactly did you give her?" The callous tone still hung in her voice.

"Stop." Maura waved her off with a smile.

"Why is she here?"

"The 14th precinct has been extra busy, so I offered my assistance."

"You know, you could bring her up on sexual harassment charges."

Maura laughed. "What? For being grateful?"

"She’s more than grateful! She was all over you!"

Maura paused and cocked her head curiously. She examined Jane a moment. "You appear flushed. Is your heart rate feeling elevated?"

"What?" Jane asked confused.

"Is your heart beating faster?"

"A little."

"Do your muscles feel constricted, like tight?"

"Yeah."

"Do you feel warmer? Has your skin temperature increased?"

Jane paused. "Yes, but what does this have to do with anything...Wait. Am I having a heart attack?!"

"No. You’re just exhibiting physiologically to an emotion reaction."

"Come again?"

"You’re jealous. Actually there are several kinds of ‘jealousy’ – territorial, situational –."

"I’m not jealous! What do I have to be jealous about?"

"The attention Det. Rivers was giving me, or perhaps my reaction to that attention. Hmm, it’s odd. I think it might be the former since you mentioned her being ‘all over me’."

"I know I’m going to regret this question, but why does that seem odd?"

"Well, men and women process jealousy differently. Studies have indicated that there are physiological measures that show different response patterns between males and females," Maura said with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Jane said nothing. She seemed to take a deep breath and then blow it out slowly as her fingers impatiently tapped the sides of her dress slacks waiting for the doctor to finish.

"For example," the doctor went on, "men were more responsive to sexual infidelity than to emotional infidelity and noted increases for heart rate, peak electro dermal activity, surface electromyographic activity and skin temperature. Women, on the other hand, were more responsive to emotional infidelity then sexual infidelity. With you mentioning the physical aspect of Det. Rivers touching me, your jealousy seems to be more rooted in a discomfort of the physical proximity, dare I say the sexual proximity, she shared with me."

Jane heard the words and then said, "In English."

Maura paused and thought a moment. "She got too close to me for YOUR comfort. But then again, it might just be the playful banter you witnessed her and I sharing, which could be characterized as emotional jealousy. Still, you mentioned her touching me before anything else. "

Jane threw her hands in the air. "I’m sorry! I didn't walk in here and expect to see a woman kissing you!"

"Woah!" Sgt. Korsak said, his head half way into the doorway. "I was going to ask what’s taking so long, but now I know," he said.

"I found Det. Rivers kissing all over Maura."

He exclaimed, "What?!" while Maura sighed, "Jane."

Korsak quickly added, "I mean there’s nothing wrong with that, Maura. It just...well... I figured if any cop would be kissing all over you it’d be Jane here."

"Hey!" Jane said indignant. Her hands immediately went under her blazer jacket to rest on her hips.

"Really?" he sighed. "You mean to tell me you don’t know about the pool?"

"Pool?" Jane asked.

"What pool?" Maura added.

Korsak clammed up. "There’s no pool."

"Oh my god!" Jane shouted. "You bet money about me and Maura hooking up?"

"No, not me. And for the record, hooking up sounds so..." Korsak shrugged. "...temporary; dirty. I’d say you two are in it for the long haul."

"We’re not ‘in it’ at all!" Jane said in frustration.

"Let me repeat: I didn’t place any bets," Korsak said.

"Did my brother bet?"

Korsak didn’t say anything, but finally answered, "Tommy."

Jane rolled her eyes.

"Frankie, too," Korsak muttered.

"Oh for god sakes. Who else in my family is laying down money I’m...laying Maura? My Mom?" she laughed.

Korsak looked away guiltily.

"Ma too!? You’ve got to be kidding me! Who else?!"

"It’s not my place to say."

"Well, since it’s a pool someone has to be betting against it right?"

"I think it’s really a matter of WHEN it’s going to happen and not IF."

"This is insane," Jane replied and rubbed her forehead.

"Well, there’s nothing to ‘win’ at the moment," Maura told him. "The ‘kissing’ wasn’t anything... scandalous. It was the back of my hand for a job well-done. It was very gallant, actually," Maura added and began to grin.

"What’s taking so long?" Frost asked as he walked in to see the trio.

"Maura has a gallant girlfriend," Jane grumbled.

Maura opened her mouth to argue, but didn’t get the chance before Frost started to dance around.

"Ha! I won! I won! I won!" he celebrated. "So how long’s it been, Lovebirds?" he asked looking between the two women.

"Et tu, Brutus?"

"Actually," Maura began, "it's not Brutus; it's Brute. The line from Shakes-..." Maura planned to continue, however, she noticed that Jane looked even more irritated. "... is not really relevant at the moment," she finished instead.

"Look," Jane continued speaking to Frost, "We’re not lovebirds and I’m not the girlfriend!" Jane complained.

"You’re not?" Frost asked.

"The lady doth protest too much," Korsak muttered with a smile.

Frost looked utterly confused and said, "What?" while Jane shot Korsak a dirty look and muttered, "Oh, shut it, Vince!"

"I don’t have a girlfriend, period," Maura told Det. Frost. "Jane is under the impression that she’s the only tall, dark female detective I work with here who’s allowed to compliment me or, well, touch me."

"I didn’t say anyone couldn’t touch you. It was the WAY she touched you," Jane said.

Maura closed the distance and said, "Again, you are not the only tall, dark female detective I work with – primarily, yes, but not the only one." Jane opened her mouth, but Maura simply put a finger over her mouth. "HOWEVER," she stressed, "You are the tall, dark female detective I love most."

Jane began to smile from under Maura’s finger. Maura grinned too and turned to Frost and Korsak. "Now what can I do for you gentlemen?"

"Conners," Frost said. "You said you found something?"

"Oh yes, possible DNA in her teeth. I found skin. She might have had chicken or she might have fought her attacker. I’m running it now. As for the lacerations around her wrists," she said handing over the file, "I found some adhesive residue."

"Duct tape?" Korsak asked as Frost reviewed the pages.

"Possibly," Maura replied. "I’m checking that as well."

"Thank you very much," Frost said politely as he waved the folder.

"You’re quite welcome."

The three detectives began to walk away, but Maura called out.

"Jane? I’d like to speak to you privately, if you don’t mind."

Korsak and Frost smiled at each other.

"Somebody’s in trouble," Korsak said in a sing-song voice. Frost chuckled softly as the two of them left the room.

"Maura, look," Jane began once they were alone. "Just forget what I said earlier. You can... do whatever you want."

"I know I can. It’s one of the privileges of being an adult."

"Yes. And – wait. Was that a joke?"

"Little one." Maura grinned and held her fingers apart.

Jane visibly relaxed. "For what it’s worth, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was... scolding you, like a child. I just... I don’t know why it bothered me when I saw Rivers in here..." Jane released a long sigh. "It won’t happen again."

"Why?" Maura asked as she closed the distance between them.

"Why what?"

"Why did it upset you, Jane?"

The detective shrugged.

"Think about it," Maura asked. "Why did it bother you to see her holding my hands?"

Jane ran her fingers through her hair. "It’s stupid," she said with a nervous grin before she started playing with her fingernails.

Maura took her hands. "Please. If it upset you, I won’t think it’s stupid."

"Okay, maybe stupid is the wrong word. Maybe... creepy?"

Maura motioned to the freezers behind her. "I can handle creepy. I deal with ‘creepy’ all day."

Jane pulled away and started to pace. "I... I feel like I should be the only woman who gets to touch you like that. See? I told you. Creepy. Now here’s the part where you say you’re an adult and you’ll touch who you want, when you want and how you want."

"Why do you want to be the only one?" Maura pressed.

"God, Maura. Are we going to be here all day playing twenty questions?"

"Perhaps. Depends on how much stalling you do?"

Jane put her arms around her, cocooning herself.

"Different question," Maura offered diplomatically. "What was your immediate reaction when you walked in and saw us? What did you feel?"

"Fear. I was... afraid I’d lose you."

"Lose me?"

"That I wouldn’t be as important. God! I told you this was dumb. Can we just drop it?"

"Not yet," Maura replied. "How would you lose me, Jane?"

Jane rolled her eyes at first. "If you had her to touch then you wouldn’t need me touching you... and I’d miss that."

"You would?"

"Yeah, I like touching you because... I think you like being touched. It’s something you really didn’t get growing up and... I think I’m pretty good at it."

"You’re wonderful at it," Maura complimented. "But the truth is, she kissed me and... you never have."

Jane blushed slightly and said, "Is that a complaint?"

Maura didn’t answer immediately. She took two steps closer.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"No answering a question with a question," Jane replied.

"Fair enough." Maura squared her shoulders. She took two more steps until they were less than a ruler’s length from each other. "Yes, it is a complaint."

"So are you saying...?" Jane looked unsure.

"Honestly, Jane, you mean you’ve never wondered what it would be like to kiss me?"

"No!" Jane replied immediately. Maura’s expression was unreadable. "Maybe." Maura still did nothing. "Fine. Yes! I have. Okay?"

Jane looked away, but Maura reached out and cupped her face to make her look at her.

"I meant what I said. There’re many tall, dark detectives, but only one that I love."

Jane smiled and took Maura’s hands in hers. She raised one hand to her lips.

"Ohhh, you are the world’s loveliest," the detective said taking her hand and kissing the back, "...loveliest..." she said again kissing the other hand, "...medical examiner."

Maura didn’t breathe. She didn’t make a sound.

"No girly giggle like Rivers got?" Jane asked, sounding disappointed.

Maura shook her head. She didn’t utter a word. She simply locked fingers with Jane and she pulled the woman toward her as she leaned forward. Her lips lightly snared the detective’s at first, but getting no resistance, she increased the pressure and speed of her kisses. When Jane released one hand and used it to cradle the back of Maura’s head the doctor moaned and deepened the kiss.

Jane felt Maura’s tongue lazily work its way into her own mouth. As their tongues danced around each other, the detective thought her legs might go out from under her and this time she moaned at the arousal the doctor was stirring within her.

Both women needed to breathe and they pulled back for a moment, resting their foreheads on one another’s.

"Was that everything you imagined?" Maura asked in a breathless sigh.

Jane uncharacteristically giggled and nodded. Before she could speak though, another sound penetrated the room. The noise of someone clearing their throat, rather loudly and exaggeratedly, interrupted them. The two women turned to see Cavanaugh standing there, arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.

"Sorry to... interrupt?"

"No problem, sir."

"Your partners are waiting for you, Rizzoli."

"Yes, sir," she said politely. She turned to Maura with a devilish grin and said, "To be continued."

Maura smiled.

Jane’s thumb caressed the lips she’d just been kissing. Maura knew the woman looked torn between staying for another round of kisses and meeting her waiting partners.

"Go on. Frost and Korsak are waiting for you right now," Maura encouraged her. "I’ll be here waiting for you... tonight."

Jane smiled even bigger since Maura was able to read her so perfectly.

"Okay," Jane said before she walked away, following Cavanaugh out.

"For the record," Maura called out, making Jane turn around briefly. "You put Rivers to shame."

"Yessss!" Jane hissed in whispered jubilation and a fist pump.

The End