2 Days. 3 Missed Calls. 4 Texts. And 1 knock at the door.

"Fuck." Jane muttered. She was not ready to have this conversation with Maura. There was a reason she had been avoiding the calls and texts for the past two days, but she should have known that Maura would march right up to her apartment for a conversation face to face.

"Jane?" The voice called from behind the door. "I know you're in there. Please let me in. It's all okay, we can talk about this."

******************** 2 Days Earlier **********************

Jane made her way down to the morgue, smiling a little to herself as she realized what she was about to ask Maura to do. But there was no chance in hell she was doing this alone.

"Hey Maur, Ma just called and asked if I could swing by Giovanni's shop to pick up her car. And since you're the one who told her my case wrapped up quicker than I expected, I think it's only fair that you come with me."

Truth be told Jane hated the idea of going to see Giovanni. But the idea of making Maura go with her was exciting. They always had a little rouse they followed when Giovanni was around and Jane loved pretending to be a couple with Maura. It was funny and innocent enough, and it always left Giovanni muttering like the Neanderthal he was. How was Maura ever interested in him? Even if it was just sex?

Maura turned to look at Jane with a small smile playing at her lips. "You want me to go with you to see Giovanni? What's the plan? Not good cop/bad cop…. Maybe gay cop, gay doctor?" Maura couldn't hold the smile back as she beamed at Jane, the smile lighting her eyes in the way Jane loved.

"Oh! She's got jokes! I like that." Jane husked as she returned Maura's smile. "Look, there's no way I'm going to see Giovanni alone and technically this is all your fault, so yeah, that's exactly the plan."

"Well when you lay out a reasonable argument such as that how can I say no?"

"Hey! You look hott!"

"Gee, thanks Giovanni. You know I can't resist your charm." Jane rolled her eyes as she addressed the greasy mechanic.

"So's you twos still, ah, ya know? Together?" Giovanni asked as he eyed the two women standing in his shop.

Jane instinctively reached and pulled Maura close, wrapping her hand around Maura's waist as she smiled, "Yeah, we're still together Giovanni. So don't be gettin' any ideas."

Maura couldn't stop the smile that felt permanently plastered to her face. And it wasn't lost on Jane as she kept her eyes trained on Giovanni.

"Ah, yeah..well that's too bad. Ya know if you ever wanna…" Giovanni let his sentence trail off, leaving the implied hanging in the air between the three of them.

"Yeah, you'll be the first one we call." Jane was starting to feel annoyed by the mechanic but she pulled Maura in closer as they finished paying and then settled into Angela's car. Jane kept a firm grasp on Maura's hand as Giovanni leaned in the window.

"I mean I get it that you's guys are like..together, but…"

"Giovanni, let it go!" Jane couldn't keep the rise out of her voice.

"Easy, Janie, I just mean that…"

Jane couldn't keep the heat out of her face as Giovanni kept pleading his case. She didn't stop to think. She didn't think at all. She quickly leaned over and grabbed Maura's face pulling it to her own. Jane pressed their lips together and felt the hitch in Maura's breathing as she kissed her hard, and full on the lips. As Jane pulled back to look at Giovanni she noticed the wide-eyed doctor flushed and confused. "We're gay, Giovanni. No penis necessary." She turned the ignition and pulled the car into drive feeling the heat rise in her face as she realized what she'd just done.

They drove to Maura's house with an uncomfortable silence between them. Jane wanted to apologize, to say something, say anything! But she couldn't force herself to form words.

"Jane, maybe we should talk about this." Maura's house was coming into view and Jane still wasn't ready to discuss what had happened.

"I gotta run, Maur. Mom has some errands to run and asked that I hurry back with her car. We'll talk later. I'm sorry. I'll call you… or something." She was practically pushing Maura out of the vehicle as she spoke. And she was grateful that she wasn't met with any resistance. She pulled away from Maura's house and tried anxiously to control her breathing. "Way to fuck it up, Rizzoli," she muttered as she drove the familiar path back to her apartment.

"Jane?" The voice called from behind the door. "I know you're in there. Please let me in. It's all okay, we can talk about this."

Jane slowly rose from her couch and flipped the lock on her door. Time to face reality. Maura entered Jane's apartment and Jane couldn't stop from glancing over the woman standing in front of her. Why did she have to look so good now?

"Jane, what happened the other day, it's okay. I'm not upset. I understand. You got caught up in the act, in the rouse to fool Giovanni. He was irritating and you wanted him to stop talking. I know it was just a ploy. You don't have to hide from me."

Jane groaned. She wished Maura was right. But for once, the genius doctor couldn't have been more wrong. There was a reason Jane hated every man Maura dated. There was a reason Jane was so protective over her best friend. There was a reason they spent more time together than apart. There was even a reason Jane had wanted to bring Maura along to go see Giovanni. Jane was in love with Maura, and she had been for some time now. But she figured it was better to hold it in and keep her best friend rather than lose her altogether. But she couldn't keep it held in any longer. She had to come clean; it was now or never.

"Maura, it wasn't just an act. You and I have never been just an act. And for a long time now…" Jane paused, unsure of how to continue. "For a long time now I've been dying to do exactly what I did at Giovanni's shop. I'm sorry, Maur." Jane couldn't even look at her friend. She kept her head down and felt the tears begin to sting at the corner of her eyes. This is it. This is how I lose everything.

"Jane," Maura whispered as she reached out and laced her delicate fingers with the detective's. "Why didn't you talk to me about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Maura's voice was quiet and unwavering. Jane relished in the contact Maura had initiated and slowly looked up, her eyes meeting the doctor's sheepishly.

"Because I thought if I told you, you'd be upset. And then I'd lose you as a friend and I couldn't handle the thought of that. I figured it was better to keep everything shoved down rather than lose the one thing I don't want to live without. And you know me, Maur, sharing my feelings isn't exactly … easy."

"Oh, Jane," Maura couldn't stop from smiling as she looked at the Detective. "For someone who's job it is to pick out clues and follow intuition, you can be so clueless sometimes. You couldn't lose me, Jane. In fact, had I known that you felt this way…" Maura trailed off and looked up at Jane. She raised her hand to stroke the detective's cheek, smiling as Jane's eyes fluttered shut upon contact. Maura leaned forward, pulling Jane's face down to meet her own. The kiss was slow and Jane felt the world spinning as she lightly parted her lips and took Maura's bottom lip between her own. She slowly pulled back and eyed the blonde standing in front of her. Neither woman could stop smiling as they stood in Jane's living room, silently reeling in the kiss that had just transpired.

"So… does this mean?" Jane couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her lips as she tucked a strand of hair behind Maura's ear.

"Yes Jane, it means that the feelings you have for me are reciprocated. They have been for some time. I hate that it took you so long to figure this out."

Jane pulled Maura close and leaned in for a small, chaste kiss to Maura's lips. I'm never going to be able to do this enough.

"So, what now, Dr. Isles?" Jane intertwined her fingers with Maura's and held tightly, intent on never letting go.

Maura looked down at their hands clasped together and smiled at how well they fit together. "Well, I was hoping maybe you would take me to dinner. And then we could have drinks at my place?"

Jane leaned close to Maura's ear and whispered huskily, "Sounds perfect, Maur."