A/N: I'm sure this scenario has been written before, but I can't get the idea out of my mind, so I had to take a swing at it. It's a revision of Jane and Maura's "sleepover" from the pilot episode, with my own spin on their original meeting. I've borrowed some of the dialogue from the pilot, but I've added some serious maintext to the subtext. I've also taken a couple of liberties with the show's canon; most importantly, I've played with the timeline for both Jane and Maura's first meeting and Jane's original trauma with Hoyt. Hope you enjoy!

Do Over

"Why do you always look like you're about to do a photo shoot?"

Maura tilted her head, a faint smirk lurking at the corners of her mouth. She held open the door and wordlessly motioned Jane inside.

As soon as she stepped in the entryway, Jane closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Maura's house was warm and inviting, and smelled faintly of strawberries. Just like she remembered.

She opened her eyes only when she heard Maura turn the bolt firmly behind her. It was a solid, reassuring sound, and it soothed some of the nervous energy that had been building inside of her all day.

"I just opened a bottle of white," Maura told her. She started for the kitchen but stopped when she realized Jane wasn't following.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing. I'm fine." Jane smiled unconvincingly.

Maura considered her for a moment, then she seemed to make a decision. With three quick steps she closed the distance between them and grabbed Jane's hand. She gave her fingers a tight squeeze before turning back around to lead her to the kitchen.

As she followed Maura, Jane couldn't help but be reminded of the last time they had walked together down this same hallway. It was hard to believe a year had already passed since that night.

"Another round, Korsak?"

He shook his head blearily. "Not for me, Jane. I think I just hit my whiskey threshold."

"Oh, come on. Just one more? On me?"

With a grunt, Korsak spun his barstool and stood up unsteadily.

"Gotta go home, Jane," he slurred. "You should, too. We gotta be up and at 'em tomorrow to catch that sonufabitch."

"We'll get Hoyt," Jane replied heatedly. "He's not getting away with what he did to those victims. Not on my watch."

Korsak squinted at her. "Okay, I think you just officially crossed the line from tipsy to drunk."

Jane shrugged and downed the rest of her beer while motioning for another from the bartender.

"One for the road."

Korsak raised his hands in surrender. "Just don't blame me when your head is pounding tomorrow."

"When have I ever done that?" Jane pouted.

With a soft chuckle, Korsak headed toward the door. "See you tomorrow, partner."

"Bright and early." She offered him an exaggerated salute as she spun her stool back around to face the bar.

Normally Jane made it a point not to drink more than a couple beers a night while working a case, but the business with Hoyt had been going on for weeks now, with no new leads. Meanwhile, she and Korsak had been meeting with distraught family members, sifting through the few clues Hoyt left behind at each crime scene, and trying to put the pieces together before the killer found his next victim. It was exhausting, and Jane felt like she hadn't slept in weeks. It was no wonder Korsak's offer to buy her a beer at the Dirty Robber after work had quickly turned into five rounds.

But oddly, Jane still felt remarkably sober and not nearly tired enough to sleep. If anything, she was more keyed up than ever.

"A glass of Pinot Grigio, please."

Deep in her own thoughts, Jane jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned to see a woman sitting beside her: about her age, and wearing a low-cut, deep red blouse and a dark, patterned pencil skirt. Her heels looked to be at least four inches high. This woman was clearly willing to endure pain for her fashion.

"Sorry," the woman said, smiling at her apologetically. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"S'okay," Jane replied with an embarrassed wave. "I guess my nerves are a little on edge. Just had a long day at work. Actually, a long month."

"Mmmm," the woman nodded sagely. "Your median raphe nucleus is underperforming."

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "My medium taffy-whateus?"

"The raphe nuclei release serotonin into the brain," she explained. Noting Jane's blank look, she continued. "Low serotonin is linked to anxiety disorders."

"Ah, I see." Jane offered her an amused smile. "So, you're a doctor, I take it?"

She nodded. "I just started a new position, and it's… let's just say, it's been stressful. I thought a glass of wine might have a calming effect."

"Well, here's to improving our serotonin levels," Jane replied, tipping back the fresh bottle the bartender handed to her.

The woman beside her took a long sip of wine and crossed her legs. Jane gulped her beer and tried not to focus on the way her skirt had begun to slide dangerously up her thigh.

What the hell, Jane? she scolded herself, willing her eyes to lift to a polite level again. Since when do you pay attention to toned legs and low-cut shirts on a woman? Just because you haven't slept with a man in months doesn't mean you should suddenly switch teams.

Praying the other woman hadn't noticed her downward glances, Jane wiped the condensation from her beer on her jeans and offered her hand.

"Jane Rizzoli."

The woman smiled cordially. "Maura Isles."

Jane made a weak effort to ignore the softness of Maura's hand and how her fingers lingered on her palm for a beat too long as she pulled away.

"So, what do you do, Jane?"

Jane grimaced. "You know what? Let's not talk about work. My whole life is wrapped up in that job and the last thing you want is to hear about that. Trust me."

"Okay," Maura replied, a little hesitantly. "What would you rather talk about?"

Jane flashed an impish grin over the top of her beer bottle. "How about you tell me more about those medium Raffi nukes, Dr. Isles?"

"Would you like a glass?"

"What?" Jane shook her head in an effort to clear it.

Maura pointed to the bottle of wine sitting on the countertop. "It's a 2001 Pinot Gris from Alsace. It's delicious."

"Maura, as long as it's got alcohol in it, I'm good to go."

Maura dipped her head and laughed softly. "You'll like this, Jane."

"I trust your judgment." Jane took off her jacket while Maura grabbed another glass from the cabinet. "Where do you want me to put my coat?"

"You can hang it in the closet in the entryway. You remember."

It was a statement, not a question. Maura's voice was steady and unassuming. Facing only her back, Jane couldn't read her expression. She wished she could.

As Jane walked back down the hallway, she tried to ignore the sense of déjà vu that was gnawing at her. She shook her head violently and grabbed a hanger from the closet.

"Come on, Jane," she whispered angrily to herself. "Pull it together."

But it seemed like everything around her was conspiring to remind her of that night. The solid front door, the granite countertop in the kitchen, the glimpse of the wall in the hallway to Maura's bedroom – all that cold, unyielding material contrasting sharply against the feel of Maura's warm, pliant skin under her fingertips.

As she returned to the kitchen, Jane closed her eyes and allowed herself to briefly indulge in the memories that flooded through her, still fresh as the night they were first imprinted on her mind.

Jane wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she did know she had consumed at least three more beers since Korsak had left the bar. And Maura was on her fourth – or was it fifth? – glass of wine.

One thing she was sure of: Maura Isles was the oddest person she had ever met. So far, their discussion had covered the antioxidant properties of white versus red wine, the history of the Boston Tea Party, the inner workings of a straight-six engine, and the scientific evidence for why carrots really do improve eyesight.

The strangest thing was that, despite the fact that they had next to nothing in common with each other, Jane had been riveted by every second of their conversation. Maura Isles might be odd, but she was brilliant.

"Last call, ladies," the bartender told them as he took away their empty glasses. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Not for me, thanks." Jane reached into her wallet for some bills and threw them on the bar. "I think I'm just drunk enough to dull the stress of work for another day. I should probably head home."

"Jane, wait." Maura reached for her arm to prevent her from getting up. "Don't go."

"What is it?" Jane asked, suddenly noticing the flush that was spreading over the other woman's cheeks. She willed her face into a neutral expression as she settled back on the stool.

Maura's voice took on a new, lower register. "I just had a thought."

"Given the conversation we just had, I'm pretty sure that you have a lot of thoughts a lot of the time," Jane noted playfully. "I bet you're a killer at Trivial Pursuit."

"Yes," Maura confirmed without a trace of irony. Then, inhaling deeply, she shifted closer to Jane. "It's just that, something has occurred to me. Something that might help with your stress problems."

"Really? I'm all ears."

Jane tried to smile casually, but somehow it didn't quite work. There was something about the way that Maura was looking at her, the gravelly tone of her voice. It was unnerving.

A faint look of amusement crossed Maura's face as she took in Jane's conflicted expression. Her voice was now almost a whisper, conspiratorial.

"There is one other activity that's been medically proven to alleviate anxiety."

Then Maura did something entirely unexpected: she leaned closer and put her hand on Jane's knee. Jane knew none of the patrons in the half-empty bar could see it, but she still glanced around self-consciously. Once she'd reassured herself that no one was paying them any attention, she forced herself to meet Maura's eyes again.

"And what's that?"

Maura's gaze wandered downward, pausing on her lips. "I think you know."

Jane's breath suddenly hitched as Maura's hand slid further up her leg, her fingertips trailing along her inner thigh.

"Maura…" she exhaled, closing her eyes despite herself. "What are you doing?"

"I know this is really very forward of me," Maura murmured, moving still nearer. "And I don't normally do this sort of thing. Usually, it's others who approach me at drinking establishments such as this one."

Jane opened her eyes again to smile at the other woman. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Returning her grin, Maura brought her other hand up and stroked Jane's forearm with a light, almost imperceptible touch. Jane tried – and failed – to bring her hammering heart back to something resembling a normal beat.

What the hell is this woman doing to me?

"I think you should come home with me, Jane."

With Maura's fingers tracing delicate patterns over her skin, Jane's mind fell blank and all her protests disappeared. She found herself meeting Maura's gaze with helpless, wordless acquiescence.

"Come on," Maura whispered. Then she took Jane's hand and led her out of the bar.

"Here."

Maura handed her a glass of wine, holding Jane's eyes for a beat before she crossed to the other side of the granite island.

"Thank you."

Jane sipped her wine, until a movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She looked down to see a large reptilian creature crawling near her feet.

"God, what is that?"

Maura shushed her. "You'll scare him."

"He's alive?" Jane gaped at the giant shell incredulously.

"His name is Bass," Maura explained, looking down proudly at her hideous progeny. "Geochelone sulcata. African spurred tortoise. I've had him since he was, like, this big." She put her thumb and index finger close together and beamed at Jane.

Jane tried to mask her disgust behind a half-hearted smile, but she couldn't help inching away from the creature.

"Partial to British strawberries," Maura continued, grabbing one from a bowl on the counter. She knelt in front of Bass and wiggled it in front of his nose.

"Bass? What, after an old boyfriend?"

As soon as the words came out of Jane's mouth, she wished she could fold them back inside herself and try again.

Why the hell are you asking her about her old boyfriends?

Distracted by her attempts to feed Bass, Maura didn't seem to notice Jane's discomfort.

"William M. Bass," she explained. "The forensic anthropologist who founded the famous body farm?"

"Right, yeah," Jane replied noncommittally. "That Bass."

"Oh, it's okay," Maura coaxed, offering the strawberry to Bass again. He seemed to consider it for a moment, but then withdrew his head into his shell decisively.

"Yeah, he's a great pet," Jane intoned dryly. "Really interactive, I'll bet."

"Mmmm hmmm." Maura petted Bass's shell fondly before standing up again.

"I guess when I was here… um, before…" Jane trailed off, shrugging her shoulders in what she hoped was a nonchalant way. It was getting more and more difficult to pretend like that night never happened.

She cleared her throat and tried again. "I guess I never had a chance to meet your turtle—"

"Tortoise," Maura corrected her.

"Whatever. I didn't meet him last time I was here."

A slight eyebrow arch was all Maura gave away to show her awareness of what Jane was referring to. Jane bit her lip, cursing herself for even bringing it up.

How is it that she looks cool as ice while I feel like I'm about to fall into a puddle on the floor?

"So, uh, how did you figure out Bass likes British strawberries the best?" she asked lamely.

Maura gave her an uncertain look. "I don't understand."

"Jesus, Maura," Jane sighed in frustration. "You know, did you test him on Canadian raspberries first? Maybe try a few Maine blackberries? I mean, how do you know that he really likes British strawberries above all other fruit if he's only ever had one kind?"

Maura was quiet for a few seconds, and Jane squirmed under her unflinching scrutiny. Not for the first time, she felt like Maura was treating her like a specimen being observed for abnormal behaviour.

"Well?" Jane asked, more shrilly than she'd intended.

"Bass likes British strawberries," Maura repeated, turning her eyes to the nearby bowl of berries. She grabbed it and strode toward the fridge to put them away. "If he ever stops eating them, maybe I'll see how he likes raspberries."

"All I'm saying is that there's nothing wrong with a little variety," Jane argued stubbornly. She shifted nervously when Maura's gaze settled on her again. Her expression was unreadable.

"I know that."

They stared at each other for another beat before they both looked away. In the awkward silence that followed, Jane took a long sip of wine and tried to work up the courage to reveal the reason she had shown up on Maura's doorstep in the first place.

"Do you like it?" Maura finally asked, gesturing toward Jane's glass.

"Yeah." Jane searched for an adjective that a connoisseur would use. "It's, uh… grapey."

Smooth, Jane.

"The Alsace region is renowned for its Pinot Gris." Maura had adopted that distanced, encyclopaedic tone that she relied on whenever she was uncomfortable. "The volcanic soil and the longer autumn season give the grapes a much stronger flavour than Pinot Gris grown elsewhere. In fact, this bottle is a Tokay, which is a name that was phased out in 2006 due to—"

"Hey, Maura," Jane suddenly blurted, unable to wait any longer.

Maura looked at her quizzically. "What is it?"

"Uh," she hesitated, scuffing the floor absently with her foot. "Do you mind if I stay over tonight?"

Now it was Maura's turn to look anxious. "Oh… Jane, um, I don't know if that's a good idea," she stammered. "I mean, you know, we talked about that, uh, before, and…" She trailed off, waving her hands in the air wordlessly.

A slow grin made its way across Jane's face as she took in the other woman's increasing discomfort. Finally she felt some equilibrium under her feet again. Obviously she wasn't the only one reliving what happened the last time they were together in this house.

"In the guestroom, Maura," she clarified. "I meant, would it be okay if I stayed in your guestroom?"

"Oh!" Maura breathed. "Oh. Yes. Of course. You're always welcome, Jane."

"Thanks. I just don't think I could handle staying at my apartment tonight. Hoyt's on the loose and so is my mother. Honestly, I'm not sure which of them I'd rather avoid right now."

Maura laughed, a little too loudly for the weak joke. "Did Mrs. Rizzoli come for a visit tonight?"

"Yeah," Jane rolled her eyes. "And, after telling me my lipstick was too pink—"

"I don't think it's too pink," Maura interjected, her eyes travelling quickly down to the other woman's lips.

Jane smiled, inwardly pleased that Maura had noticed. "Really?"

"Really. It suits your complexion."

"Thanks." Jane cleared her throat nervously. "Uh, anyway, Ma hadn't gotten two feet inside my door before she started in on how I've ruined the whole Rizzoli family by becoming a detective." She adopted a whiny, high-pitched imitation of her mother's voice. "'Janie, poor wittle Frankie Jr. woulda never entered the force if you hadn't encouraged him. He coulda had a normal job, been a plumber or somethin'!'"

Maura laughed again, this time genuinely. "Your mother is just trying to look out for you, Jane. And Frankie, for that matter."

"I know," Jane relented. "But does she have to lay on the guilt so thick? She blows everything out of proportion. It drives me nuts."

"Thickly."

"What?"

"Your mother lays on the guilt thick-ly. It's an adverb."

Jane put one hand on her hip and shot a mocking scowl at Maura. "Really?"

"Grammar is important, Jane."

Their standoff was finally broken by Jane's laughter, which spread swiftly to Maura. Jane wasn't sure whether they were laughing at the silliness of their argument or if it was a mutual attempt to break the tension that had been building between them since she'd arrived. Either way, she was just glad they were on the same page for the first time that evening.

"Seriously, though," Jane continued, grinning. "Ma is suffocating me with all her overprotective crap lately."

"Well, there is a homicidal sociopath on the loose who is obsessed with you," Maura pointed out. "That's certainly cause for some concern. Especially for a mother. Or a friend."

"A friend?" Jane cringed at the way her voice sounded: full of unspoken need and questions that couldn't be answered.

Why exactly did you come here tonight, Jane? she berated herself. What did you think was going to happen? What has changed?

But Maura's response surprised her. She exhaled loudly and her shoulders slumped, as if in defeat.

"I've been so worried about you, Jane," she admitted, her voice catching a little. "Ever since we found out that Hoyt escaped custody. Honestly, I considered coming over to your apartment tonight to make sure you were okay, but…"

"Why didn't you?" The question came out more accusatorily than Jane had intended, and she offered a slight smile to soften it.

Maura blinked at her, chewing her bottom lip nervously. It took all of Jane's willpower to stop herself from erasing the distance between them and claiming that lip between her own. Instead, she looked down, focusing her attention on her own feet.

"I wasn't sure, I guess," Maura finally said, her low voice sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet kitchen. "I wasn't sure if that's what you would want."

Jane forced herself to meet Maura's gaze intently. "Why wouldn't I want that?"

Maura looked like she was about to say something, but she stopped herself. "I didn't want to impose," she hedged. "But I've been worried. I was so relieved when you showed up here."

"Maura…" Jane trailed off, uncertain how to finish the thought.

Damn it, why does this have to be so hard?

Maura lifted a hand, but whether it was to stop her from speaking or to reach for her, Jane wasn't sure. Just as quickly, she dropped her arm back to her side and sighed.

"You should get some rest, Jane. I'll show you to the guestroom."

The cab ride to Maura's had been quiet. In fact, the only words spoken had been when Maura gave her address to the driver. For the next fifteen minutes, the two women sat in silence, watching the city pass by their respective windows.

Jane's mind was somewhat blurred by alcohol, but she wasn't too drunk to understand exactly what she was about to do. She was about to have sex. With a woman.

Her nerves hadn't been soothed during the ride by Maura, who was currently rubbing her palm softly but insistently over Jane's thigh. Jane had glanced at her only once during the drive to see her face in profile, looking out her window, apparently perfectly content with what she had set in motion. She seemed suspiciously at ease for a woman who claimed she didn't usually do this sort of thing.

When the cab stopped outside a large, immaculate townhouse, Jane briefly considered making a run for it. But then Maura looked at her with a mixture of challenge and amusement, and she decided against it.

She got out of the car and followed Maura up the stone walkway, acutely aware that neither of them had said a word to each other since they'd left the bar. She felt like she should speak, but she didn't know where to start.

As Maura rummaged through her purse for her keys, Jane shifted from foot to foot in an effort to stave off the nerves that jangled in chorus throughout her body. She watched a few wisps of auburn hair fall over the other woman's forehead, but Maura was too involved in the hunt for her keys to notice.

All at once, Jane wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through that hair, to taste the glimpse of bare neck she could see in the soft light of the nearby streetlamp.

With all her anxieties, Jane was momentarily stunned to realize just how much she wanted her – this woman she'd met not three hours earlier. Her whole body thrummed with desire, and she knew she had to do something about it. Right now.

Swallowing her fears resolutely, she wrapped one arm around Maura's slender waist to spin her around to face her. With her other hand buried in Maura's hair, she roughly pulled her closer. Maura's surprised gasp swiftly transformed into a weak moan when Jane captured her lips and pushed her back firmly against the hard wood door behind her.

Jane was dimly aware of the purse dropping to the ground, and then she felt Maura's hands sliding around her hips, reaching up to her neck, dragging her tighter. The movement gave her the confidence to push the kiss deeper, and she sighed when Maura responded in kind. A satisfying shiver travelled through her abdomen as Maura's tongue ran along her bottom lip.

When they finally pulled away, they were both breathless.

"Fuck," Jane exhaled, releasing an awestruck laugh.

"Yeah," Maura agreed, her face flushed. She bent down to retrieve her purse and, after a few more seconds of searching, finally found her keys.

With the door unlocked, she turned back to face Jane again, the same knowing smirk from the bar lighting up her features.

"Come inside, Jane."

"So, how long can a person go without sleeping?"

Maura started taking off the decorative pillows from the guest bed. "Hallucinations begin by day four, followed by slurred speech, short attention span…" She flashed a concerned look at Jane before she continued. "And death."

"You're better than Wikipedia," Jane teased, removing the pillows on her side of the bed.

Maura paused, pursing her lips anxiously. "Wikipedia is frequently incorrect. Very little is rigorously peer-reviewed."

"Maura, I was just jok—"

Jane's thought was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She glanced curiously at Maura, who wore her guilt like a flashing sign on her face.

"Somebody's just dropping something off," she explained weakly. She slid by Jane and conspicuously closed the bedroom door behind her.

Left alone in the room, Jane considered her options. Maybe Maura was expecting a date, and she had unknowingly interrupted the proceedings. In which case, she should probably just mind her own business and keep the door closed.

Fuck that.

She cracked the door open a few inches and pushed her head out just in time to see Agent Gabriel Dean handing Maura a file of some sort. They exchanged a few words, but all Jane could catch was Maura saying her name. They laughed a little together and Jane's heart instantly nosedived into her stomach. Swiftly, she shut the door before either of them caught her eavesdropping.

"What the hell…?"

Is Maura seeing Dean? Is that why she's been acting so weird ever since I showed up here tonight?

Slumping onto the bed, Jane closed her eyes and sighed. Maybe coming here had been a mistake after all.

"God!" Maura hissed when her hips slammed into the granite countertop behind her.

"Sorry," Jane mumbled, reclaiming her lips. She shrugged off her jacket and let it fall to the floor.

"Don't apologise." Maura buried her fingers in Jane's hair and pulled her firmly down to her mouth again.

"You like it rough, hmmm…?" Jane teased, biting her lower lip just hard enough to sting. Maura's moaning approval was all the confirmation she needed.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Jane kissed her way up Maura's collarbone to her neck, briefly dragging her teeth along the vein that throbbed there. Finally, the pressure of her body against the other woman caused Maura to fall back onto the countertop, her feet leaving the floor and her legs naturally encircling Jane's waist. Lifting her up so that she was half-sitting, half lying back on the counter, Jane continued moving forward until she was planted firmly between Maura's thighs.

Maura's skirt had crept up to her hips, freeing an expanse of bare skin for Jane's roaming hands. Eventually, she discovered the scant patch of fabric Maura's skirt was still straining to cover. A tremor travelled through Jane's entire body when she felt the wetness that greeted her fingers there.

"Jesus, Maura," she moaned, sucking in a long breath as she impulsively slid one finger beneath her thin underwear.

"This is hardly fair," Maura panted, her back arching. Her voice emerged hoarse and breathless. "I want to touch you too, Jane."

She sat up and nudged Jane's shoulders back to give her room to push herself off the counter. Then, her eyes never leaving Jane's, she unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off her shoulders, revealing a deep purple bra underneath. Jane's breath caught at the sound of Maura's zipper being undone and, a moment later, her skirt fluttering to the floor.

Instinctively, Jane reached for her, desperate to touch her bare skin. But Maura shook her head and stepped away, smiling at Jane's whimper of protest.

"Follow me," she instructed, turning to lead her down a nearby hallway toward what Jane guessed was her bedroom.

Maura looked back over her shoulder only once to issue a final order.

"And get rid of some of that clothing on the way."

"Go away, I'm asleep," Jane called out to Maura's tentative knock.

Maura slowly opened the door and gave her a knowing smile. Without a word, she slid onto the bed next to her, close enough that their arms pressed tightly together.

Jane wasn't sure whether the unnecessary proximity was Maura's way of trying to apologise for talking with Dean behind her back, or whether she was flirting with her. Instead of attempting to figure it out, she naturally fell back to her most reliable form of defence: humour.

"Are we having a sleepover, or is this your way of telling me you're attracted to me?"

Maura chuckled softly, but said nothing.

Jane shifted a little in an effort to hide her uneasiness.

"So it was Dean you were expecting."

She hoped her voice sounded more self-assured than she really felt.

After a long, awkward pause, Maura spoke. "He wanted my opinion on another case."

"What case?"

Maura glanced at her apologetically. "I can't say."

"Fine, go sleep in your own room."

Jane winced when she heard how petulant she sounded, but she couldn't help feeling hurt by Maura's reluctance to open up to her. All of a sudden, it didn't seem all that far-fetched to think that Maura had actually been planning to sleep with Dean tonight.

"Jane," Maura groaned, shaking her head. "You don't understand."

"What's to understand?" Jane asked, trying to keep her voice light. "You two will make a great couple. I say, go for it."

Maura shifted so that she was facing her. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Dean. I saw you two in the hall. You're obviously interested in each other. I just feel bad that I interrupted your evening."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous to think that Dean is attracted to you, Maura," Jane pointed out. "He's got eyes, last time I checked."

Maura's expression softened a bit at the compliment. "Well, I'm not interested in him, okay?"

"Okay," Jane shrugged.

A tense silence settled between them again, but this time it was Maura who broke the stalemate.

"Why did you come here, Jane? Of all the places you could have gone tonight. Why here?"

Jane bit her lip, suddenly unable to come up with an explanation that made any sense. She avoided Maura's questioning look by keeping her eyes trained firmly on the ceiling.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I guess I thought no one would look for me here."

Almost immediately, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. For a brief moment, Maura looked crestfallen, but almost as quickly, she masked her disappointment behind a studied, neutral expression.

"Because no one knows we're… friends," she guessed.

"Is that what we are?" Jane laughed ruefully at the ceiling. "I thought we agreed to be 'colleagues.'"

"You're the one who insisted on using that term," Maura reminded her.

Jane turned to face her, resting her head in the crook of her arm. "Well, if we aren't colleagues, what are we?"

Maura shrugged and shifted so that she was lying on her back again. "I don't know. I'd like for us to be friends. I know it might be difficult, given what happened between us…"

"You mean the sex?"

Maura's slight flinch would have been imperceptible to anyone but Jane. "Yes."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time forgetting what happened the last time we were in a bed together," Jane confessed. "Even if we were both drunk."

"I wasn't drunk," Maura declared defensively.

Jane's eyebrow shot up. "You must have had a bottle of wine that night, Maura. At least."

"I have a high tolerance for alcohol," Maura insisted. Suddenly, her expression changed. "Were you drunk?"

"What? No!" Jane thought for a moment, then reconsidered. "Well, okay, maybe I was a little drunk. But I knew exactly what I was doing."

Maura met her gaze, smirking a little. "Yes, you did."

Instantly, Jane felt her cheeks flooding with heat. How was it Maura could still have this kind of effect on her – and with just three simple words?

"Well, what about you?" Jane cleared her throat, trying to shift the focus away from herself. "You won't admit you were just a little tipsy that night?"

"Maybe a little," she conceded. Her eyes suddenly darkened. "But I remember every second of that night. I've remembered it for the last year. In fact…" she trailed off and looked away again, embarrassment clouding her features.

"What is it?" Jane pressed.

Maura laughed humourlessly, staring up at the ceiling. Jane thought she saw tears threatening her eyes.

"In fact," Maura continued hesitantly, "I haven't been with anyone else since that night."

Jane felt herself go slack-jawed for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "You haven't? You, Maura Isles?"

Maura shoved her shoulder lightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No, no, I just…" Jane hesitated. "You're always talking about the male body – you know, their value as potential mates, or whatever. I guess I assumed that meant you had a lively dating life."

"I didn't say I haven't been on any dates since then," Maura pointed out. "I just haven't… Why am I even telling you this?"

Jane grinned. "I don't know. You started it."

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Come on, Jane," Maura sighed. "Quid pro quo."

Jane exhaled loudly. "Okay, okay. I've only been with one person since that night."

"Oh?" Maura asked, clearly intrigued. "You never mentioned anyone before."

"It was… complicated."

"Who was it?"

"Um, a neighbour of mine. Marissa."

Maura's eyes widened. "Marissa, as in… as in a woman, Marissa?"

"I don't know too many men who are named Marissa, do you?"

"Wow," she murmured, shifting away uneasily.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"I don't know, really. I guess I just assumed that you were attracted to men, primarily."

Jane laughed. "So, how did you explain what happened between us?"

"I thought that was an anomaly. You told me you'd never done anything like that before."

"I hadn't," Jane acknowledged. "But, I don't know…" She felt her face reddening as she tried to explain. "I guess I liked it. So I thought I'd try it again."

"And…?"

Maura almost looked afraid to hear the answer to her own question. Jane thought it was unspeakably adorable.

"It was nice, but…" Jane held her gaze. "It wasn't the same."

"Oh," Maura breathed, not bothering to hide her relief.

"Yeah. Oh."

Taking a risk, Jane reached for her, resting one hand lightly on her hips. She was relieved when Maura didn't pull away.

"See, this is why I didn't say anything to you about it before. I thought it would be weird, you know? Besides, it was just the one night and it didn't really mean anything."

"Well, obviously it meant something, Jane. Otherwise you wouldn't have slept with her."

Maura's voice had taken on that cold, depersonalized tone once again. But Jane had become all too familiar with that tone over the last twelve months, and she wasn't about to let Maura get away with hiding behind it now.

"What, Maura, are you jealous or something?"

"Don't be silly, Jane," she scoffed.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Because it was specious," Maura returned indignantly. "And I'm not going to reward it with a response."

For some reason, the angrier Maura got, the more Jane liked it. She tightened her grip on Maura's hips and pulled her closer, despite Maura's half-hearted murmur of protest.

"Come on, Maura," she coaxed. "Talk to me."

With a frustrated sigh, Maura finally surrendered to her own curiosity. "Have you seen much of Marissa since then?"

Jane arched an eyebrow at her. "Not in the way you mean, but… yeah, she comes over sometimes to check on me. She dropped by my apartment tonight, actually, before I came here."

"Oh, really?" Maura's eyes were full of questions, most of which Jane didn't know how to answer. "Do you think she's interested in you?"

"Uh, I don't know," Jane lied. "I never really thought about it."

The truth was, Jane was fully aware of Marissa's interest in her, but she had chosen to ignore the obvious signs because she didn't return the feelings. Jane had only slept with Marissa in order to prove one point to herself: that the night with Maura had meant nothing.

Unfortunately, she'd only succeeded in proving exactly the opposite.

By the time Jane reached Maura, she had discarded most of her clothing in a long path from the kitchen to the bedroom. Wearing only a bra and underwear, she felt self-conscious and utterly vulnerable.

That is, until Maura turned to look at her.

Jane heard the other woman gasp quietly as she took in the sight of her half-naked body. Maura drank in every inch of her, lingering unabashedly on her breasts. Jane inwardly congratulated herself for choosing a revealing black bra instead of the well-worn athletic one she had briefly considered putting on that morning.

By the time Maura's eyes had wandered back up to Jane's face again, her expression was positively leering.

"You're beautiful," she murmured.

Then she closed the space between them in two strides and wrapped her arms around Jane's waist, pulling her close. Both women gasped at the sudden contact of so much bare skin at once. In that moment, Jane couldn't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else in the world. It felt like something deep inside of her had finally clicked into place.

Jane slid one hand to the side of Maura's neck and dipped her head to bring their lips together hungrily. With her other hand, she reached around Maura's shoulders to unclasp her bra, a goal that soon proved to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

After a few seconds, Maura laughed softly into their kiss and reached behind her to help. Then she took a step back to slide the bra off her shoulders, looking confidently at Jane as she revealed herself to her.

Jane stood, captivated and a little dumbfounded, her hands at her sides.

"It's okay." Maura took one of Jane's hands in her own and brought it up to her left breast, trembling when Jane cupped her gently. She exhaled sharply when Jane's thumb began tracing her hardening nipple.

Maura smiled tremulously up at her. "You've never done this before, have you? With a woman, I mean."

Jane shook her head, her focus still entirely resting on Maura's breasts: the weight of them, the softness of them. Finally, she met Maura's eyes again.

"Have you?"

Maura nodded. "A few times."

She reached for both of Jane's hands and pressed them firmly against her breasts, uttering a soft moan as she did so.

"You don't have to be so careful, Jane. I won't break."

That was all the permission Jane needed. A moment later, she found herself pushing Maura backward toward the bed, and soon they were tumbling down together in a tangle of limbs.

Somehow in the confusion, Maura managed to undo Jane's bra and toss it to the floor, all while reversing their positions so that Jane was lying on her back with Maura straddling her.

"I guess you have done this before," Jane laughed, her hands coming to rest naturally around Maura's waist.

"I'm familiar with the many different erogenous zones of women."

Jane shook her head incredulously. "God, why does that sound incredibly sexy when you say it?"

Maura smiled down at her, rocking her hips just hard enough to provoke a low moan from Jane.

"I have a way with words."

With that, Maura dipped her head to begin exploring every inch of Jane's breasts with her mouth. Jane immediately arched her back and cried out helplessly. Between all the nervous energy she had been harbouring for the last few weeks, the desire that had been building inside of her ever since she'd laid eyes on Maura at the bar, and everything that Maura was doing to her now, Jane wasn't sure how much longer her body would hold out.

Then, as if to test her resolve, Maura started moving downward, dragging her lips all the way along Jane's stomach until she reached the hem of her underwear. She paused to look up at Jane, her fingers hovering over her waistband.

"Is this okay…?"

She didn't need to finish the question. Jane nodded once, closing her eyes as Maura removed her underwear.

Pushing Jane's legs apart, Maura rested one thigh over her shoulder before lowering her head again. If Jane had felt vulnerable before, she now felt utterly exposed.

But any lingering hesitation disappeared the moment Maura's tongue began exploring her, slowly at first, then ever more demandingly.

Jane heard herself moaning incoherently, as if from a distance. She reached down to tangle her fingers in Maura's hair, suddenly needing to hang onto something that would anchor her to the bed. More than anything, she wanted to make the moment last, but her body was already starting to unravel under the insistent pressure of Maura's mouth.

As her pace quickened, Maura's free hand slid up Jane's stomach to cup her breast, and it was that touch more than anything else that finally pushed Jane over the edge. She cried out once, her hips bucking uncontrollably as she came. Maura remained in place, devouring each wave of pleasure until Jane was completely spent.

"Wow," Jane exhaled, once she'd found her voice again. "That was… fun."

Maura smiled up at her and kissed her abdomen softly. "Yes, it was."

"Come here." Jane coaxed Maura up to her lips again, another flutter travelling through her when Maura rested the length of her body on top of her.

Maura uttered a surprised squeal of delight when Jane suddenly flipped her onto her back, effectively reversing their positions. Her laughter rapidly transformed into a deep moan when Jane pressed her thigh securely between her legs.

Jane grinned down at her, shamelessly pleased by Maura's reaction.

"Your turn."

Suddenly, a loud scraping noise from the hallway caused Jane to bolt upright. Instinctively she reached for her gun before she realised that she'd left it in her purse, which was sitting on the dresser across the room.

She quickly calculated the distance and how long it would take her to reach the weapon. Too long if the intruder was already at the bedroom door, but it was still worth a shot.

She started to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but Maura's hand on her elbow stopped her.

"No, no, it's okay. It's just Bass." She rubbed Jane's upper arm soothingly. "Really, it's okay."

Jane looked at her doubtfully, her expression betraying her fear and confusion. But Maura's steady voice and the comforting pressure of her hand eventually calmed her, and she laughed shakily as she settled back onto the bed.

"I've never been so scared in all my life," she admitted with a weak smile. She fidgeted nervously with her hands, absently rubbing the scar tissue on her palms.

"You're safe," Maura soothed. She stretched out one hand to cover both of Jane's, to try to settle their jittery movements. "You're safe with me."

Jane sighed and closed her eyes, willing her hands to steady themselves and her breathing to return to normal. Finally, she turned to meet Maura's questioning look.

"I know I am," she whispered.

All at once, something shifted in Maura's expression, and Jane's heart fluttered again, but this time for an entirely different reason. Maura looked at her for an endless moment, her eyes communicating all the feelings she'd tried to disguise over the past year: regret, longing, and something deeper, something that Jane wasn't prepared to name just yet.

"Jane…"

In the next second, Maura had erased the space between them and was kissing Jane with a desperation that stole the breath from her lungs.

Once her initial surprise began to subside, Jane responded with equal intensity, sliding her hands around the back of Maura's neck to draw her closer. In Jane's entire life, nothing had ever felt more right than the moment when Maura pressed against her taller frame and wrapped her arms securely around her waist. In that instant, Jane felt like she had finally come home.

When they finally parted, they were both panting for air. Jane stared in awe at Maura's flushed face, her swollen lips, and her disarrayed hair. And she had been the cause of it.

How have I managed to live without this for twelve whole months?

As if reading her mind, Maura smiled up at her triumphantly.

"I've been waiting to do that for a year."

Jane opened one eye groggily and tried to figure out the source of the ringing noise that had awoken her. It was coming from the floor somewhere nearby, an incessant, endless chirping sound.

Finally, she realised what she was hearing: her cell phone chiming with the ringtone she'd set for Korsak's calls.

She started to get out of bed, but was held back by the weight of an arm around her waist. Her heart lurched when she realised who the arm belonged to: Maura Isles. The woman she'd just slept with.

"Christ," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes blearily, her mind instantly flooded with images from their night together.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside her: five o'clock in the morning. They'd only been asleep for about three hours.

She lifted Maura's arm gently and slid out of bed.

"Hmmm?" Maura murmured sleepily. "What's the matter?"

"My phone," Jane whispered, trying to locate the source of the ringing sound.

Maura sat up, the sheets falling to her waist. Jane swallowed, suddenly deeply aware of her own nakedness.

"Your jeans are over there," Maura said, pointing to the doorway. She didn't seem to share Jane's self-consciousness.

Jane quickly crossed the room and reached inside her pants' pocket for her cell.

"Rizzoli."

"Jesus, Jane, where have you been?" Korsak's voice thundered over the line. "I've been calling you for twenty minutes."

"I was… uh…" Jane shook her head. "What's going on?"

"Hoyt's struck again. We've got a male, aged 30 to 35, bound and gagged. Looks like a single cut to the throat. He bled out, just like the others. There's a teacup on the floor nearby, just in case we had any doubts."

"Shit," Jane groaned. "Where's the wife?"

"Don't know. Looks like there was a struggle, but no sign of a body so far."

"Maybe he got spooked by something," Jane speculated. "Had to stop mid-ritual."

Her thoughts were interrupted by more ringing, this time coming from Maura's bedside table. They glanced curiously at each other as Maura answered her phone.

"Isles."

Frowning, Jane tried to turn her attention back to her own conversation.

"Look, get down here," Korsak was insisting. "If the wife is still alive, we don't have much time to find her."

"I'll be right there."

Jane quickly scooped up her clothing from the hallway and got dressed, all the while listening to Maura's end of her conversation.

She stopped short when she heard Maura reciting the same address that Korsak had just given her.

When Maura hung up, they gaped at each other, recognition suddenly dawning on them both.

"You told me you just started a new job," Jane said. "I know the city hired a new Chief Medical Examiner, but I haven't had a chance to meet her yet."

Maura pursed her lips anxiously. "Actually, you met her last night."

"Fuck," Jane breathed.

"And you, I assume, are a detective?"

Jane nodded wordlessly.

Maura slid out of bed and strode into her walk-in closet.

"Well, this makes things a bit more… complicated, doesn't it?" she said over her shoulder before disappearing into her wardrobe.

Jane threw on her shirt. "Yeah. We're colleagues."

Maura was silent while she got dressed. She emerged three minutes later, somehow looking just as glamorous as she had last night. Catching a glimpse of herself in a nearby mirror, Jane scowled at her own rumpled clothing and untamed hair.

"I'll drive you to the crime scene," Maura said.

"How are we going to explain that we just happened to run into each other at five o'clock in the morning? Technically we haven't even met yet."

"I doubt anyone will notice," Maura replied. "Besides, you left your car at the bar last night. How else are you going to get to the victim's address?"

Jane cast her a doubtful look, then sighed. "Okay, you're right. Let's go."

She followed Maura to the entrance, grabbing her jacket from the kitchen along the way.

When they reached the front door, Maura turned back around to face her, her expression suddenly conflicted.

"Jane, I know this is all rather unexpected, but… I'm glad that we'll be seeing more of each other, even if it is only on a professional basis."

Jane smiled, touched by Maura's honesty. Impulsively, she dipped her head and gave her a fleeting kiss. Like Maura, she was well aware that once they stepped outside things between them were going to be a lot more complicated. She suddenly wished everything that had happened this night could be bottled up somewhere, so that she could return to it again whenever she needed to.

"We'd better go," Jane murmured, reluctantly pulling away. "You've got a body to examine, and I've got a psychopath to catch."

"So, why did you wait?" Jane asked, running her fingers lightly down Maura's shoulder, smiling when the touch drew a soft sigh of approval from her.

"I thought you just wanted to forget what happened between us," Maura replied. "Ever since the Hoyt case, you've been so… distant."

Jane grimaced. "I'm sorry, Maura."

"No, don't blame yourself," Maura cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet her eyes. "That's not what I'm saying. I guess I just always felt like…" She shook her head as if to rid it of unpleasant memories.

"Tell me," Jane insisted gently.

Maura released a pent-up breath before continuing. "I always wondered if you associated the night we spent together with what Hoyt did to you."

Jane frowned. "Why would I connect you in any way to that evil creep?"

Maura reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Jane, it's okay. Remember the call we got the next morning about Hoyt's last victim? It was the victim's wife who you went to go save that night."

"So?"

"So," Maura sighed. She turned over Jane's hand and lightly traced the scar at the centre of her palm. "This happened to you less than 24 hours after we slept together. And after that, it seemed like you wanted to close yourself off to anything that reminded you of Hoyt. Including me."

Maura continued trailing her thumb over the scar, and Jane had to resist the instinct to close her hand, to hide the painful visual evidence of Hoyt's everlasting presence in her life. Even now, she could close her eyes and see everything like it was happening to her all over again: Hoyt leering over her, the scalpel in his hand. The smell of sweat and blood. And the feeling of being held hostage, pinned down, trapped beneath a monster.

What happened that night had been scarring, in every sense of the word. It had blunted Jane's feelings toward everyone who was closest to her: she'd requested a change of partners to avoid Korsak, she'd refused to talk about what happened with Frankie or anyone else in her family, and she'd isolated herself from most of her friends, choosing instead to bury herself in her work. Even that night with Marissa, which had happened less than a month later in a drunken haze, had been more about figuring herself out than actually making a connection with another person.

It suddenly occurred to her that she'd been doing the exact same thing to Maura for the last year. After stumbling into Hoyt's trap and nearly dying in the process, she had made a conscious decision to never let anyone have power over her again. Keeping Maura at arm's length was the only way Jane felt like she could regain some semblance of control over her life.

And look at what it nearly cost you.

"Maura, I'm so sorry," Jane murmured, her breath catching in her throat.

"It's okay." Maura ran her fingers tenderly through her hair. "You have nothing to apologise for, Jane."

"Yes, I do."

Jane tried to swallow the emotions bubbling up from deep inside of her, but this time they refused to be tamped down. Unable to hold back the tears that had been building for months, she buried her head in the crook of Maura's neck and sobbed.

Maura held her tightly, running her hands soothingly over Jane's back until she eventually calmed down.

"God, what a fucking sap I am," Jane mumbled against Maura's neck. She tried to laugh, but it came out as another strangled sob.

Pulling back slightly, Maura cupped Jane's face and ran her thumbs over her cheeks to dry them. Then, without a word, she lowered her head and captured Jane's mouth with her own. But this time her kiss wasn't a greedy expression of desire; instead, Maura was patient, moving with soft, almost feathery precision against Jane's lips.

Jane had to resist the urge to give in to another wave of tears inspired by Maura's tenderness. Instead, she focused on the feeling of Maura's lips on her own, moving languidly, taking her time. She sighed when she felt Maura's tongue tentatively teasing her lips apart. Their kiss was slow and gentle, restorative and reassuring.

When they eventually parted, Jane's voice was even more gravelly than usual. "So, what happens now?"

Maura tilted her head, considering her for a moment. "Now you come to bed with me."

Jane grinned at her self-assurance and hugged her tightly again. "Aren't we already in bed?"

With some effort, Maura disentangled herself from Jane's embrace and stood up. She reached down for her hand.

"My bed is king-sized," she pointed out. "Much more suited for our purposes. Remember?"

Jane looked up at her, suddenly recalling her wistful desire a year earlier that they could bottle their night together forever. Now though, she only hoped that they could start creating new memories, with each other.

She took Maura's hand and smiled.

"I remember."