Characters aren't mine.
"Maura, what are you thinking about?" Jane waved her hand in front of her friend's face, trying get her attention. "You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes."
The doctor blinked. "You're hyerbolizing again, Jane." She frowned. "I was thinking about things I have yet to do. Why do you ask?"
"Well, we were talking about why Jorge was a bad choice for me to date, then we were talking about how good looking that FBI agent is, and then you just sort of stopped talking." The detective shot the medical examiner a mischievous look. "You were totally fantasizing about Dean, weren't you?"
Maura grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl between them as she watched the movie flicker across her television screen. She popped a few kernels in her mouth and chewed slowly.
"Maura!" Jane gave her a push.
"You could make me choke, Jane. You really shouldn't do that while I'm eating."
"Well, you shouldn't eat to avoid answering the question." The brunette moved the bowl to the coffee table and turned to face the doctor. "Well?"
"No, I wasn't fantasizing about Agent Dean." Maura finished the popcorn in her hand, not bothering to take her eyes off of the television.
"Okay, then who?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Seriously? Come on, Maura. I've never seen your mind wander off like that. I want to know who has has you so distracted!" Jane was starting to whine.
"Too bad. You'll simply have to stay in the dark."
In a huff, Jane crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You know I'll eventually find out. I am a detective. It's what I do."
"I highly doubt you'll find the answer to your question, Jane. I am not going to tell you, and there's no one else who knows the answer." Maura gave her friend a smug smile. "You're missing the climax of the movie."
"Forget the movie!" Jane gave a dismissive wave toward the television. "I want to know about this guy."
"What makes you think it was a guy? Perhaps I was thinking about a new study I've read, or something Bass did, or a woman. You really have no way of knowing."
"Tell me, or I'm going to force it out of you." Jane leaned forward, trying to use her size as a way of making her point.
"Really, Jane... threatening me? Do you honestly think that's going to work?" Maura rolled her eyes.
"Nope, but this will!" In a flash, Jane was on top of Maura, forcing her down on the couch as her hands began to mercilessly tickle the doctor.
Maura, for her part, could not fend off the attack.
"Tell me, or I'm not going to stop." The brunette ran her hands across Maura's ribs causing the doctor to twitch.
"Jane," Maura pleaded between gasps for air and fits of giggles. "Please... I... don't... no...okay!" She gave a weak push to Jane's shoulders. "Okay, Uncle! Uncle! Just... stop."
The detective grinned, satisfied with her victory. She slowly leaned back, allowing Maura to sit up. "Well?"
"You. I was thinking about you."
"Me?" Jane rolled her eyes. "Me? That's... Man, Maura, why didn't you just say so? What about me?"
"Let's just leave it at you, okay?" The blonde stood up, grabbing the bowl of popcorn. "The movie is over; I'm going to take this to the kitchen. Do you want anything?"
"Yeah, to know what you were thinking about about me." Jane followed Maura into the kitchen. "Come on, it can't be that bad. Just tell me!"
There were a few things Maura Isles did not do well. One of those things was telling a lie. She was awful at it, and, though the preference would have been a little white lie to appease her friend, she simply could not do it. Instead of answering the question, she tried to deflect. "Are you hungry? I think I have some of that brie you like in the fridge, or I could cook something. I've got some chicken that really needs to be cooked soon."
"No, Maura," the detective walked over to the sink where the medical examiner was standing, back facing the room, hands gripping the front of the counter tightly. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I... I just don't think," the blonde turned around to face her friend. She closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts, before slowly opening them again. "Jane, you know I don't really lie."
"Yeah..." Jane's look turned from playful to concerned.
"So, if I answer your question... well, you may not like the answer."
"I'm a big girl, Maur. Just tell me. What's wrong?"
"I think I may be attracted to another woman." The doctor side stepped Jane, walking to the other side of the island to put space between them. "I'm not sure what to do about it as I'm positive the interest is not mutual."
"Oh, wow." Jane's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. "I didn't know you were attracted to women. I mean, not that I'm phobic. I just... hmmm... does she know?"
"No. I don't believe so." Maura leaned against the island, crossing her arms over her torso as she stared at the floor. "I don't think she'd handle it well if she knew, though."
"Why is that?" The brunette maneuvered around the island to stand in front of the doctor. She didn't attempt to force Maura to look at her, but she wanted to be closer in case Maura needed something.
"For one, she's straight. She's also my friend, and I would hate to jeopardize our friendship because I was having inappropriate feelings for her." Maura's eyes never left the floor.
"And you think this woman would walk away from you if she knew? She sounds a little insecure to me."
"She's not. She's very brave... fearless even. I just think she wouldn't know how to handle this new information."
"Maybe you should just tell her." Jane paused for a moment to reflect. "If she's really your friend, you two will work it out. But, what does that have to do with me?" Maura slowly lifted her eyes, her expression caught between pleading and telling her thoughts. The brunette stopped breathing for a moment as realization struck. "Oh, Maura... I...wow, I had no idea. You mean, it's me?"
"Yes." The answer was small, weak, and full of fear.
"I thought I wasn't your type." Jane's voice was guarded, careful.
"I have since changed my mind." Maura swallowed. "You're not upset?"
"No. I just... now long?"
"A few months."
"That's a long time, Maura." Jane pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought through what was going on. "I mean, we've had sleep overs since then, and we've... Maura, I just don't," She shook her head. "I'm not going to walk away, but we probably need some new ground rules."
"That seems fair." Some of the tension was starting to seep away as Maura accepted that Jane wasn't going to leave her. She was willing to find a compromise.