When did that happen?
Joey was back in Bosten. Well, officially it was only temporary but there was a good change he'd get a position at the BPD again.
To be honest he hadn't even wanted to leave in the first place when his long term crush had just started to warm up to him but it had been a chance he couldn't miss.
All though quiet some time had passed since he last heard of Detective Jane Rizzoli, he hoped for even a tiny chance with her if he decided to come back.
Be that as it was, it was no surprise that said Detective found him joking around with her two partners Sargent Korsak and Detective Frost.
"Joey," she called him out in surprise, "what are you doing here?"
"Had business here in Boston. Thought I'd stop by on my lunch break." He smiled at her and to his utter surprise she hugged him briefly.
"Good to see you. How's New York?"
Quickly they engrossed into a bit of small talk and Joey was too taken aback and down right jolly that Jane greeted him so happily that he didn't quite notice that it wasn't just the Italian's attitude towards him that had changed.
She seemed to be warmer and lighter in general.
A few minutes into the conversation, Dr Isles joined the four detectives. Her questions were of a much more curios and polite nature but he only really concentrated on Jane and on laughing at the same jokes as she did.
The beep of a phone interrupted their chatter.
"I'm sorry, that's Susie with the lab results." Dr Isles excused herself and stood up.
"It was nice to see you again, Detective Grant."
"It's Joey to you, Doc."
He still found it weird that Jane Rizzoli, the Jane Rizzoli from Middle School, picked her best friend in Dr Isles but he'd admit the woman has her charm.
"Well, then Joey, until next time." she said her goodbye, standing behind the chair Jane was seated on.
"I'll see you for dinner?" she smiled at the female detective, one hand on lean shoulders.
"Yeah, of course, I'll bring dessert." the detective grinned up at her.
Joey knew that this grin can only mean cannolis - a dessert that didn't fit into the picture of the well-mannered and sophisticated Doctor.
Nevertheless, the blonde smiled as she leaned down.
"We should really get a hold on your consumption of such none nutritive foods."
What happens then wasn't something Joey was aware of right away, simply because he didn't expect it to happened in a hundred years.
Dr Isles leaned down towards Jane, who in turn cranked up her neck, and pressed a short kiss to the Detective's lips.
And then the Doctor was gone and Jane back in the conversation with Korsak and Frost as if this was nothing special.
Before Joey could gain back his senses or even so much as close his much, Jane was gone too and he was facing two Detectives who started to wonder why he had gotten so quiet in the last minute.
"Everything alright with ya?" Korsak asked.
With the chaos and confusion in Joey's brain it was a wonder that the next sentence was correctly formed: "When did that happen?"
"When did wh- oh that. Well... when did that happen?" Korsak suddenly wondered himself
"Oh, you know... wait- when did that happen?" Frost didn't have any answer either.
"I think," Frost started, "I think it just naturally emerged into that."
"When I think about it, I know they weren't always like this," the older detective added, "but the progress was just so slow and logical that no one noticed when friendly touches became more intimate and kisses on the cheek wandered closer and closer the the corner of the mouth."
"It's not like anyone dared to ask. We all just accepted it." the other BPD detective joked.
"But Jane isn't gay." Joey exclaims.
"Pretty sure she's Maura-sexual." Frost laughed.
"But... how?"
Joey still couldn't wrap his head around it.
(Maybe he also couldn't wrap his head around how he could've missed the obvious pull between the M.E. and detective.)
"Cupid, Fate... who knows." Korsak smiles.