This was a story suggestion from my silent partner. The same one helping with "Perceptions". So, thank you SP for your suggestion. This was fun to write!

This is a one shot. Also, I love reviews. It fuels my already over-inflated ego. ;-)

The characters aren't mine. Thank you Tess G. for creating them!

"Jane, why is it taking you so long to get dressed?" Maura sat at Jane's counter sipping on her tea as she glanced at the clock. "We'll be late if we don't leave soon."

"Okay, alright," Jane yelled back from her bedroom. "I know. I'm almost dressed. Just give me a second." She pulled her jacket on and opened her closet to pick out a pair of shoes. "God, Maura, you have more shoes in my closet than I do. No wonder everyone thinks we're dating. What are you doing? Trying to move in with me on the sly?"

The doctor rolled her eyes as she slid off the chair and walked into Jane's bedroom. "Jane, really, your propensity to hyperbolize is really confounding at times." She stopped beside Jane.

"Really? Who's hyperbolizing? Just look!" The detective made a motion toward her open closet door.

"Oh my," Maura stood looking at her shoes neatly lined up in Jane's closet. For every pair of Jane's there were two of hers. "I didn't realize I had so many here."

"Yeah, well, you also have about a third of my closet, too." Jane pointed to the back quarter where various outfits belonging to the blonde hung in a neat row. "I mean, come on Maura, if you like me, just say so. You don't have to stake your claim to me first. That's supposed to come afterward." The brunette chuckled to herself as she pulled out a pair of her black dress boots.

"I don't think I understand what you mean." Maura frowned.

The brunette sighed heavily as she hopped on her bed to put her shoes on. "Well, when a woman is dating someone and it's serious, she starts leaving things over at the person's house. You know, clothes, shoes, a toothbrush, a hairbrush," Jane shrugged. "Just little things to let other people who might be over who could possibly be interested in dating the person she's dating that the person in question is taken."

"I see. It's the equivalent of an animal marking their territory?"

"Basically." Jane jumped off her bed and straightened her jacket. "Which reminds me, your toothbrush fell on the floor this morning and Joe got a hold of it. So, I put out a new one from the stash I keep in the cabinet."

"That's fine. The one I was using was from that collection anyway. Though, I really should buy one to leave here. The ones you use are," Maura glanced at Jane's frowning face. "They aren't my preference for oral hygiene."

"Nice save."

Maura stared at Jane as she moved around her bedroom to pick up her badge, cuffs, and phone. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Jane…"

"I don't like that tone, Maura. Whatever you're about to ask me is going to be weird. I just know it." Jane stalked out of her bedroom and into the living room to pull out her gun to clip on her belt.

"But, Jane," Maura trotted after her. "Do you think we should assess our current relationship?"

"Why?" Jane grabbed the mug Maura had been drinking from earlier and took a swig. "Ah, man, Maura, green tea? I thought I ditched all of this stuff." She made a face.

"You did. I brought more over this morning. I assumed you would do that, and I prefer it to what you normally drink. You know that drinking mint tea exclusively can lead to…"

"Yeah, yeah… we've had this discussion before." She finished the tea and put the mug in the sink. "Are you ready to go?"

"No." Maura crossed her arms and moved to block the way out.

"No? You just said if we didn't leave soon, we'd be late!" Jane made vague hand gestures the doctor recognized as signs of her growing frustration.

"Jane…"

"Oh no."

"I think we need to address…"

"Here it comes."

"If we are, in fact…"

"Don't say it."

"Dating."

"You said it anyway."

"I don't understand why you are acting this way. Would it be such a bad thing?" Maura narrowed her eyes at the detective.

"Well, I… but you said I wasn't your type, and you know we're both straight. Come on, Maura, we're going to be late." Jane gave a little stomp of her foot.

"I believe that attraction to one sex or the other is not an absolute, and you did not answer my question, Jane."

The detective pinched the bridge of nose as she winced at the headache forming behind her eyes. "I don't know, okay? I mean, it could go either way."

"Do you think we do things that best friends wouldn't do but two people dating might?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't have enough experience to be able to make an accurate assessment. This is why I am asking you the question."

Jane sighed as she dropped her hands to her side and walked over to the blonde. "Yeah, if I was being honest, we do things that two people dating might do that best friends wouldn't."

"Why would you be anything else but honest?"

"It's a figure of speech. For crying out loud, Maura, this is hard enough without you… okay, look, I guess it boils down to this. Do you want to date me? You were pretty sure I wasn't your type."

"I think time has told a different story, don't you?"

"Are you saying I am your type?"

"I'm saying I could easily see us dating, yes. Is that something you would be interested in pursuing as well?"

"When you put it that way, it sounds so romantic."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Yes." Jane leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Maura's cheek. "I am, to both questions." She pulled back to regard the other woman for a moment. "But, we have to go. We're going to be late, and the last thing I need is for Frost and Korsak to give me a hard time because my girlfriend kept me late at my apartment."

"But, we're not even officially in a committed relationship yet. Why would they do that?"

"That's what they always say when I'm late and we come in together." Jane shrugged.

"Oh." Maura pulled her coat on and opened the door. "I didn't realize that."

"It's okay," Jane smirked as she pulled her keys out to lock the door. "I always tell them at least I have a woman." She winked at the stunned doctor. "Let's go so I can tell it to them again today." She wrapped an arm through Maura's as they headed to Jane's car.