Sorry for the delay. Had to rehearse my lines. Spoilers from SVU's Fault, but who hasn't seen that episode by now? Like seriously? It's been six years now. Get with it. It's on USA a million of times. -_-

…

"C'mon Jane," Maura chuckles softly at the detective before she takes a bite of her salad. "She can't be that bad."

"She's a total bitch," Jane mumbles through a large portion of her burger, making the blonde scowl disapprovingly.

"I met her. Yes she is a little…distant, but what person isn't when a new person arrives in their habitat."

She never thought she'd say, but Jane actually looked forward to lunch with ol' genius over here and her random trivia. The first half of the day was unproductive and tedious, and when break came she was thrilled to get out of the precinct and spend time with her eccentric, yet loving friend.

"You should really chew your food," Maura points out while Jane sticks out her tongue, revealing the remains of her meat, making Maura's flinch more prominent.

"Be careful Maura; I might have cooties," she smirks before she lets out a snort at her own thought. "Benson might think so by the way she makes every living opportunity to move from me, or defy what I say."

Maura lifts her hazel eyes from her salad, tilts her slightly to the side and gives a quizzical gaze at the brunette- leaving Jane definitely curious.

"What?" Jane arches her brow.

Maura remains silent but her gaze speaks volumes. Jane just wished she knew what the fuck she was saying! "Spit it out Maur," she mumbles annoyingly, taking a bite of her French fry. She'll have to say the only think good about this god forsaken place is the food. It's like a pizza parlor every other store!

"Nothing it's just," the edges of her mouth ghost into a smile, "you've mentioned Detective Benson four times in the last twenty minutes."

Jane makes an audible gulp as she tries to soften the lump growing in her throat with soda. It's true, well she didn't realize it until Maura mentioned it, but yes, it would be plausible to say that she's mention bitch Benson. But she has an excuse. "There's a serial killer roaming around and this is not my state; what is there to talk about?" she says, adding on to her thought.

"Well you could go sight-seeing," Maura offers with a smile. "New York has many historic landmarks, trendy boutiques, and many other attractions to distract you."

"I think a scumbag butchering women is enough of an distraction," Jane snorts as she runs her fingers through her wild curls. "I don't know Maur. This guy…" she groans a low mumble within her throat, cupping her face in her hands; upset that she has to display her feelings. Upset that she has them.

She feels one hand being pulled from her face and she then sees Maura placing her small hand over her own to grace the table. "It's perfectly normal to feel afraid-"

"Who said I was afraid?" Jane interrupts with a hiss, yanking her hand out of her hold. Yeah, she feels horrible for what this man has done to so many women, and she feels awful that some children can't live without a mother, but she is by far not afraid when it involves herself. "See, this is why I didn't want to come here-"

"Jane that's not what I met-" Maura's tone is reserved, as usual, but there is something behind her eyes that shows her fear.

"Of course not, Maur. You never mean anything you say!" This had been the second time Maura has undermined and insulted Jane's ability to solve this case and it hurt just as bad as the first time, if not more. She couldn't stay here with her; she values their friendship too much to say something under the displacement of emotions.

So she gets up, throws some bills from her wallet on the table, and strides off, leaving behind a confused and frantic friend.

She hears her name being called and hears the sharp point of Maura's heels clacking with the floor, but she didn't stop her speed. She needs to be left alone.

"Jane-" she is surprised to feel her hand being clasped from behind her and she, out of sheer reflex, makes a sharp turn with a primal growl.

"What, Maura! What do you want from me that you haven't already taken."

Hazel eyes lay wide and frightened upon her cold brown and for once, she didn't care. Because Maura has hurt her by just being there, pretending she wants this, wants something more out of this friendship just to back out when the case is closed. She couldn't do it again, no; she couldn't let Maura make her crumple. Not anymore than the perp has done to her already.

With a sigh she turns on her heel, ignoring the name calling, ignoring her heart deteriorating, and finally walks away. Finally a few blocks from the despondent blonde, she unfortunately finds Benson on the sidewalk, leaning against a black fence, ankles confidently crossed, unabashedly staring.

Just who I wanted to see, she sighs rolling her eyes, not in the mood for the inevitable attitude, the silent battle, and the veiling of her own issues. But she has a job to do and her break is over.

Jane couldn't find the strength to put on the façade so she brushes past the New York native, hoping that her draining strength isn't visible.

It was a low, but even comment that stilled her movements.

"Don't let him win. Don't let him take what's already gone."

"Excuse me?" Jane finally recovers with a growl, turning around to face the New Yorker.

"I said, don't let me win."

This is the second time someone has questioned her ability, and this one she couldn't walk away from. Maura is her friend, she would like to believe, but this woman is not. She's someone Jane has to constantly battle with, and she refuses to lose.

"Worry about your own abilities, Benson," she hisses in disgust, but she couldn't hide the hoarse of shame within her tone. She couldn't hide it from herself, no matter how hard she tried, and apparently she couldn't hide it from Benson as well.

"I met Dr. Isles this morning," she goes on to say softly, eyes drifting to her feet before they hit the taller woman's. "She's brilliant, caught something our M.E didn't, and she's…" Jane arches her brow, surprised to see the edges of the New Yorker's mouth curve upward, for once not in a bitter manner. "…eccentric."

"Weird," Jane answers for her, thinking about her friend's awkwardness.

Olivia really throws Jane off when she chuckles; a soft, amused sound that gets the Boston detective wary. "Why…why are you doing this?"

The essence of the New Yorker's smile falters as her eyes fade into the distance. She doesn't look angry, she definitely has something to say but whatever it is, it is not bitter or condescending.

This is a first.

"A few years ago we had a case…a released sex offender killed a family and kidnapped their children." Jane furrows her brow, wondering how Benson could do this everyday, trying to purify the darkest and most perverse of crime. It'll surely drive her insane. "My partner and I had him…he was going to flee with the two kids, and we had him in the airport. It should've gone smoothly." It was Benson's turn to furrow her brow as she clenches her jaw. She looked so…sorry, and from the small clues she's catching, she has a feeling this case didn't go well.

"He, Gitano, realized he was set up and he took off with the two children. El and I were chasing him and he got too close…" She closes her eyes and Jane has an odd itch to touch her shoulder, but she stops mid way in the air and returns her hand to her side. "I had the gun to him but he was using Ryan as a shield and..." she opens her eyes as she takes a deep breath, as if preparing for something crucial. "He slashed my throat and ran, without the boy, and…Stabler had to make the choice between me and Ryan…and he chose me."

"He had to make sure his partner was okay," Jane finds her raspy voice fading, drifting, like a soft hymn. She's never spoken that way to anyone, especially not another female within the same rank as her, before.

"A boy died because of it!" She growls, catching Jane off guard, her brown eyes flashing in anger before she clenches her jaw and takes a deep breath. "I was fine, I needed a couple stitches, but he didn't cut too deep, but Ryan…he blamed for it. He said I should've took the shot-"

"In risk of shooting the body that was used as a human shield?" Jane furrows her brow. "There could've been more of a catastrophe had you shot him. You did the right thing."

"I know," she nods, "but he…anyway me and El went into his warehouse to get the girl and…he had Stabler at gunpoint. Gitano told me to kill him or he would and…" She really looked shaken up about this, and Jane couldn't stop herself from rubbing the shorter woman's shoulder.

Benson either didn't notice from the apparent pain enveloping her heart, or she didn't seem to mind; so Jane keeps rubbing.

"Well Stabler's here so…I'm taking that..." Jane narrows her eyes, letting her inference become a reality.

"A sniper got him, Gitano," Olivia points out, as if Jane didn't figure it out. She just saw Elliot twenty minutes ago. "But…it seemed to get worse when we were safe," she sighs. "He…he really thought that I was going to kill him. That I was going to be the reason of his death, the person to tell his…children. His wife," she self-deprecatingly shakes her head as she makes a grime smile.

Jane eyes lower to the detective's lips, not necessarily conscious of it; it just…suited at the moment. "Why," Jane's voice is soft, "why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't want you to let this case warp you, and take over you." Jane's eyes align with Benson's to find the New York native with that die-hard expression she was introduced to. "Because of that case, I briefly switched partners. I…couldn't work with someone who couldn't trust me. Who didn't know me. I…me and El worked some things out, but there is still that…gut feeling we have that we don't speak of. That case brought the worst out of each other and…I know deep down he still blames me for what happened. We will never be the same," she whispers, her voice so low and shaky. For the past day she didn't think that Benson was even human, but right now, this expression, the despair written on her face and in her tone, shows that this woman has more to her besides a pigheaded detective.

And for some odd reason Jane feels compelled to comfort her.

"From what you are telling me, you acted in the best of your ability and you made rational thoughts through the whole case. Stabler…" Jane shakes wild curls from her face. "I have no business speaking of him since I am new, but none of this was your fault."

The short woman runs her hands through her dark cropped hair and makes a small, distant nod. "You know…Doctor Isles means more to you than you're letting on."

Jane stiffens, outwardly flinches as if the observation is the plague. It's not far from the truth, but still…this woman shouldn't know much of her considering they've known each other about forty-eight hours. "How is that any of your business?" She didn't mean to sound brash, but the wise observation stilled her, and Jane Rizzoli fights submission- even if she has to claw out of it.

Olivia doesn't seem to be offended when she says "Just…don't let this case ruin your friendship" in that neutral, unreadable expression. "Like it did mine…"

Jane wants to growl at her, tell her to mind her business and that they've surpassed a temporary colleague relationship, but she couldn't. Her eyes stay on the New Yorker, her mind racing in various directions, thinking of a deflective comment. Her mind trails to mush when she looks at…the softness in Benson's eyes, how they appear wider…like a fucking deer. It is enchanting, really.

"I won't…" Jane whispers, her voice just as shaky as Benson's, just as truthful, just as…vulnerable as the New York native.

Olivia makes a concurred nod and friendly rubs on her arm, the way Maura does after their long informing talks, and heads toward the precinct. Jane doesn't know what to think. Was this…some kind of sick joke? Was Benson testing her ability to perform? Was all of this just a lie? The thought of deception burns in the pit of her belly but as she watches the detective, the way her dark blazer lifts from the stride her shapely legs make, and as Jane unconsciously scans her womanly frame, she couldn't help but feel something lower, deeper: intrigued.

Back at the precinct, nothing seemed to change. Benson was still cold- giving her icy stares whenever she spoke, overlooking her inferences, blatantly ignoring her existence- but for once it didn't bother her. Because she knows there is something more to this woman, something warm that a handful of people, if that Jane thinks, could experience. She doesn't know how she feels, how she should feel, about experiencing that somewhat kindred moment they shared outside of the precinct but she knows one thing.

She is definitely intrigued.

A/N: Was going to give you some more of the case, but I couldn't bear to break this sap up. Partnership next; I promise. Reviews will get chapter 4.