A loud knock woke Jane Rizzoli out of what must have been quite a sound sleep. Maura was stirring against her side, turning towards the direction of the noise. From the wide-eyed, confused look on her face, Jane guessed that she hadalso fallen asleep during whichever fancy French film she'd chosen for them to watch.
"Who the hell is that?" Jane asked, stretching her arms above her head and yawning.
Maura started to stand up, rubbing the side of her eye, delicately. "I don't know, Jane, why don't we answer it and find out?"
Jane caught her arm and pulled her back down onto the couch.
"I'll see who it is. I'm the one with the gun."
"You're not wearing your gun," Maura protested, already snuggling into the warm indentation Jane had left as she stood and headed to the door.
"But I could be," Jane said as she opened the door to find a man she didn't recognise.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
He looked surprised to see her and attempted to look over her shoulder. "I'm sorry...I was looking for Maura Isles?" he said in an Australian accent.
"Ian?"
Jane turned to find Maura approaching with a huge smile on her face. Sensing she was about to be trampled, she stood aside just as Maura threw herself into the man's arms and he lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. Jane watched the interaction closely. And she decided that whoever this guy was, she didn't like him. He put Maura back on her feet, but she continued to hang onto him.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked, still grinning.
"Because I never know when I am," the guy, Ian Jane supposed his name was, said, as if he were some kind of international man of mystery. His eyes finally flicked back to her and she raised an eyebrow at him. He stepped away from Maura. Not far enough away for Jane's liking.
"I...should've called, I didn't think you'd have company this late."
"So you thought you'd give her some?" Jane asked, immediately defensive.
"Oh, sorry! Where are my manners?" Maura finally stepped out of the hulking Antipodean's grasp. She moved closer to Jane, placing a hand at the small of her back. "Ian, this is Jane. And she's not company...she's my partner. Jane, this is Ian. We were in Médecins Sans Frontières together, in Africa."
Jane glanced at Maura and found that she was wearing a bright smile as she looked between the two of them, it faded slightly when neither of them said anything. Ian rectified that.
"Oh...I...nice to meet you, Jane," Ian said, extending his hand to Jane. She grasped it and shook it firmly.
"You too...Ian," Jane said, offering him her best fake smile.
"Come in, Ian." Maura tugged on his forearm. "Would you like something to drink?"
Ian shifted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh...I don't...it's late and I should probably go and check into a hotel."
Jane's jaw clenched, her teeth grinding together almost painfully. This guy, who she'd never heard anything about, had planned to spend the night with Maura. With her Maura.
"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Maura said, seemingly oblivious to Jane's unease. "There's...well, Jane's mother is staying in the guest house right now, but I have spare rooms and..."
"No, really, I should go. I'll call you. We should meet for a drink." He glanced at Jane and then back to Maura. "The three of us, I mean."
"Well, that sounds delightful," Jane said, wrapping an arm firmly around Maura's waist. "We'll look forward to your call, Ian."
Maura frowned at the tone Jane had used, but made no attempt to move out of her embrace.
"I...yes, perhaps it would be best if we met later in the week. We have so much to catch up on," Maura said, with a smile.
"So I see," Ian said, his voice tinged with something that Jane didn't like at all. He moved forward to kiss Maura's cheek. "I'll call you. Goodnight, Maura."
"Goodnight Ian."
"It was good to meet you, Jane. I hope we can get to know each other better," Ian said, turning his attention to the taller woman.
"Oh, me too," Jane said, the words dripping with false enthusiasm.
"Right, well, enjoy the rest of your evening." He turned to leave and the women watched him walk back to a hire car and drive away. Jane let go of Maura and walked back to the couch, picking up a copy of National Geographic that Maura had been perusing earlier. She flicked through the pages, clearly not reading. Maura closed the door and leaned back against it with a sigh.
"You're upset."
"Well done. Gold star." Jane continued to flick through the magazine, almost tearing the pages with the ferocity of her movements.
"Are you going to tell me why?" Maura asked, approaching the couch slowly.
"Isn't it obvious?"Jane spat.
Jane watched as Maura thought back, probably sifting through the evening for evidence.
"Well, you seemed perfectly content before Ian came to the door, so it would appear that his visit is the source of your upset."
"His 'visit', Maura?" Jane finally put down the magazine. "His booty call, more like."
Sometimes it was literally like a lightbulb had gone on above Maura's head. Her face lit up, as if she'd only just realised what was causing Jane's mood.
"Oh! You're upset because Ian came here expecting that we would sleep together!"
"Yes, Maura. That is why I'm upset. It may surprise you to learn that I'm not a fan of random men I've never heard of turning up and expecting sexual favours from my significant other."
"But Jane, it's not Ian's fault. Until now, every other time he's visited that has been the practice. It's not surprising that he should have come to expect it."
Jane's mouth fell open.
"I'm going to bed." Jane stood and walked out of the room.
They didn't do this; they didn't go to bed mad at each other. And, Jane thought, Maura Isles better be hot on her heels to make damn sure that this was no exception.
***
Marching into the bedroom, Maura observed a lump under the covers on Jane's side of the bed. She walked over and turned on the bedside lamp, sitting down so that her hip was pressed against some part of Jane; it was difficult to tell which position she was lying in. Jane huffed and pulled a pillow over her head, Maura pulled it right back off again. Jane glared up at her.
"I'm trying to sleep."
"No, you're trying to ignore me. And I'm not letting you. So you can either lie there and we can talk, or you can get up and we can talk. The choice is yours, but we're going to talk."
"And what if I don't want to talk?"
"Then you'll listen. Because I, for one, am not about to allow a silly misunderstanding on someone else's part give me a sleepless night worrying about the state of my relationship."
"Maura," Jane whined. "Don't guilt trip me. I'm the one who just witnessed you throwing yourself at some random guy on the doorstep."
She attempted to turn over, but Maura climbed on top of her so that she was straddling Jane's hips, preventing her from moving. Jane looked up at her incredulously.
"Really, Maura? You're resorting to restraint already?"
"I did not throw myself at him," Maura protested, ignoring Jane's jibe. Maura knew several ways of incapacitating a person with very little effort if she needed to. "I greeted a friend I haven't' seen in a long time. And he's not some random guy. Before I met you, I would probably have described him as the love of my life."
Jane shook her head. "Is this your attempt at making things better?"
"Yes," Maura nodded. "Because I wouldn't describe him as that any longer. And since meeting you I've realised that what I felt for him was something else entirely. It was infatuation at best. It was the romance of having someone who was forbidden...unattainable."
It was true, Ian had been a big, strong man who she had fun with for a while. But their relationship was elevated to something beyond reality by the fact that they had to part. Everything seemed so terribly tragic and romantic that Maura had been convinced that Ian was her soulmate. That was until she encountered a brash, loud, entirely unconventional Boston detective.
"So you want me because I'm easy?" Jane asked, an eyebrow raised. "Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special."
"You're being deliberately obtuse, Jane," Maura scolded. "I want you because you're you. And you know what? If you moved to Africa tomorrow, I would be on that plane with you in a second. That's the difference. You would always be attainable. Because I would do everything in my power to make sure we were together."
Jane's face softened as Maura spoke, but she kept her pout in place.
"Well...I...still," she paused, her hands finding Maura's hips and squeezing. "Jeez, Maur, you make it really hard to stay mad at you when you say stuff like that."
"There was no reason for you to be 'mad' at me in the first place, Jane," Maura said. "It wasn't my fault that Ian turned up and expected me to have sex with him."
"You could've told him that you were in a relationship," Jane pushed, but her tone and her eyes were soft and Maura knew that she'd finally gotten through to her.
"Have you contacted all of your previous lovers to inform them of our relationship?" Maura asked.
"Well...no, but none of them are likely to turn up at my door in the middle of the night demanding sex."
"It's not the middle of the night and no demands were made," Maura said. "But that aside, what about Agent Dean?"
Maura couldn't help the distaste in her voice when she spoke his name. She didn't like to be petty, but sometimes she couldn't help it.
Jane frowned. "What about him? And, for the record, he is not one of my previous lovers."
Maura tsked as Jane mimicked her voice on the last word.
"No, but if he turns up at work again, and flirts with you and gives you those looks that he always gives you, would I be entitled to get mad at you?"
Jane frowned. "Uh..."
"And what happens when Lieutenant Grant returns from Washington?" Maura carried on. "Is it not within the realm of possibility that he might harbour expectations about your relationship with him?"
"I...guess..."
"And if either of those situations ever present themselves, I trust that you will inform the gentleman in question of the change in your circumstances and that will be the end of it."
"Of course I would!" Jane said.
"And is that not exactly what happened here tonight? An old boyfriend of mine showed up and hoped that we might pick up from where we left off, but I immediately told him about you and that was that." Maura poked Jane's ribs. "And then you got all cranky with me and went to bed."
"I..." Jane sighed. "Okay, that's pretty much what happened."
Maura grinned in triumph. "Of course it is. Now...how are you going to make it up to me?"
Jane hid a smile behind an exaggerated sigh. She slid her hands around to Maura's back, sitting up and forcing Maura to shuffle down until she was sitting in her lap, their noses touching gently.
"I suppose I'll just have to let you have sex with me or something."
"Oh, no, no, no my darling," Maura said, running her finger down Jane's nose, over her lips to tap on her chin. "You don't get off that easy. I think this calls for a shopping trip."
"Aww, Maur!"
"A shoe shopping trip."
Jane looked up at her, using her best puppy-dog eyes.
"I didn't mean to be an idiot, sweetheart...it's just...sometimes I can't believe that someone as incredible as you would choose to be with someone like me. " She flashed a lopsided grin up at the doctor.
Maura shook her head, smiling back. "You've played that card one too many times, Jane Rizzoli," she said. "I know that you're more than secure in my love for you."
Jane's hands crept up beneath Maura's silky pyjama top. "Maybe I need some reassurance. It's not every day that some strapping Australian turns up on the doorstep. Who is also a doctor. Who looks like he'd have good, hardy baby making genes."
Maura rolled her eyes, knowing fine well she was being played. She tilted her forehead against Jane's, enjoying the swirl of long fingers over the bare skin of her back.
"Ian does fit all the requirements for a potential mating partner. Tall. Strong. Good bone structure."
Jane's hands stopped their progress and she pulled back slightly.
"Really? You're doing this now?"
Maura nodded, smiling wickedly. "Tall." A hand ran up Jane's spine. "Strong." Fingers curled around Jane's bicep, squeezing. "Good." A kiss to Jane's cheekbone. "Bone." Her jaw. "Structure." Her chin. She pulled back and tilted her head. "Sound like anyone you know?"
Jane pretended to think. "Well, the 'tall' part rules you out, so..." She caught Maura's wrist as she slapped at her shoulder. "I suppose you're telling me that I am also a good potential mating partner. Which, ew, makes me sound like I'm a cow or a monke-."
"Jane!" Maura grabbed her face with both hands, cutting her off. "I don't want big strapping Australian babies. I want loud, opinionated Italian babies with a distressing proclivity for listening to their intestines."
Jane looked for a moment like she might panic, but then her face relaxed into a genuine smile.
"Oh yeah? Well, just make sure that my Ma doesn't hear about these obnoxious Italian babies you're planning to have for a little while, huh?"
Maura smiled as Jane pulled her closer, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist as Maura's arms went about her shoulders.
"They wouldn't be obnoxious, they would be well-mannered and polite."
"At the same time as being loud and opinionated?"
"Yes," Maura said, with a firm nod. "Even you manage to behave yourself when required."
"Sometimes." Jane brushed a gentle kiss against Maura's lips.
"Most times." Maura deepened the contact, pressing her torso against Jane's as their tongues danced together.
"So...am I forgiven for being an ass?" Jane murmured.
"I suppose so," Maura allowed, as Jane's hand made its way past her waistband. "But we're still going shoe shopping."