"I'm not stopping again."
"Please?"
"No."
"Jane! I'd do it for you! The average adult bladder can only hold 16 to 24 ounces and I feel as if I'm almost past my limit."
"No."
Jane Rizzoli rolled her eyes at the insufferable Maura Isles. It had been nothing but a battle between the two since they'd left for their long weekend. They'd decided on the Monday that they would go up to Maura's parents lake house for the July 4th long weekend. A simple enough plan until the moment they'd started grocery shopping. Jane wanted hot dogs, Maura wanted caviar. That's what had started it all. Ever since that moment, they hadn't been able to agree on a single thing. Jane wanted to pack nothing but her grey sweats and a few simple bikinis. Maura wanted colorfully printed sundresses and silk wraps. As they left town Jane wanted to pick up a burger and fries for the trip out while Maura insisted on cooking a lovely meal when they got there. Then when they got there, it was the bed. Did they sleep on the same sides as they did at home or switch it up? Next came the firework incident. Was it smart to duct tape the fireworks to the golf cart or should they just put them in the ground and then keep a safe distance. On almost everything, Jane had let her girlfriend win. But she was finally taking her control back. She was not stopping to let Maura pee, for the 3rd time in their 4 hour drive.
Jane looked over at Maura who was pouting in her seat, looking out of the window. Her bottom lip jutted out adorably as her eyes fixed on the passing barbed wire fences. It was almost enough to make Jane give in but not quite.
"Maur, stop pouting."
"I'm not pouting." She insisted.
"Yes you are, it's not your most attractive look either," Jane chuckled. Maura folded her arms, pouting even more.
"Look! You're pouting even more now!" Jane took her hand off the wheel, pointing straight at Maura's mouth.
"Jane, stop it!"
"Okay," she laughed, "I'm sorry Maur, really I 'am. And you don't look unattractive when you pout, you could never look unattractive."
Maur unfolded her arms but continued to stare out the window, lips pursed.
"Babe, really I'm sorry. You look beautiful. I'll even stop at the next gas station so you can pee." Jane mentally scolded herself for giving in. But truthfully, she'd known all along that she would.
"Don't say pee Jane, it sounds unclean." And she was back.
A smile finally surfaced on the face of the gorgeous ME, causing an even greater smile to appear on the face of her beautiful girlfriend. Maura reached over and took hold of Jane's free hand. They rode in silence, connected by their hands, both humming off tune to the radio. Almost 15 minutes later, a worn down, dreary red diner came into view. The only building to be seen on the horizon for miles.
"Well I guess this will have to do, unless you wanna drop your panties on the side of the road babe."
"I just might have to," Maura mumbled as she squinted out the window to take in the unattractive building.
Jane pulled into the parking lot, which held two of the oldest cars she'd ever seen. Both appearing as if they hadn't moved in years. Maura tore her hand away from Jane's, as she hopped out of the car and sauntered into the building. Jane followed, shuffling behind her. The diner/ convenience store was exactly how she'd pictured it. 2 old couples seated together at a table that would fit 6. The old men's stomachs hanging out of the bottom of their dirty wife beaters, their wives with their stained teeth and grey hair piled into buns on their heads. Besides that, the only life in the place was a slim old women shoved in a pink waitressing uniform made for a teenage version of herself. Jane almost wanted to laugh at the typical scene before her, but busied herself with picking out a cold beverage instead. When she heard the squeaking of rusted hinges, she turned to see her girlfriend, taking disgusted dainty steps out of the undoubtedly horrific ladies room. Like a bright sun in an apocalypse, Maura paced the faded isles until she reached her girlfriend.
"Have you decided what you want to get? Because I would like to leave Jane." She whispered.
"Yea, I'm just going to grab a diet Pepsi, what do you want?"
"Nothing, I have water in the car. Let's just go. There is no way I'm not leaving that bathroom without some form of disease." She said jokingly, with her disgust still evident.
Jane pulled Maura to the till, waiting for the waitress to come and ring them through. As they stood waiting Maura weaved her arm through Jane's and snaked her hand down to grab her girlfriends. Jane looked down at their joined hands and then up to the disgusted townspeople who looked on from their table. She looked back at Maura who hadn't noticed but had laid her head on the taller detectives shoulder as she surveyed the many gum choices in front of her. Jane couldn't help the uneasy feeling that crept through her as the people stared on, silently judging.
"Maur," she whispered into her girlfriends peach scented hair.
"Yea?" Jane's heart broke a little as she took in her girlfriends naïve smiling hazel eyes.
"Not here." She said softly, apologetically, as she dropped Maura's hand.
Maura's hand fell limply at her side, as the sparkle in her eyes dimmed, "Oh. Okay, sorry."
"Babe its-" And then the waitress came.
"Is that all?" She asked rudely.
"Yea, thanks."
Jane fished a few dollars out of her pocket and passed it to the waitress, muttering for her to keep the change. She tried to quickly usher Maura out of the building but something made her stop. As they approached the door Jane couldn't miss the snickering she heard behind her. She quickly spun on her heel to find the waitress, clutching her cross necklace, whispering to the few customers. They all looked up, upon Jane turning to them, and shot daggers with their eyes.
"Do you have something you'd like to say to me or my girlfriend?" Jane asked angrily, as she clutched Maura's hand.
"Nothing at all ma'am," the waitress snickered.
"What is it? Is it this," Jane said, motioning between her and Maura, "That makes you uncomfortable?"
"Jane," Maura whispered, she'd clearly caught on, "just leave it alone."
"No, Maur. I won't just leave it alone! What is it that you're so concerned about?" Jane demanded an answer from the people.
"You're not making me uncomfortable hun, who your making uncomfortable is God." One of the wives said, with a stained toothy grin.
"Excuse me?"
"The Lord doesn't approve of this blasphemy. Two women together, disgusting."
"Jane let's just go," A defeated Maura whispered.
"No! You know what's disgusting? People like you who think you can relay messages from God! God never said a thing about the gays but he sure had a lot to say about loving your neighbor and being kind to the people you come into contact with! When I saw you becoming uncomfortable, I put a safe distance between my girlfriend and I so that you would feel more comfortable. So I'd say, in Gods eyes, I've done my job! Have you?"
And then they were out the door. Jane pulling her along, fuming. Maura almost tripped over a crack in the sidewalk as Jane pulled her by the hand. Only when Maura knocked into her back did Jane realize that she'd been pulling her along so harshly.
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Jane insisted as she reached out to settle Maura.
"Jane, its fine. Just calm down please." Maura reached up, pushing Jane's hair behind her ear and then stroking her cheek tenderly.
Jane reached up, grabbing Maura's hand, holding it down by her side.
"Do you think God would hate me, Maur?" She asked, staring at their joined hands, ashamed.
"Jane you know I'm not Catholic. It would just be my opini-"
"I know, I really just need to know."
"Then no. Jane, of course not. Look at this," She said seriously as she pulled their joined hands to rest over her heart, "Look at what we have. How could any kind of God hate this, hate us. How could he hate something so true, so pure, and beautiful. If God is all about love, then sweetie God could never hate you. All we have is love." She finished, trying to meet Jane's watering eyes.
"You really are sappy aren't you?" They both laughed easily as Jane sniffed away a few tears. "Thank you Maura."
"You're welcome sweetie," lifting to kiss Jane on the tip of the nose, she continued, "Now let's get home. I can't wait to get you in our bed, to celebrate our love." Maura finished, smiling wickedly.
"Oh… now I know God isn't going to approve of that."
[A/N] I' am straight but I do love the Jane/Maura relationship and I can appreciate it just as much as I would a straight relationship. So I would love to hear from my gay and straight readers about how they felt I approached the conflict in the story. Thanks! Reviews make my heart flutter.