A/N: This is my first Rizzoli and Isles fanfic. It will be a series of drabbles centering around everyone's two favourite pets: Jo-Friday and Bass (there may be an appearance from Elsie as well.) I know there are other stories about the two but mine will be a bit different (hopefully).
Companionship
There was a noise. One eye opens and ears shoot up at the jingle from the out-of-door. Jo lifts her head, tilting it to one side, assessing. When the noise is repeated, slightly louder this time she jumps off the sofa, her paws skidding on the floor, unable to find grip as she misses her target and careens into the wall. She shakes herself off just in time for the door to open and a pale, worn looking Jane to walk in. Jo immediately runs up to her and wags her tail in greeting. To her disappointment Jane walks straight past her. She tilts her head in confusion before following her owner deeper into the apartment.
They round the corner into the bedroom and Jo takes the opportunity to briefly check the room and, satisfied that it was as she left it, she returns to Jane's side. She takes an experimental sniff at the detective's leg. Dirt, tuna, sweat none of which surprised Jo but there was a distinctly musty smell under all of it, a smell she had come to associate with sadness. She whined a little in the back of her throat not liking the fact that Jane was sad. It was a rare occurrence but none the less it happens occasionally. She nudges Jane's leg with her head and looks up at her, giving a slight bark to let her know she was there for her. Jane finally looked down at the small, scruffy dog beside her.
"Hey Girl" she says, her voice hoarse and throaty. Jo whines in response and nudges Jane's palm with her nose as she leant down to her level. She smiled sadly and ran her hand over Jo's head causing a small sound to leave Jo's throat.
They stayed like this for quite a while, Jane quietly petting Jo, who was offering her comfort and companionship, giving all the little dog could give. Eventually Jane stood up and Jo followed suit, earning her a small smile in return, a slight improvement on her previous mood. Jo, who was now content that Jane was OK, at least for the moment wondered off to check the perimeter of the apartment.
After finding no new smells or disturbances to her domain she settled in on the couch or as she liked to call it the 'hard bed' because the big one in Jane's room was a lot softer but for now she wanted to be close to her in case she was needed. She stayed vigilant but allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes and it wasn't long before darkness overtook her and she fell asleep.
Jo was once again woken by a noise however this one was slightly high pitched and punctuated by a sob every minute or so. Jo raced towards the sound, knowing Jane needed her. She underestimated the distance between the ground and the bed causing her to bounce off it slightly. Undeterred she jumped again, this time making it up however it was soft and gave slightly under her paws. She stumbled and shook it off, carefully making her way to the hunched figure in the middle. She whined and nudged Jane's hand, where it was wrapped around her bent knee, with her nose. When the sobbing continued Jo repeated the action, this time a bit more forcefully. Jane looked up, wetness (which Jo had come to know as tears) running down her face. They looked at each other for a second before she nuzzled her way into Jane's lap, sitting down only when she was sure Jane wanted her there. The tears kept flowing down her face and Jo understood that she needed to get it out but she also needed someone there and Jo intended to be there as long as she needed.
When Jane had cried herself out Jo climbed out of her lap and Jane looked on in confusion as she ran out of the room. Upon her observations on tears she had also learnt that humans wiped them away with these bits of white stuff that came out of a box although why they seemed to need these was beyond her although there were incredibly fun to play with, their soft texture feeling good against her teeth when she ripped into them. She spotted the box and, leaning two paws against the small table she grabbed the corner with her teeth, nudging it over to the edge. She scurried away as it fell then gingerly bit into it until she found a stable place between her teeth to carry it back with.
Upon entering the room with the box she faced her next dilemma: getting them onto the bed. Rather than try to manoeuvrer the bulky box up she brought it around the side and let it drop to the floor. Her bark echoed around the room but not too loudly, she just wanted to get the Detective's attention without startling her. Jane looked down and couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips at the sight of her dog sitting by the edge of the bed next to a slightly crumpled box of tissues. Jo saw the smile slowly break out across her face and she knew that she had succeeded in making the detective feel a little better.