The Meet-Cute

Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles do not belong to me.

A/N: Just a little story about how things might go if Rizzoli & Isles was a Rom-Com and Jane and Maura met early in their careers. It's just meant to be fun. I hope you enjoy.


Dr. Maura Isles left a Newbury Street boutique, shopping bag filled with new purchases in hand, and made her way down the street. As she approached her car, she saw a uniformed police officer bent over at the waist with her hands cupped around her eyes looking into the passenger side window of the car.

Stopping a few yards from the car, Maura said, "Excuse me, Officer, is there a problem?"

Officer Jane Rizzoli turned her head to the side to look at the woman asking her the question, quirked an eyebrow and said, "Is this your car, ma'am?"

"Yes, it is," Maura answered weakly.

Jane stood up straight and stepped back from the car. "Damn. Mercedes S Class. Very nice. I've never seen a car this nice up close," she said, grinning until she realized that the woman was looking at her nervously. She cocked her head to the side and regarded the very attractive, very nicely dressed woman standing in front of her.

Maura now noticed the way the police officer was looking at her and she took a moment to make her own observations. The woman was tall and thin, all straight lines and angles in her dark blue uniform. Long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail under her hat. Even with the amused grin on her face, she was gorgeous. "Is there something wrong with how I parked?" Maura asked more confidently. "I'm always very careful to park in the lines and an appropriate distance from the curb. I even took a course."

Jane raised both eyebrows. "You took a class in parking?"

"No, not exactly. I took a driving course," Maura explained. "Well, specifically a course in driving in Boston. It included parallel parking. I never had to drive much before moving to Boston and this is my first car, so I thought the course would be helpful."

"This is your first car? My first car was barely one step above having a hole in the floor for my feet," Jane joked.

"That doesn't seem very safe."

"You know, like the Flintstones?" Jane said, trying to clarify.

Maura shook her head.

"Anyway, there's nothing wrong with your parking job. I was just admiring your car," Jane said.

Maura reached into her purse for her keys and pushed the buttons to unlock the car and open the trunk. Moving to put her shopping bag in the trunk she said, "I've been thinking of trading it in for something more fuel efficient."

"Oh no, how could you trade this beauty in? That would be criminal," Jane protested.

"And you would know if something was criminal or not," Maura said teasingly.

"Of course. It's my job."

Maura smiled at Jane and said, "Perhaps it would make you feel better if I gave you a ride sometime?"

"Are you propositioning an officer of the law, ma'am?" Jane responded.

Maura's eyebrows shot up. "What? No! Of course not."

Jane laughed and said, "Relax. I was joking."

"Oh," Maura said with a slight pout. "Well, anyway, it's Doctor."

"Excuse me?"

"The proper address would be Doctor, not ma'am."

Jane nodded and said seriously, "My sincere apologies, Doctor-?"

"Isles. Dr. Maura Isles. You can call me Maura though."

"Jane Rizzoli. You can call me Jane. It's nice to meet you Maura," Jane said, holding out her hand, which Maura took hold of and shook.

"Could I interest you in a cup of coffee, Jane?" Maura asked.

Jane smiled and then sighed. "I almost never say no to a cup of coffee, but I'm on duty, so I can't. I'm supposed to be patrolling the street, you know, serving and protecting."

Maura reached into her purse and then handed her card to Jane. "Maybe another time? Give me a call."

"I will," Jane said.

Maura walked around to the driver's side door. Before getting into her car she said, "Jane, studies have found that you should limit your caffeine intake to 400 milligrams per day."

"How many cups of coffee is that?" Jane asked.

"Anywhere from 1 to 4 depending on the beans and brewing method," Maura replied.

Jane snorted a laugh. "I guess I'll keep that in mind."

Maura smiled one more time before getting in her car and driving away while Jane continued her patrol down the street.


Undeniably intrigued by the woman, Jane texted Maura that night and they made plans to get coffee when they next both had the day off, which ended up being the following Saturday afternoon, and they agreed on a coffee shop near Boston Common.

Jane arrived early and grabbed a table by the window in the front corner. She saw Maura walk by and come inside and she stood up to wave her over.

"Hey," Jane said with a trace of nervousness. "You look great." And Maura did look great in a pair of tight dark blue jeans over heels and a loose white silk shirt.

"You look even better than you did in your uniform," Maura responded easily.

Jane looked down at her outfit of jeans and a thin cotton sweater. "Really? A lot of people seem to prefer the uniform."

"I bet they do. But all of that polyester," Maura said with a small shudder. "I mean, you looked good, but it's too bad they couldn't make your uniform out of more natural fibers."

Jane laughed. "Maybe you should submit a suggestion as a concerned citizen to BPD to improve the quality of the fibers in our uniforms?"

"Maybe I should," Maura replied.

Jane laughed again and said, "You sit. I'll get us drinks. What do you want?"

"Chai latte with soy milk," Maura said. "Oh, can you ask if the soy milk is organic?"

"Sure, but what if it isn't organic?"

"Oh, it's always organic here, but I like to ask just to be sure."

"Right. Okay," Jane said skeptically, but went up to the counter to order. She returned a few minutes later, set two mugs on the table, and said, "One chai latte with organic soy milk for the lady."

"What did you get?" Maura asked.

"Regular coffee, black. I like to stick with the basics. I don't even know what chai is."

"Chai is the word for tea in some countries. But in the United States, chai usually refers to black tea mixed with a variety of spices such as cardamom and cinnamon."

"You seem to have a lot of information about caffeinated beverages," Jane teased.

Maura kind of shimmied her shoulders as she replied, "I like to be well-informed. Some people find my information sharing boring though."

"I didn't it was boring. I think it's sexy," Jane said easily before taking a sip of coffee and enjoying the blush on Maura's cheeks. "So, Doc, what kind of doctor are you anyway?"

"I'm a pathologist," Maura answered. "In the fall I'm starting my fellowship in forensic pathology."

"No shit. Forensic pathology. That's like autopsies and stuff right? So does that mean you want to solve crimes too?"

Maura nodded. "During fellowship I'll be working with the Boston medical examiner's office."

"Huh. Maybe someday we'll be working together," Jane said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be up for a promotion to detective soon. There are openings in the drug unit, so that may be where I start out, but I hope to make it to Homicide someday."

Maura smiled. "Wow, that is quite a coincidence. Why do you want to work in Homicide?"

Jane's expression turned thoughtful and serious as she answered, "Well, partly because Homicide is where the best detectives get to work and I want to be the best. But also because I want to make a real difference in people's lives. I mean, it's cool to catch stupid criminals, but bringing justice to murder victims and their families is why I wanted to become a cop." Jane regarded Maura across the table for a moment and then asked, "What about you? How does a woman like you decide she wants to perform autopsies?"

"I'm not very good with live patients," Maura answered.

Jane laughed but when she saw that Maura wasn't laughing too she said, "Wait, are you being serious?"

Maura nodded. "I'm not very good with people. I'm awkward. I tend to be overly clinical in a way that patients find off-putting," Maura said, scrunching her nose at her own description. "But…I've actually always wanted to be a pathologist, and like you, I want to feel like I'm making a positive difference. I can use my skills and expertise to bring people justice the same way you want to."

Jane held Maura's gaze for a moment and then said, "You don't seem awkward to me."

Maura shrugged.

Jane leaned over the table and said softly, "Actually, I think you're adorable."

Maura leaned forward as well and said, "I think you're adorable, too."

Jane shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"I'm a cop, I can't be adorable," Jane said.

Maura leaned back in her chair and laughed. "Okay. I'll have to think of another word to describe you." Jane smiled at her and then glanced at her watch. Maura asked, "Do you have to go?"

"No, I don't," Jane said, shaking her head. "But I am getting hungry. What do you think about dinner? Are you…I mean, do you have somewhere you have to go?"

"No, there isn't anywhere I need to go. There's a new Japanese restaurant down the street I've been wanting to try. They serve Kaiseki, an authentic Japanese multi-course dinner."

Jane scrunched her face and then said with a raised eyebrow, "There's a great pizza place around the corner."

Maura laughed. "Okay, how about a compromise?"

"What's that?"

"Chinese? But I get to pick the restaurant."

Jane nodded in agreement.

Maura led them to a restaurant in Chinatown that she assured Jane was authentic but not scary. Jane assured Maura that as long as she could recognize the food on her plate she would be fine.

During dinner, Jane talked about growing up in Boston, her brothers, and spending holidays with her large extended family. Maura talked about traveling the world with her parents and going to a French boarding school.

After dinner, they stood outside the restaurant awkwardly for a moment before Jane said, "So? Um, where did you park? I can walk you back to your car."

"Actually, I walked. I live near the Common. I'm sorry, maybe you were hoping for a ride in the car."

"Oh, no, I-" Jane said awkwardly.

"You could walk me home," Maura interjected.

"Of course," Jane said.

They walked across the Common towards Beacon Hill in relative silence. While waiting for the light at a crosswalk, Maura put her hand around Jane's arm and didn't let go until they were at her condo.

Maura quickly unlocked her door and said, "Would you like to come in, Jane?"

Jane grinned but said, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Maura replied and put a hand out for Jane to take and then led her inside. Maura led her to the kitchen and said, "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine," Jane replied, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Maura moved so she was standing in front of Jane and looked up at her. Even in her heels, she was still an inch or two shorter than Jane. She ran her fingers down Jane's arms and said, "Exquisite."

"What?"

"That's my word for you."

Jane ducked her head to try to hide the blush that was spreading across her face and bit back a laugh. After a moment she looked back up and said, "You know, we don't have very much in common."

Maura tilted her head to the side with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a cop, you're a doctor. You grew up traveling the world. I grew up here and I've never gone anywhere interesting. You like fashion, I like function. You like fancy sushi, I like pizza."

"Those are only a few examples," Maura said, shaking her head.

"Do you like baseball?" Jane asked.

"I don't know."

"Beer?"

"I like wine," Maura responded.

"What do you like to do for exercise?"

"Yoga."

"Boxing," Jane responded.

Maura hadn't taken her hands off of Jane's arms and now she moved them to Jane's waist and said, "Jane, we have one very important thing in common."

"What, we both want to catch murderers? That's kind of a grim thing to have in common."

"No. We're attracted to each other and we want to have sex with each other," Maura said easily. "We can see where that takes us."

Jane smiled hesitantly.

Maura became serious and said, "Jane, I don't want to spend time with people who are exactly like me. I want to learn new things. I want to have new experiences. I want someone to take me out of my comfort zone."

"I kinda like my comfort zone," Jane said while sliding her hands around Maura's back. "I think you might take me way outside of my comfort zone. But I think that might be okay."

"I can be gentle. At least at first," Maura said with a mischievous grin.

Jane slid a hand up Maura's back to her cheek and leaned forward. Maura closed the remaining distance between them. Her lips parted slightly and their lips fit together in a soft kiss for a moment until Jane pulled back.

"I like you," Jane said. "I think you might be very complicated. But I like you, Maura."

"Oh, I am very complicated," Maura agreed. "And I like you too, Jane."


A/N: If I have the time or inspiration I may do one more chapter. Probably of the M-rated variety. Thanks for reading!