Author's Note: I wish you all a Merry Christmas, hope you have a great and magical one :o)
A Bear of Love
Maura Isles had always felt very lonely during Christmas, unlike her friend Jane, she had grown up a lonely child. Even if she was adopted she had always considered her adoptive parents her real one. And that she always would.
The trouble with her parents and a lot of others were that they worked quite a lot, therefore they never really saw her. She had spent more time with nannies than her parents growing up. This hadn't really bothered her in any other way than she felt lonely from time to time. Mostly when she wanted other girls in school go home with each other, or group of friends being together.
It wasn't that she didn't like reading and studying, because young Maura liked both. She swallowed new knowledge like a sponge, it was just that sometimes she wished she had someone to share it with. What was the point of a fancy doll house and dolls when you had no one to play with?
Because when it came to things, Maura never lacked anything, she had all she could ask for and more. Not only because her parents Constance and Richard were rich, but because she was a great saver and knew how to invest in the right things. Now the only thing lacking was a companion to share that with.
It was not that Maura didn't date, truth to be told she was very beautiful. In fact she even knew how to dress right and she always loved doing so, it was just that…she was too smart. She took after both her parents, and of course it was the matter of the knowledge she gained over the years. Which made her quite awkward on dates, she didn't know when to stop talking, or really how to converse with regular people. In an adult age she had a few brief relationship, but none that lasted. You might say that she was more or less married to her job. That all chance when she met Jane Rizzoli.
Jane was the straight opposite of Maura and maybe that was why the two went so well together. Jane came from a big and loud family. Well maybe not that big, but considering Maura came from a home with no siblings it was in her eyes big. And maybe that was why Maura felt so home with her. She knew it didn't bother Jane if she threw out random facts about something. If it became too much she would only get a, "Maura…"
That she get as a sign to stop and so she did. She didn't mind it at all in any way. In fact she found it sweet when Jane said it most of the times. In many ways she was like the sister she never had, yet in some ways the young coroner felt they were more.
A ring on the door and Maura said went to opened, finding Jane and Frankie outside, holding a bunch of presents. Maura frowned as she said, "Jane, you really didn't have to do this."
"I told her that already," Frankie complained, setting it down by her Christmas tree. Maura smiled as she said, "While you are here do you want to taste my gingerbread cookies.
"Sure thing," said Jane and smiled at her. Maura went into the kitchen to prepare a can of coffee as Frankie came over whispering, "So are you going to tell her?"
"Shut it," Jane said as she called, "You celebrating Christmas with your mother ?"
"With mom and dad, I am seeing Hope and my…sister for New Years," said Maura as she came over, giving each of them a cup of coffee.
"Oh alright," Jane took her cup, taking a sip. Her brother doing the same as Maura went to find a plate putting gingerbread cookies at it. She offered both one and asked, "You will be celebrating Christmas at your place right?"
"Yeah," Jane nodded and smiled at Maura.
"Is your father coming?" she wondered. Jane shook her head, it was weird, it was the first Christmas without her father. Maura optimistic as always gave her friend a hug saying, "I am sure you will be fine."
"Yeah, well we better get going or mom will hang our sorry asses for ditching her when it comes to Christmas dinner," Frankie rolled his eyes, making Maura roll her light eyes.
"Yeah she is hopeless, well merry Christmas Maura," said Jane, giving her a great big hug, with that she was out the door. Maura smiled feeling warm and snug. She packed up the present she wanted to bring with to her mother as she planned to spend Christmas eve and Christmas morning there.
It was safe to say that Maura was more distracted that usual during Christmas dinner. Richard looked at his daughter. It occurred to him then how much she had grown over the hears, time had went pass so fast and he felt like he head been missing out on so much. Regrets he now had. In a soft tone he tried, "Maura, dear, is everything alright?"
"Yes, father," she gave him a soft smile.
"You seem…distracted, is there something on your mind?" he wondered polite. His eyes showing interest for his daughter for a change.
"It's just…did you ever considering adopting more children other than me?" she said, looking at him.
"We did, but we figured it wasn't something we wanted," he answered honestly.
"Was I that much of a handful, is that why?" she wondered.
"Maura why are you wondering about this all of a sudden? Were you unhappy growing up?" he wondered.
"I just…always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling," she said honestly. Truth to be told she never had any real friends before she met Jane, maybe if she had a sibling she would have been less so.
"Is this about Hope and her daughter?" Constance wondered, she wasn't quite sure how to feel about the fact that Maura had contact with her biological mother. Maura shook her head hard whispering, "You don't get it, you don't get it at all."
She slowly put down her knife and fork, and left the table before finishing. This was something she rarely did, actually she had done it a lot in her teen years, but not now. Constance knew her daughter well enough to know she would be going to her bedroom. She looked at her husband, they were both thinking the same. They mostly were, who should go after her and should they do that. They however choose not to, leaving her alone for just then. She needed space.
Maura hugged her bear tight, looking at a present on the nightstand next to the bed. One of three, from Jane. She hand't even felt it, that was cheating and Maura didn't cheat. Still a few fingers stroked over the note gently. It made her smile even if it just said, "To Queen of the dead, from detective Rizzoli, small heats over the I's. Typical Jane. She assumed there to be something she didn't need at all inside, something her friend would give her, just to cheer her up. Still she was more curious than ever. She wondered what Jane would be doing now, most likely having a lively dinner with her family, her and her younger brothers arguing over who got the drumstick of the turkey. Hugs and jokes around the table, their mother calming them. What a family should be like, what she misses. She hugged a teddy bear as she looked up at the roof.
Reaching for her phone to text her, to text Jane, but she lacked the courage. She could always call or text to thank her for the presents the next day.
She cuddled up on her bed with that old worn out bear she had had ever since she was young. She didn't even knew she had fallen asleep, all worn out from working too much lately. It was not like Christmas stopped people from killing each other.
When Constance and Richard came to check on her later on she was still asleep with a smile on her face, neither really cared to wake her. She was simply too cute, and for a short second they saw the young girl she once were. Instead they turned of the light and closed the door.
Early morning at the Isles's house, Maura woke with a smile on her lips. It was Christmas. It was finally Christmas and time to open her presents. She started with the one on her nightstand. The one from her Jane. Carefully removing the paper, finding a silly bear inside holding a sign saying, "I love you."
Something inside her move and before she knew it, she was on her way out to her car. She didn't even care that she was wearing nothing but her pajamas. It didn't matter, Jane wouldn't care, she knew. Stepping on the gas to get there faster her heart was beating fast and hard. Christmas tunes filling the car. She soon parked near the apartment building where Jane lived, and pushed the buzzer. She was soon buzzed in and ran up the stairs, out of breath she was soon outside the door, seeing Jane in a blue pajamas with messy hair.
"Maura what are you doing here this early?" Jana wondered with a yawn. It was then she say it, the small mistletoe over Jane's head, she smiled, carefully wrapping her arms around her and kissing her, before whispering, "I love you too Jane, I needed to tell you that at once. Merry Christmas, detective Rizzoli."
Jane giggled as she whispered, "And to you Doctor. Isles, you want to come in and have breakfast with us?"
"Oh I do Jane, I really do," a hand wrapping around Jane's slender waist on the way inside. Maura knowing she would never celebrate Christmas alone again, from now on she had her companion Jane and her crazy family in addtion to her own.
Feedback always welcome, I would love to hear your point of view :o)
