A/N: Set somewhere in the future. Pre-established Rizzles. I don't own the show or its darling characters, I merely play with them and place them in awkward, funny situations for my entertainment. Cheers (:
Once her dark brown eyes fluttered open to greet the morning light filtering in through the window, Jane Rizzoli's thought process was relatively simple. It consisted of Maura, coffee, and feeding Jo. The fact that it was also Sunday morning meant that she had to add the newspaper to her agenda.
Turning to snuggle into honey blonde hair, the detective found herself reaching out for thin air. Lifting her head from her pillow, she let her fingertips graze over the warmth that was still left over on the other side of the bed. Satisfied that at least she wasn't going out of her mind, her bare feet hit the cold floor and she shuffled across it with little enthusiasm or effort.
She had never been a morning person. Of course, after a few daily doses of caffeine she was ready to go, but that didn't mean that she was a fan. She might have been temporarily happy today, if Maura had stayed in bed, but those hopes were dashed.
With her voice still thick with sleep and lack of use, Jane cleared her throat as she hovered behind the M.E. seated on the couch. She peered down at the laptop resting on her lap, partially jealous that the electric device was taking her place. But before she could get a good look at the screen, Maura had minimized the window and was peering up at her with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Jane," she greeted as the brunette plopped down on the couch opposite of her, bouncing slightly from the force and shift in equilibrium. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Yes," Jane mumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the rising guilt in those pools of green. "Your absence did."
That caused Maura to smile, leaning over to indulge her pouty lover in a morning kiss. It was meant to be soft and playful, but Jane tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth, distracting her enough to snag the laptop from her grasp when her hands went up to tangle in the brunette's hair.
"Let's see what we've got here," Jane said breathlessly as she pulled away slightly, her eyebrow curved in a humble victory as she clicked open one of the windows. It was a search result on eBay for pink canopies… and not just any canopy, but a Couture canopy dog bed.
"Now, when you said you wanted a pink canopy…"
"I did, when I was a child. However, since I feel that I have outgrown that want, I think it would be nice for Jo."
"You want Jo to live out your dream? Really? How much is… oh my God! Maura, this is $225!" Jane practically yelped when she clicked on the item, her dark eyes raking over the bids. So much for a homicidal maniac or a sociopath taking the cake. These people had real issues.
"It's Couture, Jane," Maura stated firmly, unwavering in her assessment of her present for Jo.
"I don't care if the president's dog personally slept in it. Have you seen Jo at the park? They sniff each others' butts to get to know each other," Jane explained with a shake of her head, handing the laptop back to Maura with her curiosity successfully trumped. "Trust me when I tell you that she doesn't need anything fancy."
Maura could have calmly explained to Jane why dogs used that sort of greeting instead of a human's usual handshake, but she didn't think it would change her mind at all. She didn't view it as a personal attack on her character, knowing from experience that Jane was more reluctant about price than how nice something was. So instead, she sighed gently and settled back into the couch when Jane retreated to the kitchen.
"There's no beer," she heard Jane mumble aloud to herself in disbelief, before the sounds of bottles clinking echoed throughout the well-furnished apartment. "There's about twenty bottles of wine and there's no beer." Poking her head out of the kitchen, she repeated, "Maur, there's no beer!"
"No, Jane. There's no beer."
"How am I supposed to get through Sunday dinner?" Jane asked in borderline panic, rummaging around the cabinets for something strong. Things had become much more tense since her parents split. Her mother still insisted on keeping their tradition alive, but it was usually just her and Jane. Frankie would find some excuse to get out of it, preferring to stop by during the week.
"I'll be there," Maura answered gently, her voice suddenly a lot more clear now that she was also standing in the kitchen. Reaching over for Jane's hand, her thumb gently rubbed over the scar and soothed the brunette for reasons unknown. "And you should feel a lot more relaxed after we get through the plans that I have for us today."
"Plans?" Jane repeated slowly, wondering what the medical examiner was hiding up her sleeve.
Maura simply nodded, a mischievous grin stretching across her curved lips as she leaned up to peck Jane's cheek before moving out of the kitchen.
"Maur, this feels like a hostage situation," Jane protested from behind the scarf that was tied around her head and covering her eyes. Although she had complete faith and trust in the other woman, she couldn't help but fret about the unknown. Maura had insisted that she put it on since they got into the car and she had felt every single little bump on the road along the way.
So far, she had counted about sixteen, but that didn't tell her much of anything.
When she felt the car roll to a complete stop, Jane parted her lips to speak again, but she was stopped by the index finger resting on her mouth. "Do you trust me, Jane?" It wasn't the first time she heard that question, but she never got tired of the sincerity and vulnerability behind it.
"Of course, I do. That's not even—"
"Then stop talking and follow me," Maura cut her off with a gentle kiss, before she heard the click of a seat belt being unbuckled and reached for her own. Feeling another pair of hands gliding over hers for assistance, she sighed and relented, allowing the other woman to help her out of the car. As soon as the mixed smells in the air hit her nose, she sneezed.
Reaching up to rub her nose, Jane was relieved when Maura finally loosened the blindfold, letting it fall on her shoulders as she stepped back to allow the brunette a better look at their surroundings. They were definitely not in the city anymore. She sneezed again, tossing the scarf over her shoulder and into the car.
"What is this? Are we in hell?"
Maura stared at Jane for a moment, before following her line of vision in hopes of understanding what was so off-putting about their location. "No. The temperature is far too hot and some people believe that animals don't have a soul, so they wouldn't go to hell."
Jane glanced at Maura with a look of disbelief, wrinkling her nose in anticipation for another sneeze fit. "So… what are we doing here? Aren't you going to ruin your shoes in the dirt?"
Maura laughed at that. "Of course not, Jane. I had specially designed shoes for the marathon and a water resistant suit for our baseball game. Do you really think I wouldn't be prepared for this?"
Jane nodded, glancing down at the riding boots that Maura was now donning. "Good point. Well, lead the way, cowgirl." It suddenly made sense why she had been asked to wear casual clothing, which was basically her whole closet according to the honey blonde. Even her 'going out' clothes were barely sub par, so she figured that a pair of sneakers, some comfortable jeans, and one of her worn out baseball tees would do.
She had anticipated the feeling of being left out, as Maura usually dragged her along to formal events, so she was at a loss as to what they were doing all the way out here.
Walking up to the stable, they were immediately greeted by one of the stablehands, whom tipped his hat in a warm greeting. "Lookin' for something, ladies?" He was nicely tanned and he clearly worked there doing most of the heavy lifting jobs, like probably working the tractor that they had seen parked out front on their way there.
He was also jailbait.
"Yes, I'm Maura Isles. And you're Maxwell, if I'm not mistaken? I spoke to your father earlier today, he's expecting us," the M.E. introduced herself with a firm handshake, not missing the way that his eyes lingered a little longer on Jane than on her. "This is Jane, my partner."
"Nice to meet ya," Max nodded with a warm smile directed towards them both, a little surprised by the strength in Jane's handshake. As they walked towards the house, he couldn't help but notice the women's proximity and curiosity killed the cat. "What exactly do ya'll do?"
"I'm a detective and she's a medical examiner," Jane replied, trying to keep it light and hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions. She was going to let Maura answer, but then she figured that the boy could be spared from the gruesome tales of autopsies and walls decorated with brain matter. She remained oblivious to his increasing interest in her over the blonde.
"So you two work together? As partners?" Max asked with an impressed twinkle in his bright blue eyes, reaching up to rake his hand through his short brown hair.
"We work together at the precinct, but another detective is my partner," Jane said with a small shake of her head, not sure where the kid was going with this.
"Oh," was the simple response, while his eyes moved conspicuously towards their linked hands.
"Why don't you go ahead and let your father know that we're here? We'll catch up," Maura suggested, watching as he nodded and eagerly ran ahead of them towards the house. Then she turned towards Jane with a growing smile.
"Jaaane," the coroner said slowly, drawing out the brunette's name with a curved brow.
Jane turned her head to meet her gaze, before raising her own brow. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something in my teeth?"
"He was clearly flirting with you," Maura stated with a neutral tone, a little surprised that she had picked up on some social cues that Jane had not. "And he was trying to ascertain your status."
"My status? As what, a U.S. citizen?" Jane retorted with a chuckle, groaning audibly when she heard the sound of barks coming from the house nearby. "Oh great, Jo's going to hate me for the next week and a half. The last time I walked another dog, she kept staring at my clothes like it was going to mutate."
"Jane," Maura repeated, clearly unfazed by Jane's distraction tactic. "He was trying to find out your relationship status."
"Well, you brought me here. I don't know what to expect and I don't know what you want me to say. It's not like he—oh, you mean, he doesn't know we're…?"
"No, I think it's safe to say that he's mildly perplexed by this situation," Maura said with a shake of her head, giving Jane's hand a little squeeze. "Of course, I would only be guessing, unless I performed a few tests…"
Jane could almost see the gears turning in the blonde's head and it was always fascinating to her how quickly she moved through thought processes. Usually she was left behind, stuck between some scientific term and a name brand, and Maura would have to guide her through her complicated dialect. Then suddenly, it clicked in Jane's head.
"Wait a minute, he thinks I'm… with Frost? Really? Gross!"
Maura laughed again, pulling Jane along the small path that lead up to the main house. It was rather humble in size, but it was well looked after and she made a mental note to ask them for their gardener's contact information. Before they even got four feet from the door, an older man opened the door and greeted Maura with a hug.
It even looked like a bear hug, from where Jane was standing.
"Maura Isles! My lord, how you've grown! And who is that strapping young woman you've brought with you?" he asked, barely allowing any time for an introduction as he moved over to offer his hand to Jane. "I'm Peter Carson. I'm pretty sure you've already met my son, Max."
"Yes, I have. It's nice to meet you. I'm Jane Rizzoli," the brunette detective greeted him with a friendly smile, reaching out to shake his hand but thrown off when she was pulled into a hug instead. When her circulation was almost cut off, Maura quickly noticed and steered the older man further into the house with some general chitchat to catch up.
Almost immediately, two large dogs greeted the women, one of them bounding outside towards Jane and sniffing her shoe, while his tail wagged.
Every time she took a step, the dog placed his nose back on her shoe, until her attention was so diverted towards the scene that she lifted up her foot and saw that she had stepped in something. "Shit," she muttered, remaining on the porch as she tried to wipe off her sole on the edge. She was the one that was tougher and used to rough housing with her brothers all the time, so she didn't expect the roles to be reversed this way. And the fact that Maura knew someone that wasn't from a high-class, flashy lifestyle intrigued her to no end.
She heard someone chuckle from behind the front door, looking up to see Maxwell pressing his curled fist to his mouth and clearing his throat.
This was going to be a fan-freakin-tastic day, she could just feel it in her bones.