*Disclaimer: The following contains some extremely nerdy content. I blame medical school :)
I don't own the characters. Tess Gerritsen is the genius behind their creation.
Maura Expresses Love In Her Own Way
Detective Jane Rizzoli had spent most of her life in professional and social environments that regarded intellectualism as taboo. Although she was always "too cool" to be labeled a "nerd", "dork" or "geek" she had plenty of friends growing up who had suffered the torment of their peers for fitting these stereotypes. Jane was by no means unintelligent but she kept her intellectual side tucked away under a layer of nonchalance. In her field brawn almost always won over brain and she preferred to fit in, rather than give the men another reason to chastise her.
It had been a year and half since Dr. Maura Isles had joined Boston PD, and a mere 2 weeks since she had begun her relationship with Jane Rizzoli. She was well aware of her own tendency to slip into what Jane referred to as "google-ing" mode, but could not control herself. She had grown up in environments that encouraged and required an intellectual nature, and after all it fit her well.
What most attracted Maura to the Detective was not her natural beauty or infectious smile but her insatiable curiosity and passion for investigation. She enjoyed the fact that each time she mentioned a scientific term or interesting disease Jane would pretend to be annoyed, but then immediately research it when she returned to her desk.
One day Jane was researching the most recent baffling term that Maura had casually used over morning coffee. By now both Google and Wikipedia had been added as quick links to her browser. She eagerly typed in the term: Amgydala.
I know I have heard this word somewhere! This is gonna bother me all day if I don't look it up. Amygdala, okay…uh ha! The region of the brain that is responsible for controlling human emotions, such as rage and attraction. Cool. I'm so gonna use that next time I see Maura. She'll be impressed.
The Detective grinned and exited the window to return to the mundane tasks of her work day. She felt satisfied that she had completed a somewhat educational task and wondered how her life would be different if she had gone to college. All those things she could have learned; a chance to finally let her inner-nerd thrive without fear of social repercussions. She wondered if she would have found someone like Maura a lot sooner in life. As if on cue the clicking of expensive heals were heard coming down the hallway.
"Hello Jane. I came up to see if I can take you to lunch?"
The two women were still in the awkward phase of the relationship in which they accidently interrupted each other's sentences and got sweaty palms just thinking about each other. It was adorable.
"Sure! I'm starving, where do you wanna go babe?"
Maura blushed at the endearing word, still in disbelief that she was dating the amazing woman standing in front of her.
"Let's try that new Thai place on Cedar; I read that they use authentic ingredients and their noodles are made on the premises."
"Sounds great! I'll drive."
Over lunch the two women discussed the latest case as well as their plans for the weekend. Although they had separate apartments they tended to alternate where they would stay each weekend. Both women were amazed at how well they complimented each other's personalities despite their varied interests and backgrounds. Jane could tell that she was falling for Maura quickly from the moment she let herself think of the blonde as more than a work colleague and close friend. Amazingly she just let it happen instead of worrying about the aftermath of the break-up that had followed her previous relationships. She knew that this one was a keeper.
"This food is awesome Maur, thanks for bringing me here. Can I try some more of your noodles?" The Detective grabbed a forkful of noodles and shoved them directly into her mouth. As she chewed she contemplated how to incorporate the word amygdala into the present conversation.
"You know it's so interesting, I was reading this article the other day about how the sensory input associated with food may be connected to our emotional memory. For example, if you have a positive noodle experience at this restaurant you are more likely to come back and order the same meal again. The limbic system is quite fascinating."
Maura mused over the complexities of the human brain while enjoying her own meal.
Perfect! I think she's talking about the brain…so this is the perfect time to use my new word.
"Yea, the way our brain works is really interesting. I bet those noodles are causing my amygdala to fire like crazy. I mean, if I loved these noodles half as much as I loved you, I'd probably weigh 500 pounds."
Just as Jane said it she realized what she had done. She tried to pretend like she hadn't just used the "L" word and ended up panicking which led to her choking on a piece of an amazing noodle that had lodged itself in her throat.
"Jane!" The doctor rushed to her side to access her lover's condition.
"I'm fine, I'm…good. Don't worry. Just went down the wrong pipe."
The detective drank some water, now twice as embarrassed, hoping the choking incident had distracted Maura from the fact that she had just revealed her love for her.
The rest of the lunch date went smoothly and as far as Jane could tell Maura hadn't noticed her slip-up. Thankful that she had tons of paperwork to get through before the end of the day she threw herself into her work until 6 o'clock.
Meanwhile back in the autopsy lab Maura could not stop analyzing what Jane had said at lunch. Okay, she said she loves me more than noodles. That is good. However, the way she said it was so blaise, maybe she didn't mean it. Is it too soon for us to tell each other that we love one another? I have no doubt about my love for her but I don't understand the social protocol here. Oh dear. I believe that no that it is "out there" it is my turn to say it. I could really use a glass of wine right now.
The Medical Examiner had managed to finish 4 examinations in the second half of the day and had dictated all over notes by 5 o'clock. Despite her busy day the tension created by Jane's words had not dissipated. She felt an anxiety headache beginning to throb in her frontal lobe.
Suddenly it dawned on her. She could just write Jane a letter revealing her mutual feelings of love and commitment. That way she wouldn't risk ruining the sentiment with her awkward attempts to communicate emotions on a socially respectable level. Perfect. With the remaining hour left she sat down at her desk and began to write.
The week had been uneventful, compared to most weeks, and Jane was looking forward to spending an entire weekend with her new girlfriend. There was so much to explore about each other and she was learning new things about Maura every day. She was also learning new things from Maura ever day, which she assumed would be a life-long process. She chuckled to herself.
Here I'm regretting not going to college when I'm dating someone who is practically a tutor. What's even better is I don't have to pay her! Well…the payment system is a lot sexier.
After meeting up with Frost and Korsak at the Dirty Robber for a couple rounds of drinks the two women retired to Maura's home for the night. Maura's night was going splendidly, not only had she had several successful social exchanges with members of the police department she had also completed her letter to Jane. She decided that she would leave the letter somewhere where Jane would find it on Monday morning. While Jane was away from her desk she had inconspicuously slid it into her desk drawer.
The two women spent most of the weekend on the couch watching romantic comedies and the occasional wildlife documentary. They had compromised on choosing wildlife as the theme because Jane loved animals and Maura loved learning about a species other than her own for once. They coined loving nicknames for each other after a film about the amazon, assigning each other the names of the animal that they resembled the most.
When Monday morning arrived Jane regretted leaving her gorgeous girlfriend in bed to get ready for work. As the detective poured herself her first cup of coffee for the day in Maura's immaculate kitchen she heard her lover humming upstairs.
Wow is she humming? That's really cute. I don't think I've ever heard her do that. I must make her really happy. Nice one Rizzoli. Man I really do love her. So sappy. But true.
"Hello my sweet, do you like my new dress? I thought of you when I bought it."
The ME twirled around to give the detective a full view.
Jane stared with her mouth slightly ajar, gawking at how sexy the ME looked in the knee-length cerulean dress.
Hot damn! I think I might need to go change my underwear before we leave.
"Uhh you look…amazing Maura. Wow. How is it you look so hot in something so professional? If I wore something like that I'd look like a dork. You are beautiful."
The ME grinned widely and gave the detective a passionate kiss before whispering in her ear.
"Just wait until you see what's underneath darling."
With a look of disappointment at having to wait 12 hours to find out what her girlfriend was wearing underneath, Jane quickly sprinted upstairs to change her underwear. Maura sipped her coffee and giggled at her lover's reaction.
Back at the precinct Jane logged into her work computer and searched for a pen. As she reached into her desk drawer her hand grazed against something different. She opened the drawer to find a periwinkle envelope with fashionable, matching stationary paper inside. She immediately recognized the handwriting.
Maura?
The letter read:
Dearest Jane,
The other day you inadvertently revealed your feelings for me. I know you felt embarrassed about how it happened but I want to thank you for being so open with me and not taking it back. I am writing you this letter to return your sentiment in my own way. You know I'm not proficient at discussing personal feelings and have the tendency to offer scientific explanations for most social phenomenon. I hope you know that I feel grateful that you never criticize me for doing this or make me feel socially inept. I love that you understand me so well.
I suppose science helps me understand why my body responds in such a positive way in your presence. When I am around you Jane, I feel something that I have never felt with any other person. Physiologically speaking I feel a rush of endorphins course through my body and I immediately experience tachycardia. My pupils dilate and I contract my orbicularis oris and risorius muscles.
I know that each time you smile at me or touch me there is flooding of dopamine in my Ventral Tegmental Area.
You Jane. You make my body react in all these ways and more. Only you can change my physiology in this way.
And that is why I am and will always be yours.
Maura
Jane may not have understood 50 percent of that letter but as she finished reading the last line she felt a flood of love and adoration flow over her. She loved Maura so much that she ached inside. How could such a nerdy, scientific love letter have such a strong effect on her? She was not a romantic by any means, but with Maura she felt like she had a permanent school-girl crush. Her girlfriend was a sexy, funny, genius and she needed to tell her right now.
"Hey Frost! I'm going to go talk to Maura about this case report. I might be awhile so if you need me, send me a text."
"Yea, alright."
Frost was too involved in his own techie, computer work to notice the blush that had spread along the detective's collar or the periwinkle letter that she was clutching in her hand. Jane practically skipped to the elevators, then spontaneously decided to take the stairs instead, anxious to get to her lover as quickly as her feet would carry her.
Maura had been waiting for Jane's appearance all morning, and as usual was already stressing about whether or not it was the right move to make. Should she have just told Jane instead? Would Jane think that she loved her any less because of it? Would she even read the entire letter once she saw how many scientific terms were used? Her scalpel hand was steady but she noticed that her palms were sweating beneath her latex-free gloves. Then, she heard the confident strides of her lover's boots approaching the entrance way. She let out a steady breath and removed her gown and gloves.
"Maura! I read the letter and…"
Jane knew she couldn't resist it any longer. She took the five feet separating them in two strides and captured the smaller woman in her arms giving her a sound kiss on the mouth. The kiss turned into one of passion and love as the two women relaxed into each other's arms. After a minute Jane pulled away to gaze into the eyes of her beautiful lover.
"Jane, I…I guess you understood what I was trying to say to you in the letter."
"Well, I have a feeling that I will be spending the rest of the afternoon deciphering the scientific terms but…"
"Oh. I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have…"
The ME began to stutter and apologize for her approach to the situation.
"Maura. Maur! It's okay."
"It is?"
"Yes and I love you too."
Jane leaned into kiss Maura's lips, trailing kisses to just below the blonde's ear. As the ME sighed and leaned into her lover's lips she heard her whisper:
"I love you because you are smart, adorable and sexy. And I must warn you that I fully intend to find out what you are wearing underneath that dress tonight."
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