Disclaimer: All recognizable Rizzoli & Isles characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including, but not limited to Janet Tamaro, TNT or Tess Gerritsen. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fan fiction story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No financial gain is associated with the publishing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Y'all have been too kind with your reviews. I appreciate your following the entirely of this Senses Series. I assure you, the pleasure has been all mine. Unfortunately, as so many of you noted in your comments, we humans only have so many senses. This will be the finale in the series. I hope that it holds up as well as the others and brings then all to a place of satisfactory closure. I apologize for the wait between pieces. Cheers! -dkc
Balance
In a tangle of limbs, sheets and sweat, Jane's calves burned. She never imagined her first time with Maura being in a standing position that required she keep upright despite what she knew the beautiful doctor would explain as an excess of lactic acid causing her muscles to burn. Somehow she had remained standing.
If it weren't for the intoxicating scent in the room and the pleasure of the doctor's mouth trailing feather light kisses all over her bare skin, Jane would have asked whether the pathologist was one of those doctors who believed balance to be a human's sixth sense. Not balance of the five senses, though that was certainly essential to fully appreciating a moment like this, but actual physical balance as in to hold oneself up, to refrain from tipping over. She vaguely remembered that balance had something to do with where the joints were in space and how the brain registered their position. Of course, the pivotal point of the human body that determined balance was the inner ear.
I must have an exceptional inner ear, Jane thought, a smirk on her face as she thought about the way she maintained her posture and remained vertical as Maura did very, very naughty things to her body.
"What are you smiling about?" Maura's mouth was near the very part of Jane's body that the woman had just complimented herself on.
"You," Jane hummed. "You."
"Are you going to let me in on the answer to that question of yours?" Maura pulled on the brunette's ear lobe.
"What question was that?" the woman groaned at the sensation of Maura's mouth on her ear.
Pulling back so she could have a good view of Jane, Maura did the tantalizing head tilt and shoulder shimmy that had always brought on a wave of adoration on the detective's part. Right then it seemed far sexier than it ever had before.
"Salty?" she posed. "Or sweet? Which am I?"
Jane Rizzoli was many things; in this moment, thinking back to how she had bravely spoke aloud the question of how her best friend might taste, all she could imagine was being Maura's lover for as long as the doctor would have her.
Using her upper body strength, clearly making up for her rubber-like legs, and that exceptional inner ear balance, Jane pinned the doctor and rolled atop her before hissing: "There aren't words in my vocabulary for what you are."
…
She woke to the soft yet steady ticking of the clock. She knew from her many years in and out of Maura's home that there was a small antique clock in the bathroom adjacent to the doctor's bedroom. She pictured every clock in the house, each unique in size, shape, whether or not they were digital, color and purpose. She suspected the bathroom clock to be of aesthetic importance rather than one of function.
The seconds ticked away slowly, each small sound signaling another moment she had like this with Maura. It was a gift to finally hear those marks of time, never before had she been attuned to them in this room, just as it was a gift to be in this bed with her best friend.
…
When the doctor awoke she noted the indentation in the pillow beside her. The strong and delicious scent of coffee wafted into the bedroom.
God, I could get used to this, she thought as she rolled out of bed and nakedly walked to the en suite. Not only had she woken to the knowledge that Jane, the woman she had finally slept with, was still in the house, the very woman had conquered her longstanding battle with the coffee machine.
When the doctor entered the bathroom, the sight of herself in the mirror took her breath away. Her hair was mussed, her makeup smeared around her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone to bed without routinely removing her eye makeup. However, it wasn't her morning appearance, per se, that was stunning. It was the small love bites on her shoulders, chest and one slightly beneath her navel that had stopped her in her tracks.
It was an absolutely beautiful sight.
She wouldn't take long smoothing her hair, washing her face or putting on her robe. She couldn't wait to see Jane.
…
Thinking back to her thoughts in the wee hours the night before, Jane considered that lightness must figure into balance as well. She had never felt as light as she did when she woke in Maura's bed, watched the blissful sleeping features framed by tawny wisps of hair, kissed the crown of her head and made her way out of the bedroom to make them both coffee.
"Good morning," Maura's voice entered the kitchen, a bit hoarse for reasons Jane knew intimately.
Jane turned to find the doctor in the robe she wore often in this kitchen, yet this morning it seemed to be worn in a way that the detective had never seen or appreciated before. This woman was an absolute marvel.
"Hi."
Cheeks reddened almost immediately when the brunette's voice revealed itself to be thick with both sudden arousal and the memory of a night neither would ever forget.
Maura stepped closer to press a kiss to Jane's lips. The kiss didn't take advantage of the obvious desire of the voice behind that mouth. Whether it was a matter of desperately needing coffee or not wanting to be naked on the kitchen floor when Angela made her inexorable appearance, she couldn't decide. In any event, she reluctantly parted with raw lips and smiled at the taller woman.
"I made coffee," Jane managed to resuscitate her mental faculties to hand Maura a cup.
"I didn't even hear any swearing," Maura smirked.
"Hey, the coffee machine and I have reached an agreement. If I don't wake it too early and I talk nice, it dispenses this fine nectar of the gods."
Not only had the scent of the coffee wafting throughout the house permeated Maura's consciousness, the taste made her taste buds dance. The subtle bitterness blended perfectly with the richness specific to this particular blend. It was as if her sense of taste had been awoken and was meeting coffee for the first time.
Sipping slowly, the doctor's eyes remained on the brown orbs before her. She had found those eyes pulling her back to earth as they made love and in them this morning she found the reminder of how gentle their owner was with her.
"What?" Jane was a touch self-conscious.
"Have you ever had that feeling that all is right with the world?" she spoke with seriousness in tone and affect.
Jane leaned in and pressed a kiss to the crown of Maura's head as she had when she got out of bed that morning.
"Balance," she whispered.
Balance indeed.
…
Saturday had been as perfect as any day in recent memory for both Jane and Maura. With Homeland Security at the helm of their case, they were allowed a rare day off together that was not interrupted by either the precinct or the morgue.
Wandering around Faneuil Hall Marketplace, hand in hand, the two women were undeniably oblivious to the people around them. They hadn't discussed whether something so private could be shown off via the public display of handholding and they didn't need to. Life had given them plenty of hard questions to answer; the question of whether the change in their relationship could be shared or at least portrayed to those around them, stranger or otherwise, was not among them.
As they strolled through the crowds of the market, Maura momentarily lost herself in thoughts brought on by one of the shops she had spotted.
Victoria's Secret reminded her of Jane's journey of self-discovery, changing her perfume in a world that had previously had Charles Hoyt associating her with lavender. A slight blush reddened the doctor's cheeks as she thought of the day not long after she had finally identified Jane's new body spray when she stood in that very store debating with herself over how inappropriate it would be to purchase a bottle for herself, a bottle to only remind her of Jane.
She had gone home with the scent clinging to her inner wrists, the association her mind made with the subtle notes becoming useful, though wildly salacious, foreplay.
She never could have imagined that one day she'd wake up with that scent mingling with her own on bare skin. Oh, how quickly things change.
"What?" Jane asked as she returned an item to a display. She seemed to notice for the first time that Maura's eyes were in a distant place.
"Nothing," she was slightly bashful. "Only remembering something. Something good."
This made Jane's face light up. There they were in a crowd of people goofily smiling at one another as if all that existed in the world was the bubble they inhabited.
"Would you ladies like to try some fudge?" came a firm, but undemanding voice.
They both turned their heads to find that they were approaching the colonnade without having realized it. They had wandered far into Quincy Market without any since of how far they'd gone or how long they had been there. Wrapped up in one another, they were blissfully unaware of the space around them. It was a welcome offer.
"We'd love some!" Jane reached for a piece off the tasting plate without giving Maura a chance to say no. She took a small bite, making an orgasmic sound that made the M.E.'s heart beat harder in her chest. She then held out the remainder of the piece of fudge and insisted Maura taste.
"Oh," Maura's hand came to her mouth where she wiped away phantom crumbs. "That is delicious."
So was Jane, she thought. So was Jane.
…
Sitting at the kitchen island, Jane found her mind reliving the moments earlier as she and Maura strolled through shops hand in hand without a care in the world. She couldn't help the comparison to the many times over the years that physical affection had been both awkward and, unfortunately on a handful of occasions, emotionally painful.
Jane's mind wandered as she waited for Maura. It went back to something that had happened between them over a year ago:
The call from dispatch had them flying across town early on a weekday morning. Jane was on the phone, her right hand holding the handset, getting directions from Detective Korsak to the scene. Simultaneously, she used her left hand to grab the cherry top.
"Take the wheel," she instructed Maura who did as she was told despite her objection to the unsafe driving.
Jane reached out the window and placed the cherry top above her head. While she didn't have a siren, the beacon light would serve its purpose and get the sparse traffic out of her way. She wouldn't usually drive as fast to an early morning call, but the scene was outdoors and rain was on its way.
She hung up the phone, tossing it in the console and went to take the wheel back. She had placed her hand on Maura's arm and was surprised by how magnetic it felt.
The sigh that came from the detective was heavy with longing and sadness.
Maura's hazel eyes were firmly on Jane. She watched as the feelings cycled, expressed clearly in Jane's features. She suspected she knew why her friend had responded this way, but knew it would remain unspoken.
In that moment, her hand still on the steering wheel and now covered by the scarred, gentle fingers of the beautiful woman next to her, she extended her own digits, allowing space between them for Jane's to slip between. Their hands entwined, softly and without haste.
The car moved speedily through the streets of Boston while time stood still inside it.
"It's okay," the whispered reassurance from Maura Isles brought tears to Jane's eyes. She was glad the tear that escaped was on her furthest cheek. Her ego wouldn't allow Maura to see her inner turmoil and sadness.
"Jane?"
The doctor's voice cut through the silence again, this time to signal that they were at the crime scene.
"Jane?"
"Hey," Maura was now standing before her, in the flesh. "I've been saying your name."
Snapping out of her reverie, the brunette looked up and saw the doctor in front of her and smiled. The sadness of her memory was no longer with her.
"Do you think this dress would be inappropriate for work?" the doctor asked. "It seems a bit too revealing. Perhaps it wouldn't be suitable for crime scenes."
Jane's jaw dropped. It finally registered to her what her friend was wearing. She had seen Maura pull the dress off the rack at Michal Negrin while they had been at the market, but hadn't seen her try it on until now. The blonde was a vision in a light blue that imitated the sky.
"Jane?" Maura's voice was that of concern.
"I..." she grasped unsuccessfully for words. "I..."
It was then; realizing what was behind the look Jane was giving her that Maura laughed.
"I would be willing to guess in this instance and only this instance that you like it."
Jane without question liked the dress. It seemed destined to hug Maura's every curve. The doctor's legs were on subtle display, her cleavage with the hint of a hickey peeking out was sexy and no dress had ever made her ass look so good.
"Christ, Maur," Jane shook her head. "How is it possible for a dress to be so perfect for one person? You look incredible."
Enjoying both the detective's words and her physical reaction, Maura was pleased.
"Would it be appropriate for the office?" her voice asked teasingly.
Jane tilted her head to the side and considered the Chinese collar. While the skin-tight cut of the dress showed off Maura's body, that wasn't entirely unusual for dresses the doctor wore to work. What was different about this was the open space beneath where the Chinese collar met at her neck. Ample cleavage peeked out, teasing Jane.
"Depends," Jane smirked. "Would I get to see you in it frequently?"
There was a lustful gaze coming from Jane that was making Maura very warm.
"You would," she stepped closer.
"And would I be able to touch?" Jane's voice dropped lower.
"To whatever degree you're comfortable," Maura smiled.
"Hmm..." she exaggerated her consideration.
The detective's scarred hand reached out to trace the opening that revealed Maura's undeniably tempting rack. Oh how she wanted to dip her finger into the cleavage followed by her tongue.
"Of course, if I wore it on a day that we'd be going for drinks after work, there would be other possibilities."
Maura could be coy better than any woman Jane had ever known. It was immensely sexy.
"Other possibilities?" she fought off the squeak developing in her throat as the doctor stepped forward again, this time grazing Jane's knees with her own legs.
Jane could hardly breathe. She leaned back against the island, certain her mind and body were turning to mush and she would collapse without the support.
"The possibility to not only see the dress on me, but also on the floor."
"Goddamn, Maura Isles," Jane rose to her full height, wrapping her arms around the back of the doctor and going to work on the dress's zipper. "You don't play fair!"
Her fingers seemed to sizzle as they touched first the metal pull and gradually the open teeth of the zipper and then grazed the alabaster skin beneath. Had she ever had this much feeling in her hands since Hoyt's scalpel had done a number on them? She couldn't recall it if she had.
"How is it possible for your skin to be this smooth? Jane wondered aloud.
"Supple skin is the result of good hydration, hypoallergenic detergents and the usual refrain from smoking, UVA exposure and proper hygiene," Maura spoke with confidence.
This caused Jane to smile. How could she not? She had always loved this woman's intelligence, both the inherent existence of it and her inability to keep herself from utilizing it even in the most casual of circumstances.
"Do you have any idea how adorable you are?" Jane's hand came to rest in the middle of Maura's back where the zipper's path came to an end. She looked into hazel eyes, showing as much love as she could muster in a single look. "How you manage to be so endearingly adorable and simultaneously sexy is hell is something I've never understood."
The doctor's hands came to grip the brunette's neck and pulled her in for a firm, anticipatory kiss. As she slipped her tongue past Jane's lips, hungry hands ran down the hourglass shape of the dress until she could reach the hem, pulling it up to reveal a compelling lack of panties.
"Panty lines?" Jane growled just as her mouth came into contact with the blonde's tasty neck.
All Maura could do was moan with Jane's hands on her bare hips and her mouth devouring her neck.
In one fluid motion Jane's hands slipped down, cupping bare cheeks and lifted. With her dress bunched around her midsection, Maura wrapped her legs around Jane's waist. Her hands grasped the sides of Jane's face and forced a passionate, breathless kiss.
With her legs wrapped tight around Jane, her core pressing into the detective's abs, the doctor mused that not only did this position afford them balance it allowed a symbiosis that she had never known could exist being two human beings.
When Jane's mouth latched on to the skin where Maura's shoulder met her neck, the blonde's mewl was nearly enough to create a simultaneous climax for them. Never had a sound, with its guttural intonation and low vibration through both their bodies, held so much power.
Tasting both a touch of salt and the bitterness of the M.E.'s perfume at her pulse point, Jane swirled her tongue along the spot she had lightly bitten and sucked on. She backed the doctor up to the counter, pressing an exposed backside against the granite. She made a mental note to clean the counter when all was said and done. She knew Maura was making a similar note in her mind. They were on the same mental plane.
"Jane…" Maura breathed hard, taking in the now familiar scent she associated with Jane and Jane alone.
The detective grunted as she undid the button against Maura's neck. She then kissed her way from the collar's opening along soft skin until she was able to run her tongue the length of the cleavage that began tempting her the moment she saw it.
"Jane!" Maura was now pleading and though she could sense both of their hunger, Jane knew the plea had nothing to do with sexual satisfaction.
She pulled back to stare into darkened hazel eyes. The look she gave was one of frustration and desperation.
"We're going to be late," Maura groaned.
The brunette's heart was beating rapidly, her breath coming in clipped panting and other parts of her were as frustrated as was the tone of the doctor's voice.
"We could stay here…" kisses were now being placed along Maura's jaw and up to her forehead.
Maura hummed in appreciation, "Frankie is expecting us, Jane."
"Remind me why we agreed to go to dinner with Frankie and…and…what's her name?" Jane sighed as she leaned her own forehead against the one she had just kissed. Her hands remained on Maura's bare hips.
"Her name is Amanda and she's quite lovely," Maura smiled. "Granted, nothing is as great as this. However, we made a commitment to Frankie that we must keep. I promise we can resume this after dinner."
There was something about the way the doctor talked sense into Jane, calmed her down and reminded her of the facts, which reminded the detective that this had always been the role Maura had in her life. Since their first meeting, she had constantly considered and sought out Maura's approval. She had brought a consistent stability to Jane's life that had made the cop a better woman for it.
"Okay, but only if you promise you'll wear this dress," Jane smirked.
Chuckling, Maura reached her feet to the floor as Jane released her, "I will."
Smoothing out the bunched fabric and the wrinkles, Maura turned her back to Jane and pulled her hair aside so the detective could zip the dress back up. When she turned back around there was a wicked look on her face. She pressed a kiss to Jane's cheek and began walking away leaving the brunette to wonder what she was thinking.
"What?" she begged for Maura to voice her thoughts.
In no way was Jane prepared for what Maura was about to say.
"I not only promise to wear the dress, I promise I won't wear anything underneath."
She then disappeared up the stairs leaving Jane to cling to the countertop in fear of losing her footing.
Maura Isles brought her life balance and purpose, but just as easily as she could bring Jane down to Earth and hold her steady in the swirling world around them, she could knock her right off her unsteady feet and leave her heart racing, her mouth dry and jaw on the floor.
And she'd take both every day of her life.
-finis-