Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli and Isles.
"Whatever you want, I can get it."
Jane didn't respond immediately. She was on her back, one arm over her face. She looked asleep, but Maura could tell by the rhythm of her breathing that she was faking. Maura herself had been trying to sleep for the past thirty minutes, but even with Jane's comforting presence at her side she hadn't been able to calm her mind.
"Jane," she said, poking the detective in the arm.
Jane shifted her arm slightly and cracked one eye open to peer at her. "What?"
They were on Jane's bed, lying on top of the covers. Jane was still in her work clothes, but Maura had changed into the PJs she'd hung in Jane's closet a while back.
"'Whatever you want, I can get it.' That's what you said when you answered the phone. When you thought my kidnapper was calling."
Jane's shoulder moved in an awkward approximation of a shrug. "So?"
Maura's hand fisted in the sheet before she registered what she was doing. She forced her fingers open. "Did you mean it?"
Jane rolled onto her side, her hands pressed to her chest, and gazed at Maura in silence, her dark eyes assessing. Eventually, she said, "Yes."
Maura swallowed. "But…why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"Jane." Maura reached out and took one of Jane's hands in hers. She ran her thumb over the scar on the back of Jane's hand, feeling the familiar stab of anger at the thought of how that scar had gotten there. "My whole life…" She shook her head in frustration, dislodging a tear from her eye. "My whole life, people have been willing to give me up. Over and over again. No one's ever—no one's ever offered to give anything up for me. No one's ever been willing to sacrifice anything for me."
Jane's lips curved in a sad smile. "Maybe you just haven't known the right people."
"I always thought it meant there was something wrong with me." Maura read the objection in Jane's eyes, an objection she opened her mouth to voice. Before Jane could speak, Maura hurriedly said, "I know you're the one who called my fa—the sperm donor."
Jane's expression abruptly shuttered. She rolled onto her back again, but Maura wouldn't let go of her hand.
"You don't want to talk about this," Jane said, staring at the ceiling.
"I think I do."
"Well, I don't wanna talk about it."
"Jane."
"Give it up, Maura."
Maura pressed a kiss to Jane's palm. As she'd hoped, the gesture made Jane look at her again, her eyes very wide.
After a few seconds, Jane capitulated. "If someone had a gun to your head, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them. This wasn't any different than that."
Maura shook her head. That wasn't right. She knew it wasn't right. This was different, so different than being forced to kill in the heat of the moment, but she didn't know how to get Jane to admit that.
"I would have done the same thing for Frost or Korsak or my family," Jane added. "You know, in case you were blaming yourself."
Something in Maura recoiled at that. "You think of me as part of your family?"
"What? No!" Jane made a face. "No, you're not part of my family. You're just…mine."
Maura fought back a grin. "I'm yours?"
Jane choked. "I didn't mean that like it sounded."
"Hey, you can't take it back! I'm yours." Maura lost the battle and the grin split her face.
Jane's eyebrows narrowed. "Are you laughing at me?" She shoved Maura's shoulder playfully.
"Never," Maura said, reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind Jane's ear. "After all, I'm yours."
Their eyes locked. Jane leaned in a little, her lips pursed almost quizzically. Maura's grin faded as heat crackled in the air between them. She leaned in as well, close enough that their noses almost touched. Jane stiffened as if suddenly aware of what might be about to happen. She licked her lips nervously then pressed her forehead to Maura's, hard.
"I would have torn Boston apart for you," Jane whispered.
"You know the crazy thing?" Maura murmured. "I knew you would. When I was in the back of that van, all I could think was, 'Jane will find me.' And I felt safe."
There was a moment of silence. Then Jane snorted. "You felt safe?"
"Er," Maura corrected herself. "Safer."
She turned on her side with her back to Jane, felt Jane scoot up behind her and sling a protective arm over her.
"You were tied up in the back of a van, and you felt safe—safer—because of me," Jane said, amused, her breath playing a staccato beat against the back of Maura's neck.
"Well, yes," Maura said. "After all, I'm yours."
Jane snickered, Maura laughed, and they collapsed into giggles. They didn't stop until long after Joe Friday leaped on top of them and stuck her wet doggy nose into Jane's armpit, eager to discover what was so funny.