A/N: Wow! That was an intense episode, wasn't it? I almost couldn't think of anything to write about. Almost. Hope you like what I came up with.
XXXXX
"Well that was a long day." Jane said with a smile, turning back to Maura.
"Because it started yesterday."
"Now can we get a beer?" Jane asked.
Maura just laughed and started walking towards their cars.
"Can we come too?" Korsak asked a few feet away with Frost right beside him.
"Really?" Jane laughed. "You hear 'beer' and your ears prick up?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing… I just… you know what? Hang on." She said, remembering something. In all the rush to get Mandy back safe to her parents she forgot something important so she ran over to the Mateo's to talk to them for a moment.
A minute later she met back up with the other three and smiled. These past two days took a huge toll on her and all she wanted to do was relax. "Ready to go?"
"I'm going to need to change first." Maura said, nose crinkling up at the thought of being stuck in wrinkled clothes. Again.
"Sure thing. Meet you guys at the Robber?"
Everyone agreed. Frost and Korsak went back to the older man's car while Jane and Maura continued on to where theirs were parked. When they reached the lot, they parted ways with a shared glance full of meaning.
Since Jane's apartment was the closest to both the precinct and the bar, she arrived first. She knew she had a few minutes to spare so she decided to go into a nearby store. She spent a moment browsing until something caught her eye. She purchased it, stuck it in her pocket, and walked outside, running into Maura at The Dirty Robber's entrance. They entered the nearly empty building and greeted the gray haired bartender.
"A little early for a beer, isn't it, Jane?"
"We had a case that took all night so I really need one."
He nodded in understanding. "Alright, coming right up. And you, Maura?"
"Um… you know what? I'll have one too."
Jane looked at her. "Really?"
She shrugged. "Guess you just rub off on me." She smiled. "And I quite like your brand."
"Good to know I'm making some positive changes in your life." She laughed before taking the two beers from the man behind the counter and leading Maura to their booth.
"Of course you have, Jane." Maura said seriously as she sat down. "I've learned so much from you."
"Really? What could you possibly learn from me that you didn't already know? Except that attacker is a position in field hockey."
"So many things." She said after taking a sip of her beer. "You've helped me come out of my shell. You've taught me the meaning of family. Hell, you've given me a family."
Jane smiled and shifted her body so she could pull the gift she bought a few minutes earlier out of her pocket. "I wanted to get you something after this case." She said before putting the small box on the table and opening it. "I know you probably have a million rings already and all of them are worth a hundred times more but… It's a promise ring. I promise that I will always be here for you. And I'll do everything I can to protect you."
Maura smiled at the small circular object. Tears prickled at the edges of her eyes and she looked up at Jane. "But… you do know that most promise rings are given as a symbol of commitment between romantic partners or worn to signify abstinence until married. Of course I'm almost certain your intent is closer to the former."
"I know what they're for, Maura. I just…. I wanted to get you one. Why are you smiling like that? I knew it was a stupid idea…"
"No, Jane… It's sweet. I just think it's funny. You said not even an hour ago that you will never get married and here you are giving me this."
"Jesus, Maura, It's not like I'm gonna marry you. I just wanted to do something nice!" She said, rolling her eyes and hoping the human lie detector couldn't catch the hint of hope that she was wrong.
Maura just nodded and picked up her ring. It was simple – a plain band with a ring of embedded cubic zirconium stones. She debated its placement for a moment, knowing that wherever she put it would say something to those around her. Most pre-engagement rings are worn on the left ring finger – like its counterpart – while friendship rings, which this one technically was, are worn elsewhere to avoid confusion. Eventually, she slipped it on her left ring finger and hoped Jane didn't catch the significance.
She didn't, as she was too busy enjoying her beer.
Maura took a sip of her own before speaking. "Promise rings date back to the sixteenth century and were used as place holders for engagement rings until the man could afford to get married."
"That's very interesting, Maura." She said, not really paying attention. She had a long day and wasn't quite in the mood for a history lesson.
Just as Maura was getting to the part about what they did in Shakespearean times with poesy rings, Frost and Korsak walked in. Maura moved over to Jane's side of the booth so that the two men could sit across from them. After ordering their drinks, they did so.
Right before Jane was about to take another sip, her phone rang. She saw that it was her old partner. "Hey Dan, how are you guys holding up?"
"We're doing great thanks to you. We just took Mandy to the hospital to get her checked out like you suggested and she's fine. Nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. I really can't thank you enough."
"It's just part of the job, you know that."
"Not if you're in the homicide division." He said. "You have to let me do something, though. How about a barbeque? This Saturday? I know it's not much but–"
"No, it's perfect, thank you. I had been missing your cooking. You've always had the best barbeque skills in the division."
He laughed. "Well thanks for that. And I'm inviting Vince and Barry too. Do you think you can ask Maura if she wants to come? I can't seem to find her number."
"Yeah, sure. They're all right here anyway." She pulled the phone away from her mouth slightly as she turned her attention to the others. "Wanna go to a barbeque on Saturday?"
Everyone's heads bobbed up and down.
"They said yes."
"Great! And, um, we still have that pool so if you wanted to swim you're more than welcome to."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be sure to bring my bathing suit."
Maura's eyes lit up at that. Her mind focused on two different things. One, which suit she would wear and what clothing would pair well with it. And two, the thought of Jane in a bikini.
"So I'll see you Saturday, then." He said.
"Yeah. See you then. Bye."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone and put it back on her belt. "I don't even want to know what you're planning." She said, looking over at Maura.
The M.E.'s eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I saw that twinkle in your eye. I am not going to wear some crazy aerodynamic swimsuit."
"But, Jane, most basic swimsuits are aerodynamic as they are."
She shook her head. "Never mind. Just drink your beer."
XXXXX
Several uneventful days passed before the weekend finally arrived. Jane's car pulled up to a cozy looking home and parked on the street.
The two women walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. They were immediately greeted by the Mateo family.
"Hey Jane, Maura." Dan said. His wife next to him smiled at the two.
Joey and Mandy – already donning swimwear – appeared out of nowhere and each grabbed a wrist of their guests, pulling them inside.
"C'mon Detective Rizzoli!" Mandy yelled excitedly. "I wanna show you the pool!"
"Okay, okay, I'm followin' you. No need to yank my arm out!" She joked.
They stopped in the backyard, a few feet from a large mass of water. Frost and Korsak were already there, enjoying a beer and some potato chips at the patio table. They nodded their heads in greeting before going back to their discussion or, rather, argument about social networking sites.
Mandy tugged on Jane's arm again. "Let's go swimming!"
She looked up at Maura who shrugged before squatting down so she was at eye-level with the young girl. "You go on ahead with Dr. Isles. I'm gonna talk to your parents for a few minutes, okay?"
She nodded before bounding over to the doctor a few feet away.
Joey and Mandy jumped in as Maura began to strip off her clothes to reveal the bathing suit beneath them.
Jane was in the middle of asking Dan a question but saw the M.E. out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but stop talking and just stare, not caring who noticed her behavior. When Maura jumped in, the detective was startled out of her stupor by a hand on her shoulder.
"Jane? You still with us?" Dan asked with a knowing smirk.
"Yeah, sure… uh… what were we talking about?"
"You were asking me something…"
"Oh, right." She shook it off and then inquired about her old unit, which led to a discussion about some of their old cases.
Poolside, Joey made a running start to jump in again but lost his footing near the edge. He made it in okay but, unfortunately, Maura was right under him. His foot clipped the M.E.'s head and caused it to launch forward and hit the edge of the pool. She lost consciousness immediately and went under.
Jane smiled at the two who had just shared some good news. "That's great. I'm so glad to hear that you guys are patching things up."
Nicole smiled and hugged her husband from the side. "Me too. And he's promised to try harder with me and the kids. You'll make sure he sticks to that, won't you Jane?" She winked at her.
"Well he's not in my division but I can pop in from time to – " A yell cut her off and all three of them looked to the pool. Joey was clambering out, still yelling something incomprehensible. There was a figure sinking to the bottom slowly as the clear water surrounding it started to tinge red.
"Maura!" Jane yelled before running and diving into the pool. Her arms looped around her best friend as she kicked the bottom to propel herself up. Dan was by the edge, waiting to help lift her out of the water.
As soon as she was out, Jane scurried out of the water and rushed to Maura's side. She moved the M.E.'s hair away from her face to reveal a gash on her forehead. She shook her shoulders gently. "Maura? Can you hear me?" She asked in a panic. When she got no response from the other woman she bent down to listen for breathing. Her face took on one of horror when she heard nothing. "Oh God, she's not breathing!"
It took her a moment to recall her CPR training but, a few seconds later, she positioned herself over her body and started chest compressions. "Breathe, damn it!" She exclaimed passionately.
After the required thirty, she pinched the nose shut and sealed her own mouth over Maura's. She ignored the jolt the contact caused and gave her two large breathfuls of air.
As she sat up to start the compressions again, Maura coughed. Water flew out of her mouth as she turned to her side and started to cough more violently to expel the liquid from her lungs. She gasped in breath for a few seconds before coughing again. A minute or so later, her breathing had evened out.
"You okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital?" Jane asked, eyes full of concern, as she rubbed the M.E.'s back.
Maura shook her head. "No… I'm fine." She lifted her hand up to her forehead when she felt a stinging sensation. She brought it back down and saw blood. "How bad is it?" She asked Jane.
"Not too bad.
"Does it need stitches?"
"Uh… How can you tell?"
Maura ignored her question and looked up at Dan standing a few feet away. "You wouldn't happen to have a suture kit, would you?"
"Yeah. It's inside." He said before going to get it.
"Jane, can you help me up?"
She did more than just help her up. Placing her hands under her best friend's body she scooped her up and carried her into the house bridal style.
"Take me into the bathroom." Maura directed.
Jane complied and set her standing in front of the mirror. Dan stood at the doorway a few seconds later with the first aid kit.
"There's sutures in here."
"Thank you." Maura said, taking it.
"You're not gonna do those yourself, are you?" Jane asked incredulously.
"Did you want to?" She asked, holding the kit out to the detective.
"I wouldn't even know where to start."
Maura just turned back to the mirror and pushed the hair out of the wound. She inspected it closely for a moment before wiping away the excess blood. She cleaned it out and then turned to Jane. "Can you hold my hair back; it's getting in the way.
Jane nodded and then stood behind her, bringing her hands up to do as she was instructed.
Carefully and with immaculate precision, Maura stitched the wound shut before securing a strip of gauze over it. She threw away the trash before turning around to face Jane. "See? It's not that hard. I should definitely teach you some day."
"No thanks." She said. Her mind was still in panic mode as she recalled the previous scene. "Just – never do that to me again." She said forcefully, eyes completely serious.
"But, Jane, I didn –"
"I could have lost you. I almost lost you." She shook her head in an attempt to keep such thoughts away. "I can't lose you, Maura. You mean everything to me."
Maura smiled at the concern. "I'm sorry. I promise to stay away from the pool for the rest of the day, okay?"
Jane took in a deep breath through her nose and then nodded. She surprised both of them when she brought the still half naked doctor in for a hug. She pulled away after a few seconds and looked into the other woman's eyes as she smiled. Her gaze dropped down to Maura's lips for a brief moment but she stepped back before the urge became too much. "I'll go get your clothes." She said, walking out.
Maura sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and sighed.
"How is she?" Korsak asked when she spotted the detective.
Jane picked up the discarded clothes from a chair before turning to him. "She's fine, thanks. Just needed to stitch her up."
"That's good to hear." He smiled.
"Yeah. But are you sure she doesn't need to go to the hospital?" Frost asked, looking worried.
"She says she doesn't so she doesn't. She's the doctor here."
"I guess you're right." He said.
Jane went back inside and handed over the clothes. She took a moment alone in the hallway to compose herself, still a little freaked out about the accident, before heading back out.
Maura, however, wasn't done freaking out. "Okay, no big deal. Her lips were just on yours for purely resuscitation purposes. And it looked like she wanted to kiss you a few minutes ago." She whispered to herself as she put her clothes back on. "Just pull yourself together and go back out there." Her hands hit the counter as she looked at herself in the mirror. It didn't work but she knew she couldn't stay in there for very much longer. She let out a frustrated groan as she left to join the others.
After assuring everyone that she was, in fact, okay, things slowly got back to normal. Dan started up the grill and the other adults sat and talked while the kids ran around and played in the grass, occasionally running up to the table to steal some chips.
Nicole got up to fix the group some drinks and came back moments later, placing a margarita in front of each guest.
"Uh-uh-uh." Jane said, quickly taking the glass away. "Head injuries and alcohol don't mix."
"But, Jane –"
"Nope. I'm not going to risk anymore. If you want alcohol you're going to have to go to the hospital and get checked out."
"What? You don't trust my medical opinion?"
"Not when you're the patient."
Maura sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win the argument, and poured herself some water instead.
It didn't take too long for the food to finish cooking. They each got their plates filled and sat down for some delicious food and warm conversation. As they ate, the sun started to descend along the horizon and a chill permeated the air. As no one was really ready for it all to end, Dan started the fire pit when they were all done eating and they moved their seats in a circle around it.
Jane noticed a shiver move through the woman next to her. "Cold, Maura?"
"Yeah…my hair's still a little wet and that doesn't help much."
"I have a spare jacket in the car. Do you want me to get it? Or would you not be caught dead in something of mine?" She laughed.
Maura smiled warmly at Jane before standing. "I can get it."
"No." She pushed the M.E. back down. "Stay put. I'll get it."
She watched the detective run back inside. Something in her mind nagged at her to follow. A few seconds later, she did and met her out front.
"Maura." Jane said, exasperated when she spotted the other woman walking towards her. "I thought I told you to stay there."
"I know… I just – I was wondering…"
"Yeah?"
She shook her head, realizing how awkward the situation might become if she misread the previous signals.
"What is it?" Jane stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Maura's wrist, keeping her in place.
Maura looked up and briefly got lost in chocolate brown eyes. "Can I –" She hesitated, feeling a little odd for the request. "Can I kiss you?"
While the question did come as a surprise to Jane, she smiled. "You don't even need to ask."
The M.E. smiled and moved forward.
Jane's arm wrapped her waist and brought her in closer.
Maura tilted her head up, still slightly hesitant, and moved forward.
Their lips barely brushed but that was all they needed to know that what they had was real. But, while it was all they needed, it was most certainly not all they wanted.
Maura pressed her mouth firmer against the other woman's before moving them, effectively deepening the kiss.
Jane's hands went up to cup the shorter woman's cheek as she returned the kiss tenfold.
"Detective Rizzoli, Dr. Isles!" Joey yelled excitedly as he headed outside, causing them to pull away. "C'mon, we're making s'mores!"
"Alright, Joey, we'll be right there." Jane smiled at him before turning back to Maura. "Still cold?" She asked, brandishing the jacket.
Maura laughed. "After that? Definitely not!" She took the jacket anyway and put it on, reveling in the comforting scent of the detective.
"So, uh… Maura?" She asked as they were walking through the house. "You can go ahead and consider that promise ring I gave you to be like most others."
Maura beamed before pecking her on the cheek. "I already was."