Doctor Maura Isles stood quietly on her back porch, looking beyond the brunette lounging casually on a deck chair, long legs stretched out in front of her, beer in hand like nothing had changed, like nothing was wrong. Maura Isles did not fidget, it was a well known fact supported by years of evidence. Well, Maura Isles did not fidget unless she was under intense emotional distress and right now, she supposed that in the grand scheme of things, it was absolutely alright for her hands to fidget. Just for a little while.
Despite being unable to grasp the sheer magnitude of what had unfolded on the morning news this morning, right in front of herself, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Angela who had become so much more than a friend, Maura knew that in her final hours on this wonderful planet, there was no other place she would rather be, no other people she would prefer to be surrounded by.
She watched with a wan smile on her face, as Tommy tossed the football to his son TJ, who squealed with delight and ducked between his Uncle Frankie's legs, who gave a roar of playful indignation at being thwarted so easily by the youngster, before he took off running towards his Nona. Angela, who had dealt with this situation far better than Maura could ever have anticipated, scooped him up into her arms and swung him around, their laughter lighting up the yard in a way the good Doctor would never have known if it hadn't been for Jane becoming her best friend.
Jane. Merely thinking her name brought the beginnings of a sob to the back of Maura's throat. She pressed her fingers against her lips and refused to allow it to come to fruition and ruin the last hours of life they had left. She felt a body press itself beside hers for a moment before Lydia appeared in front of her, smiling gently at her. Maura smiled back, although it didn't quite reach her eyes, for they were too busy dealing with the immense sense of sorrow and loss roiling inside her very being to deal with any other emotion. Lydia nodded at the Detective, who was yet to note the Doctor's presence behind her, and in a not so subtle fashion, indicated that Maura should talk to her. All she could do was nod and Lydia ambled on, waving popsicles in the air as she went.
"You talk to your parents?" The raspy voice coming from the chair directly in front of her startled Maura somewhat, causing her to jump. So Jane had noted her presence. She should have known. The woman was a Detective after all; it was in her job description. Maura came around and settled into the chair beside her friend, and the two women watched in silence as Barry Frost rolled around on the grass, pretending that he was injured whilst Frankie repeatedly tossed the football at his prone body, the two of them giggling like schoolboys.
"Yes, I managed to speak with both of them before… Before the connection failed." Jane nodded slowly, her dark wavy tresses shielding half her face from Maura's probing gaze. The Detective brought her beer to waiting lips and took a long sip, savoring the cool liquid for a moment before swallowing.
"They did say it would happen before nightfall," Jane stated calmly, fiddling with the label that had already been shredded partially on the bottle. Maura leaned back in the chair and smiled to herself as Vince Korsak sent a chew toy sailing across the grass for an excitable Jo Friday to chase merrily.
He turned slightly and caught sight of the two women sitting on the porch. To the naked eye, all one sees is the contrast. The dark and the light. The long limbs of one and the smaller petite frame of the other. The difference in posture, one hunched and stretched out languorously, the other sitting pretty with her legs crossed and back straight. But Vince knew better, perhaps better than anyone else, than to trust first appearances. Jane and Maura may sound, look and act like they were polar opposites, but beyond that, their core values, intentions and beliefs were startlingly similar. The hopes, dreams, wishes, loyalties and a thousand other things matched perfectly.
Instead of saying anything along those lines, the older Detective simply raised his hand and continued playing with the true love of his life; his animal friend.
"They didn't say much. They just told me they loved me, and that they were sorry they let me down when I was young…" Maura shrugged lightly, "That's all I needed to hear though." Jane, for the first time since their desperate embrace this morning when they had processed the information spilling from the television at an alarming rate, initiated physical contact with her friend. She reached out and took Maura's hand in her own. Neither woman made any effort to hide the rush of awareness that pooled in their fingertips before racing up their arms and into their bodies. "What do you intend to do with the rest of today?" Maura asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jane pushed her hair back, exposing her face, and offered her friend a grin. A real grin. Not the forced smiles she had been producing all day for TJ's sake. Her dimples popped and Maura felt her heart flutter. She knew that was anatomically impossible, but she was willing to make an exception right now. She was always willing to make exceptions for Jane. "Well," Jane began with a patented smirk as she tilted her beer amicably at the Doctor, "I intend to finish this beer, perhaps indulge in another because hey, not gonna have the chance to drink any after tomorrow," Maura's eyes widened at Jane's flippant tone, but the taller woman squeezed her hand reassuringly, "And then I'm gonna go down there and play football with my brothers, and I include Frost in that," The Doctor felt her throat swell with tears at Jane's insinuation that she classed her partner as a brother, "And our nephew, and you're gonna play too 'cause you don't get to die without playing football with the Rizzoli's…" Jane chuckled at the expression of horror on her friend's face, "We'll go easy on ya, don't worry," she added, a twinkle in her dark eyes. "And then, we're gonna have Korsak fire up that barbecue and have dinner. And you, my friend, are going to eat the greasiest, nastiest burger and you're gonna enjoy it," The Doctor couldn't help but grin, "And then we're all gonna sit out here and talk. We're gonna talk about life. We're gonna say goodbye, because we deserve to say goodbye to each other. And finally…"
The raven haired Detective took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, and said, "I don't have any reason to hide from you any longer Maura. I don't have anything left to hide behind… And the thought of, the thought dying without ever…" Maura caught on instantly, and threaded her fingers through Jane's, tears making their way down her pale cheeks, "Without ever telling you how much I… I love you is making me feel sick…" She risked a glance at Maura, and found she was not even in the least shocked at the amount of love she saw overflowing from her hazel eyes.
This dance of deception had gone on too long. Today, the last day, it would end.
"So, after we've said those goodbyes, I'm going to…" Jane swallowed thickly, "To take you to bed, and show you exactly how much I love you." Maura's stomach clenched with both expectation and joy at Jane's words.
She leaned forwards and brought their faces within inches of each other, breaths mingling as eyes sought out the opposite pair to gaze longingly into them, "I love you too Jane Rizzoli," the taller woman snatched in a ragged breath before there was a set of velvety soft lips upon hers, ravaging her in the best way possible.
Out on the lawn, Angela and Vince stood side by side, gazing at the two women. Barry and Frankie had ceased their play fighting and were standing together, Frost's hand on the taller man's shoulder. Tommy and Lydia sat on the grass, TJ between them, and looked on. Silently, in their own way, the each paid tribute to the love that had been a long time coming.
"Shame it took the end of the world for your sister to get her shit together," Barry muttered under his breath, his voice slightly rough due to the fact he was holding back tears.
Frankie shook his head, pressing his lips together, "Tell me about it," He said, wishing with all his might that some mystical power would intervene with the approaching threat currently hurtling towards Earth in the form of the largest meteor shower ever recorded in our system, just so he could bear witness to their relationship blossoming.
Angela felt a warm hand slide into her own and smiled tearily up at the man who had become both a Father figure to her daughters, and a friend and confidant of her own.
"It's been on the cards for a while, hasn't it Vince?" She asked softly, reaching for a tissue.
The Detective nodded, brushing at his own eyes, "Yes Ma'am, it has."
"They make a beautiful couple, don't they Tommy?" Lydia asked absent mindedly, tickling TJ's tummy and smiling as Jo leaped on top of her son, yipping excitedly. The youngest Rizzoli had an indefinable expression on his face. It was a mixture of pride, joy and sadness. Although he was glad his sister and Maura had finally opened their eyes, he couldn't escape the fact it would be short lived. Realizing Lydia was still waiting for a reply he turned to her, planting a gentle kiss on her lips, and nodded,
"They do. They really do."
Maura led Jane upstairs by the hand. Although they were well aware of the fact time was winding down, disappearing from underneath their feet even as they walked, nothing felt rushed. They didn't have to rush this. The Earth's atmosphere wasn't due to start boiling up for another eight hours. And that felt like all the time in the world. Once safely behind a closed and locked door, the two women stood in silence, facing one another, drinking in the details that they would soon lose the privilege of seeing every day. The tiny laughter lines that crinkled at the corners of Jane's eyes, the delicate smattering of freckles across Maura's chest, the slightly crooked smile adorning the Detective's face, the way the Doctor's honey colored hair seemed to glitter in the light of the dying sun still pouring through an open window.
Though they weren't sure who made the first move, soon their bodies were as close as was humanly possible without actually touching in any way. Jane slowly brought her hand up to cup her better half's cheek, smiling into eyes that were shining with love and tears. "I wish we'd done this years. I wish a lot of things Maura; I just want you to know that." Jane said sadly, brushing her thumb over Maura's jaw, eliciting a quiet sigh from the smaller woman.
The Doctor tipped her head to one side, leaning into Jane's touch, "I know you do Jane. As do I. but we're here now. And here is all we have. So let's concentrate on that…" Jane dipped her head and captured the Doctor's still moving lips in a bruising kiss, lifting her off the plush carpet when her knees buckled under the weight of their shared passion.
They moved seamlessly towards the bed. The bed they had shared on many occasion as friends and then as whatever their relationship had morphed into that far surpassed the boundaries of friendship, but still rested just slightly behind the line that read 'lovers.'
But now, all the lines had faded. The perfectly drawn lines in the sand had been washed away by the gentle, yet insistent tide, and there were no boundaries left to cross but this final intimacy.
Maura brought her hand's to Jane's waist and pulled the thin shirt free before starting work on the belt resting on angular hips. Jane was panting into her mouth, and as they kissed ferociously and without abandon, she felt strong fingers working at the zipper on the back of her skirt.
They kissed slowly; trying to get a handle on the unbridled passion that had them both clenched in its merciless grasp, gently learning a hidden map of the others mouth. Moans were coming from deep within throats, neither able to decipher which came from who, neither caring. And neither trying to keep a handle on their pent up desire and prevent it from being vocalized.
Jane's scarred hands, which had been previously resting on her lover's hips, began to trail up and down the length of the perfect body beneath hers, to arms and then following arms down to hands, slipping her fingers between the ones she found, tenderly entwining them together.
Maura marveled silently at the sensation of their digits molding into one, finally feeling the sense of completeness she had been searching for all her life. Jane moved herself to lie on top of the women beneath her, careful not to put too much weight on her precious body, and moved the reverent kisses from plush lips to the soft, creamy skin of the stretched and waiting neck. Her hands retraced their steps back down the creamy skin of toned arms but stopped at the sloped shoulders. She raked her teeth rather roughly over a pounding pulse point, eliciting a deep, ragged moan, before soothing it with her greedy tongue and then taking the skin into her mouth to suck.
Maura groaned again, winding her fingers into the luscious dark locks atop Jane's head and holding on for dear life, shifting her hips helplessly, desperate for contact of any kind. Jane allowed her fingers to trail reverently across the exposed expanse of stunning skin now exposed after the silk shirt was lost to the floor moments ago. They moved over protruding, delicate collarbones and down the centre of a rapidly heaving chest. Maura's eyes bulged and she moaned, feeling her underwear soak beyond all salvation as her desire rapidly escalated for the woman above her.
Now that Maura's perfectly proportioned breasts were before her very eyes, the only barrier between Jane's roaming hands and her breasts a simple lacey black bra, the Detective lost herself for a moment.
Sensing the uncertainty flooding Jane, Maura gently took hold of the hands resting near her abdomen and pulled them upwards, forcing Jane into action. Gently, but insistently, the brunette pinched Maura's already hardened nipples through the material and massaged them firmly, watching in silent awe as the smaller woman arched into her body, mouth falling open and eyelids fluttering closed.
A leg slipped between hers and pressed against Jane's centre and instinctively, her own jerked up and slid against Maura's, causing her to gasp aloud and unconsciously grind up against her flawless tanned skin. Jane leaned down, pressing her body fully against the one stretched out beneath her once more, feeling the heat and the wetness and the ever growing ever strengthening need building between them and inside her aching, throbbing core.
"I love you so much," Maura whispered in her lover's ear, gently nuzzling the flesh with her nose before suckling behind it with a curious mouth. She then raked her nails over the Detective's back, causing her to hiss in both pleasure and pain. "I need to feel you," she murmured, pulling Jane closer.
After a few minutes of exploratory kissing, Jane's lips began to descend again, going to take a hard nipple in her mouth, but she was stopped by hands tugging insistently at her hair. "I want to see you Jane. Don't… Just please, stay here with me." Maura panted, trying to gain her breath back. Questing fingers took hold of those pert nipples once more and squeezed and massaged harder, before pinching the nipples equally, and then once again claimed the writhing, moaning woman's lips.
Both women could hardly catch their breath, bodies on fire, the tightness between their legs was becoming painful, and every instinct inside Jane was screaming at her to act. But she couldn't seem to generate the courage to take the final leap into the unknown. One hand raised again, to tangle in soft blonde locks, whilst the other went lower, gently trailing down a toned stomach before reaching an insane amount of wetness. A shocked gasp escaped Jane's throat before she growled, "Fuck you're so wet," causing Maura to buck upwards into her hand. "For you... My god... Only you Jane." Maura said, voice dripping with want.
Jane tipped her head back and saw the Doctor's pupils had dilated to the point of becoming entirely black. The ache between her legs heightened sharply, causing her to inadvertently grind down against the happy-to-oblige leg. She slipped her fingers through the strip of soft curls and cautiously swiped a single digit through the wetness coating her swollen sex before coming back up to circle the protruding nub. Maura opened her mouth and then bit down on a strong shoulder to stifle a scream.
Jane repeated this motion, growing more confident and placing more pressure on the writhing woman below, hips bucking against her wrist more ferociously as she went on.
Lips separated as Maura gasped for much needed air. Moaning, she gasped out, "Inside Jane. Inside," She all but barked. Maura knew she was close, but she needed more of Jane to go sailing over the edge. "Together..." She hissed suddenly, and dark orbs closed in on her own, sparkling madly and willingly, "Together," A hoarse voice repeated back to her, and simultaneously, they both swiftly entered with one digit. A startled cry escaped Maura at the sensation of being so wonderfully possessed and filled... A deep, encouraging moan escaped Jane's perfect lips, which prompted them to add an extra digit to the tightness.
Stroking strongly, Jane pulled out and pounded back in; pushing as deep as she possibly could, finding the soft, sensitive spot on Maura's walls just as she found hers, causing two very different voices to vocally voice their pleasure. Curling fingers into it, Jane felt her love's inner walls tighten around them and strong, toned legs wrap around her narrow waist, pulling them even close together, as though through sheer force of will alone they could become one.
They came quickly, almost at the exact same moment; Jane buried her face in Maura's sweaty neck as she rode out the waves of pleasure, and then the plentiful amount of aftershocks as a result of the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced. Maura sobbed into Jane's shoulder before collapsing back onto the bed, panting and sweating and trying to stem the flow of tears. Jane gathered the smaller woman into her arms, holding her and rocking her as they cried before they fell into a sleep undisturbed by the horror of what was soon to unfold.
In that moment, between waking and dreaming, many things can happen, many impossibilities can occur, many terrors can be avoided in that spectral scene. Perhaps that was why, when the bedroom door was forcibly kicked down and the small bolt went flying across the room as two drowsy women were pulled unceremoniously from slumber by the excited shouts and screaming from the now very open doorway, they automatically assumed the end had come, and their minds were trying to shield them from the horror.
When the heavy weight jumped onto the bed beside them, they were fully awake and aware within seconds, drawing the covers around themselves to salvage their modesty.
"IT'S GOING TO MISS US! IT'S ON THE NEWS IT'S NOT GOING TO HIT US!" Jane blinked blearily up at Frankie as he grinned down at her. She then squawked indignantly as he wrapped his arms around her and Maura, seemingly uncaring or unaware of the fact both of them were missing a few essential items. Namely, clothes.
"Frankie! FRANKIE! EXPLAIN!" She demanded, shoving him away and then glancing over his shoulder just in time to watch her Ma skip, yes actually skip, down the hallway brandishing streamers she had sourced from somewhere over her head, singing the national anthem at the top of her voice. "What the fuck…" Jane muttered just as Frankie started gibbering out an explanation.
"They're saying something must have put it off course! Slammed into it or interfered with the direction who knows! There's only going to be a small shower around midday, over someplace in Iceland and it's not going to hit us! IT'S NOT GONNA HIT US!" Frankie pressed kisses against Jane's cheeks and then Maura's before clapping his hands together and lurching to his feet, "WE'RE NOT GONNA DIE!" He yelled triumphantly, and ran from the room to join in the rousing rendition of the anthem currently going on downstairs.
Dumfounded and speechless, Jane turned slowly to come face to face with the very confused, blushing face of Maura Isles. The Doctor met her gaze and then she grinned. A mega watt, ear from ear to grin, bringing her finger up to shove Jane's gaping jaw closed.
"We're not going to die Jane," Maura stated quietly, her heart beating madly inside her chest as Jane was yet to say anything, "We're not going to die. And we engaged in coitus last night…" Jane leaned forwards and kissed Maura before she could say anything more, leaving the blonde dazed.
"No more running Maura," She whispered, pushing waves of hair from Maura's bare shoulder, "No more running. We just survived the end of the world, and I'm done with running…" This time, it was Maura's turn to kiss Jane, and this one lasted far longer, until they were forced to separate by Jane's Mother screaming at them to come downstairs this instant to engage in the celebrations.
They shared one last knowing smile before they obeyed the demand that made no attempt to sound like a request.
It may have taken the approaching end of the world for them to reach this point, but they'd be damned if they let any of the time they had regained go to waste.