I have a paper due and a large-ish weekly module assignment due in 24 hours. So naturally, as a good grad student, I wrote this one-shot for you.
It's a whole lotta fluff and a little bit of sexy. But it's time-sensitive, so it had to be posted today (still the day after Valentine's Day here).
Have fun reading. Ok bye!
Eyes slowly opened. Jane closed her mouth, trying to revitalize the tongue that felt as if the Sahara had settled there. Foggy and disjointed, she tried desperately to remember something, anything.
Name? Jane Rizzoli
Day? Sunday. Maybe?
Location? Maura's.
...bedroom.
The realization jolted the brunette into alertness and she sat up abruptly, taking in her surroundings.
A deep purple, high thread count sheet fell from her body and the surrounding air was cool. Too cool.
She was naked.
And that's when it all came rushing back.
"I fucking hate Valentine's Day," Jane grumbled. "Seriously. It's just a commercialized day now. It's only about expensive gifts, candy, cards, and flowers. And...well, getting laid." She sighed.
Maura smiled sympathetically. "Perhaps you only dislike it because you're single? If someone were showering you with all of those things, would you be quite so grumpy about it?"
The brunette's mouth gaped open. "Seriously? You're pulling that card with me?"
A shrug.
"You can't call me out for that. You're single, just like me, so what's your reason for being so chipper? You're supposed to hate today, too!"
"I don't think you want me to answer that question, Jane," Maura quietly replied, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
Jane closed her eyes as she released a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, nope. Walked right into that one, didn't I?"
The sound of an amused chuckle beside her only added to her frustration.
"But really, why don't you hate today?" Jane asked quietly, eyes now open.
"Because I'm not bitter about being single."
Jane's eyes narrowed, nostrils flared. "And you're saying I am?"
Maura smiled, attempting to assuage her best friend's anger. "Not bitter so much as appearing unsatisfied to be such."
Despite it all, balloon of anger inside of Jane deflated and her shoulders slumped. "I just - and if you ever tell anyone I said this, I will not hesitate to spill coffee in your Prius - I miss the whole physical thing. The romance blah blah blah, I'm okay without right now. It's the rest of it I want from time to time."
"You mean the sex?" Maura's amusement grew.
With a sigh, Jane replied, "No. Well, yes, but no. Stupid things like quick morning kisses when you're running out the door so you won't be late to work, or when you've had a shitty day, being able to be next to someone at the end of it who can make everything better without even trying." She paused. "Ugh, that's kinda romantic, I guess, but in my head it sounded different."
"Physical intimacy as a whole, not just sex itself," Maura summarized.
"Yeah." Jane shrugged.
"You don't want physical intimacy and everything else?"
Jane almost blurted out, Well I already have everything else with you. Instead she said nothing as she looked down at her cup of coffee and shrugged again, a sad smile on her lips.
Noting that it had to be relatively early, perhaps seven or eight o'clock based on the sunlight peeking through semi-sheer curtains, Jane glanced around the bedroom, then over to the alarm clock on the opposite side of the bed. 7:48am.
Bingo.
Long fingers brushed back thick curls over the top of her head, catching in the tangles halfway through the length of her hair. A puff of air escaped her lips and she flopped backwards onto the bed.
Memories kept on flooding in.
Around 1pm, a call came from the front desk downstairs, announcing a delivery for Jane.
As was typical, Korsak teased her. "You've got something at the front desk, Rizzoli." He grinned. "Candy and flowers, I assume? New boyfriend?"
Jane scoffed. "No, but if there does happen to be candy, I'm sure as hell not sharin' with you now."
The older man patted his stomach with a smile. "Don't need it anyway."
With a smirk at him, Jane left the bull pen, making a beeline for the elevators, curious to see what was waiting for her.
A clear vase with a dozen roses of various colors peppered with sprigs of baby's breath was sitting on the counter at the front desk when she approached. The guard looked up. "New boyfriend, eh?"
"Jesus, I know it's Valentine's Day, but the last time I checked everybody knows I'm still single," She shot back. "But I'm fine with it," she added, tacking on mostly in her head. "For all I know, these are from my mother."
Jane pulled out the card from the clear plastic holder and flipped it open. The words brought a smile to her face. She stuffed the card into the left pocket of her dress slacks and picked up the vase as she turned on her heel and headed back to the elevators.
"Who's it from, Rizzoli?"
All she did was throw her hand up as she continued walking away.
Once the elevator arrived, she stepped on it and pressed the B button. She was thankful that nobody stepped on before the doors closed.
The heels of her boots echoed loudly on the white linoleum floor as she made her way down the corridor toward Maura's office. As she turned the corner and leaned against the right door jamb, she greeted, "Bet these cost an arm and a leg to deliver last minute."
The sudden appearance startled the blonde and a hand flew to her chest as she gasped. "Why must you insist on doing that? Entering my office and immediately jumping into a conversation instead of relaying a proper greeting. Even 'Hey, Maura!' would have been far more appropriate."
Jane grinned. "Didn't hear me coming? Thought you knew the sound of my boots by now."
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to finish a report. I have some errands I need to run before stores begin to close."
"Oh, I see." A knowing look settled on Jane's face. "Valentine's Day shopping spree, hm? Trying to make yourself feel better about being single?"
Maura rolled her eyes and looked back down at the papers in front of her, putting pen to paper once more. "I already told you I have no problems with it."
"Uh huh. Okay."
Without looking up, Maura scribbled a few more things, looking between documents, and asked, "Since you obviously don't have any plans for dinner with someone, are you simply spending the evening by yourself? Or do you want to have dinner with me?"
"Well," Jane said, dragging out the word. "I guess I should have dinner with you so that you don't have to have dinner by yourself on this day so devoted to love."
"Excellent," Maura answered, finally looking back up. "My house at 7?"
"Sure," Jane agreed. "But just because it's Valentine's Day doesn't mean I'm dressing up, so we better not be going anywhere with a dress code."
"No worries. Nothing fancy at all."
"Good." She turned around to leave, but stopped and stuck her head back through the doorway. "Thanks for the flowers, by the way. I'm definitely feeling less grumpy than I did this morning."
"You're welcome." Maura bit her lip, trying to hide her smile as her best friend walked away.
Maura's sweet gesture brought a smile to Jane's face as she stared up at the bedroom ceiling. Completely unexpected, but sweet nevertheless, and somehow oddly enough, very Maura.
She stopped reminiscing to take stock of her body. Flexed the muscles in her legs as she stretched her toes, noting slightly sore muscles. Arm muscles a little, too. Arched her back...also a bit there.
Still, she smiled and breathed in deeply. The morning after had never felt so good.
Definitely worth the teasing she'd endured.
"Hot damn, Rizzoli," Korsak said as Jane came traipsing back toward her desk, vase of roses in hand. "You sure you don't have a new boyfriend?"
Jane set the glass container at the top right corner of her desk and turned to look at him as she dropped into her chair. "Yep. Positive."
"Well whoever sent those has to be someone important 'cause I only see that look when…" He trailed off, clearly coming to a conclusion. He smiled and waved his hand in dismissal. "Never mind."
"When what?" Jane prodded, eyes narrowing.
"Never mind. Better finish those reports before you leave."
Jane sighed. "Korsak, seriously, there's nobody."
He held up his hands in defeat. "Alright. If you say so." As he went back to sifting through documents from a case file, the knowing smile on his face remained.
Less grumpy. Stay that way, Jane told herself.
The afternoon dragged on as the brunette continued her paperwork. The only thing getting her through the dreariness was the thought of going to dinner with Maura. If she couldn't spend the evening with a date, she might as well spend it with her best friend. Who she'd probably rather spend it with anyway.
After she signed the last piece of paper, Jane glanced at her watch. "Fuck!" she muttered to herself. A quarter to seven. She shoved the papers inside a manila folder, tossed the stack of folders into a desk drawer, grabbed her keys and then locked it. She pushed back from her desk and stood quickly, left hand automatically reaching for her hip to check that her cell was attached to her belt. Blazer now in hand, she turned on her heel to leave and almost collided with Frankie.
"Whoa!" He braced his arms on Jane's upper arms to keep her from bowling him over completely. "Where you off to in such a rush?" Before his sister could answer, he continued, shooting a knowing glance over at Korsak. "Heh, Janie's got a Valentine's Day date."
"No, I don't! It's not a date, it's just dinner with…" She waved her hand. "You know what? It's none of your business, or yours, Korsak," she said, looking at her superior. She stepped around Frankie and rushed again toward the door.
"Jane!" the older man called out.
Her name came just as her fingers gripped the door handle and jerked it open, and she stopped. Looking back over her shoulder, her expression was obviously one of annoyance at having been interrupted leaving.
"Forgot your flowers."
"They'll still be alive tomorrow afternoon when I come in." With those words, she continued through the door, the click clack of boots loud as she all but jogged away.
As she descended the steps of the building, she was suddenly grateful that the card from the flowers was still tucked inside her pocket. Nosy coworker. Nosy brother.
Finally the thought that Maura should have been in bed next to her crossed Jane's mind. Her brow furrowed as she sat up, arm holding the sheet to her breasts at a lame attempt to stay slightly warmer, and listened hard.
She didn't hear the shower, or weird instrumental music coming from Maura's yoga room. The light in the walk-in closet wasn't on, so clearly the blonde wasn't getting dressed.
"Maura?" she called out.
Silence.
"Oh for the love of god, did she seriously take off and leave me in her own bed?" Jane muttered to herself. Covers thrown back. She shivered, but slipped out of the warm bed anyway. Her undergarments and clothes were nowhere to be found. "And she left me no fucking clothes? Seriously?"
The grumpiness from the previous morning was creeping back in. She grabbed a silk robe hanging in Maura's closet and slipped it on, tying tightly around the waist. The hem only fell to mid-thigh and she sighed at the shortness, but set off in search of her best friend.
"Maura, I'm here!" she called, quietly entering the front door of Maura's Beacon Hill home. When she saw a few pots on the stove and two place settings at the kitchen island, but no Maura, she called the other woman's name louder.
"Coming!" came the feminine voice from down the hall. Light footsteps coming down the stairs.
When Maura turned the corner and spotted Jane, she frowned. "You didn't even change?"
"I left work 30 minutes ago. If I'd gone home and changed, I wouldn't have gotten here until almost 8. It's already 7:15, you know."
Glancing down at her watch, Maura quietly said, "Oh. You're right."
The two made their way into the kitchen and Maura busied herself with the cooking meal. Jane stood at the shorter end of the island and reached for a cherry tomato in the large bowl of mesclun in front of her, prompting Maura to reach forward and slap her hand away. When the blonde began stirring something in a pot, Jane quickly plucked off a tomato anyway, popping it into her mouth.
Maura sighed as she set the spoon on a spoon rest and covered the pot once again.
Jane smiled as she chewed the juicy red fruit and then swallowed. "Thought you said we were going somewhere?"
"No, I said it wasn't fancy. You just assumed we'd be dining out."
"Mkay." With a shrug, Jane plopped herself down at one of the island bar stools. "What are we eating?"
"Boeuf bourguignon," Maura replied. "It's almost finished." She then grabbed a small pan of thinly sliced sourdough bread with garlic spread on top and turned to the oven, setting the broiler to low. "Want to pour us some of that Cab Sav by you?"
It was only then that Jane noticed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses on the kitchen island to her right. The cork had already been popped, Jane realizing Maura had done so earlier to allow time for the wine to breathe. She poured out healthy servings into the glasses, setting the bottle down, and then picking up hers to swirl and sip. "Hmm, that's better than the one we had last time," she commented.
Maura looked at Jane and smiled, pleased that Jane had remembered and noticed the difference. "How was the rest of your day?"
"Ugh," Jane scoffed. "Awful. Boring. Thought I was gonna die from paperwork. Yours? Have fun on your shopping spree?"
With a glance into the oven to check the bread, the blonde said, "It wasn't a shopping spree. Just an expedition. And a minor one at that. Then I went to the grocery to buy the rest of what I needed to cook dinner."
"What'd'ya buy? While shopping, I mean."
"The bag is on the table behind the couch if you want to look."
Jane glanced behind her. Curious at the small size of the bag, she got up to inspect further. She pulled out a bright yellow box a little smaller than the size of her hand. "Invicta?" She turned to Maura and looked up, clearly confused.
"Take a look inside," Maura instructed, then opened the oven door to remove the pan of toasted bread and turned back toward Jane as she set the pan onto the marble top island.
Inside it was a silver watch. A nice watch. Well naturally, Jane thought to herself. It's Invicta.
"You already have a ton of watches and you don't even wear ones this small." She set the open box on the island and slid back onto the chair.
"No, but you do."
"What?"
"It's for you." Maura smirked. "Don't think I haven't noticed that there's a crack on the face of your watch. You needed a new one, so I bought one."
Eyes widened. "What? No. This is a like $500 watch, Maura. I'm not taking this."
Maura rolled her eyes. "No, it's not, and yes, you are."
"No, I'm-"
"Yes," the blonde said emphatically. "You are. It's my Valentine's Day gift to you. Expensive, remember? That's what you said this morning."
Jane frowned. "Then you should also remember that I said I hate Valentine's Day for this very reason. Flowers, expensive gifts…"
"And I told you that you might not feel that way if someone were doing all of those things for you. Have you been less grumpy today by receiving flowers? And being able to look forward to dinner with your best friend?"
"Dammit," she muttered, slumping in her seat.
Triumph. "That's what I thought. Now, let's eat."
As Jane neared the kitchen, she smelled coffee and...bacon? An eyebrow rose. "Maura?" she called as she turned the corner.
Maura was standing in front of the stove, flipping bacon. She smiled as her friend entered the room. "Don't get too excited. It's turkey bacon."
The brunette's nose scrunched briefly. "Guess it's better than the alternative of no bacon at all."
It was then that Maura looked over. The sight before her made her bite her lip. A messy morning hair Jane wearing one of her silk robes tied tightly around the waist. Hardened nipples were easily visible through the lavender colored material.
Jane then noticed Maura's appearance. Hair pulled back into a low, loose ponytail. A white button-up. No pants. "Now I know where my shirt went to," Jane commented as she slowly approached the kitchen island. "Where are my pants and blazer?"
"Hung with my clothes that need to be dry-cleaned. When I picked them up this morning in the hallway, I realized you had a wine stain on the lapel," Maura explained. "Not sure how that happened considering the shirt I'm wearing is clean."
The bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon was easily and quickly finished between the two women, and Maura suggested opening another.
Even with only two and a half glasses of wine, Jane felt the buzz. It made her nearly giggly. Happy. She shook her head. "Think I'm good." She grinned goofily at the other woman.
Maura nodded in agreement. After staring quietly at her now-empty glass for several moments, she then asked, "So, how does this Valentine's Day rank compared to all of your previous ones? Or at least the most recent ones."
After a moment of contemplation, Jane replied, "Hm, probably second."
The response was clearly disheartening for Maura. "Oh."
Unable to stop herself, Jane reached forward and placed her hand on top of Maura's, smiling. The gesture made Maura meet dark brown eyes. "It's only second because the top ranked ended with sex."
A small puff of laughter came from Maura's lips, but after glancing back down, her look then became pensive. "You didn't really answer me this morning," she stated slowly, "when I asked you whether or not you wanted the physical aspects of a relationship in addition to all of the others. You just kind of shrugged it off."
And again like that morning, Jane shrugged, pulled her hand away.
"It feels to me like you do. Want it all, I mean. Why aren't you looking for someone to have that with?"
Jane took a deep breath. "Because I'd just fuck it up."
"Would it make you feel better if I said that I feel the same way?" she asked quietly. "That I'm not pursuing that kind of relationship because I'm terrified of ruining it?"
"God, we're a pair," Jane breathed out.
"But a great one if you ask me," Maura said.
The softly spoken words brought emotions to the surface Jane hadn't wanted to face.
Perhaps it was time to.
As Jane neared Maura and the kitchen island, she hesitated momentarily, trying to decide if she should simply sit down, or kiss Maura. Clearly Maura wasn't feeling awkward about everything that happened the night before, so Jane chose the latter. Looping long arms around Maura's thin waist, they stood together, hips against hips. "Good morning," Jane said quietly.
Maura beamed. "Excellent morning, I'd say," she replied as she leaned in closer. "Waking up naked next to an equally naked Jane Rizzoli easily beats out every morning I've ever had."
A brilliant smile showed deep dimples. Jane leaned in, intent on closing the distance between their lips, but she stopped as a small hand pressed against her upper chest.
"I'm not kissing you until you get rid of that morning breath." Maura's nose scrunched momentarily. "Normally I wouldn't care, but last night's dinner and wine clearly had a terrible aftereffect for you." She bit her lip, attempting and failing to hide her smile.
Though rolling her eyes, Jane obediently pulled away and dramatically turned to head back upstairs.
"Do you believe in soulmates?"
The question surprised Maura, but she realized that she and Jane had never explicitly discussed it. "I didn't use to," the blonde replied, "but my feelings are a lot more complex about it now."
"Me neither," Jane agreed. "What happened?"
"The 'science' behind soulmates is questionable, at least in my opinion, but based on my personal observations, I think sometimes that belief can change if your heart tells you otherwise."
"So you met Ian and that's when your heart told you otherwise?" Jane felt nauseated.
"No, I actually still didn't believe in soulmates after being with him." Maura chewed lightly on her bottom lip.
"Okay, then your view changed because of your observations based on others' experiences with relationships?" Jane was finding Maura's responses hard to make sense of, especially since Maura had once referred to Ian as the love of her life.
"No, my own experiences, too." Starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, Maura rose from her seat and began to clear the dishes in front of them.
Jane's brow creased. "So, you do believe in soulmates now."
Maura sighed. "I suppose if you want to look at it in terms of only black and white, then yes, I think soulmates can exist, but I can't say that everyone actually meets theirs."
"Have you met yours?" Jane held her breath, waiting for her best friend's response.
With a deer caught in headlights look, Maura swallowed nervously before nodding. She cleared her throat softly and said, "I think so."
"Then why are you here with me?"
Maura had to turn quickly toward the sink, some dirty dishes in hand, to give herself a moment to fight back the tears gathering quickly in her eyes. To her it was now obvious Jane didn't reciprocate the sentiments and she felt entirely foolish for her actions and words the entire day. Setting the items in the sink, she simply replied, "I think I'm exactly where I need to be right now." She bit her bottom lip to stop its trembling and then turned on the faucet to rinse off plates and silverware.
When Jane spoke again, her voice was closer, likely only a foot or two behind her left side. "But where do you want to be?"
When Jane returned to the kitchen, Maura was sliding the bacon from the pan to a plate. She couldn't resist the urge to stand behind, bodies molding together as she pulled her lover closer against her with long arms. After Maura set down the pan, Jane brushed a ponytail of loose golden blonde curls to the left and said in her ear, "I forgot to say before that you look absolutely gorgeous standing in this kitchen wearing nothing but my button-up and lacy red boyshorts while you cook breakfast for us."
Maura let herself relax into the embrace and she sighed, content. "I think you look sexy in my robe that is definitely of questionable length on you."
"You complaining?"
"Hmm uh," Maura moaned in response as Jane's fingers began slowly unbuttoning the shirt, starting at the bottom. "Definitely not."
After two buttons, however, Jane stopped, hands coming to rest low on Maura's belly, right above the elastic of her underwear.
There was a whimper of protest.
"Why did you-"
The sentence died on her lips when Jane quickly slipped her left hand inside the fabric and cupped the sensitive area it covered. A tentative dip of her middle finger parted slick flesh and she dragged the wet finger up to Maura's clit.
Maura gasped.
"Mm, I love that sound now even more than I loved it last night." She teased in circles, eliciting soft moans, loving how Maura's body responded to her.
"Oh god," the blonde moaned.
"Loved hearing that, too." She lightly bit Maura's shoulder and slipped her fingers lower once more.
Breathlessly, Maura said, "Jane."
Jane slipped her fingers free from below the fabric, and after wrapping her left arm back around the blonde's waist, turned them both around to face the kitchen sink.
"I remember last night when you told me you were already where you wanted to be. My heart was beating so fast I thought it'd fall out of my chest, but I still stepped behind you standing at this kitchen sink, just like now. Remember telling you I was where I wanted to be, too, and slipping my arms around you just like this."
The words in Maura's ear brought her to the edge of feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "I remember turning around to face you, trying to make sure I was reading the situation and how you felt correctly."
"And you were," Jane replied softly, placing a gentle kiss to the crook of Maura's neck.
"Then you kissed me."
Lips still pressed against the soft skin, Jane mumbled, "And then I kissed you." She smiled.
Maura hummed contentedly. "Kiss me again?" She turned in her lover's arms.
"Hm, how about we just do everything again?" Jane suggested instead.
"Sounds good to me."
Jane dropped her hand down to link her fingers with Maura's before leading the way back upstairs to the bedroom.
Unrelated to story A/N: Also, um, thanks to the person(s) who nominated The Nanny for Best AU in the newest round of the Rizzles Fan Awards...?
I question your judgment, but appreciate the support nonetheless. ;-)