"Maura?" Jane walked through the doorway of the best friend's house. Maura had recently given Jane a key to her house, and Jane had showed her gratitude by repaying Maura with a key of her own. Right now, Jane had dropped by to surprise Maura out to drinks. She felt they deserved it after the hard case and trial they had just undergone to convict a serial killer. But Maura was not in the kitchen, nor in the living room. Her reply came soon, though.
"Up in my room, Jane. You can come in," Maura called from upstairs.
Jane walked up Maura's stairway, counting up the seventeen stairs as she lifted her legs. Opening the door to the master bedroom, Jane had expected to see her best friend somewhere in her closet, doing something with clothes and accessories, or maybe doing yoga on the carpet with a mat beneath her. What she got was nothing like that at all. What she got was Maura, lying on her bed under the covers, knees bent. There was a laptop leaning against her legs, and Maura was looking at the screen, eyes moving relatively quickly. She turned her head and smiled at Jane. It was then that Jane noticed that there was nothing covering Maura's shoulders. "Uh, Maur? You wearing anything under there?" The air around Jane suddenly felt a lot warmer.
"Of course, Jane. Don't be ridiculous," she giggled.
"Umm, no shirt."
"Strapless bra, Jane. I was feeling a little reckless, and decided to try something fun."
"So, just to be clear, all you're not wearing is a shirt? Everything else is covered?"
"Yes, Jane." She smiled at her friend's nervousness.
"It's not funny, Maur. You know I get borderline prudish around some kinds of things." She offered the doctor a smile anyway, letting her know she meant well. She walked over to the bed and sat down. "So, whatcha looking at on the laptop? I was going to come drag you out of here for drinks, but this seems a lot more interesting if it got you out of your shirt," Jane joked.
Maura laughed along. Jane may have always used humor to diffuse tension, but her attempts were always funny anyways. It was one of Jane's best qualities. "Well, you know all those TV shows we watch, like Bones and Glee and Grey's Anatomy?"
"Yeah, why?"
"This sit is about fan fiction. People who like a certain TV show, book, movie, whatever, can come here and read and publish their own stories of the show, using their own story lines. The sky is the limit, apparently." She smiled.
"Sounds interesting. What are you reading now?"
"A fluff fic between Callie and Arizona from GA."
"What's flu-"
"Fluff means romance. Other common terminology include smut and AU, meaning sex and alternate universe, respectively."
"Uh, wow. You seem to know a lot about this."
"I've been reading all morning," she said proudly. Her eyes were gleaming with adorableness.
"Hence the lack of a shirt?"
"I told you, Jane. I was feeling reckless. It's very liberating. You should try it, actually. Come here, get in bed with me, and I'll start the story over for you."
The heat in the air around Jane once again reared its ugly head, but now, some heat between the detective's legs accompanied it. Maura's tone was so innocent, as well it should be, but Jane couldn't help but read something into it. "I don't know about the shirt thing, Maur."
"Come on, Jane. It's nothing. The air doesn't bite." She smiled at her attempt at a joke.
Who was Jane to refuse her best friend? Especially when she knew Maura meant no harm. "Yeah, yeah, alright." She shed her blazer and then pulled her grey shirt over her head from the back, and set them both on the bedside table. As Jane turned away, it was Maura's turn to shudder. She was after all, the one who invited Jane to her bed, but she didn't expect Jane in just a black bra and slacks to be so...sexy. Such a turn-on. She snapped out of her reverie when she was Jane turn back around to face her. Maura scooted down the bed to give Jane room, and then realized that the slight wetness between her thighs made it uncomfortable to move. She balanced the laptop on her right leg and Jane's left, after they both had settled down. Maura handled the mouse pad. "I'll go back to the beginning for you. Just press the 'next' button when you finish each chapter."
Jane started reading the fiction on the page, and Maura started reading Jane. Of course she knew how gorgeous her detective was-everyone did but Jane herself- but she had never allowed herself to pay too much attention to the details that made Jane who she was. The slight frown on her face that shown whenever she focused; the dimples that were deep and genuine whenever she smiled. And her eyes; Jane's eyes were like chocolate syrup, and when she smiled one of those rare smiles that showed admiration and love, her eyes glowed beautifully. Maura could easily get lost in her friend's eyes. In fact, right now, she did. Maura stared into Jane's eyes and didn't notice anything else until Jane spoke. "Hey, Maur? Something wrong?"
Maura blinked. "Hmm? Oh, uh, no. Everything's perfect." Maura smiled when she said it, because it was completely true. Everything was perfect with Jane.
"Well then why are you looking at me? I thought something was up."
Maura had started inching her face forward when she had said everything was perfect, but she didn't notice up until now. Jane was so intent on keeping Maura's loving gaze that she didn't notice either. Maura spoke, "Jane, I promise, everything is perfect." She pressed her lips softly to Jane's, with nothing more in mind than expressing the love she felt for her detective. Her detective. Maura knew she belonged to Jane, and Jane to her, and now was the time to let it out and hope Jane didn't run.
Maura pulled back after a few moments. She opened her eyes to find Jane looking at her, smiling. It was one of those smiles she was thinking about earlier; the one that exposed her dimples and made her eyes glisten. One of those smiles that made people melt. And now it was Maura's turn to smile. Hers wasn't one of the classic Isles smiles; ones from parties and gatherings for when she had to be a polite hostess. No, this smile was classic Maura; reserved only for moments that she would file away in her mind later as "All Time Favorites". That is to say, Maura smiled a smile that was almost identical to Jane's yet so very different because she felt genuinely accepted now. Jane broke the not-actually-that-long silence with a smile and a question. "What was that for, Maura?"
"I guess you could say that it was a toast."
"A toast for what?"
"An epiphany of mine. I think you would agree to its importance."
"Alright, then, tell me about this epiphany of yours. I'd like to hear it, I think."
"It's very simple, actually. I guess it's developed over time, but it's just hit me now." She paused, and Jane motioned for her to continue. "I...I love you, Jane. I know I said it that one time when we made up after that robbery, but that was different. I loved you then, but now...now I'm in love with you." She had started rambling, but towards the end slowed down and said the last part calmly and smiled, sort of shyly.
Maura didn't know it was possible, but Jane's smile just got bigger and more radiant after she was done. She sat up on the bed to meet Maura and pulled her close, after settling the laptop down on the bedside table. "Oh, Maura, sweetie." Maura was pulled into a tight hug and when the two separated again, Jane continued. "Listen to me. You did see that smile that was plastered on my face just now, right?" Maura nodded. "Good, then you saw how much I meant it and how much I mean what I'm saying now. I love you. And I'm in love with you. You might say that my brain is firing some chemical or other into my body, but a layman like me would just say that I'm head over heels for you, Maur. I can't live without you, okay? You mean everything to me, Maur. And I'm so happy you finally had this epiphany because I'm not sure how much longer I would have been able to go without letting you know my feelings for you." She pulled Maura into a kiss; not a lust or desire filled one, but a kiss that exhibited love and trust and all the mushy feelings she never liked to talk about but were warranted in this case anyway. She pulled back and Maura sighed contentedly, with Jane following suit. Maura looked up to see a different kind of smile on her best-friend-turned-lover's face. This particular smile, the patented Rizzoli smirk, meant that Jane was planning something- something mischievous. "And what's more, Maura, is that I'm exceptionally grateful you said something now and not later, because you and I are both here, in your bed, and neither of us have a shirt on. And if I say so myself, you are the most beautiful and sexy person I have ever met, and I'm not really sure how long it would have taken here with you before I would have had to leave and, uh, 'take care of some things', if you know what I mean." She grinned somewhat sheepishly at this.
Maura laughed. "Yes, I know what you mean. And while we're being completely honest here, I would have had to do the same."
Jane openly chuckled at this. "Well well, there's something I didn't know about my favorite Chief Medical Examiner." She winked and flashed another glint of that famous Rizzoli grin. Maura's eyes showed signs of mischief as well.
"Mmm. Well, I believe you and I have the same problem. We also share a desire to relieve ourselves of this problem. The logic here says that maybe we should combine forces and solve the problem together. And you know how much I love logic." Maura's voice had changed to one of seduction; you could hear it. And all throughout the monologue, Maura had ganged up on Jane and pushed her back down on the bed, now straddling her waist, hands by Jane's unruly hair. But of course, Jane being the clown she was, had something up her sleeve.
"Mmm, Maura honey. You may be smiling, but I'm Rizzoli smiling."
"Remind me what that's supposed to mean?"
"It means that I have something up my sleeve, so to speak, as neither of us have sleeves at the moment."
"Oh?" Maura was smiling again. But then again, she had never really stopped. "And what's this something, now?"
"Well, Maur, I'm only on the second chapter. I fully intend on making you wait until I finish the fic."
Maura sighed, defeated, but in a good way. And only temporarily. This was the Jane Rizzoli she loved, and would enjoy herself with, in a few minutes. She just had to be patient enough for Jane to finish reading the fan fiction. Yeah, like that was going to happen.