Disclaimer: I own nothing, though I can dream that I do ^.^
Photo Album Memories
Maura Isles had never been one to fully understand her emotions, had never been one to truly grasp what they could do to her. Until she met Jane Angela Rizzoli. She took the smallest sip from her glass of red wine, gazing at the open photo album perched securely on her lap and remembering all the events the photo's captured. The song "Lucy" by Skillet rang quietly through Maura's apartment, leaving no room for quiet to sink in.
Slowly Maura turned through the pages, looking fondly of one that she herself had taken. It was of Jane smiling; the kind of smile she only had for Maura, the biggest and brightest smile Maura had ever, and would ever, see in her life. She softly traced the outline of Jane's strong features and tried to breath around the growing lump in her throat.
Her eye's flicked over to another picture, this one taken by Angela Rizzoli. It was of Jane holding Maura as they sat under a tree in the park at a Rizzoli family and friend's picnic, waiting for Frank Rizzoli Sr. to finish cooking the hamburgers, laughing at their own quiet commentary as Frankie Rizzoli Jr. and Barry Frost passed a football and Vincent Korsack arguing fiercely with one of Jane's numerous cousins. Maura remembered that day so vividly, Jane had been holding her lovingly, sitting behind her with her arms wrapped almost possessively around her waist. Maura had leaned back into Jane, her petite hands placed lovingly on top of Jane's long ones. Maura had to close her eyes as tears threatened to spill over and down her cheeks; the memories though didn't stop with the closing of her eyes though.
One popped into her head of when Jane first kissed her, they had been going home after the marathon, Maura smiled slightly and shook her head as the memory played out on her closed eyelids. They both had been beyond exhausted and all Maura wanted to do was go to sleep, thinking fondly of how comfortable her bed was. A small voice in her head though kept reminding her how much more comfortable her bed would be if Jane was there, sleeping right beside her. Maura couldn't help but smirk at how she remembered Jane using the precise moment she closed her eyes to banish the small voice to the darkest depths of her "Google" mind, to kiss her softly on the lips. Both women were standing just in front of their cars and Maura still could not to this day remember when she climbed into Jane's car, maybe it had been after Maura had pushed Jane roughly against her car and kissed her senseless.
Maura opened her eyes after that memory and gazed at the photo of Jane and her holding hands, Frost had taken it one day when they had all gone out to dinner. Her eyes lingered on her and Jane's laced fingers as the memory of the feel of Jane's had in hers came back, making Maura draw her hand to her chest and sigh softly.
She shook her head and placed the album on her coffee table, draining the last of her red wine, standing and heading for the kitchen. Gently she placed her empty cup on the counter and stood at the entrance to the living room from the kitchen, her gaze travelling over the assorted furniture and all the memories of things she and Jane's had done in this one room alone.
Maura couldn't help but chuckling softly for a second as she looked at her couch, remembering the time when she had ravaged Jane there more then once because of her impatience and wanting Jane so badly that she couldn't wait to get to the bedroom. She looked at the front door and felt the tears coming back as she recalled the time when Jane had pressed her against it, kissed her so passionately that she had taken Maura's breath away and then whispered in her ear that she loved her more than life itself.
She sighed again as she went into the kitchen and refilled her glass, walked back out to her living room, sat and went back to looking at the album, turning to the page of when it was Jane's birthday smiling at how happy Jane looked with frosting smeared all down her face. Frankie Jr. had thrown a piece of cake successfully at Jane's face; Maura had been the one though that rubbed the frosting all over Jane's face. Maura laughed outright as she remembered Jane's retaliation by smearing a piece of cake in Maura's own face, effectively covering her whole face in cake frosting. It had been the best birthday Maura had ever been to.
Maura turned to another page and longingly gazed at one of her favorite pictures of Jane. It was one of only a few that had Jane sleeping peacefully, her facial features completely relaxed and the hints of a smile tugging at her lips. Maura loved this picture; it reminded her of Jane's soft and vulnerable side, a side that Maura cherished whenever Jane had shown it to her.
Maura admired the picture for a few moments longer then turned to the last few pages of the album and felt the tears come back though this time she didn't even try to stop them. It was a picture taken from a pedestrian when Jane was held hostage by The Dirty Cop. The shot was taken just as Jane pulled the trigger, the bullet ripping through her delicate organs. Maura started to shake as she looked at Jane's open eyes, filed with nothing but pain and regret. That day would haunt Maura for the rest of her life.
Slowly she turned to the very last page, starring through blurry eyes at the shot taken by someone Maura couldn't even remember. It showed Maura kneeling in front of a grave, placing a rose almost lovingly atop it. Maura drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes again before looking at the very last picture in the album.
It was of Jane and Maura, with Jane sliding a beautiful gold band onto Maura's finger, the very same ring the Maura to this day fiddled with whenever she is upset or pondering something. Maura let out a choked sob and abruptly shut the photo album, placed it back on the table, left her drink and turned off the stereo system with the lyrics
"I've gotta live with the choices I made
and I can't live with myself today"
following her as she walked slowly towards the bedroom. She climbed into her bed and reached out under the covers, wrapping her arms tightly around the laying figure already in bed. Maura scooted closer and spooned up against the sleeping form.
Maura was just about the drift off to sleep when she heard Jane whisper softly "You really have to stop looking at that album." Maura could only smile sleepily and draw Jane closer, saying nothing but having a dreamy smile on her lips.
Jane turned gently in Maura's arms and lightly caressed her cheek with the back of her hand before whispering back "I promise I will never leave you" Maura could only smile and let the tears flow down her cheeks as she fell asleep with Jane in her arms, her promise ringing in her ears.
The following morning Maura woke up to an empty bed and Jane's promise ringing clearly in her mind. She buried her head in the pillow and cried. Every night she felt like it was the night before the Day, the night where she held Jane so close to her with Jane softly caressing her cheek, the night when Jane had made that promise, the night of the day Jane proposed to her, the night when Maura had never felt so happy before in her life. All she could hear in her head, aside for Jane's promise was the chorus for the song "Lucy" by Skillet:
Here we are Me and Lucy walking hand in hand
Now you're in my arms
I never wanted anything so bad
Here we are
For a brand new start
Living the life that we could've had
Me and Lucy never wanna end
Just another moment in your eyes
Ill see you in another life
In heaven where we never say goodbye.
Maura had only her memories and a few photos left of her true love and best friend. She could hardly live with herself any day. Softly she whispered "I love you Jane". Silence was the only thing that responded.
End