This was suggested as a one shot from my other story - Merchandise. I thought about it and decided to run with it. It's a genuine one shot... So this is all there is. I don't think you'll need to read Merchandise first, but you might want to just to get some context.
Thanks MegaFae for the suggestion, otherwise I might not have done this.
Disclaimer: I hereby solemnly do swear I will not harm any of the characters and give them back in the same or even better ;) condition to TNT, Tess G, Janet T and anyone who lent them out for this little shindig. In other words, I own nowt. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Nought. Not a damn thing.
Finally (thank god I hear you cry) thanks to the two people who beta read this... Aiding the ideas with comments or additions of their own. You made this fun to do, and helped ease my constant self doubts that I pulled it off. Mistakes are mine...
Phew that's done, so let us begin.
Give me twenty four hours
Once upon a time...
"You know I'm not like you Jane. These feelings have been opened up, and I need to explore them, and I can only do that if you are with me. So, what do you say? Give me twenty four hours."
The words Maura had spoken reverberated around Jane's head, whilst she was unable to formulate a coherent response. She had finally moved and just mutely nodded her consent.
She had continued to watch dumbfounded as Maura's face broke out in the biggest smile ever, her dimples popping, eyes sparkling in pure delight.
Which had led them to here.
The reason why Jane was now pacing outside Maura's home, nervously running her sweaty hands together.
The reason why Jane had put an overnight bag in her car, only to drag it out and back up to her apartment twice, before finally putting it in the trunk, and locking it in, determined to keep it there.
The reason why Jo had been handed off to Tommy for the weekend, and actually, on Maura's insistence, for the beginning of next week as well.
The reason why, with that little plan with Jo from Maura, Jane still hadn't tried to process or work it out, because right now it was all a little too much to take in.
The reason why she had avoided her mother at all costs for the entire day at work, not wanting to give anything away. Her mother had an unerring way of sensing discomfort in Jane, and even if she rarely got Jane to open up, it was one more thing she couldn't face - not today.
The reason why Maura couldn't bear to watch Jane pacing anymore, so opened her front door, a wry smile on her face, as she gestured for Jane to come inside.
Finally, feet feeling like lead weights, Jane walked towards the open portal as if it were her death she was heading towards. Then as she took in the vision of Maura, her own smile slowly broke out across her face as she neared the person she so wanted to impress. The last person on earth she wanted to disappoint.
They were actually doing this!
Jane's steps faltered for a split second, but she managed to keep her momentum going.
They. Were. Actually. Doing. This!
Holy crap!
They were going on a date for a solid twenty four hours. The two best friends standing on the precipice, rocking slowly back and forth like a metronome, not sure which way their relationship was about to tip, but if both were being truthful, wanting it to topple into something considerably more, and topple soon.
Jane stopped in the doorway, leaning in towards Maura, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek, before moving back.
"Hey."
Jane stuffed her hands nervously into her jeans pockets, as Maura's one hand came out, gently brushing Jane's forearm.
"Hello."
Maura's voice, for all of her confident posture, betrayed her tension. Most people wouldn't have even noticed, even those close to Maura... But then again... Jane wasn't just most people.
Knowing she wasn't alone in her nervousness bolstered Jane. She pulled a hand out of a pocket to grasp the one that was now hovering millimetres above the forearm. She then walked inside, Maura not relinquishing her hold, briefly twisting her upper body to close and lock the door.
"Your mother is currently enjoying a two night weekend break at an exclusive spa outside Boston."
Maura's soft voice broke the silence as they moved to the middle of the room, standing between the kitchen island and sofa.
Jane's eyebrows shot up. "How in the hell did you manage that?"
"I simply told her I had membership for the spa, and that I was happy for her to take advantage of this weekends special for older, single people and in expectation of her agreeing, I had already paid for it. That she deserved a treat. She... As you would say - snapped my hand off." Maura stopped briefly, her eyes unashamedly raking over Jane's figure, before her eyes settled back to look at Jane. "It was propitious timing." Seeing Jane's questioning expression, Maura quickly added, "fortunate timing."
"You don't say." Jane smirked, as she continued to hold her eyebrows high. "And just what did you do?"
"What makes you think I did anything beyond suggesting Angela enjoy the excellent facilities there."
"Nope. Not buying it." Jane tugged on Maura's hand, the gap between them narrowing at a glacial pace. "So I ask again, what..." By now Jane was able to lean in, her breath hitting the outside of Maura's ear, her timbre husky, "did you do?"
"I might have..." Maura's words faltered as Jane's lips brushed, with the most incredible delicate of touches against Maura's skin on the side of her neck where it met her ear. She rallied her thoughts. "I might have suggested to the management they were missing a prime slice of marketing by not targeting a certain age group, to actively market something towards older, single people - expand their demography."
"Prime slice of marketing... You make it... make them, sound like a side of beef." Jane teased, her lips as close to skin as was possible, without actually touching. "But right now, I don't care, and whatever you did to encourage them to do this, and however you got Ma to agree, I think I just fell in love with you a little more for it."
"You... L..l..ove me?" Maura stuttered, not expecting those words from Jane, at least not this quickly.
Hoped for? Definitely. Expected this soon? Not at all.
"Yep. I love you."
Jane internally was slightly shocked by what she was saying, her words sure, unwavering and solid in their delivery, and she felt emboldened all of a sudden. They had danced around this for far too long, and it was time to be honest. Sensing Maura tense in slight shock, Jane brought her other hand up to embrace Maura more completely.
"I realized last night that I love you. In far more than a platonic, best of friends kind of way. Hell, lets face it, it's why we're here now. We both accept it was heading this direction after our little discussion about your buying of Merch." Jane finished by kissing the edge of Maura's mouth, feeling the turning up of the lips, heralding another mega watt smile.
"I just wasn't expecting so much, so soon." Maura finally admitted out-loud, relishing the way Jane was behaving, tamping down her desire, not wanting to rock the boat in any way.
Jane finally pulled them together, bodies touching with barely space between them. "Neither was I, but then I thought..."
Before Jane could finish her comment, her lips were captured in a bruising, urgent kiss, almost knocking the air from her lungs.
Finally. Neither knew how long they had spent exploring each others lips and mouths. Neither cared. This was already something that was electrifying, beyond anything either had experienced in the past. This, they knew - was it.
This was where two souls met and became one. Where the term Jane had always scoffed about 'soul mates' fell into place with a resounding crash and kicked all her preconceived ideas out without a second glance.
"Jesus." Maura barely whispered as she licked her lips quickly, feeling the tingling continue to travel down her body as they finally broke apart.
"Wow." Jane watched as Maura tucked her head into the crook of Jane's neck, both fighting to control their breathing.
"I'm suddenly reminded of the following poem by Pablo Neruda." Maura muttered, as she then carried on, her voice low and trembling.
"I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.
I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.
I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,
and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
Like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue."
"I have no fucking idea what or where the barrens of Quitratue are, but you found me." Jane murmured, as Maura lifted her head, eyes glistening with the lightest of tears. "And right now, the way I feel, I'm never letting go."
"Quitratue is in the region of Araucania, which in turn is in Chile." Maura said quickly, despite feeling flushed and slightly breathless, unable to stop herself from imparting the information.
"Obviously I'm not doing this right if you're still able to go all wikipedia on me," Jane then quickly moved, knowing Maura was about to protest with her usual complaints about wikipedia, pulling them back into the position she wanted so desperately.
Their lips met again, only this time it was slower. A reverence shown, to enforce the moment of clarity they were both feeling. This was truly in a completely different realm to anything either had known.
"I can't stop touching you…" Maura finally said softly. She laughed suddenly feeling self-conscious, but her voice had broken on the last syllable and she struggled to hold back tears.
Jane leaned back from her waist so she could get as good a look as possible at Maura without actually moving out of the embrace, concerned by the apparent shedding of tears. Maura quickly wiped an eye just as the moisture threatened to roll down her left cheek. Jane took note of the kiss swollen lips, and flushed skin, knowing Maura was simply mirroring her own look.
Seeing it was the sheer monumental moment that was happening, and not anything to really worry about that had caused Maura's emotions, she pulled Maura back into her upper body, as Maura again rested her head in the crook of Jane's neck. Suddenly, Jane felt this was one of her favorite positions ever.
"I kinda like having you touch me... " Jane then admitted, her own voice soft and gentle, exacerbating its husky timbre. "And I sure as hell love touching you."
And Jane knew, she couldn't get enough of Maura, whether they were touching or not. She just wanted to be in her presence, where she could simply look, where they could admire each other, drinking the sight in at their leisure. Unable to resist any further, a finger of Jane's came out, and she trailed the tip of it across the exposed skin on Maura's forearm, feeling Maura shiver ever so slightly. Had they not been in each others arms, Jane knew she would have missed the movement. However, she knew without a doubt, she wouldn't have missed the goosebumps that had risen across Maura's skin.
As Jane took all this in, finally their eyes met and Jane whispered, "You're gorgeous. I'm totally in love with you. Do you know that?"
Maura actually blushed. She was used to complements at how she looked. She was used to hearing similar words from so many different people. Lovers. Acquaintances. Those Maura considered friends. Family. Even on occasion people with whom she had only a fleeting crossing of paths, most likely to never meet again.
Hearing the words fall from Jane's lips just shattered her resolve, and Maura knew, without a doubt, that they had to make this work. Otherwise, if this didn't continue, Maura honestly didn't know if she would recover from the loss.
Already, Jane had obliterated her. Metaphorically ravaged her completely, leaving her in pieces, but all they had done was kiss.
"I feel..." Maura could never remember being this stuck for words before. Words were part of her. Vocabulary as much of her life as holding a scalpel was. But right now, words failed her. All she could do was pull Jane back into another kiss.
Undone.
She was completely undone.
They were both completely undone.
"So, what plans do you have for this date?"
They had finally managed to move away from the kissing, and were sitting on the sofa when Jane had asked the question.
"I was thinking of something that would encompass both our tastes."
Jane looked intrigued. "Well, are you going to give me more of a clue. I only packed jeans and tops, will they be smart enough? You didn't really say anything about what to wear when we first planned this. I assumed you would have told me if I had needed something a little smarter than my usual attire."
Jane looked at where they were with raised eyebrows. "Pho Pasteur? Huh, seen this place, but I admit I have never eaten here."
"I used to come here when I was at BCU." Maura admitted as they entered the Vietnamese restaurant, and where quickly shown to their seats. "It's been open since 1991, and I love their authentic food."
"Maura Isles in a basic eatery." Jane's voice was teasing, "Guess we still have a few things to learn about each other."
Maura gave a smile, knowing that Jane was just playing with her, as she opened the menu. "I would recommend the Ga Xao Xa Ot."
"Ga... What? Pad Thai is about my knowledge." Jane on hearing what had come out of Maura's mouth, didn't even bother to pick up her menu. "What in the hell is that?"
Maura reached over, opening Jane's menu, before pointing to something listed. "If you read this, it has the English translation alongside the Vietnamese."
"Ok...ay... Th...en.." Jane drawled looking closely at what Maura had shown her. She put the menu down after minute or so with a wink. "You could have just said a rice with chicken lemongrass."
"I could have done, but I prefer to keep it authentic."
"Of course you do."
"Oh my god, if I don't eat again for another week, that'll be too soon." Jane groaned as they stepped out of the taxi, back at Maura's house.
"You do tend to exaggerate Jane." Maura said as she pulled her keys out from her purse, quickly opening the door, letting them in.
"Yeah and I don't care, so there."
Jane slouched across the sofa, not caring she was taking up most of the room, as Maura began to do her usual nightly routine of checking the house alarm, making sure Bass was fed and settled. She then moved, and lifting Jane's legs up off the sofa, held them as she sat down, before placing them across her own knees.
"So, has this met your expectations so far?" Jane then asked, as she suppressed the shiver that wanted to run through her as Maura's thumb absentmindedly grazed the skin on her leg where her jeans had ridden up slightly at the ankle. Sneakers already discarded at the door.
Maura looked across, her expression a mixture of love and contentment. "This has exceeded them."
Maura's voice was low, and the reply made Jane sit upright slightly, enough to get a better look at her, but without dislodging them from their positions.
"Really?" Far from the usual sarcastic manner Jane would employ, the word was completely questioning in tone.
"Yes, really."
"Wow." Jane settled back a little into the cushion positioned behind her back. "That's... Wow."
"It has exceeded my expectations simply because what I imagined, no matter how small an event, reality has just been far better. I know that sounds strange, but the moment you stepped across the threshold earlier, the way we..." Maura faltered as she thought back to the kissing. "So far, it has been incredible."
Jane shifted completely, suddenly right up against the front of Maura, a slightly predatory look on her face.
"Guess we're gonna have to see how much better we can make it then."
Maura could only release a surprised squeak as Jane launched forward, and as the squeak died on her lips, Jane was capturing them with her own.
Without warning, as tongues met, Maura's one hand released Jane's hair, and shot out to fumble with the button on her jeans, quickly and skilfully undoing it, before heading to the next one, and the one after that, before the jeans were undone completely. Her hand then moved in past the denim barrier, and she growled into Jane's mouth in frustration, as the tightness of the denim meant she couldn't get her hand in the position she so desperately craved.
Jane pulled back, and stood up, looking down at the tousled, sexy and obviously frustrated blonde below her. Without a second thought, Jane began to pull on the waistband of the loosened material, wiggling her hips ever so slightly for effect, watching as Maura's eye's contracted and seemed to darken. She stepped out of the jeans, once they had shimmed down her long legs, and at the same time, pulled socks off as she went. Then she simply pulled her top off, not even aware that Maura was so shocked by her unabashed actions she could hardly take it all in.
Jane then moved back in, unhooking her bra as she went, having removed her underwear in the same motion that took care of her jeans and socks. Maura was shaken out of her reverie, as Jane leaned in close, words ghosted across her face.
"You seem overdressed."
Jane's voice was lower than ever, it's cadence completely dominated by the arousal felt in the rest of her body, sending a dramatic shiver down Maura, who finally stood up to meet Jane head on, before her own hands moved, and within minutes, she had divested herself of her own clothing, not caring one jot where they landed, before pulling Jane without preamble to the bedroom.
It was a slow, seductive smile that was planted on Maura's face as she closed the bedroom door on them firmly, ensuring she locked it, just in case Angela or another of the Rizzoli clan made an unexpected appearance.
She then moved in with a sway of her hips to where Jane was waiting, and a finger came out, as a fingernail settled on the top of Jane's one collarbone, before Maura began trailing it down the front of Jane. Slow and steady, Maura watched with fascination as Jane's breathing occasionally faltered, her body leaning ever so slightly into the contact.
"So, Detective...Do you have any specific plans for the next... oh I don't know? Three, maybe four hours?"
"More like the rest of the night." Jane's one hand came out as if to touch Maura, but her own free hand moved and grabbed Jane's hand, stopping it in its tracks, accompanied with a tutting sound from Maura and a shake of her head.
"All in good time."
Maura finally leaned in properly, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses on the same exposed skin her fingertip had earlier traced, but she had deliberately avoided all areas she knew Jane would need to be touched.
"Maur..." Jane ground the name out, and it was all her aroused completely addled brain could manage.
Maura gently pressed with her finger, enough for Jane to understand she was to fall back onto the bed, and she moved, with Maura following, her finger still pressurizing the top of Jane's chest, until she felt the mattress pushing in the back of her knees before she allowed her body to find its horizontal position. Jane was sure she was about to go insane.
"Maur..." Jane then repeated, and was rewarded with Maura lowering her body down onto Jane, and turning her attention away from Jane's torso, moved back to assault her mouth with kisses.
Jane's hands moved and her fingers grasped the back of Maura, before her hands moved from the shoulder blades, down to Maura's hips. Maura then broke the kiss they were sharing, and Jane moaned in frustration, her hands tightening their grip, pulling their hip's closer together.
Maura smiled the same slow seductive smile from before, and Jane couldn't remember her ever looking more beautiful than she did at that moment, and another moan escaped her lips. Maura then held Jane's face in her hands, and began to kiss her again, lips open, tongues of both women exploring.
Maura already couldn't have enough of Jane, and she had only just started, and for a split second she wondered if she was actually going to survive this encounter. Jane meanwhile had gained some control, and without warning, had flipped their bodies over.
Maura let out a whoosh of air as she settled back on the mattress, as Jane didn't stop the kisses, and with each placement of her mouth on Maura's skin, it was echoed with throbbing in Maura between her legs. Without thinking, her thighs parted some more, allowing Jane to settle into where she desperately needed more and more contact.
Jane meanwhile had reached the hollow between Maura's breasts, tongue teasing the skin, but not the nipple itself. With a growl, Maura's hand pulled Jane across to the destination she needed Jane to be at, and Jane smirked as she then drew circles with her tongue around the centre of the breast, before finally, she felt the pressure of Maura's hand on her head increase, so she captured the nipple in her mouth, her hand encasing the other side without a second thought.
Maura gasped at the sensations Jane's movements were creating, hooded, heavy eyes mirrored back at each other as Jane pulled away ever-so slightly.
"God, you're incredibly beautiful." Jane was surprised she was able to find her voice, let alone say what she did.
Maura's eyelids fluttered closed, and she forced them open again completely unaware of the tears that had formed in her eyes, unable to reciprocate with words of her own.
Seeing Maura's reaction, Jane leaned in even closer. "I know." She whispered forcefully, "Believe. Me. I. Know."
Jane then captured Maura's lips in the softest of kisses, before pulling away again, needing to see the look on Maura's face. It fascinated her that she was eliciting such strong reactions from another person, let alone it being Maura. Never, ever, had she felt the connection and emotions that were shooting through her body than she was now.
"I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming..." Maura suddenly said, unable to believe the intensity between them, for once the logic she so relied upon vanished, to replaced by thoughts that this was merely a hallucination. The fear that she would wake up and discover this had been the cruelest of all cosmic jokes.
"No, you're not dreaming. This is as real as it gets." Jane replied, her voice husky, and to prove it, she dragged her nails lightly down Maura's toned stomach, darting across on hip bone, before dragging them along the inside of Maura's one thigh.
Maura parted her legs even further, as Jane held her hand in the juncture of Maura's legs, simply cupping her there. Maura could only gasp again, and with merely a seconds respite, Jane's fingers moved, finding the place she wanted to be, before two fingers slipped slowly inside.
The moment Jane took possession, Maura knew she would forever be under the power that was purely Jane; mind, body and soul. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, ruined for anyone else.
"I love you." Jane said forcefully for the second time that night, and Maura realized she had closed her eyes, and on hearing the words, opened them again, not wanting to miss one second of the moment.
With amazing clarity, Jane moved as needed, and Maura felt a vigorous orgasm claim her, and she thought for one second that she would die from the power it emitted. That Jane now had the power to not just break her completely, but to kill her.
It was in that moment, that Maura felt the breath of Jane hitting where her hand had been only moments earlier, and for a second couldn't comprehend what Jane was doing, until she heard the whispered words "I love you. Completely and utterly love you."
Maura tried to formulate a reply, but was unable to speak, as her head fell back into the pillow. She was completely at Jane's mercy, and usually her body would never allow her to manage a second time so soon after an orgasm, but almost immediately Maura felt familiar stirrings within herself, and before long she was calling out Jane's name.
Jane began to stir, in turn her movement woke Maura up, who brushed some loose hair out of her face as she slowly turned and propped herself up on her pillows, suppressing a yawn.
Jane cracked an eyelid, and smiled as she saw Maura, as she in turn pulled herself up into her own pillows.
"Sleep well?" Jane then asked, her voice still sleep filled, and so it was an octave lower than usual.
Maura had to tamp down the feelings it stirred, knowing they really didn't need another round of sex. Soon. Just Not yet. Tempting. Just, no. Down. Feelings. Damn. You.
Maura then glanced at her alarm clock, and her eyebrows rose in surprise, seeing it was far later than she had realized. "I did sleep well."
"Good." Jane leaned in and pecked Maura on the cheek, before pushing the bedding aside and hopping out. "Bathroom." was all she then said, seeing the questioning look on Maura's face.
Watching Jane disappear into the bathroom, Maura smiled widely, before stretching and getting out of bed herself. She pulled on her robe, suppressed a giggle that threatened to erupt, before she padded out of the room to use the main bathroom, before heading into the kitchen where she patted Bass on his shell on her way to the coffee maker.
Jane walked in minutes later, shorts and tee shirt on, and slung a leg around the one stool up against the kitchen island, which she sat on, before resting her chin on a hand. "Thought you'd done a runner on me for a minute there Maur."
Maura grinned as she looked up from the coffee machine. "No, I thought you would want coffee though."
Jane's eyes gleamed, "Know me too well."
With those words, Jane hopped off the stool, and disappeared, returning a few minutes later with the newspaper. She quickly peeled out the sports section, careful not to dislodge any other pages, knowing that Maura hated reading anything less than a pristine paper. The only reason Jane got the sports section was because Maura rarely, if ever bothered reading that segment. Otherwise, it would be off limits until Maura had read it. It was a quirk Jane had quickly discovered in their friendship.
Friendship. As the word flitted across Jane's mind, and was replaced with the word relationship, she stopped, and looked back at Maura, the paper suspended in front of her. Her eyes following Maura's movements as coffee was being made and mugs were being pulled onto the counter. Relationship.
The reason why.
The reason for their living.
The reason why the world now made some kind of sense.
The reason why Jane could breath.
"You're gorgeous."
Jane couldn't stop the words spilling out as Maura froze and looked up at her, surprised etched in her face.
"Jane, I must look terrible. I've not got any make up on. I haven't even pulled a brush through my hair, I haven't dared look in a mirror, and I didn't have a full eight hours sleep that is the most conducive for your body to replenish itself from the day before."
"Nope, you're gorgeous." Jane repeated, unexpectedly finding herself fighting some tears.
Putting the paper down, Jane walked around the island, until she was facing Maura, who had dropped her head. Lifting Maura's chin gently with a couple of fingers, Jane smiled, watching as their eyes met. She saw what looked like embarrassment cross Maura's face, mixed with something she could only think of as real fear. Fear of losing their friendship. Fear of losing their relationship in any form. Jane knew immediately she would have to address it.
"I promise, I will never intentionally hurt you. I do love you, and as drastic as this sounds, I love you forever. Completely and without reservation. This - this is beyond all my expectations. I would rather die that do something that would tear us apart, or cause you pain. And you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are stunning at all times of the day and night."
Maura relaxed, even though Jane's protectiveness was still humming around them like a steel vice. In one instance Maura found it adorable, but she also found the level of intensity slightly disconcerting, even if she didn't want to swap the feeling for anything else in the world right at that moment. If anything, it struck Maura that she expected Jane to be the one full of emotional turmoil, and yet she was struggling with it. Good emotions, but strong and turbulent nonetheless.
"I think I've found my soul mate." Jane finally admitted, keeping her fingers lightly pressed against Maura's chin.
The words made Maura blanch slightly, causing a small frown to cross Jane's face. Realizing what was happening, Maura grabbed Jane's free hand.
"Sorry, I'm just slightly overwhelmed about the idea of soul mates." Maura whispered.
Her words allowed Jane to smile faintly. "I know the feeling." She then admitted. "I hardly believed I was partner material for anyone, especially in my line of work, but... the first time with a woman, and not just any woman, but with you, and I'm completely and utterly smitten. For the first time, I suddenly know just what the difference between sex and making love is. Perhaps I wasn't willing to accept what was happening between us for something that I thought of as inconsequential as sex, for something that shallow to potentially come between us. But you know what, the reality is - I can't deny this any longer. You stripped me bare in more than one way last night, and I love this feeling."
"Oh Jane."
Maura could hardly breath as she listened to the words Jane was speaking, and she finally leaned in, as Jane's arms encircled her.
"Don't let me go."
"Never." Jane then placed a kiss on Maura's head, before resting her chin on the same spot. "Never." She repeated in the lowest of whispers.
"Now we take it twenty four hours at a time."
Jane could merely nod at Maura's words.
"Twenty four hours. All I ask is for twenty four hours, a day at a time, for all time."
The End!
