Hiya! This is my first R&I fic and I'm a little nervous to be posting it, but here goes nothing. I've always wondered why people don't really use Marisa very much. I think she'd make a pretty good catalyst, but maybe that's just me.
That being said, tell me what you think. I won't continue it if people think it's crap. There's no Maura for now, but I promise there will be.
For the Fuzz: I own nothing but my own ideas. Don't be trying to find me, there's nothing to sue for.
Jane sat bolt upright in the darkness, echoes of her dream not yet fading. Her skin was cold and wet with sweat and her heart raced. Goosebumps peppered her arms. Her eyes were moist and her throat was dry as she reached for the gun in her nightstand drawer. She didn't pick it up, but touching it, knowing it was there, was enough.
Joe Friday sat up along with her, walking along the bed to Jane's lap and cuddling up to her mistress in sympathy before settling back down to sleep. Reveling in the warmth of the little body, Jane lied back down on her pile of pillows. She scanned the room and groaned when her eyes landed on the digital clock, glowing the dark. It was only midnight.
She had turned in early that night out of boredom. Maura was out on a date with some guy, and the Sox just weren't doing it for her. Her week had been long and exhausting, having put a double homicide to rest. By the time Friday evening rolled around, she hadn't even had the energy to make it to the Robber for drinks with the guys. And since Maura wasn't going to be there, she had even less of a reason to go.
By seven o'clock, she was eating Chinese takeout on the couch, drinking a beer, and watching the Red Sox lose by two runs. By eight, she was struggling to keep her eyes open and, by nine, she was waking up from an impromptu nap and shuffling herself down the hallway to her bedroom for a full night's sleep. Now, at 12:08, Jane felt her whole body awaken and she knew she wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon. She swung her long legs out of bed after removing her terrier from her lap and headed for the living room.
As much as she hated to admit it to anyone but herself or Maura, sleepless nights like tonight were all too common, and Maura only knew because of her keen eye for darkened nasojugal folds and concern for her best friend's well-being. And since Maura could tell just by looking at Jane the next morning that she had a nightmare, Jane usually ended up giving her a call on nights like this, to save herself the berating in morning, and to hear a friendly voice reminding her that it was only just a dream, they were becoming less frequent, and Charles Hoyt would not - could not - harm her.
Even if it was all a lie, it was still nice to hear.
But Jane wouldn't be hearing it tonight. She didn't want to call and disturb her best friend just in case her date had gone long or gone 'well.' Or gone long and well. Wait, that sounded gross. Jane shook her head and sighed. This was just not her night. Standing the living room, Jane surveyed the apartment. There wasn't much to look at, honestly. Just her simple, rather smartly designed apartment with it's fair share of scattered crap after a week of Jane being too busy to care where she left her shoes and the occasional shirt. On a night like this, there was clearly only one thing to do.
Half an hour later, over the din of the zooming vacuum, Jane heard a knock on her door. Peering though the peephole before she opened it, Jane felt a little smile grace her lips as she reached for the doorknob.
"We have to stop meeting like this," she said with a little husky laughter. "Did I wake you again?" She tilted her head, silently inviting her guest inside.
"Nope," Marisa said softly as she stepped in, "studying again. I just thought maybe we could both use a break."
Jane nodded in agreement. A half hour of vacuuming and cleaning the house had done nothing to settle her fast-moving mind. It seemed the only things she could think about were either her nightmares or Maura, neither of which seemed like a good idea; the nightmares for the obvious reason and Maura because - well, Jane just didn't want to go there. At the moment, her sweet, law student neighbor, Marisa Rodriguez, seemed like a welcome change. It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes, either.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the detective asked. "I've got beer, soda, or coffee if you're pulling an all-nighter."
Marisa held up a small dark bag and shook it. "No, I'm covered on the caffeine. Chocolate-covered coffee beans. Want one?"
Jane grabbed one of the tiny beans and popped it in her mouth as they both moved to the couch. "Not bad. But I think I'm going to be up all night even without them."
"Another bad case?" Marisa asked, placing a friendly and concerned hand on Jane's arm, intentionally minding the detective's hands.
"No," Jane chuckled softly. "That's not what has me up this time."
"Oh." Marisa paused and looked down. Jane noticed that she had retracted her hand. "Is it something wrong with you and your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Jane was purplexed. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why you're talking about.
Now Marisa was equally confused. "That woman, Dr. Isles? I see her every now and then when she comes to walk Joe because you're busy working a case or something…" Marisa's voice trailed off as she noticed Jane wasn't making any positive responses. In fact, she seemed downright out of it, like she couldn't make up her mind on how to feel. Though, so far, it looked like there was a tie between side-swiped and slightly amused. "I take it she's not your girlfriend, then?"
Jane's eyes refocused and she glanced at her neighbor. "No," she said with an awkward chuckle, "Maura's not my girlfriend. She's-" at this point Jane took pause. "She's my friend. My best friend. But my friend. I'm- She's my friend." At the end of the stuttered statement, Jane looked down and hoped to God that the low lighting and her darker skin would hide the blush she felt coming on.
Marisa pulled back completely, giving Jane space by sliding over to the other end of the couch. She wasn't sure which one of them was more embarrassed and she was even less sure about what that meant about her neighbor. Except that, of course, she and Dr. Isles were "friends."
"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume." Her eyes scanned the floor in between occasional glances at Jane. Had she gotten her signals mixed up or was it just wishful thinking altogether? Well, not that wishful. If it was, then she'd have thought she was the one with Jane, not that runway model of a doctor. "I'll get out of your hair now. I, uh, I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry, Jane."
"Wait, hold on," Jane said, following the law student to the door. "It's no big deal, really." Marisa wasn't the first to think she and Maura - although, to Jane's knowledge, Maura never knew it - were dating and Jane was pretty sure she wasn't going to be the last. "There's no sense in leaving over it, really."
"I didn't mean to offend you, though," Marisa said, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, to imply that you are... or your friend... or that you and your friend...Not that it's a big deal, I mean I... I'm going to shut up and go back to my own apartment now," she announced with the sudden clarity of one trying to make a last ditch attempt at saving face. She reached behind herself and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
"Wait, before you go..." Jane was running out of time. She wasn't sure what she was trying to to say, but she certainly didn't want Marisa to feel bad for anything she she'd said and the moment, she really didn't want the younger woman leave. This was such a bust. No wonder Frost was always going on about how she and Korsak had 'no game.' Hell, from the looks of it, she wasn't even in the stadium.
Suddenly the words leapt out of her throat before her brain had time to stop them. "?"
Well, it did cause Marisa to stop her not-so-subtle fiddling with the doorknob.
"What?"
"Do you want to get coffee or something sometime?" Jane repeated, slower this time and with more thought. "You know, see each other in daylight hours for more than five seconds in the hallway? Or, you know, it doesn't have to be in the daytime. Whenever works best for you, it could even be dinner... or not. I think I'll stop talking now."
Marisa's brow furrowed as she put together the pieces in her mind. "So coffee?"
"Or dinner." Jane repeated.
"And this... coffee or dinner, it would be like a-"
Jane rubbed the back of her neck nervously and hoped that she hadn't read into this wrong. "Like a date. Ifyouwantittobe." More nervous, stupid words were tumbling out. Geez, it had clearly been too long since she'd done this.
Marisa smiled, leaned up on her toes, and kissed the detective on her cheek. "That sounds great. I'll call you."
As the young woman left the detective's apartment and the door closed, Jane did her own version of a happy dance - a failed attempt at a moonwalk. No game, my ass, Frost.