A Rizzles Tumblr Gif inspired this story. Therefore I dedicated this story to Tumblr user themagic8ballknowsall.
A one of story about what could happen when Jane and Maura find themselves trapped inside an elevator waiting for help.
I do not own the characters!
"Jane I can feel my alveolar ventilation becoming excessive" Doctor Maura Isles, states to her friend, her voice panicked, her breathing becoming frantic. "More carbon dioxide is being removed from my blood stream than my body can produce. If we don't get out of her soon this will cause the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood stream to fall and produce hypocapnea."
Maura Isles is pacing up and down the small space of the elevator that her and her best friend Detective Jane Rizzoli have been trapped in for the past 20 minutes. Jane gave up pacing 10 minutes ago and was now sitting on the floor of the elevator; legs stretched out, back against the wall, watching her friend become progressively more agitated as the minutes passed.
"Maura, everything is fine, someone will find us I promise, you need to try and relax." Jane responded to her friend.
Maura was concentrating on her breathing, which was reminding Jane of a mother in labor. "When hyperventilation leads to respiratory alkalosis, it may cause a number of physical symptoms: dizziness, tingling in the lips, hands or feet, headache, weakness, fainting and seizures. In extreme cases it can cause carpopedal spasm" Maura rattled out her list of facts, making herself feel even more nervous.
"Maura, sweetheart, listen to me" Jane's voice was slow and quiet, and calmed Maura long enough for her to stop pacing and face her friend. "Please come sit down with me."
With a sigh, Maura walked towards Jane and slowly sat down next to her friend, back against the wall, legs outstretched with her right leg touching Jane's left leg.
"Claustrophobia is derived from the Latin word claustrum which literally translates to "a shut in place" and the Greek word phóbos which means fear" Maura tells Jane. Her facts somehow calming both women, making them feel safe – at home.
"Maura you are not claustrophobic, I have seen you climb into tight spaces before to examine bodies. You are just panicking." Jane suggested to Maura.
"The onset of claustrophobia has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction in the size of the amygdala, classical conditioning, or a genetic predisposition to fear small spaces." Maura retorted.
"Maura" Jane said more seriously, "What is this really about?"
Jane held Maura's hand.
When Maura didn't respond, Jane continued talking, "You know I would never let anything happen to you, I would forcefully break us out of here if I had too. There is no reason for you to be scared when you are with me. Maura I mean it, I would die before I let anything happen to you – I would think that you know that by now."
Maura sat and listened as Jane talked, her breathing evening out and she felt her blood pressure level.
The two women sat in silence for a few minutes before Maura finally spoke.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Jane asked in response.
"Why would you die for me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because you have Casey now." Maura could have kicked herself, why did she mention Casey?
Both women were silent again and it was Maura who eventually broke the silence.
"I just meant that now that you have Casey, you probably shouldn't put your life on the line for me."
Jane turned her head to face Maura, and realized that Maura was already staring at her.
"Maura." Jane reached out and held her friends hand "Casey is not you."
"What does that even mean?" Maura asked, almost defensively, which took Jane back a bit.
"I don't know Maura" Jane said, Maura noticing that Jane was stroking Maura's wrist with her thumb as she held her hand.
"Well I find it very confusing" Maura confessed to Jane.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I don't know Jane, I feel very silly, but I don't know what Casey is to you and I don't know what I am to you." Maura admitted.
"Like I said, Casey is Casey and you are you." Jane said almost jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood. Jane could see straight away that her nonchalant response had upset her friend.
"Fine." Maura respond, untangling her hands from Jane's and facing the front again.
"Maura don't" Jane pleaded, "I'm sorry, but don't do this."
"Don't do this?" Maura questioned, turning her face back to Jane's, now obviously annoyed. "You are the one who complains about Casey constantly, and is now seriously considering his marriage proposal, without even thinking of how that might affect us."
"Maura."
"No Jane, stop it! You need to stop it! You take from me whatever you need and you take from Casey what you need and you never stop to think about him or me and what we might need." Maura has tears streaming down her face as she is yelling at Jane. "You tell me you would die for me, you promise to never leave me, but you don't even consider what you are doing to me – how you are making me feel. Every time I see you with him I feel sick, but I don't say anything because he always leaves and when he does you are back on my doorstep, and I had accepted that. But marrying him? When you say you love me? I just don't understand you Jane, and you are killing me."
When Maura finished talking Jane felt like she had been stabbed in the heart, she hated seeing her friend hurt, and she hated that she had caused the hurt.
"Maura" Jane whispered her friends name, "I am sorry, I haven't been thinking, I'm an idiot."
Jane gently wiped Maura's tears away, and left her hand on her cheek. Maura leaned her cheek ever so slightly into Jane's hands.
"You are right, I haven't been fair to you or Casey."
"What are you going to do?" Maura sniffed, emotionally exhausted from her outburst - her hazel eyes filled with trust and love for her friend.
"I guess it is time for me to grow up, be honest with myself and choose." Jane replied.
"So you are going to marry Casey then?" Maura asked with sadness in her voice.
"No" Jane confessed, leaning into Maura, pressing her lips slowly and gently onto Maura's lips. A promise.
The kiss only lasted a second or two before Maura broke the two apart.
"You have to say it" Maura pleaded to Jane, "I won't believe it until you say it".
"It has always been you Maura" Jane smiled sweetly, "I choose you."
On hearing those words Maura leaned back into Jane and kissed her again, still soft, but deeper, allowing Jane to explore the inside of her mouth with her tongue. Maura moaned and Jane smiled.
"Still feeling claustrophobic?" Jane whispered into Maura's ear?
"No" Maura crooned back to Jane. "I'm hoping that we are trapped in her together forever."
"Me too" Jane whispered, knowing know that this is what she had wanted all along.