Dear reader,
I'd like to apologize in advance for anything strange that you may come across. English is not my first language, and while I'd like to think I have a fairly good grasp on it, experience has shown that you just can't get all the mistakes or strange things you might write that would make sense in your own language but not in English, even if you proofread it like a hundred times. Constructive criticism therefore is always welcome.
This is not the original first chapter. It's been modified slightly - to the better I hope. More then three years after starting this story I hope I can finally finish it. Mainly because the show is in it's final season and finishing this is my farewell to it. I'm 99% sure that we won't get what we want at the very end. And even though I feel the quality of the show declined with every season, I still enjoyed watching it and I love how every episode can give you hundreds (okay maybe not hundreds) of new idea for better stories.
So anyway. I hope you enjoy this little piece of my imagination. Enjoy the ride. You're in for lots of fluffy cotton candy and some dirty dancing.
The timeframe is set before season four starts, in fact before Lydia and Hope show up to wreak havoc. Casey is out of the picture (idk what to do with this guy. He probably won't have a guest appearance in this story.)
Disclaimer: I borrow the characters for my own pleasure for a little while and that I do not own anything (What a shame, Rizzles would be canon by now!).
#
#
#
She is woken by bright rays of sunlight that stream through little windows and hit her face. The sheets tangled around her legs feel stiff and scratchy, a far cry from the soft Egyptian cotton ones she owns and the smell is all wrong, too. As the last layers of sleep leave her, she finds herself in a crappy hotel bed. How the hell did I get here? Upon further investigation she discovers her state of dress - or rather undress. She squints around the room and listens, but there is nothing but silence and so she concludes that she must be alone. She frowns when she sees her expensive dress and lingerie strewn on the floor. What have you done, Maura?
Judging that she won't find out anytime soon she scrambles slightly unstable out of bed and looks for her purse. It's just barely a few feet inside the room, as if she let go of it the second she entered the room. Shaking her head Maura rummages around to find her cellphone. Her head is thumping and it is entirely to bright in this room and she needs to squint to be able to read the time. Already eight. She is supposed to be at work in an hour. An hour that is far to less time to get somewhat presentable. She will need to wear her now wrinkled outfit from the evening before. Sighing she steps into the bathroom. A fast shower to get rid of the sweat of her apparent nocturnal activities will have to do to get ready for today. She thinks that she must have an other outfit in the locker in her office.
#
When Maura steps into the precinct's café Jane is already nursing a coffee and has a plate of half finished pancakes, slathered in entirely too much maple sirup, in front of her and another plate and mug of coffee is waiting for Maura across the table. The thought of eating anything is right now is making her queasy, but besides that and her massively raging headache a bright smile appears on her face when Jane looks up from her plate and in her direction. Just a few more steps across the busy café and she's at the table with Jane.
"Good morning, Maur," Jane smiles at her.
"Morning, Jane," Maura rasps, her voice scratchy.
Jane chuckles and winks, "Didn't get much sleep tonight, mh?"
"No. Not my preferred 7.5 hours of sleep," Maura answers frowning.
Jane musters Maura. Her dress has wrinkles. Actual wrinkles and not just the invisible kind, that Maura has the habit of smoothing down with her hands every so often when she gets nervous. Her make-up is basically non-existent and therefore isn't doing a good job at hiding the massive dark circles under her hazel eyes. Maura in a wrinkled dress? That's definitely not normal.
"What's the matter?" Jane asks slightly concerned. She is aware that her friend has gone out last evening; some fancy charity function she couldn't attend with Maura since she had to wrap up their latest case. And now Maura is doing the walk of shame - no nicer explanation possible for the state of her dress - looking too tired and slightly lost instead of bubbly like on any other given morning. She's not talking a mile a minute about her evening and instead sighs heavily before beginning to rub little circles over her temples.
"I appear to be unable to recall last nights activities and why I woke up alone in a less then satisfactory hotel room this morning."
"What?" Jane shrieks. "You're not serious? Are you?"
"Well," Maura starts. "I must have had a little bit too much wine and I am fairly certain that I engaged in sexual inter-"
"Hold on!" Jane stops her with her hands thrown up. "That's too much detail on your nightly activities."
"- though the only real evidence I have is waking up naked. Whoever I was with hasn't left a note..."
Maura picks at her pancakes. Her stomach is definitely not up for solid food, yet.
Jane doesn't like it when Maura talks about sex, but what she likes even less is some sleazy asshole all over Maura, feeling her up when she's clearly drunk. Too drunk to recall anything this morning. What asshole does that? If I ever find out who it was... she grimaced and nearly growls when Maura brings her out of her thoughts.
"Jane, it's okay, I'm sure I'll remember later. I'm not hurt. I promise."
"But whoever you have been with was taking advantage of you! Sleeping with you when you must have been clearly drunk instead of bringing you home or calling you a cab..."
Jane could go on with her rant for years to come when it is about protecting Maura. But the ringing of their cellphones cuts it short.
"Rizzoli."
"Dr Isles"
"On my way," they say at the same time and look each other in the eyes.
"Wanna drive together?" Jane asks. Maura looks hung over and not yet sober.
"Actually I was hoping we could pick up my car later. It's still at City Hall, I came here by cab."
#
The evening found both women cuddled together under a blanket on the doctor's couch. Maura's feet rest in Jane's lap, while the detective absentmindedly caresses her calfs through the soft fabric of the blanket.
When they came back from picking up Maura's car they had pizza for dinner. On the couch. It isn't something that Maura allows to happen often, but it didn't take long to give in to Jane's whining. The prospect of laying down and resting her heavy limps was just too tempting. Crumbs and grease and proper manners be damned. She had smiled when Jane announced that it was her turn to chose a movie and picked a documentary about a jungle tribe out of her tivo list. As always when she chose that kind of entertainment Jane had groaned, but secretly she is happy to watch whatever as long as Maura is next to her. Everything is better with Maura next to her. But Maura can never know. She thought about all the things Maura could make her do if she knew that she was unable to say no to her. It isn't a risk she wants to take. And after all, she is not whipped. Not. Okay, so maybe she is. But that is her dirty little secret.
The next time Jane looks over to Maura, she sees that the doctor has fallen asleep. She's thinking about what to do. Waking the doctor and risking that she may have to leave her to sleep in the guest room, just closing her eyes as well sleep on the couch for the night or carrying the doctor to bed and simply slipping in next to her. She isn't to keen on getting a kink in her neck so she opts for number three. Carrying the tiny doctor to bed.
With about as much grace as she can manage Jane reaches for the remote and turns the TV off. Then carefully setting it back down on the coffee table without disturbing Maura. Next is lifting Maura's feet out of her lap. When she gets up she takes the blanket and folds it neatly, putting it back where it belongs over the arm of the couch. She watches as Maura shivers a little before sliding an arm under Maura's knees and shoulder and preparing to lift her into her arms bridal style.
Unconsciously Maura reaches her arms around Jane's neck as she lifts her into her arms and nuzzles into Jane's chest. Jane is surprised at how small Maura really is. It's not a problem to carry her to bed.
Carefully she sets her down on the very edge of the bed so that she can get the comforter out of the way. When she tries to extricate herself from Maura's hold she gets a low whine in response and feels her holding onto her shirt.
"Stay," comes out as a mumble from the half asleep woman and Jane is eager to comply when she slips into the other side of the bed. It doesn't take long at all for Maura to roll over and into Jane's side, reestablishing her hold on Jane.
#
This time when she wakes up there is an arm curled around her middle and thick black curls are tickling her nose. Looking over to the clock on her bedside table she can make out that she has just a couple of minutes to spare before the alarm goes off. Maura can almost always rely on her internal clock to wake her up in time and isn't one that stays in bed long after waking up. But she has to admit that it is quite comfortable to lie here with Jane sleeping next to her. She chuckles silently, knowing that Jane does like to cuddle but is denying it quit frequently in front of everyone, especially her mother. She feels so lucky that she gets to see this other, soft side of her best friend.
Trying to get out of Jane's hold she wiggles around, but her efforts are fruitless. Jane just groans and pulls her tighter into her side.
"Jane," Maura tries but gets no answer.
"Jaaane," she tries again. Louder this time but all she gets is a grunt in response.
Desperate times reach for desperate measures. She pokes Jane in the ribs with her fingers. "JANE!"
"What? Maura?" Jane screeches startled and confused.
"Jane, let go of me," Maura snickers.
"No," comes the whiny response. "You're comfy."
Maura gets pulled even closer and Jane nuzzles her nose into Maura's neck.
"Jane, we really should get up and I really need to use the toilet. I promise I'll make you breakfast."
"Fine, but only if I get to eat Lucky Charms," Jane mutters as she releases Maura.
"I don't know how often I already told you that Lucky Charms shouldn't be considered as an appropriate breakfast. The amount of sugar -" Maura starts to ramble off fact but Jane cuts her off. It is way too early to deal with Google-Maura.
"I thought you need to go to the bathroom Maura and not waste your precious time with educating me about what a terrible breakfast choice my cereal is. Now go and get ready."
Jane pulls the blanket over her head and shoos Maura away.
"Fine, Jane," Maura pouts. She knows that Jane can be very grumpy in the morning, especially before her first cup of coffee, but she's just a little bit hurt nonetheless.
Thirty minutes later Maura emerges from the ensuite bathroom, wearing only a silk robe and a devilish smirk as she tiptoes over to her bed. With one swift motion she grabs the foot of the blanket and pulls it from a lightly slumbering Jane.
"Hey!" Jane complains loudly when the cold air hits her.
Maura laughs.
"Well, Jane, you'll thank me later when you actually have enough time to eat breakfast for once."
"Uggh. I hate getting up early!"
And with that Jane stumbles out of bed and heads toward the bathroom.
"I also need to get by my apartment to walk Jo. Hope she hasn't used my bed as a toilet yet..."
