A/N: Hey, guys! This is my very first Rizzles fanfic, so please bear that in mind. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but please read and review! Thanks!
Detective Jane Rizzoli looked over at the form of her best friend and co-worker, Dr. Maura Isles. While they had been curled up on Maura's sofa watching a movie, the darling medical examiner had fallen into a peaceful sleep. She even looks amazing while she's sleeping, Jane thought to herself. Unwilling to disturb her friend's slumber, Jane rearranged the pillow behind her head, pulled her blanket up under her chin, and drifted off into a sleep that she hoped would be as peaceful as Maura's.
"Jaaanie," a voice called to her from the pitch black end of the tunnel. That voice sent a chill down her spine. She stood, waiting and watching the place where she heard the voice come frome, and knew who it was before she saw him. Hoyt emerged from the shadows and kept walking towards Jane. "Did you miss me? Does Maura miss me?" He asked her with a sick grin on his face. Even though the logical part of Jane's brain knew Hoyt was dead, the rest of her followed instinct, turned, and ran the other way.
Maura started to wake up. Jane's tossing and turning had woken her, since they were both still on the couch together. She recognized Jane's heavy breathing and the slight sweat on her forehead as an indication that Jane was having a nightmare. The medical examiner battled internally with herself for a moment, trying to decide if it was safe to wake Jane. Maura hated seeing her best friend look so uncomfortable, so she came to the conclusion that she should wake her.
"Jane? Jane, can you wake up?" Maura was rubbing Jane's back in her attempt to wake Jane as nicely as she could. The tunnel around her suddenly disappeared. Jane was awake now, and she heard Maura's voice. It relaxed her almost instantly, and feeling Maura's hand on her back gave her another feeling. She shook her head to clear it, and dismissed that other feeling.
"You were having a nightmare, Jane. Are you alright?" Jane could hear the concern in Maura's voice.
"Yeah, Maur, I'm fine." Maura gave Jane a look that said she knew better. Jane sighed and gave in; hiding this from Maura was pointless. "I- I had a nightmare about Hoyt. I know he's dead, but I guess the rest of my brain still hasn't gotten used to that yet. It upsets me still, because I realize how close I was to losing you…" Jane's voice trailed off as she finished her sentence and she suddenly couldn't look Maura in the eyes. Maura pulled Jane into a hug, but wished she could comfort her friend in a more intimate way. She had noticed Jane' uneasiness, and wondered if Jane could feel the same way she did. The medical examiner thought about saying something, but just then Jane turned back to look at her. "Maura?" Jane started nervously, "I, um, well-" Jane was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone, and Maura's began doing the same. Maura's eyes searched Jane's, willing her to continue speaking. Jane wanted to have this conversation with Maura. Denying her feelings was becoming increasingly difficult, but Jane wanted them to be able to go to work without the necessary conversation fresh in the minds to distract them. "As if Maura's not already distracting enough," Jane laughed to herself. Jane broke eye contact first and reached for her phone.
"Rizzoli."
"Isles," Maura answered, mentally sighing, wishing that work hadn't called at the most inconvenient time.
"Alright, Maur, let's go investigate another murder," Jane said while placing her hand on her friend's knee. The touch made Maura's stomach flutter.
"We don't know it was a murder, Jane," Maura reminded her.
"You're right, you're right," Jane conceded. "Maybe we'll find some reddish-brown stuff, too!" Jane winked at Maura with her last sentence, and even though Maura knew Jane was poking fun at her, she couldn't help but give a little laugh. The two got up to leave, and Maura grabbed her car keys out of her purse. "Oh, no you don't!" Jane warned. "We can take your car, but I'M driving!" Maura pursed her lips, and Jane was sure she was about to get an earful from her friend, but to her surprise, Maura handed over the keys. "Really? No retort?" Jane asked incredulously.
"I'll play nice this one time," Maura replied with a slight twinkle in her eye. Jane noticed it, and found herself rooted to the spot. She suddenly wanted nothing else than to close the space between them and kiss Maura. "Are you going to stand there with your mouth open all day, Jane? They'll start to wonder if we got lost! Besides, if you leave your jaw in that position for too long-" Maura stopped talking as Jane turned and practically ran out to the car. "Hmm, that was odd," Maura thought to herself.
"What do we got?" Jane asked Frost and Korsak as she and Maura appeared on the scene.
"The garbage men found her body this morning in that Dumpster," Frost informed her. "The medical unit is on its way here to transport the body back to the morgue." Jane nodded as Frost filled her in on what little things they already knew. Jane noticed that Frost kept nervously looking over towards the body, where Maura was getting ready to set to work. She was squatting next to the body when she noticed something. A tiny gasp escaped from her lips before she could hold it back. "What is it, Maur?" Jane called over to her. Though it wasn't obvious, Maura had noticed that there was a small thin line running along the victim's neck. It wasn't nearly as clean and precise as Hoyt's signature cut had been, but the medical examiner was still concerned with how similar it was. "Maura?" Jane called again, trying to get her friend's attention, "What did you find?" Maura stood up and turned back to the other three, exchanging a glace with Korsak and Frost simultaneously.
Jane looked at them, confused about what has happening that she obviously wasn't a part of yet. Jane hated being left out of the loop. "Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Jane's voice rising as she became agitated. "Jane," Korsak began, "our vic has a thin slice across her throat, similar to Hoyt's style. However, it wasn't the cause of death in this case." Korsak looked to Dr. Isles at this statement, who tilted her head slightly. "I can't say for sure what the actual cause of death was at this point, but it is highly unlikely that the cut to her that was what did it." Maura reasoned that she wasn't guessing when she said that, so her conscience was still clear. "Oh," was all Det. Rizzoli managed to say. Maura could feel her heart sink as Jane's face fell.