So, I just have a lot of feels. I haven't written anything for a while, but new Rizzoli & Isles has inspired me.
This is not beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. And I'm sure there are some mistakes.
Spoilers for most of Season 6 and 7x01.
Disclaimer: I don't own it. It'd be way more gay if I did.
Maura may have temporary cognitive impairment, may be forgetting things, but one thing she knows for sure is that she loves Jane Rizzoli. She's certain even if she lost all the other information she'd carefully collected into her brain over the years, that knowledge would still be secure.
It's been a hard few months, for both of them. Jane's home being destroyed, Maura's kidnapping, it had chipped away at their defenses. Maura was sometimes still nervous when she received a call to a scene, only breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the familiar voice of a dispatcher she knew, only really feeling confident when she pulled up to a scene to find Frankie or Korsak or Jane waiting for her. Though more often than not, Jane arrived with her.
At first Jane had been sleeping in Maura's guestroom because she had nowhere else to go. But when Maura found her dozing on the couch in the early hours of the morning, Maura knew it was much deeper than a simple need for shelter. Jane was protecting her.
Maura loved Jane. And Maura knew that Jane would move mountains for her. And really, isn't that all a girl could ask for?
After a brief moment of levity with the professor's torture devices, Jane and Maura fell into a comfortable silence. There were things that needed to be said, but they both knew that right now, those things could wait. They could just enjoy each other's company without needing to complicate things.
Jane watched the medical examiner as she carefully sat on the couch. Close to Jane, but not too close. Lately there had been too many close calls. Jane thought of all the times she could have lost Maura in the past few weeks and winced. She couldn't lose Maura. So many close calls and they were still an arm's length apart.
Jane scooted toward Maura, making the space between them disappear. She wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled the shorter woman into her body. Jane remembered how she felt when Maura had been kidnapped. The absolute fear that had coursed through her veins, pushing her through sleepless nights and over-caffeinated days while they searched.
She could have lost Maura then. And she could have lost her just hours ago, a bullet had grazed her temple. So close to the part of Maura she loved the most. Jane was pretty good at compartmentalizing, but one thing that she couldn't hold back, one emotion that seeped into every part of her life was her love for Maura Isles.
"Jane…" Maura said quietly.
"Shhh, just relax Maur," Jane whispered as she leaned into the corner of the couch, pulling Maura with her.
Maura shifted onto her side so she could rest comfortably against the thin detective.
Jane rubbed circles lightly on Maura's back as the exhausted doctor slowly fell asleep. Jane waited until she heard Maura's breathing even out before gently kissing her forehead.
"I love you Maura Isles," Jane whispered.
"I love you too, Jane Rizzoli," Maura mumbled sleepily.
Maybe they didn't need to complicate things. But maybe the truth didn't complicate things.