A/N: Apparently I wasn't done with this story. But I really don't know where this is going, I'm plotting as I write. I decided to continue this story through Jane's eyes (even though I never change pov's like this in the middle of a story...). We pick up where we left in chapter 1.
Thank you for reviews and follows. I really didn't know how much it would inspire :)
As soon as the door opens I can't help but turning my mouth into a wide smile. It physically hurts, and I take a deep breath. Maura is looking at me with eyes wide open and her lips slightly parted, and I laugh.
"Oh my God, Jane, what are you doing here?"
Her surprise seems genuine which makes me nervous in a whole new way for a second.
"Oh no, I'm not wrong, am I?"
I automatically tilt my head, and give her the puppy eyes without even realizing it.
"What? Oh, no. No! I… I'm sorry, but I…"
She stops herself to breathe out. My smile slowly finds its way back.
"That's how you greet me?" I tease her.
She smiles shyly before she finally lowers her shoulders.
"Can we try again? I promise I will make a better impression."
I laugh and nod.
"Sure, let's try again. You want me to send you another e-mail?"
"No" she laughs.
"Just… stand there."
Good thing she wants me to stay put, because I can't even feel my legs at this point. Maura closes the door and as I can hear her take a deep breath, I realize how stupid this must look. But there's not a chance in hell I'm moving an inch. Not even the cold wind can make me move. After reading that one last short, but so much more than just short, e-mail, I pretty much packed my bag and checked out of the hotel. I headed straight for my car and drove the four hours I had to just to get to where I am right now.
Maura finally opens the door again and brings me back to reality. She seems much calmer now, unlike me, and the element of surprise is gone. Almost, because as she takes the few steps towards me, I suddenly realize everything. And the element of surprise is written all over my face. We've talked, yet we haven't talked at all. We both know, yet we haven't said a word. My dreams and wishes somehow are slowly turning into reality, and I'm not at all prepared.
She removes every bit of space between us as she cups my face in her hands and leans in. She lets her lips rest on mine, just let them linger. And I feel like a fool. I know I can't breathe. I know I can't move because my head is desperately telling my arms to wrap themselves around her. But as she slowly pulls back, my hands are still hanging down my side.
"Hi…" she says softly.
Hi, I've missed you, I love you, I never wanna be apart from you ever again as long as we both live.
Nothing. I'm standing there with my mouth open. I'm staring at her, and she seems so awfully in control and so excited all at once. Her hands are still caressing my cheeks and all I seem to be able to do is swallow. Loudly.
"I don't even get a hello?" she whispers.
I've had four freaking hours alone in a car. I could've prepared myself for this a hundred times, and I still can't do anything else than sigh. Maura's grin tells me everything, she is so enjoying this. Once again I swallow, loudly.
"That's how you greet me?"
Oh for the love of god, say something you idiot. Hello, hi, hey, I love you, I've missed you…
"I… I-I…"
I silence myself by closing my eyes and shaking my head. Maura's laugh is like a symphony in my ears.
Holy crap! You're in trouble…
"I'm sorry."
I finally manage to put the correct letters together to form something.
"Can we try again? I promise I will make a better impression?"
History so repeats itself and Maura laughs again.
"Sure. We can try as many times we need…"
I make an internal order to my arms as I try to brace myself. And finally they do as I tell them. Although they kind of live their own life, as I can't seem to focus on anything else than the lips that are softly pressing against mine, again. That's twice. Twice in just a few minutes. As my hands finally wraps themselves around her and pulls her closer, she slips one arm around my neck. I've hugged her before, hundreds of times, but right now it's a fire. It's thunderstorms, lightning and hurricanes, all wrapped up in one emotion and completed by the touch of her body so close to mine. Of course, it could be the lips that complete it all. Those lips that I really don't know at all, but still know so much about. And they are kissing me. Kissing. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Like romantically kissing, soft kissing. And they are so perfect with mine. It's like we've never done anything but kiss. Except for the fact that we've done pretty much everything but kiss.
"Hi…"
It's more like a soft breath against her lips than a word as we let air come between us again.
"So, I have a question that you have the answer to, if that's okay."
Maura nods and I'm fully aware of the thumb that is stroking my cheek.
"Sure. But I really thought Boston's finest detective would have put the pieces together by now…"
"I'm a homicide detective. This isn't really my area of expertise."
I'm interrupted by a third kiss which really justify my words. In more than one way. Maura is a woman, a soft and gentle woman, and the movements of her lips certainly prove it.
"Although it feels like I might be dying right now."
I barely break away to mutter the words. She tries to smile and kiss me at once and I feel the need to clarify my statement.
"In the best possible way of course…"
She giggles against my lips, and I try to pull her closer to me. This beautiful, geeky, amazing genius of a woman is kissing me, a troubled, closed-up mess of a detective. And somehow she turns me into someone who can't go a day without hearing her voice or seeing her. Maybe that's the real me, but she's the only one who sees it, and I allow to see. Her lips slide across my bottom lip and beg for my attention, and all my thoughts instantly disappear. I kiss her back, and it evolves into a deeper kiss. It's a whole new way to get to know each other and it's like we're exploring each other. We're… investigating.
Really? Investigating? Wow, leave it to Jane Rizzoli to ruin a perfect moment.
Well, at least I didn't say it out loud.
"Are you going to ask me?"
I open my eyes as we're pulling back. She's resting her forehead against mine and I need a second to catch my breath.
"Ask you what?" I ask.
"The question you've wanted to ask me for a long time."
"Oh… yeah."
I still haven't figured out how she sometimes erases everything that's on my mind. I have found myself at crime scenes countless times with a blank expression and the famous question 'are you listening to me?' from either Maura or Frost. A slight shiver erases my mind again for a few moments until I realize why she is shivering. It's the middle of February, it's freaking cold and she's standing outside in a thin shirt, because of me.
"Oh my god, you must be freezing!"
I rub my hands along her back, and she nods.
"Yes, I think I am. I actually wouldn't mind if we went inside."
I can't help but smile at her always correct and polite responses to pretty much everything.
"Then let's go. I don't want you catching a cold because of me."
She smiles and takes my hand before we head inside. I only stop long enough to get rid of my coat at the door before I walk over to the couch where Maura is settling down under a blanket. I cuddle down at the other end of the couch and slip my feet under the blanket next to hers.
"So, are you going to ask?"
She's clearly curious, even though I don't know why, because I think she already knows.
"Yes. I am" I reply slowly.
"I've been wondering… for a while… if there's even the slightest chance that…"
I can't help but smile at myself as I stop to take a breath.
"That you someday could fall in love with me."
The last few words roll quickly off my tongue, and I honestly don't know why I get so nervous I can barely look at her. We've kissed. She kissed me, clearly she has some sorts of feelings. She smiles as she looks down on my outstretched legs.
"Are you in love with me?"
"Hey, don't answer my question with a question!" I warn her.
"I didn't. It wasn't a question" she smiles.
"It so was" I smile back.
"No. You simply expressed a wondering, technically not a question."
I can't help but laugh at her.
"Seriously? You wanna do this now?"
"I can't help it. It's just in my nature to correct people. Besides, I have always loved our bickering."
A series of memories cross my mind. I know our bickering has been a well-known cause for laughter all over the station, probably outside as well considering all the crime scenes we've been to. I still find it surprising that I'm not sick of it yet.
"Yeah, I don't think you're the only one…" I reply before Maura puts her hands over my feet.
"But you didn't answer my question. Well, my non-question."
"Do I really have to, don't you already know?"
"Again, with the question!"
I pretend to be slightly frustrated, but I have no idea if it works. Probably not, because she's still smiling and looking at me like she's enjoying this.
"Again, not technically a question."
I shake my head while a giant grin appears on my face.
"Fine, you win. It wasn't a question. And wipe that satisfied smile off your face."
She doesn't, but quickly bites her bottom lip instead. I can't help staring at her. There's still a part of me that can't quite understand what we're talking about, or trying to talk about. A tiny little voice screams in the back of my head that this is only a dream, because who can be so lucky to fall in love with their best friend, a friend who actually feels the same way for you? Maura moves at the other end and gently pats me on my knee.
"Make room" she orders before she starts crawling towards me.
I do as I'm told and move as close to the edge of the couch as I can, my breathing slightly ragged as I understand what she's doing. She lies down next to me, her head resting on my shoulder and face buried against my neck. She pulls the blanket with her and softly places her arm across my stomach. There's no way she's not noticing the twitch throughout my body as chills spread from my toes and all the way to my fingertips. She takes a deep breath before she calms down. I wrap my arms around her and feel her breath settle to a rhythmic pace. And once again it's nothing but fireworks.
"All jokes aside… I've been in love with you for a long time" I whisper against the top of her head.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was scared."
She props herself up on her elbow and looks at me.
"Why? Couldn't you tell I had feelings for you?"
"How could I? You're always so in control of yourself. I was hoping, but I didn't dare to believe it was actually true."
"That's on the outside. I'm not always in control on the inside."
"If that's the case you hide it well…"
She smiles before she gives me a soft kiss on the cheek and lies down again.
"I thought you could tell" she says and lets her fingers run along my arm.
"I somehow thought you could tell by the way I looked at you, or smiled. But when you didn't make a move, or say anything, I just assumed you didn't feel the same way and was trying to let me down in a gentle way."
I sigh and close my eyes.
"So we both sort of knew… Damn…"
Maura laughs softly against my neck, and I feel her nodding.
"So what do we do now?" I continue.
"We lie here for a little while, and then we go to bed. I was practically half asleep before you showed up at my door."
I smile at the fact that I haven't even thought about where I'm spending the night.
"As much as I love the idea… that was not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I meant from now on. Tomorrow, the next day, next week."
She lifts her head, again, to make eye-contact.
"We do what we feel like doing. And I know I want to spend tomorrow, the next day and the whole next week with you."
She makes it sound so easy, and I start to wonder if I'm the only one who's both terrified and thrilled about this change in our relationship.
"Sounds good to me. But can we please keep this between us? I'm really not ready to tell anyone at the moment."
"Of course. I don't want to tell anyone either."
She places a soft kiss on my lips before she falls back to my shoulder. Everything is quiet, and I can't believe how much this place feels like home. I've been gone for four days, but I still don't miss anything about my apartment. I've even come to like Bass trotting around, even though I sometimes know for sure he doesn't like me and try to scare or trip me. Despite the fact that he's a slow moving tu- tortoise and is most likely not able to scare anyone who's not blind.
"Jane?"
"Yeah?"
"You know Lt. Cavanaugh is probably going to be mad when you show up tomorrow?"
I smile and nod softly. Another thing I haven't thought about since I left the hotel earlier. I'm supposed to be at the seminar tomorrow, and there's no way I'm driving back up just to sit through more boring lectures. And there's no way I'm not showing up at work tomorrow. And Maura is obviously aware of that.
"He's gonna punish me somehow… I'll probably end up with paperwork the minute he sees me."
"So you'll be stuck at your desk all day?"
"Probably."
"Good. Maybe you could write me an e-mail… or something."
I start laughing at the innocence in her voice as much as her words.
"Yeah, maybe" I whisper and kiss her head.