Falling

Chapter 4

Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: M
Disclaimer: Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles do not belong to me.

A/N:Thanks everyone for your support for this story. Here is Chapter 4. I think there will be just one more chapter after this one to wrap up the story.

When Maura entered the unfortunately named Dirty Robber that evening, she was grateful to find that it wasn't actually dirty. She spotted Jane at the bar and walked over to join her.

"Hi. I'm glad you actually came," Jane said with a look of obvious relief.

Maura smiled and said, "Of course I did."

"What can I get you to drink?"

"A glass of Merlot," Maura responded.

Jane signaled the bartender and ordered the wine and a beer for herself. They were quickly served and then Jane said to Maura, "Come on, we're sitting over here."

Maura was surprised when Jane led her to a table with two men already sitting at it.

Jane indicated the younger man first and said, "This is my brother Frankie. He's a detective in Narcotics. And this is my partner Vince Korsak. Guys, this is our new M.E., Dr. Maura Isles."

After Maura shook both of their hands and they exchanged pleasantries, Jane sat down next to Frankie and gestured for Maura to sit down across from her. Maura sat down and gave Jane a confused look before putting on a smile for Frankie and Korsak as they began asking her question about her past work and moving to Boston.

Maura answered their questions politely and asked them a few. But as soon as she finished her glass of wine, she stood up and a little coldly said, "Thank you for the drink, Jane. It was nice to meet both of you, Detective Rizzoli, Detective Korsak," she added, nodding at both of them. "I should really head home though. I'm sure I'll see you all at work soon."

Maura turned and left without another look towards Jane. She wasn't entirely surprised through when Jane caught up with her outside the bar and stepped in front of her saying, "Maura, wait a second. What's wrong?"

Maura made an aggravated sigh and answered, "I thought that when you invited me for a drink that you meant it would be just the two of us. I certainly didn't think your brother and partner would be joining us. Now I feel foolish and embarrassed and I think I should just go home before I embarrass myself further."

"I thought you would appreciate being able to meet some other people," Jane said. "I was just trying to be normal, I guess."

Maura looked at Jane curiously and said, "I don't regret what happened between us."

"I don't regret it either," Jane said adamantly. "But I don't know what we're supposed to do now. I don't know how we're supposed to act when we also have to be professional and work together. I figured we should try to be friends."

"I don't think I can be friends with you, Jane," Maura responded.

"Why not?"

Maura moved closer to Jane. Close enough that Jane could feel Maura's breath on her cheek when she said softly, "Because when I see you all I can think about is the feeling of your fingers inside me and how much I want to feel that again. How much I want to feel you again."

Jane closed her eyes and sucked in her breath as arousal shot through her body.

"I was under the impression that the feeling was mutual," Maura finished.

"I…it…" Jane sighed deeply, opening her eyes and taking a step back from Maura.

"It's complicated?" Maura suggested, eyebrows raised. "That excuse isn't going to work for very long. I spent six months thinking about getting the chance to see you again and I haven't let go of that yet. You told me you thought about me too."

"I do think about you. What do you suggest we do now?"

"Have dinner with me Friday night," Maura said. "At my house. I'll cook. Just the two of us."

Jane nodded and said, "Okay. Friday night."

Maura turned and left and Jane went back inside the bar and got another beer. When she sat back down next to Frankie, he said, "What was that about?"

Jane had been too wrapped up in chasing down Maura to think about how it would look to Frankie and Korsak. "Uh…"

"Do you two know each other?" Korsak asked.

"Sort of," Jane answered. "We met when she was in town to interview for the M.E. position."

Korsak and Frankie exchanged looks and then Frankie said, "Can you settle a bet for us?"

"I doubt it," Jane answered her brother. "But what is it?"

"I say that you want to get in her pants. Korsak thinks you've already been in her pants."

Jane turned and punched Frankie in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" he protested.

Jane laughed lightly and said, "For not minding your own damn business. You two should focus more on your own crappy love lives than on mine."

All three of them shared a laugh and the conversation moved on to other topics.

Friday evening, Jane rang Maura's doorbell. The rest of the week they hadn't seen each other much. Jane and Korsak weren't called to any crime scenes and Maura was busy getting acclimated, setting up the lab, and going to her first crime scenes in her new position. They crossed paths a few times in the halls of BPD but Maura never had time for anything more than a quick hello.

Maura answered her door wearing the most casual clothing Jane had seen her in yet, a tight pair of dark blue jeans and a loose gray sweater. She greeted Jane saying, "Hello, Jane."

"Hi," Jane answered and stood awkwardly until Maura gestured for her to come inside. Jane followed Maura to her kitchen and then held out the bottle of wine she had been cradling in her arm. "I know you like wine. I was assured that this is was a very good bottle of Chardonnay."

"Thank you," Maura said, taking the bottle. She pointed to one of the kitchen counters and said, "I actually already have a bottle open. If you don't mind, I'll save this for next time? Or later depending on how the evening goes, I suppose," she added dryly.

"Yeah, that's fine," Jane responded.

Maura opened the fridge to put the bottle of wine inside and said, "I can pour you a glass, but I also got beer for you if you would prefer." Without waiting for a response, Maura handed Jane a cold bottle of beer.

"I can drink wine," Jane said as she took the beer. "I'm not completely uncultured. But I wouldn't want this beer to go to waste." Maura offered her a bottle opener and Jane opened the bottle and took a long drink. "So, did you buy this place?"

"I did." Maura answered.

"It's nice," Jane said, looking around the kitchen and sparsely furnished living room area.

"I haven't fully furnished it yet, as you can tell. Actually, I was thinking we could eat outside. I have a little table on the patio and I haven't gotten any furniture for the dining room yet, so it's either outside or at the island here."

"Either is fine with me. Outside sounds nice. It's still pretty warm out."

"Great. If you don't mind bringing our drinks and these utensils out," Maura said, pointing at the pile of napkins and utensils on the counter, "the food is almost ready. I'll be right out with it."

"Sure." Jane took the items out the back door and set places at the small table on the brick patio. After a brief look around the small back yard, she sat down in a chair and sipped her beer while waiting for Maura.

In the kitchen, Maura plated the food and then paused for a moment and leaned against the counter to compose herself. The last four days she gone back and forth with herself about how she was going to handle this dinner. Initially she thought that maybe she had been too hard on Jane earlier in the week. They were going to be working together, maybe it did make sense to try to establish some normalcy, whatever that meant. There were also times that she was overcome with the feeling of anger at Jane for lying to her before. But as the week went on, she couldn't give up on the feeling that there could be something more between them. She wasn't willing to simply settle for a friendship just because initially there might be some awkwardness. Now she just had to figure out where Jane stood.

Maura brought dinner outside and sat down. Jane asked about the food and then there were a few moments of silence as they ate and each of them tried to figure out what to talk about. It was a marked contrast to the first time they sat together and talked and Jane couldn't help but say, "I don't know why this feels awkward. When we first met I felt like I could tell you anything."

Maura laughed and the tension in the air lifted. "You're right. You were very easy to talk to as well. There's no reason to feel awkward now."

Jane smiled at her and asked, "How was your first week of work?"

Maura smiled back and said, "It was good, I think. There's a lot to learn. In San Francisco, I only had the city and county to deal with. Here I have the whole state and a whole staff of my own. There are so many jurisdictions within the state to learn and there are all of the district offices to oversee. I'll be working all weekend just to try to get a handle on things."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You probably could have just used a night to relax and instead you made dinner for me."

"I invited you, Jane, remember? Plus, I've been looking forward to this all week," she responded, the familiar flirtatious edge back in her voice.

"Me too," Jane said. "I want to apologize for the other night. I was trying to make things less awkward, but I guess I did the opposite."

Maura shook her head. "I'm sorry too. You were being very thoughtful and I probably overreacted. But I meant what I said. My interest is not in just being friends with you. I don't think I could just be friends with you at this point. The night we spent together didn't seem like…it didn't feel like a one night stand to me. It felt like the start of something."

"So what should we do? Do we like date?" Jane asked.

Maura laughed and teasingly said, "I think that's what people do."

"Maura, I don't do relationships very well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for instance, my job has always been the most important thing to me. I work a lot."

Maura nodded and said, "That I understand. I work a lot too."

"My job can be dangerous."

"I know," Maura said seriously. "I've been working with police departments for more than ten years."

Jane leaned forward and looked into Maura's eyes and said, "I'm stubborn and sarcastic and grumpy when I don't get coffee first thing in the morning."

"I have a very expensive and fancy coffee maker," Maura said.

"I like instant," Jane responded.

Maura made a face and said, "That might a deal breaker for me."

"I knew there would be something," Jane joked.

Maura smiled but then turned serious again and said, "Will you answer one question for me?"

"Yes."

"What was the real reason you were at that hotel that night?" Maura asked.

Jane took a deep breath and said, "I went to the bar for exactly why you think I did. To pick someone up and get away and have fun for one night."

"Why the airport? You can do that at any bar in the city."

Jane looked at Maura with a serious expression and answered, "Because usually the people there don't live in Boston. I didn't want to see anyone I know or anyone who might know me. When I'm there, I don't have to be Jane the cop or Detective Jane Rizzoli who captured Charles Hoyt. I don't have to be the daughter my mother wants me to be. I don't have to be the person anyone expects me to be. I don't even have to be myself if I don't want to."

Maura looked at Jane for a moment, head tilted to the side, as if studying her before saying, "I think I can understand what you mean. But were you yourself or were you somebody else the night we met?"

"I was myself with you."

"Good. Because I liked you that night."

"I think I told you more about myself the first night we were together than I tell people I've known for months," Jane said.

"Because you didn't think you would see me again?" Maura asked softly.

"No, because I wanted to tell you. Because I liked you," Jane said and then shook her head and reached across the table with her hand held out. Maura placed her hand into Jane's palm and Jane said, "I mean I like you. I still really like you."

Keeping their hands linked, Maura stood and walked around the table and then straddled Jane's lap. "I still really like you too," she said.

"So, I guess I haven't messed anything up or scared you away yet?" Jane asked.

Maura shook her head. "I think we should see where this takes us. I don't have the best history with relationships either, but I think whatever this is between us should be explored further."

Jane looked down at where Maura sat on her lap and then slowly brought her eyes up Maura's body to her face while inhaling Maura's unforgettable scent. "Does that mean I'm still allowed to touch?"

"Yes, it does," Maura answered.

Jane's free hand reached out and gripped Maura's ass and pulled her forward while Maura brought their lips together for the first time in six months. Maura pressed her free hand against Jane's chest and clenched her fingers around Jane's shirt as the kiss deepened, balling it in her fist at the familiar taste of Jane.

Maura finally released Jane's shirt and pulled back. Jane let go of Maura's hand and moved that hand to her cheek and then gently ran her fingers through her hair as she said, "I'm sorry I left that morning. I wanted to stay. I wanted to spend the day with you, but I panicked. I had already lied to you and I didn't want to keep lying, but I was afraid if I told you the truth about living in Boston you would never talk to me again."

"I honestly don't know how I would have responded then. Even earlier today I wasn't sure what I was going to do tonight. But I can't deny the attraction between us and I don't want to."

Jane slid her hand around the back of Maura's head and pulled her into another kiss, a slow exploration of each other's mouths and lips and tongues.

This time when they pulled apart Maura asked, "Do you have anywhere else you need to be tonight?"

"No," Jane answered.

"Perhaps we should move to the bedroom."