A New Path
By RandomGnome
Note: After a very long hiatus, I am back. This isn't my usual fair, but bless Hulu, it has S1 – S6 of Rizzoli and Isles and I finally got to watch all of them. After watching the whole thing, I decided that it could use with a little Rizzles and some re-writes of episodes. I hope you enjoy it. All mistakes in editing are mine alone (editing sucks!) The characters are not mine and I do not own anything but the story plot. Mostly.
Chapter Six: Holding Pattern (The Best Laid Plans)
Maura was feeling very guilty. She knew that she had nothing to feel guilty about. Going out for coffee with Jack after she'd finished teaching her first class was not cheating on Jane. It wasn't. They had simply talked and had a good time. Maura liked him. He was smart and funny and charming.
And it was entirely clear that he was interested in her.
So why hadn't she told him that she was perfectly happy where she was - with Jane?
Maybe it was because it had been over a week since the last time she and the dark haired detective had been able to spend any quality time together at all. First had come a case that seemed simple at first, but became more convoluted as the days wore on. In the end, Jane, Frankie, and Korsak had figured out that even though their victim was a very unpopular person and even though the autopsy had revealed what appeared to be foul play, the end cause of death was an accident of circumstances.
After that case, Maura had been tied down by several autopsies on other cases, causing her to work late nights for the rest of the week. She'd just finished those and gotten her reports written when she'd received a letter from BCU, her alumni, reminding her that she had agreed to teach a class on the important of forensics in solving crimes. In fact, the president of the college had been so thrilled with her ideas, he wanted her to teach an entire seminar and grade people. The idea terrified Maura. She was so scared that she tried to use Jane's pregnancy as a way to get out of doing it.
That hadn't worked, of course.
Jane, who had come by for their morning coffee and banter, had guilted Maura into actually teaching the class. That's where she met Jack.
To Maura's amazement, the actual lecture part had been fun. She liked getting the students interested in forensics, loved seeing them taking in the material she'd worked so hard on. Since it came so close on the heels of ruling Chelsea Rothsburger's death a homicide and all the attendant drama that entailed - she still couldn't believe that Jane had pranked the governor on her behalf - the idea that she had the potential to train young minds to spot what she had, was kind of a rush.
Then, Jack had complimented her. He'd listened in on the lecture. He'd looked at Maura with gorgeous bedroom eyes and asked her to have coffee with him. She'd said yes, feeling flattered.
It was wrong. It was so wrong! They'd talked about nearly everything and he had flirted with her. She'd flirted right back without realising it until it was too late. When they had parted company, it hadn't taken Maura long to understand what she had done and now, she was sitting in her office feeling guilty.
Not only had she misled a perfectly nice, grown up man, but she'd also managed to cheapen the relationship that she and Jane had been discovering. Even if it had been put on the back-burner, they were in a relationship, weren't they? They hadn't put a name to it, hadn't come out and said it - but Maura was almost certain that Jane was now more than just her best friend. Worst of all, if she told Jane what happened, she was terrified of losing everything.
After the kiss they'd shared a week ago that had almost led to their first time being on the seat of a motorcycle on her patio, Maura was sure that they had taken a big step forward. She was excited. Every time she saw Jane, her mind would start racing and she would start to wonder if that night would be the one they took the plunge. It hadn't happened. Work was busy for both of them and the only time they had alone were mornings - until Angela inevitably invaded. For the first time since agreeing to allow Jane's mother to stay in her guest house, Maura regretted that decision. She hadn't realised until today just how frustrated she was - both emotionally and sexually.
The feeling had started almost as soon as Jane had opened the front door and walked into her home yesterday. Maura hadn't slept well the night before and had been too proud to call Jane and ask her to come over. However, when Jane had smiled at her and opened her arms, Maura embraced her and used her as a balm. Jane's clean and fruity scent had washed over and around her and it had made her feel better. The kiss that Jane placed lightly on her lips afterwards had done an even more thorough job of setting her at ease.
It wasn't until Angela had asked about Jane's doctor appointment the next day that Maura had started second guessing herself and her ability to teach. She didn't want to miss the first appointment where Jane might have an ultrasound. She wanted to be with the detective when she heard her baby's heartbeat for the first time. Their baby's heartbeat. She thought that if she were there with Jane, it might bring them even closer. If not for Jane's encouragement, she wouldn't have gone to the school.
Jane's whole demeanor had been sweet and playful - her constant jokes about Downton Abbey notwithstanding.
So today, Maura had had fun and it had gotten out of hand. Now she was hiding from Jane in her office, attempting to practice for her next talk. The idea that Jack might be there was making her more nervous and she was flubbing it badly.
Of course, that would be the time that Jane came in and saw her.
She tried, of course, to play it off as something simple - brushing her hair. If she hadn't been trying to use her brush as a mic, it might have been less awkward.
"What are you doing in here?" Jane asked with obvious amusement.
Maura tried to hide the flashcards that she'd been using as aids, but she wasn't fast enough for Jane's detective training.
"94, 95, 96 - you know, just getting in 100 strokes." She lied, well aware that it could cause hives.
"Well it looks like you're singing into your hairbrush, like bad karaoke night." Jane quipped.
"Jane, that's just absurd - you know I don't sing karaoke," Maura retorted, trying to draw Jane's attention.
"What's that?" Jane gasped, pointing, and when Maura looked the other woman picked up the stack of blue index cards from where the doctor had tried to hide them - albeit, in the open - on her desk. "'Thrombotic thrombocytopenic' - well, no wonder, these are the worst lyrics ever."
Maura rolled her eyes and looked at the floor. "I'm practicing for my next lecture," she told her primly, taking the cards back.
"Yeah! How did it go today?" Jane asked, genuinely curious. They hadn't seen each other the night before - Jane being exhausted from a long day of questioning suspects and looking for leads. She'd apologised profusely, but begged off hanging out for an early rendezvous with her bed. Maura understood that Jane would be feeling extra fatigue due to the growing of the developing foetus; she had still been disappointed at not getting to spend quality time with the detective. Jane had even missed morning coffee this morning because she'd overslept. The doctor in Maura knew that if Jane had slept that long it was because she needed it. That knowledge did little to curtail her sour mood. Seeing Jane here in front of her now, being herself and showing an interest in what Maura was doing and how things had gone, brought on another wave of guilt.
She knew that she was being childish and perhaps a little clingy. But was is such a bad thing to want to spend time with someone that she was pretty sure she was in a relationship with? Why did their jobs have to be so damned demanding? Why couldn't she have the one thing that she'd been thinking about for nearly a week? It bordered on insanity.
"It went well. Too well." She confessed.
"What happened?" Jane's tone was a little dangerous, but Maura ignored it.
"Nothing. Um... It's just that now there are expectations that I'm gifted as a teacher. I don't know what I did for anyone to think that. So if someone, or anyone, comes to my next lecture and are disappoint, maybe they won't like me. And maybe I don't want them to anyway." She gave a tight and humourless smile.
Jane frowned, trying to parse out what Maura meant from what she'd actually said. Jane was always good at that - at understanding when Maura babbled at her. "Okay. Um... Someone paid you a compliment that you're not really handling well beca - you met a guy!" Maura scoffed, but she couldn't look Jane in eyes. The detective faltered. Her elation at decoding Maura's issue dissolved as she realised the next part. "You like him." She looked hurt.
"No! Okay, yes. But it's not what you think, Jane. I swear!" Maura had put her desk between herself and the detective in a vain effort to protect herself, but when she saw Jane's face fall, she moved quickly. First she went to her office door and closed it, dropping the blinds. Then she walked back to Jane and tried to take her hands. For the first time in weeks, Jane pulled away.
"Is he nice?" The usually self-assured woman asked in a small voice.
Maura sighed. "Yes. We went for coffee after class. We talked. His name is Jack Armstrong and he's a professor at the college." She couldn't lie. "He's funny and sweet, and I do like him."
"Oh. Uh - Uh - o-o-okay, Maur. Um, I'm glad that you made a new friend." Jane started fidgeting with her hands, but took a step back when Maura tried to reach for her again. Walls were going up around her friend - walls that Maura had previously thought down for good. She knew that she was messing things up, but she didn't know how to fix it.
"Jane -" she tried, but the brunette was shuffling backwards towards the door. She found the knob by feeling around behind her. Just then, her phone buzzed on her belt.
"I - I - I gotta go. The case. Later." With that she was gone.
Maura stared down at her hairbrush and tried not to cry.
Jane felt miserable. First, she'd fought with her mother about going to her doctor appointment without her, causing Ma to walk away hurt and angry. Then she'd found out that Maura had met someone - a guy - that she liked. It hurt. It hurt more than she could say and she'd had no choice but to walk away. Then, she'd done her best to ignore everyone and everything in order to try and think her way out of the despair.
Maybe she should have stuck around and let Maura explain. Hell, that would have been the adult thing to do. She just couldn't bring herself to look at the blonde anymore. As for her mother - well, if she apologised in the right way, she could always make it up to her. As long as she could convince Ma that there would be no need for a midwife. After all, she had Maura - didn't she?
Well, she wasn't sure if she did - now.
She hadn't slept well. Her mind had played through countless scenarios that all ended up with Maura leaving her for 'Jack Armstrong' because Jane couldn't give her what she needed.
Jane knew what Maura needed. Damn it! She needed it, too. After that kiss on the motorcycle, it was all Jane could do to restrain herself around the gorgeous blonde. She'd spent the last week or more reading in her spare time. Not story books – not really. She was researching. She'd never been with a woman the way that she wanted to be with Maura - hadn't ever really thought about it. Now, she wanted to make sure that she was prepared to give the M.E. the kind of love and attention that she deserved in bed. She wanted Maura to know that she was really in this for the long haul.
One thing after another had kept them apart. It wasn't fair!
What she should have done was turned around that night and gone back into Maura's house. She should have finished what they had started on the motorcycle. Except that she hadn't been ready.
Now it looked like she had taken too long and Maura was going to move on with someone else. With 'Jack'.
Lying in her lonely bed, Jane was suddenly overcome with guilt. She had an entire day and she was going to have to see Maura there - and her mother. If she didn't make it right with at least one of them, this day was going to suck so hard. So, who should she talk to, first?
Maura, definitely Maura. It was another of those Band-Aid ripping things - something that was just best to get it over with quickly. She needed to know if she'd lost the woman she was in love with to some college educated pretty boy or not.
She showered and dressed in a nicer - read that new - t-shirt that was dark enough to match her mood. Then she brushed out her hair, trying to get it to lie down. She was half-successful. Maybe she should try the stuff Maura used on her hair... Assuming that she was ever going to get to stay with her again.
At the office, Jane saw Maura's Prius already in the garage. Good.
First, she'd gone up to the bull pen. Korsak was already there. She stopped when she say Frost's empty chair and sighed. It was just a chair. Except that it wasn't. It was Frost's chair. That had to change, didn't it? So she'd had a conversation with Vince about maybe having someone sit there, from time to time to make it easier on all of them. Vince agreed, but then they'd both made excuses to get out of there. It was too hard, yet.
She took the coffee that she'd stopped and gotten on her way – her mother wasn't at work yet, thankfully - and took the elevator all the way to the basement. Maura was there in the lab, going over a report and she looked up when Jane entered.
"Hi." Jane greeted her.
"Hey," she said, her voice neutral. Jane set the cup down in front of her as a peace offering. Maura saw it and smiled a little. "Are you looking for something?" She asked tentatively.
"No. I'm - I'm hiding from an empty chair." Jane said, truthfully.
"Oh. Literally or philosophically?"
"Both, I think," Jane replied, fidgeting. "What are you doing?"
"The final test results came back on the saline bag. There was enough morphine in there to end her life peacefully and painlessly." Maura reported. As she did, she picked up the file and started for her office, Jane following closely behind and closing the door as she entered.
"Is there any way the air embolism could have killed Chelsea while she was sleeping?"
"No," Maura replied with a firmness that meant business, "she would have been wide awake and would have felt every excruciating moment. It's just tragic - the brutal irony of her death." The doctor's tone turned sad.
"How do you mean?" Jane stepped closer to Maura and to her surprise, Maura didn't back off.
"Well, she planned on dying one way, and then what happened was the exact opposite of what she wanted."
"Yeah," Jane sighed. Then she looked at Maura - really looked at her. In spite of her great make-up skills, Jane could still see a little darkness in the shadows under Maura's cool hazel-green eyes. She could tell by the outfit that Maura wore - it was extra fancy and the jacket was red - a defensive colour. She looked as tired as Jane felt and abruptly all the detective wanted to do was find a quiet place to curl up and hold her until they both fell asleep.
"Maura, I'm - I'm sorry for yesterday. I shouldn't have over-reacted like I did." She said.
Maura sighed and shook her head. "No, Jane, you didn't do anything wrong. I did. I - I miss you terribly. We haven't gotten to spend any time together - just us - in what seems like forever. I was feeling lonely and Jack... He made me laugh. He - He - He paid attention to me. It made me feel less lonely for a little while."
"Oh. Oh, Maura," Jane opened her arms and said, "Come here." The blonde hesitated only a moment before stepping into the brunette's embrace. "I'm so sorry. You're absolutely right. I've been so wrapped up in work that I've been ignoring us and I've been so tired at night that I just want to sleep. Honestly, though, my sleep has been absolute crap without you there with me. I always sleep better with you next to me."
Maura shivered. "Really? You mean that?"
"Of course, I do. An -An-And I don't blame you for the whole thing with this guy. But, Honey, the next time you are feeling like that, you gotta tell me. I can't do anything if I don't know, okay? Come on, you know me better than anyone - I'm the best detective on a case, but I'm a lousy girlfriend." Jane pressed a kiss into Maura's hair.
"Are you?" Maura asked, her voice sort of muffled because she'd buried her nose in Jane's neck.
"What?"
"My girlfriend?"
"Well... Yeah, if you want that. I - I know that we're still a secret, but in my mind, that's what we've been since the first time you told me that you loved me." The brunette admitted quietly. "But I know that you sometimes frown on putting labels on things and if you just want to call it 'dating' or even just 'best friends', I'm okay with that, too."
Maura raised her head and took a step back from Jane so that she could look her in the eyes. Her soft eyes swam with unshed tears. "Oh Jane. My sweet, beautiful detective. So blind, sometimes. Yes. Of course I'm your girlfriend, and you're mine. All mine." The last part came out a little possessive.
Jane relaxed for the first time since yesterday. "Um, wow. I think I like the sound of that. Say it again?"
"You are mine, Jane Rizzoli." Maura repeated, smiling with dimples.
"And you're not going to leave me for Jack?" That question came out of Jane before she could stop it.
"What? No. Never. He's just a nice guy who made me feel good. But he could never be you. I love you. Besides which," Maura reached between them to place a hand on Jane's lower abdomen, "we have a little one to think about."
Tears came to Jane's eyes as she placed a hand over her girlfriends'. "Yeah we do," she replied softly. She leaned down and took Maura's mouth with hers, forgetting for a moment that they were at work. Maura sighed happily into the kiss and reached up to wrap her arms around Jane's neck.
A rapping at the door had them springing apart like scalded cats. Then they looked at one another and started to laugh. It felt so good to laugh with Maura again. Someone knocked at the door again and Maura rolled her eyes, going to answer it.
A delivery man came in with a flowering plant. "Doctor Isles?" He asked, with a friendly smile.
"Uh, yes, that's me." Maura said.
He entered the office and set the plant on her desk, then handed her a device and asked, "Could you sign here, please?" She did, thanking him, and he left.
Jane found a card sitting in one of those little plastic pitch forks, stabbed into the dirt of the plant. She picked it up, pitchfork and all and tried to read it. Oh great, it was in Latin. She turned the card around to face Maura, making a disgusted face. "He wrote the card in Latin. Barf." She handed it over to the M.E., who smiled a little as she read it. It made Jane aware that since the first couple of times, she hadn't really done anything sweet for Maura. Maura deserved sweet and romantic. Maura deserved the best that Jane Rizzoli had to offer.
She asked, politely, "What kind of flowers are these?"
Maura read the card and said, "It's a tree, actually. And over the next two weeks, the roots are going to get so strong that they break the ceramic pot unless I transplant them to somewhere that they can grow and thrive."
"He sent you a Latin card and a metaphor plant? No wonder you like him, he could be your clone." Jane was sarcastic, but only because it was a little intimidating. "I clearly need to step up my game."
Maura rolled her eyes. "Actually Jane, I've been doing a field study on dating over the past ten years, and I can no longer ignore the results. There is no 'Mr. Right' out there for me." She grinned and winked at Jane. "Because 'Ms. Right' found me first."
Jane barked out a laugh. "That's 'Detective Right', Doctor Isles and don't you forget it."
Maura grinned, full dimples and Jane felt herself practically swooning. "Well, Detective, why don't you go out and detect and see if we can figure out who killed Chelsea in such a terrible way, and why. The sooner you do, the sooner we can spend some time together. Outside of my office."
"Yeah, you're right, Maur. Thanks to your new evidence and your insight into Chelsea's death, I think I have an idea and a new angle to take. What are you going to do about Jack? He clearly likes you."
"Don't worry, Jane, I'll set him right. Text me if you need anything and I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind."
The brunette nodded. "You know I will. See you soon, beautiful." Then she grinned and strode out of Maura's office, feeling much lighter than when she'd gone in.
Maura watched Jane go with a silly smile on her face. She couldn't help it. They had finally put a name on what was happening between them. They had also made up their fight about Jack. All she had to do now was figure out a way to let Jack down easily. She knew that she had to apologise for flirting and explain how she was deliriously happy with Jane and she had no intention of being with him. She also needed to thank him for the tree - it really was beautiful.
Maura knew that the best way to do this was in person, but she was sticking close by her office today, in case she was needed. She decided to text him and ask him to come to her office. When he immediately texted her back in the affirmative, she started to get a little nervous. She asked him to come by around lunch time - insinuating, but not outright saying that they could have lunch together. It wasn't quite a lie, but Maura felt a little itchy anyway.
He showed up with a smile, knocking on her office door. Maura opened the door and let him in. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," he said, nervously.
"Please, have a seat," she gestured to her couch. He sat, clearing his throat and resting his hands on his thighs. He looked around, surprised when Maura went to stand behind her desk.
She smiled at him and began, "I think it's best to be up front."
"Damn." It came out half groan and half sigh. He lowered his head, shaking it, and clasped his hands together.
"I...haven't finished yet -"
"You were gonna say that you're not that into me." He replied, confidently, looking pained.
Maura smiled gently at him. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head in confusion, then looked up at her and said in a pleading tone, "I really thought we had chemistry. It seemed like you thought so, too."
"We do. You weren't wrong. Jack, you are smart and funny and wildly attractive. We have a lot in common. But... I'm seeing someone, actually."
He blinked at her. "You are? Then why were you flirting with me?" He seemed a little angry, now.
Maura sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat. She came around her desk and sat in a chair, facing him. "I'm terribly sorry to have misled you. My," she smiled at the word, "girlfriend and I haven't gotten to see a lot of each other lately, and I was feeling lonely the day we met at school."
"Girlfriend? I would never have guessed." He grinned at her. "It figures."
"Actually, we haven't been seeing each other long, but she has been my best friend for many years." She informed him.
He snapped his fingers. "Jane. You mentioned her several times the other day, but I never made the connection."
She smiled now. "Yes. Jane." Her smile faded a little. "I feel just awful for misleading you. Can you forgive me? If nothing else, I'd like us to be friends."
He looked thoughtfully at her. "Are you serious?"
"Well, yes. Why?"
He laughed. "Okay then. Friends it is. I definitely wasn't expecting this when I got your text today. Say, do you have a picture of Jane? I'd like to see the person who keeps putting that kind of smile on your face."
Maura pursed her lips, thinking. What could it hurt? Jane was gorgeous. And she had several very flattering pictures of her saved on her phone. She quickly pulled it out and found the one she'd taken of Jane in her dress the night they'd gone on their first true date. It was a lovely knee-length dress of deep burgundy that more than suited the Italian brunette's skin tone. It was sleeveless, showing off Jane's arms and shoulders, scooping in the front to show off just a small amount of cleavage. It flared a little at the hips and the skirt would flare upward if Jane twirled in a circle. Which she did, laughing in delight. Out of kindness to Maura's height, she'd worn plain black sandals with no heel. In the picture she was laughing at something Maura had said and she couldn't help but to snap the photo.
"Oh. Uh, wow. Yeah. I can totally see why you would go for her." Jack said. "Say, you don't happen to know anyone who's interested in a divorced father of one, would you?" He grinned at her. "I am not very good at meeting new people who aren't students - and that's sort of frowned upon, you know?"
Maura laughed at him. "Well, I can definitely set you up with some people. You know, Jack, I really admire you. The idea of getting out there and dating after so long would terrify me."
"I won't lie - I am terrified. Maura, when my wife cheated on, and then left me, I was devastated. After the divorce, when things were pretty settled between us and our daughter - I started to get lonely. I decided that it was better to put myself out there and get hurt again, than to stay alone." Jack explained. He gave her a lopsided smile. "Take you, for example."
"Oh, I am a terrible example," Maura argued. "I misled you and that was very wrong of me. Not all women are like me. In fact, I am thinking of someone right now, who I think you would like."
"Seriously? That was quick."
Maura giggled. "I'll give her your number - tell her to call you. Her name is Sarah and she's a pediatric nurse at Mass General. We went to BCU together and were in the same sorority."
That news seemed to perk him up. "Hey, thanks!"
"My pleasure. Wow, I have to say that I've never set someone up on a blind date before." She wondered what Jane would say to this turn of events. She'd be suspicious, like always, but she would probably laugh. God, she missed hearing Jane laugh. She really hoped that after this case, they would actually get to spend quality time together. On impulse, Maura asked, "Do you want to go get something to eat?"
"Yeah? I didn't think you actually wanted to go."
"I didn't, but that was my nerves talking. I was serious about being your friend. Friends have lunch together, don't they?" Maura asked.
"They do." He stood up and she followed suit. "I passed by this little Greek place on my way over here, do you know it?"
Maura got her purse and then followed her new friend out of the office, filling him in on the food at Byblos.
Jane found that hanging out with her mother wasn't as bad as it could be. After they'd had their talk in the cafe - the one where Jane apologised in her roundabout way and where Angela had flat out astounded her by directly apologising - Jane had coasted on her luck and managed to solve the case. She didn't get any credit for the collar - after all, it had been the Mayor who had enlisted Maura's help in the first place - because the old politician stole it. Jane didn't mind. She hadn't gotten fired when he found out that it was she who had pranked him. In fact he had actually laughed about it and asked Jane if talking circles around suspects and getting them tongue-tied was how she went managed to catch criminals. She'd just smiled and laughed.
Maura had texted her to let her know that she was going to show her new friend, Jack, the Triumph. When Jane had finally been allowed to leave the precinct, she had gone directly to Maura's, but found her, and the motorcycle, gone.
Ma was home, though. Jane smiled when she saw her, but heart sank. All she wanted to do after the day she'd had was to curl up with Maura and make out with her. She'd really been looking forward to it, in fact. But her mother had offered to make her a virgin drink and the two decided to work on boundaries. Ma instructed her to sit down and then puttered about Maura's kitchen making something called a 'Ricky' for herself and the virgin side of the drink, a 'Lucy', for Jane. It amounted to mostly carbonated grapefruit juice with a splash of lime and a little wedge of pink grapefruit. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad.
"And it's completely normal to be like a cat in heat during your second trimester." Ma was telling her as she handed the drink to her. Jane sipped at it as her mother sat right down beside her.
"Really?" She asked, skeptically. "I thought that was a myth." And wasn't that an interesting thing to know. Maura probably knew it already, but Jane doubted that she'd actually thought about it in terms of 'them'. Us. My girlfriend. Doctor Maura Isles is my girlfriend. I really love how that sounds! She thought, then did her best to tune back into her mother.
"Mmm, it's not. So beware of pregnancy goggles." Ma warned her. She laughed, then they clinked glasses.
"You mean like beer goggles?"
"Mm," Ma took a drink. "Worse. Stick to these rules - no fanny packs, no cellphone holsters, and no sandals with black socks." She said the last part with such authority that Jane almost laughed at her.
Instead, she came back with, "Well, that's just good rules for life in general." She took another sip of her drink.
"You can't imagine how many times I used to ask your father to pull the car over so we could get it on." Ma continued and Jane did a full body shudder at the image that statement gave her. Nope!
"No! No, no, no! See! That boundary - you just blew right past it. It..." she shook her head. It was gross, but it was actually kind of funny - as long as she didn't think about it.
"So it's okay to talk about sex with strangers, but not your father and your boss." She said the last part in a strange voice that both confused and scared Jane a little.
"Write that down," she instructed her mother in dry voice - utterly serious. Her life would be infinitely better if she never had to hear about her mother's sex life ever again. Ma narrowed her eyes at her and started to say something when they both heard the rumble of a motorcycle approaching.
Maura was home! That thought cheered Jane up immensely.
"Did she take Jack home on the Triumph," Jane asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.
"Yeah," her mother said in a tone of wry contempt that Jane actually recognised as something she did - Maybe Maura was right and she WAS turning into her mother - on a daily basis. "apparently, he's a fan of the sidecar." She snickered and Jane smiled. She would give Maura crap about letting someone ride in her sidecar, of course.
When the front door opened, and the doctor breezed into her home looking windblown and radiant, Jane couldn't believe the butterflies in her stomach. She's mine, she thought, more than a little smugly. She loved her mother and she very much wished the woman was far away at the moment. Maura was in that sexy black leather jacket and a pair of second-skin jeans. Her shirt was silvery-grey and matched her silver helmet. Jane's helmet was shiny black. Her riding boots were also black leather and they came half-way up her calves. Jane swallowed hard and checked to make sure she wasn't drooling - that would totally give things away.
She covered her reaction with a jaunty, "Hey!"
Maura sauntered into the living room, then turned from side to side, almost like she was giving Jane a show. The brunette ground her teeth.
Once her mother had echoed her greeting, she sat back on the couch and said nothing.
Maura frowned. "That's it?"
Jane said, "We're working on our boundaries," while nodding significantly towards her mother. Maura, of course, got the hint. She gave a single nod.
"Yes," Ma agreed. "Apparently it's better if we let you volunteer things."
Jane nodded encouragingly.
"Well, he didn't try to kill me." Maura said.
"Yay!" Jane and her mother echoed her sentiment. Jane was actually happy that this guy hadn't tried to give Maura a hard time when she broke it off with him. Maura needed more people like her to be around, even if she claimed to love the whole Rizzoli clan, Jane was sure that having another genius to talk to once in a while would be good for her.
"What are you drinking," Maura asked.
Jane held up her cup and said, at the same time her mother responded with "Grapefruit Ricky", "Grapefruit Lucys. It's the grapefruit Ricky, but without the Ricky. It's just grapefruit."
Maura laughed at them. "May I have one, please? But the real one, not the one we're making Jane drink."
Jane shot her a glare, but she just grinned it away.
"Sure," Ma replied, setting her own drink down and getting up to make one for Maura. "So tell me," she called from the kitchen, "was the governor upset with Jane's phone prank?" She set about making Maura a Ricky.
Maura smirked at Jane a moment, then answered, "Well, he told the press that he was very glad that he pushed for further investigation. So apparently not."
Jane couldn't help the satisfied smile that played across her lips. She looked over at Maura and met the other woman's eyes, trying to show her just how much she wished her mother wasn't around. The doctor's dimples deepened and her eyes sparkled.
"So, this is a cause for celebration." Her mother said, coming back with Maura's drink. She handed the drink to the woman, then sat back down next to Jane. "Jane didn't get fired and Maura isn't dating a serial killer!"
Maura took a sip of her drink, then shook her head. "We aren't dating, Angela." She corrected. She glanced at Jane, eyes practically smoldering.
"No? Oh, my bad." She turned to Jane and asked in an aside voice, "Is this one of those boundary things?"
Jane laughed and so did Maura. "Don't worry, Angela, I could see how you might make that assumption. No, Jack and I are just friends." Maura set her helmet on the corner of the coffee table and leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
"So, did you enjoy your ride?" Jane asked, trying to sound pouty.
Maura ignored her tone, but her mouth twisted up on one side and her eyelids lowered. "Oh yes, it was lovely, the weather is perfect!"
"Well, you be careful riding that thing," Ma told her, seriously, "I've known a few people who got into accidents on a motorcycle and it isn't pretty."
"Of course," Maura assured her, where Jane rolled her eyes.
"C'mon, Ma, Maura's like the safest driver ever. If there's one person who should drive a motorcycle, it's her. Plus - love the jacket, Maur. It's very badass." Jane took a drink to cover up her expression. She'd complimented Maura and her jacket, trying to let the blonde know just how much she liked it. How much she wouldn't mind being the person who took it off of her.
Ma shook her head. "It's not Maura's driving that I'm worried about, it's everyone else."
"I promise you, Angela, I will most definitely be careful." Maura replied.
"Okay." Ma abruptly stood up. "Well, it's about time for my show - those Winchester boys are so hot!" She licked her fingertip, then pressed it to the air and made a hissing sound. "I always hope that at least one of 'em ends up with his shirt off."
Jane made a face and Maura was off laughing again. "'Night, Ma. See you in the morning."
"Good-night, Angela. Sleep well."
Ma bent over and kissed Jane's cheek, then stopped and did the same to Maura before she exited through the door to the guest house. When she was gone, Maura got up quickly and locked both that door and her front door.
They were finally alone.
When Maura made to take the leather jacket off, Jane jumped to her feet. "No, don't." Maura froze and looked quizzically at her girlfriend. Jane set her drink down and crossed the distance between them.
"I meant what I said a few minutes ago," Jane reached out and slid her arms into the jacket, wrapping them around Maura's waist. "This jacket is damn sexy on you."
The other woman gasped sharply as she was pulled into Jane, but it was cut off when Jane leaned in to press her lips to Maura's.
As they assaulted each other with lips and dueling tongues, Jane was already trying to tug Maura's shirt from her jeans. It was stuck. Jane pulled away and rasped, "Really?" But she gave up and went back for more of Maura's mouth until they had to break apart for breathing. "I've been waiting to do that again all day." She confessed as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Oh, me, too!" Maura said gasped. Her arms had wrapped around Jane's neck. She stared up at the wild-haired woman and said, "It feels like forever since I got to touch you like this."
"I know. I'm sorry I've been so bad about this. I really missed you, Maur." Jane told her. Then she bent her head and began to leave feather lite kisses up her neck. Maura shivered, her eyes going closed, and she leaned her head to the side, giving Jane better access. Jane found the sensitive little spot just behind her ear and nipped at it with her teeth. Maura groaned low in her throat. The blonde threaded her fingers into Jane's mane of hair and tugged her head up.
"Jane, if you keep doing that..."
"I know. Maura... I know what I'm doing." Since she couldn't get Maura's shirt un-tucked, Jane used one of her hands to cup the perfect ass that was her girlfriend's and pulled her lower half closer, devouring her mouth again. "I've been thinking about you, about this all day, too." Jane practically growled into the blonde's ear when they came up for air.
"Jane!"
"What?"
"I am in no way saying no. Oh!" Jane's leg slid between Maura's and the blonde lost herself for a moment. "Um, um, um... Oh, Jane! Damn it!" She pulled away, trying to back out of Jane's embrace.
"Maur?" Jane was confused. She let the other woman go.
"I'm sorry." Maura spoke. "It's just...I really need to use the bathroom. Meet me upstairs in exactly 3 minutes." Then she bolted for the stairs.
Jane couldn't hold in her laughter. Of course her big sweeping gesture would get put on hold for nature, it was just her luck. It didn't matter. She ran up the stairs to make sure that she met her deadline.
Maura used the bathroom, then stripped out of her jeans and put them in the hamper. She had also stopped to put her new motorcycle boots and jacket in the closet. She did go to the bathroom and then she stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She had been told many times, by many men - and a few women - that she was beautiful. She dressed the way that she did because it helped her to feel that way. What she felt when Jane looked at her the way she had when she'd walked in the door to her home tonight - it defied words. What she felt when Jane kissed her... Her face flushed at the thought.
"Maura?" Jane knocked gently at the bathroom door. "Are you okay? It's been three minutes."
Maura chuckled. She did truly love the woman, she just wasn't used to this side of her. She wanted it, wanted her, but something that she had not told Jane was that in all of the time she had tried dating women - she had never had sex with them. In fact, she'd never even gotten close. She had done more - gotten farther - with Jane that night a week ago, than she'd gone with all other women combined. Just the thought of what awaited her in her bedroom made her heart race and scared her just a little bit.
She didn't know how to tell Jane that.
"Be right there," she called, trying not to sound frightened. She looked in the mirror one more time, gathered her courage, and then went to the door. Jane had backed off and was sitting on the edge of Maura's bed, staring at the ground. She looked up, and then away, when Maura stepped into the room.
"Hey," she said. Maura noted that she'd turned on the lamp on the nightstand nearest where she sat, but hadn't turned on any other light. The lamp only had a 25 watt bulb in it - bright enough to read by, but not so much light that it was bothersome. It left much of Jane's features hidden in shadow.
"Hey," she smiled. Jane played with the scars on her hands.
"I'm sorry, Maura." The usually brash woman said in a small voice. "You liked that the other night, I just thought... Anyway, are you okay?"
"Jane." Maura felt some of her trepidation leave on hearing Jane's words. She moved to stand in front of the other woman. She put two fingers under Jane's chin and applied gentle pressure. Jane resisted for a few seconds, then looked up. "When you look at me - when you pay attention to me, when we talk - I feel like I am the only person in the room. When you touch me - I... I feel like I am on fire. It's been a very long time since anyone has made me feel like this. It's not a bad thing. It's just a little overwhelming for me."
"Yeah? You're sure? I didn't like hurt you or anything." Jane's eyes were shiny in the low light - had she been crying? - and her voice was a little raspier than normal.
"I'm sure." Maura told her, firmly.
Jane sighed. "Okay. I - I - I'm really not sure where to go from here. It's not like I've done this before."
"Neither have I," Maura admitted.
Jane blinked. "You haven't? But I thought..."
"I know. I let you think that and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Jane."
The detective stared up at her. "So... What do you say we start over? If it goes there, if we decide to take that step, it will be together."
After another few moments of contemplation, Jane nodded. She reached up and took hold of Maura's hand in her own larger one and just held it. Then she smirked and looked up at Maura again. "I'm not sure you standing here in a t-shirt and panties is going to help things, though."
Maura looked down at herself and laughed. She hadn't even thought about that when she took off her pants. "Why don't I put on some pants?"
"Mmm, yes, why don't you?" Came Jane's playful reply. Still, when Maura turned around, Jane couldn't help but to reach out and give Maura's perfect ass cheek a light slap. Maura jumped and spun around, but Jane just batted her eyelashes and tried to look innocent. The doctor rolled her eyes and huffed out a breathy laugh. She had a feeling that they wouldn't be going all the way for a while yet and as much as it drove her out of her mind, Maura knew that it was the right call. They would get there. There was time.