Jane stayed staring at Maura, confused for a brief moment before registering the medical examiners words. A warm smile spread across the detectives face when she saw the sincerity behind a pair of hazel eyes.
"You do?" Jane asked, feeling a little breathless suddenly.
"I do." Maura replied softly, placing a kiss on the detective's lips once again. Jane whimpered softly under the kiss, giving the medical examiner a gentle squeeze around her waist. They pulled apart some-what but never letting go completely.
"Why didn't you tell me?" The detective asked.
"Same reason you didn't tell me." Maura sighed. "I was afraid of what it would do to our friendship. The risks were too high, so I went through my feelings for you logically every time that I felt that sudden rush of oxytocin."
"I could arrest for that you know?" Jane teased.
"Oxytocin, not Oxycontin." The medical examiner corrected. "Oxytocin is neurohypophysial hormone. Produced in the brain by the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior pituitary gland." Maura stated. The detective merely stared back blankly. "It's the chemical in your brain that lets you feel love and trust." The medical examiner went on.
"Ahhh." Jane said, smiling lovingly at the woman in her arms.
"Plus you were with Casey at the time." Maura continued. "And when you told me you broke up with Casey I was already with Mark."
With her words, Maura suddenly gasped, jumping back out of the detective's arms.
"How am I going to tell Mark?" Maura questioned out loud, her face contorting into an expression of guilt.
"You mean you aren't going to leave Boston?" Jane asked, surprised even though they had both just confessed their feelings that they had been carrying around for so long.
"You're the one I want to be with Jane. Of course, I feel bad now. Mark really is a wonderful guy…" The medical examiner paused.
"But…?" The detective sensed Maura's sentence wasn't complete.
"But he's not you." The medical examiner replied tenderly. Jane took hold of Maura's hands, gently stroking the backs the blondes hands with her thumbs. Learning that her feelings were mutual with Maura's had calmed the detective down immensely. They stood like that for a few moments the icy wind had all but disappeared and large flakes of snow started to drift slowly from the night sky.
Jane laughed suddenly gaining the medical examiners attention.
"What's so funny?" Maura asked rather confused.
"It's just…" Jane laughed again. "This is all so cliché."
The medical examiner tilted her head, still perplexed as to why Jane found this moment so amusing. "I just confessed to my best friend, on Christmas, that I love her. Then she proceeded to kiss me and told me she felt the same." Jane explained, hoping Maura would catch on.
"I can see how that may be perceived as cliché." Maura stated.
"The only way this could be more of a cliché is if we just happen to be standing under mistletoe." Jane added still feeling rather entertained by her realization.
An idea struck Maura, her eyes widening with excitement, she spun around on the spot and tugged Jane hurriedly along behind her.
"Maura, what are you doing?" Jane questioned. The medical examiner didn't say a word. She dragged the detective by the hand out of the cold and in through the back door of the house, stopping herself and Jane directly in the hall entry way. "Seriously, Maura what is-" But Jane was stopped short by the medical examiner indicating for her to look above their heads. Hanging from the archway was a small portion of mistletoe.
"Mistletoe is often used during the holidays as an excuse for two people to kiss. Not many people know however that it is a type of santalaceae. It's partially parasitic, meaning it gets its nutrients from a living host, such as other flowers, trees, and even bushes. But in this case mistletoe is typically found in tr-"
"Would you just shut up and kiss me?" The detective itterupted, smiling softly at the other woman.
"Oh!" Maura blushed, wrapping her arms around Jane's neck, bringing her lips to meet the detectives in a long, passionate kiss.
In that moment the back door opened and Frankie walked in.
"Hey, what's taking so long? We're like half way through…" The younger detective looked up just in time to catch the two women quickly separating from one another. "Presents." He finished with a questioning look, pointing at the two of them.
Maura stood, frozen like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move or speak.
"Oh. It's just you." Jane sighed, quite relieved that it was her brother and not anyone else.
"Did I just walk in on something important?" He asked a little too smugly for Jane's taste.
"Possibly but I wouldn't know because you interrupted us." The detective replied, waving her hand around in frustration. Her brother smirked in response. "What do you want?" Jane asked, having not really heard him upon his entrance.
"We're finishing up with presents and you two gotta come open yours." He said before turning back towards the door. "I'll let everyone know you're on your way."
Frankie headed out the back door once again and left the two in a moment of silence.
"Well we should probably head over there." Jane finally spoke, slowly making her way towards the door. The medical examiner finally shook herself free of her shocked state and called out to Jane before she reached the door.
"Jane!"
The detective stopped and turned to face the M.E. who was still standing under the archway. "What do we do now?" The medical examiner asked nervously. The detective made her way back over to her friend, standing close and looking her in the eyes.
"Don't worry about Frankie, he won't say anything. And…well…I think we have some stuff to talk about. Wouldn't you agree?" Jane asked giving Maura a playful smile.
"Yes, I believe we do." Maura replied simply.
"Good." The detective said with a relaxing sigh. "But not right now." She added quickly.
"Right now we've got presents to go open." Jane took Maura by the hand giving it a reassuring squeeze before leading her out the back door.
Once inside the guest house they took their seats and joined in on exchanging gifts. Jane plopped herself down on the floor next to her nephew who was playing with a Nerf gun that his aunt had gotten him, while Maura took a seat on a chair near the detective. The rest of the night the two women made sure to keep enough space between them so they wouldn't seem suspicious to anyone; minus Frankie who was the only one that knew. Later on when the detective could get a moment alone with her brother she would ask him to keep it to himself until she and Maura could figure things out. Being the kind of brother he was, Frankie promised to keep the news to himself and teased his sister light heartedly about having finally recognized her feelings for her friend.
After everyone had said their goodbyes and had gone home Maura and Jane retreated once again to the medical examiners home. The two sat in front of the fireplace to warm themselves from the cold winter night, the only light in the room coming from the lit Christmas tree and the fireplace. Jane sat on the floor with Maura leaning back against the detective's chest. They sat in a comfortable silence; Jane's arms draped over the medical examiners shoulders, just watching the flames dance.
"So…" Maura breathed, lacing her fingers with the detectives. "Should we talk about the nature of our relationship now?" the medical examiner asked.
"We've had a long day. Maybe we should just relax the rest of the night and talk this all out in the morning." Jane replied.
Maura agreed, it had been an exciting evening and maybe it would be best to get some rest before diving into the details of their new relationship. The two sat in front of the fire place a little while longer, exchanging tender touches and soft kisses. Realizing how late it was, Maura moved to put out the fire while Jane turned off the Christmas tree lights. Once Jane and Maura had finished with their nightly routines separately they rejoined each other in the medical examiners bedroom. The two women curled up in bed together, this time, both completely aware of how close they were to one another. Maura found comfort in the crook of Jane's neck, where she nuzzled the soft skin there before closing her eyes and loosely gripping the front of the detective's shirt. Jane ran her fingers through waves of honey blonde hair, letting it waterfall over the pillows beside the medical examiners head. The detective kissed Maura's forehead and held her closely before relaxing enough to fall into a blissful sleep.
When Jane woke the following morning around ten fifteen a.m. she wasn't really surprised to find that Maura was not beside her. She knew the medical examiner was an early riser and had probably been up for several hours. The detective made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth before walking down the hallway towards the kitchen, where she could smell coffee. She smiled sleepily walking into the kitchen, not taking any interest in her surroundings, just reaching to pour herself a steaming cup of joe. After taking a few sips Jane turned to face the living room where she took in the sight of Maura, with her hair pulled back, wearing (very form fitting) track suit while reading the news.
"Already go out for a run?" Jane asked walking into living room, setting herself on the opposite end of the couch.
"Actually I had some business to tend to this morning." Maura started, setting her paper down and turning to Jane.
"Business?" Jane asked suspiciously eyeing the medical examiners outfit. "In that?" She finished. Maura stared back at the detective in mock offense.
"Are you saying you don't like my outfit, detective?" Maura joked.
"Wha-? No! You look great! You know what I mean!" Jane fumbled though her words.
Maura gave the detective a reassuring smile before shifting her position to sit cross legged on her side of the couch.
"You have a gift in the tree." Maura said nodding towards the tree. The detective looked from other woman to the tree in the corner of the room. Placed in amongst the branches was a white envelope with the name "Jane" scrawled neatly in the center.
"Why didn't I see this yesterday?" Jane asked, setting her drink down and moving towards the tree.
"I got it for you this morning." Maura confessed.
"Aww, Maur. You didn't have to do that, really. My gifts last night where enough." Jane said bringing the envelope back over to the couch, taking her seat once again.
The previous night over in the guest house Jane had received a new pair of black Doc Martins, a personalized Red Sox jersey, and a sweater for JoFriday from Maura. While the medical examiner had received a large box of expensive chocolates, a fancy looking teapot, along with some teas and a small container of coffee grounds the detective threw in as more of a gag gift. Maura ignored Jane's comment and waited eagerly for the detective to look inside the envelope. Inside Jane found a plane ticket from Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Oregon. Dumbfounded the detective looked up managing to get caught in the medical examiners gaze.
"I have some things to attend to in Oregon and Washington over the next several days and I would like you to come with me." Maura stated.
"Maur, I-"
But Jane was cut off before she could get another word out. "I am aware this is short notice but I've already spoke with Lieutenant Cavanaugh and he has informed me that you have acquired more than the necessary days I have requested off for you."
"Wait." The detective said, managing to get a word in. "Cavanaugh just let you request days off for me? No questions asked?"
"Well I never said he didn't ask any questions. I simply told him I was leaving town for a few days and that I would be requiring your assistance." Maura stated.
"I-I don't know Muar." Jane said nervously rubbing the back of her neck. Of Course she wanted to go and spend the time with Maura but there was a reason she never took time off of work, she was dedicated to her job. "What if the guys need me?" She asked.
"They are well trained detectives, I'm sure they could do without you for a few days." Maura said taking notice of the detective's contemplative face. "I know you want to stay but you work constantly, you running yourself into the ground. You should really take this time off to help control your cortisol levels."
"What do you know about my cortisol levels?" Jane asked defensively.
"You work in a very demanding/high stress environment. Your diet it terrible, you're much more prone to getting sick, and god only knows what your blood pressure is." Maura said, standing up and taking Jane's empty coffee mug into the kitchen.
"So now you're bringing God into this?" Jane joked, turning in the direction of her friend from her spot on the couch. The medical examiner looked back at Jane, unamused.
"It's a figure of speech." Maura sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." The detective said turning back to look at the plane ticket sitting on the coffee table. Realizing there wasn't going to be an easy way out of this Jane exhaled dejectedly and stood up making her way towards the hallway. The detective stopped and turned towards her friend before making her exit.
"Fine!" She groaned. "I'll go to Oregon with you."
Maura beamed with satisfaction as she moved over towards Jane, wrapping her arms around the detective's waist. Jane stubbornly kept her arms to her side, trying her best to avoid the loving smile coming from the shorter woman.
"Thank you." The medical examiner said softly before tip-toeing herself up to better kiss the detective.
"Alright." Jane said once they pulled apart. "I guess I should head over to my place and pack a few things." The two let go and Jane started making her way down the hallway. "Hey, Maur?" The detective called, re-entering the kitchen.
"Yes?" The medical examiner looked back towards the hall.
"Shouldn't you talk to Mark before we leave?"
"Actually I took care of that this morning as well." Maura confessed.
"Oh? Care to tell me how it went?" Jane pried.
"It went well (as far as ending relationships go). I just explained to him I couldn't leave Boston. It's my home, where my career is, and my friends are..."
"Alright." The detective said, her voice sounding a little disappointed.
"And that I'm in love with someone else." Maura added reassuringly.
Back at Jane's apartment the detective packed a bag with jeans and long sleeve shirts. Knowing west coast weather would be similar to east coast weather this time of year. Maura had told her she didn't need to pack anything other than what was comfortable to her so she did just that. Jane called her mother and made arrangements for JoFriday to stay with her while the two women were out of town. Angela was thrilled when she found out that the medical examiner was taking Jane with her on her trip, knowing how much her daughter needed a break from her stressful job. The eldest Rizzoli promised to look after both Bass and Jo.
Jane finished packing her belongings and grabbed up Jo's bag of dog food and a few toys; her mother already had dishes at the house for the pup to use. She threw her belongings in the trunk of her car and set off back towards the medical examiners home. On the drive back to Maura's the detective couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. She'd never been to the west coast before, and the trip caught her a bit by surprise seeing as how they would be leaving tomorrow morning. Jane was also a little excited because this was the perfect time to get away with Maura. They would have the perfect chance to possibly take things further in their relationship. Something they had both been yearning for, for over six years. Now that they both knew how the other felt, it was perfect to have a small get away, just the two of them. Jane couldn't help but wondered if maybe Maura had planned this on purpose.
Walking through the house, Jane set her things in the guest bedroom before finding herself standing in the doorway of Maura's yoga room. Directly in the middle of the room the medical examiner was shifting slowly from Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-facing dog) to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing dog). Jane tilted her head taking in the sight of Maura's form fitting clothes clinging to her obviously flexible body. The detective leaned against the door frame and smirked as she watched the medical examiner in silence.
"Hello, Jane." Maura said with an amused tone. She had heard the detective making her way up the hall and even though her back was turned, knew she was watching her from the doorway.
"Hey how'd you know I was here?" Jane asked, snapping out of her almost trance.
"Your energy is very disruptive." The medical examiner stated, coming out of downward dog to stand. Jane gave her a disbelieving face as a reply. Maura's smile told the detective that she was only kidding. "You stomp your feet a little when you're concentrating on something. I heard you coming up the hallway." The medical examiner said.
"Oh." Was all Jane could get out before Maura spoke again.
"So what's on your mind?" Maura asked. There was a pause before Jane spoke again.
"Do you really have business to attend to or did you plan this all along?"
"A colleague of mine asked if I could fly out to help with a case he is working on." The medical examiner said matter-of-factly "But in light of recent events I decided to extended my trip and bring you along." She added with a sly smile.
Jane gave Maura a playful smile before turning back into the direction of the front room.
"I'm gonna go watch TV while you finish…" The detective waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever it is you've got going on in here." She finished taking a few steps back down the hall.
"Jane." The medical examiner called out from the yoga room. Jane took a large step back, leaning her torso far enough back for her head to poke around the door frame once again.
"Yeah?" She said partially hanging in the entry way. Maura had made her way to the door and leaned in to give Jane a quick peck on the cheek.
"I'm glad that you decided to come with." She said softly. Jane looked into Maura's hazel eyes lovingly, unable to hold back yet another smile.
"Me too." Jane replied sincerely.
A/N: Giving credit this chapter to my friend Samantha for helping me figure out a gift that would suit Maura coming from Jane. I hope you all are enjoying it.
=]