A/N: I hope this rather long chapter made up for the last rather short chapter. And I promise, Rizzles love declaration is soon. Within the next….four chapters. Maybe. I see why writers do it. Drag you along, I mean. It's like an addiction. And I apologize for being so weak. But I promise the wait will be worth it. If not, I give you full permission to virtually egg my virtual house and make a virtual protest. Much love and happy inappropriate wednesday.


Maura kept her promise; she was at Jane's house as often as she could. The weeks that followed Jane's first day revealed a quite punctual habit, and today was no different.

Maura awoke in Jane's empty bed. She got up, not bothering to shower like she had before the Rizzolis. It was funny, really. She thought she'd known everything about living. In fact, she'd been dead wrong, and she truly enjoyed it when each family member taught her something about herself.

The most recent lesson had been from Frankie. He taught her that embarrassment was for the weak. One morning she had woken up with an arm around her waist. In her half-asleep haze, the only thing she could think was to say: "Jane?" And of course, it was Frankie, who had burst out laughing like a six year old. She had pushed him roughly out of bed, but she didn't blush…She just, wasn't embarrassed. And although she was relieved no one else was in the room, she got the message loud and clear. Lesson learned.

From the on, she had no more shame, which was why she had no problem entering the already chaotic living room clad in nothing more than one of Jane's t-shirts and her underwear. No one batted an eyelash at the sight; they just continued their conversations as Maura took a seat on the couch next to Teresa.

"How was work?" Teresa asked, her eyes not moving from the television screen.

"As horrid as it was yesterday."

"Same."

They glanced sideways, giving each other slightly amused, but not really friendly, smiles. Their silence was interrupted though, as Jane burst through her front door, looking quite beat. Maura turned and grinned widely at the sight of Jane. Maura knew that Jane hated her uniform, but she quite liked it. Especially now. Jane had undone several of the buttons, revealing her slightly see-through tank top. Strands of hair had slipped from the tight bun, giving her a rugged look. Sexy was more appropriate, but…

The doctor got up and helped Jane with the bag of groceries she was carrying.

"Morning," Jane called half-heartedly to everyone, who all waved instead of yelling back. The cop let herself be dragged away by Maura to her room, where she flopped on her back onto her bed.

"At least get the uniform off, Jane. It's hard to iron."

Jane just groaned, ignoring Maura and staying where she was.

"Fine."

Maura walked over, bent down, and yanked one of Jane's shoes off.

"What're you doing, Maur?" Jane asked groggily, opening one of her eyes to search for the doctor.

"If you won't do it, I will," she said curtly, ripping off the other shoe, along with the socks.

Jane just groaned again, lazily pulling her hair from the bun. Without warning, Maura was at Jane's belt, roughly pulling at the buckle. It was the one time in Jane's life that she was glad she was dead tired. Otherwise, she was pretty sure she would've bucked her hips. Which would not have ended well. Just as quickly as Maura's hands were there, they were gone, gripping the fabric of her pants at the knees, pulling roughly. She knew full well Jane wouldn't cooperate. She climbed onto the bed next to Jane, leaning over her to finish the buttons on Jane's top. Jane kept her eyes shut tight, fully aware that if she opened them even a little, she'd get an eyeful of Maura's wonderful cleavage. Satisfied, Maura left the bed, picking up the discarded clothing from the floor.

"Now go have breakfast," she ordered.

"I don't want to," Jane whined.

"They're here for you, Jane."

"Like they are every other morning!"

"Just go. For me?"

Jane heard the pout in Maura's voice, and her resolve disappeared. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, watching Maura.

"Hey…" Jane faltered. "You're not wearing any pants!"

"Neither are you," Maura countered.

Jane smirked.

"I'm not the one who was out there with my family."

"Stop stalling. I know you don't care."

"Damn it," Jane mumbled, rolling to her feet.

Jane exited, finding her way to her seat at the dining room table.

"So how was your night, sweetheart?" her mother asked, putting the final serving plate in the middle of the table.

"Good," Jane said, reaching for the plate of French toast before any one else had a chance to sit down. "I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel."

"Really?" Maura asked curiously, sliding next to Jane.

"Well…it's a pretty long tunnel," Jane laughed, suddenly more awake now that Maura was there. "But, still. A light. Cavanaugh's looking for more rookies. The more newbies, the less new I become," she finished with a mouthful of toast.

Maura lightly swatted Jane's arm.

"Manners," she scolded.

Jane glared at the doctor, but stopped talking. Maura grinned, lightly rubbing Jane's arm before starting to fill her own plate. Jane didn't mind just sitting and listening. It required less effort on her part. She felt a nudge on her right arm, though, pulling her attention to her brother.

"What?" she whispered, leaning closer to him.

"What're you gonna do?" he asked quietly, mirroring her action and leaning in.

Jane furrowed her brow, indicating she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Tommy," Frankie clarified. "He gets out soon. Was it today or tomorrow?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"We both know he's goin' after Dr. Isles."

"Don't assume!" Jane hissed.

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Fine. Yes. He will. Just…keep him away."

"From your apartment?"

"Yes!"

"How? Isn't this considered a 'routine family breakfast'? At your apartment?"

Jane made a face.

"Could you just try?"

He glared at her, but she knew that meant he would.

"Thanks, little brother. You always were my favorite sibling."

"What an honor," he teased.

She rolled her eyes and sat up, only to see Maura eyeing her suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it," Jane whispered, placing a comforting hand on Maura's thigh. Maura barely had time to appreciate the gesture before Jane removed it quickly, returning to her food.


An hour later, the family had left, leaving Maura to get ready for work and Jane to get ready for bed. The cop had just gotten comfortable when she heard Maura in the bathroom.

"Jane!" Maura called, a slight whine in her voice.

"What?" Jane called back, annoyance in hers as she got up.

She shuffled her way into the bathroom, squinting at the brightness of the fluorescent lights. Maura peeked her head out from behind the shower curtain.

"Your shower won't give me water," she said with a disgruntled frown.

Jane grinned.

"It likes to fight back sometimes," she teased, strolling over.

Maura pulled the shower curtain close to her, both to cover herself and to give Jane access to the showerhead. Jane gave both Maura and the shower a once over, then promptly slammed her fist onto the wall between the knobs and the showerhead. Water immediately flowed from the shower, and Jane jumped back, shaking her now wet arm off.

"Faulty pressure gauge," she muttered, turning to go.

"Hey, Jane?"

The brunette turned back around, only to be met with one of Maura's adorably grateful smiles.

"Thank you."

Jane gave a warm smile back.

"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up. I can't have my shower be the reason you're late."

As soon as the door closed, Maura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She rushed through the shower, clumsily stumbling out of the tub and into Jane's room in her (surprisingly small) towel. Jane was already fast asleep, though. Maura took a second to study Jane. She loved the way the cop looked when she slept. It was the only time she looked peaceful, instead of fretting about pleasing everyone around her.

The moment passed, and Maura went to shift through the clothes she had in the closet. She threw on a dress and grabbed her purse from her side of the bed. She smiled to herself. My side of the bed… She gave Jane a quick kiss on the forehead before running out the door.

Maura hopped out the front door, trying to pull on her heels and walk at the same time. She smiled sheepishly at the old man watching her from his open front door, paper in hand.

"Hey, Maura."

"Hey, Mr. Heller," she waved, a brightness in her voice.

Mr. Heller was Jane's neighbor, sure, but Jane and the family talked about him all the time. He was apparently like Maura herself. A friend that might as well have been family.

"Jane doing alright?"

"Mhm. She's adjusting well."

"Good. She needs stability before her brother gets back."

Maura halted her decent down the stairs, turning to give the old man a confused look.

"Tommy," Mr. Heller explained. "Teresa's…boyfriend. He gets paroled soon. I think it's been almost five years to the day."

Maura gave the best smile she could muster through her confusion.

"Well, that's good, then. Everyone'll be very excited," she decided, taking another step away.

"Wait."

She stopped again.

"Could you give this to her?" he asked carefully, extending an envelope to Maura.

"She's right there," Maura pointed, unsure of what was happening.

"I wouldn't want to disturb her," he mumbled, extending it again. "Besides, it's not really a face-to-face kind of thing."

Maura shrugged and took it from him.

"Have a wonderful day, Mr. Heller."

"You too, Maura."

She didn't really know what to make of the whole situation, but she shoved the envelope into her purse as she strolled the rest of the way across the parking lot to her car.


Maura exited an exam room, that bratty two year old's shrieking still ringing in her ears. She slumped into her chair, taking a few aspirins and letting her head fall to the desk. The doctor couldn't help herself; she let out a groan of pain and annoyance, wishing she was anyone else at that moment.

"Aww, cheer up," the nosiest nurse comforted (Maura remembered her name finally: Carol), rolling her chair to sit next to Maura. "It gets better. Kind of."

"Wonderful," Maura lied, not bothering to lift up her head.

"So…" Carol tried, clearly changing topics. "Alex and Jamie want to know: What're you gonna get her?"

Maura rolled her head to the side so she could look the woman in the eyes.

"Get who something for what?" she asked, puzzled.

"What're you gonna get Jane for your first month. Anniversary."

"Excuse me?" Maura exclaimed, sitting back upright. "Jane and I are not dating."

Alex and Jamie laughed out loud from their desks on the other side of the room. Maura glared.

"I think I'd notice if Jane was ever in my pants," she yelled.

"Why, because you want it so much?" Carol teased.

Maura made an unamused face at the woman, lightly pushing her chair away. Carol just laughed and let the chair roll away.

"Yo, Maura!" Jamie called. "You got a call on line 2."

Maura looked slightly perplexed. She wasn't expecting any calls. But she answered it anyway.

"Isles."


Jane hurried to make her and Maura's lunches, even though she was still half asleep. She went through a mental check list as she went for her jacket. Food? Check. Pants? Check. Keys? Check. Satisfied, she rushed out the door, down the stairs, and to her car.

Her drive to the pediatric office was a quick one, and once she entered the lobby, she called the office.

"Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston Pediatric Care Facility. How can I help you?"

"Are one of you bitches gonna install a camera down here? I'm sick of having to listen to that whole introduction."

Jamie laughed into the phone.

"Give us two minutes, Jane."

Upstairs, Jamie hung up the phone and swiveled in her chair to face the other women.

"Code Blue," she said, her eyes shining mischievously.

Maura rolled her eyes.

"Can't you just say 'Jane's here'?"

"Nope. If you want our help, we're allowed to call it whatever we want," Alex retorted, standing up. "I got Dr. Gillespie."

"I got his secretary," Carol added, following behind the younger woman. Jamie gave Maura a grin.

"Well then I guess that means I'm on guard duty," Jamie laughed, grabbing a bag lunch from her desk and exiting.

Maura grinned. Her coworkers weren't so bad. The first day Jane had come in, they had all panicked and told Maura about the no visitors policy. Then they promptly told her she could eat with Jane in the faculty lounge; it was employees only, no employers. The two friends had tried that, but the room was too loud, too busy, so the nurses had recently concocted their new plan. One distracted the head doctor, another distracted his secretary, which gave Jane enough time to sneak into the nurses office. From there, they sat and talked under Maura's desk, due to the fact that there were quite a few windows into the office. Then lastly, they'd put the third nurse in place outside the office door to ensure no one came in too quickly.

As soon as Alex and Carol disappeared out the door, Jane slipped in, a smile on her face as she plopped down on the floor. Maura followed suit, watching Jane unpack everything from her bag.

Jane looked up from what she was doing, only to see Maura beaming at her.

"Penny for your thoughts, Dr. Isles."

Maura smiled just a little wider before taking the sandwich she was offered.

"It was two things, really."

"I'm all ears," Jane said, biting into her sandwich.

"I love it when you come down here."

Jane smiled at the compliment.

"And?"

"And. The Lieutenant just called. Their M.E. had to go to D.C. but they have a body. And I'm the fastest temporary replacement they could find."

"Oh my God! That's awesome, Maur!"

Even in the rather small space they sat in, Jane managed to pull Maura into a tight hug.


Outside the office, Jamie was sitting on the floor, her back resting against the door. In her lap was a bowl of salad, and every so often, she would glance away from her book to take a bite. Dr. Gillespie walked up, folder in hand, but he slowed to a stop outside the office.

"Jamie?"

"Yeah?" she asked, not looking up from her book.

"What're you doing?"

"Reading and eating."

"Can I…get through?" he tried, motioning to the door behind her.

"Why?"

"I've got a patient file for Dr. Isles."

"She's on her lunch break."

"Well then I'll just put in on her desk."

"I wouldn't go in there," Jamie warned, turning the page in her book.

"Why not?"

"Alex was telling us about some guy that just asked her out. She got so nervous she threw up. I have no idea how that girl exists. I doubt she can even say 'penis' without passing out."

It was all clearly more than he wanted to know. She extended an empty hand up to him, her nose still buried in her book. He paused, then shoved the file into her hand and left. When he disappeared around the corner, Jamie let out a sigh of relief, letting her head rest against the door.

"What I don't do for that girl," she chuckled to herself.


"So you already knew about Tommy?" Jane asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"And you didn't say anything because…?"

"It's not my business, Jane! He's your brother and you have every right to withhold information from me."

"You say that like I would withhold information."

"Everybody has secrets," Maura laughed, taking another chip from her bag.

"Yeah, well. I waited to tell you because I wasn't sure how to explain to you that…he's probably gonna come on to you. A lot. Possibly in front of Teresa, which'll just make her hate you again."

"Why do you say that?" Maura asked, tilting her head in her usual curious way.

"Because it'd seem like you're stealing him from her."

"I meant, why do you think he'd come on to me?"

"Look at you, Maur! You're the prettiest thing to hang with the Rizzolis in damn near forever."

Maura grinned, no blush whatsoever.

"You seem to be forgetting yourself," she replied, handing the bag over to Jane.

The cop decided to ignore the comment.

"I still can't believe you don't like folded chips. Who doesn't like folded chips?" Jane teased, her toe lightly pushing Maura's leg. "You're so odd."

"Oh! That reminds me. Mr. Heller gave me something to give you."

She grabbed her purse and started rummaging.

"How does that remind you of Mr. Heller?" Jane laughed, crunching her chip rather loudly.

"Because…" Maura mumbled absent-mindedly as she searched. "The exchange was odd. Plus he's the one who told me about Tommy."

"Is there any old person on the planet who doesn't gossip?" Jane groaned.

"His intentions were good," Maura laughed, handing the envelope to Jane.

She opened it quickly and pulled out a rather thick letter. When she unfolded it, a few pictures fell out. Maura picked one up.

It was a picture of the three Rizzoli siblings. Jane was no more than ten, her brothers around the same age. They were sitting on the front of a speed boat, grinning widely at the camera. Even as a child, Jane was beautiful. Her hair was wet in the picture, but it still had the unruly curls in it. The photo was old, though, and most of the minor details were lost in the poor quality.

"You were adorable," Maura said quietly.

When Jane didn't answer, Maura looked up. Jane was staring at the letter, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

"Maur…This is a copy of his will."

"What? Lemme see."

Maura gently removed the letter from her friend's frozen fingers.

"To the granddaughter I never had," Maura started. "I leave my summer home in Maryland and all it's contents still on the property. Any and all taxes and bills will continue to be in my name, the money taken from my savings account."

Maura paused to make sure Jane was okay. 'Okay' was a bit of a stretch, but she was still breathing.

"It has taken me months to decide what to do with this house. It meant too much to me to just give away, but my daughter has no use for it. Then I thought of you. I remembered when you and your family came down every summer. I've watched you grow and mature, and you have the stability that I wished my daughter could've found. I want you and the family you make with the love of your life to have a place to escape to. My best wishes to you and your wonderful future, Jane."

Jane didn't say anything. She just sat there, a few tears spilling over. Maura just reached over and took her hand, knowing anything she said wouldn't help.


A/N: Oh, and one other thing. Get your Buffy thinking cap on. Because somewhere in the next four chapters (not including this one) I am inserting one direct Buffy quote. If you find that quote first, I am at your mercy. I will write whatever you want. Be it a new one/twoshot or maybe something you want me to add to one of my already written stories. I'll do it.

Review! Please! I LOVE WHAT YOU SAY. IT DRIVES ME. So long for now!