A/N: Buffy challenge chapter 3.
One more Buffy quote remains to be found in the next two chapters. Might or might not be this one. Remember the rules, 1. find it, I write whatever you want. 2. the quote will never be in a Jane/Maura exchange.
Hint #1: Both quotes are from season 7.
Hint #2: The remaining quote is in an exchange between Buffy and Willow.
Hint #3: The remaining quote has something to do with one of the Potential Slayers.
In the living room, Maura ran to the door and cracked it open enough to see who was outside.
"Yes?" she asked politely.
"Vince Korsak, Boston Homicide. Can I come in?"
Maura stepped aside without a word, giving him room to enter the living room.
"Is everything okay?" Maura asked, concerned.
"Yeah. I've just got a couple of questions for Jane, Miss…?"
"Doctor," Maura corrected. "Dr. Maura Isles."
"Well, Dr. Isles, is she here?"
"We just got back from the hospital. She's in her room—"
"Thanks," he cut her off, heading for Jane's room.
Maura thought about protesting, but no words came out, so she instead opted to hesitantly follow the detective. When he entered the room, though, Jane's face lit up, and Maura's worry was gone. She watched him walk over to Jane and pull her into a man hug. A legitimate man hug. They gripped hands firmly then pulled in, chest to chest, before giving each other a clap on the back. Maura couldn't help but grin at how butch Jane actually was. But she left, knowing full well that privacy was important to Jane.
"Yo, Korsak! Everything okay?"
"Just tying up my case in a neat little bow," he replied, dropping a binder onto Jane's lap. "Can you ID the three guys who ran you over?"
"Yeah…?" Jane answered warily, waiting for an explanation, but he just gestured to the binder.
She rolled her eyes, but opened it, scanning the rows and rows of photos.
"So who'd they kill?" she asked casually, turning the page.
"Attempted murder is enough in my book."
Jane's eyes shot to his in a glare.
"They didn't try to kill me, Korsak."
"Says who?"
"Says me! You should be working a real case, with real bad guys," she mumbled, turning the page once more.
"Like I said, we got the guys. Just need your witness via photo lineup. So. Can. You. ID them?"
Jane took a few more seconds to glare at him before focusing back on the photos. She pointed to one, turned the page and pointed to two more. Korsak grinned.
"You always were the best, Rizzoli."
She smiled back, sliding the binder toward him.
"What can I say? Being a detective's my dream."
"Well if we ever need extra hands, I'll give you a call. The more brownie points you can build up, the better."
Jane's eyes lit up, and a grin crossed her face.
"You'd do that?"
"C'mon, Jane. How long've we known each other? Since you were two? I see the detective in you."
Maura reappeared, tray of food in hand.
"Don't let me interrupt," she said brightly, placing the tray in Jane's lap and turning to leave. The doctor, however, found herself reaching for Jane's leg. She couldn't help it; she needed to touch the thing that was finally hers. Her fingers rested on Jane's thigh, and, as she walked away, she let her fingers drag down the length of Jane's leg until there was no more skin to touch. By that point, though, she was already out the bedroom door.
The gesture wasn't lost on either Jane or Korsak; it was a very clear, very possessive move, and Jane knew it. She felt Korsak's stare burning into her, but she didn't look up. She felt herself blush, mostly because she knew what Korsak looked like. She was absolutely positive he had on one of Frankie's ridiculous grins, and it unnerved her. She worked up the courage to look over, and sure enough, he had on a cheesy smile. She glared and focused on her pasta.
"She's a keeper," he mused, taking a seat on the edge of Jane's bed. "You gonna bring her to your mother's Christmas party?"
"Shit," Jane breathed as the news hit her. "That's next week isn't it? The damn heat wave is throwing me off."
"Well? You gonna bring her?"
Jane laughed with a mouthful of pasta.
"Lay off, Korsak. Of course I am. Ma loves Maura."
"She's met her? And she's okay with it?"
"She doesn't know."
Korsak laughed in disbelief.
"You two couldn't even keep your hands off each other in a thirty second exchange, and you expect me to believe you managed to keep it from your family?"
He gave another incredulous laugh.
"It's…It's kind of a new thing," Jane said sheepishly, running her fingers through her hair as a nervous habit. "And besides, I don't need their approval. I've got yours."
The sincerity in Jane's voice threw Korsak. He glanced over at Jane, who was staring back at him with vulnerable eyes, a very rare occurrence. She gave him an insecure, but super adorable smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. It warmed his heart that she trusted him.
"You do, you know. Have my approval," he assured, patting her knee comfortingly.
And just like that, the sweetness was gone, and her scowl was back.
"But I still have to tell them," she grumbled, slumping back into the headboard.
"You ashamed to have that beautiful woman by your side?" he asked, slightly shocked.
"Not in the least," Jane replied. "It just means I'd be including them in my personal life. I hate including them."
Korsak chuckled, getting to his feet.
"That's just the stubbornness in you, Jane. You know you love them."
Jane feigned anger, half-glaring at him.
"I hate it when you're right," she teased.
"Then you must hate me a lot."
She smirked, then stuck out her tongue.
Out in the kitchen, Maura was bustling around, cleaning up the mess she had made when making dinner. She threw her own empty pasta bowl in the sink, then went to searching for a container for the leftover sauce. Maura smiled to herself, amused at how much she felt like a housewife. It was strange, because it felt like a new phenomenon, even though she knew it was how she always acted. It still felt different; she was doing it for Jane.
The phone rang and pulled her back into reality. She lunged for the phone, and managed to grab it before the answering machine picked up.
"Rizzoli residence, this is Maura speaking," she answered naturally. "Teresa? Slow down, I can't understand you. What'd you need?"
She listened to the woman rant in a panicky voice, then nodded to nothing in particular.
"Give me a minute, okay? I'll ask Jane."
Maura covered the phone microphone and strolled to Jane's room, to find the cop friends laughing at something.
"Jane?"
"Yeah?" she asked, all her attention immediately on Maura.
"It's Teresa. She wants to know if you can take Dani ice skating with her friends and the other moms. She and Tommy were planning on leaving for the weekend, to relax before the holidays."
"I mean, I'd love to. But I can't skate, Maura."
"I can!" Maura said quickly, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.
Jane heard it though, and gave her a side smile.
"We can take her, yes."
A grin spread across the doctor's face, her adorable dimples appearing and melting Jane's heart.
Maura exited quickly to continue her conversation with Teresa, and Jane turned back to Korsak. He was standing again, binder and bag in hand.
"You leaving?"
"Yeah. I'm leaving you two kids to your business. I'll see you next week, ugly sweater and everything."
Jane smiled.
"It was nice to see you, Korsak. Don't be such a stranger."
"Nope," he called over his shoulder as he left.
Maura waved to him from her seat on the couch as he passed, phone pressed to her ear. He smiled and returned the wave before going out the front door.
A loud knocking startled Jane awake. The clock on her end table read 3:30, which made her roll her eyes in annoyance. She carefully detangled her legs from Maura's and rolled slowly out of bed in an attempt to keep the doctor asleep, but she stirred, groaning at the sudden lack of heat.
"I'll be right back," Jane said softly, ducking out into the living room.
Tommy was on the other side of the door, a half asleep Dani cradled in his arms.
"Thanks for doin' this, Janie," he whispered, transferring the girl into Jane's arms and setting a small duffel bag on the ground.
Jane just nodded, still half-asleep. He smiled, then gave Dani a small kiss on her forehead. She stirred, nestling deeper into Jane, who gave her brother a smile before closing the door with her foot. She headed off to the guest bedroom, when the little girl whimpered in her arms.
"Jane?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Can…can I stay with you?"
Jane laughed lightly, and changed her path to head toward her room instead of the guest room. She set the girl down, and, even though the doctor was half-asleep, her arms opened automatically to allow the little girl access. Dani crawled into the safe haven that was Maura's arms, and closed her eyes. Jane followed suit, her legs crossing with Maura's once more, their foreheads pressed together.
"Thanks for doing this," Jane said, her voice scratchy.
Maura just smiled and gave her a languid kiss.
"Nowhere else I'd rather be," she whispered.
And that's how they fell asleep, centimeters apart, Dani wedged protectively between them. The girl hadn't felt more at home in her entire life than she did right then, and to be honest, neither had the two women.
Jane was the first to get up the next morning. She opened her eyes to find that none of them moved the entire night, and she wanted, more than anything, to stay there forever. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fresh linens and Maura Isles. She felt Dani's fingers wrapped around a couple of her own and felt Maura's hot breath against her chest. She kissed Maura's forehead lightly, loving how the warm skin felt under her lips. Finally, Jane worked up the willpower to roll out of bed, knowing she'd spend the rest of the weekend with the two. She walked lazily into the kitchen, then groaned. Maura threw out her instant pancake batter…Damn her.
Maura woke up in a very different fashion than Jane, little hands shaking her into consciousness.
"Aunt Maura, Aunt Maura. Wake up! Auntie Jane made breakfast."
Maura squinted into the sunlight, noting that what the little girl said was true. She did smell food. She let the little girl grab her hand and drag her through the apartment to the kitchen. Jane was busy in the kitchen, grilling bacon in one pan, flipping a pancake in another. She stopped to take a breath, using the back of her hand to wipe her forehead. The action though, just spread more flour onto her face.
"I'm gonna kill you," she grumbled when she saw Maura approaching.
"Aww, you only think that," Maura laughed, hopping onto a barstool, Dani mirroring the action.
"No, I'm pretty sure I might do it this time. I had to make these damn pancakes from scratch because you won't put anything processed in that pretty little body of yours."
Maura laughed again, resting her elbows on the counter and putting her chin in her hands, watching the officer work.
Jane slid the bacon onto a plate and the finished pancake onto a stack of already finished ones. She placed the food in front of her guests, along with two glasses of orange juice.
"I'm gonna shower. We're leaving in twenty," she announced, dragging her hand up Maura's arm before dashing away quickly.
The two ate relatively fast, conversing quietly until they were finished. Maura then helped Dani dress before getting herself ready. They ended up leaving in plenty of time, arriving at the ice rink at the same time as everyone else. Dani jumped from the car and ran to her friends, tackling all of them in a hug.
"Jane! How lovely to see you again!" one of the mothers cooed as Jane and Maura approached.
She pulled the officer into an uncomfortable hug, before extracting herself and smiling politely at Maura.
"I'm sorry!" Jane realized, placing a hand on Maura's arm. "This is my girlfriend, Maura Isles."
She felt Maura tense under her grasp at the title, but Jane wasn't worried. These stuck-up women used 'girlfriend' to reference their friends. Personally, Jane found it pompous and annoying, but still. It felt so good to call Maura her girlfriend.
"Be still my heart! Jane Rizzoli has a friend?" another mother chimed in, over-exaggerating shock.
"It can't be!" said another.
Jane felt Maura relax once more, and when their eyes locked, Jane saw the gratitude in the doctor's eyes. She smiled sweetly at Maura before introducing her to the mothers one by one. Summer, Alyson, Emma, Gina, and Felicia, to be specific. Then they all piled inside the ice rink, bought their admittance tickets, and rented skates.
Jane made quick work of Dani's skate laces, yanking them tighter than she thought possible, but it was what Maura had told her to do.
"Auntie Jane? That's really tight," Dani said, watching the other mothers tie their children's laces in a gentle, loose fashion, before turning her attention back to the woman kneeling in front of her.
"Trust me," Jane said, patting the girl's head affectionately as she stood up. She helped the girl to her feet, and the group of children were off, racing (as fast as they could in their skates) to the rink.
The mothers all headed for the benches closest to the food stand, grouping around for what would turn out to be a very, very long gossip session. Jane and Maura sat with them and half-listened, but never joined in. They just sat, using every bit of their willpower to keep their hands off each other. And the longer they sat, the less words they heard and the more charged the air got between them. Jane had resorted to ringing her hands, rubbing her palms, whatever she could to touch without touching. Maura, on the other hand, had become rigid, afraid that if she moved it would be to take Jane's hand, or brush her thigh, or something.
Their miracle came, though, all the kids running back to their mothers, complaining about their sore ankles. Dani was the last to show up, a perplexed look on her face.
"My feet don't hurt," she stated, her little brow furrowing as she thought hard. "Was it cause you did my skates so tight?"
Jane grinned and leaned down.
"You can thank Aunt Maura for that," she whispered.
Dani smiled brightly, jumping onto Maura's lap and giving her a hug.
"Thank you, Aunt Maura," she chirped.
Jane watched as the other kids ran to their mothers, not for affection but for money. They didn't hug, they didn't smile…it was just demand and response. Just as quick as the kids appeared, they were gone.
"Don't you wanna go eat with them?" Maura asked, tilting her head forward to catch Dani's eye.
"I'm not hungry," Dani said simply. "Plus, I wanna skate more."
She paused, considering something.
"Will you skate with me for a little?" she asked, turning to look up at the woman whose lap she was in.
Maura saw the small, emerald eyes shining up at her and she grinned.
"Of course, sweetie. Let me go get mine on, okay?"
She gently lifted the girl and placed her in Jane's lap. She rested her hand on Jane's shoulder, and used it to push herself up and off the bench before rushing off. Jane let out the breath she was holding; she felt her body relax, felt the butterflies in her stomach calm, as soon as Maura was out of sight.
"Thanks for bringing me, Auntie Jane," the little girl mumbled, quiet enough so only the officer could hear.
Jane was about to respond when she was jumped with a million questions.
"Where did you find her, Jane? She's so high class," Summer asked, giving Maura a once over as she left, her head tilting slightly.
Jane wasn't sure if she should've been offended by the statement, but she really didn't have time to consider, seeing as Dani dove right in.
"She filled in for my doctor the day we went in," the little girl explained.
"Is she married?" Emma asked.
Dani gave a confused face, and Jane knew that the little girl knew about them. She quickly cut in before Dani had the chance to.
"No, not that I'm aware of."
"Well then what's the catch?" Alyson asked.
"Excuse me?"
"She's a beautiful, rich, skilled woman, and she hasn't found a man. There's clearly an unseen catch."
Felicia laughed.
"Well of course there is. She puts up with Rizzoli, here. You've gotta be at least a little nuts to hang out with you," she teased.
Jane half-glared, but didn't respond. She didn't yell back, she didn't storm off. She just waited for Gina to speak her piece. But the woman didn't say anything. She just sat contently, watching the other women, keeping her eyes from meeting Jane's.
"You ready to go, sweetie?" Maura asked as she walked back up.
Dani smiled and nodded, scooting from Jane's lap back onto her feet. She stumbled slightly, still not completely used to the skates. Maura was there to catch her though, a steady arm keeping the girl on her feet. And then they were off, Dani using Maura for support as she tried skipping in the skates. Jane laughed to herself, and couldn't help her curiosity. She got up from the group of women and walked away, to watch the two. She found a seat near the glass surrounding the rink and sat, her eyes scanning the crowd for the pair.
She spotted them immediately, mostly because of Maura. The woman looked so out of place. Yes, there were plenty of adults skating around, but Maura…she looked, she looked so special. Two things separated her from everyone else. The first was her clothing. She had on one of her expensive dresses that hugged her body, no sleeves to speak of; just thin straps, but she didn't look cold. The second was her movements. She glided on the ice naturally, it looked like she wasn't even working. Upon further inspection, though, Jane saw Maura was actually working plenty hard, her leg muscles flexing with every turn, every stop, but it all looked so fluid. Maura was skating patiently beside Dani, the two hand in hand, the little girl stumbling slowly, unsurely. After a couple of the painfully slow laps, Maura pulled the wobbly girl in front of her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and taking off, guiding the girl around the rink, Dani safely nestled in her embrace. Her feet were glued to the inside of Maura's as they glided, the movements so much smoother than when the girl was skating alone. Jane couldn't help but smile at the joy in the little girl's eyes as they moved, and she certainly couldn't help but gaze lovingly at the woman causing that joy.
"You love her, don't you?"
Jane jumped, not realizing anyone had followed her. The sincerity in Gina's eyes gave Jane the courage to nod.
"Yeah. Like she's my own kid."
The woman gave Jane a knowing smile.
"You know I didn't mean Dani."
Jane looked warily at the woman, clearly nervous.
"Don't treat me like those other stupid housewives, Jane. She's a wonderful woman."
They sat in silence for a moment, content to watch the adorable pair.
"Go get some skates," Gina finally said.
"No! I'd rather not embarrass myself, thank you very much," Jane laughed, crossing her arms as she slumped back into the seat.
"You really think that woman cares? She'd love you if you were the dumbest, messiest fool there was in the world."
"I know, but—"
"Go. Get. Skates. Or I will shove you out there without them."
Jane gave the woman a side smirk, then dashed off. She was back in a matter of minutes, and Gina walked with her silently to the entrance. The mother crouched down when she saw Maura and Dani rounding the corner, and the little girl took the hint. She broke from Maura, shakily skating over and into Gina. The woman strained against the weight, but managed to keep Dani on her feet.
Maura followed suit, noticing Jane standing at the rink entrance.
"I'll watch her, don't worry," Gina said quickly, and then the two were gone, leaving Jane and Maura alone. Maura gave Jane a teasing smile.
"You ready?"
Jane glared, then warily eyed the ice.
"C'mon," Maura encouraged, extending her hand. "You can trust me."
Jane peered into those shining hazel eyes and she was a goner. She firmly took Maura's hand and set one foot on the ice. After a brief moment of pause and panic, she felt Maura squeeze her hand; it broke her fears, and she put the other foot on the ice. She had expected the whole thing to be a lot worse, but as it turned out, skating wasn't so bad. Granted, she wasn't anywhere near graceful, but she could move. What she didn't do, though, was let Maura's hand escape hers. No matter how cold the air was around her, she didn't feel cold. She felt that warmth in her palm, and she was home.
They skated around, talking and laughing for what seemed like forever, or at least long enough the Jane felt tired. She pulled Maura over to the rink wall and leaned against it, releasing a deep sigh. Maura smiled warmly at her, skating closer. She glided until there was no more room to move, her body pressed flush against Jane's, her body fitting neatly between Jane's slightly spread legs. Both their heart rates took off, and the butterflies in Jane's stomach increased ten fold, until she thought for sure they couldn't beat any faster. After a final moment of hesitation, Maura gave Jane a quick, innocent kiss, before pushing herself away and skating backward, her eyes never leaving Jane's.
"Stay there," she mouthed, before turning on her heels and skating off.
Jane did as she was told and watched Maura from her spot on the wall. The doctor weaved easily through the loosely packed crowd, twirling around effortlessly in what seemed like a much needed release. The more she spun, the faster she seemed to glide around the ice, and the faster she went, the more intricate her footwork became. Maura's eyes stayed glued to her feet, and yet she never hit anyone. Jane saw the doctor smiling to herself, one of those adorably satisfied smiles, dimples and all.
Finally, Maura raced back to Jane, colliding with the woman instead of stopping. Jane caught her clumsily, and the two burst into a fit of laughter. As they caught their breath, Jane got a better look at the doctor. Her cheeks were stained a very rosy color from the windburn she had given herself skating so quickly. It made her eyes stand out, made her smile seem just a little more bright. Jane smiled, reaching out to brush her fingers across the color. Her cheeks were hot to the touch, her chest still rising and falling labouredly , but that smile never faded. Jane pressed her hand more firmly into her cheek, cupping Maura's face and gazing into her eyes. God she loved this woman. More than was healthy, probably.
Their moment was broken, though, when a familiar voice echoed to their ears from across the room.
"You take that back!"
Sure enough, they spotted Dani pointing an angry finger at a little boy in the lobby. They rushed over, but didn't intervene. They just stood at the rink entrance, peering into the lobby at the exchange.
"I won't take it back. It's what my momma said."
"It didn't sound very nice."
"So? She said it was true. She said your aunts were dykes."
Dani took a threatening step closer to the boy, her Rizzoli side taking over.
"Stop saying that," she warned.
"But why? She said they kissed and that it wasn't right."
Then the little girl shocked everyone who was watching the scene. Which was…well, everyone. She dropped her accusatory finger, looking sadly at the boy.
"They're in love," she said softly. "I don't think that's wrong."
The boy didn't answer. He couldn't. His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Jane had had enough at this point, storming off the rink and over to Dani, scooping her up and placing her on a bench. She got down on her knees and started swiftly unlacing the skates.
"We're leaving," she mumbled.
Dani nodded and started working on the other skate.
A/N: Well, this might be my last update until after I get back, but I'm not sure. I was just hit with a wave of ideas, and I'll probably be writing like a maniac at the airport on Thursday. If it ends up good enough to post, I have no idea. Love all of you and thank you so much for all your support so far.