Disclaimer: I don't own, I rent.
Chapter Eleven
"Something More"
When Jane and Maura walked into the house, Jane dropped their bags just inside the front door, and then moved behind Maura, pulling her coat off her and hanging it on a hook next to the door. She quickly removed her own and tossed it on a nearby chair.
"Come on, I'm sure they're in the kitchen."
This time, Jane placed her hands on Maura's shoulders from behind and pushed her toward the doorway. Maura wasn't the only one who noticed that Jane had been a lot more touchy-feely over the past couple weeks. It wasn't by any sort of conscious decision; Jane just enjoyed being close to the blonde.
When the two walked through the door, Jess and Sam were already seated at the stools around the island in the kitchen and Angela was making a batch of her famous hot chocolate. Jane and Maura took the other two seats and it was less than a minute before the interrogation began.
"So how did you two meet, anyway?"
"Maura is the TA in one of my classes. She was nice enough to offer to help me study," Jane replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "I guess she hasn't gotten sick of me yet."
"Oh, Jane, I wouldn't get sick of you."
Jane smiled in response, meeting Maura's eyes. The two continued to smile at each other, but the moment was cut short quickly when Sam took over the questioning.
"And Gabe? Do you see him a lot?"
"Well, we have two classes together. Other than that I don't really see him, though."
"But more importantly, how are you doing with your classes?"
Of course her mother would only be concerned with her grades.
"I'm doing fine."
Angela looked toward Maura, as if looking for conformation. Maura smiled at her before saying, "Jane's doing wonderful. I wouldn't let her fall behind with her studies."
"See, nothing to worry about."
Jane took a long sip from the mug of hot chocolate that Angela had just sat down in front of her. More than anything, Jane had missed her mother's cooking while she was gone. She was already looking forward to Thanksgiving Day; she couldn't wait to taste everything her mother was planning to prepare.
The girls continued to grill both Jane and Maura about their lives in New York until they heard the front door open and a few minutes later and Frank, Frankie and Tommy appeared in the kitchen.
Immediately, the two younger boys pulled Jane into a hug.
"Good to have you home, Jane," Frankie whispered in her ear before pulling away. The two had always been close; it had been hardest on Frankie when Jane announced she was moving to New York. They used to do everything together, and even though they were almost three years apart, they had been inseparable growing up.
"OUCH! Geez, Jane, what was that for?"
Tommy's sudden outburst had startled everyone in the room, no one but Maura had noticed Jane smack him in the back of the head a few seconds before.
Jane didn't reply, she simply glared, glanced at Maura, and then gave Tommy a look that clearly said, "You know what that was for."
Jane hadn't missed the looks Tommy was sending toward Maura when he'd entered the room. No way was she going to let her brother try and make a move on her best friend. Not going to happen.
"Janie, don't hit your brother," Frank said as he placed a kiss on top of her head, and then pulled her into a hug. "It's good to see you, kid."
"Hey, Pop. It's good to be home."
She quickly introduced Maura to her dad and brothers, each of them hugging her, except Tommy, who started to, but was stopped by another glare from Jane.
"Alright, why don't we all get to bed and continue this tomorrow? It's already after midnight."
"We'll see you guys later," Jess said as she and Sam walked out the front door and drove off. After a few more hugs, the rest of Jane's family headed upstairs to their rooms.
"It's late, you can stay here tonight. I can take you to your house tomorrow if you want."
Maura nodded and Jane led her up the stairs to her bedroom. Maura couldn't help but smile when she walked through the door. Three long shelves on the wall to the left held dozens of trophies for the various sports Jane had played throughout her youth, along with a few medals and ribbons. The wall in front of her had a huge window complete with a window seat, and Jane's bed was pushed up against the wall on her left. It looked just as she would have expected it to.
"They haven't really touched it since I left for college."
"It's nice. I like it."
Jane grabbed a shirt and some sweatpants from her bag and quickly changed into them. The two had changed in front of each other on many occasions, but for some reason, Jane felt slightly nervous this time.
Why on earth are you nervous? It is just Maura. You have changed in front of her before, what's the big deal?
Jane didn't allow herself to think much more of it, however, she simply pushed the thoughts from her mind and tried not to stare when she saw Maura changing out of the corner of her eye.
What is wrong with you? Get it together, already!
"Ready for bed?"
Maura nodded in response and moved to get into the left side of the bed, Jane sliding into the right. Jane suddenly realized just how tired she was and was about to drift off when she heard Maura speak.
"Thank you for having me over, Jane. It really means a lot to me."
"I know. I'm glad I could do this for you. Besides, I love having you here."
"You do?"
"I do."
Jane couldn't see Maura's grin in the dark, a fact that Maura was very grateful for. "Goodnight, Jane."
"Night, Maur."
- R & I -
Jane was relieved when she woke up the next morning and found that she and the blonde were not cuddling once again. Relief turned to disappointment, however, when she realized the spot next to her was empty.
Glancing around the room, she saw her friend had moved to the window seat across the room and was staring outside. Quietly, Jane moved next to her and attempted to see what she was staring at so intently.
Below the window, her brothers were playing basketball in the driveway. Her dad had the hood popped up on his work van and was leaning in to fix something. She could smell the bacon scent making its way upstairs and knew her mother was downstairs making breakfast.
It was a typical Saturday in the Rizzoli house. Maura leaned her head against Jane's shoulder when she felt her sit down and Jane ran her hand up and down the blonde's arm, pulling her closer.
"Geez, Maura, you're freezing."
"It's a bit chilly, yes."
Jane reached down to the floor, grabbing her gold high school softball sweatshirt. She handed it to her friend and Maura quickly put it on, and then returned to her position against Jane.
Jane had no idea why she did it, but before she could stop herself, she laced her fingers together with Maura's. She also had no idea why she felt her heart speed up at the contact or why she was so content to just sit here with Maura in silence.
Jane wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but several minutes had passed before Maura spoke again.
"Jane, will you go somewhere with me today?"
"Sure, Maur, wherever you want."
"Okay, good."
Before the two could say any more, Angela was yelling up the stairs for them to come get their breakfast. The two quickly changed before joining the rest of the family in the kitchen.
- R & I -
Maura had never experienced anything quite like dining with the Rizzoli's. They were loud and crazy, everyone had ridiculous stories to tell and they often talked over one another. They all simply gathered around the island in the kitchen, the kids seated at the bar, Angela and Frank standing opposite them.
It was nothing like anything her Aunt and Uncle would have ever put up with, but Maura loved every second of it. She sat next to Jane at the counter, taking in everything and saying very little. The boys finished their meal quickly; they had practically inhaled the food, and were back out the door in minutes, eager to finish their game.
"What are you girls up to today?" Angela asked when they finished, moving to clear their plates and load them in the dishwasher.
"We're going out for a while." Jane replied simply. She had no idea where it was Maura wanted them to go, but from the look on her face when she brought it up, it didn't seem like she really wanted to talk about it.
"You girls have fun, just try and make it back for dinner, alright? Maura, you're more than welcome to join us."
"Thank you, Angela, I think I will."
The two stood and Jane grabbed Maura's arm, pulling her toward the door. She was beginning to make it a habit, not that Maura needed someone to lead her around, Jane just liked touching her and it gave her an excuse to be closer to her.
"What should I wear to this mystery location?"
"Something warm" was Maura's only reply. Maura replaced her sweatpants with a tight, dark pair of jeans, and then pulled on a pair of black, heeled boots. She left Jane's sweatshirt on and ran a comb through her hair before adding a black sock cap.
Jane couldn't help but smile. She looked utterly adorable.
I just want to kiss her.
Jane felt her jaw go slack. Did she really just think that? Where on earth did that even come from?
Kiss her? I don't want to kiss her! What the hell?
Jane was determined to push the thought from her mind but it was so hard to do when Maura was standing there looking so adorably beautiful.
"What?"
"Nothing," Jane replied quickly, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks when she realized she had been caught staring. "You ready?"
Maura nodded. "Let's go."
- R & I -
A/N: I didn't really plan for this chapter to end up this way, it just kind of happened. So I guess this is the start of Jane beginning to realize she has a bit more than friendly feelings for Maura. I hope you guys enjoyed this one. :)
