"Hey Maura," Jane greets as she traipses into Maura's office the next day, eager for autopsy results. Korsak has already coached Jane earlier that morning on the next steps as a homicide detective for a case. Badger the M.E. for some results. Korsak has tasked her with the "badgering" as it has never been a successful endeavor for him or the other detectives. Nothing could get Maura or her team to budge on more timely reports. It is now Jane's turn to take on the grunt work as the newest member of homicide. But when Korsak gives her the task, it took everything she had to keep her smile in check when she left the bullpen and pressed the BB button in the elevator.
Hearing Jane's voice has Maura grinning ear-to-ear before she even looks up from her laptop.
"You got anything yet?" Jane tries to focus on anything but Maura's body or her long, beach wavy hair, or her eyes, or anything that reminds her of fucking Maura against the fridge last night. They didn't drive in together nor spend the night, both agreeing that if they were going to be in a relationship, then they would have to conform to proper relationship timelines. Okay, it was Maura's idea. Jane wanted nothing more than to take Maura to her bedroom and do other things to her that weren't deemed 'first date' material. But Jane left before midnight nevertheless, per Maura's instruction.
"Only the tox. screen results." Maura grabs a folder from a stack on her desk and hands them to Jane across the expanse. Maura makes no move to get up from her desk.
Jane flips through the first few pages, "Isopropylamine?"
"It's usually found in pesticides and some plastics. But this was ingested in liquid form. A fairly large amount of it."
"Cause of death?"
"Not conclusive. We're still running tests to verify."
"Thanks, Maura." She offers the folder back to the blonde. A silence overtakes them as their eyes meet across the extended manila folder.
"You're getting good at this, detective." Maura smiles encouragingly with a hint of seduction in her voice when she says, 'detective'.
"Yeah?"
Maura takes the folder from Jane and returns it to it's proper stack, then interlocks her fingers atop the desk before meeting Jane's eyes steadily. "You're going to be great, Jane."
"I feel like I'm out of my league, here. They've got me running all over the precinct today. My test isn't even until Monday."
Maura waits knowing there was more to it.
"What if I don't do good enough?"
"Have you been studying?"
"Like a crazy person."
"Then you'll do fine."
Jane sighed, running a hand through her hair to steady herself.
"Jane. I was there at the crime scene with you yesterday. You were already drawing conclusions and creating logical scenarios that I don't hear from detectives for years or at least with significant autopsy findings. You're smart. You can do this."
Jane smiles.
Another silence.
"I should get back up there." Jane gestures vaguely to the elevator.
"Yeah, I've got an autopsy to finish." Maura gestures to the corpse on her table in the other room.
"See you later?"
"Of course," Maura smiles deeply.
By the time Jane arrives upstairs, she is back in work-mode. All thoughts of forbidden romances and hazel eyes mute to make room for her new passion, being a homicide detective. Korsak spares no time in capturing her attention with the next case initiative.
It is six in the evening before Jane has a chance to look up from her casework. Korsak is packing up for the night and a handful of beat cops are clocking in for the next shift. Jane looks at her phone for the first time in hours, hoping for a text from Maura. She is not disappointed.
Your place tonight? Maura sent half an hour ago.
Jane types out a quick reply, her eyes straining to adjust from hours of staring at paperwork. I'll pick dinner up on the way. Any preferences?
Just you.
One Jane Rizzoli coming up!
Jane finalizes a few documents before packing them into their appropriate folders and closing out her day.
"Have a good night," Korsak calls from the doorway as he exits the bullpen.
"Goodnight," Jane calls. She wants to thank him for everything he has done for her today. She wants to buy him a bear for being so damn supportive. I'll buy him a beer on Friday after work. Thank him the right way.
Her phone buzzes unexpectedly atop her desk.
…are you still at the precinct? Maura asks.
Yeah. Just finishing up.
There is a pause. Jane holds her breath.
Come here.
Jane is grabbing her keys from the drawer and rushing to the elevators before she could even type a reply.
A handful of other cops join in the elevator with her. She leans against the back wall knowing she will be the last one on the elevator by the end of the ride.
"Headin' home, Rizzoli?" One of the uniforms named Joey asks her casually.
"Yeah, stopping in the morgue first to finish up some things."
"Oh yeah, heard you're going to homicide. Congrats."
"Thanks." She smiles. She could not have been more thankful to have been moved to homicide than at that moment. If I'm homicide, it won't look so suspicious to be visiting the morgue all the time. Win/win! Jane grins as the elevator reached the lobby floor. Joey waves a goodbye before he merges with the commotion of the main hall. The doors close and she sails downward to Maura.
The elevator doors open and Jane finds Maura's door closed. Tilting her head, Jane can see lights on in her office between the cracks in the blinds.
Jane knock on the door but tries the handle anyway. It opens. "Maura?" Jane calls.
"Jane," Maura's seductive voice greets her.
Jane pushes open the door completely to find Maura leaning against the front of her desk, waiting. Jane is stunned to silence at the image in front of her. Maura's white dress accentuates every curve of her toned body. Jane's eyes appraise the woman before her from top to bottom. Her stomach flips in approval. The navy blazer, keeping many things in perspective, is the only thing keeping Jane from losing her mind completely.
Jane shuts the door behind her and approaches her blonde resolutely. Jane doesn't know what Maura has asked her to come down to her office for, and frankly, she doesn't care. She wants Maura in her arms immediately.
Jane takes five steps into the room and she has Maura in her arms, kissing her in earnest. She can't believe she had gone all day without kissing Maura Isles. Jane makes a silent pact with herself never to go so long without it. Maura's sigh of contentment echo through Jane's body leaving a trail of chills wherever it touches. Maura opens her mouth to deepen the kiss, Jane acquiesces greedily.
Several heartbeats later, fervent kissing slows into caresses. "Did you need something?" Jane asks on Maura's lips.
"You. I just need you." Maura breathes.
Jane takes her face between her hands, finding those hazel eyes that she can't stop thinking about, before crashing her lips onto Maura's once again.
All too suddenly, the elevator outside Maura's office chimes a new visitor to the floor. Jane tears herself away from the blonde just in time to hear heels on the tile floors and a subsequent knock at the door.
"Doctor Isles?" Comes a familiar voice from the other side.
Maura readjusts her blazer and runs smoothing hands down the front of her dress before turning quickly around to her desk to pick up a stack of autopsy reports. She clutches them to her chest before answering.
"Yes? Come in."
The door opens slowly to admit Lauren Stokes.
"Doctor Isles, I wondered if I could…Jane?"
"Hey," Jane is suddenly acutely aware that she has not fixed her hair from Maura's fingers running through it just seconds ago.
"Uh, hey," Lauren looks back and forth briefly between the women before remembering her reason for entering the M.E.'s office. "Doctor Isles, I was wondering if I could talk to you about the Office of the M.E.'s involvement with the new policy regarding co-workers of BPD."
Maura clears her throat, clearing it of both Jane's passion and her own desire for it. Maura squares her shoulders to the question, almost readying herself for the transition back to reality. Jane watches her intently. Protectively. "Of course." Maura's eyes meet Jane's across the room. "I spoke with the Governor about the new…"
"Oh my God," Lauren interrupts, her tone unbelieving.
"What?" Jane's heart begins to race.
"It's you." Lauren points at Maura, a new reality seeming to wash over her.
"Excuse me?" Maura chimes in but neither she nor Jane move.
"How did I not see it?" Lauren turns to Jane. "No wonder you've been turning me down. You're with Maura."
"What? Why would you…that's not…" Jane steps forward instinctively toward Lauren, drawing the line of questioning away from Maura.
"Please. Don't even deny it." Lauren holds up a hand. "It's written all over you, Jane."
"Lauren, please, don't say anything." Maura pleads.
"Maura!" Jane reprimands.
"Oh stop you two, I won't say anything. I'm just happy I haven't lost my touch!" She chuckles to herself. Jane and Maura are still. "Look, there is enough backlash in this line of business with regard to our…way of life. I won't take that away from you. No matter how appealing the reward." She winks at Jane. Maura balks at the gesture, taking a confrontational step toward Lauren. Jane rushes forward, grabbing Maura's forearm nonchalantly to physically hold Maura back. Jane is not used to Protective Maura yet, but she can't help but adore her.
"Thank you. We really...we really appreciate it." Jane adds, still holding Maura back, hoping to steer the conversation to a close.
"We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Lauren directs the question to Maura before turning to leave the office.
"That would be best." Maura seethes. Jane squeezes Maura's forearm.
"I'll see you both tomorrow then." Lauren opens the door to the office but keeps her hand on the handle before turning to glance over her shoulder, "don't let her go, Maura. She's a good one."
Without another word, Lauren Stokes is out of the picture.