Newspaper Clippings: Three Months

A Rizzoli & Isles drabble by Gigi

A/N: Okay, so I really put off writing this, because it means that there's only one more until this is over. You guys took something that was supposed to just be a writing exercise to get me back in the swing of writing regularly, and you turned it into this big fantastic ride that I have absolutely adored taking with you all. I realize that the gushy stuff should wait until tomorrow night, but just so you know, I really love you all.

Three months.

All in all, three months was not a very long time, but after years of being so close, three months felt like a lifetime. Jane looked up from her dinner at Maura, who was going on about the intricacies of growing apples in Massachusetts as she twirled some spaghetti around her fork. She couldn't keep the fondness out of her bemused smile while the doctor discussed the impacts of weather conditions and soil types on apple growth. Maura was a classically beautiful woman inside and out, with sparkling eyes, a warm smile and a caring heart, but the way she became so absorbed in learning everything she could about a topic was possibly the most beautiful part about her. She just approached everything she could in life with a passion.

Jane had known all this before she started dating Maura, but three months had changed that from a mildly endearing quality to one of the traits Jane treasured most. Maura had approached her burgeoning relationship with Jane the same way she did anything else she wished to do, with a burning desire to learn everything she could about Jane and what made her happy. Jane had never had that, and she hoped she was half as good at making Maura feel the way Maura made her feel. The way her hands ached less when Maura held them, the way her breathing hitched just from a look, the way her pulse picked up when Maura smiled at her...

"Jane?" Maura's voice interrupted her reverie. "You've been quiet for a while. Is everything okay?"

As had been the case for their first date, the words were out of her mouth before she even registered thinking them. "I think I'm in love with you." The second she said them, though, somehow her heart seemed to stop and race at the same time. What if it was too early? Jane had never been one to take the first step in any part of their relationship thus far. What was she going to do if Maura didn't feel the same way just yet?

Maura's eyes were shiny as she reached forward and took both of Jane's hands into hers. Jane didn't think she'd ever seen such a radiant smile on her girlfriend's face. She quickly set Jane's heart back to pumping normally—albeit a little faster than usual—when she whispered, "I think I'm in love with you, too."

A/N: Oh, my goodness, I almost drowned in sappiness. Obviously, this scene had to happen, but I just always think I'm too cheesy when I write scenes like this. Hopefully, you still liked it enough to drop me a REVIEW!