A/N: So I had to take an extra day to write this update. I was just so wiped that everything I wrote made me unhappy. But I got some rest and got to watch the Bruins absolutely demolish the Hurricanes last night so I was in a better mood. Hopefully, I will return to my regular update schedule. So enjoy this update and hopefully they will get better and better. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They really motivate me to write and leave me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Just a little fluff.

The next two days were uneventful and passed quickly. Maura wasn't able to reenact the lunch hour escapades that she and Jane had enjoyed either day due to a few very busy days in the morgue. They had conducted three autopsies, two in what appeared to be a related homicide, the other a self-inflicted wound. Between assisting the homicide detectives on their case and putting the morgue back in its original state after Dr. Pike had rearranged it, Maura and Dr. Williams remained extremely busy. When Dr. Williams returned from traveling, she had almost blown her top. "It's bad enough that he has to rearrange my lab every time I am out of the office for the day, but I can't stand the fact that he insists on sitting in my chair."

After a long two days, Maura was exhausted. She loved working in the Medical Examiner's office but the long hours when they were in the middle of a case really took their toll on the young medical student. All she wanted to do was go home, grab a glass of wine, and cuddle on the couch with her stunning Italian police officer. She slowly trudged up her front steps and through her front door. As she opened the front door she was hit with the intoxicating aroma of something that made her remember that they had been so busy, she had skipped lunch. Her stomach led her to the kitchen, where she laid eyes on her amazing girlfriend, looking much as she did on the night they had kissed for the first time.

Jane stood at the stove, dressed in her dark uniform pants and a tank top. She had yet to fix her hair in the usual tight bun, so her wild dark curls hung over her shoulders as she stirred the bubbling pot on the stove. This was Maura's favorite view of Jane. Strong muscular arms, wild dark curls, and the glistening of her olive skin as the steam rose from the pot she was stirring. From the smells emanating from the kitchen, Maura could tell that they would be enjoying another Rizzoli family Italian recipe, which usually was the case when Jane cooked. Maura snuck behind Jane and began to rub her hands down the long, strong arms of the woman cooking.

"I love this look on you. You look so strong and tough but so domestic. It's quite sexy." Still having her tall heels on from work Maura was the same height as Jane, which allowed her the ability to push the dark curls to the side and kiss her girlfriend just below her ear.

Jane let out a small moan. "Well, I know that you have been really stressed at work the past couple days so I wanted to make you dinner before I have to leave." She spun around and kissed Maura quickly, but passionately. When they separated, Maura let out a small groan and her face fell, the exhaustion evident on her face. Jane looked at Maura's face. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Ugh, I am so exhausted that I was really just hoping to cuddle on the couch with you and watch a movie. I have been so used to you being here that I forgot you have to go back to midnight shifts tonight." She buried her head in Jane's chest. "I hate when you have midnights. I rarely get to see you."

"Technically, I am being punished with these shifts. I guess you are getting punished as well. But I promise I will come over for dinner before I go to work each night. You will have plenty of time to see me. Plus, I would think you would be getting pretty tired of having me around all of the time. I don't think I have stayed at my own apartment in a week. Now go sit down on the couch so I can finish dinner and I will bring you a glass of wine." As Maura turned to walk away, Jane playfully smacked Maura's ass. When Maura spun around, Jane just smiled.

Maura walked over to her couch and, in a move that was more akin to something Jane would do, she plopped down. She was too tired to worry about sitting down properly. She thought to herself that Jane must be a bad influence on her because in all her time before she met Jane, she never would have dreamed of doing something so uncouth. She was chuckling to herself when Jane walked up with a glass of red wine and a plate of gnocchi for Maura.

"What's so funny?" Jane looked at the honey blonde, smirking.

"I was just thinking how you were such a bad influence on me."

Jane sat the wine and the gnocchi down on the coffee table before hopping on top of Maura, placing her legs on either side of Maura's knees. "Oh, I am, am I? Are you talking about how you just unceremoniously plopped down on the couch?" Maura looked at Jane guilty. "Yeah, I definitely caught that. But maybe if I am rubbing off on you too much, I guess I can just go and let you enjoy your dinner." Jane slowly made her way to get up off of Maura.

Maura quickly grabbed Jane by her shoulders and pulled her down so she was flush against her. "Maybe I like that you are rubbing off on me." She grinned before pulling Jane into a deep kiss. Jane pulled back and held herself up, hovering just above Maura, her biceps and triceps flexing so that the muscles of her arms were clearly defined. Maura ran her fingers up the muscular arms to the strong shoulders and down Jane's back.

"I hate that you have to go to work tonight but you can dress like this anytime. This has to be the sexiest thing that you wear."

Jane chuckled. "Maur, you think that anytime I am in uniform I am sexy. I am starting to worry about you being around all those cops at the precinct all the time. Maybe you find them just as sexy."

Maura yanked Jane down once more. She pulled Jane's head down so that there was less than an inch between them. Her lips ghosted over Jane's but she would not move the distance to meet them. Jane could feel the warm breath of her girlfriend as she fought to keep the distance. Maura spoke with a hushed whisper. "While the uniform is undeniably sexy, it's the woman in the uniform that really excites me sexually." She pulled Jane the rest of the way and claimed the perfect, soft lips with her own.

Jane pulled back up, breathing heavily. "Baby, your food is getting cold and I need to eat or I am going to starve on duty and will end up eating all kinds of junk. I know how you hate that so why don't we press pause and eat dinner." Jane looked as Maura's seductive smile turn into a puzzled look. Jane laughed because she knew exactly why Maura looked at her that way. "It's an expression, Maur. We aren't literally pressing pause on anything, just taking a small break." She gave the blonde a quick kiss before rolling off of her and heading back to the kitchen.

She grabbed a plate for herself as well as a glass of water before heading back to sit next to Maura on the couch. Maura had already begun eating the potato pasta. Jane loved to see Maura's face when she ate something she truly enjoyed. It was very similar to another face Jane had seen Maura make. "So I take it you like it?"

"Oh yes Jane. It's delicious. I love when you cook. You have quite the talent."

"You have my ma to thank for that. When I was young she insisted that I learn all of her recipes so that when I found that perfect man, I could keep him happy by keeping him fed, like a good Italian wife should." Jane laughed.

Maura smiled. "I guess I will have to thank Angela next time I see her for teaching my little woman how to keep me happy. Heaven forbid I fall in love with someone who doesn't know their place around the kitchen."

"Wow, Maur, I think I am rubbing off on you." She gave her a quick kiss before sitting down to enjoy her dinner. When they had both finished eating, Jane sat with her back against the armrest and rested her legs up on the couch. Maura crawled so that she could lay in between Jane's legs with her head resting against Jane's chest. As they lay there, Jane gently ran her fingers through the honey blonde locks as Maura listened to Jane's heartbeat. They sat there peacefully, just like that, for a few hours until it was time for Jane to get dressed to leave.

By that time Maura's exhaustion had gotten the better of her and she was in a peaceful slumber. Jane wanted to spend the rest of her life watching the angelic creature sleep. She loved the feel of the silky blonde hair as it ran between her fingers. She didn't want to move from the spot she was in. But she knew she had to. She had to go to work. She had to go out there and protect the city. Protect the beautiful woman that slept peacefully on her chest, causing her heart to beat just a little faster and her body to tingle in all the best ways. At that moment, Jane knew she would do anything for the wonderful woman lying on top of her. She knew it seemed silly that she felt so strongly about someone when she had known her for such a short period of time, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she couldn't imagine life without the med student in her arms.

Jane sighed before slowly dragging her fingers down the arm of the sleeping woman. Maura stirred at the feel of Jane's touch. She looked up with hazel eyes that were still full of sleep and smiled. Jane returned the smile and lowered her lips to kiss Maura's forehead. She spoke just above a whisper, not wanting to shake the blonde too much from her much needed sleep. "Hey baby, I need to get up to get ready for work." Slowly Jane slipped out from underneath of Maura.

Jane bent down and eased her arms under the barely awake woman. Maura grumbled and shifted as she felt Jane's touch. Jane chuckled. "Shhh, I am going to take you up to bed. You need to sleep." Jane lifted Maura up in her arms and held her close. She climbed up the stairs and gently sat Maura on her bed. She grabbed a set of Maura's silk sleepwear and slowly undressed her girlfriend, lingering just a little too long as she stared at Maura beautiful body. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and quickly helped Maura dress for bed before laying her down and pulling the covers up to tuck her in. She lowered her lips to the top of the head of the woman teetering on the edge of sleep and pressed them against her hairline. She whispered softly against the pale skin, "I love you so much Maura Isles. I am so lucky to have you in my life. Just know that you will be in my thoughts until I see you again." She placed a light kiss on Maura's lips. Maura murmured incoherently as she lightly ran her hand over Jane's, but Jane knew it was Maura's way of returning the sentiment while being too asleep to form coherent sentences. Jane smiled as she gently lifted herself off the bed and walked backwards towards the door so that she didn't have to take her eyes off of Maura until absolutely necessary.


As she drove to the station, Jane couldn't take her mind off of Maura. She couldn't believe that just a short time ago she had been afraid to follow her feelings for the honey blonde because she was a woman, but now she couldn't think of a life without her. Being with her seemed so natural. She smiled thinking of how her life had been turned upside down by the beautiful blonde medical student. But her smile faded as she approached the parking lot of the police station.

That night would be the first time she had been back to work since her incident with Thomas. Since that day she hadn't taken time to actually think of the repercussions of what she had done that day. Of course she had thought about how she had let down her shift and how Thomas's lackeys would be pissed because she had demolished their fearless leader. But she hadn't thought about how her relationship status would be received by the rest of the guys she worked with.

Jane had openly kissed her girlfriend in public at the café in the precinct. She had pummeled Thomas for making a pass at her girlfriend. Maura had basically yelled that Jane satisfied her sexually during the exchange. The café was pretty empty that day but Jane knew that police officers were worse gossips than sorority girls and the news of her relationship with Maura would spread throughout the station like wildfire. For the first time, she became very nervous about how she would be received by her fellow officers. Not only did she have to worry about the teasing and hostility that possibly awaited her at roll call, but that night would be the first night that she would have someone that would be with her throughout her shift. She would not be able to run away from any of the torment as soon as roll call was over. She wondered what the shift would be like if the young officer they paired her with was a Jesse Thomas duplicate. She didn't know if she could handle the misogynistic attitude of a Jesse Thomas clone for the night, let alone the whole week.

Jane knew there was nothing she could do and she wasn't going to be ashamed about the fact that she was in love with a gorgeous woman. If someone had a problem with her relationship, they would have to just learn to deal with it. She had proven that she wasn't afraid to stand up for her relationship and she hoped that no one else would test her. Although she felt strong, it didn't keep her from shaking as she entered the room for roll call.

She was early as usual and looked around for a new face that might be her charge for the week. She didn't notice anyone that seemed out of place but she did notice a few eyes fixed on her and heads turning to quickly gossip as she found her seat. Just as she sat, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned her head to eye a giant of a police officer named Carter standing behind her. He was one of the most well liked guys on the force and even Thomas respected him and tried to stay on his good side. Jane became nervous. She knew that most of the young officers would follow Carter's lead and how he reacted towards her would set the tone for how the rest of them treated her. As soon as he opened his mouth, Jane could feel the booming voice hit her. "Yo Rizzoli. I had a question I wanted to ask ya."

"Yeah Carter. What's up?" Jane braced herself for the question that she knew was coming.

"So, uh, word around the precinct is that you are dating that intern down in the ME's office. That true?" Carter's voice was low and Jane couldn't tell how he was feeling about the possible relationship.

She took a deep breath. You've got this Rizzoli. She's worth it. "Yeah Carter. I'm seeing the intern. Maura's my girlfriend. We've been dating for a couple of weeks."

"Hey that's cool. She's pretty freaking hot. Way to go, bagging the hottest chick to walk in the precinct in a while. If she ever has a friend looking for a date, give her my number." He slapped her on the back pretty hard. "Oh yeah and let me know if I am ever pissin' you off. I don't want to end up looking like Thomas. I saw him yesterday and the dude is looking rough." He laughed as he walked away.

Jane let out a sigh of relief. Although Carter seemed like a pig in the way he spoke about Maura, Jane knew that that was his attempt to show Jane he accepted her no matter who she was with. He was treating her like he would anyone else on the force that was dating a good-looking girl. He was treating her like she was one of the guys. Jane had to smile. She was worried for nothing. She knew that most of the guys she worked with were great and she really shouldn't have fretted. Thomas was an anomaly. He was an asshole and didn't represent the entire Boston Police force. Jane was surrounded by some of Boston's finest and she smiled knowing that they had her back.

Just as Jane was thinking about how lucky she was to work with some great guys that didn't mind who she was sleeping with, but just treated her like one of the guys, the shift sergeant walked in. Looking around, Jane realized that her new rookie was nowhere to be found. She wondered if maybe they had forgotten and she might be able to enjoy her first night back without having to have some inexperienced newbie tagging along.

Jane listened as the shift sergeant went over the status of any open cases and the assignments for the night. As he spoke, Jane realized how much she missed her job while she was out. She loved spending as much time as possible with Maura, but she bled the blue of a police officer. She was good at it and she was so glad to be back. As the shift sergeant was wrapping up roll call, Jane felt her excitement to be back on her normal patrol growing. Just as the sergeant dismissed everyone, she heard him yell out her name. "Rizzoli, get your ass up here."

She walked up to the front of the room to meet with the shift sergeant. "Yeah, sarge. You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. We got word from your rook that they had some car trouble on the way over so they're running late." Jane's face dropped. It seemed she wasn't as lucky as she thought she was. The sergeant must have noticed the drop in her face because he started laughing. "What, you think we forgot? Ha. No such luck Rizzoli. Why don't you head out to your cruiser and get ready for the shift and I'll send them out when they get here." He laughed again. "Have fun with your newbie tonight."

Jane walked off and headed towards her cruiser. Her happy mood from a few minutes before was non-existent. Not only did she have to baby sit a rookie for the next few nights, she had to baby sit someone who couldn't make it to their shift on time. She had to sit around and wait for them to arrive, which put Jane in a grumpy mood. She wished she could call Maura so that at least the soft voice of the gorgeous honey blonde would calm her down, but she had seen how tired her girlfriend had been when she left for her shift and she knew that Maura needed her rest. Jane decided to close her eyes while she waited in the front seat of her cruiser for the newbie to arrive. She found her thoughts drifting towards Maura and she couldn't help the big smile on her face. Just as she was picturing the perfect body that she got to worship daily, she was startled from her daydream by a loud knock on her window. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to find the source of the interruption.

There stood the frazzled form of her "partner" for the next few nights.

A/N 2: Ok, so I know I promised the identity of the rookie and I was all ready to write it but I got a really good idea from someone and I may change my original plan. I wanted to be sure how I felt but I also wanted to update for you guys. So I promise the identity will be revealed in the next update. Please don't kill me or yell at me in the reviews. I promise. Good things will happen. I hope you enjoyed and I will work hard to update quickly because of all the awesome reviews I get.