AN: For crispay19, even though this is completely the opposite of what was asked for. Also, it's my first foray into AU fanfiction writing so… just be aware.


The sunlight on the beach was soft, hazy, but the heat was already pressing in on her with an oppressive weight.

It was likely to reach 100 again by the afternoon, and Jane was dreading it.

The heat made her crazy. It made her brain fire erratically, her heart beat wildly, her rational mind shut down.

This photo shoot had been planned last minute and she'd almost turned it down. Her vacation was supposed to start this afternoon, after all, and she didn't need the money.

But something about the woman on the phone made her pause, think twice. The voice on the other end of the line had been confident, sensual, but also strangely soft and compelling, practically sorrowful.

Jane found herself agreeing to squeeze in a set of shots before she left on her trip.

Now, as she scanned the beach for the best lighting and backdrop, she was rethinking her agreement.

Sweat gathered at the small of her back. A light breeze ruffled her hair and she paused, turning her face to the wind.

Exhaling harshly, she closed her eyes, letting the sand beneath her feet and the salty air soothe her.

It had only been three weeks since she'd broken up with Amy, and she wasn't quite over the heartbreak.

Another failed relationship, another failure with love... it was starting to wear on her.

Jane was startled when a woman's voice reached her.

"Jane Rizzoli?" the woman asked.

Jane looked up, her breath catching in her throat.

A sinfully sensuous woman stood on the dunes ten feet away. Her dark blonde locks were ruffled by the breeze, tight jeans hugging her hips, her airy emerald blouse fluttering in the wind, her eyes masked by sunglasses.

Her posture was casual but poised, and despite the way she seemed at ease in the sand, she radiated anxiety.

"Yes," Jane managed to croak. She didn't need to ask the other woman who she was. Jane recognized the famous actress on sight.

Maura Isles was fabulously rich, wealthy, famous. She'd been in Vogue, walked the red carpet, dated millionaires.

She'd been through a messy, horrible divorce only weeks ago. Her husband had cheated on her, had a child with another woman. Maura's face had been on the cover of every rag in town, her embarrassment plastered across headlines for the world to see.

This was hardly Jane's usual clientele. She did family photos, engagement shots, the occasional wedding.

"I'm Maura," she offered, approaching.

Jane extended her hand and Maura accepted it. They shook, and Jane found herself oddly reluctant to let go of the warm palm in hers.

"So what are you looking for?" Jane asked, running a hand through her wild locks and adjusting the camera strap around her neck.

"A few casual shots," Maura looked out over the water. "Some candids. Nothing too complicated."

Jane nodded, swallowing harshly. It was just what Maura had told her on the phone.

That same authoritative tone, laced with something almost remorseful.

"Well let's start with some candids," Jane suggested. "Loosen up a bit. Why don't you just head that way down the beach, do whatever feels natural. Try to ignore me, Ms. Isles."

"Please," Maura smiled softly. "Call me Maura."

Jane licked her lips nervously. She nodded.

"Alright," she agreed. "Maura."

The name rolled off her tongue effortlessly, smooth and clean- just like its owner.

Maura nodded her approval and set off slowly in the direction Jane indicated.

Jane followed, occasionally overtaking Maura to shoot her head on. They walked down the beach for almost half an hour despite Jane knowing she'd gotten the perfect shot after ten minutes.

She couldn't seem to stop herself, to bring an end to the shoot.

Maura didn't smile, and Jane didn't ask her to.

"Ok," Jane called. "Let's try some posed shots."

Acquiescing, Maura let Jane arrange her on a bank looking out onto the water. From the profile, Jane noticed something that made her breath catch.

She stared, her mouth hanging open slightly.

Maura turned to see why Jane wasn't moving and their eyes met. Maura's filled with an almost unbearable sorrow.

Jane didn't know what to do, what to say.

Maura seemed equally at a loss, and her eyes welled with tears. Jane took a step towards her, almost instinctively. For reasons she could not understand, she wanted to comfort Maura.

Turning to look back out at the ocean, Maura seemed even more defeated, though her posture belied a silent strength Jane was in awe of.

Not knowing what else to do, she snapped a photo of the moment.

Maura placed a hand over her slightly rounded belly and Jane took yet another photo.

Slowly, Jane approached Maura.

"Do you mind?" she asked, even as she reached forwards and unbuttoned the bottom two buttons on Maura's shirt. "Trust me," she added softly, without really knowing why.

Maura swallowed, and though she looked at Jane, Jane pointedly avoided returning the gaze.

"I do," she replied.

Jane found herself unable to respond. Unsure what compelled her to do so, she softly grabbed Maura's hand. She held it for a moment, stroking it reverently. Then she guided it back down to Maura's stomach, releasing her hand slowly, reluctantly.

This time when Maura's hand went to her belly, it rested on the bare skin of her pregnancy.

Jane continued to photograph the gorgeous woman. The soft heartbreak in Maura's eyes made Jane's breath catch. Made her palms itch to touch her, comfort her.

Jane didn't know much about Maura, didn't care much about celebrities or their personal lives, but she liked what she knew.

Maura seemed to be decent, kind, generous. She was known for her commitment to charity, her friendly demeanor, her down-to-earth attitude. Jane saw all of that in her as the sun rose higher in the early morning sky.

But she felt more than that reputation- she felt a connection. Something about Maura called to her, and Jane wanted to soothe and comfort the stranger with an overwhelming need she'd never felt before.

Loathe to end the connection, to lose the moment, Jane let her camera rest idly around her neck.

"I think I've got enough," she rumbled reluctantly.

Maura looked over, straightened her blouse.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You haven't seen the pictures yet," Jane deflected.

Maura found Jane's gaze. Jane couldn't have looked away if she wanted to.

"No," Maura shook her head. "Thank you."

Averting her gaze, Jane found herself unable to respond. She nodded and licked her lips, returning to the spot on the beach where she'd stored the rest of her equipment.

Maura followed and Jane was acutely aware of the other woman's scrutiny.

They headed towards the small lot where they'd parked their cars. Jane's faded red Jeep Wrangler looked even more worn than usual next to Maura's Mercedes.

Jane tossed her gear into the backseat and turned to face Maura.

"So I should have these ready by this afternoon," she said. "I can shoot you an email and you can tell me which ones you'd like me to print."

"Would you like to have breakfast with me?" Maura asked incongruously.

Shocked, Jane's head snapped up, her brow furrowing. She thought Maura might be blushing.

"What?" she queried dumbly.

Surely Maura Isles had hundreds of friends at her beck and call. Surely she had people to lean on, to chase away the demons she was so clearly struggling to banish on her own.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have breakfast with me," Maura said shyly. Jane could sense the almost crushing trepidation in the other woman. It boggled her mind.

She was rich, gorgeous, famous- did anyone say no to this woman?

"It's the least I can do," Maura added. "For making you get up so early, and on such last-minute notice."

Jane knew her mother was expecting her, that back at the studio Frost and Frankie would be waiting to hear all about the shoot she'd insisted on doing before they departed for their vacation.

Maura sensed her hesitation, misunderstood it.

"If you're busy," she mumbled. "I understand. I was just thinking-"

"Yes," Jane blurted.

Surprised, wide eyes met hers.

"I uh," Jane exhaled harshly. "I'd love to have breakfast with you."

"Alright," Maura smiled softly. She seemed relieved.

It hit Jane like a punch to the gut. Her stomach knotted, her palms were sweaty, blood pounded in her ears.

"There's a great diner," Jane began.

"Actually," Maura licked her lips nervously. "If you don't mind, I live nearby. It's more... private."

Jane silently berated herself. Of course Maura wouldn't want to be seen with her in public. The paparazzi were constantly hounding her, and Jane cursed herself for being so thoughtless.

"I just prefer somewhere quiet when I start my day," Maura offered, putting a gentle hand on Jane's forearm.

Jane suppressed a shudder at the soft warmth of Maura's palm against her skin.

She nodded.

"You'll follow me?" Maura.

Jane had the overwhelming urge to respond with, anywhere.

Instead, she nodded. She waited until Maura slid behind the wheel before hopping into her jeep.

Maura led the way up the coast and twenty minutes later Jane found herself parking in the driveway of a fantastic bungalow. She wondered if you could call a multi-million dollar property a bungalow.

Waiting next to her car, Maura appraised Jane almost nervously.

"This is a great place," Jane complimented. Maura smiled slightly.

"Thanks. I just bought it."

Jane wondered if it was a post-divorce house. Wondered what it must be like to live in such a huge home all alone.

Leading them inside, Maura went straight for the kitchen. She seemed markedly more at ease in the space, making coffee and working to start breakfast with an effortless grace that belied her status.

She put on soft music and opened the doors to the balcony. The house sat on a cliff overlooking the beach and when Jane peeked out she couldn't see any other homes.

Suddenly, she felt way out of her depth.

"Cream or sugar?" Maura offered.

Jane turned and shook her head no.

"Black is good," she accepted the proffered mug. Their hands grazed and Jane didn't pull away. "Thanks."

A million and one questions flitted through Jane's mind but she silenced all of them.

Maura seemed to need something, and Jane wanted most desperately to give it to her.

"This is a beautiful view," she broke the silence. They stood facing the ocean, hands braced against the railing of the expansive balcony.

"It was a bit extravagant," Maura admitted. "But when I saw the view I couldn't resist. There's something about the ocean that I find so comforting, so grounding."

"Is that why you wanted to do the shoot on the beach?" Jane asked.

A shadow passed over Maura's face. Jane wanted to wipe it away with her lips.

"Yes," she admitted. When she spoke again, her voice had a harder, commanding edge. But there was worry in her eyes.

"I'm not ready to tell people," she said. "So I'd appreciate your discretion."

"It's your business," Jane furrowed her brow. "I wouldn't tell anyone. Besides, who'd believe me anyway?"

Maura nodded, her eyes slipping closed. She clutched at the railing until her knuckles turned white.

Jane put her mug down, found her hands moving without her conscious permission.

She grazed over Maura's hands with her own, skimming the backs with her fingers. She shifted downwards, loosening them from the heated metal. Maura didn't resist but she didn't assist.

Jane took each hand in one of her own, forcing Maura to face her.

Maura didn't open her eyes. Jane didn't ask her to.

Moving on pure instinct, on gut feeling, Jane released Maura's hands. Moving behind her, she wrapped her arms around Maura and laced their fingers together again. She rested their joined hands against Maura's belly.

Maura tensed and then relaxed back against her, squeezed Jane's hands tightly.

A shudder wracked her body and her breathing hitched.

"I wish I knew how to give you what you need," Jane whispered, her forehead resting against the back of Maura's head.

"You do," Maura replied quietly. "You are."

"There's something about you," Jane rasped. "You're lonely and I want so badly to make that better."

"How do you know I'm lonely?"

"I feel it," Jane sighed. "I see it- it's in your eyes."

Maura pressed firmly back against Jane, pulled her arms more tightly around her.

"I don't feel lonely around you," she admitted.

"Me neither," Jane echoed the sentiment.

"I don't even know you," Maura breathed.

Jane didn't know how to respond. It both comforted and terrified her that Maura felt this nearly unbearable pull.

They were strangers, from two entirely different worlds, and yet Jane couldn't remember ever feeling the way she did with Maura in her arms.

It was intoxicating, comforting, frightening.

Surely it must have all been a dream.

Inside, Jane's phone rang.

It startled them both and Jane groaned. It was the ringtone for her mother.

"I have to get that," she sighed. "Or she'll just keep calling."

Maura released Jane wordlessly. Jane found it more difficult than she'd expected to pull herself away from Maura's frame.

She answered the phone, turning her back to Maura.

"Hello," Jane gritted into the receiver. "No, it just took a little longer than I expected... No, of course I didn't forget- I sent you a text... Yes I'm still going to be there... You know I wouldn't do that. Ok, I love you too. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too. See you soon."

Hanging up, she sighed.

"I have to go," she admitted. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright," Maura offered up a hollow smile. "I understand. You must be very busy."

Jane looked longingly at the oven where the pastries where baking.

"Let me give you something to go," Maura caught her gaze.

"Oh no I couldn't," Jane blushed.

"I insist," Maura set about preparing Jane a serving to take with her. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Without it, your metabolism does not spike in the necessary way to sustain a full day of eating, drinking, and activity."

Jane smiled wryly at the unnecessary lesson.

"Ok," she acquiesced. "Only if you insist."

"I do," Maura nodded. She handed Jane a container. "Here you go."

"I can't take this," Jane looked at the expensive container. "How will I get it back to you?"

"You could always drop it off," Maura suggested shyly.

Jane was surprised, to say the least.

"Uh, ok," she stammered.

Maura wrote her private number on a notepad and ripped the sheet off, handing it to Jane.

"I hope to see you again," she said softly.

Jane nodded, dumbstruck. She headed back towards the door.

"I'll send you the pictures later," she told her. "Thanks for breakfast."

"That sounds fine," Maura replied. "And you're welcome."

Jane stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, her mind reeling. Then her phone rang again and jolted her into motion. She practically ran to the jeep, hopping in without bothering to open the door.

When she looked in the rearview mirror, Maura was watching her drive away.

As Jane snaked down the winding driveway and onto the main road, her mind raced.

What the hell just happened?

Maura was famous, rich, and straight... but it hadn't seemed like that last part was true.

What did Maura want from her? Jane couldn't give her anything she didn't have already, or couldn't buy for herself.

Trying to be Maura's friend was only asking for trouble. But even as Jane acknowledged that fact, she knew without a doubt that she'd do whatever she could to see the other woman again.

Back at the studio, Frost and Frankie were hard at work. Jane burst through the door, knowing she'd be late but also that she'd risk her mother's wrath to finish with Maura's pictures before leaving town.

"Janie!" Frankie greeted her. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I had a shoot this morning," she unloaded her equipment and hooked the camera up to the computer.

Both men stopped working and eyed her warily. She never sent the pictures immediately, a combination of business and laziness causing a lapse between her shoots and her development.

"What?" she groused, ignoring their attention.

"Who is she?" Frost asked, grinning.

"What?" Jane croaked, her head flying up.

Both men laughed and she blushed. Was she that fucking obvious?

"Whoever you shot this morning got under your skin Janie," Frost asserted. "So come on- spill! Who is she?"

"A private client," Jane gritted, downloading the photos onto her laptop. "I guaranteed her privacy."

"Whoa," Frankie raised his eyebrows. "Who the hell is this chick? She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

Jane sighed, debating what and how much to tell her partner and her brother. They could easily find out by looking at the photos, the order, or the receipt. There were no secrets in the small business she and Frost ran, and Frankie was family.

"Ok," she conceded. "If I tell you who it was, you both promise me you won't look at the pictures, call her, bill her, or ask me anymore questions about this. Deal? And before you ask, they're not dirty pictures."

Both men inspected her closely.

"Ok," Frost nodded.

"Fine," Frankie agreed.

"It's Maura Isles," Jane admitted. "And that's the end of it. I'm going to send her the photos and then Frankie, we're outta here. Ma's been texting me nonstop about us missing the flight."

Neither man spoke for a minute and Jane looked up from what she was doing. Both had matching looks of curious concern.

Jane wondered how transparent she was, how much her protective disclaimer had given away.

Frankie was the first to speak, to put her at ease.

"She's hot," he said. "And Ma needs to quit worrying. We're not leaving until 8."

Frost glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Well knowing you two," he smiled. "It could very well take you six hours to get to the airport."

"Shut up," Jane rolled her eyes, knowing he was right. Timeliness, other than for her shoots, was not her forte. "I'm just going to send these out and then it's straight to Ma's house."

The two men returned to their previous activities and Jane finished preparing the photos for Maura, touching up the lighting on a few, fixing the focus, but mostly… they were flawless.

Maura took her breath away, even in photographs.

One photo in particular made Jane's gut clench, her heart ache.

It was the photo when she'd discovered Maura's pregnancy. The silent strength Maura exuded was rivaled only by the nearly suffocating sorrow that floated around her like a haze.

Maura was looking off into the sea, and the rigidity of her posture made Jane think of queens and soldiers and saints… She looked like she was bearing the weight of the world, like she knew she was marching into certain destruction but was going forwards anyways.

Jane's hand was on her phone before she realized what she was doing. She had to pull herself away from the photo with every ounce of strength she had.

In all, Jane selected a dozen photos to send to Maura for her approval. She put the rest in an encrypted file and deleted them from her camera.

When it came time to write the email, she froze.

The morning had encompassed an experience that far surpassed the normal template she used for emailing photos.

She wanted to maintain an air of professionalism, but she also didn't want to subvert the depth of what had transpired between them.

In the end, she stuck with the basic format but changed the final greeting.

They usually signed off with a group signature encompassing the entire studio.

Instead, she ended with,

- Jane

It wasn't much, but she didn't know what else to do. It felt right.

She hit send and a wave of anxiety passed through her. Swallowing it down, she closed down her laptop, packed up her things.

Jane went over a few last minute details with Frost but this wasn't the first time he'd been solo in the studio.

In the ten years they'd been running the small photography business he'd been alone on numerous occasions, including Jane's annual family trip to Italy.

They embraced briefly and Jane hopped back in her jeep, Frankie beside her. They drove up the coast in silence, and she was glad for it.

Jane needed the time to think, to process, to compose her thoughts and emotions into something that made sense.

The only thing that seemed clear was that Jane wanted to see Maura again.

Well, not the only thing.

It seemed equally clear that befriending Maura, inevitably falling for her, would end in crushing despair for Jane. Already she could feel herself inextricably bound to the other woman.

The ten-day Rizzoli family vacation in Italy would give her time and distance and allow her to try and forget Maura- if that was even possible.

When she came back, she'd have some perspective.

In the end, the trip resulted in just the opposite.

The entire time she was in Italy, Jane thought of Maura.

She thought about the way the other woman called to her on some inexplicable level. The way she radiated warmth and beauty but also so much sorrow, worry.

Jane thought about what it might take to erase some of that sadness from Maura's eyes, to replace it with joy. She thought about what it must be like to make Maura Isles laugh.

She thought about kissing her.

A lot.

That day on the beach, despite her beauty and inherent sensuality, Maura hadn't seemed particularly sexual. Jane hadn't wanted to kiss her, make love to her.

She had wanted to comfort her, hold her.

But now, days later and from the safe distance of thousands of miles, she let her mind wander.

Wondered what it would be like to kiss Maura, to skim her naked form with rough palms, to make her cry out with pleasure in the dark.

Frankie and Angela sensed her mood, and while Angela attributed it to Jane's recent breakup, Frankie knew better.

He prodded, tried to get her to reveal something, but she was tight-lipped on the topic.

She didn't know how to explain. And besides, what if she was remembering incorrectly? What if it was all just in her head?

What if she was imagining it?

When Maura emailed back, her tone was inscrutable. A little distant, polite, but not overly personal.

She selected ten of the photos for printing in various sizes, some framed and others not. Jane recorded the order to process when she returned, emailed Maura back.

Signed the brief message, Jane.

For the first time in the history of the Rizzoli family vacation, Jane couldn't wait to get home.

When they returned, she went to the studio before she went home. She processed Maura's order and sent an email alerting her it was ready for pickup or delivery at her earliest convenience.

It was nearly midnight when Jane got home, collapsing into bed without changing.