I hope everyone is staying self and healthy! Extra time at home means extra time to write. I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! Thank you for all the continued reviews and follows!
Still stuck on her school schedule, Jane was the first to wake on Monday morning. She laid in bed and admired how beautiful her girlfriend was before she untangled herself from Maura's arms. As she was making coffee, she decided she and Maura needed to go on a road trip. Jane immediately went to the pantry and began to pack snacks and other odds and ends for their journey.
Jane was sitting on the couch dressed and ready to go when Maura came downstairs. She noticed the bags Jane had packed sitting on the counter.
"What's all this?"
Jane got up and switched off the TV as she made her way towards her girlfriend.
"Hey. I didn't hear you come downstairs. Good morning." She wrapped Maura in her arms and gave her a slow kiss.
Maura couldn't help but smile at the sweet greeting first thing in the morning.
"Good morning, Jane," she said, leaning in for another kiss. "So…?" Maura asked nodding towards the bags on the counter.
"Oh, right," Jane said, momentarily distracted by the beautiful woman in her arms. "I thought we could go on a road trip today."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I know it's a bit chilly, but I was thinking The Cape? We could be tourists for the day. Explore together."
Maura looked into the twinkling brown eyes and hopeful expression of her girlfriend and knew she could never deny her anything.
"That sounds like a great idea! Do I have time to shower and get dressed?"
"Yeah, I'm not in a hurry. I'm just used to being up early for school. So, you're in?"
Jane smiled down at her girlfriend. Maura moved closer and placed a kiss to each dimple she loved so much.
"Give me 30," she said with a wink.
They wandered around Cape Cod like they had never been there before. They walked the trails and along the shoreline. They went to museums and even found a boat tour to go out on. Jane watched as Maura spoke in detail with the museum curators about the exhibits and listened intently to every "fun fact" Maura shared throughout the day. Jane was reminded just how much she missed Maura's company. They didn't have to be doing anything special, she just missed being in the doctor's presence. The fact that Jane got to hold Maura's hand as they walked through town or hold her close as a particularly strong gust of wind came through was just a bonus.
Maura kept thinking about the perfect day they had just spent together as Jane drove them home. She reached over and took Jane's right hand in hers.
"What made you pick The Cape today? Why didn't you want to travel over to Provincetown while we were there?"
Jane glanced at Maura out of the corner of her eye and smirked.
"Why Provincetown? Because I'm dating a woman now?"
Maura shrugged. "Not necessarily. Provincetown is also a tourist-centric destination. I was just curious."
"It's been ages since I've been to The Cape in general. The area we went to today is just what I thought of first. I hadn't considered driving all the way to P-Town."
Maura nodded.
Several quiet moments passed and then Maura felt Jane's hand fidgeting in hers.
"I don't really think of myself as being gay," Jane said. "Should I now? Is it wrong if I don't?"
Maura squeezed her girlfriend's hand.
"No, Jane. Of course not. Sexuality and sexual preference are complicated and fluid aspects of the human race. It's difficult to succinctly label. It's a very personal preference and decision."
"I've always dated guys. Being with a woman never even crossed my mind until I met you. I mean, I can appreciate and recognize a pretty woman, like actresses and stuff, but I've never been attracted to them. Even now that I'm with a woman, I still don't feel attracted to them. I'm still only attracted to you. I still only want you. I don't know how I could or would label that."
Maura studied her girlfriend's profile. She was surprised by how open and honest Jane was being with her right now. Just a few months ago, Maura never would have imagined that Jane would have voluntarily began this conversation.
"That's okay. You don't have to label it. How you feel doesn't need to have a label."
Jane brought Maura's hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles.
They rode in silence for a few miles until Maura looked over and saw Jane flexing her jaw. She traced her fingertips over the back of Jane's hand.
"Ask, Jane."
Jane exhaled loudly through her nose.
"How…How do you…"
Maura smiled. Nervous Jane was cute, but Maura decided to put her out of her misery.
"In broad terms, because I have dated both men and women, my sexual orientation could be classified as bisexual. However, I find that that label is not entirely accurate and I don't care for the societal categorization many people find themselves confined to. I find the label is more for the one doing the labeling than the one being labeled. Furthermore, because of the fluid nature of human sexuality, I don't believe one label to be accurate at all times."
"So, you don't…"
"No, I don't like to use labels either. I'm just me."
Jane nodded, taking in everything Maura just said. She waited a beat before asking her next question.
"And you've been you with other women?"
Jane glanced quickly at Maura before turning her eyes back to the road.
"Just one, during my second year in college. For less than a month. We never slept together."
Jane released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She felt relieved. She had hoped, as juvenile as it may seem, that she and Maura would be each other's "firsts."
"Jane, you never knew that about me. Are you okay?"
"I…Yeah, yeah. I guess I've always wondered. You're so open about all that stuff. And you grew up in Europe. I thought maybe…"
Maura watched to see if Jane was going to continue.
"You know this doesn't change anything, right? Whether I knew it or not, I've always been waiting for you. I've never felt for another person what I feel for you. You're my person, Jane."
Jane looked over at Maura and gave her a big smile.
"I love you, Maur."
They didn't have any plans on Tuesday, so when Frankie text Jane that morning asking if she and Maura wanted to meet up for lunch, she gladly took him up on his offer.
Frankie had caught a case late Sunday night, so they decided to grab lunch in the café, just in case he got called away. As they entered the precinct Maura moved towards the elevators.
"I should only be about 15 to 20 minutes. Kent just has a few items I need to follow up on."
"I'll visit with whoever's around upstairs. We'll be in the café, just come down when you're done."
Jane leaned down and gave Maura a quick kiss before they each stepped into different elevators; Jane going upstairs to the homicide unit, Maura down to the morgue. A wave of nostalgia and sadness at the familiar action washed over Jane.
She was in the bullpen just a few days ago when she came to surprise Maura, but it still felt like she had been gone for a long time. She noticed her and Korsak's desks were still empty, but someone she didn't know was sitting at Frost's desk.
"That's Olson," Frankie said, pulling Jane from her thoughts about her old partner. "He's not bad. Only been in homicide a few weeks. Used to be in Robbery, then Vice before that."
Jane cleared her throat and shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Good, that's good. They couldn't leave the desk empty forever."
"Yeah." Frankie let the silence linger for a moment. "You know, they haven't replaced you or Korsak yet. There's still a spot here for you, Janie. You could be the other Rizzoli this time around."
Jane smiled at her brother and playfully punched him in the shoulder.
"I will never be the other Rizzoli. Sorry, Little Brother."
Lunch with Frankie and Nina was fun until a new lead came in and they had to head back to BRIC. Maura laced her fingers through her girlfriend's as they made their way out of the precinct.
"You miss it, don't you?"
"Hmm? Oh. Yeah, sometimes. I miss the work. I miss feeling like I'm making an immediate, positive difference. But I don't miss 3:00 a.m. call outs or working 20-hour days."
Maura nodded in agreement, knowing all too well the unpredictability of their work.
"But do you know what I miss most of all?" Jane stopped on the steps of the precinct and pulled the blonde into her arms.
"What's that, Detective?"
"You," Jane said simply before pressing her lips to Maura's. "I miss seeing you every day. I miss working with you. I even miss you excitedly telling me – in far too much detail – about the stomach contents you've just discovered."
Maura laughed at girlfriend's words.
"You secretly love it," Maura teased.
Jane just scrunched up her nose and led them towards the car.
"I'm exhausted," Jane proclaimed as soon as she walked into house and kicked off her shoes. "Maur, can we take a nap?"
Maura rolled her eyes at Jane's whiney plea.
"Honestly, you're worse than a third grader."
Jane pretended to be offended by Maura's comment before she stomped her foot and let out an exaggerated "pleeease."
"Fine," Maura shook her head as she placed her purse on the kitchen counter.
"Yes!" Jane fist bumped the air before sprinting up the stairs.
Jane was sitting on the edge of the bed watching Maura in the en suite bathroom as she got ready for their nap. They had each already changed into more comfortable clothes – Jane in shorts and an old BPD t-shirt, Maura in yoga pants and a fitted tee. Maura was telling Jane the importance of proper make up removal, even if it was only for a nap. Jane watched quietly as her girlfriend moved about the bathroom, first washing her face, now brushing her hair. She felt her chest tighten at the sight. She's so beautiful, even when she does the simplest things, Jane thought. She's going to come out of that room, come into this bed, and lay in my arms. Jane was overwhelmed with emotion at the thought.
"You love me."
It took Jane a second to realize she said that out loud.
Maura froze and met Jane's eyes. She put her hairbrush down and flipped off the bathroom light before making her way over to Jane. Jane moved her legs so Maura could stand between them. Maura placed a finger under Jane's chin and connected their lips in a slow and deep kiss. Jane placed her hands on the back of Maura's knees and slowly trailed them up Maura's legs until she wrapped them around Maura's firm ass. Maura ran her hands through her girlfriend's hair as Jane leaned her forehead against Maura's stomach. With one hand still kneading Maura's ass, Jane raised Maura's shirt and began placing open mouthed kisses along Maura's stomach. She could feel Maura's nails on her scalp and hear Maura's shallow breathing.
"Jane…"
They made love for much of the afternoon. It was urgent, but not frantic. Wanting, but not needy. Whispers of adoration and promises of love echoed throughout the room until they fell asleep, naked and sated wrapped in each other's arms.
It was almost 6:30 p.m. when Jane woke up from her nap. She was laying on Maura's chest and could feel her girlfriend's fingertips running through her hair. She sighed happily.
Jane turned her head and looked at Maura with a knowing smirk.
"What's that look for?" Maura asked, slightly smirking herself.
"I don't want to be presumptuous, but I thought that was pretty amazing."
"Mmm. I agree. That nap was a really good idea."
"Maura! Really?!"
Maura laughed a big throaty laugh and it was music to Jane's ears. She sat up on her elbows and leaned in to quiet her girlfriend's giggles with her lips. Maura placed her hand on Jane's cheek as she pulled away.
"It was amazing," Maura said in a soft voice. Her eyes drifted down to Jane's lips before giving her another kiss.
Satisfied with Maura's response, Jane resumed her position laying on Maura's chest. She grabbed Maura's hand and placed it back on her head, silently asking her girlfriend to continue running her fingers through her hair. Maura did so with a smile.
They should get up and do something for dinner, but Maura couldn't find the motivation to get out of bed. She continued to absentmindedly run her fingers through Jane's hair.
"Jane, why are you so different with me?"
"Hmm?"
"You're different with me. You're so…soft. Careful, almost."
Jane blushed and smiled into Maura's chest, knowing exactly what Maura was referring to. Frankie and Angela had made similar comments.
"You squirm away from Angela every time she tries to touch you, but you've always welcomed affection from me. Even initiated it. You're different around me."
Jane began to trace random patterns on Maura's stomach, watching the abdominal muscles flex under her touch.
"That's because you are different, Maur. You always have been. I don't want you to only see the same parts of me everyone else gets to see. You're special. I've never trusted anyone enough to be vulnerable with them or share parts of me with them the way I do with you. Even when we first met, I felt this connection to you that I've never felt before. That sounds cliché, but it's true. It's like I needed to love you; to protect you; to make you happy. You're the reason for everything I do. I wish I could explain it better."
Maura wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"No, no. I think you explained it quite well. I love you."
Jane turned again so she could face her girlfriend. She placed her hand on the back of Maura's neck and pulled her closer.
"I love you so much," Jane breathed against Maura's lips before kissing her.
Jane's leg slid between Maura's as her lips made their way down Maura's neck; all thoughts of dinner and getting out of bed forgotten.
Author's Note: Well, my lovely readers, we're nearing the end of our story. I think there will be one, maybe two new chapters. More soon... :)