Jane didn't use terms of endearment. Not for her family, not for the men she dated. Not until Maura.
Maura had said something so sweetly innocent with such childlike wonder - had it been an observation that Jane could touch her phone and half an hour later a pizza would show up? Jane couldn't remember, but Maura had beamed like she'd understood all the secrets of the universe, and Jane laughed at her, tipping back her beer, pizza ordered. And Jane had said 'oh sweetheart, you need to get out more', and she remembered exactly what she'd said because that secretsoftheuniverse smile had then been aimed at Jane herself, fading into what was an even sweeter smile, before Maura's face was obscured because Maura was leaning her head against Jane's shoulder on the couch next to her, content to watch the game with Jane, only moving away when the pizza inevitably - and disappointingly soon - arrived.
Jane didn't use said terms of endearment often. Only when Maura looked sad, when Maura looked stressed. Only when Maura needed a little boost, then Jane would slip one in, and watch as Maura went from sad to happy, from stressed to relaxed. Maura would always affirm that she'd recognised what Jane had done with a little touch, a squeeze of a hand, a bump of a gloved fist, the jostle of a shoulder. Or if they were at Jane's, Maura's head on Jane's shoulder, their arms tangled together. It made Jane feel powerful, having the power to make the single most intelligent person she knew smile like that. It made her feel strong and protective, knowing that no one else had referred to Maura like that, no one else had applied simple affection to a soul that clearly yearned for it. It made her angry, that she was the first, but she was also relieved. It made her feel a lot of things, and she considered them carefully as she moved her shoulder, letting her arm drape across Maura's shoulder so she could snuggle in closer.
Jane didn't mind people overhearing her use terms of endearment to Maura, unless they were at work because it felt unprofessional to her. But Jane made the mistake, one night at dinner at Maura's, the entire Rizzoli clan there, of telling Maura 'thanks for putting up with us, darling'. It had just slipped out; they'd just been talking to Constance and somehow the word sounded a lot more... intimate than the other terms of endearment. 'Honey' and 'sweetheart' fit the lighthearted vibe she'd always strived for, but darling sounded... Jane looked up to see her family completely nonplussed, even as Maura stood to make her way over to the kitchen, stopping to press a kiss into Jane's hair on her way past. Darling sounded like something a person would say to their partner. A romantic partner, not Frost or Korsak; she couldn't imagine anyone calling them darling. She expected some ribbing from Tommy and Frankie, or a disappointed look from Angela, but no one seemed to think this was unusual. Staring suspiciously at her family, she went to help Maura in the kitchen.
"'Darling' is new," Maura noted. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Constance," Jane said, shrugging, as though that was an explanation. "You don't mind?"
"Jane." Maura put down the bowl of raspberries and looked at Jane seriously. "The only thing I mind is..." Maura looked down, picked up the bowl and took it to the table, easily joining the conversation. Jane brought over the rest of the desert, itching with curiousity. Maura seemed to enjoy this little torture, smiling up at Jane's impatience across the table. When the Rizzolis moved to the tv, Jane snagged Maura by the arm and dragged her outside to the courtyard. Jane let her go reluctantly, but Maura didn't move away, their bodies close in the chill night air. The light from the kitchen spilled out over the pavestones and Maura's face, tilted back to look up at Jane, trusting and relaxed. She really was gorgeous, the kind of woman her mother would love her brothers to bring home, yet Angela had been suspiciously quiet about setting Maura up with them. And she was always excusing herself once Jane had called Maura something sweet, once Maura had settled herself back in at pride of place next to Jane.
"What do you mind?" Jane asked finally, Maura still looking at her with that scientific-discovery face she had. Maura's face sharpened somehow, like she was going to try to lie, like she was scared of what Jane would think of the truth. Jane's hand shot out of its own accord, settled on Maura's waist. "You can tell me," Jane promised. Maura looked away, and Jane was aware of how close they were. Maura licked her lips nervously and looked up.
"I mind not being yours. Your 'sweetheart', your 'darling'." Maura looked away. "I know I'm not, and I know you don't think of me as yours, but every time you say it, it feels like I am."
"Aw, honey," Jane said, looking at Maura like she was the most adorable idiot in the world. "The 'mine' is implied."
"It is?" Maura asked, looking up at Jane with wide eyes full of wonder.
"Yeah," Jane said. "If you wanted to imply," she added sheepishly. She was used to Maura looking at her like she was a better person than she was, but this was too much, it was all the affection she'd ever wanted and been too scared to ask for, it was all the love - for it was love - that she'd never known how to ask for.
"I don't do well with missing information. Perhaps you could make it explicit in future." Maura said, as formally as asking for a report filled out in something other than Jane's usual scrawl.
"I'll make something explicit," Jane grumbled, seeing Maura's eyes light up in delight - at the half-spoken promise or the clever word play, Jane couldn't tell as she leaned in to kiss Maura, a light test, pulling away quickly to check in with her before kissing her fully, wondering whey she'd waited so long when Maura's lips were so soft, her hands warm as they crept up Jane's back to hold her, pulling away finally to tuck her face against Jane's chest, forehead against Jane's cheek.
"Oh, my darling," Maura lilted, not quite breaking into song and Jane groaned, knowing what was coming as Maura laughed against her shoulder.
"One 'Clementine' out of you, and I take it all back," Jane growled, and Maura nodded, humming anyway as Jane swayed to the tune under the eyes of the universe.