Maura
"Friends and loved ones, it is with much honor that I introduce to you for the first time Doctor and Sergeant Detective Rizzoli-Isles," the officiant announced.
Jane leaned over to give Maura a quick kiss before they both faced their guests, hand-in-hand. Maura could barely see a foot in front of her through the happy tears that clouded her eyes. For so long, she had never thought that this moment would ever happen. First, because she never thought she'd meet someone she wanted to marry, and then, because she was afraid that the person she did want to marry could never return her feelings.
But she was wrong, and she had never been so happy to be wrong in her life. As she walked back down the aisle, clinging to Jane, she tried to commit everything about this moment to memory. It was easily the best moment of her life up to this point, and she expected it would remain so for a long, long time.
There had been so many special moments already today, moments she would never forget – the 'first look' when she first saw Jane in her wedding dress, the moment her father took her arm to walk her down the aisle, the moment Jane took her hand at the altar, their first kiss as a married couple – but for some reason this moment stood above the rest. Maybe because there was something about it that allowed them to be them. Doctor and Sergeant Detective Rizzoli-Isles taking on the world hand-in-hand. Together. Forever.
They kissed again when they reached the end of the aisle. Maura was so happy, so incredibly happy. Everything thus far had been perfect. It wasn't atop a volcano. It wasn't Fenway. But it was perfect.
The ceremony had taken place at a gazebo on the beach in Cape Cod. Despite forecasts calling for rain and storms, the weather had held out so far. They had a picture-perfect blue sky for their formal pictures before the ceremony. Some clouds had rolled in for the ceremony, but Maura was actually grateful for that because they weren't squinting throughout the entire ceremony.
They milled around outside, receiving a congratulations from their guests, for a few minutes before their wedding planner pulled them inside, along with their officiant and witnesses (Frankie and Cailin) to sign the wedding license.
As Frankie and Cailin returned outside, Jane tugged on Maura's hand, causing the other woman to turn towards her. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist, pulling their bodies together. Maura responded instantly, wrapping her own arms around Jane's shoulders. Maura used her hand to gently pull Jane's face towards her own.
"I love you," Jane mumbled into Maura's mouth as their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Before things could get too heated, Maura pulled back. "I love you, too," she whispered as she got lost in Jane's eyes. She tried to memorize every inch of Jane's face in this moment. Jane's entire face was glowing with happiness – her eyes sparkling, her dimples on full display, her smile so big it caused the most adorable crinkle in the corners of her eyes. Maura knew the science behind such a smile. She knew that real smiles – ones that signaled true happiness – engaged both the zygomaticus major muscle and the orbicularis oculi muscles causing the tell-tale crinkle in the corners of the eye. What she couldn't explain was how Jane's smile made her feel. Sure, she could explain the rush of hormones that Jane's smile caused, but this didn't fully explain how she felt in this moment. However, she did know that her own smile rivaled Jane's at the moment.
Their bubble was broken when Julie, the event coordinator for the hotel, walked up to them. "Congratulations," she said to both Jane and Maura. "The ceremony was beautiful."
"Thank you," Maura said, turning her body so that she was facing Julie but still had her arm wrapped around Jane's waist. "And thank you for everything. So far, the entire weekend has been amazing, and we couldn't do it without all of your help."
"I'm glad we have been able to meet your expectations," Julie said genuinely.
"You've far exceeded our expectations," Jane said.
"Thank you," Julie replied. "I wanted to talk to you both, though, because unfortunately, it looks like the rain won't hold out for the reception."
Maura nodded. This was disappointing but expected. She was just glad that they had been able to have the ceremony and take pictures outside while the weather was still nice.
"We'd like to put up the walls on the tent," Julie continued. "It looks like we are going to get hit with quite the downpour."
"Okay, we're fine with that," Maura said. "Thank you so much for keeping such a close eye on the weather."
"Of course," Julie said. "I will go let them know." Julie waved goodbye as she returned to tell her staff to put up the walls of the tent.
Jane
When Julie was gone, Jane pulled Maura back towards her. With one hand still around Jane's waist, Maura brought her other hand up to rest on Jane's chest. "I'm sorry," Jane said, and Maura knew that even if she tried to hide it Jane could tell she was disappointed that they wouldn't be able to overlook the beach during the reception.
The acknowledgement made Maura's heart swell with love. "It's okay," Maura said. "Really," she added when Jane still looked skeptical.
Jane searched Maura's face for a few moments before saying, "Come with me." She pulled Maura towards their suite.
"What are we doing?" Maura said, giggling as Jane closed the door behind them. "We don't have time for this!"
Jane laughed. "That wasn't…I mean, I definitely would…they'll wait for us," she said through her laughter. "But I was actually thinking we should change."
Maura's face quickly changed from laughter to confusion. Jane leaned forward to softly kiss the tip of her nose before continuing, "We don't have to if you don't want to, but I know how much you love your wedding dress. If it's going to rain as hard as they're saying, I'm afraid that our dresses might get ruined, even if it's just from walking in and out of the tent. We both brought alternative white dresses for the rehearsal dinner. I know it's not the same as wearing your wedding dress, but I'd hate for you to lose your dress because it got ruined. Also, I'm guessing the rain will make it pretty humid in the tent, so we might be more comfortable." Jane paused to let Maura think about her proposal. Personally, she didn't really care about her dress. Yes, she liked it a lot, but she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do with it after today, so if Maura wanted them to keep wearing them tonight, she wouldn't be bothered if hers got ruined. She knew Maura would be upset though, and the last thing she wanted was for Maura to be sad on their wedding night.
Jane saw the moment Maura came to a decision as she watched Maura's face shift from confusion back to happiness. "Yes, let's do it," Maura said. "We have our formal wedding pictures, which is what mattered the most to me. I mean, dress-wise…what really matters most is that we have a good time and enjoy our wedding."
"I know," Jane said with a laugh, attempting to stem the flow of Maura's rambling. "I know that there are a lot of things about the wedding more important than what we wear, but it's okay that you care about our dresses and what we're wearing, too."
Maura smiled. "Thank you. I think you're right though. Let's change." They both changed out of their wedding dresses and into their back-up rehearsal dresses. Maura's dress had a blouson top with a pencil skirt that perfectly hugged her hips and ended just above her knees. Jane wore an off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her chest, highlighting her figure before opening to an A-line knee length skirt.
When they were both ready, Maura stepped in front of Jane, taking her hands in her own. She leaned up to place a soft, chaste kiss on Jane's lips. With a smile, she whispered, "Thank you."
Jane tilted her head. "For what?" she asked.
"For always thinking about me," Maura said. "For realizing I would be upset if our wedding dresses got ruined. Also, for marrying me," she added at the end.
Jane released Maura's hands and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, and I can't believe we're married. I don't think I've ever been this happy."
Returning the hug, Maura replied, "Me neither. I could just stay like this forever."
"People are probably already wondering where we are, though," Jane said reluctantly, but she didn't release Maura.
"We should go back," Maura said, stepping out of Jane's embrace and immediately missing the contact.
Maura
I fall in love all over
Every time I look at you
I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
Maura closed her eyes, her forehead resting against Jane's as they moved together on the dancefloor. She let the words of the song wash over her. It had taken her and Jane less than five seconds to agree on their first dance song as soon as they heard this song.
The first rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance as the song finished and she and Jane shared a loving kiss. She honestly couldn't care less at this moment that the weather had forced them to put up the walls on the tent. Nothing could ruin today, not even a storm.
"I love you," Jane whispered so only Maura could hear her as everyone clapped around them.
"I love you, too," Maura replied, giving Jane another quick kiss. "My forever best friend."
Jane rolled her eyes as they walked over to their seats, but Maura didn't miss the pleased blush that crossed Jane's face at her words.
Maura was only half listening as her parents and Jane's mom thanked everyone for coming. She couldn't take her eyes off of Jane as Jane's godmother said grace before dinner was served. And she was so lost in the moment that she didn't notice the sound of the rain pounding on the roof of the tent.
It wasn't until she heard the clinging of silverware against glasses that she was pulled from her love haze.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" their friends and family, led by Frankie and Tommy, called out.
Jane and Maura shared a soft smile before leaning in for a kiss.
As they pulled away, Jane whispered, "You know, they could get real annoying with that, but when it means that I get to kiss you, I don't think I could ever be annoyed."
"If your brothers hear you," Maura replied, "they'll take that as a challenge."
"Oh, I should tell them," Jane said, playfully turning away from Maura as though she was going to say something to her brothers.
Maura laughed brightly and pulled Jane back towards her. "Get back here, you," she said before they shared another kiss.
Jane
Jane stepped up behind Maura and wrapped her arms around her waist. Maura instantly leaned back against Jane's front. Maura's hands found Jane's and her arms rested on top of Jane's as she finished her conversation.
Jane and Maura had been pretty successful thus far throughout the evening of staying near each other as they mingled among their guests, but every once in a while, they got pulled into separate conversations. As long as it didn't happen much, Jane didn't mind though because she loved the moment when they made their way back to each other. She loved the tiny smile that Maura couldn't stop when she felt Jane near her again, and she loved the rush of warmth that flooded her body when Maura leaned against her once again.
"It was a beautiful wedding," the woman Maura had been talking to said to both of them, drawing Jane into the conversation.
"Thank you," Jane replied, despite having no idea who she was talking to.
"I'm so glad that the weather held out for the ceremony," the woman said.
"We are too," Maura said with a smile. "And honestly, I was slightly disappointed when they had to put up the walls of the tent, but I haven't even noticed. It would have been nice to be able to see the beach during the reception, but I've been so focused on Jane and our guests and everything going on in here, that I haven't thought about it at all.
Jane, having stepped to Maura's side while keeping one arm around her waist, leaned over and kissed Maura's cheek.
"Well, I'll let you guys go, but thank you for inviting us," the woman said before giving each of them a hug.
"Who was that?" Jane whispered to Maura when the woman was out of earshot.
Maura laughed lightly. "One of my mother's closest friends," she replied. "Her name is Martha Albrecht. I don't think you've ever met her. Maura turned so that she was facing Jane. "Dance with me?" she asked, flashing Jane a smile they both knew Jane couldn't say no to.
"Mmm, yeah, I suppose," Jane teased, walking Maura backwards towards the dance floor.
And despite Jane's usual dislike of dancing, she and Maura spent much of the rest of the night on the dance floor, moving together through the slow songs and joining their family and friends for the faster ones.
Maura
Maura took the remote from the DJ. "Thank you," she told him before turning towards their guests. She reached out, taking Jane's hand in hers before speaking.
"Hello," she said nervously. "We still have about an hour left to celebrate, but Jane and I just wanted to take a moment to say a few words. First, thank you to each and every one of you who came to celebrate our wedding with us. We cannot express how much we love and appreciate all of you, whether you travelled from Boston, across the country, or across the world. We are truly humbled by the love and support that we have received from our family and friends throughout our relationship and especially in helping us make this weekend one of the best of our lives."
Maura looked over at Jane. She gave Jane's hand a gentle squeeze as they exchanged a smile before she continued. Looking back out to their guests, she started, "We would also like to specifically thank our parents. Angela…ahh!"
A collective gasp spread through the crowd as part of the tent gave way, a rip causing the roof of the tent to pull away from the side, the water too heavy for the fabric to hold. The water fell, completely drenching Maura. Jane was splashed, but Maura was soaked. Jane's hands flew to cover her mouth in shock, but her heart broke when Maura's eyes met hers. She watched as embarrassment, anger, and sadness flitted across Maura's face in an instant.
Jane stepped in front of Maura, blocking her from the crowd. She took the microphone from Maura's hand, quickly switching it off and grabbing Maura's hands. "Take your shoes off," Jane said so only Maura could hear. Jane reached up and pushed Maura's sopping hair off her face.
"What?" Maura gasped, still trying not to cry from the shock and embarrassment.
Jane stepped out of her own heels and repeated, "Take off your shoes." She smiled reassuringly at Maura. "Now, I get to do something I've always wanted to do."
Maura was confused, and her brain was still frozen. All she could do is follow Jane's instructions. As soon as she had stepped out of her heels, Jane pulled her in the direction of the DJ. Handing the DJ the microphone, Jane whispered, "Play something."
Without waiting for a response, Jane reached up, ripped the side of the tent the rest of the way off, and pulled Maura out into the rain. They were now standing on the beach, the rain soaking both of them, the waves crashing behind them, and the wind blowing in their ears. Jane turned around. Smiling at Maura, she pulled her against her body as the music started. "I've always wanted to dance on the beach in the rain with you," Jane said.
The song started up, and the DJ must have turned one of the speakers to play out onto the beach because Maura could hear the words perfectly.
Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see
The smile upon your face
As understanding permeated her thoughts, Maura's face lit up. Tears of happiness pricked at her eyes as they began to move together to the music. Everything else fell away in that moment. It was just her and Jane, enveloped by their love for each other. She no longer cared that she had been drenched by water at her wedding reception with all of their friends and family watching because it led to this moment. And this moment was everything.
I could not ask for more
Than the love you give me
'Cause it's all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more, more, ah, ah
Yeah, yeah
And I could not ask for more
Just as the song ended, their spell was broken when they heard TJ squeal in delight as he finally broke free from Tommy's grasp and ran towards his aunts. Jane released Maura, lowering herself and opening her arms to receive TJ. She lifted him up and spun him around. His laughter and joy mirroring Maura's as another song started and she watched the love of her life dance with her nephew.
"Can I have this dance?" Maura turned away from watching Jane and TJ at the sound of her father's voice. He was the last person she would ever expect to come out to dance in the rain, and she would never be able to put into words how much this gesture meant to her.
"Of course," she replied with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Tommy lead her mother, Constance, out to dance in the rain, quickly followed by Frankie and Nina, the rest of their family, and many friends.
Jane
Handing TJ over to dance with her mother, Jane was surprised when Constance stepped in front of her with a smile. "Care to dance?" Constance asked.
Jane returned her smile, reaching out to lock hands with her mother-in-law as they began to move together.
"I bet you never thought you'd be dancing with me in the rain on the beach at your daughter's wedding," Jane said after a while, her smile wide as she teased Constance.
Constance chuckled. "I have to say, I don't think I expected to dance in the rain on the beach at Maura's wedding. You are correct about that. However, I always knew I'd be dancing with you at her wedding."
Jane was grateful that the darkness of the evening hid her blush. While it was possible that Constance could have meant that she would have danced with Jane at Maura's wedding even if Maura had married someone else, Jane knew this wasn't what Constance was implying. She knew that Constance was telling her, in her own way, that she always knew Jane was the one Maura would marry.
"And I couldn't be happier for her," Constance added after a few moments of silence. "You two are perfect for each other, and this is a perfect example," she said, releasing Jane's hand to gesture to their surroundings. Jane's face must have betrayed her confusion because Constance laughed before explaining, "You and I both know she was about to panic when that water fell, drenching her. Not only were you able to stop that panic, but you turned it into a moment that she and everyone else here will think of as a positive memory."
Before Jane could respond, Maura, who had been dancing with Hope, appeared at their sides. "May I?" Maura asked.
Constance stepped away, handing Jane back to Maura, but before she left, she placed a soft kiss on Maura's cheek.
Maura wrapped her arms around Jane and lifted onto her toes to kiss Jane soundly on the lips. Jane smiled at Maura as she returned to her usual height. She brought her hand up to Maura's face, pushing her hair back as she stared into her eyes. Maura's eyes were sparkling, and Jane could see the pure love, happiness, adoration, and joy in her eyes.
Maura
"Thank you for saving me," Maura said, her voice almost getting lost in the sound of the rain, waves, music, and laughter surrounding them. "Again," she added.
Jane kissed Maura as they moved together around the beach, surrounded by their family and friends. "I'm glad you're not mad," Jane admitted.
Maura shook her head before resting it on Jane's shoulder. "This moment is perfect," she said after a while. Not only was the moment perfect, but it was easily the best moment of the night. The best moment of her life. Dancing in the rain with the love of her life.
A/N: Their first dance song is "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw. Honestly, there are some times that I really wish we could include full song lyrics as long as we give proper attribution, and this is one of those times. Because is there really a song that better describes Maura and Jane? Well, at least we're allowed as few lines.
And, the song they danced to in the rain was "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain, (another song that so Jane and Maura).
I actually wrote this months ago as a future scene for "Maybe we should have talked sooner," but over time it seemed to fit that story less and less. Since this week, I decided to end that story before the wedding (and I'm not totally sure what the sequel will look like yet), I turned this into a one-shot. It's easily one of my favorite scenes that I've written, if not my favorite.