Jane Rizzoli: A Case Study

Part Fifteen: New Questions

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Maura's not a guesser. So, when she comes up with a theory as to her best friend's recent change in behavior, she sets out to test her hypothesis the only way she knows how: careful observation and experimentation. Slow burn, fluff, eventual smut, some angst.

Warnings: The following fic is rated M (NC-17) for language and sexual situations. Readers be warned.

A/N: I want to note that while I am still working slowly on this story, I am not "back" from my hiatus. School is definitely kicking my ass, but I needed this little escape. I appreciate all the well wishes for the school year and find it adorable that so many commenters think I'm a student. Y'all make me laugh.

Surprisingly, once she got started, Maura managed to focus on work for a few hours before the brunette invaded her mind again. She had just signed a stack of paperwork from the previous day and had gone to her office when Detective Frost stepped off the elevator. It was his toothy grin that reminded Maura that she had not heard from Jane all morning. She peered behind Barry, looking for his partner.

"Good morning, Doctor Isles." Frost nodded, "I was wondering if you had time to discuss the Warner case. Have you gotten the DNA results yet?"

Maura frowned, "Where's Jane?"

Barry froze. "She…" he choked. "She didn't tell you?"

Maura stared at him menacingly, "Tell me what?"

The detective put his hands up as if in surrender, "It's not my fault. She's the one that cussed out Cavanaugh!"

Maura's eyes widened, "She did what?"

Frost stepped back, eyeing the doctor, "Yesterday… when Cavanaugh confronted her about going missing... He put her on desk duty until the end of next week."

"What?" Maura said incredulously.

"She's lucky she didn't get suspended." Frost shook his head. "It's a good thing he likes her."

The honey blond sighed and took a deep breath. She would have to deal with Jane's misbehavior later. Trying a smile, she said, "So, you needed the DNA results? I have those here on my desk."

It was clear Jane knew just how much trouble she was in the moment that Maura walked into the bullpen. Jane had been slouched in the chair at her desk, distractedly playing with her phone while she was very obviously ignoring a stack of paperwork. The instant she saw Maura, her face went pale and she sat up straight.

"Maura," Jane said anxiously. "What are you doing up here?"

The honey blond stared at her accusingly. While it was satisfying to see Jane squirm—she should really have told her about what had happened—Maura didn't want to have a confrontation right in the middle of the bullpen. So, as coolly and calmly as possible she said, "Are you free for lunch?"

The brunette blinked at her in surprise. "Uh…"

Maura raised an eyebrow, "Or have your breaks been restricted as well?"

Jane shook her head, standing up awkwardly, "No… uh… I can take a lunch break."

"Good," Maura smiled, "let's go then." She then turned on her heel, expecting Jane to follow her.

"Maura?" Jane said, remaining still, "Aren't you mad at me?"

The doctor stopped and turned back around, "That depends."

"Depends on what?" Jane asked fearfully, inching closer to her.

Maura looked her over before responding. She raised a brow as she replied, "On what it was that you did."

Jane quickly opened her mouth to explain, but Maura stopped her, "Not here, Jane."

The two ended up at the Dirty Robber. It had only just opened, so they sat in a relatively empty restaurant. Jane didn't have a lot of time off for lunch, so Maura had called ahead. Their food was delivered to their table shortly after they had settled into their usual booth.

Jane watched Maura anxiously, ignoring her food. Maura raised an eyebrow expectantly. The brunette had been strangely quiet on their walk down the street. She wondered if Jane feared just how upset Maura was. It certainly seemed like it with how much she was squirming in her seat.

"Maura…" Jane tried, her voice small, apologetic.

"Yes?" Maura responded, taking a bite of her food.

"I can't tell," Jane whispered, poking her food with her fork, "are you mad at me or not?"

The honey blond was quiet for a moment. She set down her flatware and wiped her hands on a napkin. "Like I said, I don't know yet…" Maura admitted, "Just what was it that you did?"

"I told you," Jane shrugged, avoiding her eyes, "I got in trouble for leaving in the middle of an investigation."

Maura raised an eyebrow, "And for that Cavanaugh put one of his best detectives on desk duty for more than a week?"

Jane glanced at her sheepishly, "Okay … I might have … gotten a bit pissy with him."

"Really?" Maura replied doubtfully. "Is that all?"

The brunette groaned, "Okay, I told him to fuck off."

"You what?!"

"He said that getting into a fight with my girlfriend didn't count as a 'family emergency!' He was way out of line, Maura!"

"That may be so, but he's your boss, Jane." Maura said resolutely. She took another bite of her food, wondering whether she should bring up the fact that Cavanaugh thought they were dating already.

Cautiously, Jane reached her hand out for Maura's. She sighed as Maura linked their fingers together, "I know. He was just being such an ass—I mean he was being difficult! And I was so frustrated already."

Maura couldn't help the smirk that spread on her face, "Frustrated?"

Jane bit her lip, glancing at Maura's, "I really didn't want to leave you there in the kitchen."

"Is that so?" Maura smiled.

The brunette took Maura's hand to her face, kissing her palm lightly, "You've been driving me crazy for weeks, remember?"

The doctor reluctantly pulled her hand away. She sighed, still a bit snubbed, "So why did I have to find out about it from Barry?"

Jane glanced at her food. She poked at her fries with her fork. "I didn't know how to tell you. We were in this happy little bubble … I didn't want to ruin it."

"Jane," Maura said tenderly, her hand on Jane's, "You make me happy. Nothing's going to change that." Maura tugged Jane's hand resolutely, "As long as you're honest with me."

Jane smiled, squeezing Maura's hand, "You're right, I'm sorry."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while. Maura had missed the familiarity they had together. It had seemed that every moment in the past couple weeks had been so tense. Now, it felt relaxed, like it always used to be.

Still, there was something new to this moment together—something more. Jane watched her idly, unabashedly. Her eyes wandered over the features of Maura's face as she smiled. She didn't blush or appear ashamed. She simply smiled, letting out the occasional contented sigh. It was almost as if Jane was finally—truly—looking at her. Maura couldn't help the giddy feeling it gave her.

As the two of them walked back to the station hand in hand, Maura felt overwhelmed with joy. That was, until Jane pulled her close when they reached the elevator.

"What are you doing?" Maura whispered, blushing slightly.

Jane held her by the hips, a possessive look in her eyes. Maura bit her lip despite herself. With her eyes dark, but speaking in barely a whisper, Jane said, "I'm saying goodbye to my girlfriend, of course."

Maura's heart raced in her chest at the way Jane subtly emphasized "my." Jane leaned in for a kiss, capturing her bottom lip. The kiss was borderline inappropriate as Jane teased Maura's lips with her tongue, but as soon as the honey blond let out a soft sigh through her nose, Jane stepped back.

The brunette had a cocky smirk on her lips.

The doctor took a shaky breath, stepping back, "Goodbye, Jane."

"See you later, babe," Jane said with a wink.

On the ride down the elevator, Maura cursed herself for the assumptions she had already made about the dynamics of their changing relationship. How could I have been so wrong? She thought. She struggled to get her heartrate to slow to a normal speed as she thought of the lingering kiss on her lips. She's not shy at all, Maura breathed.

Maura struggled to focus on work as the morning's events replayed in her mind. Initially, Maura had assumed that Jane's bravado was due to their recent sexual activities. She believed that after they had gone to work and were surrounded by their colleagues, Jane would grow shy again, cautious. Instead, Jane seemed motivated to demonstrate possessiveness of Maura. If Maura didn't know any better, she might think that Jane was trying to ensure everyone knew Maura was hers. Just the thought made Maura shiver.

Still, Maura thought as she returned to the files at her desk, my demeanor seems to have marked effects on her as well. She recalled the way Jane had grown anxious when Maura approached her in the bullpen. The way Jane struggled to read Maura's emotions when she had been conflicted about them herself. The way the change in her tone made Jane turn from anxious to content to excited.

This calls for further exploration, Maura noted internally. I might need that notebook again after all.

The afternoon passed uneventfully. Maura managed to get a significant amount of paperwork done with no new cases—it seemed like weeks since they had gone more than a day without a new investigation. And while Maura enjoyed the familiarity and precision of her work in the autopsy room, the almost mechanical repetition of paperwork allowed her to turn off the distracting thoughts that had been making the minutes pass laggardly. In fact, once Maura got into her routine—and had a certain detective out of her way—she found she got a significant amount of work done.

Maura was working on the last of her backlogged reports when Susie knocked on her door.

"Doctor Isles?" the Senior Criminalist said politely. "I just wanted to let you know I'm heading home for the night."

"Oh," Maura blinked, looking up from her computer, "is it that late already?"

The young woman smiled sympathetically, "Another rough day?"

Maura frowned, "No, what makes you think that?"

"Oh…" Susie said awkwardly, "I just thought … well Detective Rizzoli hasn't been down here all day, so I thought…"

"Thought what?" Maura said curiously.

"I'm sorry," Susie shook her head, embarrassed, "it's none of my business!"

"What's none of your business?"

"Well—I just thought maybe you … you had a fight and that's why you've been upset lately."

Maura sighed. She hadn't realized just how much she'd let the whole experiment with Jane curb her professionalism. Still, she wasn't sure why Susie would think the two of them were fighting. They had only just—

"Wait," Maura chuckled, sitting back, "you mean like a lovers quarrel?"

Susie frowned, "You mean you and her … you aren't …?"

"Hey babe." Jane interrupted, nodding at Maura from the doorway.

Maura blushed as Susie looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows.

"Jane," Maura breathed, trying to keep her composure, but the way Jane was smirking at her knowingly was making her flustered.

"Hey Chang," Jane nodded, slipping past her. She grinned at Maura, "You ready to go home?"

Maura was still blushing. It wasn't like she was uncomfortable with their coworkers knowing about their relationship, but she hadn't expected Jane to be so brazen, especially so quickly. Jane seemed bound and determined that everyone was aware of the change in the status of their relationship.

"Of course," Maura replied. She smiled politely at Susie, "You are free to go. Thank you for letting me know. Have a goodnight."

Susie raised an eyebrow at Jane, who winked at her with a devilish smile. "Goodnight Chang."

Jane's hands went to Maura's hips the moment Susie stepped out of Maura's office. Maura's breath caught in her throat at the brunette's needy grip. Jane pulled her close, her face inches from Maura's.

"Hey baby," Jane said in a low voice, her eyes on Maura's lips.

The honey blond bit her lip. There was a hungry look in Jane's eyes that made it hard to concentrate. Maura shook the feeling away. "What was that about?"

"What?" Jane frowned, her ease gripping on Maura's hips. She looked uneasy.

"Your entire demeanor is different today." Maura stated, frowning back.

Jane stepped back, chewing her lip worriedly. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable—"

"Jane, no." Maura said, reaching for her hands sympathetically. She intertwined their fingers, pulling the brunette back. "You didn't make me uncomfortable."

The detective searched Maura's eyes, still worrying at her lip. "I didn't?"

Maura chuckled, searching Jane's eyes too, "You've just surprised me with your boldness is all." She put a hand on Jane's cheek, smiling up at her, "This side of you takes some getting used to."

Jane smirked, raising an eyebrow as she slipped her hands around Maura's waist. She bit her lip, "You like it?"

The honey blond considered Jane for a moment. She couldn't lie and say that Jane's behavior didn't excite her, but it was borderline unprofessional. Maura sighed, "You've been treading the line very precariously."

Jane looked bewildered. Then, "Oh, you mean 'toeing the line.'"

"Yes," Maura nodded, "you barely lasted five minutes this morning before you called me—"

Jane interjected, giving her a pointed look, "I called you 'babe,' not baby."

"You know that's not what I mean …" Maura tried, but Jane tugged her closer by the belt loops.

The brunette glanced at her lips, "But how can I not show off how Maura Isles is my girl?"

Maura swallowed, struggling to breathe. Again, Jane seemed to change the inflection of the word 'my.' It wasn't rational how much this emphasis made Maura's spine tingle.

The doctor steeled herself against Jane's enticing bedroom eyes. "And you kissed me quite forcefully—twice."

"Only to say goodbye," Jane replied, biting her lip again.

"You seem very intent on showing everyone we've started a romantic relationship," Maura observed.

Jane frowned, looking at bit worried, "Is that not okay?"

Maura softened her voice, her hands at Jane's shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly, "Of course that's okay. I wouldn't want to hide anything."

"So why would you … ?"

"I just didn't expect it is all."

"Why, what did you expect me to do?" Jane chuckled.

Maura found her hands moving up Jane's neck. She had the sudden overwhelming need to kiss her. Just being this close to her was making her body react in ways that interfered with her thinking.

"I don't know…" Maura said, playing with Jane's dark curls. "You just seemed so unsure before. You didn't want to talk about what was going on with us while we were at work."

Jane subtly licked her lips. She seemed to gravitate even closer to Maura as she said in a low voice, "I was just worried I wouldn't be able to control myself."

Maura raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Really?"

"Kind of like how I'm struggling to control myself right now," Jane said tugging at Maura's hips.

The honey blond licked her lips before she could stop herself. Her eyes went to Jane's as she played with the hair at the back of Jane's neck. She started to imagine all the things this new possessive side of Jane might be imagining. She grew aroused just thinking about it.

She couldn't stop herself from pulling Jane down into a hungry kiss. Jane's hands went around Maura's back, pulling her flush against her. The taste of Jane's tongue slipped over Maura's lip as the kiss quickly grew passionate. The honey blond spread her fingers into Jane's hair, tugging her close and eagerly letting Jane's tongue into her mouth.

Maura felt her whole body come alive. Jane's hands on her were like fire and electricity simultaneously. She stumbled back into her desk as Jane stepped forward forcefully. The kiss broke as Jane's hands dipped down her back and below her belt. Maura shivered, the breath catching in her chest.

"Jane," Maura barely managed, "we're at work. We need to slow down."

"I want you, baby," Jane said in a low, husky voice that made Maura quiver.

"Jane," Maura said in ragged breaths, pushing her back by the shoulders, "not at work."

The brunette eased her grip, stepping back. With her eyes closed, she took deep breaths in through her nose as she nodded. When she finally looked at Maura, she smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry. No one's ever done this to me."

"Done what?" Maura frowned.

"Turned me on so quickly," she admitted. "So intensely."

Maura smirked, "Well, you can do whatever you'd like to me when we get home."

Jane bit her lip, her eyebrows shooting up. She smirked back, "Anything?"

The honey blond bit her lip, wondering just what had popped into Jane's head when she said 'anything,' but she decided to leave that question for later. They needed to make it home before she could safely ask for clarification. Instead, Maura grabbed her purse and coat.

"Take me home?" she nodded and winked.

To be continued