I don't own Rizzoli and Isles, but I wish I did.
A/N: I'm reposting this chapter because I left in parts that I hadn't meant to include. They were part of my rough draft. Dear Reviewers, thank you for catching that!
If the upload is screwy, this is CHAPTER 12 :)
Mistakes are mine.
Jane Rizzoli never did anything halfass. When she had kissed Maura, she had kissed Maura hard. Maura had surprised Jane by returning the passionate kiss with equal fervor pressing their bodies as closely together as possible.
The two pulled back in need of air and caught each other's eyes.
"I told you I'd kiss." Jane remarked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Yes, you did." Maura laughed.
Jane grinned as she tucked Maura's hair behind her ear.
"Well, I feel like a teenager again." Jane chuckled at the situation.
The pair settled back onto the sofa with zero space between them. "The only difference is I'm not afraid of my mother interrupting us every five minutes….and the fact that you're a girl."
Maura nuzzled the brunette's neck and asked, "How did your mother take it when you told her you were gay?"
"Well, I didn't really tell her, per se." Jane shuddered at the memory. "Let's just say that she may have walked in on me and my best friend Amanda while we were having a sleepover." Cringing at the next part, "Being naked with another person is not the way you want your mother to find you."
Maura winced in pity for teenage Jane.
"What about you, Maur'?" Jane hoped that Maura's experience wasn't anything like hers.
"To be honest," Maura snuggled into Jane's side, "it was a non-issue for my mother. She is an artist and interacts with all sorts of people, so it didn't matter to her. I practically raised myself though. The only company I had were the nannies whom I parents had hired to take care of me. My parents were usually traveling the world for art shows and in my father's case lectures since he is a famous professor. I never lacked for anything...except for affection," Maura added the last bit softly.
Jane wrapped her arms tighter around the doctor and kissed the top of her head. "I sorry to say that you'll probably be getting an overdose of affection if you decide to hang out with me and my family. I apologize in advance for my mother." Jane's words echoed the first ones she spoke to Maura that day in the office.
Feeling warmed from the inside out, Maura had the happy realization that Jane genuinely wanted to spend more time with her.
Maura leaned up and gave Jane a soft kiss filled with tenderness. Together the two finished the movie feeling very satisfied with how the evening had played out.
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The next day…
Maura's phone laid on her coffee table daring her to text Jane. She wasn't sure of the dating etiquette any more since she'd been in a relationship for the past several years. Maura quickly pushed any memories of that relationship from her mind.
Last night had turned out even better than Maura could have hoped for. The kiss and Jane's take charge attitude were incredibly arousing for the good doctor, but the affection following it was what she loved most. Passionate first kiss aside, the unspoken agreement to take their relationship at a slower pace seemed perfect for the two women.
The ended the night with a soft kiss at Jane's door.
With the thought of their good night kiss on her mind, Maura bit the bullet and texted Jane early Saturday evening.
M: I had a wonderful time last night.
J: I did, too, Maur'. :)
M: I would say that I liked the movie, but I didn't really pay attention.
J: Oh, really?
M: Yes, really.
J: Would you like to go to Sunday dinner at my Ma's house?
M: Of course!
J: It's at 6:30. Want me to pick you up?
M: That would be nice since I don't know where she lives. ;)
J: Ok, Dr. Smartypants. :p Text me your address and I'll pick you at 6:00.
M: I look forward to it. :)
At 6:00 on the dot, Jane knocked on Maura's door. Maura gave into the girlish impulse to check her appearance in the mirror one last time.
Jane was shocked by the beauty of the good doctor who was wearing a simple coral sundress and thong sandals. Her expression said as much.
"Wow, Maur' you look gorgeous. Are you ready to go?"
"Sure, let me grab my purse." Maura walked over to her kitchen counter gently swaying her hips.
"Your home is beautiful," Jane said as she took in the elegant style of the doctor's home.
"Thank you, Jane. Perhaps we can have our next movie night over here," Maura hinted.
"I am not opposed to that idea, doctor." Jane flirted back.
Opening Maura's door, Jane extended her arm in the direction of her Jeep. "Now come, your chariot awaits."
It goes without saying that Jane opened the door for Maura and helped her in and out of her Jeep.
The two were almost at Angela's house when Jane cast a sideways glance at the doctor.
"Maura, before we arrive, I must warn you."
Maura laughed and turned in her seat to face Jane. "Why, may I ask?"
"My mother...well, you know how she is. She's really, really excited that you're coming over. Umm, just be prepared to answer a bajillion questions. I'll try my best to run interference."
"I'm sure that it will be fine." Maura hoped. She hoped, but her experience with Angela made her doubt that might be the case.
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Jane passed the gnocchi to Maura muttering, "I'm so sorry," for the umpteenth time that evening. Frankie bailed at the last minute because a friend needed help fixing his car. This left Maura, Jane, and Angela alone.
"So, Maura. How do you like teaching so far? This is your first year, right?" Angela rested her elbows on the table giving Maura a kind smile.
"It is, and yes I'm really enjoying it. Teaching is challenging in ways I hadn't anticipated, but not in a negative way." Maura wasn't sure how far into detail Angela was hoping for her to go.
"Oh, I'm not surprised to hear that! Teenagers are a whole different breed. Hang around the office, and you'll see what I mean," The good-natured woman chuckled.
"What was it that you did before you decided to come work at Boston East?" Angela took a drink from her wineglass.
"I was a forensic pathologist for the commonwealth." Maura simply stated. She hoped Angela wouldn't ask for further details. She like to dwell on the reasons, they were still too raw. Surprisingly, Angela didn't ask for further details.
"No wonder you're teaching anatomy! Our kids are going to have the best AP scores in the whole commonwealth! The kids who learned under Mr. Pike unfortunately had the lowest."
Maura blushed at Angela's praise and distracted herself by smoothing the napkin in her lap.
"Janie worked in law enforcement for several years before becoming a teacher."
Jane unconsciously started to fidgit with her watch drawing the attention of both Maura and Angela. Sensing her daughter's discomfort, Angela gave her a reassuring smile which translated into a promise that she wouldn't go any further into detail.
"But I'm sure you already know that." Angela then turned and beamed at her daughter, "I'm happy she made the change though. She's done a lot of good work with kids over the years."
"Thanks, Ma." Jane said humbly.
Jane and Maura had been lured into a false sense of security by Angela's line of questioning.
Angela knew that something was going on between her daughter and the doctor. No one had said anything to her yet, but a mother always knows.
"So, you came alone to the cookout last week, does that mean you're single?"
"Ma!"
Angela ignored her daughter and didn't wait for a response from the honey blonde. "A woman as attractive as you must have tons of men...or women...falling all over themselves to be with you."
Only mildly surprised by Angela's question, Maura replied, "No, currently I am single, but I do date." Technically, this is true. Jane and she had only been on one date, and it wasn't even defined as a date at the time.
"Have you ever been married?" Angela dug a little deeper.
"Ma! That's none of your business!"
Maura figured that Angela would just keep asking questions until she got some satisfactory information.
"I have had a long term relationships in my life, but I have never married," Maura confessed.
Jane felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of Maura with anyone else. She knew that the thought was completely irrational, so she quickly squashed it. Maura was gorgeous and brilliant, so it made perfect sense for her to have had numerous suitors over the years, but Jane had the sneaking suspicion that the number of Maura's serious relationships weren't many.
"Well, Janie, has had a couple over the years, but none of them have stuck. I always hoped that we'd have a doctor in the family."
Angela's hint was as subtle as a freight train.
Both women squirmed in their seats.
Gulping the rest of her water, Jane warned, "Ok, Ma. That's enough."
Jane decided to change the subject. "So, did you make cannoli for dessert?"
"I knew you'd ask me that, and yes."
Angela left the room to retrieve the dessert.
Jane turned to Maura and said for the umpteenth and one time that evening, "I am so sorry."
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Monday rolled around and the two women went from spending lots of time together on the weekend to next to nothing during week and following weekends. After the second week of lacking quality time, Maura had had enough. She decided to take Jane up on her suggestion of helping out with the cross-country team.
Maura's role was moral support for the coach.
"So, Coach. Are you and Dr. Isles like best friends now?" asked a short blonde junior girl named Becky whom Jane had known since she was a freshman.
"Yeah, you sure hang out a lot." Becky's best friend, Hannah, implied.
Teenagers were just plain nosy. For some reason, they believed that teacher's lives were incredibly interesting and completely their business. Jane had to remind herself to be patient. The problem was that the students asking were ones she coached as opposed to students she taught in the classroom. Needless to say, they knew her better than most kids and believed that their familiarity with Jane entitled them to more personal information.
"Umm...we are friends. Why do you want to know and why do you care?" Jane eyed the two girls suspiciously.
"She is awfully pretty, Coach." The blonde junior observed completely ignoring Jane's questions.
"Yeah, and you act all...I don't know. How would you put it, Hannah?"
The junior thought for a moment then decided. "Smitten?"
By this point, Jane was blushing profusely and growing a little agitated. She adjusted her watch.
"Girls…" Jane warned.
Hannah began by stating the obvious, "Well, whenever she comes to our practices or races you seem happier...and nicer." The girls said the last bit together.
Giving it a bit of thought, Jane had to concede that they were probably right. The doctor always brought cold bottles of water for Frost and her and cheered on the kids as they completed their laps around the school.
The kids loved it when the doctor came to visit.
One afternoon, Dr. Isles had shown up to practice just as Jane was getting ready to reem Becky for being late two days in a row. The teenager had never been happier to see Dr. Isles. Thanks to the doctor's influence on Jane's mood, Becky only had to do two extra laps around the track instead of the usual four.
Over the years, most students figured out that Jane was gay despite Jane never outwardly confirming or denying it. At the heart of it, most kids want the teachers and adults they care about to be happy. That's why teenagers always insist on playing matchmaker. They didn't care that Jane was probably gay.
"Girls, what are you implying?"
Teenagers don't know boundaries.
"We think the two of you should get together."
Barry Frost was just within earshot for the entire conversation, and Jane could see his shiteating grin.
Jane gave him a look that screamed, "A little help here!" His look screamed back, "You're on your own."
"Alright, no more of this conversation," Jane then turned her attention to her clipboard.
LIttle do they know that we're already seeing each other. Jane inwardly grinned but then immediately grimaced. They cannot know that though.
Teachers dating each other was a huge source of gossip for kids and faculty. Jane didn't need the rumormill turning so early in the year. Maura and Jane's behavior at the cookout was completely innocent, and by the time they started to get flirty, most people were too intoxicated to notice. For now, Maura and Jane needed to portray their relationship as a simple friendship. That's easier said than done.
"Oh, look, Coach. Here she comes!" The blonde chirped.
Sure enough, the sexy doctor was walking right towards them.
"Hi, Dr. Isles." The girls greeted the honey blonde in a sing-songy voice.
"Well, hello, girls. How are you, today?"
They glanced over at Jane only to meet her glare.
Unsurprisingly, the girls were not deterred.
"We're good. Are you planning on going to the next race with us?" Becky knew no fear.
"I hadn't planned on it." Maura was more than a little confused as to why they were asking this.
Hannah proceeded despite the daggers Jane's eyes were shooting her.
"Please go! It's one of the better races of the season. We know Coach could probably use some help."
"Girls, Coach Rizzoli has Coach Frost to help her. Why would she need me?" Maura was puzzled.
Becky spoke up next. "It's such a huge race, and there's loads of people. There'd be tons of stuff to do."
"Plus, it would mean a lot to us if you'd come cheer us on." Hannah honestly stated.
The girls gave Maura a textbook example of puppy dog eyes.
Several of the girls' teammates had strayed closer as they finished running and had heard the tail end of the conversation.
Becky and Hannah pounced on the opportunity. "Hey guys," Hannah called them over. "Wouldn't it be fantastic if Dr. Isles came to our race?"
All of the kids agreed and proceeded to beg the doctor to come.
Maura didn't want to hurt their feelings, and to be honest it made her feel special that the kids wanted her there.
"Coach Rizzoli?" Maura smirked at using Jane's proper name.
"It's on a Saturday, and it's an out of town race." Jane scratched the back of her neck. "We'll have to take the bus, and we won't get home until really late." Jane added as an afterthought, "That's why I hadn't mentioned it."
That was one reason, but the other real reason was that she didn't want to give the students any more fodder for their gossiping. Jane would love to spend extra time with the good doctor, but she was just trying to be careful for both of their sakes. Had Jane had the chance to talk to the doctor earlier, Maura would have understood her reasoning; Jane could tell how excited Maura seemed at the prospect. This was a chance for Maura to build her relationship with the kids. Why not take it?
After a brief pause, Jane surprised the doctor and all the kids with what she said next.
"We really could use the help though. If you're not too busy, I'd love for you to come." Jane looked at Maura with her warm brown eyes.
"I'd love to." Maura's grin could have lit up the school's entire stadium.
"Sweet! Thanks, Dr. Isles." A chorus of thank yous surrounded her.
Jane's eyes twinkled as she teased, "You know this means that you have to wear another t-shirt."
"I don't mind." Maura confessed.
Jane couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
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After a very long and successful race, Jane and her team piled onto the bus to head home. It was a two hour drive and both women were exhausted. Jane made sure to bring a blanket in case it got cold on the bus; she was glad she did because it let her cuddle with Maura while remaining unseen by dozens of nosy teenagers. Most of the kids were out cold or listening to music on their phones anyway, so they were pretty secluded. No one wanted to sit up front with the coaches, and Frost was passed out on the seat behind them. It gave them the privacy that they'd been craving.
"It really meant a lot to the kids that you came today, Maur'. Thank you." Jane wrapped her arm around the honey blonde which allowed Maura to rest her head on Jane's chest.
"It meant a lot to me that they wanted me there." Maura confessed.
Jane replied with all the sincerity she had, "They really do love you."
Maura felt warmed from the inside out.
Whether Maura realized it or not, she was quickly becoming a favorite teacher at Boston East. Even though her class was hard as hell, the kids appreciated her genuine desire to help them learn and the respectful way she treated and cared for them.
It didn't hurt that she was very, very attractive as well.
The two slid down far enough in their seat that Jane could kiss Maura hard without being seen.
Their kisses increased in number and in fervor until the loud thump of someone's bag falling off a nearby seat brought them to their senses.
As two adult women and teachers, what they were doing was incredibly inappropriate. They could NOT make out like teenagers on a bus full of teenagers!
They burst into giggles as they rearranged themselves into a position that two typical straight friends would be in if they were sharing a blanket.
After one last chaste kiss, the movement of the bus lulled both women to sleep.