I don't own Rizzoli and Isles, but I wish I did.
A/N: Hello, readers! I am so thankful for the reviews, PMs, favorites, and follows. I am thrilled that you are enjoying my story. I appreciate you all. Sorry for any mistakes I may have missed. This was originally a beast of a chapter, so it's been split in two. I'll probably post the other one tomorrow. :) Happy reading!
Beep Beep Beep!
"Ugh, Maura, turn that off!" Jane rolled over pulling the covers over her head in an effort to muffle the offending sound.
"Wha? Oh, right!" Maura's hand fumbled over the surface of the nightstand in search of her criminally loud cell phone.
"There!" Maura triumphantly tossed the muted phone onto the bed.
Jane, who was notoriously grumpy in the morning, groused, "Of course we'd forget to turn off the alarm on our day off. What time is it?"
Maura rolled her eyes and spooned the brunette from behind. "It's six. Don't be so grumpy. You know your body would have woken you up right now anyway."
Jane snuggled into the blonde's embrace scooting her rear to nestle against the doctor's front. Threading her fingers through the blonde's, Jane waited for Maura to find a comfortable spot before she relaxed completely.
Maura relished the opportunities to hold Jane and took advantage whenever she could. Jane liked to pretend she was tough one hundred percent of the time, but Maura knew better. Jane Rizzoli was a huge softee, or at least she was that way for Maura.
"I beg to differ, Maur."
Beep! Beep! Gurgle!
Jane's bad mood instantly improved the moment she heard the coffee maker click on.
Nestling her nose in Jane's dark curls, Maura chuckled, "That's the kind of alarm I like."
Jane scooted impossibly closer to her blonde and muttered, "In a few minutes, will you get me a cup?"
The Italian knew there was no use trying to sleep longer. The melodic sound of brewing coffee was the song of her people. Resistance was futile.
Maura kissed Jane's sleep tousled curls. "Sure, but can we just lie here for a bit?" The doctor hinted at her ulterior motives as her fingertips ghosted over the exposed skin on Jane's lower belly.
"Oh? That's why you want to wake up?" Jane turned in Maura's arms to face her, making sure to duck her head to avoid killing the good doctor with her morning breath.
"Mmm...you found me out," Maura mock-seriously answered and dipped her head to nibble the brunette's neck.
"Admit it, Maur," Jane tiled her head back to give the doctor better access. "You didn't turn off your alarm because you had this in mind."
Maura slid a thigh between Jane's. "I plead the fifth."
Jane snorted, "Very clever for six in the morning."
"Thank you, Tiger." Maura fake growled.
A slew of giggles erupted from the brunette. "I'm sorry, Maura, but growling? Really?"
The doctor's face scrunched up, "Too much?"
Smirking, Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's middle and pulled the blonde on top of her. "I liked it, but growling is my line."
Maura's dulcet laughter filled the bedroom. "Well, why don't you practice using it on me then?"
After much laughter, happy sighs, and satisfied moans, the women left the bed in search of their morning beverage. Thank goodness, the maker kept the coffee hot for an hour.
R & I R & I R& I
"What's on the agenda for today, Jane?" Maura sat at the breakfast table and perused the morning paper.
Unlike the blonde, Jane did not have the paper delivered each morning. Consequently, Jane ran out to purchase a copy while Maura was in the shower.
"Hmm...hand me the sports section, will ya?" Jane sipped on her third cup of the morning. Jane's second was during her shower.
It amused the doctor to no end how Jane loved taking a cup of coffee with her into the shower.
When asked, Jane would always reply, "Drinking coffee and taking a hot shower are the best two ways of waking up in the morning. It makes perfect sense to put the two together."
Maura couldn't really argue with Jane's logic, so she just let it go.
Wordlessly, Maura handed the brunette the sports section and received a muttered thanks in reply.
"Jane? Today?" Maura reminded her girlfriend, who was completely engrossed by last night's game between her beloved Bruins and Nashville's Predators. Sadly for Jane, the Preds won 3-1.
Tearing her eyes away from the paper, Jane replied as she looked out the window, "Well, it's still raining (thank God), so we can go to a movie or lunch or whatever."
Jane and the doctor hoped the weather would persist now that they had the glimpse of a free weekend in their future; it all hinged on whether the track meet was canceled. Jane wouldn't find out until that evening.
A small smile tugged at the blonde's lips as she remembered their last foray to the movies.
"Well, Jane, I know how much you hate shopping, but I thought it would be nice to go to a bookstore today." Maura nibbled on the corner of her toast; it was white-wheat of course. Maura insisted that Jane buy it because it was healthier than Jane's typical white bread.
This actually led to an argument between the two women. Ultimately, it resulted in a pouting Jane and an exasperated Maura, who refused to talk to one another for an entire afternoon both citing dietary differences. Eventually, the two women came to a compromise of purchasing the white-wheat bread that was on the market. Maura wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement because it meant the product was overly processed, but she realized peanut butter and fluff sandwiches were a staple of Jane's diet, and she didn't want to keep her girlfriend from enjoying her favorite food. Eventually, this entire conflict earned the moniker of the Bread Battle of 2015. Was this argument trivial? Yes. But do couples get into stupid fights over silly things sometimes? Yes.
Deep down, silly arguments like that one typically result from stresses outside the relationship. Both women learned that they would be losing one of their planning periods for the entire week on account of training and proctoring state testing. That's enough to put any teacher in a foul mood.
Jane glanced at her bookshelves; she was in need of something new to read. Besides, going to a bookstore with someone revealed a lot about the person's character.
"That sounds like a great idea, Maur. I've had my eye on the newest John Grisham novel." Jane loved well-written crime novels, and she was a sucker for anything that was quasi-believable.
Maura's dazzling smile lit up the room, "Wonderful! We'll get lunch while we're out as well."
Pleased with herself for making such a good suggestion, Maura hummed softly in pleasure as she took a sip of her coffee.
For her part, the brunette grew pensive as she chewed on her hard won white-wheat toast.
"I have a confession, Maura," Jane said nervously. She toyed with this idea for several years and even joked about doing it, but no one knew she really meant it.
Putting the mug down on the table, Maura gave the brunette her full attention. The doctor could tell that Jane wanted to share something important with her.
"What's that Jane?" Maura's hand stretched out to cover the brunette's. Jane seemed reticent.
Jane took a deep breath before answering. Was Maura going to laugh at her, or worse think it's a stupid idea?
"I've always wanted to write my own textbook." Jane admitted.
Maura's mouth curled into a small, yet surprised smile. "Really? What for?"
Jane traced the woodgrain on her table with her index finger. Suddenly, she felt very bashful about her decision to share this with Maura.
"Well, a lot of the ones out there are too convoluted or too dry and boring that they'd even put you to sleep, Maura. I end up supplementing the curriculum with my own materials a lot of the time."
Maura tilted her head slightly as she regarded Jane's comment. To be honest, she thought her own textbook was miserably written and she felt the need to provide additional resources as well.
"I agree with you, Jane. The textbook industry really does our students a disservice."
"Well, I considered creating one for my Criminology Course. I earned my degree in Criminology and served as an officer for four years. Shit, I had made detective and had shadowed the job on numerous calls. If it hadn't been for that asshole, I'd probably be doing that now."
This admission saddened the doctor for two reasons. One, Jane was robbed of her dream career, a career she obviously made countless sacrifices for. Two, if Jane had made detective, she might have never met Maura to begin with.
Jane saw Maura's face fall and realized how her words might have sounded.
Feeling the need to have the blonde as close to her as possible, Jane pulled the doctor into her lap.
"Come here," Jane wrapped her arms around the blonde and settled her comfortably on her lap.
"Maura, I don't regret becoming a teacher for a minute, especially since it led me to you. But be honest," Jane laughed a little, "we may have crossed paths down the road. With you being the Chief Medical Examiner and I as a homicide detective, chances are we would have met. All things considered, I like this road we traveled on better."
Jane was right. Why dwell on what ifs? They were together, and that was all that mattered.
"Me too, Jane. I wouldn't change anything."
The two women shared a slow sensual kiss. It was a kiss that conveyed love, support, and tenderness.
Pulling back from her blonde, Jane continued, "Maura, with my experience in law enforcement and your time as medical examiner, I believe we could write an awesome book together. Would you ever be interested in doing that with me? Creating a textbook, I mean."
Maura hadn't really allowed herself the time to dwell on her former profession following the case of the murdered family and her decision to resign as the Chief Medical Examiner. As a coping mechanism, she shut out most thoughts of her past career. Unbeknownst to Jane, Maura still suffered nightmares from her case, but she kept that secret to herself. Eventually, she would share her nightmares with Jane, but thankfully they were growing fewer and farther between. Perhaps if she used her knowledge to help students, she might find the healing she needed.
"Yes, Jane. I am interested." Maura felt a sense of peace with her decision. This was the right choice.
"Great, Maura," Jane kissed the blonde gently, "I know what we'll be doing for our summer break for the next couple of years."
The two women laughed; both were content with their decision.
"Jane?" Maura caressed the Italian's cheek with her fingertips.
"Yeah, Maur?" Jane's lips pulled into an adorable smile.
Maura's tone grew serious. "I'm incredibly impressed that you were an officer for only four years before making detective."
Jane blushed furiously, "Maura, it's no big deal. I got a leg up because I majored in Criminology."
"Regardless, Jane. Serving as an officer for only four years and passing the detective exam so soon is incredibly impressive. Don't sell yourself short."
Jane continued to blush furiously and mumbled a barely audible thank you. The former officer only wanted to serve her city. Little did she know at the time that she'd continue to serve it but in a completely different capacity.
"Besides," Maura's voice dipped into a lower register, "I bet you were sexy in your uniform."
This elicited a laugh from the bashful brunette. "Really, Maura? You go for a woman in uniform?"
"Why not, Jane? It's a very common fantasy among many women," Maura defended, but as she did she became lost in her own little fantasy.
Maura spoke as if Jane was no longer present. "It's the feeling of someone else being in control of you. It's the whole idea of protecting and serving...mmm…it's..."
"Ok, reel it back in," Jane laughed. "I'll dig around in my closet and see what I can come up with. Honestly, I may have given it to Ma to hold onto. I"m not sure."
Sitting a little more primly, Maura replied with a twinkle in her eye, "Thank you."
Maura stood from her place in the brunette's lap. "Ok, Tiger. Let's go do some research at the bookstore. Maybe I'll give you some hands on experience on how to undress a body when we get home."
Jane scrunched up her nose, "Ugh, Maura. That sounds kind of creepy when you put it like that."
Maura mirrored her girlfriend's expression, "Eww, you're right. Forget I ever said that."
The Italian playfully snarked, "Gladly, Doctor."
Once the women's good humor subsided, the doctor emptied her mug in one final swallow and placed it in the sink as she retrieved the apartment keys.
"Ready?" Maura winked and sashayed over to the door.
"Seriously, Maur? You act like that and expect me to want to leave?" Jane remarked sarcastically.
"Just wait until we get home." The brunette swiped the keys from the blonde's fingers and dragged the doctor out the door.
R & I R & I R & I
Jane aimlessly wandered through the aisles of the bookstore. As she did, she took in the titles of classic novels and the latest best sellers. She had already grabbed the book she wanted and had a little of time to kill before she met back with Maura. For kicks, Jane mosied over to the portion of the store where random puzzles and games were sold.
Maybe, I should buy a book of crossword puzzles for Maura. She'd probably finish them in five minutes, but I bet she'd appreciate the thought.
Jane mused and turned her steps towards the magazine section.
Maura for her part was parked in front of the wall of magazines. Perusing the titles, Maura picked up the latest copies of Vogue, Popular Mechanics, Home and Garden, Popular Science, and Archaeology. All of these titles were a fine sampling of the doctor's interests. Maura considered purchasing a few others, but she remembered she had lessons to plan later that weekend.
One of these will be perfect for a bath. Maybe I'll take Popular Mechanics into the the tub. Jane might find that a turn on.
Maura chuckled to herself, but she was shaken from her reverie when a warm hand touched her lower back. She immediately knew her favorite brunette had found her.
Jane's eyebrow quirked at Maura's choice of magazines she was holding in her hands. "What? No Playboy?"
Maura used the magazines to slap the cheeky brunette's shoulder, "Jane! I'm offended that you would think I'd read such trash."
Jane stepped out of smacking range and held her hands up in a conciliatory manner. "Geez, Doctor, I'm just kidding."
"I'm more of a Hustler fan to be honest." Maura quipped seriously, looking the brunette dead in the eye.
Jane's jaw dropped before she broke into a fit of laughter. "Dang, Maura, you're getting good with this whole joking thing." The brunette wrapped her arm around the doctor's waist and kissed her temple affectionately.
"Really? Thank you, Jane." Maura beamed brightly at the brunette's compliment.
Maura pulled away from the Italian slowly dragging her fingertips down her arm until she took Jane's hand into her own. "Why do I need one of those magazines when I have you in my bed whenever I want?"
"Whenever you want? Would whenever happen to be in the near future?" Jane waggled her eyebrows shamelessly.
Maura chose to answer Jane's question with one of her own, "You ready to check out?"
"Check you out? Yes, I am." Jane's brilliant smile dazzled the doctor.
Maura giggled and made a beeline for the cashier. There would be two in her tub reading magazines that night.
R & I R & I R & I
Jane and Maura were pissed. Make that very pissed. The rain had cleared and the powers that be declared the meet was still on. Jane was especially pissed at herself for forgetting that the school hosting the meet had an astroturf field, which meant there was no grass to get ruined. No grass ruined? No meet cancelled.
So there they were on a warm Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of eight a.m.
Jane was trying very hard to keep her grumpiness to herself and not include Maura in it. For the most part she was successful until one of her freshman girls slipped on the wet astroturf and scraped the hell out of her elbow. Of course, Jane wasn't pissed at her student. She was angry that the meet hadn't been called, and she wasn't the only one.
All the other coaches gave the event coordinator a piece of their mind. Real reason for not cancelling the meet? The school wanted the proceeds that would come from hosting the event.
So, after a day of poor races and several slips and falls, everyone went home tired and unhappy.
"Jane, I'm sorry today turned out to be so awful." Maura kneaded the tight muscles in Jane's neck. A tension headache had plagued the brunette for most of the day.
Taking a huge swallow from her glass of water, Jane replied, "It's fine, Maur. Thanks for being there to help out. I just feel bad for Tiffany. That was a bad scrape."
Maura grimaced at the memory of the poor girl's arm. The fall was bad enough that Tiffany's arm bled. Hopefully, it wouldn't scar.
"I agree, poor girl. At least, she didn't let it slow her down and she won her race." Maura added thoughtfully.
Jane smiled, "You're right. She's a good kid. I'll make sure to tell her how proud I am of her on Monday. By the way, thanks for being there to clean her up. I knew I kept you around for a reason."
The brunette smirked and waited for the slap she knew was coming. Sure enough, Jane felt a quick smack on her shoulder.
"Very funny, Jane." Maura deadpanned, but her smile immediately returned. She loved the back and forth the two of them shared.
"Speaking of keeping you around. Will you be able to join me at the State meet in May? AP tests should over for you by then, right?"
Maura mentally flipped through her calendar. "If the meet is after the 8th, then yes. I can come."
"It's not until the 15th, so great! You can come experience your first State meet. If anyone makes it, I mean." Jane sounded a little defeated. She knew she would have kids going, but the number would have been greater if Adam and Josue hadn't vandalized Paul Revere's field.
Maura's fingers worked out a particularly tough knot. As the muscle loosened, Jane released an appreciative sigh.
"It'll be fine, Jane. You'll have plenty of students qualify, but let's not worry about that now. We have the rest of the weekend to enjoy."
Feeling completely relaxed from Maura's ministrations, Jane pulled the blonde down on the floor next to her. "C'mon, let's order dinner from your favorite restaurant."
"Oh, I didn't know your mother delivered," Maura smirked.
"Very cute, Maur."
Jane wrapped her lithe arms tightly around her beautiful blonde and proceeded to blow raspberries on her neck.
"Ah! Jane! Stop! That's tickles!" Maura wiggled uncontrollably as she tried to free herself from Jane's grasp.
Jane only squeezed her tighter, "Say Uncle, Maura! Say Uncle!"
The doctor was laughing so hard she was gasping for air. "Uncle! Uncle!"
Immediately, Jane released the exhausted doctor as she wiped tears of merriment from her own eyes.
"So! Dinner?" Jane sat a safe distance from the blonde in case she wanted to retaliate.
Maura pretended to glare at the brunette, "I want Greek."
"But the restaurant you like doesn't deliver!" Jane whined.
Crossing her arms, Maura smirked evilly at the brunette beauty, "You should have thought that before you decided to torture me for your own merriment."
Jane rose to her feet feeling sufficiently cowed.
"Where are my keys?"
R & I R & I R & I
Jane heard a soft rapping on her classroom door.
Jane set down her pen and turned her full attention to the woman standing just inside her door. "Hey, Katie! What's up?"
"Do you mind if I come in?" Katie asked a little nervously.
As she stepped over the threshold, Katie added, "Umm, and shut the door?"
Jane felt confused but her concern overruled, "Sure. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing's wrong. I just wanted your advice, I guess. If that's ok?"
Jane had never seen Katie so unsure before. Typically, she was an affable and lively woman who was confident and outgoing. Jane had never seen this insecure side of her friend. Although Katie was several years Jane's senior and had kids of her own in high school, Jane and she got along really well. Whatever was bothering Katie must be something major.
Katie sat in the desk nearest to Jane. "Well, I…" Katie stuttered unsure of how to start this conversation. "Um, I think my son is gay."
Jane schooled her features; she wasn't completely sure where this conversation was going. "Did he tell you this?" Jane probed for information.
"No," Katie twisted her hands in her lap as she began to tear up, "but a mother knows."
The emotional woman sat quietly for a moment before continuing, "How do I let him know I'm ok with it? I don't want him to think I judge him or anything like that. I just want him to be happy."
By nature, Jane was not a hugger, but in that moment Katie needed a hug and Jane was there to give it to her. The brunette got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around the vulnerable woman.
Pulling back from the hug, Jane reached behind her to grab a tissue off her desk. "Here."
Jane smiled softly and looked the tearful woman in the eyes before continuing, "This. Here. What you are doing now. You're showing that you care."
Katie's puzzled expression urged Jane to continue, " Katie, treat him no differently than you have in the past. He's still your little boy. Let him come to you and tell you when he is ready."
Sniffling, Katie wiped her eyes with the now balled up tissue.
Jane smiled softly at the woman and squeezed her hand in her own. "The best thing you can do is show that you have an open mind. Kids always probe by asking questions, testing the waters, you might say, to figure out what you think."
Katie sniffled into her tissue, which prompted Jane to grab her another.
"How so, Jane?" Katie eagerly asked. She wanted to do whatever she could to make her little boy happy.
"For instance, if you're watching a tv program and a gay character or couple is portrayed, don't make a big deal about it; instead, say something positive about it."
Jane could see the wheels turning in Katie's head.
"I'm sure you do this already, but I'll say it anyway. If someone says something hurtful about any group of people, reiterate how important it is to treat everyone with respect."
Katie nodded as she listened to Jane's advice, committing it all to memory.
"Whether you realize it or not, Katie. You're already giving him a lot of what he needs. He's very fortunate to have you as his mom." Jane smiled as she thought about her own mother.
"Be patient and supportive. That's all he really wants, I'm sure. Oh, and most importantly, tell him you love him. Tell him everyday. Tell him you will love him no matter what and that nothing will ever change that. That's what he needs to hear."
A hopeful smile graced the emotional woman's face.
"Thanks, for talking to me, Jane. I didn't really know anyone else to talk to. I mean, I could have talked to your mother, but I thought it would be more helpful talking to you since you went through what he's going through now."
"I'm glad you did, and I'm touched you came to me." Jane's warm eyes conveyed the sincerity of her words.
"Besides, I came out to my mom unintentionally." Jane shuddered.
Wiping the mascara that smeared under her eyes, Katie asked, "What do you mean?"
"I don't tell many people this, but since you trusted me, I'll trust you." Jane took in a deep breath and shut her eyes tight as she admitted the most embarrassing moment of her young adult life.
"Do you remember my best friend Amanda?"
"Oh yeah, you two were inseparable!"
"Um, well I had her over to spend the night, and to spare you the salacious details, Ma walked in on us doing the horizontal tango naked."
Katie gasped, "No! Please tell me that didn't happen!"
"I'm afraid it did." Jane shook her head, trying to clear her brain of the memory.
"Honestly, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is this..."
Jane paused for dramatic effect; Katie was already chuckling.
"Remember to knock. Knock for your son's sake and for yours."
"I'll remember that." Katie laughed then added, "Thank you, Jane. Really, it means a lot."
Jane stood up from her chair and walked over to her closed door. The bell was about to ring. "Katie, if you ever need someone to talk to. I'm here...and Ma, too, I guess." Jane smiled sheepishly.
"You have a good rest of the day, Jane."
"You, too."
With that the bell rang and the students filed in for their next class.