Author's Note: It took me a little longer, but here is the next chapter! Thank you so much again for all your reviews and suggestions! I read them all and they motivate me to keep writing. Don't forget to look at the p.d for explanations. And, I recommend you to read the Protege series by DetectiveMarx, they are incredible :)
It took some time for Maura to wake up and realize where she was, and most importantly, with who she was: Right next to her, sleeping soundly and with an arm around her waist she saw Jane. The sight of her immediately made Maura smile, the memories of last night overwhelming her instantly. She had never felt so much with another human being, and that scared her. Terrified her, actually. It wasn't because she was insecure of her relationship with Jane, it was completely the opposite. She felt so confident and sure about her feelings, in such a short amount of time, that it was making her question if something was wrong with her.
"It's too early to be thinking too much." she heard Jane whisper.
Maura smiled. "Good morning to you too."
Jane kissed her softly, earning an appreciative smile from Maura. "What were you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about us." Maura said matter of fact. "And how in such a short amount of time we have become so close that the idea of not being with you hurts."
Jane smiled sadly while looking deeply at Maura. "I know it is scary, but I have never been so sure about anyone in my whole life."
Maura quickly started to kiss Jane, on purpose making her kisses deeper and stronger. Jane was humming her contentment, letting Maura taste and bite all that she wanted. That was, until her stomach started to make noises that were impossible to avoid. Jane growled, frustrated by this small inconvenient.
Maura laughed brightly, kissing Jane one more time before standing up and bringing Jane to the kitchen. They started to cook some breakfast, both excited about being able to share this mundane activity with each other. I have never shared breakfast with someone before, both women thought while looking at each other, smiles plastered on their faces.
"This is really good." Jane said while grabbing another bite. "You cook amazingly Maur."
"Better if your mother doesn't hear you say that." Maura smiled while standing up and bringing the dishes to the sink and cleaning them.
"If she heard something like than then we would have to hear her complain about us not appreciating her, or how we are always so busy on the job that we are not making her any grandchildren." Jane said smirking.
"Your mother only does that because she loves you." Maura said. "I wish mine would even show a small interest in my life." she added sadly.
Jane looked up to see Maura look at her with sad eyes. "Well, now we can share my Ma." she said, looking how Maura's eyes lit up in happiness.
They got interrupted when the phone rang. "I bet it's probably her already wanting to know about our plans." Jane said sarcastically. When she finally got to her phone her expression sombered.
"Rizzoli."
Maura looked up, immediately aware that it had to be dispatch or someone from the unit. Jane nodded.
"Yes, I'm with her." she said while looking at Maura, mouthing the words Korsak.
"Yes, we will see you there." Jane finished while hanging up. She looked at Maura deeply and got her weapon and badge out of the drawer. "We have another victim on BCU." Jane said quietly.
"That's awful Jane. I went to BCU." Maura said while immediately getting her stuff.
Jane started to refuse. "But you are not on call today Maur, and Korsak told me to just go check if it's related to our other murder."
Maura refused. "I want to go with you, wherever you want to or not. Besides, if I go I can help confirm things faster and then we can both head home to enjoy the rest of our free day."
Jane smiled at this remark. "Well when you put it like that how could I refuse."
A man with a smile on his face was patiently waiting for them behind the yellow lines. When they both caught a glimpse of him they realized that all their plans were suddenly eliminated. Jane just growled her discontentment to Maura, who was amused by Jane's expressions.
"It's quite adorable when you do that." Maura said while quickly looking around, and when she noticed that no one was really watching them, giving Jane a peck on the lips.
Jane smiled. "Maybe I should do that more often. If it gets a reaction like this one." she continued to say, suddenly halting her steps. "Oh noooo."
Maura quickly looked ahead and saw Dr. Pike already putting his stuff in front of the body. She whispered to Jane. "Do something before he ruins all possible traces of forensic evidence."
Jane just looked at her. "Me?! You are the boss of him Maura, and last time I talked to the man he launched himself over me." she shuttered because of the memory.
"But I don't like confrontations Jane, I don't think I can get angry or insulted enough."
"He launched himself over me, he tried to kiss me. He even..." Jane said while staring at her pants and them motioning for that special part. "When I told him that I had to see you he said that he couldn't understand how I could be with you." Jane whispered conspiratorially the last part.
She felt a little guilty about that last part, not something that Pike actually said to her, but merely something implied in the conversation. Nevertheless, for some strange reason she wanted to see Maura fight Pike, defend herself and in some degree Jane, from his insults. And maybe also see her jealous because the small glimpse that she had at her office had made her feel so aroused, Jane thought quietly. Maura felt her angriness rise, which was something indeed strange. She was usually a very peaceful and calm individual, but when Jane told her about his advances on her, or that he even tried to own her, this awakened in her very deep emotions. She was feeling angry at him, specially because it had taken Jane and her so long to connect and be together that to see someone else try to do the same made her explode. She quickly made her way past Jane, who was just looking at Maura, and made her way towards the coroner's van where Dr. Pike was gathering her belongings. He saw her approach and smirked.
"Dr. Isles, what a surprise to see you dwelling with us commoners here in the field." he said with malice.
Maura quickly raised her finger to tell him to shut up, which he did immediately. "I will not tolerate your rudeness and behavior any longer Dr. Pike. You are disrespectful, unprofessional and intolerable."
Dr. Pike was speechless, not expecting at all Maura's outburst.
"And let me tell you that if I ever see you lay one finger, or hear you comment or say any kind of thing about Detective Rizzoli, you will regret it for the rest of your professional career and life." Maura whispered angrily. "Is that clear Dr. Pike?"
He just nodded, too terrified to say something. Maura nodded back. "You are excused Dr. Pike, Special Homicide will take charge of this case." she dismissed him without even glancing at him.
Jane saw how Dr. Pike just looked one more time at Maura before getting his things and leaving the crime scene, which made her jump with excitement, excitement that ended when she saw Maura walk with determination towards her, and after making sure that Pike saw, planted a smacking kiss on Jane's lips. Jane was surprised by the gesture, but nevertheless allowed Maura to kiss her, and even returned the kiss.
"I guess that's a good way of letting everyone know that we are dating." Jane said sarcastically.
Maura just smiled. "Only Dr. Pike." Maura smiled. "And that was for him so he can pass it along." Maura finished while grabbing Jane's arm and putting it next to her. For bystanders this could be interpreted as a sign of friendship, but Jane really knew that it was a sign of ownership. She smiled, and the both of them made their way to where the body was. Maura bent and started to look around, quickly swabbing the content of the mouth. Jane saw with fascination how Maura quickly got concentrated and started to analyze the place, her fingers graciously putting the gloves and fitting them tightly. As she saw Maura stretch herself which made her skirt move a little over her knees. Jane held her breath, realizing what she was doing. Come on Jane, get a grip for yourself, she told herself while trying to focus on the fact that they were on a crime scene. You are acting like a horny teenager. She was taken out of her day-dreaming when she heard Maura call her name.
"Jane, are you with me?" Maura told her amused.
"What? Yeah, yeah. Just got distracted." Jane said embarrassed.
Maura laughed quietly, having noticed how Jane's stare lingered on her legs. "Watched something you liked Detective?" she mocked her.
Jane opened her mouth, smiling guiltily. "Tell me about the victim."
Maura smiled, but immediately started to focus on the victim. "He is late 30's, no apparent cause of death, smile on his face as previous victim. He died between 2 and 3am. I can't tell you how until I bring this body to the morgue and do a full autopsy." Maura went ahead when she felt Jane was going to speak. "But what I can tell you is that it does seem that the two murders are similar."
Jane nodded. "Then I guess that we've got a serial killer on the loose."
When Maura grabbed the scalpel and instantly moved her hand to position it between the man's chest, she felt that she was at home. She had never felt uncomfortable with death before, and although that earned her some strange nods and glances from the people that was around her, the reality was that she didn't care. She felt that she could give a voice to the people that had lost it, to bring peace to families that were destroyed because of tragedy, and to help people that would never judge her or mock her. She felt at peace, and thinking about it, one other instance where she had suddenly discovered feeling like this was when she was with Jane. The woman had changed her life completely in just a few weeks, and now she hardly imagined her days without her. Focus on the dead man in front of you, Maura scolded herself, stop daydreaming. Nevertheless, as she was dissecting and taking organs out, she felt a smile plastered on her face.
"I knew you liked to dissect people Maur, but not that much." she heard Jane tell her.
Maura smiled brightly. "What can I do for you Detective?"
Jane smirked. "Well Doctor, maybe by telling me about your findings about our victim?"
Maura smiled brightly. "Well, as you suspected, this victim has the same injuries as the previous one, which makes me confirm that we are dealing with the same suspect."
Jane nodded, Maura taking it as a sign to continue. "And I also found traces of the same acid that sadly melted all of our previous victims organs and hence evidence."
Jane shrouded at the memory. "But you said that the killer had sex with the victim and that's how he was able to insert the acid. And if our second victim is a guy..."
"Well, it's not impossible." Maura said. "I found evidence of active sexual activity, of anal sexual activity."
Jane closed her eyes. "Seriously, you had to use that word?! Couldn't you use something else?"
"What word?" Maura asked innocently.
"You know..." Jane said embarrassed.
"Anal?" Maura asked amused. "I didn't know you were so prude about these things?"
Jane blushed deeply. "When they make me notice about them then yes, I get embarrassed."
Maura laughed, and after a pleading look from Jane she continued. "And in order to prevent this I developed an antidote, in a way, virus."
"You developed an antidote?! Maura, that's amazing!" Jane said while grabbing her hands and moving them around excitedly."
Maura's smile became bigger. "And, I found some very interesting things, like the race of our creature." she said, waiting for Jane's reaction.
"No way!" Jane jumped.
"They are called Fugu." Maura said while taking a book and showing Jane a picture of a hybrid between a man and a very ugly fish. "These creatures are very rare, but their presence is most commonly seen in cities that are close to the sea. Also, their body fluids carry a deadly poison, that if in contact with human blood, immediately reacts, creating a deadly reaction that leads to the dead of the victim in a matter of hours. Some symptoms that the victims may have are a high moment of hallucination, which then lead to a shutdown of the nervous system and finally death."
"That's awful." Jane whispered. "To die like that."
"Well, the toxin that this creature produces is called Tetrodotoxin, which is neurotoxin that eliminates any sense of pain and movement. When they died they didn't feel a thing." Maura said, trying to make Jane feel better.
"Why don't we have more deaths like these ones?" Jane asked. "I mean, wouldn't they create fuss around the country, or the world for that matter, to find a woman who was recently killed, with a smile on her face?"
"As I told you Jane, it's very rare to find these creatures. In fact it has been a few centuries since the last known homicides made by a Fugu."
"Then why now? And especially after Mephisto?" Jane said quietly. "This is too much of a coincidence. Remember that Van Helsing said that Mephisto could command and control any kind of creature? Perhaps he is trying to distract us from his real plans by having this Funghi..."
"Fugu." Maura corrected softly.
"Fugu creature run around the city and killing all the people that it ends up having sex with." Jane said while looking up to see Maura smirk at her. "What?"
"You complain when I use the word anal but then are able to talk about a Fugu having intercourse with humans." Maura said amused.
Jane opened her mouth to reply, but realized Maura's logic. "Point taken."
Maura took her gloves off, and after quickly making it to her office, she started to gather her stuff. Jane came inside.
"Are you leaving?" Jane asked surprised. "It's not even 5pm."
Maura smiled. "We are leaving Detective. And don't worry." she added when she noticed Jane's surprised face. "I cleared it with Sergeant Korsak."
Jane smiled brightly and encircled Maura's waist. "The things I do for you."
Both women were panting, desperation taking its toll when Maura struggled to find the keys to the front door of her house. They went to dinner, a dinner full of suggestions and touches that led to Jane quickly paying the check and driving them home. As soon as she turned off the car she quickly opened the door and ran to open Maura's, in a second carrying her and planting a passionate kiss on her mouth.
"I have been waiting since this morning to do that." Jane purred. "When you yelled at Dr. Pike, I was so aroused."
Maura yelped, and quickly kissed Jane's neck. "As I told him, you are mine Jane. Only mine."
Jane nodded, and almost running took them to the front gate, not breaking the kiss or contact with Maura's skin. Maura was struggling with finding the keys, and after a couple of minutes and frustrating groans from Jane, she finally unlocked the door and both women made it in. Jane was panting, already too turned on to stop, and from what she could hear, Maura was feeling the exact same thing.
"God, I love you so much." Maura said while biting Jane's lip.
Jane smiled and kissed Maura. "I love you more." she said while turning around the living room, on the way taking her jacket and shoes off. She saw Maura look at the mess, and before she could complain, ran and grabbed her from her behind. She instantly forgot about the clothes and ran her tongue over Jane's, and after minutes of just kissing they both knew what they needed. Walking blindly around the house, the both of them were laughing and smirking at each other, too concentrated on each other and what they felt. Jane was suddenly pressed to the back of Maura's room, and when Maura groaned, she felt her self-control shutter. Maura took a deep breath, and when she noticed how ready Jane was, she opened the door, pushing Jane inside and quickly turning the light on. What she saw made her speechless. Jane noticed this, and quickly turned around to see what had made Maura pale.
"This is a rather unexpected surprise." the woman said while looking at the both of them disapprovingly. "Not the sight I was expecting to see from my daughter."
"Mother..." Maura whispered.
P.d:
1. Yes! Constance is going to make an appearance on this story, and I'm still not sure of how her character will end.
2. The Maura in this story is more willing to do things like guess and theorize, a trait that the Maura from the Gerritsen novels does, and I thought that since Maura technically lives in a world that is not so much based on science, that she would be able to loosen up a bit and not be so strict :)
3. Dr. Pike made an appearance again, and for some strange reason, I love to write scenes with him in them since for me he is such a funny character. Although in my story he is more smug and less scientific than in the series, I still have him dislike Dr. Isles because she is a woman with a higher IQ and position than him.
4. For the Fugu I based myself on the Fugu fish, very poisonous fish that if not cooked well can lead to the death of the person that eats it. They are seemed as a delicatessen and very exotic dish in Asia. The poison acts like an hallucinogenic that then leads to paralysis and finally shutdown of the whole nervous system.
5. I don't know about you guys, but I always loved seeing Maura jealous or angry, so when I wrote the scene with Dr. Pike I knew that I had to make Maura be upset and angry, especially since Maura has never been in love, she feels protective but at the same time insecure of how Jane feels about her, reason why she reacted in that way. In this story, although I don't discuss it much, Jane and Maura have never been in a same-sex relationship before.