Emotions
Jane wasn't good at showing her emotions, well except for Maura. Mostly she shared her emotions through physical actions, through touch, opening doors for her and leading her by placing her hand in Maura's lower back.
There was something about Maura that made Jane feel so comfortable with her. She shared things with Maura that she didn't share with others, not even her mother. Maura knew how to get Jane to do things that she may not have wanted to do but needed to do. Like attend the Hero Presentation after she had shot herself. Maura had to convince her to go. If Maura didn't convince her, she wouldn't have gone and she needed to go.
Jane didn't understand it. She was more tactical with Maura also. She had to touch her when she saw her, she needed that connection. Maura was the same way, when she came to the bullpen, she had to touch Jane. She would often walk over to Jane's desk and touch Jane on the shoulder. Or she would sit in the chair next to Jane's desk and reach over and touch her arm if Jane was deep in concentration working on her computer. Jane would turn and smile. If she couldn't stop what she was doing she would acknowledge her and tell her she would be right with her.
Detectives Korsak and Frost could see it. They had watched the way Jane and Maura interacted over the years. One morning, after Jane left to go to the morgue to talk to Maura, Korsak asked Frost, "Hey Frost, have you noticed the way Jane and Maura act around each other? There's definitely something going on there."
"Yeah, I've noticed it too. They have a connection that goes beyond just being friends. Their connection is getting stronger as time goes on." Frost admitted as he threw a wadded-up piece of paper at Korsak.
"Do you think they realize they have feelings for each other?" Korsak further questioned.
Frost immediately replied, "It's hard to say. They're both pretty closed off when it comes to their emotions. But the way they touch and look at each other says a lot. From what I know of Jane, she isn't like this with anyone else. Frankie has pointed that out also."
"I just hope they figure it out soon. They're both great at their respective jobs and I'd hate to see anything come between them." Korsak admitted.
Frost agreed, "It's not our place to interfere, but if they do decide to pursue a relationship, I hope they do it in a way that doesn't affect their work or put them in danger."
"Definitely. Whatever happens, we'll support them as long as they're happy." Korsak stated and then went back to watching animal videos on his computer as Frost nodded in agreement.
Senior Criminologist Susie Chang, could see it. She loved to watch Jane and Maura interact with each other. She felt that they had something special but neither one of them realized what they had. Susie left the room whenever Jane entered, so that she wouldn't interfere with their interaction. Jane didn't really notice that Susie was always leaving when she entered, she just thought that she was finished talking with Maura. Susie would occasionally enter into a brief conversation with Jane.
Susie was surprised when Detective Frost asked her about Jane and Maura when he was down in the morgue one day. Susie saw Detective Frost enter the morgue when she knew that Dr. Isles was not in the morgue or her office. She walked over to him and said, "Hi Detective, did you come down to see Dr. Isles?"
"No, I was actually looking for Jane. Most of the time when I need to locate her, I noticed I could find her here with Dr. Isles." Frost explained.
"Ah yes, they do spend quite a bit of time together." Susie admitted as she smiled at Frost, she thought he was cute, no make that very, very, very handsome. She loved his smile and pleasant personality.
Frost asked her, "Do you ever noticed the way Jane and Maura interact with each other?"
"What do you mean?" Susie inquired. She knew what he meant but she wanted to drag out the conversation.
Frost replied, "I mean, there's definitely something more than just friendship there. They have this intense connection that's hard to ignore."
Susie didn't like gossiping about her boss but the detective was thinking the same as her so she replied, "I know what you mean. They're really close and seem to be more comfortable with each other than anyone else. They seem very happy when they are engaging with each other."
"Do you think they're together, as in romantically?" Frost asked knowing he shouldn't be questioning Susie.
"It's possible. But they're both pretty private about their personal lives, so it's hard to say for sure." She admitted.
Frost nodded his head and said, "I just hope they figure it out soon. It's not healthy to keep those kind of feelings bottled up."
Susie added, "I agree with you, but it's not our place to push them into anything. They need to make their own decisions."
"Of course." Frost agreed, "I just worry about what will happen if they don't deal with their feelings. It could affect the team dynamic or their work."
"Yeah, that's a valid concern. But we can only offer support and hope for the best. They're both strong women and I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually." Susie replied as Frost received a text letting him know that he was needed in the bullpen.
Maura smiled every time Jane walked in her office or the morgue. She couldn't help herself. Her body just reacted to Jane's presence. Even when she had her back to her, Maura could tell that Jane had arrived. She had never had that type of reaction to another human being. I mean she had reacted to others, felt the attraction even, but this was different. This was like an addiction, she needed to see and touch Jane every day.
Maura was having problems keeping her emotions in check. She needed to talk to Jane. She sent a text to Jane to see if she could come over after work. Jane immediately replied backed that she would come over about 7 PM. Maura let her know that 7 PM would be great.
"Jane, I need to talk to you about something?" Maura told Jane once she was comfortable on the couch with a beer in her hand. Maura was on her second glass of wine having finished one before Jane arrived.
"Sure, what's up doc?" Jane said a little worried at how serious Maura was all of a sudden.
Maura smiled at Jane and said, "I just wanted to say how much I value our friendship. You mean a lot to me."
"You too, Maura. You're one of the most important people in my life, if not the most important." Jane replied still wondering what Maura really wanted to tell her, because Jane already knew that Maura valued their friendship. Jane couldn't believe she said, 'if not the most important' she was letting her emotions slip a little. She took a long sip of her beer almost drinking half of the bottle in one go.
Maura then continued, "I know we've always been close, but lately I've been feeling something more. I don't know how to explain it, but I just can't help the way I feel when I'm around you."
"What do you mean?" Jane questioned, she was still trying to figure out what Maura was trying to tell her.
Maura looked down to her hands in her lap and said, "I mean...I think I'm attracted to you, Jane. In a romantic way."
Jane was surprised, she never imagined that Maura would ever say that. She paused and then said, "Oh. Maura, I don't know what to say. I ... I think I might feel the same way."
"You do?" Maura raised her head and looked at Jane.
Jane smiled at Maura and then said, "Yeah, I do. I've been feeling it for a while now, but I didn't know how to bring it up."
"I'm glad we can be honest with each other. I don't want anything to come between us, but I can't deny how I feel about you anymore." Maura said as she turned to face Jane with a large smile that caused Jane to smile just as big.
Jane immediately replied, "Neither can I. I care about you too much to just ignore these feelings. I know you heard when I said that 'you're one of the most important people in my life, if not the most important' and I meant that."
"So ... where do we go from here?" Maura asked curious as to what Jane wanted out of this new relationship.
Jane said, "I don't know. We should probably take things slow, see how it goes. But I don't want to hide how I feel about you anymore."
Maura had tears in her eyes that were about to burst out, "I agree. We'll figure it out together, Jane. I'm just happy we can talk about this."
Jane pulled Maura in for a hug and told her, "Me too, Maura. I love you."
Maura admitted, "I love you too, Jane. I know neither of us have a great track record with relationships, but if you think about it, it is almost like we have been in a relationship for all these years."
"I like that thought, I have thought that at times. Whenever a relationship failed, I knew I still had you in my corner. I just never thought about dating a woman before, you are the only woman that I have ever been attracted to, so Maura Isles will you go out with me, as in a date tomorrow night?"
"Yes, Jane, I would love to." Maura replied as Jane pulled her closer to her and kissed her. Maura kissed her back and they both looked forward to their new status. Jane said goodnight and told Maura, "I will see you tomorrow about 5 PM."
"Yes, Jane, 5 PM would be perfect. I am looking forward to our date." Maura said as Jane kissed her again. They spent a few minutes kissing before Jane broke the kiss and smiled at Maura as she backed up to the front door. She opened the front door and Maura leaned in to kiss her again.
When Jane got to her car, she was a little panicked now as she needed to plan a date for tomorrow night. She thought, 'how bad could it be to plan a date for Dr. Maura Isles? Shit, I don't have the foggiest idea of where to take her. She called Frost for help. He knew how to impress a woman.
Jane felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. She bared her emotions to Maura and was not rejected. She outed herself to Frost and he was not surprised that Jane had asked Maura out, which surprised her a little. She didn't have time to worry about that right now, she had a date to plan. She had let out her emotions and now she needed to act on them.