I am so sorry it took me forever to update! I won't make excuses, life has it's distractions. Thanks to those of you who have stuck with the story! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own these fabulous ladies. I only wish I did.
Maura had always been a little awkward around people. Especially those her own age. She didn't share many common interests, and she didn't keep up with pop culture. She was an outsider, but it was something she had become accustomed to.
She'd had a few friends at Boston Cambridge University, and she'd almost married Garrett Fairfield a couple of years before med school, but she hadn't been close to those friends, and she hadn't really loved Garrett.
She'd come to realize that that engagement was more expected out of them than anything. She didn't want to spend her life with him. But his family and her family had money, were well-known.
She was just glad when it was over.
Her first semester of medical school had proven to be much like her first semester at BCU. She'd met some nice people who were willing to hold polite conversations with her, but no one to really call a friend. She spent most of her time locked away in her apartment to study.
However, her second semester had proven to be eventful. She'd met the adorable and ever so lively Arizona Robbins.
Jane listened as Maura explained all of this, much of which she already knew. The doctor had gone on to tell her that it was in an advanced anatomy class where they used cadavers on a nearly daily basis that she had been partnered with the happy-go-lucky blonde.
From day one, Maura said, they had clicked. The medical examiner had gone off on one of her Google rants, thinking she'd already annoyed the crap out of her new lab partner before they'd really begun. But Arizona had asked follow-up questions, had genuinely been interested in what Maura said.
And the ME, in return, had been pleased to listen to Arizona go on about a variety of topics.
They'd gone for coffee and spent nights in the library studying together. Then they had started going to dinner and hanging out in one another's places to study and just converse - about their ambitions, their pasts, their likes and dislikes - late into the night, one occasionally crashing on the other's couch.
When Arizona had told Maura about her sexuality, she'd been slightly worried about the honey-blonde's reaction, but Maura had, of course, been completely at ease with it. Jane had always thought of her as one of the most open minded people she knew.
Then Maura described how she had started to spend a lot of time with Arizona. She'd go to the bubbly blonde's roller derby bouts and Arizona would take her out skating.
Maura, in turn, had helped make Arizona a bigger arts fan. The light-haired blonde fell in love with the ballet and, much like Jane, poked fun at pieces of art when they went to museums, but still enjoyed the time with Maura.
It was after one of those roller derby bouts that their relationship really began…
Arizona had barely made it off the rink when Maura threw her arms around her for a hug. "I'm so proud of you. You kicked ass tonight!" The honey-blonde laughed.
Arizona couldn't help but join in since Maura was typically too sophisticated to spew foul language. She was still pumped from the win, derby was a pure adrenaline rush for her, and she wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist tightly.
"Well, when I have you cheering me on, Maur, it's impossible not to try and show off a bit."
Maura smiled as she pulled from their embrace and held her hand out. "Come on. Let's get you out of those skates and go join the girls for the big celebration."
Arizona looked at the petite woman with pure admiration. She and Maura always conversed easily, but the honey-blonde was out of her element in large, loud crowds; the polar opposite of Arizona.
Still, she'd go out with Robbins to sit and listen, adding to the conversation here and there.
After a few drinks and the dodging of more questions concerning their dating or non-dating status, Arizona got Maura out of there and took her home.
As she walked the honey-blonde up to her door, Arizona knew she should just say goodnight and walk back to her car, but that left dimple of Maura's as she smiled while saying goodnight held her captive.
"I like you," Arizona suddenly blurted.
Maura laughed. "Well, I like you, too. That was random."
"No, Maura, I like you." Arizona made sure to emphasize the word 'like' with the rise of her brows.
"Oh." Maura took a step closer and looked down at Arizona's feet before lifting her head to look at Arizona's lips. "Shouldn't you do something about it then?"
Arizona smiled big, her own dimples showing, and dipped her head down, her lips just a hair's breadth away from Maura's; a conversation from just a couple of days earlier playing in her head:
"You've never kissed a girl, have you?" Arizona had asked, the two having just escaped one of the derby girl's flings. Maura had asked what she'd seen in the other girl and Arizona had simply answered that she was a good kisser.
Maura shook her head. "No."
"Would you ever consider it?" The fair-haired blonde asked out of curiousity.
Maura's smile made her head spin. "If it was the right girl."
"Am I the right girl?" Arizona whispered against the honey-blonde's lips.
"Does this answer your question?" Maura asked as she grabbed onto Arizona's shirt at the chest and pulled her the short distance between them, one pair of soft lips meeting another.
"Okay, okay. I've got it, Maur."
Maura shook her head. She'd almost been in a daze, staring ahead as she remembered her first kiss with the peds surgeon. It hadn't taken long for that soft, exploratory kiss to become heated; Arizona's tongue slipping into Maura's mouth, the honey-blonde letting out a small groan.
It'd been hard to break apart that night.
"Sorry. You wanted the details, though."
Jane sighed and let her head roll back. "Yeah." 'And man am I stupid,' she thought.
Jane stared at the glass long and hard. Just a swallow left and then she'd be onto her fourth beer if she stuck around long enough.
After work, Maura had headed off to spend more time with Arizona and Jane had gone with Frost and Korsak to the Dirty Robber.
After listening to her best friend's story earlier in the day, Jane just sorta felt sick. She had been attracted to women before, but not nearly to the extent she was attracted to Maura. It had taken her a while to figure out that what she wanted from the blonde was a lot more than friendship. But there had been so many things holding her back.
Now, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself at the amazing woman she'd just lost to a bubbly blonde surgeon. She felt like a real idiot.
"Hey, Rizzoli. Rizzoli!"
Jane's head snapped up, her eyes meeting Frost's. "What?"
He laughed and shook his head, lifting his glass for another sip of beer. "What's up with you tonight? I've never seen you more distracted."
"Does it have anything to do with Dr. Robbins?" Korsak added.
Jane huffed. "And why would my lack of attention have anything to do with Maura's friend?"
"Because," Korsak shrugged in his seat, "she's your best friend and all of a sudden she has a new bestie."
Jane chuckled and took that last swallow of beer. "Believe me, she's not her bestie."
"Then what is she, Jane?" Frost asked with the raise of a brow and lowering of the head.
"Why don't you ask her yourself? I'm not a fucking gossip queen." She grabbed Korsak's beer and drained a quarter of it as he stared on with narrowed eyes.
Frost laughed as he sat back and rested his arm over the back of the booth, Korsak sighing and rolling his eyes as he asked, "Do you always have to be so difficult?"
Jane laughed as she sat his beer back down, and nodded as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yes! I do! Now you two boys can sit here and gossip all you want, but I'm going home." She patted Korsak's shoulder and slid out of the booth, dropping some money on the table. "Night, boys."
"Night, Jane." They said in harmony and chuckled, Jane rolling her eyes as she walked away with a smile.
"So your detective friend didn't seem super thrilled to meet me."
"What?" Maura looked from the movie they were watching on the couch over to Arizona. After the ME had finished up at work, they'd gone to dinner together and then headed back to her place to enjoy a quiet evening together. "How'd you get that impression?"
Arizona laughed. "I don't know, the wary glances, the fake smile, the disinterest…"
"That's not true!" Maura shot up ramrod straight. "She was very interested in who you are and why you're here."
Arizona clutched her stomach as she laughed harder. "Jealousy. Point made."
Maura huffed and smacked the other woman's tummy playfully. "Jane is just… protective. She's gotten me out of more than one bad situation. She just wants to make sure I don't get hurt."
Arizona reached forward to grab onto Maura's hand, drawing it into her lap. "I think it's more than that, babe."