Prompt: It came from this Tumblr post: post/53073304220/specialagentmedicalexaminer-in-se ason-4-can-we

A/N: It was late, I was tired, I should have been studying, I hope I did it justice!


"Look, Maura, if you're gonna play softball, you have to play it right."

"Well how can I possibly ever learn to "play it right" if you won't let me play at all?"

Maura made a good point. Jane frowned, looking at her best friend thoughtfully. And then a sudden thought came to mind. Jane had envisioned it once, when she was lying on her couch late at night, alone and drinking a beer. Some of it was probably from the alcohol, but a larger part of it was from something Jane couldn't hide from herself, no matter how hard she tried.

Arms wrapped around Maura from behind, holding her close as she fixed her grip. Squeezing her a little as she adjusted their stance. And Maura would turn to look at her, smiling. With a look in her eye that Jane had always wanted to see. The two of them, standing alone in the middle of the field. Together.

Jane blinked. Her imagination was running away from her. Clearing her throat, she tried to clear her head, but not necessarily with the same success. Of course, the wayward dream would never become reality. But the chance to hold Maura like that was enough.

"Okay fine. How about…" Jane paused, giving the appearance of one who was thinking. She didn't want to seem too eager, or forthcoming. "How about I take you to the ballpark one night and teach you how to bat proper?"

Jane realised that she had forgotten 'Mr Adverb' again, and expected Maura to call her out on it. But it seemed that her proposal got a much more enthusiastic response than she imagined.

"Oh, you would do that for me, Jane?" Maura's eyes seemed to light up, as she looked at Jane. Jane tried, and failed, to stop the smile off her face as she took in the doctor's eager face.

"Well, you're not gonna give up, are ya? What choice do I have?" Typical Jane-styled deflection.

Maura's face seemed to drop at that, and Jane wanted to kick herself. "Oh, I don't want you to do anything because you feel like you have to, Jane. If you don't want to…" The dejected look was too much.

"No, no, I want to!" Jane cringed at herself internally, at how quick she was to respond. But she just wanted to wipe the hurt look off Maura's beautiful face. And it worked.

"Oh really?"

"Of course, Maur. For you."

"Oh, thank you, Jane!" And next thing Jane knew, Maura's arms were around her neck, in a surprisingly spontaneous show of affection. Caught off-guard, Jane could only stand there, as the smell of Maura's body wash and shampoo filled her nose. When Maura stepped back again, Jane had to give herself a little shake. Then Maura clapped her hands with childish glee. "When?"


Jane took a deep breath. She could do this. She could get through tonight. She could keep her feelings to herself. They were going to a ballpark for God's sake. She was dressed in her old Red Sox jersey, and baggy black trackies, hair thrown back in a messy ponytail. Not romantic at all. Nothing about this night would be romantic. Just two best friends having some fun at the ballpark.

Jane sighed, as she turned to leave her apartment. She shouldered her bat, and grabbed a jacket, her softball glove, and the ball. Checking to make sure she had everything she needed, she shut the door and left.

Pulling up in front of Maura's, Jane gave an impatient huff. There was no sign of Maura waiting for her in front of her house, as they had agreed. Jane wasn't really surprised though. Maura was Maura. With a shrug, knowing just how long she might take if left to her own devices, she cut the engine off and jogged through the crisp autumn evening to knock on the door.

After about a minute, the door swung open, and Jane's jaw dropped.

There was Maura Isles. Not dressed in heels. Not wearing some expensive designer clothes. Of course. But she wasn't in some crazy outfit that was supposed to minimise the wind-resistance of this or the other either. Maura was wearing a black jacket and pants set, similar to what she'd worn when they had gone on their runs during the colder months. But it was the shirt that had Jane stunned. It was Jane's shirt, her Boston Homicide softball shirt. Jane had no idea how Maura had gotten her hands on it, but that wasn't important. The fact was, Maura was wearing her shirt. And it looked good. Under the jacket, Jane could see it was a bit big for her, a bit long. Jane would guess that the sleeves came down half her forearm. But at the chest, it was tighter on Maura than it was on Jane. And when she realised where her eyes were drifting, she snapped them back up.

"You're wearing my shirt."

Maura smiled. "I thought, seeing as we're going to learn to play softball properly, I should at least dress for it. And you always said this shirt was lucky. So… who knows? Maybe I can get lucky in it tonight." And with that, the chirpy woman stepped out, closing the door behind her and making her way towards Jane's cruiser, leaving the stunned detective at the door.

Oh my god. Jane closed her eyes for a moment, before turning to follow the blonde. That woman. Maura really didn't know what she sounded like sometimes.

When they got to the empty park, Maura was practically jumping in her seat. Jane had to chuckle at the enthusiasm.

"Woah, there tiger! At least let me park the car!"

When the engine was cut off, Maura quickly hopped out, turning excitedly and waiting for Jane. Rolling her eyes, but still smiling, Jane reached into the back of the car for the bag she'd dumped there earlier, the softball gear, and the jacket. When she held the bat out to Maura, her eyes were wide.

"Well, c'mon, you're gonna be swinging this bad boy tonight, might as well get a feel of it early."

Maura laughed, reaching for the bat and holding it up to her eye for careful scrutiny. "DeMarini CF6 Fastpitch Bat, 33 inches, 23 oz. Quite an exceptional bat. It suits you, Jane."

The detective was impressed. "Looks like the doctor did her homework."

Maura beamed. Then she frowned a little. "It's ideal for your height and weight, but I'm quite a bit shorter than you."

"Nah, it'll be okay. We're just practising now anyway, and if you learn how to swing right and bat, you'll be fine.

"Swing properly, Jane."

"Whatever."

Both chuckling, they made their way onto the large pitch, their breath misting the air. It was chilly and Jane rubbed her arms. She didn't bother with the jacket yet though. They were planning on playing some softball, they should warm up soon enough.

"Alright." Jane walked over to the plate, beckoning for Maura to follow. "So you already know all the basic rules, I'm sure. Pitcher stands there at the mound, batter stands here. Depending on the pitcher, the delivery style changes. Batter's aim is to hit the ball as hard and far as possible, don't let the balls go over the foul lines or let anyone catch it on the full. Three strikes and you're out. You've got first plate, second plate, third plate and home. You know all that, right?"

"Right." Maura looked determined as she listened to every word Jane said.

"Okay. So we're gonna work on your batting today. See how that goes, and maybe next time we'll work on pitching or something."

"Next time?" Jane watched with fascination as Maura's face lit up again, her own mouth lifting to mirror the smile on the blonde's face.

"Yeah, next time."

For a moment, they simply looked at each other, before Jane gave a start and cleared her throat. "Right. Okay. Right." She cleared her throat again, before launching into a basic explanation of the three most common batting stances. When she finished, Maura was looking at her with a very serious expression on her face.

"Here." Jane reached out a hand for the bat, and Maura quickly handed it over. "Okay, everyone has a slightly different stance, and you'll have to find your own, but the general gist is the same. We're doing the square batting stance. So both your feet should be parallel, equal distance from the plate, see? This makes it easier to meet any type of pitch, all you gotta do is step forward, like this. Okay, so I'm left handed, so whatever I do with my left you should be doing with your right. So dominant goes on the bottom. You should bend your knees about this much, gives you a solid base. Keep your arms locked into this position, cause you're starting off, don't have the bat too far back. Just having your arms at about 90 degrees is good, bat slightly back. Now when the pitcher is lining up the shot, you need to be watching every move they make. After a while, you can start predicting their shots, but that takes time. Just keep your eyes one the ball. When they finally throw the ball, keep watching it, until it get to about here," Jane moved her hand down an invisible plane to indicate the position. "By then, you should be ready to make the swing. Move your arm back a bit like this, and take a step with your dominant, so you open yourself up to the ball. Bring the bat around, like this, and make contact with the ball about here. If your hit is a good solid one, you'll hear it. Even after you make contact with the ball though, make sure you follow through with it, so you hit with maximum power. Like this."

Jane was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't notice Maura watching her intently. When she finally looked up and saw the intense scrutiny of Maura Isles, she suddenly became very self-conscious. "Yeah… that's about it…" she wound down.

"You have quite a superb technique." Jane could still feel the detective's eyes on her. When she glanced up again, she saw a look of admiration in those hazel eyes, and felt her own face heating up.

"Nah, it's… no… I… here, you try." Jane hastily handed the bat to Maura, not meeting her eye.

Maura took up the bat, and walked over to home plate. Jane immediately noticed the nervousness in Maura's features. "Relax, Maur. You got this."

Maura only nodded, not reprimanding Jane for her last sentence. Maura settled her feet, just as Jane had done, and then bent her knees and arms. She lifted the bat just so, and then turned to look at an imaginary ball. Jane gave a nod. "Now swing."

Maura took a deep breath, then took a step, swinging the bat around at the imaginary ball, and Jane imagined hearing the crack as the bat and ball made contact. She let out a low whistle. It was a pretty good replica of a decent swing. But there were a couple of things that needed fixing.

"Not bad, Maur! That was a pretty solid bat by the looks of it. There's just a couple things that need fixing." Maura looked pleased with the praise and turned back, resuming her batting stance. Jane cocked her head, looking Maura over. "You need to bend your arms a little more."

"Like this?"

"Try lifting them a little, don't let the bat tilt too much."

Maura tried to adjust, but something wasn't quite right.

"Here," and Jane, without even realising what it was she was doing, stepped up behind Maura and slipped her arms around the shorter blonde, her hands coming to rest of Maura's, their bodies pressed together, front to back.

Time stilled. Jane was transported back to her dream, the one where she had her arms around Maura, just like she did now. Her front pressed into Maura's back. The smell of Maura's body wash, and shampoo, and Maura filling her nose. God, it felt so good. It felt right.

It was real.

Oh God, what am I doing. Quick, you can do this, Rizzoli. Pull yourself together. Jane took a deep breath, which she instantly regretted when the wonderful scent filled her nose and made her head spin. She cleared her throat, and adjusted their stance, bring Maura's arms up into the right position.

"Right, so try hold your bat like this. See? This keeps the balance right, so you can swing easily when the ball gets close enough," Jane said, concentrating hard on the lesson she was supposed to be giving. She felt Maura nod against her, but she didn't look at Maura. "Now when the ball gets close enough you do this." And Jane used her own hands to lift Maura's a bit, bringing the bat back a little more before nudging Maura's leg to take a step. "And swing," Jane whispered into Maura's ear, and she was sure she heard a soft gasp, but she concentrated on their arm movements, as Maura brought the bat around with purpose, swinging at the air. "Hey, there you go!" Jane smiled, stepping back and away from Maura. She caught a glimpse of Maura's face when she glanced over her shoulder at the retreating detective, and for a second she could've sworn she saw disappointment in hazel eyes. But the disappeared almost immediately.

Maura settled back into position, then tried swinging. She did it almost perfectly. "That's it, Maur! I think we're ready to try with a ball now."

The doctor bit her lip, before responding. "Jane, could you show me how to do it one more time? I think I didn't quite get the pre-swing right." Maura had returned to her previous position, holding the bat, and her meaning became clear.

Jane cleared her throat, giving a nervous nod. "Sure." She stepped up behind her best friend again, and circled her arms around the blonde. It was a cold night, but the warmth from Maura's body burned her. They went through the motions without Jane even paying attention, too focused on feeling Maura in her arms. And she couldn't help the squeeze she gave Maura before letting go again.

After that, they tried with the ball, Jane throwing a soft, slow ball for Maura to hit. After an hours work, Maura was hitting the ball sweetly, as Jane slowly stepped back further, and threw harder and faster. By the end of their session, Jane was sweating from chasing after the ball. Maura even did a few runs to each of the bases, and the look of happiness on her face when she crossed home plate would forever be ingrained into Jane's memory.

When that was all done, Jane led Maura over to the bleachers, bat over shoulder and bag in the other. Settling down on one of the benches, she pulled out a thermos and two cups. She could see the look of curiosity on Maura's face, and grinned, patting the spot next to her. "C'mon. Sit. I brought some hot chocolate for us."

Maura smiled, and sat down right next to Jane, so close that their bodies were touching. When she felt Maura shiver against her, Jane realised that, despite their sport, the cold night was still unforgiving. Handing her a cup of hot chocolate, Jane pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around Maura's shoulders.

"Aren't you cold, Jane?"

As a matter of fact, Jane was getting cold. But she shrugged as she pulled her jacket on. It didn't work. Maura gave her a sceptical look, then grabbed one end of the blanket and put it around Jane's shoulders. Using her other hand, she reached across to pull it around properly, and this brought them in very close proximity with each other. Jane found herself looking right into Maura's eyes, their face inches away from each other. When those beautiful eyes lifted up to meet her own, Jane felt her own mouth go dry, as a panic slowly began to take over her faculties. No, no, no, no. This was too close. This was too familiar, and warm, and wonderful. This was very, very dangerous.

While Jane froze up a like a statue, Maura did the opposite. Her movements were as fluid as they had always been, as she made sure her and Jane were completely covered with the blanket. A hand reached out to straighten the collar of Jane's jacket. And finger brushed away an errant strand of dark hair. The detective could feel those eyes watching her, but she was too afraid to move, lest she give herself away.

Finally, the blonde's hands stilled, one hand clutching the cup Jane had given her, the other resting gently on Jane's shoulder. "You know, you're an excellent teacher, Jane."

"Oh… nah, you're just a brilliant student." Jane chuckled, trying to hide her nerves. She wasn't sure if she was successful or not, but she saw Maura's smile at her comment.

"No, Jane. You are. You are a superb teacher when you want to be. You really are quite patient, and you make excellent use of words and examples." Maura paused there, and Jane immediately thought of their "examples". Arms around Maura, holding her close… "I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for teaching me."

Jane opened her mouth, waiting for some witty retort or something to come out, like it normally would. But instead, something gentler slipped out. "It was my pleasure. I had fun too."

Maura smiled. But then her eyes grew serious, and there was an earnestness behind them as she looked into Jane's eyes. Almost searchingly. And then she tilted her head, and laughed to herself.

Jane frowned, confused. "What?"

Maura just shook her head, looking away.

"Maur, what is it?" When Maura didn't look back, Jane moved her head, trying to catch the blonde's eye. "C'mon, Maura, talk to me."

"It's… it's nothing, Jane. Really."

"Don't lie, Maura. I hear that hives are pretty uncomfortable."

There was a soft sigh as the doctor turned back to look at Jane. "It's just a silly little dream I have."

Jane tilted her head, but nothing was forthcoming. "I'm listening," she prompted.

Maura looked away again. "It's just a silly little girl fantasy, Jane. Nothing you want to hear about."

"Hey, hey, Maur. If it's bothering you, I want to hear about it, okay? Maybe I can help."

There was a quiet laugh at that, but it sounded bitter-sweet. "Could you?" Before Jane could come up with a response, Maura continued. "I hoped tonight would happen. I hoped you would ask me to let you teach me to play softball so we could come out together like this, alone. I hoped you wanted to do this. But for different reasons.

"Of course, I hoped for too much. But I hoped that you would come up behind me and hold me like you did, to show me how to bat properly. And I hoped you'd feel something, when you held me, like I felt something when your hand was on my hand, when you were wrapped around me like that. I hoped you'd maybe not want to let go, that you would stay there, even just a little longer than you had to, just so I'd have a sign. But you could hardly wait to get away from me.

"I hoped you wouldn't let go, Jane. I hoped you would hold on, and that we would share a moment, and that moment could turn into something more. Into something I've wanted for so long. But I hoped for too much." There was a sniff, but she continued. "I admit, when I came out tonight, it was for more reasons than just to learn to play softball. Of course, I wanted to, but it was because it meant so much to you, and I wanted to be a part of that. But I also came out tonight for more selfish reasons. I wanted to see if there was something more between us, or if it really was all just wishful thinking on my part.

"But every time we got close, every time we touched, you would stiffen up, or move away. Of course. I shouldn't even tell you this now. What must you think of me, Jane? Things are going to be awkward between us now, aren't they? Do you hate me, Jane? I'm sorry I feel this way about you, and I promise I'll do my best to hide it away. We can pretend this never happened. But please, Jane, don't tell me you hate me, don't push me away. I… I can't lose you, Jane. I-"

Jane couldn't bear to hear anymore. She couldn't bear to watch the woman she had loved for so long slowly tear herself apart for no reason at all. So she did the only thing that came to mind in that moment. The one thing she had wanted to do all night, that she had wanted to do for so many years. She sealed off Maura's words with her lips, putting her feelings, the unspoken words, into a kiss she hoped Maura could understand. And when Maura realised what had happened, there was no hesitation, no uncertainty as she reciprocated, hands reaching up to wrap themselves around Jane's neck, her own hands taking hold of Maura's waist. The kiss sent sparks up and down and through Jane's entire body, lighting a fire that sent warmth to every single part of her body. Whereas moments before her body was numb from the cold, it now burned with a wonderful fever. When one kiss ended, another began, growing shorter and more desperate as they both tried to hold onto this, in case it was a dream.

"Maura," the name was a whisper when they finally broke apart. Jane looked into her best friend's face, desperate to get the message through. "I have… I have felt things for you… since as long as I can remember. I… when I stiffened up, or backed away, it was only because I… I was scared you didn't feel the same way. I… I was scared I'd give myself away, and you'd be… you'd be horrified, or feel different, that you'd not want to be around me anymore. And I… I can't let that happen. You're everything to me, Maura. You're everything to me, and I can't lose you." Jane realised she was shaking. "I love you, Maura. I love you, and it scares me, but not as much as losing you does. I love you."

Maura let out a sound somewhere between and laugh and a sob. "Oh, Jane, how could you think that? Jane, I love you. I've been in love you with you for so long. A small part of me is almost convinced that this is a dream. This is real, isn't it?"

Jane nodded. She even pinched herself for good measure. "It's real. This… this is real." She felt giddy. "I… I had the same dream, Maur. I dreamed about this little scenario too. It didn't quite work like this, but I'm not complaining."

"Neither am I." Maura smiled, the last of her tears falling away, as she leaned in to kiss Jane again. "I guess I did get lucky tonight."