Not much of an author's note to leave other than ya'll continue to blow me away with your support!
Here we go!
Hearing no objection from Maura, Jane licked her lips and leaned her head down, preparing to kiss the woman who had changed her life in the best of ways.
"Janie? Maura?"
Jane's eyes flew open when she heard her mother's voice coming from the stairwell.
"Ma said she'd try to bring us some lunch when I stopped at the café earlier," Jane whispered, pulling back a bit to rest her forehead against Maura's.
"We should go meet her before she comes looking," Maura suggested, although she made no move to leave Jane's embrace.
"Yeah," Jane agreed, reluctantly stepping backwards and putting a foot of distance between her and Maura. "Be right down, ma!" Jane called to her mother. Maura's grip on Jane's hands loosened but Jane only let one of her hands go free. "I'll help guide you down the stairs," Jane said softly.
"You don't have to guide me down the stairs, Jane," Maura smiled. "I think I can manage."
"I know," Jane said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I just wanna hold your hand for a bit longer, if that's okay?"
"That's perfect," Maura replied.
Jane turned her body and began to walk out of Maura's bathroom, walking slowly so Maura could follow her. They crossed through Maura's bedroom and just before entering the hallway, Maura tugged on Jane's arm. She pulled Jane towards her and kissed Jane's cheek softly.
Grinning, Jane found herself walking a bit taller as she helped Maura down the stairs to greet her mother who was already fiddling in the kitchen with the lunch she had brought the women.
"Hey, ma," Jane said as she entered the kitchen and guided Maura to sit at the barstool where she had eaten breakfast earlier.
"Maura!" Angela said, quickly setting her lunch supplies down and scurrying to Maura's side, enveloping the women in a fierce embrace. "When Janie told me what happened I thought my heart was breaking. I've been praying for you to get your sight back and I was thinking of asking some of the gals at church to also send some prayers for you," she continued, still hugging Maura. "Is Janie taking good care of you?"
"Thank you, Angela," Maura smiled as she returned the Rizzoli matriarch's hug. "Jane is taking very good care of me," she added with a smile as she remembered the way it sounded to hear Jane say she was going to kiss her. She only wished she had gotten the chance to actually kiss the detective before being interrupted.
"Good," Angela said as she pulled away from Maura. "If she starts to act up or get on your nerves, you just let me know and I'll take care of her for ya," Angela said before returning to finish preparing the meal she had brought the women.
"Gee, thanks, ma," Jane laughed as she sat on the barstool next to Maura. Maura sensed Jane's presence next to her and gently laid her hand on top of Jane's thigh, a smile gracing her lips when she felt Jane grasp her hand.
"Angela?" Maura asked as Jane began to rub the back of her hand with her thumb. "I was wondering if perhaps Barry and Vince could be accommodated at Sunday dinner? I know it is a family affair but since I do not expect to be at work for some time, I think I would like to have them over this week. Is that something we could do?"
"Of course, sweetie!" Angela smiled. "I'm sure they'd love to come and finally taste my cannoli! Do you—what are these things on your oven?"
"Jane put them there," Maura smiled as she squeezed Jane's hand. "She put them on the main buttons I would use should I ever desire to cook when no one else is around. They allow me to feel where the appropriate buttons are. She also used the rhinestones on my bath products to help me differentiate between products."
"That's our Jane," Angela said as she put a plate in front of both Jane and Maura. "Always trying to help others."
"Salad is at three o'clock, lasagna at 6 o'clock, garlic bread diagonal between nine and twelve o'clock," Jane said softly to Maura when she saw Maura pick up her fork.
"Thank you," Maura whispered back to Jane.
"What are you gals gossiping about?" Angela asked as she cleaned up the mess she had made.
"Nothing, ma," Jane smiled. "Just being 'your Jane' and helping others."
"I have to run," Angela said sadly. "Stanley's out sick so I'm working more than usual but I wanted to make sure I got some home-made food in you and at least saw my other daughter."
"Thank you, Angela," Maura smiled as she heard the elder Rizzoli pick up her keys and walk towards her and Jane. "We will see you soon," she added as Angela gave both Jane and Maura a hug.
Once Angela shut Maura's front door and Jane ensured that it was locked, Jane turned back to the kitchen to see Maura already loading dishes into her dishwasher.
"Did you maybe wanna put in a movie?" Jane asked uncertainly. Her stomach was still filled with butterflies from the kiss she had almost shared with Maura. The kiss she still wanted to share with Maura.
"That would be nice," Maura replied as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and began to walk towards her living room. She kept one hand on the wall to guide her and smiled when she felt Jane come up beside her and take her free hand. They walked hand in hand to the couch, Jane sitting Maura down and ensuring she was comfortable .
"Are you feeling like watching something on pay per view or choose from your personal collection?" Jane asked.
"I think it would be best to put in a movie that I have already seen. Since I can't see what is happening on the screen, if it is a movie I am unfamiliar with I might not be able to follow the storyline," Maura said. Although she tried to mask the hurt in her voice, Jane detected it.
"I've got an idea," Jane smiled as she grabbed the remote and sat down on Maura's right side. "Since we've got all this free time, I am going to introduce you to all of the best animated children's movies of all time."
"Jane," Maura said with a shake of her head. "I did have a childhood, contrary to popular belief."
"I'm sure you did," Jane laughed. "But a childhood filled with documentaries just can't compete with a childhood filled with Disney movies. So to make up for all those years lost to boring documentaries, we are gonna watch some classic kid movies. Starting with…" Jane trailed off, using the remote to search through the list of children's movies that she could order. "The Lion King!"
"The 1994 film with music by Elton John and Tim Rice," Maura said as Jane selected the movie. "It is one of the most successful Disney films, being re-released in theatres in 3D in 2011 and transformed into a Broadway musical."
"Thank you, Maura," Jane laughed as the movie began to play. "Now hush. It's starting."
As the movie's opening song began to play, Maura scooted her body to press against Jane's left side. Jane smiled as she wrapped her left arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled her flush against her, the smile on her face widening when Maura relaxed her head onto Jane's shoulder.
Throughout the movie, Jane's fingers found themselves tracing idle pattern's on the skin of Maura's arm or tapping along to the music, which often caused Maura to giggle at Jane's attempt at keeping rhythm. While Maura was paying close attention to the movie, Jane found her mind wandering to the woman who was curled up at her side. Jane was hesitant to throw the word love around unless she truly meant it—she had seen too many people promise to love someone only to leave or profess their love when they meant simple lust. Yet when Jane began to think of words she would relate to Maura, love continued to pop into her head.
"Jane?" came Maura's voice, snapping Jane from her thoughts.
"Yeah?" Jane asked, noticing the way Maura's head was still resting on her shoulder.
"The movie ended."
Jane looked up to see credits rolling and an instrumental version of Circle of Life coming from Maura's television.
"Sorry," Jane softly as she used her right hand to run a hand through her hair. "Did you like the movie?" she asked.
Maura simply nodded her head, smiling as she felt Jane's fingers begin to draw patterns on her skin once again. Maura turned her head a bit towards Jane and, mimicking her actions from earlier, placed her lips on Jane's neck.
"If anyone is going to walk into your house," Jane said softly, "they'd better do it in the next 4 seconds because in 5 seconds I'm gonna kiss you," alluding to the words she had said to Maura in the bathroom only a short while earlier.
Jane felt Maura's lips, still pressed against her neck, curve into a smile before pulling away and lifting her head to be level with Jane's. Maura placed on of her hands on Jane's neck, her thumb resting on the thin scar Hoyt had inflicted on the detective.
After counting to five in her head, Jane leaned her head down, intending to simply press her lips to Maura's for a soft kiss. Yet the moment their lips touched, Maura's hand on her neck pulled Jane closer and Jane's grip on Maura's shoulder tightened and what Jane thought would be a chaste kiss transformed to quite possibly the best kiss of her life.
Maura could tell you the science behind kissing: a decrease in stress hormones and an increase in positive hormones. It is simple chemistry with a dash of neuroscience. Yet every scientific thought left Maura's brain when Jane kissed her and Maura felt her entire body radiating happiness.
Jane was the first to pull away, her lungs begging for oxygen. She took a quick deep breath and pressed a softer kiss to Maura's lips before resting her forehead against Maura's and opening her eyes. She smiled when she saw the look on Maura's face: eyes closed, face with a rosy tint, and a soft smile on her lips.
"You're staring," Maura whispered as she sensed Jane's eyes on her face.
"Yep," Jane confirmed without shame. "Just trying to file this moment away in my 'Best Moments Ever' mental filing cabinet. Not sure if it should go above the day I got promoted to homicide detective or just below. I'm leaning towards above."
Grinning, Maura leaned forward and capture Jane's lips in another kiss, parting her lips slightly as she did so. When she reluctantly pulled away, she moved her hand from Jane's neck to grasp Jane's right hand.
"Yep," Jane confirmed. "This definitely is going above the day I got promoted to homicide detective."
With the ice broken, Jane and Maura spent the rest of the day sneaking kisses to the other whenever possible. The kisses were soft and not meant to excite the other but rather to communicate happiness. Each woman's tongue remained in her mouth in a silent agreement to take things slowly.
While the women sat propped up against Maura's headboard, Jane continuing her internet research for ways to help Maura in her blindness, Maura would press soft kisses to Jane's neck and jaw before Jane turned to properly kiss her lips.
While Maura stood next to Jane in the kitchen as the women prepared dinner and began to explain why the onions Jane was dicing made her eyes water, Jane quickly pressed her lips to Maura's, stopping the honey blonde mid-sentence in the most delicious of ways.
"How is your back feeling?" Maura asked as she and Jane stood in Maura's bathroom, both of them brushing their teeth before bed.
"It's still bugging me a little bit," Jane said after spitting into the sink and wiping toothpaste from her lips. "But better than it was," she clarified.
"Maybe after you put my eye drops in and cover my eyes I could give you another massage," Maura suggested as she finished brushing her teeth and turned her body towards Jane.
"I'd be down with that," Jane murmured as she put her hands on Maura's hips and kissed the medical examiner's nose. Maura laughed as she, too, placed a soft kiss to Jane's nose.
"I'm not going to give you the massage in the bathroom so we should probably head to the bedroom," Maura laughed when she realized Jane wasn't making any move to leave the bathroom.
"I guess you're right," Jane sighed dramatically as she bent her knees and surprised Maura by scooping her up bridal style. Maura threw her arms around Jane's neck for balance as both of the women laughed as Jane guided them safely to the bed. Maura placed a kiss to Jane's neck just before Jane laid her down on her side of the bed and sat next to her, preparing the eye drops and patches.
Jane repeated the actions she had done prior, placing a soft kiss just below the eye patches to signal that she had finished.
"My turn!" Jane cheered as she flopped onto the bed next to Maura, causing the blonde to giggle at her antics.
"Yes, it is," Maura said as she shook her head and moved to kneel over Jane like she had done the previous night. She ran her hands lightly over the fabric of Jane's shirt and bit her lip in concentration. Jane sensed her hesitation and curiosity won.
"What are you thinking?" Jane asked.
"I was thinking that I might be able to work the muscles a bit better without the shirt in the way. But I don't want to be too forward to suggest something like that unless you are okay with it. I just figured that-"
"Okay," Jane said as she reached for the hem of her shirt and managed to pull it over her head while still lying horizontal on the bed. "Normally I'd make you take me on a date before getting me shirtless but you're a special case. But you gotta take yours off, too. It's only fair."
Shaking her head, Maura unbuttoned the silk pajama shirt she had chosen to wear and shrugged it off, revealing the red lace bra she hadn't yet removed. She tossed the shirt to the floor next to her side of the bed, figuring she would pick it up after the massage.
Smiling at the relaxed attitude Jane seemed to have, Maura placed her hands on Jane's bare shoulders, the straps of her bra easier to maneuver around than the fabric of a shirt. She began to work out the knots she found, occasionally just running her hands over Jane's back to soothe the sore muscles.
"Do you want to know what I am most afraid of?" Maura said softly as she massaged along Jane's spine. She knew that massages typically were silent and stress free but she felt as though Jane would be accepting of her conversation.
"What?" Jane asked softly.
"I am afraid I am going to forget what your face looks like," Maura admitted sadly. "And Angela, Frankie, my parents, Hope, Susie…" Maura trailed off, conjuring images of those she held closest to her in her mind. "But mainly you."
"Guess it's a good thing you've got years of seeing my face to remember me by," Jane said, unsure as to what else she could say to ease her friend's pain.
"I can remember your face and see it clearly in my mind now," Maura said as she continued to work the aches from Jane's backs. "But in a few weeks after not seeing it for so long? The details will become fuzzy and I am afraid I will forget what you look like. The way your eyebrows raise when you're skeptical of something, the way your hair is more wild than tame, the way your smile can make any worries I have go away. I don't want to forget, Jane."
"You'll get your vision back, Maura," Jane stated. "And then you'll see my face every day for the rest of our lives and never have to worry about forgetting it."
"What if I don't get it back?"
"Since when are you the pessimist and I'm the optimist?" Jane asked, feeling Maura's hands switch from massaging her muscles to simply tracing the contours of Jane's body.
"I'm being a realist," Maura said simply. "I have loved seeing your face for so many years, Jane," Maura said softly. "And now that we have crossed the line from friends to…to whatever it is we are now, I want to see your face in this new light. I want to see it again and again."
"Hey, whaddya mean 'whatever it is we are now?'" Jane said, slowly wiggling her body so she was on her back with Maura still kneeling above her. Jane took Maura's hands in her own and held them firmly. "Look at me," Jane said gently.
"Jane, I can't see you," Maura said, her head turned so Jane could only see her profile.
"Please, Maura," Jane asked. "Look at me," she repeated. Maura turned her head to look down at Jane who was below her. Her eyes were covered with gauze but Jane was satisfied.
"What?" Maura asked softly.
"I have a pretty crappy relationship record," Jane admitted. "Sometimes emotions confuse me and I push people away when they try to get close to me. I can't tell someone I love them unless I absolutely mean it and sometimes that gives people the wrong impression. But Maura…I care about you so much. I care about you as a friend and as a woman and co-worker and human being and so much more."
"I care about you, too," Maura managed to reply, tears obviously causing her throat to constrict.
"I feel like shit that you didn't know where we are in our relationship," Jane said, tugging lightly on Maura's hands. Maura allowed Jane to pull her down so their intertwined hands were resting on opposite sides of Jane's head on the pillow and Jane was able to speak directly into Maura's ear. "Be my girlfriend?" Jane asked, her breath tickling Maura's ear and causing a shiver to run down the medical examiner's spine.
"Yes," Maura said, nodding her head excitedly.
Before Jane could respond, Maura had captured her lips in a fierce kiss. Jane laughed against Maura's lips which only caused Maura herself to laugh, a glorious laugh that Jane was worried she might never hear come from the honey blonde again.
"Let me take you out," Jane said as she squeezed Maura's hands gently. "On a date," Jane specified.
"I would love that," Maura smiled as she pulled her hands from Jane's and climbed off her girlfriend to snuggle up next to her on the bed, the skin to skin contact sending shocks through her.
"Let's do it Saturday," Jane suggested as she wrapped an arm around Maura and began to run her fingers through Maura's soft hair. "Tomorrow is Friday, which I guess is a typical date night, but I'm gonna need some time to think of the perfect first date idea."
"Saturday sounds lovely," Maura smiled as she nuzzled her face against Jane's neck.
"It's gonna be the best date of your life," Jane said proudly as she reached her arm out to switch off the bedside lamp.
"Best date of our lives," Maura corrected.
Not as long as the previous chapter but I like it!
One of my biggest fears is that my father is going to forget what I look like. Or that he has already forgotten. He hasn't seen my face in over 4 years. He and I have never had that conversation but I can imagine that one of his fears is forgetting what my siblings, mom, and our other family members look like. I guess having Jane and Maura talk about that was wishful thinking for my dad and I. hah.
Anyone have any suggestions for what Jane should plan for her date with Maura?
Also! I did this for other stories I've written so I figured I'd do it for this one! The person who leaves the 100th review will get a one-shot written for them based on whatever prompt they give me. It can be a single word, a sentence, a plot idea, a song, or anything. It can be fluffy or smutty or whatever.
