Newspaper Clippings: A Sabbatical
A Rizzoli & Isles drabble by Gigi
A/N: I officially love all you reviewers for not threatening to kill me with that last drabble.
Jane sat in her car outside the Dirty Robber, her hands trying to tear the steering wheel off its column and her teeth gritting against the small sob that wanted to rip out of her throat. She didn't even really understand why she was reacting so intensely to this. Maura seemed like a stranger now, and it was killing her.
She watched as the doctor walked slowly out of the building, her head bowed toward the keys she was turning over and over in her hands. Her blonde hair fell forward, hiding her face from view, but her chest heaved as one hand went to her face quickly before tucking back her hair. Her cheeks were splotchy, as though she'd been crying. Jane wasn't too far from that state herself, she supposed.
Before she could change her mind, she got out of the car and called out Maura's name. The medical examiner's head whipped around and she hesitated. "Maura, I'm not going to bite," she challenged, strung out on her last nerve. Curiously, Maura stiffened. "Can we please just talk?"
Maura made her way toward Jane's car with the most erect gait the detective had ever seen. "Talk about what?"
Those three words made Jane want to rip her hair out. "I don't even care, just anything, Maura! Anything except for you acting like I don't even exist when I don't even know what I did to deserve it!"
Glossy eyes stared brokenly back at her. "You wouldn't be comfortable with me if I told you, Jane," she declared in such a defeated tone that Jane stopped short. She didn't say anything. Maybe silence on her part would finally accomplish what direct asking couldn't. "I...I would miss you too much if I did something to drive you away."
"Well, what are you doing right now?" Jane pointed out, spreading her arms wide as if to encompass the entire parking lot.
Maura took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever she was about to say. "Taking a sabbatical so that I would stop thinking about you, and then everything could go back to normal." The answer only created more questions in Jane's eyes, and Maura dropped her gaze. "It didn't work."
A beat of silence preceded Jane's voice. "What do you mean thinking about me?" The other woman continued to stare at her shoes. "Maura."
Finally, Maura stepped forward and slowly raised her head. She didn't rush her movements, giving Jane plenty of time to realize what was going to happen and to pull away. Then the detective felt soft, warm lips brush against hers.
Oh.
A/N: It's a good thing that I'm doing this challenge, because with my updating habits, I'm notorious for writing a cliffie and leaving it untouched for the better part of a year. So it's a good thing you're pretty much guaranteed to get an update tomorrow night haha. Please review!