A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, life keeps getting in the way! Thank you for all the reviews and love; it gives me that extra incentive to get updates out for you all :) All rights to TNT, Tess, JTam, etc. I own nothing. Enjoy!
Maura woke first, the light slipping through the gap in the middle of the curtains making her squint and blink. A dull ache was spreading through the back of her neck from the precarious position she slept in, and as she looked down at Jane's still sleeping form, she wouldn't take anything back. This was odd for the detective, usually she was the first one up. She wondered how long it had been since Jane had slept. Maura's left arm was still wrapped around Jane's back, and the Jane's dark curls were spread wildly around, shielding her face from the sun's glare. Jane had gone to sleep with her arms tucked up and in close to her body, but in her sleep, her left arm had flung itself out across Maura, dangling off the edge of the couch and brushing against Maura's with the rise and fall of her chest. The honey blonde smiled to herself, this is just how I imagined it would be. Maura scooted down even further to ease the pain in her neck, and she turned her head into the back of the couch, falling back asleep with a smile on her face.
A loud buzzing noise jolted the detective from her sleep. She jerked upwards, immediately regretting her decision as she became lightheaded and her vision blackened, fuzzing around the edges, but she could see Maura rousing sleepily from underneath her. Jane turned, her head swimming, as she groped around blindly on the end table for her phone. Securing the device in her hand, she widened her eyes in an attempt to get her vision back, and she opened the text message.
Just checking in to make sure you're alright. I figured you probably stayed at Maura's last night, but I just wanted to make sure. I've got to go into work, we've got a case that will probably take the rest of the weekend. I'll see you later. Gabe.
"Is it Agent Dean?" Maura asked inquisitively, stretching languidly from her sitting position.
"Yeah, shit, I should have called him last night. I guess I kinda passed out, huh?" Jane mumbled apologetically, her mind shifting back to the close sleeping position she had woken in, and surprisingly didn't mind. Her fingers flew quickly over the screen of the phone, sending him a reply, reassuring him she was fine.
"Your body needed it's rest. Jane, how long has it been since you've slept? Hallucinations begin by day-"
"Four, I know, then slurred speech, short attention span, and death. I remember," Jane finished, cracking a smile at Maura, who's face lit up at the memory and the fact that Jane was paying attention to her. "I dunno Maur…I sleep, just not good sleep, ya know? Last night was good though." She stood, cracking her back as she got up, rolling her shoulders back, popping the stiff joints into place. Jane ambled into the kitchen, finding herself at ease with her familiar habit of perusing the shelves. "Any normal people food in here?"
Maura chuckled, running a hand through her slightly mussed hair, fluffing it as she leaned up against the island, watching Jane poke her head in the cupboards, before coming out with a box of whole grain cereal.
"Really?"
"What? Studies show that with an increase of whole-grain and fiber foods in the diet, weight gain decreases because it has a lower glycemic index than that of a typical bowl of frosted corn flakes." Maura rambled, and Jane passed by her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, I'd rather have my frosted flakes with a high glydemic intake than feel like I'm eating a bowl of cardboard."
"Index, Jane." Maura attempted to stifle a laugh at the detective's warped repetition of her googlemouth. "Okay, I'm going to go take a shower, then how about we go out for breakfast? I know this really great place where you can eat outside on the patio; it's a beautiful day out today, Jane. We can stop by your apartment for you to get some more suitable clothes."
"What? These are my going out clothes! " Jane called after her, as Maura laughed from the other side of the master bedroom door, the sound bouncing off the walls, filling the house with a happy aura. "And only if I get my frosted flakes!" Maura laughed again as she poked her head out from around the bedroom door, shooting Jane a pointed look, her eyes sparkling and her lips pressed together in a smirk. She disappeared around the door again, and soon Jane heard the shower turn on and she eased down into the couch, flnding SportsCenter on Maura's fancy TV.
Yes, Jane thought to herself, I've missed this.
Two hours later the two women were sitting at a table for two outside the modern downtown restaurant, granola and orange juice in front of Maura, and a bowl of Frosted Flakes for Jane. Maura shook her head with a smile as Jane began to use her spoon as a shovel, scooping up mountainous amounts of the cereal in each bite.
"How are Barry and Vince doing?" Maura asked inquisitively, her fork expertly picking up a dainty amount of granola, her eyes flicking back up to Jane, who swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, catching a trail of milk that had snuck out and dribbled to the corner of her lips. She smiled guiltily, embarrassed that Maura had caught her etiquette blunder.
"They're good; Barry's got himself a girlfriend now, remember the FBI chick?" Jane shoveled in another bite, taking more care this time to not be as messy with her cereal.
"Agent Farrell?"
Jane finished the last bite of her Frosted Flakes, putting her makeshift shovel back in the bowl and scooted it away from her, leaning back in the padded wicker chair, legs splayed in true Jane Rizzoli style. "Yep, that's the one. He doesn't act like he's got a stick up the ass now that he's getting laid regularly." She chuckled, and even Maura cracked a smile at the typical blunt remark that she had come to appreciate in her friend over the years.
"That's good for him; everyone deserves happiness, in whatever form that may take." Maura sipped from her orange juice, her eyes peering at Jane over the top of her glass. Jane stared almost blankly into her eyes, before blinking and life reappeared into her deep brown eyes.
Jane smiled and took Maura' s hand into her own. "I'm glad you're back, Maur." The ME's hand trembled, and subtly she took a deep breath and focused her mind on calming down, hoping Jane didn't notice. Before she had a chance to respond, Jane jerked her hand away.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Jane reached her hand down to her side, where her phone was holstered securely. "Yeah Ma? No I told you, I have the weekend off. No, Gabe is working. I'm with Maura." She rolled her eyes at Maura, who put up a hand to stifle her laughter at Angela Rizzoli's infamous nosiness. "Yeah Ma, I'll be there, and if Gabe can get away from work, he'll be there. Maura?"
Maura perked up, hearing her name, as she had slipped into her own musings.
"Yeah, sure. I'll tell her. Ok, gotta go Ma. Love you too." Jane ended the call, shaking her dark tresses as she clipped her phone back to her side.
Maura shifted her legs and crossed her left leg over her right, her foot sticking out slightly from the side of the table, and she folded her hands on her lap. "Oh Jane, you know she just loves you."
"Yeah, well, apparently she loves you too, cause she invited you to dinner tomorrow night. Of course it's at my place…" Jane trailed off, her eyes dropping to her lap, unsure of how Maura would respond. Of course they had just run into each other for the first time in over a year, and even after last night, she didn't want to push the ME.
To Jane's surprise, Maura's face split into a smile, her perfect teeth flashing at Jane. "That would be lovely. It will be nice to see your mother again."
"And what am I, chopped liver?" Jane teased her friend, who cocked her head to the side.
"Well of course not Jane, that's silly; you're not sliced meat." Maura's eyebrows scrunched slightly, then relaxed back into place as she caught the detective's body beginning to shake with the tremors of laughter. "That was an expression, wasn't it?"
Jane stood and took her fist away from her mouth that had been unsuccessfully trying to cover her amusement. She reached her hand out and grabbed Maura's wrist. "Yes, Miss Literal. I have the day off. Let's go do something; we've got a whole year to make up for."
Maura pulled her designer sunglasses down over her eyes and followed her friend out of the restaurant and her heels clicked furiously on the pavement, trying to keep up with the long strides of the taller woman. The two women got into Maura's car, blissfully unaware of the dark vehicle parked on the opposite side of the street they had neglected to see during the entirety of their breakfast out.
"Okay, never did I think you could have so much fun mini golfing! It's mini golfing for shit's sake." Jane exclaimed as they pulled up to her apartment, and the ME put the car into park.
Maura stopped her peals of laughter to briefly chastise her friend. "Language, Jane. But yes, it was all fun and games until my heel decided to sink into the green." She pouted, looking down at the heels of her Jimmy Choos, and when her eyes met Jane's, she saw those bright brown eyes sparkling with restrained laughter, and she began laughing again herself.
"I thought you were going to go down in the middle of the course!" Jane managed to get out in between bursts of laughter, and she gasped for air, and then remembered the sight of Maura's heel getting caught in the green and how her eyes went wide in fear struck panic as her body had swayed with the loss of balance, before Jane had come up behind her, catching her by the arms.
"I'm glad you were there to catch me, otherwise I may have found myself in a situation that a woman in a skirt should never have to find herself in." Maura winked at Jane, who shot her a grin and waggled her eyebrows.
"As much as I would have loved to have seen that, I don't think that would have been good for those attractive little adolescent boys who were checking you out. You would have had four more autopsies on your hands. I can see it now, 'cause of death, coronary due to extreme blood rush to the testicles.' A flattering compliment, causing four deaths by a simple peek up the skirt." Jane waggled her eyebrows at Maura, who shook her head at Jane.
"That is physically impossible Jane, but thank you for the compliment." Maura didn't let on, but inside she was beaming. She always took great care to keep up her appearance, being an Isles taught her that, but being an Isles also taught her humility and class, never acting as if she was aware of her attractiveness.
Jane muttered something under her breath, and the lull in the conversation became deafening as they both looked up to her apartment window, light streaking out from the room.
"I guess Gabe came home early." Jane felt a twinge and a look flashed over her face, was that disappointment? Maura's heart sank, wanting to grab onto her friend's hand and not let go. It's been so long, and yet, these feelings haven't changed. I just had gotten better at pretending they didn't exist.
"Well…I should probably go." Jane's hand went to the door handle, while Maura's hand shot out and held her wrist. Jane turned back to her friend, and for a split second, she saw Maura's emotions laid out like she had never seen them. Vulnerability, desperation, sadness, and one other she couldn't quite put her finger on. As soon as she had seen them, they vanished, replaced with the expression she was used to seeing on Maura.
"I just…thank you Jane, I had a wonderful day." Maura lips turned upwards into a smile, her head angling softly to the side like it always did when Maura smiled. Jane returned her smile, and felt Maura's hand drop to the console in between the seats, and Jane opened the door and turned around.
"By the way, I'll always be here to catch you, Maur." Jane shut the door, leaving Maura with trembling hands and a pounding heart as she struggled to put the car into drive. Jane waved and made her way up the steps, looking up to the apartment window again and sighing as she pushed open the door to her building.