The Space Between

Chapter Three

Jane's goodwill towards Tommy lasted through the ride home, but not much longer. After she and Maura reenacted an apology worthy of her mother's praise, her brother quickly wedged himself on the opposite side of the medical examiner, his hand moving toward her foot.

"You know what, Tommy, I think she's good," Jane said protectively, leaning over Maura and whacking his hand away.

"Well, I think she could use another pillow," he protested, plucking one from the couch.

"Well," Jane snapped, snatching the cushion from him, "I think she can decide whether she wants a pillow on her own."

Maura's eyes darted between the two of them, their words passing over her like playful arrows, but she put up a halting finger as Tommy started to toss another retort over her head. "I think I'm fine with my current elevation," she said, feigning politeness. "But thank you, Tommy."

"Yeah, no problem," he said disappointedly, narrowing his eyes at Jane.

She tossed the cushion back at him, a triumphant grin on her face. Tommy brought out a jealous streak in her, one she didn't particularly appreciate, but rather than deal with it, she simply chose to employ more drastic measures: kicking everyone out.

She clapped her hands down on her trousered thighs. "All right, this has been a hell of a homecoming, but I think it's best if we wrap this up." It sounded unappreciative, no doubt, but subtlety didn't go very far with the Rizzoli clan, and after peering into Maura's exhausted eyes she just wanted the blonde to sleep.

Angela glanced from Jane back to Maura, nodding slowly. "You girls could probably use some rest," she agreed.

"That's right," Jane confirmed, her voice crescendoing into a more official tone. "And, as ordained caretaker, I command you all to leave," she said, brandishing her fingers toward the door.

"Caretaker?" Tommy scoffed. "The girl who can't even remember to floss is a caretaker?"

Maura spoke up, raising a finger. "Actually, Jane flosses regularly now," she said with a pleased smile, as if this development in hygiene was her own personal victory.

Jane did a double-take toward her, uncertain whether to thank her or ask her to be quiet, which was a more than common debacle for her. In keeping with their newly mended friendship, she went with gratitude. "Thanks, Maur," she mumbled, just a little uncertainly. She darted a pointed look at her mother, accompanying it with a quick jerk of her head towards the door. This goodbye wasn't going fast enough for her taste.

"All right," Angela said, and Jane breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she had gotten the hint. "Let's go, boys."

Tommy looked at Maura, carefully ignoring Jane. "You sure you don't need anything?" he asked her.

Angela smacked the back of his head. "Jane can take care of it, Tommy, now get going." She darted a look at Frankie, who was still seated. "You too," she said, gesturing at him.

"Get some rest, Maura," Frankie offered with a wave as he walked behind the couch, pressing a hand against her shoulder. He appeared just as tired as Maura, and Jane gave him a small fist bump as he passed. "We're all glad you're okay."

Tommy rose reluctantly from the couch, but not before giving Maura a pat on her thigh, and followed Frankie. Jane watched, content, as her mother rounded the couch as well. "Thanks, Ma," she offered with a final wave of her hand. She and Maura needed peace, quiet, and a few doses of aspirin, and they wouldn't get any of that until the back door finally closed.

She turned toward Maura, but felt a familiar presence behind them. Angela, despite her haste in getting her boys out of the house, leaned over the edge of the couch, relaxing on her elbows.

"Ma?" Jane asked, tilting her head questionably back at her. "You need something?"

"No," Angela replied earnestly, oblivious to her daughter's tone. "Do you need something?"

"I need you to leave," Jane said through clenched teeth before tossing an apologetic frown at Maura.

"Ah," Angela said with a nod, Jane's meaning dawning on her. "Cut me some slack, I'm your mother. I need a few extra moments just to thank god you're both okay." She smiled down at Maura before leaning over and giving her a one-armed hug, pecking a kiss on the crown of her head. "I love you both," she said, reaching for Jane, but she squirmed away from her.

"Uh uh, Ma," Jane protested with a shake of her head. "I have two good legs and I am not afraid to run from you."

Maura giggled, reaching up and grasping Angela's hand. "If you want to move your things back to the guesthouse, I'd love to have you back."

"Just not tonight," Jane cut in, intent on preserving the privacy she was finally about to get.

"Don't worry," Angela said. "You girls just relax." Grabbing her purse, she walked towards the door. "Don't hesitate to call if - "

"We won't!" Jane called.

"Okay," came the response, then the soft click of the door as it finally shut behind her.

"Well, that wasn't difficult at all, was it?" Jane asked as Maura settled back into the couch, finally relaxing into the cushions.

"I do love them, but I am glad it's just the two of us." She grinned, her hazel eyes scanning the room around her, narrowing. "Where are my crutches?" she asked, a perplexed frown curling her lips.

"They're in the car," Jane replied casually. Unlike her forgetfulness at the hospital, this time she had left them behind on purpose.

"Why are they in the car?"

"Because I think you need to stay off that leg." Maura could be stubborn, especially when it came to anything involving anatomy or medicine, and Jane wasn't taking any chances. "And leaving them in the car was the only way I could get you to follow the doctor's orders."

Maura seemed less pleased by her decision and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I'm a doctor, and I'm ordering you to go get the crutches," she said. "I'm not an invalid."

"Today you are," Jane retorted with a grin, once again attempting to straighten out the crick in her neck. Clearly, the hospital couch hadn't been much better than falling asleep in the chair beside Maura's bed.

"Is your scalene muscle bothering you?" Maura asked with a clinical eye, her fingers already twitching with anticipation. Jane knew that look. It usually lead to some level of pain.

"No, it's not too bad," she said quickly, rising to her feet. "You want me to make you something to eat?"

If Maura was disappointed at not being able to demonstrate her healing prowess, she didn't show it, which meant her exhaustion really had settled in. "No, no, I'm fine for now. I just want to shower and put on some clean clothes."

Jane's stomach growled at the thought of food, but she couldn't disagree with Maura's order of priorities. She had washed up as best she could at the hospital, but now carried with her the unfortunate smell of bleach and antiseptic mingled with grime and sweat. "Want me to run a bath for you?" she offered, changing tracks toward the bedroom.

"You know, if you would bring me my crutches, I could do it myself," Maura answered logically.

Jane chuckled at the ploy, and stepped over to the couch, leaning over the prone medical examiner and placing a hand on either side of her. "You stay right here, and I'll help you into a nice warm bath in just a few minutes, okay?"

The closeness wasn't bothersome, or even out of the ordinary for the two of them, but Maura didn't respond right away. Jane's sudden proximity and her probing eyes had the same effect as her fingers had against her skin back at the hospital, and she swallowed quickly.

Jane sensed the fleeting tension and stepped back, straightening as she cleared her throat. "I'll be just a minute," she said, heading toward Maura's bedroom with a wide, slightly anxious pace. How had she managed to control her feelings so well for so long, only to lose it now?

She turned the faucet, plugging the tub and admiring the feminine cadre of soaps, salts, and lotions that lined the tiled wall. Her own shower, although still equipped with reliable shampoo and conditioner, was a lot less involved. She fingered a bag of lavender bath salts, sniffing them and recognizing Maura's familiar scent, and she wondered how many times the blonde treated herself to a bath and a glass of wine. And it being Maura, probably a journal article or two.

She shrugged, pouring a healthy dose of the salts into the water as steam rose toward her nose. She tossed in a couple of more products, pleased with her stone soup of soaps and bubbles, when her cell phone buzzed at her hip. Or rather, it gave a haphazard buzz, and "KORS" flashed on the jagged, half-broken screen.

"Hey Korsak, what's up," she said, flipping up the volume on her speaker. It didn't work, though, and she leaned into it to better hear her boss over the water.

"Where are you?" he asked. "Sounds like you're back at the goddamn reservoir."

Jane laughed. "I'm pouring a bath for Maura." As the words relayed back to her over Korsak's silence, she pressed him on, hoping he'd ignore them. "What do you need?"

Korsak's pause let her know that he did indeed catch the words, but he ignored them. "Listen, we got a handle on two of the fracking suspects, but the third fled."

That wasn't news she wanted to hear, especially after almost being killed by them. "Which one?" she asked, already dreading the answer.

"Moore," Korsak replied.

Jane pressed a balled fist lightly against the door jam, recalling the way the leader's hard jaw and confident eyes had bared down on her in the woods. "You got any leads?" she asked.

"No, but we're working the other two pretty hard. They're not saying anything yet. We're already looking into the other land licensed to the yoga operation. He could have fled there, maybe."

"They're not going to talk," Jane replied. "They know whose got their next paycheck, and it ain't us. What's the worst you can charge them with at this point?"

"Accessory to assault," he said with an unsatisfied sigh. "I got nothing connecting them to the two prior murders. I'm putting a guy on Dr. Isles house," he said. "And yours, just to be safe. Your Ma's staying with Frankie tonight."

"That seems rash, Korsak. Why would this guy want to come back for us if he's already managed to flee?" she asked.

"Jane, I been at this job for forty years, now. If I could explain a criminal's behavior, I'd be a lot richer than I am and the world would be a safer place."

Jane sighed, bending over and shutting off the water, the lavender doing much less to comfort her now. "Maura and I are the only witnesses that can place him there at the scene, aren't we? Just like Rachel was the only one who had evidence of the fracking."

"We're working as hard as we can, Jane."

"Fine. Look, keep me updated."

"You got it. And enjoy that bath, Rizzoli." She rolled her eyes as she heard him snicker, and tossed her phone onto the counter. She needed to see about getting a new phone, and quick. And until she got Maura one, too, she'd make sure the blonde didn't leave her sight. Slowly, she made her way back toward the living room.

"Okay, bath's ready," she said with a clap of her hands as she glanced toward the couch, but was met with only bare, empty silence. Maura was nowhere to be found and Jane's eyes lurched toward the back door, which was swung open. A jolt of panic pushed her forward as she reached for her gun, finding only her empty belt buckle. She would need to see about getting another gun, too.

"Maura," she yelled, lunging out of the back door, adrenaline giving her a second wind she didn't know she had. It bubbled up in her throat as a groan of relief as she caught sight of Maura bent into the backseat of the car, precariously pulling out her crutches while standing on one wobbly leg.

"Got 'em!" she called proudly, placing them under her arms, oblivious to the heart attack she'd nearly just given her closest friend.

"Maura, what the hell are you doing?" Jane reprimanded, walking towards her. "You're not supposed to put any weight on that shin."

"I didn't," she replied with a smile. "I hopped. Didn't I ever tell you I was champion at the three-legged race during year three at my primary school? It's all about balance and coordination."

"Gee, wonder why that never came up," Jane mumbled as she watched the shorter woman expertly wield the crutches back toward the house in a slow, but confident pattern. "Were you also champion at crutch races in medical school?"

Maura looked over at her with a surprised grin. "Yes, yes I was."

Jane rolled her eyes, not surprised that her sarcasm had been completely missed, but finding the familiar trait oddly comforting. As they neared the door Maura stopped short and glanced suspiciously at the street, causing Jane to nearly ram into her. "Jane, why is there an unmarked police car outside my home?"

Korsak had been fast, which didn't set Jane at ease in any particular way. "In case you get the big idea to not follow the doctor's orders and start walking around," she teased. "Next time I'll have him detain you."

Maura didn't buy it, her brow furrowing. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jane replied, ushering her back inside the house and locking the door behind them. "It's just precautionary while they look for the third fracking suspect, that's all." She tried to keep her voice light and even, unwilling to stress Maura any more than she already was. She didn't buy into alternative medicine, but she was sure the thought of being tracked by the man who had tried to kill them wouldn't do wonders for the healing process.

"Will he come after us?"

"No, more than likely he's already overseas planning his next fracking retreat in Tijuana, for all I know." Jane smiled, hoping to put her at ease, but she could practically see the wheels kicking into gear in Maura's mind. Instead, she went for distraction. "You're bath is ready."

Maura didn't look wholly reassured, but she nodded. "I'll be quick," she said, peering at Jane with a discerning eye. "Want me to run one for you after I'm done? You look like you could use some exfoliation."

"No thanks," Jane said. "I'll get my exfoliation in during a shower."

"A bath will help relax you," Maura pointed out.

It was probably true, but Jane didn't feel like relaxing at the moment, her body buzzing with a new adrenaline. "I'll relax in the shower," she repeated. "You need some help getting out of those clothes?" Her mouth went dry at the thought.

"No, I can manage," Maura replied, fortunately pretending not to notice the verbal slip up. "Enjoy your shower. There are plenty of towels in the - "

"I know," Jane said, cutting her off with a pointed finger down the hallway. "Side closet, guest room." She turned, glad for an excuse to hide her flushed face.

Maura called after her. "There are also some of your clothes in the bureau in there."

"Great," Jane returned, wondering which clothes on which night she'd managed to leave behind. How had she slept next to Maura all those times and completely kept her cool? There had been something about almost losing her that had dismantled Jane's internal wiring. She had certainly been attracted to women, and had acted upon it a few times, but had never broached the idea of a relationship. But wasn't that exactly what she and Maura had come to perfect over the past three years?

She showered, taking her time and allowing her mind to drift. Showering was the closest thing she got to meditation and she liked the way her mind floated, the thoughts sometimes swirling down the drain, never to be remembered. Once she toweled off, slipping into the jean shorts and t-shirt that were folded neatly in the guestroom dresser, she padded barefoot down the hallway. The house was quiet, and she drifted into Maura's bedroom, where the telltale splash of water let her know the doctor was still enjoying her bath.

"You wrinkled enough in there yet?" she called, knocking lightly on the bathroom door.

"Yes," Maura returned. "My stratum corneum has sufficiently swelled."

"I just call it pruning," Jane replied with a small shrug. She poked her head into the bathroom, where Maura was submerged under a healthy layer of white bubbles, her left leg hanging dryly off the rim of the tub. "How can that be comfortable enough to be relaxing?" Jane asked.

"Oh, you have no idea," Maura sighed, smiling up at her. "Here, sit with me," she said, gesturing toward the sink. "How was your shower?"

"Magnificent."

"Good," Maura replied, dipping her head back against the ledge. "Not as good as this, I can assure you."

"Shall I get you a glass of wine and some soft jazz?" Jane asked with a grin.

Maura popped one eye open, testing her. "Do you mind?"

The simple notion of a request was enough to launch Jane off her perch on the sink. "Really?" she asked, but then caught the significant twitch of Maura's upper lip. "Don't tease," she said. "I take my caretaker duties very seriously. If you wanted Yo-Yo Ma in here right now, I'd go personally find him."

Maura laughed. "Yo-Yo Ma is for the jacuzzi only," she said. Bringing her hands to her face, she studied her wrinkled fingertips. "Ah, I guess you're right," she said. "We can move this party to the couch." She went to stand, shifting in the tub, unable to find a good angle to lift herself up on her good leg. Biting her lip, she tried again, her bandage dipping dangerously toward the water. Her struggle caught Jane's attention, and she studied her next unsuccessful attempt, which caused Maura to let out a frustrated groan.

"You need some assistance, there, Maur?"

Maura dipped her head back, resigned. "I should have thought this out better. Getting in is a lot easier than getting out."

Jane shook her head, smiling. "That's what they always say." She extended her hand. "Let me help you out." Of course, she would need to recite the alphabet or mutliplication tables in her head as she did so, just to keep her brain from imploding at the thought of pulling an entirely nude Maura out of a bubble bath. She swallowed as she took the submerged woman's hand.

"Don't look," Maura said as she lifted her right leg over the edge, and Jane smirked at her, using the opportunity to her advantage.

"Now who's being a twelve-year-old girl?" she teased, but secretly she wasn't pleased with Maura's instructions, as much sense as they made. Nevertheless, she gripped the smaller woman's arm and pulled her up out of the water with a small slosh, grabbing her wet hips quickly as Maura teetered on one leg and tried to gain her balance. Her hands fumbled along the slick surface of skin as the blonde crashed into her, and Jane managed to grab her arms, but found herself face to face with the very flesh she'd been trying to avoid.

"Hello," she said, her eyes widening before blinking quickly away and reaching for the towel on the back of the door. She wrapped it quickly around Maura, this time remembering to avert her gaze.

They both cleared their throats as Maura leaned against the sink, securing the towel over the breasts that had so recently made their debut into their friendship. "Oh, I got you wet," she said, causing Jane's head to snap towards her.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"Your clean clothes," Maura said quickly, this time covering her own verbal mistake as she pointed to Jane's damp t-shirt. "I got them all wet."

Jane felt her face flush. She needed to get out of that bathroom, her own thoughts steaming the mirror more than the hot bath water had. "I... am going to make lunch...?" she said, her voice escalating into a question.

"Okay," Maura agreed with a tentative nod, her skin prickling with goose bumps that had little to do with the cool air hitting her skin.

"Okay," Jane repeated, backing quickly out of the bedroom and nearly bounding into the living room. "Well played, Rizzoli," she muttered, stomping toward the kitchen.

The rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables in Maura's refrigerator resembled the inside of a Whole Foods, its fresh stalks of green, rounds of red and sticks of orange immediately intimidating. Jane plucked a beer of out the door, a brand that Maura kept on hand solely for her, and popped it open, taking a few long gulps. The pause, however, only served to magnify the images pulsing through her mind: the round, full flesh, the warm, slick skin, the lavender scented suds. She tossed her head back, chugging the rest of the beer in a move she hadn't pulled since the 2009 Final Four championship.

Maura, meanwhile, stared into her bathroom mirror with a scrutinizing eye, examining the view she had accidentally bestowed upon Jane. She wasn't one to be self-conscious about the finer points of her own anatomy, but the dark brown eyes that had bored down at her a few moments earlier had sent her nerves working overtime. "It's just Jane," she murmured, but couldn't quite bring herself to glance up at the eyes that stared back at her.

Jane was familiar with Maura's sexual history with women, which, for the most part was as casual as her history with men. She had always been one to explore her curiosity, which hadn't ended with just the opposite sex. Never, though, had she felt such an emotional attachment to someone, male or female. At times she had a difficult time deciphering whether her attraction to Jane was simply that curiosity, or something more. She had never had a best friend, but she was generally sure that one didn't have sex with them. She sighed, pulling a pair of black satin pajamas out of a drawer and sinking onto her comforter, pulling them slowly over her hips, but unable forget the feel of Jane's hands on her.

Jane's voice called to her from the kitchen. "Maur, you hungry?"

"Famished," she called, getting to her feet and steadily making her way through the hallway. At this pace, Bass would beat her there.

Her kitchen counter was littered with the remnants of lettuce, tomato ends, and various scraps that hadn't made their way into the sandwiches Jane had prepared, which towered precariously on two plates.

"Wow," Maura said, taking a seat on a chair. "Those are high."

"Don't worry, you'll like 'em," Jane said with a grin. "My club sandwiches are always the breast."

Maura's eyes flashed upwards just as Jane's darted downwards, a wave of embarrassment passing from one to the other.

"The best," Jane corrected quickly, wiping her palms on her jeans. "My clubs. Best." She fumbled with their plates. "This is what happens when you see your best friend naked," she mumbled.

"Technically, I'm your breast friend," Maura said with a small twitch of her lip. Most of the time her attempts at humor went devastatingly awry, and she ended up playing the foil to Jane's wit, but she hoped this time would at least help set them both at ease.

Jane's laugh came out more as a sigh of relief as she slid their plates across the counter and took a seat next to Maura. "That was funny," she said.

"Was it?" Maura asked, pleased, as she turned her sights on the gigantic sandwich in front of her, gingerly picking it up and wondering how she would best manage it.

"Breast friends forever," Jane echoed, grinning as she took a bite of her own sandwich.

This time it was Maura's turn to laugh, and for the moment, at least, the two of them were simply grateful for the other's presence. They ate silently as the afternoon sun contined its arc toward the horizon, their quietness stemming from an intimate comfort rather awkward reticence. Jane smiled as she caught Maura concentrating on her sandwich before each bite, as if figuring out the best way to conquer it.

"Afraid of your sandwich, Maur?" Jane asked. "It's more frightened of you than you are of it."

"I am simply determining the best angle," she replied. "I don't want it coming apart on me."

Jane swallowed. Maura's words struck something inside her that had little to do with the sandwich. Had she been too rash in confessing her feelings toward Maura so soon? Maybe it was worth examining their relationship with the same scrutiny the blonde was now bestowing upon her food. After all, she didn't want to bite off more than she could chew. Maura simply meant too much for her to let what they already had collapse.


Clearly, this isn't a one-shot anymore. We'll see where it goes, shall we? You all on board? Let me know what you think :)

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Renconteur, my spell checker, who even caught 'corneum'.