A/N-Thank you many, many times over for all the great reviews to that first chapter. It warms my heart and motivates me like nothing else when I know people are enjoying my fic and want more of it. So keep 'em coming, you wonderful readers!
Don't own Rizzoli and Isles, so I'm definitely not going to make any money on them...
Let's hear from Maura...
Maura could not accurately articulate why she would ever offer to tell someone that she had just met whatever they wanted to know about her personal life. She had no logical reason to allow this Jane person, absolutely no reason to give the woman permission to ask whatever she wished.
Yet, the words had fallen out of her mouth without a second thought. Maybe it was that Jane had not laughed at her inability to read common social cues and understand colloquialisms, that she was so nice without being condescending or patronizing.
Or it could be the sexual chemistry Maura sensed. The moment she saw Jane sitting at the bar, Maura knew that she was attracted to the brunette, but she had low expectations for the woman returning those feelings. She tried to conceal any and all visual cues from Jane, and believed she had succeed with maybe one or two exceptions.
When she noticed the signs of interest in the woman, Maura decided to pursue her. They were both single, and there was mutual sexual attraction. That, in Maura's mind, was enough for a sexual relationship.
So, maybe the chemistry was stronger than Maura had anticipated. Jane's entirely unexpected kiss had left Maura a little off balance, unsure of how to keep Jane from retreating when she began to exhibit some signs of anxiety.
That, that was why Maura had offered Jane whatever information she wanted.
The first question was easy enough.
"So, where are you from?" Jane asked. She rested an elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand as she looked ready to listen intently.
"My family is from Boston and I received my bachelors, masters and doctorate at schools in and around Boston," Maura said. She took a sip of her drink and put it back down on the bar. "I've been working out of San Francisco for the past few years though."
"Cali, huh?" Jane said. She nodded her head and scrutinized Maura, as if she were confused by something that Maura had just revealed. "How'd you end up on a cruise ship out of Boston?"
"I was visiting my parents. I do that once in a while. I put aside two weeks and they gave me this cruise trip for the second week as a belated birthday gift. Because, of course, we weren't able to be together for my birthday earlier in the year," Maura explained, hoping her new friend wouldn't find her pathetic or lonely. Because as much as she struggled to read people, she knew the pitying look all too well.
"Cool," Jane said. "Sounds like your parents are pretty generous."
"I suppose," Maura said. "Though sometimes I think perhaps their generosity is borne out of some misguided attempt to buy my affection or make up for the emotional distance created in my childhood."
"Um, oh, that's, um, still generous, I guess," Jane said, looking at Maura then back at her glass then squinting back at Maura as if trying to figure out how to react to Maura's explanation.
Maura had gone and done it yet again. She had spouted off way too much information for what she understood now should have been a superficial conversation about their shared vacation. She'd seen that confusion, that puzzled look way too often to not recognize it immediately.
"Yes, but enough about me," Maura said. She figured if she could get her new friend talking, she would have less a chance of scaring Jane away with her habit of oversharing. "Where are you from, Jane?"
"Born and raised in Boston," Jane said. "Honestly, I can't really see myself living anywhere else."
"I must say that's very admirable, that you would be so devoted to your city," Maura said. She very nearly launched into a monologue on the merits of lifelong city residents showing pride in their community, but caught herself. "I never seemed able to find those kinds of roots anywhere."
"You're not really missing out all that much," Jane said, reaching out to casually pat Maura's hand.
Maura must have been exhibiting some subconscious signs of anxiety or disappointment in her inability to find her roots for Jane to do that. Jane's hand stayed resting there, and Maura instinctively took hold of it. That was when she noticed Jane's unusual looking scar. It appeared to be almost completely healed, but remained visible and it was clear that the wound was very deep.
Maura looked more closely at the scar, then looked up at Jane, who looked distinctly uncomfortable, even as she did not pull her hand away.
"This injury must have been quite painful. I've never seen a wound quite like it," Maura said, as much to herself as to Jane.
"Nope, it was a walk in the park," Jane said, gently pulling it away and smiling at Maura as she opened and closed her hand with ease. "See, I'm good as new."
"That's excellent. After sustaining an injury like that, one generally feels long term effects on dexterity," Maura said. She looked down at her glass to see that in was empty with the exception of a few bits of crushed ice. "You appear to be one of the lucky ones."
"Yeah, I think I am," Jane said.
She put her hands in her lap, and looked down then back up at Maura. Jane was proving to be quite a difficult read for Maura. She did not seem to have an introverted personality type, but she was showing signs of shyness. Maura noticed a blush ting Jane's cheeks. But then she came out with the confident smile generally more characteristic of an extrovert.
Still smiling and looking at Maura, Jane rested her elbow on the bar. Her posture appeared to indicate interest even though nothing was being said. Maura could only conclude that Jane's body language was communicating heightened sexual interest.
Maura licked her lips and ran a finger slowly around the rim of her glass and looked up at Jane. After a moment in which Maura very nearly propositioned Jane right then and there, Jane spoke.
"Hey, what do you say we have another drink? On me this time."
Maura agreed to another drink only because Jane's offer appeared to be her attempt to show that she was still interested in a possible sexual encounter. Had she rejected Jane's proffered drink, Jane might perceive that as a rejection of the potential encounter.
Jane ordered them each another drink, some mixture that Maura could honestly say she had never heard of. Jane insisted on going to the end of the bar to order the drinks where the bartender was seated because she wanted to surprise Maura. She returned with two shot glasses filled to the brim and topped with a bit of whipped cream.
"Here you are, Doctor," Jane said, placing the glass down ceremoniously in front of Maura.
Maura held the glass delicately between her recently manicured fingers and examined it.
"What is it?" Maura asked.
"First of all, you need to put it down," Jane said, taking it from Maura and placing it back on the bar. "It's a combination of Kahlua, Baileys and some schnapps."
"But what is the mixture called?" Maura insisted. Even if she found her new friend exceedingly attractive, she was not going to drink something until she knew exactly what it was that she was drinking.
"You really want to know?" Jane asked.
"I would not have asked if I did not want to know," Maura said. She never did understand why people asked that question after someone clearly indicated interest in knowing the answer.
"I just don't want to offend the doctor's delicate sensibilities," Jane said teasingly.
"My family's wealth and my education has done nothing to make my sensibilities delicate," Maura said. Having detected the teasing tone in Jane's comment, she decided to turn it around on Jane. "On the contrary, I have seen and heard things that you daren't even imagine."
"Really, now?" Jane said, raising her eyebrows as if she didn't believe Maura's claim. "You won't mind if it's called a blow job, then?"
Although taken aback for a moment by the unexpected sexual reference, Maura recovered quite quickly. She was more confused by the fact that one woman would try to seduce another by offering up a drink associated with the male anatomy.
"Not at all. There is nothing to be embarrassed about in referring to a particularly common sexual act," Maura said. "Now tell me how it is that I'm supposed to drink this blow job of yours."
"Watch and learn," Jane said, grinning confidently. Maura did not know Jane well enough to tell if her confidence and enthusiasm came from the two drinks she had consumed or were merely a part of the woman's personality.
Jane stood facing the bar, tossed all her hair over her right shoulder and held her wrist behind her back. She took a breath, bent over the bar, took the shot in her mouth and finished off the whole thing with impressive grace and dexterity.
"Your turn," Jane said, gesturing to the drink in front of Maura.
Maura eyed the shot glass hesitantly. She rarely took shots, though this drink was not made up of the hardest alcohol and used entirely non-alcoholic whipped cream. Then there existed the prospect that she may or may not make a complete and utter fool of herself. Jane gave Maura an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Well, it was vacation after all, as good a time to try new things if there was any.
Maura assumed the same position that Jane had, and all was going well until the point when she actually had to swallow the drink. The impractically and essentially useless whipped cream made swallowing the actual concoction very difficult. Maura succeeded in drinking about half of the shot before the glass slipped from her lips and spilled all over the bar.
Her friend tried and failed to keep herself from laughing. Maura felt herself blush profusely as she bent down to pick up the glass. Maura thought that she really ought to mind the fact that she had just made a fool of herself and this Jane person was finding great amusement in it. Instead, she found herself laughing too. That woman's throaty laugh was likely the most infectious (in a purely metaphorical way), sexy thing she had experienced in a good deal of time. Then again, that wasn't saying a lot, since her life had been particularly lacking anything that fell in the sexy category. Still, Maura had to admit that the laugh was wonderful.
"Well, you tried," the woman said as she patted Maura on the shoulder.
As her laughter subsided, Maura noticed Jane's eye drift down to Maura's lips. Then Jane's hand came up and Maura thought for a split second that she was going to get another kiss. No, Jane just grinned and wiped a bit of whipped cream off of Maura's cheek.
Then Jane licked the whipped cream off of her own finger. Maura was willing to leave open the possibility that the act had been an entirely innocent one meant solely to remove the whipped cream from her finger. Yet, given Jane's previous advances, Maura suspected that the woman had had every intention of being as irresistibly flirtatious as she was being at that exact moment.
Even if Maura's suspicion regarding Jane's intention was incorrect, she had to do something. After all, she could not not kiss a gorgeous woman when it was becoming increasingly clear that they had incredible chemistry.
So Maura placed her hand on Jane's cheek, right about where Jane had just put hers. She moved in, hesitated a second to give Jane an opportunity to object. When Jane did not move away and actually, likely subconsciously, tilted her head slightly forward, Maura continued in and kissed the woman. This kiss was not nearly as abrupt and quick as Jane's first awkward kiss. It started slow and tentative, but soon became more heated. By the time tongue was involve, Maura realized that she likely had the full attention of the bartender and any other patron who happened to walk in.
Maura had to step back just so that she could stop herself from kissing Jane.
"Whoa," Jane said, blinking a few times. "I mean, maybe, no we definitely should not have, can't do that in public. I mean, I'm sorry, I can be a little aggressive about, like, everything."
"Why do you keep apologizing for kissing me?" Maura asked, smiling reassuringly and touching Jane's hand, which now rested on the bar. Jane still did not seem convinced that Maura truly did not mind Jane's aggressiveness, so she continued. "Would you like to come to my room? Perhaps that would make you more comfortable."
The woman's eyes widened a bit and she hesitated. Though Maura had a difficult time reading social cues, she understood the implications of her invitation.
"That would be wonderful," Jane said. "Lead the way, Doctor."
A/N-Thoughts on this Maura POV section? You like it?
Reviews are the only compensation that a fanfic writer will ever get, and I must say it's pretty great compensation. You guys 'paid' me so well last week...keep it up! :)