Wow, thank you so much for the insane response on my last chapter! You guys are amazing. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I had my finals and graduation. I graduated!
Here's the next chapter.
Finals are coming closer and closer. There's only a month left before the entire school will be turned into a place of stress, fear and tears of either joy or sadness. Maura is confident about her finals, but Jane definitely isn't. The brunette is terrified she won't make it, and be left alone on this school without Audrey, Frost or Maura. Because her friends are all graduating, the brunette is sure of that.
During lunch, Maura has a realization that these weeks will be the last time they're sitting together like that. Just the four of them, all seniors, sitting in between freshmen and sophomores who'll spend three or four more years on this school. She thinks back of the first time she came here and didn't know anyone, and how she met Jane. Her girlfriend, who made sure she was included in everything and known by everyone.
"... something together? What about a game night on Friday?" the blonde is pulled from her thoughts by the brunette's voice. She looks at her girlfriend, confused. "A what?" she asks, earning a smile from Jane.
"A game night," the brunette responds. "Where you just sit down together, have a drink and play games?"
Maura shrugs. She's never done that with anyone before.
"Okay, I guess," she says, and Jane wraps an arm around her. It's become so natural, but it still makes Maura feel giddy.
"Good," Jane says. "What about you, Frost?"
"Sure," Frost answers. "Are you up for a little competition?" he asks Audrey, who nods. "Duhh."
"We could sit at my place," Jane offers. "I'm sure my Ma won't mind cooking some stuff, and Tommy is staying over at a friend this Friday. I'll set Frankie up with a movie in my parent's room."
They all laugh. "Sounds like a plan," Audrey says, picking up her lunch tray. "So, this Friday around eight at Jane's place?"
Everyone agrees just when the bell rings, and they all get up to go to class.
..
..
Maura is sitting in her library, going through a couple of books she might need for Medical School. Her phone pings, and she takes it from the table to be able to read her text.
From: Barry Frost
To: Maura Isles
Message (5:32PM): Hey Maura, we're playing basketball at the court tonight. Do you want to come? Jane will be there too :)
Somehow, tears well up in the blonde's eyes. She smiles and the feeling of happiness is suddenly very overwhelming. She still needs to get used to the fact that people actually like having her around, and want to invite her to things. She quickly dries her eyes before typing her response.
To: Barry Frost
From: Maura Isles
Message (5:34PM): I would love to, Barry. When should I be there?
It only takes a couple of seconds for him to respond.
To: Maura Isles
From: Barry Frost
Message (5:34PM): The match starts at nine, but Jane and I will probably be there around eight. Just to do some warm-ups, nothing special. Don't worry about the time, it's okay to arrive later! :)
Maura smiles and puts her phone back on the table, already excited for tonight. She debates whether she should take her car or just walk, because the court is at least a twenty-minute walk from her place. She decides to walk anyway and stay over at Jane's place. She knows she's always welcome, and she has some clothes and pajamas over there as well.
Before she knows it, it's eight o'clock, and she starts getting ready. She's been wearing a skirt all day, but decides to change into a simple pair of black jeans and a yellow top. She puts her hair up in a bun and reapplies her mascara before grabbing her phone, her keys and her school bag and starts to walk towards the park.
Nearly half an hour later (she took the long way, because she was early as always), Maura walks through the gates of the park, and she can already hear her girlfriend's voice above everyone else's. The brunette is already on the court with Frost and a couple of other guys Maura doesn't know by name, although she has seen their faces before. She walks towards the court while Jane is still unaware of her.
"I swear, Frost. Maura plays better than you," Jane yells, passing the ball to one of her teammates.
The blonde smiles, standing still on the grass. "I'm not sure whether that's an insult or a compliment," she says loudly, making sure Jane can hear her. The brunette turns around, surprised. "Hey Maur!" She takes off running, and Maura prepares herself for what's about to happen.
The brunette slows down just enough to grab Maura's hips before lifting her up and spinning her around in the air.
"Jane!" Maura shrieks, surprised. Her girlfriend laughs, but doesn't put her down just yet. After another full spin, the brunette gently lowers Maura down before pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.
"You're sweaty," the blonde complains when she pulls back, wiping her mouth with her hand.
Jane laughs and places her hands back on Maura's hips. "Yeah, no shit. I've been running around for an hour. What are you doing here?"
The blonde smiles as well before placing a kiss on Jane's cheek. "Frost texted me. If I wanted to watch you play," she says, "couldn't pass an opportunity like that."
Jane looks at her affectionately before one of the guys yells at her to come back so they can finish the game. "Go," Maura whispers. "I love you."
The brunette's hands leave her hips and she turns around, sprinting back onto the court. "Make sure you see my winning point!" she yells at Maura, loud enough for Frost to hear. He immediately counters "No way!", making Maura laugh. She loves evenings like this, where the sun is setting and it feels a little chilly, but not cold just yet. Evenings where she can see her girlfriend play a sport she knows nothing about, but still loves it.
The blonde sits down on a block of concrete next to the court, and she's glad she chose to wear jeans. A skirt or a dress definitely wouldn't have survived this. She watches as her girlfriend gracefully dribbles around Frost and makes a shot, but misses. "Fuck!"
Normally, Maura would correct Jane's language, but she lets it go for now. She smiles watching them all play, fighting for every point.
When they've reached game point, Frost's team has just won possession of the ball and everyone is running back to their original position. A tall guy from Jane's team manages to keep Frost from scoring and passes the ball to Jane, who takes off running for a fast break. A tall, strong-looking guy catches up with her and elbows her in the ribs just when she makes a jump shot, causing her to lose her balance in the air. The blonde holds her breath, but her girlfriend somehow manages to score and not land on the concrete face-first. Jane's arm scratches over the ground, but she's back on her feet within seconds.
Her team erupts in cheers, and she's sure she even heard Maura yell "Go Jane!" from where she's sitting on the side of the court.
Jane makes eye contact with the guy who just elbowed her, giving him a deadly look. "Fucker, you don't need to break my ribs," she growls, giving the guy a shove.
"Jane," Frost starts warningly, making the brunette turn around. "What? He hit me," she says, on the brink of annoyance.
"That doesn't mean you need to do it back," he says, and the taller boy has already made his way back to his friends, clearly not in for a fight after he lost. "Congrats, Jay," Frost gives her a high-five before pointing in Maura's direction. "Go see her."
The brunette smiles, loving the fact that he knows her so well. She jogs over to her girlfriend, already seeing the question in Maura's eyes.
"Yes," Jane says, and before Maura can say anything she places a kiss on her lips, hands coming up to rest on the back of her neck. They stay like that for a while, exchanging kisses, lost in their own world.
"Hey, girls! Are you done making out?" one of the guys yells at them. "Jane, we're playing Airball. You're gonna join?"
Maura frowns, obviously not familiar with the game. Jane shushes her before she can say anything, and turns around towards the boys.
"Nah guys, I think I'll pass for tonight. Gotta take her home and then walk home myself, my Ma is gonna kill me if I'm not home before twelve."
"But," the blonde starts, because she thought they agreed on her staying over at Jane's tonight, but the brunette shushes her again. "I know," Jane whispers before waving the boys goodbye.
They make their way off the court and through the gates of the park, back onto the street. The blonde grabs her girlfriend's hand, images of Jane beating those other guys still playing over and over in her mind.
"I love you," Maura says, looking up at Jane, who smiles.
"I love you too, Maur. Why are you- Hey," the brunette stops dead and turns around, her eyes following a man that just crossed the street and is now walking on the sidewalk across them.
"What is it?" Maura says, looking at her girlfriend.
"He looked like my dad," Jane says, voice quivering just the tiniest bit. "It can't be him... right?"
Her eyes meet Maura's and they're wide open, worry shining through.
"Do you know where he went after your mother told him to leave?" the blonde asks.
Jane pulls her hair tie from her hair before running her hand through dark blonde curls. "I'm not sure," she says, "I don't even know if he ever left Boston at all."
The blonde is silent, not sure what to say.
"It's been so long," Jane starts, but stops herself immediately after she started her sentence. "Whatever, Maur. Let's just go home."
Surprised hazel eyes meet brown ones and Jane shakes her head, because she knows Maura wants to do something now. Anything.
"Please, Maura," Jane insists, fighting against all the emotions in her chest.
"Okay, baby. Okay," the blonde complies.
She grabs Jane's hand again, distracting her and leading her away from the spot they're still standing in.
"We're going home."
..
..
Jane doesn't say anything about incident when her mother welcomes them inside.
"Did you girls have fun? I have something for you to eat, if you-"
"Ma, no. It's almost midnight and we have school tomorrow. I'm going to shower and we're going to go to bed," Jane says, cutting her mother off.
Maura doesn't know how to handle this situation, so she just keeps quiet, even when Angela looks at her questioningly, wondering what's wrong.
"Okay. You know you can come to me if something's going on, right? Is something wrong?" Jane's mother tries one more time.
Jane simply shakes her head before turning away and walking upstairs. Maura simply shrugs at Angela before following her girlfriend up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Jane-" she starts, and immediately holds up her hand when Jane starts to protest. "No, let me finish. I know you don't want to talk and I won't make you. You know you can talk to me whenever you want. But don't you dare touch a bottle of alcohol before you've come to me."
The brunette is silent, thinking back of the conversation they had earlier. She doesn't know what to answer, because she knows Maura is right. But she won't admit that, so she simply nods before opening her closet and looking for her sweater to sleep in. Her ribs sting, and she has trouble suppressing a cry when she bends down to grab her sweater.
Maura sits on the bed, watching her girlfriend's movement with a frown. "Your ribs hurt, don't they?" she asks, stating the obvious.
Jane turns around to face her and sighs, immediately wincing because the movement was too quick. "That dude just couldn't handle losing from a girl," she says, voice a little hoarse.
The blonde gets up from her spot on the bed and approaches her girlfriend, carefully putting her hands on Jane's ribs through her shirt. "Can I take a look?"
"Yeah," the brunette replies, lifting her shirt up just so Maura can see her sports bra.
A rush of arousal immediately flows through Maura's body, but she wills herself to focus on the already forming bruise on her girlfriend's ribs. She gently traces the outlines of Jane's ribs, leaving a trail of goosebumps on the brunette's skin. When Maura presses on a slightly sensitive part, the brunette winces, but doesn't say anything.
"They're not broken, but I'm sure this will turn into a pretty big bruise," Maura says after a while. "You could lessen the pain by getting some painkillers, but there's nothing I can do for you now."
The blonde gets up, looking into her girlfriend's eyes. Jane's gaze is still troubled, but it's a little bit clearer than five minutes ago.
The brunette's pupils have dilated and she runs a finger over Maura's cheek, down her neck and her side until she can fully rest her hand on her girlfriend's hip. "Maur," Jane whispers and she pulls the blonde flush against her, making her gasp in surprise. Maura wraps her arms around Jane's skinny frame, burying her nose in Jane's neck, not caring that the brunette is still a little sweaty.
Jane reaches down to kiss her girlfriend's neck, gently kissing her way up until Maura lifts her head and kisses her.
The kiss isn't a simple 'hello' or 'how are you', this is a serious one, and Jane makes her intentions known by running her hands over Maura's body. The blonde gasps when Jane pulls her impossibly closer, asserting her dominance for tonight. When Jane's hands make their way under Maura's shirt, the blonde steps back, preventing her girlfriend from continuing.
"Jay," Maura says. "You're hurting. And I don't just mean your ribs, I mean mentally as well. Your father is on your mind, and I don't want to be a solution to not think about him right now."
Jane is silent, breathing heavily. She steps closer to the blonde again, putting her hand on the back of Maura's neck to pull her closer.
"But Maur," Jane counters, a sweet innocence in her voice, "I know you want this." She presses a kiss to the blonde's pulse point, and Maura can't help but close her eyes. It feels so good to have her girlfriend this close to her, be held by her, and she wants to make this moment last forever. But she also doesn't want Jane to use this as an outlet for her emotions.
Maura pulls back and stops Jane once more, studying her expression.
"I love you, Jay," she says, linking their hands together at her hips and holding them there. "And I know you don't want to talk. I won't make you. But for now, you're going to take a shower and we're going to lay in bed and cuddle. Just that. I won't love you any less, and you know that this is the best thing to do right now."
She sees Jane's lips move over the words 'I won't love you any less' before the brunette leans in to place a short kiss on Maura's lips and pulling away right after.
"Okay," she replies, not even a hint of annoyance or stubbornness in her voice. "I love you too, Maur."
..
..
When they're finally in bed, Jane doesn't curl herself around Maura like she used to, and the blonde immediately misses the warmth of her girlfriend's body wrapped around her. She's not used to sleeping alone anymore, simply because they sleep together more often than they sleep apart.
But the blonde is exhausted, and it doesn't take long before her eyelids fall closed and she must fight against her sleep. She doesn't want to fall asleep before knowing that Jane has, because she wants the brunette to be okay. So she mentally shakes herself, trying to stay awake just a little bit longer.
She focuses on her girlfriend's breathing and notices that it's getting more irregular. This doesn't make sense, because if the brunette was falling asleep, it would even out. Maura is just about to ask if everything's okay when a soft voice sounds.
"I'm asking, Maura."
It has been over a week since Maura said these words to Jane, but she knows exactly what the brunette is asking. Rolling over, she moves her arms in the direction of where her girlfriend's body should be.
Although it's completely dark in Jane's room, Maura can easily imagine her girlfriend's expression. She has known her long enough that she doesn't need daylight for that. Rolling over, she wraps her arms around the brunette and softly tangles her fingers in brown curls, combing them with her fingers.
"It's okay," she whispers against a soft cheek, and places a kiss on that same spot. It's a little wet, telling the blonde that her girlfriend is crying.
"Tell me again," Jane mumbles.
Maura needs a second to figure out what her girlfriend means, but it doesn't take her long.
"You're nothing like him at all," she says, pulling Jane closer into her. "Nothing."
"I love you so much, Maur," the brunette says, barely audible. She is entirely curled into Maura's embrace, her long limbs folded in to make it fit. The blonde's hand makes its way under Jane's sweater, just to feel the brunette's skin on hers. She gently strokes her girlfriend's back while her other hand is still in Jane's hair.
"Go to sleep, baby. I'm here," Maura whispers, kissing the top of Jane's head. "I'll always be here."
Now, safe in Maura's arms and together at last, it doesn't take long for the brunette to fall asleep at all.
But the blonde doesn't sleep for hours, worrying about the things that might happen if Jane's father is indeed right here, in Boston. If he decides to come back.
She finds there are few scenario's with a good outcome.
..
..
It's Friday evening. Frost, Audrey, Maura and Jane are sitting in the Rizzoli's living room, surrounded by Coke bottles and bowls of popcorn.
"For those of you who don't know how this game works," the brunette is standing in the middle of the living room, trying to explain the game they're about to play, "we'll have two teams. Frost and Audrey versus me and Maura."
"Maura and I," the blonde can't help but correct. Jane simply rolls her eyes.
"Maura and I," she repeats. "One of the two wears a headphone with really loud music playing, the other one will read a sentence which needs to be guessed through lip reading. The music is too loud to hear the other person talk, so you really need to read their lips. For example, I wear the headphones, Maura reads a sentence from one of these cards, and I need to read her lips and guess correctly what she's saying. Everyone gets it?"
The blonde nods, still doubtful, but Audrey and Frost seem to understand.
"Who wants to start?"
"We'll go first," Audrey offers, taking the headphones from Jane. Frost takes a card from the box, shielding it from Audrey until she has the headphones on. Jane sits down on the couch, next to Maura. "Don't worry, you'll get it," the brunette says, and leans her arm on the blonde's shoulders.
"Ready?" Frost says, making eye contact with Audrey. "Are you talking?" Audrey says loudly. "Shit." She looks over at Jane and Maura, who are already laughing. "You're yelling," Jane mouths, trying not to burst out in laughter again.
"Am I yelling?" Audrey repeats quietly, pointing at herself. Jane nods. "I'm sorry," she says, laughing. "Okay, go."
Frost starts reading, being more quiet than usual in case Audrey can hear something through the music.
"What is," he starts, and Audrey immediately repeats it correctly, "your favorite book of all time." Audrey raises her eyebrows. "Your latest ... whatever," she goes. "Say it again."
"What is your favorite book of all time," he repeats. Audrey looks at him silently, thinking. "What is your favorite book for all? That's not a sentence, that's a question."
Everyone laughs, and Frost says "Just go with it."
Audrey somehow does understand this, and answers the question before taking the headphones off. "You can't hear shit with that thing on! Good luck, Jane."
The brunette takes the headphones from Audrey and puts them on her head. "I'm ready," she says, making eye contact with Maura.
The blonde takes a card from the box and reads it before she frowns. "What does this mean?" she looks at Frost, who reads the card for her.
"It's pretty random in comparison to the question we just had, but this is from a movie. Do you know the Hunger Games?" he asks.
"Guys, come on!" Jane interrupts them. "This music is making me deaf."
Maura laughs before focusing on her girlfriend again. "Okay," she pauses for a second to let Jane know she's starting. "May the odds be ever in your favor."
When the blonde finishes, she notices that Jane has only looked at her eyes instead of her lips. "Jane, you're supposed to look at my lips! What are you doing?"
"Huh?" Jane frowns, confused. Maura points at her lips with her finger to make things clearer. "Look at my lips."
Jane laughs, finally understanding what her girlfriend means. "Yeah, okay. Let's try this again."
"So," the blonde sits back, "May the odds be ever- Jane! You're doing it again!" Maura laughs out loud this time, joined by Frost and Audrey.
The brunette takes off the headphones again, laughing along with them. She pulls her girlfriend closer, placing a quick kiss on her lips. "But your eyes are so distracting," she says, face full of adoration. "I love you."
"Please don't flirt in front of me," Frost interrupts them, pretending to be disgusted. "How about you get a room?"
"How about you shut up? You're in my house," Jane counters. "I'll throw you out if you want."
"Nah, thanks," he replies, taking a sip from his Coke.
They continue the game with lots of laughter, until eventually everyone is tired of it and they end up talking about random stuff.
"Hey guys, do you realize that this is one of the last times we'll be sitting together like this while we're all still in high school?" Frost's comment makes everyone fall silent for a second, and they all look at each other.
"Wow," Audrey is the first to speak. "That's something."
"Yeah," Jane joins in. "How many weeks left?"
"Six until finals?" Frost says. "Six weeks of actual classes, then we have one week off before finals start. So seven weeks."
Maura is silent, not sure what to say. What happens after this? What if Jane gets accepted into the academy, and she gets accepted into BU, and they grow apart?
The brunette notices that her girlfriend is unusually quiet. She gives the blonde a little nudge, getting her attention. "You okay?" she asks under her breath, not loud enough for Frost and Audrey to hear. The blonde nods, but the brunette gives her a knowing look. "Later," she says, slipping her hand into Jane's.
"Hey, people," Frost starts, "It's nearly midnight. I think I'm gonna go home. I have to get up at eight tomorrow."
"Oh, me too!" Maura says, suddenly realizing that she agreed to extra classes tomorrow. "Thanks for reminding me."
"Nooo," Jane complains. "Eight in the morning? This Saturday is my only day off!"
"Then I should stay at my own house, I guess," Maura teases, getting up from her spot on the couch.
"Nooo," Jane repeats. "Stay."
Audrey smiles, getting up too. "Do you need help cleaning up?"
"No, I'll help Jane clean up," Maura offers. "I'm staying over anyway." Smiling, she grips Jane's hand even more tightly before pulling her up from the couch with a groan. "You're heavier than you look, Jane Rizzoli."
"Tell me about it!" Audrey says, "I once carried her all the way over the field to the changing rooms when she broke her ankle during football practice."
"You broke your ankle?" Maura questions, looking at her girlfriend. "You haven't told me about that."
"It's not like I go around saying it to everyone I meet, Maura," Jane says. "But I'll save you the story for another day."
They all laugh, and although Maura told them not to, everyone helps to clean up the living room. Jane's mother has already gone to bed, and Jane's sure Frankie is asleep as well, so she tells them to be quiet. Within ten minutes, everything is clean and back where it belongs, and Frost and Audrey make their way to the front door.
"I'll see you on Sunday," Audrey says to Jane, "See you on Monday, Maura."
Jane bumps fists with Frost and gives Audrey a short hug before letting them out, and Maura waves at them when they make their way onto the street.
The blonde wraps her arms around Jane from behind, making her girlfriend unable to move. They stand like that for a while, long after Audrey and Frost are out of sight.
"I love you so much, Jane. You have no idea," Maura says. "I wish we could stay this young forever."
Maura doesn't even have to see her girlfriend's face to know that Jane is smiling.
"I don't mind growing up," Jane says quietly. "As long as our love stays the same."
The blonde smiles too, linking their fingers together.
"Yeah, I'm okay with that."
I swear the updates will be more frequent again. Thanks for sticking with me.
Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you all.