Sorry folks, I meant to have this up before I went away this weekend, but obviously it didn't happen. Thanks to all of you who are reading this, your comments are wonderful and I'm glad you are enjoying it. I should have another chapter or two up on Wednesday.
Maura's alarm went off, jarring her into awareness. Not wanting to open her eyes just yet, she reached her arm out blindly and fumbled around until she succeeded in shutting the offending noise off. The longer she kept her eyes shut, the longer she was able to avoid seeing the empty side of the bed where Jane slept.
Three weeks. Twenty-one days. She had heard from Jane twice, most recently about ten days ago. With each day that passed, Maura found herself fighting several emotions, usually switching between anger, sadness, loneliness, and fear. But the worst part about not having Jane around was the silence. Every day when Maura came home, she was greeted by total silence. Even as she lay in her bed, where she would usually hear the gentle sounds of Jane's even breathing, she was now met with unsettling quiet. Maura thought she would eventually get used to it, but after three weeks it was still very strange. It made her realize how much had changed in the past three years, because before Jane came into her life, she was frequently alone. Now, it was almost too much to bear.
Maura finally opened her eyes, and out of habit they moved to the empty area beside her. Not wanting to dwell on it longer than she needed to, she immediately pulled the covers aside and got up to begin her day. Following her daily routine was the only way she had been able to cope with Jane being gone. Having order and structure in her life had allowed her to feel like she had some control over a situation in which she had no control.
Today was her day off, but she knew she wanted to stay busy. It was early, but Maura was determined to fill her day so that she would have less time to worry about Jane. As she started to prepare coffee there was a quiet knock on the door. Maura paused, her hand holding a measuring spoon full of Jane's favorite blend of coffee, ready to deposit it into the coffee machine. Curious as to who would be knocking on her door so early in the morning, Maura quickly finished measuring out the coffee and headed to the door, brushing off her hands on her robe as she did. As she peered through the peephole, she was pleasantly surprised to find Frankie standing outside in his uniform.
Jane's family had been wonderful so far. Angela had called Maura almost every day to check in, and had invited Maura over once a week for a home-cooked meal. Frankie had also been a constant presence, driving by her house several times during his shifts when he could, and occasionally stopping in for a cup of coffee and to chat. Maura had been extremely thankful that she married someone with a family who cared about her, and had especially been grateful for their company over the past few weeks.
After making sure her robe was tightly closed, Maura slid over the deadbolt and opened the door.
"Hey Maura. I didn't wake you, right?" Frankie pulled her in for a quick hug. "I was just getting off my shift and wanted to check on you before I headed home."
Maura smiled as Frankie released her. "No, you didn't wake me. I just started some coffee. Can I interest you in a cup?"
"That'd be great." Frankie followed Maura into the house, immediately pulling off his uniform cap as he stepped into the kitchen. As they waited for the coffee to finish, Frankie sat on one of the stools at the counter, while Maura occupied herself by pulling out mugs, then cream and sugar for the coffee.
"How was your shift?" Maura asked.
"It was fine." Frankie replied. "Pretty quiet actually. Which was a nice change from the nightmare shift I had a couple days ago."
"Yes, Angela was telling me about that when I saw her yesterday. I can't believe that your suspect managed to evade six officers. Did they ever catch him?" Maura began to pour the steaming coffee into mugs, sliding one towards Frankie who accepted it with a grateful smile.
"Yeah, I guess they finally found the guy hiding out in Dorchester. At some crack house or something. Big surprise…" Frankie rolled his eyes as he spooned some sugar into his coffee and stirred.
They sipped their coffee in silence for a few moments, before Frankie finally looked up from his coffee.
"Have you heard from Jane at all?"
Maura sighed and shook her head. "Not since last Wednesday." She took another sip of the steaming liquid then placed her mug on the granite counter. "I'm hoping to hear from her in the next day or two."
Frankie moved his mug towards his mouth, but paused halfway, looking like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure if he should. Finally, he placed the mug down and looked at Maura.
"I saw her last night." He admitted. "I was on patrol and I saw her with a few guys outside a dive bar."
Maura straightened up, wanting to know as many details as possible. "How did she look? Did you get to talk to her?"
He shook his head. "I didn't want to compromise her cover. She looked good though. Tired, but good. I just managed to catch a glimpse of her as I drove by."
Maura nodded slowly, glad to know that Jane was alive and well. But knowing that Frankie had seen Jane made her a little jealous. Oh, what she would give to see her wife, if only for a few seconds.
Frankie finished the last of his coffee and slid off the stool. "I wish I could tell you more Maura. I know this has been brutal for you." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hang in there, okay? I gotta head out, but thanks for the coffee."
Maura gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for stopping by Frankie. And thanks for watching out for me these past few weeks. I really appreciate it."
Frankie grinned, and Maura's heart ached at the grin that was so much like Jane's.
"It's the least I can do Maura. You're family. We gotta stick together, right?" He replaced his uniform cap on his head and opened the door. "Thanks again for the coffee. You'll let us know if you hear from Janie, right?"
"You know I will Frankie. Take care and say hello to Angela."
With a nod and a little wave, Frankie let himself out, and Maura was once again left alone in the house. She finished her coffee, washed out both mugs, and made her way upstairs to take a relaxing bath.
Just as Maura was exiting the bathroom, toweling off her wet hair as she did, her phone rang. Her heart jumped at the thought that it might be Jane calling, so she hurried over to her nightstand to pick up the phone. She was disappointed to see it wasn't Jane calling, but still picked up the call.
"This is Dr. Isles-Rizzoli."
"Hi Dr. Isles-Rizzoli, this is Maureen from the Department of Social Services."
Maureen had been the social worker who had arranged for them to take in Leah, and Maura was a bit surprised to be hearing from again so soon.
"Hello Maureen, how are you?"
"I'm well, thanks. Listen Dr. Isles-Rizzoli, I have a child that I am looking to place in foster care and I was wondering if you and your wife would be willing to foster him. You were so good with Leah that I called you first when I found out about this little guy."
Maura took in a sharp breath. She hadn't anticipated another foster child. Since she and Jane had talked about having children of their own, the idea had slipped her mind. And now that Jane was out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Maura was really confused about how to proceed. On one hand, even with Jane gone at the current time, Maura still had the time and resources to be able to care for a child. And having someone to care for would be a welcome distraction in Jane's absence. But she wondered what Jane would think if she went ahead and agreed to take in another child without talking to her first.
"Dr. Isles-Rizzoli? Are you still there?"
"I'm sorry Maureen, I was just thinking." With another short pause she made her decision, hoping that it wouldn't come back to haunt her. "Yes, I-we can take the child."
"That is fantastic news. I just have some details and paperwork to finalize, and I will need to have you come in to pick him up and to sign some documents. I'll give you a call back later this morning and we can find a time to have you come in."
"That will be fine. I look forward to hearing from you later Maureen."
Maura disconnected the call, and placed her phone down on the bed. Several moments passed before it dawned on her that she was going to have to explain this to Jane. If she ever heard from Jane, that is.
As if on cue, Maura's phone rang again, and her heart started to beat faster when she saw the name on the caller ID. Scrambling to pick it up, she nearly dropped the phone in the process. She eventually pressed the "accept" button and got the phone up to her ear.
"Jane?" Maura's voice came out a little frantic.
"Maura. You don't know how good it is to hear your voice."
Maura breathed a sigh of relief. "I could say the same thing Jane. I miss you so much."
Jane was quiet on the other end for a few seconds, and Maura could hear her exhale a long breath. "I miss you too Maur. Listen, I don't have much time, but can you meet me tonight?" Her voice sounded desperate.
"Yes, of course. Is everything okay Jane?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. I just need to see you. I booked a hotel room for the night, and figured we can meet up there and it won't blow my cover. We'll have to be discrete of course, but I really want to see you."
Maura contemplated telling Jane about the foster child, but something told her this was not the time.
"Can you meet me at the Boston Yacht Haven hotel at 8pm? I booked it under Rizzoli so just go to the desk and they will let you know which room I'm in."
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the background and Maura could hear Jane swear under her breath. When she spoke again, Jane's voice was quiet and tense.
"I have to go Maur. I'll see you tonight."
"I can't wait Jane. I'll see you tonight. Be safe."
"I will. Love you." Jane's reply was clipped and before Maura could return the sentiment, she had disconnected the call.
Maura's heart was racing as she placed the phone on the bed beside her. Not only had she heard from Jane, but they were also going to meet tonight. So many thoughts were now racing through Maura's head, she wasn't sure what to think. She would have to tell Jane about the foster child, but she didn't want to burden their time together. She decided that they would cross that bridge when they came to it, and began to get dressed. She was going to have to occupy herself for the next several hours, which was no small task now that she knew she was going to see Jane later.
"Welcome to the Boston Yacht Haven hotel. Checking in?"
"I'm actually looking for someone. The reservation is under Rizzoli."
The front-desk employee typed in the name on the keyboard and clicked a few times before looking up at Maura with a smile. "Ms. Rizzoli is staying in the penthouse. You'll need to take the elevator to the third floor."
Maura smiled in thanks and picked up her overnight bag, moving toward the elevator with purpose. She had been waiting for this all day, and now she was just moments away from seeing Jane. She was feeling strangely nervous as she entered the elevator, and her heart was positively pounding in her ears as she exited on the third floor. The penthouse took up the entire floor, and the door was right in front as she stepped into the small hallway from the elevator. No sooner than she had knocked did the door fly open and she found herself in Jane's crushing embrace. Maura dropped her bag as like a hot potato and her arms instantly wrapped around her wife. A few seconds later, Jane's lips were all over her, kissing her desperately wherever skin was exposed.
Maura sighed deeply as Jane's lips finally landed on hers, kissing her hungrily at first, then becoming gentle as she realized Maura wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Several blissful moments later, Jane broke the kiss, her hands moving from Maura's waist to cup her now-flushed cheeks. Jane's thumbs stroked tenderly across Maura's freckled skin, her brown eyes brimming with tears as she was suddenly overcome with emotion after not seeing her wife for three weeks.
"I missed you." Jane kissed her sweetly. "These past few weeks have been the longest weeks of my life." She pulled Maura close once again and leaned her forehead against Maura's shoulder.
Maura was content to hold her wife, breathing in the familiar scent and allowing her body to fit against Jane, marveling at how perfect it felt to be in Jane's arms again. All the stress and anger and tension from the past few weeks had disappeared so quickly. She was trying to quell tears of her own, tears of relief at seeing Jane and knowing that she was okay. The feelings were intense.
"I'm glad you are okay Jane." Maura whispered. "It has been awful to not know where you are and if you are safe." She kissed Jane as her hands tangled in dark curls, savoring the feel of Jane's lips against hers. It had been too long.
When they broke apart, Jane took Maura's hand and led her to the bed and motioning for her to sit down. As soon as Maura was seated, Jane had pulled her shirt off and was working on the button of her jeans. Just as she was about to pull down her zipper, she bent and whispered in Maura's ear, sending shivers down Maura's spine.
"I missed you Maur. I want to talk, but right now, I need you." She ran her lips across Maura's neck before kissing her exposed collarbone. "And I swear, I didn't have you meet me here just because I was horny." Jane pulled down the zipper on her jeans and wiggled out of them.
Maura stood up, her hands moving immediately to the clasp on Jane's bra. As she worked the clasp free she placed her lips over Jane's in a searing kiss. The bra dropped to the floor and Maura pushed Jane down onto the bed, pulling her own shirt off before straddling Jane.
"Even if you did…I don't care." Maura's hands started to roam across Jane's skin, first settling over Jane's breasts. "I need you too." She breathed, squeezing gently and grinning as Jane started to writhe beneath her.
After a couple rounds of reacquainting themselves with one another, Maura and Jane took pity on their growling stomachs and ordered room service. They slipped on robes and took their food onto the large wraparound balcony that was on three sides of the penthouse. It was late enough so that the heat from the day had long disappeared, and the sea breeze blowing gently over Boston Harbor made the temperature perfect. As they ate, both women couldn't help but steal glimpses of each other, while also looking out at Boston Harbor and watching boats come and go, even at the late hour. Maura had been watching a plane land at Logan Airport when she turned back to her salad only to find Jane staring at her intently.
Maura smiled and took a bite of her salad. "What?" As she chewed she noticed how tired and tense Jane looked, her forehead slightly creased and she had dark circles under her eyes.
Jane grinned, and some of the wrinkles on here forehead eased. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're here." She reached across the small table and covered Maura's hand with her own. Maura couldn't help but notice the empty spot on Jane's finger where her wedding band usually was.
"Me too Jane. It's strange to see you without your wedding ring." She admitted.
Jane looked down at her hand. "It feels weird not to wear it. Every morning I wake up and it's not there and I panic, thinking I lost it." She smiled wistfully. "I hate not being able to wear it." She cleared her throat. "I hate not seeing you every day." Jane looked like she was blinking back tears as she turned her gaze back toward the harbor. "I hate that this is my job."
Maura set down her fork and pushed her plate of unfinished salad back. Placing her napkin on the table she got up and moved to Jane, pausing for a moment before sitting gently across Jane's lap, much like a child would. She rested her head against Jane's chest as Jane's arms wrapped around her waist.
"I hate it too Jane." She murmured. "I hate that you left and now I'm all alone. I hate that Martinez won't tell me what's going on. I hate that I can't talk to you, can't kiss you, can't sleep with you. I hate every second of it Jane." Tears burned in Maura's eyes and she blinked them back.
She felt Jane press a kiss in her hair, and arms tightening around her waist. "I'm sorry I left you all alone. Driving away from you was harder than you can know."
Maura let the sound of Jane's steady heartbeat calm her, twisting her head slightly so she could gaze back out at the water. They were silent for quite some time, enjoying the closeness of one another. Eventually Maura slid off Jane's lap and held out her hand. Jane took hold and followed her wife back to bed where they enjoyed rounds three and four before curling up against one another and drifting off into a blissful sleep.