When the Levee Breaks

A Rizzoli & Isles fanfiction by Ragnaar

Chapter III

A/N: I sincerely apologize for the long ass update! I honestly lost motivation to write despite having so much planned out for the story. I apologize especially to those who were asking for an update *hugs you all tightly*.

Also, I do not have anyone editing my work, so things may or may not make any sense because I have edited this page time and time again on my own.

(And it might take a while for the gears to start turning again so please be patient!)

Thanks again for the feedback and such, it means a lot! xoxo

Jane gave Maura a sideways glance before turning her attention back to the road ahead. "Thanks."

"Whatever for?"

Jane nibbled on her lower lip unsure of how to express her gratitude. It was something she didn't do often, so it was hard to get the words out of her mouth. If not for this woman, she wouldn't have survived the evening, let alone set foot into the very city that drove her away in the first place. It was as if the heavy weight on her shoulders lifted ever so slightly. "You know," she added hesitantly, "for having my back. It's my job to be looking out for you but turns out I had to depend on you. So much for showing you what I'm capable of, huh?" She couldn't help but feel disappointed with herself.

She dared not to look at the blond when silence surrounded them. She was beginning to get anxious. Just as she was sure that she had indeed disappointed the woman, she felt a warm hand on her thigh dispelling all thoughts. "You have been doing a spectacular job thus far and I have no doubts about your skills and capabilities." Jane breathed deeply at the tingling sensation on her thigh spreading to intimate parts of her body. She clenched the steering wheel in hopes of quelling the arousal from the innocent touch. "Tonight especially. Facing your fears is a tough thing to do – and you did it." Maura gently rubbed her thumb against her skin, a gesture meant to reassure but had a completely different effect. Jane knew that touch was a huge part of Maura's way of communicating and it drove her nuts when it shouldn't be. "Once in a while it's okay to depend on others… I have very recently learned that and have come to terms with it."

Finally she chanced a glance at Maura. The way she looked at her told Jane that she meant every word of advice she was giving. "If you put it that way…" She hated to admit it but she was right.

Maura withdrew her hand and rested against her seat once more. She turned to look out the window, shielding her face from Jane's view. "In more ways than one, we're the same. So maybe it's good that we can depend on one another."

Jane couldn't help the small smile tug at the corner of her mouth. You might be right.

After making sure that the lady of the manor was okay to be left alone after dinner, Jane trudged into her dark room and tossed her heels onto the carpet and fell back onto her bed with a soft thump. God, she was tired. Beyond tired, actually. She rolled to her side and gazed through the window and at the night sky. Turning into the person she had been once upon a time drained the life out of her. The thought of going back had terrified her but she had to do it sooner or later right? It would surely be a regular occurrence during her stay here. At least now she knew that she had a shoulder to lean on. It had been difficult to keep up the facade when the monsters of her past clawed their way to the surface. The only reason Jane had made it through the event was because of Maura. Without her, she would have been a mess.

Feeling Maura's touch had soothed her to the point where her demons had receded back into the darkness of her mind. It felt good, but the very thought of having Maura Isles – a world-class violinist and wife of a successful businessman as an anchor of support was equally frightening. She didn't want to have to put all her faith in a woman she wouldn't be seeing after a year's time. Getting attached was the last thing she wanted to do, especially when they moved in completely different circles.

Jane could not understand for the life of her why this woman whom she barely knew, had the power to drive away the darkness all the while provide her with the strength to push forward. She racked her brain, tossing and turning for an hour looking for an answer – but to no avail.

Not wanting to dwell on it much further, she forced herself up, changed out of her dress and into boy shorts and an old Boston PD shirt before washing off the makeup from her face and brushing her teeth. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Maura exited her room at around six-thirty AM feeling oddly fortified. It wasn't the same as the refreshed feeling she had each morning. She was a morning person after all. But this... She couldn't put her finger on the source of elation and pegged it off as having woken up on the right side of the bed. There was a bounce to her step, which Magda noticed as soon as she entered the kitchen while humming a random tune.

"I have not seen you all sunshine and rainbows in a very long time. What's the occasion?" the amusement was evident in her voice.

"You know what Magda, I'm not quite sure of that myself." She took her usual spot at the island and listened to Magda place her meal in front of her.

"Jane won't be joining you?"

"It's the weekend, she can do whatever she likes." She picked up her mug and gingerly drank her coffee, "Something you should be doing as well."

"Oh, pish posh. You know I enjoy what I do." Magda looked fondly at the young woman while she ate and stroked her silken hair.

"And for that, I'm glad." Maura smiled at her before wrapping one arm around Magda's neck for a hug.

As soon as she finished her breakfast, she was kicked out of the kitchen and was on her way to the music room. Just as she passed Jane's door, she paused and listened to the woman's low timbre sing a muffled song through the walls while in the shower. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Not bad, Detective. She shook her head. Right. Jane was no long a detective – but it had a certain… je ne sais quoi. The title was quite befitting. When she heard the shower being shut off, she immediately went on to her destination with a slight blush on her face.

The smell of the music parlor would always be her favorite. No matter how many times she walked into the room filled with her instruments and expensive art, she would never grow tired of it. Not ever. It was her home within her home. It was the only place where she found solace. Picking up the house phone on the desk, she dialed Garrett's number and went out to the balcony. After a few rings, he picked up. "Maura my love."

"How are you, Garrett? I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"It's nine PM on a weekend, I'm still at the office and neck deep in work as per usual. I will always have time for you though." She heard him get up from a chair. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay, surprisingly. Things have been great around here."

"Oh? That's good to hear. I'm happy that you're doing well considering…" He trailed off and Maura knew what he was referring to.

"Yes, the new aide is still here."

"Interesting. How is she, then?"

Maura searched her brain for a correct answer. Her conversation with Garrett flowed easily since they had started, but now that they were on the topic of her new aide, she couldn't find the right words to describe the woman. Her feelings for her were a jumble of things that she couldn't make sense of. She was still very wary of Jane Rizzoli, since she was still a complete stranger but at the same time, she felt that she could trust her with her life. It was all very new to her – trusting someone so very quickly. She knew nothing of Jane and the life she lived previously. She would often wonder what kind of person she was before coming here. From what she had gathered, Jane's past was a very dark one.

Maura hated the unknown. She hated it. It scared her. That was the very reason why she had gotten rid of the other aide's (other than for doing a horrible job). She just couldn't trust them to look out for her. But with Jane, Maura felt a connection. She empathized with her on a deeper level. She knew what she was going through and what it was like to be struggling with deep-seated issues. So maybe her gut instinct about her was spot on. Trusting the woman was the right thing to do. It certainly felt right.

What confused her most of all though, was the physiological response her body had when they made contact. Ever since she had lost her vision, physically touching the person she was talking with assured her that she was indeed talking to another human being, rather than the dark blurred shapes that she saw day to day. When she talked to Jane, her hands gravitated to the woman like a magnet and to places more intimate than usual. It was all very perplexing.

Her mind began to spin and her thoughts spiraled. She took hold of the railing to steady herself.

"Maura?" Garrett's questioning voice broke her train of thought. "Are you okay?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tilted her head skywards. "I-I'm fine." She took a deep cleansing breath. "She has been doing a good job thus far. Magda has already warmed up to her."

"If that old bag likes her then that certainly says something but…" He paused, "…I had really figured she'd be out the door within a few days since she only has experience in law enforcement." He scoffed, "I mean, how can a blue collar worker who runs around, rough-housing, and verbally abusing the scum of the earth know anything about caring for you, my sweet wife?"

Maura's upper lip twitched. Although she had grown used to Garrett's narcissistic attitude towards those who didn't make the same amount of money as they, she felt a surge of anger at his degrading words towards the Jane and Magda. She sighed, "Garrett… I don't want to hear your egotistical views against the very people who keep our streets safe. You know I hate it when you talk like this. And haven't I asked you to stop calling Magda that?"

"I'm sorry you know I don't mean it when I say it. I'm just worried about you is all." Once hearing the aggravation in his wife's voice, he decided to back off the topic. "A damn fine job they're doing, though."

She really didn't want to continue on with conversation anymore. "I have to go now. Call me when you can, all right?"

"Of course I will. But you can call me anytime you want. I miss you." He was disappointed but he knew that he had upset her.

"I miss you too, darling. Good night and sweet dreams."

Once she put down the phone, she sat down on the cushioned chair nearby and closed her eyes. My goodness, she loved Garrett Fairfield, but his tendency to mouth against those he thought to be inferior made her very stressed. Everyone had their flaws and she overlooked his every single time. He meant well, she knew that. But his way of expressing it was a means she wasn't quite fond of.

Despite all that, she also missed him terribly. She missed his warm embrace, his gentle touch, and most of all, his –

Flushing at memory of their most intimate moments, she stood up and made her way to her en suite, discarding her clothes into the hamper by the door before getting into the shower. Just as she was rinsing away the shampoo from her hair, the realization that their last intimate moment was quite a while ago dawned over her. Their lovemaking had dwindled down to a bare minimum. Sex served its basic function to keep their love life afloat.

What she missed most though, above all – if she had to admit to herself – was the love and affection from him. What she and Garrett did was go through the motions during their rare moments of intimacy. Time and time again, she fooled herself into believing that nothing was wrong. That they didn't put up a show in public for the sake of appearances, nor did they sleep on their designated sides of the bed every night. It was either he was very tired from work, or she yearned to be making music again and traveling the world performing, that the thoughts consumed her whole and that was all she could think about. Sex was constantly out of the picture. And perhaps that is what drove Garrett to accept the transfer to New Zealand.

After changing into a simple sundress, Maura tried to fix her soured mood by playing a setlist of Henryk Wieniaeski – a true virtuoso of his time – on her stereo system in hopes of finding inspiration to compose again. She moved around the room with light feet, twirling and moving her body to the changing tempos and dynamics. Finally she settled on the piano bench, put on one earphone and set her laptop onto the lacquered finish of the closed fall. She closed her eyes and pictured herself playing each and every note of Wieniaeski's music, she imagined her fingers and bow moving in time with each note, every staccato, and every trill. She put on the other earphone and settled her hands over the keyboard. To her amazement, the inspiration came and she began to type out the notes on the specially made composing software with swift hands.

Once she started, she did not stop, constantly rewriting and starting anew until she had close to – as dictated by the electronic voice – four pages of digital manuscript filled with notes. Sweat dripped from her brow and her hands shook from exertion. Her heart was racing and her body was on fire. She felt exhilarated. It had been such a long time since she felt this rush when writing music. She felt on top of the world.

There was a loud knock on the door just as Wieniaeski's concerto reached a climactic crescendo, causing Maura to jump from her seat.

The blaring classical music ceased and Jane sighed in relief. She had been knocking earlier but received no answer, so she had opted to using much more force. "Come in," came the breathless voice. Jane expertly opened the door with her elbow while balancing the tray of food in her hands. She was thankful that the handles were long. It made the task so much easier.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you but Magda told me to bring you some food." She added lightheartedly, "Please eat it, she's going to tear me a new one of I fail." Jane set the food onto the coffee table in front of the chesterfield sofa. Her mouth went raw at the state the blond was in. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't slightly aroused at the sight before her. Locks of blond clung to her dampened face, the pale skin of her neck and face were tinted with a soft blush, and her moist lips were parted, chest visibly rising and falling as she breathed heavily. If that's what she looked like writing music, she wondered what her just-been-fucked-senseless look would be like. Images of having the blond writhing beneath her flashed through her mind's eye. Fuck me, urgh.

"I just ate breakfast."

Jane furrowed her brows at the look of genuine confusion on Maura's face. "That was five hours ago."

"What? Really?" Maura wiped the sweat from her brow, her blush growing.

"Magda told me you often lose track of time when you're writing your music." She had also said that Maura hadn't found inspiration in a very long time and that this sudden burst of it was surprising. But that topic of conversation was for another time and place.

Maura saved her work, closed the laptop and huffed. "I don't think I'm very hungry."

She edged closer and closer to the blond as she spoke, "And I don't fancy the idea of having Magda beat me with a spatula for bringing back a full tray of food. You're going to eat all of that for lunch." She reached out. "I'm going to touch you okay?"

Before Maura could reply, Jane grabbed her by the elbow and none too gently and maneuvered her across the room and sat her down on the sofa. Just as Jane let go, Maura grabbed her wrist and glared up at her. "And what makes you think that it's okay to manhandle me like that?" She was usually not so tough and would have dealt with it in a proper ladylike manner, but her blood was still coursing fast and strong through her veins. She was also very hyper-aware of Jane's body and the heat radiating off of her. Electricity crackled in the air and Maura could have sworn she saw a clearer shape of Jane's figure on a molecular level. It wasn't a significant difference but it was there nonetheless. She must be going crazy, right? She could see a (rather)distinct figure towering over her. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her. What was happening?

Jane looked at the hand clasped around her wrist then stared at the woman's blazing hazel eyes that were frantically wandering her body and gulped. She was not used to seeing such a… wild side of the usually prim and proper woman of the estate. It was kind of turning her on even more when it really shouldn't be. "I'm sorry, Madam for acting out of line. I'll let you do whatever you wish with me after you eat that food. So please." Her voice felt dry and throaty at her double entendre. She couldn't help but throw it in there and hoped the woman would take it in whatever sense she pleased. She would usually go in for the kill but this time was different. Maura was married (but that hadn't stopped her before) and she was her boss. She couldn't possibly initiate it. But if it was the other way around...

Get a grip! She mentally smacked herself.

"All right, I'll let you off the hook this time." Much to Jane's surprise, Maura let go and grinned cheekily at her before digging into the authentic and (very) delicious fettuccini alfredo Magda had whipped up for them.

"Really?"

"Yes. Now that I think about it, I am famished."

"Wow." Jane scratched the back of her head. "You are such a delight when you're on a music high. It's… different. I say that in the best way possible of course."

Maura rolled her eyes, "charming."

Jane idled by until not a crumb was left on the silverware and teacup was void of any fluid. When she was gathering up the utensils, Maura asked, "It's the weekend, shouldn't you be out there painting the town red?"

"Hah, as if. Magda told me you're difficult to deal with when you're in one of those, and I quote, 'intense and maddening composing moods.' So I figured I'd give it a shot, as crazy as that sounds. Besides, even if that was the case, it's way too early in the day to be painting the town red. But I do think I've grown out of that stage." She paused, noticing the alfredo sauce on the corner of Maura's mouth and part of her cheek, "You got a some sauce on the corner of your mouth." She looked around for a napkin and mentally kicked herself for not bringing one.

Maura licked her lips, "Is it gone?"

"Not quite. I should have brought some napkins. Stupid me. Here, let me." She cupped her cheek and wiped away the sauce with her thumb. Her heart skipped a beat when the blond nuzzled into her touch with closed eyes. She froze unsure of what to do because she can sure as hell feel the tingling of her skin.

When Maura's eyes fluttered open and hazel eyes looked at her under thick lashes, Jane wanted to nothing more than to gently push her onto the couch and climb on top of her and ravish every inch of creamy skin. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. "You know, this might sound crazy… But every time we touch it's like I can see your very being clearer than most things through the darkness. For once I'm able to see something other than these ambiguous shapes that follow me everywhere."

Jane tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Her mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert. Was this really happening? Yes. It was. This beautiful woman was opening up to her. After what felt like an eternity, she finally found her voice, "Actually it does kind of sound crazy."

"Yes. It makes no sense. I too, am baffled by it." Maura took hold Jane's forearm without assistance and stepped into her, their bodies only a hairbreadth away. "And it intrigues me…" For a long while, Maura's unseeing eyes moved up and down Jane's figure. She then brought up her other hand to map out Jane's angular features with feather-light touches.

The brunette sucked in a breath at their close proximity. Maura's face was so close to hers as she inspected her face. She could feel their shuddered breaths mingle. When soft fingers passed over her eyes, she closed them and let her continue on with her exploration. The pads of her fingers touched Jane's lips and remained on the bottom ones. Jane let out a strangled breath at the intimate action.

"Why is it you that I can see through this eternal darkness?" Maura's voice was above a whisper; she could hear Jane's turbulent breathing as well as feel it fanning against her own face and lips. They were so close… So close. It fascinated her to no end that this was indeed happening. She was able to see something so clear in the darkness. The closer she got, the more she touched – the more she was able to see. She brought both hands to broad shoulders (their bodies were now flushed together) and mapped out each and every rigid muscle of her strong back and arms with slow and sensual touches.

Jane knew that this whole ordeal was new to Maura, and that finding a small glimmer of hope in an endless nightmare was a revelation one must pursue, regardless of the circumstances. But was this really the case? Was Maura really seeing her a bit clearer than the world of darkness she was violently shoved into? Perhaps this was her way of trying to give herself a means of escape – a notion to hold on to while enduring the internal conflict day after day. Jane grasped her toned arms and put some space between them. "Madam Isles..." That raw feeling in her throat hadn't gone away. Her voice was raspy and thick with want. "You're a gorgeous woman, and if you go any further…" They still stood very close to one another but neither made a move to step away. Jane was throbbing from arousal and was glad that she was still near enough to see the light splatter of freckles on her pale skin. She found them beautiful.

The blond shook her head as if snapping herself out from the trance. "I am so sorry." Instead of making things infinitely awkward, Maura defused the situation with a soft chuckle and smoothed out imaginary wrinkles from Jane's shirt, "Erika did warn me about you."

Jane's cheeks suddenly felt very warm. She cleared her throat and asked nervously, "What exactly did she tell you?"

"Oh, not much." Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Nothing bad so you needn't worry."

"That woman…" She groaned when she remembered what kind of person Erika Sullivan was, "She's gone after you, hasn't she?"

"Plenty of times but to no avail."

Jane shook her head; "She's always liked the finer things in life." At that, Maura blushed deeply. "Hey, I should bring these to Magda before she finds me and unleashes hell." She picked up the silver tray, "If you ever need me, you know what to do."

"Thank you, Jane." She listened to the heavy footfall disappear through the doors and down the hallway. She then collapsed onto the couch, feeling the heat overtake her. Everything she felt when she was close to Jane was so raw and extremely potent. If she didn't get it together soon, she knew that the repercussions would bite them both in the ass.