DISCLAIMER: Rizzoli & Isles and its characters are the property of Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT television network.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy to hear any thoughts. Special thanks to Dakota, my heart, my muse, and my ever-vigilant editor.
SPOILERS: Mid Season 2 basically. Post Maura's ex-Ian.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To missmonaj[at]yahoo.com

Discoveries
By MissMonaJ

 

Jane strides confidently into the morgue, hoping Maura is up for a drink. "Hey," she says to the redhead, admiring the straight line of spine as she bends over the sink. No matter the day or occasion, it's always good to see her friend.

"Be right in." Maura finishes washing up, flashing Jane a smile. They've made it to another Friday night. The week was long and full of death. It being their jobs, it's no surprise, but the days still have weight. She's looking forward to a quiet night, hopefully with the detective sauntering toward her in the charcoal suit that highlights her lanky swagger. She chastises herself a bit, but it's hard not to notice.

Rizzoli forces herself to look away from the dimples that make her tummy flutter and wonders pointedly how Maura can look so good in ill-fitting scrubs. Every night this week, she's dreamt the same thing… She starts at Maura's perfect pedicure, kissing her way slowly up the doctor's legs, to thighs and hips and the ticklish spots just beneath her breasts.

Jane almost trips over an empty gurney looking back at Maura. Her dreams don't stop there, making her wake hot and wet and feeling very empty. The fantasies have begun to distract her at work. Not during crucial times or anything, but during moments like this. As she enters the doctor's office, she looks around, surprised each time at how Maura has made this strange space her own. Somehow it's warm and inviting. Like the woman.

She skips the comfy chair to lean against the desk, too nervous to sit. It keeps coming back to thoughts like these. A couple drinks and maybe she'll be brave enough to broach the subject with Maura. It's not every day you realize you're falling for your best friend. But seeing the redhead with Ian, so happy and then so devastated, made the situation very clear to Jane. She was jealous of Ian, wanted it to be her perched awkwardly in the kitchen fielding too-personal questions from Angela Rizzoli first thing in the morning. On a workday.

The last time she'd obsessed this much about Maura was after the shooting. Weeks of recovery, much of that time spent with her very sweet and considerate friend, reinforced the crush she already had on her. Then the doc had started dating again, and Jane lost her nerve. Risking their friendship was a pretty big deal. Still is. But the thought of kissing Maura, of taking their relationship to a new level seems…right. Terrifying, but right.

Jane never thought of herself as romantic, but she has those inclinations now. Would Maura feel the same? Could she, after being so recently bruised by rekindling the affair with Ian?

"Give me two minutes to change." Maura shuts the door and blinds and shrugs off her scrub top before pulling her dress out of the small armoire. "What's your pleasure tonight?"

Jane's mouth is too dry for her to speak, and Maura is standing in her underwear, voice low and intimate in the small space, making it hard to concentrate. "Hmm?"

Maura pretends not to notice the open stare and blush creeping up her friend's neck. Frankly, she has to ignore it, distracted as she is by the way Jane is leaning against her desk. It's an invitation to naughty thoughts of tucking a leg between her thighs, pressing close, and ending their friendship for good. Well, growing their friendship into something more. If only, if only…

Maura interrupts herself, realizing they'd been staring at each other for a full minute. Something is different tonight. She'd pushed aside these fantasies months ago, when Jane had declared herself straight. But damn can she lean… "Sorry. I…" Maura forces herself to move, slipping into the dress. "Would you like take-out and a movie at my place, or the pub?"

Jane swallows. Would she be braver alone, or in a public place? "Take-out and your place sounds better." She searches for a neutral topic, trying not to stare as Maura's curves flash at her through silk. "How do you get it to smell so good in here?"

"What does it smell like?" Maura moves toward Jane, wanting help with her zipper, even if she doesn't need it.

"You know, not death and formaldehyde, but…" She pauses to take a deep breath, "…Good leather and…" Jane takes another deep breath as Maura presents her creamy, naked back, filling the detective's senses with the dark floral scent that's been haunting her dreams. Her small sound of discovery comes out more like a moan, and she doesn't recognize her own voice when it finally emerges. "…And you."

Maura accepts the compliment with a smile. "Thank you." She moves her hair off her neck so it doesn't get caught in the zipper, waiting for the detective to close the gap. Many of her fantasies begin this way, innocent and new. She reminds herself again that her friend is straight.

Jane's palms itch to touch the skin revealed by the open dress. Instead, she zips it slowly, letting her hands rest on Maura's hips for a heartbeat or two. "All done." She'd rather move closer than let her go, but takes a step back. They'll hopefully have time later.

Maura knows now that something is up. Jane is never this quiet or this still. Turning, she finds herself very close, and almost between the thighs she'd been admiring earlier. The detective looks raw and vulnerable and absolutely delicious. She tucks a strand of hair behind Jane's ear, letting a fingertip ghost over the shell. "What's wrong, Jane?"

Jane is certain her heart is going to beat out of her chest, and her side aches and burns with the echo of Maura rubbing in Vitamin A oil and any number of other ointments to reduce the scarring. The memory of pain becomes a tingling anticipation as she wishes for those hands on her body again.

Clenching her fists, she begins, "You said something the other day that got to me. About Ian being one of the great loves of your life." She stops, making herself concentrate on something other than Maura's perfume. And lips. And close proximity.

"I realized that I don't have one of those. Or didn't." Jane has to stop again to catch her breath. "You know how life or death situations make you want to promise things? If I get out of this, I'll never… If I live, I'll…" Maura nods, but makes no effort to pull away, so she continues, "After I got wounded…"

Maura interrupts, "…Shot yourself in a rash attempt to save us all."

"It worked." Jane still says it a little defensively.

"At what price?" Maura's voice is soft for the words finally being spoken after so long. Jane had gotten so much crap from her mother, that Maura hadn't felt it necessary to add more grief. But it's obvious to her that Jane still doesn't get that the happy ending does not justify her careless actions. Or the effect the ordeal had on Maura as well. "We almost lost you. And despite what you think, losing you is not acceptable."

This isn't going how Jane wanted, but she needs to finish before it turns into an argument about how she should have let the other cops on the scene handle it. She takes Maura's hands, chest tight from the possessive and expectant look the redhead had just directed at her. She needs more time to breathe her in, to savor the almost, in case it is their only. Her hands skim the sensitive flesh of strong shoulders, raising goose bumps wherever they go. Touching Maura burns her palms, a branding that Jane knows immediately will make her want more.

"I promised myself something if I lived…" Blood roars through her head, but the voice she normally hears—the one that makes her stop every time she wants to touch her friend like more than a friend—is silent. Finally, Jane meets Maura's dark green eyes, surprised by the want she sees echoed there. And her hesitation dissipates.

Tangling her fingers through lush strands of auburn silk, Jane pulls Maura closer. She could swear the doc whispers her name, but she cannot stop, and leans in for a tentative kiss. Time stops when Maura's lips open, tongue brushing, teasing, inviting Jane inside, where she loses all sense of self and propriety and the larger issues that might come between them.

Maura feels the exact heartbeat when Jane surrenders, sharing her breath, arms wrapping tighter to pull their bodies together. Then she is floating, letting Jane lead, oblivious to everything but lips and teeth and tongue and the pent-up need she finally releases with a throaty moan.

Jane can barely stand and clings to Maura, taking everything she can from her one kiss. It feels so right, she wonders what took her so long to do exactly this, and if she'll ever get to do it again. When Maura moans into her mouth, Jane loses all composure and lets her hands wander lower, until she is cupping the medical examiner's exquisite bottom, squeezing in time to her subtly rocking hips. Another low keen, and Jane has to stop or risk a serious breach of protocol.

Panting, aching, trembling with restraint, Jane finally gains enough control to end the kiss. She doesn't let Maura go though, or adjust their intimate embrace.

"Wow." It is barely a whisper, followed by a moan. That was better than any fantasy kiss Maura had come up with, and more affecting even than Ian's. When Jane won't quite meet her eyes, Maura kisses her again. Briefly. Sweetly. So intimately that the detective cannot deny the pull that brings them even closer. "There's something I want too, Jane."

Jane pulls back enough to see the green flecks in Maura's eyes, letting her hands wander. "Anything."

Maura starts to tingle with that single word, and she guides Jane to her previous pose leaning against her desk. The taller woman goes willingly, gracefully, following Maura's touch-instructions like she's been doing it for years. Tucking a thigh between Jane's, the redhead takes her time fitting their bodies together. She runs her hands over slender hips and stomach, abs and chest. Her thumbs trace Jane's lips, and she shivers at the light brush of tongue, at the way her sensitive breasts ache to be pressed against naked skin.

Feathering her lips against Jane's, Maura says, "I want you to go home and collect Jo Friday and some clothes." She lets their lips meet once. Twice. "I'll get the food and meet you at my place." Finally, Maura kisses her again, wrapping her arms around the detective.

Jane can't think, can barely breathe, and she cannot stop touching Maura. When her wandering hands reach the tender flesh of shoulder and back, she unzips the dress and slips her hands inside to touch more. She can't remember ever wanting anything so much, and fears that she's bruising the fairest skin she's ever seen.

Jane's phone goes to voicemail before she even realizes it was ringing. But it's enough to bring her back, to know that this is not the time or place to continue this engagement. It still takes a while for her to stop. "Damn, you can kiss."

Maura's smile is slow, feral now that she has irrefutable proof that Jane wants this too. "We're just getting started." She takes a moment to wipe her lipstick from Jane's mouth, and her stomach drops again. Such intimacy normally makes her uncomfortable. Everything with Jane feels different though. More than comfortable…right. She claims another kiss, giving the detective a clue what awaits.

"I'm using my siren." Jane doesn't want to let her go, afraid that Maura will change her mind if given any time.

"I'll call ahead." Maura's hands are still tangled in Jane's hair, and stay that way until Jane re-zips her dress. The fingernail Jane draws up her spine is a direct line to Maura's clit, making her aware of how wet she is. After one kiss. Well, a few. More than that by now, but still… She's never been so aroused, and wants the brunette to take her right here.

Instead, Jane traces her hands possessively down Maura's body, cupping her ass and rocking the redhead against a taut thigh. Maura hisses and closes her eyes, hiding her full reaction from Jane. But the detective won't have it, needing the connection, needing to believe her friend wants this just as much as she does.

"Jane, please…" Maura's plea is weak, but she continues, "…I want more of you than I can have here." The frustrated growl Jane lets out makes her smile, but she is just as impatient.

"Let's get out of here before I lock the door and get us both fired." Jane lets Maura extricate herself, but stays close as they walk out together. Escorting the doc to her car first, she's suddenly shy as she opens the door.

Maura notices the flash of uncertainty and has an irrepressible urge to kiss the detective again. But the parking lot is half-full of cops on their way home, and they haven't discussed yet how comfortable Jane would be with people knowing they are…what, involved? She'd wanted more for a while, but never thought Jane would come around. Not everyone is sexually fluid. Judging by that kiss though, it seems Jane isn't as straight as she's previously intimated. Or maybe even believed she was.

Damn. They're going to have to talk about this. But not now. "Don't dawdle, detective."

Jane grins at her alliteration and closes the door for her. Then she literally runs to her car a few spaces down. She makes great time without her siren, but her heart drops when she sees her mother's car parked in front of her building.


Jane is late. Not terribly, but enough to make Maura wonder if she should call. Normally, a few minutes wouldn't mean anything, not with her perpetually time-challenged detective. But she's nervous. She had literally given up on any serious flirtation with Jane and settled comfortably-mostly-into their friendship.

Maura doesn't know what changed, and frankly doesn't care, if it brings Jane home where she belongs.

The thought takes her by surprise. Maura had moved on by necessity. But in the beginning, she'd imagined long-term possibilities for them. The only thing missing had been sexual chemistry. She'd flirted her heart out for a while, and, though Jane would respond, she didn't seem to get it. That left Maura with the impression that Jane was either really dense or not interested. She's such a good detective, dense didn't seem like a true possibility. Now she wonders what other reasons there might be.

The doorbell finally rings, and a wave of relief washes over her. Whatever happens from here, at least Jane showed up.

"Wow. You look incredible." Maura does a slow sweep of Jane in her cocktail dress, openly admiring the long legs perched on high heels. She takes Jane's hand and pulls her inside. "Definitely worth the wait."

Jane leans down for Maura's kiss, restrained but still sweet and hot. "Thank you." She doesn't miss that her friend has changed as well. This dress is softer, less formal, and makes Jane want to run her hands beneath the skirt. "You look beautiful too."

Letting Jo off the leash, she follows Maura into the kitchen. At least she brought wine. She wanted to stop and get flowers, but was already late. "Sorry it took so long. Mom was home when I got there. She didn't buy that I'd go on a date in my work clothes…gave me the idea to get dressed up for you." Jane finishes rambling as soon as Maura puts a drink in her hand.

"I like it. Of course, we can still go out if you prefer." Maura does a good job of keeping the disappointment out of her voice, in case that is Jane's choice.

"Thank you, but I'm happy with our date plans here." Jane smiles. "I like having you all to myself."

Maura's smile is radiant. "Good. I've set us up in the living room."

Jane cocks an eyebrow—Maura hates eating on her couch. Then she sees that the redhead lit the fire and put cushions around the low coffee table. It's warm and safe and entirely non-threatening. She pulls the redhead to a stop, intending to make a joke about feeling overdressed, but the look of hope, of anticipation on Maura's face stalls the words. Instead, she wraps her arms around the shorter woman.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Jane's kiss is tender and undemanding. "And thank you for being so cool. I kind of threw you a curveball, and you knocked it outta the park."

"Come. Let's eat while we talk." Maura pulls Jane down to the cushions.

"Good Lord, woman… You'd tempt a priest." Her mouth goes dry as Maura leans up to plate the food, perfect bottom inches away from her hands, bare legs and feet calling for her touch. Now she understands… If she were a man, it would be apparent just how arousing the sight is. "How bad is it that I want to skip the processing for now and just keep kissing you?"

Maura laughs at that, a low chuckle that gets more intimate as she leans toward Jane's ear to answer the detective's question. "About as bad as me wanting to delay dinner for dessert." She lets her comment sink in and gives Jane a plate and another kiss. "But we should talk a little. And eat. I know you skipped lunch."

"Thanks." Jane pours them more wine, aware now that Maura has been looking after her all along. How many signs has she missed along the way? "Cheers."

"Cheers." Maura relaxes, the sense of anticipation building. She's wanted this for so long though, that she's content to enjoy their first real date. "Tell me about your promise."

Jane feels herself blushing but isn't going to cop out now. "When I got…" she sighs at Maura's crooked eyebrow and corrects herself. "When I shot myself, I only had a couple thoughts before I passed out… You were safe. Frankie was safe because of you." Jane strokes a hand down Maura's back in another silent thank you. "And that I should have kissed you a long time ago. I didn't because I'm scared to death that I could lose you as a friend. I'm shit at relationships, so there's a pretty good chance I'll mess this up."

Maura gives her a long look and a sad smile. "I don't like it when you say things like that. You're remarkable, Jane. Extraordinary. And the only obstacle I see for us is your need to save the world without regards to your own safety." She manages to keep the tears at bay and frustration out of her voice. Now all she can think of is Jane bleeding out on the concrete, and she can't eat anymore. "I'll never forget the sound of that shot, or seeing you crumble, or the way your blood felt on my hands…"

"Not the world. Just my family. They came into my station house, shot my brothers and threatened you… Nobody took the shot, so I had to." Jane takes her cloth napkin and wipes at the tear slipping down Maura's cheek. She doesn't know what to say, what promises to make, especially since she would make the same decision again to save her family. To save this woman. "It wasn't smart, but it was the only move I had. I'm sorry, Maur. I hate that I put all of you through that. I hate that there was so much pressure on you to save us both."

Maura nods. Fact is, this need to protect everyone is one of the things she loves most about Jane. With her own fractured childhood, she needs someone who will fight for her against psychos and death and emotionally distant mothers and biological father Irish-mob assassins. And whatever comes next. She knows Jane will be Jane, whether they are friends or lovers. The real question is whether or not she's willing to risk the potential heartbreak of Jane's impulsiveness if they build a life together… Despite Maura's fears, it's not a hard decision.

"When?" Maura's voice is thick as she tries to put the terrifying memories and accompanying flood of emotions back into their box. "When would you have kissed me?"

Jane's sigh releases most of the built-up tension, and she takes the moment to tuck a hand deep into Maura's hair, staring at very inviting lips. "Any of the thousand times I thought to do so. Particularly when you do very Maura-type things, like wear a spandex suit to softball or go all Wikipedia on me."

"I do that a lot." Maura laughs, tempted to add the percentage of her conversation that revolves around facts.

"Yes, you do. And when it isn't driving me crazy, it's driving me wild." Jane loves it when Maura smiles wide enough to bring out her dimples. "And when you smile or laugh, I want to do a lot more than kiss you." She lets her lips float closer, teasing the doc into another grin. But then Maura becomes serious and refuses to meet her eyes.

Jane's chest constricts, as she panics inside. "I'm not crazy and I'm not suicidal, just overprotective." That gets her a little grin. "Please don't be scared of me, sweetheart."

Maura tries to salvage the moment, hoping she hasn't ruined their first night together. "I'm scared for you, not of you." She finally closes the gap between them, taking Jane's lips, and tries to sound reasonable rather than pouty. "Afraid you're going to get shot or stabbed or kidnapped or worse." Her hands ghost over the scars of Jane's various encounters with psychos and criminals.

"I need you to know that, though there may have been a time when we could have—for lack of a better phrase—hooked up, and remained friends…" Maura hesitates, knowing she's begging too much for their first conversation about this stuff. "I'm not asking you to state your intentions, but I can't do this as an affair. I want more than that from you now."

Finished, Maura takes a deep breath, and Jane has a moment to realize what her best friend has just implied. She is about to answer when Maura's face collapses and she starts babbling.

"I'm so sorry to add more pressure; it's not fair. But you have a right to know." Maura can't stop herself, a dam breaking inside. "I know statistically that cops—homicide detectives in particular—don't have a high success rate with relationships, and I'm no better, but you're the first person who truly feels like home. You're good for me, Jane, and I absolutely adore you. We can take it as slow as you'd like…"

Jane stops the nervous confession with a kiss, making it clear that slow is not a concern. "I'm half in love with you already. And making love will most certainly deepen those feelings." Relaxing as Maura leans into her, Jane nuzzles her neck, leaving a trail of gentle kisses where she'd rather leave large, dark marks branding the doc as taken. "As far as taking it slow, I kinda feel like we've been dating for months." She meets dark green eyes, wanting her intentions, as Maura put it, to be very clear. "It's the kissing we need to catch up on."

Maura's laugh comes faster now, more naturally. Jane's cheeky grin has caught her at the brink and is making her feel more herself. "You're not wrong. Technically, we've even slept together."

"And seen each other naked." Jane runs a finger along the exposed line of Maura's collarbone, appreciating the shiver that runs through the redhead.

"Did you catch me staring at the gym?" Maura thought she'd covered her admiration pretty well, but she's not sorry to be wrong.

Jane feels herself getting hotter at the compliment and takes a sip of wine to buy time. She had not, in fact, caught Maura, but Jane has spent plenty of time staring at the doc. When she'd seen Maura with Ian, she'd forgotten why she was staring. Impotent frustration made her jealous and weak. All she could think was that it should be her making Maura all giggly and happy.

Now that Maura is finally beneath her fingers, her mouth, Jane can tell her the truth. She places a kiss below Maura's ear and whispers, "You have a tattoo on your right hip, some African tribal symbol I can't pronounce. It took me two weeks to look close enough to sketch it, and another week to find out what it meant." The doc's pulse throbs beneath her tongue. "You smell incredible."

Maura arches into Jane's touch, her neck more sensitive than she's ever known it to be. "You could have asked me."

"Then you would have known that I was staring." Jane slips a finger beneath the spaghetti strap of Maura's dress, sliding it down her shoulder. "You're really beautiful, Maur. Not looking is hard." She moves to taste the skin, absorbing the tremor beneath her tongue. "Even harder not to touch, once I knew what I wanted."

Maura's breath comes faster, every touch making her want more. "Perhaps I should have been more forward." She demonstrates now, drawing Jane into her body, tangling their legs together until she can feel the bare skin of a thigh between her own. Then she lets the detective kiss her, longer, softer, wetter, and so much more demanding than before.

Jane hisses as Maura's nails find the naked flesh of her back. She has no idea when the doctor unzipped her dress, only that Maura's hands are hot enough to burn. Pinning her lover's wrists to the couch, Jane catches her breath and slides her body slowly over concealed curves.

Then she stands, stripping down to black lingerie. The movements bring her back to Maura as soon as possible, but she catches how green eyes turn darker, how the redhead's lips go slack as they stare, equally absorbed in...whatever. She kisses the medical examiner again, grateful for the good memories they're already creating.

Logic should dictate their jobs leading their relationship. Death and despair and measures of justice. This is pure. Jane craves Maura's response, a marriage of creation and combustion that science cannot explain. Every breath feels different, filled with a foreign and intriguing perfume, generating wave after wave of sensation. Maura opens to her, letting her tangle even closer this time, submitting when Jane restricts her movements and slides between silken thighs. "Dear God you feel good."

Maura stares for a moment at Jane's reverent words, just because she can, then leans up to capture the detective's lips in a pleading, wet reminder that she's been waiting for this too. She is strong, even semi-restrained, and intensifies the kiss until they are both panting again. "Take me to bed, Jane."

Jane hesitates, the look on her friend's face dark and demanding and entirely carnal. Shaking her head, she tucks into Maura to whisper, "I'm going to take you right here." And she doesn't give the doc a choice, pulling her down into the cushions until the dress is a mass of fabric at Maura's hips.

"Do you know how long I've wanted to taste you?" Jane rasps the admission into creamy thighs, nibbling her way toward the earthy scent making her mouth water. Maura's hands are buried in her hair, urging her closer, pulling her away, driving her mad. If this weren't their first time, she'd get her cuffs and make sure the redhead was at her mercy.

"As long as I've wanted you inside me." Maura pulls Jane into another deep kiss, whimpering when the detective stands, moaning when she unzips the dress and lets it drop to the floor. Opening her thighs, she wraps her legs around Jane's waist, rolling her center against wet silk. She wishes she had the words and time to show this woman how much she means. But the need is building with every breath of their mingled perfumes, and she begs Jane to quit teasing her. "Please."

The detective doesn't disappoint, taking Maura's mouth and mind and body with a possessive touch. Hands now free to explore, she finally gets to feel how soft Jane's skin is against her own. A low moan escapes as Maura traces over muscles and limbs leaner and longer than her own, pulling closer, needing more. Jane claims her breasts, sensitive and aching and finally free of constrictive satin. Then she is naked and arching, eyes closed tight to feel everything as Jane runs her hot tongue over Maura's center. Once. Twice. Savoring, teasing, tasting her for long minutes, until one finger slips inside.

"Oh God..." The orgasm takes Maura by surprise, intense even as Jane brings her down slowly. But she doesn't stop, adding another finger, and another, until Maura is full and stretched tight over the curling digits, riding Jane's hand with short, graceless thrusts.

Jane glances up, licking her lips, body burning hot with need, to see Maura's abandon. She pauses, burning this image so deep it will be the first thing she thinks of every time the redhead walks into a room. Only she's making those mewling sounds and writhing so much Jane's grip on her hips is slipping, and the world is fuzzing out at the edges. She grins, hungry for more, and curls her fingers deep inside Maura to bring her closer for a taste. And then her head is caught in the vice-grip of Maura's thighs as the redhead bucks up, crying out as Jane's tongue finds her way to one last hit of her new favorite drug. She finally has to let go, and moves enough to collapse on top of Maura, pulling a throw from the couch to cover them.

Body still throbbing with need, Jane shivers when she takes Maura into her arms. This is what it must feel like to be on ecstasy, every nerve on overdrive, every touch mesmerizing. "So beautiful..."

Maura kisses her again, tasting herself on Jane's lips and wanting more. "You're amazing." She lets the detective wrap her up, comfortable and warm and sated. "I'm going to need a minute."

"I'm not going anywhere. Maybe ever again." Jane means it. She's so happy she wants to shout it from the pitcher's mound of Fenway Park during the Series.

"I would be okay with that." The words are out before Maura realizes it, but she's not going to take it back. And Jane doesn't even flinch. Jane. Her lover. Finally. The thought makes Maura stir, a new surge of heat proving she's got plenty of energy left. "At least stay the weekend?" She lays a kiss on Jane's neck, smiling when the detective wriggles. Another kiss proves that the brunette is sensitive and ticklish wherever Maura touches.

"I've wanted this for so long, I don't know where to start." Despite her words, Maura tucks deep into Jane's neck, taking some liberties with the tender flesh, feeling the pulse beneath accelerate through her lips. And she's lying. She knows exactly what she wants...naked Jane completely open to her.

Staring blatantly, Maura trails a hand over flat tummy, shivering when she feels Jane tremble. The skin on her sides is the softest, until she snaps open Jane's bra. Maura teases herself, letting the satin fall away naturally to reveal the most perfect breasts she's ever seen. "Jane..." The rest is a moan as she cups their weight, perfect for her hands.

Maura is obsessed with Jane's breasts. She daydreams constantly of touching, tasting, licking water off her body in the gym shower, pressing the slick detective against a locker and feeding on dark pink nipples until Jane cums in her arms. Standing slowly, she lets the throw fall to the floor, skittering out of Jane's reach to walk to her room.

Jane watches her go, jaw damn near the floor. Her heart might stop if she keeps watching Maura's naked form saunter down the hall. Yet Jane stays frozen, staring, until she disappears around a corner, then finds herself scrambling to follow. Forgetting she's only wearing her panties, Jane doesn't cover herself when she enters Maura's most private space. Her chest aches at the sight of the redhead on the bed, propped comfortably against the headboard amongst a mound of pillows.

"Come here lover." Maura holds out a hand, hoping to persuade Jane from the doorway. Then again, the provocative way Detective Rizzoli is leaning against the doorframe--body hidden and revealed by a shining mass of dark hair, long limbs, and one tiny strip of satin and lace--Maura could take her where she stands.

Jane starts toward the vision, a perfect fantasy until the doctor pouts pointedly at the underwear. She turns to the side before removing them, dodging the intensity of Maura's stare long enough to catch her breath. When she turns back, she stands almost defiantly, powerful beneath the emotion in those green eyes.

Maura feels her pupils dilate as she watches Jane crawl across the bed, a dark stalker to her own pale skin. How had she denied herself this for so long? Her entire body tingles as though Jane already touches her, and she feels acutely empty again, echoes of Jane's possession making her want more already. But she has denied herself this moment long enough.

Maura pulls Jane to straddle her, sliding her hands around exquisite buttocks until the brunette is relaxed and open in her lap, knees gripping her hips in a hypnotic rhythm. Rocking against her, Maura finally allows herself another kiss. Science explains this feeling with chemical rushes and adrenaline. It's always been enough. She's had great sex and emotional ties to lovers. Everything about this, though, is different. More.

Jane lowers herself, seeking the friction that will address the throbbing between her tender, swollen lips. Making love to Maura made the fire burn hotter, and her insides threaten to melt. Her kisses become more demanding, desperate to take, to fill... But she is no longer in control, and Maura stops, teasing her again with an onslaught that leaves them both breathless.

Then Maura is urging Jane to her knees, higher until her burning center is perched at the redhead's lips. Jane needs those lips on her clit, and moans at the first wet touch of the doctor's tongue. The sound that escapes is primal and not entirely her own as Maura locks on, kneading her ass until she leaves finger bruises and half-moon scratches from her nails. Jane is rushing toward an abyss, bucking wildly, sacrificing rhythm for contact.

Maura loses herself in Jane's sweet taste, hooking two fingers deep inside to hold the detective still. Jane's moan is an electrical jolt down her spine, and she looks up, never taking her tongue from the swollen bundle of nerves. Strong hands hold her close, urging her faster, deeper. But this is her time, and she stops to take one breast in a possessive grope, lightening immediately to a maddening brush of soft strokes.

Jane grips the headboard, grateful for the additional support as her thighs quiver. Maura's nails dig into her ass again, a counter-sting to velvet tongue. "Please... I need..."

Maura slides Jane down her body, needing her mouth more than her taste. But she adds another finger, fucking Jane slowly, even when the detective crashes over the edge and tries to ride her faster. Maura takes Jane's mouth, absorbing every moan and whimper, stroking her still with a sure, strong touch.

Jane explodes again, giving herself over completely, knowing anything less will never be enough. She kisses the redhead over and over, hoping for some semblance of eloquence, some words that might lessen the tightness in her chest. But her body isn't done receiving, responding still to Maura's fingers moving deep inside. If anyone would know the physical limitations of desire, it would be Dr. Isles. Right? Limitations seem irrelevant, now that she's busted the most basic taboo. But Jane isn't thinking as she rides Maura's hand, still a slave to the doc's expert touch.

Maura presses until the muscles inside her lover release, and even then she flips Jane over to claim more. Jane's pleas to take a moment just push Maura further, and she settles between her thighs. The detective is so wet, she slips freely in and out. Why can't she stop? Why isn't Jane's complete surrender enough?

"Almost there baby...please don't stop." Jane pulls at Maura weakly, incapable of much more. She has no idea how she still wants, or why her body burns so hot for this woman's touch. She cries out again at Maura's tongue on her clit, light against the raw nerves. It's enough, and Jane groans, holding Maura tight to her center.

Jane's muscles all tremble. She hasn't been this spent since getting shot. But in a good way... Kissing Maura makes her want more, but her body won't cooperate. She wants this--exactly this--forever. "Look at me..." She waits for Maura to meet her eyes and kisses her again slowly.

Maura pulls the covers over them when Jane starts to shiver, wrapping tighter around her. "I've got you." Science can't pinpoint why it feels so good, so right to be holding Jane Rizzoli, or how one can be so certain that they've finally found a home. Hormones and adrenaline keep her trembling too, but they can't adequately explain why she needs to continue kissing and touching her lover after the intensity of their mating. "Did I hurt you?"

Jane shakes her head, unable to articulate any thoughts beyond wow. She can still kiss though, long, hungry draughts on Maura's perfect lips, until she is falling asleep, mumbling apologies.

Maura watches Jane nod off, grinning the whole time. Happy.


Jane wakes first, late even for her. She can't believe her luck, sure that Maura would get up early and have the perfect morning planned, never knowing that she doesn't have to go to any trouble. This is Jane's perfect morning. Waking in the arms of her lover, tangling closer when the redhead wriggles deeper into her embrace. Remembering their previous intimacies. Wondering how far she can go this early on. How much freedom Maura will give her.

Last night is a pleasurable blur of whispered words and carnal discoveries, her body made for Maura's hands and lips and tongue and teeth. They fit so well, Jane can't help but kick herself for being so...dense. Maura is everything--the reason she'll get up at dawn and go running; the reason she'll put on a cocktail dress and flirt with silly rich people; the reason she took that bullet without regard to her own health... This woman. In her arms. Finally. No matter how long it had taken, Jane is here with Maura now, and she is not going to waste any more time staring longingly at someone she thinks she can't have.

Maura is so responsive, just the thought of skin rippling and arching under her tongue makes Jane start to ache again. They made love all night, drifting off to sleep at dawn. No one has ever made her feel like this woman does. This smart, funny, beautiful woman that is her best friend and lover and complete fantasy come true.

Jane moans when the redhead shifts onto her back, limbs sliding, waking her fully. She turns into the warm body, draping a thigh over Maura's knees and tracing her curves beneath the sheets. Maura was right when she'd said that one night like this would change everything.

All the feelings she's packed down for weeks return with a sweet intensity, and she knows that she underestimated everything. She's just figured out the chemistry thing and already she wants to go all-in, claim Dr. Maura Isles as her own.

Muscles ripple subtly beneath Jane's hand, reminding her that she no longer has to imagine being in Maura's bed. Slipping under the sheet, Jane starts kissing at the tattoo. The texture is slightly different. Every curve and hollow reveals a new secret sound, and just breathing on Maura's nipple makes it peak and harden in invitation.

Maura stirs, coming awake to the most exquisite heat at her breast. She moans, arching until Jane takes her deeper, making her nipple pulse like the blood in her clit. By the time Jane makes it to her other breast, Maura is wide-awake and writhing, hissing at every languid brush of tongue. "Fuck, Jane..."

The detective hesitates briefly at her obscenity, a cocky grin making Maura's tummy flutter before the brunette dips lower, mouth and hands everywhere at once, until they are one place only. Then there are no more words, just her hands buried in Jane's hair, holding her close. Heels digging into the mattress, Maura rocks faster, needs more, but she lets Jane take instead. The first orgasm rolls through her slow, incomplete as Jane pulls away enough to fit her hand between them, teasing her with one slender, stroking finger.

"You're so tight, so wet. And you taste so good." Jane proves she isn't done enjoying Maura and brings her to the brink again. "Mmm...If I let you cum again, do I have to stop?"

"Dear God, please let me cum. Please." Maura is undone, tethered to earth by one strong arm around her thigh. She would give anything to stay in this moment, suspended in bliss, but she's greedy too and begs, "More..." Then Jane is filling her completely, and she is falling, bucking against the restraint, forcing her deeper still.

Jane doesn't stop until Maura is limp beneath her, guttural outcries muted to whimpers and goofy grins. "You're amazing." She places a kiss every few inches on the way up the doctor's body. "Beautiful. Sexy." She can't pass up the world's most perfect breasts without worshipping them again. "I should have cornered you in the shower at the gym the first time I noticed the way your robe clings to your wet body." Jane wraps up a trembling Maura, trying to get her warm. "That's the first time I knew I wanted to jump you."

Maura's smile is slow, sated and hungry too. "I think that's my new favorite way to wake up."

"It's better than coffee." Jane is on fire now, but is content to let Maura catch her breath.

"The adrenaline or the sex?" Maura murmurs.

Jane leans up to take an earlobe between her teeth. "The taste of you first thing in the morning." She dips her tongue into Maura's ear, delighting in the shiver that runs through her lover. "I hope you're prepared to become an addiction."

Suddenly, Jane finds herself flipped over on her back, head at the foot of the bed, hands tangled in covers being shoved to the floor by the impatient redhead. Watching Maura above her is like looking up at Venus. Gloriously naked, she lets her breasts hover over Jane's mouth. She is happy to oblige, moaning at the delicious weight on her lips and hardening nipple between her teeth.

Maura gasps, tearing away with a tempted grin. They were so busy slaking their various desires last night, she feels like she rushed herself. Now she takes her time, starting a sensual massage at Jane's feet, leaving kisses wherever she goes. Every love bite she sees sparks a memory and subsequent rush of need and possessiveness.

Jane in the light of day is a goddess, and touching her so intimately turns Maura on in surprising ways. She can see how wet Jane is, and her mouth starts to water. "I still want you like we haven't even kissed yet."

"Me too." Jane knows exactly what she means, hips rocking up to meet the hunger in Maura's eyes. But the redhead continues massaging her legs, up to the hidden curves of her ass before sliding a single finger through her wetness, then continuing the massage as though nothing had happened. Over and over until Jane is making sounds she doesn't recognize as her own, pleading for release with her entire body, and then a low keen, "So close... Please..."

Maura shifts, placing a pillow under Jane's hips for better access. Arched and open to her mouth and hands, the detective has never been more beautiful, and Maura tells her so as she steals a taste. Maura has never been so out of her head with need. She thinks, "I love you" in four different languages, but only gets out, "Jane..." before she is coaxed between trembling thighs for more.

Jane is writhing and wanton, mindless, boneless. But she doesn't lose control until Maura slides inside her again. Confident and so tender, Maura fills her, making love slowly, driving her mad. Jane didn't know that she was sore, and doesn't care now as she opens more, demands more. Maura draws her closer to the edge, too tender now, too gentle when she craves hard. Then the softest brush of tongue and a contented sigh from Maura and Jane is flying, rocketing up and over and beyond every definition of pleasure she's known until she is utterly spent.

Maura relents when Jane goes limp beneath her, and wraps them up in whatever blanket she can reach. She can't tell which one of them is trembling or breathing harder, and wrestles with the pillow under Jane's hips.

Jane starts giggling. "Just come here and hold me woman." She pulls Maura up her body, shivering uncontrollably now. The redhead pauses at her breasts, mouth still hot and demanding. Somehow her body stirs, but she doesn't think her heart could take it yet.

"You're greedy this mornin'."

"You're delicious. I can't help it if I want more." Maura could definitely take her again after that sexy growl, but lets her blushing lover rest. "And you're right...better than coffee."

Jane shivers at the hot breath against her neck and wiggles, ticklish and sensitive. Awake and buzzing with post-coital bliss, she guides Maura to straddle her hips. She can feel how wet the redhead is against her stomach and reaches for the heat, craving the intimacy of curling deep inside Maura.

Maura hisses at the contact, so light as she glides against Jane's fingers, never letting her dip inside, wanting it every moment. She teases them both until her thighs quiver and her movements become more desperate. Caving to instinct is tempting, but another need kicks in with a fierce growl as she pulls away. Jane puffs out her bottom lip, making her laugh out loud.

"I love it when you pout. But I need food." Maura still teases, running her nipples down the detective's chest. Her stomach clenches at the contact, almost convincing her to delay breakfast even more. "I'll cook if you'll make the Bloody Mary's."

"Deal." Not to be thwarted, Jane traps Maura's hands behind her in one tight grip, sliding her other hand to tweak and touch and finally to take. She goes slow, until Maura's writhing makes slow impossible.

Maura's laugh is low, feral. "I need to touch you." Jane lets go, and she strokes her palms all over the naked flesh beneath her, surrendering again to the intensity of sensation and Jane's confident touch. Food can definitely wait.


An hour and a half later, they're half-naked on the love seat with the newspaper, legs intertwined beneath a blanket, hair wet from their shower, too full from Maura's French toast to continue with their honeymoon weekend. Jane is looking very yummy in her favorite Red Sox jersey and nothing else; Jo Friday is tucked between them; Bass is half under the couch, and Maura's world is perfect. The thought makes her smile. Not the smiles she'd painted on as a child trying to fit into an emotional world that she did not understand, but a smile that starts in her chest and fills her entire body before it radiates outward. "Thank you Jane."

Jane crumples the paper as she leans over to kiss Maura. "For what sweetheart?"

"This is exactly what I want my home to feel like--full of friends and love. It feels good to have you here like this." Maura knows she isn't saying it well, but realizes it doesn't matter how she stated it. Now Jane is kissing her, and the world is theirs alone.

"You feel right too, Maura. So right." Another kiss, and the weight of the moment eases.

"I think you called it when you said we were practically dating already. It doesn't feel that different from before, just better, more honest." Maura is struggling again for the right words. She can't remember ever feeling so comfortable with someone, so at home. And that's been true about Jane for a while.

Jane reaches under the blanket to trace the curve of Maura's calf, scraping a nail over the tendon behind her knee. She can't get over the softness of thigh and hip, and finally grips the creamy flesh of Maura's perfect bottom in her hand. "You made me cum three times this morning. I'd say that's new."

Maura sighs and sinks into the touch, pulling Jane closer for more kissing. The sports section slides to the floor, and Jo Friday wiggles out from her cocoon, taking the rest of the newspaper with her. Neither of them notices, Jane's body covering Maura again to tangle them together. They also miss the front door opening down the hall, but Jo goes tearing across the room, barking all the way. Maura feels her eyes pop.

"Jane, your mother has a key..." She expects the brunette to jump up, scrambling to cover them and disguise the situation, then immediately chastises herself for the thought. Jane has always stood tall. Instead, she watches Jane's kiss-swollen bottom lip puff out as she grumbles.

"She doesn't knock here either? Gonna have to teach that woman some boundaries." Jane looks down at her open shirt and Maura's hand on her breast, laughing at the impish grin on her lover's face. She finally sits up and adjusts the blanket so at least their naked parts are covered, buttoning her jersey before taking a long drink of her Bloody Mary. "In here, Ma."

"Janie? When did you get here? I didn't see your car." Angela picks up the dog and veers into the kitchen at Jane's answer.

"I parked in the garage. Grab a glass if you want a Bloody Mary." Jane reassures Maura with a touch and waits for the inquisition. It's kind of hard to disguise their disheveled, cuddly comfort together. "You okay if she knows, sweetheart?"

Maura's entire body warms at the endearment and she wants to ignore the world again, to answer Jane with a kiss, but Angela is a few steps away and she has to settle for, "Yes."

"Bloody Mary's and a fire at noon? Does that mean you had a good date or a bad one?" Angela pours herself a drink and flutters around the room, noticing that Maura has rearranged her massive organization effort into something that fits the medical examiner a bit better. She'd kept quite a bit though, and Angela swells with pride. She finally sits and notices the big grin on her daughter's face. Jane looks very happy.

"I'd say it was the best date ever." Jane laughs when this finally gets her mother's full attention.

"Tell me everything." Angela settles in a comfy chair and waits for Maura and Jane to quit exchanging looks. "It's like you're twelve and talking about boys at a slumber party. Catch me up...Occupation?"

"Doctor." Jane wraps a hand around Maura's ankle, stroking it beneath the blanket. The redhead's smile turns mischievous again and Jane wonders how her mother doesn't already see.

"Good looking?" Angela settles back, knowing getting date details from her daughter will be like pulling teeth.

"Gorgeous. Smart. Funny." Jane lets it play out, waiting for the light bulb to go off.

"Kids?" Angela knows her voice is always too hopeful here, but she's not getting any younger, and wants some rugrats to chase around.

Jane chuckles, "No, Ma. No built-in grandkids."

Angela turns to Maura, who is grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You obviously know who it is...Doctor, someone at work, someone in your department? Of course." She knows Maura will tell her. The woman has no poker face, so she just needs to narrow it down. "That cute blonde? What color hair does he have? Eyes?"

Maura glances at Jane with a helpless look, loving the lightness of her manner this morning, then answers, "Red. And brown."

"Hazel. With flecks of green and gold," Jane corrects quietly. Maura's dimples pop with her smile, and Jane's stomach drops. Suddenly it's clear that she's had this exact feeling a thousand times. She got used to it because they spend so much time together, but her feelings for Maura have been there all along. Her desire has been there too. She just hadn't put together what it meant.

Angela is racking her brain for a redheaded doctor other than Maura, but she sees mostly cops and detectives in the cafe. Doctors usually go to the cafeteria in the hospital. Maura prefers her scones and coffee. The thought makes her smile, but gets her no closer to the answer. "Maura, invite him with you next time you come in for coffee. I'll make you three breakfast and it'll be a low pressure way to meet me."

Jane lets another 'him' slide and laughs at her mother's ability to force a meeting so quickly. "I tell you, it'll be all over the station in an hour. What if we want a little privacy for a few days?" She takes a drink and shrugs dramatically, almost spitting it out when she sees Maura suppress a laugh.

"I can be discreet." Angela is very curious now, and re-focuses on her daughter. "You're talking like it could be something. This wasn't your first date, was it?"

Jane really wants to bring Maura's hand to her face for a sweet kiss on the palm, but takes a drink instead. "I thought so but no. It seems we've been circling each other for a while." This game was fun, but she's ready for her mother to leave so she and Maura can continue their weekend.

"I've got all day. I'll get it out of you."

"Ma, I'm not hiding..." Jane rolls her eyes when Angela interrupts.

"Let's go shopping and I'll torture you with more questions."

"Not today." Jane gives Maura a warning look that says she'd better not accept on their behalf. It occurs to her that Maura encouraging Angela's hijinks should have been the biggest clue of all. Jane is going to spend some time thinking back on every encounter she's had with Maura, looking for the clues she missed before.

"Come on; it's a beautiful day! Take your mother to lunch." Angela finishes her drink and goes to the kitchen to wash her glass, missing Jane take Maura's hand.

"I'm right where I wanna be, Ma." Jane says it to Maura, kissing her fingers. She doesn't move when Angela comes back in the room, but she's behind the couch now and sees nothing.

"Fine, I'm going. Come gimme a hug at least." Angela's hands rest on her hips, waiting for Jane.

Jane looks down at her jersey, just noticing that she'd buttoned it crooked, and grins. If she stands, her mother will get a full moon. That would be an interesting way to tell her. "I can't get up."

"Are you kidding? What's wrong with you?" Angela hasn't seen her daughter this determined to sit still since her recovery. She'd been immobile long enough to hate every minute of it and perches more than sits now. To Angela's knowledge, she doesn't even sleep late anymore. "Are you sick?" She walks around the couch to feel Jane's forehead.

"I don't have any clothes on, Ma."

Finally, Angela stops moving, stops talking, and looks... Jane and Maura are sitting under one blanket, now holding hands. Jane's shirt is askew and Maura--redheaded, hazel-eyed, gorgeous, smart, Doctor Isles--is barely covered in a thin, satin robe. And the normally fact-filled woman has hardly said a word. "You're still on your date."

Angela's heart skips a beat, and it feels for a second like she can't breathe. Then Jane comes back into focus. Her daughter is smiling, really smiling, and Angela feels herself do the same. "Janie, I'm so embarrassed! Why didn't you tell me to budowski? I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Angela sees the blush creep up to Jane's ears, a dead giveaway that Angela, though slow on the uptake today, had hit the nail on the head. She leans down to kiss her daughter on the forehead and cups Maura's cheek. "Have fun. Be happy." She turns to go. "And don't be late for Sunday dinner. You can go back to your honeymoon after."

The front door closes, and suddenly the house is very quiet. Maura listens to the crackle of the fire and stares at Jane, surprised, delighted. "You told your mom." She gives her lover a very long, very thorough kiss.

Jane enjoys the high of kissing Maura. She doesn't need oxygen, only lips and tongue, and Maura's hand in her hair like that, pulling her deeper still into the embrace. They finally come up for air, and Jane warns her, "It'll be on the news by noon... Should I not have said anything? I just didn't want to hide you. You're important to me. And she loves you already. Now maybe we can convince her to knock."

Maura grins and tosses the blanket aside, pulling Jane closer with the tease of another kiss. "Wouldn't want her to walk in on anything shocking." She keeps her lips just out of reach until Jane's long legs are wrapped around her waist. Jane rocks, letting Maura feel how hot, how wet she is as she unbuttons the jersey slowly.

The sight of Jane in the open jersey and nothing else stirs her as much as it had earlier after their shower. Maura didn't resist then either. "Keep it on."

When Maura kisses Jane this time, she takes her too, curling deep inside to match Jane's rhythm. Then she pulls back enough to watch a half-naked, wickedly sexy Jane ride her hand to climax. She draws out every aftershock, taking just so she can continue to watch her carefree detective in this state. "I love to watch you cum."

"Jesus, Maura..." Jane has nowhere to hide the blush, and can feel her ears glowing, so she pulls Maura into a hug. At their angle, it puts the redhead very close to her chest, and she hisses at the warmth of breath on her breast.

Maura takes advantage, wrapping her lips around one very hard nipple, sucking, teasing until Jane is writhing again, begging with little mewling sounds for time to recover. But Maura won't give it. She's discovering that the detective has an even more extraordinary body than she knew. And incredible endurance. "Do you trust me, Jane?"

Jane feels like a jellyfish drifting in the ocean, her body a mass of nerves and quivering muscles she has little control over. She shivers, then is burning hot with one touch, one kiss. Maura controls it all, leading her to pleasures previously only imagined. "Yes."

Maura leans up for another kiss, then asks, "Will you put something on for me and let me ride you?"

Whatever Jane had expected, this wasn't it. This is hotter. They'd discussed a few toys while tangled together in the depths of night, but she had no idea Maura already had the tools. "Oh yes." She doesn't even try to disguise the want in her voice. "You said something about a double. Any chance you have one of those?"

Maura feels a different type of smile coming on, one borne of carnality and passion and the anticipation of the many ways they'll be occupying the next 36 hours.

The End

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