Rizzoli & Isles 1. Chapter 1

Towards Maura's POV. Thoughts/dreams are in italics.

Chapter 1

"Dear Lord, Maura! How many clothes did you buy?!" Jane staggered her way into Maura's living room buried under nearly a dozen shopping bags bearing the names of designers the detective wouldn't even attempt to pronounce. "When I said I'd come over early to help you bring in some bags, I didn't think I'd be moving an entire mall into your closet."

"You don't have to take them into my closet, just the living room, Jane," chuckled the honey blonde as she followed behind Jane, shutting the front door. "All the new summer lines are out now and I had to get them before they sold out. Plus I needed some fresh air."

Jane rolled her eyes and she dumped the bags unceremoniously next to the couch, eliciting a sigh of disapproval from the medical examiner. "But Maura, did you _really_ have to buy _all_ of the summer lines? The clothes you have now are fine and it's not like your closet is getting any bigger. I swear it's already the same size as my apartment," Jane groaned as she removed her sneakers before flopping down onto Maura's couch and propping her feet up onto the coffee table.

Ever since Maura's surgery to donate her kidney, the doctor had been spending her recovery time partaking in some retail therapy—at first online, but more recently venturing out to the boutiques with a grumbling detective by her side. On this particular Saturday, Maura had felt much stronger and since it was Jane's first day off in nearly two weeks, felt that she would be able to manage without the detective and allow the brunette to sleep in for once. However, upon pulling into her driveway, Maura had been hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion. It was at that point that she decided to invite her best friend over slightly earlier than planned.

"Jane my closet is hardly that large. But I will admit it has been getting a little too full lately. The other day I found a wrinkle in one of my Valentino dresses caused by the force that my other dresses were exerting upon that particular side, and the friction which caused the fabric to bunch up when…"

"Okay Dr. Smartypants," interrupted Jane. "No need to go into the physics that exist in your closet. Can you just come sit down before you collapse and enjoy our day off? You're making me nervous." Jane patted the cushion next to her as she picked up the remote and switched on the plasma TV. Instantly the crack of a bat echoed off of the living room walls and the air was filled with the roar of a crowd as the brunette settled on a Red Sox game.

Maura busied herself pouring two glasses of water and smiled as she heard Jane making herself at home. As someone who had spent the majority of her life alone, it pleased the ME to know that she had found a friendship where both parties felt comfortable enough in each other's home. "I hardly think that I will collapse, Jane. Although, the removal of a kidney does affect the body's renal function and can cause fatigue, it does not usually lead to bouts of syncope," said Maura as she made her way over to the couch where the detective had sprawled out, her long limbs hanging off the edge and onto the table and her thick, raven-colored locks fanning out onto the arm of the couch. Slipping out of her heels, the honey blonde gently sat between the back of the couch and Jane's left leg, tucking her feet beneath her and handing Jane one of the waters.

Maura took a moment to admire the view of her best friend as she got settled. _She even makes lounging on a couch in sweats look sexy._ Maura froze as the thought struck her. _Did I really think of my best friend as sexy? Is that normal?_ The doctor shook her head to clear her thoughts before she continued, "I only thought that since you were already coming over for movie night, I would invite you over sooner so you could watch the end of your match before the movie."

"_Game_, Maura. It's a baseball _game_, not a match. And I'm sure you simply forgot about the mountain of bags you needed carried in when you called me over early," Jane grinned as she gently nudged the doctor with her elbow.

"I didn't _forget_ Jane, I might have just merely neglected to mention that fact," said Maura as she returned Jane's grin with a smirk of her own.

"Uh-huh. Just give me a little warning next time so I make sure that you can bribe me with beer. And maybe a pizza. And a movie of my choice."

"Well, I believe you still have some beer in the fridge, there are take-out menus on the counter, and it's your turn to pick the movie anyway. Any more requests, Detective?" Jane raised an eyebrow as the honey blonde sipped from her glass with a glint of amusement in her eyes. The pair held their gazes for a moment before breaking out into fits of deep, belly-filled laughter. Eventually, giggles began to replace the sounds as they wiped tears from their eyes.

Jane was the first to be able to speak again despite still gasping for breath. "Jeez Maur, I think you've been hanging around me too much. You're sarcasm is improving."

"I don't… know… what you mean…" replied Maura in between gasps of her own. Getting her breathing under control, the medical examiner placed her now empty glass on the table and pushed Jane's sock-clad feet to the floor. "Since it's your pick tonight anyway, why don't you go ahead and put the movie in the player."

"You know what Maur? I'm too tired from being your pack-mule today. I'll let you pick this time as long as I can just lay here." Jane lay back into the sofa, snuggling her way deeper into the plush cushions and crossing her arms over her chest while closing her eyes.

Maura gaze roamed over the detective's lanky frame, pausing to admire the way the brunette's abs rippled under her tank as she shifted positions. Her eyes drifted upwards to where the swell of Jane's breasts was made more visible by the pressure of her crossed arms. Maura subconsciously licked her lips as she leant over the dozing detective to grab the remote. _Can she be any more gorgeous? She doesn't even seem to know how perfect she is._ As her fingers brushed over the remote, the doctor caught the scent of Jane's shampoo. The smell of vanilla and lavender invaded her senses and she found herself battling the urge to lean just a little further and bury her nose into the brunette's thick curls. Maura imagined the scent of Jane enveloping her as she peppered kisses along a long, olive colored neck. A throb slowly started to build between her legs and her breathing began to increase as the honey blonde's thoughts drifted beyond the bounds of friendship.

"Uh… Maur?" Jane's rasp broke Maura from her reverie causing her to jump slightly as she removed herself from above the detective. "Are you okay?"

The doctor froze for a moment, hoping that Jane wouldn't notice the blush that was surely forming on her chest and up her neck. "I..uh… the remote!" Maura realized she was gripping the remote and held it up between herself and the brunette as if it would protect her from Jane's inquisitive watch as her brain sought out a suitable explanation for her actions. "I was just reaching for the remote so I could watch this new documentary on the lifestyle and mating habits of North American honey bees." Technically, she wasn't lying. The doctor had intended on watching the documentary, but that was before she had been distracted by her beautiful best friend. _Yes. Best friend. Get it together, Maura._

"Oh okay. You seemed a little out of it there." Jane slowly sat up and yawned, stretching her arms above her head. The movement caused the detective's tank top to rise up, revealing a sliver of toned, tan skin that Maura's eyes flickered down to before returning to Jane's.

Maura gently shook her head and opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sudden shrill ringing of Jane's cell phone.

"Rizzoli…"

From the look on Jane's face, Maura knew she'd be receiving a similar call any second and took the time to compose herself.

"Isles… yes I'm on my way. Thank you."

Maura hung up and glanced over at the detective who was just ending her call.

"Well, looks like your fascinating documentary on bees is going to have to wait Maur. Duty calls."

The doctor lifted herself off of the couch and slipped on her shoes. "Did Frost send you the address?" she asked as she collected her medical bag and coat.

"Yeah I got it. Frost said it looks like a body dump down in Southie. Well, I'm sure it was Korsak that actually got close enough to say it looked like a body dump." Jane quietly laughed to herself as she grabbed her keys. "C'mon Maur, let's get this show on the road."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Maura placed her phone into her bag as she hurried towards the door, only then noticing Jane was still in her tank top and sweat pants. "Jane. Aren't you going to change?"

"Don't worry Maur, I've got some clothes in the car. I'll change on the way."

"But Jane, I hate it when you undress and drive." _Well, maybe not the undressing part._


	2. Chapter 2

**So I'm still very new to this writing thing, but I hope you are enjoying so far! I know I said in the last chapter that this would be more Maura's POV, I've decided to make it both. Thoughts are still in italics. Please review and let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions. Thanks! –ME**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the other characters from the books and show (even though I wish I did). **

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Chapter 2

The unmarked Crown Vic slowly rolled up to the curb adorned in yellow police tape, fluttering in the fading evening light. As Jane put the car in park, she surveyed the scene in front of her. They had arrived at an overgrown softball field, complete with rusty chain link fences and an infield that was less dirt than weed. The only signs that anyone had even dared to step foot on the field in years was the trail of police tape stretching from the curb to the sagging metal backstop that backed up to the road.

"This field looks even worse than the ones I used to play on as a kid in Revere," said Jane as she climbed out of the car before rounding the front and offering her hand to help the honey blonde medical examiner out of the vehicle. Once she was sure that Maura was set on her feet, the detective closed the car door and sauntered over to where Frost and Korsak stood in a cluster of dandelions going over their notes.

"Hey, what'd we got?" Jane asked, announcing her arrival at the scene followed closely by the ME. Jane watched the honey blonde delicately make her way to the detectives without so much as a wobble. _How the hell does she walk in those things? Especially on this field?_ To say Jane was in awe of this woman would be an understatement. _I know I'd have already sunk a heel into the ground and fallen on my face, but she does it so gracefully. Those shoes do wonders for her legs though. Her calves are so se…_

"Looks like a young, Caucasian female. Maybe in her early to mid-20's, with no visible signs of injury." Jane was broken from her thoughts by Korsak's gruff voice relaying what little information they'd already gathered. "Although the uni's that found her did say she had a bit of a pink look to her."

"The pink coloration of the victim's skin could indicate exposure to a cold environment, cyanide poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning and other possible causes of death. I can't confirm that though until I get her back to the lab." And with that Maura left the detectives and made her way over to where the young woman laid face-up over home plate.

Jane's eyes never left the retreating form of the honey blonde. Starting from her feet encased in four-inch heels and drifting up the doctor's long, yoga-toned legs, her calves flexing with each step, before finally settling on the swell of the good doctor's ass. The brunette was mesmerized by the sway of her hips underneath of her navy blue designer dress that was tight in all the right places.

"Uh... earth to Jane?" Frost tentatively tried to get the detective's attention.

"Huh? What? What's up Frost?" Jane tried to cover up her daydreaming, hoping that the guys wouldn't notice the flush forming on her neck and praying that they didn't catch on to the fact that she was just ogling the very fine form of the medical examiner who was now crouched beside the body of the young woman.

Frost attempted to hide his grin, knowing exactly what he had just caught Jane doing. "I was just saying that Korsak and I are going to head back to the station to see if we can get an ID on this girl if you wanted to stay with Dr. Isles. Officer Johnson said he found a Commonwealth ID card lying next to the victim so we've got something to start with."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll meet you guys back there in a little bit. Also, can you look to see what department that ID was issued for. If she was a Commonwealth employee, I want to make sure that her death isn't related to her job." Jane ran her fingers through her thick locks as she tried to think of how a young woman who worked for the Commonwealth might find herself dead in an overgrown softball field in a part of town in which she didn't quite belong looking like she'd eaten too many strawberries.

At that, Korsak and Frost turned back towards their cars as Jane returned her attention back to the honey blonde ME who was just beginning her examination of the body. Maura's dress was stretched tight over her thighs and hips as she knelt beside the victim. _She even looks sexy when sitting next to a dead body. Wait..what? Did I just refer to my best friend as sexy? Get your mind right Rizzoli._ Jane shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts as she strode over towards where Maura was palpating the victims skull, searching for any signs of injury. As the detective stepped up next to the doctor, she had an unobstructed view of the blonde's impressive cleavage. _God her skin looks so creamy. I just wonder if those freckles cover her whole chest?_ Jane stopped next to the kneeling doctor. _Jesus Rizzoli, she is your best friend. And you're not even attracted to women. Focus on the case. The case._ _Right. _

As the detective struggled to tear her eyes away from the honey blonde, Maura began to recite what she had determined from her visual examination. "I don't see any reddish-brown stains around or near the body, and can't seem to find any external injuries except for an older bruise on the victim's knee."

Even with her struggle to focus, Jane couldn't let that one pass. "You can say blood Maura. I don't think she'd be leaking motor oil or paint or any other reddish-brown liquid if she did have any injuries."

Maura looked up at the detective who had taken an authoritative stance over the victim. Her raven-colored curls were gently brushing against her cheek as the cool evening breeze began to whisper over the field. The doctor's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at her detective. _Yes. My detective. I don't ever want to have to share her. I just wish I could tell her that._ Jane's jaw was set, lips pressed firmly together, and her hands at her hips as she looked down at the young woman whose life had been ripped away from her, compassion and determination shining in her chocolate eyes. Maura may have thought that Jane was gorgeous lounging on her couch, but when she was in detective mode, it made something in Maura change. She felt a flutter low in her stomach and a slight burn even lower. Detective Jane Rizzoli might have just been the sexiest sight she had ever seen.

Unaware of the doctor's gaze upon her, Jane observed the body of the young woman. She was slim, and no taller than five feet five inches, with curly, ash blonde hair that framed her face. The bright green workout top and black yoga pants she wore looked relatively new and showed no signs of tears or any other marks of a struggle. The detective would have considered her to be an attractive young woman, had it not been for the pink hue that covered her skin.

Following her assessment of the young victim, Jane looked back at the doctor, only to find Maura looking intently back at her, lips slightly parted, her breathing shallow. The normally hazel eyes appeared to have darkened, the flecks of gold and green becoming more prominent around the dilated pupils. What Jane found in that gaze seemed to be a mix of admiration, determination, and… desire? _No that can't be. Maura's straight. And why would she be attracted to me?_

"Hey Maur," Jane said, breaking Maura's stare. "Ready to head back to the station?"

"Um… yes. That would be lovely." Maura voice came out slightly lower than usual. Clearing her throat she continued. "I've completed my examination and will have to complete the rest back at the morgue."

The detective offered her hand the honey blonde and helped her up, her eyes flickering briefly down towards the doctors flexing legs. Maura smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles on her dress and began to walk back towards the vehicle, nodding to her assistants to collect the body. Jane walked alongside, her hand resting on the doctor's lower back as she guided her over the uneven ground. The detective's fingers seemed to burn at the contact and Jane couldn't help but briefly wonder if the same heat would occur against bare skin.

_I really need to get these thoughts under control. Maura is your best friend. You can't be having these feelings toward her._ Jane briefly glanced at the honey blonde as they walked. _There's no way she would even return my feelings… could she?_ That thought was what stayed with the detective throughout the drive to the precinct. Surely her best friend didn't feel the same attraction towards her as she did. But the memory of the look she saw in Maura's eyes, the glimpse of pure desire, haunted Jane. _I can't keep doing this. I need to know if she feels the same way. But how do I do that without the risk of losing her?_ As the duo pulled up to the curb in front of the department, Jane had made up her mind and had begun to form her plan.

Entering the lobby, Jane and Maura walked toward the elevators together, pressing the buttons for their respective floors while making sideways glances at the other. As the elevator arrived to take Maura down to her domain, she spoke up.

"Jane, I'm going to begin the autopsy tonight. I don't think that poor girl should wait a whole night. If you'd like to come down in an hour or so, I should be finishing up."

"Um, yeah. Sure, I'll come down. Actually, I'm just going to go check and see if the guys have had any luck on an ID and then I'll come join you." Jane ran her fingers through her hair nervously. It was now or never.

"And Maur?" The doctor quickly turned back at the sound of the detective calling her name, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes, Jane?"

"Once we finish up tonight, would you like to come over? We never did get to finish our pizza and movie. We can talk about things there too." Jane phrased her offer to sound as if she wanted to talk about the case, not wanting to reveal the real reason she wanted to talk to the honey blonde just yet.

"That sounds lovely, Jane. I'll see you shortly."

And with that, the elevator doors closed as the doctor descended towards the morgue. As she waited for her ride up to homicide, Jane let out a sigh and leaned against the wall. _Well, it's a start. So far so good…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, here's a nice loooong chapter for you guys to enjoy since the next few days are going to be a little hectic for me and I'm not sure how much time I'll have to update. I hope you like it. I know I enjoyed writing this one. Thoughts and dreams are in italics. Please review! I'm still looking for that elusive first one, but thank you for the favs and follows! –ME**

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**Again, I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the other characters from the books and show.**

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Chapter 3

Jane stepped off of the elevator and made her way into the bullpen where she found Frost hastily typing away at his computer and Korsak hunched over a file, his fingers worrying the edges of the papers inside.

"Any progress guys?" Jane collapsed into her chair glaring at the new stack of paperwork that had magically appeared during what was supposed to have been her day off.

"Yeah I confirmed her name, Jane." Korsak stood and made his way over to Jane's desk, dropping a stack of papers in front of her. "Jessie Kohler. Age 22. She just graduated from Boston College and was working in a local lab that randomly tested for heavy metals, bacteria, and so on in food and water."

"So that explains the government ID. Any friends or family?" Jane asked as her eyes raked over the pages before her.

Frost stopped typing and jumped in. "I managed to find her file with the Commonwealth and her next of kin is listed as her father who lives in Virginia, but I haven't been able to find any family in the area." Clicking his mouse a few more times before turning in his chair to face Jane and Korsak, the younger detective continued with a satisfied smirk, "I did manage to get into her Facebook account. Seems that our lady in pink lived in an apartment near Fenway with one roommate."

Shifting in her chair before rising with a stretch, Jane looked at the dark circles and drooping eyelids of her partner and ex-partner's faces. "Good job guys. Seeing as we don't even have a cause or manner of death yet, and that it's close to 1am, let's wait till the morning to go talk to the roommate. Head home and get some rest."

Not needing to be told twice, the two men quickly gathered their blazers and headed for the elevators.

"Aren't you coming Janie?" Korsak looked back at the brunette who was leaning over her desk, fingers gripping the edges and head dropping slightly.

Too tired to admonish the older detective for using her nickname, Jane just waved him off. "Yeah, but I told Maura I'd go check on her. She insisted on doing the autopsy tonight and she needs a ride home anyway."

With that, the two men stepped into the waiting elevator, leaving Jane alone in the bullpen. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, and her resolve, the brunette tucked her badge and gun onto her belt, adjusted her blazer, and made her way down to the morgue.

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Under the bright, fluorescent morgue lights Maura was finishing up with her autopsy, replacing the block of organs back into the victim's torso. Since she preferred the use of the Letulle method in which all the organs were removed in one block, the doctor was just making sure the organs were aligned perfectly when she heard the heavy footsteps of Jane's boots approaching from down the hall. A small smile formed on Maura's face as she anticipated the morgue doors being thrown open and the sarcastic remark that would announce the dark-haired detective's arrival. Jotting down some notes for her report, the doctor began a silent countdown. _Three, two, and…_

"Maura have you figured out why our victim is the color of the pink canopy bed my mother cursed me with as a kid?"

_Right on the mark… or is it cue? I'll have to ask Jane._

"Not quite. There are several possible causes for her pink hue, but seeing as the ambient temperature for the past several days has not been below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I can rule out exposure to the cold. She was in full rigor at the scene and livor mortis had settled which puts time of death between twelve and eighteen hours before we found her, but livor had settled in two different positions indicating that the body was moved a few hours following death." Maura continued to ramble off what she had found during the autopsy, confirming that with the exception of a healing bruise, there were no internal or external injuries.

"I did find though that she enjoyed a medium-grade burger, some sweet potato fries and what appears to be a Belgian wheat beer a few hours before her death," added the doctor as she lifted her head with a smile stretching across her face, the one that was reserved only for the detective. "Stomach contents are my favorite part."

"Eww. Yeah you've told me before Dr. Emeril," replied Jane with her own cheeky grin and a roll of her eyes. As the detective approached the exam table, Maura returned her attention back to the body before her and began to apply the stitches.

"Well if I hadn't checked her stomach contents, I wouldn't have noticed that the pink coloring extended down her esophagus and continued into the stomach," Maura stated in a sing-song voice, adding a little wiggle to her hips.

The words Jane was about to say caught in her throat. The movement of the doctor's hips, combined with the fact that the fabric of her scrub pants was stretched over the curve of her ass as she bent over the table, caught Jane's eye and images flashed in her mind. Images nowhere near appropriate to be having of her best friend.

_Jane's hands ran up the doctor's dress-clad back, reaching for the zipper hidden _

_at the base of honey blonde locks. As she pulled down slowly, a shiver ran over _

_the pale, creamy skin that was revealed inch by inch. When the zipper ended just _

_above the swell of Maura's ass, Jane took her fingers and slowly ran them over the _

_doctor's shoulder blades and under the fabric of her dress, pushing it over toned _

_arms. Although she couldn't see her face, Jane could hear the shallow, erratic breathing _

_of the honey blonde as she wriggled her hips and let the dress fall, pooling around her _

_feet. The detective was left with a view of an open expanse of __porcelain_ skin, ending only at 

_the black lace of the doctor's panties, no bra straps in sight. With a shaky hand, Jane _

_reached out, wanting to trace her fingers along the line of lace…_

"Jane?"

Suddenly, the brunette found herself standing back in the morgue with her hand outstretched toward Maura who was still in her black scrubs and wearing a curious expression.

"Are you alright? Your increased pace in breathing and the flush forming on your neck suggests that you are experiencing some agitation." Maura tried to look concerned for her friend, but the dark pools of onyx present in Jane's eyes told the doctor otherwise. _Jane is aroused._

The detective shifted on her feet and quickly dropped her hand back to her side. The change in position was an attempt to compose herself, but also to try to deal with the wetness that was now present between her thighs.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I… uh… thought I saw-a-poisonous-spider-on-you," Jane rushed her explanation. "I was nervous it would bite you." The detective dropped her gaze to Maura's feet and worried her bottom lip between her teeth, hoping the honey blonde wouldn't push any further. _This is so not how I wanted this to go._

Maura just continued to stare at the brunette, not buying a word that fell from her mouth. _I wonder what Jane was thinking about. Was it about me? Could she possible be as attracted to me as I am to her?_ With an amused smile forming on her face, Maura removed her surgical gloves and placed her forefinger beneath Jane's chin, lifting until still-dark eyes, rimmed with chocolate met her own hazel gaze.

"Thank you, Jane. Always my protector."

Jane offered a small, bashful smile in return and the doctor left her finger beneath the brunette's strong jaw. The two women continued to stand there in the morgue, neither one wanting to be the first to avert their eyes.

Slowly, Maura's right hand turned to cup the detective's cheek. It only felt right when Jane turned into the doctor's palm, lifting her own scarred one to rest over the honey blonde's.

"Anything for you, Maura. You know that."

The words were spoken so gently, with such adoration, such reverence, and such love in them, Maura felt her stomach flutter. Although she knew it was scientifically impossible, that the feeling was just caused by blood rushing away from the stomach towards other parts of the body as part of the instinctual "fight or flight" mechanism, the doctor felt what Jane would call "butterflies." _She's just so adorable. Just when I feel like I can't love her any more. _ Maura stopped. _Love? Yes. Love. I'm in love with Jane._

With that admission to herself, and the look of pure love in Jane's eyes, Maura did something she never did. She guessed. She guessed that her tender, yet badass detective shared similar feelings toward her. The doctor's hand slipped further behind the brunette's neck, fingers brushing against soft curls. Jane's hand never left hers, but her thumb began to gently rub over the back of Maura's hand.

Since she wore flats when performing autopsies, the blonde was at a significant height disadvantage, but didn't let that deter her. Lifting slightly on her toes and tilting her head back, Maura watched Jane's eyes, searching for any sign that the brunette didn't want this. Instead, Jane brought her right hand up to Maura's hip, resting it there gently and started to lean down.

Two pairs of eyes were locked on each other. Two pairs of lips slowly parted, awaiting the feel of the other. Maura could feel Jane's warm breath ghosting over her own lips as they got closer to each other, the hand on her hip slightly tightening its grip.

The feel of Maura's curves beneath her hand, and the feel of the doctor's fingers at the base of her neck only spurred the detective further. _This is it. _Jane closed her eyes and let instinct take over as she closed the distance between herself and the doctor.

Lips met, gently at first, but then more firmly. It was a chaste kiss, but the two women could feel the passion behind it, as well as the hesitancy, unsure if this moment was truly happening. Jane was the first to let out a slight whimper as Maura increased the pressure on the back of Jane's neck, pulling the detective closer. The doctor parted her lips and pulled Jane's lower lip between her teeth, nibbling gently.

That's all it took for Jane to realize this wasn't a dream. She was really kissing Maura. Kissing her best friend. Kissing her best friend that she was in love with. This was real.

The hand that had been on Maura's hip snaked around the doctor's waist as the detective's other hand moved to the base of the doctor's skull. Pulling the doctor flush against her body elicited a moan from deep within Maura. Her tongue traced against Jane's lips, asking for permission to enter.

When the detective's lips did part, Maura wasted no time in deepening the kiss. Thrusting her tongue in Jane's mouth seemed to light a fire within the brunette. One scarred palm immediately went to tangle in golden locks, while the other drifted slightly lower putting pressure just above Maura's ass, trying to pull her in even closer. Both of Maura's hands flew into raven curls, pulling the detective's mouth more onto her own.

The kiss grew more passionate and even a little frenzied. Jane started to walk them backwards towards the medical examiner's office, but was interrupted by the clang of autopsy instruments striking the floor as the pair bumped into the table holding Maura's tools.

The sudden, sharp noise caused the women to break their kiss. Chests heaving and panting, the pair stood there in their embrace, foreheads together, eyes locked on the other.

"I should…um…get these samples sent off to toxicology…" Maura gasped, trying to bring her racing heart back down to normal pace.

"Yeah… that's probably a good idea," replied Jane, slowly moving her hands back to lightly rest on the doctor's hips.

Maura gently extracted her hands from the detective's thick curls, now even more unruly as a result of their heavy make out session. Jane dropped her hands and took a slight step back, trying to distance herself a bit so as to not grab the doctor again to continue their previous actions. After all, they were still at work, and the young woman lying on the exam table next to them deserved a little more respect.

As Maura moved to grab the sample jars from the table next to the one that held Jessie, she looked to the detective, doing what she knew would help calm her nerves: relaying information. "I'll need the toxicology reports to confirm, but given the lack of any other apparent cause of death or injury, and the pink coloration of the dermis and internal organs, it looks like Jessie may have been poisoned by carbon monoxide sometime late last night."

"Okay," came the response from Jane, her eyes still full of desire. "Frost and I are going to interview the roommate in the morning, so this will give us something to go on. But for tonight, how about we go home and finish this discussion?"

The honey blonde quickly filled out the paperwork for the submissions for toxicological analysis and placed them into the secured cabinet for the lab to pick up in the morning. Turning back towards Jane, her hazel eyes sparkling, Maura gave her shoulders a quick shimmy with a wink. "Let me just change out of my work clothes, _detective._"


	4. Chapter 4

**So I managed to get some writing in today and things are starting to heat up! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the actual story. I'm trying to find a nice balance between the case and Maura and Jane's relationship, but wanted to get this part out first, so if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to let me know! Thanks for the positive reviews! –ME (yes my initials really are ME for those that asked)**

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Still don't own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters from the books/show.

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Chapter 4

If Jane's heartbeat wasn't all over the place before, it certainly was now. The detective had to clear her throat and backed up towards an empty exam table, gripping the edge as if her life depended on it as Maura made her way back over. There was a near predatory look in the doctor's eyes, as well as an almost mischievous gleam. Jane knew how she felt about the honey blonde, and she was pretty sure that the doctor shared similar feelings now, but suddenly the brunette had a feeling of apprehension wash over her, uncertainty filling her mind. _What if Maura doesn't love me? I'd do anything for her, but what if this is just an experiment or a heat of the moment thing for her?_

Nearing the detective, Maura saw insecurity flash across Jane's chocolate orbs. The kiss they had just shared had cemented Maura's feelings for the brunette, but the doctor knew that beneath her tough exterior, Jane Rizzoli could be very vulnerable, especially since Maura was fairly certain that Jane had never been with a woman before.

Attempting to pull Jane's attention away from her thoughts, Maura stepped into the detective's space and ran her hands down Jane's arms, coming to rest on her forearms.

"Jane, this doesn't have to change anything. We can call this a kiss between two people, brought on by stress and exhaustion. It will be hard for me to repress my feelings for you again, but if it means saving our friendship, I can forget all about this."

Jane's eyes snapped up to hazel ones.

"What?! NO! I mean…" Jane's expression was full of shock, her voice slightly higher. "You… you have feelings… for me?"

Deciding to be brave, Maura chose to 'listen to her intestines' and tell Jane the truth. The brunette had made the first move, now it was her turn_._

"Yes, Jane. I think I've loved you since the moment you showed up on my front step after Hoyt escaped. I know it was a terrible time, but that was the first time you ever truly opened up to me and I saw the real Jane Rizzoli, tough and badass, but also gentle, vulnerable, loving. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world to be the one that you came to, that you opened up to."

Maura's words brought tears to Jane's eyes. _Maura loves me. She said she loves me_. Quickly wiping away the gathering moisture, Jane gave a soft smile, her confidence restored.

"Did Maura Isles just use the word _badass_? I believe that's a form of swearing." Jane's soft smile morphed into a sly grin as she attempted to dodge a light slap from Maura's hand. With a soft chuckle, the detective moved her hands to the doctor's hips, her voice calm and clear.

"I love you too, Maura. I have for a long time. I just was too scared to say anything and risk losing you. You are everything to me."

Now it was Maura's turn to start to tear up, only finding her voice as she felt Jane's hand move to brush across her cheek, wiping her tears away.

"Thank you, Jane. You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that. Now…" the doctor cleared her throat. "…would you mind helping me put Miss Kohler away for the night? Then I can change and we can hop."

"_Bounce_, Maur. I think you mean bounce. But sounds like a plan. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Jane responded with a wink.

* * *

It was nearly 2:30 in the morning before Jane and Maura shuffled their way through the front door of Jane's apartment. Slipping out of her heels, Maura made her way into the kitchen as Jane locked up behind them.

"Would you like some wine, Maur? I think I still have a bottle of one of your fancy red wines from the last time you were here." Jane walked up behind Maura, reaching over the honey blonde hair to pull down two glasses. The doctor could feel the heat from Jane's body, her own temperature rising as she felt the detective's breasts brush across her back.

Maura turned to face Jane and gently grasped her wrist. "No, thank you. I think I'd just like a glass of water before going to sleep."

"Sure thing. Why don't you go get ready for bed and I'll bring our drinks in. Help yourself to some clothes to sleep in. There should be something decent in the top drawer of my dresser."

A few minutes later, Jane walked into her bedroom and nearly dropped both glasses of water. There, in her bathroom doorway, stood the honey blonde wearing nothing but one of Jane's old, softball t-shirts and a pair of very lacy, very red panties. The light from the bathroom created a halo around the curves of the medical examiner as she checked herself in the mirror. Jane stood frozen to her spot in the dark bedroom, mesmerized by the sight before her. As Maura turned to exit the bathroom, she noticed the detective standing just a few feet into the bedroom, eyes wide, and mouth gaping. Flipping the light off, the doctor exited the bathroom and made her way across the room, turning on one of the lamps next to the bed as she passed. Once she stood directly in front of Jane, she could see that the normally chocolate orbs had turned to black pools desire, causing a wetness to gather between the doctor's legs and a simmering fire to ignite in her lower abdomen.

Jane continued to just stare, her mouth going dry at the vision standing just a foot in front of her. What had been one of her lesser worn t-shirts instantly became her new favorite once she saw how it hugged the honey blonde's curves, stretched a little tighter over a more amble chest than her own. It was only when Maura reached out to grab the water glasses and place them on the nightstand that Jane realized she had been holding her breath.

"Jane?"

"Uh huh?

"Come to bed."

The next thing Maura knew, she was being swept off her feet, strong hands coming to grasp behind her thighs. Instinctively, her arms flew around Jane's neck, fingers tangling into dark curls and hanging on for dear life. Her breath was forced out as Maura felt her back hit the plush bed that had been behind her, the toned body of her detective landing gently above her, soft curves melding against her own. Opening her eyes, Maura's hazel orbs met Jane's, black with desire but also full of love and adoration. The simmering fire she had felt turned into a full on blaze, her breathing becoming more rapid and shallow by the second.

"I'll come to bed doctor, but I have no intention of sleeping now."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry to leave you all hanging last chapter. I kind of ran out of time and had to go take care of some things. And since I strained a muscle in my chest and have been ordered to rest, here's a nice, long, Rizzles-filled chapter to make up for it. Here's where the M-rating kicks in and again, thanks for the great reviews (Stchandler7, yours made me laugh! Thank you!)! –ME**

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Disclaimer: Still don't own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters from the books and show.

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Chapter 5

As soon as they hit the bed, Jane began to devour the doctor's lips, Maura responding in earnest, her tongue searching out the detective's. The silent room was instantly filled with deep moans of pleasure. Tongues battling for dominance over the other before Jane moved her lips to follow along Maura's jaw and down the expanse of her pale neck. The doctor tilted her head to the side, granting Jane greater access. A low growl escaped from Jane's throat as she sucked and nipped her way down to the blonde's pulse point.

"Mine."

"Oh yes, Jane. Yours. Please don't stop," Maura panted, her body humming at the feel of the detective's mouth on her skin.

And Jane didn't stop. While still sucking at the base of Maura's neck, Jane's left hand reached down between them to play along the hem of the doctor's shirt.

"You know, I completely forgot I had this shirt, where did you find it?" Jane mumbled into the blonde's neck, continuing her assault.

A panting Maura replied, "It was…in the back… of your drawer. I liked the… color."

"You're right, it does look good. But I think it would look even better on the floor."

Suddenly Maura found herself topless as Jane yanked the shirt over her head, tossing it over her shoulder without a glance before returning to her previous actions. After a few more nips to the doctor's shoulder, Jane ran her tongue over where she knew she had left a mark, continuing her path across Maura's clavicle and down to valley between her breasts. The cool air hitting the trail that Jane's tongue left caused goosebumps to form on the doctor's skin and her nipples to harden.

Noticing this, Jane couldn't help but move her mouth to cover Maura's left breast, her left hand coming up to knead the other. The feeling of the puckered skin of the detective's palm on her nipple caused a deep moan to rise up from the honey blonde. Jane's touch brought more pleasure to Maura than any other lover's had before. The marks on the brunette's hands were so uniquely Jane, symbolizing her strength and resiliency, that Maura could have come from that touch alone. But as the detective continued to knead her right breast, rolling the hardened nub between her fingers, Maura felt a sharp tug on her left nipple as Jane used her teeth to pull it into her mouth. Instantly her attention was brought to focus on the fact that Jane had now opened her whole mouth over top of the blonde's breast, sucking and licking the peak, applying light nips here and there.

"God Maura, do you know how long I've wanted to do this?" Jane mumbled against the swell of Maura's chest as she switched breasts. "Every time you walk into the bullpen it takes everything I have to not throw you down on my desk and rip open your top."

All Maura could do was moan in reply. Her hands moving from a death grip on Jane's sheets to curl into thick raven-colored locks.

"I could stay right here all night Maur, but I want to worship all of you." The brunette looked up at Maura, her chin resting lightly on the doctor's yoga-toned stomach. No one had ever said anything like that to the doctor, ever. Just looking at Jane, she could tell how much the detective truly loved her, but her words made Maura feel more loved that she ever had. All she could do was offer Jane a soft smile in response, not trusting her voice.

With that, Jane continued her way down the doctor's stomach, stopping briefly to swirl her tongue around Maura's navel as her fingers trailed down her sides. The honey blonde bucked her hips as Jane reached the line of lace separating her from Maura's arousal. Placing a light kiss to the top of her mound, Jane reached around the doctor's hips to grab the back of her panties. As her fingers brushed across the skin of Maura's lower back, Jane felt a small raised line of skin above her left hip. Jane froze and so did Maura.

Wrapped up in their passion, the detective had completely forgotten that Maura was just a few weeks removed from her surgery to donate a kidney to save her half-sister's life. It reminded Jane of how lucky she was to be here with the honey blonde. Lucky to be with such a kind, selfless woman who would go so far for a relative she didn't even know she had until recently, and all without even a 'Thank you'. The detective's heart swelled, filling with even more love for the woman beneath her.

"Jane. Please don't. You don't have to look at it. I know it's not beautiful, and it doesn't represent strength and courage like your scars do." Maura's voice was uneasy, hinting at the tears that threatened to fall. She hadn't told Jane this, but following the surgery, Maura had felt a sense of weakness, like she had been used for her organs then tossed back, unworthy of being with the family she longed to know.

"Maura. That's not what I was thinking at all." Jane carefully sat up and pulled the honey blonde into her lap so that Maura was straddling her. Maura kept her eyes down, focusing instead on a suddenly interesting freckle on her thigh. The detective reached up with her right hand to brush a strand of hair behind Maura's ear while keeping her left resting on the doctor's hip, fingers lightly running over the scar. Jane lowered her head so she could meet the blonde's gaze.

"I was thinking of how beautiful you are, inside and out. This scar is a testament to that. To how much you give without ever expecting anything in return. Your scar tells a story of how strong you are. Of how much of a better person you are. Maura you are so selfless and kind. You make me want to be better."

Jane sought out understanding in Maura's eyes, hoping that her words got through to that big brain of hers. Tears began to freely run down Maura's cheeks as a small sob shook through her body. Jane pulled the doctor into her body as tightly as their position would allow and ran both hands up and down her back while whispering words of comfort and quiet _I love you_'s in her ear. Once Maura had begun to calm down, the detective gently pushed her back, holding onto the blonde's shoulders.

"Is it wrong of me to also say that now I'm not the only one with a hole in my side?" Jane gave Maura her biggest Rizzoli grin, hoping that the joke would get the doctor to smile. It did. It also earned Jane a playful poke to the scar on her own abdomen, followed by a giggle. The sound of Maura's laugh was music to Jane's ears.

"Better?"

"Uh huh." Maura wiped at her eyes before returning her gaze to Jane's.

"Good. Now I want to show you just how beautiful you are… _inside_ and out."

The brunette gently pushed Maura back down to the bed and repositioned herself between the doctor's legs. Fingers quickly found themselves hooking into red lace and pulling down until Maura lay bare beneath the detective. Jane licked her lips as she brought her left hand up to run through soft, neatly trimmed curls. The doctor's hips rolled upwards, searching for more contact. The brunette lowered her lips to place reverent kisses on the insides of Maura's thighs, the scent of the doctor's arousal engulfing her senses.

"Mmm… Jaaannee…please..." Maura's fingers ran through dark curls, gently tugging her lover to where she needed her most.

Flashing a quick grin up at the doctor, Jane spread Maura with her fingers and gave a long stroke of her tongue, bringing Maura's juices back into her own mouth. Jane groaned at the taste, sending vibrations through the doctor's core which elicited a moan from Maura as well. The detective continued to run her tongue up and down the blonde's slit, stopping every few strokes to flick over the doctor's now enlarged clit. Each pass brought a slight buck of Maura's hips, but when Jane brought her mouth full over the hardened bundle of nerves, she nearly flew off the bed.

The brunette pulled the honey blonde's clit fully into her mouth, flicking her tongue back and forth as she continued to suck at the nub. Maura's back arched up as she continued to roll her hips into the detective's mouth. She was so close. Maura could feel the tension building in her lower abdomen, like a tightly coiled spring waiting to be released. Suddenly two long fingers slid through her wetness before pushing into her, filling her up. Maura's eyes shot open, her mouth forming an 'O' as Jane began to pump into her with slow, deep thrusts, her mouth still attached to the doctor's clit. Jane's thrusts became harder, reaching deeper into Maura as her back continued to arch of the bed. When the brunette's fingers curled to hit the spongy tissue inside, Maura lost it. She was nearly levitating off the bed, her fingers and toes curled into the sheets, her breath caught in her chest.

"Jaaaaannnnnneeee!" Maura's orgasm hit her like a freight train. Jane's name was ripped from her lips in a long moan, her brain unable to comprehend anything but the explosion of release she felt in her lower half and the feeling of Jane's fingers coaxing her down from her high.

When Maura's breathing began to slow, Jane gently removed her fingers and looked in amazement at the coating of juices on them. Maura watched intently as Jane brought her fingers to her mouth and licked the doctor's cum from them, groaning at the taste. The brunette then kissed her way back up the honey blonde's body before meeting Maura's lips in a passionate kiss.

Maura moaned at the taste of herself on Jane's lips. "That was…"

"Amazing." Jane grinned. "I love you so much Maura."

"I love you too, Jane." The doctor attempted to move her limbs, but found that they were still heavy. "Just give me a moment and then I can show you just how much."

"Don't worry about me, Maura. Just let me hold you tonight. I need to change real quick, but go to sleep, we both need the rest." Jane slipped out of bed to throw on a tank top and some boxer shorts before rejoining Maura. She pulled the doctor towards her until Maura's head was resting on her chest, the blonde's right arm coming to rest across Jane's stomach, their legs intertwining.

As Maura began to drift off to sleep, she realized that this was the happiest she had been in a long time. She was falling asleep with Jane beside her. Not only as her best friend, but as her lover. The woman she loved more than anything in the world was lying next to her, holding her in strong arms after just giving her one of the most intense orgasms she had ever experienced. Maura pulled the sheet up over their bodies before closing her eyes, a content smile across her lips.

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**Whew! What a chapter. I wanted to show some vulnerability in Maura and the gentleness that Jane can show her, while also making this such a tender (but sexy) moment. Hardest chapter I've written so far, but I hope it was worth it. Please let me know your thoughts and/or suggestions.**


	6. Chapter 6

**And now, back to the case!  
**

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R&I aren't mine… sad face

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Chapter 6

The following morning, Jane woke up before her alarm for once. Confused, she tried to reach for her phone to double check the time, but found that she couldn't move her left arm. A smile stretched across the detective's face as she looked down and realized what was causing her immobility. Lying on her side, facing away from Jane was a still naked Maura, her golden curls fanning out on the pillow behind her, backside pressed into Jane, and her arm resting overtop of the brunette's that had wrapped around the doctor's waist. As Jane moved to withdraw her arm from the honey blonde's hip, Maura let out a whimper of discontent at the loss of contact, but did not wake.

Jane knew she had to go meet Frost so that they could interview the victim's roommate, but the thought of staying in bed with Maura was so very tempting. With a deep sigh, the detective leant over and placed a kiss to the back of her lover's head before gently climbing out of bed to take a shower. After only a few hours of sleep, Jane felt surprisingly refreshed. Perhaps it was the fact that she had finally admitted her feelings for her best friend and had discovered that those feelings were mutual. And not only were those feelings shared, Jane had gotten the chance to show Maura exactly how much she loved her. Last night had been unexpected, but far from unwelcomed.

Exiting from the bathroom, Jane quickly dressed in a dark gray suit with a deep red button-down shirt underneath, the color instantly making her think of the color of the medical examiner's underwear from the night before. The detective gazed lovingly down on the slumbering body still in her bed before walking to the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee with the actual coffee pot, knowing Maura's dislike of instant and that she would need the caffeine as well. Jane poured herself a to-go mug and scribbled out a quick note for the doctor before grabbing her keys and heading to the station.

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The bright morning sun woke Maura from her sleep as it broke through the windows, warming her body. Stretching the sleep from her limbs, she nuzzled into her pillow and was immediately met by the scent of lavender and vanilla. _Jane._ The thought of the detective brought a smile to the blonde's face as she rolled onto her back, her hand seeking out the form of her best friend only to find a cold expanse of sheets. Her smile slipped into a slight frown as she opened her eyes to find that she was alone in Jane's bed. _Did Jane get called out to a scene? I don't remember hearing my phone._

Maura reached over the nightstand picking up her phone only to find she had no missed calls and only one missed text from Angela asking if she wanted her usual order of granola and Greek yogurt for breakfast in the café. Typing a quick response, she thanked Angela for the thought but she would take care of breakfast for herself today, but promised to stop by for lunch. Truthfully, Maura would take care of her own meal seeing as she had lost her appetite when she woke up to the absence of the detective in bed.

When she finally pulled herself out of bed, the doctor caught a faint whiff of freshly brewed coffee. Throwing on her discarded t-shirt from the night before, Maura made her way out of Jane's bedroom and into the kitchen. There she found a half pot of coffee and a note. A brief glance at the scratchy writing told her it was Jane's. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, adding some natural sweetener and soy milk that Jane kept in her fridge just for her, the doctor picked up the note and began to read.

_My Maura,_

_I had to go in early this morning so Frost and I could go interview Jessie's roommate. I wish I could have stayed in bed with you a little longer this morning though. When I woke up with you in my arms it was the happiest I had been in a long time. I hope you enjoy your non-instant coffee this morning. I made it just for you. If you're not too busy today, come grab me around noon and we can go for lunch together. See you soon. –Jane x_

Maura's heart melted and a smile graced her lips as she read and reread Jane's note. Jane hadn't left her, well she had, but it was just to go to work. After all, they did have a current case involving a young woman, one whose life was just beginning. Jane owed Jessie her attention and her best efforts to bring her peace, as did Maura. Finishing the rest of her coffee, the doctor gingerly placed her mug in the sink before heading back into Jane's room to shower and dress. Luckily, she had left a few dresses here a few weeks ago while the two had been working a particularly gruesome case, only staying at Jane's to catch a few hours of sleep since it was much closer to work than her own home. It was nearing 8am as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. Knowing that Frankie would just be heading to the station now, Maura pulled out her phone and called the younger Rizzoli for a ride in, promising coffee and a pastry from Geri's, the gourmet café along the way.

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Just a few blocks away from Fenway Park, Jane and Frost pulled up outside of a building that looked like it had once been an old warehouse. Stepping out of the car, Jane looked down the street and was able to see a clear view of the backside of the Green Monster and let out a low whistle.

"Wow. What I wouldn't give to live down the street from the gates of Fenway. Just think, the Red Sox playing only a few blocks away, being able to hear the crowd roaring on game nights."

Frost looked over at his partner with an amused smile on his face. "Yeah it'd be pretty sweet. And being able to hear all the action at every home game would be amazing. Especially since there's no way we could afford season tickets with the 'big bucks' we make."

Both detectives let out a hearty laugh as they made their way up the front steps of the building. According to some building floor plans that Frost had been able to dig up, the warehouse had been converted into spacious loft apartments a few years back. Nothing fancy, but definitely a good place for the twenty-somethings who wanted to live near Fenway.

Approaching apartment 10, Jane heard two loud thuds, some grunting, and a crash come from inside of the apartment. She stopped outside of the door putting a hand up to still Frost's movements.

"Shhh. Did you hear that?" Jane looked at her partner, her hand moving to her weapon.

Frost drew his weapon and nodded towards the door. "Yeah. Sounds like there's a struggle inside. Someone could be hurt. Shall we?"

"We shall." And with that, Jane knocked loudly on the door once and announced themselves. "Boston Police! Open up!"

When there was no answer to her shouts, Frost moved into position to kick the door in. Just as he raised his leg, the front door swung open, causing Frost to nearly fall forward through the doorway as he attempted to hold his kick. Jane's weapon was raised and pointed at the figure that had appeared in the doorway.

"Woah! Woah! What's with the guns?" In front of the detectives stood a young woman dressed in a baggy black tank top and some red running shorts, her light brown hair swept up in a lose ponytail, and her gray-blue eyes were wide with surprise as her hands came up in surrender. "Can I help you guys? If you're looking for Jessie she's not here."

Jane lowered her weapon and holstered it as she took in the woman's appearance. "Are you Megan Anderson?"

"Um… yeah. Can I help you with something?" Megan lowered her arms while directing a quizzical look to the detectives.

Jane stepped up in front of Megan as Frost holstered his own weapon, and peered into the apartment over the women's shoulders. "I'm Detective Rizzoli and this is my partner Detective Frost with Boston PD. We need to talk to you about your roommate, Jessie Kohler. Also, are you okay? We thought we heard a scuffle going on in here."

Megan stared at the detectives for a moment before suddenly jumping to open the door up wider. "Oh! Yes! I'm fine. I was just working on a project for a class. Come on in." She waved Jane and Frost in then shut the door behind them.

Jane could not believe what she was seeing. There in front of them was what looked like body wrapped in burlap lying on the ground in front of a single panel of drywall, a softball bat and a pair of bolt cutters propped up against it. All of this was surrounded by several shower curtains hung from the rafters. The drywall and the curtains facing the bag were covered with splotches of a thick, red liquid.

"Is that… is that blood splatter?" Frost asked, his voice wavering slightly at the sight of blood.

Jane's hand went to rest over her weapon once again. _What the fuck is this?_

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**Ohh cliffhanger! What did they find in Megan's apartment?  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this chapter is just a quick one to share a little forensics knowledge and move the case along. Also, how awesome was that premiere?! I love sassy Maura. I'm hoping to incorporate her more into the story later, but for now enjoy! –ME **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own R&I or any of the characters from the show/books. However, Megan and Jessie are all my creation.**

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Chapter 7

"Actually the correct term is blood _spatter._ _Splatter_ is used as the verb and _spatter_ is the noun." Megan turned back towards the detectives with a towel in her hand, trying to remove any of the red liquid that had gotten on her arms. Looking up, she noticed their tense postures as they gazed at her project, realization suddenly lighting up her face. "Oh! I'm sorry. I know this must look weird. This is my project I was working on. I'm conducting spatter analysis for different types of heavy weapons used to inflict blunt force trauma on a body lying on the ground. Don't worry, the _body_ is just a punching bag wrapped in a burlap sack that I soaked in pigs blood. No humans have been harmed here," explained the young woman with a chuckle, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

Frost still looked uneasy but Jane slowly dropped her hand from the butt of her gun as she continued to take in the scene before her. "What kind of class did you say this was for?"

"It's for the Scientific Crime Scene Investigation course that I'm helping to teach this summer at BCU. I just got admitted to the forensic science graduate program there and they asked if I could help teach some high school kids the basics about analyzing blood spatter." Megan then turned her attention from the brunette detective and nodded in the direction of Frost who was slowly adjusting to the sight of blood in front of him. "Is he gonna be okay? We can go talk in the kitchen if that'd be better."

Frost jerked his head towards the grad student in response. "Uh yeah. I'm… fine. But could we move to another room? It'd be less...um…distracting." Megan nodded and led the detectives into the blood-free kitchen and away from the living room workspace.

Taking a seat across from the grad student, Jane gave a sideways glance at her partner and tried not to smile. Three years in homicide and he still had some issues with blood, even if it was pigs blood in this case. Once the three were settled around the table, Jane began.

"So Megan, when was the last time you saw your roommate?"

"Uh I think it was three days ago. I heard her come in late Friday while I was writing up a review but she left a few minutes after that. Otherwise I haven't actually seen her since Thursday." Megan's face dropped with concern. "She's not in some kind of trouble is she?"

"Well it depends what you mean by trouble," answered Jane. "If you two live together, why don't you see each other every day?" The detective was curious as to how Megan and Jessie wouldn't have seen each other in days. _I don't even live with Maura and I see her every day. I even see Ma too._

"We have very different schedules. Ever since graduation Jessie's been at work during the day while I stay here and run errands or work on some projects. In the evenings I go teach my course while Jessie comes home and studies for the MCAT or goes out for drinks."

Frost's ears perked up. "MCAT? Is she trying to be a doctor?"

Megan shifted in her seat, her discomfort growing. "Well. Yes. But Jessie had a rough patch during our last few semesters of school. She was enjoying her summer last year a little too much and slacked off on her studying and applications. She ended up missing some deadlines and then scored too low on the MCAT. After that, she kind of gave up for a while. She started having these moods and would go out all the time, sometimes not coming back until the next day. It wasn't until I got my acceptance to my grad program that she started trying to study again with the intent of applying to medical school again next year."

Picking up on Megan's uneasiness, Jane pressed further. "Megan, you seemed a little hesitant to tell us this. Any particular reason why?"

"It's been a bit of a sore subject for us." Megan sighed before continuing. "Grad school wasn't in my future until recently, but Jessie has always wanted to be a doctor and she had always planned on going to med school after undergrad. I think it made her feel bad that I got in to my program, but she has to wait out another year before she can even try again. That's why she got the job working at the lab. She needed something to keep her involved, but it wasn't exactly her dream job."

Jane nodded her head in understanding. She remembered all the jobs her brother Tommy had had, none of them being something he truly enjoyed doing, which is probably why he never lasted longer than a few months. Tommy had wanted to be a veterinarian, but his run-ins with the law had prevented that.

Frost interrupted Jane's thoughts with a question of his own. "Megan, did Jessie have a boyfriend or anyone she would have been out with Friday night?" He had noticed that for two attractive young women to be living here there were no pictures of guys, no flowers, no nothing to indicate any romantic relationships.

"No. She'd been seeing this guy she met through her last job, but they kinda ended things a few weeks ago. Turns out he was nowhere near ready to have a woman around. Friday night is usually our girls' night out since we don't see each other as much, but she called me during the day asking if we could reschedule. She said she had something she needed to do. I assumed it was a date or something since she only ever comes home and leaves like that when she's grabbing some clothes to go stay at a guy's place. She hasn't been home since, which isn't completely unusual, but since you guys are here now and she has to work tomorrow, I'm starting to worry. She's okay isn't she?" Megan's voice started to reveal her concern as she leaned forward in her seat, awaiting an answer.

The two detectives looked at each other, trying to determine if now was the right time to tell Megan. Jane glanced down at the grad student's hands where her right thumb was kneading her left palm, a motion Jane knew all too well with her own hands when she was nervous. Looking up into Megan's eyes, she decided that the woman deserved to know. "Megan, Jessie was found dead late last night in South Boston."

Jane and Frost watched for Megan's reaction as her hands stilled and she inhaled sharply. "What? I don't understand… How could she… What happened?" She looked up, searching for answers in the brunette's chocolate orbs. Her gaze reminded the detective a little of Maura's when she was trying to figure out what Jane's intestines were saying.

"We're not completely sure what happened yet, our medical examiner is currently waiting on some tests to come back." Frost answered, still focused on Megan whose eyes were still staring at Jane, but not quite seeing.

Jane continued to look right back at Megan. _She has studied forensics. Maybe I can let slip some of the details and she can give us some better insight._ "When we found Jessie, she was at an overgrown softball field, and her skin was pink. This was early Saturday evening."

The grad student's head perked up. "A softball field? Well, Jessie did play softball. That's actually how we first met was through a rec softball team at school. And she was pink? Well that could have been caused by carbon monoxide or even cyanide poisoning. It hasn't been cold enough for the coloration to have been caused by exposure."

Jane glanced at Frost, not quite sure of what to make of Megan's statement. _That's pretty much exactly what Maura said._

"Well like I said, we are still waiting on some test results, but do you know anyone that might want to hurt Jessie?"

"No. Everyone liked Jessie. Sure she could be a little wild sometimes, but she was a hard person not to like." Moisture began to form in Megan's eyes. "She can't really be dead though. We were supposed to become doctors together, one Ph.D. and one M.D. This wasn't supposed to happen…"

Knowing that they wouldn't be getting any more information today, Jane rose from her seat and rounded the table to crouch beside the grad student. Something about her reminded her so much of Maura, but also a little of herself. She couldn't help but want to feel as if it was her job to comfort her. Placing a hand on Megan's shoulder, Jane spoke in a low voice, trying to convey her sympathy. "Megan, I'm so sorry for your loss. But if you think of anything else, or if you need to talk to me for any reason, please give me a call."

Reaching into her blazer pocket, Jane pulled out a business card and placed it on the table in front of Megan whose eyes remained locked on the table. Jane gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before nodding to Frost and turning to leave.

The detectives reached the door, Frost giving one last uneasy look at the blood spatter project, before they exited. As Jane reached to close the door behind her, Megan appeared from the kitchen.

"Detective Rizzoli?"

Jane stopped, her hand on the doorknob.

"Find who did this. No one dies from carbon monoxide or cyanide poisoning on their own and ends up in a field. Someone did this to my friend. Please find them."

Jane's face turned to one of pure determination, but her eyes still bright with compassion. "Don't worry Megan, I will. That's a promise."

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**That's the Detective Rizzoli we all know and love! Next chapter will bring back some more Rizzles, don't you worry!**

**On another note, it kinda really irks me when people use the terms blood ****_spatter_**** and ****_splatter_**** incorrectly, so just wanted to clear that up, hence the beginning of the chapter. And that's your fun fact for the day :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I can't thank you all enough for the kind words and all of the follows/favorites! It really makes writing easier when I know people are actually enjoying this.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters from the show/books. **

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Chapter 8

It was nearly 11:30 when Jane and Frost returned to the station from interviewing Megan. They'd gotten some useful information, but Jane knew that Maura would have to get the tox results back before they could move forward on anything solid. Since it was nearing lunchtime anyway, Jane decided to head down to the morgue and visit with her favorite medical examiner.

"Hey Frost. You mind heading up and filling Korsak in on the interview? I'm going to go down to see Maura and check if she's got anything new. I'll be back in a while since we'll probably head out for lunch too."

"Sure thing, Jane. Just let me know if you find out anything and if you wouldn't mind a coffee run on your way back?" Frost suggested hopefully. "We sure could use the caffeine boost."

Jane just chuckled and smiled back at the darker detective as she slid through the elevator doors. "Yeah I guess I can do that partner." Punching the button for the basement then jumping in, Jane quickly added before the doors shut, "But next round at the Robber is on you!"

* * *

Jane arrived down in the morgue only to find that the autopsy suite was empty with no one—dead or alive—in sight. Making her way towards Maura's office, she noticed that the blinds were drawn, the lights were dimmed, and the door was open just a little. Silently pushing the door open, the sight in front of Jane made her mouth go dry. _Wow._

There before her sat the pristine-looking doctor typing up a report on her computer. But that wasn't what made Jane's heart rate pick up a little. The honey blonde had her bottom lip between her teeth, her legs were tucked up beneath her, clad in a black pencil skirt, and her upper body was encased in the deepest emerald green blouse Jane had ever seen. The fabric clung to Maura's every curve like it was made for her, and the V-cut above her chest revealed just enough cleavage for Jane to make out the tops of the doctor's breasts. Maura was humming lightly as she continued to type, not noticing the detective's entrance until she suddenly felt long, sinewy arms wrap around her from behind.

Maura jumped slightly at the touch, but instantly leaned back into the embrace when she heard Jane's low voice whisper into her ear.

"Well someone sure seems happy today."

Maura turned to give her "for-Jane-only" smile and pressed a light kiss to the detective's cheek.

"It would seem that I had a very nice night last night."

"Oh? And did this night involve a special someone?" A sly grin formed along Jane's lips as she tightened her grip and nuzzled into the side of Maura's neck, inhaling some fancy French perfume and a sweet, spring-like scent that was so uniquely Maura.

The doctor let out a soft moan as she felt Jane breath ghost along her neck. "In fact it did. A _very_ special someone I might add."

Jane leaned back a little to look at the doctor, a smile still graced Maura's face but the green flecks in her eyes began to dance in the low light.

Maura gently removed herself from Jane's embrace and reached over to close her laptop. Turning more fully towards the detective, Maura lifted herself from her chair and slipped her heels back on before stepping within inches of the brunette, their chests nearly touching.

"I'd be happy to tell you all about my gorgeous, dark-haired companion from last night over lunch at my place." Hazel eyes locked onto chocolate orbs. "I'm starving and I've been craving Italian."

Maura gave a slight tilt of her head, her smile morphing into a seductive grin. Jane's jaw nearly hit the floor. _Dear Lord, does she even know what she does to me? _

Jane stayed rooted in place as Maura turned to collect her purse, bending over her desk as she did so, knowing that the detective's eyes would remain glued to her form. Maura walked to the door of her office before turning back to Jane.

"Aren't you coming, _detective_?" Maura asked with a wink, her voice dropping lower than usual on the last word.

Jane's eyes became black with desire at the doctor's words, causing Maura's breath to hitch at the sight. The brunette leapt from her stance and nearly ran past the doctor, reaching out to grab her wrist as she went by. The two women reached Jane's car in record time and sped off towards Maura's house.

* * *

"Oh!" All the air left Maura's lungs as she was forced against the foyer wall by a certain raven-haired detective. They had barely gotten inside her front door before Jane had pushed Maura back by her hips, her mouth going straight for the doctor's neck, peppering the creamy skin with nips and open-mouthed kisses.

"Oh… Jane… slow down baby."

Jane growled into the doctor's neck before begrudgingly leaning back slightly, her hands still gripping slender hips.

"Whaaaatt?" the detective nearly whined, her bottom lip sticking out in a slight pout.

"Didn't I tell you I was hungry for Italian?" Maura pulled Jane's face between her hands, forcing chocolate orbs to meet hazel. "Plus, I think today's a good day for some lunch in bed."

With a wink Maura slipped out of Jane's grasp and tugged the detective down the hallway, leading her by the hand up the stairs to her bedroom. Once she had pulled the brunette into her room, Maura's gentle, seductive demeanor suddenly turned primal. The honey blonde roughly pushed Jane onto the bed, the detective landed on her back, her dark locks fanning out behind her. Maura quickly slipped out of her heels and hiked up her skirt before crawling up Jane's body, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

Moving to straddle the brunette's waist, Maura began nimbly undoing the buttons of Jane's shirt with her skilled fingers before latching onto the detective's pulse point.

"You know, I never got my turn last night." The blonde growled into the crook of Jane's neck, her hips beginning to slowly grind against the detective's lower abdomen.

Jane could only let out a moan in response as she felt Maura's tongue blaze a trail up her neck and up to her jaw before meeting her lips in a fiery kiss. The two battled for dominance in the kiss, lips and tongues sliding against each other. The detective could feel the fire beginning to build in her lower belly.

As the two continued their primal kiss, Jane's fingers started to slide up the side of the doctor's skirt until they found the hidden zipper, slowly pulling it down until Maura's position wouldn't allow any further movement. Gathering her strength with a growl, the brunette easily flipped them over, successfully pinning the blonde on top of the sheets.

Maura let out a gasp at the sudden change of position, looking up at the detective who wore a confident grin, her dark curls cascading down on either side of her face framing her now onyx eyes.

"But I wanted to have my turn, Jane." Maura pouted slightly before Jane leant down for a searing kiss.

"I know, but you're just too sexy, Maur," whispered the detective as her fingers again reached for the zipper of Maura's skirt, finishing their previous task. The garment was then so suddenly removed that the rush of air hitting the doctor's damp core caused a long deep moan to rise out of her throat, her nipples instantly hardening.

Jane's mouth returned to the doctor's lips, her tongue tracing along the bottom one asking for entrance. When it was granted, tongues met once again, and the kiss began to become more heated as the women tried to express every emotion from lust, to desire, to adoration, and even love.

The brunette's kissed began to trace along Maura's neck as her long, slender fingers worked their way down the doctor's collarbone and over her breasts, lightly teasing the hardened nubs through the material, all the way down to the hem of the doctor's blouse.

Maura's breath hitched, but she took the opportunity of Jane's distraction to undo the buckle of her belt, working it out of the horribly unflattering slacks the detective insisted on wearing. Nimble fingers began to undo the button and zipper of Jane's pants as the brunette began to slide scarred palms under Maura's blouse, lifting it up as she went.

The doctor sat up slightly to allow Jane to remove her blouse completely, and as Jane turned to toss it to the floor, Maura saw her opening and bucked her hips up into Jane, followed by a move that the detective would later refer to as her "sexy, yoga ninja flip", leaving a very stunned Jane on her back with a grinning honey blonde straddling her thighs.

Maura leaned down and growled into the detective's ear, "I told you it was my turn."

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**Ahh! Sorry to leave you all hanging but I couldn't keep spoiling you all with such long chapters *evil grin*. Don't worry, the next chapter is already written in all its smutty glory. So if you're nice I'll post it sooner! Muahahaha**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for the follows, favorites and reviews. So as promised, here is the continuation of our ladies' "lunch". Enjoy! -ME**

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**And I still don't own any characters from R&I...**

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Chapter 9

The next thing Jane knew, her bra had been discarded to the other side of the room, swiftly followed by Maura's lacy blue one. As she stared up at the figure above her, Jane couldn't believe how lucky she was to be the one with Maura Isles sitting above her with nothing but a blue lace thong on, hazel eyes sparkling in the light, and her golden curls falling to caress the tops of her full breasts.

Jane started push herself up, wanting to map the freckles covering Maura's chest with her tongue, the stiff peaks begging to be covered by her lips, but the doctor was having none of it. Maura pushed the brunette back down before moving to cover the detective's body with her own. It still amazed the doctor how perfectly they fit together, her soft curves effortlessly melding with the more toned, but still feminine form of her best friend.

With a quick kiss to the dimple on Jane's chin, Maura began tracing her lips down the column of Jane's throat, placing open-mouthed kisses above her jugular vein, feeling the increased pulse race beneath her lips. The doctor continued her journey down to Jane's chest, stopping only briefly to apply a few flicks of her tongue and a gentle bite to each dusky nipple.

"Nuhh. Mmm…Maura…" Jane let out a moan of pleasure, her eyes starting to roll back as her fingers moved to thread into honey locks, encouraging the doctor lower.

When Maura reached the spot just above Jane's naval, she shifted gently to place a reverent kiss to the slightly puckered skin that remained from when Jane had shot through herself. It was one of the worst moments of Maura's life, but it was one that made her realize the true depth of her feelings for the detective, and that she couldn't imagine life without her.

Jane released a small gasp, but Maura's lips continued further south, her fingers playing at the tops of Jane's cotton panties. As her mouth reached the detective's waistband, Maura leaned back slightly, taking in the sight before her.

The detective's eyes were closed, her teeth biting gently on her bottom lip, and her hands had moved above her head to grip at the pillows. This left the expanse of her lithe, olive toned body on full display for the doctor, her impressive abdominals flexing as her hips gyrated and expressed her need.

Feeling Maura stop, brown orbs flashed open to meet hazel ones. At first it was a look of confusion, but after a moment Jane nodded, knowing that the doctor was wordlessly asking permission to continue.

Getting her approval, Maura quickly hooked her fingers into Jane's panties and pulled them down her long legs before tossing them over her shoulder to join the rest of their clothes which littered the floor. The damp scent of the detective's arousal invaded Maura's senses. She could still detect a hint of the brunette's usual lavender smell combined with the new musk of desire. She had to taste her to see if Jane tasted as good as she smelled.

Maura placed light kiss to the detective's mound before using her tongue to spread her folds, Jane's hips lifting at the first contact. The doctor moaned as the brunette's arousal coated the tip of her tongue. _She tastes even better than she smells. I don't think I'll ever get enough of this._ Something snapped inside of Maura, something more primal and fueled by lust. The doctor dove back into Jane's folds, the fingers of her left hand wrapping around a muscled thigh before moving to open Jane up even further.

If Jane thought she had been aroused before, the sensations that Maura's lips and tongue were causing her told her how wrong she was. She released a fresh gush of liquid as her hips once again rose off the bed, searching for more contact.

Maura pressed her tongue as deep as she could into Jane's opening, and in doing so caused her nose to graze the detective's swollen clit. A guttural moan was forced from Jane's throat.

"Oh god, Maur… right there! Oh fuck right there."

Maura's sex clenched at the cries of pleasure emanating from Jane and instead of her usual admonishment of the detective's foul language, she instead moved to latch her lips onto her hardened clit and began to hum.

"Shit!" The forceful buck of Jane's hips nearly caused the doctor to lose contact, but now that she had the detective where she wanted her, she wasn't letting her go. Maura moved her forearm to rest over the brunette's hips, holding her down as she continued her oral assault. For several minutes Maura would alternate between sucking on Jane's clit while adding a few nips and dragging her tongue down through her folds to swirl it around Jane's opening, thrusting it in and out. Feeling the detective's walls start to clench down around her tongue and her breathing becoming more shallow and erratic, Maura withdrew before slamming two fingers into Jane who was more than ready for her.

"Ahh! Oh fuck Maura! So…close…ughh."

Jane's words went straight to Maura's core where she knew she was extremely wet as well. The blonde threw her leg over the detective's thigh and began to grind herself against it, her wetness soaking through her panties leaving a trail of her arousal on tanned skin.

Maura withdrew her fingers before slamming three digits back in, using her own thigh for more leverage. The motion caused Jane to throw her head back and release a deep moan. Maura sat up slightly, changing the position of her hand buried inside her lover until she reached deep enough to feel the spot that would throw Jane over the edge. Maura began thrusting harder and faster, curling her fingers into the spongy tissue as she withdrew. Her eyes remained locked on the detective's face, watching the waves of pleasure dance though her facial muscles. The doctor ground down harder onto the muscled thigh beneath her, knowing how close she was too, and with a few rough swipes of her thumb to Jane's clit, she felt the brunette's inner walls clamp down on her fingers. It would have been painful had Jane not looked so beautiful as her orgasm ripped through her, every muscle flexing beneath the doctors gaze, her back arching and hips lifting off the bed, eyes screwed shut and lips parted as a strangled cry tore through Jane's chest.

"Maur-AAAAAA! OHHH! Oh God!" The sounds of Jane in ecstasy and the sensation of her inner walls pulsing around Maura's fingers were too much for the doctor. When Jane's thigh tensed in pleasure, it provided the perfect pressure to Maura's core, sending her tumbling over the edge.

The doctor's cries of "Jane! Oh Jane!" mixed with those from the detective as she threw her head back, her whole body stiffening as waves of pleasure rolled through her yoga-toned body.

Aftershocks began to tremble through their bodies while Maura slowly rubbed her center onto Jane and eased her fingers in and out of the detective, both women coming down from their highs.

Finally collapsing onto the damp chest of the beautiful brunette beneath her, Maura gently withdrew her fingers from the detective's core, feeling Jane wince at the loss of contact.

The two laid there for several minutes as they tried to get their breathing and heart rates under control. Maura could hear the detective's racing heart beneath her ear and couldn't help but smile against her chest as she lifted a finger to gently trace along Jane's torso. She felt Jane release a soft sigh before long arms snaked their way around her back, surrounding Maura in a loving embrace.

With a gentle squeeze, Jane moved one hand to stroke the back of Maura's hair as the doctor lifted her gaze to the detective's.

"Well that was one of the best lunches I've ever had," rasped Jane, her husky voice even rougher after the cries she had released during what was easily the most mind-blowing orgasm she had ever experienced. A grin played across her lips and she continued to hold the medical examiner to her chest.

"Mmm. I'd have to agree. I don't think I've gotten rid of my craving for Italian though." Maura smiled cheekily back at the detective. "And I don't think I want to."

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**When we return from lunch, it's back to the case! Jane and Maura do still have a murder to solve.**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I got my most recent issue of ToxTalk and Journal of Forensic Toxicology so I think this chapter will be interesting for those of you who like the science of what Maura does. Turns out there was a great article involving our cause of death here and something else… coincidence? Hmmmm **

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**Nope, still don't own anything or anyone from R&I**

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Chapter 10

The two women lay on the bed for several minutes as their heart rates and breathing returned to normal, perfectly content to cuddle and enjoy the presence of the other. It wasn't until Jane heard her phone chime, indicating a new text message that she even dared move. She would have been perfectly content to spend the rest of the day with the beautiful medical examiner's head laying on her chest, blonde curls splayed across her stomach, and nimble fingers tracing along tight abs, but duty called—or texted at least.

Blindly reaching over the edge of the bed for her discarded pants, Jane finally managed to pull her phone out to discover a text from Frost:

_So how's your lunch going with the doc? Are we ever going to see our coffee? ;)_

Jane rolled her eyes and let out a slight groan as she read the text, causing Maura to lift her head and look at the detective with confusion written across her face.

"What's wrong Jane?"

"I think our absence is starting to be noticed. Frost just texted me wondering how my "lunch break" was going… I think he might know."

"Know what? That I prefer having a certain Italian detective for lunch?" Maura smirked up at Jane who could only smile back at the doctor before leaning down to capture soft pink lips in a gentle, but passionate kiss.

"Mmm… something like that. I think we better head back though before other people start to get curious about my new favorite lunch special."

"Oh fine." The doctor let out a very un-Maura-like huff then rolled off of the detective to start gathering her clothes. "I guess the toxicology reports should be back soon anyway, and as much as I trust Senior Criminalist Chang, the other technicians tend to get a little rambunctious when I'm gone for too long."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the pair were on their way back to the precinct, making a quick stop at Geri's to grab some coffee and muffins that would have to take the place of real lunch food. As they began walking through the lobby of BPD and towards the elevators, Maura looked towards the Division One Café and noticed Angela cleaning up after the lunchtime rush. She felt slightly guilty for not fulfilling her promise to come down and see the Rizzoli matriarch for lunch, so as Jane reached out to press the down button, Maura's hand reached out to stop the detective.

"Jane, why don't you go on up and deliver Frost's coffee. I'm going to go grab a fruit bowl to go with this muffin. Would you meet me in my office in about fifteen minutes?"

Jane followed the blonde's gaze back to the café and noticed her mother absent-mindedly wiping down tables. The brunette internally cringed, knowing that Maura was going to talk to her, but hoping that she wouldn't share the details of their new relationship, _if that's what I can call this_, to her nosy mother.

"Sure thing Maur, but can I ask a favor?" The blonde looked back at Jane expectantly. "Could you maybe not mention what we've been up to? I'm still adjusting to…whatever this is, and I kind of want you all to myself for now."

Maura offered a soft smile and a gentle squeeze to the detective's arm, knowing what was going through Jane's mind and understanding that they still had some things to figure out between them.

"Of course. I'll see you in a little while."

With that, Maura headed back towards the café, adding a little extra sway to her hips solely for the benefit of her detective. Jane could only watch with a smile before shaking her head and stepping into the elevator to go see Frost.

* * *

"Maura! I thought you'd forgotten about little ol' me." Angela dropped her cleaning cloth and walked over to the doctor, enveloping her in a strong hug. Maura would never tell Jane this but she loved Angela's hugs. They were so warm and loving, nothing like the ones she had received as a child, normally from her nannies. Jane might complain about her mother's propensity for hugs, but Maura was more than happy to accept any and all of them.

"I could never forget about you Angela! Jane just surprised me for lunch and we ended up going out for lunch." Technically, it wasn't a lie. They did go out of the building for lunch.

"Oh well that's lovely. Where did you girls go? Did Janie treat you nicely?" Angela leaned back against the counter, her eyes watching the doctor intensely.

"Well, we actually ended up going back to my house to eat. And yes, Jane treated me very nicely." Maura chest and neck began to flush as she recalled just how well Jane had treated her, and how she had treated Jane.

Angela's eyebrow quirked as she saw the blush forming across, but before she could say anything Maura quickly continued.

"I was actually just coming to apologize for not coming to see you for lunch, but I was also wondering if I could trouble you for a fruit bowl before I went back to the lab." The blonde hoped that giving the elder Rizzoli a task would help distract her from Maura's obvious reaction to their conversation.

With a slightly questioning look, Angela continued to stare at Maura for a moment before turning back to the kitchen. Maura let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. When Angela returned with a bowl of fresh strawberries, melon, and pineapple, the doctor eagerly accepted the fruit and thanked her before hustling off to the lab, relieved that she had gotten out of that situation without having to outright lie.

* * *

Exactly twelve minutes later, Maura entered her office to find the raven-haired detective already sprawled out on her designer couch.

"I was wondering when you'd get here." Jane stood up and sauntered over to the doctor, her usual swagger in full swing. Stepping within inches of Maura, the brunette removed the fruit and coffee from her hands and placed them on the desk. Turning her attention back to the honey blonde, Jane's eyes locked onto hazel ones as she slid her hands over the doctor's slender hips. With a slight grin, Jane stepped closer and began to lean down towards Maura's lips. "I've missed you."

"Already?" Maura replied as she slipped her hands up the detective's torso, lightly grasping the lapels of her blazer and pulling her closer.

"What? Isn't it acceptable for me to miss my girlfriend after the lunch we just had?" Jane's grin grew as she moved to press her lips to Maura's, but the doctor froze her eyes shifting to look over Jane's shoulder.

_Shit. Girlfriend? Where did that come from? We haven't even discussed what…this… is yet. Way to go, Rizzoli._

"Uh, I'm sorry Maura… That's not what I… I mean…" Jane stammered as her brain tried to work out an explanation. "What I meant was…"

"Senior Criminalist Chang!" The detective spun around to notice Susie Chang standing in the doorway of Maura's office, a slightly confused look on her face and a file in her hand.

"Oh, hey Susie, I didn't um… notice you there." Jane's eyes shifted between a very embarrassed looking Maura and an equally embarrassed criminalist, hoping that she hadn't realized what had been going on between the two.

"Do you have something for me?" Maura stepped towards Susie, attempting to smooth out the invisible wrinkles on her skirt.

"Uh, yes Dr. Isles. I have the preliminary toxicology reports for you. The victim had a BAC of roughly 0.10, but with the possibility of post-mortem redistribution, it was probably lower at time of death given the fact that she did not have much alcohol in her stomach. However, I did find that her blood was heavily saturated with carboxyhemoglobin."

"Well that would certainly explain the coloration of her skin when she was found, and seems to confirm my suspicions that she died from carbon monoxide poisoning." Maura traced her finger over the rest of the report, mumbling softly to herself as she read. Jane continued to stand there in the room, not quite understanding everything she was hearing, but she did know that at least now they had a cause of death. Suddenly, Maura's finger stopped on the paper and her brow furrowed, as she read and reread a particular section.

"Senior Criminalist Chang…"

"Please Dr. Isles, call me Susie."

"Oh, alright. Susie… what is this part here about fentanyl?"

"Well we used an ELISA immunoassay to screen for any drugs that might have been in her system and one came back extremely positive for fentanyl. However, when we went to confirm it using the mass spec, there was no presence of fentanyl or norfentanyl. I was quite confused, but I figured I should include it in the report anyway." Susie started to rub her hands together, nervously awaiting if her boss would find some fault with her work, although she was quite sure she did everything correctly.

"Interesting. I'll take a further look at this, but good work Senior Criminalist Chang."

"Susie," the criminalist answered.

"Of course." Maura looked up from the file and smiled at the scientist. "Thank you Susie."

The woman's face lit up as she nodded back to the doctor, and then to Jane, who still stood with a puzzled look on her face, before making her way quickly back to the lab.

"Um… Maur?"

"Yes, Jane?" replied the doctor as she made her way around her desk and set the file down in front of her. She leaned over the reports, her teeth worrying her bottom lip in concentration.

"So I get that our victim died from carbon monoxide poisoning, but what was all that other stuff about carboxinghemoblobin and fentahh… whatever that other thing was?" Jane leaned onto the side of the doctor's desk, looking down at the file as if it would all suddenly make sense.

"Carboxyhemoglobin is what caused Jessie to appear pink, almost red. Carbon monoxide has an affinity for hemoglobin, the cells which carry oxygen throughout the body, which is nearly 240 times greater than oxygen. When carbon monoxide is introduced to the body, it binds with the hemoglobin in your blood and forms carboxyhemoglobin which has a bright red appearance, hence the victim's skin color. The carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from binding to the hemoglobin in blood, which causes hypoxia. The victim basically suffocated from the inside out. Her organs did not get the oxygen they needed from the hemoglobin in the blood. With this information, I can confirm that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, but I cannot say whether the manner of death was homicide, suicide, or accidental. I can say it is a suspicious death, however, and given the fact that she was found in an open field with no source or carbon monoxide around her, suicide or accidental death is unlikely."

In all honesty, Jane had lost the medical examiner about halfway through her explanation, but at least she knew now that she had a solid cause of death, and clearance to continue her investigation.

"But what about that other thing?" The detective was still curious as to what had confused Susie, and since it had caught Maura's attention, it could be very important to the case.

"Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate which is nearly 1000 times more potent than morphine. It's mainly used in hospitals or used as a prescription painkiller, but it should have shown up in the confirmation testing, and so should its metabolite norfentanyl. I'll have to do some research, but this doesn't seem to be your average fentanyl, and I'm not sure why a young, healthy woman would have it in her system, unless…"

"She was abusing it." Jane finished Maura's thought for her as she brought her thumb up to her mouth and began to chew at the pad. "I think Jessie was a user."

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**I hope I did an okay job of explaining the tox reports! Please let me know if I need to clarify, or if you have any questions.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Some more case stuff! Returning to Rizzles soon enough. Balancing the case and the relationship is kind of difficult so thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites! -ME**

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**Disclaimer: Jane and Maura and all other R&I characters are not mine!**

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Chapter 11

"Jane you know I don't like jumping to conclusions! Is there any other evidence that indicates that she was abusing the drug? Was there anything in her apartment?" Maura stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well the roommate told us that she had recently been through a rough patch. And you said this stuff was some kind of opiate which is a downer, right?. It'd line up with what Megan told us." The detective began to pace throughout the medical examiner's office, hazel eyes following her every movement. "That still doesn't explain how she ended up dying from carbon monoxide and ended up by herself in the middle of a field. I mean how'd she get there? Someone had to have dumped the body."

The blonde shifted on her feet then came around to the front of her desk, leaning against the edge as she recited possible methods of exposure. "Carbon monoxide poisoning is often associated with improper ventilation of vehicle exhaust, indoor heaters, grills or stoves, or any other kind fumes from combustion."

"We didn't notice anything at the victim's apartment, but we didn't know what we were looking for. The gas could have come from anywhere!" Jane threw her arms up in frustration, letting out a deep sigh. Turning her gaze back to the doctor, Jane took the few steps until she was standing just inches in front of Maura. The brunette shifted nervously, her eyes dropping to stare at the doctor's black five-inch Louboutins and admiring how good they looked adorning Maura's feet. "I guess I should probably head up and see what Frost and Korsak have come up with, but um, I wanted to ask you something." Jane reached out and grasped both of Maura's hands, pulling them gently towards herself and running her thumbs over the backs of the doctor's palms. "I was uh… wondering if you'd… maybe like to…um… go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" The last part was quickly spoken by the detective as her eyes remained looking downward, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

As Maura pulled her hands away, Jane's heart dropped, feeling the sting of tears threatening as she knew she was being rejected. "It's okay if you don't want to Maur…"

"No Jane. I do." Maura had removed her hands from the detective's grasp to lift Jane's chin so she could look into her chocolate brown eyes as she spoke. "I would love to go out to dinner with you." The doctor gave Jane a bright smile and her eyes lit up with delight, reflecting all of the love and adoration she held for her badass detective who was really a big softie on the inside. Tucking a strand of raven-colored hair behind Jane's ear, Maura leant in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Come over tonight after work and we can still do movie night if it's not too late. But for now, go figure out who did this to Jessie."

The detective gave a quick nod and offered a small smile before turning and heading for the door. As Maura went to go back to her tox reports, she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her waist from behind and a soft kiss pressed to her cheek.

"I love you Maur."

Then the arms were gone and Maura was left with the ghost of Jane's lips on her skin and a faint scent of lavender and leather in the air. A smile played across her face as she returned to her chair.

* * *

Jane returned to the bullpen to find Korsak at his desk reading through some files and Frost nowhere in sight. Taking the time to really look at her ex-partner, Jane noticed the additional lines that had formed around his eyes, the dark circles forming, and the slight frown on his face. The last few years had really taken a toll on Korsak, but the brunette had always loved working with the older detective. He was her mentor and she had grown to love him as a father. Jane approached his desk with an affectionate smile.

"What'cha looking at old man? New puppy calendars didn't put the labradoodles for your birth month?" Teasing Korsak and his love of all things furry was one of Jane's favorite pastimes and also a way to get his attention.

"Huh? Oh, no. Just looking over these evidence reports from the lab again while Wonderkid went to go check something in BRIC." Korsak jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the enclosed room behind him, his eyes never left the pages in front of him. Sure enough, through the glass doors Jane could see a very animated Frost leaning into his computer monitor, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"The lab techs found black fibers on the back of the victim's clothes which are consistent with the carpeting found in Ford Focuses produced between 2002 and 2006. Frost's looking to see if the victim or her roommate had a car that would match the fibers." Korsak handed the file to Jane so she could get a better look. As her eyes scanned the pages, she saw a note at the bottom of page three that looked very familiar.

Noticing the brunette's hesitation, Korsak stood up and added, "They also found residue from some kind of liquid on the front right part of her pants. Preliminary tests showed it was some kind of drug, uh.."

"Fentanyl."

The older detective's eyes snapped up to meet Jane's. "Uh yeah. How'd you know? The lab said the results were very odd though."

"Maura found the same thing in the victim's system. She said it was weird that the first tests were extremely positive, but confirmation was negative. She's trying to figure it out now but she did say that the drug is a very powerful synthetic opiate and she couldn't think of a reason why Jessie would need it." The look Korsak gave her told her that he was thinking exactly what she had earlier, _User._

"HA!" The sudden shout of joy emanating from BRIC broke the two detectives from their thoughts. Looking into the glass enclosed room, Jane could see Frost's arms extending above his head, fists closed in victory and a satisfied smirk on his face.

"C'mon old man, let's go see what Wonderkid's got."

As the two detective's pushed through the doors of BRIC, Frost turned in his chair to great them the grin on his face reminded her of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"So what's with all the ruckus Barry?"

"When the lab techs found the car fibers on the victim's clothes, I thought it was interesting since there was so sign of a vehicle at the scene."

Jane stepped up towards her current partner, her eyebrow quirked up silently asking him to continue.

"I figured that the fibers might then be from the vehicle that was used to move her body to the softball field, and could possibly belong to the killer, or at least whoever dumped the body. I searched through the DMV database for a Ford Focus with black carpet manufactured between 2002 and 2006 and found about 2,000 of them in Boston."

Korsak stepped up behind Jane, a blank expression still on his face. "Well that sure helps us. So now we've narrowed our suspects down to the thousands?"

"Chill out Sergeant Doolittle. We already know one of the owners and in fact we just saw her this morning," Frost continued as he turned to look at Jane. "Megan Anderson owns a black 2005 Ford Focus with black interior carpeting."

A look of surprise quickly flashed across Jane's eyes, her gut telling her that while Megan did seem odd, she didn't seem like a killer when they spoke with her. Shaking her head, Jane decided that maybe she'd been off on this one. "Well, let's bring her in and talk to her again. Frost, can you also get a warrant for her car? I want to know if the fibers we found actually came from her vehicle. It just doesn't quite seem…right to me."

"Sure thing Jane. I'm on it." Frost picked up his jacket and brushed by the other two detectives as he left.

Turning to Korsak, Jane once again noticed the tired look in his eyes.

"Hey Korsak, why don't you go home and get some rest. There's no use in all three of us forgoing sleep just so we can interview this girl twice in one day. We got this." Jane gave him a sincere smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

The older detective glanced up at the clock as he moved to stifle a yawn. It was already 6:45 and he knew that they'd be just fine without him. "Alright Jane, but you call me if anything comes up. I may be old, but I'm not dead yet."

Both detectives let out a chuckle as Korsak gathered up his things and left for the evening. As she watched the retreating form of her ex-partner exit the bullpen, Jane pulled out her phone and typed a quick message to the medical examiner who was likely on her way home.

_Hey Maur. Looks like I'll be later than expected tonight. Got to interview the roomie again. I'll still come over after but don't wait up. Xo -J_

Sliding her phone back into its clip, Jane then headed downstairs to get some coffee for Frost and herself before Megan arrived, hoping that Maura wouldn't be too disappointed about her missing movie night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow! Over 50 follows! Thanks guys! Since this is my first fic I really appreciate the support! Also, Happy Independence Day to all my fellow American readers! I hope you all enjoy your Fourth of July! All my non-American readers, I hope you have a fantastic day too.**

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Chapter 12

Maura arrived home around 6:00 that evening and since she had seen Jane's car still in the garage at BPD when she left, she figured she'd have some time to prepare for the detective. Slipping out of her heels by the front door, Maura crossed through her living room and ascended the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside of her enormous walk-in closet, the blonde unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor, recalling how it had looked laying on her carpet earlier in the day and smiled. _Only Jane could distract me enough to risk wrinkles._

Maura quickly hung her clothes up on the rack designated for dry cleaning before padding into the bathroom and turning on her multi-head shower. When the water had reached temperature, the doctor stepped under the soothing spray, letting her muscles relax as her thoughts drifted to the tall brunette.

She remembered how Jane's arms had encircled her waist in her office, the warm breath of the detective tickling the side of her neck as she whispered those four words into her ear, _I love you Maur._ The memory of her raspy voice alone was enough to send a shiver down the doctor's spine. Then Maura remembered the last time she had heard Jane's hoarse voice in her ear at lunch, and how the detective had writhed beneath her. The image caused a deep throb to hit the blonde's core, an instant gush of wetness coating her thighs even under the cascading water.

Maura's eyes closed as she pictured the brunette's head thrown back in pleasure, her lips slightly parted, and the shallow rise and fall of Jane's smaller, firm breasts. The doctor's right hand started to slide down her torso towards her aching need, the other coming up to roll her own nipple between her fingers. She thought of Jane's mouth and tongue covering the hardened bud, and a slightly rougher palm running down her body. Reaching her core, Maura hissed at the sensation of her fingertips sliding through her arousal before circling her swollen clit. She pictured Jane's fingers bringing her pleasure instead of her own, making tight, quick movements and tweaking her nipple harder. The doctor pressed her back against the cool tile and propped one leg up onto the stone bench in the shower, giving her own hand more access. She slipped a single digit inside herself and moaned at the feeling before adding another. Her velvety walls clenched as she remembered how Jane's fingers had filled her and she began to pump in and out slowly at first, her palm grazing her clit with each thrust. The detective's name fell from the blonde's lips in a whisper as she continued to please herself.

Suddenly, Maura realized that the detective should be heading over at any time. Very soon it really could be Jane's fingers replacing her own. The blonde stilled her movements and withdrew her fingers, deciding that waiting for Jane to finish what she'd started would be much more satisfying. Quickly washing her hair and cleaning herself off, Maura stepped out of the shower and wrapped her trim form in a fluffy towel.

Entering her bedroom, the doctor walked over to her nightstand and checked her phone.

_1 New Message_

Seeing that it was from Jane brought a smile to her lips. When she opened the text though, her smile faltered slightly. _At least she said that she will still come over._ Maura began to type a quick reply as she walked back into her bathroom finish her post-shower routine.

_I understand Jane. Please be careful and come over as soon as you're done, no matter how late it is. _

The response from the detective was nearly immediate and Maura's phone beeped as she was slipping into a pair of yoga pants and one of Jane's BPD athletics shirts.

_So sorry Maur. I promise I'll be careful. We're just bringing the roommate in to ask her some more questions. And I'll make sure I come home when we're done. _

The doctor smiled as she read over the brunette's use of the word '_home_', secretly pleased that Jane was comfortable enough to consider her house as 'home'.

_I can't wait. I love you._

_Love you too M. _

_Xo :)  
_

Since she would have to wait a bit longer for her detective to come home, Maura decided she might as well make use of her time and grabbed her laptop as she headed downstairs to make herself a light dinner before researching an explanation for the odd toxicology findings from their victim.

* * *

The brunette grinned as she read over the last text from Maura, impressed with the doctor's use of emoticons, however basic. Slipping her phone back into its clip, Jane gathered up the evidence reports on the carpet fibers and pushed her way into Interrogation Room 2. There she found a very anxious and confused looking Megan seated at the table.

"Detective Rizzoli!" Megan jumped up from her chair and took a step closer to the detective. "What is going on and why was I asked to come here? You do realize it's getting late right?"

The grad student was clearly flustered and upset. _Good, maybe this will get us somewhere._

"Megan, please have a seat. I have a few more questions I'd like to ask you." Jane motioned to the table and chairs, glancing at the two-way mirror where she knew Frost was standing on the other side. "And I'm sorry about having to bring you all the way down here, but it's just our standard procedure."

Megan's head shot up. "Standard procedure for what? I hate to break it to you Detective but I've taken plenty of legal classes and when someone is physically brought down to the station and placed in an "interview room" as it so eloquently says on the door, it is not only for a few harmless questions."

The response from the young woman surprised Jane. She hadn't been expecting the strong words or the challenging stare she was now receiving. If she hadn't been about to start seriously considering that Megan was involved, Jane would have been amused by the look. It reminded her so much of the one she often gave the other detectives when she was first promoted, daring them to test her intelligence again. Setting her file down on the table, Jane folded her hands over it and began the "interview."

"Megan, what kind of car do you drive?"

"Um, a Ford Focus. Why?"

"See that's what I'm interested in. Did Jessie have access to your car?"

Megan leaned back in her chair, still unsure of where this was going. "Yeah. She didn't have a car of her own so I'd let her borrow mine from time to time. Usually she'd use it for grocery runs or to drive to softball practice."

That got the detective's attention. "Softball?"

"Yeah. I told you that's how we met but Jessie still played slowpitch on the weekends down in South Boston."

"Do you?"

"No I have too much work to do. Any free time I have is usually spent doing research or setting up stuff for the classes that I'm a TA for."

"Megan, did Jessie borrow your car the night she died?"

The grad student then shifted in her chair as she contemplated the detective's question. "Yeah, she took it out to the bar, but she must have left it here after she came back because it was in my parking spot the next morning. I used it to go to the hardware store to get the burlap sack and plastic sheeting you saw me using this morning."

Jane heard a slight tapping on the glass behind her. It was Frost signaling that they were done and Megan could go. "Okay then Megan. I'm sorry about dragging you down here tonight, but we had to search your car."

"What?!" Megan flew forward in her seat, her eyes wide and her hands went to grip the table. "Why would you need to search my car? I didn't KILL my roommate! She was my best friend!" The grad student practically yelled at Jane, moisture building in her eyes.

_I guess I would react the same way if someone basically accused me of having something to do with Maura's death. Maura._ Jane shook her head. _I guess I should wrap this up, she's probably waiting up for me._

"We found black carpet fibers from an early to mid- 2000s Ford Focus, just like your car and we wanted to make sure that is wasn't your vehicle that took Jessie's…body… to where we found her." Jane wasn't quite sure how much information she should be giving the young woman, but her gut told her that Megan might be useful to this investigation. She was getting her Ph.D. in forensics after all. "I'm sure you can understand why."

"Yeah. I know. It just feels different when you're the one whose car is being searched as you sit in an interrogation room."

"I'm sure I'd feel the same way." Jane offered an apologetic smile as she stood up and walked to open the door, motioning for Megan to follow. The detective escorted the grad student to the elevator where a uniform was waiting to take her home. "I do have one more question for you though. Do you know what bar Jessie might have been at Friday night?"

"Normally we'd go to the bar down the street from our place, but since she was out on her own, I'm sure she went to this new club downtown. I think it's called _Urban. _She had mentioned that some of her friends from work were going."

Jane filed the club name away so that she could ask Frost to look into it. "Thanks Megan. Again, please feel free to call me if you think of anything else."

"I will, Detective. And I know you can't really share much information with me, but I'd like to help in any way I can." Megan offered a sad smile. "It sucks having all this training in forensics and not be able to help my best friend." With that, the young woman stepped into the elevator, leaving Jane to go back into the bullpen to regroup with her partner.

* * *

"Anything Frost?" Jane walked up behind the younger detective who was seated at his desk, reading over something on his monitor.

"CSRU collected samples of carpet fibers from Megan's car, but none of them matched. It seems that they were the same type, but the ones that were found on Jessie had some kind of particulate and oil adhering to them. The carpet in Megan's car didn't have any of that."

"Hmm. Okay, so we'll keep looking for the car, but Megan mentioned that our victim may have been at a club downtown called _Urban_ the night she died. I think we should check that out and see if we can find out if she was there and if she left with anyone."

Frost let out a breath of air as he moved to reposition himself in front of the keyboard. Jane looked up at the clock and realized that it was nearing 10pm. She looked back at her partner and could tell he was exhausted. They'd had an early morning when the first went to go talk to Megan, and Jane figured it'd be easier to get the security footage from the club during the day tomorrow when the club wasn't open.

"Frost, let's get out of here. We can go check this out tomorrow when we're not both dead tired and the club probably isn't crazy busy." Jane ran a hand through her thick hair, her exhaustion starting to show as well.

"Sounds good to me. And hey Jane, take your time in the morning, Korsak and I can handle going to the club. I think it'd actually be good for him to get out and see what people do for fun nowadays." Frost chuckled as he reached to switch of his computer.

Letting out a sigh, Jane smiled back at him wondering what she did to be blessed with yet another great partner when she'd requested a new one after Hoyt. Of course she'd never tell him that. "Thanks buddy. I'll see ya tomorrow then." The brunette waved her goodbye and left to go home. _Home. I like the sound of that._


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any characters from the show/books. Just borrowing them for a while to tell a story that I hope you guys are enjoying.**

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Chapter 13

Jane let herself into Maura's house using her key, assuming that the honey blonde would already be in bed since all the lights in the house but one were off. The brunette kicked off her boots by the door and stashed her gun and badge in the ornate gun safe on the foyer table that Maura had bought just for her. Jane smiled at the small changed the doctor had already made in her home just for the detective, long before the change in their relationship.

Making her way up to Maura's bedroom, Jane opened the door as quietly as she could and slipped inside the room trying not to wake the doctor who was sleeping peacefully in her thousand thread count sheets. Jane quickly threw on a tank top and some pajama shorts, brushed her teeth and crawled into bed. She scooted over as smoothly as she could until she was lying next to the blonde whose back was facing her. The brunette slipped her arm over Maura's waist and placed a light kiss to her shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"Mmm." Maura sighed then turned in the detective's embrace, her eyes searching out chocolate ones in the dark.

"Oh I'm sorry Maur. I didn't mean to wake you." Jane moved her hand to run up and down the doctor's arm, attempting to soothe her.

"It's okay, Jane. I was just resting my eyes."

The brunette rolled her eyes and chuckled. _Where have I heard that one before?_ "Sure Maura, of course. Now go back to sleep."

"But to go back to sleep would imply that I had previously been asleep, which I was not. I was merely lying quietly with my eyes closed, much like when I meditate." Maura gave a slight tilt of her head as Jane smiled at her explanation.

"Okay then, you win Doctor." Jane gave her a slight squeeze and a kiss to her forehead.

"But that's not what I wanted to tell you Jane. I did some research while you were gone and I figured out why the immunoassays were extremely positive for fentanyl but the confirmation tests were negative for it and its metabolite."

Jane lifted her head and gave Maura a look that encouraged her to continue.

"I found an article about some recent deaths in Rhode Island where an analog of fentanyl caused overdoses. It's called alpha-methylacetylfentanyl, or just acetyl fentanyl, and it isn't often used as a drug of abuse." Maura continued to ramble before Jane cut her off.

"So why did it show up in the first tests but not in the later tests?"

"Acetyl fentanyl only differs by one small methyl group so ELISA was able to detect it in the screening test, but that the molar mass from the additional methyl is what threw off the mass spectrometer."

Jane propped herself up onto her elbow so she was looking down at Maura. "Ok, I'm not sure who ELISA is, but where would someone get a hold of acetyl fentanyl. If fentanyl is so tightly controlled, wouldn't this be too?"

Maura scooted closer to Jane and began to draw circles on her stomach with her fingertips. "Acetyl fentanyl is illegal and it is not commercially available nor is it prescribed by doctors. The only way someone could obtain this drug would be from an illegal source. Someone had to have obtained a quantity of fentanyl and synthesized it with an extra methyl."

"Well that changes things then. This is huge Maura. Now we know that we should probably be looking for some kind of dealer. Maybe they'll even show up in the security footage where our victim was the night she died." Jane flopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Maura's fingers still danced across her abs and when Jane turned her head to face the doctor, she saw a smile ghosting across her lips.

Jane leaned up again and moved to hover over Maura. Taking her left hand, she moved to tuck a strand of golden hair behind the doctor's ear, tracing her finger down along Maura's jaw until her hand cupped her cheek. "Thank you Maura. You're so brilliant and beautiful. I don't deserve you." Jane smiled down at her, the doctor's eyes shining with nothing but love for the detective.

"Of course you do Jane. And I deserve you." Maura moved her hand to rest at the nape of Jane's neck, fingers playing with the dark curls there. "I'm just glad we finally figured this out."

"I wanted to ask you Maur, but what exactly is…_this_? I mean are we together now?" Dark eyes searched hazel ones, looking for the answer she wanted to hear so badly.

"Yes. I want this. I want _us,_" came the honey blonde's reply. "If that means we're together, then yes, we are together." She smiled up at the brunette, her hand continuing to caress the back of her neck.

Jane's face lit up and moisture started to gather in the corners of her eyes. "Good. Because I want you to be my girlfriend. I know I'm going to mess up a few times, but I want to try. I've never felt like this about anyone Maur, especially a woman. But when I'm with you, I can completely be myself and want to be better at the same time. Just seeing your smile makes my whole day better. You're smart, and gorgeous, and funny even when you don't realize it. You care so much about everyone and you always put them first. Well now, I want to put you first. I love you Maura. And now that I've said it, I don't ever want to go back to the way things were. So, will you be my girlfriend?" The brunette smiled nervously down at the doctor, her bottom lip between her teeth as she awaited Maura's answer.

But it was the doctor's turn to tear up. "Yes," she whispered with a smile as she pulled Jane's lips to hers, placing a gentle kiss against them. "Yes Jane. Of course I'll be your girlfriend. I love you."

Jane smiled into the kiss, returning it tenderly and with as much passion and love as she could. Pulling back, the brunette could only gaze into her lover's eyes, the two women grinning like idiots at each other. Maura pulled Jane more fully onto her and brought her other hand up to fist at back of the detective's tank top.

"Just do one thing for me Jane."

The detective propped herself up with one arm as the other hand caressed the side of the honey blonde's face. "Anything."

Maura pulled Jane down until their lips were barely touching. "Make love to me."

Not needing to be asked twice, the brunette closed the distance and pressed her lips to Maura's. The kiss started soft and languidly, both just wanting to revel in the feel of the other pressing against them. This kiss was not about desire or control, but about love and passion.

Maura's hands began to slide up and down Jane's strong back, her fingernails grazing gently against the cotton fabric. When she felt Jane's tongue trace along her bottom lip, she immediately parted her lips, granting her love access. Their tongues danced as neither woman tried to take control of the kiss, instead it was a give and take of lips meeting with light nibbles and licks here and there. Jane began to lose herself in the kiss and the feel of Maura's hands at her back was making her want to lose control.

Slowly, a scarred palm found its way beneath the hem of Maura's shirt, fingers gently tracing along her ribs until she met the underside of a full breast, the nipple already beginning to harden. Jane lightly ran her thumb under the swell of flesh before moving her hand to cover it, the erect nipple grazing against the center of her palm eliciting a heavy sigh from the woman beneath her. The brunette moved her lips down Maura's neck, placing gentle nips along the way before soothing them with her tongue.

"God Maura, you are so perfect." Jane whispered into porcelain skin, the only response being a squeeze to her hips and a gasp. The detective quickly sat up and moved to straddle the blonde. She pulled off her tank top and threw it across the room before reaching down to remove the doctor's as well. Maura lifted her arms and felt the cool air of the room hit her chest as the t-shirt she'd been wearing was also unceremoniously discarded.

Lying topless beneath Jane's gaze, Maura didn't feel self-conscious or judged. Instead she felt only love, admiration, and a safe feeling that only the detective could bring. This was where she belonged. This was where she wanted to stay for the rest of her life. With Jane, her best friend, her family, her love.

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**Okay kind of a sappy end to this chapter, but I'll make up for it in the next one ;) Also, just a quick PSA, there really has been a slight outbreak of deaths this past spring caused by acetyl fentanyl, especially in Rhode Island. If you, or anyone you know has used fentanyl or acetyl fentanyl in a non-prescribed manner, please, please stop or get some help. This is a very dangerous drug that can easily and silently cause a lot of trouble or even death. I had a close friend that became addicted and luckily got help before it was too late. Here's a link with some more information about fentanyl and some detox and treatment options: research/fentanyl/. I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable or feel that I'm trying to tell them what to do, but I just want to put this information out there. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews and all of the follows and favorites! So this chapter will have just a touch of smut to get you ready for the next two. This will also be a nice long one to further our investigation and because I'm in a writing mood. Enjoy! –ME **

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**Again, I do not own R&I or any of the characters from the show or books. However, Megan and Jessie are all mine.**

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Chapter 14

Jane had slowly and reverently removed Maura's satin pajama shorts and her own boxers before returning to her position on top of the medical examiner. Both women let out soft sighs as their bare breasts were pressed against each other, as were their hips when Maura's legs fell open to allow the detective to lie in between them.

Their lips continued to gently slide against each other, soft moans coming from Jane as Maura moved to nibble on her lower lip from time to time. The weight of the brunette between her legs and pressing into her body was causing Maura's core to ache with need, the gentle grinding of Jane's hips into her sex didn't help either. But the blonde could tell that as much as Jane probably wanted this, her body was betraying her exhaustion. The detective had been operating on minimal sleep the past few days and Maura felt slightly guilty that she was part of the reason why… but only slightly.

"Jane…" Maura purred into the detective's ear.

"Mhmm."

"Jane I know you're tired, we don't have to do this tonight."

The brunette moved to nuzzle into Maura's neck and practically whined, "Oh but I want to… I want to show you how much I love you."

This caused a slight chuckle from the blonde who could hear the tiredness in Jane's voice, especially with the whine. "Jane, I know you love me. And I love you too, which is why I think this can wait. You need to sleep." The doctor gently pushed the detective's face away from her neck so she could look into chocolate eyes, half-lidded from exhaustion and lust. "Besides," Maura continued with a smirk. "We still have our date tomorrow night, right?"

A small smile formed on Jane's face as she gazed down at the woman beneath her. The woman who was putting the detective's needs ahead of her own, just like always. In that moment she fell even more in love with the honey blonde.

"Why yes we do, Doctor." Jane's soft smile was replaced by a Rizzoli grin. "And afterwards, I plan on taking you home and spending all night showing you just how much you mean to me."

Maura's breath hitched at the sultry tone behind Jane's words. "I'll hold you to that, Detective. But for now, let's get some sleep. I have a feeling we will need it." The doctor gave a quick wink before pushing Jane off and onto her back. I brief look of surprise flashed across Jane's face before Maura then snuggled up to the naked form beside her. The doctor placed her head on Jane's chest, slung an arm over her stomach and entwined her leg between two olive-toned ones. Once she was comfortable, Maura looked up to meet brown orbs staring back.

"Goodnight, Jane. I love you." The doctor pressed a light kiss to Jane's neck then snuggled back down.

A scarred palm moved to stroke up and down Maura's back before Jane's lips tenderly pressed against her forehead. "I love you too, Maur."

* * *

The next morning, Jane awoke to rays of sunlight in her eyes. The brightness temporarily disoriented her until she felt a weight on her chest and the feel of warm breath ghosting across her chest. _Maura._ Looking down, the detective saw a mess of honey blonde locks fanning out across her chest, hiding Maura's face from view. The doctor was still slumbering peacefully and the image brought a smile to Jane's face. As gorgeous as she was in her designer clothes and all dolled up for work, the sight of Maura sleeping naked with no makeup and bedhead was the most beautiful Jane had ever seen. Still smiling, Jane moved as gently as she could to glance at the clock on the table behind the blonde. _Damnit. Why am I awake so early? _

The clock read 6:07 which Jane knew meant that Maura's alarm would be going off shortly, but since Jane didn't need two and a half hours to get ready for work she opted instead to snuggle back under the covers with the blonde. _I think I could get used to this._

What seemed like minutes later, Jane began to stir when she felt a warm tingling along her thighs. It felt like a soft caress of warmth that began to rise towards her core. The sensation caused her sex to begin to throb and a soft moan to escape her lips. Forgetting where she was, Jane's hand started to drift down her torso towards her aching need. Just as she was about to brush through soft curls, her hand was stopped. She felt fingers move to wrap around her wrist. _Wait…what? _Waking up enough to realized that she was not in a dream, but in fact in Maura's bed, Jane looked under the sheets and down her body to discover a no longer sleeping doctor.

At some point, Maura had awoken after the detective had fallen back to sleep and had maneuvered her way under the sheets and between lithe legs. The warm tingling had been caused by the doctor's breath ghosting over the inside of Jane's thighs and up to her mound as soft fingers dragged along the outside of her legs. Realizing that the detective was now awake, Maura glanced up at her lover.

"Well good morning," she said with a smile, the green in her hazel eyes dancing in the morning light that glowed through the sheets.

Jane's eyes dilated at the vision in front of her, her heart rate sped up as she offered a sincere smile in return. "Good morning, sexy."

The doctor beamed at the term of endearment, however, she knew that what she was about to do would not seem overly endearing to Jane. The detective had gotten Maura worked up last night, but given her exhaustion, the doctor was able to quell her desire so that Jane could get some well needed rest. However, Maura had spent quite some time last night trying to calm her mind and body down so that she could follow the detective into slumber. Since she had fallen asleep in need of Jane's touch, Maura figured it was her turn to leave Jane wanting. _Some harmless teasing never killed anyone anyway. _ So when she had awoken, the doctor decided to wake Jane up in a way that would leave her on edge, just like she had been all night.

A massive grin broke out on Maura's face as she leaned closer to the detective's sex, inhaling the scent of Jane's arousal before blowing onto the dampening curls. The action caused another moan to rise from Jane, her muscles clenched as a shiver coursed through her body. The doctor then closed the distance and took a long swipe through Jane's folds using her tongue, stopping to circle her clit a few times before repeating the motion several times.

Jane's body was now humming with excitement. _Now THIS is a great way to wake up._ Jane smiled back down at the doctor, but her smile faltered as Maura pulled back and made her way up the detective's body. The blonde pressed her lips to Jane's and pushed her tongue into the detective's warm mouth, allowing her to taste herself. Jane let out a slight whimper and bucked her hips up towards Maura.

The doctor placed a few more open-mouthed kisses to Jane's lips before pulling the detective's bottom one between her teeth. Releasing it with a pop, Maura pulled back to take in the flushed appearance of the brunette.

"Well Jane, looks like it's time to get up. I'm going to shower and get dressed so you can go home and get ready too, but I'll meet you at work." With that, the blonde jumped out of bed and waltzed into the bathroom to get ready, giggling at the stunned look on Jane's face.

The detective's mind was stuck in a haze of arousal and her mouth hung open as she slowly began to realize what had just happened. _What. The. Fuck? Oh no, Maura Isles did not just work me up like that to just get up and leave._ Jane was shocked at Maura's actions. She flopped back down onto the bed and threw her arms over her face as she let out a frustrated groan. Suddenly, a sly grin began to form on Jane's face. _Well two can play at that game. Let's see how long Dr. Tease will last when she gets a taste of her own medicine._

When she heard the water in the shower start to run, Jane climbed out of bed and threw on her clothes from the day before. She quickly and quietly walked out of Maura's room and out the front door before speeding off in her car to go get ready for work and walk Jo Friday, praying that she hadn't peed all over the carpet during the night.

* * *

After a quick stop in the café to say hi to her mother and get a few cups of coffee, Jane sauntered into the bullpen to find that she had the place to herself. She walked over to Korsak's desk and placed a coffee down for him, chuckling when she saw the new puppy bobble head he had. _I don't think that man can go more than a few minutes without thinking about some kind of furry creature._ Jane turned to set a coffee down on Frost's desk as well when the dark-skinned detective strode into the room with a file and some video discs in hand.

"Hey Jane! I didn't think I'd see you here yet. Maura must have woken you up huh?" Frost slapped the folder onto his chair before picking up the coffee cup, grinning over the lid as he took a sip. "Thanks for this by the way."

"Yeah she woke me up all right…" Jane muttered, hoping that her partner couldn't hear. No such luck.

"Oh she did, did she?" Frost smirked at the brunette, his eyes shining in delight like a kid who'd just been given tickets to Disney World.

Jane's ears started to turn bright red and a flush began to crawl up her chest. _He can't know. Can he? No way! We haven't even had our first date yet._

Noticing his partner's obvious discomfort, Frost set his coffee back down and glanced around the bullpen to make sure that the two were alone. He then stepped in front of the brunette and placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing Jane wasn't one for touchy-feely gestures, but wanting to convey his sentiment. "Jane. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's obvious how much you two care for each other. I could care less if you were dating or not. I just want you to be happy."

Jane looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity behind his words. "Really? So you don't care that I… you know… like women?"

"No I don't care at all, and neither would Korsak. You and the doc are perfect for each other, regardless of whether you're both women. Anyone with eyes could see that." The smile on Frost's face told Jane that he really did mean every word he said.

"Thanks Frost," said a relieved Jane. "It means a lot to me. I'm just not ready for everyone to know yet. I mean we haven't even gone out on our first official date."

Both detectives moved to take a seat at their respective desks before Frost continued. "Well I won't tell anyone until you guys are ready. You just take care of her okay? I've come to like Dr. Isles almost as much as you and I don't want to see her hurt."

"Don't worry. I could never hurt Maura and I won't let anyone else hurt her either."

Frost raised his coffee cup in salute to his partner. "Good. Because I wouldn't have to want to kick your ass," he said as the two of them shared a laugh. "On another note, I know exactly where _not_ to go for your first date." The younger detective moved to put one of the video discs into his computer and turned the monitor towards Jane.

"I've been going through some of the security footage from that club from Friday night and I managed to find our victim. You can see her entering around 8:30 right there in the silver dress," he said as he pointed to the screen. "She seems to know the bouncer because when she walks up to the door, they talk briefly and he gives her a hug before sending her in."

"Okay. So we should definitely talk to him and find out how he knew her." Jane took a swig of her own coffee, her eyes still trained on the screen as Frost fast forwarded the video.

"I agree, but that's not the only thing we need to ask him about. Look here. Jessie leaves the club at 12:23 AM but she's not alone." Frost pointed at the screen and slowed the footage down to real time. Sure enough, at 12:23 Jessie had walked out of the club with a young man hot on her heels. The guy was clearly older than the victim but couldn't have been any older than thirty. He was wearing dark pants and a white button-down shirt, and he didn't seem to be too pleased that Jessie was walking away from him. Jane watched intently as the man reached out and grabbed Jessie's arm, spinning her into him. The action was quickly followed by a slap to his face from the young woman and the two appeared to exchange words. At 12:25 Jessie walked out of the camera frame but the young man did not follow. Instead he appeared to let out a sigh before turning around and heading back into the club.

"Any idea who he is Frost?" Jane's interest was piqued. This guy obviously had some kind of argument with their victim and Jane's gut was telling her that he likely had something to do with her death.

"None. I can just barely make out a face here but if you give me a bit to clean the image up we can go down to the club to talk to the bouncer and show him the photo. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone at the club will recognize him." Frost's fingers began to fly over the keyboard followed by a series of mouse clicks. After a few moments he stood up and grabbed his tablet computer. "Alright, I got the cleaned up image here. Let's go see if we can get an ID on this guy."


	15. Chapter 15

**So a little bit of case work followed by some "dinner". ;)**

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Chapter 15

Three hours and a foot chase later, Jane and Frost returned to the bullpen slightly worse for wear, but having gotten some great new information. Korsak had been waiting for the pair and watched with concern as Jane practically collapsed into her chair and immediately propped her right leg up on the corner of her desk. She also leant her head back and sat there with eyes closed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. Frost on the other hand tried to sit as gingerly as possible, his face grimacing at the motion.

"What the hell happened to you two?! You guys look like you just lost a fight with a brick wall." Korsak flicked his gaze back and forth between the two, not sure if he should move to help them or not until Jane piped up.

"Technically it was a set of stairs with a brick wall at the bottom, and a dumpster for Frost, but I think we'll survive." Taking a deep breath Jane sat up slightly and started to prod her knee as she told Korsak what had happened.

When they'd arrived at the club, the bouncer from the video, the bartenders, and a few other staff were already there. After speaking with the bouncer, they'd learned that he and Jessie had gone through some EMT training together a few years ago, both aspiring to be doctors, but had lost touch when Jessie had failed her MCAT and hadn't gotten into medical school. He'd said that he had been worried about her and had seen her around a few times since, but she had always seemed a little out of it, as if in a daze. He'd worried that she'd gotten involved in drugs during her rough patch and started to hang out with some of the wrong people. When they showed him the image of the man that had followed Jessie out of the club, the bouncer had immediately recognized him as one of the guys Jessie had been hanging out with.

The man's name was Ethan Sommers and he'd had a history of dealing and doing drugs. Ethan had done some jail time for possession of marijuana and cocaine a few years back, but rumor had it that he was still involved with some people from his life before his arrest. The bouncer then told them that Ethan worked at the club as a waiter and bus boy after his release since his uncle owned the place. He then directed them to the kitchen where they would probably find Ethan helping stock up for the night.

When Jane and Frost entered the kitchen and spotted Ethan, they walked over to talk to them. However, once they were within 15 feet, Ethan noticed the two detectives approaching and took off out the back door. Jane and Frost pursued Ethan on foot and followed him as he darted through alleyways. At one point, Frost had gotten close enough to grab the back of Ethan's shirt but was thrown off and into the side of a dumpster, slamming his lower back into the corner of the metal bin. As Jane ran past her partner, she looked back to make sure he was okay before continuing. In doing so, she didn't see Ethan jump down some stone steps that lead into the cellar of a nearby restaurant and ended up tumbling down after him. The fall caused the brunette to slam her knee against the stone a few times before coming to land in a heap against the brick wall at the bottom. Lucky for her, the door Ethan had tried to escape through was locked leaving him cornered. Even with a banged up knee and a woozy head, Jane had managed to stumble to her feet before slamming the man against the door and cuffing him. Moments later, Jane was in the middle of reading him his rights and charging him with fleeing from an officer and resisting arrest when backup arrived to take him to the station. After the two detectives were checked out by the paramedics, they decided to forgo a hospital visit and headed back to BPD.

"So basically that's how our day has gone so far," Jane concluded. "We still gotta interrogate the son of a bitch, but if I go in there now, I just might jam my good knee down his throat."

"Here, here," groaned Frost in agreement as he reached in his desk for some Advil, popping a few pills before tossing the bottle to his partner.

Korsak let out a soft chuckle at the nearly comical sight before him and started to shuffle some papers around. "Well while you two pull yourselves together, let me tell you what I've learned about our dear friend Ethan. Ethan Sommers used to be a small-scale cocaine and marijuana dealer a few years back. He began selling in 2006 after dropping out of college and developed a small network that sold to mainly high school and college kids. He was busted in 2009 selling cocaine to an undercover cop and ended up serving only 9 months so room could be made for the more violent criminals. Started working for his uncle at the club after his release and seems to have kept his nose clean since."

Jane started to sit up but thought better of it when the pounding in her head came back. "Ughhh… my head is killing me," groaned the brunette. "And I'm pretty sure my knee has gotta be the size of a grapefruit by now."

Noticing the poor shape Jane was in Korsak stood up and walked over to the brunette. "Hey Jane, why don't I go interrogate this guy." Seeing that Frost was looking a little more mobile, the older detective clapped his hand onto his back. "I'll take Frost with me since he was there during the chase and can maybe work on his intimidation skills."

Frost's head shot up. "I got plenty of intimidation skills old man!"

"Sure, sure," laughed Korsak. "Why don't you come show me just how intimidating you can be. Jane you should go let the Doc take a look at your knee and your head. We got this."

Jane pulled herself up from her seat and started to limp towards the elevator. "Thanks guys. Let me know what you find out. I think I'll just go lie down for a bit on Maura's torture couch."

* * *

Maura was sitting at her desk signing a pile of death certificates when she heard the unmistakable footfalls that could only belong to one Jane Rizzoli coming down the hall. But something in the cadence of the steps seemed a bit…off. Seconds later, the reason behind the slight difference became apparent as the lanky detective limped her way into Maura's office, eliciting a gasp from the medical examiner.

"Oh my goodness! Jane what happened?" Maura nearly jumped out of her chair and hurried around her desk to examine the brunette. She placed her hands on Jane's shoulders and looked her up and down appraising the damage.

"Mmm not so loud, Maur," groaned the brunette. "I had a slight fall when chasing down a suspect and banged my knee up on some steps. I'm okay though, just a little bruised and I have a bit of a headache." Jane rub a hand along Maura's arm, attempting to comfort her and assure the doctor that she was in fact fine.

"Are you sure, Jane? Are you experiencing any nausea or dizziness? Any swelling in your knee or trouble supporting yourself?" The blonde reeled off several questions as she guided Jane towards the couch in her office. The brunette collapsed onto the couch and winced when she momentarily forgot that the landing was not a soft one. Maura instantly took the grimace as a sign of pain from her injuries and immediately went into doctor mode running her hands all along Jane's body to look for the source of the pain. Her actions ended up having a slightly different effect though as the soft touches caused a certain warmth to radiate through the detective's body. When Maura's hands made their way up to either side of Jane's face and her eyes met deep chocolate, the doctor's breath hitched. Jane was staring into Maura's hazel orbs with a look of pure adoration and amusement. She reached up to take the doctor's hands in her own and offered a smile.

"Maura. I'm fine. Nothing some ibuprofen and an ice pack won't solve. I just came down here to rest for a little while, and because I wanted to see you."

The doctor visibly relaxed and muttered a soft "oh" before giving a loving smile of her own. "Well in that case, I have some Motrin in my desk and you can make yourself comfortable there," she motioned to the couch. "I just have a few more papers to sign and then I'm heading home to prepare for our date." Maura gave a gentle squeeze to Jane's thigh before going to fetch the pills and some ice, returning a few minutes later to find the detective sprawled out on the couch.

Her good leg was hanging off the side while her injured knee was propped up by a pillow, and both hands folded behind her head. Maura perched herself on the edge of the couch and placed a bag of ice onto Jane's knee before offering the pills and a glass of water.

After she popped the pills into her mouth and took a swig of water, Jane eyed the bag of ice before asking, "Did you get this ice from the dead people freezer?"

The blonde chuckled as she placed the glass on the table. "Jane how many times do I have to tell you, cold air is cold air."

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled the brunette, but the smirk on her face gave away her enjoyment of the banter. Quickly changing topics, Jane shifted to face the doctor who had returned to her desk. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you'd be okay with me picking you up around 6:30 tonight? I know how much time you take to get ready and I don't want to rush you."

Looking up from her papers, Maura nodded. "Of course that's fine, Jane. This is the last document that needs my signature so I can leave here in a few minutes." The blonde signed the certificate with a flourish and then glanced at her watch. "It's 4pm now, and while that's not a whole lot of time, I think I can make it work just for you."

"Yeah I know two and a half hours is a tight timeline for you, but I promise it'll be worth it," replied Jane with her usual hint of sarcasm, which garnered a glare from the doctor. As Maura opened her mouth to respond, she was interrupted by Jane's phone alerting the detective to a new text message. Reading the text, Jane pushed herself up from the couch.

"Frost and Korsak just finished interrogating our runner from today. Seems that Mr. Sommers had introduced Jessie to a _friend_ of his who specialized in some more pharmaceutical-type drugs, including fentanyl. He won't give up the name yet but Korsak seems to think a night in lock-up might loosen his lips so looks like I'm done for today too." Jane walked over to where Maura was seated and bent down to place a tender kiss to her cheek. "I'll be seeing you soon, Doctor. Be ready by 6:30 and wear something nice." With that, Jane turned and made her way out of the morgue leaving Maura to pack up her things, a sly smile stretching across her face as she thought of what she wanted to wear. _I have just the outfit to make sure tonight doesn't end after our date._

* * *

At exactly 6:29 Maura heard the chime of her doorbell signaling the arrival of her detective. But when the blonde opened the door to reveal her date, she was met with a sight that was not typical of said detective. Maura's jaw dropped as she stared at the vision before her.

Jane had gone all out for this date and had dressed in a gorgeous cobalt blue dress that fell just below her knees. The front had a V-cut that plunged deeply enough to give the doctor a very nice view of the brunette's cleavage, the bare swell of her breasts just visible. She had applied a bit of make-up which made her already dark eyes look even smokier and her normally unruly mane tamed into soft cascading curls that perfectly framed her face. And to top it all off, she had even worn a pair of matching blue heels giving Jane her usual height advantage even with Maura in her own five-inch stilettos. The blonde's panties were instantly wet and a warm flush of arousal burned from her chest, spreading lower by the second.

It was all Jane could do to not giggle at the sight of a very stunned, and aroused medical examiner standing before her. As Maura continued to stare, the detective raked her eyes over her body which was encased in a form-fitting shimmering burgundy halter top dress that exposed nearly the entirety of the blonde's back, stopping just above her rounded ass. _I didn't think she could be any more gorgeous. _

With a sultry grin on her face Jane stepped over the threshold and into Maura's home, coming within inches of the doctor. "Wow, Maur. You look amazing. I'm going to be the envy of every man, and probably a lot of women, tonight."

The proximity of the beautiful brunette snapped Maura from her reverie who quickly grabbed her purse before joining Jane at the door. "No, Detective. I think it is I who will be beating people off with a twig so that I might keep you to myself tonight," said the blonde in a voice a bit lower than usual.

"Stick. It's beat people off with a stick. And we'll see about that," grinned Jane as she leant forward and placed a chaste kiss to Maura's cheek. The brunette then spun on her heel and offered her arm. "Shall we, Doctor?"

"Why yes, _Detective._ We shall."

Jane had called in a favor to get a reservation at one of the best new romantic Italian restaurants in town. The owner happened to be a man that the brunette had grown up with and had defended against bullies at school from time to time. He had graciously set them up in a secluded corner of the dining room and had planned their entire meal, free of charge. Jane had been immensely grateful since she wouldn't have to worry about the food or the bill and she knew it would be special enough for Maura. Seeing the detective at ease had allowed Maura to relax as well, and since they never had to stop to ask for more wine or order food, the entire meal was spent with the two talking easily about anything and everything.

It wasn't until dessert when Maura had placed her lips around a morsel of tiramisu that the evening became wrought with a thick sexual tension. When that small bite hit the doctor's tongue, she had let out the softest, yet most sensual moan Jane had ever heard. The sound sent a shiver through her body and straight to her core, her eyes burning with pure desire.

As the blonde opened her eyes after tasting the most delicious tiramisu she had ever had, she saw the fire blazing behind blackened orbs and felt it between her legs. Two pairs of eyes began to bore into each other and Maura was sure her panties had been ruined just from the look Jane was giving her. The sound of the blonde's fork hitting the table was enough to break Jane's gaze. Bolting up from her chair, the brunette reached for Maura's hand, yanking her up from her seat. The surprised blonde let out a slight squeak before leaning forward to whisper in Jane's ear.

"Take me home, _Detective._"

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**Hope you liked this one! And don't worry, the next chapter is alllll "dessert". **


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites! I can't say it enough how awesome it is to know that people actually appreciate this story. Now as promised... dessert. ****Also, I'm heading on vacation tomorrow morning so I hope this will tide you over in the event that I can't update as fast as usual.** Bon appétit! **;)  
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**Nope, sorry but I don't own R&I**

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Chapter 16

Jane needed no further instruction and the two women made a hasty exit from the restaurant, glancing back only briefly to usher a quick 'thank you' and a wave to the owner. The drive back to Maura's took merely minutes but seemed like hours as the blonde couldn't keep her hands off of Jane whose knuckles had gone white from gripping the steering wheel.

The car screeched to a halt in front of Maura's Beacon Hill home and Jane sprinted around the car to help the blonde out. As soon as she was up, their lips met in a furious kiss, lips pressed so hard together they were sure to leave bruises. The kiss was a flurry of lips and teeth and tongues as the two stumbled their way to the door. Jane had barely been able to shut the door as she followed Maura inside before she found herself thrust back against it.

The blonde's mouth went straight to a long, tanned neck and she began to place hot, open-mouthed kisses and light bites to the skin there. Jane's hips bucked forward as a deep, guttural moan erupted from her chest. Maura's hands flew to the brunette's body, one hand going straight for a firm breast, the other reaching around to grasp Jane's ass, pulling her even closer into her own body.

Panting, Jane tried to speak as she felt the delicious pressure of the door at her back and the blonde against her front. "Mmm…Maur." The words came out in a thick rasp. "Oh god, we need to… we need… to move…bedroom. NOW!"

The doctor grasped Jane's hips in both hands and quickly spun them around as she lead Jane backwards towards her bedroom, her mouth never leaving the expanse of skin between Jane's jaw and shoulder. Once inside her room, Maura immediately spins Jane around and forces her up against the door once again, reaching around to lock it in one motion.

"Now that we're in my room, I plan to do what I've wanted to do all night, Jane Rizzoli."

The blonde's words shot straight to the detective's core and she clenched her thighs together, hoping to relieve some of the pressure. Despite her nearly incapacitating level of arousal, Jane couldn't help but respond with a cheeky comment.

"Is that so? And what would that be, Maura Isles?"

Maura smiled into the detective's neck before running her tongue across a prominent collarbone. She pulled back so that she was looking straight into Jane's eyes when she uttered her next words. "I'm going to fuck you so hard that you'll come screaming my name so loud that the neighbors hear."

The brunette barely had time to gasp at the doctor's use of obscenities before skilled fingers found the hem of her dress, yanking it up to her waist. The cool air of the room hit Jane's arousal through her drenched panties sending a shiver through her body and causing her to whimper. Those same fingers then began to dance up the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to where she wanted them.

"Oh god, Maura. Please don't tease me. I don't think I can take it."

Seconds later the only pair of lacy underwear that Jane owned was ripped from her legs and she felt herself being thrown backwards onto the bed. She scooted up a little, all the while watch the doctor stalk towards her with a predatory look in her eyes. The green and gold flecks in her hazel orbs dancing with lust. Maura slipped out of her black stilettos and reached behind her to undo the zipper of her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she approached the brunette. Clad only in a pair of burgundy lace panties, the blonde mounted the bed and began to make her way up Jane's body, dragging her tongue up Jane's exposed legs until she lay between her thighs.

Jane felt like she couldn't breathe. Her heart was going to beat out of her chest and her whole body was on fire. She'd never seen a sexier sight than the near naked form of the honey blonde crawling her way over. When Maura pushed her pelvis into Jane's and latched onto her neck, Jane released a deep moan and Maura began to purr into her neck.

"You are so perfect, Jane, and you're all mine."

Jane words came out as a strangled whisper, "All yours, Maur. Always yours."

At that Maura's left hand slid under Jane's thigh to bring her leg around the medical examiner's slim waist. Her fingers began to knead the muscle there, keeping it in place to open Jane up more for her. The doctor could feel how ready Jane was for her as the sweet, salty scent of her arousal invaded her senses and began to coat her stomach as she pressed into the brunette. Slipping her right hand down between them, Maura dragged two fingers through the abundant wetness and spread it up and around Jane's throbbing clit. Then, without warning, she slammed two digits into the detective and bit down on her neck.

Jane's hips flew off the bed and a scream burst from her throat. The blonde continued to attack Jane's neck as she thrust harder and faster into the brunette. The room began to fill with the sounds of grunts and moans, combined with the wet, smacking sounds caused by Maura's fingers pounding into Jane's soaked folds.

The pressure was quickly building in the brunette's core and she knew it wouldn't be much longer until she exploded in Maura's hands. Her hips rose frantically trying to meet the blonde's furious thrusts.

If Jane's labored breathing didn't warn Maura of the brunette's rapidly approaching orgasm, the powerful contractions of the velvety walls surrounding her fingers sure did. The detective was close and Maura knew exactly what to do to send her lover plummeting over the edge. As she withdrew her fingers, the blonde then slammed three back in and began to use her own hips as leverage, driving her deeper and harder into Jane's core. Her left hand began to scratch at the muscled thigh in its grip and on each withdrawal of her fingers, Maura curled them to hit the spongy tissue inside.

Jane began to thrash widely on the bed, her legs gripping around the blonde's waist and fingers clawing at her back. She began to lose all other feeling in her body as her muscles contracted, her toes curled and the pressure within her felt like it would destroy her when released. Just before she reached her climax, Jane threw back her head, her back arched off of the bed, and her lungs ceased to function. Maura took the opportunity to drag her tongue up the detective's neck and bit down on her pulse point as she applied direct pressure to the brunette's clit.

Jane's body exploded and her vision went black before white fireworks erupted behind her eyes. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. And just before her vision went black again, she opened her mouth and screamed.

"MAAUUURR-OHHHH!"

The blonde's name was ripped from the detective's throat, followed by guttural scream that Maura was sure would wake the whole neighborhood. Jane's whole body appeared to levitate from the bed as her back arched at a near impossible angle before she collapsed into a heaving, sweaty mess.

Maura slowly moved her way up Jane's jaw until she could see that the brunette had passed out from the intensity of her orgasm. A smile stretched across the blonde's lips as she drank in the beauty before her. She gently withdrew her fingers and placed them in her mouth, sucking Jane's juices off and moaning at the taste that was pure Jane. In that moment, Maura knew she would never tire of her hunger and her love for the brunette.

Aftershocks began to rack through the detective's body and Maura began to pepper her face and neck with gentle, loving kisses, coaxing Jane back to consciousness. When her heavy lids fluttered opened, brown eyes found hazel ones expressing only love and adoration.

Attempting to find her voice, Jane managed to mumble a few _I love you's_ before slipping back into unconsciousness. Maura couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight of sated girlfriend. Rolling Jane over enough to unzip her dress, Maura then removed the garment and went to drape it and her own over a chair before climbing back onto the bed. She placed a tender kiss to Jane's forehead before pulling the sheet over their bodies and snuggling into the brunette.

"I love you too, Jane," whispered Maura as she too drifted off to sleep, the smile never leaving her lips.

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**WHEW! I need a cold shower. Good news though, I found a place to live for grad school! yayyyy! Anyways, this "date" isn't over yet. So stay tuned, but we'll also get back to the case next chapter so stay with me!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I promise I'm working on updating as soon as I can! Thanks for sticking with me and for all the amazing reviews, favorites, and follows! -ME**

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Chapter 17

A soft flow of warm air across her chest pulled Jane from sleep. As her eyes fluttered open, she noticed that it was still dark outside and a glance at the clock next to the bed confirmed it was only just after midnight. Even in the darkness, Jane could still manage to make out the slumbering form of the medical examiner snuggled into her side. The brunette's heart began to swell as she looked down at the gorgeous blonde that she could finally, _finally_ call her girlfriend. Seconds later, Jane also felt a slight pressure in her lower abdomen building, but this time not from arousal. _Oh man, I don't wanna move but my bladder feels like it's gonna explode!_

Attempting to not wake Maura, the detective tried to wiggle out from under the doctor but just as she was almost free, a surprisingly strong arm tugged her back.

"Ugh, Maur. Sweetie I gotta pee. If you don't let me up I'm going to ruin your billion-thread count sheets," Jane practically whined as she pulled at the blonde's arm to free herself. "Please, Maur. It feels like my bladder is gonna pop like a water balloon!"

Finally, Jane's pleas had roused Maura enough for her to comprehend why the detective was trying to pull away from her. She pulled her arm back just enough for Jane to bolt out of bed unhindered and make a mad dash to the bathroom.

Once she'd relieved her bladder, Jane quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She then ran her fingers through her hair a few times in an attempt to untangle some of the mess of curls. In doing so, she lifted some of her hair just enough from her neck to notice the slight bruise forming at the base of her neck. Normally Jane would be furious and embarrassed that she had allowed a lover to mark her in such a visible way, knowing that she'd never hear the end of it from the guys at work, but this wasn't from just anyone. She had been marked by Maura, her Maura. Smiling to herself, the brunette flipped the light off and exited the bathroom. However, when she set her focus back to the bed, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Perched along the edge of the bed sat a very naked and very seductive-looking Maura Isles. Her normally perfectly-styled hair was mussed and her lips were kiss-swollen, but the warmth and brightness in her eyes combined with the slight flush of her skin made her look like an angel.

The doctor had obviously woken up after Jane's departure from bed and had decided that she'd had enough rest for the time being. So instead of burrowing back beneath the sheets, Maura had stripped off her underwear and sat waiting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed and leaning back on her hands with arms extended. A sly smile spread across her face and Jane's eyebrow rose in question.

"I seem to recall you telling me that you were going to spend all night showing me just how much I meant to you," smirked Maura.

"Well I was going to before I was attacked by this gorgeous walking-encyclopedia I know. But don't you worry, the night is still young." Jane swaggered back towards the bed and stood before the blonde before leaning down and placing a quick, but passionate kiss on her lips. Leaning back, the brunette offered Maura a loving smile which was returned in earnest. Jane's eyes then began to turn black, almost predatory as she reached out and pushed the doctor back onto the bed.

The detective crawled up the slender form of her lover, placing gentle kisses starting from her navel and up to the blonde's face. Jane tenderly pressed her lips against Maura's right cheek, her forehead, the left cheek, her tip of her nose, the feminine point of her chin and then finally molded her lips against the doctor's. Despite the passion and lust they had shared earlier, this kiss was much slower, gentler, and while still passionate, it was much more about love and tenderness. Jane wanted to make good on her promise to show Maura just how much she loved her, and she was going to do it slowly, allowing both of them to savor the moment.

The blonde's hands snaked around the back of Jane's head, tangling into the dark curls at the nape of her neck and tugging her detective closer. The brunette traced her tongue along Maura's bottom lip causing the blonde's lips to part and welcome in her lover. The room was filled with soft moans and hums of pleasure as the two poured all of their love into the kisses. Jane's hands began to trace up the blonde's sides, fingernails lightly scraping against the creamy, pale skin. Her movements stilled every now and then as the pads of her fingertips grazed along the slightly raised tissue above Maura's hip from her surgery.

The brunette's left hand began to dip lower and lower, her thumb drawing circles along Maura's pelvic bone which elicited small gasps of pleasure.

"Oh, Jane. Baby, as much as I love this, please don't tease." The doctor panted against Jane's lips as she tried to press her body further into the brunette's.

"But, Maura… I'm just. Showing. You. How. Much. I. Love. You." Each word was accentuated by a kiss as Jane moved down to Maura's chest, her left hand tracing through the soft curls above Maura's sex while her right hand began to massage a full breast, teasing the nipple to a hardened nub. Jane's actions were met with a soft moan from the blonde's lips as her head pushed back into the pillows and her body arched up searching for more contact.

Jane's mouth moved to cover a nipple, alternating the use of her teeth and tongue on the erect peak. Just as Maura was adjusting to the sensation of Jane worshiping her breasts, she felt two slender fingers slide through her folds, playing in the wetness she knew was there. Immediately her hips bucked off the bed and a high-pitched gasp escaped from her lips.

"Mmm you like that, Doctor? Well, you're gonna love this," Jane smiled against Maura's chest before descending further down the doctor's body, with a few encouraging nudges to the top of her raven curls. Jane stroked through the blonde's folds a few more times, circling her clit at the end of each one before the detective's mouth hovered over Maura's now throbbing, dripping sex.

The build-up had been agonizingly slow, but Maura had to admit that this was the most wet she had been for a lover in a while. Then again, this was Jane. Her Jane. The sweet, sexy, overly protective, smart, beautiful, courageous love of her life, who was treating her body like it was a temple. Loving every inch of her, inside and out. When Jane's tongue finally made contact with Maura's clit, she felt like she could have come right then and there.

Maura's fingers tangled further into Jane's hair, pulling her face closer to her aching core. The only thoughts running through her mind were of Jane and pure bliss. The brunette's tongue swiped through Maura's wetness, gathering the evidence of her arousal before bringing it back into the detective's mouth. Jane hummed in appreciation of the taste, sending vibrations through the blonde and making her toes curl. A long, throaty moan tumbled from her pink lips when Jane pulled her clit into her mouth, alternating flicks of her tongue with light sucks. After several minutes, Maura was so close to climax that her whole body was trembling. Her chest was heaving and her breaths were coming out in short, shallow gasps. Even though they had only been together a few days, Jane knew when Maura was close.

Wrapping her long arms beneath toned thighs, Jane doubled her efforts with her mouth before replacing her tongue with her fingers, rubbing quick tight circles around the hardened bundle of nerves. Jane then thrust her tongue into the blonde's opening as deeply as she could, instantly feeling the Maura's velvety walls contract around her.

In that moment, Maura was so far gone that she didn't even know her name, or how to form words. With a few thrusts from Jane's tongue, and a hard pinch to her clit, the doctor came undone with a high moan that caught in her throat. Maura temporarily forgot how to breathe as her orgasm washed over her. Her whole body seized up and her back levitated off of the bed. Nimble fingers had found their way to the headboard and had wrapped around the poles, knuckles turning white with the intensity of her pleasure. The blonde's hips than began to grind against Jane's face, trying to extend the moment as long as she could. And the detective was more than happy help her lover, rubbing gentle circles around her clit and lapping up Maura's cum from her folds and thighs.

When the doctor finally began to come down from her high, Jane moved up to wrap Maura in her arms, stroking her hair and placing gentle kisses to her temple as aftershocks rolled through the smaller woman's body. The blonde turned to nuzzle into Jane's neck and placed a kiss there, humming with content.

"I love you, Maura. And I will never stop trying to show you just how much," Jane murmured into golden locks.

"I love you too," came a whispered reply, the smile evident in the tone of Maura's voice.

"Go to sleep, sweetie. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Jane pulled the sheet back up over their cooling bodies and pulled Maura against her as she settle back into the pillows. The two drifted off into peaceful sleep wearing nothing but smiles on their faces.

* * *

The next morning, Jane strolled into the bullpen with a huge grin on her face, unable to stop thinking about the amazing night she had had with her girlfriend. As she neared her desk, she caught the curious gaze of her former partner who was just walking in from their "new and improved" break room.

"Looks like someone had a good night, huh, Jane?" Korsak said with a smile, but if his suspicious were correct, he knew that Jane had a very good night with the blonde ME.

"Huh? What? I um… I don't know what you mean." Jane tried to wipe the smile from her face and appear professional, but her Detective Rizzoli persona was losing out to that of Jane, girlfriend of the most beautiful woman in Boston.

"Uh huh. Sure." Korsak rolled his eyes and gave a sly grin. "And what would you say if a certain CI had told me that they'd witnessed a very dressed up Jane Rizzoli dining with an equally dressed up Maura Isles at a certain Italian restaurant last night, and had then witnessed said women leaving in a… hurry."

The older detective had known for a while that there was something deeper between his former partner and the medical examiner, and had wondered when the two would figure it out and get their heads out of their asses. The two people most deserving of love had it in each other and hadn't realized it, at least until recently.

Jane lowered her head and blushed at Korsak's words. She knew Frost supported her and Maura being together, but she wasn't sure how her ex-partner would take it. Sensing her discomfort, Korsak walked up to the lanky brunette and making sure no one was around, engulfed her in an uncharacteristic hug. "I know about you and the doc, Janie. And I'm proud of you," he spoke softly into her ear before pulling away. Keeping Jane at arms length, Korsak continued, "I'm so happy for you. And it's about time!" He let out a deep laugh as he saw the worry drain from Jane's face and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really?" she asked shyly, still not meeting his gaze.

"Of course. You guys deserve each other and as long as you make each other happy, I support you guys 100%," he said with a sincere smile.

Finally Jane raised her eyes and smiled. "Thanks Korsak. It means a lot to me." She was starting to feel a little emotional, and as much as she thought of Korsak as a father figure, she still wouldn't allow him to see her cry. Clearing her throat, Jane slipped back into a professional demeanor. "So, um… anything from Mr. Sommers this morning?"

"Oh, yes. Seems Mr. Tough-guy isn't cut out for spending evenings in a holding cell and made a deal this morning. He gave up the name of his buddy in exchange for a lesser bail. He's not dangerous so we agreed."

Jane chuckled to herself imaging the night that Ethan had had locked up with the druggies, drunks, and less-than-welcoming scumbags. "So who are we looking at?"

Korsak handed Jane a mug shot of a man in his early thirties with sandy blonde hair, piercing green eyes and a fair amount of scruff along his jaw. "Meet Elliott James, aka EJ. Was arrested a few years back for distribution of oxycodone and vicodin, but charges were dropped when he rolled on his partner who he claimed was the true mastermind. Ever since he's been continuing with the prescription market, focusing more on downers and opiods."

"Sounds like a guy our depressed victim might have gone to during her rough patch."

"He was. Ethan confirmed that Jessie had been meeting with Elliott a few months back, but she's stopped going to him until about two weeks ago."

"Two weeks ago?" Jane looked back at Korsak curiously. "But according to Megan, Jessie was back to her normal self two weeks ago, no depressed appearance or down mood. So it doesn't seem that she was taking anything then. Why would they be meeting up if she wasn't looking for drugs?"

Something wasn't adding up for Jane. So they had a connection between Jessie and her past use of downers, but it seemed that the connection had been broken until suddenly Elliott reemerges for no apparent reason. Two weeks later, Jessie ends up dead with traces of a synthetic opiate in her system.

"Okay, well I think we need to bring this guy in. As of now, he's our best bet for how the fentanyl got into Jessie's system. Maybe he knows why she ended up dead." Jane then turned to leave to find Frost and see what more information he had found, but was called back by Korsak.

"Hey Jane! I thought of another thing though. Jessie was a recent college grad with an entry-level job and probably thousands of dollars in student loans to pay back. Her background doesn't scream money, so that leaves the question, how was she able to afford the drugs she had been taking, or was possibly still taking?"

Jane furrowed her brow in thought. _Yeah how did she pay for all of that? Even I was able to only just afford my pain meds after the shooting, and that was because of the department's health insurance. _"I don't know Korsak, but I think you may be on to something. I'll have Frost check into her financial records, see if there's anything to explain how she might have been paying for her highs."

Korsak nodded in response and watched as Jane left in search of the younger detective. He then returned to the papers in front of him, wondering what the Jessie could have gotten into that led to her death. _Don't worry, sweet girl. You've got the best team in Boston working for you._

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**Okay, so next chapter gets back into the case a little more. I figured I'd stretch out date night a little bit since I'm going to be a little busy with a vacation and then studying for my grad school proficiencies that are coming up! Why did I choose 5 more years of school? haha**


	18. Chapter 18

**Back to the case! And again, thank you all for the amazing reviews, follows, and favorites! They keep me in the mood to write! I didn't really proofread this one in my rush to give you guys an update, so I hope there aren't any major mistakes. I get back from vacation tomorrow so I should have more in the coming days. Enjoy -ME**

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**Rizzoli and Isles and any characters from the books/show do not belong to me.**

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Chapter 18

After a quick stop down in the café for some coffee, Jane went back up to the bullpen to join Frost and see if he had found anything in the victim's financial records. Normally she'd find the darker detective hunched over his keyboard with fingers flying over the keys, but this time Frost was instead leaning back in his chair, feet propped on the desk, and his arms stretched over his eyes.

"Sleeping on the job there, Frostie?" Jane chuckled when her partner nearly jumped out of his chair and blushing when he realized the position he had been in.

"Um… no, I wasn't sleeping. I was just thinking and waiting for you." Frost readjusted himself in his chair before spinning his monitor around so that Jane could see. He cleared his throat as the brunette took a seat. "So based on her financials, Jessie was making just enough at her job to pay for rent, bills, and the usual stuff while making minimum payments on her student loans. There's no way she had the cash to be out buying drugs or anything of the kind recently or even back when we knew she was buying."

Jane's brow furrowed and she rubbed her chin in thought. "How the hell was she able to afford all of this then? What was her job again?"

After a flurry of keystrokes Frost answered his partner. "She tested food and water samples for quality and looked for signs of bacteria or contamination. The lab she worked in was a state-level facility so she was testing samples from all over the Commonwealth."

Suddenly an idea popped into Jane's head. "Wait a minute. If this was a state job, then she had access to quality control tests. So theoretically, she could pass or fail any test that came across her lab bench." The brunette's voice trailed off as she continued to think while Frost just looked at her with a questioning gaze. A few months back, there had been some questions raised about the quality of the wastewater from a few buildings near the docks. There was talk in the newspapers about a state investigation being launched when local kids were getting sick, but then nothing. There was no investigation, no questions asked, no test results released, nothing.

"Frost can we look into the cases Jessie worked on? I want to see if there were any unusual results or samples that stand out."

Frost's fingers froze on the keyboard. "Yeah I can get a court order to get her bench notes and case loads, but I'm not sure what we'd be looking for. What are you thinking Jane?"

The brunette began to pace. "When did Jessie start working at the lab?"

"Uh, five months ago, right after graduation."

"And when was her 'rough patch', as her roommate stated?"

A few more keystrokes. "Twelve months ago. Jane I'm still not sure where you're going with this."

"I'm not 100% on this but remember that near-scandal about the water quality of the waste coming from some buildings down by the docks about five, six months ago?"

"Yeah. Wasn't it about some carpet or rug factory that may have been dumping chemicals and dyes into the water?" Frost leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on the desk, still unsure of what Jane was getting at.

"What if Jessie was involved in that case? She would have just started at the lab. She was young, inexperienced, stressed as it was. Maybe she saw something in a sample she shouldn't have. I remember an old case from my Vice days down near that factory. We thought maybe they were soaking the rugs in heroin and distributing the drugs that way. We could never get into the factory though. Maybe the poor water quality has more to do with drugs than the chemicals."

The sound of Jane's phone vibrating interrupted her conversation. Holding a finger up to Frost to wait, she unclipped it from her belt and answered.

"Rizzoli."

"Hi, um Detective Rizzoli?"

"Yes?" Jane replied, slightly confused about the caller.

"Oh good! This is Megan Anderson. I was going through Jessie's room to get it ready for her father when he comes to get her stuff and I found something quite interesting."

Interest piqued, Jane turned from Frost to concentrate on what Megan was telling her. "What exactly did you find Megan?"

The detective could hear the young woman moving around and rustling something in the background before she heard her speak again. "I was reaching behind her bed for a small box that I saw back there and at first it was just full of pictures of friends and family, but when I lifted them out, I found a bag of marijuana, some white tablets with a strange stamp on them, and a nearly empty vial with a clear, somewhat cloudy liquid in it."

"What kind of stamp was on the tablets?" _Please don't let it be a clover, please don't let it be a…_

"It was a clover. A four-leafed clover. Once I lifted the pictures out and saw what was inside, I put on gloves so I wouldn't contaminate anything. Would you like me to bring this in or do you want to come get it?"

_Shit._ The color drained from Jane's face as she stopped dead in her tracks. _It can't be_.

"Uh, Detective?" The sound of Megan's voice through the phone broke Jane from her thoughts.

"Right. Um just stay put and I will come and collect it. And Megan? Have you ever seen these tablets or anything like this before?"

"I haven't seen any in person, but I've seen old case files with pictures of confiscated tablets with this same logo. They were from a drug bust down by the docks ten years ago. Some big drug operation but when it was about to go to a grand jury some key piece of evidence was thrown out, nothing ever happened with the case, and the drug operation went silent."

_Well damn, this girl knows her stuff._ "Yeah pretty much, but there's a little more to it than that. But I'll be there soon. Just lock the doors and windows and don't answer for anyone until I get there. Got it?"

"Got it, Boss," came the young woman's response before the phone disconnected.

Jane clipped her phone back onto her belt and turned to face Frost who was utterly confused about what had just happened.

"Frost I gotta go over to the victim's apartment again, Megan just found some drugs in Jessie's room, and some of it connects back to the gang I was just talking about. Looks like they've resurfaced and somehow Jessie got involved. I have a feeling this drug operation might have played a part in her death."

The darker detective moved to grab his blazer and join the brunette but was halted by a raised hand from Jane. "I got this one Frost. I think I'm going to take Maura with me so she can collect this stuff and maybe take a look around, see if we missed anything. But can you and Korsak go down to the archives and pull all the old case files and anything new that there might be on the 'Four Luck' drug ring? I remember these cases but I need you to get up to speed, and see if there are any details in there that might be useful."

"Okay." Frost was a little dismayed that his partner didn't want him to come along, but figured that she had good reason. "Are you sure you don't need any help at the apartment?"

"Yeah, Maura and I got this. I just want to go grab this evidence and make sure Megan's okay. If her roommate got involved with these people, she might be in danger too."

With a quick nod, Frost left to go find Korsak leaving Jane at the desk, staring at her phone. _Maybe I'll finally be able to bring this ring down once and for all, but I feel terrible that it's at the cost of a young woman's life._

Letting out a deep sigh, Jane ran her fingers through her hair once before getting up to go find Maura.

* * *

Down in the morgue, Maura was just finishing up a routine autopsy on an elderly man who had passed away from a stroke at Mass Gen. As she was placing the final stitches, she heard the sound of her brunette detective making her way down the hall. When she heard Jane enter through the autopsy suite doors, Maura kept her eyes on her task but couldn't help but smile softly. Without looking up she greeted Jane.

"Well good afternoon, Detective. To what to I owe this pleasure?"

Maura didn't bother to look at her but Jane knew from the playful tone of her voice that the doctor was just waiting to see what the lanky brunette's response would be.

Not one to disappoint, Jane rounded the exam table to stand behind the honey blonde. She quickly looked around to check that no lab techs were around before snaking her arms around a slender waist and nuzzling into the curls at the crook of Maura's neck. Jane placed a few light kisses there and gave the doctor a little squeeze as she whispered into her ear.

"Can't I just come down to check on my girlfriend? It's not like I've seen her all day." Jane couldn't help but smirk when Maura hesitated on the last stitch, a slight shiver running through her body.

Maura had to admit that the detective's presence and the husky voice in her ear were causing her to have some concentration problems. _Just. One. More. Stitch. _The doctor urged her hands to finish the job and once done, she quickly stripped off her gloves and spun around in Jane's arms. Maura grasped the fabric covering Jane's abs and tugged her closer before leaning up brush her lips along the shell of the brunette's ear.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Jane could hear the smile in Maura's voice. "I think I like the sound of that. And for your information, you can always come down to see me." The blonde then pulled away slightly before pressing her lips to Jane's in a short but passionate kiss.

When the kiss broke, Jane's eyes lit up and her trademark grin stretched across her face, dimples on full display. "I missed you too," she replied before placing another quick kiss to Maura's soft lips.

Pulling away slightly from their embrace, Jane placed her hands on the doctor's hips. "I wanted to see you, but I also wanted to come ask if you would like to accompany me to out victim's apartment. Her roommate found some evidence that might help lead us to the people responsible for her death and I thought it'd be best if you came to collect it. Also, I think you're gonna want to meet the roommate. I have a feeling you and Megan would get along great."

A smile graced the ME's face as she started to untangle herself from their embrace. She loved it when Jane came down and invited her to go out in the field with her. "Of course, Jane. Let me just go change out of my scrubs and I'll be ready to go once I let Susie know that Mr. Donaldson here is ready for his makeover at the funeral home."

Jane chuckled at Maura's joke, which she had to admit was somewhat funny, as she watched her girlfriend walk towards her office with a slight bounce in her step.

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**Hope you liked it! I had to add the "Got it, boss" bit as an homage to many of the tweets I've seen from/to Jane Rizzoli and Janet Tamaro. Let me know what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello again! Sorry it's taken me a little longer than usual. I want to thank you all again for the lovely reviews, follows and favorites! I hope you enjoy this chapter! -ME**

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Chapter 19

Twenty minutes later, Maura was finally changed and the two women headed out to the detective's car. For once, Jane followed the speed limit and took her time driving to Megan's apartment. She knew that the grad student wouldn't touch anything and it also gave the detective more time alone with Maura. She had been meaning to ask the blonde some questions about their new relationship and could never find a moment between work, family, and their constant sexual hunger for each other. Jane's eyes were constantly shifting between the road and the passenger seat, trying to summon the courage to bring up the question that was burning in her mind. At a red light, Maura let out a sigh and addressed the brunette while still looking out the window.

"Jane? Would you just ask me what you want to ask me? The constant removal of your eyes from the road increases our chance of getting into an accident substantially. In fact, studies have shown that distracted driving is more likely to cause an accident than drunk driving."

Jane let out a small laugh. _Leave it to Google-mouth over here to comment on my driving when I'm actually not speeding through the city. Well, here goes nothing._

As she took Maura's hand in her own, Jane cleared her throat and turned to look at her girlfriend. "Well Maura, I know that this…change… in our relationship is relatively new, but I feel like we've been dating for years. I've kind of already let it slip to Frost and Korsak that we are now dating, I know we really haven't discussed telling everyone, but um… I was wondering… well…" The detective was fidgeting in her seat at this point, unsure of how Maura would respond.

The blonde reached over to wrap both hands around Jane's right, rubbing small circles over the slightly roughened skin with her thumbs. She placed a small kiss to the brunette's knuckles and said, "Jane. I love you. I would do anything for you. But I can't answer your question unless you ask me, and you know you can always ask me anything." She gave Jane a reassuring smile which gave Jane enough confidence to continue.

"Well, I was wondering how you would feel about telling my family about us, especially Ma, this weekend at Sunday Dinner? And I'd like to tell your mother about us soon too."

Maura's heart swelled when Jane finally let out the words that had been causing her such discomfort, her brown eyes still focused on their joined hands. When the detective had appeared so nervous about asking her a question, Maura was sure it was about something much more serious, not that their relationship wasn't serious, but she was not expecting this, as welcome as it was.

Nimble fingers untangled themselves from Jane's and reached out to raise the detective's gaze until it met hazel warmth.

"Jane, like I said, I love you. And I would love nothing more than to tell your family and mine that I love you. I think that's a great idea to tell everyone on Sunday, and I'll invite my mother to visit as soon as possible. Something like this I'd really like to tell her in person, although I'm pretty sure she knows already."

That snapped grabbed Jane's attention. "What? What do you mean she already knows?"

The blonde laughed and the car behind them honked their horn, signaling that the light had turned green. The cruiser eased forward as they continued on to Megan's. Maura had had a feeling that her mother knew the true depth of her feelings for the detective even before she did. "Remember when I took you to the opening of my mother's art installation?" Jane nodded. "Well I found out later that you and she had an interesting conversation which aroused her suspicions. A few months later when I was visiting her in Paris she asked me why I hadn't brought you, which seemed odd to me, and then I later realized that she believed we were already dating. I think if anything, telling her that we just got together will be more of a shock than us actually getting together. Actually, I'm sure the same will be true for your mother too."

Now Jane really looked shocked. "Ma? No, there's no way! She's always pressuring me about meeting a nice Italian boy, marrying him, and popping out babies. Just last week she tried to set me up with Giovanni's cousin! If you thought he was bad, then you don't ever want to meet Mateo."

* * *

Within ten minutes, Jane and Maura had pulled up outside of Megan's apartment. It was nearly 1pm by the time they arrived, and Maura kept going on about how they should have gotten there sooner so that she could collect the items that Megan had found. Jane knew that Megan had a forensic background and wouldn't do anything that could affect the case, but the blonde doctor didn't and Jane could only smile at the thought of her girlfriend grilling the grad student about her evidence handling. _I'm sure Megan can handle herself, but this is gonna be interesting._

The brunette raised her hand to knock on the door to apartment 10 as Maura stepped up behind her, but as she brought her knuckles down the door swung open revealing a very flustered looking Megan. Her gray-blue eyes were now a deep shade of blue with flecks of green showing up in her widened expression, and her hair was beginning to stick to her flushed face. When she had answered the door and saw the brunette detective, she had let out an almost relieved sigh but still appeared very anxious.

"Thank god it's you!"

Jane was surprised by the desperation in Megan's voice. When she had spoken to her that morning, the young woman had seemed very calm and relaxed, but just a few hours later she seemed anything but.

"Of course it's me. Megan are you okay? You seem a little on edge."

"Yes, the flushed coloration of the dermis, widened ocular appearance, dilated pupils, and increased perspiration all indicate that something is… scaring you. These are indicative of fear." Maura had stepped out from behind Jane and was now assessing the young woman standing in the doorway using her endless knowledge of facial action and other bodily responses.

Megan's eyes shifted to look at the doctor, obviously unsure of what to make of the woman. However, she took a deep breath and shook her head before opening the door wider and motioning for the women to follow.

"Uh yeah. I just… um… just come inside and I'll explain."

Jane looked questioningly between Megan and Maura, who only gave her a slight shrug, before walking into the apartment. Closing the door behind them, Jane placed her hand on the small of Maura's back and led her towards the kitchen where Megan was clearing some papers off of the table.

"Megan," Jane began, hoping to get the woman's attention again. "I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Maura Isles, Chief…"

"Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Megan finished the sentence before her mouth fell open and the sheets of paper she had been holding dropped to the table. She quickly rounded the table and extended her hand to the doctor. Maura took it, unsure of what was happening.

"Dr. Isles it's an honor to meet you!" A bright smile had broken out across the young woman's face who was clearly very excited to meet the ME, even with the existing signs of her unease. "I'm a huge admirer of your work here in Boston, as well as of your previous work and the research you've conducted. I based one of my undergraduate independent studies off of the article you published in the Journal of Forensic Science for the detection and quantitation of skeletal muscle relaxants in liver tissue through the use of HPLC with tandem mass spectrometry and minimal sample preparation. I can't believe you're actually standing here in my crappy little apartment!"

Now Jane was thoroughly confused. Megan was still clearly upset about whatever had scared her before their arrival, but she also seemed like she had just won the lottery with Maura's presence. Looking at her girlfriend, Jane also noticed that Maura now seemed much more at ease, and even pleased to meet this young woman. Her hazel eyes shown with excitement and a humble smile graced her features.

"Thank you. I wish I was here under more pleasant terms but I'm glad that I could offer some kind of help with your studies. I'm sorry though, Jane hasn't properly introduced us." Maura offered an amused grin to the detective. "Megan, is it?"

"Yes. Megan Anderson." The grad student took a step back to collect herself. "I'm a graduate student studying forensic toxicology at Boston Cambridge and I've always been very impressed by your work. I hope one day that I can work with you on a few cases. Had I been a little better at biology, I had hoped to follow in your footsteps as a medical examiner. You're kind of my hero." Megan said the last words softly, as though embarrassed to admit that statement to her idol.

Maura's smile brightened as Jane continued to stand by feeling like the third wheel in this conversation. "Well then Megan, it _is_ a pleasure to meet you, and if what I've seen here is any indication of your potential, then I look forward to hearing about your research and working with you in the future." It wasn't often that she was able to meet the up and coming minds of the forensic science community outside of official functions or lectures at universities, but when she did, Maura thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to converse with students and the feeling of mentorship she felt. It was exuberant students like the one before her that reminded the doctor of her days spent learning anything and everything she could about forensics. And although their meeting was not the result of desirable circumstances, Maura couldn't help but feel a slight connection to this young woman that somewhat reminded her of herself. "Perhaps when this case is over, you would like to discuss your graduate research with me and maybe take a visit to the morgue. It's very refreshing to meet young women such as yourself who have a true interest in forensic science."

"Really?! Wow. That would be incredible. I'd love to get a professional woman's opinion on some of my ideas. I want to do something that can really help solve cases and speak for the victims and their families. Thank you, Dr. Isles."

Maura simply nodded in response with a smile. It was then she noticed Jane's bewildered expression and remembered what they were actually there for. "Now, Megan, Jane said that you had found something in Jessie's room that you thought might be able to help us in our investigation. Could you please show the items to me?"

When Jane heard the conversation shift, she was slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to listen to the doctor and Megan discuss things she couldn't even pronounce, but she was also intrigued when she saw Megan's face drop at Maura's question.

The grad student just stood there, opening and her closing her mouth with no sounds coming out. She seemed so unsure of what to do or say. After a moment under the worried gazes of the two women, Megan made a move to exit the kitchen. The detective knew something had really shaken Megan up and she stepped forward to place her hand on the young woman's shoulder, stopping her.

"Megan?" Jane leaned down slightly until she was eye-level with the grad student, her eyes searching for answers in cold blue-gray ones. "What happened before we got here?"

"I…uh…well… can we sit?" Megan stammered and wrung her hands together. When Jane nodded and motioned to the table, the young woman dropped unceremoniously into the seat and put her face in her hands.

Maura and Jane exchanged worried glances before sitting and waiting for Megan to begin. When she hadn't moved, Jane reached over and ran her hand up and down her back, and spoke softly as Maura continued to watch intently.

"Megan? Megan I need you to tell me what happened." The detective's protective instincts were kicking in and she knew when someone was in trouble. Maura could feel it too as she inched her chair closer to the young woman, trying to find a way to comfort her but her awkwardness with people was preventing her from finding a solution. Instead, she just sat quietly next to the distressed woman with her hands folded over her lap. After several minutes of no reply, even with several comforting and encouraging words from Jane, Maura decided she would 'listen to her intestines' once again and extended her left hand until it was resting on Megan's forearm. The doctor leaned in closer and spoke quietly and reassuringly.

"Please, Megan. I know something has scared you. I know you must know of my work with the Facial Action Coding System and you are clearly exhibiting the signs of fear. Please, tell us what is bothering you so that we can help you. Jane and I will not allow anything to happen to you." Maura finished with a light squeeze of her fingers.

The young woman let out a shaky breath before lifting her head. There were tears gathering in her eyes and her lips were trembling. She whispered a soft 'okay' before wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"After I hung up with Detective Rizzoli, I went and locked the door and windows just like you said. I didn't really see any reason to worry, but I figured I'd do it just in case. About an hour later, there was a loud banging at the door but when I looked through the peephole it was covered up. I didn't think you would do that, and you said not to answer for anyone else, so I kept quiet and didn't answer. They must have left because I didn't hear them again so I went back to Jessie's room to keep sifting through her things.

"Then the phone started ringing, which was strange since no one ever calls on the apartment phone. We don't even give the number out since we only ever use it to buzz people in through the security door after hours. When I answered it all I could hear was someone breathing on the other end of the line for a few seconds before they hung up. It was strange, but I just thought it was a wrong number or something. Five minutes later, the same thing happened. Then fifteen minutes after that, the phone rang again, except this time I heard a man's voice say my name, then he hung up. I was getting a little weirded out so when the phone rang again, I let the machine pick it up but there was nothing. When I went into the kitchen to get some water, I saw a piece of paper had been slipped under the door. It was a note that said 'Looks like your friend's LUCK ran out' and it was signed with a number four."

Jane's eyes widened and she gave a slightly panicked look to Maura. Megan didn't seem to notice since her eyes were focused on her own shaking hands, but Jane knew that this was bad. That note was the kind associated with the Four Luck ring and it was never followed by something good. Maura could read the emotions running through Jane's eyes and didn't need to know what she was thinking to realize that this was bad. Megan was in danger. Their thoughts were broken when the young woman lifted an unsteady hand, a piece of paper with a picture on it trembling in her fingers.

"A few minutes later, this was slid under the door."

Maura reached out to pull the paper from Megan's fingers. When she straightened it out in front of her, she could only gasp, her eyes widening as she began to understand why the young woman seemed so uneasy. Jane leaned over to look at the paper and was also taken aback. In the center of the paper was a color photo of Jessie's pink colored body laying face up on the ground. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth agape as if trying to scream out in death. Beneath the picture were two simple, bone-chilling sentences.

_She couldn't give us what we wanted. Can you? -4_

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this one! The case is getting a bit more intense. I'm going to start posting longer chapters like this but updating maybe only two times a week. I've got a month left to study for my proficiency exams, and I'm moving 1000 miles away next week, which also happens to be my birthday. So needless to say, it's going to be a little busy on my end for the next month or so. Thank you all for sticking with me! xo**


	20. Chapter 20

**Yay for having a smidgen of time to write! So here is a nice, long chapter, and thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!**

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Chapter 20

Jane's eyes ran over the words over and over in total disbelief of what she was seeing. Megan's focus was down on the trembling hands in her lap and Maura remained motionless albeit with a comforting hand resting on the young woman's shoulder. After several moments of hushed unease, Jane finally found her voice and slipped back into detective-mode.

"Megan, how long ago did you get this note?"

There was no immediate response from the young woman, but a gentle squeeze of Maura's hand on her shoulder broke Megan from her silence. Blue-gray orbs were ringed with tears and they lifted slightly, but not enough to meet Jane's chocolate brown ones. Instead, Megan stared off towards the fridge where a photo of Jessie and herself hung as she answered in an empty voice.

"Uh..about an hour ago." The young woman just continued to stare at the photo on the fridge as all semblance of calm began to drain from her face. Jane could only feel heartbroken for the grad student as the realization of the threat hit her, combined with the obvious pain of losing her friend. The usually socially awkward medical examiner suddenly felt compelled to do something and moved her hand to rub circles on Megan's back, hoping to comfort her somehow.

Maura looked toward Jane hoping to convey her desire to help the young woman. The brunette simply nodded in understanding before placing a hand on Megan's arm.

"We are going to do everything we can to keep you safe and find the people that did this to Jessie. I promised you I would, and I always keep my promises, but I need your help Megan."

The young woman finally looked at Jane and replied with a single word in a low, but strong voice. "Anything." Her look of terror had shifted to one of absolute determination, her jaw clenched shut. It was a look that Jane knew all too well since it was one she wore often. This brought a small smile to the detective's lips.

"I need you to help me figure out how Jessie got involved with this drug ring. I have a feeling that they caused her death and it might have something to do with her job and those drugs you found in her room. We're going to need to work up a timeline of when you noticed her shifts in behavior and you can also help Dr. Isles here sift through Jessie's cases."

Maura immediately turned to Jane, hazel eyes locking onto brown ones, a look of confusion written on her face. "Megan, please excuse us for a moment, I need to speak with Jane, but I'll be right back." The young woman just nodded in return and watched the two women walk towards the living room.

Once they were out of earshot the doctor quickly rounded on Jane. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "Jane, are you sure that's a good idea? I'm not sure if Megan should be looking at those files, or even if she's allowed to. I know you feel a strong connection with her, I do too, but wouldn't her helping on this put her in more danger? And my staff is also perfectly capable of reviewing Jessie's cases."

"Maura, I know your team can handle this, but I just thought it would give Megan something to do to keep busy. Her life has just been threatened, her best friend is dead, and with her training she feels like she should be helping but can't. How would you feel if you were her, Maur?" Jane's voice plead for the blonde to understand, and when Maura's features softened, the detective knew that she did. "I want to put her into protective custody so that we can keep an eye on her, and her knowledge of toxicology and of Jessie could help us. I'm not saying that we give her a whole stack of files and let her have at it, but maybe she can come sit with us when we go through them and see if anything stands out to her."

What Jane was proposing actually sounded like a good idea to the medical examiner, as unorthodox as it was, she did see the benefits to the detective's plan. This would help keep Megan out of harm's way while also giving her the feeling of doing something, and it would allow Maura to keep an eye on her and maybe mentor her a little as well. The doctor had made her mind up the moment Jane suggested it, but she figured she wouldn't make it too easy on her detective.

"Okay Jane. I agree we should put her in protective custody, and I'll allow her to help out in regards to reviewing Jessie's cases, but I have some conditions." Jane simply nodded, relief washing over her face when she realized Maura was agreeing.

"First off, I want Megan to stay with us. She can sleep in the guest room and this will allow us to keep a constant eye on her. Plus, I feel she will be most safe there as well. Secondly, I will work with her when reviewing the cases. Between the two of us, we should be able to find something must faster than if I were to have my whole team look over them since something might be missed with too many eyes. This will also keep our other cases from piling up in the lab. My staff is more than capable of handling anything else that might come in."

Jane continued to nod in agreement as Maura listed her conditions. They were all simple enough and made sense to the detective. However, she did hear the slight hesitation in the doctor's voice after the second condition.

"Okay, all of that sounds fine. I actually think it's a great idea that Megan stay with us. I'd feel much better than if we took our eyes off of her. But I think I hear an 'and' in there," said Jane with a smirk.

That Rizzoli smirk always made Maura's stomach drop and her heart flutter, but she knew that this situation gave her a little leverage to get Jane to do something for her that the brunette would probably have shied away from otherwise. Her hazel eyes shown mischievously and Maura ran a slender finger over the lapels of Jane's blazer. "Oh yes, and my third condition, _Detective,_ is that in exchange for all of this, you owe me a night of doing everything I ask of you."

Jane wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the seductive tone that her girlfriend's voice had taken told her that this _condition_ might be beneficial for the both of them.

"Oh really, Doctor, and what might _everything_ include?" Jane shifted slightly so she could toy with the hem of Maura's blouse without Megan seeing.

"Well, I did order a little something for us to try out that I think you might find quite… _stimulating_," said the blonde in a voice much lower than normal.

"I think I can agree to your conditions, Dr. Isles," replied Jane with a smile. "Now let's get back in there so we can wrap everything up here and get Megan somewhere safe."

Maura couldn't help but grin back at the detective who winked at her before turning and heading back toward the kitchen where the grad student stood in front of the fridge with the picture in hand.

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"Hey Megan," Jane called to the young woman. "I think it's best that we take you into protective custody until we can find the people responsible for Jessie's death, and for threatening you. Now, Dr. Isles and I have decided that you will stay with us in her home."

The detective noticed the slight surprise on Megan's face when she said 'us'. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Jane raised her eyebrows in challenge getting a firm shake of the young woman's head in response. The brunette clapped her hands together and gave both Maura and Megan a bright smile. "Good. Okay then, Megan, we'd like to go look around Jessie's room a little more and see if we missed anything, and Dr. Isles would like to collect the items you found earlier if that's alright."

Megan turned to place the picture back on the fridge nodded. "Of course. I've already gone through most of her things that her family might want, but there's still plenty left to look at. Her computer is still in there too. Her father said you could take that as long as we can get it back." The young woman motioned for Jane and Maura to follow her as she headed back through the living room and down a short carpeted hallway, stopping in front of a closed wooden door.

"Perfect. I'll take that back to Detective Frost so he can take a look at it," said Jane as she pulled up behind Megan. Maura had been studying the posters hanging in the hallway, displaying everything from the metabolic processes and chemical structures of methamphetamine, to a flow chart depicting the growth and metastasis of cancerous cells, and even several labeled diagrams of blood spatter patterns. Her lack of attention led her to walk straight into the back of the now stopped Jane, muttering a soft, embarrassed 'sorry'. Jane could only chuckle at the blonde's actions, knowing how interested she could become in the slightest display of science.

The grad student watched their exchange with a look of amusement on her face. It was clear that these two women were more than just partners at work, and she impressed with how easily they interacted. Megan opened the door to Jessie's room and ushered the two inside.

"I put the vial, tablets, and weed I found on the bed there," she said pointing to the double bed set against the far wall. Maura pulled some gloves from her purse and walked over to inspect the items. The doctor took only a slight glance at the small bag of the leafy green substance which couldn't have contained more than a few grams of material, before looking closely at the clear vial and the bag of tablets.

"The leafy green substance in this bag," said Maura as she held up the first bag, "is consistent with marijuana and contains approximately 4.7 grams."

Jane couldn't help but respond with her usual sarcasm. "It's weed, Maur. You can just say it. And are you sure it's 4.7 grams? I don't know, it looks more like 4.8 grams if you ask me." She added a smirk at the end and couldn't help but notice that Megan was trying not to laugh.

"I cannot confirm that this is marijuana until I run some tests, Jane. You know that. As for the other two items, the vial does appear to contain a small volume of a cloudy, translucent liquid and there are five small, white tablets in the other bag, all of which bear the logo of a four-leafed clover." Maura turned towards Jane with the bag of tablets in her hand. "Does the logo look like the same one you encountered back in your DCU days?"

The brunette moved closer to inspect the tablets before nodding. "Yeah, those look just like the ones that the Four Luck ring used to brand their products. And with the threatening letters signed with the number 4, I feel confident that that is who we are dealing with here. Megan, where did you find these exactly?"

The young woman moved into the room and towards the small closet in the corner. The door was already open so Megan just stood in front of it and pointed up to the shelf inside. "I found them tucked back behind a shoebox full of photos up there on the left. I felt them with my fingertips when I reached up to make sure I hadn't missed anything. It wasn't until I pulled them down that I saw what exactly I'd found." The grad student quickly looked towards the medical examiner with a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "I'm sorry I touched them with my bare hands. I know I've probably ruined any chance of getting fingerprints off of them now, but I'll be happy to supply my prints for you if needed, Dr. Isles."

Both Jane and Maura were a little surprised at the fact that Megan had thought of the integrity of the evidence, and even felt guilty about possibly messing it up, when it wouldn't have even crossed most people's minds.

"That's quite alright, Megan. I completely understand. And you did just fine by placing the items down on a clean surface once you realized what you had," said Maura, trying to ease the young woman's worry. "The key value of these items, however, will come from their identification and determination of their concentrations, and most likely not from fingerprint evidence. Thank you for showing these to us."

Megan simply nodded in response and watched at the doctor pulled a few evidence bags out, one for each item, before sealing, initialing, dating, and writing a description on the outside of each.

While Maura collected the drug evidence, Jane continued to walk around the room, looking for anything that stood out to her. When the detective neared the bookshelf, she noticed what looked like a piece of paper sticking out of the top of a book on the top shelf. Using her height to reach up and grab the book, Jane pulled it down to eye level to find herself holding of a copy of _Grey's Anatomy_, and a very old one at that. _Huh, how appropriate for someone who wanted to be a doctor. I wonder if Maura has a copy somewhere?_

The brunette set the book down on the desk beside her so that she could pull on her own pair of latex gloves, snapping them on as Megan came to stand beside her.

"I got that book for Jessie as a present for her 20th birthday. She was just starting to study for the MCAT and we had gone to the bookstore to buy her some study guides. I saw this on a shelf of second-hand books and thought it would make a nice gift." Megan's eyes roamed the image of an anatomical drawing of a man's head, complete with sections of muscles, veins, nerves, and bone. A small smile formed across her lips as she remained next to Jane, watching the detective open the book to remove the folded slip of paper she had seen.

When the brunette opened the paper, she didn't understand what she was looking at. It appeared to be a handwritten chart full of numbers and abbreviations of words that didn't make sense. On the left side was what looked like dates and times stretching from June of 2011 up until March 2013, but the rest appeared to be gibberish. Apparently not to Megan, however.

The quick gasp emanating from the young woman immediately grabbed the attention of both Jane and Maura who had come to stand behind the two.

"Megan, do you know what all of this means?" asked the detective, her eyebrows raising in question and deep brown eyes searched the young woman's face for an answer. Maura's gaze was also fixed on the grad student who now stood motionless, her posture tense with a hand over her mouth and eyes widened in disbelief.

When no answer came, Maura shifted to place a hand on the young woman's shoulder and leaning down to capture blue eyes with her own hazel ones. "Megan?"

That seemed to snap her out of her trance. With a gentle nod Megan pulled her hand away from her mouth. "Yes. Jessie always said she needed to make lists to keep track of things, but I never imagined her having one of these. That right there…" she said, pointing to the paper in Jane's hands, "…is a substance administration log. She was keeping track of the drugs she was taking."

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**So there's the next one for ya! I hope you all are enjoying the story and I hope to have more updates to you as soon as I can catch up on my writing!**

**Now I mentioned before in a previous A/N about the deaths in Rhode Island involving acetyl fentanyl overdoses, but I saw an article today about several more deaths that have occurred in the Boston area over the past few weeks. Acetyl fentanyl has not been confirmed in all of the cases, but it is highly suspected that it, or heroin, is to blame. If readers have been effected, I'm so sorry for your loss. For others, please, please, if you or anyone you know is struggling with addition to a substance of any kind, please talk to someone and get help. Addiction is a scary thing, and it cannot be cured, but it can be treated and managed. There are so many ways to help and drugs aren't worth losing a life for. Sorry this is so angsty, but this is something I feel strongly about and it's one of the reasons I chose to write this type of case. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry, sorry**, **sorry! Here's a chapter for you guys to help move the case along. I move into my new place tomorrow and hope that I won't be without internet for too long. I can promise you, however, that Rizzles will return in the next chapter! Again, thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! -ME**

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**Again, R&I and all characters from the books/show do not belong to me.**

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Chapter 21

Megan's eyes continued to rake over the page in Jane's hands as her lips moved, but no words came out. A moment later, the young woman seemed to be to understand what information was written on the paper and began to relay it to Jane and Maura.

"This column on the left shows the date and time that Jessie… administered. The next one looks to list the substance she took, followed by the type of administration and dosage. The dates make sense because it was around May of 2011 that she began to really start worried about her medical school applications because her MCAT scores came back too low. About a month later, she seemed to have relaxed a little but I guess that was because, according to her log, she started smoking marijuana once a day. And then here," said Megan, pointing to a date in November 2011, "it looks like she made the jump from weed to opiates, with heroin being her main drug."

Jane looked up and over to Maura who was also staring intently at the paper, mumbling to herself while her eyes flitted back and forth over the log.

"Maur, what are you thinking?" Jane asked, her dark eyebrows rose in question.

"Well, from looking at the substances being administered, their dosages, and the frequency of administration, I do have one question," answered Maura, her eyes narrowing in concentration as they remained glued to the page. "As a college student who was paying for tuition with federal loans, where was she getting the money to pay for all of this? Judging from this log alone, Jessie had to have spent several thousands of dollars."

The two women looked at Megan who appeared just as bewildered as they did. She shook her head and shrugged.

"I have no idea. She worked at the university gym sometimes for a little extra money, but she didn't make anywhere near what she would have needed."

The detective glanced back at Maura, her brow furrowed in concentration until suddenly something seemed to occur to her.

"Maur, what if the connection here between Jessie's death and the Four Luck ring has to do with her drug habit and her job. If she couldn't have afforded to pay for her drugs, then she surely would have owed a large debt to these guys, and we know that they've been suspected of dumping chemicals into the local water. What if…"

"I don't like sentences that begin with 'what if'," interrupted the blonde with a knowing smirk.

Jane huffed and ran a hand through her dark, unruly curls. "Ok, fine. Let's suppose that Jessie was paying off her debt through her job. If water samples from near Four Luck's warehouses and drug labs were sent to her lab, she could have been the one to test them and doctored the results so that they came back as normal. It would have gotten the pressure off of them from anyone getting suspicious about the water quality." The detective was waving her hands wildly and pacing back and forth across the bedroom as she spouted off her theories.

From her spot next to the bed, Maura's eyes followed the brunette's movements as she waited for Jane to finish. When Jane finally came to a stop in the middle of the room, the doctor simply nodded while she processed the detective's words and analyzed their plausibility.

"It's very possible that Jessie could have been changing results to hide the evidence of the drug ring's operations, but I can't confirm that until I go through all of her lab reports and bench notes," said Maura as she stepped up towards the detective and motioned to Megan. "Megan and I can start looking for any variations or signs that Jessie altered her results in the morning. Until then, let's gather up everything we need from here and take it back to the station so I can get analysis of these items started," said Maura, holding up the evidence bags with the items Megan had found.

The brunette nodded. "Okay. Let's do that and I can get Jessie's computer back to Frost so he can look through her emails and files for any evidence of what she may have been up to." Jane looked over to Megan who was still standing at the opposite end of the room. "Megan, why don't you go gather up a few days worth of clothes and anything else you may need. Once we're done here I want to take you to the station so you can meet the other detectives working this case, and then we can get you set up at Dr. Isles' house."

The young woman gently nodded and let out a soft '_okay_' before making her way towards the door and down the hall to her bedroom. Once she was gone, Maura tucked the evidence bags into her purse and pulled off her latex gloves, placing them inside the bag as well. She walked over to Jane and reached out, taking both of the detective's hands in her own.

"Jane," said the blonde, making sure that she had the brunette's attention. "I hope you know that I think of my house as _our_ home, and I want you to, as well." Maura ran her thumbs over the backs of Jane's hands, gently kneading the puckered scars as she went.

"I know," Jane smiled. "I guess I'm just getting use to this whole shift between us. It's so new, but I like it… a lot."

The two held their gaze for a moment before Jane remembered they were standing in the middle of their victim's bedroom. "Umm… okay then, let's get all this together and get out of here."

Maura smiled and Jane and gave her hands a squeeze before letting go and heading towards the door while Jane grabbed Jessie's laptop and charger from her desk. As the pair walked past the trashcan by the door, a dark image lying inside caught the detective's eye.

"Wait, wait…hold up…" Jane stopped and back tracked until she was leaning over the trashcan. There in the bottom of the can were a few crumpled up pictures. The detective quickly snapped on a pair of latex gloves before reaching down and pulling the photos out. Jane placed the laptop back down onto the desk before laying the photos down and attempting to smooth them out.

"Hey Maur, take a look at these pictures. Recognize these people?" The brunette's finger pointed at the two people smiling back at her from the photo. There sat a young woman with curly, ash blonde hair curled up into the side of a man with dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The man's arm was wrapped around the woman's shoulder and on his wrist was what looked like a tattoo of four-leafed clover.

"That's Jessie!" said Maura as she leant closer to the photo. "But I don't recognize the man."

"He kinda looks like one of the guys that we looked up from the names that Ethan Sommers gave us. And you see that tattoo?" asked Jane, pointing to the clover. "That looks like the Four Luck ring's logo. I want to go show this to Megan and see if she knows him."

Jane gathered up the photos and stepped out into the hallway, nearly running into Megan who was slinging a small duffle bag over her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry Detective. I didn't see you. I've gathered my stuff and I'm ready to go when you are."

Jane gathered herself and cleared her throat. "Okay, great. We're just about ready too. But could you look at this picture and tell me who this man with your roommate is?" The detective held out the photo to the young woman. Megan leant closer and with one quick glance she stood up and looked back at the brunette.

"That's Elliott, Jessie's ex-boyfriend," she said nonchalantly.

"Elliott. As in Elliott James?" asked Jane.

"Uh, yeah. That's him," replied Megan with a hint of concern in her voice. "Why?"

Jane quickly turned to face Maura. "I think we just found Jessie's hook up for her drugs. And judging from that tattoo on his arm, I'm pretty sure EJ is the one who got her involved with the Four Luck ring."n

"What?!" Megan nearly shouted. "Elliott didn't seem like the type to be involved with drugs, and he said the tattoo was in honor of his Irish ancestry. He was just here to give his condolences too."

That caught Jane's attention. "When was he here?"

"Um, just last night. He asked if he could treat me to a cup of coffee but I couldn't, I was in the middle of a project." The young woman was beginning to shake, her bottom lip trembling and her hands had clenched into fists at her sides. The words she spoke next were said through a combination of tears and anger. "Did he have something to do with her death?"

Maura quickly stepped up to try and calm the grad student, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder. "Megan, we don't know for sure yet but I know that my staff and Jane will do everything in their power to find out."

With a nod Jane jumped into the conversation. "If Elliott had anything to do with this, he'll have me and the entirety of the legal system to answer to. As for now, I'm more worried about your safety, Megan." Gray-blue eyes snapped up to chocolate ones, confusion flickering in them.

"Megan, if he was here last night, 'offering his condolences' and he had something to do with this, then your safety is at risk, and I can't have that. C'mon," said Jane as she wrapped her nodded towards the front door. "Let's get you out of here and somewhere safe."

The young woman nodded and trudged her way towards the front door. Jane and Maura watched as she grabbed her keys and gathered up a few notebooks from the coffee table in the living room. The pair turned to face each other, concern written across both of their faces.

"C'mon, Maur. I need to take this to Frost," said Jane with a hint of weariness in her voice as she held up the laptop. "And we need to tell Frost and Korsak about this. If Elliott James is involved, then we need surveillance on him immediately and figure out just how involved he is."

Maura nodded and headed for the door with the brunette right behind her. Megan was waiting for them so that she could lock up the apartment after their exit. The blonde offered her an encouraging smile as she ushered the woman out the door.

"You know what Megan? You look like you could use some tea. I think Jane's mother Angela might have just the type for you in the station's café." And with that, the three woman exited the apartment and headed back to BPD.

Little did they know, however, was that their exit from the building did not go unnoticed by the two men sitting in a dark SUV across the street. As Jane's cruiser pulled away from the curb, the SUV's engine roared to life before making a quick U-turn to follow the unmarked police car.


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, next chapter! Again, thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews! They rock my world. And I'm sorry it's taken more time to update than usual. I've been moving and still have no internet so here is an update from my phone, sorry if there are any major typos, grammar issues, etc. Enjoy! -ME**

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Chapter 22

It had been two days since Jane had found the pictures of Jessie and Elliott James and so far they had been unable to locate the suspected drug dealer. BOLOs had been issued and the detective had even recruited Rondo to help look for the man, but so far no luck. However, there was some luck to be had with Jessie's laptop. Within two hours of bringing it to Frost, the younger detective had been able to hack into the victim's email account and even found some work documents that she had saved onto the hard drive. At first glance, the documents just appeared to be some basic spreadsheets and lab reports, but after looking at some of the emails, they were anything but.

As it turned out, Jessie had been receiving threatening emails in late March, right around the time that her log indicated she stopped taking drugs. The emails were very generic and didn't mention anything about substances or illicit materials, but they did reference a debt owed to '_4_', and just as Maura had suspected, Jessie owed over $5000. The threats escalated each week while never directly stating any violence until suddenly they stopped in May. Frost had been so confused and worried that he had accidentally deleted a chunk of emails, or that Jessie had successfully hidden them. After much ribbing and teasing from Korsak, the younger detective could find no other explanation other than the emails had actually stopped. Then at the end of May, there had been one seemingly, innocuous message from an account with the username _quartus._ Frost had only admitted this to Jane, but he had nearly missed it since the file was so small. The implications of the email, though, were huge.

_May 29, 2013_

_Congrats on the new job. Look forward to working with you. –EJ_

"I'm just not sure what it means though," said Frost while staring at his monitor, his chin propped up on his fist. "It's not from an account that Jessie had saved in her contacts, and it's not an account for anyone she worked with at the lab."

Jane was standing behind her partner and looking at the screen over his shoulder. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her untamed hair gave evidence to how much trouble this email was giving them. It was nearing 9pm and she was exhausted. She was fairly certain that 'EJ' was Elliott James, but why would he be congratulating Jessie on a new job and saying that they would be working together? According to Megan, the couple had split several months prior and it had not been on the best of terms. Also, Elliott did not work for the state in any capacity, unless supplying government workers with drugs counted.

The brunette flung her hands up to her face and let out a deep groan of frustration. It was at that moment that she then heard the _click, clack_ of an all too familiar pair of heels coming towards the bullpen.

Maura had been watching her girlfriend and Frost stare at the aggravating message for a few moments, admiring the authority Jane held in her stance, and how sexy she looked with her hair cascading wildly down her back. Even though the doctor knew she was tired, Jane still emitted a powerful energy, one that made Maura weak in the knees and wet between her thighs. Deciding that the detective had had enough for the night, the honey blonde made her way over to the two partners intending to drag Jane home and throw her on the bed so that she could sleep. Maybe then the detective would be well rested enough to help Maura with her '_frustrations' _the following night after they made their announcement at Sunday dinner.

As Maura was within ten feet of the pair, Jane turned to face her and the blonde felt her heart swell even more for the detective. The look in Jane's eyes hinted at her level of exhaustion, but the love and adoration there nearly hid any and all signs of her tiredness. Maura returned the look with an equally loving smile and reached out to place her hand on Jane's arm.

"Come on Jane, let's go home and get some rest. It's already getting late."

Jane placed her free hand over the doctor's and gave it a soft squeeze. "Just a few more minutes, Maur. Frost and I are trying to figure out this email," she nodded towards the screen.

The blonde stepped up a little closer to the computer so that she could read the message. "It appears to be a simple congratulatory email from a future colleague," stated Maura, not sure why this email seemed to be so important.

"At first glance it does, but we think that the person who wrote this, _EJ,_ is Elliott James, the victim's ex-boyfriend and a known dealer," explained Frost.

Maura simply nodded as she listened to the darker detective, but her eyes continued to rake over the page. The message itself seemed harmless enough, but the name under 'sender' caught her eye.

"Have you been able to figure out who actually sent the message?" asked Maura.

Frost shook his head in response. "No, I've been trying to trace the account but it keeps bouncing me around, I can't pinpoint an IP address or even account information."

"Well this right here," said the doctor, pointing to the name 'quartus', "means _fourth child_ in Latin."

Jane's head snapped up. "Fourth child, or maybe child of Four? As in Four Luck?"

"Well that's not really what the translation is, but I guess it could be loosely interpreted to mean that," shrugged Maura.

"Excellent. Frost I think we just connected EJ to the Four Luck ring, and I have a feeling that when he says that they'll be working together, it might mean that Jessie was going to use her new job to work off her debt to them."

"You might be right, Jane. I'll fill Korsak in and we can pick this up on Monday. I guess I'll see you ladies tomorrow evening then for dinner?" Frost gave a knowing smile to the two women before powering off his computer and pulling his blazer on. With a wave he headed towards the elevators leaving Jane and Maura alone in the bullpen.

"Okay, you've had your few minutes. Let's go home, Jane." The blonde gently tugged on Jane's wrist, urging her to follow her to the elevators so that they could leave.

"Alright, let's go get some rest. God knows we need it."

The two women made their way out to the parking garage and headed home, hoping to finally have a decent night's sleep.

* * *

Unfortunately, around two in the morning, Jane was pulled from bed by the ringing of her phone. She groaned as she untangled her arms from around Maura and rolled over to answer it, only to be told that someone had broken into Megan's apartment and had torn the place apart. Even though no one had been there, Jane knew she should go check on the young woman and let her know what had happened.

When Jane and Maura had brought Megan to _their house_, as Jane was constantly reminded of, the grad student had noticed the adjoining guest house and had asked if she could stay there instead of in the main house, explaining that she would rather give the two their privacy. They were doing so much for her as it was and she didn't want to be in their way. When Jane had begun to explain that her mother lived over at the guest house, said mother had magically appeared in Maura's kitchen. When Maura introduced Angela to Megan and explained why the young woman was there, the Rizzoli matriarch nearly squealed and insisted that Megan come stay with her, claiming that in such a troubling time a young woman needed a mother's touch and not the "grouchiness of a certain detective." Luckily, Angela and Megan had gotten along very well, with the grad student claiming that Angela reminded her so much of her own mother, who had sadly passed away a few years ago. And it was for those reasons that a very exhausted Jane found herself shuffling over to the guest house and shivering outside the door as she waited for her mother to answer. What seemed like hours later, Angela finally opened the door, her hair matted from sleep and her eyelids drooping.

"Jane what are you doing here? It's after two in the morniiinn…" she yawned motioning for her daughter to come in.

"Hey Ma. I'm sorry but I got a call that Megan's place was just broken in to and I wanted to come check on her. The uniforms out front here haven't seen anything, but I wanted to double check. Plus, she deserves to know that her place was just ransacked." Jane made her way slowly into the sitting area as she explained the situation to her mother whose eyes were instantly wide with concern.

"Oh my God!" Angela practically screamed. "Did they take anything? Who was it? Did they catch them?" Her mother was reeling of questions one after the other at such a volume that Jane was sure the neighbors would hear. And if they didn't, Megan sure did. Seconds later, the young woman dragged her feet into the room in an oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts. She let out a deep yawn as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes and swept her caramel-colored hair out of her face.

"What's going on Angela? Oh! Jane. I didn't expect to see you here." When her eyes met Jane's though, Megan immediately perked up. "What happened?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"Megan, why don't you come take a seat," Jane began, ushering the young woman towards the small couch. Once they were all seated, Jane told Megan what had happened at her apartment. To her credit, the young woman remained calm as she listened but she didn't utter a word until Jane gently asked if she was alright.

"Yeah. I think so," Megan said quietly. "It's just a shock I guess. I honestly don't know what to feel, but I am grateful that you brought me to stay here. Do you think the people that broke in had something to do with Jessie's death? I mean who else could it be?"

The brunette quickly looked towards her mother, silently asking for a moment before answering. Angela got the hint and got up with the excuse of going to make them some tea. Once her mother was out of earshot, Jane turned back to the young woman.

"I honestly don't know for sure, but my gut tells me that this was no coincidence. My brother Frankie and Detective Frost are over there now and as far as they can tell, nothing was taken. But there was a lot of damage done and it looks like whoever broke in was looking for something."

"The drugs…" whispered Megan. "They had to have been looking for those, otherwise, there really isn't much of value to take since they didn't steal any of the TVs or expensive stuff."

"You might be right," said Jane placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll know more tomorrow, but for now I've requested an extra patrol in that area and another uniform to stay here around the house. I'd also like for you to stay here and don't go anywhere without Maura, an officer, or myself." Megan nodded and muttered a soft 'okay' as the brunette lifted herself off the couch just as Angela returned with two steaming mugs of tea.

"Thanks Ma but I'm going to head back to bed. Maura will be wondering where I am," said Jane as she gently refused the proffered mug. The mention of the honey blonde did not go unnoticed by Angela, but she let the comment slide with a smirk knowing that it was too early for Jane to get into.

"Ok honey, but remember, tomorrow is family dinner so go get some rest." The brunette dutifully waved and headed back across the courtyard and into the main house. The elder Rizzoli then turned to Megan and handed her the tea. "And Megan, please feel free to join us tomorrow. There's always more than enough food and we would certainly enjoy your company."

"Thank you Angela," replied the grad student as she accepted the mug. "I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow. I think I need some time to process this." She offered a small smile and a 'goodnight' before making her way back towards her room.

A hint of worry crossed Angela's face as she watched her retreat down the hall but all she could do was hope that the young woman was alright. Angela then quickly locked back up and took her own mug back to her room silently praying. _Oh Lord, please let my girls figure this one out and help that poor young woman._

* * *

Returning from the trip over to check on Megan, Jane silently slipped back into bed and scooted over until she was once again molded against Maura's back, her left arm coming to rest over the blonde's hip. She nuzzled her nose into soft golden curls and started to relax back into her pillow when the woman in her arms began to shift.

"Where were you?" Maura's sighed, pressing her body further into the brunette's embrace.

Jane tightened her hold and whispered back into the doctor's ear. "I got a call that Megan's place had been broken in to and I went to go check on her over at Ma's."

The blonde let out a surprised gasp and was suddenly facing Jane, concern etched across her face. "Oh is she alright?"

"Yeah, she okay. Just a little shaken up." Jane reached up to brush a golden curl back behind Maura's ear. "Ma's taking care of her and I asked for some extra patrols until we figure out who was in there and what they were looking for. But don't worry, she's fine, and so are we." The brunette leaned forward and placed a loving kiss to Maura's lips, reviling in the softness there.

The blonde's fingers came up to tangle in the front of Jane's sleep shirt as she slightly deepened the kiss, knowing that they were both too tired to do anything more. When the need for air was finally too great, Maura gently drew back until their foreheads were just resting against each other. "I love you," she whispered. "I know you want to help Megan, and I know you will solve this case and keep her safe. Your protectiveness and your determination are two of your qualities I fell in love with."

"I love you too Maur," replied Jane. "And are you sure it wasn't just the amazing sex you fell in love with?"

Maura looked up to find a cocky grin on her detective's face, her eyes bright with mischief despite the drooping eyelids. "I fell in love with you long before the sex, which, by the way, is pretty amazing."

"Well good," said Jane placing a gentle kiss between the blonde's eyes. "Because tomorrow we get to tell everyone about us and then you're gonna be stuck with me forever."

"I would accept nothing more than forever," smiled Maura. "Goodnight Jane."

"Mmm, g'nite," came the brunette's mumbled reply.

* * *

**Next up, Rizzoli family dinner and Rizzles! (I really promise this time. The chapter is half-written ;) )**


	23. Chapter 23

**So to thank you all for your continued support, and to make up for the fact that I have, and will continue to update at a slower pace for the next few weeks, here's a long, fluffy chapter for you! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 23

The next evening brought about the first Rizzoli family dinner that Maura and Jane would spend as a couple, although unbeknownst to most of the people in attendance. When Frost, Korsak, Frankie, and Tommy had arrived, Megan had excused herself, instead opting to take a plate back with her to the guest house so as not to intrude on family dinner. Angela had insisted the young woman stay, but she had continued to politely refuse until Jane had stepped in to distract her mother, allowing Megan to quietly slip away.

Dinner had gone amazingly well with lots of lively conversation and storytelling. But as dessert neared, Jane began to get a little nervous about making her announcement. Sensing Jane's discomfort, Maura had placed her hand over the detective's thigh and gave a light squeeze, hoping that the simply touch relayed enough love and support to calm Jane down. Once everyone had finished their tiramisu, Maura gave Jane's leg another gentle squeeze and turned to face her with a loving, encouraging smile. The brunette knew it was time. It was now or never.

Clearing her through, Jane threaded her fingers with Maura's and stood up, ready to make her announcement. _Their_ announcement, she had to remind herself.

"Uh, excused me everyone, but there's something Maura and I would like to tell you."

The brunette was met with silence as five pairs of eyes turned to face her expectantly. With a deep breath, Jane brushed her free hand through her tangled locks and continued. "Maura and I… well… for the past few days… we, uh… Maura and I are dating," she rushed out.

Silence.

"What I mean is, that Maura and I are dating each other, as in we are together, like a couple. And I wanted you to all know." Jane felt a slight tug on her arm and glanced down at their joined hands. Maura was beaming at her. The entire table was still eerily quiet, and the doctor could sense Jane's unease returning so she stood up, tugging the detective's arm to join her.

"Jane and I are very much in love, and we have finally decided to take the next step past friendship and enter into a relationship. We hope that we can have all of your support."

A loud squeal broke the silence as Angela rocketed out of her chair and ran around the table to engulf Jane and Maura in a bone-crushing hug. The elder Rizzoli began jumping up and down and shouted, "FINALLY! My two girls have gotten their heads out of their asses and saw what was right in front of them!"

"MA!" Jane yelled, trying to sound annoyed but the joy she felt at having her mother's approval could not be masked.

"What? Can't I be happy that you two finally figured things out? I mean, I think we all saw this before you two ever did," said Angela, motioning to everyone seated at the table, all barely able to hold back their laughter.

"Yeah Janie, I mean there was even a bet going on about when you'd finally have the courage to ask the Doc out," said Korsak. "Speaking of which, pay up Frostie! You too Frankie."

"Ahh man," groaned Frankie. "You don't play fair old man, I know you had Ma helping you win this bet, didn't you." He and Frost begrudgingly pulled out their wallets and each handed the older detective several twenties.

"With the exception of losing forty bucks, I'm really happy for you Janie," said Frankie. "You and Maura deserve to be happy and I'm glad that you found it in each other."

"Yeah, Jane," Tommy finally spoke. "I'm really happy for you. This probably means no more chess matches with Maura though huh?" he said playfully, offering the pair a sincere smile.

Jane could only beam at her family, tears of joy building up in her eyes. Maura saw this and spoke for them, knowing that the brunette would not want everyone to see her so emotional.

"Thank you all. This means so much to Jane and I. It really does."

Sensing the shift in the room, Angela sprung into action and began to usher all the guests out of the dining room and over the guest house, offering to make a round of after-dinner drinks. Maura quietly gave her thanks and told the elder Rizzoli that she would take care of the dishes and the clean up. Angela simply nodded and gently pushed everyone out the door.

Once they were alone in the room, Jane turned to look at Maura, pure joy radiating through her features. The detective leant down and placed a deep, loving kiss to her lover's lips. "Thank you Maura."

"For what?"

"For loving me. For being so amazing. For just being you."

The blonde smiled back and placed a quick kiss to Jane's lips. "And thank you for being you, Jane. I love you and always will. Now why don't you go get cleaned up while I take care of the dishes," she said, caressing away the tears that had begun to adorn the brunette's cheeks. Jane nodded and headed upstairs to wash her face and change her clothes, leaving Maura standing in the kitchen, basking in the warmth that was enveloping her whole body. Dinner had gone well, their family accepted and supported them, and she couldn't be happier than she was at that moment with her detective.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jane made her way back downstairs after a quick shower and throwing on a tank top and some sleep shorts. Halfway down the stairs though, she could hear the sounds of soft singing coming from the kitchen. _Maura._ She smiled. The blonde's voice was like honey, although slightly off key, and when Jane rounded the corner, she was sure she had never seen anything more adorable.

Maura was standing barefoot in front of the sink, having taken her heels off for comfort, and was gently swaying back and forth, singing to herself as she washed the pots and pans.

Jane stood leaning against the wall for a few moments just watching her beautiful girlfriend act as if she hadn't a care in the world. The brunette's heart swelled with love until she could no longer stand idly by. Pushing off of the wall, Jane quietly strode up behind Maura and slipped her arms around the honey blonde's waist, placing a gentle kiss to the base of her neck.

The blonde stopped singing, her voice replaced with a smile while her hands stilled.

"Jane," she whispered.

The sound of her name falling from Maura's lips did something to the detective. Her stomach fluttered and her whole body radiated with warmth. It also sent a shiver down her spine, ending at the throb in her core. Jane reached around to cup Maura's chin and turned it so that she could capture soft lips in her own. The kiss was soft, yet still passionate and full of love. They had just successfully told their friends and family of the change in their relationship and now felt so free as if a burden had been lifted from their shoulders. They didn't have to worry about the reactions of the people they loved, so now they could just get back to loving each other. And that was exactly what Jane planned to do that evening.

With their lips still melded together, Maura turned her body into Jane's, the sink pressing into her lower back as the brunette reached out to shut the water off. The dishes could wait until later. Or better yet, her mother would probably take care of them tomorrow.

Jane pulled back just enough to smile down at the blonde. "I love you Maura. And I'm so glad that we told everyone, but for tonight, I want you all to myself."

Moisture began to gather in the corners of hazel eyes, but Maura still rose up on her toes to place a kiss to Jane's chin. "I love you too. So much Jane. I will be all yours as long as you'll have me."

"How's forever sound?"

Maura chuckled. "Forever and more. Now Jane, take me to our bed."

Jane grinned and held her hand out for Maura to take, which she promptly did. Their fingers intertwined as Jane tugged gently, guiding the blonde up the stairs and up to their room. _Our room. Our bed. I think I like that._

Once they were near the bed, Maura pushed back on Jane's shoulders until the brunette was seated on the edge. Hiking her dress up, the blonde crawled onto Jane's lap, straddling her toned thighs before pressing her lips against the brunette's, this time with more intensity than in the kitchen.

Scarred palms gripped at pale thighs before sliding higher beneath the silk of Maura's dress until they were cupping the doctor's firm ass. The blonde began to grind against Jane while she traced her tongue along a bottom lip, begging for entrance. When the detective granted it, Maura thrust her tongue into a warm mouth, moaning at the taste of her lover. The kiss deepened while Jane unzipped the blonde's dress, the pair only parting so that the garment could be removed, followed swiftly by Jane's own shirt.

The kissing and fondling of each other's bodies continued until both women were completely rid of all clothing, and Maura was laying on top of Jane, her hips grinding down into the detective's core. The brunette's hands had once again slipped up the back of Maura's thighs to take hold of the doctor's ass, but this time, Jane managed to lift a leg up and flip them over until she was on top, her dark curls cascading around them and shutting out the world so that only they remained.

Jane's lips found their way to Maura's neck as she began to trail down the expanse of pale skin, her tongue and teeth joining in here and there.

"God, Maura. I love you so much. Tonight was just… perfect," she whispered against the column of the doctor's throat. She continued her path down to the base of Maura's neck before placing a gentle bite there then soothing it with her tongue.

"Mmm. I agree," came Maura's breathy response. "I knew that it would be though."

The blonde felt Jane's hot breath across her chest as she chuckled. "Making assumptions now are we, Dr. Isles?" The detective's lips continued until they found themselves above a pert nipple.

"No. I just made a valid hypothesis based on my assessment of our previous interactions with…" Maura's response was effectively cut off when she felt the brunette's mouth engulf her breast in warm, wet heat.

"Shhh. I'm trying to make love to you," Jane smiled against the swell of an ample breast, a stiff rosy peak still trapped between her teeth. The doctor's only response was a nod followed by a gentle moan.

Jane switched to give the other breast the same attention as her hand made its way down the plane of a yoga-tonned stomach, caressing the ribs and muscles flexing beneath the skin as she passed. Once the brunette's skilled fingers had swirled their way around Maura's navel, her hands came to rest on a prominent hip, tracing lazy circles around the bone while her lips followed the same path her mouth had just taken.

When Jane neared the blonde's core, the scent radiating from her sex sent the detective's senses into overdrive. She could smell Maura's arousal from where her cheek rested against her stomach. She could hear the rapid beating of the blonde's heart through her torso. She could taste the sweet and salty flavor that was purely Maura. She could see the light flush spreading across porcelain skin. And she could swear she could feel the thrum of arousal coursing through Maura's entire body.

The blonde's whole chest was heaving, her breaths coming in sharp pants until Jane's fingers finally slid through a pool of wetness, causing Maura's breath to catch in her throat. The brunette slipped a finger down towards the blonde's opening, gathering some of her juices and dragging it up to circle around a swollen clit. Jane kissed her way across Maura's pelvis as her fingers continued their actions, eliciting slight whimpers to tumble from the blonde's mouth, her hips rising, searching for more friction.

Jane finally gave in after a particularly intense moan of her name.

"Jaaannne… oh please, baby. Please."

While she was proud of herself for getting the great Maura Isles to beg, Jane aimed to please. In one swift motion, she replaced her fingers with her tongue, flicking it against Maura's clit before sucking it wholly into her mouth. She used her teeth and tongue against the engorged bud, working the blonde into a frenzy.

"Ohhh. Oh god. Jaaannneee." Maura was practically whining now and Jane could tell she was almost there. With a practiced motion, and aided by the blonde's ample wetness, the brunette easily slid two long fingers deep into Maura. The blonde's back arched impossibly high off the bed at the intrusion, her inner walls clamping down on Jane's digits while Jane continued to lick and suck at her clit, ushering her closer and closer to the edge.

The brunette started to thrust her fingers in and out of her lover, curling them up at just the right moment. As the thrust became faster and harder, Jane was able to slide a third finger in, filling Maura up completely.

The feeling of warm velvet surrounding her fingers and the deep moans coming from the blonde were pushing Jane's arousal even higher, but she knew from the pace that Maura was pulsating around her that the honey blonde was nearly there.

Maura was absolutely gorgeous in that moment just before orgasm. Her golden locks were fanned out across the bed, her eyes screwed shut in pleasure, her lips slightly parted with pants and moans echoing from within her, her chest rapidly rising and falling with each erratic breath. She was practically glowing. It was at that moment that Jane knew she would never tire of this. She would never tire of her desire for the woman writhing beneath her. The hunger for the doctor would never be sated. And she was perfectly okay with that. And with the support of her family and friends, Jane couldn't be any happier.

A few hard thrusts and a light bite to Maura's pulsing clit were enough to send her flying over the edge. Her eyes flew open but all she could see were bright flashes of light while her whole body tensed, exploding with warmth.

"JAAAANNNEEE!" the blonde screamed as her body launched itself from the bed in pleasure. Jane's fingers were trapped between velvety walls, but there was nowhere else she'd rather be. Once Maura's hips returned to the bed, the brunette's tongue moved to clean up the evidence of her climax, being careful to avoid the sensitive bundle of nerves as aftershocks continued to roll through the doctor.

"Mmm… Oh… oh Jane… uhh…" panted Maura as she attempted to get control of her breathing, her eyes shut once again. Jane just smiled as she crawled back up the doctor's still heaving body, placing a loving kiss to Maura's lips and staying long enough for them both to revel in the taste of the honey blonde, moans tumbling from both their mouths.

When Maura finally opened her eyes, she was met with deep brown orbs as Jane beamed at her from above, her gaze full of love and adoration. The brunette placed another kiss to Maura's lips before shifting to lay on her side, pulling the blonde to snuggle against her.

"Wow," was all Maura could say as she nuzzled her way into Jane's neck.

"Ha. I do believe I've made my personal encyclopedia speechless," Jane laughed, earning herself a light slap from the blonde who still hadn't regained full use of her limbs.

"Quiet you. Or when I get my strength back I'll use it to kick you out of bed, rather than push you down into it."

Jane stopped and looked down at Maura, giving her a small frown until both women burst out into laughter.

"Fine, fine. I'll be quiet," Jane smiled. "But can I say just one more thing?"

The blonde appeared to contemplate Jane's request for a moment before finally nodding her consent with a grin.

"I love you," whispered Jane before brushing a few strands of matted hair away from Maura's forehead and pressing her lips against the exposed skin.

"I love you too, Jane. And I'm really glad we told everyone about us tonight. I like there being an 'us' and everyone knowing about it."

"Mmm, me too, Maur."

Both too tired to say or do anything else, Maura snuggled closer into the brunette while a long arm came around, encasing the blonde in a strong embrace. After a successful evening, the pair easily fell into a peaceful sleep, the worries and fears of their current case pushed the back of their minds, at least for the night.

* * *

**Since I still don't have my TVs set up and have to wait until tomorrow to watch tonight's episode online, I did the next best thing and wrote another chapter for you guys! I hope you like it! **


	24. Chapter 24

**I am so saddened by the death of Lee. I remember watching him as Jett Jackson and I loved him as Barry Frost. Every time I see him on screen now it still hits me hard. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and the entire R&I family. I will continue to write him in my stories since I feel that he is such an integral part of the show. RIP Lee**

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**Also, I'm so sorry for the delay. Please don't hate me! I have a good excuse... I promise :) -ME**

* * *

Chapter 24

The following day Jane, Maura, and Megan all headed into the station together. However, since Megan's apartment had been broken into over the weekend, she was not allowed up in the bullpen while they were working the case to prevent any conflict of interest. So instead, the women went their separate ways at the elevators—Maura leading Megan downstairs and Jane heading up to Homicide. Once the down elevator arrived, the young woman stepped inside to allow Jane and Maura a moment to say goodbye.

The brunette gladly accepted the chance and after a quick glance around, stepped to within a few inches of her girlfriend and offering a soft smile.

"Well then, I guess this starts our first week of being 'out' at work," said Jane softly.

"I'm not worried," replied the doctor, her eyes reflecting the confidence and love she felt in the detective's presence. "In fact, I rather like that I get to do this now." The honey blonde leant up slightly on her toes to press a gentle kiss to Jane's lips.

"I think I like that part too," the brunette grinned and moved to place another, slightly more passionate kiss to Maura's lips. "Would you like to join me for lunch in the café?"

"Yes. I'm sure both Megan and I will need a break from staring at Jessie's reports, and as much as I'd like to go out to lunch, I don't want to leave her here by herself," said Maura with genuine concern in her voice.

"Probably wouldn't be the best idea to leave her when someone might be out looking for her, even if it is in a police station." Jane's eyes darkened slightly at the thought that whoever killed Jessie might now be looking for her roommate. "So I guess I'll come down to get you guys when we're done going over the stuff from Megan's apartment. Maybe we'll get lucky and the guy who broke in left us something to work with."

"Well then, I shall see you soon, _Detective," _said Maura with a bat of her eyelashes and a smile. With that, the honey blonde turned on her heel and entered the elevator where Megan had been holding the door, leaving Jane to stare at her retreating form.

_Right then. C'mon Rizzoli, back to work._

Despite her inner dialogue, it wasn't until Jane heard a voice clear behind her that she was broken from her reverie.

"You alright there, partner?" Frost's voice echoed behind the brunette, his tone laced with mirth, knowing what had his partner so distracted. Jane quickly whipped around coming face to face with the younger detective, a bright grin plastered across his face.

"Uh… what?" came Jane's slightly unfocused response as she tried to shake her previous thoughts from her head.

To his credit, Frost knew that Jane had heard him and just needed a moment, but he still couldn't resist grinning at her and wiggling his eyebrows. "You know what I said. Had a good night last night didn't you?"

"Oh shut it Frost!" snapped Jane, landing a playful jab to his shoulder and smirking back. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"Well good thing you're not a lady," he replied as the elevator doors opened and he jumped in, just barely dodging another smack from the brunette. "In all honesty though, Jane, I really am happy for you guys. I'm glad that you finally figured it out and that we don't have to all sit and watch you two try to secretly stare so longingly at each other."

Jane stepped in after her partner, pressing the button that would take them up to Homicide. "Yeah I know. I actually feel so much better now that it's out in the open. I like not having to hide it, ya know?"

The younger detective simply nodded in agreement, offering Jane a soft smile.

"So, we get anything on the break-in?" asked Jane, changing the subject back to work.

"Actually, yes," said Frost as the elevator doors slid open and the two sauntered into the bullpen. Once they reached their joined desks, Frost fell into his chair and moved his monitor over so his partner could see. After a few mouse clicks, the screen came to life, revealing some of the crime scene photos including a close up shot of what looked like a single dark thread stuck in the doorjamb of Jessie's room.

"You see this fiber here?" Jane nodded when her partner pointed at the screen. "Well the crime lab just got back to me and said that it's consistent with the fibers we pulled from Jessie's clothing. It was coated with the same particulates and oil as the fibers we found before, meaning it probably came from the same vehicle that she was moved in."

The brunette continued to stare at the screen, the wheels in her head turning furiously. "So whoever did this was in the same car that Jessie's body was in, picked up some fibers from the vehicle, and brushed against the doorjamb while he was breaking in?"

"That sounds about right with my theory," said Frost, leaning back in his chair.

"Alright then, we need to find this car ASAP. Do we still have any idea what Elliott drives?" asked Jane frustratingly while running a hand through her thick curls.

At that moment, Korsak entered the bullpen, slapping a file down on his desk. "Seems our drug dealer has got himself a brand new BMW 325i."

The brunette let out a long groan, her frustrations apparent.

"However," Korsak said with a slight smile forming on his lips. "His recently deceased grandmother owned a silver 2004 Ford Focus with black interior. And it was just spotted pulling into the parking lot of our favorite old warehouse by some DCU officers I asked to sit on the place."

The two other detectives instantly perked up at the news, exchanging excited glances before jumping up and grabbing their guns.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go see if we can't pay Mr. James a visit," said the brunette as she clipped the holster to her belt and headed for the elevators, her partners hot on her heels.

* * *

"Wow! Dr. Isles this place is amazing!" Megan exclaimed as she walked through the hallway between the morgue and the crime lab. Her excitement was written all over her face as she peered into the windows on either side like a child would look through the window of a toy store at Christmas. The young woman's enthusiasm was infectious as the doctor followed her, a grin finding its way across her lips accompanied by a slight chuckle.

"Please, Megan, call me Maura," she smiled. "And yes, it is quite wonderful. It's taken some time to bring this place to the level it's at now, but I enjoy working here. Getting the proper equipment in here was quite a difficult task, but finding the right personnel was even harder." The honey blonde said that last part just as Susie Chang was exiting the crime lab, folders in hand.

"For example, Megan I'd like you to meet Senior Criminalist Chang." The doctor smiled at Susie who had clearly heard the last part of her speech. Megan took Susie's proffered hand and shook it firmly, her eye's dancing with joy.

"Please call me Susie," said the scientist, returning the young woman's handshake with just as much enthusiasm. "I hear you're working on your Ph.D. in forensics. That's quite an accomplishment and quite a bit of hard work too. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you Susie. I want to work in a lab like this one day, helping the solve crimes and catch the bad guys."

"Well maybe in the future we'll be lucky enough to have you here with us." Megan could only grin at Susie's words as she herself was speechless. The scientist let out a gentle laugh before turning to Maura. "And Dr. Isles, I do have some news I'd like to share with you if you have a moment."

"Of course! Megan, would you mind waiting for me in my office, it's just through those doors and to the right," said the blonde while pointing towards the morgue doors. The grad student nodded and waved a quick goodbye to Susie before making her way into the morgue.

Once she was out of sight, Susie quickly opened the top file in her hands and handed it to Maura. "We found a black fiber at the apartment consistent with those found on the victim's body. It's a black fiber from a Ford Focus and it had traces of what we now know is canola oil and sodium bicarbonate on it, just like the others."

Hazel eyes flicked over the page as Maura worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well those can both be used in the production and distribution of several drugs. The sodium bicarbonate as a cheap filler for cocaine or heroin, and the canola oil makes it easier for drug mules to swallow their packages. Have you informed the detectives of this?"

"Yes, I hadn't identified the trace substances yet, but I did tell them that it was from the same source as the fibers found on the victim's clothing."

"Okay, thank you Susie. Great work as always. I'll be in my office if you need me for anything else. Megan and I are going to start going through Jessie's notes and lab reports to see if anything catches our eye." The doctor offered a sincere smile before pulling out her phone and heading back towards her office. Once inside the autopsy room, she typed out a quick message to Jane as she made her way to her office.

_Susie just told me about the fiber that was found at the apartment. Any leads? –M xo_

Maura waited for a moment in the doorway to her office, watching Megan who was sizing up one of her tribal masks hanging on the wall. _She looks like Jane did the first time she saw the masks._ The blonde smiled at the memory of the tall brunette standing in front of the wall, a look of utter confusion and fascination on her face, quickly followed by her eyebrows morphing to try and copy the expression on the mask. At that moment, the doctor felt her phone vibrate with a message from said detective.

_Yeah. EJ's grandma had a Focus with the same carpet. Tracked it to the docks near drug factory. We are heading there now to see if we can find him and bring him in. –J_

_Ok. Please be careful. Megan and I are just starting to go through reports now. I'll see you soon. I love you. –M_

_I love you too, Maur. And I will be careful just for you. Should be back for lunch. Gotta go –J xo_

Maura loved it every time Jane told her she loved her, even through a simple text. The blonde quickly slid the phone into her jacket pocket and made her way over to her desk.

"Megan, why don't you pull up a chair to my desk here so we can spread out some of these files and go over them together."

The young woman was pulled away from the tribal masks, her face shifting into one of determination as she grabbed the extra chair from the corner and dragged it over to join the doctor. Flopping down into the seat, Megan yanked a folder from the pile of reports they'd gathered and flipped it open.

"Alright then. Let's get down to business. C'mon Jessie, help me find who did this to you," said the young woman softly.

Maura glanced at the young woman and couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but also impressed by her will to help her friend. Her thoughts briefly flashed to Jane, who she knew would do anything to help anyone that she could, especially a friend. A sense of pride filled her as she realized that there were others out there like their team, others like Megan, who would do whatever it took to help someone else, even if that someone was dead. The blonde then gently grabbed a folder for herself and began to read, looking for anything that might seem out of the ordinary for results in a quality control lab.

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**So I know it's not an exciting chapter and I feel terrible for not having written in so long! I will do my best to try to have updates once a week now as long as my schedule permits me. I just started grad school and between classes, teaching a forensics lab, and trying to find a research professor, it's been a little crazy so please bear with me! Thank you all for the support! -ME**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you for all the new follows, favs, and reviews, so here's a short update for you all! Things are starting to heat up in the case! Again, it's short, I'm sorry, but grad school is kicking my butt right now. Anyway, enjoy! -ME**

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**Nope, Rizzoli and Isles and any/all characters from the books and show do not belong to me.**

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Chapter 25

It had been two hours since Jane and the detectives had left to check out the suspected drug factory and to look for EJ. Two hours and Maura had not yet heard from the brunette, and she was starting to worry.

_Jane always checks in with me when she's out in the field. It's not like her to go so long without even a text when she knows I worry. I hope something hasn't happened to her. Oh god, what if something happened? What if she's hurt? I hope she wore her vest. Maybe I should call the hospital and check. _

Megan glanced up from a file to find the medical examiner staring off into space, worry written across her brow while chewing at the tip of her thumb.

"Hey Dr. Isles, are you okay?" No answer came, the blonde didn't even flinch.

"Dr. Isles?" The young woman tried again. "Maura!"

That broke the doctor from her trance. "Hmm? I'm sorry. What did you say?"

The grad student let out a soft chuckle. "I was asking if you were okay. You seemed a little out of it and the furrow of your brow indicated that something was troubling you."

"Oh I'm fine. I just got a little distracted," said Maura unconvincingly as she fiddled with her phone.

Megan wasn't buying it and had a pretty good idea about what was causing the doctor's unease. "You're worried about Jane aren't you?" The silence that followed the question confirmed what the young woman had thought. "Why don't you just send her a text, or call her? I'm sure she's fine. She is the great Jane Rizzoli after all," said Megan with an encouraging smile.

Letting out a sigh, Maura nodded and began to type out a text. "You're right. I'm sure she's just busy." When she finished the message, the doctor placed her phone back on the table and picked up another report. "This is what happens when we get to go through paperwork instead of getting our hands soiled," she said with a laugh.

"Dirty. I think you mean get our hands dirty, but you're right. I never was able to concentrate very long when my nose was stuck in a file all day. I'd much rather be out doing something with my hands."

The blonde smirked at Megan's response.

"What?" asked the young woman jokingly with a smirk on her face.

"Nothing. It's just that you kind of sounded like Jane just then." Megan smiled at Maura.

"Well I do what I can," she said. "Now, let's get back to these files. We're already through half of them and the sooner we get through them, the sooner you can go hang out with your detective."

The two women then resettled at the desk and divided the remaining folders between them. Maura was thankful for the distraction that Megan had provided, and she knew the young woman was probably right. Jane was more than capable and if something was wrong, she would have heard by now. The best thing she could do now was help out on her end of the case and the brunette detective would let her know when she was done.

* * *

Down by the docks, Jane, Frost and Korsak had arrived at the rug factory to find that there were several vehicles outside, including the silver Focus that they were looking for. However, despite the presence of the vehicles, there was no one to be found. Not one person was outside or visible through a window inside.

"Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the phrase '_Ghost Town'_ doesn't it?" Frosts hand was at his gun as he spoke, all three pairs of eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement.

"Sure does. I don't think I've seen the docks this deserted since the dockworkers' strike back in the '80s," said Korsak uneasily.

"Way to show your age there old man," snorted Jane as she and Frost cautiously approached the silver Focus. The older detective remained near the car keeping an eye out for trouble but still was able to give a quick glare back to the brunette.

Guns drawn, Jane and Frost stepped up to the front doors of the car and peered through the windows. "Clear!" came their joined response. Frost opened up the driver's door and reached down to pop the trunk where Jane now stood, her weapon aimed at the rear of the vehicle. Korsak stepped up to lift the trunk door to find it empty except for several empty glass vials and a roll of duct tape.

"Looks like we found EJ's tools of the trade," said Korsak gruffly, using a pen to poke at the vials and get a better look at the labels. "I'm not sure what it means but there's a bunch of letters and numbers here, maybe the chemical names?"

Frost leaned in to take a look. "Oh, yeah. Like H2O is for water and stuff. It says C21H26N2O • HCl… uhh any ideas guys?" The younger detective looked up towards the other two, both of whom shrugged.

Jane spoke up as her eyes scanned the nearby buildings. "Maura will probably know, but I have a feeling that those vials held acetyl fentanyl. They look just like the one we found in Jessie's room."

Korsak nodded his head in understanding. "I guess we should take these back with us and see what the crime lab can tell us."

Jane and Frost moved to get evidence bags and gloves from the cruiser when the brunette felt her phone buzz at her hip. Glancing at the screen, she saw an incoming text from Maura and smiled. When she halted her movements, her partner noticed and immediately guessed who it was from.

"Message from the girlfriend?"

Jane shot him a dirty look, but the smirk on her face gave away her playful manner. "Maybe," she replied as she stepped away to read the text while Frost continued to grab the evidence materials from the car.

**_I hope everything's okay. I haven't heard from you and wanted to remind you to be careful. Still no luck with Jessie's reports, but I will let you know if we find something. Be safe. I love you. –M_**

The brunette grinned. She would always complain about how worried Maura would get, but secretly she knew the blonde did it out of love and it made Jane feel loved. She quickly typed out a message to tell the doctor what they'd found.

**_Everything's fine. Just found EJ's car and some vials inside that might contain the drug that killed Jessie. Frost and Korsak are packing it up to bring back to the lab. Just going to check around a bit more and see if we can find our guy. I should see you soon. Love you too. –J_**

When she finished sending the text, Jane headed back over to the silver vehicle where her partners stood waiting, knowing grins plastered across both of their faces as they watched the brunette walk towards them. Sliding the phone back into its holster, Jane rolled her eyes at both of them. She wouldn't trade these two for anyone, but sometimes they still knew how to push her buttons.

"Oh c'mon guys. Just a simple text from Maura asking if we'd found anything. I told her about the vials and that we'll bring them to her as soon as we've found…"

The brunette was suddenly cut off by a loud crash coming from inside the warehouse nearest to them followed by the crack of a single gunshot. The three immediately ducked down behind the Focus and drew their weapons.

"Korsak…" Jane murmured.

"On it! I'll call it in and get some back-up. You two go ahead," said the older detective as he pulled his phone out, hitting the speed dial for dispatch.

Jane and Frost nodded and exchanged a quick glance with each other before running over towards the door to the warehouse.

"Ready?" asked Jane, shifting in position to open the door.

"Whenever you are, Jane," came his response, gun raised.

The brunette began mouthing a silent countdown signaling when she'd open the door.

"_Three, two, one…"_

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**Hope you all liked it! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, so here's a nice-sized update for you all! Thanks for sticking with me and this story, despite my lack of updating due to grad school. Who knew I'd be spending more time answering dumb questions from my students in the forensics lab I TA for than I would be on my own classes? I blame them for my lack of time to update, and you should too. I mean, how hard is it to simply read and follow instructions? Argh! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update, and things will start wrapping up in the next few chapters with plenty of Rizzles included (but not in this chapter, sorry).**

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Chapter 26

"I think I found something!" shouted Megan, causing Maura to jump slightly in surprise. The honey blonde had been reading Jane's last text and was daydreaming about her girlfriend and how she probably had her hair pulled back, exposing her long, tanned neck, and the way her strong hands gripped her gun, and so many other thoughts that were hardly appropriate for the workplace. Maura was actually glad that Megan had interrupted her daydreaming.

"Oh wonderful! What is it?" asked the doctor. If the young woman knew that Maura hadn't been paying attention, she made no indication of it, but instead thrust a report towards the ME. Blinking a few times to focus her eyes, Maura began to scan the page full of numbers and data points, trying to find what had grabbed Megan's attention.

As Maura continued to look over the report, the young woman stood up and began to pace, a few pages of Jessie's personal notes clutched in her hand. "First of all," she began, "no one would have even noticed this unless they really knew Jessie. When we first met, we were in our first year of college and happened to be living in suites right next to each other on campus. We had no clue until we both showed up to softball tryouts a few weeks into the semester and started talking while we were waiting for our turn in the batting cage. For some reason, when they called her for her turn, they had mixed our names up and called her Jessie Anderson. We had just looked at each other and laughed it off, but as soon as Jessie went to duck under the net and into the cage, her foot caught and she ended up falling flat on her face and breaking her bat. The team ended up calling her the 'clumsy Anderson' and it kind of stuck. After that, any time Jessie made a mistake or did something embarrassing, she'd just shake it off and say 'Oh that's just my clumsy Anderson side coming out'."

Hazel eyes flickered up to the grad student in confusion. "That's a nice story, Megan, but I'm not sure I see how that relates here."

Megan simply smiled and let out a soft laugh as she walked back towards the medical examiner. "If you look right here, the results of the screening tests run that day were all coming back as normal, until this one." The young woman ran her finger down the page the pointed at the line for sample 4367A. "This one here came back as positive for several contaminants including opiates."

The honey blonde looked at the line for 4367A and then began flipping through the rest of the report, confusion written across her brow. "But wait, if it came back positive, wouldn't there have to be a confirmatory test performed? There is no mention of a confirmation test done for this sample number. All I see is a note saying a test was unable to be performed and the sample was just passed through untested."

"You are correct, Dr. Isles. A confirmation test would have to be done in order for these results to carry any significance. However, that note there didn't make sense until I looked at Jessie's bench notes from that day," Megan said, waving the pages in her hand in the air to emphasize her words. "Jessie had noted that 4367A had screened positive for contaminants and that a new label, 4367B had been created for the confirmation test. However, she did write that a confirmation could not be performed due to sample loss. Jessie explained once to me that 'sample loss' means that something happened that compromised the integrity of the sample, so ethically, any results would not have mattered since they couldn't use it. So I looked over the rest of the page of notes and found a small asterisk in the corner and next to it she had written 'Clumsy Anderson'."

The grad student met Maura's eyes and grinned, waiting for the doctor to make the connection. After a full minute, the blonde's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, leaping up from her seat. "Jessie ruined the sample!"

"Yes. My guess is she dropped it, or somehow broke the container, easily making it look like an accident, but she made a note to herself to differentiate it from other mistakes like that. I looked back through some other pages of notes and saw that there had been times she dropped a sample and simply wrote that the sample loss occurred from a dropped container. So I wondered, why the 'clumsy Anderson' note? Then I saw the same notation on several other days over the past few months. And do you know where all of those samples were collected from?" Megan's eyes burned with intensity as if she was uncovering the world's biggest secret, just like Jane's when she broke a case wide open. It was that look that told Maura exactly what the answer to Megan's question was, no guessing involved.

"The water surrounding the Four Luck warehouse," said the doctor. "We just connected them to Jessie's work, and the pattern corresponds with our belief that she had been covering up results for them for a while."

Maura paused. This was huge. They'd just found solid evidence of why the Four Luck ring would have wanted Jessie dead. She'd been hiding their secret, but at any time she could have exposed them. Jane had to know what they found, what Megan had found. If the detectives were there now, they could arrest the ring members and bring them in.

"I have to call Jane and tell her," said Maura, fumbling with her phone, her fingers searching out the speed dial number for the detective. Holding the phone up to her ear, the doctor watched Megan drop onto the couch, a gentle smile gracing her lips and moisture building in her eyes. If Maura was a guessing woman, she would have sworn that she saw the young woman mouth the words "We got 'em Jessie." But she wasn't, so the doctor continued to listen to Jane's phone ring, waiting for her favorite raspy voice to answer on the other end. No answer came, so instead Maura left a voicemail telling the brunette to call her as soon as possible and that they had found something big. After their shared texts, Maura figured that Jane was fine and was just busy talking to the other detectives, or even to their suspect, and would call back shortly.

Placing her phone into her jacket pocket, the blonde looked up towards Megan who was now leaning against the back of the couch, eyes closed. "Megan?" the young woman perked up. "How about we go get some lunch while we wait for Jane and the other detectives to get back."

"Mmm that sounds great," said Megan, her response accompanied by a loud growl from her stomach. She grinned shyly as she grabbed her bag. "Fantastic actually."

"Perfect. Let's head up to the café and go see Angela, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear of our progress."

With that, the two made their way upstairs to eat while they waited for Jane to call them back.

* * *

Shots rang out. The thunderous echoing of guns firing filled the warehouse. As soon as Jane had pulled open the door, they saw a man fire a single shot into the leg of their suspect, before firing two more rounds, one into each of the two men who had been standing beside EJ. The man stepped up to stand above EJ, his pistol pointed right at the now cowering EJ's head while a second man stood by, an automatic rifle at the ready in his beefy hands.

"You see Mr. James, the Boss doesn't like it when one of his promising young dealers draws unneeded attention to our little club. Especially when he'd had such high hopes for you," the man sneered. "Personally, I was hoping you'd find some way to screw up so that I could be the one to send you on your way. Too bad for you, you just couldn't get rid of your little girlfriend cleanly, so here we are. Goodbye, Mr. James." The man cocked his gun and pressed it to EJ's temple.

The detectives, who had silently made their way into the warehouse and hidden behind a shelf full of containers of chemicals, could no longer sit by and watch their suspect get killed. Frost signaled for them to move and Jane nodded, following closely on his heels as they made their way from behind the shelf, gun raised and ready to fire.

As soon as they stepped out, the man with the automatic rifle spotted them. "Boston Police!" the pair shouted in unison, just before the man with the rifle turned and opened fire.

"Shit!" screamed Jane, as she and Frost dove back behind the shelf and returned fire. The man with the automatic rifle continued to fire at them as the other man pulled back from EJ in surprise. The man gave him a swift kick to the ribs causing EJ to fall over in pain, while he joined his partner in firing back at the detectives. However, when both men inevitably had to reload, Jane and Frost were ready for them.

The two sprang out from behind the shelf and charged toward the men, guns raised. When the men lifted their weapons again, Frost didn't hesitate to send two shots straight into rifle-guy's shoulder while Jane dropped the other man with a single round to his thigh. Rushing over, the two detectives kicked the guns away from their two new suspects. Frost leapt onto the back of the bigger guy and yanked his arms behind his back, ignoring his shrieks of pain at the movement of is injured shoulder.

"Oh shut up you big Hulk! It's just a flesh wound. You'll live," growled the younger detective, snapping handcuffs around his wrists while Jane moved to check on EJ. At that moment, Korsak cautiously entered the room with his weapon drawn.

"You guys alright?" The pair nodded. "Good. Back-up should be here in two minutes and so should the paramedics."

"Good thing you called them too, Mr. James and his buddies here look like they could use a bit of help," said Jane a little smugly, motioning to the man who was rolling around on the ground clutching his leg in pain. "That's what you get for killing Jessie you bastard."

Once help had arrived, the three detectives had no problems placing EJ and the other men under arrest before throwing them into the back of ambulances, not too roughly though. Korsak had made the call to let Cavanaugh know that they had gotten the man who probably killed Jessie and would be questioning him at the hospital later. He also informed the lieutenant of the other men they found at the scene and that a few uniforms should be sent over to the hospital to keep an eye on them.

After hanging up, Korsak turned to the other two detectives and let out a deep breath. "Man, glad that's over. We need to clear some stuff up but at least we can let Megan know that she can go home and that we got the son-of-a-bitch that killed her friend."

"Thank god," huffed Jane, running her hands through her thick curls then down her face. "That poor girl needed some good news. And I'm pretty sure she was more shaken up about all of this than she let on. At least now she can go home and grieve properly without fearing for her life. Speaking of which…" Jane ended her sentence as she reached for her phone. "…she and Maura were looking over files and were supposed to call me if they found anything."

The brunette faintly recalled feeling her phone vibrate as she and Frost were preparing to enter the warehouse, but wasn't sure until she saw the blinking message that she did indeed have a new voicemail. Dialing into her voicemail, the Jane couldn't help but smile when she heard Maura's cautiously excited voice and listened to the message. "Looks like they did find something," she said to her partners. "I'm going to head back and see what they found. Hopefully it's enough to nail this case shut."

As she spoke, Jane saw Frankie sprinting up to them waving.

"Hey guys!" he said out of breath. "Everyone alright?"

The three detectives looked confused. "Yeah little brother, we're all good here. Why?" asked Jane.

"I was just grabbing some coffee and talking to Ma and Maura in the café when news came in of shots fired at this warehouse and that ambulances were needed for several gunshot wounds. I knew this was the place you guys were headed to so I rushed over to check it out."

"Wait, you were with Maura when the news came in?" Jane's voice carried a slightly worried tone.

"Yeah. And Ma. Megan was there too." Frankie saw the look of something he could only describe as fear wash over his sister's face. "What's wrong?"

Jane felt her heart drop to her stomach. "You left Maura in the café, with Ma, with the knowledge that shots had been fired at the location I was currently at, and that there had been several people shot, quite possibly including me, and then bolted out of there?"

"Yeah. Why? I don't see what the big deal…" Frankie's eyes widened as he realized what his hasty departure from the café at the news of shots fired must have looked like the Maura. Maura, who had already seen Jane get shot once and who never guessed or assumed, except where Jane's possible safety was involved. Maura, who probably thought Jane was lying in the back of an ambulance with a hole through her with no one to tell her otherwise.

Frost and Korsak exchanged worried glances. They too knew that for a woman who didn't assume things, Maura was probably beside herself right now with the idea that Jane might have been one of those shot, especially since the brunette hadn't answered her phone, or called back yet.

"Jane," said Frost, placing his hand lightly on Jane's shoulder. "Uhh, you might wanna head back to the station and check in with the Doc. Just to… you know…let her know that you're okay."

"Yeah I think I'm going to go do that. You guys okay here?" They nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you back there, and whatever happens, please don't arrest my girlfriend for assaulting an officer."

Jane then bolted to the cruiser as the other men chuckled and let out shouts of, "You might want to use the sirens to get there faster!", and "Drive safe so the Doc will have her chance to kill you!"

Korsak then turned to the younger Rizzoli and Jane sped off. "Nice one Frankie. You sure know how to set your sister up for trouble. The Doc is going to kill her for making her think that Jane was shot."

Frankie simply ducked his head. "I didn't mean to make Maura think that, I just wanted to be in on the action. You know, get some more experience under my belt, not send her flying into a panic."

Frost and Korsak just laughed heartily before Frost spoke up. "We all know that if thinking rationally, the Doc wouldn't have reacted that way. But I'm pretty sure Jane is the only one who can cause her to think irrationally, and man did you prime her for that. She probably does think Jane is on her way to the hospital now and never called her back because she had been shot. I'd pay to see what the Doc does to Jane when she comes waltzing in to the station in one piece without even a call."

"Well then let's finish up here and get back. We might get lucky enough to see that, and maybe give Jane a little backup if we feel like it," chuckled Korsak. "Who thought we'd see the day that Jane Rizzoli was so whipped that she'd rush back to comfort her girlfriend, or that Dr. Maura Isles would jump to conclusions?"

They all laughed and then headed back towards the warehouse to help process the scene. However, no one noticed the black SUV parked in the shadows by the next building over. Later on, when they had finished up and all of the cruisers pulled away and headed back to the precinct, the SUV quietly rolled away, heading for the turnpike that led straight towards Fenway and Megan's apartment.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully Maura doesn't give Jane too hard of a time! I mean it's not like it's really Jane's fault for making her think she was hurt. I blame Frankie... and my students. Until next time! tah-tah -ME**


	27. Chapter 27

**So... I know it's been a while and I'm sorry! Had a crazy week last week between two of my own exams, plus proctoring, grading, dealing with whiny students, and so on. We're nearing the end here soon, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I wanted to play around with Jane and Maura's emotions, and the next chapter is going to be quite a ride. Again, thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites! Enjoy -ME**

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**Dislaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters from the books/show. They are the brainchildren of Tess and Janet, and brought to life by Angie, Sasha and the rest of the cast and crew. **

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Chapter 27

Jane entered the station, she had no idea what to expect. On one hand, she knew that Maura had heard shots were fired at the warehouse she had been at, and the brunette knew that the doctor didn't like to make assumptions, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad. _Maybe Maura is just sitting calmly, waiting to hear from me, or knowing that she would have heard already if I was hurt._ The detective shook her head. No, that wasn't right. As much as Maura never guessed, Jane knew that the doctor was more than likely pacing around, nervous that Jane had been hurt. The detective also knew that as soon as she saw her girlfriend, the blonde would rush into her arms before pulling back and getting angry that the brunette hadn't called, or that she had once again been in danger. _Yeah that sounds about right._

Jane grinned to herself with the knowledge that it was she who could cause 'Dr. Logical' to jump to conclusions, even though it was usually over her own safety. The grin, however, was torn from the detective's face as soon as she walked past the café.

"JANE CLEMENTINE RIZZOLI!"

_Shit._ The sound of her mother screeching out her full name for the whole café and half the precinct to hear caused Jane to visible cringe. However, being the daughter she was, the brunette knew she couldn't escape and reluctantly made her way over towards her mother.

"Hey, Ma. Could you maybe not let everyone here know what my middle name…" she was cut off by a bone-crushing embrace from the Rizzoli matriarch, followed by a swift slap to the back of her head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Oh Janie, I'm so glad you're alright! We were so worried about you when we heard the call for shots fired," Angela practically gushed before pulling her daughter into another hug.

"I'm okay, Ma." Jane tried to speak while her mother's arms made it hard for her to breathe. "Both Frost and I are fine. Only the bad guys got hurt."

"Oh thank the Lord," said Angela as she finally released Jane, who let out a deep sigh of relief at being able to breathe again. "But don't ever do that to Maura again!" This statement was followed up by another smack to the back of Jane's mess of curls. "You had her worried to death! Even poor Megan here wasn't sure what to do so she came up to get your girlfriend some tea while you were laying in the back of an ambulance for all we knew."

It was then that Jane noticed the young woman sitting off to the side of the counter, two paper cups in her hands. Megan gave the brunette a hesitant grin, almost as if to apologize for being there to witness the whole scene.

"Alright, alright Ma! I was just going down to see her anyway before you decided to grace the whole department with the shouting of my full name."

"Fine, fine. Go then," said Angela with a wave of her hands, shooing the brunette off towards the morgue. Jane simply chuckled and shook her head. _That woman will be the death of me, that is if Maura doesn't kill me first._

The detective moved to leave, offering a wave to the elder Rizzoli but motioned for Megan to follow. Once by the elevator doors, Jane turned to face the young woman. "Sorry you had to see that. My Ma tends to forget that I'm not five anymore… or that we're in public… or that this is where I work."

Megan simply laughed. "No it's okay. I thought it was nice that she cares so much about you, and you get to see her every day. I've also grown to really like Angela. She's been so kind to me while I've been staying in the guest house."

"Oh, about that. We took EJ into custody this morning so it looks like you may be able to head home soon. Just need to take care of a few things, and I'm still going to have a protective detail for a little while, but you could be back in your own bed tonight."

Megan let out a sigh of relief and whispered what sounded like a '_thank god'_. When she caught the detective's amused look, she quickly cleared her throat and meekly smiled. "Oh, well like I said, I really like your Ma, but then again, she can be pretty… intense sometimes."

"Don't I know it. And it's fine. I know I'd want to go back to my own home too. By the way," added Jane, glancing up to see what floor the elevator was on, "what did you guys find in Jessie's files. I got Maura's voicemail that you found something?"

"Yes! We found the data that Jessie was covering up for the Four Luck ring, and made the connection that proves she was hiding results of water samples from around that warehouse. There was definitely something going on there that the ring didn't want anyone catching on to." Megan smiled after she finished giving the detective the quick summary of her find. "Jessie left me the perfect clue to figure it all out, but Dr. Isles should be able to give you a clearer picture. She's downstairs waiting for you. Although…" the young woman paused, clearly thinking. "You may want to take this to her. She was pretty upset when I left to come up here." Megan handed Jane the tea she had gotten for the doctor, her gray-blue eyes glimmering with mirth.

"Well thanks for the tea. I'll head down there now and see if I can't get Maura to calm down a bit. I'll meet you up in the bullpen in a little while to go over your detail." As Jane finished, the elevator door slid open to take her down to the morgue where an upset doctor, surrounded by scalpels more than likely awaited her. Megan simply waved to the detective as she stepped in.

"No matter how upset she may be Jane, just remember, it's because she loves you," offered Megan as the doors closed behind the brunette. _Man, what I would pay to see what happens when Jane walks in there like nothing happened._ With a slight grin and a soft laugh, the young woman turned to go take the stairs up to homicide, hoping to stretch her legs and kill some time until the detective came back up to get her.

* * *

Walking into the morgue, Jane noticed that all the lights were off in the autopsy suite and only a soft glow was coming from Maura's office. As she approached the door, the brunette took in the sight of the blonde sitting at her desk, her head buried in her arms and her hair splayed out over the table top. The sight nearly broke her heart. The doctor looked so small, and so exhausted, but at least she didn't look angry.

"Maura?" Jane spoke softly so as not to startle the blonde as she walked slowly towards the desk. Hazel eyes emerged from behind golden tresses rimmed with splotches of red.

"Jane! You're not hurt!" Maura exclaimed as she quickly stood up from her chair.

"No baby, I'm fine. Not even a scratch. I came down to check on you and bring you…"

SMACK!

The brunette was stopped mid sentence by a small, dexterous hand making contact with her left cheek. Shock registered across both women's faces at the realization that Maura had just physically hit the detective.

"Oh Jane! I'm so sorry! I don't… I don't know what came over me. Are you alright? Did I hurt you? Do you want some ice?" The blonde immediately stepped up closer to Jane to inspect her cheek, her hazel eyes softening. However, Maura's proximity caused a different sort of reaction in the detective. As she stepped closer, Jane's senses were assaulted by the smell of Maura's shampoo, the feel of the blonde's body heat radiating from her form, the soft caress of cool fingers on her heated cheek that was now starting to turn red. Taking a deep breath, Jane slid both hands up to grasp gently at the doctor's shoulders, pushing her just far enough away to meet her gaze. Deep brown eyes locked onto hazel as the pair stood just inches apart.

Jane leaned in and placed a soft, gentle kiss to the doctor's lips before pulling her against her chest, whispering into the blonde's ear. "It's okay, Maur. I'm okay. No one got hurt except the bad guys. We got 'em." The brunette continued to rub her hands up and down the blonde's back as Maura continued to cling to Jane, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself.

"I'm sorry Jane. I was just so worried," Maura mumbled into Jane's chest. "When you didn't answer my call I figured you were just busy, but when Frankie told me shots had been fired and he rushed out of here, I couldn't help but think that you had been hurt… again." The blonde pulled back and stared into Jane's eyes as she spoke. "I love you so much, Jane. But in that moment, I was so afraid that I might lose you. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had."

Jane pulled the doctor back against her chest, attempting to soothe her with soft words and gentle caresses. "I love you too, Maura. More than I ever thought was possible for someone to love another. I will never leave you if I can help it. I promise. You can't get rid of me that easily," she finished with a smirk, but her eyes full of love and adoration for the doctor.

A smile stretched across Maura's face, causing her eyes to brighten and her dimples to show. The doctor leaned up and pressed her lips against Jane's in a passionate, but gentle kiss.

"All better?" asked the detective.

"Much," came Maura's response, her eyes shimmering brightly in the dim light of her office.

"Well then, why don't we head upstairs and go see if we can't get Megan back into her own home before night-fall. And one our way up, you can fill me in about this big discovery you two made today."

The two women then made their way towards the elevator that would take them up to the homicide department, hands clasped and smiles playing across their lips. Stepping in through the doors, Maura began to explain what had been found in Jessie's bench notes and how it conclusively tied the Four Luck drug ring to the result tampering, providing a clear motive for EJ and the gang to kill Jessie. Jane only hoped that with this evidence, they would be able to wrap up the case soon and maybe allow the women to take a few days off together, with no interruptions. _Yeah, wouldn't that be nice_, thought Jane as the doors slid shut behind them.

* * *

**I'm hoping that it won't take me as long to get you guys the next chapter! I've already got it laid out in my head, just need to put it all out on paper... well, onto a Word document. I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	28. Chapter 28

**So I know I have so many reasons why it's been two weeks since I updated, but I know you guys don't like excuses so here you go! Thanks again for all the favorites, follows and reviews, they keep reminding me that people actually care about this story and they help me get my butt in gear to write. We are nearing the end, but not quite yet ;) Until then, enjoy this quirky chapter. **

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Chapter 28

Once Jane and Maura reached the bullpen, they found Megan scrolling through her cell phone while leaning against the brunette's desk. The young woman's brow was furrowed in concentration and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth as she appeared to be reading something.

Jane quietly approached her with Maura right behind.

"Anything interesting?" Jane spoke softly towards Megan's ear, startling her and causing the detective to get a face full of light brown hair as the grad student jumped. The brunette let out a deep laugh at the reaction she had garnered, even Maura had a slight grin across her face.

"Jesus, Jane!" Megan gasped out. "You trying to kill me now?" This time a smile played on the young woman's lips as she realized she had just been on the receiving end of the detective's playful manner. She followed up with a playful punch to Jane's shoulder and a laugh of her own.

"Ouch! Hey! What is with you lab geeks hitting me today? I'll have you know that constitutes assaulting an officer of the law young lady," Jane joked right back, her eyes shining with mirth. "And all I was going to do was share some good news with you."

Maura could only watch in delight at the interaction between the two women in front of her. It never ceased to amaze the honey blonde how much Jane liked to play around, and she was glad that this time, the detective had someone she could joke around with and would be more than willing to give it right back.

With a smirk, Megan then raised her fist again, moving as if to lay another punch to Jane's shoulder while the detective pretended to cower in fear. It was then that the doctor stepped in to end the games, knowing that it could easily go on for hours between these two.

"Alright, alright you two. That's enough," said Maura with a light chuckle. "Jane why don't you tell Megan the good news we came to share, before this turns into an episode of the _Three Goofies_."

"Goofies?" questioned Megan as she shifted back against the detective's desk, her arms crossed and a playful smile danced across her lips.

Jane grinned. "Stooges, Maur. It's the _Three Stooges_. But you're right." The brunette then turned to Megan who was now looking back at her.

"Well I've got good news and bad news for you Miss Anderson."

Megan quirked an eyebrow, telling Jane to continue. "Give me the bad news first then, detective."

"So the bad news is that I can't officially close this case today since EJ is in the hospital under heavy sedation while he recovers. Until he's lucid, I can't get a statement from him for the file which means it's technically still open…."

"And the good news?"

The detective gave a dramatic sigh for effect and paused, barely catching the slight movement of Megan gently leaning forward. "However, the good news is that since he is in police custody and won't be leaving the hospital any time soon… you get to go home tonight."

The young woman remained still for a moment, her eyes quickly flashing towards Maura, asking if it was true. The doctor gave a slight nod and a smile in response. At that, Megan's gaze snapped right back to Jane and a beaming grin split across her face. Nearly leaping off the floor, she threw her arms around the detective followed by chants of '_thank you_'.

Jane nearly lost her balance from Megan's momentum, but no sooner than she had recovered had the young woman bounded over to Maura, embracing her in a strong hug as well. The detective saw Maura's eyes widen in shock, but after a moment she returned the embrace whole-heartedly, drawing soft circles on the young woman's back. Chocolate orbs locked onto hazel and the two shared a contented smile knowing that at least they could provide this extraordinary young woman with some closure, although not without some help from her.

Moments later, Maura began to feel slight tremors run through the body against her. Gently, the doctor moved her hands to Megan's shoulders and moved so that she could see the young woman's face. She was still smiling, but there were fresh tear tracks making their way down her cheeks.

"Oh what's wrong sweetie?" said Maura, not knowing if they were tears of joy or sadness. The tears said sadness, but the smile was one of hope and relief. The doctor's lack of experience with social cues made it that much harder to understand. Luckily, the detective stepped up and placed a reassuring hand on Megan's shoulder, half on top of Maura's own hand that was still there.

"Are you okay there Megan?" asked Jane, her features softening.

The young woman could only nod in response at first, but quickly found her voice. "Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm just so glad that the people responsible for hurting Jessie have been found and can't hurt anyone else anymore. Thank you for that. And thank you for letting me be a part of this. I feel like Jessie knows I was able to help, and now she can rest in peace. I was able to use my skills to help her. There's just no better feeling than that and for that, I can't thank you two enough." Megan's voice broke slightly at the end, but Maura and Jane both understood what the young woman meant.

The brunette lifted her hand to brush some of the tears from Megan's cheek and smiled. "You know we couldn't have done it without you, though. You found us our link to make sure these guys go away for a long time, and that their operation will be shut down for good. So for that, we thank you."

Maura nodded in agreement and gave the young woman's shoulders a gentle squeeze before pulling away. "I'm sure Jessie would be very proud of you, as are we," said the doctor, casting a glance towards Jane. A comfortable silence fell over the women for a moment as Megan composed herself. Wiping the remaining tears from her face, she cleared her throat and stood up straight.

"Well look at us, we really are the _Three Stooges_," she said with a laugh. "And I know I keep saying this, but thank you, for everything. On another note, speaking of home, you think I could hitch a ride from you guys?" Megan met the gazes of the two women with a genuine smile and a lightness in her eyes that hadn't been there since the day Jane told her of Jessie's death.

The pair let out a laugh at how easily the young woman was able to slip back into levity after such a serious moment. Jane nodded and motioned for Megan to follow. "Yeah you got it. On one condition though," said the detective with a finger raised. "We're getting drinks at that sports bar near your place. The Sox are playing and the next best thing to watching at Fenway is watching the game at a bar down the street."

It was the grad student's turn to laugh and she followed right behind as the trio headed for the elevators. "Sure thing! I'll even buy the first round," she said with a grin before turning to the honey blonde. "And don't worry Maura, they've got a great wine list too."

* * *

Later that evening, Jane trudged into Maura's living room as the doctor glided behind her, turning only to lock the front door. The three women had spent a good amount of time at the bar relaxing and watching the game, which included Megan taking over the job of explaining things to Maura so that the detective could keep yelling at the TV screens with the rest of the patrons. Once the game finished, they dropped Megan off at her apartment, leaving only after Jane had conducted a thorough sweep of the place, explained that there would be a patrol car coming by every hour, and insisted that the young woman call if anything happened. Megan promised she would and told them not to worry, that she would just be catching up on some emails and answer questions from the students she taught.

Nearly thirty minutes later, the detective found herself flopping onto Maura's couch and kicking her boots off. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt the cushion beside her dip when the honey blonde joined her on the couch.

"I'm so glad that's over," groaned the brunette. "I could never imagine losing my best friend like that. I hope Megan's okay."

Maura tucked her feet underneath her as she sat and leaned in closer to her girlfriend, the scent of lavender and vanilla soothing her senses. "I am very glad that this is over as well, and I'm sure Megan will be just fine. She may need some time to grieve, but she is a very strong young woman, and I'm very happy that we got to know her," Maura trailed off as she began to lightly run her fingers over Jane's thigh, just searching for contact when a sobering thought struck her. "As for losing your best friend, Jane, we've both almost been there. Me in that car accident, and you… you, too many times than I'd care to remember."

The saddened tone of the blonde's voice caught Jane's attention as she sat up and pulled Maura into her chest. "But it wasn't Maur. You're still here, I'm still here, and I don't plan on that changing any time soon," she said, placing a loving kiss on top of honey curls. The doctor's nimble fingers bunched into the fabric of Jane's thin shirt and she spoke.

"But I almost lost you today, or at least I thought I almost lost you today. I was so scared." Maura pulled back and looked straight into deep brown orbs, her gaze never wavering. "I can't lose you, Jane. You can't do that to me, again. Ever. I don't know what I would do without you."

Jane moved forward and captured the blonde's lips in a gently but passionate kiss. After a moment, she broke away and stared straight back into the doctor's eyes. "I promise that I will never leave you Maura. I promise I will be more careful on the job, because I don't know what I would do without you either. You, _you_ are my life, Maura. I love you so much."

As soon as Jane spoke those words, Maura felt her heart expand, not literally of course, because if it did, the doctor knew she would be in some serious medical trouble. The depth of those words struck Maura and all she wanted to do was show Jane just how much the brunette meant to her. Withdrawing her legs from beneath her, the doctor then hitched her skirt up and moved to straddle her girlfriend. Jane's hands immediately went to the blonde's waist as skilled fingers began to trace their way along the detective's jaw. Maura tucked an errant strand of hair behind Jane's ear as she spoke. "I love you so much too, Jane. You are my entire universe and my other half." The two women shared a loving smile before the doctor leant forward, her lips brushing against the skin near Jane's ear. "Now, take me to bed so that I can show you how much you truly complete me."

Jane's hands instantly tightened around Maura's hips as she quickly stood up, lifting the honey blonde with her. Creamy legs wrapped themselves around a trim waist as Jane crashed her lips against the doctor's. They stood there for a moment, mouths sliding against each other in loving passion.

"As much… as I love this…," mumbled Maura in between kisses, "I think… our bed might… be a better location… so I can do all the things I want… to do to you."

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**I apologize for the abrupt ending, but there really wasn't a better place to end this chapter. As you can probably tell, next chapter will be full of smut, but this isn't the end of the road yet... Thanks for sticking with me! -ME **


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