DISCLAIMER: Rizzoli & Isles and its characters are the property of Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT television network.
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Memories Of A Life Together
Part 1: A Confession Of Love
By Loopyem89
Jane Rizzoli stood on the porch and breathed in the cold night air. She loved nights like these. For once air pollution from the city didn't blanket the sky, so the stars were clearly visible. As she gazed up at the expanse of darkness above her enjoying the moment of solitude, she began to reminisce over the past few years. Life as she had known it changed the moment when one woman by the name of Maura Isles walked in to it, and little did she know all those years ago just how better it would become.
She could still clearly remember their first meeting at a crime scene, the medical examiner walked in with such grace and beauty that she had temporarily forgotten that a man and his dead wife were lying in the room after being brutally attacked. Despite being the complete opposites of one another, the two of them soon became swift friends, spending a great deal time together both at work and outside in their own time. The two were always there for one another, Jane especially recalled the times when she found herself being pursued by Charles Hoyt. Whether it was allowing the detective to stay with her or sitting face to face with the monster in a room, Maura had done it.
As time went by, Jane soon found her feelings towards the woman beginning to change; her thoughts were constantly occupied by the wonder that was Maura Isles. It didn't take her long to realise that she was in love but with that came the fear of rejection and the possibility of losing her best friend, something she didn't even want to contemplate. However it took one horrific event that had put all their lives in danger for her to understand that she needed her friend to know how she felt. As far as she was concerned no one threatened the woman she loved and so when one rogue cop decided to hold them and her brother hostage at gunpoint she didn't need to think twice about sacrificing her life to make sure Maura would be safe. As she moved to take control of the gun from Bobby her only prayer was that she would get the chance to explain her reasons for doing what she did and if not she could only hope Maura would understand.
Jane consciously brought her hand down and covered it over the scar she knew was visible under her shirt. She could still recall the immense relief she felt after waking up in the hospital to find she was still very much alive and both her brother and Maura were safe. What was even better was waking to the feeling of the other woman's hand in her own as she delicately brushed her thumb over her knuckles. Her thoughts continued as she recalled the conversation that came soon afterwards.
As her consciousness awoke she became aware of the feel of a soft hand covering her own, she would recognise that touch anywhere…She wanted to open her eyes and make sure it was truly real and that it wasn't just some cruel dream.
"Maura?"
The detective slowly opened her eyes and blinked as she tired to familiarise herself to her surroundings. She was glad that she hadn't immediately been pounced on by her mother and took comfort when her eyes fell on the face she had not long ago been dreaming of.
"I'm here Jane...How are you feeling?"
"Considering I shot myself not bad, whatever they are giving me must be good. How's Frankie?"
"Well that would be the strong pain medication, mostly morphine. The bullet did cause some major tissue damage. Frankie's fine, your reckless stunt bought the EMT's enough time in order to get him to the hospital."
The quiver in the woman's voice did not go unnoticed by the detective and although it looked like she hadn't slept in days, to Jane she still looked as beautiful as she had been the day when they had first met.
"Maura I'm so sorry..."
"It's ok Jane you have nothing to apologise for; I understand why you did what you did but please promise me you won't do something like that again. I almost lost you today and losing you is something I don't think I could cope with."
The medical examiner was unable to contain the single tear that escaped her eye and slid down the side of her face.
"You and I both know that's a promise I can't make but you have my word I will try. I have no intention of dying yet but it's a part of my job, risking my life to serve the public and to protect the people I care about most. And that's what I was doing today protecting the people I love."
Maura released a shaky breath and looked away from the detective although she continued to hold her hand.
"It's to be expected, Frankie's your brother and he's family."
"Maura look at me…I was protecting you as well. You're my family too and I love you."
"I love you too Jane."
The detective let out a sigh as she pulled the woman in front of her closer to the bed where she was lying. She was tired of ignoring how she felt and found herself unable to deny her feelings anymore.
"No Maura what I'm trying to say is that I'm in love with you. I have been for awhile now and no matter how hard I try I can't change the way I feel and I don't even want to."
More tears began to fall down Maura's face and Jane was beginning to think that maybe she had just done the worst thing possible. What she wasn't expecting however was for the medical examiner to lean down and place a soft gentle kiss upon her lips.
"Oh Jane…Do you know how many times I have wanted to say the same thing to you? I've loved you from afar for so long."
The detective couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on her face after hearing the other woman's confession. And although she had so much more she wanted to say to the woman she loved at that moment, it was becoming a struggle to keep her eyes open. It was something Maura had already begun to notice.
"Rest Jane, I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
"I promise you, I'm not going anywhere." And with that she leaned in and gave Jane another tender kiss before returning to her chair to keep vigil.
For Jane it was hard to believe that 10 yrs had passed since that day and although it had been tragic in many ways, it had also turned out to be one of the most memorable for all the right reasons. Never did she imagine when Maura Isles first walked into her life that she would be standing here years later living the life most only dream about.
She let out a contented sigh and a smile soon crossed her face when she felt the arms of the woman who had been occupying her thoughts, wrap around her waist. As usual she took comfort in the embrace; Maura always had a calming affect upon her when she held her close.
"The bed felt empty without you. Would you care to tell me what has kept you away from me for so long?"
Jane turned around so she was facing her lover and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead.
"Just musing over the past…I was thinking about us and how lucky I am to have you in my life. To think I could have died that day and we would never have known how both of us felt about each other."
"Indeed. All the things we would of missed out on." Maura found herself bringing their bodies closer as she rested her head in the crook of Jane's neck. Even after all these years, the detective knew how difficult it still was for her lover to talk about the events that had led them to confess their love to one another.
"Either way, it's in the past. It all turned out good in the end, I'm here with you and that's all that matters."
"It certainly is and I'm grateful for that fact every single day."
"You and me both. Now come on, let's get you inside before you freeze to death."
"Well I'm sure you can come up with something to warm me up."
Jane let out a small laugh "Hmm…Maybe."
And before Maura knew what was happening, the detective swept her up into her strong arms to carry her inside, with the aim of again showing the woman just how much she was loved.
The End