the rizzoli & isles secret santa

W E L C O M E to the possibly first Rizzoli & Isles Secret Santa organised by darling Mariana and my lovely self, Diana. To find out how it works and how to participate, please, be our guest and follow us. Merry Rizzles Christmas, fellow fandom friends!

[trydynamite]

Merry Christmas, lovethisotp! If any of you don’t know who she is, she’s the one that draws those super adorable Rizzles comics for headcanons or ‘imagine your otp’s or just in general. She also made this wonderful video that i could watch over and over again in which she explains her/our issues with one Mr Casey Jones. So, what i’m trying to say is: GIRL, YOU ROCK!!! :) Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa, Jana

[rizzlesecretsanta]

A Festival of Nine Carols and Ten Lessons

Merry Christmas, Sasha-Sexual!

I hope you enjoy!

Rating: T for language

“Oh fuck!”  The shovel skitters across the pavers, its attempt at escaping the sole reason for its existence is almost as desperate as Jane’s attempt at staying on her feet.  The pavement is pitched just enough that there’s no way to just stop.  Gravity and physics win, and the impact of her ass on the icy brick-paved driveway snaps her teeth into her tongue. 

“Motherfucking fuck fucker!”  The string of obscenities is a groan, and no longer trying to save face, she remains sprawled out on the drive, slowly sliding towards the liberated shovel.

“Jane! Oh god, are you alright?”  Maura’s concerned voice rings out from the doorway.  Jane can hear Jo’s tags jingle as the little dog slips past Maura’s leg and runs across the yard to lick Jane’s face.  “Hold on, let me put on my boots—”

“No, don’t.  Dammit Jo, stop.”  She pushes against the little terrier then raises her voice, hoping the sound will carry through the brisk air, “Maura, stay in the house.  You saw me just bust my ass out here on this rink of a driveway.”  She levers herself up on her knees and spits bright red blood into the pristine snow.  “No need for both of us to be auto-luging across the bricks.”

“But…”

“Jane, you might have broken your tailbone…”

“Please, Maura, for the love of all that’s holy, let me bear this indignity without thinking about my broke ass!”  Crawling wins out because she sure as hell doesn’t want to fall again, even though it seems the only witness to her disgrace is Maura.  There’s not enough pain in her behind to merit a broken coccyx, but she’s confident that the bruise she’ll be sporting will earn her some sympathy from her friend.

Maura remains in the open doorway, nibbling at her lower lip and putting a bit more force into the action than usual so she doesn’t smile.  She’s torn between laughter and legitimate concern as she watches Jane creep slowly across the icy path on hands and knees.  The cold finally gets to be a bit too much and she slips the door closed and walks to the kitchen to make something warm and comforting.  She’ll let Jane collect herself and have something soothing for her for when brunette decides to surrender her mission to make the walkways walkable and come in from the cold. 

“Coffee or cocoa, Bass?  Which do you think she’ll enjoy more?”  Maura can hear the shovel scraping across the ice again, and she shakes her head as she pulls the tin of finely grated Belgian chocolate from the cabinet.  Cocoa it will be, with a healthy touch of Maura’s best brandy to add warmth.  The blond knows Jane will be looking for sympathy when she finally comes in, and Maura is more than willing to offer as much tactile commiseration as Jane will allow.  In fact, there is a part of her that is secretly pleased by the tumble.  There’s no better excuse to put her hands on that long, lean body than an injury check.

The muffled bang of the shovel hitting against the siding pulls her from her pleasant reverie.  “I’m going to throw some salt and then run Jo around.  I’ll be in in ten, alright?”  The brunette calls in quickly through the front door before snagging Jo’s leash off the hook right next to the doorjamb.  Maura has ten more minutes to daydream about sliding her hands along slim hips and fitting her thumbs into the dimples on Jane’s lower back. As she pours milk into a saucepan to heat she smiles, imagining how Jane will relax into her hands. 

~*~*~

“Oh god, that feels amazing. Yes, right there…ohhhhhhh yeah.”  The husky moan is punctuated by soft gasps and groans as Jane buries her face into one of the throw pillows.  Maura’s thumbs are digging into the knotted muscles along Jane’s neck and shoulders and Jane’s are digging into the arm of the couch.  Two empty mugs sit on the low coffee table, but brandied chocolate still perfumes the air.  Both women are in slouchy clothes; although Maura’s slouchy is more Ritz than Rizzoli.  Jane looks like she borrowed something from Rondo:  her sweats are faded; the waistband holding only the memory of elastic, and her oversized, soft, plaid flannel shirt is frayed along the hem and cuffs.  Maura is mildly concerned that the fabric might tear under her massaging fingers.

“Fuuuuck, my mother is going to pop in here in a moment…”  Maura stops the motion of her hands, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

“What?  Why?”

Jane shrugs once, and when Maura doesn’t start back up, she shrugs again and shimmies her shoulders in what she hopes is a stronger hint.  “Because whenever I am finally happy and comfortable,” Jane reaches back and grabs one of Maura’s hands and returns it to its former position on her back, “she can sense it and she rushes to wherever I am to make sure I get tense and bitchy as quickly as possible.”  She shrugs again and sighs in resignation when Maura pulls her hands from Jane into her own lap.  “It’s her mutant power or something?  See…just the mention of her made you quit touching me.”

Maura flushes a bit, secretly exhilarated by Jane’s confession.  “Y-you’re happy and comfortable?”

“Duh?” Jane raises an eyebrow and playfully sticks out her tongue, “I’m with you.  What else would I be?  Although, I’d be happier and comfortabler if you were working out that kink right next to my left shoulderblade…”  Her dimples dig deep as she grins mischievously, eyeing Maura as the blond struggles against the compulsion to correct her.  Jane watches her squirm a moment, gleeful, then takes one of Maura’s hands in her own.

“So, I’ve changed my mind about what I want for Christmas.”  Jane is still smiling, but Maura’s heart jumps into her throat.  She had searched high and low for the proper Patriots jersey, and then called in a few favors to get it autographed.  It had taken weeks.  Maura takes her hand back from Jane and begins to anxiously twist and spin the ring on her left hand.

“Jane, it’s Christmas Eve.  Even using just about every resource I have, I don’t think I’ll be able to have it for you by tomorrow.  If you don’t mind, we can order whatever it is tonight and wait to open gifts until it arrives?” 

Jane’s eyes soften and her smile becomes more warm as she puts her hand on top of Maura’s, stopping their nervous motion.  “Stop with the fidget, you’re making me jumpy.”  The brunette laces their fingers together, the caress far more intimate than what friendship dictates, and angles her body so that they sit knee to knee.  “It’s not a thing Maura, so you don’t have to fret about it.  It’s more a favor than anything; it would really make my Ma happy, and in turn, me happy because then she’ll leave me alone for the next couple of days.”

Maura nods, smiling at their entwined fingers, ready to agree to anything if she can continue running her thumb along the heel of Jane’s palm.  “Of course.  Anything.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.  What if I wanted to save money and sell my condo and move into your guest room, violating your one-guest-at-a-time rule?  Remember, Maur, everyone’ll be able to see the hives tonight when they show up here for appetizers.  I’m not sure about the neckline on that dress you’ve laid out.”  Jane tugs at Maura’s hand until the blond moves against her side.  Eye contact is lost, but Maura thrills at the hint of jealousy in Jane’s voice.  She snuggles up to Jane, laying her head against a bony shoulder and reveling in all of the physical closeness that Jane is permitting.

“I wanted to know if you would go to midnight mass with me and Ma.  I know you don’t really believe in any of that stuff, but the church is so beautiful and there’s a choir and they start singing at 11:30 and—”

Maura’s heart thumps wildly in her chest.  Today has brought a whole new level of intimacy between them, first the extended hand holding and sweet snuggling and now an invitation to a tradition that is inherently Rizzoli family only.  If this is just Christmas spirit, she wishes the holiday would last all year.

“That sounds wonderful.  One doesn’t have to believe in the mythos to enjoy it; look at all the fun we’ve had with TJ and Santa Claus.  I would be honored to attend mass with you and your family.”

Jane’s fingers tighten against her own and she feels the weight of Jane’s head rest against hers.  Maura sits, content to stay this way for the next hundred years if Jane will let her.

~*~*~*~

“Maura!  We have to go!” 

The evening had been as boisterous and haptic as Maura has always found Rizzoli evenings to be.  She’d been hugged more times than she could count, TJ had managed to drool on the bodice of her silk dress and get bits of candy cane stuck in her hair, and none of the canisters on her counter were put away correctly, but none of it matters.  Jane had hovered over her all night, light touches on her lower back, her elbow, her shoulder, one time going so far as to curl those long fingers around Maura’s hip to move her aside.  Nothing really out of the ordinary;, the two of them were always touching each other, except this time the touches lingered, fingers dragging along in a caress each time.  With each touch, Maura’s heart had gotten lighter and lighter until she was practically giddy, all social awkwardness and compulsive organizing forgotten.

“Maaaaurrraa!”  Jane whines again, taking the steps two at a time until she’s standing right outside the master bedroom door.  “We’ve got to go or we’ll be relegated to the standing room only section that’ll be populated with every Christmeaster in Southie.”

“I’m trying to hide the…wait, what’s a Christmeaster?” The comment is muffled, so the blond pulls open the door, resplendent in a deep green dress and towering heels, brow furrowed in bewilderment.  She is shoving a bobby pin into a messy chignon.  Jane cannot speak for the moment it takes her eyes to travel along Maura’s exposed neck down to her flexed calves.

“It’s a, um, it’s someone who’s Catholic who—”  Jane stops in an attempt to swallow and wet her suddenly dry mouth.  Maura interrupts, a frown marring her beautiful features.

“What’s wrong? Is this dress not appropriate either?  It’s the most conservative one that I own in holiday colors, and I had planned on wearing a pashmina as well.  The intention wasn’t to wear my hair like this, but it’s sticky in places and I haven’t time to wash and redo it before we go.” 

“No, nono, I mean, yes, yes that dress is fine.  Better than fine. You look absolutely gorgeous.”  Jane’s flustered response is accentuated by a blush across her cheekbones.  “I’m going to look like a slouch next to you.  My Ma will never let me live it down.”

“You are beautiful, Jane. I meant it the first time I said it and I’m saying it again.”  Maura is sincere in her appreciation of Jane in her simple black dress slacks and holly-berry  red silk blouse.  Their regular banter is carrying a decidedly romantic undercurrent—both of them pushing the invisible boundaries that have previously contained their flirtatious behaviors.  She’s surprised that Jane is still engaging so she’s willing to continue pushing for more.  The moment Jane looks to bolt, she’ll pull back.  “I’m almost ready…just need you to finishing zipping me please?”

Maura turns expectantly and Jane catches the zipper pull with trembling fingers, pulling it up and smoothing out the neckline as an excuse to brush her fingers across Maura’s soft skin.  The blond shivers and, smiling a thank you at Jane over her shoulder, steps away to retrieve her shawl.  Much to her surprise, Jane waits at the top of the stairs to escort her down with a hand on the small of her back.

The car ride to the church is relatively quiet as they listen to Christmas music in the back of Frankie’s cruiser.  Jane has taken Maura’s hand again, and is sitting with both clasped together on her thigh.  Angela is singing along with Andy Williams on the radio and Frankie is cursing under his breath, muttering about how terrible their parking space is going to be when they finally arrive.  Maura is blissfully relaxed despite the mess left behind in her kitchen.  She’s in full agreement with Mr. Williams that it is indeed the most wonderful day of the year, and if she could have one wish for the season she’d wish for the night to never end.

“Christmeaster.  Jane, you were explaining what exactly that was when we got sidetracked by the approach of our departure time.”  Jane squeezes her hand, and sotto voce, tells Maura to never use the word again in her mother’s presence.

“She thinks it’s blasphemous, which, in all honesty, is probably true.  It’s a Catholic person who only goes to church on Christmas and Easter.  The church is always packed to the gills on those two holidays and the especially pious,” Jane rolls her eyes and gestures emphatically in her mother’s direction, “get annoyed that they can’t get a seat because of the “holiday Christians.”  So,basically, Christmeaster is a fancy word for hellbound and me.” 

Maura smiles and shakes her head as Jane helps her out of the car.  “I’d hate to hear what the “especially pious” would call me.”  She slips her arm in Jane’s as they walk toward the church.  At the heavy wooden doors Jane stops and leans in to whisper in her ear.  “The especially pious would call you an angel, Maura.  Especially if you leave some foldable faith in the collection basket.”

“You have to pay to attend mass?”  Maura turns to her friend, astonished.  Jane just rolls her eyes again and pulls Maura’s hand from her purse, gently pushing her towards an empty pew.

The mass passes in a whirlwind of beauty.  The choir almost brings Maura to tears twice, and the homily is about love and acceptance and the importance of family and friends.  Jane holds her hand the entire service, pulling her into a hug and pressing her lips to Maura’s temple during the peace offering.  Angela, Frankie, Tommy and TJ hug her then as well, TJ also offering a slobbery, open-mouthed kiss to her cheek and she is so full of emotion she might burst. 

The ride back to her home is all contemplative silence, Jane laying across the seat with her head in Maura’s lap, Maura’s fingers slowly combing through the wild mess of curls.  Angela smiles at her whenever the older woman catches her eyes in the vanity mirror on the sun visor.  The time in the car could have lasted forever and Maura would be content.

“Thanks for the ride, bro.”  Jane squeezes Maura’s leg as she stretches from her curled position, ruffling Frankie’s hair upon her exit.  He huffs and swats at her hand, but his eyes twinkle and Maura sees him wink at his sister as he backs out of the driveway, leaving the three of them waving on the newly cleared path.

“Janie, thank you so much for humoring your old mother and bringing Maura to mass with you.”  Angela holds out her hand to Jane and beams when her daughter takes it and pulls her into a rough hug. 

“I still don’t like hugging, Ma, but you were right, and I owe you.”

Maura just stands quietly with her hands tucked into her coat pockets until Angela moves to her and holds out her arms.  She steps forward and accepts the hug and kiss and earnestly returns them, whispering in Angela’s ear.  “Thank you.”

The older woman pulls back and gives her a puzzled look.  “For what, honey?”

“For Jane,” She pauses a moment trying to gather her thoughts. For letting me love her and treating me like your own.  For loving me too. “And letting me come with you all to mass.”

“I hope this won’t be the only time, Maura.  You’re family too.”  And Angela hugs her again and pushes her gently towards the open front door.  “Goodnight and merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!”  She crosses the threshold and steps out of her shoes, ready to change and climb into bed.  She locks the door, arms the alarm, and flips off the switches dousing the room in darkness.  She hesitates a moment, then turns the Christmas tree back on and jumps when Jane clears her throat on the landing.

“I was hoping that we could open one gift tonight.”  Jane is already in her pajamas, one bare foot tucked behind the other ankle.  “Please?”

Maura chews at her bottom lip as she slowly ascends the stairs, heels hanging off the fingers of one hand.  “But I only got you one gift, aside from the little stocking stuffers and those aren’t wrapped.”

“Well, I have something small I’d like you to have tonight, and then maybe you’ll have something else for me to open.”  Jane’s words are a puzzle, but Maura is still on an emotional high and is only focusing on the fact that the master bedroom’s light is on and the guest room’s is not.

“In that case, I think I’ll allow the break in tradition.”  She walks past Jane and drops her heels next to the bed.  “Let me get ready for bed and then we can proceed with your little deviation?”

Jane grins and climbs up onto the king-sized bed to wait.

~*~*~

Freshly scrubbed and feeling a bit more awake after her shower, Maura walks in to see Jane curled  around two of her pillows sound asleep.  A small wrapped box is clutched in one hand and the other still has a strand of hair wrapped around a finger.  Maura stifles a giggle when she realizes Jane fell asleep mid-twirl.  She pads over to the bed and slips up onto the bed next to Jane, scootching herself into the middle of the C that Jane’s body is making.  The room is lit only by the reflection of the moon off of the snow outside and Maura hesitates for a moment, admiring Jane in the soft silver light.

“Jane.”  She whispers, tracing her finger down the bridge of Jane’s nose, over furrowed eyebrows, and finally, around the cupid’s bow of her lips.  She unwinds the strand of hair from Jane’s finger and tucks it behind the brunette’s ear.  “Jane, I thought you wanted to open presents.”

“Present, not presents. Just one.”  The brunette responds groggily, her voice just a rasp.

“Let me go down and get yours then.”  But as Maura goes to rise, Jane’s hand grabs her wrist. 

“No, open mine first please. Then maybe I’ll open one after.” 

Maura arches an eyebrow as Jane pushes herself to a sitting position, folding her legs together and mirroring the blond’s own posture.  She drags her left hand across her eyes and yawns, then holds out the gift in her right.  When Maura takes it from her outstretched hand, she rests the now empty fingers on Maura’s bent knee.

“Before you open that, I want to tell you that today has been one of the best days of my life.  I’ve never been happier, and, well..just open it.”

Maura holds the box in her hands, her body is stiff and her breathing shallows with sudden apprehension.  “Should I be afraid?”

Jane’s fingers tighten on her knee and although she smiles, there’s more than just happiness in those deep brown eyes.  Despite her calm, sleepy demeanor Jane is uneasy as well. She’s just doing her best to hide the fear.

“Maybe?  I sure as hell am.”

Maura bites her lip as she runs a finger under the taped flap on the edge of the box. The paper springs open and she then makes quick work of the rest, driven now to see what it is that puts fear in the fearless Jane Rizzoli’s eyes.  A black velvet box tumbles out of the paper onto the snow-colored duvet between the two of them.  Maura’s eyes jump to Jane’s as she reaches over to pick it up.  It fits in her open hand, larger than a ring-box but too small to hold anything but jewelry.  She hesitates again, and Jane scoots closer, unfolding her legs and stretching them out on either side of Maura so that the blonde is almost in her lap.

“Just open it.”

To young Maura, the opening of a jewelry box was like the gaping yawn of a hippo, and that image pops crazily into her head as she prepares to lever the lid.  She bites back a nervous giggle, the image from her childhood putting a damper on her trepidation.  The box squeaks open and there on the blue velvet of the box lays a platinum heart. An anatomical human heart.  Maura looks up at Jane quizzically.

“So like, forever ago, after the Hoyt thing.”  Maura reaches out to take Jane’s hand as she talks, she needs the grounding that Jane’s touch provides. “I was having chest pains so I went to the hospital and, convinced I was dying, I let them admit me for tests.”

“Where was I?”  Maura looks at Jane in surprise.  She knows Jane must have went far out of her way to keep this visit from her.  She feels Jane tighten her fingers.

“You were in Quantico for another consultation.  Now, I’m pretty sure that’s one of the reasons I was having the chest pains, but then I was pretty sure all those mayonnaise-heavy lobster rolls and half-pound cheeseburgers were conspiring to kill me.”  Jane tugs on her hand so that Maura moves even closer, her hip pressed against Jane’s center and one of Jane’s legs across her lap.  Despite what it looks like, their proximity is all comfort.  Jane is opening up to her in a way she never has before.

“One of the tests was a 3D scan of my heart, and I thought it was pretty neat so at first I thought about making it into a print and hanging it in my apartment à la Abby Sciuto on that Navy crime show.  But then there was Paddy and Dennis and that fucking asshole golfer  and I could have lost you any of those times and I had to face the music.  So I took the scan to a jeweler and had him scale it down and cast it in platinum.”  Jane looks up and Maura gasps.  The brunette’s eyes are swimming in tears, but she’s smiling.  “And now I’m giving it to you, Maura Dorothea Isles, if you’ll have it, because you have my heart and you’ve had my heart since that day that Hoyt almost took you from me.  It was the first day I realized I couldn’t live without you in my life.”

Maura gently pulls the necklace from its box with trembling fingers.  It hangs from a delicate platinum chain, a small charm engraved with a J chimes gently against the heart as the necklace sways.  She touches the J with her forefinger and then reaches up to catch one of the tears that managed to escape Jane’s blinking.

She has no words. Maura Isles, of genius-level intellect and a decidedly logophilic bent can only hand the necklace to Jane and turn away slightly, reaching back to lift her hair.  She can hear Jane exhale in a rush and she recognizes that Jane honestly wasn’t sure if she would accept.  The brunette raises her arms to loop the necklace around Maura’s neck, but before fastening the clasp she presses three kisses on each of the visible vertebrae there.  Maura relaxes back into Jane’s embrace, the hand that isn’t entwined with Jane’s is resting on the necklace.  They sit together in comfortable silence, but when they do speak, they do so at exactly the same time.

“Thank you.”

And those two words say everything for now.  Jane moves to lay on her side and tucks Maura against her, holding her in the way she has always wanted and never dared.  Maura slips into slumber with a smile on her face, Jane’s arm around her waist and Jane’s heart in her hand.

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Merry Christmas artistic-tortoise !! :D

These are just a few songs that have made me think of Rizzoli and Isles :) 

I hope you have a good Christmas ! 

From detectiverizzles ( my old tumblr url) x

[rizzlesecretsanta]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the awesome secretsanta gift!!! It was great!

[rizzlesecretsanta]

To mallymurphy

Hope you like your present!

~Artistic-Tortoise 

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Rizzoli & Isles is amazing

It is indeed. :)

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, drmaurisles <3

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house the Rizzoli and Isles/Martin families gathered around. They sat at the table for their Christmas Eve dinner. Maura, Jane, Angela, Frankie, Tommy, TJ, Lydia, Hope, Constance, and Desmond all together under one roof: Maura's. They passed around the various foods, most of which Jane and her family couldn't even pronounce, and made small talk. Some talked more than others. For instance, Desmond maybe said two words, and they were "thank you." Tommy, on the other hand, was so ablaze about Christmas, he couldn't shut up. This, in turn, made the three-year-old TJ very excited as well. As dinner wore on, you could visibly see Jane's excitement grow. This was rare for her, and Angela saw that. 

[itsprincesssarcasm-blog]

Merry Christmas, itsdetectiverizzles

Surprise! I’m your Secret Santa c: 

Alrighty, since my only skill is fic’ing, I hope you like this. I was that one anonymous person asking what sort of prompt/fic you would want to read, so I hope this lives up to your expectations of a good fic. (: Merry Christmas my friend and a happy new year. -Holly 

Summery: Their first Christmas together and then their fifth…

Read More

[pear-pressures]

Early Frohe Weihnachten Jana (dream-through-the-noise)!!

We’ve never spoken before and I only started following you when I heard that you were my secret santa partner. I’m really glad that I started following you, tho :) Your blog is freakin’ amazing and your gif/art skills are off the charts! :D

I really hope you like this silly post. I reckoned you’d like Sasha/Maura’s boobs (I mean, who doesn’t ;) and in your bio it said that Christopher Walken is your spirit animal (yes, I sorta stalked your blog :P) so that’s why I added him to it :),

- Your Secret Santa, Lotte 

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Doctor Rizzles

This is for laviedesautres from me, lespetitesmortsde. Merry Christmas!

“Honestly, Rizzoli, come on!” The Doctor called as she sprinted down the darkened hallway.

Jane redoubled her efforts and pressed on, in awe about how a fifteen hundred year old alien was in better condition than her thirty four, human self. It was becoming a matter of pride, really.

“Doctor! Doctor, where are you going?” She called, coming to a fork in the road.

“Nowhere, I was waiting for you, now come along!” The Doctor said, appearing from behind her and taking the far left fork. Rizzoli shook her head as she ran after her.

If you had told Jane Rizzoli a month ago that she’d be gallivanting across the universe in a British police call box with an alien from Gallifrey, she’d be the first to sign your paperwork for the closest asylum to Boston. And if you’d said that this Doctor person was the same as her best friend, Maura Isles, she’d probably lock you up for being delusional to boot.

But here she was, and Maura Isles was The Doctor, and they were trying to save the day from the Daleks. Again.

“Honestly,” she’d said, and this part stuck firmly in the forefront of Jane’s mind, “I was rather hoping the whole ‘woman’ thing would throw them off of my trail, but it appears I was too optimistic.”

The woman thing? Jane remembered thinking. Does that mean she was a guy previously? Is that even possible?

But at that moment they’d been fleeing from a cyberman and it simply wasn’t the opportune time to ask the question.

She hadn’t found a chance since either, as soon as that cyberman appeared in downtown Boston and Jane was granted insight into who Maura apparently really was, the Doctor had taken her under her wing and they’d been off saving some world or species from extinction non-stop ever since.

And now, yet again, they were in the midst of another possible tragedy that apparently only Maura could fix. Like, what was wrong with the universe where you had to rely on one woman in a phone box to keep saving everyone? Completely mental.

And where the hell did her British accent appear from? God, traveling with this woman was like running in forty separate directions at the same time, only to meet back up with all your other selves in exactly the place you’d started from. Talk about going absolutely mad.

“The Emperor of the Daleks and I go way back unfortunately,” Maura said quickly. “Thought I’d killed the lot of them but then they just keep coming back, this one in particular, and quite frankly it is exhausting trying to stop him over and over again so let’s do it right this time, shall we?”

Jane had spent enough time with the Doctor by now to know when she was expected to say something and when she wasn’t. Thankfully this time was part of the latter classification.

“Now, you know the plan, yes? I explained it all fully? Excellent.” Maura said, not waiting for Jane to respond.

Except Jane didn’t know the plan, didn’t really know what they were doing aside from getting rid of the robotic like monster who could do not much more than scream “Exterminate” and vaporise things. “Wait, Maur, I-”

 The Doctor spun and Jane crashed into her. “Never fear, Jane, you’ll be brilliant. I’m fairly adept at picking companions by now and I must say, the previous ones have been absolutely splendid. Perk up, all right? Excellent.” And off she went again.

 The new Maura, or perhaps the old Maura as the case may be, was almost the exact opposite of the Maura Jane had grown to know. This Maura was impulsive and insatiable, ridiculously energetic and terrible at listening. They were both clever though, and dreadfully intelligent.

 They erupted into a cavernous room and brought themselves to an abrupt halt. A lone dalek stood in the middle of the place, a solitary spotlight shining down on it.

 “Hello Doctor,” the emperor greeted monotonously. “Have you and your companion come prepared to die?”

 “That depends,” Maura said, the picture of ease despite the hostility of the situation. “Have you?”

 If daleks could laugh, that is precisely what Jane would swear the emperor was doing right now.

 “Come now, Doctor. I didn’t bring you here without making sure my army was here first.”

 Thousands of other spotlights spilled forth from the ceiling, illuminating more daleks than the Doctor had ever seen. She turned to Jane and said in a low voice, “Well that isn’t quite according to plan, but we’ll make do, eh?”

 Jane could feel her adrenaline releasing and spreading through her veins like liquid fire. Her fingers itched to do something, and her heart pounded just as it always did before she caught her bad guy.

 “You won’t kill me,” The Doctor guaranteed, sticking her hands in the pocket of her skirt. “Without me, what are you? Just a bunch of purpose-less cyborgs really. Glorified cybermen. I’m your entire purpose. If you kill me, what do you do with the rest of your measly existence? Exterminate a hundred other races? A thousand? Mere ants under your human feet, whereas I am worth your time and effort,” Maura shook her head and waved her finger at the emperor. “Oh no, you keep me alive for sport and challenge. And you know it. Go ahead, look in your archives, look at how ridiculously ‘lucky’ I’ve been to escape you time and time again! Look at it and think.”

 Jane wondered what the hell Maura was thinking. From the few things she’d learned so far, antagonising the death machines seemed like a very idiotic idea.

 “You’re lying,” the emperor accused, adjusting his laser to point at them more clearly.

 “I’m not,” the Doctor denied.

 “Sir, he may be right…” a dalek supplied from somewhere to their left.

 “SILENCE!” The emperor demanded. “You lie, dear Doctor, and now you will die.”

 His laser charged up and Jane dove at Maura, pushing her out of the way as the beam missed them by almost a whole foot.

 “Oh, thanks, Jane,” Maura smiled as she popped herself back onto her feet, taking Jane with her. She turned her gaze back to the emperor and smirked, gazing at him with cold eyes. She whipped out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it at Jane. “Big mistake,” she informed the daleks, and hit the button.

 The entire place seemed to implode as it froze in time.

 “Brilliant!” Maura declared, rushing over to Jane and offering her a high five.

 “What just happened?” Jane demanded, ignoring the proffered hand.

 Looking sadly put out, the Doctor lowered her hand and explained, “Bit of genius really, been developing this microchip thing for a while, but it never seemed to work right and then I realised that the problem, the problem was that I didn’t have it in the right environment!” Maura slapped herself on the forehead. “So I stuck it on a piece of your bacon earlier to ensure you ingested it, and since then it’s been acquainting itself wonderfully with your body chemistry. Works beautifully, as you can see,” the Doctor gestured to the immobile daleks around them.

 “But what’ve you done? It looks like you’ve frozen time!” Jane said, awed. “And hey! Who said you could use me as an experiment?”

 Maura’s grin fell a bit as she answered, “Well you agreed to come along, and I figured you’d want to live as opposed to be exterminated by the daleks. Thought I was doing you a bit of a favour really.

 “As for the daleks, well, I am a Time Lord, but no, I didn’t freeze time. I simply slowed their neural processes using their DNA similarities with humans and tada, ‘frozen’ daleks!” She stroked her chin before declaring, “I am definitely clever.”

 Jane didn’t know whether to facepalm or chuckle at the ridiculousness.

 “Alright, so what happens from here?” She asked instead.

 “Well, it’s not like a whole bunch of other people frequent the place,” Maura mused. “I’d be happy to just let them stay here in this kind of stasis seeing as how they can’t harm someone in this state.”

 “But don’t you hate them with a burning rage?”

 “I did. But then I remembered something. I remembered what being the Doctor is all about, with my latest regeneration anyway. My promise when I took on the title. ‘Never cowardly or cruel. Never give up, never give in.’ Or as my old companion, Clara, sometimes liked to phrase it: I’m the Doctor. I save people. And I suppose that includes these nasty things, too.”

 “So we just leave them here, then?” Jane asked, perplexed.

 Maura nodded. “Yup.” She stalked off to find her TARDIS, leaving Jane to run after her and follow.

When they reached the great blue box, Maura opened the TARDIS door with a flourish and with a gleam in her eye, she asked Jane, “So. Anywhere in all of time and space...” She trailed off and then winked, “Where do you want to start?”

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Just a little gift from Luvknot

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Just One Job

Gift for: luvknot

I know this is a Xmas gift, but I was in a Thanksgiving mood. I hope you enjoy!

Title: Just One Job

Rating: K+

She just had one job.

“You just have one job, Maur.”  Jane calls back over her shoulder as she pulls on her coat then nearly tips onto her face leaning over to yank her boots on and zip them up.  “Make sure my Ma makes a pan of stuffing with oysters but without craisins.”

“But they lend a tart sweetness –”

“Stop. Just stop. I don’t want my stuffing to have a,” Jane rolls her eyes as she pulls her kit belt around her waist, “tart sweetness.  I want it to taste like stuffing, not Smarties.  Please, Maura?”  And with the combined forces of thumbs tucked into her belt and puppy dog eyes, Maura is a goner.

“Alright. I’ll try to sneak some off to the side.”

Maura had offered to host Thanksgiving at her house this year, what with Angela staying in the guest house and random Rizzolis constantly gracing her doorstep.  Plus, she couldn’t resist those eyes that Jane had thrown at her when she’d asked the doctor her plans for the holiday.

“Hey, so I was wondering.”  Jane hopped up on one of the empty autopsy tables, legs swinging as she fiddled with the scars on her hands.  She brought her head up and trapped Maura with those velvety brown eyes.  “Are you going to go and visit your parents for the holiday?”

Of course that had been her intention.  She’d not heard a word from Hope since Paddy’s trial, Cailin kept in touch as well as any college kid does, so Constance and her father were the assumed destination.  She’s gone to St Martin, Geneva, or Aix-en-Provence every year since her parents had bought holiday homes in those locations.  This year she’s pretty sure it’s Geneva, but she’d have to call to confirm.  According to her calendar, that call was to happen tomorrow morning in the hour before work that she typically assigned to completing personal tasks before wading through the piles of unorganized paperwork that inevitably ended up on her desk.

“Well, that is what I have done for previous Thanksgivings.”

The pause had been long and Maura found she couldn’t maintain eye contact.  Her stomach fluttered strangely. “I’ve always found it a bit ironic that we never celebrated the holiday in The States.”  She’d rambled, unable to understand the prickling hair on the back of her neck or the crop of goose bumps that bloomed on her arms.  “I should have booked a flight months ago, but it slipped my mind—.”

“I can’t imagine why…I mean, it’s not like you had major surgery or anything.”  Jane’s voice is so heavily laden in sarcasm, Maura had been surprised the words hadn’t clattered to the floor, solid in their disdain.  Maura watched in utter fascination as Jane fought with her emotions, apprehension and desire in a shoot-out for control of her face.  “God, just, those people.  Your family, I don’t have words. You –you deserve so much better…  I mean, it’s not really any better but, I –I wanted to see if maybe you’d want to stay in Boston this year and have Thanksgiving with my family.”

Maura had been speechless for long enough that Jane backtracked and tried to rescind the offer with waving hands.

“Jane, stop.  I’d be honored.  I’ve always wanted an excuse to make beef Wellington…”

“Turkey, Maur.  We eat turkey, and if you’re lucky Ma will make the mashed potatoes and not ask Frankie because he just makes them from a box,” Jane’s hand grasped the back of her neck and she gesture wildly with the other, “and mashed potatoes from a box are just fucking wrong.”

Maura smiled gently.  “I’ll make the potatoes.  Just tell me when and where.”

“MAURA, DO YOU HAVE A STAND MIXER?”

Angela’s voice rings out from the kitchen, jolting the little daydream away.  When and where indeed, Maura smiles as she turns from the door and walks back towards the kitchen to help put the finishing touches on their dinner.

~*~*~*~

“Mon dieu, one job.  I had one job.”  Maura stands in the center of her kitchen, hands knotted in front of her, muttering to herself in a mélange of languages.  Angela is so harried she barely notices Maura’s distraction.

“Angela, do you know where that small stoneware dish went?”

The table has both leaves in and Maura is finally able to use the extra-long runner that she found in Provence six years ago.  The cigales and olives that are patterned into the cloth give the dining area a Mediterranean feel, so the doctor had bought sprays of lavender and poppies to make a centerpiece.  It’s not traditional Rizzoli decorating, but Angela had hugged Maura so tightly that the blond figures herself forgiven.

“Um,” The older woman bustles back and forth between the kitchen and the table, moving around Maura with the ease of a mother used to a kitchen filled with children, “I’m not sur—wait, it was on the counter by the stuffing?  I just mixed it in and stuffed the bird.  Why, dear?”

“Oh no.  But I put it aside!”

Angela stops between Maura and the table, a giant bowl of whipped potatoes cradled in one arm and a tureen of gravy in the other.  “Aside for what?” 

Maura doesn’t answer right away, trying to remember if Jane told her to not to tell Angela.  As if she could fabricate a story without wheezing like an asthmatic or collapsing into a pile of Prada and Louboutin.   “Jane told me I have one job…”

Angela purses her lips and rolls her eyes, her “Oh I should have figured she had a hand in it.  Told you to keep some dressing aside so it doesn’t get craisins in it, right?”

Maura nods absently, focusing instead on how she can remedy the situation within the next ten minutes.

“Every year she tries, Maura.  She’ll eat it.  Don’t worry.”  Angela turns back toward the table and sets the dishes alongside the empty spot in the middle of the table assigned to the turkey.  “BOYS!”  The shout carries easily over Al Michaels blaring from the television.  “Turn that off and get in here.  Your sister will be home in a minute!”

Tommy and Frankie push up off the couch, laughing and punching one another.  TJ crows and waves from his gated playpen, holding his arms for his father to pick him up.  Maura takes advantage of the chaos to slip back into the kitchen and scoop out a generous serving of stuffing into the dish she had originally set aside.  Jane is due home within minutes.  She’d called half an hour ago to let her mother know she was bringing Frost and Korzak along with her.  The blond isn’t sure why she feels compelled to make sure her first Thanksgiving with Jane is perfect.  She’s elated just to have been invited and she wants Jane to know how much she appreciates being considered.  Jane gave her one job and she’d rather wear sweatsuits and ballet flats for the rest of her life than disappoint the best friend she’s ever had; the only person she loves without reservation or hesitation.  Maura will love Jane from afar forever and will do so happily because that’s more than she’s ever been permitted in her thirty-eight years.

“Comeon Maur!  Janie’ll be here in a hot second.  Come sit down.”  Tommy calls in from the table as he straps TJ into the spare high-chair that Maura keeps at her house.

“Just give me a moment.  I’ll be right in.”  She makes her decision then.  Since she failed at her assigned job, she’ll just give herself another: she’ll pull each bit of dried fruit out of the stuffing by hand.  She eyes the bowl and bemoans the lack of time for gloves.  Hopefully the thorough scrub of her hands will prevent the transfer of dangerous bacteria.  She reaches into the bowl and plucks out the first piece of fruit she sees and sets it down on a folded square of paper towel.  Then another, and another and now she needs a fork and knife to gently separate the stuffing without breaking it down so much that Jane notices it’s already been picked over.  Her focus is intense, so much so that she misses Jane’s arrival and is still meticulously picking over the bowl when the lanky brunette sneaks up behind her.

“I just gave you one job!  One job, Maura!”  Jane presses in tightly behind her and rests her dimpled chin on Maura’s shoulder.  The blond can feel the blood rush to her face, not only at being discovered but at the nervous fire Jane’s proximity is lighting in her middle.

“I—I’m sorry.”  She manages to stammer out an apology, her stomach fluttering.  “Your mom mixed it all together when I went to set the table.  I had put some aside…”  As she stumbles through the conversation she continues to look for the rehydrated berries in the bowl.  Jane doesn’t move away; instead her long arms come around Maura’s waist and rest on the counter.  When Maura finds what she hopes is the last berry, Jane catches her wrist.  The blond stiffens for a moment, and draws her lip between her teeth.  She’s confused at Jane’s decidedly un-Jane-like behavior and at the undeniable desire she feels making her heart thump wildly in her chest.  The moment she relaxes, Jane brings Maura’s hand to her lips and delicately takes the warm piece of fruit from her fingers.  She chuckles a bit at Maura’s gasp.

“Every year.  Every year I’ve asked the people I’ve loved to do this.  It’s become a twisted sort of test for me.  Every boy I dated in high school and in the academy, even the few men I’ve dated since I’ve joined the force…none of them bothered to do more than just ask my mother to keep some separate as they shout at the television with my brothers.”  Jane slides her hand from Maura’s wrist to tangle their fingers together and slips the other from the countertop to wrap it around Maura’s waist and give it a gentle squeeze.  Maura cannot stop the sigh that escapes her lips.  “You are the first one, Maur. The only one.  Ma mixed that stuffing in because I told her.  When you put it aside, she texted me and I told her to throw it all together.  I was too afraid to come out and ask you, but anyone who is willing to pick through steaming-hot, moist bread for impossible-to-find bits of fruit has to care as much about me…as I do about them.”

The silence in the other room is almost comical.  Even the baby seems to be hanging on Maura’s response, and she is overwhelmed.  She worries the lip trapped between her teeth and tries to pull cleansing breaths in through her nose.

 “Hey,” Jane’s lips are right next to her ear and she shivers.  Jane tightens her fingers but moves back a little, trying to give Maura some space. “Hey, if I’ve read this all wrong, please tell me so I can try to save face and claim I drank half a case before I got home.”  The words are teasing but Maura can hear real fear there and she realizes she’s just a breath away from losing everything she’s ever wanted.

“No.”  It’s a whimper at most, and, afraid that Jane didn’t hear, she steps back and relaxes against Jane’s lithe frame.  “I just don’t know how to respond to something I told myself would never happen.  I don’t know what to do.”

“Turn around, sweetheart.”

And when she turns in the circle of Jane’s arms and feels Jane’s lips gently brush hers she realizes that she has so much to be thankful for, one day a year will never be enough. 

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, Rachel!

[rizzlesecretsanta]

To: Detectiverizzles From: Rane Jizzoli

[rizzlesecretsanta]

This is my present for the lovely Sideadde--Rachel (takemewherethestreetlightsglow)

Rizzles fanfic with all the suspense, drama, fluff, Rizzles love, and Christmas feels you can handle! :) 

Hope you enjoy!

<3 takemewherethestreetlightsglow

 Jane frantically searches through Maura’s house for anything and everything.

“Any clue, please, just a tiny hint.”

She angrily chucks a pillow off Maura’s bed. She slumps down on the bed in defeat, letting herself have this moment to freak out.

Maura and Jane haven’t been hanging together much lately, she realizes. When is the last time they sat on Maura’s couch or Jane’s and had a leisurely night in? Jane’s just been so preoccupied with Casey. He still wants her to marry him. She keeps trying to get him to understand that she isn’t the marrying type. And she had thought he was done with the army, he had assured her before, but now he wants to stay so he can rise in rank.  She isn’t sure she can handle their relationship, the way it has been structured, anymore. It just doesn’t feel right.

Jane scolds herself as she jumps off from the bed and starts searching again. Focus on Maura. She’s in trouble because of you, asshole.

As she was angrily leaving Casey’s place a few hours ago, Jane had finally gotten a chance to listen to the messages Maura had left her. In the first, Maura had sounded sort of sad and lost. And drunk. In the second message, she told Jane to please call her back. She had sounded scared.

 Jane please.

Maura’s voice rang in her head. Jane had frantically called Maura back over and over. There was something about Maura’s tone that had made her kick into overdrive, to full panic mode. It was 10pm when she got to BPD. Her heart was sinking on the way down to the morgue, which she found to be empty of life. Tears threatened to overflow as every person Jane could think of to ask said they had no idea where Maura was.

Frankie was still at BPD at the time working a case and joined Jane right away in looking for Maura. Korsack, Frost and many others have been helping Jane with the search for Maura all night.

In the second message Maura left her, Jane had heard a man’s voice in the background. Frost is currently trying to make the voice more pronounced, trying to figure out if they can nail the guy this way somehow.

 Jane doesn’t know how, but she is going to find her best friend.

She wipes at her eyes, pissed at herself, and with new determination strides across the room to Maura’s dresser. She rummages through it, expecting to find nothing, but she comes across a small notebook. Jane lifts it up carefully, flipping it open. It is definitely written in Maura’s handwriting. A diary?

Part of Jane is curious, but a bigger part of her feels like she is violating her friend’s privacy, even though Jane likes to think Maura tells her almost everything. But then what if the last few pages hold a clue? Maybe where Maura was going, maybe she had a date planned.

At this, Jane freezes for a second. Why hadn’t she known where Maura was going tonight, what her plans were? Why wouldn’t Maura tell her?

The realization hits Jane like a bucket of ice water. Maura has pretty much stopped talking about herself. Jane has heard hardly anything about Maura’s worries or even plans in weeks. They’ve been talking, but….Jane thinks backs to conversations. Jane has been incessantly talking about Casey, going in circles, trying to figure out what to do about their relationship. She’s barely asked Maura about herself and Maura has stopped sharing information. Jane wants to slam her fist through a wall she’s so goddamn angry with herself, but this is Maura’s wall. So she looks down at the notebook.

She starts reading and immediately is overwhelmed. She’s missed so much.

Maura writes about how she feels Jane is falling away from her and she doesn’t know what to do about it.

            I think I’m losing Jane. It terrifies me. If I lose her to Casey, I don’t really have anyone or anything left.

            Jane sinks down onto the bed, letting a tear spill onto the page. She wants to tear her heart out, but she makes herself turn the page. It is blank.

Jane pulls at her hair and grits her teeth, wanting so badly to punch her past self over and over. How could she have not seen all the pain she was causing Maura? How could Maura think that Jane would ever turn her back on her? No. How could Jane let her think that?

She has been a self-absorbed asshole and she doesn’t deserve someone like Maura, someone so sweet and kind, who loves her so much. Jane’s about to throw the book in her anger, but then she decides to flip back the pages a bit, see if there is anything that will help her find Maura.

            His name is Derek. I barely know anything about him, mostly surface details. We mainly just have sex. He makes me forget her, if only for a little while.

            A very short while.

            Jane stares and stares at the page willing the words to make sense. Who is the woman Maura is talking about? Who is this Derek.

            She reads more.

It’s my fault isn’t it? I’ve always wanted more. I always have to wish for more than I have. It was enough to be her best friend. It was enough to have her always there for me. I see that now.

 But, no, I had to crave her more, had to wish that she would realize how I’m in love with her. And now she’s slipping through my fingers completely, heading in the wrong direction and I can’t stop her.

She barely looks at me anymore. Well, not really. Not the way she used to with those beautiful eyes. I felt she could see right through me when she really tried, that she could see all the parts no one else could ever see because I wouldn’t let them.

 Now, I don’t think she bothers to really see me at all.

Jane bends at the waist. The words hit her like bullets, sending her body through a wave of conflicting emotions. Maura is…in love with her? She loves Jane? She thinks of the way Maura brings her safety and comfort that no one else ever does. She feels that Maura reads her like a book too, and that she is the only one with this ability. The only one who truly understands.

 And Maura’s eyes are…Jane sometimes finds herself lost in them. The person she has nightmares of losing to Hoyt is always Maura and never anyone else. Never Casey. Ever.  Sometimes she needs to go to Maura’s after a dream like that, hold her tight. She never feels more at peace than in Maura’s arms.

 Moments from the past rush through Jane like she’s just seeing them for the first time. Every time Maura has been in danger Jane has never felt more helpless. It scares her more than facing Hoyt on her own, having him hunt her.

Maura Isles is everything.

And Jane is the biggest fucking bonehead on the planet.

She can’t believe Maura feels this way about her, that she loves her like this. And Jane really can’t believe she has begun to make Maura feel like she doesn’t want her, doesn’t love her.

Jane wipes her eyes and nose fiercely and flips forward through the journal. Maura is what keeps Jane going, what keeps her not drowning in self-hatred. She needs to find her.

She sees Derek’s name a couple times and then: We meet every Thursday. Now we go to dinner at Gem. He often comes back to my place. He’s charming, but I feel nothing for him. How could I when I feel everything for Jane?

Jane rereads the last sentence a couple of times, feeling her heart thumping fast. She focuses on facts to keep her mind from spinning out of control.

Thursdays. It’s 1AM on Friday now, so last night was a Thursday. Was Maura with this Derek? Jane doesn’t know this man’s last name but she has the restaurant name. She’s already running for the door.

~~~~~

Jane comes into the restaurant ready to threaten people into giving up information if that’s what it will take. The bar and lounge is the only part of the restaurant that is still open. But it turns out that she simply mentions the name Derek and describes Maura as the woman who often accompanies him on Thursdays and the bartender knows right away who Jane is talking about. He checks his transactions and pulls up Derek’s full name and address.

Jane calls Frost so that he can run this guy’s name through the system. When Frost finds out that the guy owns a certain area of docks Jane freezes. Thinking back through old cases…Doyle used to run those particular docks.

She looks at her clock. It’s almost 2 and Maura had left her a voicemail sounding panicked and scared around 9pm. That’s too long. Jane doesn’t have the time to waste trying to yank information from Doyle. She should’ve known all along this was connected to him though.

Jane tells Frost her thoughts about Doyle and that she’s headed for the docks. He promises to send backup.

She gets in the car, feeling the anger build. She beats her fists on the steering wheel. Goddamn Doyle. It’s not Maura’s fault who her biological birth parents are, but Maura seems to suffer all the time for it.

When Jane arrives at the dock she strides in, already in her complete defense mode, gun drawn. She’s all business, all about finding Maura. God help whoever runs into her tonight.

She sees a light on in one of the offices and bursts inside. It is empty. She looks around the office and sure enough sees Derek’s name on the wall.

Seems like Derek is at work at 2AM. Quite early in the morning, even for dock work, and very strange. Jane sees no one in the rest of the offices and decides to do a sweep of the grounds.

 She’s heading down to the water’s edge when she sees it. A body tied up to one of the wooden poles supporting the dock, the water quickly rising to cover it.

Maura.

Jane’s heart stops. She flashes back to the girl who was tied up at the docks in a similar position. The dead girl. With an icepick in her chest.

 No.

Jane is diving into the water before she even can think about it. Gasping for air and shivering in the ice cold water, she swims as fast as she can to Maura.

Maura’s eyes are closed. Jane desperately presses her head against Maura’s chest and feels it rise and fall. She’s breathing.

Jane’s never been more relieved. Jane works fast to untie the rope bounding Maura’s wrists.

“Maura? Sweetheart, I’m going to get you out of here okay? That’s right. I’m here. You’re going to be absolutely fine.”

She just keeps whispering words of assurance until she finally breaks Maura free. Then she wraps her arms around Maura, working hard to keep her afloat and her mouth out of the water as she swims them back to shore. Jane is panting hard as she pushes Maura up on dry land. She takes a few deep breaths, spits out some water, then crawls to Maura’s side.

“Maura?” she croaks desperately, cradling Maura against her chest, trying to give her warmth.

Her phone is ruined from the water. Fuck. The guys should be here soon, but she really should go in and use the dock office’s phone to call it in just in case. She looks down at Maura, who’s still breathing, but very pale, her lips tinted blue.

Jane rubs her fingers gently over a cut in Maura’s forehead. Probably the bastard had knocked her out before tying her up there.

“Maura, wake up, please.”

Her tears are flowing freely now, hitting Maura’s cheeks. She holds Maura close to her again, trying to bring herself to leave Maura so she can make that phone call.

Then she hears Korsack’s voice. “Jane? You here?”

She is screaming with all her might, clutching Maura tighter. “Down here, Korsack! Help! Please! We need an ambulance!”

Her voice breaks on the word ambulance.

“What happened? You hurt?” Korsack sounds very worried now.

“No, it’s Maura!” Jane cries, and this time she can’t get her voice loud. She is full of such utter despair.

Korsack brings her a jacket to wrap a shivering Maura in.

Jane hums softly to Maura sweet words and melodies.

She hears far-away voices as they catch Derek. Hands in the air! Put your hands in the air!

The ambulance comes and rushes.

The EMTs take Maura into the hospital where she’s pushed through swinging doors that don’t admit anyone but medical staff.

All of this happens and Jane isn’t feeling or really thinking anything until she’s sitting beside Maura’s hospital bed holding her hand.

Jane swears her heart isn’t beating until Maura opens her eyes and the first words from her lips are Jane.

~~~~

Maura is going to be fine. They have warmed her up in time for her body not to have suffered any permanent damage from the frigid water. They also ran multiple tests on her head to determine she does have a concussion and needs to be monitored, but should be back on her feet very soon.

This is all a tremendous relief to Jane who has nightmares every time she closes her eyes of Maura’s lifeless body--her pale face, blue lips. The only way she can ward off these dreams is if she sleeps curled next to Maura in her hospital bed, holding her in her arms.

Maura relishes in Jane’s never-ending affection, taking it in like it is the sun and Maura is a plant that has been in shadow for too long.

They don’t speak much. Jane has so much to tell Maura but wants Maura to be fully awake and aware when she does. Right now she’s on painkillers and drifts in and out of it.

Korsack and Frost come to visit Maura and let Jane know that Derek confessed. He had gone after Maura on purpose, knowing she was Doyle’s daughter.  He didn’t have a legitimate beef with Doyle, but wanted the media attention, very aware of how much media coverage there was for the other girl whose body was found down at the docks when her death was originally linked to Doyle. He wanted the adrenaline rush, to challenge Doyle, to be a part of something “important”. Maura was just a pawn he used in trying to achieve his fucked up dreams.

“It was too easy. The girl was so desperate and lonely,” Derek said in a recording of the interview Jane had asked to listen to.

It had taken all the strength Jane had not to punch a wall out. Instead, Jane busied herself by holding onto Maura’s hand with both her own, vowing to always be there for her from now on. She couldn’t undo the past, but she could make the future better. For both of them

~~~~

Jane wakes up to a smiling Maura, looking more awake and much better than Jane’s seen her in quite awhile. Perhaps now is the time.

            Jane takes Maura’s hand and brings it to her lips. “I’m sorry, Maura. God, I’m so sorry,” she whispers.

            Maura looks perplexed. “Why are you sorry, Jane?” She moves closer and wraps a leg around Jane’s. “You saved my life.”

            Jane shakes her head. “You wouldn’t have been in that position in the first place if I didn’t have my head up my ass this whole time.”

            Maura furrows her eyebrows even more, clearly not understanding what Jane is saying. She gently reaches up and traces Jane’s brow line, her cheekbones. Jane closes her eyes at the touch, but wills herself to go on. Maura needs to hear this.

            She takes a deep breath, squeezes Maura’s hand and begins.

            “I see you, Maura. I always see you. You and your quirky, sweet, adorable, funny, lovable self.”

Maura halts her tracing of Jane’s face, staring at Jane as her eyes tear up. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole lately. I’m sorry I haven’t been around for you. Casey’s been taking up all my time and my thoughts and it’s stupid. Because he’s…well, he’s got nothing on you, Maura Isles.”

Tears are freely flowing down Maura’s face now, but she keeps staring at Jane in shock, in awe, as if wondering if this is really what Jane is saying right now.

            “You will never lose me, Maura. You will always have me. Do you understand?”

            Maura stares at Jane for a little, then finally nods.

            “I’m sorry that I’ve been making you think otherwise.”

            Jane sees Maura start to comprehend that Jane read her diary. Maura shuts her eyes and Jane waits.

“How much did you read?”

Jane can’t tell what Maura’s tone is so she just tells her the truth.

“Enough to understand how much of an asshole I’ve been, and how idiotic.”

Maura’s eyes fly open, giving Jane all of her attention.

“It hit me that you are by far the most important person in my life. When you were gone I just...” Jane takes a deep breath trying to figure out how to move forward. “When I think I’m going to lose you, any time you are in danger…I’m so goddamn terrified Maura. I realized that losing you is my worst nightmare. And that you are the best thing in my life. You are this wonderful amazing person who understands me like no one else and I’m in…”

Jane closes her eyes and takes the leap.

“I love you, Maura. I really love you. You are my everything.”

There is silence and for a moment all Jane hears is the sound of the two of them breathing. But then Jane is feeling, oh is she feeling like never before.  Maura’s lips move against hers and she’s never been this high before. She could do and be anything as long as she has this woman wrapped around her, their lips pressed together.

Maura doesn’t need to say the words I love you because Jane feels them with every fiber of her being.

They finally break apart and lie relishing in the moment and the feeling for a second.

“Jane. Promise me something?”

“Anything,” Jane whispers with a kiss on Maura’s forehead.

“Never read my private journal again? I mean unless of course I’m in dire danger like I was last time.”

Jane chuckles. “Promise. Will you do something for me?”

“Yes.”

“Be my date for Christmas Eve dinner?”

Maura grins so widely that Jane just wants to hold her forever, give her all the love she deserves.

“Yes, Jane, of course. One more thing for me tonight?”

“Mmm?”

“Will you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?” Maura says, as she curls herself up against Jane.

“Always. I wouldn’t ever leave you.”

Maura sighs contentedly, then nuzzles into Jane’s neck, presses a kiss there.

                                                      ~~~~~

 Maura is late and that very much bothers her. She simply couldn’t get out of doing this autopsy. Now it’s past 7PM on Christmas Eve and she’s an hour late to dinner and more importantly, an hour late to seeing Jane.

Maura opens her door to a beautiful sight: Family gathered around her dining room table, filling it up to the brim. There’s the whole Rizzoli family including sweet baby TJ and even Korsack and Frost have joined them. Maura’s heart swells a little at the sight and she has to stop in the hallway for a moment to take it all in. Then her eyes land on Jane. She’s sitting towards the end of the table, the seat next to her empty. Jane keeps glancing at the empty chair, half paying attention to what’s going on at the table and looking gloomy.

“Hello everyone! So sorry I’m late,” Maura announces herself and they all choir back to her with “Hey, Maura!” and “Merry Christmas!” and “Glad you’re here!”

It’s worth coming to dinner this late if she gets to see Jane’s face break into such a grand smile at the mere sight of her. Jane stands up as Maura walks around the table, pulls out Maura’s chair for her. As Maura passes, Jane gives her a quick kiss in greeting.

The whole dinner Jane holds Maura’s hand under the table and for this fact alone Maura can’t stop smiling and all of the traditional Italian Christmas Eve food tastes better than ever.

After dinner, Jane tugs on Maura’s hand, leading her out the front door and away from all the noise.

“Oh, Jane,” Maura says in awe as they stand on the doorstep looking at the falling snow. She leans back in Jane’s arms. Jane wraps her arms protectively around Maura, plants a kiss on top of her head.

Maura turns her head back to look at Jane and grins like a child. “How did you know it was snowing?”

Jane shrugs. “I didn’t actually. The weather is just working with me to make this moment better or something.”

Maura laughs and turns around in Jane’s arms. “Okay, so why are we out here then?”

Jane is silent for a moment, just watching Maura with a smile, her eyes alight.

“You look beautiful in green.”

Maura looks down at her emerald green dress. Truthfully, she had picked it out knowing it was one of Jane’s favorites.

“Thank you,” she says, taking Jane’s hand.

“I mean…” Jane stammers as if coming back to reality. “You always look beautiful, but green makes you—“

“Jane,” Maura leans in towards Jane, placing a hand on her cheek. “What are we doing out here?”

“Oh, right,” Jane breathes, then glances up.

Maura looks up too and sees the mistletoe hanging above her doorway. She grins.

“Who put that there?”

“I did. Tonight. Hoping I could get a moment alone with you out here.”

Jane bites her lip, shifts her feet a little. “I know it’s kind of cheesy.”

In that moment, Maura wants to kiss Jane more than anything.

So she does. 

[rizzlesecretsanta]

For october-lady :)

Merry Christmas, I hope it's filled with joy! And Merry Christmas to you too, Rizzles fandom !

Jane let out a chuckle at the sound of tiny feet trying (unsuccessfully) to quietly go down the stairs. A few moments later, she heard a joyful shout and felt her wife stir beside her. She propped herself on one elbow and lovingly looked down at Maura, before kissing her.

"Merry Christmas, honey," she whispered against her lips.

"Merry Christmas," Maura smiled back. "I don’t think we have much time left before they get tired of waiting. What time is it?"

Jane glanced at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. “7:45. Ugh.”

The doctor chuckled. “Remember when they tried to wake us at 6:30 last year? Some progress has been done. Now let’s enjoy before they come to get us…” she added before melting in her wife’s open arms.

The door slowly opened, and a little head full of dark curls popped. The 4 year-old boy looked at the bed and, making sure they were asleep, hold the door open so his twin, who was carrying their baby sister, could stumble inside and put the little girl on the bed, where she happily crawled to her moms.

"Ma..ma" The baby climbed on Maura’s back and patted her face with her tiny hands, who picked her daughter up and put her in between them. "Hello baby!", she grinned and kissed the little girl face who giggled and patted her face more.

Jane tickled her daughter, passed a hand through the soft golden locks, and sit up to look at her sons, standing at the end of the bed in their respectively red and green pajamas, their curls all messy. The second she opened her mouth, one of them, who looked like he was about to explode, jumped on the bed.

"Mama, Santa came!’ he yelled, bouncing on his knees, "There are presents everywhere downstairs and it’s written our names on it and one of them is HUGE and it has MY name on it and maybe it’s my big boy bike and…"

"But Max we said we wouldn’t jump before we gave them!" Zach interrupted his brother, looking devastated. "You promised you wouldn’t!"

The little boy in red stopped jumping and looked horrified for a second, before hurriedly getting off the bed. “I’m sorry I’m sorry, I forgot. I’m excited and Anna was on the bed too and I’m sorry.” He quickly kissed his brother’s cheek and grinned at him. “Do you forgive me now?”

His twin tried to look mad for another second but couldn’t help but grin back. “Yes!” Then, he solemnly turned to the bed, and Jane smiled, sensing the “Maura part” of the boys ready to come out.

"So we wanted to give you flowers, because flowers are pretty and you are pretty and you are girls and girls like flowers, I read it in a book!" Zachary started, his brother nodding next to him. "But flowers are sleeping because it’s cold outside, and so we couldn’t have them. Did you know the bears were sleepy when it’s cold too? I read it in my books about animals! And they eat a lot and then they go to their house and then they sleep for really long and they don’t get cold…"

Knowing it was time to stop him before they wouldn’t be able to, Jane asked : “What about the flowers then?”

The boys looked at each other, confused, for a second, before Maximilian shook himself out of his bear-induced mind and took the piece of paper out of his brother’s hand. “So we drew them!” he yelled excitedly, holding the drawing over his head.

The little boy in green nodded proudly. “Max did the sun and the grass and I did the flower! I copied it from Mommy’s book! But it was a long name I couldn’t read it right…”

"And we brought Anna too but not downstairs because it’s dangerous and she can’t draw pretty things anyway," Max added. "But then we picked her up and I carried her all the way here!"

Maura smiled fondly at the boys and dropped a kiss on the baby’s head, who was now chewing on her fist. “That’s really good, pumpkins. How about we get a kiss now?”

The boys looked gleefully at each other before jumping on the bed, then on their moms to get their morning cuddles. A few minutes later, the boy in red wiggled his way out of Maura’s arms and looked at her with eyes identical to the love of her life’s ones.

"Mommy, can we go and open now?" he asked sweetly.

"Please?", his brother added, still laying with his head on Jane’s chest.

Jane smiled at them. “Right after you, monsters.” She laughed at the synchronized joyful laugh the boys let out as they jumped off the bed. “And don’t run down the stairs!” she added just before they crossed the threshold.

"NO, MAMA" Jane heard, right before the sound of little feet running down the stairs.

She smiled to herself and looked beside her, where her wife was lovely staring at the now asleep baby. Jane felt her grin widen, and warmth spread through her chest.

There’s no way this Christmas can get better, she thought before getting up to join her sons.

Once again, Merry Christmas to all of you !

- Marion

[rizzlesecretsanta]

Merry Christmas lessgeeking-morescience!

I hope you enjoyed your story! Have a wonderful Christmas :)

Love, Ionie (strangelypensieve) x

P.S. Ho, ho, ho to the rest of the fandom too! You're all absolutely smashing!

Maura had tried to get into the spirit of things while she was at university, even going so far as to put up a tiny tree in her dorm room and attend festive drinks with her classmates. Rather than making her feel part of things at long last, it had only served to remind her of how alone she truly was, even surrounded by peers and with the handsome Garratt Fairfield madly in love with her. That night, laying next to him while he snored and drunk on mulled wine, she had stifled her dejected tears with the pillow and vowed to feign indifference when Christmas approached from then on.

The first time Jane Rizzoli had found out about Maura's distaste for Christmas, she had called her a grinch. Christmas was a big deal in the Rizzoli household; they had family dinners, went ice skating and attended Midnight Mass. For the first time in almost twenty years, Maura had yearned to be a part of things. It wasn't until three years later, when their friendship had reached a level of closeness that Maura found as frightening as she did comforting, that she finally told Jane the truth. True to form Jane had reacted with mild outrage, as she often did when Maura mentioned her parents. With Jane's mother, Angela, living in Maura's guesthouse and the Rizzoli's frequent visitors, it had seemed only logical for Jane to talk Maura into letting them show her how Christmas should be spent. Maura had hesitated, unsure whether it would bring only heartache, but a glance at Jane's pleading expression had sealed it.

Come December, the Rizzoli's decorated Maura's house; stringing icicle lights next to real icicles on her porch and erecting a massive tree in her living room. Maura had gasped when she'd seen it and blinked back tears when she had seen the mismatched decorations, evidently accumulated over decades of Rizzoli Christmases. Angela, who was always cooking something, had taken to baking in Maura's huge kitchen, ensuring that her house smelt like cookies and ginger for the whole of December. Finally Christmas Eve arrived and for the first time since her childhood, Maura felt excited for the morning. Jane stayed over, choosing to share Maura's bed rather than sleep in the guest bedroom, something that didn't go unnoticed by either woman.

Maura woke late the following morning, blinking against the lull of more sleep and left hand searching under her covers for Jane. When it found her forearm, Maura heard a throaty chuckle and she turned over to see Jane, propped up on her elbow and smiling at her softly. They had lain there a while longer, silently revelling in how at ease they were, before Jane had smelt bacon and dragged Maura out of bed. In the kitchen Angela, clad in red tartan pyjamas and a snowflake patterned apron, greeted them with breakfast and a hug. Jane, it seemed, had never grown out of her eagerness to open her presents and was already over by the tree eyeing the brightly wrapped parcels. Maura smiled into her coffee cup as Angela rolled her eyes and told her daughter to wait for her brothers. Luckily for Jane, she didn't have to wait long. Frankie, Tommy, Lydia and baby TJ bundled through Maura's doorway just before ten, still wearing their own pyjamas under thick coats. Finally, they all grouped around the tree sipping coffee and allowed Jane to dole out the presents. Maura watched fondly as the Rizzoli's helped TJ open his gifts first, he wasn't quite a year old so he didn't really know what was going on but he giggled and squealed happily as he played with the wrapping paper. Angela, had her camera out, videoing the whole thing. Finally they came to TJ's last present, and Jane handed it over to Tommy. Maura knew what it was but she gasped in surprise when Tommy spoke to his son.

'Look TJ, this one's from Auntie Maura!'

Maura felt her heart swell with happiness and struggled to keep herself from crying as the Rizzoli's smiled at her, Angela grasping her shaking hand affectionately. Jane couldn't stop grinning at her and Maura thought that right then - with her curly hair wild, pyjamas rumpled from sleep and surrounded torn wrapping paper - Jane had never looked more beautiful.

That evening, when everybody had left, Maura and Jane stood near the window and watched the snow fall. Maura didn't have the words to convey just how grateful she was to have Jane in her life so she settled for raising their clasped hands to her lips and pressing a soft kiss to her friends knuckles. When she looked up Jane wasn't smiling, her face was quite serious and intense. Slowly, so slowly that Maura wasn't quite sure she was moving, Jane bent down and gently kissed her. It was chaste, loving and slightly unsure. Jane had barely had chance to move away before Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and kissed her hungrily, heart thumping erratically. Jane returned the kisses with a surge of relief, breathlessly whispering sweet somethings to Maura as the lights of the Christmas tree twinkled across their faces.