'I'm home!' Jane shouted as she used her heel to kick the doors closed, the precious parcels of food balanced precariously in her arms. Who walks to the car twice to retrieve two bags? Certainly not Jane. And certainly not when it meant traversing the four flights of stairs, which lead the apartment, twice.

By memory more than by sight she blundered her way into the kitchen and dropped the bags onto the counter, sighing in relief. At 23, and fit from all the recently finished police academy training, Jane was more than capable of carrying a lot more than a few bags of groceries but when her first meal in eight hours depended on it, the pressure was on. She gleefully turned around to holler for her roommates and walked right into the new lamp. The heavy, metal cage slammed right into her temple and stars danced in front of her eyes. She cursed loudly as she stagger back and bumped into the counter, aggravating a job injury from last week. Sometimes being 5'10" wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She keep her eyes closed, promising a stern talk with Riley about the new ornament. The lithe flat mate bought it only last week and already Jane had three altercations with it.

As she contemplate opening her eyes, to check if the world was still spinning, a pair of slim, warm arms encircled her waist.

'Oh Jane, what have you done now?' The soft voice held traces of laughter and the tall woman pouted even as her body relaxed into the embrace.

'I did nothing. It's Riley's new lamp that's out to get me.' She finally, gingerly cracked her eyes open and was met with a pair of twinkling green orbs.

'Oh is it now?' Maura smiled up at her, her smaller frame resting easily against Jane's hips as she leaned back to inspect the new scrape. Jane flinched lightly as the smaller woman touched the tender spot and earned a toot.

'Don't be a big baby, it's just a bump. Put ice on it and no one will be any wiser by tomorrow' She smiled before settling against the raven haired woman, her head coming to rest on Jane's chest. With a sigh, the days stress drained away and the tall police woman let her chin drop atop the mane of impeccable golden locks, her arms coming around Maura, bringing her in close. This was their ritual, her safe haven. Almost every day she would come back from work and would be greeted with an embrace that for purposes of propriety was called a hug. A hug her ass. Hugs didn't last this long. Not that she was complaining.

Jane almost dozed off, the 32 hour shift taking its toll and the small hands tracing patterns on her back not helping.

'How was your day?' The question landed against her collarbone and she sighed happily.

'Long.' She answered, dropping her head so that her temple rested against Maura's forehead. She felt her smile and the small puff of air caressed her neck.

'You work too hard.' She was chastised softly, a reprimand Jane heard almost daily. She glance sideways, their faces so close she could count each spectacularly long eyelash.

'It's the job.' She shrugged, letting her fingers trace invisible patterns over the smaller shoulder.

'Do you ever stop?' The baritone made both of them pull away and Jane dropped her arms, tensions again pulling her muscles ridged. She tried to ignore the small warmth in her chest as Maura's arms still grip her waist loosely. It was snuffed out quickly enough as she detached herself and almost skipped over to Ian who was leaning against the kitchen door. He stood half a head taller than Maura and leaned down for a kiss that made Jane look away. A familiar tightening in her chest spurred her into action, as she tried to occupy her hands with anything that wasn't strangling the innocent man in front of her. She set her teeth and started sorting through dinner.

'Hi man.' She threw the greeting with months of practiced ease, even as her world tinted an ugly shade of green. 'Didn't know you'd be over tonight. Would have gotten more take out.'

'That's okay. We're heading out.' He said and Jane risked a glance his way, which she regretted almost immediately. His arm was around Maura's shoulders and she was smiling at him as if he was the 8th wonder of the world. Anger, completely blown out of proportions, blossomed in her stomach.

'Ah, didn't know that. Shouldn't have gotten the extra portion.' She forced her tone to remain level but something must have shown because Maura looked at her with a mix of curiosity and embarrassment.

'Sorry, forgot to text you about it.' She smiled but Jane couldn't find it in herself to smile back. Usually she totally cool with any of her friends doing stuff like this. It happened often enough. They were all busy people. But with her, with them. Well, that was a different matter altogether.

'Take out, buya!' A chipper, though slightly sleepy voice broke the sudden tension and Jane promised to thank Riley later. Her second flat mate shuffled in, nudging the seemingly superglued couple out of the way and coming to stand by Jane's side. She sent her a reassuring smile, patting her shoulder comfortingly before she turned to take the clean dishes off the drying rack. Of all Jane's friends, Riley was the only one that knew about her… predicament.

'Four plates then?' She asked and Jane dropped her head, suddenly finding the cheap, cardboard box entirely fascinating.

'Nah, we're heading out… now actually.' Ian checked his clock and nudged Maura with his hip. Jane briefly wondered how much a hip replacement went for nowadays.

'Oh.' Riley stopped and threw a quick glance at her tall friend. 'Well… have fun?' She volunteered, already bee lining for the fridge.

'Thanks.' Ian was already in the small hallway tying his shoes but Jane couldn't help but notice Maura hovering. Steeling herself Jane glanced up and immediately zeroed in on sharp green eyes. They looked at each other for half a dozen heart beats before Jane forced a tight smile and returned her attention to piling food on her plate. She could almost feel Maura's hesitance but a shout from Ian had her hurrying away. Moments later the tale tell sounds of Maura's heels could be heard on the wooden floors of the hall and a hurried goodbye before the doors clicked shut.

With a heavy sigh Jane dropped the knife she was holding and leaned heavily against the counter. She hated this, hated every, single moment of it.

'Here, this should help.' A Blue Moon bottle was placed by her right hand and she took a long swing before turning to Riley. The other cop smiled at her and Jane eased back against the counter.

'You on the graveyard shift again?' She nodded to the flannel pajamas adorning her flat mate.

'Yeah, I think Robertson officially hates me.' The smaller woman sighed and looked enviously towards the beer Jane cradled. 'How was your shift?'

'Nothing interesting. Stakeout with Matheson. 32 hours with that man brings a new meaning to the saying 'silent as a grave'.'

Riley laughed, moving to grab their plates, while Jane took the chopsticks, her beer and a glass of water for her friend.

'I know! I can't rightly remember ever hearing anything but grunts coming out of his mouth.' The two sat down on the long couch and Jane flicked on the tv, quickly finding the replay of the days Red Sox – Ace's game. The two ate in comfortable silence, occasionally commenting on the game. Altogether too soon Riley glanced at her watch and got up.

'Gotta go, Robertson will never let me off the graveyard shift if I'm late.' She cleared their plates away and dropped them in the sink. 'You okay cleaning up?' She called, already heading for her room.

'Yeah, no worries.' Jane shouted back and with a final swing of her, now lukewarm beer, rose from the couch. The couple of steps to the kitchen had her cursing and Riley popped her head back in, all the while deftly buttoning up her uniform shirt.

'What up? You sound like an old woman Rizzoli!' She teased and Jane glared at her, rubbing her hip.

'You'd feel that way too if you were slammed against the alley wall by an ex-NHL player and then was attacked by your own kitchen counter. Speaking of our kitchen' Jane pointed to the offending lamp, 'that's gotta go. I mean it Riley, this is the third time I bump into it.'

'Not my fault you're freakishly tall.' Her flat mate shrugged and went off on, what Jane presumed was, the search for the uniform trousers.

'I'm not freakishly tall, this lamp is ridiculously low and stupidly hard. Move it or I will.' Grabbing another beer Jane settled down on the couch, resting against the armrest and stretching her legs out with a groan of pleasure.

'Yeah, well, you're not gonna move for another 4-5 hours, so I'm not gonna worry about it just now.' Riley re-appeared, fully dressed and adjusting her belt. She looked up at Jane and her features softened. 'Sorry about earlier, I had no idea he was here. I would have texted.'

Jane shrugged. 'Woulda had to come back home anyway. Not like I'm gonna be displaced from my own flat.' She muttered, picking at the bottle label. Riley was silent for a moment before pointing out.

'You know they say picking the label off is a sign of sexual frustration?' She barely managed to duck behind the doors when a pillow connected with where her head was a moment earlier. 'Later Rizzoli!' Her laugh echoed before the slam of doors announced that Jane was officially alone in the flat.

She sighed and shimmied down on the couch, flicking lazily through the channels. She contemplated what to do. She needed sleep but was still too wound up. Her hand brushed against her thigh and reached higher but the buzz wasn't quite there. Frustrated she sighed and jabbed the up button on the control a couple more times before the watery eyes of a hippo made her stop. The information under the channel name said that it was documentary about hippo's in captivity. Maura would have found it fascinating.

Within ten minutes Jane's beer was empty and she was out cold, the TV softly droning on in the background.

Cool hands against her forehead slowly brought Jane around. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the low light cast by the corner lamp, the only thing illuminating the whole room. The soft hand run through her hair and Jane's eyes dropped again.

'Oh no.' She heard Maura's quiet laugh followed by the gentlest of tugs on her hair. 'Come on, you can't sleep on the couch, it's bad for your back.'

Jane grumbled and leaned into the other hand that came up to rest on her cheek. She didn't have to open her eyes to know Maura was smiling down at her.

'Being adorable won't get you out of this one.' The blond admonished and Jane huffed indignantly.

'I am not adorable.' She stated firmly before rolling onto her side and curling around Maura, as she sat perched on the edge of the couch. Her laugh warmed Jane's heart and the hand stroking her back made her draw the blond even closer.

'How about this? Is this better for my back?' Jane mumbled into the neatly pressed dress trousers and risked a glance up. She only caught a glimpse of laughing green eyes before her world was obscured by a curtain of blond locks. Maura's forehead pressed into her temple and her soft laugh ghosted across Jane's cheek.

'Yes but you still have to move.' Opposite to her words Maura stayed still and Jane closed her eyes again, enjoying the warmth and the comfort. She wished she could spend her whole life like this. They breathed in and out, the gentle moves of their heads creating soft caresses.

Jane was almost drifting off again when a sharp puff of air in her ear startled her upright. She looked disconcerted at the blond who dissolved into giggles.

'You did not just do that.' She whispered at the laughing woman. 'Oh, this means war.' Jane grinned and Maura shirked as the tall woman reached for her very sensitive sides.

'Maura.' An annoyed call came from the corridor and Ian appeared in the doorway. Suddenly the warmth and softness of the moment was gone and Jane pulled back, settling upright against the couch. Beside her Maura also subdued, though a quick glance revealed a small smile still playing on her lips.

'You coming to bed?' Ian glanced between the two women and Jane grabbed the bottle on the floor and stood up quickly. Her worlds blackened around the edges and stars danced across her vision. Stubbornly she walked to the kitchen and deposited the bottle in the bin.

'Night.' A soft call forced her to turn around and her heart clenched painfully as she looked at Maura standing with one arm around Ian's waist, ready to go.

'Night.' She called back, her voice rough from the sleep and tight from the green monster that dug its claws deep into her. With a smile, Maura was gone but Jane stayed until she heard the bedroom doors closed. Switching off all the lights she made her way to her room, purposefully ignoring the shuffling coming from the blond's room. Locking her own bedroom door behind her Jane collapsed on the bed and hid her face in her hands. Who knew being in love with Maura Isles would be this hard?

A/N: So this is a rather unexpected turn of events. This story was nagging at me for the past few days but only once I started writing it did I decide to make it a R&I fic. That also means that about a third of the way through writing I changed it from second to third person view and switched names, so there might be a couple of leftover mistakes from the switch. For any other mistakes I also apologize and blame the lack of a beta.

Will this story go any further? Not sure, guess it depends on the reception it gets. I got a few ideas how to string it along but it can also be a one-shot. I'll leave it as an 'in progress' for now and we'll see but I make no promises.

If you liked it, drop a review, they're always appreciated.

All the best

Lunaris