Jane and Maura at the BPD's holiday party. This is a stand alone one-shot, not related to my other stories. Romantic pairing, friendly banter. Clearly I don't own these characters. Enjoy!

The Last Lover

It was the Boston Police Department's annual holiday party. Years ago it had been a "Christmas" party but now, to be politically correct, it was a generic "holiday" party. It still irked Jane, who thought it was a bit ridiculous in the first place and that anyone with half a brain could see it was still a Christmas party, though of course the decorations stayed away from green and red for the more neutral whites and silvers.

Jane picked up Maura around six that evening to take her to the party. It was semi-formal event, meaning that Jane would be expected to wear a dress. She groused about how it was so easy for guys to dress for these occasions. Essentially they could wear a slightly nicer dress shirt, don a holiday tie or simply pick out a new one and voila, they were ready to go.

For women, attire was always more nuanced. Jane longed to simply wear a suit with a crisp button-down (one probably selected by Maura in the first place, she mused) and be party-ready. She sighed to herself, reflecting on the unfair gender roles, even in this day and age, as she got ready to brave the cold winter night before leaving the warmth of her car. She had just arrived at Maura's.

After two solo shopping trips, Jane had finally been able to find what she believed was an appropriate dress for the holiday party. It was a deep crimson dress, which hugged her slender form and fell only a few inches above her knees. The top was sleeveless but had wide straps that accentuated her elegant neck and defined arms. She wore her hair down, slightly tousled, and had selected a flat-cut silver necklace that caught the light.

Jane knew she could have brought Maura along to help her with her odyssey of dress shopping, but she wanted to surprise her friend. They had known each other for nearly two years now, and had grown closer and closer with each passing month, spending more and more time together. On Jane's part, she spent less and less time on useless dates or watching games at bars, instead electing to go to yoga classes with Maura or watch the Red Sox at Maura's townhouse while trying to teach her who all the players were and their various strengths.

After spending so much time together, she didn't think there was much that could surprise Maura about her. They worked together, sure. But Maura was in that rare circle of people who was allowed to see Jane's true self - her darkest emotional places as well as her elated triumphs when justice was served by solving a case or catching the criminal. Most of Jane's colleagues, even her partners, would get a somewhat dialed back version of those moods, but Maura saw all of them, in their full and honest color. Come what may, Jane thought, contemplating her growing friendship with the doctor.

But Jane knew that formal attire was something that Maura rarely ever saw Jane in, and she was secretly relishing the thought of a positive reaction from her friend when she saw Jane all dressed up. Finding a way to shop alone without Maura coming along turned out to be a bit of a struggle as they were now so entwined in each other's lives. Most of the time on the weekends they were with each other, or at least knew what the other was up to. Jane had to come up with some clever stories just to buy the time to wander down Newbury Street or through the department stores in the Back Bay or downtown without raising Maura's suspicions.

Aside from wanting to see Maura's reaction to her, Jane was also looking forward to attending the party with her friend. Last year Maura had missed out on the soiree because her mother had politely requested that her daughter join her in Paris for a few weeks. "Paris is beautiful at Christmas," she recalled Maura telling her in early December. Jane remembered shoving down the tightening in her chest at realizing that her best friend would be gone for nearly three weeks. The icing on the bitter cake was that Maura would also miss the department's holiday bash. She'd have to go alone, which never seemed like a big deal until she met Maura. She had envisioned them having a blast together. She wouldn't just be putting up appearances or (as usually happened) finally getting into the swing of things once she'd had a couple glass of wine at the event. She could honestly look forward to it knowing that Maura would go with her. All that was dashed by Maura's mother's request. Jane could picture the phone conversation and could all too easily hear the unemotional question asked and Maura, always desperate to spend any time with her mother, jumping eagerly at the opportunity.

Though Jane's family drove her nuts, she also couldn't begrudge the ME the chance to spend the holiday with her mother. The detective truly couldn't even picture what Christmas day would be like with out the drama, commotion, noise, shouting, and jockeying of her own family. And the food! Of course her own mom always pulled out all the stops. She was fairly certain the Maura and her mother had dined out at a nice restaurant in the City of Lights and then called it a night. This all seemed a little too reserved for Jane, but still…it was Maura's mother and it was the holidays.

But not this year! Jane thought triumphantly. Jane was looking forward to bringing her best friend and finally enjoying the party she thought she'd be enjoying last year. Oh well, worth the wait, she mused.

Jane's only worry was about her dress – specifically the color she had chosen. She was actually proud of herself for not defaulting to a standard black cocktail dress and selecting something colorful, but she worried that Maura, who always stood out in a crowd in the very best way, would have picked a similar color. When she asked, nervously, what color Maura's dress was, Maura wouldn't tell her, which only escalated the detective's fear of being compared to her friend because they would be dressed in the same palette.

Maura hadn't been able to tell Jane what color her dress was because at the time Maura hadn't found the dress she would be wearing to the party. In the end, after scouring countless websites, she finally selected a deep green, almost black, A-line dress with a deep V-neck. She was just finishing her makeup when she heard her doorbell ring. She gave herself one last long look, worrying the ring on her finger, and left the bathroom. She felt the telltale butterflies beginning to flit around her stomach, like they always did when she was about to meet Jane.

Tonight she felt even more nervous because the whole evening would be spent socializing with the people she worked with but in a markedly different atmosphere. It was a challenge for Maura to even hold semi-normal conversations with her colleagues during her day job, but tonight she couldn't lean on work to fill an uncomfortable silence. She reflected about how Jane had giddily chatted about how much she loved the holiday party because typically people weren't all about their jobs. They didn't talk about the latest case or how things went in court that day or what the chain of evidence had produced. They talked about where they were spending New Year's or what they were getting their kid for Christmas or where they were driving for their big holiday meal. Jane had excitedly told Maura what fun it was to get to know the people she worked with outside of them being her boss or her peer or a rookie cop just out of the academy. This wasn't an area where Maura was well-versed, though she had specifically read articles about nearby popular winter vacation spots and the most sought-after toys this holiday so she would have something to talk about.

Jane was cursing the single-digit winter as she hopped back and forth on Maura's front stoop waiting for her to answer the door, again remembering how guys could wear dress slacks and sports coats while she froze her legs off in heels and hose. So unfair! She knew she could actually barge right in to Maura's house, but seeing as how the whole evening was a formal affair, she had elected to take the polite road and wait to be let in.

Maura finally opened the door, flooding the front steps with light. Forgetting her own hopes for their encounter, Jane was struck by Maura's beauty.

"Jane," Maura smiled her name and quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her inside. "You must be freezing! I'm so sorry. You should have just come in."

Jane couldn't help but pull her friend into a quick hug. She looked so lovely, and she couldn't resist.

"Hi," the detective replied, also a bit giddy. "You look amazing." Maura simply smiled.

"You're freezing," Maura confirmed, after Jane let go.

Realizing that her hug may have been a bit forward, Jane cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, that's why I needed the hug – for warmth," she half-grinned, hoping Maura would forgive her indiscretion. Maura lightly swatted her arm.

The doctor realized that Jane was still wearing her coat. "Come in. I've got a bottle of chardonnay open and I can pour us a glass before we leave," she offered politely. Jane nodded in reply, and Maura disappeared around the corner to the kitchen.

The detective quickly unbuttoned her coat and hung it up, following Maura into the kitchen.

The ME had just finished pouring the second glass when Jane entered the room. She glanced up with the bottle still in mid air, about to return it to rest on the counter when she simply froze, taking in the sight of her best friend.

Maura knew that Jane's wardrobe tended to hide, not accentuate, her friend's natural beauty, but tonight it seemed abundantly clear that Jane knew what genetic gifts she had been blessed with all along. Maura took in the strikingly dark crimson red of Jane's form-fitting dress, the color that seemed to perfectly offset her complexion. Her black hair framed her solemn, searching face as her dark eyes tried to read the doctor's slack-jawed assessment of what she was seeing. Taking in the beauty before her, Maura could feel the butterflies turn to smoldering ashes of desire and she could feel the blush creeping up her neck.

She had been still too long, silent for too many moments for it to be casual, but she couldn't take her eyes off Jane.

Jane's nerves overran her usual bravado. She could feel her palms starting to sweat. "What do you think?" she asked nervously.

"Oh my god," Maura breathed, wine bottle still in mid air, hovering inches over the counter. "You look incredible."

Finally Jane smiled, knowing that Maura couldn't lie. Yup, the two solo shopping trips had been worth that reaction, she thought to herself.

Maura was still staring at her, continuing to take in every curve and nuance that typically was hidden or …at least not flaunted, Maura thought emphatically. Jane could feel her confidence returning as Maura's eyes seemed to travel up and down her form for a second time.

That's a good reaction, she mused as the detective cleared her throat. "Um, can I help you with that?" she asked, indicating the wine bottle still gripped precariously by the ME. Maura finally seemed to return to herself and put the bottle down, followed quickly by gracefully sweeping up the two wine glasses.

"Sorry," she apologized, offering Jane the wine. "Clearly you….distracted me," she finished. Lame, she accused herself, annoyed that her extensive vocabulary would leave her at such a critical time.

Jane smirked again. "Trust me, I do not mind a beautiful woman looking at me." Maura felt the blush creep up her neck again. How can she always do that to me? I feel like a high-schooler every time I am around her.

"Well, you will certainly have to beat off both genders in that tonight," Maura challenged back, grinning, and Jane smiled in return before sipping her wine.

BPD had pulled out all of the stops, renting out a huge ballroom in one of Boston's finest hotels in the Back Bay. Jane knew that they must have rented the place out in March to be able to get one of the coveted mid-December days, and a Saturday night no less, as those dates were always snatched up quickly.

Maura and Jane had been there for hours and now, thanks to Jane's ingenuity, they were actually away from the crowd in a third floor ladies' room. The ballroom was flanked by balconies, so it was very likely that women from the party would be using the facilities on either the first or second floor.

Jane had worked a case at the hotel years before and knew that the hotel had enormous, gorgeous restrooms on the first three floors available for guest use. Desperate for a little peace and quiet, she had guided Maura to one of the restrooms she knew was probably known to no more than a handful of folks.

Which is how Jane and Maura were blissfully away from the noisy throngs, experiencing their first real moment of calm since they had arrived hours ago.

Maura was lounging in one of the love seats in the waiting room adjacent to the sinks while Jane finished washing her hands.

"I know I told you this earlier, but you really do look amazing tonight," Maura stated nonchalantly as she watched Jane focus her attention on rinsing her hands of soap. Jane smirked, looking down. "What?" Maura asked.

Jane turned, smirk still in place. Deciding to place nice and not respond in her typical sarcastic manner, she responded with a simple, earnest "thank you" to the compliment.

"So you and Mitchells were chatting it up quite a bit tonight. He a contender?" Jane queried, recalling Maura talking to a detective in the finance and fraud unit.

Maura sighed, staring at the wall across from her couch, recalling their conversation. "No, not really. He seems like a very interesting man, and certainly is passionate about his work. I was very curious to learn more about it, as I really don't know as much about that unit as I'd like to."

"And I bet he was all too happy to share," Jane joked, knowing her gorgeous friend had to do very little to engage any of the gentlemen that Jane called her brothers-in-arms.

"Well, yes, actually. He was very engaging and it was fascinating to learn the intricacies of how they go about catching financial criminals."

Jane grabbed a couple paper towels, "I bet." She had always found that unit particularly dry and dull, even in her academy day. It was an easy one to cross off her list of possible specialties within the department.

"So how much longer do you figure we have to stay here before we can leave?" Jane asked, taking a seat across from Maura in a nearby chair.

Maura glanced at her watch, informing her that it was 11:30 pm. "Mmm…we can probably leave any time now. We've been here for hours and I can't imagine that the party will last much longer." Jane laughed, causing Maura to look at her questioningly.

The brunette smiled. "Clearly this IS your first BPD holiday party." Jane paused to look at her significantly. "Maura, these things are known to go way into the night, usually until at least 1 or 2 am, and then, depending on who you are hanging out with, a group of us might go out to another place for more of an after-party."

The ME's eyebrows shot up. She had no idea that it would go so late!

"So, back to you and Mitchells," Jane countered playfully, "do I need to assume I'll be finding my own way home tonight?"

"I would have thought by now that you would know that I am a lady, and I certainly wouldn't leave a function with another having arrived with someone else," the honey-colored blond chastised Jane lightly. "Plus you are such a gentleman….er, lady, too, that I would never have to worry about you laying a hand on me. I don't think I could say the same for Detective Mitchells."

Jane was torn by this statement. Her first knee-jerk reaction was to jump to the conclusion that Mitchells had made a pass at Maura, and Jane had to reel herself in from fantasizing about how she was going to break his kneecaps. But the second part of her was intrigued by Maura's assumption that she was a gentleman. She decided to leave her concerns about Mitchells alone for the moment, mostly because she noted that Maura was not at all distressed and not a hair was out of place. Coupling these facts with her…what she called visual surveillance, what others might call obsession or stalking…of the pair all night, Jane didn't think they had been out of her eyesight for any amount of time that he would have been able to pull something on her best friend.

"So a gentleman, huh? And what makes you think I'm a gentleman?" she teased, her voice light but her eyes smoldering as she carefully studied her best friend's response.

Maura loved their banter, their playful back and forth and teasing. Frequently is was a mental challenge, how they could one-up each other, though many times it took all of Maura's concentration and creativity to keep up with the ever quip-worthy Rizzoli. She felt the familiar pull of a heated flirting session coming on and she relished the challenge it would bring.

"Well…" she drawled. "You always open doors for me, you treat me with respect and…" pausing, to make sure she had the detective's undivided attention, "you've never tried anything on me," she summed up simply.

Jane guffawed. She too, loved their teasing and flirting, knowing that Maura was always out of her league to date, but she couldn't help the familiar drop of her stomach and tightening of her throat every time they began the familiar push and pull of these verbal matches. God, if only these would ever turn physical.

As was her typical stance, the olive-complected Italian exuded confidence, though around Maura she had to focus on projecting bravado that she never completely felt. In all other facets of her life, she knew concretely who she was and what she was capable of doing, but being around Maura always threw her off-kilter.

"Hmmm…I didn't know that was a possibility, since you are my best friend," Jane challenged. "And besides, if I ever did try anything on you…well, then it would just be game over for you." Jane finished smugly, watching Maura process her statement.

"Game over?" the doctor asked, confused.

"Yeah, game over. Meaning that I would ruin you for anyone who would come along after me." Jane's devilish smile shone brightly as she stood up, uncrossing her long legs to stand up and offering her hand to assist Maura in doing the same.

Maura felt her pulse rate race. It always happened at some point in their debates. Her biological reactions would trump her usually highly functioning mental capacity. Maybe it was the wine, or the party, or they way Jane's dress hugged her body in all the right places, but Maura thought this was on the early side of making her brain a useless mass. This cerebral malfunction was why she always felt like she was racing to keep up with Jane's flirting.

The best defense is a good offense. She'd heard that somewhere and decided to give as good as she could get. "Oh really. That confident in your sexual prowess, hmm, Detective?" she replied, taking the proffered hand.

Jane pulled Maura up gracefully with just the strength of her hand. It never failed to surprise her how Jane's lithe shape belied a deceptively strong woman. Unbidden, Maura's thumb gently stroked the length of one of Jane's fingers, sending a chill down Maura's spine as she fleetingly wished those fingers would go other places than just her hand.

Jane felt the blush start to creep up her neck, though through months of practice and her thankfully dark complexion, she knew that she could check it so that Maura wouldn't notice it. Maura was now merely inches away from her, and she was treated to the rare opportunity of being so close to her. She was staring intently back into those gorgeous hazel eyes. Her voice dropped to a gravelly whisper due to their proximity. "I know it. I'm Italian. You know we're amazing in the sack." Maura inhaled sharply, but Jane wasn't done. She could feel that she had Maura on the proverbial ropes.

"I would be your last lover."

Maura felt chills run down her torso at this statement. Ugh, why can't she just take me! It wasn't the first time that Maura had thought this, wished this, tried to psychically project this sentiment into Jane's head. She wanted her so badly, all the time…every time she saw the detective. And this evening was turning out to be more difficult to socially maneuver through than she had expected. Now Jane was baiting her, unequivocally with every breath she took, every comment she said, and every movement she made.

Outwardly Jane only saw Maura slowly smiling up at her. Two can play at this game, Maura thought and replied coyly,"You'll never bed me."

The fleeting look of sadness across Jane's eyes didn't escape the ME. Jane knew that Maura wouldn't lie -could never lie - in fact. What Jane didn't know was that the only way that Maura was able to say this statement at all was because she had to swallow the second half of the sentence...until you try.

Jane didn't want their game to end, though she could feel the truth ringing in her ears again and again. Of course she could never take the gorgeous, Google-mouthed doctor to bed. It was like a fish falling in love with a bird. It was just never to be. But Jane's long-standing habit of faked bravado around Maura was a crutch she was happy to lean on in the moment.

Still inches apart, Jane growled back, "Gee Doctor, you say that more as a challenge than a statement," her eyes twinkling.

Maura finally released Jane's hand. She glanced at the exposed neck and the carefully appropriate but revealing neckline of Jane's dress. Jane's clavicle had always captivated Maura, and had played a prominent role in many of her fantasies about the detective. And now being mere inches away, Maura couldn't resist the opportunity to finally touch the coveted area of her best friend.

Lightly running her index finger on the soft skin, she traced Jane's collarbone while Jane stood stock still, rooted to the ground. "Jane, take me home."

Hearing Maura's request, she simply nodded, knowing that her voice would betray the desire coursing through her veins. Maura looked up at her through long eyelashes and Jane's breath caught. She had never seen such naked desire in another person's eyes. It seemed so obvious to Jane and she couldn't breathe. Captivated, the detective moved only the smallest measure closer, allowing Maura the chance to pull back, to end it. To be appalled at Jane; that their innocent chatter could possibly have lead to anything physical. But Maura didn't pull back.

She advanced.

All the waiting, all the wishing, all the wanting, all Maura needed was that one centimeter, that one slight movement from Jane to give her the opportunity. She captured Jane's lips, relishing instantly in their softness.

Maura tangled her hands into Jane's dark tresses. Jane slid her hands from their place on the smaller woman's hips, around and up her back, drawing her closer, holding her tighter.

The ME groaned at finally being flush against a body she had long watched and desperately wanted. Hearing the groan ignited something in Jane's core, burning her from inside out. She roughly turned the doctor and pinned her against the wall. She wanted – needed – to feel the doctor against something, to believe this was happening - and pushing the ME against a hard surface seemed to make it feel more real, less likely to vanish in a puff of smoke. Less likely that she could back away or run away.

The thought quickly make Jane break off the kiss, both of them breathing heavy. She didn't want to overpower Maura, or keep her from bolting if it came to that. Her heart was racing. She leaned her forehead against Maura's, keeping her eyes closed, trying to think this through.

Maura found her voice first. "Jane?" Her name came out between pants as Maura tried to calm her escalating nerves and her overwrought desire. Why had they stopped? "Are you…are you okay?" She tried to gently bring Jane's face up to her own so that she could look her in the eyes. She wanted so desperately to kiss her again.

Slowly Jane brought her gaze up, meeting Maura's confused and concerned look with a guilty, conflicted one of her own. Maura felt Jane loosen her grip around her.

The ME could sense Jane's trepidation, and made a decision. She launched at her, recapturing her lips, trying to convince Jane through actions over words that this is what she wanted. She could feel the surprise when Jane didn't immediately return the kiss for a half beat, allowing the petite doctor time to take the lead.

Just as Jane's sluggish actions were finally starting to catch up with Maura's, Maura broke off the kiss.

"Take – me - home," she repeated breathily.

Jane smiled and chastely kissed her on the cheek, nodding. She noticed the glint in Maura's eye. "And we will see if you can keep your promise."

"What promise?"

"To be my last lover," Maura replied saucily, turning on her heel and exiting the restroom.