Disclaimer: All recognizable Rizzoli & Isles characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including, but not limited to Tess Gerritsen. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fan fiction story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No financial gain is associated with the publishing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: From time to time I have an idea for a story that comes out of the blue. This is one of those stories. I can't tie it to anything particular and given that the show has yet to return, there's no episode or scene to attach it to. This one is all my doing. There's a great deal of me in this piece. I hope you enjoy. -dkc

Moments

There was something happening between them. Jane could no longer deny the spark she felt when in close proximity to Maura. She no longer denied her own inclination toward women of extraordinary beauty. But she also knew it wasn't merely her best friend's looks that gripped her heart. This was Maura.

The bullpen of the homicide unit was particularly busy as Frost, Korsak and Rizzoli worked through the facts of their present case.

"God, the phone has not stopped ringing today," Jane groaned.

"Who knew the fine citizens of Boston cared so much about how much the boys in blue make," Frost leaned back in his chair, his hands locked behind his head.

"It isn't like we're getting rich here," Korsak said.

The BPD had been inundated by phone calls after the Boston Globe ran a story on the salaries of municipal employees. The callers seemed to want some assurance that the six figure salary recipients were administrative or in some way deserving of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.

"You mean you don't have offshore accounts?" Frost joked with Korsak.

Jane laughed at her partners, but was quickly distracted by the sound of heels entering the room. That sound meant only one thing: Maura.

"Who has offshore accounts?" Maura asked as she made her way to Jane's desk, leaning against it as she inserted herself seamlessly in the conversation.

Jane found herself noticing every detail about Maura. The doctor had on tight designer slacks that fit her perfectly. Her heels accentuated her legs. Under her three-quarter length sleeved jacket was a ruffled top that dipped just enough for the top of her cleavage to peek out.

"Korsak is stashing his pay for when he retires and has eighty dogs," Jane smiled.

"Still getting calls?" Maura asked.

"It's apparently a big deal that we all get paid for putting our lives on the line," there was a hint of anger in Jane's tone.

"I don't grasp the issue," Maura said, looking down at the floor as if ashamed.

Jane knew why Maura shied from this particular conversation. While the medical examiner was well compensated, Maura certainly didn't need the money. The two women had never discussed precisely how much money Maura had, but Jane had known the doctor long enough to know that money would not be an issue if Maura were not receiving a salary.

"Would you like to get some lunch?" Jane asked Maura.

Maura's face lit up at the question, partially out of relief for the conversation ending. The doctor nodded and stood up straight. Jane grabbed her jacket and nodded at Frost.

"Bring me back a soda," Frost grinned.

"If you're lucky," Jane said over her shoulder.

"I'm always lucky," Frost hollered at his departing partner.

This made both Jane and Maura chuckle as they made their way down the hallway to the elevator bay. Reaching the elevators, the two friends stood side-by-side waiting for it to arrive. Maura gently bumped her shoulder into Jane's, both smiling at the gesture. These moments were becoming more frequent and were a large part of the reason Jane had stopped denying the chemistry. The flirting was simply too exhilarating.

They rode the elevator to the main floor. Walking through the corridor to the front entrance, Jane saw a situation developing ahead of them. With very little warning a perp came barreling at them as he attempted to ditch his arresting officer. Rather than create a barrier to stop the enraged man, Jane grabbed Maura, forcing the doctor up against the wall and out of the way. Pressed against Maura, Jane felt her heart rate increase. Their noses were touching and Jane's hands were flat against the wall above Maura's shoulders. The close proximity seemed to make time stand still.

"Jane?" Maura whispered with a degree of hesitancy after what felt like a lifetime.

"Hmm?" Jane was in a trance.

"They got him," Maura smiled, tilting her head in the direction of the now detained man.

"Oh," Jane snapped out of it and took a step back, releasing the doctor.

Maura wiped the non-existent wrinkles from her top and smiled at Jane. Though she had put space between them, the adrenaline from pressing her entire body against Maura's was still pumping wildly through her veins.

There are moments, moments that can be described as nothing less than heavy with possibility; moments that bring out the fear and doubt in each of us while challenging our very idea of what our lives can be. For Jane, those moments had more and more come to revolve around Maura. This was one of those moments.

"Lunch?" Jane mumbled, attempting to pull herself together.

"Please," Maura smirked.

The knowledge that she could so easily frazzle the stoic Jane Rizzoli was a rush for Maura. It hadn't always been. She had certainly tried to figure out how Jane felt about her, but in the years they had known each other she had been given nothing but mixed signals. That is until recently. She saw the denial and uncertainty in Jane long before Casey left. At first she thought it was because Jane was uncertain of a future with Casey. After the vacillating continued in Casey's absence, Maura knew Jane's uncertainty had everything to do with her.

They slowly made their way out of the precinct and onto the street. The sunshine helped Jane regroup, though her heart continued to race and her palms were sweating. They approached the deli down the street and squeezed through the people coming and going. Jane's hand instinctively went to the small of Maura's back. She felt Maura's lower back muscles tighten with the touch and dropped her hand immediately. The last thing she wanted was to make Maura uncomfortable. However, she couldn't help but over think what Maura's response meant.

Placing their order and finding a small table in the back, Jane and Maura slid into seats across from each other and sat in silence.

"What…" they said simultaneously.

"Yeah?" Jane made way for Maura.

"What does the salary of cops look like in comparison to municipal employees who don't put their lives on the line?" Maura asked, reaching for the iced tea the server had delivered to the table.

Jane took a deep breath before answering. The question she had intended to ask was much less neutral. She was going to ask Maura what she was doing after work and if she wanted to watch a movie.

"It looked like firefighters or at least some of them were receiving equivalent salaries, but I don't know about other employees," Jane answered.

"I don't see what the issue is," Maura admitted.

"That makes two of us," Jane agreed.

The server brought their lunch, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was checking Maura out. Jane cleared her throat in an attempt to make the guy scram, but got Maura's attention and not the server's. Finally the server left their table.

"He was sweet," Maura chuckled.

"You're old enough to be his mother," Jane glared at the retreating server.

"It is always nice to be," Maura paused to smirk at Jane. "Appreciated."

"By children?" Jane's irritation was evident.

"He is not a child. At least he wasn't behaving like one," Maura charged.

"I'm not behaving like a child," the detective stabbed at her plate.

They ate in silence. Jane fumed while Maura attempted to find a way to make Jane address what this was really about. She wanted Jane to make her move. She was tired of these angst-filled moments.

"Jane..." Maura sighed.

"You're appreciated," Jane blurted.

Taking them back in the conversation, Maura realized what Jane meant and felt warmth spread through her body. Jane's pace might be frustrating, but progress was progress. A smile slowly broke out on the doctor's face.

"Thank you," Maura said to which Jane bashfully shrugged.

Very little conversation took place as the two women finished their lunch. Jane stole more than one glance at the ruffled top that revealed a touch of cleavage, glances that were noticed by the more than pleased doctor.

As the two women made their way out of the deli, there was a large gathering of people on the front sidewalk, a food truck parked near the entrance. Jane's impatience prompted her to lead Maura into the alley—an alley that would lead them back to the side street where the BPD was located. Once in the alley, Jane dropped her hand from the small of Maura's back where she had placed it to lead the doctor through the crowd. The sudden absence of contact formed a pit in Jane's stomach.

"Such beautiful scenery," Maura joked as they made their way the entire block in the alley.

"Was that a joke?" Jane smiled.

"Perhaps I've come to admire dumpsters, cardboard and broken bottles," Maura smiled back.

"Listen to you," Jane playfully shoved the doctor's shoulder.

Their eyes were locked and Jane's hand had just dropped when they rounded the corner to the main street. Out of the corner of her eye, Jane noticed a delivery truck backing from the street into the alley. He was rounding too fast and ran over the curb and several feet of the sidewalk in the process. Jane quickly grabbed Maura and pulled the doctor out of the way of the truck, narrowly avoiding a collision.

"Hmph," Maura groaned as she found herself in a now familiar position pressed against Jane.

Jane's back was against the brick building with her arms wrapped around Maura, pulling the doctor firmly against her. They were both out of breath, their chests rising and falling, their eyes locked. Despite the danger having passed, Jane did not release Maura. They were frozen, almost as if the world had ceased around them.

"Jane…" Maura's hard breathing was pressing her chest into Jane's in a way that was tantalizing for both of them.

"Maur…" Jane rolled her eyes at how her voice cracked when saying her friend's name.

Instead of a verbal response, Maura leaned in a bit more and brushed her soft, glossy lips against Jane's. There was a soft hum from Jane as she kissed back. As easily as it could have spun out of control, it didn't. The kiss was delicate, measured.

"Um?" Jane whispered as their lips parted and their bodies remained pressed together.

"I…" Maura started to explain.

"Oh my god, are you ladies okay?" the delivery driver was now out of his truck and coming their way. "I didn't see you until it was clearly too late."

His booming voice shook the two women apart. Neither looked at the other in an attempt to gain footing in what was a very touchy situation. Though they had never kissed before, somehow they both felt like this was the inevitable path for them. This was no different than the thousands of times their glances had lasted a bit too long, their touches lingered or they had flirted unabashedly.

"You should slow down when you're backing," Jane bit. "Being less than a block from a police station is no deterrent, huh?"

"Oh, I…" the driver stammered. "I really am sorry, miss."

"It's detective," Jane glared.

The two women began walking toward the police station, their hands dangerously close to touching, begging to be held, but neither willing to take any risk within sight of their place of employment. Or maybe neither knew whether taking the other's hand was appropriate.

When they reached the station, Jane held the door for Maura and their eyes met for the first time since they had kissed. That familiar spark was there. Jane allowed a small smile as she held the door and watched Maura walk ahead of her. Shaking her head at how easily one look could override her senses, Jane simply followed the doctor inside.

"Detective Rizzoli," the desk officer caught them once inside. "The lieutenant is looking for you."

"Thanks, Jim," Jane nodded and continued her way toward the elevator bay.

They had come to the elevator bay, an impasse. Neither Jane nor Maura wanted to part ways, but neither knew what to say to the other.

"I guess I should, uh…" Jane said, pushing the button at the elevator that would take her up to the bullpen.

"Yes, I should get back to work," Maura pressed the button for her own elevator to the morgue and found herself at a loss for words.

Both stepped into awaiting elevators and looked at one another as the doors closed. Jane saw a blush creeping into Maura's cheeks. This made Jane smirk, a smirk that Maura caught just as the doors closed on Jane completely. Once hidden in their respective elevators, both women leaned against the elevator wall and took a deep breath. Yes, that kiss had happened.

Jane arrived in the bullpen and immediately swore when she realized she had forgotten a soda for Frost. Frost was not at his desk anyway, she noticed as she made her way to see the lieutenant's office. Stepping inside the lieutenant's office, Jane couldn't take her mind off that kiss. She found herself reliving it, the spark, the gentility of it, the sensual way that Maura had pulled on Jane's bottom lip.

"Rizzoli?" Lieutenant Cavanaugh asked. "Did you hear me?"

"No, sir. Sorry," Jane was embarrassed.

"Frost and Korsak went to interview a suspect," he repeated. "You can meet them there or finish the Callahan paperwork."

Jane could not keep her focus on what her boss was saying. Her mind was still with Maura. And her lack of attention was not unnoticed by Cavanaugh.

"Rizzoli? Am I keeping you from something?" Cavanaugh was losing his patience.

"Actually, yes. I'll take care of that and then tackle the Callahan file," Jane answered.

Jane made her way out of Cavanaugh's office leaving him confused about the entire tone of their conversation. Something was obviously on Jane Rizzoli's mind. He had learned, however, to not get in her way.

Taking no time to get to the elevator bay, Jane was a woman on a mission. Hitting the down button repeatedly, the elevator wasn't arriving quickly enough for the impatient detective. Jane made her way to the stairwell and took the stairs two at a time until she reached the main floor. She walked across the corridor to the elevator that would take her to the morgue. It, unlike the first elevator was open and waiting. She could feel her heart beating hard as the elevator delivered her to the morgue. Stepping out the elevator doors, Jane took long strides through the morgue until she reached the M.E.'s office. Walking in, she closed the door loudly behind her.

"Jane?" Maura stood from her desk.

Maura was surprised to see Jane so soon and was concerned by the determined look she saw on Jane's face. Jane took a few steps toward the doctor without saying a word.

"Jane?" Maura repeated.

"Shh…"

Jane's hands tangled in blonde locks and her lips pressed into Maura's. Where their first kiss was gentle and slow, this kiss was firm and immediately passionate. Where their first kiss was soft lips and the graze of teeth, this kiss was much, much more. Tongues were introduced; desperation was the overt emotion. Maura's hands found Jane's angular hips with an unyielding grip.

Finally parting for air, Jane dropped her hands from Maura's hair, wrapping her arms around her friend's torso. As far as moments went, this was the most amazing they had shared.

"I am tired of denying this," Jane whispered the admission.

Maura sighed into Jane's neck. Rather than a weighty admission, it was a welcome relief. They had had far too many moments of late that came with denial and guilt for them to not appreciate how amazing it felt to be honest with one another.

"I wasn't even in immediate danger this time," Maura joked.

"Again with the jokes," Jane chuckled. "You are getting far too good at this."

"I had a good teacher," Maura looked up and smiled at Jane.

"This isn't going to be awkward is it?" Jane asked.

"Only if it never happens again," Maura's voice was light not serious.

"Oh, it will definitely be happening again," Jane smirked.

Jane released the beautiful doctor and reached for the woman's hands. There was a brilliant smile on Jane's face.

"I need to get back to work," she said.

"As do I," Maura wiped a stray lock of Jane's hair out of her face and behind her ear. "I am going to hold you to this happening again."

This made Jane chuckle. She leaned in to press a kiss to Maura's forehead before making her way to the door.

"You bet your ass this will be happening again," Jane smiled before walking out the door.

"Language!" Maura shouted.

Jane Rizzoli's laugh could be heard through the morgue until the elevator doors closed with her behind them.

-finis-