NOTES: This series is set directly after my Revelations Series. Revelations is my conception of Maura and Jane entering into a relationship. This Disclosure series will explore their process of coming out to friends and family. There is one coming out story in the Revelations Series so it may be helpful to read that series first before diving into Disclosure. Revelations does contain mature content.

Story is rated T for now may move up to M later on, you never know! ;)

CH 1: Whole Again

The department would have liked Jane to take a little more time off after the shooting but eventually Lt. Cavanaugh and the force Psychiatrist Dr. Stevens realized that a sore and complaining Jane Rizzoli on desk duty in the squad room was probably less obnoxious than a sore, complaining, impatient and stir-crazy Jane Rizzoli at home. It had been nearly six weeks since the shooting.

The sense of anticipation was thick and heavy as Jane waded into the shrink's office. The longer she waited for the doctor the tighter her chest felt, reminiscent of her young childhood attempts to swim to the bottom of the deep end of the pool. The deeper she went the more the pressure squeezed her tiny frame. Only now it was the sterile air of the doctor's office collapsing in on her. Jane stood in Dr. Stevens' office casually scanning the titles on the bookshelf trying to distract grinding gears in her head from questioning whether she was really going to be cleared that day. She saw something she recognized and slid a finger between the top of the book's binding and the shelf to pull it out. She didn't hear the doctor walk in.

"Have you read any Freud?" Gloria Stevens asked as she took a seat in an oxblood leather wing back chair.

Jane pushed the book back into its place and meandered to the loveseat opposite the doctor, "Uh, no, I mean there's the whole Freudian slip thing I've heard about that and didn't he have sex issues? Like he talked about sex a lot?" Jane smiled nervously and fidgeted with her hands in her lap.

"Well, Freud is pretty complicated but he might say that your association of him with talking about sex and the curiosity that led you to select one of his books from among the hundreds on the shelf indicates your subconscious desire to talk about sex" the ends of Gloria's mouth turned upward into a slight smirk as she adjusted her glasses.

"Uh…no…umm…" Jane's eyes were wide, Jesus Christ Rizzoli don't say anything to fuck up your back to work release.

"I'm joking Jane, psychiatrist humor" she laughed and opened the file she was holding and began to leaf through it.

"Today is just a formality, essentially all you need to do is sign some paperwork for the department…" Gloria spread out some forms on the coffee table between them, "…these basically acknowledge that we had the required number of post-traumatic incident sessions and that I am satisfied with your mental health at this time to clear you on a conditional release for return to duty. Your regular physician will of course have to clear you physically for return to full duty." She pointed out the lines on which Jane needed to sign.

"Excellent" Jane muttered as she signed and initialed the forms.

"This last form is an addendum to the conditional release, it states that you agree to see me two more times after returning to work, the first time to occur two weeks from your return, the second at an appropriate interval which we will determine at our next meeting."

Jane's face contorted in a show of displeasure, "If I'm cleared why do I have to come for more sessions? I didn't have to do extra sessions after…my previous incident."

"This is a new procedure instituted by the department based on our assessment that returning to duty can illicit post-traumatic flashbacks, so it's just a precautionary measure to ensure that your reintegration into work is smooth" Gloria tapped the signature line with her fingernail.

Jane huffed but signed it.

"And Jane, if I may say, I think you've gained some remarkable insight into yourself in our sessions. You are clearly a passionate and dedicated detective and individual in general. We have covered some very emotional events, your past with Charles Hoyt, the shooting obviously and your new relationship with Maura. You yourself admit that the realm of emotional disclosure has often been an area you struggle with. I want you to know that as you continue this revelatory process with other family and friends around you that should you feel it helpful to continue to talk to me as a personal therapist I can serve another role other than just the department's shrink please feel free to call."

Jane walked into her apartment and stretched her arms out wide as she tilted her head, eyes closed, up to the ceiling, I'm back! Joe Friday danced around her feet, her toenails clicking out a faint samba. Jane smiled and scooped her up, "Yes Joe! We do have something to celebrate tonight!" Jane put the little dog down and plopped onto the sofa swinging her legs up and letting her feet dangle over the arm. Cleared for duty. She felt like her life, that part of her life that had been ripped away and left to pool and dry and eventually be scrubbed off the sidewalk had been given back. She was whole again.

"Tell me Joe, is this a cook dinner at home kind of celebration? Maybe go down to the store and pick up some flowers, some of that wine that Maura likes?...Or, is it a call downtown and make a reservation and take Maura out to a nice dinner kind of celebration?"

Joe barked.

"A go out kind of celebration then? You know if we go out, you don't get to go and eat off our plates…well, my plate since Maura won't let you eat off of hers" Jane turned her head and eyed the scruffy waggy-tailed little creature that was panting expectantly at the edge of the sofa, her head cocked as if she was truly taking part in the conversation. Joe barked again and then jumped up and planted a sloppy lick right across Jane's nose.

"Yuck! Joe! But you're right; you know I'll bring you leftovers. You have expensive tastes my furry friend, I think Maura must be rubbing off on you." Perhaps on both of us.

Maura had received Jane's message to go home and change into something nice after work and her mind had raced all day wondering what the detective was up to. She walked into Jane's apartment; the anticipation was killing her.

"Jane!" She called out, peering back towards the bedroom but the door was shut.

"Yeah, just a second" Jane hopped around like a one-legged heron, her arms flailing wildly trying to zip the back of her dress. Stupid dresses, must they really be so hard to get into? Finally, she was able to get a grasp on the zipper and pull it the rest of the way up. Jane paused, taking inventory of herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair, which she had straightened with one of Maura's flat irons that had migrated over to her apartment. I don't know, maybe I should just wear it up…I probably look ridiculous. Turning to the side she checked out her profile and smoothed the front of the dress with her hands. No time for changes now, it'll have to do.

As soon as she walked out into the living room a huge Cheshire grin spread across Maura's face, "Jane! You're wearing a dress! Of your own accord! I didn't even have to beg or bribe you. You look beautiful." Maura walked forward and placed her hands on Jane's chest running her fingers across the fabric, "And I see you had it dry cleaned! Good, the fish juice from the dinner party didn't leave a stain." Maura followed that observation with a teasing grin.

Jane rolled her eyes, "I'll never live that down will I?"

Maura laughed, shaking her head, "Nope…So, what is the occasion? I'm usually so good with remembering hallmark dates, have I forgotten something?"

Jane walked triumphantly to the coffee table to retrieve the signed release papers from Dr. Stevens and handed them to Maura.

"You're cleared to go back to work!" Maura set the papers down on the bar counter and reached out cupping Jane's face in her hands. "Congratulations" she said as their lips neared one another when at the last moment Jane turned her head leaving Maura hanging.

She whispered, dropping her voice even lower than its usual pitch, "Now, now, wouldn't want to mess up my lipstick" her sly smile not visible to Maura.

Maura nuzzled into Jane's ear and lightly bit her earlobe, "Jane Rizzoli, if you don't kiss me, I won't go to dinner with you" she wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and pulled her in closer.

"Oh! So bossy!" Jane looked into Maura's eyes, those eyes; they could have anything they wanted. A month into their relationship and Jane was getting used to being stripped bare by them. She leaned in and kissed Maura delicately.

"Now, if we don't leave we're going to miss our reservation at Aura in which case we'll be forced to dine in all our finery on the frozen dinners in my freezer" Jane laced her fingers through Maura's hand and led her towards the door.

"Aura, oh Jane, I have heard it's very nice. How did you hear about it."

Jane looked at Maura and smiled as she locked the door, "Google."