A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here is the second chapter people asked for. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review.
Disclaimer: Only own the fic. (C) x8xKrazee. Benson. Fanx8x
Jane woke several hours later to the honking of car horns and the glare of the street lights outside their bedroom window, also to Jo Friday, who was standing in the small gap between her and Maura, on the bed, barking, trying to get their attention. She groaned and opened her eyes. She was still exhausted. Looking at the alarm clock, she noticed she'd in fact had about nine hours of sleep. But it didn't feel like she'd slept no way near enough. Jane went to get up to take the dog for a walk but was stopped by her girlfriend gently grabbing her arm from behind her, sleepily, to stop her from getting out of the bed.
"Don't you even think about it," Maura whispered, sitting up, rubbing her eyes trying to wake herself up. "I'll take Jo for a walk while you go back to sleep, then when I come back, we are going to have a very long and serious conversation," she told Jane as she put on a pair of Jane's shoes, since it clearly was not a good idea to walk a dog at night, in a pair of three hundred dollar high heels. It was one of those times when she was glad that she and Jane had the same shoe size.
Rizzoli groaned, closing her eyes again as she grabbed Maura's pillow and inhaled the doctor's intoxicating scent deeply. "Talk about what?" she grumbled.
"You know exactly about what, Jane. I'm not going to let you keep it bottled up. Last time I let you bottle something up, you were sick for a week! I'm not going to let that happen again," insisted Maura, her voice was firm. She was serious.
With a sigh, Jane nodded and opened her eyes again to see that her partner was now standing beside the bed, leaning over her.
"You know I do it because I love you, baby," whispered Maura, then planted a kiss on Jane's cheek.
"I know, and I appreciate it and you, honey," Jane replied and returned the kiss, but on the lips.
"Jo and I will be back soon. Get some more sleep. You need it," Maura said and kissed her again. "Come on, Jo."
Jane watched as Maura walked out with Jo Friday running behind her, wagging her little tail.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Jane must have fallen asleep quickly because she didn't know what happened after she watched Maura and Jo walk out till she was woken by Maura gently shaking her awake.
"Baby, wake up," the doctor whispered.
With a groan, the Detective opened her eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's just after ten. Jo and I came back a couple hours ago."
"Why didn't you wake me then? You said you'd wake me when you got back," replied Jane, getting up.
"Cause you looked so peaceful, sweetie," Maura said, caressing her cheek. "I ordered some Chinese, it just came. You slept through the doorbell. Which surprised me, since you're a light sleeper."
Jane leaned into Maura's gentle touch. "Guess I was so exhausted that I was just in a deep sleep," suggested Jane. "I'm famished now though. Did you get my favourite?"
"Of course," Maura said and kissed her on the lips before taking her hand, guiding her into the living room, where they almost accidentally stepped on Bass as he slowly crawled around the apartment, trying to get away from Jo Friday, who was yapping at him, trying to get him to play with her. Clearly Bass did not want to play though.
Both women decided to sit on the floor in between the couch and coffee table to eat dinner. After eating in silence for several minutes, Jane found the quiet too uncomfortable and reached for the TV remote, only to be stopped for the second time that night by Maura's hand being placed on top of hers.
"I told you we need to talk, Jane."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" retorted Jane, furrowing her brow.
With a sigh, Maura slightly tilted her head, looking at her partner. "Because I was waiting for you to talk."
"Can't we just finish eating first?" Jane practically whined, using her chop sticks to put a bit of Broccoli into her mouth.
In response, Maura gently took the chop sticks out of Jane's left hand. "No we can't. We need to talk now... Otherwise it will be just forgotten to be talked about and you'll bottle it up. I know you, Janie," she whispered gently, looking into the Detective's beautiful cocoa brown eyes.
Jane swallowed the chewed up green vegetable and bit her bottom lip. She didn't know how to break it to her lover, knowing that it would break her heart. And the last thing she wanted to do was break Maura's heart.
"Well?" asked Maura, placing her hand over Jane's, that was resting on the table, holding it.
Jane shook her head. "I can't say it," she whispered, her voice breaking as a few stray tears fell from her eyes.
"Tell me what, sweetie?" Maura asked concerned, rubbing the palm of Jane's hand, trying to ignore the slightly elevated scar in the centre of it.
"I'm considering leaving the force," she whispered, looking down, avoiding eye contact with Maura at all costs.
"Say what?" Maura was stunned. "Why?"
All food was now forgotten.
"I'm so tired, Maur. I don't think that I can do it anymore, to be honest," she told Maura softly. Her voice so low in volume that Maura nearly didn't ever hear what she said.
"But being a Homicide Detective is everything to you, baby," replied Maura. She cupped her girlfriend's face in her hand and rubbed noses with her.
Jane looked deeply into Maura's eyes. "No, you're everything to me, Maur."
"So is being a Homicide Detective though, Janie. You love your job... And don't lie to me and say that you don't because we both know for damn sure that that would be a lie."
Looking down to drop eye contact, Jane sighed. "But what I see every day, Maur..."
"I know, baby, I see the same stuff. But we get justice for the victims," replied Maura, caressing Jane's cheek. "Just promise me, you won't make a decision without thinking it through thoroughly first."
Jane looked back up into Maura's eyes, a tear fell, which Maura instantly wiped away. "Okay, I promise," she sniffled. "I'm just so tired though."
"Trust me, Janie, I know. Maybe the both of us just need a vacation. We'll get through this rough path together, okay?." She grabbed Jane's chop sticks again and placed them back into her left hand. "Now eat, sweetheart, then it's straight back to bed."
Smiling a little, Jane rested her forehead against Maura's. Fatigued clearly etched into her face. "I love you so much, Maura."
"I love you too, Jane," Maura replied and placed a featherlight kiss on the detective's lips. "Now eat then more sleep."
The women pulled apart reluctantly and finished their meal.