Maura awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating on the bedside table and she frowned slightly before reaching blindly for it.
"Hello?" she answered groggily.
"Maur?" came Jane's voice, even rougher than usual.
"Mmm?"
"I'm sorry," said Jane hesitantly, "did I wake you?"
Maura rolled over in bed, blearily opening her eyes to look at the clock on the nightstand.
"Jane, it's three o' clock in the morning." Her voice sounded exasperated, almost whiny but she couldn't help it– she was exhausted. "Considering I'm a part of the majority of the adult population who sleep the standard eight hours a night, it would be safe to assume that calling me at three in the morning would, in fact, be waking me."
This was quite a lot for Maura to say, considering she was still half asleep and it took Jane a moment to process it all.
"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I can call back in the morning if you want."
Maura frowned.
"It is technically the morning," she said wearily, "and besides, I'm awake now."
On the other end of the line, Jane smiled slightly, even though there were still tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Jane? Is everything okay?"
Maura's sleepy voice floated through the phone, and Jane had to press a hand against her mouth to try and muffle the sobs that were desperately trying to escape.
"Jane?" The question came more urgently this time. "What's going on?"
"I-I'm fine," Jane managed to choke out. The silence on the other end of the line told her that Maura didn't believe the lie. "I just had a nightmare is all." She wiped furiously at the tears that refused to slow.
More silence, until Maura finally spoke.
"Do you want me to come over?"
Jane hesitated, this was after all the reason that she had called the Doctor in the middle of the night, but at the same time she felt so weak at even the thought of asking for help. She opened her mouth to say no.
"Yes," she sobbed instead, "Please Maur, can you come?"
It wasn't her finest moment, and just the thought of Maura seeing her like this, sweaty and sobbing, made her feel terrified and incredibly vulnerable. But she needed to see the honey blonde, needed to wrap her arms around Maura and feel her heart beat against her own.
"Okay," Maura's voice was panicky. "I'm coming right now, okay? Jane? I'll be there as soon as I can."
The response she got was Jane crying down the phone, which only heightened Maura's panic.
"Hurry," said Jane, and she hung up, curling herself into a ball on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor.
Her heart thumping furiously in her chest, Maura grabbed her keys and phone, fumbling with the doorknob in her rush to leave the house. I'm coming, Jane, she thought, I'm on my way.
The frantic, hurried knock pulled Jane out of her stupor. She stumbled to the front door and in one smooth motion, flung it open. There was Maura. She was dressed only in her silk pajamas, wearing no make up and with her hair still mussed from sleep.
But relief flooded Jane at the sight of her; whole, safe. Alive.
"Oh god, Jane," Maura's voice was still panicky, but Jane reached for her anyway.
And then there were Maura's arms, soft and warm, pulling the brunette close and tugging her over to the couch. Jane sobbed into honey blonde hair, pulling the smaller woman as close as she could.
Maura rubbed circles on the Detective's back, trying to keep her own breathing even, and fighting to keep the tears from falling.
"Shhh, it's okay," she whispered. "Everything's okay. It was just a dream."
"He got you, Maur," sobbed Jane. Maura pulled her closer, one hand tangled in brunette curls, the other pressed against the small of her back. "Hoyt got you."
"He didn't," the Doctor murmured. "He's dead, Jane. You're safe."
"I- I needed to feel you," she whispered into the blonde's hair.
"I know, sweetie. I know." Maura could feel Jane's sobs slowing already, but she continued to murmur to her.
"He's gone, Jane, he's dead. You're safe. I've got you."
"Stay with me," Jane managed, even as the doctor's heartbeat lulled her into slumber.
"I'll never leave you," Maura whispered, and she pressed a kiss to the top of the brunette's head, before pulling her closer and allowing them both to slip into a dreamless sleep.