Their morning started the same as usual. Jane opened BPD's door for Maura, a slightly impatient smile on the detective's lips.
"Well you know Jane, it really does set you up for the day" Maura continued, finishing her sentence with an affirmative nod. Behind her Jane rolled her eyes.
"Well you know Maura" she began, voice dripping with sarcasm. The doctor instantly turned, a disapproving look on her face, to which Jane's own expression faltered slightly. "I don't like yoga in the morning, heck I don't like it in the evening either. I'm not all" Jane gestured wildly with her hands towards the doctor "bendy and flexible like you"
Maura sighed as she jabbed her finger into the elevator button "how many times must I tell you that it takes practice?"
"How many times must I tell you that I-do-not-enjoy-turning-my-body-into-a-pretzel!"
Maura leant back slightly at Jane's outburst and turned facing the lift, her bottom lip protruding slightly. "Well I was just saying" she muttered.
Jane glanced to the doctor and sighed, throwing her head back slightly. The doors to one of the elevators opened with a ping. Smiling Jane gestured towards it "go ahead I'll catch the next one"
"No, I'm coming to your floor this morning" Maura replied with a smile, stepping into the elevator followed by a slightly confused Jane.
"Oh yeah, how come?" Jane asked raising her eyebrow as she pressed the button for her floor.
"Lieutenant Cavanaugh asked to see me" Jane looked to the doctor.
"Oh yeah, what did you do?"
Maura frowned slightly at the phrase, looking to Jane "what do you mean what did I do?"
"Well you must be in trouble if the boss called you in" Jane smiled slightly, secretly teasing Maura.
Maura's frown burrowed further "well he isn't my boss, and- and... did I do something wrong?"
They stepped out as the elevator doors opened, Maura holding back a little.
"What?" Jane turned and stopped looking at her "Come on. I was just joking"
"Really?"
"Yeah, he probably just...I dunno...but you aren't in trouble" Jane chuckled slightly and continued walking.
Hesitating for a moment, Maura headed into the bullpen.
As they entered the room they both stopped, regarding Korsak, Frost and Frankie with a curious eye as they leaned around the other door, looking into Cavanaugh's office.
"Psst" Jane began. They all turned around but ignored her, continuing their hushed conversation.
Jane rolled her eyes and gestured for Maura to follow her. Coming to a stop behind the spying men, Jane asked in a huff "what are you doing?"
Frost turned to look at them "Cavanaugh's got some woman in there, been talking for ages"
Frankie turned too "yeah they've been there since before we got here this morning"
Jane leaned forward over them to catch a peak. Sitting opposite Cavanaugh's desk they could see the back of a dark haired woman, to whom Cavanaugh appeared to be talking to with an anxious gaze.
"Jeez, Cavanaugh looks real nervous... this can't be good" Jane muttered.
"Never seen that look on his face" Korsack seconded. "Shit" Korsack, Frost and Frankie all jumped back as Cavanaugh stood to shake the woman's hand.
"Act natural" Frost whispered, scarpering to his desk.
Jane shook her head, while Maura stood still gazing into the room.
"Maura make it more obvious why don't you" Jane chastised under her breath, squeezing the woman's arm.
"Ouch, that hurt" Maura rubbed her arm and looked to Jane with annoyance.
Cavanaugh stepped out of his office and into the bullpen, followed by the woman. She was youngish, mid-twenties, dark hair and pale skin. There was a slight seriousness to her expression, though her eyes held a calming quality to them.
"Oh I see you realised your desk isn't by the doorframe" Cavanaugh husked at Frost, glaring at Korsak and Frankie too, who were stood off to the side awkwardly. "This is Megan O'Malley, Doc she's your new Assistant Medical Examiner- or whatever you wanna call it"
"You must be Dr Isles" Megan extended her hand and offered Maura a smile.
"Pleasure to meet you, err" Maura looked to Cavanaugh with confusion "Assistant Medical Examiner?"
"Yeah" Cavanaugh shuffled his feet slightly "let's talk in my office" he gestured to Megan who turned and headed back into the office, shortly followed by Maura and himself, looking slightly sheepish. Jane watched after them with a curious frown, along with Korsak and Frankie who had congregated next to Frost.
Cavanaugh shut the door to his office with a sigh. He turned to Maura who was offering him a slightly annoyed glare. He glanced to Megan who was stood still by his book shelf.
"Would you please both take a seat" Cavanaugh half grunted, moving to the other side of the desk.
"Lieutenant Cavanaugh, I am the Chief Medical Examiner. It is my decision to appoint positions and offer jobs in the forensics lab" Maura began once they were all seated, her voice calm but firm.
"Dr Isles I understand, but Dr O'Malley's term here will only be short"
"I mean" Maura turned slightly to Megan "no offence"
"None taken" she replied quietly.
"I don't know her qualifications, experience, nothing... it's quite preposterous that you should assume you; without my knowledge and understanding of this field, that this lady is- wait...Dr Megan O'Malley, as in Agent O'Malley" Maura turned fully to face the girl, who in turn stared intently at Cavanaugh, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Dr Isles" Maura turned to look back to Cavanaugh, glancing back to Megan for a moment "I must ask you to not disclose that information to anyone here at BDP. It is imperative that no one knows about Megan's previous employment with the FBI"
"Previous?" Maura asked, glancing to Megan who was staring aimlessly at the carpet.
"Her position at the FBI has been terminated, and as she is... a close family friend I offered to set her up with work whilst she waits for a medical examiner's position to open up" he paused for a moment "while she is here, you will still be running autopsy and so on, just consider her a helping hand- not that you need one. She isn't here to move in on your position, or whatever, just to...busy herself for the time being"
Maura nodded in understanding.
"I'll just do things like run blood screens or whatever" Megan added, a slight Boston-Irish accent in her voice.
"Noo!" Maura's protest took both Cavanaugh and Megan back. "Sorry" she looked sheepishly at them both "no...um...it's so great having you here, I've read all of your papers. We can work together! I'm excited."
Both slightly startled by the doctor's reaction, Cavanaugh and Megan moved back against their seats.
"Okay" Megan replied quietly, though smiling at the doctor.
"Alright, so...you and you, good right?" Cavanaugh asked, nodding to them both.
"Oh yes" Maura nodded enthusiastically.
"Sure" Megan smiled to them both.
"Good, get to work" Cavanaugh laughed lightly before shaking their hands.
Later that night Jane sat at Maura's kitchen island while Maura moved around preparing a salad.
"I'm actually looking forward to working with her" Maura spoke lightly, a smile on her face.
Jane eyed her sceptically "really? I mean, come on. Where's the lecture of "I'm the Chief Medical Examiner: it's my decision" or "How do I know she's good?" her voice attempting to mimic Maura's.
Maura turned to her, a smile in her eyes though her lips in a thin line "first of all I do not speak that way, and second of all I know she is good. At first I kind of was annoyed, but now that I am aware of the facts, I'm actually quite excited"
Jane looked down at her drink while she spoke "oh yeah, what are the facts?"
"Oh you know, her experience, blah blah blah" Maura waved her hand slightly as she sang the last part.
"Blah blah blah?" Jane repeated dryly "my my Dr Isles aren't we the articulate bunny today."
"Why bunny?" Maura tilted her head to the side, genuinely curious.
Jane frowned and twisted her face slightly as she thought back to the use of the word "yeah, dunno where that came from"
Maura shrugged and smiled "I like it"
"Well that's it now, Dr Bugsy Isles"
The doctor's lips turned into a pout "don't call me that, you didn't say Bugsy you said Bunny. I don't like Bugsy"
Jane raised her eyebrows slightly "Bunny then" she rolled her eyes. Maura's face turned back to a smile and she continued with her salad.
"So go on, facts...what's her experience? She seems kinda quiet don't you think?"
"Mm" came Maura's reply.
"Mm" Jane repeated with a raised eyebrow. She regarded the doctor who now had her back turned to her. Standing from her seat her eyes began to narrow. "Isles, what are you hiding from me?" she husked, moving around the island.
Maura hesitated for a moment before turning to face her, not realising how close Jane had gotten. The detective could feel Maura's warm breath against her neck, but she couldn't get her legs to move backwards.
"I'm" Maura began, but she realised her breath was caught in her throat as her eyes searched the detective's dark brown orbs. "Not" she finished in a breath. Her eyes flickered to the detective's lips, as did the detective's to hers. They back to move forward slightly, mouths slight parted and eyes half closed.
Jane stepped back slightly, looking to the side, to which Maura turned gripping the counter.
"I gotta...I have an early... I need to go to bed. See you tomorrow Maura" as Jane passed the doctor she went to pat her back but stopped short, retracting the hand. Maura nodded quietly, eyes trained on the counter. It wasn't until she heard the door shut that she pushed herself away with a sigh.
"We need to stop doing this" Maura whispered into the empty house, closing her eyes slightly and lowering her head.