Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Just a fun oneshot based off of one of the season 4 promo pics. It's a completely ridiculous situation, but I needed something to get me back into writing and this request seemed fun so…here it is.

Jane jerks her arm up, and Maura's instantly follows. Again and again like a marionette. Jane groans for what seems like the hundredth time in minutes, and the noise reverberates deep in her throat. "Instead of just, I don't know, holding onto my shirt you thought handcuffing yourself to me was the better idea?"

In the dark, she can barely make out the widening of Maura's eyes. "You were supposed to have the key!"

"I did have the key!"

Maura scoffs. "One would think a trained detective wouldn't drop it on the floor."

"One would think a certified genius wouldn't handcuff herself to someone," Jane retorts, her eyes narrowing.

Silence. And then, "Well I still can't believe you dropped it."

Jane comes to a halt in a puddle deeper than it was round. "That rat was huge Maura. Huge."

"It was admittedly larger than usual…"

Jane points her finger. "You screamed! And I'm pretty sure you ripped my shirt when you tried to jump on my back."

"It's a—"

Clenching her jaw, she holds up her hand. "Don't say it."

Maura shrugs in a way Jane would think was cute if she could actually see her in this dark tunnel. "I just think you could find a shirt much better suited to your body type. That's all."

She rolls her eyes. "Well it still wouldn't get us out of here, would it?"

"No," Maura reluctantly agrees. "I suppose not."

Jane finally resumes walking down the pitch-black labyrinth with Maura close by her side. "Do you see a door or something?"

"You're the one with the flashlight, Jane."

"That doesn't mean you can't still look," Jane says, an undertone of aggravation shining through her words.

Taking pity, Maura sighs and intertwines her fingers with Jane's own. "No, I haven't seen an exit."

"You're sure we didn't miss it?"

Maura nearly, nearly rolls her eyes. "Of course I'm not sure. I can only see so much with that subpar flashlight."

"Yeah well, next time I'll be sure to bring my handy dandy strobe light," Jane rebuts, shining the tiny light at every single crevice they found.

"The effects of a strobe light would make it harder to see, Jane. Not easier."

"Maura," Jane deadpans. "Really?"

"A joke?"

"Yep."

"Oh. Ha ha," Maura dryly replies.

Jane's eyebrows shoot up. "Are you mocking me?"

They had been down here for at least an hour, and she knew Jane's patience was long past its breaking point. And she knew that being a royal pain in the ass was not helping the cause. She gives Jane's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. I'm just ready to get out of here."

Jane squeezes back. "Worried about your shoes?"

"My shoes are long past ruined," she says, lifting one foot off the muddy concrete. "I would just like to know I'm going to see the light of day again."

Jane laughs. "I didn't know you had a degree in melodrama now, too."

Maura somehow manages to scowl and pout at the very same time. "We have dinner reservations at seven, Jane. La Mayrin is really hard to get into and I'd actually like to make it this time."

"I knew it wasn't just about the shoes," Jane replies under her breath.

But before Maura can say anything, there's a clank that echoes off the walls and causes more than one rat to scurry in front of them.

She edges up closer to Jane's side in an attempt to let Jane's warmth to calm her. But her voice still trembles when she speaks. "Did you hear that?"

Silence.

She presses a little tighter to Jane's body. "Jane?"

"Shh."

Her breath becomes shallow. Even with the flashlight it's too dark to accurately see anything, and this could turn out to be really bad. She clutches Jane's shirt with her fist. "What if it's the murderer?"

"It's not the murderer, Maura. They did a clean sweep before we came down here."

"We're lost, Jane, so there's no telling how far away we are from the original crime scene. They might not have checked this passage."

"Well I have a gun. We're fine." She tries to lift it, but Maura's arm comes up with hers. "Really, Maura? You had to handcuff my left hand?"

"It was closest!" She exclaims in a loud whisper.

Jane deeply sighs and continues walking. "Just…try to stay close."

They only walk mere feet down the slimy passageway before coming face to face with a flashlight so bright that they both immediately have to shield their eyes.

"What the—"

"Jesus, Jane," Korsak nearly yells as the light gets brought closer. "We thought we'd never find you down here."

"Yeah, well some jackass flipped the exit sign around."

Thankfully, it's too dark to see the guilty grimace on Frost's face.

They start walking towards the exit, and Maura turns to Jane with a grin. "This worked out perfectly. We have just enough time to get cleaned up before our reservation."

But by cleaned up, she means dressed up which means Jane actually has to brush her hair tonight.

"Yeah," Jane dryly replies as they walk out into fresh air. "Sounds great."

Baffled, Frost watches as the two women make their way to their car. "Are they…handcuffed?"