Notes: This was supposed to be a one-shot but apparently just getting to the smut is taking forever, so here's the start...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"Are you sure you can afford this?"

Jane rolled her eyes and counted to ten. She dropped the box of kitchen supplies onto the counter and turned around. "Yes, Ma. I saved up so I could afford this."

"It's just a lot of money to spend on an apartment," she said, placing a second box beside it. "You could have got a house somewhere."

"Nowhere I want to live."

"Your father and I could have helped."

"With what?" she asked, holding her hands out at her sides. "Don't pretend that money ain't tight."

"Money's always tight, but you're our baby."

Opening up the box, Jane focused her attention on the utensils, pans and plates that she took from the box. She could feel her mother's watchful gaze as she retrieved the dishes from the second box.

"Are you sure you want to live on your own?"

Sighing, Jane slouched onto the stool she'd purchased from a second hand store. "Ma, I've been living on my own since I was twenty-two."

"Not the last couple of years."

"That's because I needed to save for this place," she said. "I appreciate everything you and Pop have done so that I could save up quicker, but I need to live on my own again."

Wiping at her eyes, Angela turned away. "It's just hard having your baby fly the nest."

"Again, I've been living alone for years," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "I've already flown."

"I was so used to having you back in the house, what am I gonna do now?"

"I don't know," Jane said. "Bug Tommy about getting a job?"

"Your brother is doing his best."

"It's not his best."

"You don't understand what he's been through."

"Don't I?" Jane shook her head and piled the bowls on top of the plates. "He quit college weeks before graduation. He got a crappy job at a service station until it closed down and now he's sitting on the couch all day instead of making money."

"He's trying."

"If you count going out all night with his drunken friends trying, then sure, he's trying."

"He's not a bad boy."

"I never said he was." Jane stood up and opened a cupboard, moving the plates across to it. "But he's already got a DUI. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is he's gonna end up in the court house again."

Angela wiped at her eyes, her lips pursed together. "We're handling it, Janie. You stay out of it."

"I'll stay out of it when you stay out of my business."

"Fine," Angela said, picking up her purse and heading towards the door.

"I didn't mean you had to leave."

"That's exactly what you meant," Angela said, gritting her teeth. "I'll see you tomorrow at dinner."

She closed the apartment door behind her. Jane slouched back onto the stool and ran a hand through her hair. She regretted ever moving home in the first place.

Once she'd tidied the boxes away into the cupboard, Jane sat down on her brand new couch and stared at the black screen of the television. The electricity wasn't going to be connected until later in the day. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

She opened them again.

Music trailed through the walls, infiltrating her ears. She stared at the door, hoping that if she looked long enough, the noise would stop. Her lips curved at the edges. It wasn't exactly your typical music for the neighbourhood. She listened a little harder. The classical music was vaguely familiar, something she'd heard before, though she couldn't pinpoint where.

It grew a little louder as it reached its crescendo, until it stopped suddenly. Jane sat upright, her brows tugged together. The sound of a door opening in the hallway infiltrated the silence. She stood up and rushed to the door but by the time she peered through the glass eye piece, the hallway was still once more.

x

A man's shouts infiltrated the closed door of the apartment. Maura Isles leaned against the eye piece and glanced down the hallway. A woman, her mess of dark curls covering her face, leaned against the doorway opposite. A tall, black man stood over her.

"Come on, Jane," he said, chewing his bottom lip.

"Get the fuck away from me," she shouted, pushing his shoulders, but he didn't move away.

Maura hovered, unsure of what best to do. Then he kissed the woman and she kissed him back, for a moment. A knee to the groin, and he stumbled backward. Unlatching the door, Maura rushed out, her heart raced, though she didn't know what she was going to do, anyway. What use was she? She'd not taken a self-defence class in years, her choice of exercise boiled down to yoga.

"See you at work," the man said, cupping his groin and stumbling away.

The woman – Jane, or so she'd heard - her arms folded across her chest, smirked at his back. Her eyes travelled away from him until they landed on Maura.

"It's you," Maura said, stepping forward, her eyes bugged. "I didn't know you lived here."

"Do I know you?"

"I offered you money at the Division One café, the barista refused to serve you."

"Oh," Jane said, shrugging. "Yeah. You're the one who keeps playing classical music at top volume?"

"I would hardly consider it top volume," Maura said. "Though I only play it for half an hour each morning."

"I noticed."

"I'm sorry." She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't realise the walls were so lacking in sound proofing."

"You don't look the type to live in this neighbourhood," Jane said, looking her up and down.

Sighing, Maura ran her hands across the front of her dress. She anticipated her outfit cost more than the contents of the other woman's apartment, but she wasn't willing to bet on it.

"It's a temporary arrangement. I would say neither do you."

"This?" Jane looked down at her own outfit, she shrugged. "Yeah. It's not what it looks like."

"Are you okay?" Maura folded her arms across her chest. "That man, was he trying to hurt you?"

"Martinez?" She scoffed. "Nah. He's a pussy."

"By the word pussy, I assume you mean he's weak, cowardly, or effeminate, and not that he's a feline, or a woman's genitals?"

Frowning, Jane stared a little harder. "Err, yeah. No. He's not a creep."

"I'll take your word for it."

"I've gotta go," Jane said, turning around. Once she'd pushed open her door, she turned back to Maura, who hadn't moved from the hallway. "Bye then."

"Wait," Maura said, stepping forward, her hand outstretched. "I'm Maura."

"Jane."

"It's nice to meet you. If you need to borrow a cup of sugar, or anything, just knock."

"Okay." Frowning again, Jane took Maura's hand, then backed away. "See you around."

x

A loud scream woke her from her dreams. Jane sprang out of bed, her gun in hand, and walked through the apartment. At the front door, she unlatched the chain and walked into the small hallway. There was no one around. She walked up a flight of stairs, then down one below, but the apartment building was deathly silent. A second scream made her sprint up to her floor and stop. Maura's apartment door was closed, and so was her own.

"Fuck," she said, slipping the safety on her gun and resting it in the waist band of her shorts. She pressed against the door but it wouldn't open. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"Is everything okay?"

Jane spun around, her gun out in front of her, her heart racing faster than when she got to drive with a blue light through the streets of Boston. She lowered the weapon.

"I'm sorry," Maura said, her hands up at either side. "Don't hurt me."

"Relax," Jane said. "I'm a Detective, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Oh." Maura narrowed her eyes. Jane stared her up and down and wondered how she looked so…perfect…when she must have been woken from her sleep. She glanced down at the odds socks covering her feet and the holes in the bottom of her shorts. "I thought you were…I didn't know you were a Detective."

"No, you wouldn't," Jane said. "You've seen me dressed like a hooker, twice."

"Undercover?"

"Somebody's a genius."

"Actually, I am."

Jane frowned. "I'm locked out. I heard someone scream, so I came to see what was going on."

"Do you have a spare key?"

Running a hand through the back of her hair, Jane laughed. "Yeah, inside my apartment."

"That doesn't sound very clever."

"I just moved in," she said. "What do you expect?"

"The day I moved in I got a key cut and I stored it in my safety deposit box."

"Of course you did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Jane sighed. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Who are you going to call?"

"A locksmith," she said. "I dunno. I can break my door down but then I won't be able to lock it."

"It's late," Maura said. "Why don't you come inside and I can get you a spare blanket, you can sleep on my couch?"

Pausing, Jane looked her up and down again. She didn't get any dangerous vibes off her. The only thing she did get was a sense that Maura didn't belong in the apartment building. She looked too…elegant…for that.

"I couldn't."

"Why not?" Maura raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how much locksmiths charge for emergency call outs in the middle of the night?"

"No. Do you?"

"Well, no, I don't. But I have had to call a plumber at three in the morning once before and it was more than I care to think about."

"Yeah, that's pretty normal." Maura tilted her head to one side. Jane walked towards the door. "My Pop's a plumber. So, if you have any middle of the night emergencies, call me, I can probably sort you out until morning."

"No need," Maura said, stepping to one side to allow Jane entrance to the apartment. "I'm fully aware of where the water valve is. I'm prepared for any water based emergency and anticipate I can turn off the valve in approximately two minutes."

"Two minutes?" Jane scoffed. "The whole place could be half flooded by then."

"Do you think you could wake up, come over to my apartment, and turn it off quicker?"

"I guess not."

Maura left Jane alone in the entrance of the apartment for a moment. Jane glanced around, the expensive taste was anything but surprising, and she was sure at least one of the paintings on the wall was an original. Returning a moment later, Maura handed her a pillow and a blanket.

"Make yourself at home, there's glasses in the kitchen, and juice if you want it."

"I'm not gonna drink your juice," Jane said, placing the blanket over her arm and resting her firearm on top of it.

"I don't mind." Jane followed her across to the living space. "I hope you will be comfortable, the couch is not the longest. I hadn't considered your stature when I suggested it."

"It'll be fine," Jane said. "Thanks."

"I have a safe where you can keep the gun."

"I'd rather keep it next to me, if that's okay."

"That would be fine. Do you need anything else?"

Pursing her lips, Jane considered the question for a moment. "Do you just wake up like that or did you spend ten minutes making yourself look pretty before you came out?"

Taken aback, Maura frowned. "Excuse me?"

"You can't have just rolled out of bed like that," she said, running a hand through her dark mane. "Look at me, I look like I belong in a before photo of some makeover show. You look like you belong in a modelling catalogue."

"I moisturise before bed."

"And that'll make me look like a supermodel?" Jane scoffed.

"I wouldn't have said you were unattractive."

Pausing, Jane looked at her again, her cheeks reddened. She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and glanced at her feet. "I should probably get some sleep."

"Of course." Maura smiled and walked away. She turned back. "Jane, if you need anything, just knock."

"Thank you."

x

Having someone in the apartment made sleep impossible. Maura stared into space, listening to every tiny sound, wondering if she'd made a mistake. In hindsight, she'd allowed someone into her apartment who was holding a gun. She'd allowed said person to keep hold of their gun and then went to bed.

It wasn't that she felt unsafe with Jane, quite the opposite, but there was still a niggling feeling in the back of her mind. What if she'd been lied to? She said she was a detective, yet Maura hadn't corroborated that with anybody. She could still be a prostitute who had men showing up at her apartment at all hours of the day and night.

After an hour of tossing and turning, she returned to the living area. Jane lay on her back, her mouth parted with breath as she slept. Maura crept across to the table beside the couch and reached for the gun, anything to make herself feel a little safer to go to sleep. When she pulled her hand away, the gun in her grip, Jane's fingers tightened around her wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jane asked.

Maura glanced down, her eyes now wide open. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, explain."

"I couldn't sleep."

"So, you thought you'd take my gun and shoot me?"

Maura scoffed, placing the gun back down on the table. "Of course not. I was concerned about my own safety. I thought if I put the gun in my safe then I might be able to get some sleep."

"Did you think I was gonna shoot you?"

"I was unsure."

"I told you, I'm a detective."

"For every situation where a gun is used as self-defense in the home, there are at least seven murders or assaults, four accidents, and eleven suicide attempts. Owning a gun increases your risk of death by firearm, not less."

"Well aren't you little miss gun friendly."

Sitting up, Jane rubbed at her eyes, her grip barely loosened on Maura's wrist. She picked up her gun with her other hand. Maura sat down on the edge of the couch, Jane's legs behind her back covered in the blanket. She attempted to retrieve her hand, but Jane wouldn't let go. Eventually, she sat up beside her and cradled the gun with both hands.

"I wasn't going to hurt you," Maura said. "I was trying to make us both safer."

Jane nodded. "I know you weren't gonna hurt me."

"How?"

"I'm a detective." She pulled her legs up against her chest. "I meet criminals on a daily basis, I know a good person when I see them."

"Oh." Maura shifted back into the spot on the couch. "You know, I work at the police department."

"Do you?"

"I'm the new medical examiner."

"The music," Jane said, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the pillow.

"Excuse me?"

"I've heard your music before. It was a couple of weeks ago, I went down to the medical examiner's office to get some results on a drug test and I heard classical music. The same thing you were playing the other morning."

"Bach's Suite G in major, likely. It's one of my favourites."

"Don't medical examiners make heaps of money?"

Her eyes bugged, Maura stared at Jane. "I don't think my financial situation is any of your business, do you?"

"I was gonna say that this isn't exactly the kind of neighbourhood for rich people."

"Who says that I'm rich?"

Scoffing, Jane rolled her eyes. "Please. Look at you. Look at this place. Your blankets are softer than anything I've ever touched."

"It's cashmere."

"I didn't even know they did cashmere blankets."

"Sure they do, they make a variety of items using cashmere."

"See?" Jane leaned forward. "Is that robe cashmere too?"

"No, it's cotton. Why does the softness of my blanket make me less likely to live in the neighbourhood?"

"Look at you," Jane said, staring her up and down. "You're stunning."

"Thank you."

"Look at me," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not."

"That depends on whose perspective you're looking at you from." Maura lifted her knees up onto the couch and turned to face her. "From the pimples on your face I take it your increased use of makeup is having an effect on your skin?"

Jane's eyes tightened at the corners. "Should I be offended?"

"Apologies," Maura said, reaching a hand out to her chin. Jane flinched, then settled against Maura's touch. "I'm a doctor, it's my nature to notice things. What I was going to follow up with is that you don't need mascara to make your lashes appear full and long, and your skin is in excellent condition, possibly a result of a lack of toxins on your skin. You have a natural beauty."

Under her touch, Jane shifted away. Maura lowered her hand, her eyebrows tugged together.

"I'm sorry, did I say or do something wrong?"

"Nah," Jane said, staring down at her fingers. "This just isn't what I expected to happen at four in the morning."

"It is late," Maura said, glancing across at the clock on the mantel. She slipped her legs off the edge of the couch and stood up. Leaning down, she cupped Jane's cheek again, and pressed her lips to the corner of her mouth. "Goodnight."

Pulling away, Jane's fingers wrapped around her wrist again. Maura stared down into her eyes. Kneeling up, Jane closed the gap, pressing her lips briefly against Maura's.

"Night."