This was written for my Season 2 Countdown Challenge, the prompt was "Shy". Kind of long for a drabble, maybe, but I still consider it to qualify as one. Again, it might stray a wee bit from what's expected of the prompt, but I think it stuck to it decently.
Maura Isles was often the quiet one, but not the type that went unnoticed.
She was gentle and meticulous, careful and precise, but she was also bubbly and bright when she was well acquainted with you.
Jane noticed her from across the room right away during the BPD's Christmas party, standing near a bowl of punch and smiling brightly, despite being alone at such a social function.
Jane watched the woman with intrigue, wondering why such a beautiful woman went unnoticed by the others.
She soon saw that this wasn't the case- several men would have their turn speaking with her, and after a few minutes, would excuse themselves and walk away.
All the while, the caramel blonde continued smiling and did not let the quick dismissals bother her. She must not have cared, or simply must not have understood, that there was something amiss with being the only person standing alone. She would glance around every now and then and then downcast her eyes, staring at the carpet and what looked like some very expensive shoes.
After at least an hour of careful observation, Jane felt the need to gather more information on the woman.
"Hey, Crowe, who's that?" Jane prompted one of the men in her circle. She happened to be the only woman in the circle, as she tended to stick with coworkers at social functions, and the homicide department was a male force aside from Jane.
"Who, the hot chick by the punch bowl? That's Dr. Isles. Most of the guys call her Doctor Death. She's that freaky ME that got transferred in a month ago." Crowe seemed to be amused by the nickname, but something about it rubbed Jane the wrong way. She didn't like the fact that Crowe assumed that she was "freaky" simply because she was an ME. People made assumptions about Jane all the time that were entirely untrue, and it irked her when flash judgments were made like that.
"I'm sure she's not that bad, Crowe. She looks like a nice person. She's been standing there smiling all night and I've seen at least 8 guys walk away from her after less than five minutes. Maybe they wouldn't call her Doctor Death if they knew something about her life." Jane frowned, giving Crowe a challenging look and glancing at the ME again.
"Don't get all preachy, Jane, she's weird. Mitch tried to talk to her the other day when he asked her about some tox screen she did, and he said she started babbling about the drug the vic was on and wouldn't shut the hell up. The chick's a weirdo." Crowe scoffed and shrugged, dismissing Jane's sudden clenched jaw and glare.
"She's new around here, maybe she just wanted to get to know someone, and you dicks are too afraid to admit that she might know more than you do." Jane spit the words at Crowe and turned, walking toward Maura with determination. If nobody else was going to welcome her, then she would have to do it herself.
Jane waltzed up to the ME, smiling and extending her hand, which she shook with a surprising grip.
"Hey, there, I'm Jane. Jane Rizzoli, I work in Homicide." Jane let go of the soft hand, allowing her own to slip into her pockets.
"Pleased to meet you, Jane. I'm Maura Isles, the Chief Medical Examiner. I do believe that you've been down to the morgue a few times, and I've seen you at scenes? It's nice of you to introduce yourself formally, though." Maura smiled warmly, shifting a bit awkwardly in Jane's presence. She radiated a certain confidence that made Maura uneasy, though not in a bad way. Maura could tell that this woman was sure of herself, but not cocky like many of the male detectives that she had encountered in her time as a Medical Examiner.
"Yeah, well, Ma always did tell us that it was good to be polite, and all that. Plus, you can't really get to know a person til you've had a chance to shake their hand. A handshake says a lot about a person's character." Jane took in the ME's appearance, sizing her up so to speak. She didn't appear intimidated as many other women were around her, but her demeanor was still rather quieted, her small smiles still shy and careful.
"First impressions are often what determine one's future interactions with any given person. There have been several studies that…" Maura cut herself off, halting her sentence as though she were suddenly aware of what she was saying. "…but I'm sure you're not very interested in that. I apologize. Do tell me, what made you decide to finally come and speak to me?" Maura grinned, a knowing look in her eye.
"Finally? What do you mean, finally?" Jane laughed, slightly nervous with the ME's inquiry.
"Well, you were watching me for quite some time. Or am I mistaken? It's just that, it seemed that you glanced at me quite a few times, more than one would in passing, or by coincidence. I'm sorry if I'm wrong, I was merely noting…" Maura shook her head, glancing down at her shoes again.
"Oh, you noticed that? Damn…I…I'm not creepy or anything, I just saw you being kinda shy and alone in the corner over here, and I thought I'd come over and say hi, y'know? I didn't mean to be weird or anything…" Jane blushed slightly. She felt silly for getting flustered over the ME's observation- it wasn't like she'd been accused of ogling her or anything.
"Oh, Jane, I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? Your facial musculature and the tensing of your…I didn't mean to imply anything, you weren't the only one that noticed that I was standing here." Maura frowned slightly, and for some reason Jane wanted to hear her say her name again. The way that she breathed it out, and with a comfortable familiarity, intrigued her, and for a minute she was lost in those apologetic eyes.
"Nah, I'm not uncomfortable, you just caught me off guard there. I'm not used to people being so… observant. Maybe you should be a detective and not an ME?" Jane laughed, getting comfortable again in the only way that she knew how, with humor.
"Oh, I'm not sure that I would qualify to be a detective, I have to say that I'm not very good with people. I would have some difficulty comforting victims' families…I prefer to work with the dead." Maura smiled brightly, "I can speak for them, you see. They all have a story, and I can tell it for them. Your work brings them justice, of course, but I get to have a more…personal relationship with them, if you will. And I also have a hand in bringing in their murderers. That and they would never call me Doctor Death…." Maura's eyes flitted to her shoes again, a contemplative look on her face.
Jane could have sworn that she looked like she was about to cry, and she suddenly felt her heart hurting for this woman that she had never really spoken with before.
"Hey, whoever calls you that are idiots that can't think of a more creative nickname. I mean, Doctor Death, really? What do they call me, Detective Dyke? Very original…." Jane felt herself begin to grow angry, and she took a gulp of her punch before she could go off on a full tirade.
"No, I don't believe I've ever heard them call you that…" Maura cocked her head, attempting to recall a time when she may have heard the name used.
"Look, all I'm saying is, you can forget those guys. They talk a lot of crap, but it's usually just because they're insecure." Maura smiled at Jane's reassuring words and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Jane. I'll keep that in mind next time."
Jane nodded, attempting to ignore the tingle that was left by Maura's hand.
"Don't mention it. And if any of the guys give you a hard time, just let me know. They're all afraid of me 'cause I'm the only girl they know that can kick their ass."
Maura chuckled, a brighter smile on her face than Jane had seen that night, and she was aware of her changing demeanor. Jane could almost see more of her peeking through that closed off, faraway look.
"Well, I'd better get going, they're probably shutting this thing down soon. I have to get to sleep, I've got a long day tomorrow, there's a shit ton of paperwork on my desk waiting to be taken care of." Jane groaned, earning another giggle from Maura.
"Perhaps I'll see you tomorrow then, Jane. I should probably go as well. I need at least a full 8 hours of sleep before I can even hope to function properly. It was nice speaking with you."
"Yeah, sure thing, I'll probably see you around. It was great talking to you, too." Jane shook her hand gently and left. It wasn't often that they got a female ME at the precinct, but this lady didn't seem half bad. Jane walked toward the parking lot with a smile on her face and an odd feeling in her chest.
Maura Isles…I think I'm gonna like this one.