Maura slumped against her pillows as her last coughing fit subsided. She was exhausted, having spent the night tossing in her bed, inadvertently scattering crumpled tissues around the entire room.

The smell of honey and lemon from a drink she'd made –one of her attempts at a remedy- made her feel even more nauseous.

Maura ran her hand dejectedly through her tousled hair. She definitely didn't feel like her usual together, polished self. This was a day she just wanted to hide from the whole of humanity.

At that moment, she distantly heard a key turn in the lock to her front door, and Jane's voice; "Maur, you in?"

Maura froze in panic.

It's okay, pretend you're not in.

She stumbled to her bedroom door. Now more than ever she wished she'd had a lock installed. As quietly as possible, she pushed it shut and slid to the floor, back against it, holding it shut.

"Maur?" Jane, with the finely tuned hearing of a detective, was not fooled. She turned down the corridor and pushed against the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Don't come in though"

"Why?" Maura could hear the concern in Jane's voice.

"I'm.. changing" It was kind of true. She hadn't changed out of her pyjamas yet, so it could be said she was mentally preparing herself for getting dressed.

"Maur I've seen you naked a million times before, what's the big deal?"

"Er.." No, she couldn't lie, and had no more plausible excuses. Resting her head against the door in defeat, she admitted; "I'm infected with severe rhinopharyngitis"

"Crap what's that?" Maura had to brace herself as she felt Jane pushing against the door, trying to come in.

"The common cold"

A loud sigh of relief could be heard through the door. "So you've got a cold? Really, Maur, what's the big deal? I don't care if I catch it."

"You don't understand"

"Would.. you like to help me understand?"

"I have rhinorrhea and congestion, leading to nasal inflammation. I have periobital puffiness due to lack of sleep. I've been wearing pyjamas for the last 18 hours and I haven't brushed my hair in at least 20. I'm wearing no makeup, and I can sense a cold sore developing on my upper lip. And I smell like honey and lemons." She added with a grimace.

"Well that sucks" There was a pause. "Why can't I come in though?"

Maura sighed in exasperation. "I look awful, Jane. I have the sexual appeal of a chromobacterium violaceum. I don't want you to see me like this." As if to prove her point, she was suddenly overcome by another coughing fit.

Taking advantage of this, Jane pushed the door open enough to slide through, ignoring Maura's half-hearted protests in between coughs.

Jane picked up a glass of water from beside her bed, and brought it over to her. She sat cross-legged on the floor next to her.

"Thanks" said Maura once she had recovered her breath.

"Better?"

Maura nodded.

"Then listen to me" Jane's voice was almost fierce as she took Maura's hands in her own. "I don't love you because you're beautiful, or because you're sexy, or because of your fancy clothes. I love you because you're Maura. And a cold's not gonna change that"

"Oh, Jane" Maura smiled, squeezing her hands. Jane wasn't sure if the sniffing meant she had been touched by what she said, or was just a symptom of the cold. She passed her a tissue anyway.

"You know, I can help you feel better. My girlfriend's a doctor, I know tonnes of medical shit. Or as a fallback I can warm up some soup for you"

Maura laughed, wiping her eyes with the tissue. "Thank you."

"Besides, you still look beautiful, and sexy, and I'm pretty sure those pyjamas cost more than my entire wardrobe."

Jane thought for a moment, then added; "But if you don't like them I could help you take them off?"