This was written for my Season 2 Countdown Challenge, the prompt was "The Library". I kind of cheated on this one, because I already had it started for a multichapter fic that I never finished, but there are other chapters drifting around somewhere. Anyway, it fit the prompt, so I figured, why not finish the chapter?
"Ugh." A grunt came from a corner of the library, followed by a sigh.
Maura Isles sat quietly at a study desk not too far from the corner. Studying for her exam required concentration, and her roommate had been far too distracting for her liking. She would never understand how anyone could spend so much time on the telephone, and at such a volume that anyone in the building could have heard her! Well, perhaps not everyone in the building…she was only speaking loud enough to be heard by those in the nearby halls, and…Maura hadn't quite done the calculations, but she was speaking much too loudly.
Now, Maura sat in the library, attempting to take notes from her textbook, and this grunting and sighing from the corner was growing increasingly.
"Stupid…fucking….really?" The sighs became mumbles, and Maura decided that something had to be done. The incessant interruptions were disrupting her reading, and she had to finish this particular chapter before her next lecture. The Mumbler would have to study elsewhere, perhaps in one of the group rooms designed for "noisier" studying.
Maura stood up slowly and walked until she heard the mumbling grow louder.
"…the hell is the difference between Achulean and Oldowan anway?" The Mumbler spoke to her book, staring intently at the pages as though the answer would appear if she stared long enough.
"Oldowan is a much older tool technique than Achulean. It is far simpler than Achulean, the latter of which uses more processing of the material to create a tool." The Mumbler jumped at Maura's sudden response and close presence, and glared up at the babbling girl.
"Excuse me?"
"I said, Oldowan is…"
"I heard what you said, but how do you know that? I've been taking this class for half a quarter and I didn't know that." The Mumbler looked up at Maura, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in what looked like expensive clothing, but her style was different from that of the other girls on campus that obviously came from higher income families.
"Oh, I read up on different tool techniques a few years ago, it's quite fascinating, really. Once you begin to study the Levallois…well, that's beside the point. I wanted to ask that you please lower your voice. You see, I have some reading to do before my next lecture, and your exclamations are distracting…" Maura was attempting to be polite, and Jane could tell that she wasn't just being a snooty jerk, she was honestly trying to concentrate.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell or anything. I guess I was just getting kinda pissed. I have to study for this damn class. If I don't pull at least a C, I'll lose my hockey scholarship and I'll have to go home." Jane sighed, resting her head in her hands, and Maura took a moment to assess her physical appearance.
She was downtrodden, her muscles tense, and it was clear that she hadn't slept well in quite some time. This young girl was clearly under a significant amount of stress, and Maura could only imagine what it would mean to have to leave school due to a lack of monetary means.
"Right, well…" Maura was not one to befriend people quickly, but there was something about this girl that drew her in. She could tell that the brunette was truly disgruntled, and it was well within her ability to help.
"I…I could help you study, perhaps? As I said, I have learned about tool technologies prior to my schooling here, and I'm not quite sure that I know what subject it is that you're studying, but I could always help you with study techniques, should you need them." Maura smiled at the girl, who looked up at her with a suddenly guarded face.
"I can do this on my own, I don't need any help. I'm not an idiot, I just…." The brunette clenched her jaw and stopped, shaking her head as though debating with herself.
"…I could always use a study buddy, though…" She nodded to herself, and looked up at the caramel blonde.
"I'm Rizzoli. Jane Rizzoli, I'm a first year here. Majoring in criminal science, but I got dropped into this Anthropology class somehow and don't know what the hell I'm doing." She smiled at the smaller young woman, gesturing to the empty chair beside her.
"Oh, I see, my name is Maura, Maura Isles. I've been studying in the Medical Department, I plan on working as a Medical Examiner, you see. I've been taking several classes on anatomy, though I have taken a few introductory courses in Anthropology, as many of us do, for general credit requirements, and…" Maura glanced at her watch, suddenly aware of the time, and stood up hastily from her seat.
"Oh dear, I'm going to be late to my lecture! I really must get going. Do let me know if you would like to study sometime, though. Would you happen to have a pen? I left all of my things at my study desk and I would give you my mobile number for you to contact me, but…"
Jane grabbed a pen from her workspace and gingerly took Maura's hand, scribbling her number on her palm and smiling at the expression on Maura's face.
"What? You've never written on your skin before? It's just ink…"
Maura gulped and nodded, "I suppose, I've never read of any incidents resulting from writing on one's skin with a Bic pen, but…I'll have to transfer it to paper quickly, just in case. I'll contact you soon then, Jane." The medical student nodded emphatically, pushing her chair in and making her way to the study desk where her things were.
As she made her way to her next lecture (for a wonderful class that she was taking on the history of the scalpel), she found that she was surprisingly excited to make arrangements to study with The Mumbler- er, Jane.
Jane Rizzoli. The name rolled off of the tongue, Maura mused. Perhaps she had made a friend at BCU, after all.