Title: Studying via touch

Rated: T for nudity

People: Maura, Cailin, Jane

Summary: Cailin is studying for a muscular-skeletal exam and Maura offers to help in a weird way. Cailin POV.

"Ugh." I groaned in the room. I looked at the clock. Green letters glared back 8:30pm. I had been studying for three hours straight and still hadn't gotten it. This exam was the last one before the final. I had to pass it. I heard my stomach growl and decided to take a break.

I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside I saw a container of food labeled "Cailin". It was quinoa and some chicken. Maura must have made it for me. She's so sweet, I think it was a way of bonding. I ate in silence and noticed Maura laying on the couch. She hadn't said two words to me and I called for her.

She looked away from her book and looked at me.

"What?"

"How long have you been there?"

"An hour."

She walked to me and smiled. She watched me eat and we talked some. She then patted my head and returned to her book. I decided to study out in the living room with her but it didn't help.

"Rah." I cried in frustration.

She chuckled but didn't look at me. I threw my note book at her. She slowly sat up and smirked. The glare she gave me temporarily froze me.

"Cailin…"

I gulped.

"You're dead!"

I ran for it and she tackled me. She then pinned me and tickled me.

"St…stop….maur….sto…" I couldn't get any words out.

She glanced at my notebook and picked it up. She read through it while still tickling me. She stopped for a moment and I flipped us over. I smirked and tried tickling her.

"Ha-ha."

"Wh-"I started before feeling her leg wrap around me and flip us back over.

"wh...How..."

"Prison." She stated.

I nodded and she let up. She looked at my notebook and I tried to yank it from her.

"Studying?"

"Trying to but I can't seem to get the hang of it."

She handed it back and stood however she didn't move.

"What system?"

"Muscular-skeletal."

"I see."

She looked as if she was debating telling me something. I just stared at her unsure of what to do.

"Can I show you something I was taught?"

"That depends. Will it help me?"

"It might. But it's strange yet useful."

I agreed curious as to what Maura had planned. She seemed slightly uncomfortable but grabbed me and led me to her bedroom.

We sat in the middle of the floor. I was confused, what was she doing?

"Ok. You need to know the muscles from the inside out. Their location and their purpose."

"Yeah."

"So I will be your body."

"What?"

"You are going to touch a muscle on me and tell me its name, location and purpose."

"Umm. I'm not sure."

"That's ok but it is and option."

I thought for a sec. have a genius help me study or bury my head in textbooks for three more hours.

"Ok."

Maura turned her back and started to undo her shirt.

"Um. What are you doing?"

"Well it's easier to see."

She took off her shirt and bra. I gasped at what I saw. Deep marks of her past were engraved. I ran my hand across them. As I did she would explain how they happened while I tragically listened.

Diagonal scar left shoulder.

"Motorcycle accident, Peru, 1997."

Horizontal scar in-between 4th and 5th right ribs.

"Pneumothorax due to car accident, Japan, 2003."

Large diagonal scar center of back.

"Bar fight, London, 2005."

Medium incision currently healing upper right shoulder.

"Prison knife fight, New York, 2014."

Medium horizontal scar lower back.

"Kidney transplant, Boston, 2014."

I rubbed my own scar as we were lost in our own thoughts. We had a silent moment realizing each other's pain. She then laid down. I stared unsure of how to proceed. She grabbed my hand and I decided to let her lead.

We started simple, she placed my hand on the scar of her left shoulder. I rubbed it up and down for about 30 seconds.

"Um."

"Take your time."

"Deltoid muscle. Upper shoulder. Helps shoulder extension and movement."

"Good."

She moved my hand to other areas and helped me with the answers by correcting me when I was wrong. We moved from her shoulders, down her arms, to her spine and her lower back. Then we did the front. My eyes dropped down and she noticed. She slapped me playfully.

"Buy me dinner first silly, then look." She joked.

She put my hand on her ribs and I moved it up and down. she bit her lip to keep from laughing and I grinned wickedly.

"Are you ticklish?" I asked.

"Don't you dare." She growled. I let up but it was tempting.

"External intercostal. Ribs 1-11. Aids in inhalation."

"Internal intercostal. Same location. Holds ribs tightly."

"Very good." She praised.

I moved my hand off her and pointed to her chest as I felt uncomfortable touching her there.

"Pectoral muscle, chest, um…"

"You got this." She encouraged.

"Helps with arm movement and breathing."

"Yes, pulls on rib cage to expand lungs allowing for deep inhalation." She explained.

I smiled and we continued. I ran my hand up her chiseled abs and was ashamed of my own. They felt like rocks even when Maura wasn't flexing.

"Abs."

Maura shook her head.

"Internal oblique, abdominal wall, rotates trunk and compresses abdominal wall."

Maura nodded and moaned little when I ran my hand up her abs.

"It worked." I said amazed.

"Yes while sight is the most used and powerful human sense, touch has been prove to be just as effective in both blind and seeing persons."

"There you go rattling off facts again." We heard a raspy voice.

Jane was standing outside the bedroom door. Maura looked up at Jane and I avoided her gaze.

"Um." I said.

"Having fun?" Jane teased.

"Yes." Maura said.

I noticed that like me Jane also avoided looking at Maura's chest.

"What is it?" Maura said annoyed.

"We got a crime scene. Lower southie. I've been trying to call you like 5 times."

"I see. Well you go ahead and I'll meet you there."

"Ok. Wouldn't want to interrupt your weird massage thing." Jane said then ran for it.

"Sorry you can't relax now." I whispered as I had taken up her whole evening.

"I can for a little bit. Like ten minutes."

"but-"

"They'll still be dead when I get there."

I yawned and looked at the clock. 10 pm. I tried to stand but my legs were tired. I leaned into her for support and she put down on her bed.

"Rest."

"But-"

"I'll be back."

If I sleep here, where was she going to sleep?

"I'll sleep on the couch."

"But-"

She silenced me with a kiss to my forehead. I looked up to see her soft smile and I began to feel sleepy. I saw her red sox t-shirt on and a leather jacket. She closed the door and about ten minutes later I heard the rev of a motorcycle.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

FIN