On a frigid night in the midst of the Boston winter, a nondescript car sat outside a rundown house in a poor part of Boston. The engine was off, as it had been for the past six hours, and the two occupants within the vehicle were bundled against the blustering wind that rocked the car from side to side and dropped temperatures below zero. "This is so goddamn stupid. Who the hell in their right mind would be out in this sort of weather?" Jane, sitting in the passenger seat, pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck and flexed her gloved hands. She winced at the deep ache that had settled in them and glared outside the frosted windows of the car.
Korsak offered a wan smile and pulled his hat further down so his eyebrows were hidden beneath them. "Well, I suppose even alleged murderers have to get groceries sometimes. I mean, I don't know about you, but I would get hungry after strangling someone and then hauling their body into a hand-dug grave." He shrugged when Jane glanced at him skeptically and picked up his long-cold coffee, making a face as he took a sip.
Jane snickered at his expression and reached for her own. She struggled to make her hand close around the paper cup and settled for loosely cupping it in both hands. As she took a sip of it, she noticed Korsak closely watching her and pulled a face at him. "What's the face for?" She circled the air around his head and he presumably cocked an eyebrow, if the faint movement of his hat was any indication.
"How are you feeling, Jane?"
"You mean besides cold, hungry, and generally bitchy?" She sighed when he continued to stare at her and slumped into her seat. "I'm fine, alright? Just cold and ready to find something so we can put this asshole away." She turned her face toward the house, cutting off any further conversation with her shoulder facing her partner. She heard Korsak sigh quietly behind her but kept her eyes resolutely trained on the house that was slowly disappearing in the rising wind.
"Oh my God, finally," Jane muttered in exhaustion when she unlocked the door of the house on Beacon Hill. She dumped the keys on the table and, with numb fingers, fumbled off her holster. She locked it inside a drawer in the foyer after missing the keyhole several times and wandered into the kitchen in search of something warm to heat up her frozen, well, everything.
She paused in the entryway to the kitchen when she noticed Maura standing with her back to her as she stirred something on the stovetop. She had removed her heels and was idly rubbing the back of her calf with her opposite foot as she hummed to herself, dressed comfortably in yoga pants and an old shirt of Jane's that was thin and perfectly worn in. Jane smiled unconsciously at the sight and silently padded across the kitchen. She nuzzled into Maura's neck and wrapped her arms around her waist, immediately burrowing her hands beneath the edge of the shirt and pressing her palms flat against her stomach. Maura yelped at the frigid digits splayed over her warm skin as Jane laughed silently and pressed her nose into the heated spot behind her jaw. "Mmmm," she hummed happily, "you're so damn warm." She pressed harder against Maura's back and yanked her closer, nearly moaning as Maura finally relaxed and laughed quietly.
She turned in Jane's arms, crossing her arms behind her neck, and threaded her fingers through Jane's thick hair as she nuzzled under her jaw. "You're back." Jane nodded wordlessly, tucking her nose into Maura's hair and slipping her hands under her shirt again and pressing the pads of her fingertips into the small of her back in search of heat. Maura squirmed at the cold sensation but allowed Jane's hands to wander. "You caught him?"
"Brought him in, at least. Korsak basically ordered me to get some sleep under pain of being forced onto desk duty." Maura snorted and Jane hummed agreeably. They leaned into each other until the sound of something bubbling caught Maura's attention and she reluctantly removed herself from Jane's arms to oversee the food on the stove. "What's cooking?"
"Just some soup I made. Chicken, some vegetables, spices…it's fairly simple, but filling as well."
"It smells delicious. After being stuck on stakeout duty for the past few days, I swear I could eat shoe leather and it would taste good." Maura's face screw up in distaste and Jane laughed. She darted in to peck her cheek, simultaneously reaching past Maura to steal a piece of chicken out of the pot. She danced out of reach as she popped the piece in her mouth and her eyes rolled back in her head as she moaned at the taste. "My God, woman, this is fantastic."
Maura flushed prettily at the praise and tried, unsuccessfully, to level a chastising look at Jane. "If you're done stealing food before it's finished, could you get a couple bowls and pour drinks?" Jane opened a cupboard as Maura pulled a carrot out of the pot to test how crunchy it was and turned the burner off.
She whirled around when she heard glass shatter; Jane was wincing and shaking out her hands with shards of glass at her feet, an apologetic and pained grimace on her face. "Jane, are you alright? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's fine. I'm alright." Jane shook out her hand and slowly tightened it into a fist until tears welled up in her eyes.
Maura's lips pursed and she delicately picked her way around the mess and cradled one of Jane's hands between hers. "Do they hurt?" She ran her thumb in light circles over the scar on the back of her hand as she searched Jane's eyes. "It wouldn't be unusual, given the placement of the wounds and the buildup of scar tissue…"
Jane wordlessly nodded, eyes half hidden behind her hair, and let Maura lead her to the island to sit on a stool. Maura carefully started kneading the scar, gradually increasing the pressure and vigorous movement of her thumbs as she worked the tightness out and warmed up her hand. She kissed Jane's palm after she was done and Jane offered her other hand to work on, slumping over and groaning contently as the knots and stiffness were worked out. After Maura was done, she ran her hands up and down Jane's arms briskly, feeling the last of the cold leave her body. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Maur." Jane flashed an uncertain smile up at Maura.
The doctor returned the look and wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders. She leaned in to speak against her ear and cradled Jane's head with a hand at the back of her neck. "You never need to feel weak for feeling pain, Jane. I always want you to be healthy and happy, and if that means massaging your hands every day for the rest of our lives, I'll gladly do it."
Jane laughed weakly and hid her face against Maura's neck. "You sap," she murmured.
Maura hummed as she carded her fingers through Jane's hair, gently untangling knots and attempting to tame the wild curls. "Do you still want to eat? We could take a shower after; it would raise your core temperature further and help dispel any lingering pain."
"Boy, you sure know how to woo a girl." Jane pulled away with a grin and fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly, ducking away when Maura smacked her arm. "Hey, no hitting invalids!" Maura scoffed, smiling affectionately as she dished up two bowls of soup and they sat down to eat.
After cleaning up, they retreated upstairs to the master bath, laughing quietly as Jane pretended to chase Maura and the honey blonde squealed before making a break for the doorway. Jane caught her just inside the bathroom and held her around her waist while Maura turned on the shower and turned in her arms. Her fingers slipped beneath the edge of Jane's sweater and pulled it over her head, then went to work on the buttons of her work shirt.
Jane, meanwhile, played with the small hairs at the nape of Maura's neck and tickled up and down her spine, occasionally pausing to gently snap the band of her yoga pants. She grudgingly removed her hands again when Maura tugged at the sides of her shirt and shivered as the damp air touched bare skin. Maura fingered the button of her slacks, looking up through her bangs at Jane. "I can shower in the morning if you want," she said, her free hand covering the scar on Jane's abdomen. "I don't want you to feel obligated, just because I haven't seen yo-"
"Hey, hey, it's alright. I missed you, too. Besides, there's only two other ways I like to warm up with you." When Maura cocked her brow, Jane explained, "Sticking my hands under your shirt, and hot monkey sex." She grinned when Maura snorted and set her hands on the hem of her shirt. "Let's get you out of this."
They stripped, stealing peeks at each other and lingering when they caught the other looking, and slipped under the stream of hot water together. Jane sighed happily, turning her face up to the faucet so the water ran in rivulets down her angular features, and Maura pressed against her back. She dotted kisses across her shoulders and spine as her hands wandered across the flat expanse of her stomach, pausing her and there on the various scars that dotted the skin. Jane laid her hand over Maura's, lingering over the round scar off center on her lower abdomen, and squeezed her fingers. Maura rested her head between her shoulders blades and let the water run over them both until she felt Jane move restlessly.
They slowly washed each other and scrubbed their hair, ducking under the hot spray in between lingering touches and kisses that tasted of soap and clean skin. Jane pressed Maura up against the tile of the shower wall and took her lips in a heated kiss, hitching her leg up around her waist to open her up and felt the reassuring dig of nails in her shoulders when Maura gasped as she gently rocked against her. "Jane – bedroom."
"Too far."
"It's too – yes – I mean, no – too slippery," Maura said faintly. "The bed is more comfortable, too." Jane grumbled as she pulled away and turned off the water, half dragging Maura out of the shower to hastily dry them both off and then lift her into her arms on her way to the bedroom.
"Jane! What's gotten into you?" Jane grinned lopsidedly and wiggled her eyebrows coyly, and Maura smacked her arm. "I thought your hands were sore."
"Remember I told you there were two other ways to warm me up? We've already done one, now we need to do the other to make sure I stay warm," she said with certainty. Maura rolled her eyes and giggled when Jane dropped her unceremoniously on the bed and bracketed her head with her elbows pillowed on the comforter. The brunette grinned toothily down at her, hair curtaining around them as she leaned lower and brushed their noses together. "Wanna warm up with me, Maur?"
Maura smirked and threaded her fingers through Jane's hair, dragging her down until they were sharing breath. "Gladly."
Gotcha ;)