Hi all! Okay this is officially the shortest thing I have ever posted. It feels a bit weird.

This one takes place the weekend after the Wescourt/Body Of Proof case. Enjoy!


Out for a stroll

It was late Saturday night. The Wescourt case had been wrapped up, Carol arrested, Paul would be okay. Jane would be okay. It was time to settle back into their lives and relax.

Unfortunately, the activity they had agreed on didn't appear be having the desired effect on Jane.

"Geez Maura, slow down! I've got a busted arm remember, I can't hang on tight enough!"

Maura chuckled quietly, subtly increasing her speed and loving the indignant squeak that came from Jane in response as she wrapped her one good arm tighter around Maura's neck. She knew she shouldn't be enjoying teasing Jane so much, but after the scare Jane had given her this week she felt justified.

Maura finally stopped on the sloped roof of a tall abandoned building with a magnificent view of Boston. She had discovered this vantage point a week ago and had been wanting to show Jane ever since, but the madness of the week had sapped all their time until now.

Jane slowly unwrapped her tense limbs, her ease after her first experience riding on Maura's back long forgotten. Finally she looked away from Maura's amused smirk to look at the view.

"Oh, wow."

Maura's smirk turned into a more genuine smile. She softly sat down to enjoy the moment, Jane settling next to her after a minute. The city was close enough to touch, but the acoustics of the location steered the busy noise away from them, allowing them to bask in the peaceful calm.

The moment was shattered when Maura suddenly jumped to her feet, hearing something beyond the detection ability of Jane's human ears. "I'll be right back."

Jane's jaw dropped as her friend zipped away.

"You did not just leave me on top of a building. Maura? Maura? Uh…"

She glanced around nervously, realising how exposed she was and how long a drop there was. She forced herself not to move, pulling her legs in a little more securely and settling in to wait.

As she waited she decided to try to enjoy the view. It really was nice, and it was peaceful.

Something brushed past her head.

"What the…"

Her head whipped around, looking desperately for danger while trying not to move. She caught a glimpse of a shape flashing past the edge of the roof before she heard a high pitched squeal.

"Bats. Great. Maura, your cousins are trying to kill me! Maura!"

Another bat swooped past, causing Jane to yelp and swing her arms around anxiously. The movement caused her to slip, her cast bashing against the roof as she desperately grabbed for a handhold.

"MAURA!"

She was sliding now, her body moving rapidly towards the edge of the building. Another bat flew past, its chirping sounding almost mocking as Jane flailed fruitlessly.

As she was about to slide over the edge a steady hand grabbed her around the waist, stopping her fall suddenly. Jane let out a huff of air as Maura pulled her upright, Jane's arms curling around her friend in a crushing grip.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, that was close."

Maura smiled, knowing she had plenty of time to catch Jane but also knowing it wouldn't have seemed that way to Jane. "You're welcome. You know I wouldn't let you fall off of a tall structure twice in one week."

Jane pulled back slightly and looked at her friend suspiciously, sensing that there was some sort of intent here. "So this was on purpose? You sicced your furry little friends on me to prove that you could save me?"

Maura looked entirely too smug. "Of course not Jane, I don't endanger your life unnecessarily. But if you choose to take that lesson away from the evening, I won't stop you."

Jane watched as Maura's face suddenly became outraged. "Wait, are you suggesting something derogatory about my relationship with bats because I'm a vampire?"

Jane smiled guiltily. "Well, what would you think if your vampire friend suddenly disappeared and you suddenly got brutally attacked by a deadly swarm of killer bats?"

An eyebrow was raised. "A killer swarm? I can see five bats at the most around this building Jane."

Jane squinted at Maura. "Hmm, that wasn't a denial…."

Maura scoffed. "Really Jane? Okay fine, I didn't sic a swarm of bats on you. I just brought you here for a nice evening, which your paranoia has now ruined."

Jane softened. "Aw, no, come on, I'm sorry, it's not ruined. You're right, this is a great view! I think maybe I'm just a bit over heights at the moment."

Maura pulled away from Jane, still not letting her go completely since she still looked a bit shaky. "Are you ready to go home?"

Jane hesitated, then pulled at Maura to sit back down. "Let's just try this again. Feel the serenity and all that. Just don't run off again, please."

Maura smiled and relaxed next to Jane. "Okay, I promise."