Dressed in a pair of worn jeans, boots, and a black t-shirt, Jane pulled up to Maura's house in a black pickup truck. She hopped out, closing the door with a bit of slam in her hurry to get to the front door. She fumbled the key, finally opened the door, and stepped inside. "Maura?" She was already walking inside, not bothering to hear the answer. "Are you ready to go? It's a long drive."
Maura wasn't there, but her voice came floating out faintly over the sound of running water. "Coming! Just let me wash my hands." Momentarily the water shut off. Another three or four minutes later, the woman in question came into view, a little breathless and pink from the hurry she was in to get to Jane. So much so, in fact, that her belt had missed a loop. "Does this look suitable?"
She wore the jeans that Jane had mentioned, fitted and dark, though slightly worn at one knee where it had caught on something or other, and little black boots that were probably supposed to be work boots, but were just too cute to qualify. Atop was a black mock turtleneck, clingy enough to advertise its excellent quality, but it too was worn, and over all a bright red button-up flannel shirt. Apparently, for Maura, "work clothes" were what happened when "good clothes" needed to be downgraded and replaced with new good clothes, not proper work clothes that were made for actual work.
"Yeah, that's perfect." Flannel? Too easy. A broad smile on her face, Jane closed the distance between them to give Maura a kiss. "Just one thing's off here." Her hands ran down the smaller woman's frame to stop at her belt buckle. "But, we can fix it." She deftly unbuckled the belt and pulled it off the doctor in a surprisingly quick motion. "You missed a belt loop." Her smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Want me to help you put this back on?" She held the belt up between them.
Inexplicably, Maura's face turned a deep, dusky pink. "Oh, god, I didn't... No, I can do it. I was just h-hurrying. Give it." She took the belt back and turned quickly around to put it back on, this time correctly, though her fingers fumbled more than once. She turned back around, now mostly composed. "Shall we?"
"Yup." Jane laughed out loud. "Pink is a good color on you, Babe." Without waiting for the inevitable response, she turned to leave. "You coming?" She called over her shoulder as she opened the front door.
Without a word, Maura ducked through the door, still embarrassed. She did, however, give Jane a quick, furtive smile so that the detective would know she was still there, still with her.
"You look good in red, Maur. You should wear it more often." Jane allowed herself to fully appreciate the woman locking the door, not caring if she was caught ogling a bit. "I mean, I wouldn't normally think of you in flannel," I can't help myself. "but, I guess we all have to be our stereotypes sometime, right?" Turning to the truck, she hurried over to the passenger's side to open the door and offer a hand. "Sorry it's so far off the ground, but I did warn you to wear something comfortable."
Maura took the proffered hand and stepped up into the cab, though she didn't meet Jane's eyes for more than a fleeting glance. "I wear it when I visit my family's winter cabin," she explained, subdued and quiet and still red enough that the flannel shirt's solid crimson color clashed with her cheeks. "I don't mind the height... of this... truck?" She was momentarily distracted from whatever was on her mind, enough to swing her legs in, shut the door, and wait for Jane to come in and sit in the driver's seat. "Where did you get this?"
"Would you believe it belongs to Tommy? We've been keeping it in storage, and I've been keeping the tags and inspection up on it because we use it sometimes." She shrugged as she started the engine. "It's not like he uses it much, and, right now, he's not using it at all." She turned around to back the massive vehicle out of the driveway. "So, you going to tell me why you're still as red as your shirt?"
Drat. Maura had known that Jane would spot her embarrassment, but hoped that she wouldn't ask. Maura hadn't yet come up with a deflection that she felt would work. "Um. I just..." She hurriedly rifled through her mind for something that was true. "My belt. When you took my belt. And because it was necessary." Not all the truth, but some of it. "I'm not used to being awry in my clothing."
"Yeah, I know," Jane gave a side glance to the woman next to her, "So, what were you doing in the bathroom when I got there anyway?" She smirked. I could take a guess…
The color, which actually had faded a little bit, returned full force to Maura's face. "Washing my hands, as I told you," she said in what she hoped were lofty tones, making a point of looking out her passenger side window at her neighborhood passing by and giving way to different looking places.
"You're doing that thing where you only tell me half the truth." Jane laughed as she flipped the radio on and classical music started playing lightly in the background. "You were relieving a little… tension before I got there, weren't you?"
Maura said nothing. Her lips pressed together as she stared steadfastly out the window. Stared. Stared. Her face remained fully colored, nearly purple by now. But eventually she let slip a tiny giggle, which turned into a hilarious one, and then an open belly-laugh. "I... W-well... ALL RIGHT!" she finally admitted when she caught her breath and glanced in Jane's direction. "Yes! Okay?" Her giggles petered out, for the most part, but returned off and on. "But Jane, honestly, haven't you? We've spent one night apart since... since you got sick, and that night I even dreamed about you, but I woke up too fast, and then... I didn't want to go into this weekend as... keyed up as I have been." Another giggle. "And thank you for not getting there two minutes before you did."
I knew it! Jane snorted. "Yeah, sure, I have great timing like that." She chuckled, her eyes dancing with humor. "Well, it's good to know you're human. I thought I was the only one about to pull my hair out." She held her right hand out across the bench seat to offer it. Probably should throw her a bone. That was kind of mean even for me. "And, yeah, if it makes you feel any better, I took some me time before I drove over, not that it helped a lot." Rolling her eyes, she grunted. "Or at all. You know, you don't have sit over there. There's a seat belt in the middle of the seat, too."
"If I sat beside you," Maura countered as she came down a little from her embarrassment and giggle fit, "we'd get into an accident, because there's no way I could keep my hands to myself. Now, where are we going?"
"Still not telling you, but get ready because it's a long drive." Jane pulled into a gas station as she spoke. "In fact, I'm thinking we should grab some supplies. You want something to drink or snack on? Maybe some chocolate?" She parked the truck, turned it off, and unbuckled but didn't get out just yet. "Actually, before we go inside," she leaned over and captured the doctor's lips for a long series of kisses.
Maura had started to open her door, but upon being kissed, let go to focus on what was much more important, scooting right up to Jane to fling her legs across the other woman's lap, enfold her in her arms, and keep her there as long as she could. This isn't right. Not at a gas station. Not in a truck. But don't make me stop yet.
I love how she fits. It was Jane that pulled back first. "You're right. You shouldn't sit next to me. We'll never make it there." She pushed a few errant hairs from the honey blonde's face. "Babe, if you can't sit next to me, you definitely can't sit in my lap while I'm driving. But, I promise you can sit wherever you want on me as soon as we get there." She waggled her eyes, the classic Rizzoli grin making an appearance on her face.
The look on Maura's face would have made a woman of less self-control forget whatever they'd come to the gas station to get; if not, then surely the sight of her dragging her thumb across that full bottom lip to remove the wet traces of their kisses. But not Jane. Maura was both frustrated and grateful that her girlfriend was more contained than that. Than she was, herself. "What supplies do we need?" she asked as she summoned her native poise, remembering - just barely - why they'd come here.
"I'm thinking some coffee for me, whatever drink you want for you, some bottles of water, and," Jane let out a shuddering breath, "a gigantic bag of chocolate. What do you think?" I'm going to need about a ton, maybe two. Jeez… hormones, you can get in check anytime now.
"Yes," Maura replied, finally leaving the truck on somewhat shaky legs.
In short order, all supplies were bought, they were back on the road, and they were both munching on the chocolate supply now sitting between them. "We've got about two hours. You can put the radio on whatever. It's satellite. By the time we make it there, it'll probably be near dusk."
Maura turned on the radio as requested and picked a station that seemed perfect for a long drive, a mix of everything from Top 40 to country to oldies, soft rock to heavy metal. She unwrapped a piece of chocolate to hand to Jane, so that the driver's attention and hands remained on the road and steering wheel, respectively. "Two and," she checked her watch, "three-quarters hours from Boston. Yardwork clothes. Yet, no additional clothes packed or supplied, which probably means we're not staying overnight..."
"We'll see what happens when we get there."