Had Jane known that the brunch they'd eaten together and the Sunday dinner they'd enjoyed together that weekend were going to be two of the last times, for almost an entire week, that she and Maura were going to be able to spend any significant time together, she would have enjoyed them even more.
It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed them to begin with. She'd relished them. She did her best to keep her hands to herself around her family at Sunday dinner, though she didn't know why. Jane suddenly just didn't feel ready to let everyone in on their secret, and Maura seemed content to let things stay under wraps for a little while longer.
They hadn't even had the chance to talk about it before their phones all started ringing as they were cleaning up after Sunday dinner. Angela rolled her eyes. She knew what simultaneous phone ringing meant.
"Go, all of you," she said cheerfully as they all put the plates they were picking up to bring to the sink back down on the table to reach for their phones. "Just be careful out there," she added.
"Thanks, Ma," Jane said, kissing her mother's cheek, and as Korsak and Frost waved their thanks as they headed toward the front door.
"Angela, thank you for a wonderful dinner," Maura said, also giving Angela a kiss on the cheek.
"Anytime, Maura. Thank you for letting me host it here."
Maura smiled at her as she grabbed her car keys and purse, and headed toward the front door. Jane was just a few steps behind her, and put her hand against Maura's lower back as she opened the door for them and ushered them out.
It wasn't the move that caught Angela's attention. She'd seen Jane do that for Maura hundreds of times in the past. But something was different about this time. Angela replayed the moment in her head long after everyone left and she had finished cleaning up. She finally realized it wasn't the move, it was the expression on both women's faces that was different. All the defensive snark was gone from Jane's expression, and Maura had just looked up at Jane adoringly as Jane opened the door for her and led her out.
Angela was sure that something had changed between them, and from all appearances, it had changed for the better.
Jane and the detectives had caught a complicated double homicide that left them chasing their tails for the better part of a week. Jane and Maura saw each other at the autopsies and at moments when one needed something from the other, and they'd stop by their respective work stations to get it. But work had consumed their lives for the better part of a week, and it wasn't slowing down at all. Jane was working on two or three hours of sleep a night, sometimes spending so long at her desk or in interrogations that she'd begun to lose track of time.
For the most part, Maura's work was done on the case, so she spent as much time as she could supporting Jane and the rest of the detectives. She'd come upstairs with healthy meals for them, or cups of fresh coffee. She brought Jane changes of clothes and made sure both Jo Friday and Turtle (she still shuddered at the name) were taken care of.
By the end of the week, Maura had just taken the liberty of bringing both of Jane's pets to her home. It was easier than going across town two and three times a day to attend to them. She knew Jane left Jo far longer than she herself did, and Jo usually did fine, but Maura felt guilty for letting the pup stay in an empty apartment for so long. Jo seemed to not mind spending time at Maura's house, or romping through her spacious back yard.
I have Jo, and… Turtle… at my house. This way you don't have to rush home to take care of them.
Jane smiled at the text she'd received. Deep down, she knew her pets had just permanently moved into Maura's house, even if she herself hadn't yet. They'd only been together a week, and in that week, they'd barely seen each other. It wasn't by choice of course. She missed Maura terribly and knew that Maura missed her too. She wondered if fate was throwing this at them to test them and their resolve.
Jane thought back to the night before, when Maura was getting ready to leave the precinct for the day. She'd gone down to see her, under the pretense of asking her a question. Maura was thrilled Jane had stopped in. Jane closed the door to Maura's office behind her, and locked it. Maura had already closed the shades to her office, her habit before leaving each night. Jane swaggered up to Maura, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek and leaned in to kiss her sweetly.
"I miss you, so much," Jane said, her voice deep and serious.
"I miss you too, beautiful girl," Maura responded, kissing Jane again.
"I'm sorry I've had no time this week," Jane apologized.
"Nonsense. There's nothing to apologize for. We both know this is part of our jobs, and for both of us, our jobs are our lives. You've no need to say you're sorry."
Jane leaned in and kissed Maura again, running her tongue along Maura's bottom lip and tangling her fingers in Maura's soft hair. They kissed for a long time, longer probably than Jane should have stayed down there, but they had missed each other so much that week.
Breaking away from Jane to catch her breath, Maura took Jane by the hand and led her back behind the Japanese screen in her office. She pushed Jane back up against the wall, probably a little harder than she'd intended, but Jane didn't seem to mind.
Instantly they were kissing again, Maura using her body to pin Jane against the wall. She let her hands wander, one of them squeezing Jane's breast through her shirt, and the other making its way down to cup her sex over her pants.
"Oh god, Maura," Jane rasped between kisses.
"I thought maybe I could alleviate some of the tension you're feeling, Detective."
Maura was doing that thing with her voice again, where she dropped it down an octave and let it drip with sex. Jane nearly came just from the sound of it. As she was speaking, she had opened the button and fly on Jane's pants.
"Oh!" Jane cried out as Maura slid her hand inside of Jane's underwear.
"I see you're wearing boyshorts today, Detective."
"My wonderful," Jane stopped to kiss Maura before continuing, punctuating each word with a kiss. "Sweet, generous, beautiful girlfriend brought them to me with my change of clothes today."
"Mmm," Maura said, swirling her fingers around Jane's center, spreading the already ample wetness around. "She is pretty wonderful, isn't she?"
Jane had thrown her head back at the pleasure she was feeling, but kept it there to let out a throaty laugh. "And she's so humble, too."
Maura smiled at Jane, who leaned back down to kiss her.
Jane cried out against Maura's lips when Maura slid two fingers inside of her, and moments later she was contracting around Maura's fingers, so worked up from missing Maura and the stress of the week that it hadn't taken her long to come at all.
Maura kept Jane pinned to the wall with her body, helping to keep her upright while she came back to her senses.
Jane kissed Maura deeply before spinning her around so her back was now to the wall. Jane dropped to her knees and lifted Maura's skirt up to her waist. She moved Maura's thong over, exposing her sex, and licked her lips in anticipation as she looked up at Maura. Maura stared down at Jane in shock, but pushed the back of Jane's head toward herself gently. Jane smiled before licking her way through Maura's wet folds, eliciting a moan from Maura.
Before long, Maura had herself pressed up against Jane's face and was grinding up against her as best as she could, considering Jane had her pinned to the wall. She came hard, her fingers so tightly intertwined in Jane's hair that Jane thought Maura would rip her scalp off, but she managed to come quietly, so as not to alert the staff that was still in the lab just feet from Maura's office.
When Maura let go of Jane's hair, Jane stood up, putting Maura's thong back into place and lowering her skirt, before closing her pants and kissing Maura once more.
Maura still hadn't quite caught her breath, but she looked at Jane in amazement.
"That was…" she breathed.
"Almost as good as our first time," Jane finished for her with a smirk.
Maura grinned, and from somewhere behind them they could hear Jane's cell phone vibrate.
"That's probably Frost," Jane said sheepishly.
"You'd probably better go," Maura said sadly.
Jane kissed her once more. "Have a good night, beautiful. Get home safe."
"Safely," Maura said without thinking, and Jane grinned at her. She pulled Maura into a tight hug, then kissed her again.
"I love you."
Maura beamed at her. "I love you, too. Will you make it home to sleep tonight?" Maura asked.
"Probably not. I'll just grab a few hours at my desk again."
Maura took a key off her keyring and handed it to Jane. "Why don't you just come sleep on the couch in here? It's got to be more comfortable than sleeping with your head on your desk," she said kindly.
Jane beamed at Maura. "Thanks, Maur, that's really sweet. If we're out in the field by the time you come in tomorrow, I'll just leave the key in my top right desk drawer for you."
Jane's cell phone vibrated again behind them.
"You better go, beautiful girl."
"Yeah, I guess so. Good night, Maur."
Jane grabbed her cell phone and walked back toward Maura's door, flashing her a smile before leaving.
"Good night, Jane," Maura whispered after Jane had left.
"What took you so long?" Frost demanded when Jane met him at his cruiser a few minutes later. Jane had stopped in the restroom to clean herself up a bit, but she could still taste Maura on herself, and she kind of liked it.
"Didn't take me long at all," Jane mused, thinking back to Maura's fingers inside of her.
"What?" Frost asked, puzzled. Adding to his confusion, he could have sworn that Jane smelled differently. No, not differently. That scent was very familiar to him. Jane smelled like… Doctor Isles.
"Nothing, let's go," Jane said, interrupting Frost's thoughts and hoping this lead would pan out so she could get some sleep.
Their lead did pan out, and by three o'clock in the morning they had a suspect in lockup. He was refusing to speak without a lawyer present, so they left him in lockup and went their separate ways to go get some shuteye. It would be hours before the suspect's attorney even got to his office, let alone the precinct to be present for questioning. Jane was content to let the scumbag rot in a holding cell all night. He'd kept her sleep-deprived and Maura-deprived for far too long.
Jane let herself into Maura's office and dropped onto the couch. She wrapped the throw blanket around her, and drifted off to sleep before she could even kick her boots off.
When Maura arrived at the precinct the next morning, she saw Jane's car was still parked in the same spot it had been the night before. She silently cheered herself for bringing another outfit for Jane to wear, and for packing her a healthy breakfast.
She liked taking care of Jane this way, and was surprised that Jane let her do it. Jane was nothing if not fiercely independent. Maura thought it said something about how much Jane trusted her. She trusted Maura to take care of her, but not to trap her, preventing her from doing the job or the things she loved most in life.
They really did balance each other out.
"Morning Doc!" Vince Korsak said next to her suddenly at the elevator bank.
"Oh, Sargeant Korsak!" Maura grinned. "I didn't realize you were there. How are you?" she asked sweetly.
Korsak didn't mention he'd said good morning three times before Maura had stopped grinning like a lovesick fool and instead flashed him her usual professional smile as she focused on him. Something was different about the doctor. Something good. Something he liked seeing in her. Doctor Isles had always been friendly toward people in a polite, professional way. Then Jane took the doctor under her wing and she opened up even more, making them all part of her family. But now? Now the doctor seemed downright content, and it made Korsak happy to see that. He wondered who or what had changed in the doctor's life to give her that look.
"I'm well, Doctor Isles, and it looks like you are too," Korsak finally answered.
"I'm great," Maura said, grinning, as the down light over the elevator lit up and the doors opened, allowing her to walk in. "Have a good day, Sargeant!" Maura beamed as the doors closed and she descended down to the morgue.
Maura was happy to see Jane fast asleep on the couch when she arrived in her office. She walked over and kissed Jane's forehead softly before fixing the blanket back on top of her. She'd had no idea how long Jane had been asleep, and didn't want to wake her.
Instead,she put the change of clothes she'd brought for Jane on the coffee table and put the breakfast she'd packed on her desk. Jane would likely smell it as soon as she woke up. She turned on her computer to check her emails, and found herself glancing over the top of her laptop screen every now and then, just so she could watch Jane sleep.
Once her emails were done, she filed some basic paperwork, and then left to change into her signature black scrubs. She had two autopsies to do that day. The sooner she got them done, the sooner she could spend some time with Jane.
Jane woke up when her phone buzzed, surprised to see light coming from the autopsy suite outside of Maura's office. She looked at the time on her phone. It was almost ten o'clock in the morning. She'd gotten seven very solid hours of sleep, and she felt fully recharged. She saw a change of clothes sitting next to her on the coffee table, and a thermal bag on Maura's desk with something in it that smelled delicious. She sat up and checked the message from Frost.
Perp's attorney will be in at 11:30.
Jane smiled. That gave her plenty of time to eat, shower and change. And maybe, if she was lucky, time to thank Maura for all she'd been doing for her.
Maura could hear Jane's phone buzz in her office, and Jane stirring. She wanted to go in and kiss Jane good morning, but she was elbow deep in adipose tissue and simply couldn't walk away from what she was doing.
Jane stood up and stretched, then walked over to the bag of food Maura had brought for her. Homemade oatmeal, the steel cut kind that required more than just boiling water or a microwave to make, with fresh cut fruit and was that… yes, yes it was. Bacon. Maura had brought Jane bacon. The ultimate in unhealthy food, and Maura had brought some just for Jane.
If Jane didn't already have a million and one reasons to love that woman, she just found another.
Maura Isles had brought her bacon. Fresh, crispy, delicious bacon.
Shoving the first piece into her mouth, she moaned in giddy delight before stirring the fresh fruit into the oatmeal. Jane didn't even really like oatmeal, but Maura had made it for her and brought her bacon, so she dug into the oatmeal with gusto.
Outside in the autopsy suite, Maura could hear Jane rifling through the bag of food in her office. She giggled softly when she heard Jane moan, and knew she'd found the bacon she'd packed for her. Maura Isles was a smart woman. She knew if she put a small portion of Jane's favorite unhealthy food in the bag, that Jane would be more likely to eat the healthy oatmeal she'd packed for her, than if she'd just packed the oatmeal alone. When Jane emerged from her office looking well-rested and satisfied a little while later, Maura knew her bet had paid off.
Jane looked around, and noticed the autopsy suite was empty. Maura's staff was busy in the lab doing the things they usually did, and nobody seemed to pay them any mind.
"Good morning," Maura said cheerfully.
"Good morning," Jane replied as she wrapped her arms around Maura from behind and held a piece of bacon up against Maura's lips. Maura took it into her mouth, along with the tip of Jane's finger, and swirled her tongue against it. She could feel Jane's breath hitch behind her as she slowly pulled her finger back out.
"Do you know how much I love you?" Jane whispered to Maura, both of her arms now firmly wrapped around Maura's torso, her head buried in the crook of Maura's neck.
"How much?" Maura asked, playing along.
"Enough to give you the last piece of bacon," Jane whispered seriously against Maura's ear before planting a kiss just beneath her earlobe.
Maura laughed in delight, and turned slightly to face Jane. She still had her hands in the corpse on her table, and was sad that she couldn't just use her arms to pull Jane toward her again.
"I love you that much too," she said to Jane with a grin.
"Thank you," Jane said. "For breakfast, for the change of clothes, for letting me use your couch to sleep… for loving me," she added with a shy grin. "Thank you."
Maura looked at her tenderly. This was the Jane she loved. The soft Jane that few people ever got to see. "You're welcome. I heard you have a suspect in custody."
"Yeah, his attorney will be here in about an hour. I'm going to run over to the gym and shower now so I can be ready when he gets here."
"You can just use the shower in my bathroom down here," Maura said, pointing with her shoulder toward the private restroom reserved just for the Chief Medical Examiner.
"You have a shower in there?" Jane asked, surprised.
"Yes, of course. Autopsies can be messy business," Maura said simply.
"But…" Jane stopped, pondering for a moment before picking her line of thought back up again. "Why would you shower in the gym after we work out if you have a private shower down here?" Jane asked.
Maura looked at Jane pointedly.
"Maura!" Jane exclaimed, putting the pieces together.
"What?" Maura asked innocently. "How else was I ever going to get the chance to see you naked? Have you any idea how frustrating it is that you simply refuse to walk around without that towel on?"
Jane laughed and shook her head. "You are far more devious than I give you credit for. And I'm kinda glad you did that because how else was I ever going to see you wrapped in a towel?"
"Mmm. I have always enjoyed your scrutiny," Maura said with a sly smile before continuing as if they weren't just discussing checking each other out. "There are towels in the cabinet under the sink in there, and there's a caddy in the shower with the toiletries you'll need," Maura said, purposely ignoring Jane's mock accusation.
Jane pecked Maura on the cheek once more and then left to go shower and change. Maura glowed through the rest of her autopsy, and Susie Chang and the rest of the lab crew had a hard time keeping their giggles to themselves as they surreptitiously watched the events in the autopsy suite unfold.
A/N: I'm kind of sad. This is the second to last chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed the sweetness of it though! ;) Thanks for reading.