Author Note: I've had a really busy weekend - it was my towns Pride celebrations, and I was in the parade and had a stall at the community expo event. It was lots of fun, but also very tiring! I'm going to work on Lullaby next, today, hopefully. I know it needs updating, so it's a priority. Then Slide, then back here.
"This is so much better than a robot doing it for me," Jane said, wrapping her arms tightly around Maura's body. She closed her eyes, her cheek rested against her hair. A couple of strands tickled her face but she didn't want to move. She breathed in slowly, committing to memory the scent of Maura's hair. Realising, quite quickly, how weird it looked, she stepped out of the embrace.
"I thought you were never going to let me go," Maura said, grinning. "It's so good to see you."
Jane narrowed her eyes. The distance between them was too big. A wave of homesickness flooded her emotions until she felt like she was about to cry. "When did you cut your hair?"
"Yesterday."
"It's different," she said, frowning.
"Do you like it?"
Shrugging, Jane rubbed her cheeks, disguising the removal of a couple of stray tears. "I'm parked in a loading zone so let's go."
"You do realise there's short term parking options."
"And pay through the nose?" Jane rolled her eyes and reached for Maura's suitcase. "Not likely."
"I thought the FBI paid better than BPD."
"They do," Jane said. "But that doesn't mean I wanna spend all my money on expensive parking."
"What if they've towed your car?"
"I have a special FBI badge."
Maura twitched her mouth from side to side. "For any use?"
"No." Jane stalked onward. She didn't want to be so far away from her favourite person, and yet the thought of sitting in a car with her for a while was too tempting. "It works every time I use it, though."
In the loading bay, Jane pushed the suitcase into the trunk and climbed into the driver's seat beside Maura. She started the car, took one glance at Maura, and set off, her lips spread from ear to ear.
On the drive they talked about home, about Frankie, Nina and Angela, Korsak and Kiki, Kent and his pet duck. She asked about their booth at the bar, and the man who sat on the street corner not far from BPD. It took moments for them to fall back into their usual step, their familiar routine of jokes and conversation. When she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, Jane felt a little sad that the journey was over.
"What do you wanna do for dinner?" Jane asked, turning off the engine and climbing out of the car.
"I'm cooking," Maura said.
Jane hesitated, holding onto the edge of the trunk. "You're my guest, Maur, you don't have to cook."
"This is one meal you will want me to cook."
"Why?"
The trunk lifted open and she tugged the case out of it, sliding it along the floor.
Maura followed. "You'll see."
"Is this like the time you tried to poison me with one of those smelly fish?"
Pressing her lips together, Maura fought the desire to smile. "No. I promise you, you'll like this."
On the first floor, Jane unlocked her apartment door and dropped Maura's bag beside it. She walked through the kitchen and lounge area.
"This is my living space, it's very avant-garde."
"Avant-garde?" Maura raised an eyebrow.
"Sure," she said. "I have some fancy fabrics laid out across my brand new, and overly priced, but super comfortable couch. A state of the art table especially for holding my new fifty-inch television. Wait until you see my memory foam mattress with super absorbent foam."
"Super absorbent?"
"It's like the latest in memory foam technology, or whatever bullshit they said on the television advert."
Maura laid her jacket down on the edge of the couch and turned to face Jane, she breathed in slowly, and smiled. "It's a lovely place you picked."
"You picked it."
"I did?" Maura glanced around again. "Now that you mention it, the building did look familiar. I thought it was dated inside."
"Looks like I got lucky and they decided to do some work before I moved in. Rent's a bit higher, but it's worth it for an oven nobody's left uncleaned for a century."
Maura grinned. "There is something to be said about a brand new oven. You were very lucky."
"Wanna see the bedroom?"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were coming onto me," Maura said, following Jane towards a couple of doors.
"You'd be lucky," she said, opening the door and switching on the light. "This is my boudoir."
"Did they make you read the dictionary as part of your training?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha."
"I think I'll go freshen up and then I can start on dinner."
"I could always order take-out," Jane said, perching on the end of her bed. "You really shouldn't have to cook."
Maura sat down beside her and grasped her hand. "You're allowing me to stay in your home. It's the least I can do."
"It's not like I'm saving you money, you're loaded."
"Regardless. Let me do this. Is there a game on? Open a beer, watch football or baseball, or hockey if you want, and let me cook."
x
An hour later, and a second beer in hand, Jane looked down at the burger and fries on her plate. She stared across the small table at Maura, her mouth slightly open. She tried to find words to fill the silence but nothing seemed to form.
"You look shocked," Maura said, smiling.
"Dirty Robber burger and fries," she said, stating what she expected was the obvious. "How?"
"I purchased a container that would allow the burger and fries to remain frozen long enough to make the journey. I can't guarantee it will taste exactly the same but your mother gave me instructions."
She closed her mouth. A couple of fresh tears skirted around the edge of her eyelids. "Why did you do this?"
"You said you missed it."
"Yeah, I do." Jane picked up her burger and took a bite. She stared down at the bite mark and savoured every heartwarming chew. She tried to smile again but she could feel her emotions fight back. "Tastes like home."
"I'm glad."
"I need to use the restroom," she said, placing her burger onto her plate and leaving the room.
In the bathroom, Jane stared at her reflection. Tears dropped down the contours of her face, colliding with each other. She hated that she felt so emotional. She didn't want her week with Maura to be ruined by her inability to control herself. The same thing happened in her final days in Paris. Something had changed, shifted, and she couldn't explain it. All she knew was that she felt even more strongly that she didn't, couldn't, leave Maura.
But leave her she had to do. Despite wanting to fly back together, Jane had begrudgingly changed her return journey to take her straight to DC.
"Do you really want to have to say goodbye in Boston, then have to get on another plane?"
"No."
She wiped her face with a damp towel and dried off. Her burger would be cold, and she didn't regret it for a second. There was something equally nice about a cooled Dirty Robber burger.
"I thought you'd got lost," Maura said. Her eyebrows kitted together slightly, the briefest crease, before returning to the smile spread across her face. "Would you like me to reheat your food?"
"Nah. Tastes better cold," she said, sitting back down.
They sat in silence. Jane searched for words, she searched for something to say that didn't sound ridiculous, or throw her emotions back into meltdown. Nothing came. After a while Maura talked about her week teaching and, as she always did, Jane listened. She heard the words, but mostly she soaked up the sound of her voice. It sounded different when they talked on Skype.
She didn't realise how much you could miss the real sound of someone's voice before.
x
She tossed back the bedsheets and lay down. Maura closed the bedroom door and lay down beside her. Jane turned into her side and watched her settled. She pursed her lips, words still further away than she would have liked.
"It's so good to see you again," Maura said, smiling. Jane smiled back, nodding her head. "I have tomorrow afternoon free, what time do you finish work?"
"My last class is at three, you should check out the museums and I can come meet you before dinner."
Maura rolled onto her side and glanced back at Jane. "Are you saying that so you don't have to go to the museum with me?"
"No." She leaned forward, rolling her eyes. "Yes."
"Dinner it is, then. Goodnight, Jane."
Rolling over in the opposite direction, Maura flicked off the bedside lamp. Jane stared at her hair, glistening under the moonlight. She breathed in slowly, and exhaled into the darkness.
"Night, Maura."