A/N: Sorry for the wait! I've had a ton of schoolwork due in the past week and I've been dealing with some unexpected medical issues, so writing hasn't been as much of a priority as I'd like it to be. But I'm hoping to crank out a chapter or two over Thanksgiving break. Thanks again for your feedback!
"Is Father home yet?" Maura's voice is soft and earnest as she peers into the kitchen, where she finds Miss Vonnie scooping plum pudding into a tin. The kitchen is bright and warm, engulfed in the scent of holiday baking. Maura inches closer.
"Oh!" Miss Vonnie nearly drops her spoon, as she finishes distributing the batter. "You gave me quite the fright, Little Miss." Maura is not a frequent visitor to the kitchen, tending to keep herself well occupied. Miss Vonnie looks flustered to see her looking so out of place. "No, Mr. Isles is still at the office, I'm afraid. It is a bit early, but your dinner is on the counter, if you'd like to eat now."
Maura nods, because the idea of retreating to her room is suffocating. She had spent enough time with her nose burrowed in her book, watching the snow cover the ground in a soft blanket, breathing in the hush of the silence. Her mother has an exhibition in southern Italy, and she has no idea when her father will be home. Usually, she is immune to the symptoms of solitude, but tonight, she wishes desperately for a family.
"Is it alright if I eat here, Miss Vonnie?"
Miss Vonnie pours the last of the pudding into the pan, before placing the bowl into the sink. "If it pleases you, Little Miss."
Maura nods, before hoisting herself up onto the barstool, as Miss Vonnie places a simple meal of chicken and rice in front of her place. She eats in silence, as Miss Vonnie takes a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven.
"Happy Christmas Eve." Miss Vonnie cups a warm peanut butter blossom in her hands and places it next to Maura's plate. Miss Vonnie hums softly, as she begins to tackle the dishes. For a moment, Maura doesn't feel so alone.
XXX
"Oh!"
Maura jumps, as she feels a pair of arms snake around her waist. She turns away from the examination table, her heart clattering against her chest, as she's greeted by a familiar chuckle and the heavy scent of aftershave.
"Ian! What are you doing here?" She relaxes slightly in his arms.
"I was quite bored at your home," he pretends to pout, his voice intentionally dramatic. "You left me with nothing but an African spurred tortoise for company, so I thought I'd stop by here before I left for the airport, lest I die from boredom."
It is impossible to die from boredom," Maura protests lightly. She reaches to tuck a curl behind her ear, quickly darting her eyes around the morgue to see if anyone else is here. Pike is at a crime scene, and Susie is in the back running tests.
But, then again, neither of them is who she is looking for.
"I am distracting you? You look nervous," Ian chides, pulling her a little closer. He swoops in for a playful kiss, but she turns her head quickly, and he ends up with a mouthful of hair instead.
"How did you get down here?" she asks, slightly annoyed, though she wishes she weren't. She leans away from him, though he still keeps one hand laced loosely around her hip.
"My dashing looks and amicable personality get me most anything I like," He flashes her a grin, though Maura peers over her shoulder once again, a bit antsy. She knows she can hardly expect Jane – her visits are sporadic, not quite routine, though they have been becoming more frequent. It delights her and terrifies her that she'll never know just when she'll show up.
"Alright, I can see I'm not wanted here," Ian sighs, his voice a bit heavy.
Maura brings her gaze back to his face, chewing on her lip in a sudden influx of guilt. She adjusts the collar of her lab coat, before glancing up to find Ian's eyes. "No, no! I apologize – I'm just have a lot to do this morning," she justifies, and adds quickly, "This weekend with you was lovely, however. I really am so glad that you stopped by."
"I'm glad I got to see you, too," he answers, though a melancholy note laces his tone. "I think I will be heading out, though. Can't ever go wrong by being early for a flight, right?"
"Ian," she protests, but her voice is weak. She sucks in a heavy breath. "How long will you be gone this time?"
Ian runs a hand through his cropped hair, blowing a breath out from between his teeth. "My mate Sawyer just restocked on supplies, so we're headed out for the long haul. No less than six months, though if we're lucky, we may be able to stretch our stash for a bit longer."
Maura nods. She smiles a bit sadly at him. "Keep in touch, okay?"
"Of course," he smiles, though the promise is fleeting. He kisses her forehead gently, before disappearing toward the elevator.
Maura rolls her shoulders back, as she reaches for her file once again, though the shuffling of footsteps interrupts her.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend."
She snaps her head up, her stomach bouncing as Jane enters her line of vision.
"How long were you here?" Maura's mouth is suddenly dry.
"Long enough," Jane answers, her tone lilting with a small, small hint of annoyance, though Maura can't trace the source of it, not unless she's deluding herself. "Long enough to unearth another fact about the ever mysterious Maura Isles. So how long have you been dating him?" Now, her infamous eyebrow raise.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Hmmm," Jane muses. She leans up against the edge of the examination table, and Maura can't help but to notice how at home she looks, with her arms folded against her chest, her left leg pushed a bit further back than her right as she keeps herself propped up against the ledge. It is such a great contrast to the first time Maura encountered Jane down here.
"What?" Maura feels just a little hot, Jane's taunting leaving her a bit flustered.
"Tell me then," Jane pauses, her expression unreadable, "how long have you been sleeping with him?"
Maura's face flushes miserably.
"I mean, he's quite a catch," Jane speaks quickly, pushing herself back away from the table. "And the accent isn't too shabby, either."
Maura fidgets with her file. "I have a lot of work to do."
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you," Jane apologizes immediately, stepping closer to Maura. Jane reaches out to touch her forearm, a simple, comforting sentiment, though Maura tingles from the contact. "I was just fooling around, you know? I didn't have a right to pry." Maura wishes they could somehow skip this awkward stage, this realm of not quite friendship, and instead reach the desired level of comfort and ease
"No, no, it's fine," Maura pushes the words from her tightening throat. She glances down at Jane's hand, which is still in contact with her skin. She notices, for the first time, a pair of rigid scars branded onto back of her hands. "I'm sorry I'm being so vague. My relationship with Ian is just very complicated."
"Dr Isles, I have - " Their conversation is cut short as Susie appears, manila folder in hand. Jane steps away; Maura watches the goosebumps scale across her arm, already missing the innocent contact. "Oh, Detective Rizzoli! Down here again?" Susie looks surprised, though she smiles at the pair. "If you're heading up soon, would you mind bring these results to Detective Korsak?"
"No problem, Dr. Chang." Jane steps forward to accept the file. Maura wishes she had a reason to ask her to stay. "Hey, wanna join us for lunch again, Maura?" Jane adds,
All at once Maura's anxiety wanes. "I'd love to."
Jane grins as well, grasping the file as she waits for the elevator. As it dings loudly, Susie turns to Maura. "It's still a little strange seeing her down her so much again."
Maura frowns. "Did Detective Rizzoli spend more time down here previously?"
"Oh, that's right," Susie clarifies. "You weren't around for the...incident."
"What sort of incident?"
She has Maura's attention now. Maura sets her file down, nudging the toe of her shoe a bit nervously against the floor. Susie's eyes light up, ready to pounce on her chance to gossip. "It happened just less than a year ago, when Jane had just been instated as a homicide detective."
"I didn't know she used to work in homicide," Maura mutters. There is so much she doesn't know about Jane - so much that she didn't even know she wished to learn.
Susie nods. "Anyway, she was working on a particularly frustrating case - I don't know if you remember hearing about the Charles Hoyt murders or not." Maura nods in confirmation. "Hoyt was one to play games, especially with Jane, and he baited her with a false lead and a young girl and cornered her one night. Drove two scalpels straight through her hands."
Maura winces, Jane's scarred hands flashing quickly into her mind.
"Yeah, the whole thing had her shaken up pretty badly - that's why she's back in narcotics, at least for now. It's nice seeing her back down here again though - she seems to really like you, Dr. Isles." Susie ends on a pleasant note.
Maura nods, the sentiment making her smile once again, though she feels a little cold as she looks at her own hands, clenching them together a few times.
