Sugary-sweet, cheesy fluff. Based on Bring It On Home by Little Big Town. Rating K. I don't own the song or the characters, but the mistakes are all mine. Let me hear what you think and happy reading. xx SW
Dr. Maura Isles paused before she walked completely into the homicide bullpen. Naturally the only person still up on this floor at 7 PM on a Friday was her best friend. Maura knew Jane had been putting in even more hours than usual lately, trying to find just a semblance of evidence to help break a cold case she was working on. Korsak, Nina, Frankie, and even the medical examiner herself had pitched in their help and ideas here and there for the past week, but they all were swamped with their own responsibilities and cases.
Luckily for Maura, her busy schedule was coming to a close for the week. Unfortunately she couldn't say the same for the brunette currently hunched over her desk. As she observed from a distance she could see the tension radiating from Jane. Her shoulders were raised slightly, her right elbow resting on top of the wooden surface with her head in her upturned palm. Her left hand was rifling through the reports and folders she thought could bring her closer to breaking the case.
Maura knew that her friend desperately needed a break, although she would never admit it to anyone. She wasn't ignorant of the dark circles under the brunette's eyes or the fact that the detective had been in the same outfit for the past two days. Making a decision in her head and nodding to herself, she strolled the rest of the way into the bullpen.
As she approached Jane, she could tell she had been detected, even though Jane didn't turn around to greet her.
"Korsak, when did you trade in your loafers for Louboutins?" Jane dead panned. Maura sidled up next Jane's chair.
"Ha. Ha. And for your information these are Manolo Blahniks."
Jane finally tore her eyes away from the paperwork and looked up at the woman currently towering over her.
"And why are you and your Mario Blinks still here at," she looked down at her wrist, "seven o'clock on a Friday night?"
Maura smiled at the (purposeful) butchering of the designer's name but overlooked it and replied, "I was just finishing up some reports that I didn't want to take home this weekend. Are you still working on the Brinson case?"
Jane sighed and looked back at the stacks of papers covering her desk.
"Yeah. There's no chance of me not taking anything home this weekend. Cavanaugh will crawl my ass if I don't start making some kind of headway with this."
Maura turned slightly so she was facing more of the brunette. She reached out with her left hand to gently rub across Jane's shoulder blades.
"Oh, Jane. You need a break. Lieutenant Cavanaugh can't possibly expect you to solve a case in a week that no one else has been able to solve for months"
Jane bowed her head slightly, relaxing into the soothing touch of her best friend's hand.
"Yeah, well, the orders are coming from even higher up than Lieu. He's feeling the heat, so now I am, too."
Maura reminded herself of her earlier decision.
"Jane, please come home with me tonight. I know you've slept here the past two nights. We can order pizza and I just stocked up on your beer."
Jane shook her head and sat up straighter.
"Maura, I can't. I've got to get this done."
Maura moved her hand from Jane's back down until it grasped the detective's right hand. Jane looked at their connected hands before looking up at Maura.
"Jane, I know you really want to break this. But you aren't going to be any help if you run yourself into the ground. Just stay a few hours tonight and unwind. You can get in the jacuzzi tub and just take a breather. Please, Jane? I'm worried about you."
She caressed the back of Jane's hand with the pad of her thumb. Jane closed her eyes and let out a sound that was stuck somewhere between annoyance and resignation.
She took a deep breath. "Okay, Maur. Just give me thirty more minutes here. I'll meet you at your house after."
Maura looked like she wanted to protest for a moment but then realized this was the best she could hope for coming from the stressed detective. She smiled brightly at Jane and patted her hand.
"Great! I'll see you in about 45 minutes then." The honey blonde turned and started walking away when she heard the brunette call out.
"But I'm coming back up here in the morning!"
The doctor could only shake her head at Jane's stubbornness.
She heard the Jane open the door, pausing in the foyer to kick off her boots and unclip her belt.
Maura went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer, popping the cap off and heading to meet her friend in the living room. She watched as Jane shuffled through her house, only stopping when she was close enough to plop down on the couch.
The blonde sat down beside her, tucking her legs under and silently reaching out to offer the beer to Jane.
Jane took it without hesitation and immediately brought it to her lips, downing nearly half the bottle.
"Thanks, Maur." She said quietly.
"You're welcome, Jane." The doctor replied just as quietly, reaching for her wine glass that she had placed on the coffee table after she had arrived home.
The pair sat in silence for a few moments, each sipping from their respective drinks. Maura could still feel the tension and stress roiling off Jane in waves.
"I'm glad you decided to come over tonight, Jane. But I can tell your mind is still at work. Please tell me what I can do to help you relax."
Jane downed the rest of her beer and looked at the empty bottle.
"Well for starters, I could use another beer."
Maura nodded and gracefully unfolded herself, going to get them both refills.
"Or 7," Jane mumbled under her breath. She was trying really hard to be here in the moment with her best friend. Trying to take a break from her hectic work life. She blew out a frustrated breath and leaned her head back against the back of the couch, closing her eyes in the process.
"Here you go," Maura returned with a new bottle. Jane didn't even make an effort to pick her head up; she just reached her hand out, figuring the doctor would put the bottle in her grasp.
She did, and Jane brought the bottle down to rest on the top of her leg. Once again the doctor sat beside her.
"Okay, what else? Do you want to take a bath? Or do some yoga?" She could tell her last suggestion earned her an eyebrow raise, even though Jane wasn't even facing her.
A thought popped into Maura's head after she remembered feeling the tense muscles of Jane's shoulders earlier at the precinct.
"I could give you a massage?" She questioned while bringing her left hand up to rub gently at the detective's neck.
She heard the detective let out a breath of relief when her hand kneaded the knotty flesh.
"Does that feel good?"
The brunette could only nod, the motion looking odd in her reclined position.
"Well if you will sit up, I can reach your muscles better. Come on. Sit on the floor." She gestured to the space on the rug in front of her.
Jane slid off the couch and scooted over until she was situated in front of the blonde. Maura was surprised that Jane didn't seem to be putting up much resistance. That in itself was a testament to how stressed she must be.
Maura began massaging the muscles of Jane's neck, shoulders, and back. Her hands moved with a practiced ease and a learned expertise. Jane for her part remained relatively silent, only releasing soft grunts or sighs when Maura hit a particularly tender place.
They continued this way for several long minutes, until Maura had worked the knots out of all the space she could reach. As she was finishing up, without knowing what was compelling her, she moved Jane's ponytail to the side with one hand. Leaning down, she softly and chastely kissed the back of the brunette's neck.
She wouldn't have even known Jane had noticed if she hadn't heard the hitch in the other woman's breathing. She rested both of her hands on Jane's shoulders, gently scraping her nails back and forth.
"Jane?"
"Hmm."
"I know you feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Not just this week but all the time. I've seen you barely able to drag your feet these past few days though. You know you can always come here; I'll always try to help you however I know how." Maura trailed off.
Jane reached up with one hand, placing her palm on the top of one of Maura's.
"I know. You always make everything right, Maur, don't worry."
Maura smiled softly from behind the detective. She got up from the sofa, carefully sidestepping the other woman before reaching her arms out.
"Come on, Jane. Let's go to bed. You've had a long day. Well, a long week really."
Jane reached up and grabbed Maura's hands, using her for leverage in climbing off the floor.
The two women shuffled toward the master bedroom, an unspoken understanding passing between them. The majority of the time Jane stayed over at Maura's she would take the guest bedroom. But tonight, they knew sharing a bed would help settle them both.
They went through their nightly routines, ending with a change into sweats and two of Jane's old BPD shirts that somehow made a home in Maura's drawers months before. Climbing into "their" sides of the bed, they seemed to gravitate closer to each other than normal.
Silence stretched on for long minutes before Jane finally spoke.
"What if I don't catch this guy, Maur? What if more people die and its my fault?" Jane's voice broke slightly at the end.
Maura turned from her position on her back to face Jane.
"Oh, Jane. Honey you are doing the best you can, like always. That's all you can do. No one can ask of more from you." She reached out to put a hand on Jane's forearm.
Jane turned toward Maura, too.
"I know, Maur, I am. But that doesn't make it any easier."
Maura couldn't stand to see her friend so vulnerable, so defeated sounding. She pulled Jane into her arms, hugging her tightly. She could feel a tear or two wet her neck where Jane's face was nuzzled. She held her for a long time, just like that, giving the best comfort she knew how.
After a while, she pulled back slightly, intending to kiss the brunette's cheek. Her aim was off a little, though, and her lips ended up much closer to Jane's than she had meant for them to be.
Jane gasped slightly at the contact which caused Maura to try and completely move away from her. But, then Jane pulled Maura back and just stared at her for a moment, as much as she could in the darkness of the bedroom.
Then, slowly, measuredly, she placed a chaste kiss on Maura's lips. Their lips only were connected for a brief moment or two, but it was enough. Both women sighed because all of the pieces had fallen into the right places.
When Jane finally woke up the next morning, it was to a bare, warm arm being draped across her equally bare abdomen and hair tickling her back and shoulders. Warm lips were pressing into the skin at the nape of her neck. She sighed in contentment before turning in the arms of the doctor. Jane spoke first.
"Hey." Jane almost whispered, her voice rough from sleep.
"Good morning, Jane." Maura, replied, her voice also more gravelly than it would typically be.
A small smile played at Jane's lips, mixed with a little surprise.
"You're still here."
"Of course, I'm still here. Where else would I be?" Maura was confused at Jane's statement.
Jane looked away from Maura's eyes and turned herself over onto her back.
"I dunno, Maur. I guess this all just feels surreal. Last night and then waking up like this. You're still here."
Maura knew she needed to reassure Jane that she was serious about everything that had transpired since yesterday. Jane needed to know that while they both have gained comfort in each other's arms, Maura wasn't here selfishly. That she was in for the long haul.
Maura swung a leg over slender hips and brought her hand up to caress Jane's cheek.
"Jane, I'm here with you, right now, because there I absolutely cannot fathom being anywhere else. If you have worries about me running away from you, away from this, please drop them right now. I have never wanted anything quite like this. And now that I have you, I don't intend to let you go. And, you know how stubborn I can be."
Maura's bit of levity at the end lightened Jane's heart, but she could also see and feel the sincerity in her words. In response she brought a hand to the back of Maura's neck, pulling the other woman down for a sweet kiss. When they pulled back, Jane said she only thing that could possibly express her feelings bubbling up inside.
"I love you, Maur. More than anything else."
Maura smiled in response. Jane had found her home in Maura. And Maura was going to spend every day welcoming her.