Chapter 12: Sleep-Away Trip
My girlfriend. Jane kept repeating the phrase in her head in a state of disbelief. Maura is my girlfriend. Yay! The two teens were walking back from the lake, hand in hand, to get dinner at the mess hall. She didn't really know what that meant long term, but at least in her head she had a defined term to think about the beautiful genius. They both had goofy grins plastered on their faces, and they looked a little rumbled from their make-out session on the bank of the lake. They'd brushed each other off and smoothed each other's hair down as best as they could. They didn't want to be totally obvious about what they'd been up to, but they also didn't care that much either.
"Hey kids, what have you been up to?" Bobbi greeted, seeing her two friends enter the mess hall. For her part, Bobbi looked like she was wearing part of the soccer field with grass stains on her shirt and dirt on her arms and a bit on her face.
Maura and Jane looked to each other guiltily, Maura almost pleadingly for Jane to answer before she blurted out more than Jane wanted her to. Reading the cue, Jane jumped in quickly, "Uh, you know, this and that. We went hiking up to that little lake nearby. It was totally deserted, which was nice. What about you B? Looks like you did manage to pick up a game of soccer."
Bobbi grinned, reading between the lines, and noticing the couple blades of grass on their backs. "Yeah, me and some of the girls got together. We needed more players, and some of the campers had gathered around, so we went grown-ups against campers. I swear some of these girls are ringers! They were really good! Definitely gave me and the counselors a run for our money."
Jane smiled at her friend. Bobbi always liked to stir up a little healthy competition when she could. "Hey, did you know the sleep-away schedule had been posted?" Jane asked.
"Oh really?" Bobbi replied. "No, I didn't know that. Did you see which trip I was on?"
"Um, sorry, I didn't think to look. Maura and I checked it out earlier this afternoon. But we'll go with you after dinner to see. We're actually on the same trip this time," Jane summarized. "We're on the second trip."
Bobbi nodded, mentally cutting her friend some slack. She would have checked to see when Jane was going on a trip, but she could also see how her friend was preoccupied with Maura whenever the medic was around. It could be a little nauseating, but a bit fascinating too because she'd never seen Jane like this. It was a nice change from her sarcastic, sometimes caustic, friend.
"Thanks – I'd love the company checking the schedule. How far out is the first trip?"
"I think it is about a week from now," Maura replied, feeling bad that they hadn't at least checked when Bobbi was scheduled. She'd try to be more considerate in the future. She didn't want to come between the friendship Bobbi and Jane had.
"Man, this summer has flown by, you know? One more week, then the sleep-aways will be about another week, and then it will be parents weekend when they come and spirit their kiddos away. I bet some of these parents will be surprised to see their kids. I think some of them have really grown in the last couple months," Bobbi commented.
"Yeah, and then we have to pack up the camp and then it's time to head back to our normal lives. At least we have a couple weeks off between getting back to Boston and before we have to go back to school. Senior year – finally! I think I've been waiting my entire academic career for this!" Jane chimed in happily.
"What about you Maura? Are you headed back to France immediately after camp?" Bobbi asked.
Maura sighed. She hated thinking about leaving, but she knew it was inevitable, and impractical to think the time wouldn't come. "Yes, shortly after camp ends. I haven't bought my ticket yet, but that's what I was planning."
"When does your school start?" Bobbi asked.
"The day after Labor Day. Is that when your school starts as well?" Both Jane and Bobbi nodded. "I suppose this summer had to end at some point," she commented, staring off into the distance.
Not liking the somber tone of the conversation, Jane decided she needed to lighten things up. "Well, it's not over yet. We've still got a couple weeks to go, and maybe we can all run away and join the circus together. Then we'll never have to be apart," she joked. Maura smiled a little sadly, but could see that Jane was trying to cheer her up. She decided not to go into the unlikelihood of a circus coming to the middle of the woods in Western Massachusetts. She had mostly gotten used to Jane's jokes and silly comments.
"Rizzoli, like the circus would even take you!" Bobbi teased her friend, deciding that the mood needed to shift too. "I mean, Maura and I, we would be prime catches for the circus, but you,…I don't know. What could you do?"
"Me? What could I do? I'll have you know I have many talents. The circus would be lucky to have me!" Jane shot back comically.
"I don't know that they need a professional audience heckler," Bobbi joked.
"Har, har!" Jane replied, throwing a dinner roll at Bobbi's head. "What about you? What would you be?" Their dinner discussion continued as they conjectured what each of them would do for the fictional circus that would allow them to all be together and not have to go back to school for their final year.
After checking the schedule, Bobbi was slotted for the first trip, which was one week from today. Bobbi and Jane knew that it was unlikely that they would be scheduled on the same trip since the Director would want to space out the team coaches, so neither was surprised. Jane promised she'd help Bobbi pack up the stuff that would be good for the trip the afternoon that Bobbi would take off with the group. It would save Jane time anyway, knowing what was in the bags and what would be left behind for her to work with the remaining kids.
The week flew by again with a few scrapes and bruises from the kids on the softball diamond, but overall nothing major happened. Maura and Jane had spent every afternoon together, hiking or swimming. They'd even played chess a couple of times once Maura had discovered that Jane knew how to play and was actually very good at it. At night after dinner, they would usually go for a walk by themselves, making out once they were a good distance from the lights of the camp.
The afternoon of the first sleep-away trip arrived. Jane and Bobbi were running in and out of the Death Trap 3000 getting gear or taking it back, laying everything out and then assessing if they really needed to take it. They took turns going into the sports shed to return items and pull out new ones. Once they felt they'd gotten everything that they'd need for the trip laid out, they started stuffing it into bags.
"Hey Jane, you know that Maura is welcome to use my bed again, if she wants, while I'm away," Bobbi offered.
"Aww, thanks Bobbi. That's really nice, but there's no need. Gemma and Lotti will still be in our cabin because they aren't scheduled until the third and forth trips, and of course Maura's not having those nightmares anymore, so there's not really a reason why she'd need to sleep over."
"Ah. That's a bummer. I'm sure you'd like some time alone where you don't have to brave nighttime animals," Bobbi joked, knowing that she and Maura liked to take night-time walks.
Jane smirked. "Yeah, tell me about it. Oh well, I'll take what I can get."
"What about her cabin?"
"No go. Same situation. Because of the schedule, someone would always be there. Not exactly romantic, you know? But hey, at least we get to go on the camping trip together. That should be fun – something different." Bobbi nodded her agreement, and they both took the bag of gear down to the mess hall where the first trip was meeting up and getting dinner before heading off.
Bobbi's trip took off on time. Jane inwardly groaned at having to handle the campers on the diamond by herself, but she knew that Bobbi would have the same predicament when it was Jane's turn to go on the trip. It was a lot to handle, but it taught her about being resourceful and creative when she didn't have someone else to rely on. She also found that some of the older girls who wanted to work at the camp in a few years were more than willing to give her a hand and help out with the drills or stay behind and work with some of the younger groups.
Bobbi's group returned a few days later. Jane checked in with her to see how it went and if any of the supplies needed replenishing. Bobbi admitted that they had a great time and that the gear came in really handy when the kids were getting bored or fussy. Everything was in tact and nothing needed switched out.
Group two was beginning to assemble outside of the mess hall. Jane caught sight of Maura, who was checking in with Kim, she assumed about the medical supplies and if there had been any accidents. Seeing them laughing together, Jane surmised that things had gone well for Kim too.
"Looks like we'll be heading out soon," Jane said as she approached Kim and Maura.
"Yes, it looks like almost everyone is here and the supplies are nearly ready to go. I'm so excited! I had such a good time on the last trip," Maura replied, sharing her enthusiasm with Kim and Jane.
"You should have a great time. The weather looks good for the next couple days and your kids are a bit older, so they'll be able to do more, hike further, and just know their way around things a bit better than the little ones we were with. Have fun!" Kim said before heading into the mess hall for dinner.
"Do you have your personal bag packed?" Jane asked. Maura grinned and nodded, pointing to a nearby backpack. "And you?" Jane nodded, tapping the straps to the backpack she was already wearing. Jane heard the trip leader calling for everyone to gather around. She went over the rules of the trip, who had what responsibilities, and then the group was off. Since this was everyone's second trip of the summer, and the last sleep-away trip, the campers were abuzz with excitement. Everyone was well-fed and had their full water bottles swinging from their backpacks. One of the campers started singing and soon everyone was belting out favorite camp songs.
After a couple of hours of hiking, they got to where they would be camping, and the counselors started barking orders and unpacking gear. All the girls and staff knew that they had to work quickly to set everything up before dark and the sun would be setting soon. The days were drawing shorter, but the camp's schedule hadn't changed regarding when the trips left. It was expected that everyone would know more and be able to set things up more quickly on the second trip, so the gang worked together as a team to get things done.
Jane threw the last bag into a newly pitched tent just as the sun was disappearing behind the trees. Maura had been responsible for taking some of the campers out to gather kindling for the fire so they could make s'mores that night. Jane saw that she was just returning. It looked like she was telling the girls about the different types of tree twigs they had picked up. Jane smirked to herself. Leave it to her to make anything educational, Jane thought.
A couple of the counselors started a big fire and they unpacked the supplies for the sweet treats that they'd be roasting. As everyone settled down with their marshmallows and wires for roasting, Jane took a seat by Maura on her log.
"Hey you," she smiled happily. Maura grinned back. "I threw our stuff in that tent over there. Everyone had to pick a bunkmate, and I figured you wouldn't mind being mine." Maura's grin grew wider.
"That sounds like an ideal plan. Thank you. Did you pitch our tent?" Jane nodded. She had pitched or helped pitched most of the tents that were now set up around the camp.
"Yup, and I picked out the best one for us. Well, they're all about the same, since they are camp-issued tents, but I picked the one that was in the best condition and seemed to be on the smoothest patch of ground for us. It's over there," she said, pointing to a tent near the back of a few other tents.
"My hero," Maura claimed. She wanted to give Jane a kiss on the cheek, but there were so many people around that she kept the impulse to herself. Since they were rooming together, hopefully there would be time for that later.
"Ha, ha," Jane replied, but couldn't help the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks, and she looked down at the ground to recompose herself. Maura smiled to herself. She loved flirting with Jane, and it was remarkably easy to get a response from her, which was the fun of it.
After s'mores and a few rounds of ghost stories or funny camp tales, the counselors called for the campers to go to their tents and go to bed. The campers quickly trudged off, leaving behind the camp staff. The trip leader said that a couple staffers needed to stay up for the next couple hours to keep the fire going and to make sure that all the campers quieted down and didn't need anything, like last minute trips to the woods for the bathroom. She asked for volunteers, and Jane saw a couple teens who seemed particularly wired, raise their hands.
"Great! Since you're staying up late, you won't be responsible for breakfast set up, cooking, or cleaning. Who'd like that job?" After the remaining staff looked around, Jane and Maura finally volunteered for breakfast set up and the other jobs were quickly assigned as well. Without further business, the brief meeting broke up, allowing Jane and Maura to retire to their tent.
Jane and Maura entered their little tent. "I'm going to go into the woods and freshen up for a couple minutes. I'll be back soon," Jane announced, grabbing her toiletry bag and a water bottle.
"Oh, I should do that too. I'll see you soon then," Maura replied, and they both took off for different sections of the woods to brush their teeth and prepare for bed.
Jane arrived back at the tent first in her sleep wear, a worn out Red Sox shirt and a pair of cotton pajama pants. No surprise there, she thought to herself. Though she didn't live with Maura, she had been around her enough to gather that she would probably take longer to get ready for bed then it would take her. Beauty takes time, I suppose. To occupy herself while she waited, she looked around the tent for something to do. All of their stuff was pretty much still packed, sleeping bags still rolled for travel. Well, might as well make myself useful. She unrolled her sleeping bag and Maura's sleeping bag and set up their battery-operated lantern so that they'd have some light until they went to bed. She found a book she'd thrown into her backpack, just in case she got really bored, and decided she might as well settle in until Maura came.
Maura arrived just after Jane had started reading. Jane always felt her breath hitch slightly when she saw Maura coming toward her, but she thought that she looked particularly adorable tonight. Since it was cool in the woods after the sun went down, Maura was donning a pair of pink flannel pajamas with Eiffel Towers all over them. Jane smiled to herself. How can she make flannel p.j.'s look sexy? Maura looked freshly scrubbed and seemed to have a bit of a glow about her.
"Hi," she said shyly. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No, not long at all. I love your pajamas."
"Thanks," she grinned in reply. "Thanks for unrolling my sleeping bag," she said as she sat down on the unrolled bed.
"Ah, no problem," Jane replied, looking down at her book, thinking about how she had struggled with how to set up their sleeping bags. The last thing she wanted was for Maura to actually sleep all the way across their small tent, but she didn't want to be presumptuous by putting them together. "I wasn't sure how you wanted them set up, but I just thought I'd unroll them until you came back."
Maura was also thinking about the sleeping arrangements. She and Jane had spent so much time together over the last few weeks, mostly by sneaking around or trying to walk far enough off the main campground that they felt reasonably certain that they wouldn't get caught. For the most part it worked, though there were a few close calls. She was really looking forward to the idea that they would get to be away from prying eyes, even if people were actually closer than they were when they'd been in the woods or at the lake.
Deciding that Jane probably wanted the same thing she did and was just being considerate, Maura dragged her sleeping bag next to Jane's. "How about this instead?" she asked, looking up through long eye lashes.
Jane smiled back. "Yes, I like that much better."
Without further preamble, Jane reached forward and pulled Maura toward her, locking their lips together. Maura loved feeling Jane's lips on her own and moved to deepen the kiss, shifting her weight toward Jane, pushing Jane onto her back.
Jane fell back, pulling her girlfriend along with her. They quickly entwined their legs as Jane laced her fingers through Maura's impossibly soft locks. Maura's nimble fingers found the hem of Jane's sleep shirt and began to run her hands along her sides. Jane moaned quietly into the touch, causing Maura to break off the kiss.
"You know you're going to have to be quiet, right? There are people, some fairly little people, that aren't that far away from us." Jane pouted slightly, but nodded.
"I can be quiet, I promise," she replied, shifting to kissing the petite medic's neck, causing her companion to whimper slightly. "I think I'm not the only one that being quiet will be challenging for," she whispered into her neck.
"Maybe…," she replied breathily, as one of her hands continued to track up Jane's abdomen. After slightly shifting her weight, Maura finally felt the object of her desire within her grasp. She lightly ran her fingers along the underside of Jane's small, yet perfect breast, eliciting another soft moan from the lanky athlete. She felt Jane bite down slightly on her neck where she had been previously kissing, encouraging Maura to continue her ministrations.
Adept beyond her years, Maura slowly teased her way around Jane's breast, caressing the underside, then the side, and then bringing her hand up to grasp the entire mound, playing with the nipple.
Jane was having a hard time concentrating on her own actions as Maura began to play with her body with a talent she hadn't experienced before. Feeling that her mission to distract Jane was working, she shifted her weight atop Jane again so she could render the same treatment on her other breast. As Jane laid back against her pillow, Maura attacked her neck while simultaneously finding Jane's neglected boob.
Maura was clearly on a mission to tackle most of Jane from the waist up, and Jane realized that Maura was concentrating to the exclusion of most other things. Taking the opportunity, she slowly began to unbutton Maura's adorable pink pajama top, starting with the bottom button and working her way up. She wanted better access to see and touch more of her girlfriend.
Finally reaching the top button, she quickly unclasped it, and pulled the medic flush against her. Maura felt the soft cotton of Jane's shirt against her now exposed front, her desire growing as the layers between them diminished. She locked onto Jane's lips again for a deep, long kiss.
The light! Somehow this random thought struck Jane, hoping that they hadn't been making indecent shadow puppets for the entire camp. Breaking the searing kiss, Jane explained. "Maur, I'm going to kill the light, okay?" A breathy 'uh-huh' was the only response she got, or needed. Maura obligingly shifted her weight so that Jane could get to the lantern. The coach hit the button, launching them into blackness. That's better.
With Maura now on her side, Jane took the opportunity to flip their positions, forcing Maura to be on the bottom while Jane loomed above her. "I think I like this position," she leered, causing a chill to run down Maura. Oh, that voice, she thought as her lower body warmed and tightened in response.
"I think I'd like it a little better with you in less clothes," she admitted and grabbed the neck of Jane's shirt, pulling it over her head and discarding it off to the side.
Jane found herself topless before she realized it. Maura was fast when she wanted something! She felt the chill of the night air, even through their tent, and felt her nipples pucker. She fought the urge to want to cross her arms and cover herself. She couldn't help feeling very exposed, even though they were in the dark. Before she could get lost in her own mental world, she felt Maura pulling her down on top of her.
She gasped as she felt herself pressed against Maura's exposed, supple chest.
"Oh, God," she whispered in reverie. "You feel amazing."
Maura tightened her grasp around Jane's back, nuzzling her neck and placing gentle kisses on it. "So do you. I…I'm so glad to be with you Jane," she breathed, her voice thick with unshed tears. Being with the other boys she'd had sex with, or even made out with, had never felt like this.
Hearing her voice, and the emotion behind it, Jane pulled back slightly, rolling to the side, but ensuring that their embrace continued. "Hey, everything okay? You okay? Is this…um,…is this too much?" Jane asked, forgetting momentarily that it was largely Maura's actions that had made them so intimate.
"I'm…I'm fine. Sorry, just a little overwhelmed, but fine. I just…I've never felt like this with someone."
Jane raised her eyebrows in surprise, though she didn't think Maura could see her face. "Really? Even with those other boys?"
"It was nothing like this," she admitted.
Jane chuckled lightly. "Well, I'll take that as a good thing," and brought her hand to Maura's exposed side, drawing closer, enjoying the feel of the skin beneath her fingertips. They began kissing again, Jane working to untangle Maura from her unbuttoned shirt and finally succeeding. Free of the flannel shirt, Jane had open access to Maura's breasts and shoulders, and she worked her way down from Maura's lips to her neck and shoulders.
Though she and Jane had made out many times over the last few weeks, this was a new level. Jane was impossibly soft, her skin felt like velvet beneath her fingertips, but Maura could still feel her muscles rippling beneath the surface. She found herself slipping further and further under Jane's control, allowing her friend – now girlfriend – to do whatever her heart's desire to her body.
After freeing Maura of her flannel top, Jane had pushed her down onto her back and was taking her time to trail kisses from her shoulder to her breast. Maura entangled her hands into Jane's thick mane of hair, wordlessly accepting the advancement. At last, the statuesque teen was hovering above Maura's taut nipple. She breathed heavily on the nub, taking a moment to enjoy where she was, marveling that she was lucky enough to be there at all.
Hearing Maura's whimper, she realized she was being unkind teasing her like this, and opened her mouth, drawing the nipple into her warm and waiting mouth. Her hand found the other breast and began massaging it to match the rhythm she was applying with her mouth. Jane's leg was nestled in between Maura's, and she gently pushed up into Maura's core. Maura arched her back into Jane, clutching her shoulders to try and ground herself, but she could feel how she was quickly losing any control, her senses overloaded by her girlfriend's talented touch.
Jane switched breasts, assaulting the other one with her mouth and massaging its partner, listening to Maura's rapid breaths and enjoying her wriggling beneath her and clinging desperately to her body. After several minutes, and feeling that Maura's breasts had been well tended, Jane began to kiss slowly down the medic's stomach.
Once again realizing where Jane was headed, Maura pulled at Jane's arms, making her come up to face her. "Jane, wait," she husked.
"Mmm..," Jane replied, kissing her shoulder, wondering what Maura needed, her hand finding where Maura's hip lay beneath the waistband of her pajamas. She ran her fingers along the waistband. The hazel-eyed teen laid her hand atop Jane's, stilling the action.
"Can we…can we stop? It's..um…please?"
Jane stilled immediately, her body tensing. Had she gone too far again? "Of…of course. Um, do you want to go lie down on your sleeping bag?"
Maura smiled to herself, hugging Jane to her. "No, not at all. I would actually love to stay in your arms all night, if you want. I just don't think we should go any further tonight."
Relieved that Maura wasn't upset with her, Jane kissed Maura's forehead in understanding. "Okay. I'll unzip your bag and we can sleep under it and lay mine out to sleep on top of. Sound good?" Maura nodded, and they made short work of the small project.
Once the sleeping bags were situated according to plan, Maura was happily nestled against Jane's side while Jane was on her back.
"Are you comfortable?" the medic asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Jane confirmed contentedly, running her fingers through her girlfriend's hair to push it away from her face. With a kind voice, Jane asked, "Do you want to talk about why we stopped?"
Maura knew the question was coming, and was prepared with her answer. "The same reason we've stopped before. We were moving in a direction to consummate our relationship, and I don't want to…yet. Not here, not now. But soon."
She felt as well as heard Jane's deep sigh. Jane was looking up at the ceiling of the tent, still continuing to play with Maura's hair. But when would it be right? "Maura, camp is almost over. We won't really have any more private time between then and now. Are you sure you still want to do this? I mean, if it isn't, I'd.." her voice broke, "I'd understand. I just want to know. And I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want. I mean, hell, I really want it, but if you don't, then that's that, and we won't. We can just enjoy being together without that….extra piece."
"Jane…," Maura started. Here it comes, Jane thought. She doesn't want to sleep with me. I knew it was too good to be true.
"Jane, I want you to come to Paris with me," she blurted out.
"What?"