I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for continuing to read my story. I have to agree with the anonymous reviewer who felt it was not my best work... I really don't feel like it is, either... but reading all your reviews have cheered me up no end during my pain struggles, so I just wanted to say THANK YOU. You guys are awesome.
Apologies for the delay with posting this one! I had a good couple of days Monday, Tuesday so I was like YES, I can make it through a whole week of work but then Wednesday happened, and Thursday, and yeah, not so much. So I had to call in sick for Friday and then have this huge long conversation with my boss about how I'm coping, am I happy, do I really want to be there, etc, which was BLAH because of course I do, I'm just in PAIN. She's very understanding though and, long story short, due to doctors recommendation, I have cut back to four days a week temporarily. GAH. *trails off into incoherent mumbling/ranting*
ANYWAY, I have taken on a few suggestions for the last chapter and improved things a bit (hopefully), so, while it hasn't changed too much, feel free to go back and have a bit of a squiz :-)
Also, I now feel bad for saying that there would be Rizzles in this chapter. Next chapter though. And this time I mean it!
Onto the chapter!
***CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT***
J: Whre r u?
M: I decided to go for a run after work. Why do you ask?
J: nite? alone? isnt it bit drk?
M: Yes, it is night time, yes, I am alone, and yes, seeing as how it is traditionally dark at night time, it is also dark tonight. Please use correct spelling and grammar!
J: Fine. Whatever. You know that that was like three messages long to answer one question.
M: Three questions and oh it was not. It was 168 characters; text messages allow 180 characters.
J: Only you would use a ; in a text message. I'm bored.
M: Wow, really? I couldn't tell.
J: ... that was sarcasm.
M: What clued you in?
J: I told you not to use sarcasm! It's weird.
J: Maura?
J: Maura!
J: I'm bored!
M: Watch TV
J: I am.
M: What are you watching?
J: ... nothing.
M: You're watching The Discovery Channel, aren't you?
J: ... I couldn't find the remote! Or maybe I was too lazy to change the channel...
M: Of course.
J: ...I'm bored.
M: I will be home in approximately 35 minutes. Go to bed. It's late.
Jane glared at her phone. Go to bed, really? What did Maura take her for? Some old geezer who went to bed at... Jane stared around the room until she found a clock. 9:00pm! Really? She could stay up later than that. Much later. In fact... her thought wave trailed off as she was overcome by a powerful yawn that seemed to rattle her whole body. She glared at the TV accusingly. Stupid documentary being all interesting and boring all at once. It was confusing her body. Jane crossed her arms determinedly across her body, staring at the TV unblinkingly. She was staying awake till Maura got here. Uh huh. No way she was falling asleep.
Gonna stay awake all night if I have to. I'm a cop. I got this.
Staying awake!
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do, we swim, swim, swim...
Oh my God, shut up brain.
R&IR&IR&I
"Jane... Jane..."
Jane reached up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, before shooting up to a sitting position and blinking blearily at the clock. 9:37pm. She looked the other way and...
Ooh, pretty.
Maura smiled at her fondly. "I thought I said to go to bed."
"You're late," Jane replied. "And I wasn't tired."
"Clearly," Maura replied, an amused look on her face as she looked over at the clock. "Also, I did say 'approximately', and I'm not sure 2 minutes constitutes a 'you're late' reprimand."
"It does." Jane crossed her arms against her chest, her eyes roving without her permission over Maura in her sweaty workout gear. "Where were you?" she blurted out.
"Today? I was at work." Maura stood up, pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail and began running her fingers through it.
"No, I meant after work."
"I told you, I went for a run."
"Did you do anything else?"
Maura froze. "Um. No?"
"No?" Jane raised an eyebrow, standing up and following as Maura attempted to escape into the bedroom. "Maura."
Maura scratched her chest. "I went to visit Bass and Jo."
"And after that?" Jane gulped as Maura pulled her shirt up and over her head, leaving her clad in her workout pants and sports bra. She shook her head.
Focus, Jane!
Boobies.
No, focus on something OTHER than the boobies, you giant weird ass teenager.
Stomach?
Oh for God's sake...
"I decided to make my run a bit longer."
Jane went over to the bedside table, running her finger over it to collect imaginary dust particles. "Oh, so you didn't... I don't know... talk to my mother or anything?"
Maura pulled her pants down. Now she was wearing just a sports bra and a pair of simple yet stylish hipster briefs. Jane gulped, her mouth suddenly dry. "Stop that!"
"Stop what?" Maura blinked innocently as she strolled over to the cupboard, hips swaying, and bent over far more than was strictly necessary to simply get a pair of pyjamas out of the drawer.
"You know perfectly well what. Did you talk to my mother or not?"
Maura straightened up slowly, purple pyjamas in hand. "Not today?" She held the sleepwear in front of her body, as though only just realizing she was half nude and not alone.
Aww, no need to be shy, Maura...
SHUT UP, BRAIN.
"So you have talked to her recently then."
Maura's eyes were huge. "Perhaps."
"And what did Mrs. Buttinski say when you 'perhaps' talked to her?"
Maura blinked. "You know, 'perhaps' is really the wrong word to use in that context; you probably should have used the word 'probably' so that the sentence made more sense. As it is, it..." she trailed off slowly as Jane intensified her glare, then blurted, "She cares about you!"
"Oh yes, she cares. She cares so much that she finds it necessary to be a pain in my behind..." Jane mumbled and Maura propped a hand on her hip indignantly, sense of propriety all but forgotten.
"She was just helping me!"
"Helping you with what?"
"She was giving me advice."
Jane heaved out a breath and closed her eyes, praying for patience. "Advice with what?"
"You."
Jane's eyes popped open. "So she is the reason you've been acting weird!"
Maura appeared to be offended. "I have not been acting weird!" She looked down, crumpling the clothes in her hands nervously. "I've just been... acting different."
"Same thing."
"Is not!"
"Is t..." Jane shook her head. "No, I'm not doing this. What did she say to you?"
Maura blinked at her.
"Maura."
She opened her mouth and shut it again.
"Maura!"
"Shesaidthatyou'reinlovewithmeanditwillbescaringyouandifIwantyoutonotpanicIshouldmakeyouwonderaboutmeandkeepyourcuriousityupbecauseotherwiseyoumightrunand..."
Jane held up her hand. Maura stopped mid word vomit.
Well, almost stopped.
"And I don't want you to run," she added quietly, after she took a breath.
Gonna kill Ma.
Where will I hide the body?
"Why..." she took a deep breath, "why would you think I'd run?"
Maura raised an eyebrow.
Um, maybe because you HAVE run before, genius.
Shut up, brain!
"Right."
Maura stepped forward. "If it helps, tomorrow I don't plan to be running."
Jane watched her move, her jaw dropping.
"At all," Maura added, and in no time at all, she was in front of Jane.
Jane lifted her hands and placed them on warm skin at Maura's hips. "I'm still gonna kill Ma."
Right, because THAT'S who you should be thinking about at a time like this. Your mother. Yup. Makes TOTAL sense.
Weirdo.
Maura laughed. "Please don't. I don't want you to go to jail before I have the chance to make you scream my name."
With a soft peck to Jane's cheek, she turned, heading into the bathroom.
Jane gaped.
She just... what just... I... She's gonna kill me.
Ah, but what a way to go...
"I don't scream, Maura!" she yelled through the closed door.
The door cracked open. "You will."
It shut again.
Yup. Killed. Dead.
Kaboom.
Jane grinned.
R&IR&IR&I
"Jane."
"Jane?"
"Jane!"
"Shh. Sleeping."
"OW!" Jane opened her eyes and glared at Maura, who was looking far too innocent for a person that had just thrown a decent punch at Jane's shoulder. "What was that for?"
"You were ignoring me."
"I was sleeping."
"No, you weren't. I could hear your brain whirring from here."
Jane lifted her head and peered at Maura in the near darkness. It was just light enough to make out her facial expression. "Really? Symbolism? From you?"
Maura lifted her head and cocked it slightly. She opened her mouth.
"Never mind," Jane said hurriedly. "I don't want to know if that was the wrong word or whatever. Anyway, if I was thinking, you were too. You're normally out like a light."
"Did you know it takes the average person 7 minutes to fall to sleep?"
"Takes me longer than that."
"Yes, but you have been plagued by insomnia at times." Maura settled down again, pillowing her head back on Jane's shoulder comfortably.
"Are you saying I'm not average?"
She felt Maura smile against her. "Only in the best of ways."
Jane smiled too, and, besides the sound of their breathing, there was silence in the room for a few minutes, then, "So what were you thinking about then?"
Maura sighed. "Tomorrow."
"Me too."
Maura lifted her head. "You were?"
Jane nodded. "Of course."
"Oh, I was worried it was just me. I mean, what if I forget something?"
Jane frowned. "Huh?"
"I mean, I know the hotel will call me if I leave something behind, but what if the person who services our room is dishonest and..."
Jane slapped Maura on the arm.
"Ow! What, that wasn't what you were talking about?"
Jane glared. "You're a terrible liar."
Maura laughed. "I know." She laid her head down on Jane's shoulder again. "But there's no sense in worrying. Everything will work out wonderfully." She lifted her head once more. "And I will make you scream."
Jane bit her lip.
Maura tilted her head. "What?"
"I've never..." Jane lifted her hand, playing with the hem of her T-shirt, "you know... with a partner before."
"Orgasmed?"
"Maura!"
"Jane," Maura sounded exasperated. "If you're old enough to do it, you're old enough to say it."
"Fine. I've never orgasmed with a partner before. You happy now?"
Maura smiled. "That sounds like a challenge." She laid her head down once more and closed her eyes. "Good night."
"...Good night..."
Yup. Dead. D-E-D dead.
R&IR&IR&I
"What are you doing?"
"I'm packing."
"I can see that, what I'm confused about is why you are taking ten hours to pack when it's a ten minute trip back to your house."
Maura frowned. "I am not taking ten hours, and it's an eight minute trip."
Jane threw herself back on the bed. "God, you are so literal."
"Well, why aren't you packing then, Miss Impatience?"
"I'm already done." Jane pointed at her duffel bag and suitcase, both haphazardly stuffed and both with sleeves and pant legs poking out everywhere. Maura walked over and gave the duffel bag a doubtful nudge with her foot.
"Is anything alive in there?"
"Very funny."
"You really should fold your clothes, you know. They are going to get wrinkled."
Jane spread her arms out where she lay on the bed, so that she almost resembled a starfish. "Do I look like I care?"
"Not particularly."
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" Jane rolled over onto her stomach, shimmying around until she was looking at Maura.
"I just made that bed!"
Jane looked down at the now messy blankets. "The hotel staff will remake it anyway. Plus, they need to wash the sheets. Really, when you think about it, I'm actually doing them a favour. You know, makes it easier for them to pull the sheets off and whatnot."
Maura rolled her eyes. "Are you planning on helping me, or just lying there?"
Jane put her head down on the mattress. "Just lying here."
"Huh. Well, that's a pity."
Jane lifted her head, watching as Maura pulled a blouse off a hanger and folded it with painstakingly slow and careful movements. "What's a pity?" she asked cautiously.
"Well, it's just that the longer I take to pack, the longer it will be before we get back to the house and..."
Jane leapt to her feet. "Packing duties, yes ma'am!"
She reached into the closet and closed her hands around ten clothing items at once. With a well practiced movement that left coat hangers swinging on their bar, she pulled them all of at once and shoved them into the bag before opening a drawer, grabbing out the handful of items in there and shoving it in too.
"Jane!" Maura squealed indignantly, but within five minutes, her bag was zipped up and handed to her.
"Done."
Maura stared down at the bag. "Wrinkles..."
"So not important."
"But..."
Jane stepped forward. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure that Maura could hear it, but Maura just stared up at her wide eyed.
Jane leaned in.
Maura lifted her chin.
They moved closer together until...
Knock knock.
Jane growled. "If that's that clamblocker saleswoman come to find us, I'm gonna kill her."
"Clamblocker?"
"Shut up, Maura."
Their lips met, and as Maura's mouth slowly opened and their tongues met for the first time, Jane slowly grinned into the kiss. She pulled back.
"Let's go, Maura. Let's go home."
She grabbed her bags, flung open the door and thrust them at the astonished porter. "I'm having sex soon."
He gaped.
Yeah, baby.
END CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Yes, this was kind of a filler chapter. Don't even care. It didn't feel right to go straight to the sex... I decided to trust my instincts. :-/
But hopefully there was enough suggestiveness in there to placate those of you who now want to kill me for not giving you, you know, sexytime Rizzles. I will have the next chapter up soon though... hopefully in 24 hours or so? And I'm already freaking out about writing the sex scene lol :-P But I'm excited too! Weird emotions for the win.
Eww, not that kind of excited. Sickos :-P hehehe. Don't worry, if you're all sickos, then I definitely am too.
Also it's 11pm here and I'm still awake! Not good, especially since, knowing me, I'll probably be awake tomorrow morning at 5am on the dot! Stupid internal alarm clock. But hey, you got the chapter like a whole 12 hours earlier than I thought I'd be able to post it, so yay?
Please review! My shift key wanted me to yell that at you. Really need to buy a new keyboard. SO MUCH UNINTENTIONAL YELLING. Would be awesome to get to 600 reviews but I'll settle for 590 :-P *puppy dog eyes* haha, but seriously, thanks for just reading my story... means a lot.
Love to all (my keyboard wanted me to yell that too. Overly attached girlfriend much? haha) xoxo
