Maura loved Jane's swagger, her cocky stride when things went her way. Jane walked into the FBI headquarters like she owned them, , as proud and gallant as a Tennessee walking horse, Maura's hand clasped in Jane's as softly and carefully as though Jane was carrying a baby bird. Her tight black jeans made her look casual but not too dressed down, and her red shirt made her look bold and bright. Maura had accessorised with her fiancé, in red heels and a black dress with red floral highlights.
They met their guide - a young man who blushed when Jane shook his hand, looking impressed at Maura's various titles. Jane waited until he left to get the coffee that had been provided to squeal at the FBI keycard with her face and ID on it. Maura chuckled, equally impressed with hers but she'd had a lifetime of learning restraint for the sake of public opinions.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, y'know that?" Jane asked, kissing Maura's temple, arm around her shoulder.
"You might have mentioned it at least once or twice last night," Maura whispered, watching Jane's blush with interest. Jane still blushed sometimes, even when they were alone. It was endearing. Jane didn't scope out the room before dropping her mouth down to Maura's, a quick kiss before their tour.
"Yeah, and I meant it then too, okay?" Jane muttered as their guide came back, beaming at them and holding out coffee. "If I'd known coffee was included, I'd've done this a lot sooner.
"I hear you've worked with our agency before," Clark said, showing them to an overlook for the glass ceiling of the lab. "Both of you, I mean," he said quickly, remembering that Maura existed.
"Yeah, once or twice."
"Oh wow," Maura said, looking over a machine. "Is that the new model LA-ICP-MS?" Clark looked flustered.
"I think so?" Clark said. "To be honest, most of the forensics I deal with are computer-based." Maura nodded, disappointed as they kept going past the lab, off to the bullpen. Jane stopped, looking back, letting Maura catch up at her own pace.
"D'ya think you could get one of the techs to take us through after? The Chief ME for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would appreciate it."
"She would," Maura said, smiling brightly, and Clark smiled back, a little daunted.
"I'll see if I can clear it; it depends on which cases they're working."
"Of course," Jane said, getting into step with Maura.
"And thus concludes our tour. My apologies again, Doctor Isles, that the lab was working on such a high-profile case, but if you're ever back in DC we might be able to show you around." Clark held out his hand, and Maura shook it politely. The tour had been interesting enough without access to the lab, but it had also made her aware that she was a little lonely without her fluoroscope and mass spectrometer.
"Detective Rizzoli, it's been a pleasure meeting you in person - the Chief said so himself! Um. On a more personal note, would you care to have dinner tonight?" Jane's eyes flicked to Maura's, the trace of a smirk on her lips.
"Sure, but can my fiancé come too?" Jane asked.
"Oh uh, of course. He didn't want to come see our headquarters?" Jane clicked her fingers, leaving her thumb pointed at Maura, who awkwardly waved.
"She did," Jane said. "Actually, I think we have plans, don't we?" Maura checked her phone, unable to lie.
"I did make that booking," Maura said, "you were so excited about their steak."
"Oh, that's tonight?" Jane gave a fist pump. "Finally!"
"You know too much read meat isn't... Oh. Thank you anyway. And thank you for the tour."
"Very informative," Jane added helpfully, nodding. Clark handed over the VIP tote bags, and waved goodbye wistfully as they left the building.
Maura watched Jane cut her steak, nodding approvingly when Jane exaggerated her movements to show that none of them were the exact size of a human esophagus. Maura speared herself one of the bite sized morsels, earning a faux-glare from Jane who, in return speared a bite of Maura's roasted wild mushrooms.
"I'm so glad we came," Jane said.
"Did you want to go to dinner with him?" Maura asked, pushing a mushroom around her plate with her fork. Jane stole that one too, relenting and replacing it with another cube of steak.
"With who?" Jane asked, looking up.
"Clark, from the FBI. He was quite interested in you."
"Was he? I had my eye on something much better looking," Jane said, winking terribly over the table at Maura, who chuckled, placated. "We're always going to get... men are always..."
"So I shouldn't be so insecure?" Maura asked.
"Of my feelings for you? No. They're the strongest, softest feelings I have, and no mere mortal could even come close to competing with you."
"You're trying to impress me again," Maura noted, smiling as she continued her dinner.
"When we go back, I'm going to work too much. There'll be times I won't be there for you because I'm at work, there will be days where I'll be cranky when I see you because someone decided to do a really good job of hiding all the evidence and we know they did it but we can't prove it, I just want to have some space where I can treat you right. I wish I could promise that none of that will happen, but..."
"Have I ever complained? You know the hours I work, the stress of my job. I've snapped at you for trying to make me guess even though I know the exact reason you're asking me to because their disembodied head is on my table. You've always treated me as a priority, no matter your case load. I'm not worried."
"You're never cranky though," Jane said. "Well, rarely. And I know when you snap at me that I completely deserved it because Doctor Maura Isles doesn't guess." Jane smiled over at Maura. "Is there anything I could do that wouldn't impress you?"
"Not unless you had a personality transplant. I didn't like it when you shot Paddy... But if he'd hurt you I'd have shot him myself." Jane shifted uncomfortably, about to apologise again, but Maura held up her hand to stop her, taking Jane's hand across the table. "As long as your intentions are good and you make it up to me afterwards, a little overtime probably won't hurt. As long as I'm the ME on call, of course."
"Are you implying I'd cheat on you with Popov?" Jane asked, looking scandalised, and Maura laughed, leaning forward, the way she usually leaned in toward Jane when she made her laugh. Maura bit her lip and looked down at the table between them, keeping her too far away from Jane. "We can get doggy bags," Jane said, looking down too. "Get in our pajamas and on the couch and put on a documentary about turtles."
"Tortoises," Maura said out of habit. "No, the food is warm now, it won't be an ideal temperature like this when we get back." Jane pouted, and Maura let her ankle find Jane's under the table, pressing against it with her own. "But if we get the cheesecake..." Maura suggested, and Jane grinned.
Notes:
All those poor men, throwing themselves at the Rizzles.
I had an opportunity, about a week before my raise, to go work out in the desert.
Because that's where the telescopes are, and that's what I would have been maintaining in my field.
But I grew up - if you watched Xena, all those forests and streams and white empty beaches and blue horizons. I grew up running through the old growth forest with a staff, checking out caves and hanging out with lizards, learning the calls of the birds.
And I love the night, I love the night sky, I love space, but I've been the gay in a small town before, I've lived in a remote community and the logistics, the lack of internet, the red dirt that never really washes out... the droughts, the floods, the substance abuse...
I'll stick to the virtual tours, for now.