It was a regular occurrence for Jane to spend the night at Maura's. As Maura woke up the following morning, she saw with new eyes how truly unique it was that Jane spent most of her time at the Beacon Hill home. Jane spent so many nights at Maura's in fact, that they had a usual routine that consisted of Maura waking up first to get breakfast and coffee started while Jane grumbled in bed for a few extra minutes. Inevitably, Jane would find her way to the kitchen and insist on helping, and Maura would insist Jane drink her coffee first to avoid the risk of Jane 'helping' with her eyes closed and burning whatever Maura was making. It generally took Jane at least a few minutes of sitting at the island grumbling some more before Jane said much more than 'good morning.'
On that morning, Maura was particularly observant of their routine because Jane was breaking it. Maura had woken up alone just after six, smelled Jane's shampoo wafting from the en suite, and heard rummaging in the kitchen. Curious, Maura got up quickly and went to the washroom to start her day, where she realized for the first time how odd it was that Jane even kept shampoo at the Beacon Hill home. She took a moment to observe and smiled at the slew of personal items Jane had in Maura's home. There was the shampoo along with body wash and conditioner sitting on Jane's designated shelves across from Maura's fuller ones. Jane had a couple of other hygiene products on her side of the counter and Maura chuckled at the fact that Jane had a side at all. Jane had a toothbrush and her own toothpaste - which Maura had picked up when she learned that Jane had sensitive teeth. Jane even had a drawer to keep feminine hygiene products and other bathroom items. It suddenly struck Maura just how domestic their relationship was.
Smiling, and trying to keep her blush at bay, Maura made the bed and stumbled over Jane's slippers haphazardly left beside the bed. She slipped her feet into them and traced her finger along the spine of the book Jane had left on the bedside table, and Maura's chest ached because Jane felt just as home at Maura's as Maura felt with Jane. Though after all of Maura's research she analyzed that best friends wouldn't usually keep so many items at each other's homes.
Following the sound of Jane's voice, Maure walked into the kitchen to find soft rock music playing quietly from the speaker. Jane nodded her head and sang along lowly as she pressed the buttons on the coffee maker and then turned to pour batter into a frying pan. Jane moved to finish the two mugs of coffee and turned to place them on the island, finally noticing Maura leaning against the wall watching her.
"Morning! Pancakes?" Jane offered as she pulled a stool out for Maura to sit on.
"Pancakes would be lovely." Maura smiled as she sat and Jane pushed a mug of coffee toward her. "Thank you, Jane. You're in a good mood this morning."
Jane shrugged a shoulder and turned to keep an eye on the stove. "Yeah, cause I actually got between six and eight hours of sleep, as recommended by… someone you once told me about," Jane joked and Maura chuckled.
"Any particular reason for the early morning boost of energy? You didn't take my advice and partake in morning yoga, did you?" Maura teased and Jane smirked at her.
"You know I didn't," Jane joked. "I was just up early and I figured I'd make breakfast since you got pizza last night."
"But I got the pizza as an apology for the interview," Maura stated in confusion. Jane placed a plate in front of Maura with two pancakes and strawberry slices on the side before turning back to the stove to finish her own food.
"I overreacted... " Jane admitted as she sat next to Maura with her plate. There were no strawberries, so Jane had cut them specifically for Maura and that wordless sweetness left Maura breathless. "Besides, I could do a lot worse than you." Jane nudged Maura with an elbow at the jest and Maura tried to smile despite her confusion at the remark. They ate in silence for a while until a thought occurred to Maura.
"Do I have a lot of personal items at your apartment?" She asked and Jane paused eating to raise an eyebrow at her.
"Uhh, I dunno…" Jane's eyes squinted to think. "I think you have a couple of outfits for when you sleep over, and your bathroom stuff. A pair of extra runners and that crazy expensive wine in the cupboard on top of my fridge you think I don't know about. Why? Did you want it back?"
"No, it just occurred to me this morning," Maura admitted.
"Alright." Jane shrugged and took a particularly large bite of pancake.
"Do you think it's odd that we keep things at each other's homes?" Maura prodded as casually as she could and Jane paused chewing for a moment before she shrugged again.
"Nah, not really. I mean it works for us, you know? Am I being too messy here? I can clean up my stuff better if that's what this is about." Maura couldn't help but chuckle at Jane's worry.
"No, you're fine, it was just a thought." Maura stood to bring her plate to the sink. She rinsed the dishes before she put them in the dishwasher and turned to find Jane looking curiously at her.
"You're being weird." Jane pointed an accusatory fork in Maura's direction and she laughed.
"You always think I'm being weird," Maura evaded the accusation, and Jane tilted her head and nodded.
"Yeah, because you always are," Jane joked. "You've never brought this up before and I don't remember you not having a toothbrush at my place, so it's been a while. Does it bother you?"
"No!" Maura shouted and Jane raised an eyebrow at her. "It's convenient and I like the arrangement. I like that I have someone close enough to share my space with," Maura admitted and Jane smiled softly at her.
"Me too, Maur," Jane spoke in the voice she reserved for sweet moments and Maura felt a fluttering in her stomach that had occurred hundreds of times before, only now she recognized what it was.
"I'm going to go get ready." she walked out of the kitchen towards the hallway that led to the bedroom and paused to look back at Jane whose focus was back on breakfast. "Jane?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for the pancakes." Maura smiled and Jane smirked back.
"Anything for my wonderful secret girlfriend, one doctor Maura Isles," Jane sassed in the sweet tone and Maura grinned before she went to change her clothes and do her hair and makeup. As she got ready, Maura tried to think of a subtle experiment she could try, but nothing came to mind until both women were leaving for the day. Maura followed Jane to the front door that Jane opened it for her, pressing a hand to the small of Maura's back before following behind her. Maura grinned as she realized it was a perfect first experiment.
As they pulled into their usual parking spaces along the road in front of the BPD, Maura rushed up the stairs to beat Jane to the door. Jane smiled in a curious entertainment as she walked past, and Maura took the opportunity to guide Jane through the door as Jane often did to her, lightly brushing her hand against Jane's back.
"Why, thank you, doctor Isles," Jane said flirtatiously. Although Jane didn't say anything else about it as they walked to their respective elevators, Maura did notice a slight blush had crept over Jane's cheeks and that Jane tried to hide a small smile. Maura grinned over at Jane as the doors to her lift dinged open.
"Have a nice day, Jane," Maura stated happily and Jane nodded with a smile of her own before the elevator doors closed. Maura pulled out her journal that she'd hidden in her purse and wrote the results down as the lift carried her to the morgue.
Experiment One: Holding Doors Open
Data and Analysis: Jane's flushed cheeks and smile are indicative of enjoyment of me holding the door open and guiding her through it. She did not comment negatively and therefore, likely does not see the action as unusual, though it is arguably an act done in the courting process. Observation and reflection indicate that Jane only does this action with me and I have only done it for her. Based on the result I am inclined to repeat the action in the future.
P.s. Jane is incredibly cute when she blushes.
P.p.s. She would be very unhappy to read that.
Maura had been working with Susie Change for several years and aside from Jane, the senior criminologist was the closest thing Maura had to a friend. Though they mostly spoke about work, she and Maura had several conversations about various other topics and had seen each other during casual work-related functions. Although Maura was nervous about speaking of her research, she decided that it might be helpful to get an outside perspective, and she certainly couldn't ask Jane. Maura sat next to where Susie did bloodwork and decided that she valued Susie's opinion highly enough to ask.
"Susie, may I ask you something of a personal nature?" Maura requested and had to work not to chuckle when Susie froze slightly and turned rather animatedly toward her.
"Sure, doctor Isles…"
"I've been conducting a bit of informal research in my spare time and thought I might ask for your input on the matter," Maura explained and Susie visibly relaxed.
"Oh! yeah sure, I can try to help. Though I haven't done much personal research lately."
"I was wondering if you had any knowledge about how to tell the difference between sexual and emotional attraction to someone. The chemicals released by the body are almost identical and the physical symptoms are the same. Increased heart rate, sweaty palms, shortness of breath… I'm having trouble telling if a friend of mine is interested," Maura explained and Susie chuckled.
"You're not sure if your friend likes you back, so you're conducting research?" Susie reiterated and Maura nodded. "Can you just ask her? ...Or him… them, whoever?" Susie stumbled over her question and Maura considered it.
"No, I'm afraid she'll take it the wrong way or misunderstand. She's very smart but not particularly fond of these kinds of conversations and I'm not sure I understand my own feelings yet so I don't want to rush into things," Maura explained and Susie smiled.
"So you're sticking to science then?" Susie stifled a chuckle but seemed willing to help so Maura nodded. "Okay, well I find that with sexual attraction the person will be more physical… they'll hold your hand, stroke your arm, maybe lick their lips while looking at you, which I'm sure you know. Eye contact for more than six seconds indicates a desire for sexual intimacy-"
"Or a desire to kill," Maura interrupted.
"Or that… but if a person is emotionally attracted to you, they'll likely practice extra kindness toward you."
"Can you give me some specific examples or scenarios?" Maura asked and Susie grinned.
"Okay. Let's say this woman you're interested in likes you, which I'm sure she does, by the way, then she might… hold the door open for you or maybe even bring you lunch even though she has a busy schedule. She might go out of her way to make you laugh if you're not having the best day. She might agree to do things with you that she would otherwise avoid in an effort to make you happy or spend time with you… let's use yoga as a totally random example." As Susie listed, Maura concluded that Jane did everything from both lists. Although the thought excited Maura, she still had doubts. It was a possibility that Jane was simply raised to act in such a way.
"What else?" Maura probed quietly.
"She might be really protective of you and defensive if anyone else was disrespectful toward you," Susie explained patiently while she focused on the microscope in front of her.
"But how can you tell if she's actually interested or just… an incredibly good friend and a really amazing person?" Maura asked and Susie chuckled.
"Does she act the same with all of her other friends?" Susie prompted and Maura furrowed her brow.
"Not that I've seen," Maura admitted. Susie turned from her work to look Maura in the face.
"Well, then she likes you."
"Your arguments are sound but my anxieties are still intact," Maura admitted and Susie laughed while she shook her head before she turned back to look at the slide under the magnifier. There were a few moments of silence where Maura considered the new information before Susie spoke again without looking up from her work.
"You know... detective Rizzoli is always bringing you lunch… and defending you if people are rude," she spoke softly and Maura smiled slightly as she thought of all the times Jane went out of her way to make sure Maura was taken care of.
"I suppose so," Maura admitted with forced casualness. She saw Susie smirk slightly but wasn't sure why. "I appreciate your input. It will be helpful to have this perspective as I continue with my experimentation." Maura admitted and Susie laughed.
"You should see how she reacts to you doing things for her. Something small maybe, like holding her hand somewhere you normally wouldn't," Susie suggested and Maura smiled at her.
"I think I will. That's a very good next test to my hypothesis," Maura admitted, and then she walked away from Susie to write down some of the information she'd just learned before starting work for the day.
Jane caught a particularly taxing case that day so Maura didn't have much opportunity to see her for the following week. She exchanged several texts with Jane though, and they'd agreed that if Jane closed the case by the weekend, they would try to play tennis in the park near Maura's house. Jane showed up early and bounced loosely on Maura's front porch when Maura opened the door after having heard a knock.
"Ready to go?" Jane asked with a grin. Maura took a moment to appreciate Jane's tight tanktop and loose running shorts. She'd pulled her wild curls into a ponytail which accentuated her cheekbones and jawline and Maura smiled at how aesthetically pleasing Jane was to look at.
"Ready to kick your butt, Rizzoli," Maura corrected with a smirk as she tried her hand in competitive banter. Jane scoffed.
"In your dreams, Isles! I got legs for days and a wider arm span than you. Better reach!" Jane said cockily as she waved her racket around and Maura raised an eyebrow at her.
"You might have longer limbs, but I could argue my level of stamina is an advantage, along with my flexibility," Maura stated as she started to warm up.
"Yeah, well maybe we'll just have to test it out sometime," Jane spoke and Maura wasn't sure whether she imagined the flirtatious tone or not. It was difficult to tell because Jane had a naturally seductive voice. "I still can't believe you have a professional women's tennis uniform."
"Just another thing to add to my list of advantages. This is the optimal outfit for the sport." Maura smiled sweetly as they began to walk to the park.
"Yeah, I don't know who told you that, but obviously they could lie," Jane snarked and she whacked Maura's butt with her racket, causing Maura to pinch Jane's side in protest.
"Why else would they have women compete in them?" Maura asked as Jane looked down at her outfit. Jane smirked at the visor and then full out laugh at the skort.
"They look cute?" Jane guessed and Maura chuckled.
"You think I look cute?" Maura teased flirtatiously and Jane rolled her eyes.
"Shut up," Jane drawled out. "You said I was gorgeous. I'm just repaying the favor so you don't feel so ridiculous wearing a skort. Not very fashion-forward, doctor Isles," Jane teased to cover the compliment and then threw a tennis ball in the air to distract Maura before she raced ahead to the tennis court. Maura caught the ball and shook her head after her friend, smiling all the while.
In the end, Maura won the tennis match but Jane adamantly blamed it on the fact that she didn't have a visor to block out the sun as Maura did. They collected all of their belongings before sitting on the bench at the sidelines to rehydrate and cool down from their game.
"What does that cloud look like to you?" Jane asked as she pointed up into the sky.
"I would categorize that as a cumulonimbus," Maura stated after assessing the cloud for a moment. "Often referred to as thunderheads. They are formed from water vapor carried by powerful upward air currents and indicate an impending storm. I wasn't aware you had an interest in nephology!" Maura exclaimed at Jane's unexpected interest in studying clouds.
"Uh, no, Pointdexter, I meant what does it look like…" Jane said with a raised eyebrow. "I think if you see the top left part as an ear and the long part on the right as a trunk, it kind of looks like an elephant head, right? Maybe a tea kettle." Jane pointed to different areas of the cloud.
"That's true!" Maura agreed. "I never considered observing clouds for the purpose of creating shapes… where did you come up with the idea?"
Jane gaped at her before asking, "You never went cloud watching as a kid? Me, Frankie and Tommy used to do it all the time after mass. There was a hill right behind the church that we'd go lay on and look at the sky. Sometimes Ma and Pop would join too. It was fun." Jane shrugged with a small smile as she looked at the sky.
"That sounds lovely, Jane," Maura admitted wistfully, envying Jane's childhood experiences.
"Alright, come on!" Jane stood and offered a hand to help Maura up before they gathered their things.
"Where are we going?" Maura asked as she was pulled from the tennis court and further into the park to a sunny area of grass. Jane let go of her hand and plopped herself down on her back before patting the ground next to her.
"Come on, your tennis skort won't stain that easily," Jane said as Maura hesitated for a moment before settling in the grass next to Jane. "Okay, look at the clouds and tell me what they look like to you," Jane suggested and Maura looked up into the sky, letting her eyes adjust to the brightness.
"Well, I suppose that one there looks vaguely sloth-like," Maura said as she pointed to a dark cloud, causing Jane to grin and chuckle.
"Nice. Okay, look at that one…" Jane pointed to another cloud purple cloud and Maura settled down, lying next to Jane before following her finger. "You see how the lumps on the sides could be ears, and the lumpy bits in the middle look like eyes and a nose?" Maura hummed in agreement. "Okay, now add a beard… look familiar?"
"Santa?" Maura assumed and Jane laughed loudly.
"No!" Jane chuckled out. "I was gonna say it looks like Korsak!" Maura joined in on the laughter and had to admit that there was an uncanny resemblance to the man. Hearing Jane laugh so openly made Maura's heart flutter in her chest and she gazed at Jane's profile while Jane looked up, hands tucked beneath her head. Jane occasionally glanced back at Maura, who took the opportunity to count how long Jane would look at her to test Susie's eye contact theory.
"You're staring again," Jane accused after a while. "Why are you staring at me again?"
"I'm counting," Maura informed Jane, who laughed.
"You are so weird."
"So you say," Maura teased and Jane looked at her with a smile so Maura began to count.
One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight...
"What are you counting?" Jane whispered, holding eye contact.
"Just… counting the seconds," Maura admitted and Jane's brow furrowed at the half-truth.
"Whatever makes you happy, I guess." Jane shrugged as she turned to look back up at the large, fluffy clouds in the sky. "I can't believe you've never done this before. I mean, your mother's an artist!"
"Yes, but I don't think it occurred to her to watch clouds for inspiration." Maura chuckled, also looking back up into the sky.
"I'm glad I get to do stuff like this with you," Jane spoke quietly as they watched the darkening clouds and move.
"Look at the sky?" Maura asked.
"Well, yeah, but I mean new things you didn't get to do. Things you might've missed out on otherwise. I'm glad I get to show you and see you experience it for the first time," Jane continued in her quiet tone. Maura knew that tone was reserved for their secret, more intimate discussions, and was enamored by Jane's tender sweetness that so few people got to see. Maura decided to take that moment to glance down at Jane's hand and she stretched her fingers through the grass to lace their fingers together before she responded.
"Thank you, Jane," Maura whispered and a blush crept across Jane's cheeks. "There's no one else I'd rather share it with."
Jane squeezed her hand tightly and where they would usually let go, neither made a move to pull away. They spent long minutes in the warm grass, hands clasped together while they looked up into the sky and listened to the sounds of the birds and families that surrounded them.
Eventually, Jane's stomach growled and Maura realized that she was also quite hungry.
"Bet you can't guess if that rumble was the sky or my stomach," Jane teased and Maura chuckled. Maura let go of Jane's hand and pinched her in the side. "Hey!" Jane smacked Maura's hand away as she sat up.
"It wasn't the sky, there hasn't been any thunder or lightning all day-"
As soon as the words escaped Maura's mouth a loud crack of thunder rolled through the sky causing both women's eyes to widen.
"Okay, now that one should tell you how hungry I am right now," Jane joked and nudged Maura playfully as light sprinkles of rain began to fall.
"That sushi place you like is only a couple of blocks away, would you like to go there to eat?" Maura offered as she began to sit up.
"Yeah, on one condition," Jane said with a glint in her eye.
"What's that?" Maura questioned suspiciously.
"Race me!" Jane demanded as she sprang quickly to her feet. Maura, used to Jane's playfulness, was on her own feet in a moment and pushed Jane's shoulder slightly in an attempt to unbalance her and get a head start. "Not fair, Maura!" Jane accused from some distance behind, but they both laughed as they ran toward their destination. The rain began to pour harder as they raced and by the time they entered the door of the small shop they were both soaked. Maura shivered from the cold air conditioning but laughed along with Jane, unbothered by the dampness.
"I won!" Maura stated in glee.
"Yeah, that means you get to pay!" Jane poked Maura in the side and she giggled, completely distracted by the way Jane's curling hair escaped her ponytail and stuck to her cheek. Maura lifted a hand to tuck the wet piece of hair behind Jane's ear and joked in a flirty manner.
"Whatever makes my secret girlfriend happy." Maura winked and shimmied her shoulder a bit before she laughed and moved to approach the counter. It was a risk to flirt so shamelessly, but she figured that she could play off of the joke Jane had made a few mornings ago. If her wide eyes and blush were any indication, Jane wasn't bothered by the remark at all.
Later that evening as Jane got ready for bed, Maura took her journal out of her purse and into her office to add two new entries.
Experiment Two: Prolonged Eye Contact
Data and Analysis: Jane regularly holds eye contact for six seconds or longer, indicating what I believe to be a sexual attraction, especially with the noted dilating pupils.
P.s. Her eyes are lovely in the sun. And in the rain. All of the time, really.
Experiment Three: Casual Hand Holding
Data and Analysis: Although throughout our friendship we routinely hold hands as a form of emotional support, it seems that Jane is not opposed at all to holding hands in other situations. She did not pull away when I held her hand in the park. I wonder where else she might allow me to do so. This is an area I must revisit.
P.s. Her hands are feminine in their shape but ruggedly calloused from years of use, likely from her firearm. Somehow, they are still soft. Unexpected.
At the sound of Jane turning the television on, Maura hid her research journal in her bag and got ready for bed.
