Sleep was alluding her once again as Maura stared up into Jane's bedroom. Something about his eyes. Knowing what she knows now about Paddy Doyle, it seemed like a blatant contradiction.
They were warm, almost kind. She finally found her biological father and they could hardly go for a get-to-know one another cup of coffee. Not that I would care too, she quickly told herself. If he wanted to know her, he should have made an effort to do so years ago. She turned on her side rapidly and took a deep breath, determined to get some rest.
But her attempts were in vain. She could smell Jane on the pillow. Everywhere in the room in fact. It was a subtle lavender scent and unless you spent a lot of time with Jane, you would hardly notice it. But Maura did.
She brought her hand to her forehead frustratedly. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Jane was in the other room, mere feet from where she was, probably fast asleep. She threw the bedding off of her with a huff but quickly softened her movements, so as not to wake a certain detective.
Jane had been inspecting the ceiling in the darkness for the past few hours, thinking about various things. She closed her eyes. The way Maura had moved between her legs the previous night. She fucked her better than any man ever did, that's for sure.
She thought about the moment when Maura got the call, she looked so lost, so vulnerable. And she certainly didn't think that she would live to see the day that Maura cried. She couldn't deny the feelings that the past day had stirred up in her.
The potent urge she felt to protect Maura from ever feeling like that again. That kiss— a loud noise jolted her from her thoughts and Jane instinctively grabbed her Glock from underneath her pillow.
"Fuck! Maura, you scared me!" Jane was standing in her underwear and a tank top, lowering her gun. Maura had a glass in her hand and kept them in the air. She couldn't help a snort escaping her.
"It's not funny! I could've shot you"
"I'm sorry. I came to get some water– I couldn't sleep" Jane placed her weapon on the coffee table and exhaled.
"You too huh?" Jane leisurely took a seat on the barstool, Maura was filling her glass from the fridge across from her. She took a sip from her water and moved toward the middle of the kitchen, facing Jane.
"I suppose my subconscious is enormously preoccupied… The average person can only go so long without paradoxical sleep before it interferes with memory formation" Maura said with a nervous look. Jane snickered.
"Even at-" she squinted at the clock. "Two in the morning you're a walking google". Maura just gave her an unimpressed look and hated how much she was starting to like Jane's term of endearment.
Maura mumbled a barely audible 'goog night' and walked to the bedroom. "What're you doing?" she asked when Jane lifted the covers on the other side of the bed.
"I change my mind. It's like sleeping on a sock full of pennies out there"
"Jane, I don't sleep with anyone," she said firmly.
"Well, you don't sleep alone either, evidently". Jane had one arm under her head and started patting the bed next to her with a childish hopeful look. Maura glared at her. "Oh come on. You afraid I'll find out you snore?" Jane teased.
"I do not snore!" Maura's tone was defensive but once she saw the grin on Jane's face she rolled her eyes and climbed into the bed. They laid there quietly for a few moments and Maura was suddenly very aware of her breathing.
"So… are you gonna plan a funeral for Collin?" Jane finally asked with a gentle tone. Maura had actually been thinking about doing exactly that earlier in the day, not that she knew why. It's not like she even knew him.
She always wanted a sibling when she was younger. Though she hadn't thought about it in years. If she were honest with herself, she would have wanted to know him very much. His drawings were indicative of someone with a high IQ. Her life may have turned out much different if she had a brother.
A blood relative who made time for her. Someone she could've turned to on the worst day of her life when her own parents were once again too involved in their own lives to be there for her.
"Why would I do that?"
"Wa his mother is gone and something tells me Paddie won't rest until he found the guy who killed him." That leaves me… his sister? Maura thought to herself. "Can't help but think that the next body we find won't only have an ice pick stickin out of it" she added.
Neither one seemed particularly ready for sleep as the conversation continued but moved toward much lighter topics. "Come on, you must have a favorite band… or song at least," Jane asked exasperatedly.
She doesn't quite know why she had the sudden urge to tell Jane. She'd been doing a pretty good job of dodging her questions thus far. "I'll tell you– but it remains in this room, ok?"
"Promise… cross my heart and hope to die," Jane said dramatically, crossing her chest with her finger. "Stick a needle in my eye" she added.
"What?"
"You know? The saying. Cross my heart and hope to die– stick a needle in my eye."
Ridiculous Maura thought but she couldn't stiffen her chuckle. "I've never heard quite that rendition before"
"Now that I think about it, it may have been something me and Tommy made up," Jane said with a chuckle. "So tell me" she added, turning on her side to face Maura.
Maura inhaled, already regretting what she was about to share. "I really loved the song Faith by George Micheal"
"Ok," Jane said slowly. "That's the secret? You're embarrassed for liking a song that I sing to in the shower on a weekly basis?"
"That's not the embarrassing part" Jane let out an 'ooooh tell me' and placed her chin in her palm.
"When I was in high school and it had just come out…" she said in a hesitant tone. "I liked the song so much that I made a parody video of it… just me… mouthing the words and dancing like an imbecile while it played on my stereo" She added dryly, cringing all over again just thinking about it.
"Oh my god!" Jane said before a fit of laughter. "I gotta see that! Do you still have the tape?"
Maura swallowed. It's not too late to turn back. She doesn't have to share this with Jane. There's something about the time, three in the morning… The time when rules seem to disappear like a toupee in a hurricane.
"That's the thing. When I moved to New York after college, I gave most of my things away… but a few years later, a colleague sent me a link to a Youtube video asking me if I had a sister-"
"Someone put your tape from like 1987 on Youtube?!" Jane interrupted.
"It would seem so"
Jane pestered her for the name of the video until she finally conceded. She gasped when she started the video on her phone. Maura left out the part where it had over 3 million views by now. People seemed to love the dorky younger Maura, lip-syncing and mouthing the words with such enthusiasm.
She had braces on. An afro-like hair-do and brightly colored leggings. Dancing and staring into the camera. She remembered that day. No friends to hold the camera so she had fashioned a rather innovative make-shift tripod.
She hadn't thought back to her younger self in quite some time. So innocent. So dorky god, Maura thought. Maura watched Jane's expression curiously. She expected her to laugh incessantly but aside from a chuckle here and there, she seemed quite enthralled in it.
Even bringing her phone closer and watching it with a great deal of focus. What is she thinking? Maura thought. "Thank you," Jane uttered so quietly that Maura could have missed it entirely had she not been watching Jane so closely.
Shortly after that they finally went to sleep. Maura had tired herself out trying to figure out why the normally light-hearted detective, who never missed the opportunity to add a humorous remark, reacted so seriously to a twenty-year-old video of a cringe-worthy teenager.
The next morning Maura woke up to a sensation she hadn't felt in years. Jane was cuddling her. Not just that, Maua's hand was over Jane's on her stomach. Maura froze. The following emotion was sheer panic. She had a sudden inexplicable urge to get as far away from there as possible.
Maura eased out of Jane's grip with deliberate slowness, careful not to wake her up. She took her clothes and left Jane's shorts and a tank top in the living room where she got dressed. If she were honest with herself, she felt quite pleased to have slept in Jane's clothes.
She was about five minutes away from Jane's apartment when she realized what she really wanted to do, was walk. The park was quite empty that early in the morning aside from the occasional jogger. There was a lake in the center and before she knew it she had walked around it for the past hour. Just thinking.
Maura couldn't help but realize that she's never acted too impulsively before. Going to Jane's apartment. Sharing details of her personal life. Cuddling! She inhaled deeply and stopped in her tracks.
She sighed in frustration when she got back to her car and realized that she left her phone at Jane's apartment. She decided she couldn't go back there so soon. Surely Jane would bring it to work.
With that Maura decided to head home for a quick shower before going to work. When she turned the corner on her street a gasp disrupted the silence in her car. Police vehicles and news vans were clustered in front of her home. She exited her car on shaky legs and they were on her in an instant.
Cameras and microphones were being shoved in her face. Before she could focus on what was being said, a strong hand grabbed hold of hers and lead her through the front door.
"Where the hell were you?!" Jane exclaimed in a tone Maura had never heard her use before. Her voice was hoars and laced with anger but Maura also detected fear.
"Jane" Korsak said, trying to calm her down.
That's when Maura saw it. Her body went numb almost instantly. A massive pool of blood in her living room. A fatal amount of blood loss she noted. Whoever suffered it could not have left her home on their own accord.
"You leave just like that!? You don't tell anyone where you're going?" Jane was pacing back and forth, her arms swung angrily in the air. "you don't take your phone— I-I thought…" she trailed off and looked to the ground and Maura could see the terror on her face.
"You thought that was my blood," Maura said. She felt an unmistakable urge to wrap Jane in her arms but she quickly rid herself of the impulse.
The rest of the morning was a blur. Her home was now a crime scene. It was all over the news. 'Queen of the dead indeed'; 'Ice queen finally snaps'; 'Chief medical examiner, suspect in a murder investigation!'
The tabloids were certainly thrilled with the latest events, Maura thought to herself as she took a seat in the break room. How was she supposed to make Jane understand why she left so suddenly that she left her phone when she didn't even understand it herself?
To make matters worse, she had no alibi. Jane seemed colder than usual but not as angry anymore. She has never seen this side of Jane. Fierce. Direct. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic for everyone who has ever been unfortunate enough to be a suspect in an interrogation room with her.
Maura didn't know what to do with herself after Jane took her statement. She couldn't go back to work until the investigation was cleared. She wasn't exactly a prime suspect but that doesn't stop the tabloids from spreading their lies.
Someone had to have given them information. Someone in BPD, Maura thought when she closed the door to her office and leaned against it momentarily.
Meanwhile, Jane was on the edge. "She said she went for a walk early this morning and forgot her cellphone," Jane told Frost and Korsak when she entered the bullpen. At the very least Jane was relieved to know that Maura had nothing to do with it.
She can't lie and even if she could, Jane always could know when someone is lying. It would be up to her to prove it to the rest of the world because they had nobody, a difficult ME with no alibi and most people would be more than happy to pin this on the doctor.
They gathered in a private office to discuss the case.
"We gotta find Paddie Doyle. My gut says he was sticking close and when Collins killer came after Maura he killed him"
"This isn't Paddie's MO Jane. Wheres the body?" Frost asked.
"Not to mention that very few people even knew that doctor Isles is related to him," Korsak added.
Her hands were throbbing. They went over every bit of information they had for almost two hours. The call came in so early that morning. Frost found the blood when he went over to feed Bass. Jane hadn't had time for a cup of coffee all day and if she were to be at her best for Maura's sake, she would need some soon.
"It's not true, is it? What they're saying about Muara?" Angela asked, holding the coffee pot hostage for Jane's response.
"Ma" Jane said exhaustedly. "You shouldn't be reading those trashy tabloids anyway"
"Honey, it's all anyone's talking about-"
"Who? Who's been saying things about her, specifically?" she asked hurriedly.
Angela poured the coffee. "Why? You gonna arrest your coworkers for gossip?"
"I just might, yeah". The coffee didn't have its usual soothing effect. It was almost tasteless.
Angela placed her hand on Jane's. "You put up a good front but I know you care about her". Jane stiffened in her chair. "And I know you'll help her now. You're good at that you know… helping people when they're at their lowest" Anela squeezed her hand and Jane managed a small smile.
"Remember to invite her to Sunday dinner" she added when Jane was on her way out and she was on her way to another customer. Jane grunted thinking about how she would even go about asking Maura and then how she would have to react when Maura inevitably rejects her.
Jane rounded the corner on her way back to her desk. "I knew she had it in her. She always gave off a vibe you know" detective Crow said to his partner.
"What was that Crow?" Jane quipped. Her hand curled into a fist on its own accord.
"I'm just saying we all knew doctor Isles is cold but I always thought it's only a matter of time." He said in a joking tone.
She was nearly trembling with anger but kept her pose. "That so? Well, you know what I think?"
Maura had come upstairs to ask Jane what it is that she is meant to be doing during this time. She halted by the elevators when she heard Jane's voice. "I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN UP". The bullpen went quiet and everyone stared at Jane who spoke in a raised voice.
"Doctor Maura Isles is not weird. She's not cold. And she's sure as shit, not a murderer. She is the best damn Pathologist this precinct has ever had the honor to employ– she's one of us and will be treated as such. NOW anyone who thinks differently can come see me right here" Jane pointed to her desk.
"Fair warning, if I hear any more gossip that is negative in any way or crass, I will personally knock them on their ass" her voice was rough and strained from the yelling at this point.
Maura smiled softly and decided now would not be a good time to go in there. She turned on her heel and went into the next open elevator before anyone noticed she was there.
Crow started chuckling. "So so If I were to say that doctor Isles is a weird but fuckable blonde… what exactly is your boney ass gonna do about it?" he ended with a smug grin.
Jane clenched her jaw and stepped forward with a grin of her own. "I'd be happy to demonstrate" with that she punched him in the face and he fell back to his desk chair with such a force that it broke.
Cheer broke out as Jane made her way back to her desk. It was only then she felt the throbbing in her hand. It was bleeding and she wondered whether she had broken Crow's nose.
"What the hell is going on out here?!" Cavenagh asked. Finally, he called Jane to his office. She got a warning and a letter in her file but luckily no suspension. He sent her to get her hand checked out and he probably meant the emergency room but Jane only wanted to see one doctor right now.
"What happened?" Maura stood up from behind her desk when she saw Jane come in with her bruised hand.
"I slipped and Crow's face broke my fall… on my fist– I'm so clumsy". Maura reached out and placed her hand gently underneath Jane's.
"Wait you hit detective Crow's face?" Maura found herself wishing that she had stuck around for a while longer upstairs.
"Wa I suppose that's another way to describe it yeah… so can ya patch me up?"
"Why?"
"Because I don't wanna go all the way to Mass Gen just for some fancy pants in a white coat to take some x rays and then-"
"No-no I mean, why did you hit him?"
"Oh" Jane cleared her throat. "He ate the last everything bagel in the break room. I called dibs earlier… everyone heard me"
"Jane"
"Fine. He also didn't refill the paper dispenser after he used the printer. I mean that's basic office etiquette-"
"Fine… you don't have to tell me why" Maura led her to the Fluoroscope. She maneuvered the machine above her hand and turned the screen toward them.
"How hard did you hit him?!" Maura asked, squinting on the monitor.
"Why? Is it broken?" Jane winced from the pain when Maura moved her thumb over.
"No, you're fortunate enough that it's only a hairline fracture but the force that would have been needed to-"
"Yeah yeah ok, so do I need a cast? I hate wearing casts. They stink after a while" Jane fake gaged.
"A wrist guard should do. I would recommend you wear it for the next three to five weeks for it to heal properly. I need to disinfect the wound" Maura started retrieving items and placing them on a tray. "On the table" Jane complied and sat on the metal table where Maura had already positioned a bright light above them.
"Ow!"
"Sit still!. You could further the injury with any movements while it's not stabilized" Maura scolded.
While Maura cleaned the wound she remembered her mother's words and she sighed. Shoulda told her why you hit him then she'd be forced to say yes, Jane thought. "Hey, Maur… watcha doing Sunday?"
"Well, I have a fencing class in the morning. That being said, if I'm not arrested for murder before then," She said without breaking her focus on cleaning Jane's hand, gently.
It seemed silly to Jane now, how much she had been fussing over asking Maura to come when there were so many bigger things at play. "Will you come to Sunday dinner?... Please"
"Is that a restaurant?" Maura looked up from her diligent work.
Jane laughed nervously. "Uh no. We have dinner once a week… as a family, you know Ma, Frankie, Tommy, Lydia, and TJ… Pops-" Jane cut herself off and waited for Maura to take in the information.
"Oh." Maura started bandaging Jane's hand. "You want me to come to dinner with you and your family?"
"Yes. Ma invited you… she really wants you to come" Jane whimpered again as Maura wrapped the last of the bandage around her knuckles.
"That's kind of Angela… do you want me to come?"
"Yes," Jane answered genuinely. Even though she knows how Frankie feels about her and her family can be a handful, she wants them to like Maura.
Maura looked like she was processing the information. "Alright…"
Maura moved slowly between her legs and place her hands on her thighs. She was looking at her lips and Jane almost stopped breathing. "Not here" Maura breathed out and looked like she was about to retreat but Jane caught her between her legs.
With that Maura brought her hands to Jane's face and kissed her. It was a completely different kiss than their first. This one felt more tender and Jane felt like she was going to melt away in Maura's grip.
Her soft lips released hers and crashed onto them once more. A whimper vibrated between their lips and Jane realized that for once it wasn't her. She brought her free hand around Maura's waist to push her closer and Maura moaned softly as she leaned into Jane.
When the kiss ended Maura was slightly red from neck to face. Jane smiled a dimpled smile, not releasing her hold on Maura just yet.
"I fucking love kissing you, you know?" Jane uttered shyly and smiled from ear to ear.
Maura's features lit up and she smiled a full dimpled smile. Jane was sure that her mouth fell open at the sight. Maura had a gorgeous smile.
"I quite enjoy kissing you as well"
What do you guys think about the plot so far? :)