"So...what did Rachel say to you back there?" Jane asked, never pulling her eyes from the road.
"What do you mean?"
"When we left...she whispered something to you. I was just wondering what she said."
"Oh, it was nothing," Maura said, turning towards the window to hide the hives that began creeping up her neck.
...
Jane pulled into Maura's driveway and told her to wait in the car. She ran around to the trunk, grabbed her bag and ran it inside. About 10 minutes later, she returned to help Maura into the house.
"Jane, what took you so long?!" Maura said as she slowly got out of the car using Jane's arm for support.
Jane didn't respond and Maura didn't question her any further. She can sense that Jane was acting strangely and figured there must be a reason.
They slowly made their way to the door. Once they were safely inside, Maura looked around. It felt so good to be home that she hadn't immediately noticed the two plates of food that were waiting on the table. Just then, the unmistakable smell of her favorite meal from her favorite French restaurant filled her nostrils.
"Mmm, is that...?"
"You didn't think I was going to let you come home to a pizza and beer, did you?" Jane smirked.
"Jane, you really didn't have to." Maura smiled to herself when she noticed the bottle of her favorite red wine accompanying the delicious meal.
"Shhh, it's the least I can do! Here, sit!"
Maura smiled and let Jane lead her to the table to help her sit down.
Jane sat across from her and pulled out a book of matches. She lit a small candle and pushed it into the center of the table.
"I didn't think you'd feel up to going out but I figured we could recreate the experience here. Oh, I almost forgot," Jane said as she jumped up, disappearing from Maura's view for a moment.
When she returned, Maura could hear light French music playing in the background.
"Much better," Jane said, clearly proud of her work.
Jane's strange behavior was starting to make sense to Maura.
"Jane, this is lovely, thank you!"
"It's the least I could do, Maura, really. I just wanted to show you how sorry I am for what happened and this was the best way I could think to apologize under the circumstances."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a date," Maura said innocently while chuckling. When Jane didn't chuckle back, she cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. Maura thought it would be a funny comment that would end in their usual banter but when she saw the look on Jane's face, her stomach sank.
Jane looked like she had just seen a ghost. She felt her cheeks get hot as a blush quickly ran over them.
"So...any updates on the case?" Maura asked, attempting to change the subject.
Jane sighed in relief for the distraction.
She swallowed hard and tried to come off as calm and collected as she could in the moment.
"Uhhh, yeah actually. A jogger found the murder weapon. Turns out it was a hammer that the killer used to take out our victim. The crime lab was able to match traces of DNA found on the hammer to the DNA that was collected from the Vic's body after the hit and run. The hammer also had very fine fibers embedded in the handle. Susie was able to trace the fibers back to a vehicle manufacturer. The make and model of the vehicle turned out to match the description of the truck that ran through the crime scene. Frankie and Frost have been working to ID a perp based on that new info."
"So you think that the person who almost ran me over wasn't actually targeting me?"
"Dr. Isles...I thought you didn't guess," Jane smirked. Maura was relieved that Jane seemed more comfortable now. She almost got distracted by the Detective's smirk but caught herself.
"Well, I just deduced that the assailant was trying to destroy evidence. Since they had assumed they had hid the murder weapon well enough, the body would be the only thing left to tie them to the murder. Running over the Medical Examiner and stopping the investigation would've just been a bonus."
The tone of Maura's voice seemed to be 2 octaves lower than normal. This had not gone unnoticed by Jane.
"Well, I'd say your deduction skills are pretty sharp, Dr. Isles," Jane said in her husky voice, leaning a little bit closer over the table.
Jane's eyes were focused on Maura's, she couldn't bring herself to look away.
Maura didn't know if it was the food, the candle light or the music altering her perception but she could swear that Jane was looking at her differently. Jane's eyes were dark, half lidded and laser focused. Maura felt butterflies in her stomach. She could swear that she has seen this look before but, like she had worried so many times in the past, she could not be certain.
They ate their meal in a relatively comfortable silence aside from the occasional talk of the case. When they were finished, Jane helped Maura over to the living room and began cleaning up their dishes. Maura sat alone in thought as the soft French music continued to play over the speakers. Jane returned shortly, joining Maura on the couch. The honey blonde lifted her blanket and without exchanging any words, Jane scooted closer, placing the blanket over her own lap. Maura shifted her position so that she was slightly facing Jane. She had her feet tucked under her and she was using the back of the couch to rest her elbow, propping her head up with her arm.
"That dinner was excellent, Jane, thank you."
"No problem, Maur."
"Jane?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you do it?"
"I told you, Maur...I wanted to show you how sorry I was that I..."
"I mean why did you save me?" The honey blonde cut her off.
"Maura. Why are you asking me that?"
"I want to hear it from you, Jane."
"Hear what from me? Maura, I already told you...I would never let anything happen to you. I couldn't bear to see you get hurt and then I ended up hurting you and it's been eating me alive ever since."
"But I'm here because of you, Jane."
"I know...I just. I never want to cause you any pain. I...Iove you too much."
That was all Maura needed to hear.
"I have something I want to give you now."
"Me? What could you possibly want to give me?"
Maura took a deep, shaky breath. She looked nervous.
Jane became concerned. She turned her body so that she was facing Maura now. She studied her best friend's face, searching for the answer before Maura could give it.
Not wanting to lose her nerve, Maura leaned in closer to Jane. Her eyes flicking from Jane's lips back up to her eyes. Her lips were inches from Jane's now. She paused. She wanted to give Jane time to back out, time to save their friendship if this is not what Jane wanted.
Before Maura knew what was happening, Jane grabbed her face, closing the gap between them. She pressed her lips to Maura's. Maura had intended it to be a quick kiss when she initially leaned in but then Jane took charge and she returned the kiss with full force. Maura was taken over by how forceful, yet delicate Jane was.
Maura was the first one to pull away for fear that she might pass out if her head continued to spin as much as it was from the mixture of her concussion, the wine, the ambiance and the fact that she had just kissed the love of her life.
She searched Jane's face to try to gauge her reaction. She had no idea if she had just ruined their friendship or skyrocketed it to the next level. She sat still and silent in fear that the slightest sound or movement would scare Jane off.
Jane was the first to break the silence.
"What was that for?" she asked, smiling and trying to catch her breath.
"I was told to give you that...by a friend." Maura said, feeling a sense of relief when she noticed the smirk playing at the corner of Jane's lips.
Maura grew more confident and repositioned herself so that she was straddling Jane's lap.
Jane was breathing heavily and staring at Maura like a piece of meat. Maura could feel the ache growing between her legs. She ground her hips into Jane's as she went in for another searing kiss. This one was passionate and filled with years of pent up love and lust that was threatening to overflow. Jane moaned into the kiss, as her hands began exploring the uncharted flesh that was Maura's back.
Maura's fingers interlaced into the brunette's unruly mane of curls as her tongue played at Jane's lips. Jane opened her mouth, granting her access. The Detective's confidence grew too as she let her hands slide down Maura's back until they reached their desired destination.
It was Maura who moaned into the kiss now, as Jane's hands continued their exploration. Jane broke away, causing Maura to whimper.
"Jane..."
Jane didn't respond. Instead, she left a burning trail of kisses down the doctor's jawline until she reached the pulse point on her neck.
"Oh, Jane..."
Although it killed her, Jane pulled away, attempting to catch her breath.
"Maura, we should probably slow down. I don't want to hurt you," Jane said breathlessly.
"It's ok, Jane. My nurse cleared for 'light' activity," Maura said with a smirk.
"Oh, I definitely owe her one now."
Fin.
