After their meal, the three ventured to a local bar to unwind. As the evening went on, Jane gradually began feeling more relaxed. It was nice to spend some time with Maura and Frankie. Sometimes, their jobs could be an unforgiving tsunami of destruction, ruining everything in its path without regard for the lives that it affected. Frankie had come to understand this after a few years as a detective and Jane was still learning how to navigate the ropes. The jukebox in the corner of the bar belted out Blues, with saxophones and guitars fostering an environment of liveliness. It almost reminded Jane of the Dirty Robber, which she missed dearly. On the sides of the bar were pool tables, which were filled with people chatting. The trio had settled on one of the tables as it was quiet enough on the sides to allow them some space to talk while also offering some privacy so Jane and Frankie could relax. The women had teamed up against Frankie and with tomorrow's bill for lunch on the line, both sides were focused on the match. As Jane gathered all of the pool balls into the wooden triangle, Frankie was rubbing chalk on the cue stick.
"Wanna flip for the first shot?" Jane asks, grabbing her cue stick. Her arms were longer than Maura's, which meant that she needed to get one further down on the rack.
He shakes his head, extending his hand out with his palms up to the two women. "Nah," he says, "Ladies first."
Maura shoots him a smile in response as Jane furrows her brow, beginning to focus on which angle she wanted to hit from first. She pulls the cue stick back, generating enough force to strike the cluster of pool balls, sending colors of all types across the table. The red three fell into the pocket furthest from her, which makes Jane nod in approval. She looks for a cue stick that was more suitable for the shorter woman and hands it to Maura, allowing her to take the next hit.
"We're solids, Maur. Put them in."
Maura beams coyly as she widens her eyes innocently. "It's been a while. I could use a refresher."
Frankie watches as Jane steps behind Maura, placing her hands on her shoulders before she drops one hand lower to Maura's waist. Guiding her, she bends Maura forward while keeping her lower half still. Sensing the tension, Frankie quickly excuses himself to grab another beer from the bartender.
"Like this?" Maura asks, with her chest inches from the surface of the table and her hair falling around her from the force of gravity. She feels as Jane shifts directly behind her, straightening her up again.
"No, more like this," Jane says, putting her weight on Maura's backside as she leans the both of them both together. Jane places her hand on top of Maura's guiding it down the length of the stick. Once Maura's hand had settled into the proper position, Jane removed her hand, trailing it back up Maura's arm as she rests it on the shorter woman's shoulder. With her right hand, she tapped the right side of Maura's hip, dangerously close to her pelvic area.
"Open your legs, Maura. You need to bend over more."
Maura gulps. Jane's commanding voice had sent shivers down her spine to an area just left of where Jane's hand lay on her waist. She blinks several times, forcing herself to focus. Obeying, she widens her stance more, looking back at Jane for confirmation.
Jane grins, pushing Maura down a little lower towards the table. "Good girl. Just like that."
The atmosphere of the room had changed and Maura was suddenly very conscious of how Jane was against her. A consuming heat washed over her body as Jane brushes her hair back, holding it in position at the base of her neck. Maura could feel the small hairs on the back of her neck standing up and hoped that Jane couldn't feel her begin to sweat. Jane shifts her hand, showing Maura how to pull her arm back to hit the cue ball while keeping the stick resting between her fingers. She simulates a hit before nodding to Maura, indicating for her to hit this time. With Jane still leaning on her, the two women watch as the cue ball glides down towards the green six, sending it into the right pocket. Jane stands straight, which makes Maura miss her presence instantly. As Jane leans forward to shoot the next shot, Maura keeps her eyes on Jane's forearms, which are flexing against her veins as she adjusts her positioning.
Maura was losing her self-restraint. Just as she is about to pull Jane to the bathroom, Frankie returns, holding three beers.
"Did she miss yet?" He asks.
Grounding herself, Maura laughs as she moves her head from side to side. Frankie groans, knowing that he will likely have to foot the bill for their meal tomorrow. His sister was a good shot.
As anticipated, Jane and Maura beat Frankie in a short amount of time. Frankie had blamed his loss on the fact that his arm was recently in a sling. He had also been shot, so it was a miracle that he was even standing, he said. Maura had to admit that he had a point. Considering his injuries, he should have been laying down and healing. However, she had no doubt that he had been pushing himself through physical activity. Stubbornness ran in the Rizzoli family.
By the end of the night, Frankie owed the woman lunch for tomorrow, the next round, and the first round once they returned to the Dirty Robber. His ego was dented and with a massive hangover on the horizon, he was ready to head to sleep.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Frankie. Love ya," Jane says as she puts her hand affectionately on his head.
He gives them both a quick hug. "Happy Turkey Day, Janie. You too, Maura. Text me when you get back safe," he says before stepping into the taxi.
Jane and Maura wave down their own taxi and asked the driver to take them to the Isles Residence. Once inside, Maura leaned her head on Jane's shoulder, her chest warm from the alcohol and an enjoyable night. Jane holds her close, grimacing slightly every time the taxi went over a bump as her body was still sore.
"You played pretty well, Maura," Jane says as she takes in the smell of Maura's hair and perfume. "You're a fast learner."
Maura feels the hives creep up her neck. "Well, actually, I've played before."
Jane sits up straight, turning to look at Maura. "I thought you weren't capable of lying?" She asks with a grin.
"I'm not. I said that it's been a while since I've played. What I didn't say is that I was the reigning billiards champion in my dormitory at boarding school. Three years in a row," Maura says, trying to hide her smile.
Not sure if she should be impressed or shocked that Maura had messed with her, Jane scoffs playfully. "Wow, Maur. You really wanted to beat Frankie that badly?"
Maura's eyes widen, horrified that Jane would think such a thing. "No! I would never utilize deceit as a method of winning." She drops her voice to a whisper. "I just wanted you to teach me how to play so I could feel you against me. And it worked."
Jane's mouth drops open, which makes Maura giggle before she closes Jane's mouth by kissing her. The tension between the women picks up again as the both of them remember what took place last night. Maura wanted it to happen again, and so did Jane, which was why both of them anxiously awaited their arrival home.
However, when they walked up to Maura's front door, there was a note waiting for them. It had been taped to the front door, which was unexpected, as whoever left it was able to get through the security system and the gate that surrounded the residence. Maura looks through her purse, finding a pair of clean gloves before putting them on to take the note off the door.
Nitimur in vetitum.
Jane inhales sharply, the Latin having triggered bad memories from when they were chasing the prayer pose killer, who turned out to be Sarah and Olivia. Maura had a similar look of fear and frustration written all over her face.
"It couldn't have been Olivia," Jane says, "She isn't allowed me to leave the country considering she's out on bail and her trial is coming up."
Maura slips the note into a plastic bag, brainstorming how she could send it back to Boston to get it dusted for fingerprints. "And you put Marie in the hospital. It wasn't her either."
Jane ushers them inside, sweeping through the entirety of the house to check for intruders or open windows, before sitting down on the couch. With her head in her hands, she sighed as the good night that they had been having came to a screeching halt.
"That means that someone else is involved, Jane," Maura declares as she shakes her head. Things just kept getting more and more complicated. "I'm going to expedite this through the mail to the lab to see if they can obtain anything from it."
"Yeah," Jane says, "I'm going to give Korsak a call. We have another problem on our hands." She looks over the note again, seeing the Latin phrase written in blue ink. "What does this mean?"
Maura takes a seat next to her. "We strive for the forbidden. It's a reference to a book of poetry called Amores, written by Ovid. It was published in 16 BC and is considered one of the most significant contributions to Latin love elegy. It's also debated among philosophers to be the concept behind what motivated Eve to take the bite from the forbidden fruit inside of the Garden of Eden."
Groaning, Jane throws the note down on the coffee table. "Ugh. Religious references, Latin, and cultural mumbo jumbo? This thing reeks of Olivia. There's no doubt that this is her doing."
Before calling Korsak, Jane rings Frankie, wanting to give him an update and make sure that he was safe.
"Jane, I was just about to call you," he says, "Something happened."
"I know, that's why I called you immediately. We got a -"
"Marie's gone," Frankie says at the same time.
Jane puts the call on speakerphone. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, Janie. Marie was about to get discharged and taken in for holding with the police force but something happened and they lost track of her. They've been checking the cameras and interviewing hospital staff but no one has seen anything."
"When did this happen?" Jane questions, frustration evident in her voice. "How the hell does a hospital lose track of someone?" Her gaze falls on the note in front of her. "We got a note, Frankie. One of those Latin phrases again, just like what the prayer pose killers would leave on their victims. Maybe it's from her."
Maura shakes her head. "No, it couldn't have been," she says, "Based on Marie's condition the last time we saw her, she wouldn't have been able to walk. Certainly not well enough to get over the gate and past the security system. That would require strength and agility that she doesn't have right now."
"Then she's got a partner," Frankie says. "Someone skilled enough to help her escape from that hospital and evade police. I mean, no one can find her anywhere. We don't have much to work with."
A deep frown settles over Jane's face as she thinks through their game plan.
"Frankie, please come over. You can stay here. It's not safe for you in the hotel all alone," Maura says. She looks at Jane, seeing worry and panic hidden under the facade. "I know that it would make both of us feel much better."
Frankie agrees, promising that he would be there within the hour. He hangs up to pack his clothes and the women sit together in silence.
