A/N: So, I have a direct question for you all. We are about to enter the climax/meat of the story with chapters worth of cliffhangers AND I am about to go on vacation and cannot guarantee a consistent posting schedule. So I could speed through the next few days with 3-4 chapters a day OR I can pause here and not post until I get back from vacation. Preference?
Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's naked waist and buried her nose in Maura's neck as she let the last remnants of sleep fade away.
'Good morning love,' Maura said holding her tightly back, 'I've missed this.'
'Me too,' Jane said inhaling the smell of Maura's shampoo. 'I know it makes the commute long but thank you for deciding to be home for the last few days interviews. I really missed you.'
Maura's cheeks turned a beautiful pink colour, 'it was only a few days and DC isn't that far. If it means I get to sleep in your arms and wake to this, I'll happily sit in traffic for a few hours.'
'Go on a date with me tonight?' Jane asks, looking up to meet hazel eyes in the mirror. 'Please?'
Maura spun around looking up in to brown eyes she adored. She bit her lower lip, 'I want to but…' Maura trailed off.
'I don't care how late you are. I'll wait,' Jane said completing Maura's thought for her, 'I just want to have dinner with my wi- you. My you.'
Maura raised an eyebrow, telling Jane she'd definitely caught that freudian slip. Jane really hoped Maura wouldn't press her on it because Jane hated lying to Maura. 'How about I grab something on my way home and we can have a home date?' Jane tried to hide her relief with an eager head nod. 'Do you want anything in particular?'
Jane shook her head, 'nope. I'll even eat that vegan mush you call food if it means dinner with you.'
Maura threw back her head and laughed. Jane drank in that sight, certain that watching the lines of Maura's neck and the light in Maura's face would fuel her for the rest of the day. The rest of their morning was spent in domestic bliss, getting ready around each other's very familiar routine, ladened with small smiles and tender touches.
Jane walked out with Maura when she went to leave. One glance at the grey sky told Jane it was going to snow and soon. 'Drive careful out there, okay?' Jane said grumpily, eyeing the sky in offence.
Maura took a deep breath, her hazel eyes twinkling,.'It's the first snow Jane,' Maura said conspiratorially.
'Yeah,' Jane grunted, 'which means all the idiots have had eight months to forget how to drive in this slop again.'
Maura laughed, 'that is not what the first snow means Jane.'
Jane sighed exaggeratedly patient, 'okay, what does the first snow mean Maur?'
Maura tugged Jane in closer pressing soft warm lips to Jane's own, 'above us at this very moment, an infinite number of ice crystals are dancing above us, colliding, forming and reforming, giving each crystal their exquisite and unique shape. They dance and dance, combining a million random variables until they meet their preferred dance partner and then together they fall from the sky in the most beautiful dance the world will ever see, choreographed by physics and the currents of the air around them.'
'Mmm,' Jane said pulling Maura closer to herself. Only Maura could mix science and poetry so well but Jane still had a reputation to maintain, 'so you're saying I'm your snowflake and you want to go sky diving with me?' Jane asked wiggling her eye brows with a dimpled grin.
Maura's eyes lit up with a beaming smile across her face, 'yes and a million more things too. I want to do it all with you. But I'll settle for watching the snow dance. Here, at home, with you.'
Jane felt unexpectedly choked up. 'That sounds beautiful Maura,' Jane murmurers softly, 'I'll make hot cocoa.'
'It's a date,' Maura said eyes twinkling, 'I expect you to kiss me in the snow too, you know.'
Jane grinned, pressing her lips to Maura's. 'Oh, I have the kissing handled,' Jane replied, her lips brushing against Maura's as she hadn't completely pulled away.
'Mmm, yes you do,' Maura said with a smile before closing the space against them. Jane felt Maura's hand tug softly at one of her curls framing her face with affection. When they parted Jane took Maura in. She was beautiful. Breathtaking. If Jane were a painter this was how she'd paint Maura. Her hazel eyes sparkled brightly against the moorish grey of the sky, like the safety of a green harbour in a stormy sea, her cheeks and nose were tinted pink from the kissing and cold, her lips were plump and swollen from their exchange, her hair blew gently beneath her white beret, tickling Jane's face. Her cheek was dimpled, conveying warmth and adoration through a smile. Maura was gorgeous.
'I love you,' Jane whispered, meaning it with every fibre of her being. Because she did. Because she couldn't hold it in any longer. Because she loved Maura Isles so much it couldn't be contained.
'And I, you,' Maura murmured back, her eyelashes fluttering softly. She pressed one more kiss to Jane's lips before climbing in to her car. 'I'll see you tonight love,' she said as she closed the door. Jane watched her drive off, feeling rooted to the spot and dumbfounded by the affection she felt. It was movement from their surveillance team that brought Jane back to reality. She flipped off the first van to drive by before climbing in her own car to head to work. She wasn't at all surprised to find a second car following her. Fucking Dean. Fucking Paddy. Jane rolled her eyes as she watched the first few flurries of snow fall. Let the world watch, she and Maura could dance with the best of them.
By the time Jane arrived at the academy, her mind had shifted to focus on her students finals which were ending today. Jane had assigned each student to show up at a designated time throughout the week and had given them all 60 minutes to work through the crime scene she had set up in her office. Jane would shadow each one, observing without commenting. Baccay had volunteered to go first and Jane wasn't sure if that was fair to everyone else as Baccay had set an unattainably high bar. She had been nearly perfect in her procedures and Jane was positive she would have cracked the case given a few minutes more. None of the other recruits had come close to that. Jane had out right failed three of them. Whitehead, to her immense pleasure, had failed of his own accord by disrupting the body before the ME arrived. Jane had been thrilled to not have to make up an excuse to fail the man even though Jane knew he would be a horrible agent, he'd done it all on his own. Only five recruits remained and Jane had assigned Dhar to the final slot. Jane wanted to end the semester on a high note and by this time tomorrow, she'd be home for Thanksgiving break and a whole weekend with Maura all to herself. Her family would trickle in over the early part of next week and by this time next week, Jane would be surrounded by her favourite people and eating her mother's Thanksgiving dinner with Maura at her side. In the home she and Maura shared. It made her giddy just thinking about it.
Maura startled when her phone began vibrating alerting her to the fact that she had a call. Maura looked around the small staff lounge of a small bookstore in DC where she was doing book signings and a reading, making sure she wouldn't disturb anyone. Maura was currently hiding, eating her lunch. Maura smiled when she saw Cailin was videoing her.
'Hi Cailin!' Maura said when she answered, 'how was your biochem final?'
'Maura!' Cailin's voice was harried, her cheeks flushed, her breathing elevated, 'she propositioned me!'
'Wait,' Maura said, eyebrows knitting together in confusion, 'who? What?
'My lab partner!' Cailin said sounding vaguely panicked.
'Okay,' Maura said, 'and what exactly did she proposition you for? Sex, a date, cheating on your exam?'
'Yes, that!' Cailin said her amber eyes darting around on the screen.
Maura frowned, 'that was not terribly specific.'
'She flirted with me! Asked me out!' Cailin retorted back, her breathy desperation drowning out the half attempted eye roll for her sister's cluelessness.
'Oh,' Maura said feeling suddenly vulnerable at the notion that Cailin might have a problem with a woman hitting on her, 'is that a problem?'
'Yes!' Cailin said, 'aren't you paying attention?!'
Maura took a deep breath, 'I understand you're upset. I just fail to see how this is a problem. Did you tell her you weren't interested?'
'Yes- wait- no,' Cailin said, shoving her hair back from her face with a groan. 'It all happened so fast. We've been friendly all semester and I thought it was just… you know friendly flirtation. But then I was telling her about you and Jane and she asked me how I feel about women and I got flustered.'
'Well,' Maura said trying to maintain a neutral tone, 'how do you feel about women?'
'I like them, I mean,' Cailin groaned, 'I mean, I like them as humans. Not that I don't like them as romantic partners. Just that I don't want to like any humans in that way. Romantically, I mean. Man or woman. Right now.'
Maura nodded in understanding, oddly relieved by her sister's answer, 'okay so you told her you weren't interested in dating right now?'
'Um,' Cailin squeaked out in a range much higher than her normal tone, indicating her current level of discomfort. 'Sorta but not really,' Cailin said sitting down on what appeared to be a very cold bench with a huff.
'But if you aren't interested why didn't you tell her that Cailin?' Maura asked, tilting her head to the right as she considered her flustered little sister.
'I did, kind of,' Cailin said, a blush rising to her cheeks. 'She asked how I feel about women and I sort of muttered something about liking them or whatever and then she asked what I thought of her and she was really adorable, okay? So I sort of just said the first thing that came to mind.'
'And that was?' Maura asked patiently.
'That she was really su-super cute and I like her a lot but that right now I'm focusing on becoming a doctor,' Cailin managed to get out with only a small stutter.
Maura grinned, 'so you like her?'
Cailin blushed, 'No. Yes. Stop confusing me!'
Maura laughed, 'I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm just trying to understand what happened.'
'What happened is I told her I was focusing on my studies and then she smiled and asked if we could maybe grab coffee on one of my study breaks and she was so pretty and I…' Cailin hesitated, looking sheepish, 'I said I'd think about it and she winked and made me promise to call her later.'
'Are you going to?' Maura asked, trying and failing to hide a smile, 'call her I mean?'
'Yes,' Cailin huffed with a blush.
Maura laughed again at her little sister, 'so not only did you finish your biochem final but you landed a date? Not bad Cailin.'
'But Maura!' Cailin whined, 'she's a distraction!'
That made Maura laugh harder, 'maybe but she could be a good one!'
'Yeah, like you spent your college years distracted by romantic dalliances,' Cailin said, attempting to cross her arms while also keeping Maura in sight. It wasn't lost on Maura that Cailin was trying to be like her. It was quite flattering.
'Actually,' Maura said with a grin, 'I've always had a very healthy and active sex life. The release of dopamine triggered from an orgasm can be beneficial for short term memory.'
Cailin's jaw dropped, 'you did not just tell me to get laid before reviewing my notecards.'
Maura laughed, 'no.' Then Maura considered it for a minute, 'actually that isn't the worst idea.' When her sister glared at her Maura cracked a smile. 'Though you may want to find out if your partner is turned on by notecards in bed first.' Cailin rolled her eyes at that making Maura laugh again.
'I'm just not ready to hand my life over to someone else. Mum has been in love with Paddy since she was 18 and you and Jane could barely do twelve weeks apart,' Cailin said with a pout.
'No one is asking you to fall in love Cailin, it's just a date,' Maura said teasingly, 'go have some fun. Take a study break, get to know someone a little better. It doesn't have to be a big deal.'
Cailin shifted, considering Maura's words. 'How did you feel when you met Jane?'
Maura frowned, 'annoyed. She was a sex worker and trying to buy coffee but she didn't have any cash on her and the barista was giving her a hard time. I bought her coffee for her and offered her some highly practical tips to take care of herself in her chosen profession and she bit my head off. It was very rude.'
Cailin blinked at her. 'You're joking. I didn't know Jane worked as a sex worker.'
'Oh,' Maura said blushing as she realised what she had said, 'she didn't. She was undercover as a sex worker.'
Cailin smiled wryly at her, 'that makes so much more sense now. What about later, when you got to know her? How did you know she would be important to you?'
Maura considered the question. 'I don't know. I guess it was just a bunch of little things. Like when she stopped the other detectives from calling me Queen of the Dead. I've never been good at people but Jane never made that a problem. She defended me. Befriended me. Then Charles Hoyt kidnapped her for the first time and I was trying to help Korsack find her and…. I don't know I was just desperate to find her. I knew I needed her in my life even if it took us a while to figure out what that looked like.'
'So you didn't just know?' Cailin asked shyly, 'you didn't have this feeling that if you started something it could be like really, really important?'
'Do you have that feeling Cailin?' Maura asked, feeling proud that she was picking up at least some of the unspoken cues. Jane would be proud of her for gumshoeing.
'Maybe,' Cailin muttered darkly.
Maura knew better than to try and force an answer. 'Well, I think its perfectly acceptable to date for fun and only for fun but if you happen to find someone to love it won't matter if it came at the wrong moment. The love you'll share will be worth it. Besides any one who loves you will help you accomplish your dreams, not keep you from them. Like how Jane supported me in writing my book even though it meant 3 months apart.'
'So you're saying I can focus on being a doctor and go on a date with the pretty lady?' Cailin asks with the first hints of excitement peeking through her smile.
'Yes,' Maura said swallowing a giggle, 'you can focus on your studies and go on a date with a beautiful woman.'
Cailin grinned at her, 'thanks Maura! Do me a favour?'
'Besides talking you in to saying yes to a date with a pretty girl?' Maura teased.
Cailin cleared her throat, 'yeah, besides that.'
'Okay,' Maura said cheerily.
'Don't tell mum?!' Cailin asks, pleading with big brown eyes.
'Cailin,' Maura said in a tone that sounded whiney even to her, 'you know I can't lie.'
Cailin batted her eyelashes, 'so don't lie. Just don't talk to her about my love life. Pleeease?'
Maura sighed, 'I can promise to not bring it up but if she asks me directly….'
'She won't,' Cailin said with a grin. 'Thanks Maura. You're the best big sister I've ever had.'
Maura laughed shaking her head, 'I'm your only big sister.'
'Where's the lie though?! Cailin asks tilting her head to the side with a big grin. Then Cailin's face fell as she noticed the time, 'shit I gotta go Maur. Gotta get to my last final!'
'Bye,' Maura said with a head shake, 'good luck!'
'Bye!' Cailin said blowing kisses at her phone, 'love you! Thanks for the advice!' The line went dead before Maura could respond. Smiling to herself, Maura finished her lunch and prepared herself to finish her book tour. Maura was touched that Cailin had called to ask her advice. She wasn't at all certain she had handled it correctly, she'd have to check with Jane later, but Maura felt tentatively pleased with their discussion. Maura stood, taking a steadying breath before returning to the signing. This was it, after all, the last few hours of her book tour and then she was all Jane's. It gave Maura a happy kind of buzz knowing Jane would be waiting for her. Enough to get her happily through the rest of the day even if her hand was cramping from all the books she had signed.
