See Ch 1 for disclaimers…
Frost barely had time to stop and hold the hot coffee away from his body when Jane stopped in front of him without warning.
Jane stalked slowly over to her desk, step by deliberate step. "Korsak you are an ass." Korsak looked up at her cheerfully. The closer she got the larger the smile he wore until his shoulders started to shake with barely repressed laughter. The Santa hat perched jauntily on his head started to slip off to the side.
Trying to ignore the sniggering coming from Frost at her back Jane plucked the hat off Korsak's head with her forefinger and thumb. "You look like a fucked up Santa Claus, old man."
Korsak simply laughed a little harder, standing up to accept a coffee from Frost. When he had calmed down enough he took a small sip. "This is good, thanks Frost." He smiled again at Jane. "Now Janie you can't be pissed at me, I was just following orders from your girlfriend."
Jane pushed past him and collapsed down at her desk before shaking the hat in her fist at him. "You don't get to call me Janie when I'm annoyed at you. You have to earn that right back and I call bullshit that Maura told you to sit at my desk and wear this stupid hat."
Sitting down across from her, Frost rocked back in his chair, smiling. "Ahhh, Jane, you can't let yourself get upset. I hear it's bad for the vocal cords."
The one fingered gesture she flipped both of them with was hardly the satisfaction she wanted. Jane picked up the fuzzy red and white hat with its BPD logo on the front and groaned. She had to stop letting Maura win these ridiculous standoffs. She looked up to see both men looking at her.
Frost raised his eyebrows at her. "Do I even want to know how you got roped into singing in the BPD Holiday Choir?"
Korsak started laughing again, "Oh let me answer this one." He tried to spit out his words between chuckles. "It's about 5'5" and sports a killer set of legs." He ducked just in time to avoid the pen Jane hurled at him across the room. "Nice try, but like I wasn't going to see that coming. Come on tell me I'm wrong."
Both men looked at her expectantly. Jane could feel the heat creeping up her neck. He wasn't wrong. Scenes from last night floated through her mind. What could she possibly say? Not the truth. Jane gripped her thighs under her desk to resist trying to rub at her flushed cheeks.
She was willing to bet neither of them would have survived walking out of the bathroom to Maura sitting cross legged, in the middle of her bed with nothing but a fuzzy white and red hat on. That flash of a slow smile and a languid wink, Maura's voice pitched to that octave that floated down from her ears to rest between her legs, the words pulling her closer. "I thought we could work on your staying power Detective. Do you think you can last past my shoulders tonight?" Maura's hair still held the fresh hint of her shower as Jane inched closer until the taste of her skin combined with heady aroma and her next words. "After all, I believe I owe you for earlier and usually we do things together. I like doing things with you. Would it be so horrible to be part of the choir with me this year? Don't you want to sing with me Detective?"
Jane shook her head lightly, drawing a deep breath in. Really as if there was any other answer last night than to revise her 'hell no' to one very clear 'hell yes'.
"Let's just leave it as it was important to Maura that I sing in the holiday choir this year." When both of them started to laugh into their fists Jane gave in and buried her face in her hands. "Enough, I'm letting this go in the spirit of the season but both of you can go away now." She sat up and crossed her arms across her chest. "Seriously, shouldn't we attempt to earn our paychecks? Korsak you haven't even asked what Frost and I did this morning."
Korsak shared a last look with Frost before clearing his throat."What did you and Frost do this morning?"
"We interviewed the neighbors." Jane smiled. "Ask me how fun that was?"
"How fun was that Jane?"
"Oh right about the time we finished with bored housewife number three hundred, Frost and I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. McGinny. Mrs. McGinny was old in 1973, enjoys Frost's aesthetically pleasing derriere and thought we were there to buy her special mistletoe. For medicinal purposes only of course." Jane rolled her eyes with Frost. "Take it away Frost."
Frost flipped through his mobile phone photos and brought it over to Korask. "This is the view from her front room. That's a photo of our vic's driveway across the street. Apparently Mrs. McGinny believes our vic had a gentleman caller because the same van, that may or may not be blue, was in the driveway two days in a row and both times the gentleman caller was in the house for about an hour at around 4:00."
Korsak stuck his lower lip out while he considered the information. "And she is sure of the time because?"
Jane grinned."Apparently Mrs. McGinny holds religious dedication to self medication at 4:20. Just don't ask her about make of the van or color of the possible suspect's hair. Can't remember anything else. I'm having her come in to work with a sketch artist anyhow."
Korsak groaned. "Well that will hold up in court. The high old lady across the street saw a van that may, or may not be, blue. Well we can see what the Doc has to say about the time of death." He pushed his chair away from his desk. "Anything else?"
Jane flipped through her notes. "Husband's alibi was airtight. He was over at the Harvard Club for a business meeting and lunch."
"What kind of person has a business meeting on a Sunday?"
"Someone who belongs to the Harvard Club." Jane grimaced.
Frost stared at her. "What does that mean? My father belongs to the Harvard Club." At her raised eyebrows he sighed. "Never mind, I just made your point." Frost tossed his phone down on his desk and sat back down. "The only thing missing from the scene was the woman's engagement ring. Husband says it was a Tacori worth about 10 grand."
Korsak tossed his pen down on the desk. "Frost, see what you can figure out about their finances just in case."
"Already started last night. The wife had a modest insurance policy and I am still waiting to get access to their bank accounts."
Jane stood up and was about to open her mouth when both men waived her off. Frost didn't even look away from his computer screen. "We know. You're going down to the morgue to get the autopsy report, or the lab results, or any other excuse to go downstairs."
The light was on in the autopsy suite and Jane pushed through the doors, surprised when it was just Dr. Silva inventorying the instrument trays. He took one look at her and pointed towards the lab.
Jane walked though the empty lab and checked the office space but Maura wasn't there. She smiled and exchanged greetings with the various techs before pausing at the back door to Maura's office.
Maura's back was to her. Her shoulders were rounded slightly as she double checked what she was typing, the recorder playing back her voice during an autopsy. She hadn't bothered to take down her hair and the ponytail left her neck exposed. Jane sucked against the tingle along her lower lip. She loved Maura's neck. There was something vulnerable about the delicate expanse. The taste of the feather soft skin, the sensitivity of the flesh and the reassuring beat of Maura's pulse ticking under the surface.
A delicate shiver skipped down Jane's spine as she thought about the feel of skin against her tongue last night.
She had hung up Jo's leash by the back door and followed the trotting steps of the terrier into the house. Passing the kitchen she noticed Maura had tossed a salad for dinner and her heartbeat picked up. A salad was designed to be eaten cold. Jane knew where she'd find her and she moved quickly through the house to the master suite.
The shower had been running and the ensuite door was cracked open. An invitation.
The bathroom was dark other than the nightlight and the glow from a city night filtering in through the window over the jacuzzi tub. Educated in the intimate internal workings of one Dr. Isles, Jane could translate this. A shower translated to wet and fast. After their conversation in the morgue Jane wasn't surprised. That small vein of vulnerability winding between them had been exposed.
Jane pulled off her shirt and bra. This was a need to reconnect. Her pants came next. This was a need to be reclaimed.
The shower room door opened and closed with a light click behind her. Maura didn't turn around, sighing in contentment at the kiss to her shoulder, the moving trail of pleasure up her neck and along her ear, sucking gently, making her shift from one foot to the other as the sensation tightened in her body.
It was the wet shift of Maura's body against hers that made Jane's heart start to pound. Fast echoed in her mind and she was intensely grateful. She needed this too. Jane splayed her hand against Maura's abdomen, drawing her close, stroking the surface.
Maura bit her bottom lip when Jane's touch was removed. She pressed her curves back into Jane hearing the light hiss by her ear before teeth closed against her neck and she groaned. The hand came back to her abdomen, slick, and the sweet smell of her body wash coiled around them. Dual touches played playing along her skin. Pressure ebbed and flowed without predictability stealing her breath. The click of the body wash bottle, those fingers cupping her breasts, slipping over and around, teasing until the briefest touch against her nipples sent her forehead crashing against the wall with a whimper.
Jane closed her eyes. The perfection of aroused flesh against her palms, water flowing around them in the dark and the grind of their bodies meeting together had her rapidly losing control. The rough draw of hardened nipples between her fingers, the sounds of them together bouncing off the tile, the soap rinsing away making each touch rougher and Maura's approval rose above the pounding of water in her ears.
Pinch, hear the moan, squeeze, listen to a breathy gasp encouraging her downward and Jane dragged her hand over ribs, over hips, her own voice mingling in the room when Maura arched back into her, head against Jane's shoulder.
Maura bit her lip hard as seeking fingers brushed over her with intention. Fast. She needed fast and hard and Jane knew it. Fingers didn't deviate, didn't tease, Maura felt herself sag against braced thighs when deft fingers found her clit and stroked downwards. Hard. Inside she ached at each deft stroke and she pushed for more, the sounds falling from her lips cut by the jetting water. Inside she was blooming, the pressure painful. She needed more. Spinning around abruptly, Maura grabbed Jane's face and found her lips, pouring every inch of need into her mouth, letting go to stifle a cry against her shoulder when there was a pounding answer of fullness pushed into her, fingers sliding in, hitting up relentlessly.
Maura was tightening around her fingers, the sounds bringing Jane to the edge as she pushed into her harder and harder, the burn running over her shoulders, the pain becoming pure pleasure. The body against her started to tremble, and Jane twisted her touch, pushing everything into each stroke until Maura arched suspended, her call echoing between them as everything flew out of her in a rush.
Muscles trembling from the effort, Jane lowered them both to the floor, smiling at the breathless kisses peppering her neck.
Jane startled out of her thoughts when the recorder clicked off and she glanced quickly around Maura's office, embarrassed as if the tribal masks around the room could read her thoughts. Maura sensed her presence, turning around to look up at her over her shoulder. Meeting her eyes Jane felt herself fall a little bit more in love with the woman seated in front of her. That was the crux of them last night, instinctively knowing when to give and when to take. Jane stepped behind her and brushed her thumb along the exposed skin of Maura's neck softly, meeting hazel eyes. "I love you."
Maura covered the hand on her neck and pressed lightly. "I love you too." Dropping her hand she saved the document she was working on. "Was canvassing the neighborhood successful?"
Jane moved to rest a hip against Maura's desk. "Does sort of count as an answer?"
"Not really."
Jane sighed. "The elderly neighbor across the street claims she saw a blue van at about 4pm the past few days. Only she was so high when I was talking to her I'm not certain I believe she was aware what day of the week it is. Other than that, the only other anomaly so far is a missing engagement ring."
Maura pulled up her autopsy report on the screen. "4pm would fall within the acceptable range for time of death. I can tell you that she was definitely strangled and her blood work came back clean. I'm sorry but nothing else is back yet."
Jane sighed. "The rest of my afternoon is going to be spent combing the Sexual Assault Unit's database of unsolveds to see if anything matches."
Maura looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry." When Jane smiled and shrugged she pushed back from her desk so she could turn and face her. "Is Barry still able to come over tonight to start the lights on the house?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Yes, and I had to listen to my brother whine that Ma is making him help too. So yes, the Christmas lights will go up on the house tonight."
"Tell the boys to look at it this way. Your mother is going to be cooking and I went out to Beer Works at lunch."
"Beer Works?"
Maura nodded. "I have a case of Winter Warmer in the trunk ready to go."
"Almost makes me forgive you for giving Korsak that freakin' Santa hat." Jane grimaced. "He is having too much fun with this."
"I still do not understand what the issue is with your participation in the choir."
Jane took a quick breath in and out, hands highlighting her words. "Like I told you last night, the BPD Holiday Choir is one of those things that young, ambitious, uniforms who are trying to show that they want to advance their careers participate in to show they support the community." She gestured to herself. "I'm a detective. I'm past that part of my career. More to the point, my job, if anything, is to haze the choir participants."
"Jane that is simply wrong!"
"It's a holiday tradition." Jane drummed her fingers along the surface of Maura's desk. "It's like sending Frankie dumpster diving. We have to do these sorts of things on our way up." Sighing, Jane decided to change tactics. "I have to ask, how did you become involved with the choir in the first place?"
"Officer Hill invited me and I thought it sounded like an opportunity to be part of the division during the holidays."
"Hill invited you?" Jane started to laugh. "Oh poor, pathetic, Marty. I'm not going to even rag on him much." She gave a little snort. "That poor boy has such a crush on you."
"He does?" Maura considered the invitation along with that information. "That changes my perception slightly, but I still think it will be fun."
Jane gave a long sigh. "You don't say. Well I'm sure Hill will be thrilled to see me." She pushed away from the desk. "I have to go back up stairs." Jane paused in Maura's door and turned back around. "Oh and Maura?" Hazel eyes met hers. "We're going to need at least two more hats."
A/N – on the song that inspired this, each chapter contains elements of it worked in.
In other news, obviously this will be M rated. Hopefully you all won't hate me too much for that ;)
