Selected Short Subjects, part 3

A/N: More little bits and pieces. Most of these assume Jane & Maura are in an established relationship. I like writing these, and I hope you like reading them. I'd like to try something: I've never written to prompts (except once). If you like these "shorts", send me a PM with some kind of prompt, and I'll try to write a short for it. And, as always, Read and Review, please!

Special Note: When I posted my last story, "Storm of the Century", I most negligently failed to thank Tracy for her valuable help and comments on the story pre-posting. Sorry! You did an awesome job!

(And I'm durned if I can figure out the editing system for posted stories. If anybody can help, please let me know! Thanks!)

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Running with scissors

The swing of the morgue doors, and the rhythmic thump of hard boots on the concrete floor, didn't cause Maura to miss a moment of attention. She had paused, scalpel in hand, considering the precision of her next move, still as a statue and deep in thought. Her isolation was magnified by the strains of the Third Brandenburg pulsing through her ear buds.

So the touch of hands on her shoulders, stroking down her back, and circling her waist, was a complete surprise.

After her initial startle response, she carefully placed the scalpel on the steel table, and gently disengage the long arms that circled her with such affection. She removed one of the earphones, and spoke in a low, disciplined, but firm tone:

"Jane, while you and I had profoundly different upbringings, I suspect there was one command your mother and my mother shared in common."

Puzzled by the coldness in Maura's voice, Jane could only react. "What?"

"Did she not warn you not to run with scissors?"

"What? Yes."

"She did me, also. I was a quiet child, but sometimes I would be taken by an idea, and run to find something I needed to know to complete it. And I'd have a pair of scissors in my hand. Or a trimming knife. Or a sharp pencil. And why did our mothers give us this warning?"

"They were afraid we'd get hurt. Maura, where..."

"They knew, all parents, all adults, know, that unrestrained motion with a sharp object can result in painful and dangerous consequences. When I'm at the autopsy table, almost every object I have in my hands is dangerously sharp. And when I feel your hands on me, even in this environment, my behavior is likely to be very unrestrained."

Jane backed away just a bit, putting a centimeter of distance between her and Maura. She leaned in carefully, gently kissed Maura's ear, and whispered, "bad idea, huh?"

Maura nodded, turned her head to see Jane. "Bad idea."

Jane stepped away. Before she could say anything in apology, Maura said, over her shoulder, "I owe you. At home, tonight."

Jane smiled on her way out.

######

No Mercy

"That was amazing. Terrific."

"Glad you liked it."

"You like doing that, don't you?"

"What? Using my mouth?"

"Yeah."

"I do. It gives you so much pleasure."

"Is that all?"

"Well…you must admit...it does put the tough cop at the mercy of my tongue."

"Oh…it does. It does."

######

Because

In the middle of the night, Jane lay in bed, propped up on one elbow, watching Maura sleep. The moonlight poured in, lining out every detail of Maura's features. Maura slept, like she did so much else, in a constant, routine pattern. After the sex, the cuddling, the talk and touch, she would settle on her left side, her head on three pillows and hands folded by her chin; it meant she was always facing Jane.

Maura's shapely arms and shoulders, the swell of her breasts above the hem of the sheet, the curve of her hips and waist, made Jane catch her breath. How did this happen, Jane's mind shouted, that this magnificent creature should be sharing my bed? How did I ever attract her attention? I'm nobody. I'm a working-class, beer-drinking, insecure, gay cop who doesn't make friends easily and is terrified of commitment. What am I to her? What did I do to deserve her?

Maura's eyes opened, though her body didn't stir. Her eyes made contact with Jane's, searched her face for a long moment.

"You're wondering how I came to fall in love with you, aren't you?" Her voice was a musical whisper.

Only slightly surprised, Jane smiled wanly. "Yes."

"Simple. At a time when I was very lonely and afraid, you were very, very kind to me."

"That's all it took?"

"That's all it took."

######

Fashion Sense

Watching Maura Isles walk was always a treat. She must have started wearing heels early, because the way she moved across a room was masterful. Jane drank in every step as Maura came into her office to share their brief lunch break.

As Maura sat down, the fabric of her skirt hugged her thighs, accentuating their smooth, shapely taper and swell.

Jane's pulse rate went up by twenty beats. Thinking of one of the ads she'd seen in the paper that morning, she asked, "How come you don't wear slitted skirts?"

"Too slutty."

"Exactly."

Maura's eyes played across Jane's face, and the ends of her mouth drew up in a complicitous smile.

"I suppose I could stop at Newbury Street on the way home."

######

Capacity

They climbed the stairs with arms around each other's waists, laughing like schoolgirls. Jane carried Maura's suitcase in her free hand.

"I know the apartment isn't much, Maura. But we've got a three-day weekend to enjoy being in it."

"Never in my life have I so welcomed painters into my house." Maura said, as she smiled and leaned into Jane for a kiss.

As they reached the landing Jane took her keys out, then noticed the door was slightly ajar. Silently, gently pushing Maura against the wall with her right hand, she drew her weapon with her left and advanced into the apartment with a two-handed sweeping stance. Maura waited, afraid, until she heard Angela's voice at the same time as Jane's.

"Ma! What the hell!"

"Jesus! Janie, you scared the life out of me!"

"What are you doing here, Ma?!"

Maura breathed deeply, relief washing through every vein and artery. She entered the apartment to find Jane holstering her pistol while Angela stood outside the bedroom door, both hands on her hips, eyes wide.

"When you said Maura was staying for the weekend, I thought I'd do you a favor and clean up a little. I put clean sheets on the bed and extra pillows and blankets on the couch. And how often do you do your dishes? The sink was full!"

Jane was sputtering, exasperated. "Ma…Ma, you didn't have to do that. I wish you'd at least let me know before you barge…show up."

"Well, you could at least say 'thank you'. I thought I'd raised you better. Hi, Maura."

"Hello, Angela."

"Well, I'm going now. Oh…" She reached into the pocket of the cleaning apron she was wearing. "Maura, I think this is yours."

She handed the doctor a lacy dark-blue bra, her face expressionless.

Maura took the undergarment. "Ah…thank you…ahhh…where did…how…"

Jane was covering her face with her hands. She could guess what was coming.

"I found it in the bed sheets. I guess you forgot it because you were late for work one morning."

"How do you know it's not mine, Ma?" Jane asked from behind her fingers.

"Oh, isn't it too big for you? Maura would need a little more room. Well, see you guys later. Have a nice weekend!" she breezed out the door, closing it – completely – behind her.

Maura smiled dryly at the lingerie dangling from her hand. "Mmmm. That's one party we won't have to worry about having 'the talk' with."

"I guess not." Jane came close to Maura, and cradled her lover's breasts in her hands. " You know…she's right. You do."

"Yes. I do."

"You do."

######

Fear

It was the deepest part of the night, that time when it seems that the world might never see light again. Maura, awake, sensed that Jane was awake as well, and moved over to Jane's side of the bed, wrapping her arm around her waist and placing her lips against Jane's neck. "What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid."

"Why, Jane? Afraid of what?"

"Of you. Of loving you."

"I swear I will never hurt you. Never."

"It's not that. I know that."

Maura placed a soft kiss on Jane's neck, and then on her cheek. "Then what?"

"I'm so afraid of…of…what you do to me."

Maura had to think about that, about what it might be that she did that frightened the most fearless person she'd ever known.

"I don't understand."

Jane turned toward her, placed her hand on Maura's hip. Even in the dark, Maura could see the shine of Jane's eyes.

"I love you so much. I feel…crazy about you. You make me want to…to throw away everything, just to be with you. To just spend the rest of my life in bed with you, and never do anything else. To spend my whole life keeping you happy. I've never felt like that before. These days I can't make a decision that doesn't involve you, how it will affect you, how it will affect our relationship. Dammit, Maura, before I fell in love with you I hated that word. I didn't have relationships. And now that's all I think about."

"And why is that bad? Why is that something to be afraid of?"

"Because all of a sudden my life isn't my own anymore. You can change it. And it doesn't take much. All you have to do is look at me, or touch me, and everything I wanted to do or say or think goes right to hell. Do you know that there are times, when you kiss me, I come close to passing out? That when we're making love I can't remember my name, or where we are, or what time it is? Isn't it dangerous to let someone else have that much power?"

"And you don't like that." Maura began to be afraid, herself.

"You know, the funny thing is, I do like it. I like having to trust you with myself. I do. I trust you. And what I'm really scared of is that I never want this to stop. I just want to give it all to you. All of it. All of me."

"Then you're safe, Jane."

"Why?"

"Because you have all of me, too. In the very same way."

"And it doesn't scare you?"

"Oh, yes. But since I have you, and you have me, it's mutual. We can guard each other."

"Well…I guess that's fair. Kind of a Mexican standoff."

"They really aren't, you know." Her academic tone, at the same time as she was making small circles around Jane's nipple, was a decided turn-on.

"What…who?"

"Mexicans. They're really very friendly."

Jane puffed her cheeks in exasperation, then laughed deep in her chest. "It's just an expression, Maura. Just describes a situation."

"Well, whatever it is, it can't be as pleasant as this." And Maura kissed Jane's lips, issuing an invitation to possession and reward.

######

Wanting

The Bruins are on tonight, and, as usual, are losing. Jane is wrestling with a crossword, not really watching the TV. Maura's trying to get paperwork done, at her desk against the back of the sofa. It's work she must submit to Records when she gets in in the morning, and the rattle of the game gets more and more intrusive.

Without looking at the screen, Jane picks up the remote and shuts off the set.

The silence surprises Maura. "Weren't you watching the game? Why'd you turn it off?"

Jane doesn't look up. "Because you wanted me to."

"Oh. Why, thank you."

In about twenty minutes, Maura decides to get up for a glass of wine. She takes the long way around, in front of the couch. She bends down, and catches Jane's mouth in a kiss.

Jane looks up, smiles. "What's that for?"

"Because you wanted me to."

######

Bad Day

As Jane came in the door she felt the warmth of the house close around her. She could smell Chinese food, saw the little white containers on the dining-room table; Maura had ordered out. Before she could even take off her coat, she was in Maura's arms, her lover clinging to her with no sign of ever letting go.

"Are you all right?"

Maura shook her head against Jane's shoulder. Jane held her, stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry. Just...it was kind of a bad day."

"What happened?"

Maura lifted her head, looked away. "Oh...The autopsy for Det. Craig was trickier than I expected. Then I kept getting calls...Washington. Statehouse. Four AME's around the state, all with problems they could have solved themselves. It was...aggravating."

"Sorry, Maur'. But...you've..."

"That wasn't the worst part."

"What was?"

"I didn't see you. All day. You left home before I did. And I left work before you did. And you didn't come down. And I couldn't get free to come up to the bullpen."

Jane had a sarcastic crack on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back. Instead, she tried to soften her voice. "I'm sorry. But I was busy, too. I didn't even have lunch."

"I know. But let's not let that happen again."

"Okay."