Author's note: thank you very much for all your reviews - suggestions - and messages; a pleasure to exchange with you all.

Chapter fourteen: Triceratops vs Tyrannosaurus

Jane leaned against the window and sighed. The street had disappeared under an impressive layer of snow and the wind was now blowing hard. She was losing hope to go out for a while. Pout. Yep. She was trapped inside until further notice.

She turned around and moaned out of boredom. The house was awfully silent, she hated it. Perhaps she could put on some music or watch a movie. She didn't have much to do, after all. She was on call but the weather seemed to have kept murderers inside too. It would be a quiet day. A quiet, boring day.

She went downstairs and slowly crossed the living-room - hands in the pockets of her jeans - to walk in direction of the television.

"Watch out!"

Maura's scream made her jump in surprise. She looked down at the spot her wife was pointing out with her index finger and squinted her eyes at the small amount of dust spread in a large tray.

"What's that?" Jane squatted and grabbed a block of dust to observe it. Now she understood why the house was quiet. Maura had been working on some nerdy thing again. "What are you doing?"

Her question embarrassed the scientist who looked down at the tea boxes and rummaged around as if she were simply looking for the perfect flavor. Shrug. Blushing. More blushing.

"I am excavating a Triceratops."

Jane blinked. She had met Maura eight years earlier – almost a whole decade earlier – and yet the medical examiner still managed to take her completely aback within a sentence.

If Maura's answer had been a tad less incongruous, Jane would have found her wife's ability to still surprise her after all these years rather remarkable.

"You're what?! I mean... What?!"

Maura rolled her eyes and walked to the tray on the floor. She motioned the tools and the block of dust that Jane was still holding.

"It is an archeologist mini-kit. There are dinosaur bones trapped in this block and I am supposed to excavate the body of the animal." Cute - nerdy - smile. "Margot bought them for me!"

Jane held back a chuckle and politely smiled instead. Safest way to keep her distance with an argument.

The blizzard had made Maura turn the house into a brand new Jurassic Park. Fantastic.

Or not.

She made a face and wrinkled her nose, divided between two possibilities: to mock her wife or simply let go of the whole thing. Oh... Who was she kidding?

"Triceratops are lames." Chin up in defiance.

A playful smile lit up Maura's features. She knew this tone of voice, the fake criticism that only hid the desire to take up a challenge.

"I have a Tyrannosaurus kit left. Do you want it?"

Jane didn't hesitate and nodded in a heartbeat. She grabbed the small box - went for a tray - and settled down next to her wife. She threw away the instructions immediately. No way she would lose time reading them. Besides, Maura knew them by heart. She was sure of that.

"So Margot bought that for you? You two...!" Jane raised her arms and crossed them. "Team nerdy forever."

But instead of a snarky reply, she only received a sweet kiss in return; one that sounded loud on her cheek. Maura smiled at her. A foolish grin, one that made her eyes sparkle in delight.

"Sometimes, I don't understand why you married me... You deserve better, Jane. Better than a woman who likes... I don't know... Excavating dinosaurs."

"Like Casey?"

Snort.

"I said 'better'..."

There she had her snarky reply. Maura's offended tone made her giggle. She grabbed a chisel and started digging her block of dust.

"You never liked him, right?"

"I never liked any of them." The confession came out of the blue but Maura decided to fully assume it. She preferred to be honest. She always did. "When I think about it - retrospectively - I realize that I wanted you to be alone. That way, I wouldn't have to look at you steal the life I wanted to have with you." She bit her lip, full of remorse. "It is bad, isn't it?"

Jane shook her head.

"Not the slightest bit as I kind of wished the same to happen to you. It's a bit of a 'sorry not sorry' thing. I didn't want to see you happy with someone else." Shrug. "I know... It's utter jealousy."

...

The night had finally fallen over Boston and - just as Jane had imagined - she hadn't been called to go on a scene. But by the amount of snow she could now see through the windows of the living-room, she was more than okay with it.

"Shit. Are you done with your chisel? I just broke mine." She turned to Maura and pushed away a strand of hair from her face.

"No but I will use the brush for a while so you can have it. It is fine." Maura held out the tool and cleaned her hands before grabbing her tea mug. "Did you know... That Triceratops – and their subgenres – used to live during the Late Cretaceous of North America?"

Jane winced. Of course, Maura had to go Wikipedia on her at some point. She had been way too quiet for most of the afternoon to not lecture her about dinosaurs.

"I probably learned that at school but all I kept in mind's that the Triceratops was a cool buddy but not a badass." Index finger pointed towards her own block. "Unlike mine. I'm takin' charge of the... Bad guy."

The door of the patio flew open. An icy wind came in, bringing in big snow flakes. Frankie made a step inside and waved at them.

"What are you doing here? You should be home!" Jane frowned at her brother. "How was work?"

"Your house's on my way."

"No, it's not..."

Eyeroll.

"Yes it is when you come back skiing from the BPD." Frankie paused and waited for his sister and her wife's chuckles to stop. "I wanted to make sure you were all ok. I also brought you a couple of papers regarding that ceremony Cavanaugh wants to hold."

Jane didn't hide her lack of enthusiasm. She hated these events, especially if if meant that she had to write a speech.

Fingers crossed it got cancelled because of the snow. Then she would never complain about Bostonian winters ever again.

"Ok, thanks. You can leave that on the kitchen counter. I made some hot chocolate. Get some if you want to before leaving again."

Frankie nodded and gladly went to pour himself a very large mug of the hot drink. He motioned the two trays on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"We are excavating dinosaurs." Maura offered him her biggest smile. A nerdy one. "I am working on a Triceratops while Jane got the Tyrannosaurus. We should be done in a couple of hours, now."

The silence that followed wouldn't have been that bad if Frankie hadn't looked at his sister-in-law as if she had lost her mind. Glance at Jane for any kind confirmation. She raised a miniature chisel and enthusiastically nodded.

Frankie frowned.

"You two are really weird. What kind of couple doesn't take advantage of a snow storm to spend the day in bed?"

"The kind that knows a relative is going to stop by uninvited and could walk in on them at any moment?"

Jane 1 – 0 Frankie.

It wasn't that she didn't want to spend more time in Maura's arms but since Constance had walked in on her dancing naked in the kitchen, Jane had slowed down on her bold side and preferred now to keep it for more personal places.

Exit the kitchen and living-room, for instance.

"You're paid to look at dead bodies and – during your free time – you excavate bones? You're both really dedicated to forensics!" He put down the empty mug. "How's your French daughter, by the way?"

"She is enjoying the warm winter of Bordeaux. Her plane landed safely yesterday. She called us as soon as she got there." Maura grabbed back her chisel and resumed her excavation. "She was not... Really happy... To miss out the blizzard. Obviously, she doesn't know what she is talking about."

Jane nodded. She couldn't but support Maura's point.

"I'd pay a lot for this snow to stop. Even Jo Friday doesn't want to go out. Where did you get these skis, by the way? You never go skiing."

Frankie adjusted his hat and gloves before tightening the knot of his woolen scarf. He was ready to go.

"I went to a sport supply store a few days ago when I saw that a blizzard was coming our way. I wanted a snowboard but the streets are too flat from the BPD to my place."

"You can spend the night here if you want. Both guestrooms are available."

Frankie shook his head, turned down Maura's invitation.

"Nah thanks... Skiing's just another way of exercizing! It's not that bad. I'd be home within 20 minutes now."

"What's her name?" Jane barely hid a smirk.

One. Two. Three. She raised an amused eyebrow before her brother's silence.

"Pam..." Embarrassed voice. Frankie turned around as Jane and Maura began to giggle again. "Well, have a nice evening among your bones. The Triceratops is a nice choice, Maura."

"Are you kidding?" Jane scoffed. "The Tyrannosaurus kills it all!"

Frankie shook his head at his sister – opened the door – and stepped outside before casting a last glance at them. The wind brought in some more snowflakes.

"Nah. The Triceratops is the cool buddy. He's nice with everybody so he wins." Frankie laughed as he realized that he had managed to piss his sister. "Goodbye!"

Jane pouted and growled. Upset, she crossed her arms against her chest like a child about to throw a tantrum. She clenched her teeth.

"Bullshit..."