It Takes Two To Tangle
Ch. 5
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The night had come crashing down on Jane. Her feelings for Maura, combined with her need to act on them slowly, and the call from Maria had simply washed away all of her strength. She hoped Maura was right, and that going to see her ex would help her put the past behind her. They were still sitting on the couch when Jane patted Maura's shoulder.
"M, I need to get going. Jo needs to be walked." She slowly stood up from the couch. Her exhaustion was evident in the dark circles under her eyes and her unusually pale complexion.
Maura's voice was soft and warm, "Jane, Frankie gets off of his shift in a few minutes. Couldn't you ask him to pick her up, and watch her for the weekend? You're in no condition to drive, and you're welcome to stay here."
Jane, lacking the strength to talk or disagree simply nodded. Maura approached her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Jane wanted to cry as the events of the day seeped into her muscle fibers and twisted them into a knot.
Maura soothingly ran her hand down Jane's arm, and wrapped her fingers around the taller woman's index finger. "Come on," she tugged her friend in the direction of her guest room. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Call Frankie, and make yourself comfortable." Maura gracefully disappeared into the bathroom.
When she exited, her breath was caught half way between her chest and her stomach. Jane was sitting up on her comforter with several pillows propping her up. She was clad in a gray tank top and a pair of form fitting black boy shorts. Her right leg was extended and her left one was bent, providing Maura with an incredible view of the long, tanned limbs. Her contacts removed, and her glasses rested on her nose as she thumbed through a magazine. Maura wondered if she were going to get any sleep, or stay up all night fighting the urge to slide her hands over Jane's toned body and kiss the inviting lips and neck. Maura would often find her eyes resting on Jane's leonine neck, the curves almost begging for her attention.
Maura climbed into the right side of the bed and snuggled under the blankets that weren't under Jane. "Goodnight Jane," Maura whispered." Happily resting her head on her pillow with a slight smile on her face, she thought that tamping down her sex drive was a small price to pay for having Jane in her bed for the night. Her last thought before falling asleep was that Jane's going to Connecticut would be good for her, and good for them. Perhaps then Jane would be ready for a relationship. Until that happened, Maura felt that was an anchor holding Jane down and stopping her from moving forward.
For her part, Jane was too tired to protest leaving Jo with her brother. He barely remembered to feed himself, and she just had to have faith that he would take good care of her beloved pet. She casually tossed the magazine she was reading onto the nightstand, as she reached over to turn the bedside lamp off. She placed her glasses on top of the magazine and slipped under the covers. She remembers Maura's perfume softly caressing the air, and their feet gently tangling just before succumbing to a sleep that would take her from the trouble's of the day.
When the alarm went off at 8:00 in the morning, Jane awoke to the sounds of a waterfall and Birds chirping instead of the blaring rock station she was used to. She sat up in the bed, looking toward Maura who was just beginning to stir.
"Good morning Jane."
"Good morning yourself, what the fuck is with the environmental sounds alarm. You didn't have that the last time I was here."
"It's a soothing gently way to awake from a deep sleep," Maura said still half asleep herself.
"Well, it just makes me want to pee."
Maura realized Jane was going to be a bit grumpy until she had at least one cup of coffee in her, and she grimaced at Jane.
"Maur, I'm sorry. I really want to thank you for letting me stay, and for being such a good friend to me—even when I sometimes don't deserve it."
"Sometimes?" Maura raised a questioning eyebrow while smiling.
"Did you just crack a joke?"
"I think I did. Now, I'm going to make breakfast before you get on your way. I could go with you if you like to lend some moral support."
"I appreciate that; I really do, but I have to do this on my own."
Maura looked slightly hurt, but she understood that Jane needed to do this without any outside assistance. She reached over and placed her hand over the detective's. "Do you want to tell me what happened between you two?"