Chapter 2 ;)
...later that day, early night. Maura sat at the dirty robber, sipping on wine. She had given Jane the information she had needed. The weapon was a steel pipe, sharpened at the end. Now they just needed to find out where it might have come from. "Another day," she sighed and took a short sip of her wine. She paid some attention to any affections from the males in the room.
As so often, Jane went to the Dirty Robber herself for a cool beer before she'd drive home. She entered the bar and walked right up the bar itself and ordered 'the usual'. With the beer in her hand she turned to find an empty booth to sit down. She was kind of surprised as she saw Maura. She played with the thought to ignore her and pretend she didn't see her, but she probably had noticed her alread as she had entered. The brunette let out a sigh and walked over. "You, at the dirty robber? Really? I would have never guessed."
"Why not. It is the best in town," she said with a bright smile and gestured at Jane to sit down. She sat with one empty glass of wine and one half gone. "I figured you would come here. Considering your tastes for beer. Or rather, cops tastes for beer," she said bluntly and shrugged while sipping at her wine. Then she made a face at Jane to what she had said earlier. "Besides, why wouldn't I be. Do you think I am above being seeing in a bar?"
Jane sighed and looked at the booth as Maura gestured her to sit down. For a moment she played with a thought to refuse to sit down – but after a while of hesitation she sat down. Jane had never been good having a chitchat with other women and she feared that was what Barbie wanted. She drunk a big sip from her cool beer. „Yes I do think the bar is not fancy enough for you." Jane said honestly and then suddenly realised what Maura said earlier. „Wait, what? You thought I'd come here...why does it matter if I come here or not?" She raised a brow.
"It fits you," she said with a smile and a half shrug. Maura took another sip of the wine sitting in front of her and slowly licked her lips after she swallowed. "That should not surprise anyone. I imagine that most of your team enjoys a good beer after a hard day of work," she said and laughed softly. She could see that she both perplexed Jane and interested her. It was enough for now. "I saw you walk in here one night," she finally admitted.
Jane obviously didn't expect such an answer. She almost chocked on her beer and sat it down with a loud sound; looking at the blonde sitting across from her. "Are you stalking me or something?" Jane asked; her voice showed she was playful but in her mind she was being serious. That Dr. Isles was one unpredictable person. She couldn't figure her out at all - and as more as she got to talk to her; the more surprised she was. She was a Detective - she should be able to figure people out. Why didn't it work with Maura!
Maura's eyes widened slightly and she shook her head, sitting up a bit in the booth. "Of course not. I was waiting on a limo one night and you didn't see me...you were a bit distracted and I saw you head into the dirty robber. I don't follow people..." she said defensively. Then she stared for a long while at Jane, slightly smiling and shrugging. "My car was in the shop," she said simply.
Jane looked at her. Thoughts rushing through her mind. Maura was kind of socially awkward; that was the expression Jane got from all this. Also it was kind of creepy - it kinda fitted that Maura was a M.E. - it fitted to her personality, Jane thought. The limo-comment just made Jane realize again that Maura was so much more fancy with her and she really asked herself why Maura was in the dirty Robber - since she seemed to like fancy stuff. "A limo, huh?" Jane just said and drunk another sip of beer. She looked back into Maura's eyes before she bluntly said: "Now tell me why you are really here."
Maura opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. She chewed on her lower lip and furrowed her brow in hesitation. That was how they sat for a few moments before the doctor found her voice. The social awkwardness clearly felt between them. "I was interested in seeing how it was to be on your side...In just a normal place...down and dirty environment," she said and cleared her throat lightly. Maura reached up and rubbed her upper arm absently.
The brunette felt insulted by this statement. Like this was some ghetto bar, that should have been closed by the health department years ago. Her statement made it sound like as if Jane was a scum; some antisocial woman - that she should be thankful that Maura was hanging with someone lowlife like Jane. Or maybe it was just some kind of weird experiment in Maura's head and Jane symbolizes the rat. "On my side...down and dirty...enviroment!" Jane repeated; clearly taken aback. "If you got a problem, just go back where you come from." She said; anger in her voice and her dark eyes were sparkling.
Maura noticed her mistake far too late for it to be fixable. Her eyes widened and she lifted a hand. "No, no, you misunderstand me. I like it...I don't normally go to places like this...so I thought if you liked it...more rustic, I guess...then perhaps I would," she said, smiling carefully. "Sorry...that came out completely wrong. Did I mention that I admire you...so..." her words trailed off and she finished her wine in a gulp and ordered another.
Jane looked at the blonde; her facial expression staying the same. "You are weird." She told her, instead of thanking her that Maura admired her. "And why would you think you like the things I do? We are completely different. There is absolutely nothing we both have in common. And I don't think I misunderstood you earlier - you DO look down on people like us. Just because we don't drive fancy cars, wear fancy clothes and live in fancy houses. Why are you doing this job? Why are you slumming with us instead of sitting at home, sipping champagen and smoke rolled up money?"
Maura was floored by Jane's harsh words and she wasn't not sure what to say back at first. She felt her cheek flush with heat and she looked down into her wine for a moment, breathing a bit heavier now. She stared for a long while at the dark liquid in her glass. Then she shook her head and blew out a breath. "I want to help people detective...just like you do. That is the reason...that is the only reason. I don't have any family here...and I just wanted to see if you and I could be friends. That is the only reason."
Jane stared at her for a moment. She was so not used to being around women - having to consider their feelings and if she was too harsh. Frost and Korsak didn't care if Jane was harsh - they were the same way towards her. But Maura seemed to be some kind of sensitive and Jane's intention surely wasn't to make her cry or any of that like. Jane tried to form a question in her head; not sure how to ask that without sounding too harsh or being too tactless. "Um...why me?" The brunette asked carefully, hoping that question wouldn't send the M.E. over the edge.
Maura smiled at Jane's words and shrugged lightly. "Why not you. You have the intelligence, the brashness I respect...You are confident and strong. Those are very high qualities that I look for in a friend," she said and left out the words that she would tell Jane that she had never even had one friend, in her entire life. That chosing Jane was a gutsy, hard move for the doctor. She smiled again and took a long drink of her wine. "I am not really good at this...am I," she asked the detective.
"No." Jane laughed a bit; amused by the M.E.'s clumsyness and drank a sip of beer. While she drank, she let her eyes wander over Maura's upper body. She really was an eye candy, compared to the former Medical Examiner. And she could see why all the Police Officers were going nuts in the café earlier - though also she could clearly understand why some find her profession a mature turn off. Jane placed the beer back at the table; the bottle empty. "Well, I'm gonna get going. Have a good rest of the evening, Doc." Jane fished 20 dollars out of her blazer and threw it at the table. "Your wine is on me." She simply said and got up.
Maura's cheeks flushed a bit as Jane agreed with her. She laughed softly and finished her wine that was before her as Jane finished her beer. Maura knew Jane was studying her and she did not mind at all. Her looks were one of her better assects. While social skills were her flaw...her looks could make up for that. She started to protest as Jane got up and threw a twenty down on the table. She watched her go and quickly took the twenty back and put down a fifty before hurrying to follow the detective out. "Jane! Wait! Detective!" She called after Jane and it was impressive to watch the blonde runin heels. She caught up with Jane and handed her the twenty. "All on me...seriously."
Jane stood next to her car as the shorter woman had caught up with her. 'How does she walk so quick in such shoes!'; Jane asked herself and turned to face the blonde. She looked at the $20 bill in her hand and raised a brow. It was hard for Jane to interpret the reason for giving her the money back. Did she think Jane couldn't afford it, which would make Jane mad. Or did she only try to be nice and become friends? She stuck the $20 in her blazer pocket before she unlocked her car. "Well, thank you then, Doctor." She opened her car door and took this brief moment to scan the blonde's body quickly.
Maura breathed a bit heavier, but she smiled as Jane took the twenty back from and was even more relieved that the detective didnt question why she was giving the money. Maura knew that one more social awkward moment could ruin what might have started as a good thing. She nodded, "You are welcome," she replied, leaning over and peering into Jane's car window once the detective had gotten inside. She waved and then started to walk down the street toward the precinct and where her car was parked in the back.
Jane drove home; thinking of Maura all the time. That woman was intriguing, awkward, annoying, sexy, intelligent and weird at the same time. Jane kind of hated herself for not being able to figure this woman out. What did she really want? She was obviously rich... and obviously was used to be surrounded by well-behaved people. Jane was the complete opposite from everyone Maura had probably met. After having a meal and taking a shower, Jane went to bed... The next morning, she spent driving in a car around with Frost; talking to witnesses and suspects.
Maura had thought about Jane for the rest of the night and as she finished a second autopsy that morning and was taking a breaking at the lab's desk nearby, she thought of her again. She liked Jane. She liked her a lot. Jane Rizzoli was strong and she admired that greatly. She fanned the pages of her favorite website, looking for a pair of shoes. It was quiet down in the basement of the police station and in that environment, Maura felt the most relaxed...the most safe. She still wore her black scrubs from the autopsies as she sat, alone. Maura talked to the body that was closet to her on the examination table. "Purple or brown," she asked the body with a smile.
"Brown." Jane answered who suddenly stood in the doorway; leaned against the doorframe. "Are you really shopping online for shoes!" The brunette woman asked as she came closer to the screen. Maura Isles was definiatly a girly girl. Also today, Maura was dressed very fancy. Jane bit her tongue, not wanting to comment on her appearance again; instead she placed two seethrough bags of evidence next the laptop. "Can you check those for any prints or DNA?"
Maura didn't really jump as much as she gasped softly when the body actually answered her back. However, it wasn't the body that spoke to her, but the familiar voice of Jane Rizzoli. She looked up and turned in her stool to see Jane walking toward her from the doorframe. She smiled, "I wouldn't take you for a brown kinda woman, detective," she said with a soft smirk and then eyed the bags that Jane had sat down beside her. Half way through shopping, Maura had gone and changed back into her skirt and top. The skirt was grey pen stripe and the top was a fushia, v-neck thin sweater. She wore blank pumps and her white lab coat just made the whole look even better. Her make up was strikingly smooth around her eyes. Her blonde locks fluffed lightly around her face. "Certainly, detective," she said, standing and in her heels was almost Jane's height.
'One day she is gonna break her legs, I know it' Jane thought to herself as Maura got up from the stool. The Detective took a small step backwards, as Maura was suddenly so close when she stood; but that was not the only reason Jane had stepped back - also, she wanted to take in her 'outfit'. As hard as Jane tried but she just couldn't hold back. "Planing on walking down the catwalk after work, Doctor?" Jane herself just wore dark blue jeans and a light blue blouse, that was tucked into her jeans. Her hair looked like every day. Nothing special about Jane's outfit. "Can I wait for the results or is it gonna take a while?" Jane then asked.
Maura made a face at Jane's words as she took a step back. She laughed softly, "These are my regular clothes detective. I honestly don't know why everyone makes it such a big out of it," she said, picking up the evidence that Jane brought her and walking past the examination table and into a smaller part of the lab. Jane followed behind. "If there are any signs of a print...it will show up within several moments," she said, putting on gloves after she set the bags down. She smiled up at the detective. "But you do not have to wait, if you have other work that needs to be done," she said in a sweet tone.
"Right...regular clothes." Jane mumbled under her breathe as she followed the Medical Examiner into the smaller part of the lab. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest as she watched the blonde putting on her clothes. The Detective was about to say something as her phone went off. "Rizzoli." She accepted the call and stepped a few steps away from Maura. "Mhm...okay, I'll be right up." Jane ended the call and turned to look at Maura. "Let me know about the results." The brunette said before she rushed out of the lab, leaving Maura by herself.
Maura smiled softly at Jane and just worked as the woman was on the phone. She was in the process of working with chemcials over the objects to try and find a print as Jane told her she was leaving. She nodded at the detective and turned back to her work.
About twenty minutes later, Maura moved from her work back over to a desk and picked up the phone. She typed in Jane's phone's code. "I have two partial prints," she informed Jane and then hung up. Maura would be waiting for Jane with the prints in her hand as Jane would come back downstairs and into the lab. "All yours,' she said with a bright smile.
Jane was going to have a go at Maura since she had been in the middle of an interview and had no time coming downstairs and picking up the results. But before she even could say a thing, Maura was handing her the desired results, which was a definiatly a big help for the interview and made it so much easier for Jane to get a confession from this guy. "Thanks." Jane was pleased that Maura was working so fast and she thought of telling her that but didn't know how to word it. "You...are fast. I like that."
"Only when it works in my favor," she said back to the detective as the file was handed off. "But you are welcome," she added and pulled off her lab coat and hanging it up on a hook nearby. Her body was thin, but held slightly more of a cuvrvy figure to it. "I am going to go eat lunch. Enjoy getting your man!" She said as she started to walk toward the elevators. The doctor left quite an air in the room behind her.
Jane watched the Doctor leave; leaving her standing in the middle of the morgue. Of course she couldn't help but checking Maura out as she had undressed her lab coat and had walked out of the morgue. She was stunning. With the file in her hands, Jane made her way up to the interview room again, trying to get a confession. After half an hour, the guy eventually broke down and confessed. As Jane had to do what she hated - paperwork - she couldn't help but thinking about Maura every now and the. There was just something about this woman...
Maura entered into the bullpen late in the afternoon, with several cups of coffee. She handed on to Korsak, then walked over toward Frost and Jane. She offered them both one and kept one back for herself. "I heard you got your man," she said and Frost snorted a silent laugh after thanking the doctor for the coffee.
"Your man," he mocked, but not being mean to the doctor, just teasing Jane. Korsak watched from his desk, finding the new medical examinar to be rather alluring.
Jane looked up from her paper work and threw a ereaser over to Frost, that hit his chest; giving him a look. "He confessed eventually, yes. He had no other choice. The forensic evidence was just too damning." Jane said and lifted the cup to her lips and drank a sip of the hot liquid while her eyes staid with Maura. She could tell that Korsak was getting somewhat nervous around the attractive new M.E. She rolled her eyes at that. Man - how one woman could turn them into shy, dumb teenagers again. The next moment, the door to the bullpen was pushed open and Angela entered. Jane saw the movement from the corner of her eye and could hear Frost chuckling. "Janey..." Angela greeted her daughter and stopped in surpise as she saw the doctor. A big smile spread across her lips. "Who are yo? Are you a friend of Jane's?" Angela asked and held out her hand to her. "I'm Angela, Jane's mother." Jane rolled her eyes and wanted to die because of embarassment. "Ma!"
Maura was musing herself with looking from Frost to Jane and back again. She loved how the two interacted and thought they would be a good pair. She laughed to herself and then someone entered into the room, calling out the detective's name. Maura looked up and over, her eyes bright and she smiled as the woman approached. The woman was loud and very friendly. 'Jane's mother...' she thought and looked between the two briefly before Angela held out a hand to which Maura took far to easy for Jane's comfort. "Dr. Maura Isles," she said brightly, "very nice to meet you."
"It's nice to see that another woman is working here except for my daughter." Angela said and eyed the M.E. with a smile across her lips. "I really like your clothes. You know Janie, could use some advice how to dress better." Angela whispered towards Maura but of course Jane still heard that. She looked at her Ma upset. "Ma! Really! C'mon I can hear you!" Jane said, not believing what was happening. "Maybe you two girls can go out shopping on one of these days." Angela continued. She was used to Jane's remarks and wasn't deterred by her.
Maura's face lit up and she looked at Jane. "I would be glad to take you shopping," she said a bit to perky for Jane's comfort. The innocent medical examiner was falling right into her mother's plans far to easily. Maura smiled back at Angela. "Thank you Mrs. Rizzoli. I get a lot of my stuff from a shop in Northern London...some from Paris...and British Isles..." she said with an adorable shrug. Korsak's eyebrows rose with interest. Frost made a silent whisper.
There was an awkward silence for a while. "You fly to europe to buy your clothes? That's...unique." Angela said, keeping up her smile. Jane and Korsak exchanged looks. "And please, do call me Angela. Mrs Rizzoli makes me feel so old." She said. Jane rolled her eyes. "You are old..." Jane mumbled under her breathe. "Excuse us." The brunette grabbed her Ma gently but determinative on her ellbow and walked with her a few steps aside. "What are you doing Ma! It feels like you are setting up a 'playdate' for me. C'mon. And how many times did I tell you NOT to come here before you've called me?" Angela turned to look at Maura. "Janie always had problems to express her feelings, but I am pretty sure she is looking forward to going shopping with you, Doctor." Jane couldn't believe that. "Am I having a monologue at the moment!" She mumbled to herself.
Maura saw things starting to go South and she simply didn't want them to. She cleared her throat and walked over to Angela and patted her upper arm. "She doesn't have to. Who wants to fly across the world to go shopping," she shrugged and smiled between the two. "I don't get them all from outside the country, but until I find a place I like around here...it has to do," she added and looked toward Jane. "Jane, I have something that I need to show you downstairs...something to do with the murder...that you are investigating..." Maura hoped this would help to alleviate Jane's discomfort.
"The murder...right." The brunette said and looked at her mother. "Ma, I gotta go, nice you stopped by." Jane said. "Don't forget dinner tonight, Janie." Angela pointed out. Jane rolled her eyes again. "How could I? You sent me an email, called me, and wrote me a text message to remind me and now you are here in person. I think, I got it now, Ma." Jane said sarcastic. "Dr. Isles, would you like to come to dinner too?" Angela asked the Doctor politely.
Maura paused in her steps and slowly turned around to look at Angela. Jane stood beside her. Maura shot a glance toward Jane to gauge how she should answer, but Angela's face forced her to answer before Jane had a chance to reply. "Humm, sure. I can bring wine," Maura offered and smiled endearingly.
Once down stairs, Maura let out a deep breath and she stopped Jane at the door to the lab. "I don't have to come if it makes you uncomfortable, detective," she said gently and met the other woman's gaze. Maura's hazel eyes were soft in color compared to Jane's hard dark brown eyes.
Jane looked at her. "Thanks for the rescue. My mother can be quite embarassing." The brunette said under her breathe and glanced at her watch. "Oh I am not planing on going to my Ma's. I'll just tell her I got called in because of an emergency. But Ma invited you, so if you'd like to go, I can give you the adress." Jane said and closed her eyes for a brief moment - trying to get her act together. Having her Ma and Maura meet had caught her totally off guard and she didn't like how Ma made Jane feel embarassed. She didn't wanna feel embarassed or like a 13 year old. She knew that Frost and Korsak always thought it was quite amusing but Jane felt everytime a part of her tough barrier was breaking down and they lost a bit respect for her and stopped seeing her as the tough Detective she was. Jane hoped that Maura wouldn't think the same.
Maura reached out and softly rubbed Jane's upper arm. She sighed lightly, "You mother is wonderful Jane. Don't be embarrassed by her. I know you feel it...I can see it in your eyes and over your face. But at least she is here..." Maura's words softened and became a little sad as they faded off into silence.
Maura released Jane's arm and smiled at her. Maura was alone, no family in the area and no friends to speak of. But she didn't want Jane to know this. She kept herself positive as she always did. Inside, she knew she had picked right with Jane.
"The only thing my mother is, is annoying." Jane said and chuckled, trying to make the M.E. smile. She could feel that something was wrong and she was debatting with herself to ask her or not. Usually she wasn't ver good in comforting and she feared she'd screw that up with Maura. Jane had to take a chance. "Where is your mother?" Jane asked carefully and in a soft voice. No hint of sarcasm or a nasty remark to come.
Maura heard the softness in Jane's voice and that made her smile. She took a few steps away from Jane, just absently walking and ran a hand through her blonde hair. She struggled with how to answer, but then settled on, "Somewhere in Switzerland, I think." Maura shrugged and smiled. "I haven't seen her in at least a year...I talk to her from time to time...but she is busy and so am I. It's natural for us..."
Jane listened to Maura and watched her closely. She was silent for a while after Maura was done talking - not knowing what to say to comfort her or to make this situation any better. "If you miss talking to your mother...just call her or visit her the next time you make one of your fancy shopping trips to Europe.." Jane suggested, not knowing if she had choosen the right words to comfort the M.E.
Maura shook her head and laughed softly. "She is always traveling...so...anyways...about that murder. I did actually have something that I found on the victim," she said walking toward the covered body on one of the examination tables. She sighed lightly and pulled back the blue sheet. She pointed at the chest just right of the Y cut. "See there...two small puncture marks. They are from a tazor. He was shocked before he was killed."
The Detective looked at the two small marks. "Yes thats obviously tazor makrs." She confirmed with a note. She could feel that talking about her mother had made Maura feel uncomfortable and now she was hiding her emotions by keeping professional. Jane was wrong - THEY had something in common. That was exactly what Jane always did. "Anything more you can tell me?" The dark haired woman asked.
"The victim had to have been laying down when he was hit with the tazor. The muscle contractions that I found throughout his body were relaxed and not tense as one would be if they saw their attacker coming at them," she said and met Jane's dark gaze. She envied the woman, but would never voice that verbally. Instead she would just be her friend. "It proves that he was asleep..."
"Why tazor someone when that someone is already asleep? If I intend to kill someone I'd do that immediatly when I see he is asleep...unless I'd want to torture him... before I eventually cut his throat." Jane thought out loud; crossing her arms in front of her chest again. "If you want you can have my mom..." Jane then said out of the blue, joking and met the M.E.'s eyes. For some reasons she really didn't want the Doctor to be sad. She seemed like a good person. "I'll take you with me to dinner tonight."
Maura listened to Jane as she looked down at the body. She squared her jaw and thought about the detective's words. She sighed and shook her head. "Perhaps he was tazed so that he didn't make a sound. Wherever he was before his body was planted. Perhaps the killer didn't want him to make a sound," she said. The other murder of the day and confessed, but this victim still had no claim to fame. Maura gently placed a hand on the man's chest and sighed before she carefully covered him back up.
"No...my adoptive mother is fine...I just don't see her enough," she said in a softer tone. Maura blew out a sigh and then looked at Jane curiously. "I thought you said you were not going to your mother's."
So Doctor Maura Isles was adopted. Jane didn't wanna rub salt into the wound now but made a mental note to ask her about that one of these days. "Well, I'm not but if 'you' wanna go...I mean...I can't leave you alone with my crazy family." The detective pointed out and shrugged her shoulders. She started to like the Doctor, but she'd never tell her. Jane's gaze went down to the covered dead body and then back to Maura, meeting her eyes.
"If you don't want to go...I can always cook you dinner," she said and then heard how that sounded. Maura's cheeks instantly flushed a soft red in color and she looked down for a moment for safety before looking back up at Jane. She cleared her throat," What I meant was that you are more than welcome to come over to my house for dinner." She blew out a light breath and to Jane, it looked as if the doctor tucked in the body.
Jane furrowed her brows as listened to Maura trying to talk her way out of what she just said. She noticed how her cheeks flushed and how nervous the Doctor suddenly was. Could it be that the Doctor was gay? Or was it because she seemed socially awkward and was nervous about everything? Jane couldn't put a finger on it. "How 'bout I bring a pizza and a sixpack and we watch the Red Sox game. They're on tonight."
Maura was relieved that Jane didn't say anything about her verbal miss-step and she smiled. "That's sounds great. Your place or mine," she said and turned to walk over to her lap top on a nearby desk. She wiggled the mouse and finally clicked order on a pair of brown heels that Jane had suggested hours earlier.
"Yours." Jane decided way too quickly. The only reason she had picked Maura's place was because her apartment was a mess and she wasn't willing to clean everything in a hurry just because Maura would come over to watch a game. Jane stepped closer to Maura and looked at the screen. "Shoes...of course." Jane mumbled. "You seem like a...shopaholic."
"Only with shoes," Maura with a fond smile as she looked at the computer screen. She sighed happily once the order was confirmed and then she shut the laptop and turned to Jane. "I know just the place for the pizza you can bring the beer," she said and stood.
TBC
Lemme know what you all think ;)