A frown graced Maura's features as she continued to number crunch. Flipping from her laptop screen to the sheets of paper she had lined up on the countertop in front her, she grunted, mumbled to herself, and started a new sheet of calculations. She sighed, shook her head, and winced. "This may not work."
Jane stood in the doorway from her bedroom area and watched the honey blonde stress over whatever she was working on. The detective smiled warmly at the obvious concentration on the other woman's face, but, after a few moments of waiting for the doctor to acknowledge her, she decided that Maura was too wrapped up in whatever she was computing to notice the outside world. "Sweetie, what are you doing?"
"Calculating," came the quick yet uninterested response.
Swaggering over to her countertop, Jane sat down on the stool across from Maura. She looked down across the neatly lined up papers and tried to make sense of the notations. Finally, she caved and asked again. "Okay, but what are you calculating?"
"I'm trying to find a way to increase my hit ratio without having to change gear as I want to build up another 345 points to acquire a new piece of tier armor from the next tier up, but I don't have enough gold to buy a better piece of armor, and my cloth making skills aren't high enough yet to create a better piece of armor than I currently have. It would take me," she pulled her calculator forward, punched in a few numbers, and grunted, "another 3.5 weeks to acquire enough gold based on the current rate of gold acquisition my characters are currently…"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Is this for that game you play on Tuesday nights?"
"Yes." Hazel eyes narrowed as if daring the detective to say something negative. "Some forethought and planning is required in order to maintain adequate stats for the newest instances we plan to raid."
"Instances? Raiding? You're such a geek, you know that?" Jane snorted. "One of many reasons why I lo… like you. Anyway," she said quickly to cover, "what do you play?"
"I play a Night Elf Druid Healer," Maura stated matter-of-factly as she flipped her sheet over and continued to make notations on her calculations.
"Wait a minute, in real life you deal with dead people all day, so online you play someone who heals people? Really?"
"I am a doctor, Jane," the honey brunette snapped back as she placed her pencil down on the countertop with a loud snap. "Even online I prefer to do no harm. I enjoy being able to help the group move forward without having to be the one responsible for killing off the bosses or dealing with other assorted obstacles. We all have something at which we excel. Being a healer happens to be something at which I'm very good."
Jane held her hands up in a show of innocence. "Fair enough. I'm not trying to pick on you. I mean, I think it's cute you play a video game. I bet no one at the station would believe me if I told them you're a closet gamer."
"I'm sure they have better things to do with their time than discuss what I do for entertainment after hours," the doctor rolled her eyes and began to pick up the paperwork, carefully stacking it to store in a folder she kept for the purpose.
"Well, that sort of depends on what it is we're talking about. I'm sure most of them would be pretty interested to know what you and I do 'after hours', if you know what I mean?" Jane gave a devilish grinned.
Maura rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure they would. Was there a reason you came over here, or were you just interested in irritating me?"
"Ouch!" Jane made a motion as if a dagger had been plunged into her chest. "Harsh, sweetie."
"You really think so?" One finely sculpted eyebrow raised in doubt.
"Maybe. I think my feelings are hurt." A pout spread over the detective's face. "I think I may need a kiss to make it better."
"Only because I like you and enjoy your company when you're not fussy," Maura said as she rounded the counter and gave Jane a kiss. "However, you still haven't answered my question."
Wrapping her arms around the small frame before her, Jane sighed. "I thought we could take a bath together. It's been a long week,we finally managed to slip out early, and I was thinking it'd be nice to relax a little. What do you think?"
"That sounds lovely." Maura smiled brightly. "Shall I run the water?"
"Nope, just get naked. I already ran the water," Jane winced as the doctor batted her on the shoulder.
"So crass," the doctor muttered as she turned to the bathroom.
"You like it!" Jane called from her seat at the counter.
"Yes," came the reply before Maura's form disappeared into the other room.
"Shut up, George, her mother's right there!" A uniformed officer sitting in the café at the station gave the other uniformed across the table from him a hard look.
"What?" George looked around. "Oh crap."
"Here are your orders, boys," Angela said, voice light and airy. "And, just so you know, she's not my favorite person right now either."
"Oh, Mrs. Rizzoli, we didn't mean to be disrespectful," George said, wincing. "We were just saying how… um… great it is that your daughter is…"
"Comfortable in her sexuality," the other uniformed finished.
"Right, what Jack said. It's great," George nodded, "Really great."
"No, it's really not," Angela countered. "I heard you two, and I think you should take it HR."
"You mean put in a complaint about Detective Rizzoli?" George paled. "No way. No offense, but I'd like to have children one day."
"Yeah, well, I'd like to have grandchildren one day, and you see where that's getting me. If she and that woman she's dating are being inappropriate, I think you should take it up with HR." Angela crossed her arms. "She's got to learn that it's not okay to just push the way she's choosing to be off on other people."
Jack nodded. "That's exactly what I was telling George before you walked up. These people need to learn that it's not okay to just flaunt what they're doing, you know what I mean?"
"I know exactly what you mean," the older woman nodded. "You know, I think something needs to be done about it, if you ask me."
"There are a few of us that are trying, Mrs. R," George said with a nod of his head. "There are more people like us in the right places than the gays and lesbians have on their side. It's so ridiculous." He rolled his eyes. "First we have to let women onto the force. Then we have to promote them so everything's 'equal'. Then we have to deal with those crap HR policies that say we have to tolerate it when one of them comes onto the force, and now the golden girl detective comes out as a lesbo, and we have to be okay with it? Please!"
"You know what I think?" Angela was clearly on a roll with the two young uniformed officers. "I think someone in HR should put Jane and Maura in their place, really show them how things are and that we're not going to just sit around and do nothing while they flaunt what they're doing. It's not right."
"I think so, too," Jack nodded. "Good thing they're already working on it."
Angela grinned, seemingly delighted. "Got a good one on the inside?"
Jack nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "You got it. We got a real good one on our side, real good Christian girl who doesn't put up with this crap."
"I hope she's Catholic. You boys know how I feel about that," Angela said with a bit of warning in her voice.
"Oh, she is," George nodded. "She's one of the good ones, we promise." He glanced at his watch. "Crap, we got to go. It was good talking to you, Mrs. R. Listen, if you need help getting out of the hell hole you're living in at Isles's place, let us know. Me and Jack will be more than happy to help you move, okay?"
Angela gave the uniformed a warm smile. "You're such good boys! Thank you, and you be safe out there on the streets, you hear me?"
George nodded as he put his hat on. "Always."
"Goodbye! I'll see you tomorrow," Angela called as the two men left.
Turning back to the counter to clean up a little behind the display case, she humphed to herself and mumbled under her breath, "Assholes."
What do you think?