Chapter Six
Jane deposited Maura gently on the couch and began to straighten, but the blonde's hands wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer, settling her between her legs. "Thank you for the ride," she said, placing a quick kiss against the taller woman's neck.
Jane smiled, settling Maura's bandaged limb on top of a pillow. "With your leg like this, that's the only ride you'll be getting tonight, I'm afraid." She darted a quick smile over her shoulder, hoping her dismay wasn't too transparent.
Maura didn't seem to mind, and leaned forward, chuckling lightly in her ear. "Does that disappoint you?"
A pleasurable tickle ran through Jane's spine at the breath against her neck. "Not if you keep doing that," she replied as Maura's lips found a spot just below her ear, and she felt all of her nerves instantly concentrated in that sensitive, singular spot. She had seen Maura wield her sexuality easily enough with men, doling out a sensual touch here and there, but never had she had the privilege of being on the receiving end. Clearly, she had to make up for lost time.
Maura lifted her lips, breaking contact, but keeping her mouth close to Jane's ear. "I've always loved your scent," she uttered wistfully.
Jane shifted, unused to such compliments and equally ill-equipped at responding to them. "I hate to break it to you," she began, glancing over her shoulder, "but it's Dove. A million other girls smell just like me."
Maura shook her head with a smile. "No, they don't. The compounds mix with something that's quintessentially you," she said thoughtfully. "A combination of plum, pink pepper, and the faint aroma of a spicy wood."
Jane crooked an uncertain eyebrow at her. "That's quite a talent you have there, Maur."
She nodded. "I have a slightly enlarged olfactory epithelium. Not as large as sensory animals such as dogs or other quadrupeds, but quite exceptional."
"How very primal of you," Jane observed with a grin as she stood, reluctantly breaking free from Maura's arms. "Want me to warm you a plate of rare French beef to go with that animalistic sense of smell?"
Maura's face cracked into a frown, and she appeared wholly distressed, as she recalled her hasty disposal of the leftovers a few hours earlier. "I threw it away," she said sadly, her lower lip trembling in dismay. "I threw away Coq Au Vin from Maison de la Mere."
"Well, that's okay," Jane said with a placating pat on her arm, unperturbed by the loss of food she had no intention of eating in the first place. "How about I make you a grilled cheese?"
"That's not French," Maura pouted, her frown deepening.
"It is if you call it a fromage du grill," Jane challenged with a swish of her hand as she headed for the kitchen, her own stomach growling. She wished she'd taken Tommy up on the Philly cheese while she had the chance, but, considering her cooking skills, decided she would have to be content with simply the cheese part. "Come on, Maur, don't be such a debutante."
"Will you put a tomato on mine and drizzle it with truffle oil?" Maura requested as she turned, giving Jane a hopeful smile.
"That's sacrilege, but yes, for you I'll do it," Jane replied, reaching into a cabinet for a skillet, which had probably never seen anything as plebeian as the likes of a grilled cheese.
Maura leaned back on the couch, finally appearing as if she were about to relax, but her head popped quickly up with a sudden epiphany. "This is why you never wanted me to date Tommy," she called, smiling at the thought of uncovering some mystery that now made sense to her.
Jane glanced over at her. "Why, because his head would explode if you asked him to put a tomato on your grilled cheese?"
"No, because you liked me," Maura said with a flip of her hair and a smile that bordered on artifice.
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Someone's head is swelling up as big as her leg," she observed, but let out a small grin. "I didn't want you to date Tommy because he's a Neanderthal," she continued, punctuating her words with a spatula. "And so was Giovanni. And so was that yoga teacher, he was just a more enlightened one." She paused, scrunching her nose as her words hit home. "Does this mean I'm a Neanderthal and don't know it?"
"Neanderthal women were quite industrious," Maura called, her eyes still peeking over the back of the couch. "Rather than subscribe to division of labor and more modern social mores, they actually joined the males in the hunt for large prey."
"Let's try this again," Jane said, focusing less on the blonde's explanation than the implied meaning behind it. "Does this mean I'm a Neanderthal and don't know it?"
Maura raised her eyebrows, catching her verbal mistake. "No, of course not," she assured her with an exaggerated shake of her head.
"Good," Jane said with a bright smile. "You're learning." Her new phone rang beside her, the sound of a rooster blaring from its small speaker, causing Maura to raise her head in alarm. "Hey, Korsak," Jane answered with a smirk. "What do you got?" She listened quietly, noticing Maura's evaluative gaze on her, but as Korsak continued, she turned toward the stove, hoping the blonde didn't catch the way her eyes suddenly narrowed with concern.
Despite her precaution, Maura indeed noticed the tenseness in her shoulders, surmising that whatever news Korsak was delivering, it was far from what her detective wanted to hear. She continued to watch, hoping to glean some sense of what was transpiring on the other end of the line.
"Well, what the hell was Barney Phife doing letting him pass?" Jane questioned, her voice rising. She nodded, flipping her grilled cheese roughly in the pan. "But you think it was him?" She suddenly jerked her hand away from the pan, cursing as she put her thumb in her mouth. "No, just burnt my thumb," she explained into the phone. "Look, I'm coming in tomorrow to hold down the fort while you two check out the site we found. If it's only thirty miles from that gas station, chances are that's the one. Uh-huh. I'll be in first thing in the morning." She paused impatiently. "Yes, Maura says its okay. Bye."
"What happened?" Maura asked, her own neck tensing as Jane tossed her phone angrily across the counter. "Did they find Moore?"
"No," Jane said with a sarcastic shake of her head. "But if Andy Griffith and Barney Phife, out in bumfuck Massachusetts, had bothered looking at the BOLO reports when they were released, we may have had him."
"Where did they see him?"
"A gas station near Southbridge. Sheriff was there probably buying bad coffee and donuts and didn't realize he crossed paths with him until he got back to his fax machine."
Maura hugged her arms around her. "So we know for sure he's still in Massachusetts," she summarized, her pragmatic tone underscoring the brief flicker of panic flustering her pulse.
Jane shook her head, sliding their sandwiches on two plates, but not before drizzling each with Maura's requested garnish. "No, but that's miles away from here," she said. "He has no interest in us, Maur. He's got a much bigger trail to clean up. And Korsak's got that entire county on full alert. We'll find him."
Maura swallowed, but nodded. "Right," she said, attempting to rid the worried frown from her face as Jane set a plate down on the coffee table in front of her. Suddenly, her appetite had waned for the second time that day.
Jane's, however, seemed to be fine, or at least bolstered by a newfound anxiety, and she took a large bite out of her own grilled cheese, half of it disappearing. "Whoa," she said, staring at her sandwich. "That truffle oil is amazing."
Maura beamed at her, surprised. "You put some on yours?"
"Yeah, why not?" Jane asked. "This Neanderthal loves to try new things."
"You're not a Neanderthal," Maura said, dipping her head with a smile. "If anything, you're more reminiscent of a Paleo-Indian chiefstress."
"Is this a compliment? Because I really can't tell when it comes to the things that tumble out of your mouth sometimes," Jane said, but she felt a slight twinge of pleasure run through her at the way Maura gazed over at her.
"Yes. Strong, prominent cheekbones, dark and penetrating eyes, and a dual desire to command and sustain nature." She glanced at Jane as the brunette took another hefty bite of her dinner. "And they more than likely consumed their food in a similar manner."
Jane nodded, satisfied. "I don't think your species has even evolved yet," she said. "You're an early prototype of some beautiful, otherworldly Avatar culture. James Cameron can't even imagine someone like you."
Maura took a thoughtful bite of her sandwich, chewing completely before speaking. "I don't have the pop culture capacity to fully process that reference."
Jane laughed, polishing off the rest of her sandwich in several more bites. "It means I don't know what the hell you're doing with a Paleo like me," she said kindly, pecking a kiss on the corner of her mouth. She stood, slipping her plate into the sink and glancing out into the small, dimly lit walkway that led to the guest house and she was secretly glad that her mother had moved back; it would be easier to keep a watchful eye on her. The idea that Moore was still in Massachusetts wasn't helping the crick in her neck, and she rolled her head, cringing at the sudden pain.
"You should really let me look at that," Maura offered from the couch.
Jane eyed her warily as she walked back to her. "Okay, but I don't need you to do an jui-jitsu moves on my neck," she said. "Just a simple, quick massage."
"I promise," Maura said, moving her plate aside and motioning her to the floor between her legs. Jane followed her direction, taking a seat in front of the couch and hoping the blonde would help relax her nerves rather than excite them. As Maura's hands made her way to her shoulders, kneading them gently at first, she let her head loll forward.
Maura smiled at the sudden abdication of control, a move as uncharacteristic of Jane as enjoying truffle oil on a grilled cheese. As her fingers moved to cup Jane's neck, she felt the tautness of the muscles melt underneath her touch, the brunette letting out a simple, calmed sigh. The detective's words may have given off the impression that Moore was nothing to worry about, but the physical cues her body elicited demonstrated the opposite, and a channel of worry ran across Maura's brow.
"Is this okay?"
"Oh yeah," Jane replied, her voice huskier than usual. "I'm okay; use more pressure." She emphasized her pleasure with another appreciative moan as Maura's fingers worked her shoulders harder, fanning out across the expanse of her back.
"These hands are amazing," Jane said as she reached up and took Maura's in her own, placing her lips along the inside of one wrist. "What can't they do?" She turned, getting to her knees and placing her hands along Maura's thighs. As her position sunk in, she blushed, letting her hands quickly continue their journey upwards, where they rested innocently on the blonde's hips. "I'm going to go shower," she said, mentally noting that she would more than likely be taking a cold one. "You need anything?"
Maura shook her head. "No. Why don't you just take a bath?" she asked. "It will continue to work out the kinks in your trapezius."
"Because I have you to do that," Jane replied with a grin as she got to her feet.
Maura sat idly as she watched her disappear into the recesses of the back hallway, determining whether to turn on the television or not. Rarely did cable keep her interest, but she needed a distraction. She opted against it, and instead picked up a journal she had neglected for the better part of a week, but soon dropped that against her lap as well, frustrated with her lack of attention span. Picking up her crutches, she made her way slowly toward the bedroom, giving Bass a smile as she passed by him. "Stay out of the bedroom," she said to him with commanding wag of her finger.
The steady run of the shower greeted her from the bathroom as Maura slipped into her pajamas, having reached her fashion potential for the day and preferring something more comfortable. Settling into the bed, she reached beside her for two aspirin, popping them quickly and waiting for the dull, but tolerable ache to settle in her leg. As she lay, enjoying the silence, she let her left and right brain work together, piecing together what she already knew about Jane's body with what she had only imagined. Just as the thoughts were beginning to start a physical reaction someplace inside her, the sound of Jane's voice penetrated the silence, overpowering the sound of the water.
"A girl can do what she wants to do... and I don't give a damn about my bad reputation!"
Maura perked up an ear, listening with a muffled smile and debating whether or not to alert Jane to her presence; enjoying the audial performance, she opted not to and instead leaned back on her pillow. The water soon stopped, but the mindless humming and a casual grunt of what Maura presumed to be a mock guitar lick still reached her from the bathroom, until Jane opened the door, stopping mid-note as she glimpsed the blonde lying casually on the bed.
"Oh," she said, blushing, but attempting to recover. "If I'd known you were hear I would have chosen a nice, operatic aria for you, darling."
"That doesn't seem like your style," Maura pronounced. "Joan Jett is much more appropriate."
Jane raised an eyebrow at her as she secured her towel more firmly around her body. "Ah, someone has caught up with pop culture. At least through the 1980s."
Maura ignored the dig, instead focusing on the expanse of legs stretching out from beneath the white towel Jane had wrapped around her body. She sat up, and with an outstretched hand, motioned her over to the bed, suddenly needing to put her own imagination to rest. "May I?" she asked faintly, her eyes raising in question as her fingers hovered over the edge of the towel.
"I don't think I'm in a position to say no," Jane replied with a nervous smile as she looked down at her.
Maura edged her legs over the side of the bed, peering up at her as she prepared to unveil a new intimacy between them. She gave a gentle tug and the towel dropped, Jane's chest heaving slightly with her new, sudden vulnerability. Maura reached for her hips, pulling her closer as her hazel eyes gazed appreciatively up at her. "When's the last time you had someone just simply look at you?" she asked softly.
Jane tipped her head downward, hoping to hide the flush at her neck, but she still smiled timidly, unused to such attention. "I don't know," she eluded. "I'd say people are usually in more of a rush when it comes to... these things."
Maura smiled, leaning inward and pressing her lips just above the curve of Jane's hips, the gesture sending a familiar quiver up the brunette's spine. "I'm in no rush," she murmured, trailing her lips across her stomach and placing a matching kiss on the opposite hip. "You're perfect," she said, her words etching themselves along Jane's skin. For the first time, under the blonde's soft gaze, Jane felt as if she was worthy of such attention; Maura made her feel beautiful.
"Really?" she asked, closing her eyes and allowing herself the luxury of enjoying the touch for just a moment longer. "I passed Dr. Maura Isles' physical inspection? No crooked bones or penetrubulating moles?"
"No," Maura said with a smile, but her lips pursed into seriousness as she glanced up at her with a curative eye. "Why, do you have some you'd like me to examine?"
Jane sank into the sheet beside her, shaking her head. "No, but thank you for never letting me take myself too seriously." She leaned into Maura, pulling her closer; the soft, silk material felt good against her bare skin, but she wanted to feel the blonde's warmth against her. Leaning back, she let her fingers find the small black buttons at her chest. "Can I level the playing field?" she asked with a smile.
Maura bit her lower lip, nodding. "It's nothing you haven't seen before," she demurred, but then cocked her head. "Literally, as of yesterday afternoon."
Jane's laugh shook her fingers slightly as she unfastened the buttons, slowly revealing a thin slice of skin down the length of Maura's torso. She pushed the silken material over her shoulders, where it gathered at the small her back, revealing the flesh that had seared its way into her brain less than twenty four hours earlier.
Again, Maura felt her nerves quicken underneath her skin, forming telltale goose bumps as Jane's chestnut eyes roamed over her. The taller woman leaned forward, searing a kiss across her collarbone before reaching up to meet her lips. Their kiss was tentative, as if their bodies were getting used to each other all over again, but eventually Jane cupped the back of Maura's neck and pressed her back against the pillows, deepening it with a soft moan.
Jane allowed just her chest to lower on top of Maura, making sure to steer clear of her leg, but even that small contact sent shivers directly to her core, and she couldn't help but melt just a little further into the body beneath her. When she finally broke the kiss and opened her eyes, eager to take in the rest of Maura, which was still covered, she smiled. "I'm not done yet," she said, eyeing the blonde's pajama pants.
"Finished," Maura blurted, unable to censor herself.
Jane feigned irritation, raising further on her arms. "Okay, I get this is a dry run, but when we actually do go all the way, you can't correct my grammar, agreed?"
Maura gave her a devilish grin. "I wouldn't say this is a dry run, per se."
"Maura..."
"Agreed," Maura nodded. "I can't help it."
"You're lucky you're so beautiful," Jane said, pressing a kiss along her jaw as she inched her way downward. "And quirky," she continued, delivering another just above one ample breast. "And breathtaking," she finished, her lips grazing the taut skin just above Maura's belly button. She pulled the pajama pants over her hips, struck by a certain reversed deja vu. "Last time we did this, I was putting your pants on," she said. "Does this make me a bad caretaker?"
Maura laughed. "I don't think so, but I'd have to consult the manual."
Jane smiled as she tossed the garment somewhere behind her, letting her eyes focus on the smooth expanse of skin. Maura demurely bent her right leg, halfway covering her center, but Jane reached for her foot, straightening it out again as she slid her way back up the blonde's body. She let her lips graze over a few random patches of skin: the side of her knee, the curve of her hip bone, the soft roundness of her shoulder. Her fingers followed, and she caught the light quiver of Maura's muscles underneath her touch. "How do you feel?" she asked, wondering whether her leg was giving her trouble.
"I seem to have a slight uptake in estradiol," Maura replied, and from the way her eyelids lowered and her chest rose, Jane had no trouble interpreting her.
She laughed as she settled closer to her, resting her head on one hand and allowing the other to trace a lacy pattern over Maura's stomach. "I meant your leg."
The blonde eyed it, suddenly remembering the fact that it might be causing her some pain, and as if on cue, she felt a pang shoot through her shin. "It's there," she said with a distracted grimace. Turning to look up at her, she let her eyes drop over Jane's shoulders and down across her breasts, studying her with a quiet, reverential eye. "This part of you is so new to me," she whispered, her fingers circling lightly across Jane's collarbone.
The newness wasn't lost on Jane, either as she took in the curve of Maura's hips, letting her hand delve dangerously low before bringing it back up to her stomach. "Let me guess: the naked part or the gay part?"
Maura smirked, but answered only half the question. "I knew you were gay, Jane."
"You shouldn't judge someone based on their appearance," she teased.
"I didn't make that assumption based on your appearance," Maura corrected. "I based it on the fact that you bristle whenever your mother attempts to set you up with a man and your eye twitches when you try to tell me you're attracted to them."
Jane's eyes widened. "Good god, I feel sorry for your children. They're never going to get away with anything."
"Why did you never feel the need to come out?" Maura asked, her usual curiosity never fading, not even when it came to pillow talk.
Jane sighed. "The usual pressure," she said. "I come from an Italian-Catholic family, Maur. That doesn't exactly make for a cotillion of rainbows. I just wanted to be what people wanted me to be. Tommy had already been disappointing enough, neither Frankie or I went into the family business. I didn't need the guilt of dashing my parents' expectations all over again."
"Your mother loves you, though."
"No, I know," Jane nodded, recalling the talk with her mother in the hospital. "What about you?" she asked. "You seem like an early bloomer."
"I was," Maura replied proudly. "Not that I had the vocabulary for whatever it was I was doing. My mother asked me one Christmas when I came home from college, after she smelled Patchouli on me. If anything, she thought that the internal struggle with my sexuality would help me become an artist. Clearly, it didn't." Maura laughed, looking up at Jane from the comfortable perch on her pillow.
Jane shifted, extending her arm and letting Maura rest her head against her shoulder, enjoying the naturalness of the gesture. "Are you going to tell her about us?" she asked.
Maura turned her head, looking over at Jane with an amused eye. "My mother had already assumed we were together months ago," she said.
Jane raised an eyebrow. "What? Since when?"
"Since you lectured her at her own art opening," Maura replied with a chuckle. "She said I was lucky to find someone so 'fiery' as she kindly put it. That was after she said you had the loyalty and aggression of a Doberman."
"Mhmm," Jane nodded, dropping her cheek onto Maura's head. "Well apparently our mothers are more perceptive than we think. My mother surprised me, too."
"Do you think she approves of us?" Maura asked, looking up at her with a slightly worried eye.
"Are you kidding?" Jane asked. "This just gives her a reason never to leave your guest house."
"I like her here," Maura said softly, covering her mouth as she yawned. "I like you here, too."
"Because I'm a good cook?" Jane laughed.
"Yes," Maura returned. "In another life, you could be a short-order cook, no doubt."
They lay quietly, each of their hands exploring soft, warm skin as they drifted closer to sleep. "I like me here, too," Jane said finally, closing her eyes, and for once she felt content with the vulnerability that comes with letting someone else inside. Eventually, she felt Maura's head dip heavily towards her chest, and she soon followed into a slumber of her own.
Maura's head lolled forward, her eyes closing briefly. The moonlight that bathed the interior of the car gave her skin a ghostly glow. Jane wrenched her wrists against her binds, her own grunts permeating the quietness around them. She heard a long, low whistle that seemed to come from the center of her brain and a sudden coolness settled around her, prickling the hairs along the back of her neck.
"Hello, Jane."
The low, whispered voice, the way he seduced her name off his lips was eerily familiar, but as she turned she caught sight of Moore in the back seat, his hands snaking around Maura's neck.
"It never ends, you know," he continued, the words slithering from his mouth.
As Jane stared at him, unmoving, his hand morphed, wrinkling as it wove its way through Maura's hair. Jane flinched at the mutation, meeting his eyes as they slowly changed, slitting into small, black ovals, his lips thinning into a sneer that she knew from a past nightmare. "How did you get here?" she asked.
"I'm always here," he replied, raising something silver in his other hand as he wrenched Maura's head backward against the seat, revealing the whiteness of her throat. "Evil doesn't die, Jane. You should know that."
Jane jerked forward at the waist, her eyes popping open and meeting the familiar darkness of Maura's bedroom. Her chest heaved uncomfortably as she tried to inhale, steadying her breath, the air cool against the sheen of sweat coating her skin.
Maura stirred beside her, seeming to sense some interruption, and she peaked open a sleep-hazed eye. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting and pulling the sheet up over her chest as she flicked on the light beside the bed.
"Nothing," Jane uttered breathlessly, staring at her as if the images of her dreams were more believable than the living, breathing woman looking inquiringly up at her with a pair of concerned, tired eyes. "Just a dream."
Maura wasn't fooled by the strained inhalations or the glassy, terrified gaze looking back at her, and wasn't surprised to see Jane climb out of bed and slip on the t-shirt and shorts scattered on top of the dresser, as if the act of covering herself made her less vulnerable. She head toward the hallway, her shoulders hunched over as if she were an animal ready to spring on its prey. Maura had seen this frightened version of Jane only a few times before, but this time she was determined to help her. She slid out of bed, putting one crutch under her arm and retrieving her robe before limping out into the hallway.
Jane poked her head out of the front window, then yanked opened the door entirely, squinting into the moonlight in order to determine whether the unmarked police car was still sitting outside. It was, the interior dark, but it relieved some of the tension flooding its way through her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Maura asked, leaning on one crutch as Jane closed the door, running a bereaved hand through her long, messy curls.
"Yeah," Jane assured her, feeling guilty for causing such a scene. "I'm sorry, I just needed to walk it off a little. Nightmares do that to me." She shrugged, hoping that it would help cover up the shiver that still snaked its way through her shoulders.
"Let me make you some tea," Maura offered.
"No," Jane declined. She was the one supposed to be doing the comforting. Still, the images of her nightmare flashed before her, penetrated only by the soft pair of hazel eyes that looked over at her in the dim light of the kitchen. "How about I make some chocolate milk? It always helps me feel better when I can't sleep."
Maura squinted up at her apologetically. "I don't have chocolate milk."
Jane gave a bashful curl of her lips as she walked toward the refrigerator. "Yeah, you do. I hid some Hershey's syrup in here about a month ago."
"Oh," Maura replied. "Why?"
"Because it's the only thing that makes that tofu ice cream you buy tolerable," Jane said with a wan smile as she poured a glass of milk. "You want some?"
"No," Maura said, sitting down at the bar as she watched a thick line of chocolate spiral its way into the glass. "I think I'm okay. Are you alright, though? You know, nightmares are an appropriate way to - "
"Process trauma, I know," Jane said, cutting her off and clinking the spoon in her glass as she stirred. "I'm fine, it was just a stupid dream." She slumped next to Maura, putting her head in her hand, and avoided making eye contact until she felt a hand rest comfortably on her knee. "It never stops, you know," she offered finally, staring into her glass.
"What doesn't?"
"There's always another Hoyt," she said quietly. "Always another crazy person. I like my job, Maura, I like putting bad guys away and giving families closure. But I don't like worrying about my own family. And I don't – I can't – I can't handle the thought of anything happening to you." She wrung her hands, her words thwarting in her throat. "I just want you to always be okay." She laughed at her lack of eloquence, at times wishing she had a vocabulary that could at least rival an eight grader's.
Maura reached out, covering Jane's hand with her own. "Remember, I'm slumming with you for a reason," she said, harking back to the brunette's own expression. "I have a passion for this work, too, and we're both more than aware of the risks that come with it." Her hand squeezed gently. "You're one of the strongest, bravest people I know, Jane, in that you face your fears every single day and you don't let them get in the way of what's right in front of you. Not many people can say that."
"Yeah, look at me," Jane said, raising her cup. "Cowering in the dark with a glass of chocolate milk."
"You're not cowering, you're slouching," Maura corrected. "You could fix that if you would just sit up straight."
Jane looked over at her, amused, her fears slipping momentarily away. "How do you always make me laugh? You're not even funny," she said, unable to hide the grin that seemed always just on the verge of showing itself when she was with the medical examiner.
"I'm not?" Maura asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly, but her lip twitched with an involuntary mirth.
"No," Jane reiterated, laughing as she put a hand on Maura's knee. "Thank you," she said quietly, her expression recalling the worry that had shaken her earlier. "I needed to hear that from you."
Maura returned her smile, squeezing her hand. "Anytime," she said, glancing at the clock. "Day, night, middle of the night..."
Jane chuckled into her glass, drinking the rest of it down before handing Maura the crutch that rested against the counter. "Come on, Tiny Tim, let's get you back to bed," she said with a slight smirk as she stood. "Where's the other one?"
"I was in a hurry," Maura explained defensively. "I thought something was wrong."
"All the more reason to use two crutches, don't you think?"
"You would be amazed at what one can do once the adrenal-cortical system kicks in," Maura replied.
"Want to see what I can do when my adrenaline kicks in?"
Maura started to offer a response, but Jane took a few quick steps forward, scooping the smaller woman quickly off her feet. "New game," she said. "Let's see how many ways I can sweep you off your feet."
"Do you know where that expression comes from?" Maura asked, wrapping her arms around Jane's neck.
"Nooooo," she groaned, her answer more of an indication that she had no interest in alleviating her ignorance of the subject.
Maura laughed, but continued, undeterred by her less than captive audience. "It's an old Celtic phrase from the seventeenth century - "
"Nooooo," Jane called again, picking up her pace as much as she could, Maura's explanation quickly morphing into a long, low chuckle as she was carried back into her bedroom, where the two of them would finally be successful in gaining some uninterrupted sleep.
The next morning, after a cup of strong, fortified espresso that left her brain buzzing, and a kiss from Maura that left the rest of her body buzzing, Jane headed into the precinct. Frost glanced up at her as she walked toward her desk wearing a wide smile. He studied her, narrowing his gaze until he finally decided upon a reason for her perky demeanor. "You must have gotten a new gun," he surmised. "Let me see it."
Jane slid it from her holster, proudly displaying it for him. "A rimless, straight forty S&W."
"Nice," he agreed, glancing over at Korsak, who peered up at the two of them over a pair of reading glasses. "When can I get one of those?"
"The day you perform life-saving fasciotomy on my leg," Korsak retorted before looking over at Jane. "Just because you a replacement gun doesn't mean you're officially back on this case."
"Of course not," Jane said with a nod, but as she passed by his desk, she simply rolled her eyes at Frost. "What can I not help with?"
"Well," Frost responded, glancing at his computer. "You can sift through these tax records and see if you can come up with any Sensei Matta subsidiaries that have operations in Massachusetts. We're trying to track a paper trail here that we can use."
"Done," Jane said confidently, taking a seat in Frost's chair. "Pull them up for me."
Frost pressed a button with a jab of his finger, brining up a display record. Jane leaned into the screen, her eyes widening. "What the – one thousand seventeen hundred pages!" she exclaimed.
Frost nodded. "Just be glad you don't work for the IRS."
She shook her head. "There's got to be a better way of doing this."
"Well, see what you can come up with," Korsak said. "Meanwhile, we're going to check out the park that Maura found on the map. I checked it out after you sent it to me last night, and it looks like there could be some possible leads. It's about thirty miles away from the gas station Moore was spotted at. Chances are we'll find some bore wells there, too."
"Great," Jane said, rising from her chair. "Let's go."
"No," Korsak and Frost both stated, shaking their heads.
"We'll go this time," Frost said with a grin, looking over at Korsak. "Besides, Korsak loves my taste in music."
The older detective rolled his eyes. "Pussy music," he said. "I need to introduce you to some old school rock and roll."
He glanced over at Jane, fishing through a file on his desk. "You mind checking with the lab to see if they can give us a copy of that water toxicology screen? I need a copy for the file."
Jane raised an eyebrow at him, unused to such menial jobs. She glanced over at Frankie, who entered the precinct, already sipping from a can of Red Bull, and she waved him over. "Isn't this supposed to be something you're doing?" she asked. "Picking up and filing lab reports?"
Frankie grinned at her. "Well, if you were on this case, it might be different. But technically, you're not."
Jane rolled her eyes. Visiting the lab when Maura wasn't there was just more of a reminder that it was a morgue. Despite her quirkiness, the medical examiner did help lighten things up quite a bit. The techs, however, required much more energy from her. She sighed, glancing back at the three of them in turn, and shoved her way back from Frost's desk. "Fine, I'll go," she said.
As she exited the elevator at the basement level, Jane walked briskly down the hallway, heading for the lab and the small office to the side of it, where she hoped Sue had at least broken down the compounds from the additional water samples Korsak had managed to get from the original site. As she passed by the large window looking into Maura's office, however, she did a double-take, and with a scowl, popped her head into the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" she asked accusingly.
Maura looked up at her from her perch on the couch, where her leg was elevated on the glass coffee table. "This is my office," she replied. "And I needed to get some work done. Do you know how behind I am just in cleaning up Pike's mess? He completely reordered my entire filing system."
"How did you get here?" Jane asked, stepping into the room.
"I took a cab."
"And the plainclothes just let you leave?" she asked, making a mental note to pay a visit to whoever was on morning duty. If they could be sweet-talked by Maura, they could be fooled by anyone.
"I'm not under house arrest, Jane," the doctor said with an amused laugh. "If you can't sit at home all day, why do you think it would be so appealing to me?"
"Because..." Jane offered, trailing off with a wave of her hand. "Because you're a computer, and you need less stimulation than I do."
"Speaking of, I spent all morning downloading new applications for my iPhone," Maura said, holding it up. "Did you know there is an application that records your sleep patterns? And another that can notify you where the closest public restroom is? And another that can track your phone if it's stolen and take a picture of the perpetrators?"
"Okay, first of all, they're called 'apps', Maur," Jane coached, taking a seat next to her and picking up the phone. "If you're going to be a talking iTunes Store, you have to at least get the jargon down." She held up the phone and flinched as it suddenly clicked, taking a photo of her.
"Oh, you just started the tracking process," Maura said, leaning over and pressing a few keys on her laptop. "I haven't quite figured out how to finesse that part of it yet. I've already had to manually shut it off three times this morning. The tracking reports go straight to my computer, but I forwarded the alerts to your device, too, just as a precaution."
"Thank you, Maura, my own personal spammer," Jane said, reaching for her own phone. Sure enough, several ribboned alerts were listed across her screen. "You went to Starbucks this morning?" she asked.
Maura nodded. "I offered the cab driver a Frappaccino."
Jane sighed, leaning over and patting her knee. "Listen, Frost and Korsak are going to check out that ridge that you found and ask around, see if anyone's got anything to hide." She stood, placing her hands on her hips and adopting what she hoped was an authoritative pose. "Meanwhile, the two of us are going back to your place."
"It sounds less fun when you say it so seriously," Maura said, smiling up at her.
Jane grinned, but bent lower to place a small, quick kiss on the crown of her head. "But I am serious," she emphasized. "Meet me upstairs in the cafe in fifteen?"
Maura nodded, watching as Jane walked towards the door. "We can spend the rest of the afternoon playing with your device," she said with an enthusiastic wave of her own phone.
"It sounds less fun when you say it so scientifically," Jane tossed over her shoulder, grinning as she left Maura alone to contemplate the skewed meaning of her words.
After stopping off at her own desk once again, taking a few extra minutes to flip through a few notes that Frost had left on her desk, none of which offered any new insight into Moore's illegal activities, but nonetheless made her feel as if she was at least doing something to track him. She glanced down at the brochure of the yoga reservation, cringing at its language. "'Find the newer, better you'," she read, rolling her eyes as she tossed it back on her desk. "More like 'find the newer, deader you," she muttered, rising and heading towards the elevator.
Maura hadn't yet made it down to the coffee shop, and Jane sighed, walking toward the cash register. The medical examiner could be distracted by a number of things in the archeological dig that was her office.
"Hey Janey," Angela called, handing over a piping hot latte to a uniformed officer. Jane nodded at him as she made her way to the counter, eyeing a tray of muffins, but deciding against plucking one from the bin. "Maura been up here yet?" she asked.
Angela looked up at her, confused. "Why would Maura be here?"
"She came in today."
"Does the word rest mean nothing to you girls!" Angela exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Between the two of you, you're going to drive me crazy."
Jane smirked at her. "What if I told you she drove herself?"
"Oh my god!" Angela continued her diatribe, slapping a hand to her forehead.
"I'm just kidding, she took a cab," Jane admitted, but smirked, dodging Angela's hand as it whipped out toward her shoulder. "Abuse!" she called playfully, and thought twice about the muffing, snagging a blueberry one and taking a bite out of it.
"Let me ask you something," Angela said quietly, rounding the counter and standing next to Jane, eyeing her. "Are you going to move in with Maura?"
Jane did a double-take at her, taking a step away and putting some space between them. "What?" she asked.
"Well, you practically live there now, and it's so much better than your tiny little apartment," Angela qualified.
"Jesus, Ma, you been reading your U-Haul Guide to Lesbian Stereotypes?" Jane asked. "How about we give it some time first, alright?"
Angela shrugged noncommittally, which Jane knew meant she was simply waiting to mention the idea to Maura, who would surely be more politely receptive to her.
"Hey, vanilla!"
Jane rolled her eyes at the voice behind her, not bothering to smile as she turned around to face the familiar, bearded figure ambling up to them. "Rondo," she said flatly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm coming to get the day old muffins," he said with a grin as he glanced at Angela, who nodded and gave him a wink.
"Ma, are you allowed to be giving him day old muffins?" she asked.
"Why, you want them?" he asked. "I'll sell 'em to you at a discount."
"No, I don't want your day old muffins," she replied, irritation already creeping into her voice.
"Got anything you need my assistance with?" he asked. "I'll also throw in my street expertise for that new low-low price of ten dollars." He smiled at something behind Jane, his face brightening. "Whoa, two scoops!" he called as Maura made her way toward them. He glanced down at her leg, eyeing it curiously, but not asking any questions.
"Hello, Rondo," she said, nodding politely at him.
"Good day, strawberry," he replied, echoing her cordiality.
"Strawberry?" Jane repeated with a questioning frown.
"Yeah, she got that strawberry blonde hair," he said, motioning toward Maura's wavy locks. "Goes well with vanilla." He raised his eyebrows. "And chocolate."
"Okay," Jane said with a wave of her hand, cutting him off. "Unless you know something about fracking in Western Massachusetts, then we're done here."
"Fracking?" he repeated, perplexed. "I don't know nothing about that, but it sounds fun. But I know all about Western Massachusetts. Went to a rehab facility there about a year ago. They were supposed to help me find the newer, better me, but I told 'em Rondo here was already perfect. They didn't think so."
Jane's head snapped up at the familiar phrase. "What rehab facility?"
"Some farm," Rondo replied, mistaking her curiosity for actual interest. "Didn't do any good, though. Those people were off their rockers their damn selves. They tell me I'm crazy, but they were the ones piling into inflated rafts and trying to sail down a rocky river."
"Wait, there was water there?" Jane asked.
"Water, bonfires, smores, all that shit vanilla people like," he said with a wave of his hand. "I never went back."
Jane tossed a glance at Maura, who seemed to already pick up on her thoughts. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
Rondo leaned into the two of them. "Banana split?"
Jane pushed him aside, but reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Here, get your own banana split," she said, gesturing toward Maura and already picking up her cell phone to redirect Korsak and Frost. "We have some work to do."
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