Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and stories belong to TNT, Tess Gerritsen (fan of her work), and Janet Tamaro
A/N: Post Money for Nothing. Please R&R. Thanks. Love, Lawabidingchild
Always Got Your Back
Maura kept calling for more beer. Jane was sitting there, still only on her second one. She didn't think that giving Maura beer would make her so out of control, so she thought nothing of it.
"Come on!" she yelled, "another round!"
"Uh, Maura," whispered Jane, "I think you've had enough. You already had eight."
"No shiree!" she slurred to Jane. Jane downed the last of her beer and grabbed Maura's arm.
"Let's go back to my place," she whispered again, "I may need to keep an eye on you. I'll sleep on the couch." She helped a stumbling Maura into her car and began to drive.
They arrived at Jane's place with Maura making a racket down the hallway. A neighbor came out to complain. "Sorry," apologized Jane, "first beer." Her neighbor looked confused. "She usually drinks wine. She's never had beer before." Maura stumbled down the hallway with Jane trailing behind her.
When they got to Jane's apartment, Maura began a drunken rant. "You know, I always have your back. You're the best friend I've ever had. No matter what anyone says, I got your back." She fell on the couch. Jane tried to get her up to lead her to the bedroom, but she wouldn't budge.
"Maura, come on," nudged Jane, "let's get you into some of my pajamas and into bed. You need to sleep." She watched as Maura's face paled. Oh, shit, thought Jane, she's gonna be sick. Jane led her into the bathroom and when she was finished, Jane picked up a passed out Maura and took her into her bed room. She lay Maura down on the bed to help her change clothes. Once Maura was in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, Jane lifted Maura up, placed Maura on the floor for a brief period to pull back the blankets and placed Maura on her bed. She tucked her in and placed a sisterly kiss on her forehead. She turned off the light to her bedroom to let Maura get some sleep.
The next day, Jane sat on her own bed waiting for Maura to wake up. Maura was still asleep, but woke up to the smell of coffee. Jane handed it to her. "Oh, God," sighed Maura. "Why do I feel like I got hit by a truck?"
"You had eight beers last night," answered Jane as Maura took a sip of coffee.
"I'm sorry," breathed Maura, "I embarrassed you last night."
"No more than I embarrass you," pointed out Jane.
Maura placed her mug down, and shifted her position. She was sitting up next to Jane. Maura noticed the clothes lying on a chair. "Did you go to my house last night?" asked Maura.
"Well, I figured that you didn't want to wear my clothes, so I went and go some for you," stated Jane, "I just hope I put the right pieces together."
"You did fine." Maura stood up. She clutched her head. "Ugh," she groaned, "I really did drink a lot last night." She turned to Jane who was gone. She came back a few seconds later with a glass of water and some aspirin. She took them gratefully, thanked Jane and went back to her clothes.
"You mentioned something about having my back last night," began Jane, "I know it may have been the alcohol talking, but you also said that a couple days ago, when you were sober. What did you mean by that?"
Maura stumbled and caught her balance. Jane ran up to see if she was okay. "When we had that fight, I talked to Korsak."
"Oh my God," sighed Jane. "So what did he say?"
"Well, you ran out on me when we tried to get Korsak to do out talking for us, like a couple of kids," she said with a laugh and smile, "and he said something about you not growing up with much. He said that growing up like you and he did, you may not have had much, but you always had each other's backs. You felt like I betrayed you, and I did. I was only thinking of myself, and not realizing that all you wanted to do was your job."
"Was that an apology?" asked Jane with curiosity.
"Yes. That was an apology." Jane smiled and wrapped Maura in her arms.
"I'll always have your back, Maura."
"Thanks, Jane. I know how much that means now."