Jane sat upright in the airplane seat, eyes wide, jaw clenched, fingers white from her tight grip on the armrests.
"Jane, relax," Maura soothed. "We're not even moving yet."
"I'm good," she replied tightly, her voice betraying her words. Just then the plane began to taxi out onto the runway. "Oh dear God," she choked out under her breath.
Maura immediately took Jane's hand and laced their fingers together, placing her other hand on top and squeezing tightly. She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in close to Jane's ear. "Just breathe in slowly, through your nose... Good, now hold it... Okay, slowly breathe out through your mouth, just like that. Yes, keep doing that, Jane..."
After a dozen or so slow, controlled breaths, Jane swallowed and turned her head to Maura. A strained "thanks," and the tiniest hint of a smile were all she could manage.
"Jane, you still appear anxious. I brought my iPod, would you like to listen to some music? Studies have shown that listening to certain types of music during times of high stress can lower anxiety levels, heart rate, blood pressure-"
"No!" Jane blurted out. She didn't want Maura to move and let go of her hand. "No, thank you. Can you just keep talking to me? Please?"
"Of course. What would you like me to talk about?"
"Anything. I don't care."
"Okay..." Maura thought for a second, then with a small smile she began recounting an old anxiety-related tale of her own. "The first time I ever performed on stage, I was so nervous- even more nervous than you probably are right now..."
Maura narrated the event in meticulous detail, and the longer she talked, the calmer Jane became. She laughed at the funny parts of the story, and delighted in the closeness they were sharing, completely distracting her from her fears. After about an hour, Jane had nearly forgotten they were in flight and their discourse returned to normal. There was something a little different though, because even long after the moment had passed, neither woman made any effort to remove her hand from the other's grasp.
Over ten hours of talking, napping, and periods of discreet hand-holding later, they touched down in London. They went through customs, along with Thomas and Maura's assistant Charlie, then made their way briskly to the waiting town car, avoiding the curious public as best they could. In the car, Jane stared excitedly out the windows to the cobblestone streets and ornate buildings. She had never been to England, so the experience was new and a bit surreal. Maura watched her with a silent smile. She had traveled the world, a few times over probably, not even keeping track, but seeing it through Jane's eyes was a different experience entirely. She felt a strange but comfortable warmth bubble up inside of her. Maybe this tour would be different, after all.
When they arrived at the hotel, Jane's eyes grew wide and she gasped.
"This is where we're staying?"
The brick and limestone building was enormous and elegant, with tall columns reaching up to the sky, and a huge door that looked like it belonged in a castle. It was far more luxurious than anyplace Jane could remember setting foot in, let alone being an actual guest.
"Yes Jane," Maura replied, amused by her awe. "Is it up to your standards?"
Jane's reply came soaked in sarcasm. "Oh yeah, I suppose it'll do."
The interior of the hotel was at least as spectacular as the exterior, with black and white marble floors, carved mahogany furnishings, elegantly framed artwork... every inch overflowed with splendor. Charlie handled their check-in and Thomas personally checked Maura's room for any potential threats while the others waited. The hotel staff had already brought up their belongings by the time they reached their rooms. Jane was given the adjoining room next to Maura's, and Thomas and Charlie were sharing a large suite across the hall. Maura insisted they all take the rest of the night off to get some rest for the very busy day tomorrow, as the hotel could attend to any unexpected needs that might arise.
"Well," Jane said after the men had already left, "I guess I'll go ahead over to my room too. Give you a chance to get settled and rest. If you need anything at all, you can call me and I'll come right over."
"Oh." Maura tone was clearly disappointed. "I was hoping we could open the door connecting our rooms. But if you would prefer your privacy, I'm okay with that as well."
Now that they were on the road and traveling with a smaller security detail than they had in L.A., Jane was technically on duty 24/7, including at the hotel. In fact, being Maura's primary guard, it was her job to keep Maura's room secure, even in the middle of the night, which is probably why she was given an adjoining room in the first place. Not that she was complaining. "No, we'll keep it open. I was just trying to offer you the same privacy."
"Great," she replied with a smile. "You go get settled. I think I'm going to rent a movie to help me relax before bed. I'm not nearly as tired as I should be. You're welcome to join me if you'd like."
Jane's suitcase was waiting for her on the bed. There was no sense in unpacking it, since they'd only be at the hotel a couple of nights, so she just grabbed an old BPD shirt and a pair of sweatpants to put on for the night. Meanwhile, Maura slipped into a satin pajama set and poured herself a glass of wine from the gift basket the hotel had left for her.
"Wine?" she offered Jane when she returned.
"No thanks. I'm kind of on duty, so I should really keep a clear head."
"Okay, but it's fine with me if you change your mind. This hotel has excellent security, so you don't need to worry."
They settled at opposite ends of the couch and flipped through the on-demand selection. "What do you want to watch?" Maura asked.
"Why don't you pick? You're the movie expert, after all."
"Oh here's an old favorite! Do you like Fried Green Tomatoes?"
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking about movies or food now?"
Maura chuckled. "The movie, Fried Green Tomatoes!"
"I don't think I've ever seen it."
"Never?"
Jane shook her head.
"Well, we'll have to fix that."
She dimmed the lights and started the movie, occasionally sneaking peeks at Jane's reaction to all of her favorite parts. When the movie ended, Jane had tears in her eyes but Maura had somehow made her way to Jane's lap and fallen asleep. She looked down at the blonde and smiled. In just a few short weeks, they had gone from strangers to co-workers to friends, and suddenly she could feel something more simmering beneath the surface. She felt so comfortable like that, she didn't want to move, but she knew they both needed to get a good night's sleep, in a real bed. She gave herself until the credits finished rolling to revel in the moment, then shook Maura gently.
"Maura. Hey, Maur-"
Maura groaned and looked up at her, momentarily confused. "Oh, did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah, you missed half your movie."
"That's okay, I know how it ends." She smiled. "Did you enjoy the movie?"
"I did. It was a good selection. Idgie and Ruth were a couple, weren't they?"
"Yes they were, though their relationship was more obvious in the novel. I have it if you ever want to read it."
"Maybe. But I think we ought to get to bed now. Big day tomorrow."
Maura sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She didn't want to move either.
They both rose and stretched, and Jane headed for her room, turning briefly at the doorway. "Thanks for the movie. Yell if you need anything, okay? Goodnight, Maur."
"Goodnight Jane."
They each turned out the lights and tucked themselves into bed. Jane fell almost immediately into a blissful sleep, but Maura was having trouble wrestling with her thoughts in the dark. When she had fallen asleep on the couch, she'd had a dream that left her feeling a bit ruffled. She couldn't remember many details, but she and Jane were definitely more than friends in the dream, and it felt very real. Maybe it was the conversation she'd had with Dave before she'd left, or all the time they'd spent together on the long flight there. Maybe it was being so close to Jane, breathing in her scent while she slept and waking up in her lap. Whatever it was, Maura couldn't get Jane out of her head and she had no idea what to do about it.