Jane didn't know how Maura could do it, but in the same amount of time it took Jane to find a suitable outfit that wasn't wrinkled or in the washing pile, Maura could pick out yet another stunning ensemble and apply her make-up so that it looked as if an artist had done it.
"You ready?" Maura chirped as she hopped down her stairs with her shoes in her hand. Jane pushed up from the kitchen counter and held out Maura's keys for her. The two women made their way back out to Maura's car and zoomed over to the crime scene, thankful of the late hour as it reduced the traffic significantly.
"God, it's nearly 1am! I got so much sleep yesterday and today I will have none."
"You can stay at my place again after we do what we can tonight, if you like?"
"Yeah... thanks." Maura smiled as she accelerated from the lights and rounded the corner to the parking lot of one of Boston's parks. They had been called in to take a look at what appeared to be a suspicious death. The first cops on the scene couldn't tell if it was a strangling or a hanging; murder or suicide.
Korsak greeted Jane and Maura, leading them over to the body that had been brought down from the tree branch it was stung up on while briefing the detective on the victim's ID. "Rebecca Walsh, 32, works for an accessories business in the city, no relatives; not even a next of kin listed."
"That's odd."
"That's what I thought," Frankie chipped in, walking over from a few homeless people who happened to be nearby.
"Well, no wonder you're a detective, little brother." Frankie just smiled weakly as he glanced over at Maura. Jane slapped his shoulder to bring his attention back to the case.
"Stop staring at her," Jane whispered.
"Just checking for any hickies." She hit him harder this time. He scrunched up his face at her as he made his way around to the other side of the body to talk to Maura, and to be out of Jane's reach. "So, what do you think?" he asked as he crouched down.
"Jane, come and look at this." Jane came over and crouched down beside Maura, eyeing her brother the whole time. He stood up and took a step back.
"What is it?"
"Look at these marks."
"So, she was strangled then hung. We've had this happen before, Maur."
"But these aren't from the same thing. Look... that's from a rope."
"The hanging?"
"Yes. But this is from something with a different pattern. See these rings."
"They're oval shaped; like a chain."
"And look at these marks on her wrists and arms."
"What about her ankles?" Korsak questioned, shining the flashlight on the woman's lower legs. Maura shuffled down to the lower half of the woman's body and pulled up her pant leg, more than it already was. Similar, and different, marks kept appearing on the deceased's legs until Maura couldn't pull the pant leg up any further.
She ran her gloved finger up the woman's leg, feeling the indentations and marks from whatever had left them there. Frankie looked over at Jane and noticed her head had lolled to the side, a pleasant expression pasted on her face. She seemed mesmerized by Maura's slow and gentle movements. He nudged Korsak and nodded in Jane's direction to which he chuckled, breaking Jane out of her daze. She narrowed her eyes at both men, and looked back to Maura, trying to be more professional.
"I'd like to get her back to the morgue so I can have a better look at these marks, okay, Jane?" Jane nodded.
"I'll run some more background checks on her and then come down when you've got something." Maura nodded her agreement and got her team to help get the body to the morgue.
Jane spun and ushered the two men, who were acting more like teenage girls, to the car to head back to headquarters.
Frankie worked on the computers as Jane and Korsak searched for more details from evidence found at the park. Nothing seemed out of place, and so in reality, the two older detectives were waiting on Frankie to find something. They were having a mini basketball-rubbish-into-the-trashcan tournament when the young detective burst in from the BRIC.
"I got something, Janie, and it's good."
"Okay, so spill."
"Alright. Those marks on Rebecca Walsh's body that looked like chains and all that; they were exactly that."
"What?"
"She was into BDSM."
"Oh. Well, that'll help Maura. Thanks little brother." She snatched the small pile of papers he was holding and moved to the door.
"Hmm..."
"What?" she asked, spinning around, slightly agitated.
"I wonder if it would help Maura. I mean, I wonder if she likes that stuff."
"Frankie..." Jane shot him a warning look.
"Hey, Korsak. Do you reckon Jane, being such an awesome detective, could find out for us?"
"You're disgusting, Frankie." The two men chuckled to themselves as Jane marched to the elevator, getting more and more frustrated with them by the second. Apparently Korsak was now in on the fun.
She slipped into the elevator and tried to calm herself down. She skimmed through the papers and came to a conclusion. Rebecca Walsh had committed suicide.
The doors dinged open and she dashed into the morgue where Maura had just covered the body up with a sheet. "Hey, Maura!"
"She committed suicide, Jane."
"That's great, but did you know that she was into-"
"BDSM? Yes, I did, Jane." Maura giggled to herself at the slightly miffed face Jane pulled. 'I'm sorry I spoilt the surprise."
"Meh," Jane shrugged. "She worked in a shop that sold all that stuff and so, I suppose she tried it once every so often."
"I gathered that much."
"But she was also struggling financially and having no family to turn to for help she... just..." Jane shrugged again, not finishing her sentence, because she never liked to think that people gave up on themselves. Maura had taught her to never do that; to always keep going because you will always be stronger today than you were yesterday.
"I know, Jane," the blonde finished with a yawn. "Jane placed the papers onto the top of a spare morgue table and moved over to Maura. She wrapped her arm around the tired doctor and pulled her towards the door.
"Let one of your assistants finish here. You need sleep." Ironically, Jane finished with a yawn as well.
"So do you," Maura mumbled as she turned her head into Jane's neck. They exited the morgue and left each other. Maura headed to the lab to get one of her assistants to deal with the paperwork, and then off to her office to gather her things. Jane rode back up to homicide to grab her jacket.
Frankie and Korsak had already left, knowing that Jane would be heading home with Maura. Jane picked up her jacket and turned off the lights and caught the elevator back down to Maura, waiting in her office. The two women met with a hug and then walked to Maura's car, arms linked.
Somewhere after they were out of sight of whatever people were at the lab that late at night, Jane slipped her hand to Maura's and teased the other woman's fingertips with her own. Eventually she slipped her fingers in between Maura's and the two held hands loosely all the way to the car, and then, once they were sitting side by side, their hands found each other again.
They sleepily made their way inside and up to Maura's bedroom. Jane shook off her jacket, letting it fall to the floor, and yanked off her boots, as Maura kicked off her shoes. Jane flopped down onto her tummy; Maura doing much the same. They didn't even make it up to the pillows; their heads just lay flat along the soft covers of Maura's bed with them breathing in the soft smell.
Maura began to hum as she breathed, maybe she was too tired to realise she was doing it, but it made Jane smile. She reached over and pushed the hair away from Maura's face, tossing it over her shoulder once she'd gathered it all up. Jane tried her best to snuggle over closer to Maura without disturbing her. Maura stopped humming when she could feel the brunette's breath warm her nose.
Jane ran her fingertips down the back of Maura's neck to the top of her dress where the zipper was. She continued moving down, holding the zipper between her fingertips. Maura gasped in suddenly, realising that Jane was essentially undressing her. Jane pulled the zip down as far as her arm would extend, then pushed herself up onto her elbow to allow her more room. When the zipper reached the bottom, or rather Maura's bottom, Jane dragged her fingertips up the blonde's bare back, but stopped when she reached the clasp of her bra.
She moved herself into a better position so that her torso was practically lying on top of Maura's lower back and right bottom cheek. She used her two hands to undo the bra clasp, her arms tucked under her chest like chicken wings. When she'd pushed the bra and dress as far to either side as possible, she rested back on her elbow, still remaining partly draped over Maura's lower body. She deftly ran her fingertips up Maura's naked back, and back down again.
She removed her hand to flick her own hair over her shoulder, then brought her hand back to Maura's skin. This time, as she trailed her hand up Maura's soft skin, she pressed gentle kisses to the places she just touched. Maura's hummed in content as Jane's hand wound up into her gorgeous locks, her lips close behind. The feeling of Jane's body moving up against her ass made her feel a sense of closeness that she had never thought she could feel. She'd been close to a few people before in her life, but Jane's touch gave her a sense of safety at the same time that none had ever given her before.
She could feel Jane's chest move up against her bare back; her leg gradually making its way over Maura's; her lips still kissing the base of Maura's neck as she lifted herself up so she was straddling Maura's upped thighs, just below her round behind. Jane left one lingering kiss to Maura's neck before slipping her fingertips under the straps of Maura's dress and pulling them down her shoulders.
Maura lifted her chest up when she needed to, so that Jane could bring her dress past her breasts. Her bra moved slightly as the dress did, one breast almost popping out. Jane slowly slid down Maura's legs as she slowly slid the dress down too, and then over her feet to drop it to the floor. In the dim lighting from the hall, she could see Maura's eyes were closed so she took the opportunity to remove her own shirt.
She tossed it to the floor behind her, moving immediately back to Maura. She used her fingers to hook under Maura's bra straps to pull them down. Maura rose off the bed again, the night air tightening her nipples. She gasped at the sensation, but didn't move just yet. She could feel Jane leave the bed for a moment, but after hearing the detective's buckle being undone, relaxed back into the bed's softness.
Jane left her pants in the same pile as her shirt, then took a steadying breath before removing her own bra. She looked down at her body, then the shadow it cast up Maura's bed, covering most of the doctor. In the small sliver of light that caught on Maura's body, Jane saw the blonde's panties. She hastily removed her own and then crawled back onto the bed, sitting on her knees beside Maura's legs. She let her fingertips dance across the skin of Maura's lower back before slipping under the thin material and pulling them down.
Once the two women were both completely naked, Jane lay back down next to Maura, the way she had before she started undressing the other woman. She ran her fingers through Maura's golden hair, and then behind her head. She moved her body closer to Maura's until they were but a breath apart. She leaned in and dragged her lips across Maura's. The doctor tilted her head up for Jane to kiss her, again and again. Her own hand came up from alongside her body to gently caress Jane's cheek.
"Maura, do you like this?"
"I like you, Jane." Jane smiled and closed her eyes, Maura's words touching her in the warmest ways. Maura leaned in and pressed another kiss to Jane's lips before whispering against them. "I love you, Jane."
"I love you, too."