"Mikey!" Jane yelled as she trudged into Maruccio's front door. The little bell rung, but the owner was nowhere to be seen. She yanked the scarf from around her mouth lest it had occluded the full power of her voice the first time.
However, before she could bellow out his name again, Mikey appeared from the back. "Dr. Rizzoli! You haven't been around in awhile!"
She made a face. "Tell me about it. I've been told I need to eat healthier and that turkey sandwiches don't count," she scoffed.
"A little sandwich never killed anyone," Mikey said, "but a lot of sandwich?" he pointed to his round belly, and the two of them shared a laugh. "What can I get you?"
"Gimme my usual, and a… veggie," she coughed out the last part so as to be near unintelligible.
"What was that last thing?" Mikey asked, looking up from his pad and pen to her face.
"And a veggie," she winced as it came out.
He raised his brow. "You know the last time someone ordered a veggie in here? 2011. Only reason it's still on the menu is because my Ma insists it be there for our vegetarian neighbors. Do they ever come by the shop? No."
"I know, I know. It's sacrilege to the meats. Just gimme the damn sandwich, Mikey," Jane growled.
"Alright, alright. Anything else?" he acquiesced, holding up his hands.
"Uh, yeah, you guys carry hummus?" she asked, again with an infusion of timidity.
"What the hell is hummus?" Mikey asked, confusion etched all over his face.
"Just forget it. Light on the dressing for the veggie, ok?" she said, handed him a twenty, and then sat down to wait.
"Uh-uh, Dr. Isles, you come here," Nina Holiday curled her finger at Maura as the doctor passed through the trauma wing on her way to pick up some paperwork.
Maura looked genuinely puzzled. "Did something happen? Am I needed on a consult?"
"What? No! I haven't seen you in what feels like forever!" the trauma nurse corrected, walking over to her so they could find a semi-quiet corner.
"Well, I supposed a few weeks is awhile," Maura said, the warmth of Nina's hand on her shoulder a welcome disruption of her routine.
"It has been a month at least. And I've heard from a very reputable source that you are dating a strapping young trauma surgeon on the come up," the nurse winked.
"Jane has told you about us," Maura stated with a blush.
"Painfully too little," Nina qualified. "So that is where you come in."
"I'm sorry?" the ENT asked, again unsure what exactly the conversation was about.
"Now, I consider myself a straight woman," there was a pause, "but sexual preference is not a hindrance in finding Jane Rizzoli attractive."
"I think I'd be inclined to agree, but maybe I'm biased."
"Maybe, but you've got to tell me. How is it?"
"How's what?"
Nina didn't answer but opened her eyes wide and looked downward.
"Oh… oh! You mean the sex," said Maura matter-of-factly.
Nina nearly choked on her transparency. "Yes, that," she replied as she looked around for eavesdroppers. "How is that… aspect of your relationship? Is it as… athletic as it looks like it would be? Because girl."
This was the moment Maura had wondered about since her return to Boston, and especially since she started dating Jane – how much to share? Her filter was artificial at best, and Jane hated to talk about the particulars of sex. She supposed she could share that. "Well, Jane is very much a doer, not a sayer." As Nina was about to respond however, she cursed. "Dammit! I'm sorry, but this all reminds me that I promised her I would meet her for lunch. I have to go!"
"Wait, what? You're not getting off the hook that easy, Maura! I have rounds to make, but we will be discussing this over drinks! If not tonight, tomorrow!"
Maura giggled as she searched frantically for her ID card. "Of course, of course," she assented, "call me and we'll go. But I really do have to be off; she'll kill me if I show up too late." She found her ID, and hugged Nina goodbye.
"Oh, and Maura?"
"Yes?"
"Tell Jane that the two of you are disgustingly happy. You need to tone it down," the nurse rolled her eyes with a smile.
Maura smiled back. "I'll make sure she gets your message," she said, and then jogged toward the elevator.
"I'm sorry I'm late! I got caught up talking to Nina."
Jane watched in amusement as a winded Maura took the seat across from her. "It's alright. I ordered what you asked," she explained, pushing the tray with the veggie sandwich on it toward her.
"Thank you," Maura responded, and scooted in her chair. Jane smirked at the way she separated each white corner of the sandwich paper, flattened it, and then straightened her food before picking the left slice for her first bite.
"No problem. What'd Nina want?" she asked as she tore through the middle of her own paper and rolled it away from her sandwich like the foil of a burrito.
"You may not want to hear this, but she wanted details about our sex life."
Jane choked before regaining the ability to swallow. "Excuse me?"
"I didn't tell her any specifics," Maura assured her, "though she somehow guessed that you are athletic in bed. She's very astute."
"Yeah, a real smarty, that one," Jane griped. "I can't believe she asked about that!"
"Can you really not believe it?" Maura asked. The taller woman shrugged in agreement with the point. "I can promise you I didn't tell her anything. But we are meeting for drinks tonight."
"Great."
"Oh! And she wanted me to give you a message," the ENT said, remembering Nina's words.
"And?"
"She said that we were disgustingly happy and that we need to tone it down," Maura said, unable to get through it without chuckling. Happy indeed.
"Well Maura, you said it yourself. She's very astute," Jane said, giving her lunch mate a wink.
A/N: Thank you for all your reading and reviewing. It was a fun ride. AUs are a lot of work! LOL. It was all worth it, though. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, don't hesitate to let me know! Until next time.