Angela squeezed her daughter tightly one more time before stepping out of the embrace and holding her at her sides. "I'm glad you're home honey." She beamed.
"Thanks Ma. Get some rest." She was released from the hold long enough to walk her mother to the back door before Angela grabbed her hand again and looked over her shoulder at her.
"Don't stay up too late talking about nonsense."
Jane nodded once. "You don't stay up texting all night, you have school in the morning."
Angela appreciated the humorous deflection before sighing knowingly at her eldest child and slipping out the back door. Jane watched her close the guesthouse front door before turning and regarding the room. Tommy was seated upright in an armchair with a passed-out toddler in his arms. Frankie and Nina were seated next to one another polishing off the last bits of the pear tart Nina had brought for dessert, and Maura was in the kitchen putting her plate in the dishwasher and starting a kettle. "Alright now that we're all here." She made her way into the living room and sat down beside Frankie before reaching for her half-eaten dessert. "I'm gonna need another glass of wine."
Frankie hopped up beside her while still chewing. "I'm on it."
Sensing that this might be the case Maura came into the living room with the bottle that was opened for dinner. "Here Frankie, there is still some Brunello left."
"Ah great, thanks Maura."
Maura watched him top off Jane and Nina's glass before settling the bottle down on the bare coffee table. Jane followed her fixated gaze and gently wacked his arm and pointed to it. "Coaster. That's wood from the actual Mayflower."
"Right right." Frankie grinned at Maura apologetically.
"It is not Jane." Maura shook her head wondering how she could think that. Jane tossed her a goofy look and the ME nodded in understanding.
"Where's your manners, Francis?" Tommy never missed an opportunity to tease.
"Yeah yeah yeah." Frankie sat back down on the couch.
Maura sent Frankie a soft expression to tell him it was truly okay. Jane still took the cake with tracking actual blood on her boots into her home. She turned to Tommy then. "I started a kettle Tommy, would you like some tea?"
"Yeah Maura, thanks." He looked at his watch. "I'm gonna have to get this little guy home pretty soon, all this food is making me sleepy."
Maura nodded. "Well you know you two are always welcome to stay." Her home did have two guest rooms after all.
Jane slowed her chewing down and reached for her wine to clear her throat. "Before we all head out…" She glanced at Maura who nodded supportively. "I think we need to talk about Pop." The room fell quiet.
"Yeah."
"Alright, Janie."
"You know what Maura I'll actually take some tea too." Nina stood and gathered up she and Frankie's dessert plates. Frankie looked like he was about to say something but was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder by his fiancé.
The three were quiet as Maura and Nina left for the kitchen and could be heard chatting amongst themselves.
"What do we do?" Tommy was the first to break the silence.
Jane put her wine glass down and rubbed her palms together. She was completely stuffed, and ready to disappear into a food coma but the anticipation of having this conversation with her brothers had kept her on edge all night. She was able to laugh and joke as she and Maura took turns sharing their accounts of their time in New York (sans all the hand holding and kissing of course), she was even able to get excited about the baseball game they had been watching earlier, but all with an underlying sense of dread. She loved her brothers, and she knew they had to figure this out together, but for some reason the prospective of communicating her fears was a daunting one. She was supposed to be the fearless older sister after all.
When she and Maura were able to steal a moment alone while doing the dishes Jane shared how she was feeling, Maura had listened and chose not to say anything until she was sure Jane said all she could say. Then she had asked the detective what the alternative looked like and when Jane said she did not have an answer to that the blonde handed her a tart and asked her to cut it into eight pieces.
The message was clear. Unless she felt comfortable stuffing the entirety of the issue down her throat she needed to learn how to share more.
"I don't like the fact that he's somehow got Ma involved." Jane started after taking a moment to look at her hands. "But she said she's doing this right? Helping him?" She was asking Frankie.
He nodded. "Yup."
"I don't like it." Jane repeated as she shook her head. "Now you guys don't have to agree with me but we're family and we do things together, this is no different."
"I don't like it either, Janie." Tommy spoke up. "I mean he's our old man but…" He looked off over TJs shoulder not really knowing what else to say.
Frankie picked up the ball. "Him being sick makes this harder."
Jane nodded in agreement. "I don't think she…" She was surprised to hear emotion settle in her tone. "I don't think Ma thinks he's going to make it."
Frankie exhaled. "Yeah…The way I see it all we can do is try and support Ma's decision."
"We can't just let him drink himself into…" Tommy began. There was always going to be a part of him that understood their father more than Frankie and Jane did, but then again that's why he supposed saying anything made no sense here. Besides, he wasn't about to defend his actions at all.
"Tommy him drinking is his problem." Jane spoke up. "We tried to be there before, remember?"
"You know how it goes." Frankie offered. "If he's not going to help himself then what can we do?"
Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I do know how it goes."
"You're not just thinking about yourself anymore, Tommy." Jane pointed out as gently as possible. She could see he was struggling with a thought while holding his son. "For me." She motioned to herself. "He went too far."
"With Maura?" Tommy asked.
Jane looked at him carefully before nodding. "…and Ma." She could feel herself getting upset thinking about how their father had treated the two most important women in her life. "He just left her Tommy. Never mind everything else that went down." She was referring to Lydia.
"I know."
Frankie agreed. "You gotta ask yourself what's more important." He capped a hand on Jane's shoulder and motioned with his other one to Tommy and TJ. "For me, that's you guys, that's Ma, and Nina. At some point we gotta say enough is enough."
Jane looked at them both after they all fell quiet again. "We all love him and don't want him to be sick." She looked over at Frankie. "That's not something I think is going to ever change y'know?"
He nodded too. "There's so much I wish had control over, Pop being sick… It's high up there if I'm honest."
"Yeah…" Jane sat with that feeling for a moment before looking over Tommy. "What are you feeling?"
Her youngest brother shrugged. "Pissed off a little…"
"At everything right?" Jane could relate.
Tommy let up a little smile. "Yeah, Jane." It disappeared just as quickly though. "I mean sometimes I love him and sometimes I wanna knock his teeth in." He froze and checked if TJ were still sleeping. He was. "Him texting Lydia…"
"How is she?" Jane realized she had not asked.
He shrugged. "Fine y'know, wouldn't blame her if she changed her mind about giving things another go after all that."
"Maura told me she invited her next week, she should come." Jane wasn't exactly Lydia's number one fan but she was important to Tommy and TJ, so she'd been trying.
"Sometimes I think she stays away cause she doesn't know what to say, how to act y'know?" Tommy confessed. "It sucks."
"After everything Tommy you know we accept her."
"Yeah, Janie I know.. it's just one of those things I guess."
They didn't say anything for a full three minutes.
"So…" Frankie motioned to the three of them. "what do we do?"
"Help Ma." Jane replied. Just then Maura appeared with a small teacup with a dark red liquid in it for Tommy.
"Spiced rooibos." She helped him take it in his hand while still holding the toddler against him.
"Thanks Maura, it looks… red."
"Yes." She answered simply before returning to the kitchen where Nina was leaning against a counter and sipping her own cup.
"I'm glad they are all finally talking." She motioned her chin toward the living room where the three were.
Maura knew they were far enough out of ear shot for her sigh not to reach them. "Jane has been under a lot of pressure regarding the matter."
Nina nodded and watched her move about to prepare her own cup of tea. "I can understand why. This situation isn't exactly made in heaven."
"I do not believe the addition of this case makes it any easier."
Nina chortled. "Girl you have no idea what the two of you are walking in on tomorrow." She could sense that Maura wanted to change the topic.
"Is it that bad?"
"Let's just say you are lucky you work several stories underground."
##
Maura picked herself up gracefully from leaning against the banister at the step of her staircase when Jane turned from closing the front door after her brothers. "How is your tooth?" She remarked with a little smile as she watched the detective stuff her hands into her pockets and begin the steps. She had caught her wincing a little throughout dinner and she just knew by the way the taller woman knit her eyebrows that she was trying to decide if she were going to get away with denying it.
"My tooth?" They were now the same height.
Maura reached out her right hand to touch the other woman's face. Her thumb didn't hesitate at Jane's lip as she traced the thin line of raised dried skin. "Yes, how does it feel?" She asked.
"S'okay." Jane reassured softly.
"Mm." After studying the skin for any sign of trouble Maura looked back up into her best friend's dark eyes.
"You didn't have to stay up." Jane let her right hand lazily rest against the banister. Maura had moved her hand from her jaw to her shoulder.
"I wanted to be sure you were alright."
The detective shook her head in mild amusement. "I'm alright, Maura."
"How did it go, speaking to them? How do you feel?"
She sighed. "Well, better for sure. Like I said all I could say… we're gonna try for Ma."
"Good." She watched her friend for a moment more. "What is it?" There was something more she wanted to say.
Jane sucked gently at her tooth. "Nothin'… It's just, real now, now that we're back." Maura nodded in understanding. "I miss New York." The doctor chuckled softly. "What? I do." She smiled.
"We can go back."
"Tomorrow?" All the hope in the world lay in her eyes.
Maura smiled. "No, not tomorrow." She let her hand fall from the woman's shoulder to loosely holding her hand at their sides. "Tomorrow, we have things to do."
Jane leaned against the handrail a little more. "Okay… What about right now?" She asked quietly. She all of a sudden didn't want to go to sleep. It was crazy that she was already missing the woman who was standing right in front of her. "I haven't kissed you at all today."
Maura blushed but she remained where she was. "I have already deemed today a loss because of it."
Jane let up a grin. "We still have time." Maura shook her head. "What?"
"Perhaps we can come to some sort of an agreement?"
Jane chuckled but then nodded seriously. Maura's playfulness was always a pleasant surprise. "I'm listening."
"I will acquiesce your request for beer and pudding cups, however they must be of my choosing—"
"—Hold up—"
She put up a finger to stop her from interrupting. "—If I receive a kiss. One daily. In exchange for you staying over."
"Just one?"
Maura crossed her arms. "At minimum."
Jane began to smirk "You're making me look cheap."
"To whom?"
"How about three."
"Three? Can you commit to that?" She seemed to doubt it.
"Wow, Maura."
"That is not an answer."
Feeling a swell of confidence Jane stepped up one more step to be closer to her and leaned into press a firm kiss on her lips. The ME hardly needed a moment to adjust before kissing the taller woman back just as firmly. When their lips met again it was a lot softer, gentler, and when their lips met again for the third something in both women flickered a blaze. They both made small noises as this particular part of the agreement brought their lips just enough apart to taste the other.
Maura could feel Jane exhaled roughly through her nostrils as a new frustration took her, it made the ME's concern about the stability of her quadriceps femoris very real. To better stabilize she let her hands move from Jane's sides to wrap around her neck and exhaled herself when the kiss deepened further.
The detective didn't know if it were the lack of proper sleep, the ME's faint perfume, or the residual build up of honest to goodness sexual frustration that drove her, all Jane knew was that she was not driving anymore. Not when Maura clung to her like this, not when she could feel her breasts pressing into her, or her tongue accidentally brush against her bottom lip as the kiss developed.
If her mouth was this soft….
Maura felt confused by the kiss stopping only to snap her eyes closed and let out an even shakier breath when she felt Jane's lips softly kiss her neck. "Jane." She hummed. "That's…" She tried to warn again before a silent syllable escaped her mouth leaving her lips parted as a kiss turned into a light suckling. Jane couldn't have known it then, but she had just stumbled onto a very sensitive patch of skin often lost to the medical examiner's past lovers. it unraveled the pathologist, and without warning Maura could feel her body arch forward into Jane disrupting her balance without meaning to. Jane quickly responded by grabbing her hip firmly as she kissed her under her right earlobe which really only seemed to make matters worse for the two as they swayed.
"We're on stairs." Jane growled playfully into the softness she was kissing.
"Y-you're pushing… me." Jane stopped what she had been doing and looked at her incredulously. "You are." Maura chuckled warmly against her as the detective suddenly feigned sadness.
"I'll stop." Their eyes dilated to take in the other and all their mirth.
"No." Maura eventually murmured as they gazed at one another through a new and curios lens.
Their lips met again in a softer more sensual kiss than before and as the blonde's hands came to frame the other woman's face she could feel emotion quickly sting her eyelids. Jane hummed sweetly at the touch on her cheeks before wrapping both arms back around her best friend.
A second later the sound of a door shutting startled the two women out of their sweet embrace and into a fresh panic. Maura yelped and wobbled forward when she lost a bit of her balance, but Jane instinctively brought an arm out to steady her as she simultaneously secured her own footing and looking toward the noise.
"What was that?" Maura whispered.
Jane was already calculating how quickly she could get to her gun. "The back door."
"Who's there!?" An all too familiar voice yelled from the kitchen.
Jane and Maura exchanged looks of relief as they caught their breaths.
"Ma, it's me!" She looked at Maura who seemed just as surprised to hear how rich the lust in her voice sounded. They were able to move apart some more just in time for Angela to make her way into the front hall with a frying pan in hand. She flicked on a second light to better illuminate her field of sight but still squinted up at them.
"What are you girls doing standing in the dark!"
"How's it dark?" Jane challanged as she motioned to the hall light that she had left on.
"It's dark, Jane." Angela crossed her arms over her robe and motioned to them with the frying pan. "Are you trying to kill me? I heard a noise when I came to make tea, was that you two? What are you still doing up?"
Maura opened her mouth but then cleared her throat. "We…" She quickly looked between the two women and cleared her throat again. "We were—" Her pulse was back on a runaway train.
"—Just heading up." Jane helped quickly. She ran a hand through her hair, her body was still running seven degrees hotter than she were used to. It was distracting. "Right Maura?"
Maura nodded rapidly. "Yes, up…" She motioned to the second floor. "To sleep. Upstairs…" Silence fell upon them. "…Were you aware Angela that Ancient Egyptians soaked their blankets in water right before going to bed, to keep themselves cool while they slept" Jane turned and looked at her sharply. "What?" She mouthed.
"No honey I didn't know that." Angela admitted.
"Yes." Jane nodded twice. "Very fascinating."
"Well I thought so…" The ME defended quietly.
"No one cares about the Egyptians, Maura." Jane hushed back.
"I beg your pardon? The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley. Which I'll have you know supported a denser population. Anthropologists have clearly—"
Angela sighed heavily and shook her head at the two beginning to bicker on the staircase. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the they seemed fidgety, and any woman who had been a mother knew in an instant that something was up. They were probably talking about something they didn't want her to hear about most likely. Jane's father, the case, who knew if a burglar had just come in to terrorized them so long as they put him away before she found out. Angela put her hands on her hips to ready an octave she wasn't prepared to speak in this late at night. "Alright you two. I don't care who planted what and who is denial—"
"The Nile." Maura clarified.
Jane sighed loudly.
"—You two have got to be exhausted." She pointed at them. "Go to bed." The two looked like they were going to rebuttal but decided against it and quickly made their way upstairs. Angela exhaled again and went to go make herself a pot of tea.
A mother's work was never done.
##
"…Well I didn't put it in there." Kent shrugged, his accent tripling in thickness due to the bag of candy in his lab coat pocket he had been working his way through when she got in that morning. Something about mourning the loss of his beloved goldfish Aileene, she would respect the process of grief even though she could barely understand him. It also meant he was on modified duty. The last thing Dr. Isles needed was a Werther's Original wrapper to be found anywhere other than the bin near his desk.
So that meant running new reports for her so she could get caught up on all the old cases she had missed. Currently he was handing over a stomach contents report on her way back toward her office
"Ingesting anything as thick as this metal is quite difficult on the body…." Maura furrowed her brows as she opened the file and began reading the report summary. "Aluminum, cobalt and paraphing oil…."
"Beats me." The Scott looked around before leaning a little closer to the ME. "You look nice today, Dr. Isles. Any particular occasion?"
Maura looked up at him which wasn't very difficult given that he was only a foot away from her. "Why are you whispering, and what have we said about personal space, Kent?"
He chuckled and stood back while sticking his hand in his lab coat pocket and pulling out another candy wrapped in gold foil. "Rgith right, sorry." He missed having her around last week.
She shook her head at him with a small smile and returned to her reading. "Thank you for noticing, I got this dress in New York." She had had an occasion actually, that occasion apparently left earlier in the morning before she was finished getting dressed for a steak out at the docks. The ME would never admit that though.
He nodded in response as he stuffed two more pieces of candy in his mouth before he decided what he wanted to say. "It's hard to tell from the report but I'm quite certain the amount of bile we found present here had something to do with the ingestion of this—"
"And here is the state lab. We still get most of our results from—Oh, Dr. Isles!"
The two turned from their conversation to find a small gaggle of FBI agents blocking the narrow spout of the hall. Leading them was the tall and handsome Agent Cameron Davies clad in a modern cut deep charcoal suit with a burnt orange tie. He waved and was making a B-line straight for them.
"Why orange I wonder." Kent mumbled for only her to hear as he reached into his pocket for more candy.
"Agent Davies." Maura smiled, although she was surprised at the effort it took. She only later would recall holding the autopsy report with both hands so she would not have to shake his.
He smiled at her; genuinely excited to have run into her. "It's good to see you." He looked over at Kent. "Doctor Drake and I have been lost without your expertise." Maura looked up at Kent who sent her the smallest of shrugs.
"It is… A surprise to see you." Maura nodded politely, her smile still in place.
Davies nodded. "Same. I'm glad we're all working together again, just maybe not under these circumstances." He turned to the small group that had been following him around. "We had a moment before a briefing and I needed to check in with something we dropped off last week, it was only then I realized my team hadn't seen the whole facility. I see you got some new toys."
Maura nodded. "Yes." She was very proud of her lab. "The Governor has been very generous with the allocation of funds this term."
"Makes the job easier huh?"
She tilted her head. "I would not use that word in particular to describe our work." He had already turned to his team and was motioning towards her proudly.
"This is Dr. Maura Isles. The Chief Medical Examiner to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
Maura nodded at the slurry of professional greetings. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you all. If there is anything, I can do to assist your efforts, please don't hesitate to ask." They all seemed grateful enough but also slightly disinterested. Maura turned to Kent and motioned to the folder in her arms. "How are we on toxicology?"
"On it." He saluted them before disappearing into the lab at their right.
"Dr. Isles I know you must be busy having just returned from a trip, but I was wondering if I could get your medical opinion on something." Someone from the group handed him a black padfolio as he spoke.
She nodded. "Certainly, I have some time now, but only a moment."
Cameron nodded. "I'll make it quick." He turned to his team. "Give me some time here guys." And just like that they hearded themselves back toward the elevator. "Their new." He apologized.
"Are they?"
Cameron's smile faltered. "No. I mean no, that was a joke."
They stared at one another for a moment.
"Right, my office is this way." Maura offered.
"Right."
"How is the investigation?" She thought to try and make small talk but when presented with any other topic other than their shared employment parameters Maura felt disinterested. Was she going to ask about his flight? No, she was presently more concerned with the contents of their newest patient's small intestine and stomach. Perhaps she could ask about his travels, no - she did not care. She most certainly did not want to speak about Jane with him, because she was irrelevant to their conversation… and because she did not want to imagine the highly probable odds that he had held her in a similar embrace while they kissed like she had last night.
No, no small talk.
"It's going, y'know we're really making progress." He followed her into her office and was taken somewhat aback by its colorful charm.
"If there is any way I can help please let me know." Maura motioned to the seating area and took a seat opposite Davies. He looked a little funny trying to sit down with his long legs. It reminded her of Jane, like most things today. Well Jane would have slouched; Cameron's military background wouldn't allow it. He was a rather handsome man. A dull sense of self consciousness ebbed her thoughts out of focus for a moment. She was fairly certain Jane had never slept with a woman before, the physical attraction was obviously there, but they were still navigating the more physical aspects of a romantic relationship, and she didn't want Jane to feel pressured of course, but what if she decided it wasn't something that was particularly enjoyable to her? What if she responded more to men…
The woman nibbling at her neck last night hardly seemed to suggest otherwise but how could Maura conclude that what she was able to provide was what Jane wanted for certain? Was it too soon to even be having these thoughts?
If Angela hadn't interrupted them would she even be having them? Or was she having them because Angela interrupted them?
"Masks of Death." Davies chuckling to himself brought her back to the present. How long they had been sitting in silence would never be known. "Jane talked about these things. I couldn't remember them but now it's hard not to."
Maura adjusted herself in her seat. "I beg your pardon?" Was this another joke?
The FBI agent looked back over at her before motioning to the westerly wall covered in ancient death masks. "Oh, in New York, when we got lunch." He waved it off. It was only funny if you were there. "I wish we could have all grabbed a drink but that conference schedule of yours seemed pretty packed."
"Yes, well, we certainly had a lot to cover." She rested the folder she had only now realized she had been holding against her chest down. This was the part in any professional setting where one was supposed to share the other's sadness about having missed the connection. Maura could not acquiesce this formality and judging by how Cameron cleared his throat he was beginning to realize the same.
"Well I don't want to hold you up." He opened the black folder. "This information is pretty sensitive, it's from a separate case in North Carolina I'm consulting local PD on. Before I get into it, you wouldn't mind signing one of these?"
Non-Disclosures had become common place to the ME. She stood to get a pen. "Yes, of course."
Davies and his Austrian cologne were in her office for thirty whole minutes.
There were purchase orders to approve for lab equipment repairs, payroll, documents that needed her specific approval from other medical offices, expense reports for the governor, and some last minute MEND emails to send out. Her only interruption for the next two hours was Kent dropping off a toxicology report and a candy, and Jane sending her a text message asking if she had lunch yet.
She would never consider her work secondary, never an afterthought, but as the medical examiner looked at her cell phone to read the text again, she found herself grateful for its initial distraction.
Last night had been so unexpected, so lovely, and so important. New York had been a great way for them to have the undivided attention of the other, but if the ME were honest they really only started to share those special moments towards the end of the trip. It was nice to know that Jane wanted to continue exploring them here, she supposed she harbored a bit of anxiety over the matter initially that hadn't existed after last night but It had ultimately resurfaced around ten o'clock when Davies entered her office with all his unfamiliar familiarity.
Maura had pointed out to herself several times that he was merely doing his job to gain an expert opinion, and she was being a tad unreasonable given how short lived his dating Jane lasted, but it did not work. His presence still bothered her enough to put her in an unfavorable mood without any real explanation and she needed to navigate it on her own instead of taking it out on Jane. From what she could gather the detective was already having a challenging day back with the FBI in town.
No, but I will get something when I have a moment. Thank you.
At the elevator several stories above her Jane furrowed a brow at the message. Maura had been on her mind all day, well in between the excitement of their case snowballing back into action with the car lead that is. If she wasn't running through information secretly with her peers, she was thinking about Maura. If she wasn't pulling evidence on cold cases that had similarities, she was thinking about Maura.
She hadn't seen the other woman all day and as things got busier by the hour this was the only real break she knew she would have off till around six, and then she had already agreed to have a drink with Korsak at The Robber to properly catch up. Was she truly that busy that she couldn't grab a sandwich with her? Should she bring her something anyway? It wasn't soup day downstairs was it?
Jane was too busy looking at her cell phone to try and form a reply that both sounded unaffected yet disappointed to notice Davies stride up to stand beside her.
"That Mr. Top Cop?" He joked quiet enough for only her to hear.
Jane looked up at him. "what?" She slipped her phone onto her belt's utility pocket quickly.
"I mean if it's not the case you're not supposed to be working on without us then it has to be this guy you dumped me for right?" It was all said in a playful enough tone.
Jane rolled her eyes anyway and stabbed the call button to the elevator again. "No clue what you're talking about, Supervisory Special Agent." The elevator dinged open and they entered together.
"Where are you going?" Davies chuckled. "C'mon."
"I'm 10-7. Where are you going?"
"To buy you a coffee?"
"You answer a question with a question?"
He saw what she did there and smirked. "You want one or what, Rizzoli?"
"Don't you have a case to be working on?" It actually really did annoy her at how calm he was all of the time. This wasn't his city; these weren't his neighbors being found brutally murdered. "Nothing to say about it?"
He wasn't really supposed to be telling her all this, but to be honest he needed her help. "We think we located the primary vehicle; we're waiting on a warrant to seize it." She didn't seem surprised. "I have a feeling though you already knew about it."
Jane shrugged and crossed her arms. "Nope, first time hearing it."
"It doesn't seem that way,"
"That tie doesn't seem like something and FBI agent would wear, but here we are..." She teased.
Davies shook his head in amusement as he flattened out his tie. "You hear anything back from Quantico?"
##
Vince laughed warmly and Jane smiled at him from behind her beer bottle. "You're kidding?"
Jane took a long sip of her beer. "I swear it."
He shook his head and reached for his own bottle. "Oh no, nope, you're not passing that." Jane laughed. "You're stuck here with us."
She shook her head, a warm and happy feeling swelled about in her belly. On some level she hoped that were true. She hadn't really thought about her new situation with the FBI since taking the exam in New York. There were too many memories on the trip that trumped it, but now, in the familiar lighting of The Dirty Robber Jane thought about how so much would change about her routine. How much she'd miss.
A comfortable silence seemed to settle over the two for a good ten minutes.
"So you had fun?" Korsak finally asked. He had known Jane for a very long time, long enough to know when his friend had something on her mind. They had already talked about Angela and the return of Frank Sr, so he began asking about other things to gain some insight. It was a common interrogation technique, if Jane noticed she never let on, which worried him some. That, and the cut lip she was now sporting of course.
Jane nodded. "It was nice to get away from everything." Korsak grunted in agreement as he took a sip of his drink again. "Maura's a lot better at keeping in touch with Tash and stuff regularly… Leaving her in the city though was hard, she's really growing up."
"She's important to you, it makes sense."
"Yeah, she is."
"You two sure went through a lot together in a short amount of time, can't break a bond like that."
Jane chuckled at him. "Don't ever say this to my mother, but some of the stuff she used to nag us about I have to stop myself from telling her."
"She's a smart kid, hell of a lot smarter than either of us were at that age I'm sure."
Jane made a face. "Korsak I don't think you were ever that age."
"Hey!" Korsak made a goofed expression before they shared a laugh. "You get to see much of the city?"
"Yeah…" Jane played with the label of her sweating Blue Moon. "Maura dragged me to museums—"
"—Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Jane rolled her eyes. "I mean some of them were pretty interesting, others I didn't know what the hell was going on."
Vince laughed to himself. "Jane Rizzoli, a woman about the world."
She snorted. "Something like that, I sure ate enough food from all over the world."
"Kiki has been asking me about taking some time off to go on a cruise, or to Thailand."
"Do it." Jane found herself cheering without reservation. Before she didn't like the idea of him doing anything that wasn't cop work with her but she was really starting to get a better picture at what else there was to life, and more than anything she wanted Vince happy.
"You think so?"
"Frankie and I will watch the dogs." She offered easily and he smiled.
"Maybe when we catch these bastards."
"You get that text from Nina?"
Korsak reached for his cell phone. "No, which one?"
"The one about the shipping licenses at the docks. She said she was able to get past some of those clearances with some time, she's working on it tonight. It should give us something to work with if we can match up names. "
"Go Holiday."
Jane watched him struggle to hit play on the voice message with his tubby fingers. "Here." She reached over. "Let me press it Bear Paws."
Vince let up an unexpected laugh. "Havem't heard that one in a while."
"Yeah me either." They shared a silent moment in memory of where the nickname originated before listening to the message Nina sent.
It didn't sting like it used to, but to honor him tonight Korsak ordered Frost's favorite beer and set it in front of the stool beside them. When they were ready to leave Jane watched it begin cleared away along with their empty bottles. The emotion no longer lived in her voice, but Vince could always see it in her eyes.
"I miss him too, Jane."
##
Have you left? Would you like to come over?
Jane had just put on her seatbelt when the message came through from the ME. She sat back and stared at the text for a moment as she thought of the other woman. Aside from wanting to update her on everything that was going on with the case Jane couldn't quite shake the feeling that maybe something was the matter. If it had something to do with last night then she wanted to know, and even if it didn't Jane found herself settling into the idea that they were now some sort of unit that they each were responsible for maintaining equally. Wasn't that what they had decided on in New York anyway?
Yeah, I'm on my way.
Once she got to the ME's she keyed into the foyer and immediately noted how cozy the place seemed, the heater was on, and there were a few lights off leaving only the warm ones to illuminate the living room where she found the ME under a blanket reading.
"Hey." Jane entered the soft space and made her way over to the couch where Maura was lounging.
"Hello, Jane." Maura's smile was tired.
Once the Boston native could confirm the coast was clear she leaned down and pressed a small kiss on other woman's cheek in greeting "What's with all the lights?"
"How are you?" Her nose wrinkled as Jane pulled away. "You smell as if you have become an astray, Jane."
Jane chuckled as she jingled her car keys in her right hand. "I was at The Robber, remember?" Maura nodded, she had. "I'm gonna shower, then tea?"
The pathologist rested her book on her lap. "Shoes."
Jane looked down at her boots and nodded. There was a leaf stuck to one of them. "Yeah I guess I can take them off before hopping in huh?" Maura sent her a little look that made Jane smile. Maybe there wasn't anything to really worry about after all. If anything the ME just seemed thoughtful.
"I would prefer that exact course of action." Maura agreed as she moved to get up to start the tea kettle. "Any tea preference?"
Jane was already heading toward the front door. "Not panda poop."
"I don't know why I ask anymore."
"Me either." Jane called as she locked away her firearm and took out her wallet and keys and then went upstairs to take a shower. When she returned clad in long pajama bottoms and a baggy sweater she sat on the end of couch to give the ME room for her legs and blanket. Without words Maura offered her the cup tea and Jane accepted it by oscillating between blowing on it and taking small bird like sips.
"What do you think?"
"It's good."
"Jasmine."
"Hm."
They sipped tea together in silence for a few minutes before Jane looked over at her best friend and raised a brow at her. Maura looked away. "What's up Maur?" She finally asked.
"Nothing."
The detective pointed at her. "Tell that to your face."
Maura shook her head. "It's silly." She smiled in efforts to sway the conversation elsewhere. "Would you like to watch something?"
"Maura."
"Okay…"
"Yes, please, finally." Jane sank back into the love seat's arm. "What's up?" She watched her struggle with how to begin. "Did something happen to George?"
"No, he's upstairs."
She was starting to really worry now. The ME suddenly looked stressed out "Well, c'mon, why do you look like you're about to tell me you also have cancer?"
Maura sent her an apologetic look at that. "I was debating if I should even bring it up, Jane."
"Bring what up?"
"This…. Feeling." She nodded. "This feeling I'm having."
"What feeling?" A brief panic flushed her system. "About.. last night?"
Maura shook her head quickly "No." She touched Jane's arm briefly. "No. Last night was lovely."
Jane blushed. "Okay…."
"I enjoyed every second of it."
"Even Ma and her frying pan?"
Maura could hardly hide her smile. "Well no." The two laughed before easing into a comfortable silence. "… I think I am experiencing a negligible amount of jealousy towards agent Davies…"
"Maura how? You're all I thought about today." Jane hadn't expected to be so forthcoming, but she was surprised. She never thought Maura would be jealous of Davies. It'd be awkward yeah, and maybe Davies might be if he knew, but Maura? No the ME just oozed this goofy sort of confidence about most things.
Maura smiled sweetly as she shook her head at her. "You're very sweet, but I'm afraid it's true."
The detective looked around the room suddenly putting everything together. "So you're here sitting in the dark because of it?"
"It's not dark, and I was meditating earlier."
"Outside of your Wensa?"
Maura turned her free hand over in explanation. "I needed a change in scenery."
Jane sighed but smiled at her still. "Alright." She put her tea down and stole some of the blanket the ME was occupying to cover her own legs as she moved them onto the couch. "What happened today?"
Jane's calm eased Maura's tension. She felt like she was sharing the insecurity with her best friend and not a love interest. It was a very welcome feeling to say the least. "Today, Agent Davies needed to speak to me regarding a consult for a case he was working on separate from the current investigation." She put her tea down and leaned her right elbow onto the back of the loveseat to better face her monogamous. "He was perfectly pleasant."
Jane mirrored her stance. "Mhm, but…?"
"But I just…" She shook her head at herself. "I wanted nothing to do with him Jane… I'm afraid I may have been a little unprofessional."
"Maura I'm sure you weren't."
"Then, I wanted to have lunch with you."
"I thought you said you were working?"
"I did initially, but I knew that today was going to be tedious and I changed my mind.I went up to your desk to see you and update Sergeant Detective Korsak on another matter, but you weren't there. Frankie mentioned you went downstairs to the café."
She put two and two together. "And that's when you saw us having a coffee." Jane completed. "Maura I was only down there having coffee with him because I wanted more information on the case, and you—" She nudged the woman softly and the ME tried not to smile. "—Were being weird."
"I'll admit to being in a mood." She nodded. "I didn't want to add unnecessary stressors to your day, and I knew you would sense something was amiss."
Jane sighed heavily but sent the woman a fond look. "I wish you would have come and saved me."
Maura chuckled lightly. "Jane I know you enjoy his company."
She huffed. "Maura but not as much as yours, and certainly not enough to listen to him talk about how he had the same theory that I came up with and tossed away a week ago." Maura laughed. "I'm serious, we have Nina, a laptop, and Korsak's dogs and we're getting more done than him and his fourteen profilers."
"There are quite a few of them."
"Worst part is once we find something we have to turn it in to them wrapped with a bow."
"What do they think you and Vince are doing all day?"
Jane shrugged. "Paperwork."
The two exchanged looks.
"Paperwork?"
"That's my story." The blonde shook her head and then sighed. "Maur." She looked back her. "I'd much rather have had a coffee with you. The conversation lasted all of ten minutes before he got called up anyway, and while I think he's a nice guy when he's not being a Fed…" She shrugged and met her eyes "He's no you."
Maura smiled at her. "I appreciate you saying that." She reached out and touched the other woman's shoulder. "Do you think less of me?" She put on a guilty expression that Jane found adorable.
"Nah, c'mon." The cop smiled. "That's not possible." She finally scooted closer to her on the couch and brought her socked feet up onto the coffee table to relax. Maura watched her get comfortable before settling in on her side like they always had when they watched television together. Jane rested her head on the back of the couch and smiled a little when Maura touched her jaw line gingerly before pulling her hand away. "It's fineeee."
"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it." She watched Jane chuckle silently. "How was your day?" The detective groaned in response. "Re-entry is said to be the most dangerous aspect of space exploration." Maura commented as she watched Jane's long lashes twitch with aviation before resting in place.
"How was your day? Find anything cool in a body?"
"Piece of a doorknob it seems." Jane made a face. "Yes, I thought the same."
"A doorknob, Maura? Where do you even start to figure that one out?" Jane smiled to herself as the ME almost immediately snuggled up beside her and began googling about the number of various inconclusive test results the inanimate object produced. There had also been some talk of bile, and the John Doe's fixation with chewing non-food items. Eventually a few small yawns interrupted her five syllable explanations and there went a long pause where Jane drifted in and out of a light sleep only to wake and find the ME fast asleep herself. She was able to shake the woman gently and usher her up the stairs, she was even able kiss her goodnight, but as they embraced after the small kiss Jane realized she didn't quite have it in her to let her go.
"Like in New York?" Maura asked sleepily as the hands that lay on the front of Jane's shoulders slipped to her elbows and began pulling her gently along.
Jane yawned. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
AN: I don't know why but writing this chapter was stressful lol There was so much I wanted to include but only if I could do it in a very particular way. Anyway I hope it struck a balance for you all. Thank you for all the support and well wishes!
KathleenDee