"I'm leaving." She whispered into her ear as another roar of laughter ripped through the bar. It just seemed to be one of those nights at The Robber. Like a lunar eclipse it happened every so often. One slow weeknight at a cop bar that somehow turned crowded karaoke den within hours. Absolutely no one present that wanted to sing could, and the kitchen and the bar were completely overrun with orders. it was all hands on deck tonight. Tommy was taking karaoke requests and making a killing in tips for his horrible John Wayne impressions, Frankie was in the back helping Edgar the sole line cook stuff baskets with fries and onion rings, and Jane was currently running a bin of empty beer mugs to the back when Maura emerged from the crowd and grabbed her arm to get her attention among the noise.
Jane nodded quickly and motioned for the ME to follow her into the back dry storage room where she could hear what the other woman was saying. The storage room was a small well-lit room with cement walls near the stairway to the subbasement where Vince kept all the alcohol. It's wire racks held all the condiments and bags of beer nuts one could ever hope for (and most importantly to Jane at the current moment) had a door that could close behind them to drown out the chaos of upstairs.
"You said you're grieving?" Jane asked as she rubbed her right earlobe with one hand and closed the storage room door behind her with the other.
Maura smiled softly at her. She had given up on her suit jacket long ago and had pulled her hair up into a quick pony tail so it stayed out of her way while she helped her mother get beers and correct a few bad attitudes when it came time for it. Her skin held a thin layer of perspiration and her brow ever wrinkled, was set with a determination Maura had only really seen come out when the other woman played team sports. She was doing all of this without complaint, and with less than two hours of sleep from the night before.
She didn't know if she wanted to kiss her or chide the behavior.
"I said I am leaving, Jane." Maura repeated.
"Oh." Jane nodded quickly. "Okay, how are you getting home?"
"I am driving, of course."
Jane crossed her arms and leaned against a wire rack stocked with jars of pickles. "Not with that glass of wine you just had."
"I had one glass, one hour ago." Maura pointed out.
"You also have one kidney."
Maura's brow wrinkled. "Jane the liver is responsible for metabolizing alcohol, not the kidney."
Jane deflated. "Well when's the last time you got your liver looked at?"
Maura mirrored her stance by crossing her arms as well but smiled. "Jane."
Jane let her features turn lopsided as she smiled back. "Don't go." She echoed and Maura's smile grew wider. She pushed herself off the pickle shelf and closed the distance between them while keeping her arms crossed. "You came in and you sat with your friends." She complained cutely. "I tried to buy you a drink but you already had one." Maura chuckled. "Tried to tell you about my day but all you did was talk about rocks or whatever. Then it got busy and you wouldn't help…"
Maura pointed to herself with her left while her right found jane's elbow. "I asked you a total of six times if I could assist. Do you not recall?" Jane and her mother kept on pushing her from behind the bar and telling her to enjoy herself.
The detective chuckled. "No, I don't remember that."
Maura let up a breathy laugh as she held onto her. Their eyes met and danced for the other. "I am sorry we did not get to sit beside each other tonight; it was my only wish." She eased jokingly but shared a soft expression to let the other woman know it wasn't all as incredibly false as it sounded.
Jane nodded and Maura rubbed her arm in response. "You want an escort home, Maur?" It seemed the entire police department was here tonight.
Maura shook her head. "No, thank you."
"Alright." She uncrossed her arms finally and extended them a little before wrapping them around the ME. They soon fell into an old yet extremely familiar and comforting embrace. One so lovely neither woman wanted to let go. So they stood there, taxed beyond their joint weight from the day and the night before leaning into one another for ground. Jane finally pulled away some and pressed a kiss on her hairline. "Let me know when you get in safe."
Maura looked up at her, a strong pull of emotion she could now identify as oxytocin coursed through her and made her cheeks warm. "I will." They stared at each other a little moment longer before both leaning in and pressing a soft yet longing kiss together. They separated and Maura let her thumb indent lightly into Jane's left dimple before brushing her lip that still sported a thin cut from New York. "How is it?" She asked.
Jane ran her tongue inside her mouth along the effected area. "S'okay."
"Discomfort?"
"No."
"When is your appointment?"
"When I get back from Virginia." Jane watched her process the information. There was an occurrence, something small that Maura seemed to push away in exchange for the present moment. Jane wondered if it had anything to do with her tooth, for some reason she did not think so. "You okay?"
The blonde nodded and offered a little smile as proof. "Fatigued."
"Me too." Jane admitted. It was only the high of getting the job done that put her along now. "Go." She pushed softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Will you be driving Angela home or will Vince?" Something quickly appeared unavoidable in Jane's features. A realization of sorts. "What is it?"
Jane let out a little breath of disbelief. She had completely forgotten to talk to Maura about Korsak questioning her about them. The bar had just filled up so quickly and once Maura arrived there was hardly a second for a hello let alone news like this. "I um… I think we pre-published."
She raised both brows quickly. "I beg your pardon?"
Jane let go of her to run a hand to her ponytail. "Korsak, he knows."
"Knows what?"
"Really, Maura?" She huffed and the ME shook her head. Jane made a few hand gestures between them that only confused the genius more. "About y'know… our feelings and—"
"—He is aware that we have expressed to each other that we love one another?"
"No, I mean I don't know, maybe?"
"What could have drawn him to such a conclusion?"
Jane shrugged. "When we were in the elevator, or from before? Who knows? He's known me for so long though, he said he knew when I was happy, and that I seemed happy and so did you." Maura seemed to be processing the information slower than her normal speed. "He told me not to let you get away." She added feeling a little unsure of the ME's expression.
Maura looked off for a moment as she thought before looking back at Jane. "Do you intend to?"
"Well… No." The question took her completely off guard. "No, Maura…" She let up a little smile. "Can't even function when you're in the same room and not talking to me." She admitted as tonight so surely proved. They had caught each other's eye several times and the detective had to stop herself from being pulled toward her when it happened. "I think maybe he noticed that from all the other times?" Before she noticed.
Maura's smile returned. "Are you okay with him knowing?" She didn't know why but she was trying to tame her excitement. She had had a talk with Vince a year or so ago about something arbitrary, a birthday gift idea for Jane she recalled, and even then he seemed sage to the possibility of some underlying feelings existing between them. He didn't say anything, or make any assumptions, and it was hard to quantify such a thing, but she felt he was aware and it had always…comforted her in a way.
Jane thought about it for a short moment before nodding. "You're supposed to know these things about your partner." She knew the second Kiki was mentioned how Vince felt about her, even if he didn't.
"I am glad he knows."
"You are?"
Maura nodded. "I am curious what prompted him to say something now but I suppose we could simply ask him."
"Oh…Well we haven't really talked about it."
"Okay." Maura smiled a little at Jane's expression. "That is fine. You should if you like."
Jane smirked. "You're really calm about this."
"Is that not an appropriate response?"
Jane chuckled. "I guess I forgot to process it." another loud roar of laughter came muffled through the cement walls and Jane looked up. "Someone needs to take that microphone away from Tommy." She looked back at Maura. They shared a moment before Maura nodded at Jane's silent question. "Go, we can talk about it later." Maura leaned into her and they shared a small kiss. "Night." They kissed a second time, this time holding onto its tenderness for a beat longer. Jane left it slightly breathless. It amazed her how little effort it took to get her to a place where her heart leapt beats and her whole being became suddenly oversensitive to her.
"Stay tonight, if you'd like?" Maura finally got the courage to ask. She had begun to miss her before they even separated.
Jane nodded. "Okay."
For the remaining entirety of her night Maura wondered if that affirmed she'd think about it and appreciated the offer, or that she would in fact stay over. She got her answer though hours later when she woke to the warmth that was Jane's slender form wrapping around her from behind and burying her face tiredly into the nape of her neck. She smelt of the pine needle and thistle organic soap she left in the green bathroom for her, and her nose was cold while the rest of her ran several degrees warmer than expected. Maura reached a hand up and behind her to stroke her cheek once in greeting and Jane grunted softly in response.
##
Maura sipped on her coffee early the next morning as she stood in her robe watching Jane's figure sneaking back over to the main house from her kitchen window. It was still dark out; save for a glowing aura of pale purple on the horizon the night's shadows still cast a strong hold on everything outside. Jane was obvious amongst her garden though.
Maura's alarm had been set for a routine weekly sunrise yoga session which she unfortunately forgot to terminate. Jane hadn't said anything yet to her for the morning, but her silently helping with the bed told her that she was forgiven. She had slept deeply, so much so that the additional hour of rest wasn't missed. Judging by the way Jane promptly slid on her hoody and left the house to push the recycling bins to the curb and check that her mother got in okay last night lent to the idea that she had as well.
She woke up in her arms, and it wasn't the first time it had happened, but it was the first time that sensation of sleeping so peacefully close to another being all night had seemed completely common place to the ME, she wondered what the science said about that, spooning specifically. She had never cared for it before Jane, it always produced restlessness, or unwelcome perspiration.
As if on cue the back door opened and Jane appeared from the darkness of morning dusting her sneakers on the entrance mat there and taking off her baseball cap.
"Is she in?" Maura grabbed the mug of coffee she poured for Jane and then the one she had poured for herself and passed the other woman for the dining room table where she sat and waited for Jane to join her.
Jane took her sneakers off then pulled out a chair beside her at the head of the table where her mug was "Yeah, she's home." She answered roughly. Her voice hadn't quite caught up to her yet and it took a few clearings of her throat and a sip of coffee to get it just right. "Korsak made us all leave a few hours after you left, Ma wanted to stay back and help him close." She explained.
Maura brought her mug to her lips with both hands. "Did she mention your father at all?"
Jane shook her head. "Barely got a chance to but she told me he's gonna try and find a way to start treatment." She looked down at her coffee.
"That is positive news." She was carful to keep her tone neutral though.
Jane shrugged and took another sip from her mug. "Yeah, guess so."
"Hm."
"Short of robbing a bank I don't know how he is gonna get the money."
"At least he has made a decision."
Jane nodded at that. They fell into a comfortable silence as they drank their coffee. Jane was halfway through her mug when she spoke again. "Am I picking Tash up?" Maura shook her head no. "Is one of her boyfriend's picking her up?"
The blonde smiled. "I believe Clara is, Jane."
"Is Clara code for something?" She asked seriously and Maura couldn't help but smile.
"She believes you will overreact, don't."
Jane sighed, a softness reaching her face finally for the morning. "Yeah, alright." Damn kid was ageing her and she wasn't even in the same state.
"We have more pressing matters to discuss with her anyway. I would hate for the conversation of her future to be overcast by a conversation as trivial as sex." Jane blinked as if she had said something surprising, Maura exhaled softly when she realized what.
Jane pressed her lips together in thought before moving her mug between her hands. "It's a big deal to me, Maura." She looked at her finally.
Maura felt almost frozen under her gaze. "I had not meant to imply it wasn't important..." They stared at each other for a measureless moment. "Or a big deal to me either." She decided to use her own words as she found her eyes.
Jane nodded. "Cause the other night…" She waited. "We weren't gonna stop were we?"
Maura felt her mouth dry, Jane's eyes were dilated dark, menacingly honest. She had her by the chest with just one glance. "…No." She breathed.
"…No." She echoed.
"Nothing mattered." Maura tried to explain. "But you." Jane blinked slowly. "Your hands, your mouth." She paused and observed the physiological response her words impressed upon the other woman. "These feelings—"
"—These feelings…" Jane shook her head and let the words hang on her lips as they looked at each other. God just the memory of her body pressed into her… the taste of her skin…. It was all Jane needed this morning to get there. "They've been knocking me sideways, Maur." She husked.
Maura swallowed. If Jane felt sideways, she was inside out. "Nothing would please me more than to please you, Jane." She felt her pulse quicken at the mere thought. From the looks of it Jane would have her on the dining room table if she reached for her coffee too quickly. It thrilled her like no thought ever had, and yet… She needed Jane to know her love came from the truest most honest part of her being. "There is no amount of time I won't wait though." She stood slowly and traveled the space between them to stand in front of her. Jane offered her space between her legs and Maura took a step into her personal space. Jane's eyes fluttered closed as the pathologist leaned down and placed a long kiss on her cheek and then a smaller one on the side of her mouth before leaving to get ready for the day. Jane turned and watched her go longingly as her chest grew tight with emotion. She opened her mouth to call after her but found she couldn't.
##
"You were fine yesterday." Nina sighed softly while looking down at her fiancé lying in bed with all their blankets wrapped around him. "Are you sure it's not a man cold?"
Frankie looked up at her with puffy water eyes and flush cheeks. "A wha?" He sniffled a little. "I'm dying, Nins, this can't be a normal cold, maybe some super cold, maybe the Flu or somethin'."
Nina nodded slowly. "Uh huh, did you update your life insurance to name me as the sole beneficiary yet?" She quirked a brow and smiled lovingly when Frankie gave her an irritated look. "I left soup for you in the fridge, just warm it up and squeeze the lemon wedges into it when you're ready." She leaned down and pressed a kiss onto his sweaty face. "I love you, feel better." She whispered.
Frankie looked up at her with big sad brown eyes. "You'll check on me?"
She tried not to roll her own. "Of course."
He rolled over some in bed and made a pathetic attempt at sitting up. "We got that appointment today, the cake one again." He scratched at his thick stubble. He hadn't shaven in twelve hours and already had a small beard going. "With the planner. I can try and meet you—"
Nina chuckled and wagged her finger at him. "Oh no, you're too sick to go to work but not too sick to go to a cake tasting? We already know which one we want, this is just for the cupcakes and to see the venue. I can handle it." Frankie looked distraught.
"This is no way to begin a partnership." He mumbled before wiping his nose.
"I'll send you pictures."
"You're gonna pick something fruity." His eyes began to water even more and Nina sighed loudly and sat beside him on the bed again and cradled his face in her hands. "You are."
"Baby, I won't I promise." She leaned in and peppered his face with loud kisses. Frankie chuckled and pushed her away. "Alright?"
He threw himself back onto the bed and took a dramatic attempt at breath as he looked helplessly up at the ceiling. "Alright. Go. Leave me."
Nina got up quickly. "Oh thank God." She laughed a little as one of their pillows flew across the room and hit her on the ass as she left.
##
"Hey." Jane smiled in greeting as she put her Boston Joe's coffee cup down on her desk. Korsak was coming out of the break room in a grey suit with his computer glasses on and holding a coffee mug of his own.
"Mornin'." He tipped his mug at her as if it were a hat.
Jane pulled her rolling chair out at her desk and took off her blazer. "What'd you sleep here after closing the bar? What are you doing here so early?"
"I couldn't get this thought out of my head on our possible homicide from yesterday, thought I'd walk the dogs and then come right back." He explained as he took a seat behind his desk and turned on the computer monitor. "Take a look at this."
Jane snorted before tossing her blazer onto her rolling chair. "Kiki know you're roaming the streets at all hours of the night?" She came to stand beside him behind his desk to look at his monitor.
"Kiki is in California visiting her sister." He pulled up his email and opened the security footage from the Ace Liquor Store, their latest crime scene.
"So let me guess, you've been eating powdered droughts and going to bed late?" Korsak chuckled in agreement that that was exactly what he had been doing. "So the footage came in? When?"
"Early this morning." He hit play and the two of them watched an armed robbery. The image was a tad grainy, a rarity these days with the development of Wi-Fi security systems. The screen projected was angled down toward the main register, behind the counter their victim. Henrik Balken, a man who was tall, but that was about it. He aged rather poorly into his thirties and from what they found on his person was an avid fan of nicotine. All contributing factors in someone ready to pass out of a heart attack, still when they arrived on the scene the money remained in the register and not a thing was damaged.
"Okay so here are our guys." Korsak motioned a finger toward the screen.
Jane leaned forward as she watched. "They come in… Give me all the money you got..no don't shoot." She sighed. "Has all the makings of a Tarantino movie." She said sarcastically.
Korsak chuckled. They had seen the exchange so many times before there was a certain predictability to it all. Except toward the end of the stick up the two men in masks get spooked and run off, Henrik is seen in the corner of the footage clutching his chest as he reaches for the phone. Then moments later passing out where they had found him half an hour later.
Jane stood upright and rubbed her chin. "We have that call number yet from dispatch?"
Korsak looked up at her. "No what are you thinking?"
"Just curious." She leaned forward and hit play one more time. "You look at how they enter the shop Korsak?"
"Military formation." He took his glasses off and squinted at the screen. "So their military."
"Or at least had military training." Jane points to Henrik at the time the robbers enters. He seemed surprised, but not as shocked as she would expect. "That look like the face of someone who's getting robbed at gun point?"
"Could be delayed reaction, this part of town has seen its fair share of stick ups." He looked up at her.
"Maybe."
"Doctor Isles in?"
Jane looked down at him. "Um… I dunno… why?"
Korsak raised a brow. "Because she is doing the autopsy." He smiled.
"Right…." She shrugged. "Maybe?" Jane crossed her arms finally. "I don't know."
"Which part?" He teased.
Jane gave him a look. "Don't make me talk about this."
"I won't…" They stared at each other, Jane trying to manage a scowl and Vince trying to manage his smile. "Unless you want to." He hadn't seen Jane Rizzoli this easily agitated in some time, or this happy to be honest. It had to be love. "Congratulations. Can't think of a better team."
Jane let a little smile slip. "Thanks… " She shifted from foot to foot. "No one else knows so…" He put his hand sup. "Yeah, exactly."
"In our line of work we sometimes don't get the chance to learn that life is too short." He glanced over to Frost's desk. "Don't wait too long."
Jane exhaled and smiled at him fully now. Vince had that uncanny ability to say so much with so little. "You know." She touched the back of his chair. "Not everyone is a Vince Korsak."
Vince nodded slowly in understanding. "Some are better."
Jane grinned softly. "Doubt it." Just then Nina came into the office holding her laptop bag over her shoulder and a green tea "Hey Holiday."
"Morning guys."
Korsak stood. "I got a notification from dispatch, is Frankie alright?"
Jane snapped from her medical examiner induced thoughts to present day. "What happened to Frankie?" She pulled out her cell phone to see if she received a missed call or message.
Nina chuckled. "He's got a man cold."
"Oh." "What's that?"
Jane looked over at her partner. "It when a guy gets a cold and acts like it's the end of the world." Korsak nodded slowly and silently tried to recall the last time he was sick. Jane looked over at Nina. "Yeah he never gets sick, but when he does be prepared."
"You couldn't have told me this before I said yes, Rizzoli?"
Jane smirked and crossed her arms. "Couldn't tell if I liked you or not honestly."
"Ouch." Nina chuckled. "Anyway, he should be in tomorrow or this afternoon if he doesn't die of boredom." She put her bags down and looked around at the empty office space. Usually by the time she got in the entire place was overrun with bad suits and hair gel. "No Feds?"
Jane nodded as she moved back to her own desk. "Some big hot shot meeting us lowly detectives weren't invited to."
"Holiday since we're one man down today you wouldn't mind coming into the field with Jane and I to do some questioning would you?" Korsak asked.
Nina took a second to think about it and then nodded. "Sure."
Jane was in the middle of sending her brother a bunch of vomiting smiley emojis when she got a text message from Maura. "Nerd" She murmured to herself while trying not to smile too hard. This morning Maura simply turned off her alarm without regard for reading Jane the bird fact of the morning, so she sent her a screenshot of the information, cited it, and the then told her that she wasn't allowed to download the app because she was sure it were the only reason she stayed over anyway.
George also lives there
Maura chuckled a little to herself as she read the Detective's simple response at her own desk several stories below the homicide offices. The intensity of their early morning coffee session had been on her mind all morning. So much so in fact that she had taken a cold shower this morning to… lower her core body temperature to defeat the perpetual state of arousal she found herself in when she got upstairs. Maura had never been anyone's first, and she knew for a fact that Jane had never slept with a woman before. It was clear to her that they both desired one another, but Maura wanted Jane to feel beautiful. She wanted her to feel safe. The intimacy she feared she could not access Jane went above and beyond to nourish, it made it possible, it made telling her that she loved her possible.
Now Maura wanted to show her.
"Dr. Isles?"
Maura blinked rapidly and cleared her throat as she put down her cell phone down and stood from behind her desk. The furrow of his brow told her it hadn't been the first time he had called out to her. "Agent Davies."
"Please, just Cam." Cameron smiled and motioned to her office. "May I come in?" Maura motioned to the room before lacing her fingers together at her front. "Lot's going on huh?" He motioned to her desk.
Maura glanced behind her. There hadn't been a stitch of paperwork on her desk, her laptop had been closed as well. "Yes." She lied and then felt a tickle at the back of her throat. She looked at his friendly smile, he was teasing her for being caught seemingly daydreaming and it made her incredibly uncomfortable.
Normally Maura was able to compartmentalize her life. It suited her, it made her work not only doable, but stimulating. She was able to deal with her trauma from being kidnapped this way, her biological parents' story, her own story. It even made understanding her friends and being supportive easier. It was a simple matter of temporal distancing to her. Until now that is, because as much as she tried to position Cameron Davies into the role of Supervisor Special Agent who professionally connected her to her current consulting role with the federal government, all she could see was a man whom Jane had slept with. She knew in detail how much she had enjoyed the encounter and knew in detail how much he had too. She knew substantially less about their current communications which certainly riled up a small sense of anxiety for her and knew even less about his intensions. She wasn't naïve though, she knew they wanted the same thing; to be closer to Jane, and even though rational and all evidence provided from the lean woman told her these feelings of anxiety or jealousy were not necessary, and even though she believed her, Maura still recognized a sudden inactivity in the parts of her brain that suppressed inappropriate or unwarranted aggression whenever she saw him.
Cameron's smile faltered when he realized Maura hadn't sat to join him. "Um, so we got out of our meeting early and I thought I'd swing by to see if that toxicology report came in yet?"
Maura shook her head. "We are waiting on the trace deposit I ordered to determine the findings. It will be an additional two hours."
Cameron nodded. "Oh." He tilted his head. "Do you have a preliminary hypothesis on the cause of death?"
Maura nodded once. "Asphyxia." She paused before taking a few steps. "I would need to confirm causation of course."
"Asphixia? So he was murdered."
Maura paused again and looked at him. "I did not say that."
Cameron sat up a little. "Okay." Maura's gaze was plain, occupied even. "…What other causation can there be?"
Maura rested her hand on the back of her armchair. "Asphyxia is defined as a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from abnormal breathing." She explained unemotionally. "Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia."
Davies nodded. "Right, I know that."
Maura tilted her head. "Oh?"
"We had to go through oxygen deprivation training at the farm." He smiled but it fell when Maura didn't comment on how interesting that must have been to experience as he thought she might.
"Did you know that In 2015 about nine point eight million cases of unintentional suffocation occurred which resulted in thirty five thousand six hundred and two deaths?"
"No… I didn't know that." He got the sudden feeling that he might leave now but could not make sense of it.
Maura walked back to her desk slowly. "Causation can fall under numerous categories that don't normally point to homicide, Agent Davies. Compressive, mechanical, perinatal, accidental smothering." She looked over at him after a moment of thought and then moved to sit back at her desk. Cameron stood. "Illnesses or injuries, like heart failure, a broken neck, or an allergic reaction that causes airways to swell and close can also cause physical asphyxia. I believe our diplomat may have experienced one of the following." She opened her laptop. "I will let you know as soon as the results come in." She looked up at him. "Via email."
Cameron blinked. "Thanks." He made a step toward the door but then paused. "Can't shake the feeling that I need to apologize for something." He chuckled in order to ease the tension in the room and switch tactics. Maura never really went of her way to interact with him, but she had always been friendly…
The ME looked up at from powering up her laptop genuinely not hearing him. "I beg your pardon?"
Cameron exhaled. Maybe it was just all in his head. He had gotten from others in the department that she kept to herself. Beloved by everyone though she earned the nickname Queen of the Dead, and so maybe that came with a little coldness too? She was Jane's best friend though, if things fell through with Mr. Top Cop he wanted her in his corner at least a little bit. "Never mind." He smiled. "Thanks for the update. I'll wait for the information before reaching out to Washington."
##
"I'm coming!" He kicked out of his blanket cocoon and over the mountain of used tissues surrounding his feet to get to the front door.
"How long does it take for you to open the front door?"
He heard Jane's gravely voice complain and he smiled before looking through the peephole to confirm. "No, Thanks, I don't want any."
"C'mon Frankie I'm on my lunch hour." She rolled her eyes but then chuckled when he opened the front door for her. Frankie's hair uncombed alone could house a new universe, but the thickness of his facial hair and the looseness of his clothing made him look like he was a whole different person. "You look like shit." She handed him the brown paper bag she had brought him from the market down the street.
Frankie hugged the bag to his chest while he stepped aside to let her in. "Yeah? I'm sick, what's your excuse?"
Jane smirked and looked around the apartment before turning back to him. "You really sick?"
Frankie exhaled tiredly. "Yeah."
"Nina says it's a man cold."
Frankie huffed. "Nina once gave herself stitches." Jane raised a brow. "Long story."
"That's badass."
Frankie snorted and motioned to the bag in his arms. "What's in the bag?"
Jane looked around to find somewhere to sit. Frankie saw this and moved over to couch and brushed off his tissues to offer her a seat. "We always bring each other something when we're not feeling well right?" They plopped down on the couch at the same time in the exact same way. "This is for when you feel better. Orange juice and ginger ale."
Frankie stifled a cough as he unrolled the top of the thick paper bag and pulled out a pack of chewy ginger snap cookies and a large format bottle of their favorite local brewery's unfiltered orange juice shandy. He chuckled thickly. "This is great Janie, thanks."
Jane nodded as she watched him read the back of the beer bottle before resting it on the coffee table next to his cough medicine. "What time you get in last night?"
"Late." He sniffled. "I think that's what did me in."
"You coming to work tomorrow?" He nodded. "It's slow, you know you don't have to."
"I keep watching the news." He motioned to the baseball game on tv. "Chasin' it with game highlights." He shook his head. "We're not exactly the stay at home type."
Jane chuckled but nodded in agreement. "Ma call?"
Frankie rolled his eyes. "About forty times."
Jane smiled. "I should be jealous but I'm kinda loving it."
Frankie chuckled. "Anything to not focus on what's going on right?"
"She mention Pop?"
"Yeah, said I don't need to take them to that appointment."
"She told me at the bar that he was gonna try and get treatment."
Frankie tucked a couch pillow under his arm and winced as if he were going to sneeze, but it passed. "He'd need to rob a bank to afford it."
Jane snorted. "That's exactly what I told Maura."
"How's she doin' about the whole thing?"
Jane shook her head and then shrugged. "She's Maura."
Frankie nodded in understanding. "Her parents aren't exactly normal but, at least she doesn't have to go through all of this."
Jane sighed. "Yeah, they just ignored her for I don't know, twenty years?" They glanced at each other.
"Twenty years?"
Jane shook her head. "Maura grew up alone, we didn't." She didn't really feel comfortable comparing their situations even if she knew he only meant for it to be supportive. Connie wasn't too bad these days, Jane actually liked her more than she liked Hope but still. "People suck sometimes." She decided was the best way to describe her current train of thought. Lucky for her Frankie seemed to understand.
"Yeah they do." He sighed and they watched a highlight reel from a baseball game last season lost in their own thoughts. "Hey." Frankie remembered something suddenly. "Meant to ask you, you need a ride to the airport this weekend."
Jane reached for the remote control to the flat screen television in front of them. "Nah, Maura said she'd take me."
Frankie nodded. "Your flight's pretty early, I don't mind y'know."
Jane glanced at him. "It's cool."
He sniffled. "Alright." He remembered something else then. "Gary from last night." Jane looked at him.
"Narcotics Gary?"
"Nah, Boston Fire, Gary."
Jane nodded slowly when she remembered. "Yeah. Gary with the muscles. What about him? Was he there last night?"
"Yeah, he was asking about Maura."
Jane furrowed a brow. "Asking what about Maura?"
Frankie shrugged. "Just normal stuff. If she was dating that kind of stuff."
Was that normal stuff? "What'd you say?"
Frankie chuckled a little at her expression. "I said I didn't know, cause I don't know. Is she? He's an okay guy right?" He paused to cough. "We can put him through the ringer… What?" Jane's expression twitched.
"He's Boston Fire."
"Yeah?"
"We're Boston PD."
Frankie rolled his eyes. "They're not all bad guys over there, Janie."
"Since when did you start to play matchmaker?"
"She's my friend!"
"Yeah but she's my best friend." Jane pointed the remote control at him. "No to Boston Fire Gary with the muscles."
"You don't even know if they'd get along."
Jane went back to focusing on the television as she flipped through the channels. "They won't."
"Alright alright." He shook his head and was about to say something when the flash of something familiar on the tv caught his eye. "Go back, Janie, go back." Jane went back a channel to the children's cartoon network. "This is that show TJ made me watch three seasons of." Jane watched amusedly as Frankie hummed along to the theme song. It would ordinarily be hilarious but coupled with his congestion was downright adorable. "It's pretty good." He defended when he caught her looking at him oddly.
Jane chuckled. She'd forgive him for trying to set up Maura this time around, but if this was going to continue she was going to need to figure out how to deal with this sudden pinching sensation in her gut.
##
Maura looked up from her work and then back down without so much as a facial expression change late that evening when Jane entered the lab holding a manilla folder. The detective froze when she caught this and crossed her arms before continuing to walk into the quiet room. She stopped a few feet away from the other woman but when the ME merely continued her task Jane raised a brow and moved to stand directly over her workstation. "Maura." She whispered. The ME looked up at her. "What's wrong?" She whispered when she caught her eyes. The blonde sighed loudly and Jane raised a brow sharply. "Okay, so should I call your lawyer?" She asked in her normal tone of voice and to her relief it actually brought a tiny smile to the blonde's face.
Maura motioned to what she was doing. On her lab bench sat the cadaver of a small hamster. "There was a narcotics ring broken up today." She explained as she motioned to her tiny autopsy tools.
"Yeah I heard about that." Jane looked between the ME and the dead animal.
"I am removing Benzoylmethylecgonine pellets out of his intestine for evidence." She explained.
"Something's telling me that's not kid tested and mother approved."
"It's cocaine, Jane."
"Jesus." Jane grimaced and looked between the ME and the tiny autopsy taking place on her lab table. Her grimace turned frown. The doctor had a soft spot for animals. She was the woman that could literally pull the face off a dead human being thirty minutes before brunch and be completely fine, but had a hard time leaving her tortoise at home when he wasn't eating normally and she was all but inconsolable the first week he was at the zoo. "These guys in holding?" Maura looked up at her. "You want me to knock 'em around a little?"
Maura smiled softly at her. "No, thank you." Her report would be detailed, it would help put them behind bars and that was enough for now.
Jane nodded. "Yeah." She watched Maura go back to her work and sighed. She had come down to ask for some off the clock help with her current possible homicide from the liquor store robbery but Maura was already working late to fulfill the narcotics case and she looked like she could really use a break. "How many of these little guys are there?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"He is the last." She explained as she used a tiny swab to collect more samples. "There were twelve in total."
Jane nodded. "Alright." She turned to leave.
Maura shook her head. "Did you need something, Jane?" She motioned her chin to the folder in Jane's hands.
"Yeah." She responded easily. "Just gonna grab my jacket and then we can go when you're done."
Maura narrowed her eyes at her in confusion. "Go?"
"Frozen yogurt." Jane nodded. Maura looked like she was going to protest. "No way see you can't say no cause I already asked you in my mind and you said yes and now I'm excited, so I'll be right back." She was out the door before Maura could actually protest and before both of them knew it they were sitting on a bench outside of Darleen's Delights looking out onto the less than impressive view of the mini shopping center's parking lot. It was around eight thirty at night and to the average passer byer the two looked absolutely mental sitting close together in forty-degree weather eating frozen yogurts, but Jane and Maura loved this place so much it didn't matter.
"Here we go again. " Jane rolled her eyes as she dug into her mocha yogurt happily. "You're like a broken record with this. " She chuckled and then swatted away the ME's hand. "Does consent mean nothing to you?"
"You really won't share with me?" Maura asked holding her spoon out still waiting to be offered Jane's cup. "Seriously?" She was trying hard not to laugh now. "Jane."
"No means no Maura." Jane moved slightly away from her to protect the purity of her mocha frozen yogurt. "If I wanted coffee toothpaste, I would have ordered coffee toothpaste."
Maura began to pout. "This is hurting my feelings."
She shrugged. "So, get tougher feelings." Jane looked over her shoulder at the closed shop. They had been the last customers. "Or go find a new spoon."
"I have licked this one clean." Maura tried as she presented her spoon into Jane's field of vision.
"So it's got your cooties all over it now too?" Jane raised her point seriously as she hastily exposed her frozen yogurt to sneak another spoon into her mouth. "Have you no sense of cross contamination?"
"That hardly seemed to be your concern the other night."
"This is different." Jane tried not to grin at her jab.
"You said you would share."
"I lied." Jane looked at her surprise. "We would have been in there another two hours with you trying to decide and that poor kid behind the counter looked like he had homework to do or something." Maura tired to sneak her spoon into Jane's cup. "Maura." She warned. She tried it again. "Maura!"
"What will it hurt?"
Jane dodged another attempt. "It will literally change the genetic make up of my frozen yogurt."
"This is how you treat me? After everything?" She was changing tactics now.
Jane raised a brow. "What everything?"
"Everything," Maura nodded seriously all amusement falling from her features.
Jane gave her look. "Everything everything?"
"Yes."
Jane exhaled loudly and shook her head as she finally offered the other woman her cup. "Way to be dramatic." She smiled though as Maura happily scooped up a modest spoonful of mocha frozen yogurt leaving a light green scrape mark in the peaks of pale brown. The detective shook her head again. "The things I do for you."
Maura enjoyed the introduction of chocolate to her testbeds triumphantly before silently returning to her own mint cup and leaning gently into Jane's side. She chuckled warmly to herself when Jane's spoon came out of nowhere and did the same to hers. "You are insufferable."
"Now we're even." She sat back in her seat and enjoyed the taste of chocolate and coffee as she watched the parking center begin to empty for the night. At some point Maura slipped her hand between her arm and leaned into her a little more. Jane looked around before kissing the side of her head before returning to her treat. "Sorry today was hard." She said moments later between bites.
Maura sighed contently at her side. "Thank you."
##
She was almost to the front door. Almost.
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli."
Jane swung around and grinned. "Hey Ma."
Angela was clad in her puffy pink robe with her curlers in her hair and a big smile on her face. "What are you doing here?" It was close to ten at night and not normally one of the nights that Jane came over.
Making out with my best friend upstairs because we didn't want to do it in the car. "Uhhh…" Jane slid her hands into her pockets. "Borrowing…. Something." She nodded surely. "Getting something." She motioned upstairs. "From Maura, we went to get frozen yogurt and I forgot something the last time I stayed over so I thought I'd swing by and grab it on my way home."
Angela nodded. "Oh, what did you forget?"
Jane opened her mouth and then closed it before motioning to the jacket she was wearing. "My jacket."
"Your jacket?" Angela furrowed a brow. She motioned to the second floor. "Don't you keep some clothes here?" Why would she need to come over for a jacket?
Jane nodded slowly. "Yes I do, but this is my favorite jacket, Ma and I didn't want to y'know, go a day without it." They stared at each other for a few beats.
"…Alright." Angela put her hands on her hips. "What are you really doing here?" Jane feigned offense; Angela wasn't fazed. "Is Maura even here?"
"Ma I am not breaking and entering into my best friend's house!" The more upset she seemed the more likely it was she'd get away with this she reminded herself before making a dramatic show of rolling her eyes.
Angela put her hands up. "Okay, okay."
"I have to pack for this orientation remember?" She sure hoped she did. "I wanted to bring this."
Angela rubbed her chin as she tried to decide if she believed her or not. There logically couldn't be another explanation though, and Jane did wear that jacket quiet often. "Honey don't you have other jackets to bring? Maybe nicer ones?"
Jane looked down to her worn leather jacket. "What's wrong with this one?" She asked seriously.
"Well." Her mother began. "It just… it sends the wrong message Sweetheart that's all."
Jane was now actually offended. "What message is that Ma?"
Angela was interrupted by the sound of Maura humming as she came down the stairs for her nightly cup of tea. She was stopped mid staircase though when she noticed Angela and Jane in the foyer. "Oh." She looked between them. "You're still here."
Jane nodded slowly. "Yes, after finding my jacket."
"What jacket?" Maura asked innocently as she continued down.
Jane could kill her. "The jacket I'm wearing Maura." She gritted between her teeth.
Maura shook her head but then finally nodded quickly. "Oh, yes…I am… Glad you found it, Jane."
"Maura, Honey don't you have a nice blazer Jane can borrow for her trip?" Angela went on completely missing the daggers Jane was shooting her best friend with.
"I may have something." Maura joined them at the first floor finally. As she passed Jane she tugged gently at the material of her jacket. "You are not planning on bringing this are you?" She asked seriously.
Jane exhaled loudly. This wasn't real, it just couldn't be. "I like my jacket."
Angela nodded. "I know honey, it's just you need to make a good impression. If that Agent—"
"Ma if you say Agent Davies I'm going to loos e it." She warned.
Angela threw her hands up. "You can't blame a mother for wanting to help her daughter look her best."
"Is that the one with the hole in it?" Maura added as she went into the kitchen.
Jane was shaking her head and pinching her brow. "I'm leaving now." She decided.
"Wait honey." Angela stopped her. "Come and have tea with us. I wanted to talk to you anyway about all this federal government business."
Jane let herself be dragged along into the kitchen. "It's just a job I'm doing, Ma."
"Yes but think about all the opportunities it can open up for you, sweetheart." She sat her at the island. "With all this nonsense going on with your father I've been doing a lot of thinking."
"'Bout what Ma?" Jane asked. Her mother had been avoiding her in her own little way since her father showed up the way he did. She knew something had been on her mind but didn't expect to hear about it so soon.
"I want you to be happy, Jane." Angela nodded seriously.
Jane glanced at Maura out of the corner of her eye. "I know, Ma."
"I know that after you lost the baby—"
Jane sighed. "Ma me being happy now has nothing to do with the baby or Casey."
"It has everything to do with them. You were so excited to start a new life, I just want you to allow yourself to take the chance on it again. You never know what could happen if you do, Virginia could be nice." Angela smiled softly.
Jane knew she meant well, better than well, but she just couldn't have this conversation with her right now. Not with Maura standing in the room like she didn't exist, like she didn't factor into the equation. Jane stood and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Okay, Ma."
Angela crossed her arms. "You're blowing me off."
Jane chuckled. "I'm tired, let's talk later."
Angela sighed and nodded. "Yeah yeah yeah." She smiled. "Get home safe."
Jane nodded and then looked over at Maura. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Maura nodded. "Goodnight, Jane."
Angela watched her daughter wait for something else from the ME but when it wasn't received she slouched her shoulders some and left with her tail between her legs. She hoped they weren't fighting again.
"Out of all three of them Jane has always been the one I worry most about." She shook her head and came into the kitchen with Maura. "Not because I have to mind you. God knows Tommy gave me a run for my money." Maura smiled.
"Why Jane?" She asked curiously.
"She's my only girl." Angela smiled. "You always wonder about your girls, if they'll manage all that life has to offer and being a woman." She shook her head.
Maura thought about it for a long moment before looking over at her as she made her cup of tea. "I can take care of her."
Angela smiled warmly. "Everyone knows that Maura." She said it so easily so full of joy, Maura couldn't help but smile a little. "I don't know what I would do without my best friend, but who is going to love her? Keep her safe? She needs a companion." She went on not even noticing how her truth impaled the other woman. "I know she doesn't like talking to me about it but seeing her father go through this alone, after being his person for so many years makes me want to just shake her, remind her how beautiful she is, kiss her." Angela chuckled. "Jane always just squirmed away." She shook her head and began steeping her tea bag into a mug of hot water. "This could be good for her, Maura." She sighed and glanced at the other woman. "Don't you think so?"