The Laws of Attraction ʚଓ

"Are there any rules against someone from the M.E's office dating someone from, say, the police department?"
"There are no rules against going out with police officers. Why do you ask?"
"I was just curious."

Maura had been flustered all afternoon. Kent's non-verbal declaration had ruined her entire day until she had figured out the true reasoning behind his kiss. What she couldn't figure out, however, was why she had felt absolutely nothing. No attraction, no quickening of her heartbeat. It had been a long time since she had dated. She was too busy making sure Jane and the baby were looked after, which had included many late-night trips to the local drugstore to satisfy the latest craving and lunch breaks filled with appointments. But her lack of action in the relationship department didn't account for her apparent lack of interest when it came to romance, or the pang of jealousy she had felt when Kent had enquired about the Medical Examiner's Office policies regarding dating colleagues within the police department. Kent had averted his gaze upon his last comment before excusing himself, and Maura knew he had been hiding something. What had he been trying to imply?

When Jane finally arrived at her apartment after work, keys in hand, she found Maura sitting at the kitchen counter deep in thought, her glass of wine untouched in front of her. "Maur?" She asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Startled, Maura jumped slightly. "Oh, sorry Jane. I didn't hear you come in."

Frowning, Jane lowered herself down onto the barstool beside her.

Taking a deep breath, Maura steeled herself for the conversation she knew she needed to have with Jane. "There's something I should have told you a long time ago, Jane," she admitted, forcing herself to meet her friend's worried gaze.

"Is something wrong?" Jane asked quietly, reaching out to place a hand on her arm.

Maura tried not to think about the way Jane's hand brushed against her skin. Clearing her throat, she sat up straighter and turned her full attention to Jane. "When I was at boarding school, I had a girlfriend. We dated for about two years," she said matter-of-factly, watching Jane's expression carefully.

Jane's eyes widened at the information, and her hand stilled. "You're into girls?"

Maura nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I've kept it private to avoid discrimination in the workplace, and…" She faltered. "I didn't know how to tell you."

When Jane didn't respond, Maura bit her lip and tried to will away the tears that sprang into her eyes. She started to pull away her hands to stand up, but Jane was suddenly pulling her into a hug.

"It's okay, it's okay." She heard Jane whispering, and she realised tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Clearing her throat, she untangled herself from Jane's arms and firmly wiped away her tears, steadying her voice. "I can understand if this changes things. I'll just go."

"Maura…"

As she opened the door to Jane's apartment, she nearly walked straight into a man in army fatigues standing outside, a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Casey?"