(no subject)
Title: Family Dinner
Author: ellienoname
Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not for profit, I don't own the characters or the show, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Summary: Based on a prompt for the End of Year Exchange
Author's Note: I apologize for the late post for the Exchange, in my defense I have only the crappy internet connections that come with staying with family during the holidays. Please leave feedback, it encourages me to write more, constructive criticism helps me to write better!
Prompt: Jane's mother keeps pressuring her to get a boyfriend, so Jane tells her that she and Maura are dating. This is news to Maura.
“Maura! Please tell me you’re free this Sunday?” Jane called out as she burst through the Morgue doors, expecting to find Maura at her computer and shopping for shoes again.
“I thought you said no more double dates...” Maura frowned, though it was quickly replaced with a smile, “but if you’ve changed you mind I know some--”
“Didn’t change my mind,” the detective cut her off. “I just came to invite you to family dinner. Ma wants you there.”
“That sounds great, Jane! What can I bring?”
“No, no, my mother wouldn’t let you do that. You like gnocchi, right?” Jane asked.
“Love it. Never had home-made before, I’m already looking forward to it! Is there anything I should know?” the ME asked.
A brief from flashing across her face, Jane pulled her phone from her pocket, “I’m suppose to have the whole weekend off, so I’ll give you details tomorrow,” the detective said, already halfway through the door.
“Right. Tomorrow,” Maura agreed, speaking to the swinging door.
* * *
“So why the family dinner? Last time I checked I wasn’t actually family,” Maura wondered aloud as she and Jane stretched in preparation for a run.
“You think Ma needs an excuse?” She’s been known to use family dinner as an excuse to try and set me up before!” Jane replied, a bit defensive with an uncomfortable look on her face.
“Jane,” Maura sighed, “you know that I can read your facial muscles. What aren’t you telling me?”
At this Jane closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face and hair.
Frowning, the ME reached over to put a hand on Jane’s shoulder, waiting for the detective to calm herself.
“Promise you won’t, like, freak on me?” Jane asked, one hand now on her hip, the other on her face.
“Have I ever ‘freaked’ on you before?”
“Just promise!”
“I promise not to freak on you,” Maura repeated back.
“I may have gotten fed up with my mother trying to set me up and bug me about men and told her that we’re dating and that’s why she wants you to come to family dinner,” the detective said, shoving the words out of her mouth as quickly as she could manage.
“Okay,” Maura nodded, still watching Jane’s face jump from expression to expression. “Why?”
“You were the first person that came to mind,” Jane blurted without thinking. As she realized what she’d just said, the detective felt a blush rise. Though it was obvious only from her chest to her face, Jane could feel it start much lower. “The other day Frankie was giving me a hard time and tried to screw with my by asking why we hadn’t hopped into bed together yet,” she tried to explain.
Maura frowned, “We have. Well, we may not have ‘hopped’, but we have been in bed together. Multiple times.”
Trying very hard not to roll her eyes, Jane sighed instead. “He meant fucking each other.”
“Jane! Language!” Maura snapped, her brows furrowing to match her frown. After a moment of thought, the ME shrugged, “It’s not really surprising that someone would come to that conclusion.”
“What?” Jane asked, stepping closer as she could’t believe she’d heard Maura correctly.
“We spend more time with each other than anyone else, even if you only count time outside of work. Neither of us has had a lasting romantic relationship with a man for some time now. While i was researching lesbians before we went undercover I found many references to romantic relationships between women that resemble our own... In fact, I was encouraged by many women at the bar to... ‘scoop you up before you moved on-’”
“Maura,” the detective said, waiting for the ME’s focus before continuing, “Are you trying to tell me that you’ve seriously thought about this?”
Looking away, Maura tried to think before she spoke, recognizing Jane’s tone as one that often came before one of the brunette’s outbursts. “Should I have brought it up with you? I didn’t believe that you had any interest in romantic, or even sexual, relationships with women...”
“I... I mean... Are you into chicks?” Jane asked, this conversation leaving her more flustered than she could’ve even imagined.
“Of course! According to Kinsey the typical person is some level of bisexual, few are strictly heterosexual, or homosexual for that matter. Personally I find women very alluring, but emotionally exhausting, assuming I can even understand--”
“Why am I just hearing about this now?” Jane demanded, her tone escalating just as Maura had expected.
“We only ever discussed men in that regard. I didn’t realize you were interested in women.
“I’m not interested in women...” Jane said, floundering as she tried to organize her thoughts.
“You seem to be interested in me though,” Maura said, not noticing Jane’s open mouth stare as her own puzzled look shifted to one of sudden understanding. “You initiate physical contact with me while avaoiding it at nearly all costs with others. I see the way you look at me, especially when I was serving you drinks. I’m actually surprised I didn’t piece all of this together before now...”
Feeling like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Jane realized her blush was still present, possibly an even brighter shade of red now. “Maura... I didn’t...”
“Jane, relax,” the shorter woman said, grabbing the detective’s hands and guiding her to a seat. “You need to take slow, deep breaths before you begin to hyperventilate.”
“But...” Jane said, trying to avoid eye contact, sure that she would see pity there. Even if Maura was into women Jane knew she didn’t have much to offer, especially to someone like Maura.
The detective’s line of thought was interrupted by soft hands tilting her face up. “Jane. I promise everything will be fine. Just, please, try to breathe more slowly.”
“Maur--”
“No! No talking until you relax your diaphragm and are breathing more evenly,” Maura directed. “I mean it,” she added, knowing Jane’s usual tendency to ignore any orders directed at her.
The look Jane gave her friend was nothing but pain, and Maura couldn’t help wincing in return. “Jane...” the ME sighed. “I’m really at a bit of a loss here. Why are you so upset? Do you think I won’t want to be around you anymore?”
Jane just closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, still trying to calm herself. “I’m not good at this,” she admitted, softly enough that Maura had to strain to hear the words.
“Oh, Jane...” Maura smiled at her, “I’ve known you long enough to have a good idea of what to expect from you.”
Catching Maura’s look, the detective began to relax. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you noticed. I’ve never really been subtle.”
“No, Jane, you haven’t been,” Maura chuckled. After a moment she grew more serious, though her smile remained wide. “I still want to be a part of gnocchi night, and if you want to ask me to something more romantic, say just the two of us, I won’t say no.”
“You know I plan to hold you to that, right?” Jane asked, rising to her feet with a large, childlike grin.
“And I plan to let you, after this run. Let’s go,” Maura grinned back.
Author: ellienoname
Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not for profit, I don't own the characters or the show, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Summary: Based on a prompt for the End of Year Exchange
Author's Note: I apologize for the late post for the Exchange, in my defense I have only the crappy internet connections that come with staying with family during the holidays. Please leave feedback, it encourages me to write more, constructive criticism helps me to write better!
Prompt: Jane's mother keeps pressuring her to get a boyfriend, so Jane tells her that she and Maura are dating. This is news to Maura.
“Maura! Please tell me you’re free this Sunday?” Jane called out as she burst through the Morgue doors, expecting to find Maura at her computer and shopping for shoes again.
“I thought you said no more double dates...” Maura frowned, though it was quickly replaced with a smile, “but if you’ve changed you mind I know some--”
“Didn’t change my mind,” the detective cut her off. “I just came to invite you to family dinner. Ma wants you there.”
“That sounds great, Jane! What can I bring?”
“No, no, my mother wouldn’t let you do that. You like gnocchi, right?” Jane asked.
“Love it. Never had home-made before, I’m already looking forward to it! Is there anything I should know?” the ME asked.
A brief from flashing across her face, Jane pulled her phone from her pocket, “I’m suppose to have the whole weekend off, so I’ll give you details tomorrow,” the detective said, already halfway through the door.
“Right. Tomorrow,” Maura agreed, speaking to the swinging door.
* * *
“So why the family dinner? Last time I checked I wasn’t actually family,” Maura wondered aloud as she and Jane stretched in preparation for a run.
“You think Ma needs an excuse?” She’s been known to use family dinner as an excuse to try and set me up before!” Jane replied, a bit defensive with an uncomfortable look on her face.
“Jane,” Maura sighed, “you know that I can read your facial muscles. What aren’t you telling me?”
At this Jane closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face and hair.
Frowning, the ME reached over to put a hand on Jane’s shoulder, waiting for the detective to calm herself.
“Promise you won’t, like, freak on me?” Jane asked, one hand now on her hip, the other on her face.
“Have I ever ‘freaked’ on you before?”
“Just promise!”
“I promise not to freak on you,” Maura repeated back.
“I may have gotten fed up with my mother trying to set me up and bug me about men and told her that we’re dating and that’s why she wants you to come to family dinner,” the detective said, shoving the words out of her mouth as quickly as she could manage.
“Okay,” Maura nodded, still watching Jane’s face jump from expression to expression. “Why?”
“You were the first person that came to mind,” Jane blurted without thinking. As she realized what she’d just said, the detective felt a blush rise. Though it was obvious only from her chest to her face, Jane could feel it start much lower. “The other day Frankie was giving me a hard time and tried to screw with my by asking why we hadn’t hopped into bed together yet,” she tried to explain.
Maura frowned, “We have. Well, we may not have ‘hopped’, but we have been in bed together. Multiple times.”
Trying very hard not to roll her eyes, Jane sighed instead. “He meant fucking each other.”
“Jane! Language!” Maura snapped, her brows furrowing to match her frown. After a moment of thought, the ME shrugged, “It’s not really surprising that someone would come to that conclusion.”
“What?” Jane asked, stepping closer as she could’t believe she’d heard Maura correctly.
“We spend more time with each other than anyone else, even if you only count time outside of work. Neither of us has had a lasting romantic relationship with a man for some time now. While i was researching lesbians before we went undercover I found many references to romantic relationships between women that resemble our own... In fact, I was encouraged by many women at the bar to... ‘scoop you up before you moved on-’”
“Maura,” the detective said, waiting for the ME’s focus before continuing, “Are you trying to tell me that you’ve seriously thought about this?”
Looking away, Maura tried to think before she spoke, recognizing Jane’s tone as one that often came before one of the brunette’s outbursts. “Should I have brought it up with you? I didn’t believe that you had any interest in romantic, or even sexual, relationships with women...”
“I... I mean... Are you into chicks?” Jane asked, this conversation leaving her more flustered than she could’ve even imagined.
“Of course! According to Kinsey the typical person is some level of bisexual, few are strictly heterosexual, or homosexual for that matter. Personally I find women very alluring, but emotionally exhausting, assuming I can even understand--”
“Why am I just hearing about this now?” Jane demanded, her tone escalating just as Maura had expected.
“We only ever discussed men in that regard. I didn’t realize you were interested in women.
“I’m not interested in women...” Jane said, floundering as she tried to organize her thoughts.
“You seem to be interested in me though,” Maura said, not noticing Jane’s open mouth stare as her own puzzled look shifted to one of sudden understanding. “You initiate physical contact with me while avaoiding it at nearly all costs with others. I see the way you look at me, especially when I was serving you drinks. I’m actually surprised I didn’t piece all of this together before now...”
Feeling like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Jane realized her blush was still present, possibly an even brighter shade of red now. “Maura... I didn’t...”
“Jane, relax,” the shorter woman said, grabbing the detective’s hands and guiding her to a seat. “You need to take slow, deep breaths before you begin to hyperventilate.”
“But...” Jane said, trying to avoid eye contact, sure that she would see pity there. Even if Maura was into women Jane knew she didn’t have much to offer, especially to someone like Maura.
The detective’s line of thought was interrupted by soft hands tilting her face up. “Jane. I promise everything will be fine. Just, please, try to breathe more slowly.”
“Maur--”
“No! No talking until you relax your diaphragm and are breathing more evenly,” Maura directed. “I mean it,” she added, knowing Jane’s usual tendency to ignore any orders directed at her.
The look Jane gave her friend was nothing but pain, and Maura couldn’t help wincing in return. “Jane...” the ME sighed. “I’m really at a bit of a loss here. Why are you so upset? Do you think I won’t want to be around you anymore?”
Jane just closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, still trying to calm herself. “I’m not good at this,” she admitted, softly enough that Maura had to strain to hear the words.
“Oh, Jane...” Maura smiled at her, “I’ve known you long enough to have a good idea of what to expect from you.”
Catching Maura’s look, the detective began to relax. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you noticed. I’ve never really been subtle.”
“No, Jane, you haven’t been,” Maura chuckled. After a moment she grew more serious, though her smile remained wide. “I still want to be a part of gnocchi night, and if you want to ask me to something more romantic, say just the two of us, I won’t say no.”
“You know I plan to hold you to that, right?” Jane asked, rising to her feet with a large, childlike grin.
“And I plan to let you, after this run. Let’s go,” Maura grinned back.