What's In A Name?

Note: (Spoiler alert) Takes place in the context of Season 3, some time after 3.03 and 3.04.

Maura liked a lover that let her be in control. That side of her had surprised some lovers in the past. First impressions. They took her for prim and proper. She liked surprising them. It wasn't a dynamic she had to have all of the time; she was flexible. But, sometimes that desire for power, the thrill of command reared its head. The sex had been good so far; but tonight there was something else that she wanted.

"Take off your clothes," Maura instructed, her honeyed voice low and wanton.

Button after button of the crisp cobalt dress shirt was undone. Cobalt was the perfect color, she mused, vibrant, but not overpowering against the beautiful, naturally sun-kissed skin. It reminded her of the Mediterranean and oiled bodies slipping into the waters to shelter from the heat, brunette hair tipped gold from the sun that turned black when submerged in the salty water and slicked back once on shore again.

The shirt dropped to the floor as fingers teased with a belt before letting pants and undergarment follow.

"Hang them up." Maura watched with an amused smirk as the brown eyes staring back at her rolled before a small laugh slipped out. But, the clothes were hung.

And the body that turned nude to face her, tall and toned, was exquisite. She let her eyes molest the smooth skin, over one shoulder and then the other, skirting across a well-defined collarbone, lower, down to abs that tightened under her gaze.

"As if Michaelangelo himself had carved you," Maura licked her lips, one corner of her mouth turning up slyly as she slipped one heel off and then the other.

She walked forward, slowly, relishing the hungry look that followed her movement. Yes, she very much liked being in control. Sweeping her hair over one shoulder as she turned, she looked back at the flushed face and lust-filled eyes behind her. "Unzip me."

Shrugging out of the dress, she let it drop to the floor, "Hang it up, please."

The tease. She could feel her arousal building. There was something she wanted, something more intimate than the kind of sex they had engaged in so far, and she felt they were comfortable enough with each other now for her to ask for it.

Maura sat on the edge of her bed and circled a finger around an already erect nipple now freed from its strain against the fabric of the dress. Eyes closed she teased it until the ache was almost too much. The breaths across the room became labored with desire. Spreading her legs she opened her eyes and beckoned, running her hands over the abs she admired as the body stood in front of her.

"Between my legs," her hands traced the perfect musculature as the body slinked lower, settling between her knees, warm tongue and lips trailing kisses down her neck and chest before suckling hungrily on each rosy nipple in turn.

Maura again closed her eyes, stroking the dark hair now within her grasp as a skillful mouth fondled her breast. "Lower," Maura rasped as the kisses traveled south and fingers toyed lightly with the lace hem of her lingerie. She'd left them on for a reason. It was one of her favorite sensations during foreplay: lace dragging down her body at the bidding of someone else's hands. However, not all lovers appreciated the allure of the moment. The delicate touch on her hips became gruffer as impatient hands pulled the lace away with little reverence.

Firm touch started at her ankles and massaged up the length of her legs, stroking across her inner thighs as the lips on her abdomen slowly traveled to meet them. Maura took one glance down, at her fingers wrapped in the near-black hair and the sinewy back that arched, muscles growing taut and then relaxing as ministrations grew more hurried.

Maura dug her fingers into the scalp now in her grasp and pushed, guiding her lover's lips and tongue to where she wanted them. Her back arched, eyes slamming shut and a low moan spilling out at the contact. "Yes…" she whispered, concentrating on the sensation of the tongue sliding through her.

"Slower," Maura instructed, giving the hair she gripped like a vice a little tug. There was always a learning curve; every body was different. She took another quick glance at the head of chocolatey hair between her legs and bent her knees to open herself more fully. The pace was still too frantic. Maura tightened her grip with one hand and let the other comfortingly massage her lover's neck. "Easy," she encouraged as she rolled her hips to try and establish a better rhythm.

The mind is a powerful thing. Maura closed her eyes again and let her head loll back as her hands wandered through silky hair and over smooth skin, as firm hands clenched and kneaded her hips and thighs. "I've wanted you right here."

She squeezed her eyes tighter shut, letting her mind take over where everything else was failing. "This is what I've wanted…you…right there."

Lips and tongue finally found the apex of her ache, passing over quickly, but just enough given the aid of her imagination. Maura bucked, thrusting forward to try and maintain the fleeting contact. "Jane…"

Maura gasped, her eyes flashing open as he pulled back.

Dennis looked up at her, brow furrowed, his earlier smile gone and replaced by a cold stare as he reached up to wipe his mouth. "Jane?"

The flush crept across her chest and up her neck until Maura felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She covered her hands with her mouth and shook her head, the sound of Jane's name still on her tongue and the feeling of it still aching between her legs.

Dennis stood and clasped his hands behind his head as he paced for a moment before turning to face her, "Jane! You're thinking of her when we have sex?"

Maura stood, still shaking her head as she tried to walk by, but he caught her arm and stopped her. "Not before," she managed. It was true. Not before…with him.

"Not before…" he laughed sarcastically. "Not before with my dick inside you, making you scream and shake…but, now? When you don't have to look at me? Is this what you really want? A woman between your legs?"

Maura pulled her arm away, "Please…just go." She managed some authority behind the words as she slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

It was a bad idea. A terrible idea, in fact, she thought as she stood outside the door and ran her finger across the brass number twelve. But, Dennis had seemed so angry and she didn't want to be home alone. Maura knocked, quietly at first, thinking it probably hadn't been loud enough to wake Jane and she could still turn around and go somewhere else…a hotel perhaps. But, her fist rapped against the door again, louder this time and a moment later she could hear Joe bark and footsteps moving towards the door.

"Maura?" Jane asked, confused, as she rubbed her eyes and ruffled her hair and took in the sight of her friend standing in the hallway of her apartment at nearly midnight in her pajamas and an overnight bag on her shoulder.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Maura asked softly, tearing her eyes away from Jane as her friend stepped aside to allow her in. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"I only went to bed like an hour ago."

Maura nodded and set her bag down in front of the sofa, "You can go back to bed. I'll just sleep on the sofa…"

"Hey," Jane reached for her arm. "Hey, Maura, look at me." Her brow was knitted with concern and she searched Maura's face for some kind of clue as to the reason for the midnight visit. "What's wrong?"

Jane waited but no answer was forthcoming and then she remembered, "Wait. I thought you were going out with Dennis again…Maura! Did he do something? Did he hurt you?" She pulled Maura towards her and began prying at the collar of her pajama top to check for even the smallest excuse to put Rockmond back in the morgue for real.

"No! No," Maura grabbed Jane's wrists and pulled them away. "Nothing like that."

Jane cocked an eyebrow, "Cause…I'd put him back in a body bag."

It was a sweet gesture, in Jane's own way. Maura laughed. "Please don't. Jumpsuits do nothing for your figure and orange really doesn't compliment your skin tone."

"There's my Maura," Jane chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "You guys break up or something?"

"Something…like that."

"K." Jane picked up Maura's bag and slung it over her shoulder as she reached for her friend's hand, "Well, you're not sleeping on my couch. Your morgue slabs are probably more comfortable, so, just come to bed and tell me about if you want…or, we can just sleep. Whatever will make you feel better."

Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea after all. Maura snuggled down into Jane's covers and watched as her friend turned the lamp on her side of the bed off before walking around and crawling under the covers herself.

"You wanna talk, or should I turn this light off?" Jane asked, the gentle glow from the lamp on her side casting a soft and soothing light around the bed in an otherwise dark room.

Maura tucked one arm behind her head and chewed nervously on her lip as she looked up at the ceiling. She knew Jane would drop it if she said that she just wanted to sleep. But, her lips betrayed her brain and the words just tumbled out. "We were…having sex. Well…actually he was performing oral sex on me."

"I'm not about to get…a whole bunch of graphic details am I?" Jane scrunched her nose.

"You asked."

"True, I did." Jane paused, "Continue."

Maura sighed, "It wasn't very good. And…I was just trying to help myself along." Suddenly, she could feel that red creep of embarrassment again and she rolled on her side with her back to Jane. "So, I tried to imagine it was someone else…but, then I accidentally called out that someone else's name."

Jane made a hissing sound as she winced, "Ouch!"

"Yes, ouch." Maura concurred. "He got angry. As was his right. I asked him to leave…and I…just didn't want to be alone."

Jane's hand settled on her arm and rubbed softly back and forth across the satin fabric of her pajama top, "You know you can always come here." The curiosity didn't end there. Jane tried to tell herself that unless offered, it really wasn't her business. She blurted it out anyway, "Who was it?"

Maura stiffened at the question and Jane pulled her hand away, "I'm sorry! It's someone I know, isn't it? I shouldn't have asked. Don't tell me!" Silence. Jane brought her thumb to her mouth and nibbled on her nail. "It wasn't my brother was it?"

"No!" Maura turned to regard Jane with a look of horror.

"Slucky?" Jane suggested in jest cringing at the sound of his name.

"No," Maura affirmed with a dismissive giggle.

The covers rustled as Jane shifted a little closer to Maura and let her hand return to her friend's arm, "It's not like you're the only person who has every thought about someone else while they were…you know."

Maura glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow that begged for Jane to reveal more.

Jane laughed and covered her face with one hand, "That night I slept with Dean."

"Who!" Maura's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Tom Brady."

Maura's body shook with laughter as she let her head fall back to the pillow. "I wouldn't have figured him for your type, Jane."

"He's the starting quarterback of the Patriots, Maura!" Jane laughed, he was kind of a pretty boy, but that night the thought of him had done the trick. "Christ. The thought of his completion percentage alone makes me come."

It was good to hear Maura giggle and feel her tension slip away. They had been through too many sad and trying times of late. She just wanted to see Maura happy, even if that had meant dating this Dennis Rockmond guy. Jane couldn't put her finger on it, but something about the guy just seemed off…maybe it was his nude sculpting or the fact that he'd somehow talked her best friend into vandalism. Either way, he came off as a little sleazy, and Jane thought Maura deserved better. Emboldened by how at ease they had both become with the nature of the conversation Jane found that she was willing to share more…that she in fact, wanted to share more.

"You know…I have other fodder for…other times," she continued.

"Oh?" Maura asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Do you ever just want to…get yourself off but find you need…"

"To fantasize about someone else in order to do it?" Maura finished the sentence. She took Jane's grunt for a yes. "Of course. I'd hazard a guess that's far more common than my faux pas tonight." Jane had been fairly daring and now Maura found that she was far more comfortable with the conversation than she expected. "Who?"

Jane cleared her throat dramatically and paused as a potentially awkward silence descended on them. What the hell. "Charlize Theron."

Maura's eyes flashed open and she was instantly grateful her back was to Jane. Jane fantasizes about women. The revelation tore down the dam, blew it wide open in fact. Maura didn't even feel herself speaking until the words came stumbling out in a crashing, likely regrettable tidal wave, "I called out your name tonight."

Silence. The drumming and pulsing of blood in her ears was all Maura could make out. Make it stop. She reached for the edge of the covers and tried to pull them up higher, she wanted to disappear into them, doubting she would care if they smothered her last breath.

But, Jane's hand stopped her and pulled the covers back down around Maura's ribs as she scooted closer until her body curved around Maura's and her breath ghosted lightly across the back of her neck.

Touch me. Maura held her breath and waited. Jane hadn't spoken, but she hadn't moved away.

Fingertips at first, barely perceptible on her satin-covered arm, they dragged down until they fell off of her elbow and a fuller touch settled in the dip between her ribs and hip. Maura took a shaky breath as the touch continued to move, stroking her lower back and snaking under her top to meet skin. She could feel the flat of Jane's palm against her, feel her thumb bear down as it moved to rise over her hip and caress the skin of her stomach on the other side.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jane whispered as she brushed Maura's hair away and pressed her lips to the now completely bare neck.

"No." Maura rolled onto her back, eyes fluttering as Jane's hand stroked up her abdomen and grazed the underside of one of her breasts.

"If I give you what you wanted tonight," Jane began, eyes closing for a moment as she nuzzled into the gentle touch of Maura's hand on her cheek. "Will you give me what I've wanted?"

"What's that?"

Jane slowly turned her head until she kissed the palm of Maura's hand, "No more dating these guys…no matter how good their…circulation," she laughed, hand moving higher to cup Maura's breast as her thumb flicked over a hardening nipple. She pressed their lips together, relishing the softness of the kiss and the ease with which Maura let her dominate it.

"No more Casey," Maura whispered as Jane moved on top of her.

The answer was a hum and a nod as Jane nipped and kissed down her neck, "Just you…and me."

"Maybe…" fingers began to pluck at the buttons of her top causing Maura to arch her back in return, "…I should wait to see if you're any good first."

Jane chuckled into the bare skin of Maura's newly revealed chest as her tongue laved down between ample breasts before tasting the swell and circling a pert nipple. She kissed and sucked one breast as her fingers teased the nipple of the other to Maura's increasing moans. Hands threaded through her hair, reveling in having actual locks to grab as fingers buried deep into the now mussed tresses.

She slinked lower, delighting in how Maura's skin shivered as she peppered her stomach with teasing kisses. Sitting up she ran her hands over the wet trail her lips and tongue had left until she fingered the waistband of the satin pajama pants that were the last barrier between herself and the part of Maura she most needed to touch. She kept her eyes focused on Maura's eyes at first as she began to drag the pants and the panties beneath them down. But, she couldn't hold that gaze for long. Jane wanted to see every inch of her as it was revealed. Leaning forward she kissed a hipbone as it was uncovered and then sat back up as Maura lifted her hips so the pants could be pulled over her ass.

Her legs were pressed together and Jane smiled, eyes roaming from the V between Maura's legs and over the tops of her thighs as she slowly dragged the pants down. When Maura's knees were bare Jane kissed each one and shifted back to free the pants completely, smiling as Maura's toes pointed with ballet form as the last bit of the garment was stripped away.

Maura let her toes settle to the mattress, her legs still held tightly together as Jane caressed her calves and thighs. "Open them for me," Jane asked with understated strength. Maura obliged, spreading her legs as Jane settled between them. She sought out Jane's hands that were now lightly stroking her hips and squeezed them.

"Ah," Maura gasped as Jane kissed her center, let her tongue wander slowly through her arousal, and then kissed her again.

The strokes were slow and purposeful, mapping every part of her, tasting everything she had to offer. "Yes, Jane…" Maura moaned with what little breath she could muster as Jane's tongue dipped inside of her, curled and then withdrew. Her hips lifted, seeking to maintain the contact, Maura gasped and let out a shaky whine as Jane deftly pushed inside her again. The ministrations quickened and Maura could no longer contain the urge to move in consort with them.

Jane smiled as she heard her name spill out of Maura's mouth over and over. She let her tongue slide free and circle higher.

"Please," Maura pleaded, her hands pawing fervently at Jane's hair.

Jane wanted to feel and hear Maura come as much as she imagined Maura wanted to come herself. This was the beginning. The first night of many to explore each other, to tease and to acquiesce to desire. Her tongue circled Maura's apex and flicked across it one last time before her lips settled around it and sucked with increasing pressure. Maura called her name one last time as she came, "Jane," rolling off her tongue barely louder than a whisper as her body trembled and shook.

The vice grip on the black hair in her grasp relaxed and Maura ran her fingers apologetically through the tangles she had created. Her chest heaved as she fought to steady her breathing, but she couldn't quell the small giggle that bubbled out as Jane crawled back up her body.

"So," Jane smiled as Maura pulled her forward and kissed her, thumbs swiping over Jane's chin as she tasted herself on slick, desire-swollen lips. "Will you keep me?"

"Mmhmm," Maura nodded, guiding Jane's head to the side so she could nip at her earlobe and pepper the sensitive skin underneath with deep, suckling kisses. "I want to be inside you."

"My turn to say please," Jane whispered as she nuzzled Maura's cheek. She could feel Maura's hand dragging down from her chest, over her tank top between her breasts, and down her abdomen. She lifted her chest and propped herself with one arm as her other hand found its anchor on Maura's breast. "I can take them off…" she mumbled as one of Maura's fingers slipped inside the waistband of her boxers and grazed the skin underneath.

"Don't move," Maura's free hand flew to the back of Jane's neck as the other pushed between skin and fabric. Through short curls Maura found delicious wetness and smiled as Jane thrusted to meet her touch. "For me?" Maura smiled as Jane's eyes fluttered. She slipped two fingers inside, transfixed by the woman hovering over her, eyes closed, lips parted and panting, and long hair cascading over her shoulders to tickle Maura's chest as she rolled to matched the strokes inside of her.

"Maura," Jane whimpered as her hand ceased massaging Maura's breast and cupped her face instead; she pressed their lips together, shaky breaths spilling out as she sucked Maura's lip before moaning as the release of orgasm coursed through her. Maura pumped deeper, curling her fingers as she drew out every last spasm until Jane collapsed on top of her, heavy exhalations lapping across her sweat-slicked neck.

"So," Maura smiled, withdrawing her hand so she could wrap both arms tightly around Jane. She maneuvered them onto their sides and let the back of her hand rest on Jane's cheek, "Will you keep me?"

The kiss Jane initiated was tender and loving, reluctantly she let it wane so she could pull back and look fully in expectant hazel eyes, "You're what I've been waiting for."