#looking at rizzoli & isles fanfic like: yeah i’m not seeing what i want to read here anywhere

[fireandfolds]

me: ugh i’m so sick of finding only romantic/smutty content, where’s all the platonic and queerplatonic stuff? i’m too aroace for this shit

my brain: why don’t you write it

me:

me: wgat

brain: write what you want to read

me:

me: dammit

[colormetheworld]

Happy Halloween, humies. 

here is a halloween fluff piece to celebrate the imminent onset of diabetes! 

happy reading tc

...

Treats (read on fanfic) 

......

......

The little girl who holds her bag up for a candy bar catches Jane’s attention for two reasons. The first is that she is not dressed as Wonder Woman (the most popular costume of the year), or even any other recognizable character. She is dressed in all orange, with what look like hand drawn badges on the chest. Her candy bucket is an upside down helmet of sorts, though Jane can tell it’s clearly not meant to be for a motorcycle.

“Treats and tricks!” the girl says brightly, holding up her helmet. “I am allergic to peanuts, Thank you!” Jane laughs, setting the bowl of Reese’s cups and Snickers aside, and grabbing the smaller bowl of Starbursts and Skittles.

“Thanks for telling me,” she says holding the bowl out for the little girl to choose. “What are you dressed up as this year?”

The girl throws her a look, trying to figure out if she is joking. “I’m Mae Jemison,” she says incredulously. “Don’t you know who she is?”

“Yeah,” Jane says defensively, simultaneously wracking her brain for the answer. “She’s an...Astronaut.”

The child only looks slightly mollified. “She was the first African-American astronaut in space,” she says excitedly. “And she was also a scientist, and a doctor, like my mother.”

And that is when the second thing occurs to Jane. She looks up, out to the sidewalk outside the house, expecting to see this little girl’s mother, and realizes with a start that she is travelling alone.

“Where’s your mom?” Jane asks casually.

“Stuck in the morgue.” the girl says this just as casually, although it is anything but a casual sentence.

“You’re trick or treating alone?” Jane presses.

The girl bites her lip, looking unsure for the first time. “I worked really hard on my costume,” she says finally. “So it’s not fair that I don’t get to go just because there was a murder.”

This throws Jane even more, and she is about to apologize, when she understands. 

“Your mom works in a morgue? She’s a Medical Examiner?” 

“Yes,” the girl nods. “We moved just a month ago, and she promised we could trick and treat. But then she got stuck with a dumb ‘ol body.” 

“What’s your name, hon?” Jane asks, leaning back away from the door to grab her jacket and her badge.

“Mae,” the girl says. “Like my costume.”

Jane nudges Jo Friday away from the door, and steps out onto the porch, shutting it behind her. “Mae,” she says. “I’m Jane.” She squats down so that she can show Mae her badge. “I’m a police officer.”

“No you’re not,” Mae says with a little frown. “You’re a detective. That’s a detective’s badge.” She studies Jane with a critical hazel eye. “Didn’t you know that?” she asks.

Jane chuckles. “Yes,” she says, straightening. “I did know that. It just sometimes makes kids feel better if I say police officer.”

Mae nods. “Oh,” she says. “Okay.”

“Can I come trick or treating with you?” Jane asks, still smiling.

Mae’s frown deepens a little. “Why?”

“Well,” Jane hesitates, and then decides that honesty would probably work best with this kid. “You’re young, and small. And it’s going to get dark fast. And I don’t like the idea of you walking alone.”

“I am seven,” Mae responds indignantly. “That is the second grade. I could be in the fourth, but Mommy says that social in-tractions aren’t something I’m allowed to skip.”

This makes Jane want to laugh again, but she restrains herself. “She’s right,” is all she says. “So will you let me come with you?”

Mae considers. “Can I still go up to the houses by myself?” she asks.

“Yes,” Jane says. “You’re seven, after all.”

……

The joke at the precinct is that Jane is married to her job, and the truth that is conveyed underneath that joke is that she has no time for frivolity that might interfere with that work.

The fear that hits Jane, when she hears the joke, is that no one will ever understand her dedication to her job, or truly see her for what she is.

She and Mae work their way through the neighborhood, and Jane waits at the end of the walkways as Mae runs up to the door and holds up her space helmet for her candy.

Jane has corrected her opening request, and she smiles every time she hears Mae greet a new person.

“Trick or treat. I am allergic to peanuts! Thank you!”

After the fifth house, she runs back down the sidewalk to where Jane is standing, face shining. “She knew who I was, Jane!” she says excitedly. “She said I had the best costume she’d seen all night!” Jane looks up in time to catch the eye of the woman in the doorway, smiling warmly at them. She lifts her hand in thanks, and the woman waves back before shutting the door.

“That’s great, Mae,” Jane says. “See? I told you that anyone worth a dime would know your costume.”

And Mae smiles, and slips her hand into Jane’s, tugging her gently toward the next house.

They meet a group of kids coming down the walk from the next house, a handful of Captain Americas and Wonder Womans are being trailed by an uninterested father in a minivan.

Jane knows from the blue sheen to his face, that he is most likely watching Game 3 of the world series on his phone.

She rolls her eyes.

“Hey look!” one of the Captain America calls. “It’s Mae-Mae the bay bay!”

Mae stops in her tracks, the excitement and happiness falling from her expression like a stone.

The others turn, and with the synchronicity that only elementary age children can achieve, they begin to make the crying noises of a baby.

Some of the Wonder Womans pretend to wipe their eyes.

Mae steps closer to Jane automatically, and when she looks down, Jane sees that her lower lip is trembling.

The tallest Captain America sneers at them from behind his mask.

“Mae!” he calls, drawing out her name. “Where’s your binky? Where’s your teddy bear, baby maybe?”

The other kids laugh, playing up the hilarity.

Jane glances behind them, at the minivan, to see if Baseball Dad is seeing any of this. Of course not, he’s still glued to his smart phone. She could abduct them all, and he’d be none the wiser.

Jane snorts. “That’s the best you can do?” she asks the boy. “Whose kid is under that mask?”

The boy seems startled, but he pulls his hood off without protest, still too young to know that disobeying an adult is a possibility.

Jane laughs when she sees who it is. “Matthew Crowe, I should have known. Of course you’d pick the most boring costume. Your dad came to work as Iron Man. I bet it took him a month to come up with the idea.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane sees Mae look up at her, wide eyed.

“D-Detective Rizzoli?” Matthew asks. “What are you doing trick or treating?”

Jane puts her arm around Mae. “I’m taking my friend Mae around. She told me all about her costume, and I thought it was so cool, I couldn’t wait to hang out with her.”

“Mae’s costume? Cool?” This is one of the Wonder Womans. The only one who also has a bright yellow ‘lasso of truth’ around her waist.

“Yeah,” Jane says with an air of nonchalance. “Cool, and unique. I mean, there’s like, a thousand superheroes running around, but I’m yet to see another Mae Jemison.”

Jane pretends to look like she’s made a mistake. “I mean...not that you guys are boring. You all planned to come as the same thing, right?”

They didn’t, and she knows it. They all eye each other grumpily.

“Anyway,” Jane says. “We’d better get going. If we’re gonna sort all this candy and get through a halloween movie, we’d better keep moving.”

Jane takes Mae’s hand and leads her around the group of kids, then she gives her a little push toward the walk. “Go on, Mae,” she says. “You’re old enough to go up there alone.”

She makes sure her voice carries to the throng of Mae’s classmates, still watching them.

“Oh man!” she hears a Wonder Woman say, clearly wishing she was cool enough to trick or treat alone.

“See you at school tomorrow, Mae!” A Captain America calls.

Mae turns to look at the boy from the front porch where she has just rung the doorbell. She is surprised, Jane can tell, but she also looks stony, and supremely cool, especially when she turns back to the door without a word.

“That’s it, superstar,” Jane says under her breath.

Mae is still wide eyed and breathless when she gets back to Jane. They link hands and walk toward the next house.

“You know,” Jane says thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure that Mae Jemison isn’t even half as cool as you are.”

The little girl tries, and fails to hide her delight at this compliment.

……

……

They are in the expansive living room of Mae Isles’ house, two thirds of the way through Hocus Pocus, when doctor Maura Isles bursts into the room, and tries to stab Jane with a kitchen knife.

It is only because Mae sees her and cries out “Mommy!” a fraction of a second before the woman lunges, that Jane has time to sidestep the attack.

“Mae! Run! Get Away!” the woman says frantically, swinging the serrated blade wildly at Jane again. “YOU GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!”

“Woah!” Jane says, backing up quickly enough that she almost trips over an ottoman. “Woah, doctor. I’m not a kidnapper.”

“Kidnapper. Pedophile. Burglar!” The doctor yells. “I don’t care what you want to call yourself. Stay away from my child, and get the hell out of my house!”

“Mommy!” Mae cries, her voice shrill in it’s fear. “Don’t hurt Detective Jane! She took me trick or treating!”

Maura freezes. She stares at Jane, not lowering the knife. “W-what?”

Mae chances a step forward. “I-I went out trick or treating,” she says quietly.

Maura’s eyes shift to her daughter for the first time. The knife wavers. “You went out?” she asks, sounding astounded.

Mae nods slowly.

The knife falls down to the doctor’s side, and Jane lets out a breath of relief.

“Mae Elise Isles!” Maura turns fully to face her daughter. “Where is your babysitter?”

Mae bites her lip. “I...called her to cancel yesterday. And then...I told you she was just running late today.”

Jane can’t help the noise she makes, somewhere between surprise and admiration.

Maura turns back to her. “And you?” she asks. “You...what, picked her up on the street and brought her home?”

Jane can understand why Mae has trouble looking her mother in the eye when she’s angry. She feels her palms start to sweat. “She trick or treated at my house,” Jane says. “I saw that she was alone and offered to take her around.”

The knife comes up again, just a little. “Out of the goodness of your heart?”

Jane puts her hands up. “I’m a cop,” she says. “I noticed she was alone.”

“You’re a detective, Jane,” Mae pipes up from behind her, sounding annoyed that she has to keep reminding her. 

Maura raises her eyebrows. “You’re a detective?”

Jane does not think she is mistaken about the skepticism she hears in Maura’s tone.

“Yeah,” she says. “My badge is in my coat pocket, out in the hall. I showed it to Mae before she let me go trick or treating with her.”

Maura raises the knife to full height, pointing it at Jane’s face. “You don’t move,” she orders.

Jane shakes her head. “Like I would dream of it.”

Maura and Mae disappear, and Jane can hear them in the hallway, talking quietly.

Jane chances shifting her weight, and putting her fingers in her pockets. Unfortunately, this is the moment that Maura chooses to return.

“I told you not to move,” she says, but she no longer has the knife, and her face is no longer full of wild anger and fear.

Jane smiles tentatively. “You put down the knife,” she says. “That’s a good sign.”

“I owe you an apology,” she says quietly. “And some gratitude, I suppose.”

Jane shrugs. “It wasn’t a problem. You’ve got a pretty amazing kid. I mean...she looked up the best neighborhood for candy, and then took a bus there.”

Maura smiles at her for the first time. Jane feels her stomach flip over. “Please don’t remind me!” she says. “She’s so bright, I sometimes forget that...Well...I just mean...she said you were a wonderful chaperone.”

“She made it easy,” Jane says with a laugh. “Her costume was the best. She definitely taught me a thing or two.”

Maura laughs, and wouldn’t you know it, her laugh is ten times more beautiful than her smile.

Jane rubs her hands together. “I should get out of your hair.” she starts toward the door and then turns, reaching into her back pocket for her wallet. “Oh. I bought Hocus Pocus on demand. Let me give you a couple-”

“God, no!” Maura says, stepping forward to stop her from pulling her wallet open. “No, it’s quite alright. Thank you for, well, for taking care of my daughter.” But this seems to make her sad, and if there’s anything worse than seeing this woman angry, Jane decides it is seeing her sad.

“Uhm, Dr. Isles?”

“Maura,” the doctor answers absently. “Call me Maura, please.” 

“Okay, uh, Maura? Are you okay?”

Maura looks at her and seems to shake herself. “Yes, I just,” she hesitates.

“It’s none of my business,” Jane says, moving again toward the hall. “I’ll just-”

“My mother never took me trick or treating,” Maura says, and Jane turns to look at her.

“What?”

“My mother was always so busy, and she never took me to birthday parties, or trick or treating, or anything like that. I...well, when Mae asked me, I…” she looks up at Jane, at a loss. “I didn’t know how to say yes.”

Jane doesn’t know how to answer this, and after a moment Maura looks embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “You don’t need to know all of that.”

“No!” Jane speaks to quickly and too loud. “No,” she tries again. “It’s okay. I know it can be really hard to buck tradition.”

Maura looks up at her, and really studies her for the first time. Jane tries not to fidget under the scrutiny.

“Mommy!” Mae arrives back in the living room. She has shed her costume and is now wearing a pair of footie pajamas that make Jane want to cry because of how cute they are.

“Hello, darling,” Maura says, reaching for her. “I was just saying goodbye to Jane.”

Mae’s face falls. “But we haven’t finished the movie yet!” she says. “And we haven’t even begun to sort the candy!”

Maura squeezes Mae’s shoulder gently. “We can do that together, sweetheart,” she says. “I’m sure Jane has places she needs to be.”

“No she doesn’t!” Mae says, turning to Jane for confirmation. “Right Jane? You were just gonna be at home with Jo Friday, watching TV and probably falling asleep on the couch.”

Jane blushes when Maura looks at her, one eyebrow raised.

“To be fair, that is only half as lame as it sounds.”

Maura chuckles. “Well,” she says slowly. “You’re welcome to stay for the remainder of the movie. And, although ‘candy sorting’ sounds highly interesting, I’m afraid I don’t know the exact science.”

Declining doesn’t cross Jane’s mind.

[asortafairytale]

Fandom meme tagged by @nyx4 and @cleoselene xoxo which took me 90 years to finish but it’s HARD OKAY thinking is hard

A: Your current OTP. Jace/Alec from Shadowhunters. Apparently this makes me problematic but I don't care

B: A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind. This is hard because if I started watching a show because of someone they typically told me their ship ahead of time and then I was looking for it.  So I guess the closest I can come up with is that I lowkey ship Sephiroth/Genesis from Final Fantasy because of @nyx4 but I've never played the game

C: A pairing you wish you shipped, but just can't. Arthur/Merlin from Merlin.  Everyone always went so over the top with Merthur, and I shipped it for a few seconds but I never really liked Arthur so it was hard to care.

D: What was the first thing you ever contributed to a fandom? An X-Files fanfic uploaded to Gossamer titled, embarrassingly enough, "My Immortal" to which I attached my real name.  I was 14 or 15 and therefore very stupid. (I have since had this and another removed from the site, thankfully).  I also handed this fic into my English teacher to read.  Even more embarrassing.  The plot? Mulder loved Scully but he wanted to make sure that she loved him so he tried to make her jealous and when she did act jealous he was like "lol jk" and then I went into a lot of detail on a kiss they shared (THAT MY ENGLISH TEACHER READ) and then they got engaged and then they both got shot outside of Mulder's apartment for WHATEVER REASON and died.  Hence "My Immortal", because they'll be together in death.

E: Have you added anything stupid/cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what? Yes, and I shall find the post I made on Livejournal so I can bring you direct to the source.  It was for Legend of the Seeker, and I got the idea to Photoshop a fake Facebook post based on an episode (I forgot where I got the idea, if I saw it in another fandom or what).  Anyway the result was this:

https://imgur.com/Zo5Bi6x

It spun of control and spawned an actual Facebook RP which is where I met the two people who tagged me in this and AIN'T LIFE REALLY CRAZY SOMETIMES???

F: What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? What fandom was it? The X-Files. I got into it when I was around 11 or 12 and was a pretty active member until I was 17 or 18. Which doesn't seem very long, but to be heavily into it, I feel it was. And then I came back around to it when the revival was announced, so it's been an on and off relationship.

G: What was your first fandom? The X-Files, probably, in terms of content-creating.  Maybe if I'm counting things like "I pretended I was Xena a lot and I would call my friend on the phone and we’d talk about Xena" then maybe Xena: Warrior Princess

H: Do you prefer real-life TV shows or animated TV shows? Real-life, hands down. I hate animation.

I: Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? Lol what -hasn't- Tumblr caused me to hate?  Tho...you know what...I've never said it on this hellsite for fear of reprisal, but I'm going to do it. Tumblr turned me off Sansa Stark back in season 2 or so.  There was so many posts where people were so aggressive about unfollowing and hating people who didn't like Sansa and it got so irritating I started to dislike Sansa by association. So congrats, Tumblr, you played yourself. Also, this site turned me off The Musketeers around season 3. So much Aramis hate, kind of soured me since I watched the show for Santiago Cabrera. And then that association soured me on Santiago, so. Thanks.

J: Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr. I'm going to say Teen Wolf. It was all over the place when it was first airing and people either loved it or thought it was ridiculous so I started watching it finally and it was ridiculously great. But then they killed off Allison and ruined my life :)))))

K: How do you feel about the other people in your current fandom(s). I don't really know what my current fandoms are - I'm kind of really into Shadowhuters rn but not in a "making things" sort of way. Anyway, I have heard some very terrible things about this fandom so I am wary.

L: Your favorite fanartist/author gives you one request, what do you ask for? I don't read fanfic and I'm not into fanart so.

M: A person who got you into a fandom and what fandom they pulled you in to. @nyx4 again. Got me into watching Sons of Anarchy. I had tried previously and got about 10 minutes in and couldn't stand it but she said it got better so I powered through and then I was into it.

As for non-TV and movie stuff, @tsukinosusagis got me into a shitton of music and like he said a few days ago “Remember when Lights created our friendship??? ICONIC”

N: Your favorite fandom (for the people; not the thing you fangirl over). Legend of the Seeker on its Livejournal days, back in 2009 and 2010 were my favorite. Nothing on tumblr.hell is a good fandom. All of it should burn.

O: Choose a song at random, what ship does it remind you of? Lmao I'm really bad at this.  I suffer trying to pick songs for ships so idk

P: Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas). SHADOWHUNTERS PIRATE AU. Also, it's not an AU, but I have a very elaborate setup in my head for an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia where the gang is convinced the bar is haunted and the name of the ep is "Paddy's Pub: The Most Haunted Bar in Philadelphia"

Q: A ship you’ve abandoned and why. Cersei/Jaime because Jaime is a rapist. Also made me stop watching GOT because I was really mostly watching for Cersei and Jaime but I didn’t wanna see Jaime anymore so

R: A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships. Morgana/Lancelot from Merlin. I'm sure there's a lot in the actual Arthuriana stuff that people ship, but I'm just talking about the show. I was only able to find maybe 1 gifset and 2 fics about these two.  Granted, I only shipped them because SANTIAGO CABRERA AND KATIE MCGRATH so maybe nobody else cared.

S: What's a headcanon you have? I don't really have any of these.

T: What are your favorite male/male ships or female/female ships? Jace/Alec (Shadowhuters), Aramis/Porthos (The Musketeers), Red/Snow (Once Upon a Time), Rizzoli/Isles (Rizzoli & Isles), Eliot/Quentin (The Magicians), Penny/Quentin (The Magicians), Xena/Gabrielle (Xena), Mac/Dennis (It's Alway Sunny), Willow/Tara (BTVS)

U: What are your favorite male/female ships? Mulder/Scully (The X-Files), Cesare/Lucrezia (The Borgias), Richard/Nicci (Legend of the Seeker), Richard/Cara (Legend of the Seeker), Gemma/Tig (Sons of Anarchy), Mitchell/Annie (Being Human), Spike/Dru (BTVS), Jim/Pam (The Office), Jane/Michael (Jane the Virgin)

V: Do you have any 3-way ships? If so, what? Yeah, Darken Rahl/Cara/Dahlia from Legend of the Seeker. And it has to be a threeway, because any two of these characters together I don't ship but the 3 together? YES YES YES

W: 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms. Bo Dennis (Lost Girl) Ilithyia (Spartacus) Dana Scully (The X-Files) Quentin Coldwater (The Magicians) Gemma Teller (Sons of Anarchy)

X: 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms. Why would ya ask me this question when you asked for my favorite ships above, bro?

But I guess

Mulder/Scully (The X-Files) Richard/Nicci (Legend of the Seeker) Jim/Pam (The Office)

Y: A fandom you’re in but have no ships from. Most of them - like even if I do have a ship, it's pretty lowkey?  A lot of the above are lowkey.  But I'll say Black Sails. 

Z: What's a ship that you want to ship publicly, but everyone on tumblr hates it so you keep your mouth shut about it? Lol Jalec I guess? Like I'm saying it right now, but I'm not gonna go out there and go big with it because lots of annoying people out there.

[fireandfolds]

failed by design, slow your pace down to mine (rizzoli & isles)

jane convinces maura to take a nap with her.

(involving black scrubs, a pull-out couch, coffee, and a betting pool.)

read on ao3 or keep reading below

note: this fic was written for a writing challenge hosted by a fun fanfic/podfic server, audiofrickbooks. the prompt was “destiny” and i had to write it between 200-1,000 words. join here if you want: https://discord.gg/jufpfE5vwx i hope you enjoy!

———

“Hey Maur.” The voice of her favourite detective reached Dr. Maura Isles’ ears as she typed away at a lab report.

The physician looked up, seeing the dark-haired woman looking ragged and worn-out. “I have no new information. What can I do for you, Jane?”

“D’you have a blanket?” The lanky detective fell heavily into the nearest chair.

She blinked, closing her laptop and standing. “I can neither confirm nor deny presently.”

“Just— yes or no.”

“I have a few throws. Why, what do you need it for?”

“To hang myself with.”

Maura’s head snapped toward the older woman, only to find her rolling her eyes. “To nap with. I’m no good to anyone this tired and driving home would eat up too much time. Got anything?”

“I’ll do you one step ahead. This couch pulls out.”

“It’s ‘do you one better’. Thanks, I don’t mean to impose.”

The blonde grabbed a thin but warm blanket and ushered the exhausted woman onto the quasi-bed. “You’re always welcome, Detective. I’m just glad that you’re listening to your body for once and resting.” She made to return to her desk, but was stopped by a hand clamping her forearm.

“Jane, is something wrong?”

“Need cuddle buddy.”

“No, Jane, I need to finish my report.” But the longer she looked at the sleepy detective, the more she was tempted to lie down next to her. So she tried a different tactic. “I smell like the morgue and I’m in my scrubs.”

The Italian woman said nothing, just made grabby motions with her hands.

“Oh, all right. Move over, you’re hogging the blanket.”

—

Knocking quickly on the open door, Senior Criminalist Susie Chang walked into the finely decorated office. “Dr. Isles? Lab res— oh.” Her eyes fell on the sleeping women, chests rising and falling in tandem.

Susie shook her head, pulling out her phone and taking a photo. Maura nuzzled deeper into Jane’s chest at the sound of the click. “This will make a good anniversary present…”

She looked at the quiet pair again, smiling gently. She rarely saw the soft side of her boss, but if anyone could bring it out of her, it was the brash detective. “Sleep tight, ladies.”

—

“Hey, Susie. Seen Jane anywhere?” Sergeant Korsak and Detective Frost poked their heads into the crime lab, the elder of the pair knocking lightly on the glass.

“She’s napping with Dr. Isles in her office. Judging from the dark circles under her eyes, or as Dr. Isles would say, periorbital hyperpigmentation, Detective Rizzoli will be resting for quite a while.”

“Okay, thanks Susie. We’re just going to check on them, and then we’ll let ‘em sleep.”

“They should be fine, I saw them about 10 minutes ago when I was going to give Dr. Isles some test results. They looked so peaceful, I couldn’t wake them up.”

Frost nodded. “We trust you. But damn, we’ve had a lot of shit go down here… better safe than sorry. I swear that loading bay in the good doc’s morgue area is a serious security breach.”

“We’ll leave you to your analysing.” Korsak dipped his head as both men walked towards the ME’s office, hands poised above grips.

Turning the knob silently, the Sergeant looked around in alarm at the empty desk. The Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was quiet, but not this quiet.

They looked down and saw Maura’s heels, neatly standing up on their own, right next to each other. Around the heels were Jane’s combat boots, haphazardly thrown and lying in whatever direction they pleased.

That was when they heard the stilly purring of the youngest-promoted detective in the department. Wrapped in her arms, the resident ME.

“She smilin’?”

“You bet.”

“I need a photo.” Barry fumbled with his phone, snapping some photos and a video. “Need some blackmail.”

“I’ve gotta black male standing right next to me.”

“Oh ha, ha.” The young man shot his partner a scathing glare, returning his phone to his pocket as he punched Korsak in the upper arm.

Vince rolled his eyes and chuckled lowly. They died down quickly as he gazed at the two women before him. His heart tugged as he watched them reach for each other in their sleep. He loved Jane and Maura like his own; he’d watched his young partner flounder unhappily after Hoyt, slogging through the days and going home alone. He thanked his lucky stars that Maura had crossed paths with Jane in the Division One Cafe.

Silently nodding at each other, the men backed out of the office, turning out the lights and shutting the door gently behind them. They walked back to the elevator in silence, only speaking once the doors closed and the car was moving.

“Do you think they know that they’re meant for each other?”

“I don’t think Doc believes in fate or destiny or anything not-very-scientific, but I believe she would say they make a compatible pairing.”

Frost looked at him and smirked. “How would you know, old man?”

“Asked her about it once last week, and she went off like a shot. I felt bad for interrupting her, but I really needed to get back upstairs.” Korsak shrugged and scratched his beard. “It was good timing, too. Right after she stopped talking, I could hear Jane clomping down the hall.”

The doors slid open and Frost led the way.

“What a pair, huh?”

Vince nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “D’you think it’s too late to start a betting pool?”

The taller man shrugged. “Don’t think so. Put me down for fifty bucks. I say they get together during the holidays. I’ll be in BRIC.”

Vince Korsak hummed to himself as he sat down at his desk. Frankie must have made the coffee today, it didn’t taste like dirty socks. He chuckled again, thinking of the slumbering women in each other’s arms. “What a pair.”

———