While helping Jane move, Maura finds more than she bargained for. A stack of Maura's published papers from over the years. Why are does Jane have copies?

It was a Saturday, the first full day off the crime-fighting duo had in weeks, and Maura had somehow coerced Jane into spending the day packing. Empty boxes, collapsed boxes, full boxes, half full boxes and overflowing boxes were what filled Jane's condo. Everything she owned was on its way into a box and then into a moving van.

Jane was in her room, packing. Or, well, let's face it, she was lying on the mattress - which was now on the floor -"packing", while Maura was sat on the floor in the living room, neatly categorizing and organizing all the books from Jane's bookshelves. Surprisingly, Jane had quite the collection of books. All of the classics: Dickens, Bronte sisters, Austen, Twain, a few Shakespeare here and there. Then there were books on crime and law and a even a few old, dog-eared textbooks from her Academy days.

Yet, what caught Maura's eye was not what was on her shelves, but beneath it. What seemed to just be the base of the bookshelf was actually a door to a cabinet. She pried it open to find a thick stack of magazines with an old kindle set on top. She pulled it all out, (first checking to make sure Jane wasn't watching, of course) and set it in-between her now outstretched legs.

She flicked on the kindle and found there were no books on it, but a whole series of papers. Papers written by herself. Papers she'd written and published during and after medical school all the way up to now. The stack of magazines were medical journals, and forensic magazines. Each had an article or journal written by her while she was in the process of becoming the chief medical examiner. The last in the stack was the most recent journal Maura had written, on working with the homicide unit at BPD, the effects of PTSD on relationships with coworkers and family caused by the dangerous work.

What she didn't notice was Jane, who was now standing directly behind her.

"You weren't supposed to find that."

Maura jumped, and in an attempt to put everything back where she found it, everything fell from her hands and went all over the floor. Flustered, she turned to the brunette with a furious blush, creeping down her neck, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have poked around."

Jane shrugged, unfazed, "Well, you were packing my books, and that was under the bookshelf, so…" her eyes dropped to her hands.

"Jane?"

The brunette didn't look up.

"Why do you have all of these?"

Jane shrugged, "Well." she took a deep breath, "it started when I when I was going to be promoted to Homicide. I had only met you the one time. You know, when you thought I was a prostitute? So I did a little research and got a few of those journals. I just wanted to know something about you. And as we started to become friends, I kept looking. And, let me tell you something." she looked up and pointed a finger at Maura, "some of those papers were hard to find. I had to call people at BCU and those medical magazines to find them."

Maura's blush retreated as she listened and her smile came back, "Oh Jane." she breathed, "That is so thoughtful."

Aaaaaand up went the walls. Jane shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh don't get all mushy on me." Jane's face scrunched up when she saw the unshed tears forming in Maura's eyes, "Oh my god, don't cry Maura. You know I hate it when you cry."

Maura wiped her eyes, but Jane grabbed her wrist and pulled her into her arms, kissing her soundly. Maura wrapped her arms around her lanky fiancé, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Jane asked, looking down at the blonde

"Put your walls up. Whenever you do something incredibly sweet, you wall yourself up to make sure no one will make fun of you."

"No I don't." Jane mumbled

"Yes, you do." Maura said, letting go of Jane and pulling her down for another kiss, "But, I still love you." She turned back to the mess to assess what she had left to do.

Jane had an idea, "How 'bout we go grab something to eat and come back to this later?"

Maura picked up a box, "How about we finish the living room, then celebrate with ordering in dinner at our new house? Frankie and Tommy put together our bed this morning." she added with a big smile.

Jane grinned, "Deal." She bent over, grabbed the pile of magazines and dumped them in a box, "Bookshelf is done." she exclaimed, earning a loud laugh from her fiancé.

Three hours later, as the two headed out to the new house, Maura stopped in the doorway, "Jane, why don't you have my doctoral dissertation? You have everything else I've written."

"I looked for it online, but it was like, 200 bucks. I like you, but not that much." she joked

Maura slapped her arm playfully and walked out the door, "Good thing I have a box full of them in the attic."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Gooood, can't wait to read it."