Pain In The Neck

A/N: Just for fun. No infringement intended. I don't own anything.

Chapter 1

Maura barely had time to get her key out of the lock before Jane brushed past her on the way to the kitchen. The detective stopped briefly to remove her gun and badge, placing them in the drawer Maura reserved for her, careful to make sure the safety was secure. Closing her eyes for a moment, Jane braced herself with both arms on the countertop. Relieved of the weight of her firearm, both physically and mentally, the detective's body visibly relaxed as she let out a long puff of air. Sometimes the job wore her down so much that she wondered why she kept doing it.

Maura methodically hung up her coat after making sure the deadbolt was secure and grabbed Jane's hastily discarded blazer from the chair, smoothing it out before hanging it next to hers in the closet. It was odd that Jane declined Frost's offer of drinks at the Robber tonight. The doctor worried about her friend. She had been stressed all week about their current case, and even with the arrest today, she still seemed more agitated than usual.

"Hey, Maur? Do you think I could get into that spa you took me to last year for a massage? I really screwed up my neck when we took down that suspect earlier today." Jane said on her way to the refrigerator, pulling out one of the beers Maura stocked for her. Jane smiled a little to herself on her way into the living room at the thought that popped into her head. A drawer AND beer? Maura treated her better than her last boyfriend.

Maura huffed out an exasperated response, "Of course not, Jane. You have to schedule appointments weeks in advance at that spa." Jane looked at her and rolled her eyes at the honey blond in frustration. "Who the hell plans when they are going to throw their neck out of whack?" Jane winced as she plopped onto the couch. The lanky detective tried to alleviate some of the pain by rubbing at the tender area between her shoulder blades.

Maura shook her head at the dark haired detective. "Jane, you might benefit from preemptive massage therapy. That, combined with better posture," she narrowed her eyes at the slumped-down women on the couch, "would promote better alignment of your spine and decrease strain on the associated musculature."

"Jeez, thanks for your insights, doc." Jane said as she took a long draw from her beer. "But that's not going to do me a damn bit of good right now." Jane thought for a moment before coming up with another idea. "Maybe I could just run down to the mall and have one of those people that set up shop in the middle of the atrium work me over in one of those chairs."

"Oh, dear god…no!" Maura choked on the pinot she had just taken a sip of as she joined the detective on the couch. "I would seriously question the cleanliness of those chairs, let alone the credentials of the operators." Maura continued to ponder for a moment at the thought of Jane's face plastered in one of those horrible chairs. "Besides, I would think you would find it hard to relax in one of those chairs and really let yourself enjoy the release that you truly need in such a public place."

Jane turned to look at the other women directly in the eyes. "Jesus, Maura. I just want to get rid of the kink in my neck. What kind of 'release' did you think I was looking for? Really?" Jane shook her head disbelievingly at the doctor.

Maura took a deep breath before attempting to answer the detective, "That's not what I meant, Jane." She quipped. "You've just seemed really tense this week. More so than usual, even. I'm sure that tension is what has caused you to injure your neck in the first place. I think a good massage would be an excellent way to release that tension you are holding in your neck and shoulders. I just think you would benefit from the whole massage experience in a private, professional setting. That way you would be free to express yourself and actually let the tension drain from your body."

Jane eyed the doctor suspiciously for a second, trying to determine just what the she was trying to get at with all her over analyzing. Her eyes widened as the realization of what the doctor was saying dawned on her. Jane sat up and pointed an accusatory finger at the doctor. "Do I look like a moaner to you?"

Maura chuckled at the detective's over reaction. "Jane, it's a normal human response to physical stimulation. I could go on and on about the body's reaction to the stimuli from another person's hands, but by your current reaction," she indicated with a wave of her hand in the detective's direction, "I don't suspect that you are interested in hearing anymore." Jane rubbed her hands over her tired face and slowly shook her head at the doctor.

"Why do you make everything so complicated? Not to mention uncomfortable." Jane whispered the last part under her breath. "Forget about the whole massage thing. I'll just deaden the pain with a couple more of these," she indicated with a sway of her beer bottle in front of the doctor's face.

Maura winced with a tight smile at Jane's solution. "Not a good idea, Jane. Alcohol will only exasperate the problem. Further dehydration of the muscle tissue will only make the soreness more pronounced."

"Well, you've been a bundle of help tonight." Jane said as she pushed herself up off the couch. Making her way towards the kitchen, Jane looked back towards the doctor, "By the way, I'm going against doctor's orders and I'm fully planning on dulling the pain with a few more beers."

Maura looked at her friend as she emerged with a fresh cold beer in tow. "Okay, how about a compromise? You can have that last beer, "she indicated to the one in the detective's hand, "and I'll give your neck a massage."

Jane stopped in her tracks in front of Maura and looked at her with an awkward expression on her face. "Um, Maura…I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but best friends don't give each other massages."

Maura looked up at her with a puzzled expression. "I'm a doctor, Jane. I know how to manipulate the muscles in your shoulders to relieve the pain you are feeling. Why would that make you uncomfortable?"

"I don't know…it's just strange." Jane shrugged, trying to come up with any other reason to strengthen her argument.

Maura answered before Jane could come up with any further excuses, "Jane, if someone broke into my house, you would be the first person I called. I would fully take advantage of your expertise, and I would put all my trust in you to help me in my time of need." Maura smiled up at the detective, "Why don't you let me help you?"

Jane hesitated before answering. "I don't like to ask for help. You know that." Jane said, her eyes glued to the floor, unable to look at her friend. Maura stood up from the couch and took a step towards her friend. She took both of Jane's hands in her own, forcing the taller women to look her in the eyes.

Knowing that Jane didn't like to feel weak, Maura knew she had to make Jane feel in control. "Well then, help me. You know I like to keep my skill set sharp. I haven't had the opportunity to hone my wicked massage skills lately. You'll be doing me a favor." She winked slyly at the brunette. Without waiting for a response, Maura spun Jane around and pulled her in front of her as she gently pushed on the detective's shoulders. "Sit down here on the floor in front of me," Maura motioned to Jane as she pulled up her dress slightly to allow room for her to spread her knees as she settled on the couch behind Jane. Jane turned to start to protest, but Maura's outstretched hand stopped her. "No peaking, my dress is hiked up around my hips. If you weren't comfortable with the idea of this before, I highly doubt that visual would make this anymore tolerable for you now." Maura chuckled as she helped lower the stunned detective in front of her.

Jane settled on the floor with her back to Maura. Staring at a spot on the wall across the room, Jane tried not to think of the doctor behind her. "Thanks a lot. Now all I can think about is what color your underwear is." Jane laughed, clearly amused that the doctor had been able to talk her into doing this.

With one swift move, Maura pulled Jane back towards her to get her into position. Leaning down so that her mouth was only inches away from Jane's ear, Maura whispered seductively, "Who says I'm wearing underwear?" Panicking slightly, Jane took in a sharp breath at Maura's words. Maura tenderly squeezed each of Jane's shoulders to reassure her that she was just joking.

"Relax, Jane." Maura chuckled. "I'm just kidding."

Jane slowly let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "God, Maur. Don't do that to me. You know that kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable."

"Okay I promise. No more joking." Maura took in a deep cleansing breath to show she was ready to get to work on the task at hand.

"Okay, I'm ready. Go ahead and remove your shirt now."

Oh fuck.