The Next Chapter (A Rizzoli & Isles fanfiction)

14.

The Maison Albar Hotels Le Pont Neuf. That's where Maura and Jane would be staying for their little Paris trip. Maura had every intention of fully exploring Paris during her time here, so this hotel was simply perfect. It was within walking distance to Sainte-Chapelle, Louvre Museum and to the Notre-Dame. It was five stars, with an indoor pool and gym, access to the most luxurious spa, a fantastic restaurant and elegantly beautiful rooms that were to Maura's liking. Of course, when Maura booked the room, she wasn't expecting a guest to be staying with her.

She was anticipating that she would have this book finished in a little over a month. Her work ethic had always been very strict and when it came to deadlines, she made sure she was always early. Yes, Maura was planning on working endlessly on her novel until it was done. That way, she could have a little time to explore Paris and decide what it was she wanted to do with her life after her book was completed. Did she want to quit her job in Boston and pursue a writing career? Would her book even take off? If it did, what then? If it didn't, what about then? She had so much to figure out, but with Jane by her side now, she was worried that she would have little time to do any of that. 

"Hey, you ready to go see our room?" Jane snapped Maura out of her thoughts with the jangling of the room key in her hand. "I just checked us into our 'executive room'." Her laugh sounded genuine, like this was the happiest moment of her entire life. Hearing that laughter filled Maura's heart with so much joy that she couldn't help but to mirror the detective's smile. 
"I'm ready, but there's something you should know about the room, Jane."
"What about it?"
"It only has one bed. It's king size, but I didn't know you were coming with me."
"Hey, it's okay. We can just sleep together. It's not like we haven't done it before." The raven haired female winked at Maura before heading over to the lift with the biggest smirk on her face. 

Maura followed along behind Jane, trying her best to swallow the hard lump that had formed in her throat. It was true; it's not like they were strangers to sharing a bed. When Hoyt was out there, stalking Jane, Maura had allowed Jane to sleep over at her house. They shared a bed then. Or how about the time that Maura had signed Jane up for online dating (in the interest of solving a murder) and they fell asleep in the same bed, at Jane's house. Or that time when Jane had that mattress in her front room because her brothers left it there instead of taking it into her bedroom. Yes, they had shared a bed on many occasions before, but Maura couldn't help but to feel this might be slightly different to those times.

As they got onto the lift, Maura pressed the button to get to their floor and waited in silence for the doors to close. It was only a short journey, so they weren't in silence for too long as the lift came to a stop and arrived at their floor. Both of them got off and headed towards their room. Jane went off slightly in front and unlocked the door, using their key card and from the very moment she saw it, her jaw hit the floor.

"Oh... my... god... Maura, this room is..." Jane's voice trailed off as she dropped her suitcase in the middle of the room and began to spin in a slow circle, her eyes taking in every inch of the decor. The bed was covered in white bedding, accompanied by white and black pillows and a timeless, wooden headboard. The walls were cream coloured, with beautiful drapes that were pushed back to take in the view of the rue du Pont-Neuf. The grey carpet matched the theme perfectly, finishing off with a small desk and chair where Maura could work, a built in wardrobe, a bedside cabinet, a wall mounted TV and an armchair to the left of the bed. This room was to die for, and even Maura couldn't quite believe her eyes. 
"...perfect." Maura finished Jane's sentence and then followed the detective into the bathroom. 

The bathroom was just as exquisite as the bedroom. It had marble patterned cream tiles, with a bath tub and shower, floor length windows that opened up to a lovely balcony which circled to the bedroom, too. It had a sink, with space for vanity and beauty items, with mirrors on the wall that were spotlessly clean. The hotel was perfect. Maura had made a good choice with this five star resort and she was excited to see how happy they would be here. 

"Wow... This is really incredible, Maur'." Jane spun to face the medical examiner, a goofy looking grin on her features. 
"It is, isn't it?"
"How long do we have the room for?"
"I booked it for six weeks, but I can book it longer if I need to."
"Can I help you pay for it?" Jane raised a brow. She knew that this hotel must be costing Maura a fortune so the least she could do was offer to pay for some of this. After all, she did hijack Maura's trip.
"No, it's all paid for so don't worry about that." Maura walked back to the bedroom and opened the built in wardrobe on the right side of the room.
"We should hang our clothes before they get too creased."

The one thing Maura always did straight away when she was staying in a hotel was hang her clothes. At least that way, the creases would have time to drop out a little. She wasn't one of these people who could live out of a suitcase or leave the unpacking until the next day or longer. No, she had to get it done straight away. She was rather surprised as Jane joined her, kneeling on the floor with their suitcases undone. She half expected a protest, but she did nothing of the sorts.

"Hang any blouses and dresses. T-shirts and pants can be folded and placed on the shelves above, unless they're formal then they can be hung. Shoes can sit at the bottom of the wardrobe." Maura gave her instructions to the other, knowing that it would drive her insane if things weren't how she liked them. Together, they began to unpack their cases. Jane followed Maura's instructions to the T, not wanting to upset the honey blonde. 

"So, after we're done with all this boring unpacking, we can hit the pool, right?"
Maura laughed at Jane's question. "You're really looking forward to that pool, aren't you? Are you not tired from the flight?" 
"No, I'm not actually. I did fall asleep through most of it..."
"That's true." Maura checked the time on her wrist watch. Their flight had taken off just after 12 and it was a ten hour flight. By the time they had checked in and started their unpacking, it was now just after 11. "I think we might have to hit the pool tomorrow, Jane. The pool shut two hours ago."
"Oh man! I was really looking forward to that." Jutting her bottom lip out slightly in a pout, Jane placed her folded pants onto the top shelf of the wardrobe. 
"It's okay, we can go tomorrow. Perhaps we could spend the afternoon there." Maura suggested as she hung the last of her clothes. 

It wasn't too long before everything was put away neatly and their suitcases discarded to the back of the room. By the time they were finished, it had gotten to be almost midnight and Maura felt herself getting a little sleepy. The jet lag would kick in soon, she was sure. There's six hours time difference between Paris and Boston. Their day had been full of excitement and adventure and perhaps a little tension at times too. It was exhausting and Maura was almost ready for bed. First, she wanted to take a nice bath and just relax a little. 

"I'm going to take a bath. Are you going to be okay?"
"You're kidding, right?" Jane got to her feet, kicked her clunky boots off and ran over to the bed. Throwing herself down, she grabbed the remote for the wall mounted TV and flicked it on. "I'll be fine here. Go take your bath so we can get in bed already." 
"You don't have to wait up for me."
"Again, you're kidding, right? Who else will I get to spoon?" Jane chuckled before waving a dismissive hand to the honey blonde. "Now go get in your bath."