#you'se

Jane pumped her arm in triumph.

"Would you rather be stabbed with one sword or seven hundred needles?"

"All at once?"

Jane nodded enthusiastically.

Maura shook her head.

"How long is the sword and how long are the needles?"

"The sword is sword-sized and the needles are like blood needles."

"Which gauge?"

"I don't know? Small, so they hurt more?"

"Are they clean?"

"Autoclaved."

"Even the sword?"

"It's clean."

"Needles."

Jane nodded thoughtfully, as though she'd expected as much. Sometimes she'd rather seven hundred needles when Jane was like this. Or ten thousand spoons when all she needed was a scalpel. She pointed to a particulate and thanked Susie when she scraped it from the wall.

"Would you rather be caught in a house fire or..."

Jane trailed off. When Maura looked up, Jane was blushing.

"No, you're right. It's a crime scene."

Maura, for the first time, was intrigued by this little game of Jane's.

+++

"So. House fire or?" Maura settled down on Jane's couch, Jane curled up already beside her.

"Would you rather be caught in a house fire or would you rather...." Jane trailed off again. Her cheeks were flushed when Maura looked over at her. "No, you're right. The whole thing is stupid."

"Go on," Maura promoted her. "I've humoured you thus far, haven't I?"

"Would you rather get caught in a house fire or kiss me?" Jane blurted out the last of her question.

Maura considered the question. She would not like to get caught in a house fire. She'd seen often enough what happened to people so unfortunate. Would she rather kiss Jane?

She'd rather kiss Jane than eat worms or be stabbed by any number of blades no matter how tiny they might be. If she said so, Jane might never speak to her again.

"How big is this fire? How soon into the burn cycle would I be?"

"I don't know! Like, mid?"

"My bedroom is upstairs."

"You have a fire escape. So do I."

"House fires can be deadly, Jane, and I doubt you'd ever try to hurt me, let alone kill me, even if I did kiss you."

Jane fidgeted with her beer. She didn't look over at Maura.

"Oh," Jane said finally, like the answer had somehow hurt her.

"I'd rather kiss you than finish this beer," Maura said quietly, and handed it to Jane, who tipped it back easily.