So much gunfire. So much. Like rain on the rooftop but louder. Deafening.
"I-I can't get a clean shot," Frost yelled over it.
"Neither can I," Jane called out. "I…the kid, Frost, the kid! Where is he?"
Frost grimaced and cowered a little further behind the fridge as a wave of bullets came his way.
"I dunno, I thought he was there—" he waved vaguely with his gun as he popped the empty magazine from it.
"I need you to cover for me, alright?"
"Jane, you can't—"
"We need him alive, you hear me? And I need to get over there, so—"
"I'll cover you," Frost muttered reluctantly.
He moved further away from Jane before shooting once again, each one precise enough to earn the attention of the mobsters. Jane slipped out of the kitchen with enough of a head start to take cover behind a filing cabinet before bullets were flying in her direction once more.
She gasped for air, the adrenaline coursing through her making it increasingly difficult, but the different vantage point was enough to give her a view of the kid, Kyle. He was cowering behind the unfortunately-not-so-bulletproof couch, looking at her with scared, teary eyes.
She motioned for him to crouch even further down, flinching when a few bullets ricocheted somewhere near her head. A shout of pain that did not sound like Frost rang out, and she figured it to be her only opening. She slid up next to Kyle, lowering her head and pulling him into her chest as she turned her back to where the bullets were coming from.
"I want my momma," the boy whimpered, curling tighter against Jane.
"I know, buddy, I know," she tried to soothe.
The glass door near them shattered, and he shrieked, Jane's hand immediately covering his face and using her body to shield him. Although no damage was done, she could still feel him sobbing into her chest.
"I just want my Momma," he wailed.
"And I will do everything to get you to her, okay?" she said, trying with no success to hide the panic in her voice.
He sniffled and tensed, and she wrapped herself even more securely around him, her chin resting on the top of his head.
"Tell me about her," she pleaded desperately as her eyes scanned the living room for cover. "FROST, how we doing?!"
"I-I'm sorry, Jane! I can't—I'm doing the best—"
The machine guns drowned out the rest of his words.
"C'mon, Kyle. Tell me about your mom," Jane encouraged when his crying started up again.
"She's…really nice. S-she takes me to get ice cream e-every time we lose a…a soccer game. She g-gets real formal on the pho-one, like…spelling stuff w-with words insteada letters. I-I think tkhat's cause that's w-what she used t'do before m-me."
Although his voice was still shaking, Jane felt him relaxing.
"She sounds cool," she murmured, scooting them a little closer to the edge of the couch. "Tell me more."
"I like when we…when we go out," he sniffled. "We do stuff I like…e-even if she doesn't a-and sometimes I go with her to…to do stuff I d-don't like too much. I just…I like spending time w-with her and I-I like when she makes funny faces in public even if i-it's embarrassing."
Jane dashed for the bookcase by the doorway, her body blocking him the whole time. She winced and crouched down when bullets tore at the doorway trim, but managed to smile down at him.
"That's good," she said, just loud enough to be heard. "That's what love is."
She stuck her head out to try and get a view, jerking back just before more bullets came sailing close to them.
"You got someone you love?" he asked quietly.
She hadn't wanted to answer, too busy racking her brain to find an exit, but when she glanced down, the sight of him wiping at his eyes, a powerful fear in them; it made her nod.
"FROST!" she hollered angrily.
"At your right, Jane, right!" he shouted, "I don't have a good angle—"
Jane shot a few rounds through the wall beside her, a familiar thud following.
"Who?" Kyle asked, his voice trembling.
"Her…her name's Maura."
"W-what makes you love her?"
She sighed.
"A lotta things," she murmured. "She says weird things and does strange stuff. She knows almost everything. S-she has this smile. It's like…no matter how many times you tell her she's good at something, it's still as proud and glowing as the first time. And…she does goofy things and I…I love her more for it—"
"Jane! Opening," Frost shouted. "side door. Side door's clear, go right now—"
The detective didn't hesitate at her partner's assurance, hugging Kyle to her as she ran, hunched over. She burst outside and guided him into her car.
"I gotta go back in there—"
"No!" Kyle yelled, doubling his hold on her.
"You're safe out here. I promise. But right now my partner's in there alone," she explained as she reached for the radio.
"This is Detective Jane Rizzoli, Victor 825—We got a shootout down at 403 Baldwin Road. Officer pinned inside, I need all available units now. I repeat 10-57 at 403 Baldwin. 10-56. 10-13 Code 1."
She dropped the radio and crouched down to Kyle's level, gripping his upper arms.
"I need you to be brave for me, alright?" she said as calmly as she could manage. "Be brave for your mom too. I'll be right back."
The rest was a blur. She remembered going back in. She remembered yelling for Frost, who in turn simply yelled at her to get out. She remembered getting shot in the leg, the pain with which was still with her.
She winced in pain and gripped it tightly, stemming the blood flow with her right hand, her left hand steady with every shot she fired into the hallway. And she couldn't help but think of Maura.
"Stop it, Jane!" Maura laughed, squirming away from Jane's touch. "Stop or I'll make you!"
Jane chuckled, but stopped her tickling, rolling onto her back.
"Have I mentioned that it's frickin' hot?" she muttered.
She wiped her forehead with the edge of her tanktop.
"We could always go to my place, Jane. I have a reliable air conditioning unit...unlike yourself..."
Jane half-heartedly shoved Maura blindly, Maura simply laughing and moving back to her previous position.
"I remember when I was a kid we used to spend hours outside with the sprinker."
"Why would you play with a tool for watering plants and grass?"
Jane looked over at her sharply.
"You mean you've never done it?"
"No. Why would I?"
"Because it's fun!" Jane laughed. "You got to cool off and make up games and shit. It was one of my favorite things to do as a kid."
"What else did you do?"
"I dunno...Lots of stuff. I loved family biking trips. And writing notes in code to my friends in school so if we got caught they couldn't yell at us. And building stuff with my Pop. Once we built a grill out of aluminum foil and cardboard and then we cooked hotdogs with it."
"That sounds...lovely," Maura said quietly.
Jane frowned.
"I take it you've never done any of that."
"I can't say I have."
Jane hit the mattress as she sat up.
"Then that settles it. We're playing in a sprinkler."
Maura sat up too.
"Jane, we're grown women. We can't go around playing chilrden's games."
"Sure we can. You need the experience."
Maura looked like she was about to protest.
"Don't even think about it, Maur. We're doing this. You can't tell me you don't have a bathing suit because you do. You left it here from when we went on vacation with everyone."
After getting changed, the two of them stood by the moving sprinkler. Maura was watching the moving water with a wary eye, unconsciously leaning toward Jane.
"Go on," Jane laughed, giving her a small push.
Maura tentatively reached out her hand, waiting for the sprinkler to move enough for the water to hit her. She shrieked and recoiled when it did.
"Jane, it's cold!"
"That's the point!" Jane chuckled. "Just go on. Jump through."
Maura looked back at her with pleading eyes.
"I'll push you," Jane challeneged.
It was enough for Maura to squeeze her eyes shut tightly and jump forward. She squealed and curled into herself, running the rest of the way through and out of the way of the water's spray.
Jane couldn't help but keep laughing, doubled over and trying to stop.
"Jane!" Maura whined. "It's not funny."
"Y-yeah it is," Jane gasped out between fits of laughter.
"It's cold!" Maura protested. "You try!"
Jane reigned in her laughs long enough to stand upright, taking a look at the honey-blonde at the other side of the water stream. And in an instant she ran across, wrapped her arms around Maura and tackled her to the ground.
"Jane!" Maura shouted, "Now I'm all covered in grass."
Jane smirked, rolling them over and once again into the sprinkler's radius.
"I know. I just cut the grass."
"JANE!"
Maura squirmed to get free and away from the water, laughing at the same time. Eventually she managed to escape but instead of letting her, Jane got up too, grabbing the sprinkler and manually aiming it at Maura. The honey-blonde laughed and shrieked and tried to run faster, only finding safe haven next to Jane's prized power tools.
Out of breath and still laughing, Jane put her hands on her knees to try and catch her breath.
"Alright, Maur, you win."
"I do?"
"Yeah. Just c'mere."
She waved toward herself. Maura's eyes narrowed at her hesitantly.
"I'm just gonna rinse you off," Jane laughed. "I swear."
"I don't believe you."
Jane sighed and put the sprinkler down, putting her hands up.
"I promise. I will only use that water to get the grass off you. I wouldn't lie to you."
The slight furrow in Maura's brow as she considered nearly broke Jane's heart. How many people had really lied to Maura in her lifetime? But hesitantly, Maura stepped out of the garage from behind the table saw, padding carefully onto the asphalt.
"Okay. Go ahead."
Jane smiled and picked up the sprinkler once more. She cupped the top with one hand, controlling the spray and directing it at Maura's legs. The other hand ran over Maura's skin to wipe away any stubborn blades of grass. She felt herself blushing as she went higher, moving her palm carefully up over Maura's knee and to her thigh. She looked up to see if everything was okay, and Maura was smiling down at her so brightly it almost hurt.
She cleared her throat and stood.
"So? What'd you think?"
Maura's smile only increased in size and intensity.
"It was wonderful. I'm glad I can say I've done it."
Jane smiled back.
"I'm glad I could be a part of it."
"Now can we stay out and tan for a little? I didn't have time to do much of it at the beach."
"Gasp! Maura Isles, tan? Aren't you going to say something about skin cancer or something?"
Maura frowned.
"Yes, excess sun can be bad and cause mutations. The body is equipped to handle these mutations, but over time, the number of mutations will be too much for the body to handle. I can agree with that, but sun is important, Jane. It gives you vitamin D that helps your body absorb calcium. Sun can also be very good for your skin, as long as the proper UV protection is provided."
"So tanning has nothing to do with looking good?"
"I never said that. As long as done in moderation and with sunscreen, tanning is fine to increase the melanin levels of your skin to give a person a more...healthy look."
Jane rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, okay. I'll go get your protection, woman. 30 or 50?"
Maura beamed at her.
"30 is perfect."
The pain in Jane's leg brought her back, and she sucked in a breath through her teeth.
"How you doin' Frost?" she asked.
"Just fine, Janie," he offered, firing more shot somewhere behind her.
"Good..." she managed weakly, now having to rest her gun on the edge of the counter to keep in from shaking before she pulled the trigger.
After that, all she remembered was backup arriving.
And when the gunfire finally stopped, she and Frost collapsed into each other, laughing weakly.
"You're a real fucking idiot, you know that Jane?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I know," Jane muttered back.
He chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Then again, I owe you my life."
She shrugged.
"Part of the job. You should know by now that I got your back, man."
With the help of a few officers, Jane managed to make it to the ambulance without falling down. She let herself be examined and the wound on her leg bandaged. Kyle approached her slowly.
"You didn't have to go in there."
She shrugged.
"Yeah, I did."
"You could've died."
"Maybe. But I wouldn't have gone down without a fight."
"What makes you want to?"
Jane chuckled.
"What makes me want to go in? Or what makes me want to come out?"
"Both."
"If I go in, then lots of people are safer. Like you."
"Okay…"
"And what makes me come out? Everything I–Everything I love."
She cleared her throat to try and make up for her cracking voice.
"You mean Maura?"
Jane stared out into the street, thinking for a moment. What did make her want to come out? She thought about just a few minutes ago when she could basically see her life unfolding before her. It always happened. But what really made her fight? Wanting to see Maura again. Wanting to keep her safe. Wanting to hear her laugh or hear a new boring fact. Wanting to be bossed around by her. Just…Maura.
She slowly nodded her head, as if admitting it to herself for the first time.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Always for Maura."
"JANE!" an angry voice yelled out. "JANE CLEMINTINE RIZZOLI DO NOT TELL ME YOU WENT IN THERE WITHOUT TELLING ME."
Jane smiled weakly.
"Speak of the devil."
"Of all the rash senseless things you've done, I would put this up high on your list!"
Maura stormed up to them, crossing her arms and looking sternly at Jane.
"I'm sorry, Maur. I'll never do it again."
"You most certainly won't."
Kyle looked at Maura shyly.
"I'm sorry. It's kinda my fault."
Maura's eyes shot to his, as if she hadn't even noticed him before. Her eyes instantly softened.
"Oh, honey, don't protect her. She's really quite foolish. It happens more than she likes to admit."
He smiled.
"She always makes it out though."
Maura sighed, looking back to Jane. Her loving smile was unmistakable.
"I suppose she does, huh?"
"With a girlfriend like you, I don't know how she couldn't come home." His eyes darted over to the sound of squealing tires. "Momma!"
And he was off before either of them could respond. Maura looked at Jane for a long time.
"Girlfriend?"
Jane kept her eyes down, shifting uncomfortably on the bumper of the ambulance.
"I was just trying to comfort him. He asked what I loved so I…I told him."
Maura caught the flush of color staining Jane's cheeks, and after long moment, she sighed, letting her arms uncross. She slowly sat herself down beside Jane, gently reaching over to take one of Jane's hands.
"Girlfriend doesn't sound so bad."