The One Where Casey Finds Out
It was a rather slow day in the office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the only deaths to arrive so far today were those best classed as death by misadventure, two car accidents, a slip and fall accident off a ladder, a heart attack and a stroke, all of which required little of Doctor Maura Isles' skill or time.
Finishing up on the heart attack victim, Maura was tempted to put the cause of death as obesity; the man had been morbidly obese. Now he was, she hesitated to use the word 'crammed' but that was probably the most apt description; in the freezer; it had taken half of her staff working together to move the cadaver and three people to push the slab back into the freezer after she had finished her autopsy. Making a mental note to have another talk to her girlfriend about the healthiness or lack thereof of her usual food choices, Maura decided that she deserved a small break and headed out to get a coffee.
While she would never condone or even admit to agreeing with one of her staff's sotto voice comment about her last patient being the great white whale, it had been a very, very long time since Maura had found herself having to cut through quite that much fat and adipose flesh to expose the body's internal organs. Grimacing in distaste Maura decided to pass on a delicious but less than healthy Blueberry friand that was on offer at the café, instead settling for just her regular coffee.
Smiling, she nodded at the barista as she collected her order; Maura was a regular here and they knew her order without prompting, before turning and making her way back to headquarters.
As Maura passed through the entrance to headquarters she noticed an Army uniform in the BPD building's foyer, the camouflage BDU's out of place amongst the familiar deep blue police uniforms. The wearer was talking to the officer at security, seemingly a little exasperated by the tone of his voice.
"Look, can you just tell Jane Rizzoli that Casey Jones is here to see her" At her girlfriend's name Maura's ears pricked up, prompting her to take a detour past the desk, intrigued. As she approached the police sergeant shook his head.
"Like I already told you, Detective Rizzoli is not available" Maura smiled quietly, well aware of why she wasn't; Jane was attending a day of mandatory sensitivity training after a three day suspension earned, extremely well earned in Maura's opinion, after her girlfriend had taken umbrage to Detective Crowe's most recent set of outrageously sexist and demeaning comments about the Doctor, their relationship may not be public but there was no way Jane was going to tolerate Crowe's comments, she had taken matters into her own hands, well fist actually. Her single punch had sent Detective Crowe sprawling, coming to rest against Sergeant Korsak's desk where he had discovered that he was now missing two teeth.
While Maura had been extremely grateful for Jane's defence of her honour, something she had demonstrated over and over again to 'her' detective that night, Lieutenant Cavanagh had been singularly unimpressed, bawling her out and placing her on suspension. The reason Jane had got off comparatively lightly was that Korsak, Frost and several other detectives had corroborated Jane's statement about Detective Crowe's behavior leading up to Jane's response. Crowe had been told to take himself off to the dentist and to consider it lucky he still had a job; Jane meanwhile had been sent packing. Seeing the desk sergeant getting annoyed at the man's persistence Maura decided to step in.
"Good morning Sergeant Phelps, perhaps I can help?" The Sergeant looked up and smiled, not only did he like the gorgeous doctor who never had a harsh word for anyone, but as Jane's friend she'd be able to handle this annoying army guy.
"Thanks Doc, that'd be great" The soldier turned to face Maura, his eyes and smile showing his appreciation for a beautiful woman as he spoke.
"Hi, I'm Colonel Jones, I'm an old friend of Jane Rizzoli's, is she around?" Maura took him in, sandy blonde hair, well built, obviously fit in his camouflage BDUs, certainly an acceptable specimen should she have been still in the market for a short physical distraction, now though he was just another man and therefore not at all interesting. That said Maura saw no need to be unpleasant.
"Good morning Colonel Jones, I am Maura Isles, I work with Jane. I am afraid Jane is unavailable and I am unable to say with any certainty when she will be in a position to become available. May I take a message?" He smiled easily.
"That's okay, can you tell her Casey's back in town, she'll know what I mean" Maura found herself frowning at the man's tone, he seemed a little too proprietorial about Jane for someone that the detective had barely mentioned as much more than a friend back in high school.
"I can pass on your message Colonel. Do you have a contact number where Jane might reach you?" The uniformed man reached into his shirt pocket and produced a business card which Maura glanced at, Colonel Jones was apparently attached to an Army unit based out of Texas, if Maura's memory served the unit had been mentioned in the media as operating in the Middle East recently. Colonel Jones smiled as he passed it across.
"That'd be great, it's been a while since I last saw Jane and I'd like to catch up with her again" Maura nodded agreeably.
"I take it you are her friend from school?" Maura smiled politely. "Now that I think about it I believe Jane did mention you once" Colonel Jones' smile widened.
"Only once, I'm shocked" He nodded at her. "I'm back in Boston and thought Jane and I should catch up, see if we still have that old spark" Maura nodded slowly, not liking where this Colonel Jones was going at all, the jealous streak that normally sat well buried within her staring to rise.
"I will of course inform Jane that you are back in Boston, as soon as I see her" Maura looked up at the soldier. "Will you be in Boston long or are you still deployed in the Middle East?" Jones smiled.
"Only here for a week's leave, then back over there, so I thought that we might catch up while I was back" Maura nodded, already considering everything she'd learned. Colonel Jones may well only be passing through and looking to catch up with an old school friend, something Maura had no issue with. If on the other hand he was looking at some sort of 'booty call' while he was back in Boston then Maura most definitely had an issue with that. Perhaps a little more digging was warranted.
Several minutes later Colonel Jones, now possessing a visitor's pass, was seated in Maura's office as she regarded him.
"I understand that you have been away from Boston for some time Colonel" He smiled easily.
"Please, call me Casey, yeah, it's been about five years, but I had the chance to pass through and I thought I'd look Jane up, see how she's doing" Maura nodded slowly.
"Well I will be happy to let her know you were just passing through, perhaps you might like to join us for drinks this Friday night" He tilted his head to regard her, his voice tentative.
"Join you…?" Maura nodded politely.
"Oh yes, Jane, a number of the detectives from Homicide and I get together for drinks on a Friday evening at our local bar" Maura smiled as she saw him thinking that over as she continued. "Friends celebrating the passing of another work week, as her friend perhaps you would like to join Jane's other friends for drinks?" Casey nodded slowly.
"Yeah, that'd be nice, maybe a few drinks before we head off" Maura frowned, not liking the inference at all.
"Excuse me, head off?" Casey shrugged.
"Yeah, I was thinking we head out for dinner then see where the night leads after that" Maura decided that a little gentle warning might nip this situation in the bud.
"And it never occurred to you that Jane may in fact be seeing someone?" Colonel Jones' eyes widened.
"Really, I hadn't heard she was seeing anyone" Maura let her head tip to the side slightly as she regarded him.
"You have been away for several years" The blonde pointed out. He nodded slowly then spoke.
"Yeah, but I asked around, no one said anything about Jane seeing anyone at the moment" Maura smiled gently.
"I can assure you that Jane is in fact in a relationship"
"Really…wow" Maura liked neither the man's tone nor his inference. She heard the slight chill creep into her voice despite her best efforts to hide it.
"I beg your pardon Colonel?" The man shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm just surprised; Jane's never been the type to settle down in a relationship, she's way too married to her job for that" Maura kept the smile she felt inside; the man was demonstrating just how little he knew about Jane.
"Jane is a very, very good detective Colonel, her commitment to her job is admirable, as is her commitment to her partner"
"I'm just surprised that she'd find a guy she was interested in long enough for it to last beyond a few weeks, with her it's all about her job" Maura clasped her hands on the desk in front of her and leaned forward slightly to regard Jones.
"I can assure you that Jane is as committed to her relationship as her job Colonel" He grimaced and sat back as he spoke.
"Then the guy has my best wishes, he's gonna need them, lord knows it can't be easy" He looked up at the blonde and continued. "Jane can be...difficult" At the man's insinuations Maura found herself driven to defend her girlfriend.
"I have not found her to be so in the time I have known her" Casey shrugged.
"She's driven Maura, hard on herself and everyone around her" Maura worked hard to contain a frown at his words, Jane was driven yes, but her focus was on capturing the criminals and bringing much-needed closure to the victims, something she felt at pains to point out.
"Jane strives to deliver her best Colonel, an admirable trait I'm sure you would agree" He waved away Maura's response.
"To a point Maura, but Jane goes well past that, she always has" Maura's initial reaction to Casey was proving correct. This annoying little man was on one hand interested in Jane as a potential short-term sexual conquest while on the other running her down in front of her best friend. She decided right then she did not like the man, at all, something that she hoped was not apparent in her tone when she spoke.
"What exactly do you mean?" Jones shrugged nonchalantly, his tone reflecting the same.
"When she's invested in something nothing and no one's work is good enough" He threw a hand up in the air with an irritated snort. "She's completely impossible to please"
Maura decided then and there that she needed to put this man into his place, brutally if necessary. How dare he treat Jane like this! A cold clear anger settled in her chest, this man needed to be a taught a lesson. For a moment she considered how Jane might react to what she was going to do, but in the end she mentally shrugged. What she and Jane had could survive a few bumps, had survived far worse in fact, compared to that Maura didn't think Jane would mind if she put Colonel Jones back in his place. Besides she thought with a slightly naughty inner thrill, there were numerous ways Maura could earn her way back into her girlfriend's good books, very, very enjoyable ways.
Looking up and regarding the man sitting across from her, Maura came to a decision. No one who treated Jane like this odious little man had the presumption to do so was going to leave here unscathed, not if she could help it. She smiled a little, then composed herself, lifting her chin a little to regard the man as she spoke.
"I have not found her so, in fact I find her quite easy to please" Maura smiled a little wider as she went in for the kill. "Really all it takes is several well-manicured fingers and an educated tongue"
There was dead silence for several seconds as Maura regarded Casey impassively, watching as he quite obviously turned that last sentence over and over in his head, turning redder as he did; finally he spoke, well spluttered really.
"You...her... you're...both..." She favored him with an entirely too smug smile and nodded once.
"Actually yes, we in fact are" He seemed to be still having trouble wrapping his mind around the truth.
"But Jane, she's not...I know she's not..." The doctor regarded him dispassionately before speaking, not too unkindly.
"I can assure you that you are wrong and that the Jane you knew is nothing like the Jane I now know" Casey's face grew hard.
"Jane can't be gay, I know she can't" He smirked, suddenly sure of himself. "Besides she likes cock way too much to give it up" Maura flicked her hair back with a brush of her hand, metaphorically giving Jones the same brush off.
"And right there you amply demonstrate exactly how little you really know about Jane" Maura sat back and regarded the man across her desk even as he tried to justify his supposition.
"I know Jane, I grew up with her and she's not a lesbian" The blonde regarded him coolly as she spoke.
"I have worked closely with Jane for years, she is not only my best friend but my partner, my lover in fact Colonel Jones" She shrugged elegantly. "I already knew her better than anyone before we became more than friends" Maura allowed a small smile to appear as she let her voice drop slightly, becoming a little sensual. "Now though, perhaps the best description is that I know her…intimately" Jones scowled at me.
"I don't know where the hell you get off, but I know Jane isn't a lesbian" Maura remained impassive at the man's outrage before shooting him down.
"I can assure you, based on Jane's performance, or should I say performances, delivered last night, you could not be more mistaken" She smiled at the man. "As her friend I would have thought you would be happy for her, Jane herself has told me that she has never been happier" He shook his head as if he was trying to rid himself of the concept.
"Happy…with you…being gay?" Maura stepped in to correct him.
"No Colonel, with me, the person who loves her, protects her, who is there whenever and wherever she needs, who will do whatever is required to ensure that she is loved, cherished and appreciated as the unique person she truly is" The look he gave her was pure skepticism as she pressed on. "What exactly is your concern; you live on the far side of the country when you are in the United States, are only here for a week, looking for a booty call as it were, hardly the actions of someone with Jane's best interests at heart" Colonel Jones looked down at the floor for a moment, gathering his thoughts before looking up at the blonde, his face a mix of defiance and anguish.
"I care for Jane, I love her" he blurted out. Maura frowned, annoyed at the man's presumption.
"Care for her, I hope so. Love her though, I doubt it? You love her so much that you drop by for a week after being away for years before leaving again for the Middle East. You may call it love Colonel, I however do not" Maura sighed, dealing with the man had left her tired. "Be that as it may, I will inform Jane that you are in town and would like to catch up, if she wishes I have no hesitation in her meeting you for drinks or dinner" She smiled at his consternation before continuing. "I trust her Colonel, while I neither know nor particularly trust you, I trust Jane" He peered darkly at the honey-blonde from under a beetled brow.
"I will fight for her" Maura shrugged, unconcerned, she knew Jane, knew her detective in a way he did not and never would.
"You will lose" He seemed to take her words as a challenge.
"We'll see" Maura sat back and regarded him across the desk.
"You already have Colonel, you could have come back at any time in the years since you left Boston, but you did not. Instead you pursued your career instead of Jane, leaving the field free to other suitors" She regarded the man. "Oh you are not the first, not at all, many have pursued her however Jane is not a prize to be taken" Maura smiled. "Instead she pursued her own path and followed her heart and in doing so, it led her to me" Jones shook his head as if he could shake loose the truth of her words before he spoke, annoyance lacing his words.
"You have got to be kidding me" The doctor shrugged again.
"Believe what you will, I am sure that Jane will tell you the same thing, if and when she decides to meet you" She sat back. "I will pass on your message to Jane when I see her tonight"
"Yeah sure you will" Hearing the doubt, Maura regarded the man, seeing the insecurity there.
"Colonel, as I have stated, I trust Jane, I know our relationship has nothing to fear from you"
"That's what you say now" She sighed, seeing him stubornly refusing to see what was right in front of him. Picking up her phone Maura rapidly typed out a message and despatched it to Jane, then held the phone out for him to take.
"As you can see, I have already notified Jane that I have seen you, that you wish to catch up and that we will discuss this when she comes home tonight" He scanned the text as his face fell, before he looked up.
"Home?" Maura nodded once.
"Jane and I share a home, a bed and a life Colonel" She slowly raised an eyebrow. "Now you see why I have nothing to fear from you being here" He nodded slowly before she spoke again. "Now if you will excuse me Colonel Jones, I have work to do, so I will ask one of my staff to escort you out" He nodded once then stood.
"Okay, I'll wait to hear from Jane then" The doctor stood, nodding once.
"You will" He turned to the door then looked back at her.
"Look after her Maura, she deserves that"
"I can promise you that" He turned away when Maura's voice called him back. Maura knew she should have left it be but she wanted him to know just how wrong he was about Jane, plus destroy any schemes he might have about trying to win her back, Jane did not need that issue right now. On the other hand she should perhaps feel a little remorse at the method she was planning to achieve her aim, but did not.
"I do have one question though Colonel" He stopped at the door and looked back.
"Yes?"
"Should we invite you to our wedding?" The look on his face was priceless even as Maura mentally scolded herself for being so petty.
"Wedding?" The honey-blonde nodded.
"Well we are residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, gay marriage is legal here" He stood there for a moment, his mouth hanging open, before he collected himself, just shaking his head and turning away, walking out the door as she watched him go.
Less than 30 seconds later the phone rang, it was Jane calling.
"Hey babe, how are you, is everything okay?" Maura smiled at her lover's voice.
"I am fine thank you Jane, your friend Casey visited, he was hoping to catch up with you, so in your absence I chatted to him" Maura could hear the sudden apprehensive tone in Jane's voice clearly through the phone.
"Uh oh, did he get out in one piece?" Maura smothered a laugh at her words and tone.
"He is hoping to catch up with you for dinner" The doubt in Jane's voice was palpable.
"Just dinner huh?" Maura let her smile out at Jane's tone.
"Well he may have hoped for more but I believe he now understands that you are neither interested nor available"
"You're bad Maura" There was a pause then she continued. "Just exactly how bad were you anyway babe?" Maura let her tone drop into something rather sultrier, knowing the effect it had on Jane.
"I may need to make it up to you tonight Jane" There was silence for a few seconds before Jane's voice came through, softer, as if she was looking round and did not wish to be overheard.
"Do you have a lot to make up for?" The doctor felt a happy smile break out, that was her girlfriend, then smothered it as she made her voice become even sultrier.
"Oh yes, I've been a bad girl detective, a very bad girl" There was a full ten seconds of silence before Jane responded, Maura could easily hear the arousal in her voice.
"Damn it Maura, don't say things like that when I can't do anything about it! I have five more hours of this politically correct crap to get through before I can escape" Maura was about to say something when Jane spoke again. "I will be home at six sharp, you'd better be there, we're going to have a talk about exactly how bad you were and what you're going to do to make it up to me" The doctor chuckled happily.
"Well Jane, that gives me plenty of time to work out exactly what I plan on doing to you" Maura smirked to herself, she loved teasing Jane, it was always so much fun. Finally Jane spoke.
"Six PM babe, you better be there"
"I will and Jane, I love you" Her reply was instant.
"And I love you babe, but you're still not off the hook"
"I wouldn't have it any other way darling" With that they ended the call amid chuckles before Maura sat back and smiled to herself, tonight was going to be interesting. She picked up her coffee and finished it off before shaking her head. 'And he thought he ever had a chance'.
With that Maura went back to work, already happily anticipating the night's activities.
A/N While I hope this works as a stand alone, if I had to place this in the Intersecting Lines universe it takes place about three months after Jane and Maura got together in 'Hearts on the Shopping Block', slightly less to 'Telling Angela', two months after 'Court Clothes' and a month or so after 'Jane the Librarian'. The girls are still keeping their relationship quiet but that's not going to last.