Important Author's Note: Okay, I know that I said I was done but I have one last final story in me that I think is kind of great. So, it's set after the season two finale. All we pretty much know about this new season is that Maura comes back from a Safari. So, I decided I would play off of that. When three lesbian ex-cons are found dead, Cavanaugh makes Jane go undercover in prison. I'm not sure if I want Maura to go undercover with her but I do know that I want both of them to realise what it's truly like without each other. While Maura is slowly forgiving Jane, and Jane forgiving herself, the two deal with their issues by talking it out and yada yada. It will and definitely be Rizzles. Anyways, I'd really appreciate it if you guys let me know how you feel about this. I don't know...it makes so much more sense in my head. Maybe after a few more chapters you'll be able to tell if you're interested? I'll see if there's another way I can explain it without giving away too much. Hmm. Plain and simple:
Set after season two finale. While Maura is on safari searching for herself and forgiveness in her best friend, Jane is forced to go undercover as an inmate when three ex-cons are murdered in a single weekend.
How's that? Not better? I'm sorry! Just let me know what you think and I promise I won't give up on this...and maybe the other stories. Reviews are kind of necessary in this case but if you are not interested in the story at all, just disregard it. Like my late mother used to say "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" except with her she said it in French and if she even tried to say it in English, she'd probably end up saying "if you say something mean, you are nice"
So...here we go.
The clamorous dissonances between each prison mate and guard tackled the silence in the room inch by inch. Tammy Whitaker accepted her belongings with a perky smile that had been plastered on her face since the agreement of the prison board decided she was ready to be released. That was two weeks ago and Tammy couldn't stop counting the days down. Now, at exactly noon, she was being released from prison after a quite long four year sentence. She'd been taken down with her old best friend Jessica Woodley, but after taking her plea bargain, the young woman got a much shorter sentence.
"Good luck out there, T-Whit." Tre Washington said with a slight smile. The slightly dark woman wore a dull dark salmon orange jumpsuit. The worn down variously stained suit was fifteen years old, just as old as Tre's years in prison. Originally, the suit came in a dull coral but it was now jaded with age. Tammy never knew Tre's actually name but she wasn't sure she ever really wanted to know the woman before prison.
"I ain't ever gon' see you again, am I Tre?" Tammy asked, already missing the woman that protected her.
"Nah," Tre frowned, picking at the folded clean uniforms on the dingy brown rusted cart she'd been pushing around. She picked this shift so she could stop to say goodbye to her friend. Her only real friend she ever made. "I'mma miss that accent."
"Don't let em hurt you, Tre. Ya hear me?" Tammy demanded from her friend. She needed to know Tre would be okay. She knew that the woman would never get out of prison. She'd had plenty of chances, even Tammy knew that, but something about the prison life fit Tre. "T, promise me."
Tre would've ran some skinny fingers through her hair, nervously if she could have. Her dark hair was braided into cornrows. "Look, I'mma be fine. I live these cells, ma. I ain't gon die in here. I can promise you that." She forced a smile. The killer smile that normally settled differences between the two. It wouldn't work this time and she knew it but Tammy didn't have enough time to argue with her.
"T-ray!" Sheila Black – the only prison guard that ever gave Tre a problem that sunk deeper than average hate from the gaurds – enunciated. "Push the damn cart!" She ordered. "I ain't playin."
Tre scratched at her chin before dropping her hands to the push bar of the cart. "I gotta go. Come see me, Tammy. That's the only way you ever gon' see me."
"I love you, Tre." Tammy felt tears stinging her eyes. Tears Tre told her she could never shed in prison. Tears that told everyone around her that she wasn't as strong as she seemed. "We gon' see each otha again. I promise."
"Get outta here, ma." The darker woman urged with the nudge of her cart into Tammy's side. She smiled at her friend one last time before pulling it away. Tammy wanted to hug her protector. She wanted to smell her one last time. But it wasn't over for her. She knew she'd see Tre again one day. Even if it didn't mean while she was young. Even it meant when they were older, she knew that she would see her best friend again one day.
Tammy made it to her halfway house, safely. The Victorian house was one of the only ones left in Boston. It was a shame it'd been used for such criminals. Ones that rarely ever took their sentencing seriously. Three months here and she would be a free woman. If she found a job before her deadline, she would be able to save up enough money to get her own apartment where she and Tre talked about.
The pale woman walked up to the wooden porch, each step she took on the stairs announced her arrival. Before she could even knock on the door, it was opening.
"Tammy Whitaker?" A redheaded woman questioned. Her eyes were crazy angry. It scared the young woman. She spent so much time locked up, she forgot about the crazy people on the outside of prison. The ones who didn't talk about getting out. How would she make conversation with anyone on the outside world?
"Yes, ma'am." Her thick accent slithered. "You mus be...Lady Perkins?" She inquired, looking down at the piece of paper in her sweaty hand.
"Indeed." Lady smiled. "Come in, sweetie. We've been expecting you." The fire-headed woman moved aside to let the blonde in.
"Thanks, ma'am." Tammy squeezed through the impossibly thin threshold. "I'm glad to be here, ma'am. I promise I ain't gon' cause no trouble. You ain't even gon' know I'm here. I'mma be working my butt off to get an apartment for me and my...my friend."
"That's lovely, dear." Lady smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. I don't like trouble. I'm not shy about sending goons back to the ward."
"Promise, I ain't trouble." Tammy swallowed, fearfully. She didn't want to trouble anyone. She just wanted to live up the promises she made her best friend. She wanted to save up enough money to pay the bail because she knew Tre wouldn't be on her best behavior enough to get out on time. Every time it was close for the dark woman to be released, she would do something stupid to get herself slapped with another five years. Her original sentence had been five years. But, after the first year, she was afraid of ever leaving prison. She was afraid of prison but most importantly, she was afraid of who was waiting for her outside of prison.
"Let me introduce you to your housemates." The counselor gave a polite smile before leading Tammy into the dining area. Waiting in there like it'd been a homecoming party was a diverse group of women. They all wore regular clothing. Something Tammy hadn't been quite used to seeing yet. Hell, she only owned one outfit now and she was wearing it. Part of her missed her old jumpsuits. Who knew they would become apart of her identity. "This is Gail." Lady pointed to an overweight short butch woman with dark short hair. Tattoos covered her right arm.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Tammy extended her arm. Gail gave her a disbelieving look.
"Where you from, missy?" She mocked the young woman's accent. "Hell naw, Lady Perk. We can't have some hillbilly around here."
"Excuse me?" The blonde pulled her arm away, already knowing she wasn't going to get a proper introduction to this woman. "I'm not a hillbilly."
"Gail, don't be mean." Lady pretexted. "This is Vicky." She pointed to the next woman. This one seemed more friendly, at least that what it seemed like at first. The smile on her first quickly disappeared when Lady had turned to sign some papers. Tammy swallowed hard at the cold look she received from the woman. "The next three are Kate, Barbra, and Keisha."
"I'm yo roommate." Keisha announced with an extended arm. "Nice to meet you."
Of all the five women, this one seemed to be the kindest. Tammy only hoped it hadn't been another facade. "Nice to meet you too." She smiled, shaking the other woman's hand. "I'm Tammy." She told all of them.
"I'll show you to our room." Keisha smiled, grabbing the bag that Tammy had dropped to the floor. "It's right upstairs." She brushed along the other woman, grabbing Tammy's innocent hand. She felt bad for the young woman. The younger woman had a personality that women from prison usually ate up. She remembered being that way herself. She tried to hold on to her own humanity but on some days she just had to give up. Seeing this struggling young blonde gave her reason to believe that not all ex-cons were just as bad as their sentence.
Tammy knew that Keisha was her new Tre. She could sense it in the way the woman took her hand to guide her. She noticed it in the way that she'd been the only one that genuinely cared to meet her. Truth be told, she was afraid of the streets just as much as she feared prison. But, the difference between the streets and the cells was that she didn't have Tre Washington to tell others to back off. Here, and now, she had Keisha. But, she wasn't going to forget about Tre. She was going to get her out of prison. She was going to do it because if she didn't; she didn't know who she'd end up being and how she'd end up being.
A/N: Yes. This is still the same story. I just figured I should give a background of the two first characters, Tammy and Tre because they will be important. Especially Tre. By the way her nickname is pronounced T-Ray. She's a character from another story of mine. One that I got published into a local book collection. Anyways, her character looks a LOT like Alicia Keys. Tammy looks like A.J. Cook.