Shadow Souls
A/N This is going to have Jane as a rather dark character for most of the story. Maura is pretty much her usual loving self…as much as she can be with Jane being all dark and brooding. Of course, they aren't mine, just borrowing them for a bit.
Jane drew in a deep breath and curled the 20lb dumbbell up to her chest. She held it for a count of five and slowly lowered it back to the beginning position. She executed the same moves on the right side and returned the weight to the stand. With the hammer curls finished, she could hop on the treadmill and run for an hour.
On the way to the only open treadmill, Jane brushed against a beat cop. She held out her left hand and made to walk past him and his two perspiring work out buddies.
"Watch it dyke." The beefy blond officer snarled.
"Easy, she looks like she could take you." Officer Cobb snorted.
"I bet her balls are bigger than yours." Murphy, the youngest added.
Jane clenched her teeth and walked away from the laughing officers. She stepped onto the treadmill and set it to a fast walk. In five minutes she would ease into a run and then crank it up to run flat out for forty minutes before cooling down.
A female traffic cop that Jane knew only slightly was on the treadmill next to her. The two women exchanged the briefest of nods before focusing on their individual work outs.
The trio of officers moved closer to the treadmills where the two women ran in silence. The traffic cop must have known them because she inserted pink ear buds into her ears and cranked her ipod to full volume. Jane continued her run ignoring the men. Since she and Maura had been dating, more and more male officers had chosen to act like assholes, actually most of the beat cops were whispering like high school gossips. She said a quick prayer that these three were just trying to rattle her.
"Rizzoli, how big is your dick?" Robbins, the blond called out loud enough for the entire gym to hear.
Cobb brayed loudly and insisted. "Nah, Rizzoli don't have a dick, she just grinds her stuff into her girlfriend. That's how lesbians fuck," The traffic cop shut down her treadmill and giving Jane a concerned look fled the room.
The third man, Murphy gave a shrill wolf whistle and rubbed his crotch. "I'd pay to watch that show. That ME is hot as hell."
Jane felt the anger gnawing away the tenuous hold on her self control. She didn't give a shit what they said about her, but no one was going to talk crap about Maura!
"So Rizzoli, are you always on top, or does the little wifey get to ride in the saddle sometimes?" Robbins teased.
"What a picture that would be. Maura has them big old natural titties. You ever notice how they bounce when she walks. I'd love to taste…" Murphy never got to finish his wish.
Jane had reached the boiling point. She leapt off the treadmill and caught Murphy with a roundhouse kick. His head snapped backward and he slid to the floor with a thud.
"That fucking dyke thinks she can take on all three of us!" Cobb laughed. He wasn't a fighter, but he loved to keep shit stirred to boiling point.
"Let's show the bitch her place!" Robbins roared moving toward Jane fists clenched.
A curl bar with two five pound weights on each end lay less than a foot from a heavy breathing Jane. She stood, eyes flashing a warning to the two advancing officers. Of course, they chose to ignore the flashing danger signals and rushed her. Jane waited until the last second and then grabbed the curl bar. She would give them once last warning and pray they were smart enough to listen.
"If you have the sense God gave a goose, you'll pick up your friend and hit the showers!" Jane snarled giving them one final opportunity to walk away.
"What say you join us in the showers. I aint never had no dyke, but I'm willing to try." Robbins offered licking his lips.
"I heard they taste just like chicken." Cobb smirked looking Jane over from head to toe.
The man Jane kicked staggered to his feet and wiped blood from his split lip. "Nah, the dykes taste like rotten fish. The girlie ones, like the doctor, taste like…"
Jane swung the curl bar catching the Robbins behind the knee. He went down with a roar. The other two cursed and rushed her. Jane caught Cobb with a second swing of the curl bar and sent him sprawling just as Murphy connected with her jaw and sent her crashing into the wall. Fists flew from all four connecting with whatever solid flesh they could reach.
"Jane!" Korsak roared rushing forward to pull the men off his ex-partner.
In less than a minute, Frankie had joined him and they had Jane sheltered between them. Frankie placed his hand over her bleeding mouth to keep her quiet.
"What the hell is the matter with you idiots?" Korsak roared. He was on speaking terms with the three men, but didn't call any of them a friend. From now on, he wouldn't sit at the bar with them or share a pitcher of beer sat the Robber. "Why you ganging up on Jane?"
"That bitch dyke hit first. She kicked Murphy in the head."
"You three been talking smack again? I told you the other day, if I caught you spreading that shit, your asses were mine!" Frankie snarled. He took a step toward Murphy only to be jerked backward by the captain who came running in ahead of the traffic cop.
"What in the hell is going on here? We fight the fucking criminals on the streets not each other." he glared at the six heavy breathing officers under his command. "Somebody better start talking and I mean now. I got no problem suspending the lot of you! Who threw the first punch?"
The three troublemakers looked form one to the other turning bright pink with embarrassment. Murphy rubbed the back of his head and mumbled. "Just a misunderstanding that got out of hand Captain."
"The fuck you say!" Robbins spat.
"Murphy is right." Cobb hissed. "We was just pushing Rizzoli's buttons and things got out of hand."
Robbins jumped up and down spittle flying. "That dumb bitch kicked Murphy in the head and then attacked me and Cobb with a curl bar!"
Captain Matthews looked from a furious and bloody Rizzoli to the three men and finally Korsak and Frankie. "What caused Rizzoli to throw the first punch, er kick?"
The three men were finally silent. All stood looking at their shoes. Jane stood with her head back eyes tightly squeezed shut. She felt Frankie's hand gently rubbing up and down her back and tried to relax.
"I want the three of you in my office first thing in the morning. If you're one minute late, I'll suspend you for a month!"
"But, captain!" Robbins wailed.
Murphy grasped one shoulder and Cobb the other and guided their argumentative friend toward the showers. Murphy wasn't a genius, but he knew when to walk away.
Matthews heaved a tired sigh and placed his hand on Jane's shoulder. "Let's go have a chat Detective Rizzoli. Frankie, Vince, make sure those hot heads leave without any more punches thrown."
Jane allowed her Captain to steer her into his office. She sank into the chair opposite his desk and sat staring at her clasped hands in her lap. Would he suspend her, or just yell for a few hours?
The Captain settled into his worn leather chair and studied the closed features of his best homicide detective. Since the shooting, the closeness between Rizzoli and her best friend Dr. Maura Isles, Medical Examiner had grown into something deeper and not just friendship. He personally didn't have a problem with it, hell they lived in Massachusetts where gay marriage was legal. But, a lot of the officers he commanded, men and women, had a huge problem with gay officers.
Jane waited as the silence stretched into something dark and uncomfortable. She opened her eyes and looked directly into the worried eyes of her Captain.
"Detective Rizzoli, I know things have taken a nasty turn since the…well some officers have a problem with. Dammit, Rizzoli, why did you have to get physical?" He pushed his chair back and strode to the window.
"I lost my temper. I'm sorry, Sir." Jane stared at his broad back and forced the words through stiff lips.
"Fuck, Rizzoli. You know those three don't have a fully functioning brain between them. They barely made the force. Give them a few more months and they'll either wind up on the wrong end of a junkie or they'll wash out. Damn that temper of yours. You are too good an officer to let a trio of idiots de-rail your career."
Jane knew he was right, but she had to protect Maura, even from childish insults. "I'm sorry captain." She mumbled again.
Matthews slumped back into his chair and caught Jane's gaze. He looked into the still turbulent dark brown eyes. "This is not a request. It's an order. You will take a short leave, a couple of weeks, a month at most." he held up his hand stalling Jane's protest. "You will also schedule sessions with the department psychiatrist."
"Those three assholes…" She was so angry coherent thought deserted her. "I gotta see the shrink and get suspended?"
"Jane, you need help dealing with this anger. And no, you aren't being suspended. I know those idiots provoked you. But you can't go around beating the crap out of everyone who says something you don't like." Matthews gave Jane a fatherly smile and linked his fingers on the top of his desk. He gentled his voice and asked "What do you think Maura would say about the events of this evening?"
Jane opened and closed her mouth several times like a fish dangling from a weighing hook. "I just get so angry, I lose control. If they had walked away like I asked."
Rumbling laughter filled the office. "Jane, how many times have you been face to face with a belligerent suspect? Too many to count." He answered his own question. "But you are trained to handle difficult people. Use those same skills on the idiots you encounter here." he left his chair and stopped beside her chair, his hand heavy on her slender shoulder. "I can't keep ignoring these outbursts. Sooner or later, IA will get wind of things and they will investigate."
Jane felt tears stinging the backs of her lids and fought to keep them from falling. She balled her fists tighter and chewed her bottom lip. When she could speak, she said. "I know, they are just pushing my buttons. I just…lose control when they say things about Maura."
Matthews gave her shoulder a strong squeeze and said. "If Maura hears about this, she will be the one kicking your ass. Get hold of yourself Rizzoli. Dr. Isles isn't the only one needing you at your best."
So, drop me a line and tell me what you think….