Never in her life would she get used to days like these. There is no preparation, no amount of time, and no way to get the heart ready. Days like these typically start out normal. There are no warning signs, no bells and whistles, nothing. Then poof she's gone; taken by a mentally ill man who thinks Jane is his life.
/
"Jane's gone?" Maura asked with complete disbelief. "What do you mean she is gone?!"
"Someone took her," Frost replied carefully watching the Doctor's response. He knew they were really close, and he did not want to see the doctor upset.
"We have to do something. Now!" Maura exclaimed.
"We are. Don't worry, Doc. We will get her back."
Maura appreciated Frost attempt at reassuring her, but she would not feel secure or even remotely okay until Jane was back and unharmed. She took a deep breath and let her face look up to the sky, trying to get a second of peace before the storm.
"It's going to be okay," she kept repeating to herself.
Maura had been experiencing strong feelings for her best friend for a month now but was too afraid to express them. She knew she was socially awkward, and she did not want to frighten away the only true friend she has ever had. Though, at times the doctor swore Jane wanted to express the same thing. All the late nights at each other's place, all the meals they shared, all the lingering looks and unnecessary touches were all evidence she had accumulated over time. "But maybe I am reading too much into things," she thought. "We just need to find her."
Maura took off into the precinct, straight to the bullpen, to help the guys find her best friend.
"What do we have?" she asked rushing in and sitting at the computer beginning to type.
"Her cell has been turned off, and Jane's car is still outside the building." Frost said.
"So nothing!" Frankie yelled, obviously anxious about this whole thing.
"Got something!" Korsak interjected. "There is a name on here I recognize from the psychiatrist office. Everyone jumped up and ran over to take a look.
"Dominic," Frankie and Maura said together. Frankie and Jane had grown up with Dominic, and Maura had met him earlier that day in the café.
Maura immediately accessed his chart from the mental institution. He is delusional and tends to think women of higher stature fall in love with him.
"O, Jane," Maura exhaled. She knew what this could mean for her friend. Jane could be subject to all kinds of things at the hands of this delusional man. Frost accessed Dominic's bakery website and tried to learn as much about him as possible. He stumbled across as IP he was able to hack into. Once in he realized it was a live stream.
"Check this out," he claimed. He pulls up the video on the big screen and all four of them gasp in disbelief. There is their partner and friend with her wrists and ankles bound to a bed, wearing a dress. She looks scared, something none of them see her look very often.
"I think I am going to be sick," Maura states, turning paler by the second. "We have to get her out of their."
"We will, Doc," Korsak says placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
/
Jane comes to after being hit over the head and sleeping for a bit.
"Where am i?" she thinks as she glances around the room taking in her surroundings. "Why am I in all these pictures with Dominic and tied to a bed?" She whispers to herself, the realization slowly dawning on her. She quickly looks around the room and flinches when she hears the door open, seeing him walk in. He sets some food down on the nightstand and lays down next to her on the bed.
"Do you like your room?" He asked Jane, tentively.
"This isn't our room," Jane states confidently.
"Yes. It is!" He screams angrily.
"Alright, okay," She says. "It is very nice. I like the decorations and all the pictures."
He begins to tell her of their wedding, asking her if she remembers their special day. Of course, she doesn't because it never happened, but she plays along. Jane knows he is unstable.
All she can think about is getting out of this situation. All this talk from this crazy man about marriage and her belonging to him is making her nauseous. He is snuggled into her, and she loathes every second of it.
"Maura…" she thinks to herself. "I have to get out of here so I can see her again." For weeks Jane has fel something more for her best friend but has been way to chicken to do anything about it. "I am such an idiot," she thinks to herself. "Now I may never get the chance." All kinds of emotions are washing over her face. She is not aware that back at the station they can see all of this unfolding before their eyes.
"I forgot some silverware. I will be right back," Dominic said as he steps out of the room.
Jane doesn't even register what he says. She has one thing on her mind, and it is getting out of there. The detective glances around the room again and notices a camera on the ceiling fan. Immediately she thinks of her great team back at the precinct. Jane hopes they have found a way to see her and eventually find her.
"Hopefully they are watching," she says quietly.
"Can you hear me?" She says out loud, seemingly to no one. "I hope you can. Frost, I know you can find me. Get Korsak, Frankie, and Maura to help," her voice cracking as she says Maura's name. "I'm in a small room setup to look like mine at home. I can hear a boat horn and water. Please….help me." She almost sobs out. "Please…" She drops her head trying to gain her composure; she know she has to remain strong for them and herself. "I'm ok guys. Just hurry,"she says trying to convince everyone, including herself. "Maura, I'm sure you are watching." Maura gasps and tears up when she hears her name fall from Jane's lips. "I'm okay, ready to see you and hangout. So please use that big brain and find me."
Maura wipes a tear that is trickling down her cheek. "I will find you," she says to no one in particular. "Please don't hurt her," she begs. All of a sudden Maura starts noticing things in the room. "Look! Frost, that is an old heater. There are only a handful of places that still have those. And…the horn she hears that has to be the drawbridge. Pull up places by the drawbridge that are old enough to have those heaters." Maura's head was spinning with this new information.
"You got it, Doc,"Frost says as he typed furiously. "Got it! There are appartments on the north side of the bridge. Let's go!" He says to the group.
Maura turns to leave with them, but Korsak puts a hand on her arm. "Stay here, Doc. We will get her. I promise." Maura nods and turns back to the screen.
It feels like the longest ten minutes of her life watching Dominic try to feed a stubborn Jane, waiting for the guys to get there.
"We are in place." She hears Frost say on the radio.
"What am I still doing here?" She thinks to herself. "This is Jane. I got to get there." She immediately takes off running in her 3 inch heels and knee length skirt. The graceful doctor jumps in her car and drives off quickly towards the scene. By the time she gets there, she sees a ton of police cars with their lights on, lighting up the street. Maura hops out of her car and runs to the ambulance to see if Jane is there. It's empty. She lets out a long sigh.
"Where is she?" She says to herself.
She sees police tape blocking off the entrance to the building at least 30 feet from the door. Maura ducks under the tape and is stopped by an officer.
"It's okay. I am the chief medical examiner," she states calmly not knowing where this sudden calmness came from. She walks just past the cop and looks around trying to find a familiar face.
All of a sudden she sees the door open to the building and Frost, Frankie, and Korsak all step out and walk towards their cars. Right behind them Maura sees the most beautiful sight she has ever seen. Jane steps out of the door with an emergency blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Jane begins to walk down the steps and towards the ambulance slowly when she hears it…the quick steps of someone in heels coming towards her. She would know that sound anywhere. Jane glances up just as Maura is yelling her name.
"Jane!"
"Maura," Jane quietly says, relieved to see the woman. The boys told her the doctor was at the office, waiting on her to return safely.
Maura is running towards her, and Jane is walking slowly looking at her with such love and admiration. The closer they get to each other the warmer their hearts feel. The smaller woman is weaving in and out of people, but the last ten feet left are a straight shot to the woman she loves.
"Jane…" she says breathlessly as she finally reaches her. Almost jumping into her arms, Maura throws her arms around her best friend's upper arms and neck knocking the blanket off. Jane immediately wraps her arms around the doctor's midsection burying her face in Maura's hair and bringing their bodies close together.
"I thought I lost you," Maura whispers faintly in the taller woman's ear. Her hot breath leaving goose bumps on Jane's neck.
"I'm right here, Maura. I'm ok."
Maura is shaking in the detectives arms and can't even respond. They slowly pull away from each other and just stare into each other's eyes still holding onto each other's arms, afraid to break contact. Everyone is watching this scene unfold, clearly aware these two are in love.
"Girls…Girls!" Korsak yells. "I hate to break up this reunion, but Jane they want to check you out over at the ambulance."
"No thanks," Jane states not taking her eyes off Maura. "This doctor can clear me, right Maura?" she asks.
"Yes, Sargent. I will make sure she is fine."
"Let's go home," Jane says.
Maura bends down and picks up the blanket throwing it over Jane's shoulders leaving her arm wrapped around her. Jane doesn't mind the closeness as they walk to the car.
/
They are sitting on the doctor's couch enjoying some wine after Maura cleared Jane and delicately wrapped her wrists up where the binds had rubbed them raw.
"Thank you," Jane says quietly not looking up from her glass of wine.
"For what?" Maura asks.
"The guys told me how hard you worked and that you broke the case. So thank you for finding me, Maura." Jane finally made eye contact as she ended her sentence.
The smaller woman blushes slightly, "Always." She simply says.
"Maura"
"Hmmm…"
"I love you," Jane says.
"I know," Maura says glancing away, thinking Jane means as friends.
"No, you are not hearing me, Maura. I love you. I thought I was never going to see you again, and I realized that I don't want to wait any longer. I don't want to waste another minute. I love you,everything about you."
Maura was stunned for a second. She put her wine down so she could face Jane and took her hands in her own. "I love you so much, Jane. I have for a while now. When I saw you coming out of that building, I couldn't get there fast enough. I never want to lose you again. I can't lose you again." She says with tears in her eyes. "I love you…"
"I am not going anywhere."
"You promise…" Maura shyly asks.
"Yes." Jane states as she moves closer to the woman she loves.
Maura and Jane share the same look in their eyes. Jane slowly lifts her hand and pushes the smaller woman's hair out of her eys leaving her hand cupped on her face. They lean in and kiss for the first time. The kiss wasn't rushed. It was tender and expressed so much love. They pulled each other close and explored each other's lips. Maura's hands lightly rubbed up and down the taller woman's arms; Jane's had one hand lightly holding the doctor's face and the other found its way to her hip, lightly rubbing the exposed skin there. The two finally broke apart and looked into each other's eyes.
Maura smiled slightly, "I love you."
"I love you too, Maura. Always."