"Maur! You need to stop messaging me reminders. I don't have Alzheimer's!"
"What are you talking about Jane? I haven't been sending you messages."
"Uh, yeah, you have! Who else would message me to say we're out of milk?"
"Jane, I do not drink milk! Regardless, you have a full carton in the fridge."
"Oh, well someone keeps messaging me. My number must be close to their wife's or something."
"Odd."
"'I. Am. Not. Your. Wife!' that should stop it. Now, lunch?!"
Maura's eyes flittered across the screen, taking in a bedroom she knew like the back of her hand. She was assaulted with memories-flashes if you will-of loving kisses being exchanged, body's sweaty and sliding across each other effortlessly, reading while Jane screamed at the television across from them, sleeping with her head on Jane's chest as it rose and fell with easy, innate breaths. It was all getting to be too much.
She was alone, something she didn't like at the simplest, and calmest of times, but now the silence was just suffocating. Korsak and Frost had just rushed out to go to Jane's apartment and rescue her. Turning away from the screen, she felt a sob rip through her as she imagined what could happen if they didn't get there in time. It was as she was facing away from the screen that she heard a grunt come from Jane. It was something she was all too familiar with.
Her stubborn Jane, always fighting what anyone else said or suggested. Wait a minute! Maura thought, snapping back to watch the screen. Something wasn't right. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something out of place, missing. She closed her eyes, focusing, trying to get past the panic induced mental blank she was suffering from. There had been something... something that morning that should be there or shouldn't be there.
She squinted, forcing her eyes to push past the bad quality of the video feed and find what it was that was different. She wrote a mental checklist. Anything that could be a clue. Janes alarm clock was still absent after she'd broken it in a sleepy rage a week ago, making both Maura and Jane late for work. Her lamps were both still miss-matched and horrible as Maura had often pointed out. The air freshener Maura had brought was still on the bedside table, smelling "Like a cow ate a bunch of vanilla essence and took a dump on my bedroom floor!"
Maura couldn't seem to pin point what it was that was missing or out of place and it brought tears to her eyes. The love of her life, her forever, was tied to a bed with a psychopathic man hovering over her and she couldn't figure out what was wrong with the scene she was looking at. "You're the dumbest genius I know." Jane had once said, and right at that moment, Maura didn't doubt it. She really was dumb. Stupid!
Just as the word rolled though her head and threatened to fall from her lips, there was an indignant grunt from the screen and Maura was shot back to earlier that morning.
"Shit!" Jane grunted as she spilt hot coffee all over herself, messing up the shirt she'd just put on and getting it on her pale blue bedspread. "That's fucking hot! Stupid, stupid idea, Jane, stupid idea!" She ripped at her top, sending buttons flying everywhere and threw the soaked garment into the bathroom.
Maura walked into the bedroom, a cup of much nicer coffee in her delicate hands as she sipped it. "What's wrong?" she questioned, looking at her half-dressed girlfriend. "I thought you liked that shirt."
Jane's mug was now on the left bedside table, Jane's side. "I do... did. It's kinda ruined now though. I had a bit of an argument with my coffee." Maura scoffed a little, only now noticing the stain on the bedspread and Jane's slightly brown tank top. "What?!" Jane spun, a frustrated but playful scowl on her face. "Your fancy coffee doesn't fight with you?!"
The light haired woman simply smiled, setting her mug next to Janes and going over to the taller woman. "No, it is quite cooperative." She pulled a white tank top from Jane's draw full of them and handed it to her, tugging a little at the bottom of the stained one.
"In that case, remind me to make a cup tomorrow morning." Jane slipped off her tank top and slipped on the clean one without protest.
"Duly noted."
Jane was flipping through her wardrobe for a shirt when Maura wound her arms around Jane from behind and kissed her exposed shoulder. Jane lifted one of Maura's hands from where they were clasped around her stomach and kissed the back of it and then her palm. "I love you. You know that, right?"
Maura nodded against Jane's back, taking the scent that was only Jane and smiling at the smell of home. "I do. I love you too. You're aware of this, right?"
Jane chuckled at the reverberation of her own word which had been cleaned up and spat back just as meaningfully. "I do."
"Okay. Now that we have it all cleared up, let's get a move on. I need to finish up Dr Howard's autopsy and then finish up Mrs Howard's paperwork to get the body transferred. I cannot be late again!" She gave a gentle slap to Jane's rear as she shuffled her way over to the bedside table to scoop up her mug. "Make sure you bring this out when you're done." She gestured to the coffee mug still sitting on the bedside table and frowned when Jane only grunted at her request.
A few minutes later, just as Maura was slipping on her shoes, Jane hopped out of her bedroom, one hand tugging her right boot on while her other hand scrubbed at her teeth with her toothbrush. It honestly didn't surprise Maura that Jane hadn't done up the buttons of her shirt, finished brushing her teeth, brushed her hair, or brought out the mug that Maura had asked she dispose of.
Jane spat in the sink quickly, cleaning her mouth out with a quick flick of her wrist to the faucet, and was running to the desk where she kept her badge and gun. "Okay, let's go!" she enthusiastically said, throwing open the door and descending the stairs two at a time. Maura simply rolled her eyes, grabbed the hairbrush off of the kitchen counter and left the apartment, locking up.
That's it! She thought, pulling out her phone and dialling Frost. The call connected almost immediately and Frost's gruff voice came though the speaker. "Maura?" he asked.
"Listen! She isn't at her apartment! She's somewhere else! It isn't her apartment. He must have created a replica. He has most points correct but he hasn't bothered to check lately. There are inconsistencies. This morning she... there should be a stain on the comforter. Her favourite 'I heart Boston' mug should be on the bedside table." Maura took a shuddering breath in, just now realizing that it not being her apartment wasn't a good thing. It was bad. Really bad. Now they were at a dead end. They didn't know where she was. "Come back. Quickly. We need to find her." She hung up the phone and stared at the screen intently again.
There were no clues as to where she was now. She had nothing to go off of. But then again, this man was a psychopath, not a genius. He had already made mistakes, choked. There must be more there than she was acknowledging. Once again she squinted at the screen, becoming so engrossed in her task that she didn't hear Frost and Korsak come barrelling through the door, Frankie running in only moments after them. She didn't notice that she had been sitting there for a full fifteen minutes, completely silent and focused until she snapped her head up after noticing something.
She looked around the room, catching Frost's eye and standing, pointing towards the window frame and radiator. "Zoom in on that." Frost did as he was told and she got a look across her face like she'd just figured everything out. "They're both from the 1890's."
"So, we're looking for something from the late 1800's that's still standing?" Korsak questioned to which Maura simply nodded. Frankie was madly pounding at a keyboard, trying to find where there were buildings from the 1800's which were still habitable. They all knew it wasn't enough but there was always hope that there would be only one building standing. It happened sometimes. If Maura was a superstitious person she'd have crossed her fingers, toes, even braided her hair if it helped, but instead she simply stood there, watching Frankie type manically.
Frankie looked up with a grim look on his face, shaking his head a little. "Over a hundred buildings still up. A lot of them are heritage listed."
Everyone let out a collective breath of frustration and Maura shook with a sob, turning back to the screen and looking for any extra clue she could find. She scanned the walls which gave nothing away, and then she took to checking the floor. Just like with the decor, there was something odd about the wooden floorboards. It was nagging at the back of her head. It was almost as if... "They've been replaced!" She hollered, pointing to the floorboards.
"You can't replace heritage listed floors!" Frost added, sending Frankie back into another round of mad typing.
He looked up, much happier this time, "There are two matches. One near the Chelsea street drawbridge and one..."
Frankie was cut off by Maura as she span on Frost. "Enhance the sound. Now!" She demanded.
Frost did as he was told, though he didn't look as happy as he should, seeing as his partner was almost found. "It won't do..." once again Maura silenced the occupants of the room, watching her watch and holding up a finger in their direction. And there it was. A warning bell. All three of them breathed out in relief as the sound resonated through the room quietly, but just loud enough for them to hear it clearly.
"The dinner cruises." Maura stated in a sigh of relief, holding up her watch. They all ran around the room, grabbing their belongings and quickly making their way down to two unmarked cruisers. Frost drove Maura while Korsak drove Frankie. The sirens were turned on till they were three blocks from the apartment, not wanting to alert Jane's kidnapper to their presence.
It was all a blur for Maura; the actual arrest that is. She stood numbly by the door as Frankie freed Jane, seemingly not noticed by the brunette yet. As soon as their eyes clasped though, Jane motioned for Maura to come to her as she sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her wrists. Maura rushed forward, stopping just in front of Jane and looking her in the eyes while hers freely flowed salty tears. "C'mere" Jane said, tugging on Maura's waist and pulling her down and into her lap. The lighter haired woman curled up in a ball, safe and sound in her girlfriend's arms, her nose buried in Jane's neck and working past the smell of that awful man's scent to smell her Jane.
"I was so scared, Jane! I thought I'd lost you!" Maura wailed, clinging harder to the hideous top that man had dressed her girlfriend in.
"You could never lose me! I'm stuck to you like a bad rash." Jane joked, smoothing Maura's hair away from her face and looking into her eyes. "I love you. You know that, right?" Maura simply replied with a sob and a nod. Jane was sure she heard a muffled 'I do' but she couldn't be sure as she was ushered out of the room, simply opting to kick off the horrible heels and carry Maura down to the cruiser. I need a fucking beer! Jane thought as she held her girlfriend in the back of the car. And a shower. Her mind flashed back to the room she'd been trapped in. And to burn down my fucking apartment. "Looks like we'll be staying at your place for a bit." She said to Maura which earned her a small laugh and a nod.