BACK TO REALITY, JANE AND MAURA STYLE

A/N This is a one shot deal, just something to get me back in the groove of writing for these two amazing ladies. As always, thank you to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT for giving us Jane, Maura, Frost, Korsak, Frankie and the rest. Hope you enjoy this one.

Sorry, I've been MIA for so long. I look forward to jumping back into the Rizzoli & Isles ocean!

Bird scanned the private alley searching for any sign of the Boston PD. He knew it was risky, this latest brainstorm of his. It would either set them up for a few months, or it would end badly. Really badly.

BlueRain, his current, well the woman who shared his stash and bed this week, stood shivering despite the 80 degree temperature. They were both in bad shape, "How much longer we gotta stand out here, Bird?" She whined chewing an already bloody nail bed.

In lieu of an answer, he shushed her with his right hand, his left on the steel door blocking his path. If he could just get this doctor to write out a few dozen scripts, all would be well in his world.

Pissed at being ignored and treated like a child, Rain, as her friends called her, grasped the tail of his ratty fatigue jacket and pulled with all her puny might. "Let's forget this stupid scheme. C-Boi has extra. I know…"

The need for a fix clawed it's way from his toes all the way to the widow's peak on his forehead. What a whiny little bitch. He had thought her as cool as her name. Instead of being hip and cool, she was twice as whiny as his last bitch. He fought the demon clawing his insides for a full minute. "Can't lose it out here man. Keep it together." He spat through gritted teeth rotted away by years of drug abuse.

"Man, you are so fucking lame. All you do is talk to yourself. Talk to..'

BlueRain never got to finish her gripe. Bird spun to his left and clamped one powerful fist around her throat. There, just below the surface, the insidious voice of need whispered sealing her fate. With a gut wrenching growl, Bird lifted her several more inches off the wet pavement and slammed her into the metal door.

He watched through a misty red haze as the broken body of his lover inched down the door and landed in a messy heap. A small pool of blood began to gather where Rain's head lay against the pavement. He felt the hunger claw his stomach and send acid racing along his starved veins. Maybe this was a stroke of good luck.

Bird raked both hands through his long greasy hair and slapped both his sunken cheeks hard. He then threw himself at the locked door and began pounding all the while screaming for help.

BlueRain was going to be his ticket inside. That uptight ME had to let them in once she saw how seriously Rain was injured. This new plan was going to work out after all. He was still the man!

Jane Rizzoli clipped her holster and phone to her black leather belt, the one Mara had given her for her birthday. It was Jane's favorite belt. Soft Italian leather and a pure silver buckle in the shape of a police shield. Thinking of Maura pissed her off. She slammed her fist into the closed locker startling her partner Detective Barry Frost.

"Easy Jane, take it out on the crap on the streets, not an innocent locker." Frost sympathized. Though still a relative newcomer to the Boston PD, he knew what it was to lose a partner. Nothing seasoned a Rookie like the officer covering your back catching three .45 slugs just above the vest. The feel and scent of blood never left him. He still found himself standing at random sinks scrubbing until his fingers bled.

"It's been a month since Maura has said one word to me outside work." OK, so she shouldn't have told Dean about Paddy Doyle being Maura's biological father. She would even go so far as to say, she shouldn't have shot Doyle in the warehouse. Korsak was there, he would have taken the shot. No reason to get blood on her hands. It wasn't bloody fair that Maura was the same to everyone except her!

Frost truly sympathized with the feuding friends, but he had his own battles to wage. Maybe he should take the advice he was about to give Jane. "Listen, partner. You gotta just back off and give Doc time to process and heal. That wasn't cool. And it sure wasn't like you. Give her time to mourn her daddy." Frost clapped an understanding hand on Jane's shoulder and started out of the locker room. The image of his partner lying dead in his arms forced him to walk past her muttering curses.

Jane caught him at the elevator. "People make mistakes. I made a mistake. I'm human Frost." Why was Frost taking Maura's side? He was her freaking partner. The entire world was spinning in a broken rhythm. Even Korsak was giving her a wide berth.

Frost held open the door allowing Jane to precede him into the elevator. He pushed the LL button and waited until the doors closed with a solid clunk. "No one said you were anything else. This is just a big deal to her. You know how Maura feels about family. Since this…..drama, we all feel the loss of Maura." He ran a hand over his closely trimmed hair. "She needs time. Just let her come to you. Let her process."

Jane had to admit Frost was right. Since she had shot and killed Paddy Doyle, the freaking gangster! So what he was also Maura's biological father. He never should have been in that damn warehouse. If he had just left the job of protecting Maura to her…"Great job Rizzoli!" It was all her fault Maura had pulled away from everyone. It was like her first few months on the job all over again. She was a total train wreck.

"I'm sorry, Man. For a minute, I just…I was so damned confused and then Dean shows up at my door and…My brain stopped working." What a time for her hormones to take over. Why not take a cold shower like every other horny night in her miserable single life? No, she had to tell her best friends secret and kill the father she never knew.

"Just back off and let her come around OK?" Frost gave his winning smile and stepped off the elevator.

Jane joined him in the short walk to the morgue. She would apologize the only way left to her. She would give Maura a huge bag of fudge clusters and leave her to eat them in peace.

There were no words. Korsak watched as Dr. Maura Isles reverently covered the face of the 15 year old boy felled by a stray bullet. "Fucking waste, Doc." Korsak looked at the copper fragment in the specimen jar held in his right hand. "We put one slime ball away and a hundred more are lined up to take their turn at runnin' the street. Can I trust you with…Never mind. Stupid question. I'm going to retire. Time to get out of this rat race."

Maura removed her blood stained gloves and deposited them in the red biohazard bag. She drew in a shaky breath and gave the kind hazel eyes a searching look. Korsak and Jane were friends, but she felt her secret would be safe with him. "Vince, would you join me for a cup of coffee in my office?" He wasn't the only one with a secret.

So the Doc wanted to talk. If his hair had been on fire, he would have ignored the stench and flames and followed her into her well appointed office. He settled in a less than comfortable modern chrome chair and gave her a patient smile. "Is this real coffee, or that fancy brew you usually concoct?"

She busied herself making coffee and arranging pastries from her favorite bakery in town on a silver tray covered with a paper doily. "Jamacian Blue Mountain happens to be one of the finest coffees in the world. It is grown in the mountainous region in the Eastern part of the island. Wallenford and Mavis Bank are the two most prominent mills along with Old Tavern." Maura stopped talking and gave Korsak her brightest smile. "I'm trying to curb my incessant lectures on esoteric topics."

He allowed her to settle onto the comfortable settee and take a few tentative sips of the coffee. He took a sip and found himself surprised. Instead of the fancy stuff she usually brewed this was a bold full flavored coffee. "This is a great brew, Doc. What is this one?"

"Vince, I feel I can talk to you and…" she brushed a stray strand of hair from her beautiful ivory cheek. "..not be judged or interrogated. Oh, the coffee is Uzuri, it's African." She sipped her own coffee then faced him. "Seems like we will both be leaving the Boston PD."

"Rizzoli will be lost without the two of us to boss around. I know she can be pretty fierce but, she is a loyal friend and she loves from the bottom of her soul." He took another sip of coffee then gave her a probing look.

"I've been invited to teach a special class on Forensic Pathology at Vanderbilt University."

He finished the coffee and nodded when she offered a refill. "So you really enjoyed that visit to Nashville."

"If you discount the murderous…" Maura fought tears suddenly filling her eyes. "It's one of the best Universities in the country. I'm also looking forward to seeing Gina again."

Gina, the attractive Kentucky State Highway patrol officer who helped rescue Maura from the clutches of a madwoman. He could mind his own business, or he could poke the hornets nest and try to withstand the millions of stings. Before his first word left his mouth, a loud bang rocked the loading bay door. Every nerve stood on end. "Stay here, Maura. Let me check it out."

She watched Vince Korsak open the door then watched a bloody hand grasp his tie and smash his face against the steel door. Before she could respond, the door was forced open sending Korsak into a bleeding heap on the floor.

Bird spared a glance at the man he had subdued before turning feverish eyes on Maura. "Doctor, you are my new best friend!"

She had to remain calm at all costs. Frost and Jane were due to view an autopsy, in fact they were ten minutes late. She had to keep it together until they arrived. "You have blood on your hand. Let me take a look at it."

"It aint mine, so forget about it." Bird stepped around the moaning figure of Korsak and approached Maura. "But, there is something I need you to do for me." He took a long look around the quiet morgue. "You here alone?"

"Just the three of us." Maura assured.

"Three?" Bird shrieked. He spun in a wild circle almost falling. He came to an unsteady halt and looked from Maura to the injured Korsak. "Where's the bastard hiding? Bring him out or I'll start shooting!"

Caught in a drug psychosis and dangerous to himself and others. "You, myself and Korsak." In turn she pointed to each of them.

"All present and accounted for then." He chuckled. "Get your pad doctor. We got some prescriptions to write."

She suddenly understood that the blood covering his hands was that of one of his fellow users. Maura said a prayer that the addict was still alive. "This is a morgue…"

"I know where the fuck I am bitch!" Bird tore at his hair and turned a couple more circles.

Frost heard the hard male voice and placed a warning hand on Jane's bicep. He pointed toward the door and mouthed "Danger."

Every hair on her body stood on end. Jane bristled with anger. How dare someone come into Maura's morgue and take her hostage…again. This place was becoming a joke where security was concerned. She nodded understanding and angled her head toward the elevator.

"Give me five and we'll have this shitbag." Frost promised.

She nodded and crept closer to the morgue door. Jane waited until Frost stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. She prayed Korsak still had his phone on vibrate. She quickly typed in a message and watched the silent screen for a reply.

Inside the morgue, Maura focused on the still body of Vince Korsak. She hoped he was playing injured to throw the intruder off the fact that an armed officer was lying on the floor not ten feet away. "I'm a medical examiner, not a practicing physician."

"You're still a fucking doctor! I know you can write orders for me. Get your skinny ass over to that desk and write!" Bird was burning with fever and shaking with chills. He needed something fast. His systems were starting to shut down. In no time the DT's would come and he would be praying for death.

"Mr…"

"John Bird. Write it for Oxycontin. Oh, and one for Morphine. An order for Fentanyl too. Do it now!" God he was bad. "What do you have here?" He would use her stash to keep the shakes at bay.

Outside the door Jane Rizzoli ground her teeth in frustration and anger. Some doper had taken Maura hostage and was demanding drugs. She took a peek at her watch. Still another minute on Frost's promised 5. Where was Korsak? He should have been with Maura in the morgue. He had drawn the autopsy with the 15 year old shooting victim. She and Frost were viewing an 82 year old who had drawn a knife on his 30 year old girlfriend when he found her in bed with the 50 year old neighbor.

Inspiration flared. Jane knocked on the door and called in a loud clear voice. "Dr. Isles, I have your delivery."

Maura heard Jane call out and felt tears sting her eyes. Rescue was just outside the door. She just had to keep it together and follow Jane's lead. "Just a minute please."

"Not so fast Bitch." Bird caught Maura as she made a dash for the door. His hands tangled in her hair jerking her head back and bringing a flood of tears. "I'll get it."

"Dr. Isles. I need you to sign for these drugs…excuse me, medicines." Jane called in a loud voice. "C'mon Doc, I got a lot of other stops to make today."

Bird threw caution to the wind. He rushed the door and found himself face to face with a furious Jane Rizzoli her 9mm resting against the bridge of his nose. "What kind of fucking delivery man… who carries a gun?" Bird tried to back into the room and close the door.

"Your under arrest piece of shit. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney."

Frost, Frankie and two other officers pounced on Bird and pulled him away from Jane and her weapon. Frost took over reciting the Miranda Rights and turned him so Frankie could apply handcuffs.

"Thank you!" Maura breathed her eyes locked on Jane's.

"Are you all right, Maura?" Jane looked her over from head to toe and toe to head. "Did that asshole hurt you?"

A moan from Korsak drew them both to their knees at his side. Maura checked his pulse and instructed Frankie to call for an ambulance. "I think he may have suffered a concussion."

"Jane, I'll go to the hospital and stay with him. You take care of things here." Frost jutted his chin at Maura.

In the next minute two paramedics rolled a gurney into the morgue and loaded a still moaning Korsak onto the pristine white sheets. Once he was secured and on the way to the hospital Jane gave Maura a long questioning look.

"Would you like me to…?" Jane braced herself for the dismissal she knew was coming.

"Hold me." Maura whispered. She was sure that was not the phrase on the tip of her tongue, but it was the one she spoke aloud.

"Are you sure, Maura?" Jane asked equally as quiet. She wanted nothing more than to pull Maura into her arms and never let go. "You don't know how sorry I am about…"

"We can talk about that later. For now, Jane, just hold me. I just need to feel normal again. Safe and everything back to normal." Any second the damned tears would start and nothing would be able to hold them back.

"Anything you want Maura. Anything at all." Jane opened her arms and felt Maura move into her embrace. She would give Maura the time she needed to heal. In fact, she would give Maura the world and everything in it. She breathed a tense breath and felt both of them relax against the other. Her LLBFF was back and all was right in the world of Jane Rizzoli.