A/N: Ok, so this is my first R&I attempt. I'm usually a Potter kind of girl, but I absolutely adore the characters on this show and after trolling the fandom for quite a while have finally chosen to actually contribute. And so, please remember to review and be constructive! I'd love to hear from you guys and be able to get better at the important things like characterization. Thanks - Sloane
It was cold.
That was the first thing he noticed as he made his way slowly down the stone steps. He could see his breath rising in little puffs before him and for a brief moment he wondered if it had been too cold for the small form slumped against the far wall. God, he hoped not. It would take far too long to get another, and besides, this one was new. There had hardly been any time to play with it at all.
His work boots scuffed the floor; making so much noise it almost seemed obscene. The bundle flinched and curled into itself. He smiled. Good.
He grabbed its hair and dragged the figure upwards, delighting in the sharp cry the action produced and the feeling of several pieces of scalp pulling free. He ran his fingertips down the pale throat.
"Good morning" he whispered. "Miss me?"
He found the place where neck met delicate shoulder and bit down hard, drawing blood and a sob. He licked at the scarlet beading there and grinned. He would have to remember to turn the temperature up; it wouldn't do to lose this one too early – not when it tasted this good.
Jane awoke abruptly to the shrill ring of her phone. Cursing, she threw the covers back and glared, bleary eyed at the clock beside her bed. 5:58 am. Two minutes before her alarm was set to go off. Somehow that made it so much worse.
She viciously kicked her legs free from their linen confines, ignoring the look of disgust from Joe Friday at the end of the bed and stumbled to the pile of yesterday's clothes by the wardrobe. Finally locating her phone, she flipped it open violently.
"Rizzoli" she barked, making her feelings towards the time and the caller well known.
"Jane," Korsak's voice rang out tight and tired from the other end, "Jane, we got a bad one down here."
"Yeah?" Jane returned the sigh and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, her rancour from earlier vanishing at the tone of her old partner's voice. "Just let me get dressed, ok? You called Frost yet?"
"Yeah, he's on his way. But I tell ya, I don't know if the kid's gonna be much help on this one; I almost spewed when I saw it."
"Jesus," Jane whispered, partially to herself. She shook her head and sighed again. "Just text me the directions, ok? I'll be there in ten."
Jane began to dress. She could hear muffled voices on the other end of the line and what sounded like rain. "Will do," said Korsak, "and, uh, Jane? The Doc just got here and wants me to remind you to dress warmly. She says it's unseasonably cold and that the, uh, jacket you had on yesterday won't be… sufficient."
"Tell her I say 'thanks mom'." Jane rolled her eyes. "Just give me the damn directions Korsak, I'm not getting any younger."
Exactly seven minutes later she stumbled out the door and into the rain. She cursed under her breath and pulled her jacket tighter around her frame, already regretting not taking Maura's advice. A brilliant start to the day, she thought. And it's only going to get better.
When she finally pulled up to the crime scene the first thing she notice was how unnaturally quiet it was. Generally speaking, crime scenes are hardly ever silent. There were always sirens sounding, beat cops chattering, detectives hypothesizing, and more often than not, a few camera shutters clicking. Not now. The only sound was made by the soft rain and the gentle breeze raking through what was left of the leaves on the trees that surrounded the small clearing. The only movement seemed to be the flashing lights from the cruisers. Suddenly, a figure burst forth from the small crowd of officers, barely making it to the brush before retching loudly. Jane swallowed uneasily. Frost had been getting better around bodies as of late. It had to be something really bad to set him off like that. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and crossed the police line.
As she reached the group she saw that it wasn't only Frost who looked sick. They all turned to face her, faces pale and drawn. One of the uniforms was visibly shaking. She saw Korsak and was surprised to find that he was sweating profusely, despite the temperature. Wordlessly, they parted.
Jane stopped abruptly, bile rising in her throat. They were on the edge of a pit. She forced herself to look in. Bodies. Maybe twenty of them. She tore her eyes away quickly, and sucked in a large steadying breath, immediately regretting it when the putrid smell of decomp hit her full force.
"Christ," she whispered. She cleared her throat. "Maura?" she called, knowing her friend was down there somewhere. "Maura? God… Are you… I mean, what… ?" She hated how unsure she sounded. Cases like this always through her for a loop.
"Jane?" Came the answering voice. "Just wait a moment, I—I'll be right up."
Jane backed away quickly from the edge, retreating instead to the safety of her fellow officers. Frost was back, and she nodded to him. He managed a grimace in return. The small circled widened to allow the M.E. space.
"How bad?"
Maura's eyes were glassy; she looked dazed. Swallowing, she replied robotically, almost in staccato, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "18 bodies uncovered so far. Various stages of decomposition. Earliest remains suggest a period of nearly five years. I'll know more once everything is moved to the lab." Her eyes rose slowly, searching out Jane's. "Right now, the remains—" she paused to take a deep breath. "The remains seem to belong to individuals between the ages of six and nine years of age."
Jane's stomach rolled. Behind her she could various sharp intakes of breath and mixed curses. She turned in time to see the shaking uniform from earlier vomit all over his shoes. Rawlins, she recalled with a start. His name was Rawlins and he had eight-year-old twins at home.
Jane sincerely wished she had not gotten out of bed this morning. She nodded her head towards Anthony and Right, who immediately stepped on either side of Rawlins and escorted him towards the vehicles.
Korsak sidled up to her, hands firmly jammed in his pockets tensing over and over into fists; a sure sign he was losing control. He opened his mouth to speak, but then seemed to think better of it, instead choosing to clasp her elbow briefly, before moving past her to reassure Frost and to supervise the removal of the corpses.
Jane glanced at Maura and was startled to find her staring off into the distance. She reached out and clasped Maura's hand. "Are you ok, Maur?"
Maura smiled weakly and squeezed Jane's hand in return. "No. Not at all."
Jane nodded. "Me neither." Maura was perhpas the only person would've admited it to. "Me neither."
So, yeah. If you think I should continue, let me know! - Sloane