AN: Okay... so I was in that weird, foggy area between being awake and asleep and this little situation came to me while I was listening to "Someone Like You" by Adele. This is not completely related to it, just inspired by.
I'm still relatively new to this whole writing fanfic thing, and this is my first attempt at a story from the first person point of view. In the present tense no less, by a character that who really doesn't give much to work with. I totally made it hard for myself. I'm not even sure if I like it... it's definitely different for me. So... yeah... if you decide to review, don't be too harsh please.
This isn't betaed (although it might have been a good idea with this one) so all mistakes are mine. As usual, if you point any of them out, I'd be glad to fix them.
I hope you enjoy :-)
Standard non-ownership disclaimer: The characters belong to Tess Gerritsen and TNT.
Someone Like You
What the hell am I doing here? This is beyond pathetic. I'm pretty sure the rumors are true, I don't need first hand confirmation. No, I can't lie about it, even to myself. I totally need this. Because if there's even the slightest chance that the rumors are wrong, I need to make my move. I was so stupid when I left.
When I hear the bell over the door jingle, I turn my head so fast I get a crick in my neck. It's not her. Again. Just like it hasn't been her the last nine times that door has opened. Yes, I've counted. I wonder if she's even going to show. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't. When I hear the door open again I decide not too look. I don't want to get my hopes up. I'll just continue pulling the label off of my third beer of the night. Maybe I should switch to something harder soon. Especially if I'm gonna be drinking alone. I'm so focused on the beer in front of me that I don't even notice when she slides into the booth on the seat across from me.
"Long time no see, Joey," she says to me, startling me out of my thoughts.
I look her up and down. Well, what I can see of her anyways, her long legs are already hidden beneath the tabletop. She looks gorgeous. I mean she always looks gorgeous, but there's definitely something a little more about her tonight. Maybe it's just because I haven't seen her in so long. You know, absence making the heart grow fonder and all of that. "Yeah, it's been awhile, Janie."
She pulls a face at me, just like I knew she would. "Don't call me 'Janie'," she orders, giving me that familiar glare.
I laugh at her and put my hands up in a mock surrender. "So, can I get you a beer, Jane?" I ask with emphasis.
"Yeah, okay," she answers, and I hold my bottle up, gesturing to the bartender to bring over two more. We sit in silence until he makes his way back to behind the bar.
I'm not exactly sure what to say, so I opt for what I think is a pretty safe bet. "So... how've you been?"
She rolls her eyes and she scoffs at me. "Come on, Grant. You know how I've been. It was all over the news."
That was definitely the truth. Even in D.C. it had been a major story. The cop that had shot through herself to take out the bad guy and save her little brother. Everybody had been talking about it. Especially to me since they knew that she's from the precinct that I had come from. They all wanted to know about 'that badass detective'. I laugh. So maybe it was a stupid question. "True," I say to her with a teasing smile, "you are definitely a celebrity these days. For being a real hero."
She throws a balled up napkin at my face and tells me to "Shut up."
I really have no other option. I need to take the chance. I need to find out what I really came here for. "So... I've missed you, and I've been thinking..."
Her eyes shoot to mine from where she had been lazily glancing around the bar. Her face turns serious, and I can see nothing in her gaze that I would have hoped to see after making a declaration like that. "Joey..." she drawls.
I can tell that she knows where I'm going with this, but I have to press on. I have to lay it all on the line, just in case there is the slightest hope. I don't want to ever say that I didn't try. I can't live with the regret of not trying. "I can come back. I will come back if you tell me that there's a chance for us to be together. I should've never left it the way that I did."
I see the pity flash in her eyes before she responds. It's as I suspected. "I'm sorry, I'm with someone. I mean, I'm not sorry that I'm with someone, because they're the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean that I'm sorry that you feel like this because I never can."
I don't know why I feel the need for her to push the knife a little deeper, so I ask, "If I had never left, would there have been a chance for us?"
She's really starting to look uncomfortable now, but she answers anyways, looking down to fiddle with her beer bottle. "If I'm being completely honest, no. I've been in love with this person for a long time, I was just too chicken to do anything about it before the shooting."
"Well, I guess something good came out of it if it made you realize that you needed to put it all out there," I say with a sigh. I know all too well that feeling, since the thought of her being gone forever is also what prompted me to try this tonight.
"Yeah," she says with a little laugh, "almost dying will do that for you."
"It's Dr. Isles," I say.
Her head shoots up again, and she looks at me with wide eyes. "What? How did you... how did you know that?" she stammers out.
I give a wry little laugh. "I didn't. You just told me." She's looking at me completely flabbergasted before I continue, "It's just that... she's here."
I watch as she immediately turns in the booth, looking for the doctor. Her eyes light up as their gazes meet. Her smile widens with every step the doctor takes closer to our booth. I can see it there all over her face, and my heart aches just a little more. By the time the pathologist is at our side, Jane has the look of the completely lovestruck, and I am completely heartbroken.
For a moment they only have eyes for each other. Their hungry gazes roam each other's face as if they needed it to survive. After a minute, the doctor seems to remember where she's at and turns to me, "Good evening, Lieutenant Grant. How are you?"
I don't really want to give away the fact that I'm pining for her girl so I simply answer with a smile. "Pretty good, Dr. Isles. Why don't you join us? Can I get you a drink?"
She looks to Jane before she answers. At Jane's nod she replies, "I will join you, thank you. The bartender is going to bring me a glass of wine once I get settled."
Jane scoots over and the doctor slides into the booth next to her. Very close. I can see the surprise on the doctor's face when Jane brings their joined hands up to rest on the table. None of us have spoken yet, and the silence is just about to become awkward when Dr. Isles speaks up. "So, how is everything going for you in D.C., Lieutenant?"
Jane, who had still been staring at her lover, turned towards me, "Oh yeah, Joey, you never got around to telling me."
Yeah, I never got around to telling you because I was too busy getting my heart ripped out of my chest. And D.C. is horrible because all I've been thinking about these last couple months is coming home and being with you. But that's never going to happen. And I can't tell them that, so I decide to go with an answer purely truthful, even if only in relation to my job. "It's going pretty great. They're actually going to promote me further if I totally commit to staying there. So, it looks like I'm going to become a permanent District of Columbian."
"Oh," the doctor says with a little surprised inflection, "was there a chance that you wouldn't have stayed?"
I look at Jane. She doesn't say anything. It doesn't matter anyways. I've seen it now with my own eyes. "No," I answer, "there's no chance at all that I'll be coming home."
I can tell that the doctor is not quite sure what to say to that. The tone of my voice during my answer was slightly bitter and I can see that she picked up on it, even if she wasn't exactly sure of the cause of it. She is saved from having to form any kind of response by my phone ringing. "Sorry, I have to take this," I say, excusing myself from the table.
I walk to the other side of the bar to take my phone call. I watch the interaction between the two women at the table during my absence. I can tell that Jane is telling her girlfriend exactly what the source of my bitterness was. I see the doctor stiffen slightly until Jane reassuringly kisses the hand that's intertwined with hers. "Well, I have to go," I say as I walk back up to the table.
The doctor looks a little relieved, but I suppose it's her manners that cause her to ask, "Oh no, are you sure you can't stay?"
I give a little laugh, "I'm sure. It was nice seeing you again."
Jane speaks up now, "Yeah, it was good to see you too. I hope everything works out for you."
I know she's referring to more than just my job, so I just nod and begin to walk away. I stop though before I get too far. "Hey Janie, I really am happy that you're happy."
She smiles at me and squeezes the doctor's hand. "I am. So happy. And don't call me 'Janie'!" she finishes with another glare.
I smile and put my hands up again. "I know, I know. Take good care of her, Doc." The doctor looks at me seriously and gives me a determined nod. I know Jane is in good hands.
I turn and walk away from her for the last time. This hurts, but I know that it's for the best. I really have never seen Jane so happy. And she deserves to be happy more than anyone. I wish it could've been me, but sometimes it's just not meant to be. No regrets though, I tried. All I can do now is wish nothing but the best for the both of them. Goodbye, Jane. Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to find someone like you.
Another AN: So there it was. Not too painful for you I hope. Just a little note. Grant always thinks of Maura as "the doctor" because that's what he knows her as. He doesn't know her as Maura, only as the BPD ME and Jane's best friend- well... now turned lover.
