Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I read an interview with Sasha Alexander where she's talking about the characters in R&I and how they have typical things happen to them during atypical situations. Things like flirting over dead bodies. I think there's something interesting about that idea, especially paired with the character dynamics of Jane and Maura: whereas Jane tends to internalize emotions, Maura tends to bring them out. Those thoughts were in my head while writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
A crisply-dressed officer shut the rear door on the remaining police car, giving a quick nod in the detective's direction before climbing into the front seat.
With her jacket sleeves pushed up and fists resting firmly on her hips, Jane watched for a moment as the vehicle drove away with the cuffed assailant. An ambulance had rushed his accomplice to Carney Hospital minutes before.
A grim picture of the past several moments was coming into focus for Jane, and she thought of what Lieutenant Cavanaugh would say about discharging a weapon like an untrained officer instead of solving a homicide investigation.
Jane also thought about Maura: in order to satisfy a rash need for justice, she had just put her best friend's life in danger.
"Shit."
She shook her head and shuffled dark locks back from her face. Her hairline was now soaked with sweat. Deflated, she peeled off her stuffy jacket and dragged her feet back to the SUV, noting with admiration the severity of the car's angle from her hasty stop. Jane chuckled to herself as annoyed drivers made their way around a police blockade, beeping and swearing as they passed. Disappointed by-standers trickled away as the scene dispersed.
With a loud sigh, the detective closed the driver-side door and started the ignition. Maura, who had just applied a fresh layer of lipstick in the rear-view mirror, looked neat and composed when she observed the contorted features of her friend's face. She didn't need to ask what was wrong.
"Jane, it's going to be fine. You did the right thing." After some hesitation, she added "In fact, I think you behaved quite admirably."
Maura gently squeezed Jane's forearm, exchanging looks and a reassuring smile with her brown-eyed friend.
"Thanks, Maur."
Jane always found sincerity in the hazel reflection of Maura's eyes. Eyes that saw right to her core, no matter how hard she tried to conceal or deny. Before their gaze had time to linger into uncomfortable silence, the detective had a sudden flash of her friend's own heroic moment.
"Hey, I have something for you, Wonder Woman. You know, that's quite an arm you have!" She grinned and produced Maura's missing heel from her crumpled coat pocket. "It's a little worse for wear, but it should still be — I don't know, functional? If that isn't an oxymoron."
"Oh, thank you!" Maura looked brightly at Jane before taking the stiletto and slipping it gracefully onto her delicate foot. "Did you know that Jimmy Choo's family name is actually Chow, but it was misspelled on his birth certificate?"
While Jane put the car in drive, she casually glanced over as the blonde rested her foot on the glove compartment to buckle the shoe in place. Her heart raced as she caught a glimpse of Maura's well-defined calf.
'Uh, no, I didn't," she replied absently, her head snapping back to the road ahead. After a beat, she blurted: "Wait, who the hell's Jimmy Choo?"
Maura laughed and waved her arm in dismissal, knowing her jeans-and-tshirt-friend wouldn't care about the well-known fashion designer.
Jane smiled at her own ignorance, pulling her phone from the cup holder to check the missed calls.
"Damnit, it's 4 o'clock already and Frost has called me at least a dozen times. We have to get to that crime scene."
The detective pointed the wheels in the direction of Ashmont street, where a storage facility and dead body awaited them.
...
"It's about time, Rizzoli," Detective Frost reprimanded as Jane slammed the door on the SUV and surveyed the 'Extra Space' storage facility. Her younger partner was making a pointed effort to look annoyed, even though it was obvious he had just thrown up in the bushes behind him.
"Get in line, Frost. I already have to explain myself to Cavanaugh, and I definitely don't need you breathing down my neck. "
Alarmed, Frost threw a questioning look at Maura, who had just tastefully dismounted from the passenger side door. Catching their exchange, she made a curt motion with her head that suggested he shouldn't ask where they had been for the past 2 hours. He decided not to press the issue.
"Would you like some bismuth subsalicylate, detective?" Maura whispered to the ailing man as the trio headed toward the building. Jane was in the lead with a trail of smoke behind her.
"You mean like, Pepto Bismol? Yes, uh — if you have some, Dr. Isles, thank you," Frost whispered back, ashamed that the beautiful M.E. had noticed his discomfort.
Inside the facility, they followed the wave of yellow tape to the last storage unit in the corridor. A forensics team was finishing their collection of evidence as Jane studied the scene. Her brow furrowed as she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.
Stacks of worn cardboard boxes lined the walls of the 10' x 10' cube. Magazines, Christmas decorations, and the usual home furnishings filled the space.
"Where's the body?" Maura called to no one in particular as she caught up with Jane, automatically producing her ID badge. She was now in full examiner mode, stretching blue latex gloves over her well-groomed hands.
"Everywhere," a crew member responded dryly.
Before the duo could ask for an explanation, Frost clarified while screwing the cap on a pink bottle and handing it back to the M.E..
"He means that literally; there's body parts in almost every box we searched."
"Fantastic," Jane muttered.
"Who determined it was a middle-aged man?" Maura inquired, unfazed by a dismembered corpse.
"Someone in forensics," Frost shrugged. "She said she could tell by his head."
"Well, that's purely conjecture until I can do a thorough examination," The M.E. clucked. There was nothing more unprofessional in her line of work than an assumption.
"When did this happen?" Jane turned to her partner, now absorbed in the moment instead of giving him the silent treatment.
"The renter discovered it late last night while collecting a few belongings. We're not sure when the body — er, parts — were placed here, or even how. The security footage shows no sign of anyone coming in or out of this unit for at least two weeks."
"Do we know who else has access?" Jane continued.
"We have the manager of the building at the station now, he's providing us with a list of employees and renters."
Jane took a breath before stepping into the crowded unit. Maura was already inside, navigating the narrow paths and lifting the flaps of marked boxes. Occasionally, she scribbled a few notes to herself on a legal pad.
After lingering at one box, the M.E. positioned a nearby light and gingerly lifted out a human heart. She began to examine it intensely.
"Whoever this was, he certainly had very healthy capillaries."
"And I'm sure he would've appreciated the compliment," Jane noted sarcastically, horrified at the sight of the organ. A sense of humor was the only thing keeping her focused as her stomach gurgled and churned; she wondered now if it was from hunger or repulsion.
"If this heart is telling a true story," Maura surmised, "this was not a middle-aged man." She made a note and gently placed the organ back in the box.
"So no one's been in or out of here for two weeks..." Jane thought out loud. "Any guess on how long the guy's been dead?" She turned back to Maura, who was now immersed in a liver.
"Jane. You know I don't guess."
"Not even if it's an educated one?" Her eyebrows arched.
"No. Besides, I won't know cause of death until I've done a complete autopsy." The M.E. turned back to her subject, unable to suppress a small smile. She thought of how they always played this game during investigations.
"Well, someone's certainly made your job a hell of a lot easier," the detective concluded, not unaware of the look her friend was throwing her. She never missed an opportunity to get a rise out of the cool and collected Dr. Isles.
Jane continued to inspect the crowded space, tracing the edges of the walls with her eyes. She turned her thoughts to how the body parts found their way into the unit.
"Do any vents or passages run through here?" she called to Frost, who was keeping a safe distance from the boxes. In his hand was a a roll of blueprints.
"I'm looking at the schematic now."
Eager to see if her theory was correct, Jane hastily made her way to the entrance, dodging the needles of a fake Douglas Fur along the way. Before getting to Frost, she collided with full force into the M.E., who had just finished analyzing a left foot.
"Oh!"
Maura toppled into the boxes behind her, pulling the brunette down with her. Together they landed on a small love seat, with Jane on top. Their faces were inches apart when they came to their senses.
"God, Maur, I'm so sorry! You okay?" Jane stammered. She lifted herself up, pushing away the cardboard that had caved over them, and helping the blonde up from the horizontal position. Both their cheeks flushed from the thrill of the impact.
"It's okay, I'm fine," Maura assured, smoothing down her skirt as she found her footing.
"Whew! I think I need a cigarette," the detective rasped, trying to lighten the embarrassment. Her disheveled friend laughed in response.
"I know you don't smoke, Jane," she scolded playfully, finding it hard to compose herself.
"Yeah, well. Maybe I should start," Jane smiled.
In that moment, the doctor had transformed from serious medical examiner into light-hearted Maura Isles. She knew only Jane could do that to her.
The dark-haired woman locked eyes with her gorgeous best friend. Somehow their collision didn't feel like an accident, and she wondered if she would ever dare tell Maura just how much she cared about her.