Title: Everything will change
Warning: This is an AU story. There will be drama/angst/happy times. Not necessarily in this order.
Summary: Maura and Jane have everything planned. They should know though, that life isn't always what we expect.
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. Sadly.
Notes: My special and recurrent thanks to FaberryS2 for beta reading this story. urluv! 3 Also thanks for everyone who decided to give this fic a chance. The fic appreciates your effort. ;)
Notes II (the revenge): The song is "In my veins", by Andrew Belle feat. Katie Herzig. The song is not mine, and trust me on this, it's better this way.
-x-
She was late.
As usual, Jane was late.
She left, leaving Korsak distracted with his google search on foster homes for stray dogs once she realized how late it was.
She ran as if on a race track and not cruising the streets of Boston, passing red lights and turning them into mere smudges on her way.
She arrived with her heart beating wildly in her chest and barely able to formulate sentences that could somehow excuse her delay.
But none of that made the slightest difference.
Milo Isles-Rizzoli had a smile upon his face.
A smile that, not even one of Jane's delays would be able to erase it.
A smile reserved for his mother, the strongest and bravest detective of the whole Boston police.
So when he saw his mother struggling to control her heartbeats, he just stood on the step where he was sat before, waited for her to catch her breath and to Jane's surprise, greeted her with a tight hug and a smacking kiss, full of sincerity.
Milo stepped away and fixed his curious and always vigilant eyes on the detective. Almond eyes, Maura's eyes. Jane didn't need to apologize. In his eyes she couldn't do wrong. It was as if, for some reason, that Jane couldn't understand, Milo was unable to see his mother as a person capable of making any mistakes. In the eyes of Milo, Jane Rizzoli was much better than any super hero.
"Were you catching bad guys?" He asked hoarsely. She studied him with an intrigued look on her face. There was no boy like hers. He was small for his age. Smaller than most boys, in fact. His hair was kind of rebellious. It was long with wavy ends, a very light brown, almost blond. He was lanky and skinny, which always made nonna Rizzoli uneasy. His skin was fair and the tip of his nose it was sprinkled with a collection of freckles, like a constellation of stars. His eyes were large and seemed to see into her soul. She couldn't lie, but also refused to deliberately break his heart.
"Yeah, something like that." She kneeled in front of the boy, trying to be on his level. "Are you ready?"
"Of course! I only have to get my backpack upstairs and say goodbye to Grandpa." The boy spoke visibly excited.
"Let's go then. I'll wait for you out here, okay?" Milo ran off without waiting for a second order as Jane watched him disappear behind the door. She sat on the porch stairs and watched the quiet suburban street on which she grew up in.
"What are you doing out here? Hiding?" Angela Rizzoli spoke bluntly. Jane rubbed her eyes with her palm, not even slightly surprised.
"Hi, Ma" She greeted without emotion.
"He's waiting for at least two hours. You couldn't have made the effort to get here on time?"
"Sorry Ma, I got stuck at work."
"Work, always work. In the mean time your boy grows up away from your sight. Great work this of yours." Angela muttered in a very audible way. Jane sighed deeply. "He probably isn't going to say a thing, but there's this big science fair at school next week. And he's been preparing himself all week. Apparently there's going to be a big prize for the winner and all. Would be nice if you could at least show your face there. That is, if your 'work' lets you." Jane was about to respond when Milo's footsteps announced his return.
"I'm ready, ma!" Jane smiled over at the boy's excitement.
"Don't you forget to say goodbye to your nonna." She spoke and waited for him to say goodbye to Angela. Milo dropped his backpack on the floor and gave Angela a bear hug, which she returned with equal enthusiasm.
"Addio nonna, ti amo!" He spoke in Italian and Jane wasn't able to identify the muttered response he received from Angela. Milo was the only one able to soften his grandma completely.
Inside the car Jane fitted the seat belt according to the boy's skinny body. He waited patiently. Along the way, Jane caught herself peeking him through the rearview mirror of the car. Milo seemed unaware, watching the scenery through the window, distracted by the music that came to him through his huge headphones. His fondness over classics was another legacy of Maura, along with his almond eyes, love for documentaries and vocabulary and, also, an IQ too advanced for his age. Or Jane's age, for that matter.
The sun was setting when they arrived at the destination. Milo ran in front, since he already knew the path. When Jane caught up, Milo was busy, looking for something inside his backpack.
"What are you looking for?"
"I made a gift for her." He spoke and carefully took off a folded sheet from inside his backpack. Once he unfolded it, Jane recognized her figure pictured in the perfect features of her little artist. On the drawing, Milo also had drawn Jo Friday, Bass and himself. Jane noted Maura's absence. Milo seemed to read her thoughts. "I wanted to draw her too, but I couldn't remember how she looked exactly. Which made me think that she might also have forgotten. So I made this drawing to help her remember." Even in all his innocence, he was able to recognize the tears that blurred Jane's dark eyes. "Do you think she won't like it?"
"She'll love it." Jane spoke with her voice even hoarser and choked with tears that she dared not shed. "She will be very proud of you. Your mother was always a great admirer of the arts." Milo seemed satisfied with the answer and put the drawing on the tombstone, with a rock on top so the wind wouldn't blow it away. The last rays of sun shimmered across the blue sky. The boy stood up and waited for his mamma to say goodbye to his mother. On the tombstone, Jane read the inscription: Maura Isles, beloved wife and mother. Her absence will be forever felt. Her presence will never be forgotten. 1977 - 2011.
-x-
It's with a racing heart and a sense of panic running through her veins that Jane regains consciousness on her hospital bed. Countless minutes go by until the memories of the last days fill in the gaps of her memory. Four days have passed since the accident. With multiple fractures, head trauma, bruises and deep cuts all over her body, her recovery is slow and painful. Although all her pain can't be compared to her anguish at the fact that Maura hasn't woken up yet. And that there's a chance that she's never going to.
-x-
.
Nothing goes as planned.
Everything will break.
People say goodbye.
In their own special way
.
She could as well just be asleep. Her hair is spread all over the pillow. Her face is serene. If this were a fairy tale, Jane would steal a kiss and expect the magic to happen. But this is real life. Jane is not a prince. And the wheelchair in which Jane is stuck certainly isn't a white horse. "You need to be on a wheelchair. Hospital rules," the nurse has to remind her every time she brings her here. Jane sighs and searches for some comfort in Maura's touch. She studies her fingers and watches her hand over Maura's. This is something that Maura used to do, study her hands. Jane strokes her scars bringing the medical examiner's hand to her lips and kisses her palm. Her eyes close trying to conceal the big tears that stubbornly escape against her will. The nurse is kind enough to pretend to be distracted by the painting of the walls, leaving Jane and Maura to themselves. Jane still has her eyes closed when her hoarse voice impose itself over the machine's noise.
.
All that you rely on
And all that you can fake
Will leave you in the morning
But find you in the day
.
"Maura, did you know they say that a person in coma can hear everything we say?" A small smile escapes between Jane's tears - "What am I saying? Of course, you do. You're probably remembering a study about this right now. And oddly enough, I'd be more than happy to hear all you have to say about it. Or about anything. I just want to hear you again. So please, hear me: I need you to wake up. I need you here. Everyone knows that you are the brain of this relationship. And without you, nothing makes sense. I don't get it. I don't get what's going on and why all this is happening. I don't understand and I need you to wake up and explain me everything. Like you always do. So please, wake up ok? I'll wait. If you need more time, I'll wait. But I need you to keep your promise, okay? "Jane hears the nurse's approaching and starts to awkwardly wipe the tears off her face. She says goodbye to Maura with a kiss in the palm of her hand and promises to come back the next day.
.
Oh you're in my veins
And I cannot get you out
Oh you're all I taste
At night inside of my mouth
Oh you run away
Cause I am not what you found
Oh you're in my veins
And I cannot get you out
.
.
.
Everything will change.