Boston- Boston PD
"Bad news." A file dropped on Jane Rizzoli's desk, and she looked up, glaring at the person who dropped it there.
"What do you want, Korsak?" She asked, her tone pissed off as usual. She'd received a call from Gabriel Dean, and wasn't in the mood for Korsak right now. Her voice, husky and rough as always, didn't soften at the sight of her old partner.
"I just got that call. You know the body on Maura's table?"
"Yeah? You mean that dead Marine, what about him?"
"Yeah I may have accidentally called in to report a dead Marine, and NCIS picked up on the scent. They're sending their Major Case Response Team and their medical examiner from Washington. They're coming in on the next flight."
"Shit, Korsak, you know I hate dealing with Feds!"
"Just like you hate dealing with Gabriel Dean?" Korsak asked. He looked around the empty office. "Where is everyone?"
"Frost went for coffee, and I'm fairly certain Frankie went with him. So it's just you and I." Her tone was not welcoming, but he still grinned.
"So what's up, Rizzoli? Things still rough between your parents?"
"Yeah, Korsak. I don't see why it matters." She was rubbing her hands, as though they pained her.
"Hands hurt?" He asked quietly, and her dark eyes glanced up at him.
"It's raining. What do you think, Korsak?"
"They hurt. You should go warn Maura about our visitors."
"On my way down there now. Unless she's out for coffee too. What is with everyone and coffee?" She stood up, wincing at the sudden pain.
"Bullet wound?" He asked, already knowing it was.
"Yes, that's the price I paid for being a hero." She stood up, Korsak watching as she headed downstairs, out of Homicide. He couldn't help but still feel a flash of admiration for his old partner.
She arrived in the morgue, as Maura was doing her preliminary. "Hey Maura." She said, pushing the wild dark hair back from her face.
"Jane!" Maura's eyes lit up. Her brownish, blonde-streaked hair was hidden below her cap, her brown eyes warm and friendly. But the scalpel in her hand didn't exactly send the message of friendly. She walked around the side of the table, confirming Jane's suspicions, as she was wearing high heels. "Are you here to watch?"
"Yes… and I come bearing a message. You may not want to start on that autopsy yet."
Maura was confused, Jane could see it in her eyes. "What do you mean? Why not?"
"We've got a couple of Federal Agents… and they're bringing in their medical examiner. Prepare to have your every move questioned. You share the autopsy with him. Unfortunately."
"Feds… what agency?"
"Dead Marine… We've got a couple of whiny snobs from NCIS heading our way. They're coming in on the next flight from Washington."
"Do you know how many agents are coming?" Maura asked, trying to shake off the idea of NCIS. For some reason, the name of the agency stuck with her. Just like other random memories that would randomly appear in her mind when she was confronted with a similar situation. Maura, lost in thought, didn't notice when Jane walked around to look at her.
"You okay, Maura? You look pale."
"Yeah, Jane. I'm fine. Just thinking about NCIS."
"Ever worked with them before?"
"Not to my knowledge." Maura knew that somewhere in the back of her mind, something was fighting to surface. Random memories. Ones she knew weren't her own.
Holding, shooting a gun.
Being held hostage in a morgue.
Fighting another man with light brown hair.
Expressing a desire to have kids.
"Hey." She said, worriedly. "Maura, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I must have lost concentration. I'm sorry." Maura tried to smile, but it wasn't there. She simply sighed, and walked upstairs with Jane, and sitting at her desk. "Do you have any marshmallow fluff sandwiches for me?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.
Jane, rolling her eyes, pulled a container out of her desk. "No storing this container in the dead people fridge." She warned.
"Cold air is cold air." Maura said, opening the case. "Oh thank god." She mumbled, sinking her teeth into the sandwich. "I skipped breakfast." She said, mumbling it through a mouthful of bread and marshmallow fluff.
Jane shook her head at her best friend, but she couldn't help but smile. Sure Maura was weird, and yes, people called her Queen of the Dead, but she was all the friend that Jane needed. Because Jane was the only girl in a family of boys, and had to find solace somewhere. Even if it was in her work, with Maura, Frankie, Frost and Korsak. Her overbearing mother, unfortunately was working in the police café which was not where Jane wanted her, but what could she do? She immediately stopped thinking, noticing that Maura was staring into space.
"Maura? Maura?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes, as she waved her hand in front of Maura's face. God, Jane wondered. What goes on in your mind, Maura Isles? She finally snapped her fingers, and Maura seemed to snap out of it.
"Sorry, my mind is really wandering today." She murmured, staring down at the sandwich. Jane looked at her own coffee cup, just as Frost and her brother arrived again.
"I hate winter." Frankie muttered, and glared out the window at the rain.
"Chill, little brother. It's only February."
"It could be August and hotter than hell." Maura offered.
Frost, Korsak and Jane all exchanged a look. They had enough experience with the perps that generally came out during the heat of the summer. Even… The Surgeon. Even though the room wasn't all that cold, Jane still shivered, the memory of Warren Hoyt haunting her, every encounter scarring her more than the previous one. His mark was left on her, both emotionally and physically. She thought of what had happened when she'd tried to be a hero. Stab wounds in both hands, and a gunshot wound to the side, from two different encounters, both of them enough reminders about heroism for a lifetime. She looked up at the clock.
"Our friends from Washington should be arriving soon. Will they be able to get here okay?" She asked.
Korsak stood up. "I can meet them at the airport, show them to their hotel."
"I think they'll be okay. Feds normally know their way around."
"Hey Jane." Korsak said.
"What?"
"Remember that time that someone tried to assassinate the President aboard Air Force One?"
"Yeah." Jane said. "FBI stopped them, didn't they?"
"Wrong." Frost spoke up. "I've been tracing some of NCIS's cases over the last few years, but that was the only one I could find. They teamed up with the Secret Service, and stopped a terrorist from assassinating the President."
"That was NCIS?" Jane was mildly surprised. "It was the Navy cops, not the suits from Hoover?"
"Apparently." Frost said. "I can't find any other records though."
"And have any of you recently spoken to the director of NCIS?"
"I did." Korsak said. "Their director, who seemed like a nice woman on the phone, asked for our full cooperation here in Homicide. I promised it." He looked around. "I expect all of you to put your best foot forward."
"Can I stick my best foot up their asses?"
"Not what I meant, Rizzoli." He said, glaring at her.
"What's the director's name?" Frost asked. "In case I need it for future reference."
"Director Shepard. Also, I want cooperation between you and the forensic scientist in Washington. I hear she's good."
"Another woman?" Crowe asked, walking in.
Jane automatically tensed. He was a sexist pig who somehow ended up with a badge. One time, as a prank, he'd stuffed a tampon in her mineral water. She had just thrown the bottle out, and let the matter slide. Korsak had been pissed, but hadn't done anything about it.
"Yeah." Korsak checked his notes. "Total of three women. Director, forensic scientist, and then… one of the people coming. A liaison officer."
"Foreign chicks are statistically hotter." Crowe said, leaning on Jane's desk. "Wouldn't you agree, Rizzoli?"
"No." was her sharp reply. "Get off my desk if you value your balls, Crowe."
He stood up at once. "Geez, Rizzoli, I'm kidding. Take a Midol or something."
She glared at him, crossing her arms. Korsak spoke up. "Can you please return your focus to me? I'm going to the airport to help our friends from NCIS get around. If I get any word about any childish pranks, I'll report all of you. Got it?"
Everyone nodded. Crowe immediately made himself scarce, unwilling to admit his fear of pissing off Rizzoli. In fact, he was really good at it too.
Jane followed Korsak into the hallway. "Listen, Korsak, I'm not here to kiss ass. I'm here to do my job."
"I know, Rizzoli. Jane, I was your partner for years, humor me. I just asked for cooperation. I did not mean you need to kiss anyone's ass. You got that?"
She nodded. "Even yours?"
He turned, surprised. Then he grinned. "No you can kiss my ass."
She blew him a sarcastic kiss before watching him walk away. The banter, the ease of working together had never left them. Only the comfort of him watching her back. She walked back into the office, and sat down at her desk. Maura was sitting on the desk, watching as Frankie and Frost engaged in conversation. She allowed herself to briefly relax, knowing the yahoos known as feds would be arriving soon enough.
