Rizzoli & Isles
Chapter 3
Disclaimer- I do not own any characters used in the following tale. This was solely created for enjoyment, not profit.
"Maura. No." Jane whined. "I'm not wearing that. It looks itchy. Find me something that's not going to make me brake out into hives."
Jane and Maura were out shopping, more like Maura was dragging Jane shopping, on one of the rare days where they were both off.
"But this is Karl Lagerfeld." Maura replied as though she expected Jane to know who she was talking about.
"Okay. Well in that case, I'm still not wearing it." Jane replied sarcastically.
"Jane please."
"No" Jane replied with force.
The ringing of Jane's phone interrupted their conversation much to Jane's relief.
Maura had noticed the subtle changes in Jane but chose not to comment and hadn't since that night she caught Jane on the phone with her certain someone. She was still unaware who it was that was making her friend less angry (i.e. happy) for certain but she had her suspicions. The timing was just too perfect. Jane acted as though the incident had never happened so Maura just let it be.
"Rizzoli." Jane answered her phone.
"Jane, it's Frost, we caught one. Dump job at Massachusetts General." Frost spoke through the phone.
"They dumped a body at the hospital?" Jane replied amazed at how stupid the average criminal could be. "Okay, I'll meet ya down there." She hung up.
Jane turned to Maura who was listening, intrigued at the mention of a body; she was the medical examiner after all.
"We have to go to the hospital." Jane stated.
Maura nodded and held up the dress to Jane as she smiled sweetly, trying to tempt Jane once last time.
"I'm still not going to put that on." Jane demanded.
Maura batted her eyes coyly in response.
"No." Jane insisted.
The ladies walked through the hospital doors mid-conversation but Frost could gather what they were talking about, at least he thought so.
"I told you you'd like it." Maura said teasingly.
"Okay so it wasn't as itchy as it looked." Jane replied more than a little perturbed she actually liked the dress enough to spend that kind of money on it.
"Whada we got?" Jane asked Frost.
The three of them started to walk down a hospital corridor as Frost began to speak, "The body was dumped around 3am at the emergency exit. The security camera footage should be at the precinct in an hour, the tech is getting it now."
They walked through a set of double doors leading to the morgue and were bombarded by cold air.
"The body's over here." Frost stated. But Jane was distracted by the other men in the room. There were four suited men standing in the Massachusetts General Hospital morgue, talking silently to each other, one was on the phone. Jane recognized that one.
"What are you doing here?" Jane asked. She was astonished that he was standing in front her, in Boston. The smile that graced her face could not be helped. He smiled in return and put his hand over the mouth piece of the phone.
"I was hired as a liaison between Boston PD and Homeland security; I'm liaising." He replied jokingly. (1)
"Why didn't you…" Jane started but stopped as she remembered they were not alone and that this conversation was being listened to by more than just Frost and Maura.
It had been a few months since that first phone call from Grant and since then they had established a comfortable nightly routine. Sometimes the conversation was just 'Hey, I miss you, good night' and other nights it covered their days, thoughts, past and lasted for hours.
For instance Jane was already aware that Joe had three older sisters and a younger brother but she never knew that as little boys their sisters would make them play dress up. As in the boys were being dressed up like life size Barbie dolls in all kinds of girly clothing. Apparently there were several incriminating photos still in existence and Jane couldn't wait to get her hands on them.
Joe learned that even with all Jane's tomboyish qualities and athletic extracurricular activities she had a passion for playing the piano and was quite good back in the day. She had however abandoned the amusement since Charles Hoyt came into her life. Sure she could still write and pull the trigger effectively but the flexibility in her hands was not what it used to be and due to her injuries she has never sat back down at a piano. It was something she never liked to admit. She didn't want to be changed by Hoyt; to be reminded of him. She even refused to acknowledge the fact that he was behind her reasons for quitting except on rare occasions, one being a rainy night while on the phone with Joe. It was somehow easier to admit her failings to him rather than to face them herself. A bottle of wine also lubricated the situation a bit; allowing her to spill her beans.
The two never talked however about the developing relationship between them. They were both not ones to ignore an elephant in a room but this particular subject was still avoided for the time being. Jane didn't know what to say and Joe didn't want to pressure her into anything. So, in the meantime they were two individuals who cared deeply for one another; not a couple.
"I didn't know till this morning." He replied to her unasked question softly.
Jane nodded and they both returned their attention back to the others in the room.
"What does Homeland Security have to do with this case?" Jane asked in her normal detective voice, redirecting the conversation back to the case. Grant returned to his phone call.
"Your victim was Abdul-Rahmaan Hatar. He was a Saudi foreign national." One of the other suited men answered.
"As in Saudi Arabia?" Jane asked, recalling a conversation from several months back. "What was he doing in Boston?" Jane then asked.
"We don't know. He disappeared in DC a week ago." Grant answered after hanging up. "The FBI is coordinating with my office and Boston's finest to figure this one out. It'll be like old times."
"Let's hope not exactly like old times." Jane joked.
"What was he doing in DC?" Frost asked, getting back on topic.
"He had a meeting with some heads of state on Thursday of last week but he never showed." Grant answered.
"I'm assuming you have a timeline then of what he'd been up to?" Jane questioned.
"Yeah" Grant replied.
"Okay then lets meet up at the station and get started." Jane turned to Maura. "Maura, you got this?" referring to the body.
"Yes." She replied. Maura had migrated over to the body to examine it but had soon called a tech over saying she wanted the body transported immediately to her lab for analysis. She and the suits followed the tech.
As Jane moved to leave the morgue Grant called out, "Hey Rizzoli, can I catch a ride with you?"
Jane looked at him funny for a second, not realizing what he was asking. "Yeah! GHum, Sure." She replied eventually.
Grant flashed her 'her' smile and Jane almost blushed. She had to turn away but Joe was tight on her heals.
In the car an awkward silence had taken over. Both not really knowing what to say or how to act. 'All this seemed so easy and right over the phone.' thought Jane.
"So, Saudi Arabia huh?" She took a quick glance over at him as she asked. "This guy have anything to do with your little trips awhile back?"
"That's classified."
"You're really going to pull that line?... On me?" She was quickly getting irritated with him and the situation. 'Why was he back? Why was this so weird? Is this a mistake? What am I thinking, what is this?' her thoughts were on rapid fire, adding to her frustration.
"Janey, you know I would tell you everything if I could." He replied and reached over to settle his hand gently on her thigh. Her steam evaporated immediately.
"I seriously can't confirm or DENY anything regarding my trips." He pointedly continued.
"Okay." Jane nodded. "So what can you tell me?"
"Well I can tell you your beautiful.." He smugly replied, changing the subject, or at least trying to.
"Haaah!" Jane laughed. "I meant about the case."
"Can't blame a guy for trying."
Jane took one hand off the steering wheel and reached down to cover his. "No. And thanks." Jane whispered. "But seriously?"
"Seriously, let's talk about something else until we get to the precinct. The others have all the info anyways."
"Fine." Jane dropped it. Refusing to let the silence take them again she spit out, "So how long are you in town for?
"Not sure. Till the case takes them somewhere else I guess."
"Where're you staying while you're in town?"
"I like where you head is at Janey." He jokingly answered as he wiggled his brow.
"Well I now know one place your not staying." She said trying to sound irritated but she couldn't hide the smile forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Ah you wouldn't make me stay at my mother's would you? Or worse my sisters?"
"Do they even know you're in town?" Jane responded, hoping to catch him off guard and take the focus off her.
"No I didn't get a chance to call anyone." He squeezed her leg.
"Maybe you should call and see if one of them has room for you." Jane huffed. They had arrived. Jane pulled the car up to the front curb of the precinct and got out, not looking back.
"Wait, you're really not going to let me stay over? I just want the couch Jane." Joe claimed from the other side of the car as he stood. She was already a couple steps up, nearing the door.
She turned. "Really the couch? And here I thought we were..." She stopped herself and looked away.
Joe hustled around the car, slamming the door and was standing on the step in front of her, looking up intently, in less than a second. "Thought we were what Jane?"
"...Nothing." Jane started to walk back up the steps but Joe's light touch on her arm stopped her.
"Janey, we are whatever you want us to be. I know last time was kind of rushed and, if you don't mind, I would like to take you out on a date first before anything else." He grinned like a cheshire cat. "Call me old fashioned."
Jane would not make eye contact with him so he stepped up to her level and glided his fingers along her cheek and into her hair.
"Is that you asking me out?" She finally asked before looking up.
"Is that you saying I can stay on your couch?"
She didn't respond verbally but she leaned in to meet his lips. However before things could get any further Jane pulled back and said, "No."
Joe looked confused and almost hurt. Jane laughed.
"I didn't say you couldn't stay over. You just won't be sleeping on the couch. I don't care what you say about being old fashioned."
Joe laughed at that and watched Jane strut up the rest of the steps and in through the precinct doors.
A/N: 1) That liaising bit was for you megmeyer. You made me laugh in your review. Hope you enjoyed it.
