Trust the ride…. but no… we aren't there yet….

8 Months Later

Washington State

Jane's life had taken on a routine that much to her surprise, she enjoyed. In a bid to keep her location secret, they had decided to not find Jane an actual job. She was a crossing guard before and after school and spent the in-between helping in the local elementary school library, all as a volunteer. She had always had a soft spot for children and working with them on the daily, she had come to realize, perhaps, someday when she got out of the system, she would like to try.

'That is provided I get out of this system while I can still have kids!' she scoffed at the thought and shook her head as she drove the 22 miles to the cabin she had called home for the last 8 months.

She'd been allowed the one newspaper from the burial/service that they had given her, and even then, it had been brought to her by another agent and had not been purchased in the state or any surrounding them. They were taking no risks at having Jane caught before they got to the bottom of the serial killer who had inadvertently targeted Jane, again. Any and all communication with Boston had been cut of. They would bring her the occasional updates of her mother and brothers, but she heard nothing of Maura. Jane often wondered what Maura's wedding would have been like, as she assumed it had already taken place, or was fast approaching. Would she have gone had she been around? Would she have smiled and done her duties to make sure Maura got the life she always wanted? She always drew the same conclusion; she was giving her all that, and more. She had convinced herself that she had stepped away and saved them all from having to deal with the eventual havoc her life would have wreaked over them all. She knew she was protecting them and that knowledge was what made her suffer through the pain, both physical and emotional, of leaving the night she was attacked.

They hadn't realized it was the work of a serial until Jane was already in pursuit of her target that afternoon 8 months ago. She was following a lead, the only lead they had, to the home of the pastor who had originally found the first victims in his church. They had researched the congregation and found an ex-felon who had a history of attacking women with small children. She'd gone to question the pastor about any information that could lead to the man's whereabouts. She'd arrived at the home to find the door opened, and no one had responded as she called out. She had cleared the first floor, having found one small child, bound and unconscious. As she reached the base of the stairs, her phone vibrated. She continued up the stairs and found the pastor, wounded, but with a pulse. As she cleared the last room, she found the pastor's wife, dead. A knife lay near the body. Jane surveyed the scene realizing this was sloppy and not in line with the previous crime scenes. She turned to go aid the pastor and his young son and as she cleared to doorway, she heard the crack of her scull as the world went black.

She awoke to what felt like warm water being poured down her thighs. As she continued to regain her senses, she became aware of the overpowering scent of blood. As her memories filtered in, she began to slowly assess that all her limbs were functioning. She realized her right leg did not respond and when she tried moving it again, the pain ripped through her and her leg was instantly warm and wet again. She realized she was bleeding out and she could feel the haze creeping back into her brain, she knew she was fading fast. He must have severed her femoral artery. She had to get to the Boy…. and his father…. she could feel the darkness closing in. Wait, she was on the landing, where was the Pastor? Had the killer taken him off to finish the job?

"Detective!" she heard as someone grabbed her shoulder. 'Was that the pastor? He was alive?! His son! She had to tell him about his son'.

But her limbs were heavy and she was tired. She faded out as Frankie cleared the landing, her back up having arrived.

"JANE!"

She'd awoken in the hospital that evening while Maura was in the hall talking with the Doctor. As her eyes adjusted, she realized there was a new face in the darkness of the hospital room. The woman stepped forward and cleared her throat, hoping it would help the detectives eyes focus on her.

"Detective. I'm glad you're awake. I'm Marshall Johnson. I've been assigned to escort you to a designated safe house."

"Safe house?" Pure confusion crossed Jane's features.

"Yes, we received a threat shortly after you had been brought in, from our UNSUB. It seems he is focused on you after you interrupted his plans at the Ministers home this afternoon."

"Maura?" Jane inquired.

"She's outside discussing your prognosis with your doctor. You lost too much blood and your head injury has had some mild swelling." Johnson explained quickly

"I can't leave her…" Jane was struggling to connect words as all she could feel was the darkness closing back in.

"Detective, he will come after you again when he finds that you've survived. He has deviated from his M.O. already once and we feel confident that he is just beginning, which means he can continue to evolve his ritual. We believe that those close to you are also at risk. It will be better, for everyone, if you come into the program until we catch him." The Marshall paused then as Maura's voice got closer to the door. "Don't you think she has had enough trauma for one lifetime? Her fiancé had one hell of a time calming her down outside when they wouldn't let her in here." Johnson knew bringing up the fiancé was a low blow the minute she regarded the Detectives reaction. Her body tensed as she knew the Detective was about to make a decision as the Medical Examiner walked in.

"I'll be back Detective. Get some rest and we can talk more later," Johnson moved to pass Maura as she tried to recognize the new comer.

The door closed quietly as Maura turned to take in Jane's condition. "Give it to me straight Maur…. How bad is it?"

"The killer had severed two major arteries and cut deeply through muscle. It will take you months to heal and even then, you may always suffer from a slight limp." Maura paused and looked at Jane's almost sheet white completion and the bags of blood hanging near by before continuing. "The side of your head is bandaged and under that bandage, there is a 1/2' hole put there to help alleviate the pressure that had built up on your brain. You'll have to be closely monitored until the swelling goes down."

Jane tried to ward off the haze as it closed in again. She knew she needed to make a decision and she knew what it would be. She would protect Maura at any cost. She needed to stay awake. She needed to memorize Maura's every feature. She didn't know if she'd ever see her again, and she needed…

When Jane woke again, she was alone and out of the darkness, a voice cleared.

"Detective, we need to leave now if we are to pull this off."

Jane nodded her consent.

Jane sat at the table staring straight ahead, lost in the memory that had brought her here. She had lost her family and the first woman she ever loved over night and they had no idea that she was alive. She knew she couldn't return to Boston until the killer was caught, but he had remained dormant for the last eight months. In the mean time she had been playing house in the small town. Rebecca worked for the local Marshals office and was able to keep her identity, as she had been an established resident of the area for over ten years. They simple inserted Jane into her daily life and said they had met on line and had decided to take their relationship to the next level while on vacation together. They'd had a shotgun wedding and even had the pictures to back their story. But Jane was not Jane. She was now Liz. A New York exec, retired at an early age after making a killing and was now a happily married woman, giving back to her community in any way she could. The truth was, Jane enjoyed her life, or what had become of it, but she missed being a cop. She missed her brothers, her mother, Krosak and most of all she missed the M.E. She knew it didn't do well to dwell on the things she couldn't change and she had barely stood from her chair as the door opened and Becca called out,

"Honey, I'm Home!" which was used as their signal that she was not alone. Jane searched her mind and realized that today was Thursday and that meant that Rebecca had brought home a few coworkers to have dinner and watch the game.

Jane smiled as she walked to the door to great her "spouse" and her guests. She recognized Laura, Rebecca's old partner and her wife, Amanda. She also knew the two men, Jackson and Wyatt. Jane wrapped her arm around Becca's waist and smiled as everyone removed their coats and made their way into the kitchen. Becca hung back a moment longer, relishing in Jane's proximity and leaned into Jane and signed. Jane smiled and put her head on top of hers in quiet contemplation.

"He's active again," Becca whispered as she turned to face Jane head on. None of the other agents knew Jane's true identity and Becca preferred to keep it that way. Jane's eyes widened and she quickly glanced around to make sure they were truly alone. She shook her head and ran her hand through her long black hair, curlier then normal due to the constant moisture in the air.

"You are safe, you know that don't you?" Becca asked as she tilted her head to catch Jane's eye.

"It's not me I worry about."

"Every single one of them is being watched over, closely. You don't need to worry," she reassured Jane.

Jane sighed and wrapped Becca in a tight hug. As she pulled away and looked into Becks eyes she was sure she saw something more swim across them and Jane made a mental note to talk to her about it later. If she'd learned anything about her missed opportunity with Maura, it was to simply talk. Ask the questions she was afraid to ask. Jane smiled and thought to ask right then when her train of thought was interrupted by a shout from the kitchen.

"Okay you two… keep it in your pants! We are hungry!"

They turned, laughing together, silently agreeing to leave something's unsaid until later when they were alone. With that, they walked to the kitchen to enjoy an evening with their friends.