Notes: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and taken the time to read this. Sorry for leaving you all hanging but I hope the wait is worth it. I probably don't even need to say this because must of you already know what is going to happen but…there is violence in this chapter. It's nothing too brutal but if that makes you uncomfortable please don't read this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles sadly and I do not profit from any of my writings. Please don't sue me!
Enjoy!
As Maura began to turn back to the bar the man grabbed her left forearm and she jumped at the contact. "Hey babe, if anything, it's free booze. We'll pay for all the shit ya wanna drink," he slurred bending even closer to Maura.
"Please let go of me," Maura nearly whispered feeling fear slowly creep up on her. She lightly tugged her arm away but she knew she stood no chance against the larger and stronger man.
"Oh, don't be like that baby," he tried to reassure her as he moved in even closer to her. Maura scrunched her head back into her neck and she tried to move further away but froze in fear.
Just as he was about to force his lips on Maura, Jane burst between the men that had circled Maura. As he heard Jane yell, he looked up to see two piercing usually brown, now black eyes on him.
"Get the fuck off her you asshole!" Jane screamed as she forced herself between Maura and the man, their noses nearly touching. Jane was glad she wore her favorite heeled boats today so she could look at this bastard eye-to-eye.
Jane wouldn't be out done and let him be the first to break eye contact. He looked over Jane's shoulder at Maura and asked, "Who the fuck is this bitch?" pointing a finger in Jane's face. "She your bodyguard or your dyke? Oh shit! That's why you didn't wanna get with this!" he was nearly screaming as he then pointed at himself again. He burst into a fit of laughter as did his buddies behind him.
Jane cut off his laughter looking down at his hand still on Maura's arm, "Move. Your. Hand." Jane had said it so painfully slow and low pitched, it sent chills down Maura's spine.
By this time Frost found them and pushed his way behind Maura.
"Make me ya fuckin' dyke!" he spat back in her face.
In one swift motion Jane grabbed the man's arm that was still holding Maura's arm and spun the man around and held his same arm behind his back. Frost grabbed Maura and pulled her by her waist back to a safe distance away from the brawl.
"Jane…," Maura whispered fearing how the man would react.
Jane leaned into the man and spoke into his ear just for him to hear, "Even if you weren't drunk…," she lowered her voice even further, "you never had a chance."
With his free hand, the man reached over his shoulder trying to grab any part of Jane. He grabbed a strand of her hair and slammed his head back into Jane's left cheekbone and pulled Jane into him with all the force he had left in his drunken state. Jane was forced to let go as her head snapped back and she stumbled back to keep her balance.
"Jane! No!" Maura screamed as she lurched forward towards Jane. She pulled at Frost but he wouldn't budge holding onto her arms.
Jane reached her hand up and felt her now throbbing cheek. She brought her hand back in front of her so she could see the damage. She rubbed her thumb against her pointer and ring fingers which were covered in blood. It was now running down her face and dripping on her shirt. She wiped her bloodied hand on her already ruined shirt and looked back up to the man who had caused it with even more anger in her black eyes.
He was facing his friends behind him and they were all laughing hysterically.
Jane began to march back towards the man and just as he turned around to look at his handy work, he was met with Jane's left fist. She had put all of her weight behind the blow and would have knocked the man flat on his ass had his friends not been behind him and caught him. He slumped in the arms of the other men who threw him back up to his feet. He shook his head trying to regain full consciousness.
Jane had backed up waiting to see what his next move would be. If she hadn't been high on the adrenaline rush, she would have been cradling her now sprained wrist with her right hand.
He began to run full bore at her, his fist raised. He threw his right arm at her which she ducked below and jumped right back up. The momentum from running left him falling forward past her. Jane wrapped her right arm around his neck and caught him in a head lock before he flew past her.
Balancing on her right leg, she thrust her left knee to the middle of his chest once again using all her force. The man's body rose from the force of the knee and as he began to fall back down, Jane let go of the man allowing him to fall flat on cold tiles.
Frost ran from behind Maura who had both her hands covering her agape mouth, and brushed against Jane who was standing a foot away from the man's body looking down on him. Frost knelt down next to the man grabbing his handcuffs with one hand while using the other to pull one of the man's arms that sprawled above his head, bringing it behind his back.
Korsak pushed his way through the now silent crowd yelling, "Holy…what the hell did I miss?" He stood wide mouthed looking back and forth between Jane and the man on the ground.
Maura had slowly moved up behind Jane so she could see the man lying on the ground still motionless, partially from behind her. She brought her hand up as if to comfort Jane with a hand on her arm but couldn't. She allowed the trembling hand to hover over Jane's arm before looking up at her face while she allowed herself the slightest contact. She little-by-little put more pressure on Jane's right arm.
Jane turned her head looking down behind her shoulder at Maura's eyes. She saw the fear and pleading in those beautiful hazel green eyes. Jane placed her blood stained left hand over Maura's shaking one.
"Are you okay?" Jane whispered in usually husky voice quietly.
Maura nodded. With a little smirk on her face and a tiny laugh in her voice, which surprised even herself, she asked Jane, "Don't you think I should be the one asking that?"
"Oh you know me Maura, always putting other first," she said a little louder with a smile on her face.
By the time they brought their attention back to boys, they had lifted the now handcuffed bastard to his feet.
"We got this Jane," Frost offered as they passed by headed for the door.
Jane turned to face Maura. Maura gasped when she saw the full extent of Jane's face. The gash started just to the side of the nose and reached across just under her eye. The gash was about 1.3 centimeters wide, but Maura didn't like guessing without having a better look. She brought up her hand to Jane's face, but right before she could reach it Jane caught her by the wrist.
"Maur, its nothing. Just a scratch," Jane said trying to reassure her friend before the tears forming in her eyes fell.
"Jane," Maura was begging.
Jane rolled her eyes jokingly and let out a sigh as she finally gave in. "Fine."
Jane allowed Maura examine the wound but not letting go of her wrist. Jane's eyes wandered around the ceiling fighting every urge to stare into Maura's eyes as they studied her face. Jane couldn't hold out any longer and allowed herself to look as Maura began to talk.
"I know how you hate going to the hospital so I can do it at my house if you would prefer that," she spoke while still inspecting the gash without looking into Jane's eyes. If she had looked she knew she would have cried.
"Sure Maur, yeah, plus I'd choose your stitch work over those jerks at the ER any day," Jane agreed with a laugh.
"Okay, let me go get your blazer and I'll drive us to my house. Wait here," Maura commanded as she began to cross the nearly bar turning back around to add with a, once again surprising, smirk, "Oh and don't get into any fights while I'm gone."
As Maura turned back around Jane yelled after her, "Good one Maur! When'd you get to be the funny one?"
Jane sat down on one of the bar stools and looked up to see Murray standing in front of her with one eyebrow raised and his arms crossed over his chest.
"What?" Jane said as innocently as she could.
"Hey I ain't complaining, Rizzoli. They've been giving me a shit ton of problems all night. Hell, I'm glad you took care of the bastards before I had to." Murray uncrossed his arms and pulled a half glass out from under the bar. He then grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniel's from a shelf on the wall behind him and filled the glass with a healthy helping. "Your drinks are on the house tonight, Rizzoli."
He pushed the glass in front of her and began to walk away. Jane snatched it from the bar and silently raised it to him and downed it all in one gulp. She winced slightly as she slammed the glass back down from the aching muscle in her face had used. Releasing the glass she let out a large sigh.
"Hey Rizzoli," Murray turned to her from the far end of the bar. "Stop getting your goddamn blood all over my bar!" he yelled with a smirk as he threw a clean white towel at her.
She grabbed the towel in one hand and flipped him off with the other. She held the towel over the still bleeding gash and sat with her head down and eyes closed.
Jesus…the shit I do for love. Did I just say…? Fuck my life, man. Just. Fuck it.
It wasn't the fact she didn't like knowing she had feelings for Maura. No. It made sense to her why she liked Maura. She was smart, beautiful and so many more things. It was the fact that she liked her best friend, her female best friend. It was complicated, messy, and above all, confusing.
The three men that were with the man that had come onto Maura, finally built up the courage to confront Jane. Like the rest of the bar, silence had fallen upon them once the Jane landed the fist to the man's face. By now, the entire bar had been cleared other than the hardiest of patrons except for the trio of trashed men. They walked up behind her and waited for her to turn around, but she just remained perfectly still with her eyes closed.
"You're gonna pay, bitch," the middle man said just low enough that only Jane could hear him.
Jane reached down to her belt with her right hand without moving any other part of her body. She held her badge over her right shoulder so the men could see their own faces change from anger to fear in its reflection.
"Oh shit!" one of them yelled as they backed away quickly and made their exit out of the bar.
I love doing that.
Jane was still laughing into the towel when Maura rested her hand on her shoulder. "Ready?"
Thanks for reading. Hoped it was worth the wait! Please review :)
