A/N: Just want to continue to give my thanks to those reading. Two updates in one day, because I felt inspired. Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to tell me what you are thinking. Reviews always inspire.
Chapter Four: Instinct.
Jane had been in the middle of a game of basketball in the yard when she realised something was wrong. Having backed down her opponent and spun around her for the easy layup her eyes had fallen on Catherine who was keeping an eye on things outside, another guard who should have been walking with her had stopped to talk to an inmate.
Instinctively Jane walked away from the game and tried to make up the distance between her and the prison officer; something didn't feel right. Another glance at the male officer who should have been with Catherine gave Jane a seriously bad feeling. He was standing hands on hips just watching as the rookie walked the yard; like he was waiting for something to happen.
Her eyes searched all around and then the entire world slowed down as she realised that one of the women had a shiv hidden behind her back as she approached Catherine. A guttural yell of, "Cate," escaped her lips as she sprinted over to the inmate who was just pulling the shiv forward to lunge at the prison officer. Jane kicked at the back of the woman's knee forcing her to fall to the ground, the shiv skidding away from her hands. Then everything sped up again and Jane was on top of the woman flailing punches angrily, until she felt herself being dragged away from the woman who had intended to injure if not kill Catherine.
"Get off me," she growled as she continued to struggle, a blind rage having overcome her.
The arms pulled her in tighter and Catherine whispered in her ear, "Calm down Jane. It's over."
By this time the male officer had no choice but to rush over to the scene, where he picked up the shiv and looked questioningly at Jane and Catherine, "What happened?"
Jane glared at him angrily, "You know exactly what happened."
Ignoring the possible implications to what Jane had said Catherine answered the question, "O'Rourke apparently was about to stab me with that shiv. Rizzoli was just defending me."
Jane wasn't sure how the rookie had managed to stay so calm; she feared it was because she didn't understand the full nature of what had happened. She wanted to say more, but instead she just glared silently at Officer Fallon.
"Can you be so sure the shiv wasn't Rizzoli's?" He was clearly pissed that the inmate had dare imply he had any part in what had just happened.
"I'm sure." Catherine looked down at O'Rourke who was starting to get to her feet, "Take O'Rourke to see the doc, I'll take Rizzoli back to her cell." Without waiting for an answer she started pushing Jane away from the situation and back towards her cell block.
When they were alone in Jane's cell Catherine finally allowed the emotion of the event that had unfolded release via tears and uncontrollable shaking. She collapsed into Jane's arms as the convict knew that human comfort was necessary at that point and was more than willing to provide that support.
Jane rubbed the prison officer's back gently, trying to soothe the woman. "It's okay. You're okay."
Stepping back from the embrace Catherine's eyes and hands went to Jane's now bruised knuckles. Her fingers lightly rubbed over the injury as her eyes moved back to the dark orbs that seemed to be questioning everything. She wondered if Jane felt the spark that she had as her fingers grazed tender knuckles. She let go of Jane's hand and took another step back, whatever that spark was, it was something that needed to be ignored. "You saved me."
Jane ignored the sentiment behind the statement more concerned with the reality of the situation. "Fallon was in on it Cate. Please tell me you can see that?"
"You're telling me he was, so I'll trust you on that one." She sighed knowing that there was nothing she could do about it as it was all rather circumstantial. All she could do was be extra vigilant and figure out exactly what she had done to put herself in a situation to become a target and then hopefully extricate herself from said situation.
Jane didn't like the look of resignation she could see in the rookie's eyes and she didn't like the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. There were only so many reasons a guard would stand by and watch while another guard was attacked, and none of them were pleasant. "You need to distance yourself from me Cate."
"What?" Catherine was surprised by how much those words had hurt, and confused as to why they had been said in the first place.
"It's gotta be Doyle. Fallon is probably on his payroll and trust me, that man does not want me to have a moment of peace. You've been too protective of me rook, you need to back off and let me take my beatings like a big girl."
The rookie shook her head in the negative, "I'm not going to stop doing my job Jane. If I see you in trouble I'm stopping it, that's what I am paid to do."
Jane sighed, "Doyle doesn't want me dead. I'd be dead already if he did; he just wants my life to be hell." She watched inquisitively as a fresh bout of tears started rolling down the rookie's cheeks. Instinctively she reached out and wiped them away with her thumbs, before realising that her instinct had caused her to cross into a completely unacceptable moment of intimacy.
Catherine reached up and pulled both hands back down in between the pair, that spark had returned and while she wanted to push it away, she couldn't. She exhaled slowly and looked up from the hands she held into the piercing dark eyes that seemed to be warning her against speaking. She ignored the warning, "Jane…"
"Don't!" Jane said harshly, pulling her hands away from the prison officer. "You need to leave, and you need to stop looking out for me." Her voice was cold and determined, because what she saw in those pale blue eyes looking back at her was more than she could handle. "Just go."
It had been a long day for Maura, and now she was finally home internally begging for relaxation she couldn't, because Jane insisted on pacing back and forth in front of her. Her fiancée was clearly bothered by something, but also not ready to discuss it. "Jane?"
"Hmm… what?" The Italian stopped pacing and turned to face Maura, who was curled up on the couch clearly concerned.
"Are you alright?" She worried that Jane was upset about her reaction to Valentina Rossi's death; in fact that had been her greatest cause of concern the whole day while at work.
"I'm fine." She studied Maura's features and posture for a few moments, "You?"
Maura really wished she could lie in that moment; wished that it wouldn't risk her going vasovagel or breaking out in hives, because she really didn't want to cause Jane any hurt. So she stayed silent. She couldn't tell Jane that she was wracked with grief for her psychopathic ex lover.
Jane knelt down in front of Maura and placed a comforting hand on her knee, "It's okay you know. I understand. She was there for you when I wasn't." And she hated that fact; hated that she had pushed the love of her life into the arms of another woman, but that wasn't Maura's fault.
Maura tugged at Jane's hand until the taller woman gave in and sat down on the couch with her love. She curled into Jane's side, grateful for the warmth of her arm around her. "I'm sorry," she managed to whisper as her body finally gave into the grief she had been feeling; tears worked their way rapidly down her face onto her fiancée's side.
Jane made sure to wrap her arm tightly around the blonde. She placed several tender kisses on top of her head and whispered, "It's okay. Just let it out. I'm not going anywhere." It broke her heart to see the woman she loved in so much pain and for the first time she truly comprehended the pain she had put her through with all of her own near death experiences.
As she continued to hold her love Jane's mind flashed back through those time's she had nearly been lost; her encounters with Hoyt, when she had shot herself, when she had been shot by the hitman trying to kill Tasha and perhaps worst of all, when she had jumped into the mouth of the Charles River after Paul. Although she surmised the situation with Rossi had truly been the worst of it all, having been forced to try and make Maura think she was suicidal. She shuddered as she recalled that evening in vivid detail. She never thought she would be glad anyone other than Hoyt was dead, but she knew deep down, she was glad that Rossi was dead.
Maura felt Jane's arm grow tense around her and this caused her to tilt her head so she could look at Jane's eyes; they were so hard it caused an involuntary reflex geared towards retreat. The medical examiner shrugged out of her fiancée's grasp and sat up straight. "I'm going to take a bath."
Jane stared after her as she disappeared up the stairs, debating whether she should follow after her or give her some space; eventually deciding to just let her go. Feeling heavy from her thoughts she rose to her feet and walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. Popping the top she chugged it down quickly; then grabbed another and returned to the couch she had been sitting on. Her mind wandered back to Catherine, whom she had yet to hear from. She tried to analyse why it bothered her so much, but couldn't because every time she would just keep being drawn back to the fact that Maura had no idea who the woman was, and she should.
A sigh escaped Jane's lips as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked to see if she had missed any messages, but she hadn't. She supposed she couldn't blame Catherine for not returning her call, not given what had happened between them. Resigning herself to a potentially restless night she had decided it best if she focused on playing the supportive fiancée rather than the distant one.
She was half way up the stairs when her phone rang, glancing down she saw that it said unknown caller, almost reluctantly she answered, "Rizzoli."
