A/N: Co-Written with SSA-rtune, we own no one but Dominique and her minions.
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Having sent Frankie back to the precinct to meet up with Cavanaugh, Frost watched as Korsak spoke to Dan's wife. The surgeon had spoken to her and Dan was in recovery. He knew Korsak was trying to explain to Dan's wife what had happened, at least as much as he knew.
Unfortunately that was more than Barry knew. He was hoping to be briefed when they were at the Robber but the shooting had disrupted those plans. Now he needed to pin Korsak down and find out what the hell was going on. He knew Jane had been undercover with Dan, but he had never been privy to the specifics. With the shootings, he needed to know everything. He had no intention of losing Jane as a partner, he wanted to help her, protect her, she was family, but he needed to know who she was, and her life undercover had helped shape her as a detective and as a person.
Finally, Korsak looked at Frost and could tell by the look on the younger man's face that he wanted to talk and he didn't have to think hard to know about who.
"So how is she?" Frost asked.
"She's a strong lady, it's not the first time he's been hurt but he's always been on the job, this is...well shocking for her...she had a lot of questions I couldn't answer right now." Korsak ran a hand through his hair as he realized how complicated everything had gotten.
"So do I." Frost didn't mince words.
"Yeah, yeah...I guess it's time to bring you up to speed." Korsak started walking back toward the emergency room waiting area. "Look, Janie's not gonna be happy with me telling you all this but with what just happened and who she is. It's gonna be up to all of us to make sure she doesn't do something stupid." seeing the expression on Frost's face. "I know, I know, but this is different. Going undercover changed her. She was always tough but the life she had to live while she was undercover was almost too much for her. You know how she is about lying?" the younger man nodded, "well she had to lie to everyone...when she went undercover it was after getting kicked off the force for assaulting a suspect." Korsak let that sink in.
"You're shitting me, Jane got kicked out?"
"Keep up Frost, no it was part of her cover, but she had to let everyone believe it, she had to play the part, even with her family..."Korsak's voice dropped as they approached the waiting room.
"They didn't know?" incredulous, Frost just shook his head, family was everything to Jane, that must've killed her.
"They didn't know and she had to play that part. It made her a little nuts, you know?"
"I can imagine...go on"
"Well you can imagine, all that time undercover, when everything finally wrapped itself up, Jane was left trying to clean up the mess. Believe me when I tell ya, she had given up everything in her life to do this and had to start all over when she finally came back. The brass, they were sure quick to throw her in there, but when she came out, sure they did what they had to. Sent her for psych evaluation, the usual debriefing shit. What they didn't do was come right out and tell people she wasn't dirty. Sure, they made a few half heartened announcements to people who asked or needed to know, but nothing else." Korsak's voice hardened as he remembered, "do you know why Crowe doesn't leave her alone? I was supposed to find her and make the arrest, but he saw it going down and got to her before I could and fucking arrested her. As far as he is concerned, she's a dirty cop and she stroked a few folks to get her job back. The brass stood by and let him think that as well."
"No way!" Frost's anger grew by the second.
"This whole episode is not my proudest moment being in the force." Korsak admitted. "I ran as the contact between Dan, Jane and the department at the time. I saw how Jane was struggling, and I could have pulled her out, but I didn't. I saw what it was doing to her family and I still didn't try to stop it. I know, deep down even if I'd tried, Jane wouldn't have let me, but I still wish I'd done more to protect her, and then when she faced all that shit with the operation over, I was pretty helpless again. When you've got good cops, not believing she was clean and who wouldn't listen to me...Shit... It was all right for Dan, hey he was just one of the boys, out there doing his job... but Jane... she's had to fight just about every bit of prejudice going before all that happened... this just amped it right up another level... " Korsak shook his head, showing real emotion for the first time, making Frost feel even angrier as to what had happened to both Jane and Korsak.
"How'd you manage?" Frost asked eventually.
"We had to just keep on going. Course, it didn't help that Jane got bumped up to homicide. It was done on merit, but a lot of people, even to this day, say she slept her way in. Okay, she's proven herself now to a lot of folks, but some of the older guys, they might not say it, but they still wonder... even when it all went to trial, and a lot of this came out, there were some who still never believed it."
"Crowe included." Frost couldn't keep the disgust about his so called colleague out of his voice.
"Crowe included."
"What aren't you telling me?" Frost could tell there was one thing that Korsak was keeping back from him.
"It... look I don't know this for sure, and if you even breath a word of this to Jane, I'll kill you."
"Hey, what's new." Frost joked, before turning serious again. "Come on, you know I won't say anything."
"One reason I never fought Jane when she asked for a new partner after Hoyt..." Korsak readjusted his tie in a nervous gesture, before taking a deep breath. "She can be reckless now, but then... lets just say she was even worse and I'm pretty sure Jane went in alone to that basement because she felt she had something to prove. She needed to show she wasn't a dirty cop... "
"Jesus." Frost all but whispered, alternating between anger and disbelief at what he was hearing, as well as sorrow, not even able to imagine what Jane had gone through. Suddenly it made his own battles to be taken seriously in the force seem small and insignificant.
"Hey, like I say, I don't know for sure. It's just a feeling I get." Korsak said suddenly. "Listen, forget I said anything."
"Sure." Frost nodded. "So, Dominique, what's her story?"
Korsak looked grateful at the slight change of conversation. "Oh, she's a real classy lady! She had a French Mom, her Dad is Mexican and a drug lord, who we know is in to trafficking across the border into Texas. As a kid, she was snatched by a rival of her Dad's. We don't really know for how long, but he got her back. It was her first lesson in how weak females could be, and she apparently vowed to never be in that situation again. She worked at becoming the son her Dad never had, but supposedly always wanted. Her Mom couldn't deal with the change, and from what we can tell, left when Dominique was just thirteen, although it could be she wasn't allowed to leave. Her whereabouts have never been confirmed."
"A lovely family." Frost said dryly.
"Yeah, real family of the year stuff. Anyway, her Dad indulged her, never took her seriously cos he still thought women weren't cut out to be in the business. Then there was some kind of attempt on his life, and Dominique took the person out. Changed his whole perception of the kid. She wanted to expand the business more in the the U.S... it prompted him to let her try, and not only did she succeed, but she flourished. Her connections go across the border and money, death and drugs go hand in hand. Deadly with a gun, never goes anywhere without a knife hidden on her person. Anyone who betrays her ends up dead. It is how she has insured loyalty...fear...plus her father backs her implicitly, normally."
"Normally, what do you mean?"
"Word is he wanted her out of Boston before we got her last time. She got out of prison ten days ago. We don't know how yet, its one of the questions we're gonna need answers for. It's why Dan had come to see Jane – to warn her. Dominique wanted them before she got sent away, and now she's out..." Korsak didn't have to finish.
"Man, this is one shitty mess." Frost looked around him, watching others going about their daily routine that all seemed so out of place to what he was hearing. "So, you think it's Dominique whose behind the shooting today?"
"I don't think... I know." Korsak replied flatly. " I would bet my months pay check Dad won't be happy she's trying to take out people here now. She might have a hired gun to do the dirty work, but I'm telling you, she will want to be close by to see it all going down. There were some attempts on witnesses, including Dan and Jane before she got sent down, but once she was inside and couldn't see it happening, it stopped. She has the muscle and money to have put out a hit on Jane and Dan at any time, but it's not her style. She likes to be up close and personal. She's gonna be here, and she isn't gonna rest until either we stop her; or she sees Dan and Jane six feet under."
"So?" she said, looking from one to the other, "what are you going to make sure I know?" Jane narrowed her eyes at the look that passed between them. "Maura?"
"It's nothing Jane we were just saying that, well I was just saying to your mother that I would make sure you knew that Joe Friday would be taken care of tonight. Frankie volunteered to take him."
Maura's glib response wasn't lost on Jane and she knew that wasn't what Maura meant, but as she looked at her mother's face and the concern on it for her once again, she decided to let it go. Besides, her head hurt too much to over think anything right now.
"Hmmm," closing her eyes against the pounding in her head, "so, when do I go home?" the pain in her voice was evident to both women as they glanced at one another.
"They want to keep you overnight." Maura stepped back at the look in Jane's eyes when they snapped open at her words.
"I'm not staying" with those words, she pulled the sheet off and attempted to swing her legs over the side of the bed.
"No!" The authority in Maura's voice was unexpected by both Rizzoli women. Seeing the look in Maura's eyes Jane put her legs back on the bed and lay back. Grateful actually as the sudden movement had sent waves of pain down her right side and head.
"Damn Maura, no need to yell." her grin softened her words and elicited a small smile from Maura.
"Jane Rizzoli you will stay in this hospital bed until the doctors release you, do you understand?" even though she was smiling, Jane realized Maura was being deadly serious.
"Maura come on I'm fine..." at the look Maura gave her, Jane let her voice trail away, looking to her mother for help, she realized she was on Maura's side.
The doctor's entry stopped any further conversation as he approached the bed, "Well detective, good to see you awake. How are you feeling? Headache? Dizziness? Any nausea?" As he spoke, he pulled out a penlight, pointing it into her eyes and then away again.
"Headache and dizziness" she said quietly watching as Maura's eyes narrowed.
"Hmmm, does the light bother you," pointing the light again into her eyes, watched as she winced at its brightness.
Swatting his hand away, "yes it does, can you not do that." she was irritable, her head hurt and her shoulder was no longer numb.
"Do you remember what happened?" he asked.
"Yes, I was shot."
"Are you having trouble remembering anything?"
"No..." Jane cut him off. She was done, trying to get up had hurt more than it had helped and her shoulder and head were duking it out to see which one was going to hurt more.
Seeing the look on her face, the doctor noted her chart and nodded at both Maura and Angela. "I'll have the nurse come in shortly to give you something for the pain Detective, we're going to keep you at least overnight."
"I'm going home tomorrow," she muttered.
"We'll see detective" leaving the women to themselves, silence filled the room until Angela spoke up.
"Well then...Janie I'm going to let you get some rest and uhm..." looking at Maura, "I'll leave you two to talk."
Walking over to her hug her daughter, Angela was surprised when Jane hugged her tightly back with her good arm, "thanks Ma..." Jane said more with those few words than she had in weeks to her mother.
"Love you Janie" kissing her daughter on the forehead she squeezed her hand briefly before turning to give Maura a hug.
"Thank you again Maura," Angela wiped a tear away and walked out leaving her daughter staring out after her then looking back at Maura.
"Thank you?" Jane tried to shift her body in the bed and cursed as she jostled her shoulder again.
Maura reached over to help and pulled the sheet back up, "your mother seems to think I'm your lucky charm of sorts," the confused look on Jane's face prompted her to continue, "because I've been there when you've been shot, both times..." Maura's voice trailed off as she recalled the last shooting where Jane had almost died.
Jane could tell what she was thinking and it made her feel guilty, "I'm sorry Maura, you always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Jane," she sighed, "I would argue and I think your mother would agree, that I have been in the right place at the right time" Maura's sad smile as she looked at her made her feel guiltier still.
"Damn Maura don't look at me like that." Jane closed her eyes against the pain in her head, "I'm sorry I ran out like that..." Jane's words were softly spoken but heartfelt.
The fear and hurt in Maura's eyes tore at her. It was a physical pain that Jane felt at the thought of having hurt or scared her.
And now, with her past was coming back to haunt her, Jane was going to have to face a part of her life she thought she had put behind her. Eyes closed tightly against the painful memories of her time undercover, she was unaware of her tears until she felt a soft hand on her face. Opening her eyes she looked directly into Maura's concerned ones.
"Jane? Are you in pain?" Maura knew it wasn't just the pain that was causing Jane's tears. After her conversation with Angela, Maura knew Jane had to be reliving her time undercover and she could not begin to imagine how that time had affected her. She was determined not to push Jane into telling her anything about that time but she hoped to encourage her to.
Jane swallowed painfully as she looked at Maura. She owed her so much, her life twice over and truth be told she trusted Maura more than she had ever trusted anyone but she didn't know if she could open up again about those two years. The things she had done..no she couldn't talk to her not now...not yet...
Jane nodded and watched as Maura walked out to get the nurse. Wiping her face angrily she cursed Dominique and herself for not having killed the woman when she had the chance those years ago.
Yep she had the chance to kill her and didn't…will Jane and those she loves pay for that error in judgment?
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