And now, back to the case!

R&I aren't mine… sad face

Chapter 6

The following morning, Jane woke up before her alarm for once. Confused, she tried to reach for her phone to double check the time, but found that she couldn't move her left arm. A smile stretched across the detective's face as she looked down and realized what was causing her immobility. Lying on her side, facing away from Jane was a still naked Maura, her golden curls fanning out on the pillow behind her, backside pressed into Jane, and her arm resting overtop of the brunette's that had wrapped around the doctor's waist. As Jane moved to withdraw her arm from the honey blonde's hip, Maura let out a whimper of discontent at the loss of contact, but did not wake.

Jane knew she had to go meet Frost so that they could interview the victim's roommate, but the thought of staying in bed with Maura was so very tempting. With a deep sigh, the detective leant over and placed a kiss to the back of her lover's head before gently climbing out of bed to take a shower. After only a few hours of sleep, Jane felt surprisingly refreshed. Perhaps it was the fact that she had finally admitted her feelings for her best friend and had discovered that those feelings were mutual. And not only were those feelings shared, Jane had gotten the chance to show Maura exactly how much she loved her. Last night had been unexpected, but far from unwelcomed.

Exiting from the bathroom, Jane quickly dressed in a dark gray suit with a deep red button-down shirt underneath, the color instantly making her think of the color of the medical examiner's underwear from the night before. The detective gazed lovingly down on the slumbering body still in her bed before walking to the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee with the actual coffee pot, knowing Maura's dislike of instant and that she would need the caffeine as well. Jane poured herself a to-go mug and scribbled out a quick note for the doctor before grabbing her keys and heading to the station.

The bright morning sun woke Maura from her sleep as it broke through the windows, warming her body. Stretching the sleep from her limbs, she nuzzled into her pillow and was immediately met by the scent of lavender and vanilla. Jane. The thought of the detective brought a smile to the blonde's face as she rolled onto her back, her hand seeking out the form of her best friend only to find a cold expanse of sheets. Her smile slipped into a slight frown as she opened her eyes to find that she was alone in Jane's bed. Did Jane get called out to a scene? I don't remember hearing my phone.

Maura reached over the nightstand picking up her phone only to find she had no missed calls and only one missed text from Angela asking if she wanted her usual order of granola and Greek yogurt for breakfast in the café. Typing a quick response, she thanked Angela for the thought but she would take care of breakfast for herself today, but promised to stop by for lunch. Truthfully, Maura would take care of her own meal seeing as she had lost her appetite when she woke up to the absence of the detective in bed.

When she finally pulled herself out of bed, the doctor caught a faint whiff of freshly brewed coffee. Throwing on her discarded t-shirt from the night before, Maura made her way out of Jane's bedroom and into the kitchen. There she found a half pot of coffee and a note. A brief glance at the scratchy writing told her it was Jane's. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, adding some natural sweetener and soy milk that Jane kept in her fridge just for her, the doctor picked up the note and began to read.

My Maura,

I had to go in early this morning so Frost and I could go interview Jessie's roommate. I wish I could have stayed in bed with you a little longer this morning though. When I woke up with you in my arms it was the happiest I had been in a long time. I hope you enjoy your non-instant coffee this morning. I made it just for you. If you're not too busy today, come grab me around noon and we can go for lunch together. See you soon. –Jane x

Maura's heart melted and a smile graced her lips as she read and reread Jane's note. Jane hadn't left her, well she had, but it was just to go to work. After all, they did have a current case involving a young woman, one whose life was just beginning. Jane owed Jessie her attention and her best efforts to bring her peace, as did Maura. Finishing the rest of her coffee, the doctor gingerly placed her mug in the sink before heading back into Jane's room to shower and dress. Luckily, she had left a few dresses here a few weeks ago while the two had been working a particularly gruesome case, only staying at Jane's to catch a few hours of sleep since it was much closer to work than her own home. It was nearing 8am as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. Knowing that Frankie would just be heading to the station now, Maura pulled out her phone and called the younger Rizzoli for a ride in, promising coffee and a pastry from Geri's, the gourmet café along the way.

Just a few blocks away from Fenway Park, Jane and Frost pulled up outside of a building that looked like it had once been an old warehouse. Stepping out of the car, Jane looked down the street and was able to see a clear view of the backside of the Green Monster and let out a low whistle.

"Wow. What I wouldn't give to live down the street from the gates of Fenway. Just think, the Red Sox playing only a few blocks away, being able to hear the crowd roaring on game nights."

Frost looked over at his partner with an amused smile on his face. "Yeah it'd be pretty sweet. And being able to hear all the action at every home game would be amazing. Especially since there's no way we could afford season tickets with the 'big bucks' we make."

Both detectives let out a hearty laugh as they made their way up the front steps of the building. According to some building floor plans that Frost had been able to dig up, the warehouse had been converted into spacious loft apartments a few years back. Nothing fancy, but definitely a good place for the twenty-somethings who wanted to live near Fenway.

Approaching apartment 10, Jane heard two loud thuds, some grunting, and a crash come from inside of the apartment. She stopped outside of the door putting a hand up to still Frost's movements.

"Shhh. Did you hear that?" Jane looked at her partner, her hand moving to her weapon.

Frost drew his weapon and nodded towards the door. "Yeah. Sounds like there's a struggle inside. Someone could be hurt. Shall we?"

"We shall." And with that, Jane knocked loudly on the door once and announced themselves. "Boston Police! Open up!"

When there was no answer to her shouts, Frost moved into position to kick the door in. Just as he raised his leg, the front door swung open, causing Frost to nearly fall forward through the doorway as he attempted to hold his kick. Jane's weapon was raised and pointed at the figure that had appeared in the doorway.

"Woah! Woah! What's with the guns?" In front of the detectives stood a young woman dressed in a baggy black tank top and some red running shorts, her light brown hair swept up in a lose ponytail, and her gray-blue eyes were wide with surprise as her hands came up in surrender. "Can I help you guys? If you're looking for Jessie she's not here."

Jane lowered her weapon and holstered it as she took in the woman's appearance. "Are you Megan Anderson?"

"Um… yeah. Can I help you with something?" Megan lowered her arms while directing a quizzical look to the detectives.

Jane stepped up in front of Megan as Frost holstered his own weapon, and peered into the apartment over the women's shoulders. "I'm Detective Rizzoli and this is my partner Detective Frost with Boston PD. We need to talk to you about your roommate, Jessie Kohler. Also, are you okay? We thought we heard a scuffle going on in here."

Megan stared at the detectives for a moment before suddenly jumping to open the door up wider. "Oh! Yes! I'm fine. I was just working on a project for a class. Come on in." She waved Jane and Frost in then shut the door behind them.

Jane could not believe what she was seeing. There in front of them was what looked like body wrapped in burlap lying on the ground in front of a single panel of drywall, a softball bat and a pair of bolt cutters propped up against it. All of this was surrounded by several shower curtains hung from the rafters. The drywall and the curtains facing the bag were covered with splotches of a thick, red liquid.

"Is that… is that blood splatter?" Frost asked, his voice wavering slightly at the sight of blood.

Jane's hand went to rest over her weapon once again. What the fuck is this?

Ohh cliffhanger! What did they find in Megan's apartment?