Author Notes: Sorry it's been a while. I got sick for a week, which really took away my motivation and I haven't managed to really get it back. My brain is so full these days. I hope I'll be able to start on the next chapter next week.
The world felt lighter in both brightness and weight. Jane lay under the bedsheets, her toes tucked around Maura's ankle. She still slept, her lips parted with every soft breath, her face peaceful, content. Jane rested her head against the side of her neck and closed her eyes. Her alarm was hours away, but she didn't want to give up the time she could spend with Maura. Not that she was awake to be much company. The time apart, no matter how small, had made her realise that Maura was all that really mattered to her. Whether there was a baby or not.
On the other bedside table, Maura's cell vibrated against the wood, the incessant noise reverberated through the material. In silence, Maura's hand snaked out from under the sheets and grasped the phone.
"Isles," she muttered, her voice crackled with sleep.
It had been a long time since Jane had received a late night wake up that she almost missed it.
Maura's voice grew louder. She rolled over, almost colliding with Jane, who hadn't moved from her side. "I'll be right there."
"Morning."
"Good morning," Maura whispered, stretching her arms above her head. She smiled, her lips wide and her eyes creased at the corners. "Sorry, did my phone wake you?"
"I was already up. Murder?"
"Suspected."
"I suspect it probably is," Jane said. "I can feel it in my bones."
"You can feel a suspected murder, that happened while you were sleeping, on the opposite side of the city, in your bones?"
Jane smirked and shrugged. "Can I come?"
"You have work in six hours twenty-two minutes."
"I'd rather come to the murder. Carter was a dick to me over Tuck." Jane wrapped her hands around Maura's waist, her fingers trailed across her stomach. When they first got together, Jane had woken a couple of times to memories of dreams, of her hands covering the swell of Maura's stomach. She swallowed, and cleared her throat. "I have a few hours. I'd rather spend it with you, like old times."
"He's never been very empathic, has he? It's not really my decision," Maura said, cupping Jane's hand on her stomach. "But I can't stop a member of the public from turning up to a crime scene. Whether the lead detective wishes to allow said members of the public onto the scene, well, that'll be Frankie's decision, no doubt."
"Thank you." Jane kissed her quickly on the lips and climbed out of bed. "Share a shower?"
x
The ground beneath their feet squelched with every step over the dirt. A recent spell of downpours had saturated the earth leaving it difficult to maneuver. Maura regretted not changing her shoes before she left the car, but she hadn't anticipated just how far they'd have to walk to reach the deceased. The officer holding the boundary tipped his head to Jane and allowed her past without so much as a word. Maura clutched her hand, using her to steady herself on the uneven ground.
"Definitely like old times," Jane muttered, a groan escaping her lips like it had so many times before.
"Right down to the noise," Maura said.
"What noise?"
Maura laughed. "The noise you make whenever you're made to traipse over sodden ground."
"I have a noise?"
"You have several, for different crime scenes." Maura reached out to a large branch and pulled herself across a small, newly formed patch of water. "I thought you knew."
"No!" Jane followed her across. "What other crime scenes?"
Maura shrugged, then considered the memories she held. "Water based incidents."
"What does my water based incident sound like?"
"A grunt."
Jane narrowed her eyes. "Why do I grunt?"
"Your answer would be better than my hypothesis, on account of it being your noise." She stamped through thick grass that grew up along the side of the path, avoiding the worst of the churned-up dirt. She nodded forwards. "I can see Frankie."
"What other noises?"
"You sigh when it's a child. Any time there's a couple who are both deceased, you pause. I can see your eyes working around the scene, checking for signs of Hoyt. You take in breath rapidly. Once you're sure it's not him, even after he went to jail, you relax."
Jane stared at her, her mouth agape. "I have all those sounds? How do you know, I thought you'd be busy looking at the crime scene?"
Maura's lips curved at the edges. She scooped her hand back into her own and held it at her side. "You were always the first and last thing I looked at."
"Oh." Jane's cheeks reddened. She stepped around Maura and leaned over her. She rested her lips against Maura's mouth and lowered her knees ever so slightly to match Maura's height. She pulled away a moment later, the breath absent. "God, I love you."
"I love you," Maura said, stroking her cheek and stepping back. "Let's see what we have."
x
Class ran over, much to Jane's frustration. Carter stood at the back of the room, glancing at his watch, his eyes bearing judgement over her actions for the first time since she started at the academy. Her reputation had preceded her and that had always been enough. She wished she'd gone to the police station with Maura.
"Everything alright?" she asked, carrying her notes to the back of the room.
He tilted his head to one side and pondered his response. The longer he stared, the more unnerved Jane felt.
"Is it Tuck?"
"Still waiting on the investigation."
"You checking up on me?" she asked, placing the notes on a table and folding her arms. She sat down on the corner and waited.
"Something's happened at your home."
A chill travelled down her spine. She stood up. A sense of foreboding rose inside of her, pulling out every last thought of death and horror that could affect her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Carter filled the brief silence.
He stood square in front of her, his hands outstretched as though he was going to grip her shoulders. "As far as I know your partner is okay."
As far as he knew. She attempted to swallow. Her throat lacked moisture and her tongue felt like it swelled in the space. They left the crime scene together hours ago. Maura had to go straight to the office to conduct the autopsy. Jane had gone to work. Neither of them was even supposed to be at home.
Except Kiera.
"What about Kiera? Is Kiera okay?"
"That's not your partner?" She shook her head. He shrugged. "Someone was at your house. He's a John Doe, no ID. He's in the hospital with a serious head injury."
Without another word, Jane fled out of the classroom door. She could hear Carter shouting after her, but the words disappeared into oblivion. On her race to the car, she tried Maura's cell. No response. Next she tried Frankie.
"Is Maura okay?" she asked the second he answered.
"Maura?" his voice portrayed nothing but confusion.
"Where the fuck is she Frankie?"
He didn't respond quickly enough. Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. "She just tried calling." She hung up the phone and dialled Maura again. "Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm at the hospital. Can you come and get me?"
x
The hospital corridor left little to be desired. Maura tucked her hand under her thigh and waited, watching people trail up and down in search of loved ones, patients and a lost dog. One eye was always fixed on the entranceway, desperately awaiting Jane's arrival. Maura stood as she saw her, she barely reached her feet before Jane scooped her into her arms. She peppered kisses along her cheek, collarbone and neck, and Maura sunk into her embrace.
"Maura." She cupped her cheeks, staring into her eyes and Maura knew she would see. She readied herself for her response. One eye swollen and bruised. It was just one eye. But it was enough to panic Jane. "God. What the hell happened to you?"
"I'm okay," Maura said, her words slow and methodical. She didn't want to create the drama she expected would follow. She wasn't ready to admit the truth, knowing how Jane would react.
"Doesn't look like you're okay to me." She trailed her thumb across Maura's cheek, gently prodding the edges of the wound. "Why did he do this to you? Who is he?"
"It wasn't him." Maura sighed and lowered herself back down. Jane stared at her, her eyes open wide and her mouth ready to ask more questions. "Can we just go home? I'm tired, the doctors gave me some painkillers and they're making me a little drowsy. I have a headache. I just need some rest."
"Concussion?" Jane wrapped her fingers back around her cheeks and stared deeply into her eyes. "We should get another doctor. I want a second opinion. They shouldn't be sending you home if you have a headache."
"I had a scan." Maura covered her hand and forged a smile. "I love that you worry about me. But I'm okay. There's no internal damage. My head just got shaken about."
"That doesn't sound okay, Maura!"
"I promise you. The damage is in my face, not my head."
She leaned in closer, her nose rested against Maura's uninjured cheekbone. She kissed her skin. "I thought maybe I'd lost you."
"If I thought I was more seriously injured, I wouldn't let you take me home."
"Okay." Jane pressed her lips together, her eyes glistened. "Okay. Let's go."
x
Jane wrapped a blanket around Maura's legs and handed her a mug of herbal tea. Maura sipped the hot liquid and closed her eyes, thankful of the break for her sight. The injury wasn't that bad but her eye ached in a way she'd never felt before.
"What can I do?" Jane asked, kneeling beside her, her arms wrapped around her shoulders. She rested her face against Maura's arm. "Tell me how I can fix you."
Maura sighed. "I'm fine."
"I'll send Kiera to a hotel for the night," she said, sitting back.
A lump formed in the back of Maura's throat. She tried to find the words she needed but they didn't form. She sighed. "You can't."
"I can and I will!"
Jane's defiance did nothing to ease the burden resting on her shoulders. She waited until Jane had sat down before laying her head in her lap and closing her tear stained eyes. Jane trailed her fingers across Maura's hair, stroking it back. Her fingers caught on the tears.
"Are you in pain?"
"Some." She tucked her hand around Jane's wrist. "I'm okay."
"You're not okay. You're crying." Jane kissed the side of her head, leaning over her, her lips moist against her already damp skin. Her breath was hot against Maura's ear, her words quiet. "What happened?"
She shook her head and burrowed her face into Jane's pants. She couldn't keep it from her forever. The police officer who accompanied her to the hospital would return, or if John Doe died, Frankie would no doubt turn up at her door.
"I was at the office when Kiera called. She said there was someone in the house. She was screaming. I didn't know what else to do so I drove home. She was on the phone for the duration. I called 911. I was going to call Frankie but I didn't have time. She needed help straight away. I got there before the squad car." Maura sat up. She wiped her cheeks, wincing at the pain. "I walked in and the man was on the floor, his head smashed in with my miniature gold plated bust of Bach."
"She hit him with your Bach bust?" Jane stared at her, her mouth hung open, her eyes narrowed. "Ordinarily I'd make some kind of joke, but I don't think now is the time."
"Definitely not the time." Maura sighed. Her face ached. She closed her eyes again. "She assaulted him. She was so worked up. It must have just happened. I tried to take the bust off her. I got hold of it but then her fist flew out. I don't think she realised that she hit me until it was too late."
