Chapter 7

Disclaimer- yep I don't own them. They belong to tnt and tess gerritsen and janet tamaro. It would be awesome crazy if some random famous authors decided to make a book off the tv series xD. Ya know kinda like some peeps made a video game off a book, the video game turned into a movie, then the movie received a book. Those are always fun.

Jane woke up when she felt the warmth that she was cuddling leaving, soon however she panicked for a brief moment and grabbed Maura's arm , " What are you doing? What's going on?"

Maura sighed and gave Jane's hand a squeeze as she put on the robe she had folded on the nightstand. " Jane there was a knock on the door, I'm just going to check who it is. It's fairly early in the morning, go back to sleep."

Jane jumped out of the bed and rushed past Maura to the door. She checked the keyhole and sighed as it was one of the workers. She gestured for Maura to stop and Maura just rolled her eyes and began to make some coffee instead. Jane opened the door and smiled, " How can I help you sir?"

The gentleman smiled, " Yes Ms. Rizzoli and Ms. Isles? Ah well we have been receiving phone calls from another lady named Angela Rizzoli and she has left you several messages we have at the service desk. I do apologize for the interruption however it seems the matter might be urgent as she has continually called."

Jane couldn't believe her mother, she talked to Angela about the vacation they both were on and she finds another way to communicate with Jane if she didn't answer her cell phone. " Yes thank you very much sir, I'll be sure to fix the issue." Jane closed the door and locked it, sighing in annoyance and turning to see Maura glancing at her with a smile across the features.

" You have been a little tense in the mornings. I've made you some coffee plus I already have the day arranged, so make sure you bring a bag with you that will hold a spare outfit. I do hope your ready for this, I know I'm excited." Maura took a drink of the coffee and smiled as Jane sat down at the small table.

Jane took the cup and sat there for a few moments on how it was possible that so early in the morning Maura had planned something. As a matter of fact she knew she just woke up, " So what are you, calling in reservations when you use the bathroom or something."

Maura stood up and winked, " My secret. I am going to take a shower and then we should grab a light breakfast. Light breakfast ok Jane."

There had been a few occasions in Jane's life when Maura had offered ideas that Jane wasn't one hundred percent behind however agreed with Maura anyway. For instance the time she ran the marathon with Maura, she didn't feel like running it and especially after they received their outfit. Today Jane thought it was one of those moments as Maura gave her explicit details about the equipment they were about to use that could very well mean life and death. Jane shifted in the wetsuit she wore, it was tighter then she would have liked however the suit didn't seem to bother Maura. " Really Maura, don't give me abbreviations. What in the world is a BCD anyway?"

Maura had a difficult time focusing due to the fact they were out in open water. She was jubilant due to the fact she was able to book a last minute dive. The price was more then she would normally pay however she wanted nothing more then to go diving with her bff. " Jane I don't see how its important for you to know the whole term. All I am doing is going over the equipment, truly you only need to know the function of the equipment and how to use them, not label them."

Jane growled however her focus was then turned to the boat as they stopped. To be honest she started to feel nervous about diving, what if something happened and the air supply stopped working. Going down fifty feet and having no air would be a bad thing, or maybe they would lose track of time and be left behind. There were a couple of other divers on the boat, or maybe they would drift or again have no air or drown in a freak accident. Jane placed her hand on her knee as she bounced her leg up and down, maybe she was just stressing out over this. Maura seemed to be ok with it, then again she was trained with maxi or something.

" Jane seriously are you even listening to me?" Maura sighed as she lost Jane's focus. Maura sat down next to Jane and placed a hand over Jane's. Jane's focus was immediately back to Maura. " Listen Jane I Know it's scary if its your first time. However were not diving two hundred feet, were here to look at coral reefs and were not going to be far down. Also remember were not going to be diving for hours, roughly around forty to sixty minutes. Now If something happens to the air tank there are several safety measures we can take to make sure both of us have an air source. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I know you'll do just fine"

Those words were all that Jane needed to hear, the fact they both wouldn't drown and the fact Maura said she would do just fine. Jane smiled and let out a sigh and squeezed Maura's hand offering her a smile. She was Jane Rizzoli after all and she could do anything she put her mind to. " Thanks Maur. One more time please, I lost you when you started talking about ponies."

Maura slightly tilted her head, " Ponies Jane? I do not recall speaking of ponies. Oh perhaps you were making a reference to the pony bottle. It's a small tank strapped next to the larger air tank, that is only used in emergencies, most divers never have to use them but its nice to know your prepared for anything. Otherwise Ponies now make me think of your birthday."

Jane laughed and shook her head, her last birthday was certainly one to remember. It took them quite some time before being ready to jump off the boat into the water. Maura gave Jane the signal and they both jumped into the water. Maura smiled as she put the regulator in her mouth and disappeared from the surface of the water. Jane sighed and inserted the regulator into her mouth and soon followed behind Maura. Her visibility wasn't to impaired behind the mask and the water wasn't as dark as she thought it would be. The water was clear and the sun was bright overhead in the day, she knew however if they were to dive far enough keeping track of Maura would become more complicated.

Soon however any worry that Jane had was forgotten, as they slowly went a little deeper Jane felt like she was in a completely different world. The colors that surrounded this part of the water were brilliant and the water itself was like a crystal blue. It almost reminded her of some sort stained glass decoration, it was already brilliant and colorful but when the light hit it, it just stood out even more. The coral reef was quite large however there was life everywhere surrounding it. Jane could see large schools of fish as well as the reef itself seemed to be alive. Truly the site was fascinating, Jane easily understood why people made this into a hobby.

Maura had made sure to get Jane's attention after a few moments, she signaled for them to get closer but Maura knew better then to get close enough to touch. Polyps were one of the many things living in abundant on a reef however touching them often meant you could bring harm to them. Coral Reefs were endangered from over fishing and often were protected by some sort of law. Swimming around they were able to get closer to the coral reef and although they could not directly speak to one another Maura knew Jane was excited.

The schools of fish moved very quickly and the sun made the scales on the fish gleam. The fish came in all different sizes and colors living in their home they made on the reef. Anemones came in a variety of sizes and colors very much like the fish. The sizes and colors and patterns of the life down here seemed like something out of a fairytale. It seemed very alienated to the rest of world, Jane was surprised they had yet to explore more of the wonders of the oceans then the wonders of space. Jane saw many colorful things she assumed were plants and she knew if Maura was able to speak she would be ranting and raving of species and groups that these things belonged to. Jane knew for certain she saw angelfish however she never knew they came in so many different colors.

Maura swam over to fairly large tube sponge and Jane admired it for a few moments before swimming to look at something else. Jane had found large eyed feather duster sea worm, however to Jane it simply like a beautiful flower. Many of the plant life looked like a crazy flower of some sort, beautiful colorful and swaying in the water like flowers did in the wind. It didn't take long for Jane to find some sort of starfish, everything seemed to live inside the coral reef. Jane studied the starfish for a few moments and grabbed Maura's hand and pointed it out. Maura took a glance at the starfish immediately placing a name inside her head, Reticulate brittle star. They both continued to swim admiring the different forms of life that lived in the coral reef. Jane found a rather pointy plant that she pointed out and again Maura recognized as a sea urchin. Something that would be very unpleasant to accidentally bump into.

Although many of the fish were large in the area Jane noticed many small life forms crawling over the pants and coral. She saw tiny crabs and many small shrimp, Jane couldn't even think of how many creatures lived in this reef alone let along a full ocean. Jane almost wished she had a camera, the sights were beautiful and its something she would have loved to shared with her family. Looking back at Maura she was happy that she did this for the both of them, maybe it was something they should try more often. The dive was more peaceful then Jane could have imagined, it seemed like down here there was nothing to worry about. Maura was right, the ocean water is tranquil. Jane felt a tug on her arm and turned to see Maura point to a turtle, she wished she could of said it was a cousin of bass. However she had a feeling Maura might already know what she would say. Swimming closer to the creature it began to swim away and Jane was amazed just how quickly the large turtle moved in the water.

Glancing back to Maura, Jane noticed she moved further down looking intensely at the coral. Jane joined after a few moments to see her staring at a three foot shark. Jane wasn't sure she should panic, it was a shark after all and what if this was a baby shark. However Maura seemed calm and intrigued by this creature. Glancing at the shark it had white tips on the end of its fins. It seemed fairly harmless but then again it was a shark. Something that perhaps they shouldn't mess with. After a while the ladies slowly made there way back towards the surface of the water however swimming around still looking at the things that surrounded the coral reef. To Jane it was just like the movie Finding Nemo however in real life it was so much more, life seemed simple and mostly calm in the ocean. It was brilliant, vibrant, mysterious, beautiful, and deadly all at the same time. Once they reached the surface Maura removed the regulator from her mouth.

" So what did you think, time goes by to quick unfortunately. According to the computer we spent around fifty four minutes down there. We could always find the more shallow reefs along the beach and go snorkeling. Truly though diving is quite astonishing."

" I don't care what we do Maura, diving was freaking amazing." Jane couldn't help but smile as they made there way back to the boat.

Sitting there on the boat they talked about what they saw and didn't stop even as the boat docked. Jane and Maura grabbed there bags and gear and returned to the rental shops. Jane was relieved to get out of the wetsuit but she wondered if they could go diving everyday. However once she was waiting for Maura and she browsed the store she realized renting scuba gear wasn't that cheap. Jane sighed, well at least they didn't need to pay for the hotel and plane. She was pretty sure the hotel itself would have depleted her savings quickly. Once Maura came out Jane wondered how her hair could still look perfect, not only was it stuffed under a suit but they were pretty far down in the water. Shaking her head the two left and the first thing Jane wanted to do now was to eat.

Jane had stood outside the restaurant as she had talked to her mother on the phone for quite sometime. She was still excited and amazed from the sights she saw from the dive earlier. Telling her mother she loved her and goodbye and she made her way back into the restaurant and sat down across from Maura smiling. " I'm sorry about that, I forgot to give her a call. I'm surprised you even would want to go to work if you had the chance to do amazing things like this everyday."

Maura simply smiled as she took a drink of her wine, " Jane I wouldn't want to live with or off my family for the rest of my life. I would much rather enjoy the experiences of life for myself, the good and the bad. I really love what I do, just as you love what you do."

Jane thanked the waiter as they received their plates, picking up her fork Jane took a bite, " I know Maura. So did you learn about this stuff on your own or did your family like to dive?"

Maura shook her head as Jane was eating fast because she was hungry, she acted like she hadn't eaten in days rather then just hours. " I learned about diving from a school trip in boarding school in Europe. It was an amazing experience and so whenever we traveled somewhere that had diving sites nearby I would take the opportunity. Eventually I fell in love and purchased my own gear and pursued my certification. To be honest it's been a few years since I went diving but I make sure to renew my certification."

Jane nodded and hadn't realized she had been that hungry. The boat took a while to be prepped and ready with all the passengers as well as the travel to the coral reef. The dive itself was almost an hour and again waiting for the rest of the divers to reach the boat. It had been a busy day but worth it, Jane didn't realize she had been hungry. " Well I could be your diving buddy. I would go with you anytime, besides its better to have a partner for that right?"

Maura was touched by Jane words, she often did go alone or with some stranger she often ignored. With Jane it had been different, they stayed close to one another and once they surfaced they were able to laugh and talk about everything they saw. It certainly made the experience more special. " Thank you Jane, I will definitely invite you whenever I do plan on diving."

The drive back to the hotel was mostly quiet, however there wasn't a need for words. Once they got back to the hotel it became routine for them to take a walk along the private beach. " I definitely see how a vacation like this is great for couples. The sun and ocean and the beach give a perfect atmosphere for any couple to relax and probably copulate."

Jane stopped for a brief moment and made a gag sound , " Oh my god, I cant believe you just said that. Gross Maura, lets not talk about couples doing that stuff."

Maura laughed and grabbed Jane's hand as they headed back to the hotel. Jane wondered how many couples did that in the bed they were sleeping in. Again the whole thing just grossed her out, she was curious if Maura thought of that. She imagined if Maura was worried about the blankets being clean , if that were the case Maura probably would have brought her own set. Once they were in the hotel they went through the nightly routine but Jane was to tired to watch a movie. Once Maura settled into bed Jane rolled onto her side and smiled at Maura, " So what were the big purple plants?"

"Callyspongia vaginalis, otherwise known as a tube sponge, a very common species that live in coral reefs." Maura then let out a small yawn, the day had certainly been exhausting. The rest of the evening was light conversation between the two, Jane learned more about the species that had lived on coral reefs and Maura was happy to share the knowledge she had of them. It didn't take long for the two to fall asleep.

Jane slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight flooded through the room. Did they sleep in? Glancing to her side she noticed Maura was no longer in bed and her side of the bed was mostly neat. Sitting up Jane glared at the sliding glass doors, no wonder they had dark curtains. Stepping out of the bed Jane felt a shiver run up her spine as soon as her foot hit the cool carpet. She walked to the door and slid the curtains closed and she began to feel her heart beat faster. The feeling she was having was a sense of deja-vu, " Maura?"

Jane coughed to clear her throat, " Uh Maura hey are you ok? Looks like I slept in." Again she was rewarded with silence, she heard a strange loud noise coming from the bathroom. Perhaps Maura left the fan on, although she rarely used the fans lets along to turn off a switch. Maura didn't like to waste electricity or water, hell she even made sure to recycle. Jane increased her steps and opened the bathroom and soon she heard a quick scream. Jane blushed as Maura was drying her hair while her body was wrapped in a towel.

" I uh, I'm so sorry Maura. I really didn't mean to intrude, wow I was just um checking," Jane felt like a fool and for some odd reason she felt she invaded Maura's privacy. Even though they often shared a bed, spent the night at each others places and even sometimes shared clothes. Yet now she felt like she was invading the doctors privacy.

"Goodness Jane, you nearly gave me a myocardial infarction. Are you in need of the restroom? Feel free to use the restroom, I was fixing my hair. I'm starting to think I should have brought a better conditioner, I think the ocean water is doing horrors for my hair. Oh I'm sorry, did you want me to leave so you can use the restroom?"

Jane smiled and stood up straight, " Maura you look fine, beautiful as always. No I'm fine, how about I order us some breakfast. Take your time and finish up."

Jane ran a hand through her hair as she called in a order. She didn't want to figure out breakfast at the moment, she wanted a moment to gather her thoughts. Jane noticed her hands tremble lightly, she didn't know what to expect but it freaked her out all the same. It made her nauseous to even consider any harm coming to Maura. Even more so with both of them on vacation, it would probably make the news. Doctor on vacation gets injured while her detective friend was somewhere else. Some cop she would be at that point. Maura Isles was a woman who never deserved to be caused pain, she never deserved to be hurt. Yet how often did Jane hurt Maura? How often did she get snappy with her? How often did Maura come close to being harmed being with Jane? Was it selfish of her to have Maura beside her? No Maura was there for her job as well, Maura was there because she wanted to help Jane. Everyone wants to help her when she dealt with that monster, the monster that very well could have ended both their lives.

After several moments Jane was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a knock on the door. Mumbling she opened the door and then her world went back. Jane opened her eyes slowly as she fought to keep the darkness away. She felt an intense pain on her chest, it felt like someone had ripped her shoulder blade out. She looked around her, she was laying in blood and blood was flowing from her chest. What happened? Looking she noticed the meal cart and a casing from a bullet. She was shot, shot at close range. Blinking once again she tried her best to move, she had to stay awake. She felt pain flare from her left shoulder, it was a close call but the bullet certainly was stuck in her shoulder somewhere. A few more inches lower and more then likely it could have been her heart.

Standing Jane looked around the room, it was quiet. Where did Maura go? She walked into the bathroom and saw broken glass and blood. Jane didn't care at this point , " Maura! Maura where are you!" She walked over to nightstand and immediately called 911. " I like to report a shooting and kidnapping. I am at the-," Jane stopped talking as she saw pieces of glass reflect in the carpet near the sliding glass door. Standing she quickly made her way over the door and pulled back the curtains. She immediately felt sick from the movement but she thought she saw something else as well. Opening the door she took a couple steps outside on the patio. There she saw it, something was in the pool. Rushing over to the pool she was praying at this point, praying to whatever god that would listen to her.

However soon her feet gave away as she saw the body of Maura isles floating face down. She could still be saved, move! Jane jumped into the pool and again the pain in her arm flared up, she wasn't quite sure how she managed to move Mauras body out of the pool with one arm but she did. She immediately began cpr, she wasn't out that long. No she could still save her, the brain stays alive for a few moments. Crying for help she continued her compressions until Maura began to cough. Jane rolled her onto her side and rubbed her back, she was alive and she was going to be ok. " Maura sweetie, its Jane. Hey its ok, I got you, were ok now."

After a minute Jane simply held Maura in her arms rocking her back and forth, almost forgetting the wound she had ignored. Maura looked at Jane, " Jane…Jane…hey jane."

Jane's eyes snapped open as Maura was lightly shaking her, glancing up at Maura she confused, " What? Is it time to get up?"

Maura smiled, " No you were just talking and moving a lot in your sleep. You ok? You mostly woke me up when you kicked me, your more dangerous in your sleep then when your awake."

Jane picked up her cell phone and realized it was two in the morning, " Oh gosh Maur. I'm sorry, guess I was having nightmare. I'm sorry lets go back to sleep."

Maura yawned and laid back down as Jane covered them back up. However Jane was still tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. " You know Jane, you realize you really don't have to worry about me. I am able to protect myself and plus I have a badass detective as a friend as well."

Jane laughed as the curse word rolled off Maura's tongue, she rarely used profanities and often it was in a joking manner. " I know that Maur. Come here, I'm sorry I woke you. I guess this nightmare is really starting to get under my skin."

Maura moved closer to Jane and soon she was in her warm embrace, " If you would like to talk about it I'm here for you. I also understand if it's to embarrassing to share. I had many nightmares after the shooting at the precinct. I Understand I would have nightmares after such a traumatic event however that wasn't what really kept me awake. The nightmares I had often were of you Jane, everyone came so close to losing you. I was able to witness the event and it terrified me for quite sometime. To see your best friend in such a position was terrifying. The situation with Hoyt was terrifying as well. However those bad times are behind us and we must now take each day as it comes."

Jane simply nodded, kissing Maura's forehead because if she tried to speak her voice would crack because she was almost in tears. It had been hard for everyone but Maura was right, those bad times were behind them. Hoyt was dead and she didn't see herself in another hostage situation for quite sometime. It was her job, Maura knew it as well as anyone else. She could die while working but she needed to take each day one by one, there wasn't a point in thinking of the past events. Hell there wasn't a point in thinking of what may or may not happen in the future, she knew the world was beautiful. However as much as it had beauty it was deadly as well, she was here to help those beautiful souls that were taken by some monsters hands. This was who she was, a person that chased monsters and brought peace, to continue to make the world a beautiful place.

" Its starts out by me waking up. I'm not sure why I wake up but I feel nervous, I have a gut feeling that something's wrong."

" Jane I've told several times your gut doesn't send you messages."

" Shh, don't interrupt. I thought you wanted to hear this so you could help me."

" I apologize, please continue."

Maura after several moments was surprised and curious of Jane's nightmares. More then likely just stress, or perhaps she was able to reflect on the past incidents that had changed their lives. Once people began to relax and be at peace they often reflected on memories of the past or even thoughts of the future. Regardless Maura closed her eyes, Jane had fallen asleep finally. Hopefully tomorrow would be just as great as it was today.

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