AN: we've received some reviews saying that this story has been published on another account. This is true but is not a problem since the account upon which it is posted belongs to me, E. C and I decided to make a joint account because we wanted our readers to be able to find all of our clone stories in one place. Xx
The characters don't belong to us.
Chapter Nine
Barry Frost was getting worried about his partner. He hadn't heard from Jane since that morning in the bullpen, and this was not her typical way.
"Vince?" he asked Korsak, "Have you heard from Jane?"
"No," Korsak shook his head. "I thought you probably had. It's getting late."
"I don't like this," Frost said. "I'm tracking her phone." Either way he figured Rizzoli might be upset with him for hunting her down, but as long as she might be in danger, he didn't care. The computer beeped and chimed sooner than Barry expected, interrupting his thoughts. She was somewhere in the warehouse district, which immediately caused him alarm.
Sasha took her iPod from Hope and went outside the apartment, as "outside" as one could go in the underground hideout that Paddy Doyle had built. It was all like an subterranean office complex with only artificial light and flooring upon which footsteps echoed. Tired of the manmade echoes, she turned the iPod on and sat on a bench in the hallway. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the music and pretend she was outside in freedom. It worked for a moment but Sasha's daydream was cut all too short by the arrival of someone else sitting on the bench beside her. She opened her eyes and discovered a young, handsome African-American man dressed in a sharp navy suit. He turned to look at her, smiling a gentle smile. "Hi, forgive me for staring, but you look just like someone with whom I used to be acquainted," he said.
Sasha took both earbuds out and focused on the man. "Let me take a wild guess at that - Maura Isles?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Man, it's eerie. I'm sorry for staring. I actually came down here to find Jane Rizzoli. Do you know her?"
Sasha resisted all the thoughts that entered her mind and tried to find their way out of her mouth. "Yes, I know her. She's in my - our - apartment right now with - my s-sister."
"I'm Detective Barry Frost," he extended his hand to her. "Jane Rizzoli's partner."
"Sasha Connor," she responded. "Pleased to meet you. Jane probably told you about me..."
"Yes, but I keep an open mind," Barry stated. Their eyes lingered for a moment before either could say any more.
"How much do you know about the situation down here?" Sasha asked. "I mean, you're here, so you must know..."
"Only that Jane's GPS was traced here. It was an empty, abandoned warehouse until I found the door that led me here."
Sasha paused before speaking again. He knew nothing. No one else was around to explain the unexplainable, so it must be up to her. "I have something to tell you that's going to sound really fantastic, crazy, actually." She glanced at him to try to read the expression in his eyes to see if he thought she was malicious or unhinged, as Jane had appeared to, given their previous heated conversations. But Sasha saw no trace of this in Barry, so she began to tell the story. "There's a reason that I look like Maura Isles, which is also the same reason another woman named Gina Matthews looked like us. However, she was killed two years ago and everyone thought it was ..."
"Maura Isles," Barry interrupted, in shock.
"Yes," Sasha confirmed, pleased that he was understanding without flat out disbelieving her. Instead, he patiently listened. She stared at the floor and took a deep breath. "Jane thought I was Maura, but I'm not. However, I am sharing an apartment with someone I've come to think of as my sister - my twin sister, until I was told something even more surprising. But you need to know - my sister is alive - and her name is Maura Isles."
Barry gave her a wide-eyed gaze and visibly relaxed. "I thought there was more to her disappearance than anyone assumed," he said.
Oh, if only you knew how much, Sasha thought, but held her tongue.
"Gina was the one who was killed?" he asked.
Sasha nodded. "Yes."
"Jane's working on her disappearance," Barry said.
"Jane is here. Do you want to see her?" Sasha asked.
Barry stood up. "Yes. I need to get this straightened out. And you really mean the doc's alive?"
"She is," Sasha responded. "Both she and Jane are at the apartment. I'll take you to them."
Angie was frantic after sitting all day at the police station, only to have both Jane Rizzoli and Barry Frost run out on her after doing absolutely nothing to find her missing sister. She gave up after five o'clock, muttering something hopefully polite to the remaining Detective Korsak. She had to go home and break the news to her daughter, Anna, a task she dreaded. Anna had left early for school that day and had Glee Club until five-thirty, so the wait was over.
She drove home as if on autopilot and unlocked the brownstone door to find her daughter sitting in the living room reading a book for English class.
Angie sat down in a chair next to the fireplace. "Hey, Anna, we need to talk. I'm not sure how to tell you this, but you need to know."
Anna's head snapped up from the book. "What's wrong, Mom? I hear the worry in your voice!"
Sighing, Angie sat next to her daughter on the sofa. "Honey, your Aunt Sasha and Tess are missing."
"What?" Anna's eyes instantly filled with tears. "When?"
"I went next door to Aunt Sasha's this morning and there was no answer. So I went inside and found ... " she steadied herself ... "bloody sheets in the guest room. I immediately went to the police."
"Oh, good," Anna interjected. "Jane will find them, for sure. I know!"
Angie nodded. "I did talk to Jane and her partner, Detective Frost. I gave Jane the notebook I found in the guest room."
Anna fought a wave of anger. "It's Tess's fault! We've never had anything like this happen until SHE came into our lives!"
"Oh, sweetheart, don't blame Tess," Angie tried to soothe Anna. "She doesn't even know who she is."
"I don't care!" Anna shouted, standing up and rushing to the door.
"Where are you going?" Angie called after the girl.
"To feed Aunt Sasha's cats," Anna replied. "Someone has to take care of them. I don't want her to worry!" The door slammed shut.
Angie sank into the sofa and buried her head in her hands. She let the sobs come as she imagined life without ever seeing her cousin again. They were more like sisters than cousins and she felt at a loss except for one whispered prayer, "Please let her come home. Please." She said this prayer repeatedly until her crying took over where the words had left off.
Maura looked up from washing the one plate they'd acquired while Jane held a sleeping Kaylee. Thr door opened and Sasha entered, followed by a guy she only assumed was Jane's partner, given the pictures she had been shown earlier.
"Wow. This is picture worthy." The amusement in Frost's voice caught Maura's attention and she turned to find Jane scowling, "Jane Rizzoli with a baby."
"You wake her and I'll arrest you for baby waking," Jane retorted with narrowed eyes.
"I'll take her." Sasha took Kaylee into her arms and came over to the sink. "Apparently the very cute guy is Jane's partner."
Maura shushed her sister and took Kaylee into her arms. She watched as Jane paced, speaking quietly to Frost, her words clipped and angry.
"How dare you question my judgement! You know what Paddy Doyle is like. Apparently, he's playing the good guy. Saving all these clones from the government or some crap like that. He even got some poor woman to pretend to be my clone. How screwed up is that."
Kaylee let out a cry and Jane shot an apologetic look at Maura before hurrying for the door.
"Jane," Maura called but her words were lost by the door slamming.
Maura sighed. She wanted to go after her, but refrained. Jane needed time to process everything. Instead, she settled down with Kaylee in her arms, hoping for Jane to return.
Jane stormed down the halls like an animal recently set free, shaking with anger and frustration. She burst through the first set of double doors and found herself standing on some sort of patio. A large screen showing a video of trees and bird sounds made it feel like outside. Jane kicked at a lose rock, watching as it rolled across the floor. How had things gotten so messed up? She'd spent two painful years thinking Maura was dead, only to find her here with no memory and some crack story about being a clone.
Jane sank into the nearest chair, her head in her hands, willing herself not to cry. She'd done enough crying to last a lifetime.
"Mommy, can I play in the sandbox?"
Jane glanced up at the voice and found a little girl no older than six standing a few feet from her. Her long black hair hung around her shoulders and she had the biggest brown eyes.
"Freeze, my little crab." Jamie came into view, bending down in front of the child. "Only for a few minutes, okay?"
"Mommy, is that woman your clone?" The girl pointed, but Jamie pushed her hand down.
"What have I told you about pointing?" Jamie kissed her cheek and steered her to the sandbox. She stood and Jane gave a small smile. "Wow. I didn't think I'd see you."
Jane stood up, folding her arms. "Do you believe this whole clone thing?"
Jamie snorted. "How could I not? Look at us."
Jane risked a smile, pacing the patio. "I just-I thought I buried my best friend. I spent two years trying to find her killer, only to discover she was alive this whole time. I mourned her for no reason. I cried at her grave every day for two years, and I don't cry. So, forgive me if I'm not exactly ready to skip down the hall, singing songs with you."
"Look, I get it. I get being angry. But we have this awesome thing going. How many people can say they have a clone?"
"Aside from the people in this...hideout...not many." Jane fixed her gaze on the girl in the sandbox. "She yours?"
Jamie nodded and went over to the box. "Nikki, come say hi to Jane."
Nikki stood up, waving a sand-covered hand. "Hi," she said quietly.
Jane bent down to her level. "Hi there, Nikki. It's nice to meet you." She straightened. "Well, I should go. Thanks for the talk."
"Wait," Jamie said before Jane could take a step. She brushed some sand off of Nikki. "I was just heading to the clothes closet. I could help you get clothes for Maura and the baby. I was also hoping you'd share the apartment we were assigned."
The word no was on the tip of her tongue bur the moment she laid eyes on Nikki's face she relented. "Well, it is a little crowded at Maura's. So, why not?"
Jamie beamed. "Great! We can fix it up! We also need supplies, like silverware and plates for when we don't want to eat in the dining hall."
Jamie continued to talk as they made their way to the clothes closet-a large room with racks and racks of clothes.
"Are you sure you're not Maura's clone?" Jane asked with a laugh, pausing outside the door.
Jamie blushed. "Sorry. I, uh, tend to talk when I get excited and nervous. I'm a little of both right now."
Jane nodded, holding open the door. "I am too. Don't worry!" She smiled at Nikki's excited squeal from somewhere in the room.
"Mommy!" Nikki came running toward them at lightening speed, holding a pink lacy dress. "Can I get this? Please!"
"A girly dress? Don't you want a Red Sox jersey?" Jane asked playfully.
Nikki shook her head, her hair flying into her face. "No! I want this dress!"
"She's obsessed with pink," Jamie explained, sifting through the racks.
Jane checked the size of the pants she held and grabbed several shirts and tank-tops. "Baseball is in my blood. I was never one for pink. Not even at her age."
Jamie laughed. "I wasn't, either." She held up a onesie.
Jane laughed. "I'm The Good Cop. So getting that for Maura."
They continued searching for different items, while telling each other about their lives. Jane learned that Jamie taught first grade and was a single mom to Nikki. No husband or boyfriend.
"I haven't been in the right place to date," Jane said as they headed to their apartment, bags of clothes in hand. She soon discovered that they were right across the hall from Maura. "Hey, let's give Maura the baby stuff that we found."
"I have a better idea," Jamie said, her eyes sparkling. "How about a baby shower?"
Jane nodded. "Maura would love that!" She dumped the bags on the couch. "I'm going to go check on her, but I'll be back to help you get the apartment figured out." She held up one of the bags. "Need to at least give Maura her clothes."
She disappeared without waiting for a response and let herself into Maura's apartment. Sasha sat on the couch watching TV and fixed Jane with a glare.
"Jane." Maura came into the room. "Kaylee's sleeping. I just fed her." She indicated to the bag. "What do you have?"
Jane headed into the guest bedroom and once the door was closed, said, "I got some stuff with Jamie. My-clone. I'm sorry about earlier. I hope Frost isn't too mad at me."
"He's just worried, Jane. He went to talk to Paddy about staying here." At Jane's look, Maura said, "He's not bad, Jane. Not for a long time. He's trying to keep us safe."
Jane scuffed. "He still murdered fifteen people, Maura." She pointed to the bag. "Look, I brought you presents."
Maura grinned as she went through the bag. "Thank you, Jane. I know this hasn't been easy. I want to thank you for making an effort to at least tolerate it here."
"You're my family, Maura. You and the baby and Sasha. I'm not losing you again. Besides, Jamie's cool. Her daughter is precious." She reached in the bag and pulled out the onesie. "Got this for Kaylee."
Maura laughed. "How cute. I love it." She patted Jane's arm. "Sasha will come around. You were grieving and confused and angry."
Jane sighed. "I guess. I'm just happy you're here-alive. You're not alone, Maur." She took Maura's hands in hers.
"I know, Jane." Maura squeezed Jane's hands. She neatly folded the clothes. "Do you want to watch Law & Order with us? Hope and Cailin are coming by later to take us on a tour."
Jane's brow furrowed. "You sure you're up for that? What about Kaylee?"
"I'll be fine, and Kaylee will be fine." Maura pointed to the door. "So, want to join us?"
"Thanks, but I promised Jamie I'd help set up our apartment." She gave Maura a gentle hug. "I'm just across the hall, if you need me."
"I know, Jane. See you later?"
"Of course." Jane hugged her one last time and slipped out of the apartment. Time to bond with her clone and clone's daughter.
