Okay I lied, this will be continuing until chapter 12. Sorry it's taken so long. All comments good or bad are welcome, I'll build a better story from feedback.
Kristen's left leg had gone numb.
Sat cross legged and staring past the bars of the holding cell, the teen felt drunk from the lack of sleep.
Her limbs were heavy, like her whole skeleton could abandon her flesh and she'd be left a bundle of skin.
Like she cared.
Kristen shifted her left leg from under her right and sat up straight. The switch of position left her with pins and needles in her left leg but a sober ache in the pit of her stomach, the ache soon swelled in her heart and flowed through her veins.
Kristen lurched forward to pull herself to her feet. Her left leg was a dead weight to her movement and she glanced up as a figure stopped at the bars. Kristen backed away as two dark brown eyes met hers.
"I don't know what you think you're going to get from it all" Jane's husk snarled at her, the sound of the bars sliding with a screaming grind assured Kristen that she was going to be dissected. Every word was an incision into her flesh.
Kristen tried to gulp away the dry grit in her throat, she dropped her eyes to the floor.
"Follow me" Jane's voice was stern, shaky but stern.
Kristen tried to place her mind somewhere else, somewhere far away, hiding under a rock wasn't cutting it, she needed to run.
Kristen let her hoodie trail across the floor, the zipper making a fresh scraping sound across the wood.
Jane's lanky form was built like brick, her posture was rigid in movement.
The Detective rolled her jaw and flexed her hands, the ache that had once been inflicted by Hoyt was being plagued by Kristen.
Jane licked her dry lips and pushed open the doors to enter the interrogation unit. Upon approach to the grey door, Kristen felt her body numb. Her heart beat increased three fold and sweat beaded across her clenched fists.
With stinging eyes she watched Jane unlock the door and push it open, the hinges creaked. Jane stood back and let Kristen enter first.
The grey brick of the walls whispered her breath and the light above them was white, casting ghostly shadows in the corners.
Her timid foot steps were harsh in volume. The rubber slapped against the concrete like a whip upon skin.
Kristen saw the black plastic chair, cold and unwelcoming, but she knew it was her only comfort.
The teen sat down first and screwed her jacket in her palms, twisting the fabric to relive stress.
Jane pulled the chair on the opposite side back with a screech but didn't sit in it, she just used it as a pinnacle of thought for a moment.
The raven haired woman then let her gaze fall sternly with dark intent on Kristen, her lips parted and the assault ran from her vocal chords in rough, battered words.
"They have your finger prints at the crime scene" Jane started bluntly. Kristen twitched and felt her heart flip.
She needed to puke.
Jane witnessed the colour drain from her features, she'd gotten somewhere, but no good came from it.
"Nowhere near or on the body, but still there. You wanna tell me what you were doing there?"
Kristen drew a shaky breath, the lump in her throat and the sting in her eyes grew.
"I was... was, looking" Kristen's voice cracked.
"For what?" Jane ran a hand through her hair, her voice now carried the tone of dread.
Kristen gulped again, adding moisture to her dried mouth.
"Richard Bridge's flight records"
Jane pulled a breath through her teeth the action elected a hiss.
"And what did you gain from it?"
Kristen pressed her mouth into a thin line and shifted in her seat, redistributing her weight, the action made the plastic of the chair creak.
Jane huffed and paced.
Kristen's eyes tracked her movement.
"What did you gain Kristen?" Jane snapped, her bark matching her bite in harmony. Jane felt her chest begin to heave and her blood crawled under her skin, the raised hair on her arms cast a sense of misfortune to her nerves. Her body tensed as her voice rose.
"I just... Jane, I wanted to find out" Kristen fixed her eyes to the metal table.
Jane snapped her body around and stared at the teen.
"Find out what? How to endanger your whole family?"
"It wasn't meant to happen like that" Kristen bit her tongue after the words were born.
"Oh, please DO tell me how you thought it would go!" Jane growled and jabbed her finger down at the floor, burrowing her eyes into Kristen's.
"I just didn't think..."
"No you didn't think. For a second did you even dare the thought of our safety"
Kristen let her hoodie drop from her lap, it landed with a light swish. The teen then picked at the loose skin around her thumb nail, she felt the dry skin break away and a sting infest the digit.
"I was thinking of our safety, I didn't want my Mom to get shot again"
"Oh what? So making a gang alert of you was a sure great plan"
"I wanted to track them, see when they were planning to try and get us again, I was at the air field becouse that was the last place my... Richard went, it'd hold some importance to them"
"God Damn Kristen, your Mom changed your last names so they couldn't find you again"
"That's stupid, they already knew we were out there, changing names doesn't solve anything, they know Mom is related to Richard, they KNOW it all, they were just waiting... planning to get us"
Jane slammed her hands down on the desk and Kristen stood up, the force in which she rose tipped the chair back and it clattered onto the floor. Both women glared at each other with matching intent of winning the war.
"Laurence Jarvis is the man that died in that air field the night you where in there"
Kristen narrowed her eyes.
"Died?"
"Yes, he burnt Kristen, when you and your buddy happened to burn the 'house' down" Jane seethed and flexed her hands again.
Kristen flinched but didn't back down.
"I didn't kill him"
"No, but he woulda killed you" Jane huffed. "He had ties to the gang"
Kristen found a sick reassurance in the fact on of those bastards had died.
"Well one down" Kristen spat and Jane double took her attitude.
"This isn't a game! God Damn it"
"I'm not playing!" Kristen sat back down and sank her head into her hands, then continued. Her voice calmed. "Richard didn't record the flight Jane, but yet they flew out, it's an offence not to record a flight, for tax and all that shit, right?"
Jane stopped and listened, her heart beat pulsed in her ears.
"He must have committed suicide along with Claire, he must have known the gang were going to come after us... it must have been for money"
Jane blinked and cleared her throat.
"Suicide? You have the file?"
It was plausible.
"Yeah, you didn't just think I bailed" Kristen's voice had returned to timid additions. "Jane, we didn't set the place on fire either, I'm telling you, whatever Dan smoked he stomped out I swear"
Jane lolled her head back and rubbed her eyes.
"Anything else you'd like to share?" Jane's voice was gritty.
"I'm thirsty and hungry" Kristen grumbled. Jane ran a hand through her hair.
"Bread and water seem good?" her icy tone washed over Kristen.
"Perfect" Kristen snapped back and crossed her arms tightly across her chest.
Jane rolled her eyes and wrenched the door open then slammed it shut behind her.
The Detective let a aggravated roar rip through her throat and she lashed out at the opposite wall.
Attacking the brick with four solid blows and a stern kick, she rested her head on the cold brick and groaned.
Maura. I need Maura.
Jane stalked down the corridor and made her way swiftly down to the morgue.
As the elevator pinged to let her know she'd reached the depths of the PD, Jane let the doors slide open and strode out.
Pushing the doors open to the morgue, Maura turned and saw Jane's hunched frame, she set the UV light she had been scanning the skin with and peeled off the latex gloves that had wrapped her hands in a powdery shield. Dropping the gloves to the metal tray like old skin, Maura shifted away from the body on her table.
Jane was relived that Maura was the only person in the morgue, usually her assistant would be taking photo's at this stage.
Instead of words Jane just fell into Maura's embrace, resting her head on the M.E's left shoulder, Jane wrapped her hands around her waist and pulled her into an urgent hug.
"Kristen is difficult" Maura stated and Jane grumbled.
"Ya think?"
"Just try and be softer with her, she looks up to you Janie, I think it hurts her when you lash out and emote negative signals"
"Does she even realise... she's making my job so hard"
"Kristen thinks she's helping, can I speak to her?" Maura ran her hand through Jane's hair and played with a few strands of her raven waves.
"M, she is your kid, you can speak to her without anyone's permission" Jane huffed and closed her eyes, relaxing into the M.E's touch.
Jane had always pondered on the physical way that Maura upheld herself. Her touch was delicate, her body was angelic even around the dead. Her hands always graced their cold bodies with respect, she seemed to be one of the few M.E's Jane had ever come across to actually make a connection with the people she worked on.
'Queen of the dead' had never worked so well on her.
"I was actually enquiring into if she was ready to accept another visit"
"She is pretty pissed off"
"So are you" Maura soothed and planted a soft kiss upon Jane's temple. Her lips lingered upon the skin and Jane hummed.
"She's been doing my job for me and got herself in danger"
"Yes" Maura let her voice trail off in thought. Jane pulled away and glanced to the body.
"Who's the guy?"
"This is Jason Fletcher" Maura introduced them as if it were a formal meeting, but in actual fact it was one of the worst ways to meet a person. With no dignity left due to him being nude, only a bright, white light covered him, Jane always felt sorry for the victims as well as slightly jealous. At times Maura would spend more nights with them than with her.
Jane stuffed her hands into her back pockets.
Maura pulled a new pair of gloves from the box she'd placed on the metal tray. With the snap of latex and a puff of powder Maura had dawned a new pair of white gloves and now picked her scalple up from the metal tray.
"I was scanning the skin for any unknown materials, he was clean" Maura looked bugged by this.
"Please" Jane wafted her hand. "Don't mind me, I'll just..." she peered around, Maura still hadn't put a chair anywhere. "Stand" she spoke bluntly and Maura then grabbed the body block from the side table and sighed.
"Jane... could you help me lift the body, I know it's highly unorthodox but Yoshima hasn't appeared yet"
Jane nodded and pulled on a pair of gloves. The Detective flexed her hands, her fingers twitched with apprehension of touching the body.
"Where do I hold him?"
"By the back of neck at first, hold him upward, as if he was sitting" Maura noted and Jane grimaced but nodded.
Jane slipped her hand under his neck and flinched. The skin was ice cold, but it had a rubbery feel to it.
"Make it quick" Maura gave her the heads up and Jane propped his body up, it was heavy and his head lolled back, Jane refrained from yelling out. Maura placed the body block under the back of his body and Jane lowered him onto it with ease. Jane then stepped back and let a disgusted shiver attack her, her skin crawled. She had no issues with death, but when it came to touching a cold, still body her natural instinct to recoil set in.
Maura smiled at her gratefully.
"Thank You Janie" Maura noted and pointed to the skin. "I'm guessing some warm water would sooth you"
Jane then bolted over the the red sinks and peeled off the gloves to rinse her palms under the flow of water.
Glancing over her shoulder, Jane listened to the rush of water as it hit the bottom of the sink with uneven splashes.
Maura had already started on the Y incision. The body block had caused Jason Fletcher's arms and neck to fall backward whilst stretching and pushing the chest upward to make it easier for Maura to cut open.
The skin seemed like butter under her hand, her craft was romantic.
Jane turned the tap off and a few drops of water fell into the shrinking puddle. The Detective dried her hands on some blue roll, she threw it into the bin and walked back over to Maura.
"I already examined the single bullet puncture to the chest"
The purple, garish wound contrasted with his grey skin. The edges of the wound were black with the heat the bullet must have produced.
"From where the bullet is... the killer must have just wanted him dead"
"He got his wish" Maura mumbled, pulling back the skin she'd now cut into sections.
"Maura I mean, it doesn't seem like a frenzied attack, the killer must have known what he was doing"
"Yes" Maura hummed and worked on the body. Jane felt her phone buzz, so made short work of answering the call.
"Rizzoli" Jane turned her back to Maura.
Jane ended the call abruptly.
"Sara Sciuto is stable, I'm gonna head over to the hospital with Frost" Jane then stopped. "You never told me at the crime scene Maura... what do you know?"
Maura looked up from Jason's corpse and bit on the inside of her cheek.
"Kristen may have put her in danger..." Maura began, she winced and set down the scalpel. Jane stood expectantly with her arms crossed.
"Kristen and Miss Sciuto, I saw them kissing"
"What?" Jane blurted, her face reddened.
"Maura why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I'm telling you now Jane"
"I guess it makes more sense, I mean why else would the gang go after Sara" Jane ran a hand through her hair. "After you've done with... him, could you talk to Kris... then call me" Jane strode out, Maura felt a string of betrayal wind around her heart.
Sara would loose her job due to this and Kristen would never forgive Jane or herself for letting that happen. Maura bit on her bottom lip and glanced down at the body, well it looked like Sara was playing Kristen.
Maura puzzled at the predicament but soon drew her attention back to the corpse.
She had less than an hour to do the autopsy in if she was going to speak with Kristen.
Does Kristen even know Sara is in hospital, now stabilised from once being critical?
Maura looked up briefly, the thought nagged her.
Jane sat in the passenger seat of Frost's red Skoda Fabia.
"Lizzy came around last night" Frost tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
Frost had been thinking of proposing to this woman.
"How did it go?"
"I didn't ask her... we just had a meal"
"So when are you gonna ask her?"
"When it feels right" Frost nodded to himself and drove on. Jane plucked her phone from it's holder and looked at the screen.
No messages.
No calls.
Jane glanced out of the window and watched the Boston traffic mount up.
Jane couldn't help but feel like it resembled her emotions, with all the information that she was given, her emotions began to mount up.
Jane breathed steadily.
"Maura said Kristen and Sara Sciuto were seeing each other"
Frost double took what she said.
"What? Does Kristen know that she's in hospital?"
"No" Jane spoke bluntly. "Maura will tell her and I'm going to make sure Sciuto never teaches again, I mean that woman has broken teacher student policy" Jane felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach.
Frost shrugged.
"You know more than me"
"No, I really don't" Jane ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
She had been burnt out from Kristen and Emma's lives for a while, the four of them had all become distant and distracted by their own lives rather than a unit.
Jane shifted.
She was going to change that, she would make sure she would.
Maura hurriedly plucked the bullet from the bloody mess that was Jason Fletcher's heart. Holding it up to the light, she examined the bullet and quickly placed it in a plastic vile. She may have just found a lead.
The sterilised vile rattled as Maura took it to the lab techs, the forensic unit always respected her findings.
"Ah, hello Doctor Isles" Toby greeted, a welcoming smile spread across his lips as he set down the file he'd been looking through.
"Could you test this" Maura was still clad in her medical overalls.
"Yeah sure" Toby almost skipped over to his computer set up and placed the bullet under the microscope. "It'll be about half an hour before I get a definitive conclusion Doc" Toby looked back at her. Maura nodded.
"I'll get back to my autopsy, thank you Toby" Maura smiled and walked back out, glancing down at her bloody overalls.
She'd be finished in twenty minuets, nothing was leading her to anything other than a shooting victim.
Jane walked ahead Frost as they entered the hospital. Jane walked up to the front desk, upon her arrival the nurse looked up from her computer screen and Jane cleared her throat.
"Detective..."
"Rizzoli" a male Doctor's voice called from behind her.
"Oh hi" Jane grinned at Dr Park. The man's hair had greyed in places and he strode up to Jane.
"How are you doing Jane?"
"I'm good thanks" Jane knew she was far from good.
Dr Parks glanced to Frost.
"And this is your partner I'm guessing"
"Detective Barry Frost" Frost held out his hand and Dr Park's took it in a warm handshake.
"We need to see Sara Sciuto" Jane cut the introductions short.
"Ah, yeah, she took a beating... I'll take you too her" Dr Park's face became solemn.
Jane nodded and the pair followed him.
Maura neared the interrogation unit. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and she stood outside the door to the room Kristen sat in.
Taking in a shaky breath, Maura touched the handle with apprehension. Her finger's curled around it as if she was possessed by a fever.
The M.E knew for a fact she'd have to tell Kristen that Sara was in hospital, but what she was uncertain of was how the teen would take it.
Maura now had a good theory as to why half of her life her own Mother had been so uninvolved, it was the fear her child's fear.
Their emotions meant everything and distancing yourself could either bring you down burning or keep you safe.
Maura sighed, she knew she'd never distance herself.
The door creaked open and as Maura's right foot made an appearance, the rest of her body followed.
"Mom" Kristen yelped and jumped up from her seat to tackle the M.E in a fierce hug.
"Tell Jane I didn't do it" Kristen mumbled and Maura hugged her daughter back.
Upon feeling her Mother's warmth, Kristen broke down.
"Honey, Jane isn't blaming you"
"She is!" Kristen's voice broke.
"Jane loves you"
"Sure she does" Kristen pulled away, hurt by her Mother's blatant lie. "She loves you, not me"
Maura stood stunned.
"Kristen"
"Mom, I just wanna... talk with you" Kristen shrank away and sat on one of the chairs.
Maura pulled another chair around so she was facing Kristen without the object of the table.
"I'm sorry I lied to you" Kristen looked into her lap and her shoulders slumped.
Maura stayed silent to let Kristen talk on.
"I just wanted you to be safe, I thought if I went after them... I sounds so stupid now, I don't even know how I convinced myself to do it... it's put everyone in danger and I don't know how to take it back" Kristen let a stray tear roll down her cheek. Maura pinched Kristen's chin and wiped the tear away with her thumb. Upon lifting Kristen's gaze to meet hers, the teen sniffled.
"I'm so sorry Mom" Kristen played with the hem of her shirt.
"I'm here Krisy" Maura pulled her into a soft hug and rubbed her back. "We're sorting it out"
"Sorry" Kristen mumbled.
"Kristen" Maura started, she figured out that the news would be like a plaster, better to rip it off than pick at it slowly. "Did you go to Miss Sciuto's apartment last night?"
"Yeah..." Kristen looked away, but when she returned her gaze Maura's solemn features assured the teen that something bad had happened. Maura was temped to put her hand over Kristen's but realised the girl would be repelled by the contact.
"Sara was injured in the early hours of this morning"
Kristen's blood chilled and made her flesh numb, her lungs screamed out for air, the edges of Kristen's sight darkened.
"What?"