Lieutenant Cavanaugh had been so pleased with Jane and Riley successfully cracking Gino for the murder of Lucy Avery that he rewarded the pair with an early mark. It was Friday after all and Rizzoli especially looked weary; as such he sent them home at four pm and told them he didn't want to see either of them in the office until Monday.
Subsequently Riley was now sliding Jane's fourth beer in an hour and a half in front of the buzzed detective. "So, you wanna tell me what's goin' on between you and Isles or not?"
Jane took a long draw of the beer and watched as Riley slid into the booth opposite with her own beer. She heaved a sigh and considered if there was any upside to delving into the details. Maybe it was the buzz, or maybe it was the fact she really needed to get outside of her own head. "It's complicated and whatever I say here, stays between us, right?"
Riley simply nodded and took a draw of her own beer. Putting the bottle back down, she tilted her head in thought as she studied the varying emotions flashing across Jane's face. "Come on Rizzoli, we're partners now; you know I got your back."
Jane swallowed down another large mouthful before wrapping both hands around the bottle, anything to stop the anxious wringing of her hands. "After what happened with that sick bastard," she levelled her gaze with Riley's to check she understood which bastard she was referring to and when Riley nodded she continued, "Things got a little out of hand. I mean Christ, she's my best friend Coop, I condemned her to death and through some fuckin' miracle she lived."
"Out of hand, how?" Riley asked casually between draws. She knew the key was to not seem too eager or Rizzoli would tighten right up.
Jane didn't really hear her partner though, she just continued with the thoughts that were fighting to be released into the air. "I've always known she was something special… I just never thought I would let my guard down like that. Hell I didn't let it down; her damn crying ripped it to pieces. Fuck, Coop… I messed up so bad…"
Riley was no fool, she knew Jane was hopelessly in love with Maura and she knew the feelings were reciprocated. She could also put two and two together and had a good strong theory on what had occurred between the two women, but the distant look in Jane's eyes confused her. "What happened?"
With a shake of her head and another long draw Jane retreated back into her own mind. "Doesn't matter," she declared wistfully, "She's got a date tonight and I don't care what she says about him just being a friend… he's gonna be in love with her by the end of the night…. I mean who wouldn't be?"
Riley rolled her eyes, "God Rizzoli, like any man or woman has a chance with Isles. She only has eyes for you!"
"I know," a defeated sigh, "But I told her to get over it."
Riley almost choked on her mouthful of beer and spit it out in shock at her partner's words. "What the actual fuck?" When Jane didn't say anything, just gestured at the beer she now wore on herself, Riley sighed. "You absolute fucking dumbass Rizzoli."
Jane grabbed a napkin and wiped down the beer her partner had so ineloquently spat on her. "Damn Coop, I hope you're not a projectile vomiter."
"I just wasted good beer on you. What the actual fuck?" Riley's mind was still stuck on the thought of someone with a chance at something as beautiful as love throwing it away. What the hell was wrong with her partner? "Why?"
"Come on Cooper, you know I can't drag her into my life anymore than I already have. I'm a fuckin' serial killer magnet and being with me makes her a target. I date her, the press gets a wind of it and then a whole new bunch of crazies come after her because they got beef with me!" She sighed, "It's killin' me Coop, it really is but I'd rather endure this god awful ache than be responsible for her death."
"You ever stop and ask her how she feels about the added risk you're so worried about? You ever think that maybe to Isles, you're worth it?" Riley probed, reluctant to just let it go.
Jane simply ignored her and waved towards the entrance where Susie had just walked in, "What's up Chang?"
"I think I need another drink after what you just told me partner, I'll be back." Riley slipped out of the booth and wandered over to the bar while Susie slid into the spot she had vacated.
"Detective Rizzoli," Susie greeted with a smile.
"You know outside of work you can just call me Jane, right?" Jane was incredibly relieved to have seen the Senior Criminalist walk in to take the heat off the conversation she had been having. "So what brings you here tonight?"
"I'm meeting Doctor Isles for a brief drink, before she heads out to the charity auction. She had forgotten when we made plans this morning, wouldn't accept a complete reschedule. I really didn't mind, the Isles Foundation raises a lot of money for those in need." Susie responded enthusiastically.
"You know what Maura is like. She would feel so guilty if she stood you up completely." Jane said before polishing off the last of her beer. It was definitely time to slow down and as such she was ever grateful when Riley appeared, sliding a glass of water in front of her before sliding into the booth next to her. Jane shot a curious eyebrow at the Latina detective but thought nothing more of it.
"'Sup Susie?" Riley asked with a grin, pushing a bottle of beer in front of the woman. "Hope beer is fine with you?"
Susie picked up the offered beverage and took a long draw, "Hits the spot."
The three women fell into a comfortable conversation, reliving memories from Riley's first stint with homicide. Much laughter was shared when Riley told the exaggerated story of when Jane thought she was a drug dealer. Although Jane shook her head ruefully at simpler times; times when her relationship with Maura wasn't so complicated and when she still had the company of her old partner Barry Frost.
"Oh no, Rizzoli here comes trouble," Riley said with a snicker and a playful elbow. "Isles just walked in. Say Susie, did you know…"
She never finished her sentence as Jane pretty much tackled her in the process of clamping a hand over her mouth. "Don't you dare," Jane hissed angrily as she untangled herself from the Latina woman.
Riley simply smirked at her partner and offered a shrug of the shoulders in response. Her smirk quickly faded when Maura appeared at the end of the table, looking decidedly pissed off. She swallowed thickly, "Hey Doc."
"Detective Cooper," Maura acknowledged coldly, before taking a moment to assess the rest of the table. She nodded curtly at Jane before looking to her friend, "Susie; shall we?"
Sensing the tension that had cropped up with her employer's arrival Susie scooted out of the booth and shot an awkward smile at the two detectives before addressing Maura. "Yes, lets."
"Wow, it's colder than Antarctica in here. What the hell did you do?" Riley asked after watching the science geeks wander away to get their own table.
Jane sighed, still hurting from being virtually ignored by her best friend. Although she was seriously starting to wonder if the time Maura had asked for would ever make things better between them. She shoved Riley away out of frustration, "Come on, it's time to leave."
"Fine, but if you expect me to go home with you, you better buy me dinner first." Riley deadpanned before cracking into a ridiculous grin.
Jane rolled her eyes and slid out of the booth, pushing Riley towards the door as she went. "Yeah I'll buy you dinner, but I ain't taking you home with me Cooper. That's just gross."
Maura knew the night was only going to go downhill from the moment she walked into the Dirty Robber to see Jane with her hands all over Riley. While she logically recognised it was a completely platonic exaggerated attempt at shushing the woman it still irked her beyond belief. She despised the jealousy she felt bubbling within and she loathed her childish behaviour in reaction. She had frozen Jane out completely for the moments she was in the detective's presence.
Maura shook her head at the memory before sipping on the glass of wine she had poured the moment Ryan had left. She needed to relax and process the night. Susie had been incredibly insightful when it came to discussions on the detective's absence from the morgue that week. She had opened up as best she could and was relieved to find Susie clearly in her corner. A small smile played at Maura's lips as she remembered the younger woman's grand plans to help Jane see exactly what she was missing.
If only making the detective jealous was enough to help her change her mind. If it was Maura had no doubt that Ryan Leiland, thirty five, six foot tall with handsome features, including a tantalising chiselled jaw and baby blue eyes, would do just the trick. His blonde locks capped off the movie star look and for Maura, if it weren't for her unwavering dedication to Jane, she might just find him a suitable romantic interest. He was vibrant, intelligent and her mother would approve because he was the majority shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of Leiland Software and Technologies. He was kind, considerate and very thoughtful, but he was no Jane.
Maura found herself feeling frustrated, headed towards decidedly angry with the detective for the impact she was having on her life. Her jealousy and the subsequent distraction it had caused her had been very obvious to Ryan who had insisted they escape the auction early so that he could bring her home. He had been so thoughtful that she had allowed him in for a night cap, where they had talked about a lot of things. He had proven to be a surprisingly good listener and very intuitive to her conversational needs; never thrown by her nervous rambling of facts.
The one thing that had surprised Maura was in fact how comfortable she had found herself feeling around Ryan. He had listened intently when she had brought up the subject of Jane, prompting her to open up further. She had realised as she let all her feelings pour forth uncensored that she had really needed to speak with someone independent of the situation. He had been supportive but had asked her to consider whether Jane was truly worth all this heartache, if she couldn't stand up and embrace their feelings. Normally she would have taken such words defensively, because in her mind, Jane was worth it all; but he had seemed so genuinely concerned solely on her well being that she couldn't take it badly.
So yes, this is why Maura sat on her couch drinking a glass of red silently fuming at the thought of the raven haired detective. She deserved more than what she was receiving and she decided she would have to try one more time to talk Jane into giving their love a chance. If the detective declined, she was intent on doing whatever it took to move on from the woman because she deserved better. She was Maura Isles, and she was a damn fine catch.
"You wouldn't take me home with you, but you'd bring me to some cheap ass motel? Did I forget to mention I'm not that kinda girl, Rizzoli?" Riley shot Jane an amused grin to go with a playful eyebrow quirk.
Jane tossed some money at the taxi driver before shoving Riley down the path towards one of the motel rooms facing the parking lot. "Shut it, Cooper."
If she was honest she was completely perplexed at this stage by her partner's behaviour. Sure she was probably a bit inebriated, but after dinner at an establishment decidedly not the Dirty Robber, and a couple more drinks on top of that Jane had insisted they jump in a cab.
She was about to open her mouth to question the Italian further when she walked into the room Jane had opened and all thoughts had escaped her brain. In front of her, besides the most basic of beds and an old television sitting on a debilitated dresser, was a whiteboard covered in pictures, notes and question marks. The primary focus being a gigantic drawn question mark at the top middle of the board; from there lines branched out to victims of the Catch 22 killer, with scribbled information and questions filling the space around them.
It was Detective Jane Rizzoli's personal murder board.
"Well damn," Riley finally muttered when she remembered that breathing was an essential component to living. She dropped onto the edge of the bed, her knees going weak with the enormity of what she was seeing. This was Detective Jane Rizzoli's way of saying I trust you and she was absolutely stunned by the revelation. "Shit," she breathed, "Shit, shit, shit."
Jane closed the door behind them, engaged the chain lock and turned back towards the murder board before looking over at her partner, "He targeted Maura, Coop. I don't care what Cavanaugh or the feds say, I'm not off this case. I'll be on this case until that bastard is dead and buried. You with me on this?"
"Yeah I'm with you," Riley looked steadily at the intense dark eyes sizing her up. "We'll get the bastard Rizzoli."
Jane nodded happy with the sincerity and determination she saw in her partner's eyes. She stuck out a hand and pulled her off the bed; "No time to sit down on the job Cooper you need to get caught up."
"Yeah yeah," Riley said as she moved closer to the murder board and started taking in the information. She knew she would have to ask a lot of questions, but she had no doubt Rizzoli would have the answers. There was however one pertinent question on her mind, "Why the hell is this here in some stingy motel room?"
"Couldn't keep it at my apartment," Jane said with a shrug.
"Why not?"
"You've met my mother."
Riley laughed at the thought of the Rizzoli Matriarch, "Ah yeah and she got a key don't she?"
"Sure does," she studied the board, for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm hoping you can see something I don't Coop, cause at this stage unless the guy strikes again, we've got nothin' to lead us to him."
"I sure hope so too."
A/N: Phew, was starting to wonder if I would get this one done today, but here it is. Things are starting to percolate.
As usual my thanks to all who read, review, favourite and follow.