A/N- So this is it, though I might be persuaded to do an epilogue involving a certain idea a guest left in a review. winkwink Thanks for coming along for the ride. This was my first offering and you guys accepted it with open arms, to the point that one of you nominated me for the Rizzles Fan Awards as Best New Author, Best AU and Best NC-17. Holy crap! (The nomination for Best NC-17 only makes me want to write the epilogue even more, if you know what I mean.) You guys have been great. Thank you so very, very much.
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Days off normally meant doing the menial tasks around the apartment, like cleaning and laundry. Fortunately, Angela had swooped down like a cleaning tornado the day before Jane had returned from Hawaii, and Jane had done her best to keep on top of it. And with the shoulder injury, she was able to milk another cleaning visit from her mother. Unfortunately, laundry was another thing entirely and she had put it off long enough. And so she found herself, mid-afternoon, humming to herself while folding warm towels, the firehouse radio chirping softly in the background. She didn't keep it on for emergencies- if they needed to call for reinforcements, she'd get a real call on her phone. But she liked the sound, knowing the voices belonged to people who were a second family. In the same way people had music playing as a source of comfort, Jane had the emergency radio. Of course, it wasn't always used for its intended purpose- often the silence was broken by a dirty joke or a coffee order. It gave her the sense she was there, in a place she always felt she belonged. The feeling made her smile and made the laundry a bit more tolerable.
There was always a change in tone from the voice that would tell a joke one second, and dispatch a truck in another. Jane's ears caught the change, and she stopped mid-fold. Not concerned, only curious. She knew there were very few instances that required pulling off-duty firemen in. Maybe she would know the area or know the crew. It was always something to talk about the next time she went to work.
This time, the information chilled her to the bone.
"Ladder 52 and 53, 2-alarm 10-75 at 8331 Sinclair Avenue West. Will call in a 3rd R.A.C from Ladder 56. It's a school, people, so be prepared. Ambulance dispatch already informed. I repeat- Ladder 52 and 53, 2-alarm...:"
Jane didn't need to hear it again. R.A.C was the Recuperation and Care Unit. Calling in extra meant the anticipation of more than a handful of rescued patients. And she knew the address all too well. It was St. Mary's Elementary School.
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She had been on the job for over 10 years and one reason she was so good at her job- the reason any emergency responder was good at their job- was her ability to remain calm under pressure. Standing toe-to-toe against a fire that wouldn't quit; watching someone break down when they realized their loved one wasn't making it out of the house; saving her partner from falling debris, without thought to her own safety; these were all things that had honed her stoicism. Not that she didn't feel or react, but those emotions were for later, in the comfort and privacy of her own quiet corner. Yet all that experience, all that training seemed to abandon her now in the face of the emergency call. Fingers squeezed the steering wheel until she almost lost feeling in them. Breaths were shallow and short, and she tried desperately to inhale through her nose and exhale through her mouth. Two more minutes, she chanted. Almost there, almost there. Two more minutes.
The yellow flames that licked the sky made her calming efforts all for naught. Before she had even turned down Sinclair Avenue, she knew it was bad. The school towered over all nearby buildings and the fire only made it look taller, the grey/black smoke curling upward, doubling its size. Her eyes immediately went to the top corner, where she had been only a week ago. Already, a portion of the roof was gone.
Maura.
The area was roped off and she was forced to throw the car into park a block away. Lungs burned as she bolted towards the scene, eyes scanning for the one face she wanted to see. Crowds of kids and adults that had fled the building were surrounded by emergency personnel and the R.A.C units. Desperately, her eyes darted from one group to another, hope fading with each sweep of her gaze. She finally saw someone she recognized, though it wasn't the one that could unclench her heart.
"Emma Brighton!" she called out, running towards the small group.
The young woman turned at her name. It took her a moment before she realized who had spoke. "You're the firefighter that came to the school, aren't you?"
"Yes," Jane said. "Where's Maura? Ms. Isles?"
Emma shook her head. "She told me to take the kids. But Marcus and Charlotte weren't in the classroom. She told me she would find them."
"She didn't come out with you?"
"No ma'am. I told her the firemen would find them, but she wouldn't listen."
"No, you did the right thing. You did a good thing," Jane said, touching the girl's arm.
"You'll get them out, won't you?"
With unwavering conviction, Jane nodded. "I will. I promise."
Stepping away, she zeroed in on the Battalion Chief, recognizing him on sight, both by his uniform and his commanding presence. "Chief Hyslop!" she called out. He glanced at her but continued barking out orders. "Chief Hyslop," she said again, stopping within inches of him.
Satisfied his directions were being followed, he turned his attention to her. "Rizzoli. Your day off, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir," She said to the leader of Ladder 53. "What's the situation?"
He raised an eyebrow but replied, "Pretty self-explanatory. No real details yet, but there's word it started in the basement. Dollars to donuts, it was electrical. These buildings put off upgrading- not in the budget. Well, I hope a reno's in the budget, because this one's going to need a massive one. We've got a roll call and most of the classes are accounted for, except the first graders and a coupla kindergarten kids. Who the fuck puts the youngest kids on the top floor?"
Jane willed herself not to look at the destruction. "I need to get in there."
"What? No you don't. We've got a crew up there now." His words were punctuated by crack as another portion of the roof caved in.
"You don't understand, sir." She took a breath, knowing a personal plea would get her nowhere. "I was just there last week. I know the layout better than anyone."
"Fire Safety Week," Hyslop said. After a brief moment of hesitation, he jerked his head towards one of the fire trucks. "Extra suit in the back. Hope the boots fit."
"Thank you, sir!"
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The smoke was thick, and it made her lungs burn and her eyes water. She had never given thought to the sound of fire, but from this point on, Maura would never forget how loud it was; a neverending wall of volume. It conspired with the smoke to block any progress- one was thick and black, the other too hot and too bright. She felt her way down the hall, stepping over charred debris and around pockets of flame.
"Marcus!" she yelled out, her voice drowned out by the roaring inferno. By touch and by memory, she knew she had reached the bathroom, and with a forceful push, opened the door. "Marcus!" she shouted again. With squinting eyes and trembling hands, she pushed every stall door open, finding no one. "Marcus!" She spun around the bathroom, tears from the smoke and from anguish streaming down her face.
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She knew exactly where the bathrooms were, and she made her way directly down the hall, with speed but with care. Hyslop told her she had 10 minutes, tops, before they'd have to pull down the ladder from the window at the end of the hall and find a safer perch. She nodded at the information as she suited up, and assured him she could do it in 8. His idea of instilling confidence was to tell her she'd better aim for 7.
Had she known the extent of the damage in the building, she would have begged for another 5 minutes. With the roof partially caved in, the hallway was an obstacle course of beams and concrete. Flames licked at her coat, but it was the threat of tripping and falling that concerned her the most. So with a measured but determined pace that came from years of experience, she reached the end of the hall faster than she had thought. She had kept a sharp eye out for any signs of life, knowing any shout from her would get lost in her oxygen mask and the fire. Finding none, she could only hope for something better in the bathroom.
"Maura!" she exclaimed, seeing the lone figure standing in the middle of the room.
It was only when Maura ran up to her did she realize it was Jane. "Oh god, Jane! I can't find them! Marcus and Charlotte! She needed to go to the bathroom and Marcus volunteered to be her hall buddy. Then the alarm went off and-"
Jane pulled up her mask. "Shhhh. It's okay. I know. They're not here?"
"No," Maura replied frantically.
Jane took Maura's hands in hers. "Okay, I need you to calm down. Okay?" She looked right into Maura's eyes and waited until the blonde nodded. "Is there a place they would know to go in an emergency?"
"Oh god, the teachers' lounge! I didn't even think."
"No, you did good. Is it still on the third floor?" Maura nodded again. Jane closed her eyes briefly. "Right below us, 3 rooms down, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. First things first, we've got to get you out."
"No! I'm not leaving without the children."
"Maura," Jane said gently, "we don't have a lot of time. And I can't do my job if I'm worried about you, okay?" Maura didn't look convinced, so Jane said, "I can't save them if all I'm thinking about is saving you."
The words seemed to have the weight intended, because Maura nodded. "Okay."
They made a precarious return to the makeshift exit at the end of the hall, Jane carefully shielding Maura, and the smaller woman staying close. A cool air blew through the window and Maura took in a grateful breath. Jane helped her through the frame and onto the top step of the ladder. With a click of her radio, she relayed a message down to the crew.
"Someone's waiting for you. You'll be okay," Jane told her.
There was a turmoil in Maura's eyes that went beyond the fear for her safety and that of the children. An emotional turmoil that Jane couldn't identify. Just as she was about to ask Maura what was wrong, she looked up at Jane.
"Please be safe."
"I will," Jane promised. "You've got to go now."
She watched her take the first few steps, but didn't wait to see if she made it to the ground. She trusted the crew to do their job. Glancing at her compressed air meter, she realized she only had 12 to do hers- and only 3 before the ladder was moved. She was busy calculating time and distance, making her way to the stairs, when the floor opened up beneath her.
She had fallen only twice in her career, and the very first twisted ankle instilled the rule into her brain- do not try to land on your feet. The problem was, minimizing the impact meant spreading yourself out flat, with 50lb tanks on your back. The impact forced the wind out of her lungs with a mighty blow, and she felt her left shoulder give way. The recently recovered limb protested in pain, and the ribs on the same side pressed sharply inward. She had just enough energy to roll into a fetal position on her good side before losing consciousness.
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Maura watched from afar, safely herded away from the danger. School administrators were dealing with children and parents, emergency personnel ran from one important job to another, and the entire scene was controlled chaos. But to Maura, there was nothing but silence as she stared transfixed at the building. Images of the present collided with the past, and she berated herself for the emotional state she found herself in. I should have said something, she thought to herself. I should have told her what I saw and what a fool I was to think anything of it. I should have told her how unfair it was to jump to conclusions based on nothing more than my bastard of an ex-husband. I should have told her I trusted her. I should have told her I lov-
The removal of the ladder jolted her back to the present.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Realizing it was directed at no one, she searched the crowd until seeing someone who looked in control of the situation. "Excuse me! What are you doing?" The man looked at her and she briefly wondered what he saw beyond a frazzled, panicked woman.
"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step back."
Her eyes flitted to his shiny name tag. "Mr. Hyslop? Please, I'm Maura, Maura Isles. I'm the kindergarten teacher."
His face softened, understanding her concern now. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We're doing everything we can."
"Jane Rizzoli's still in there."
"I know, ma'am. But right now, the structural integrity of that part of the building is tenuous at best. We're just working on finding another way in." Her stricken face compelled him to touch her arm. "Ma'am, believe me when I say we're doing everything we can. And that Rizzoli is one of the best firefighters I know."
Maura stepped back, at a loss for words, as the scene continued to unfold around her. She felt a helplessness that she had never felt, and an ache in her chest she couldn't define. Looking around with little purpose, she felt hopeless and alone.
"Miss Isles!" The voice wasn't familiar, and Maura strained to identify its source. "Miss Isles!"
When she saw the man approach, she ran towards him, meeting him halfway. "Mr. Frost!" she said. "Thank God. Please, you've got to do something- Jane's still in there. They've taken away the ladder. I don't know what to do."
Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders and glanced at the fire. "It's just standard procedure, okay? That area's a bit dangerous now, so they have to find another point of entry, that's all."
Though his words were soothing, there was something in his eyes that made her draw in a breath. "What aren't you telling me?"
Instead of answering, he said, "Let me see what I can find out, okay? Stay right here."
She nodded dumbly and watched as he darted towards the man she had spoken to earlier. They seemed to be talking intently, Frost nodding and shaking his head. He looked as if he was protesting a point, but conceded whatever it was with hands on his and a bowed head. On the way back to her, he grabbed a radio.
"What is it, Mr. Frost? Please tell me," she pleaded.
Again, he avoided the question. "Jane," he said, clicking the button on the radio. "Jane. It's Frost. You there?" He waited a moment, then clicked it again. "I'm kind of offended, you know? Couldn't wait for me, huh?" Still nothing. He looked at Maura and found something to smile about. "And we're going to have to talk about you keeping secrets, because damn, Jane!" In a more serious tone, he continued, "Jane, Hyslop's ordered a 10-108. Jane, do you hear me? Jane?"
"How can I not hear you when you're yammering in my ear?" Jane's voice crackled through the radio and both Maura and Frost almost collapsed in relief. "Tell Hyslop I said 'thanks' for waiting. Jackass."
"Jane, are you okay?" She spoke into the receiver as Frost held it towards her.
"Maura? You two having a party down there while I'm here doing all the work, huh?"
"You okay?" Frost asked, repeating Maura's question.
'Had a bit of a Bat slide," Jane said. "Cavanaugh's gonna have my ass when the doctor tells him I'm going to need more time off."
Maura looked at Frost and he couldn't help but smile a little. "She had a fall. Black and blue. Like Batman. She sounds fine, though. I wouldn't worry."
"What's it look like out there, Frost?"
The firefighter sighed. "I don't know, Jane. Ten minutes? The northwest corner is completely gone and they just took out the last ladder to the fourth floor."
"So that's the southwest corner gone, too."
"Yep. They were going to try to swing the exit to the back, but-"
"A 10-108 is the safest plan. Yeah, I get it. I'm 20 feet away from the teachers' lounge. If the kids are there, I can get us out in less than 5. In the meantime, why don't you and Maura get acquainted?"
The radio went silent and Maura looked at Frost. "What if the kids aren't there?" He had no answer. "What's a 10-108?"
This one he could answer, though he didn't want to, but her plaintive expression could not be denied. "It's an extraction code," he sighed. "Battalion Chief has determined the fire has reached a point where it's safer to contain than try and put it out. They'll hold until it burns itself out. All personnel have been ordered out of the building."
"So finding another exit- that's a lie."
"No," he said shaking his head. "It just means they'll rely on Jane's direction before setting anything up. We're not giving up on her, Maura."
His eyes were warm and comforting, and his confidence seemed unwavering. She tried to find some solace in that, even in the face of the chaos that surrounded her.
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She had tried her best to mask her voice from revealing her physical situation. It was Frost's words that pulled her back to the surface where she was immediately met by a wave of pain. Slowly slipping the tanks off, Jane rolled onto her back and took stock. Two cracked ribs at least, she catalogued. Separated shoulder. Most likely a blue and purple map of bruises across her shoulder blades where the tanks had pressed in. If there was any good news, it was the fact that her legs seemed to be okay. No twinges in the ankles or knees. With that small victory, she pushed herself up on all fours and began to crawl towards the lounge. Without the tanks, the mask was useless, and she discarded it as one less thing to carry. The smoke was thick, but not so much at ground level that it made her journey impossible. 'Another four feet,' she whispered, urging herself forward. Her estimate was dead on and she reached up for the door handle. Thankfully, it gave way immediately, and she fell into the room.
"Marcus!" she called out. She staggered to her feet, falling against the door, shutting out as much of the smoke as possible. "Marcus!"
"Help! We're over here!"
"Oh, thank god," she whispered. "I'm coming, Marcus!" Through the thin layer of smoke she saw them; huddled and scared under a table in the corner. The young boy had his arm around Charlotte, and he was holding a bottle of water for her to drink. Though the fire had yet to touch the room, Jane was careful as she made her way across it, having learned her lesson earlier about the structural integrity of the floors beneath her.
"Hey," she said gently when she reached them. She crouched down to make sure they were okay.
"Rizzi!" Marcus exclaimed. "Me an' Charlotte were going to the bathroom. I was her hall buddy. Then the fire alarm went off an' we couldn't get back to Miss Isles so we came here, 'cause that's where we're 'spose to go in a 'mergency. But then no one came an' Charlotte was scared an' I didn't leave her 'cause I'm her buddy an'-"
"Sweetie, I understand," Jane told him. She pulled off her gloves and cupped his face with her hands. "You did good, Marcus. I'm so proud of you." She looked at Charlotte and smiled. "Do you remember me?" she signed and spoke to the girl.
"You're the fire lady," Charlotte responded.
"Yes, that's right. I'm going to get you two out of here, okay?" The girl shook her head frantically and she curled up into Marcus' side. "We're not going out there." She gestured to the hallway and shook her head. "We're going to find a way out the window, okay? No fire."
Standing, she helped the children to their feet and drew them towards the row of windows. Jane pressed her face to the glass and looked down. She almost smiled at what she saw. There it was, the old rickety fire escape that had been a source of many detentions for one Jane Rizzoli, who couldn't resist a dare and a race to the top of the metal stairs. That was the good news. The bad news was, there was no landing directly under the windows. Not that she could blame the architect- platforms were more useful outside doors than beneath windows three floors up that no one imagined would be used in the event of a fire. She quickly diagrammed where she might find those doors, but just as quickly dismissed them as a means of escape. Not only would they be located in places she couldn't vouch for, but she couldn't imagine taking the 2 frightened kids through the dangers in the hallway.
"I need you two to stay back, okay? I have to break the window."
"You're gonna get in trouble!" Marcus warned.
Jane couldn't help but smile now. "Story of my life, kiddo. Okay, stand here." Picking up a chair, she turned to the kids. "Ready? Cover your eyes." With that, the window smashed outward as the chair flew through it.
"Cool!" Marcus said.
"How did you see that when you were supposed to have your eyes covered?" she asked the boy who could only shrug sheepishly. Clicking the radio, she said, "Frost?"
"Yeah, Jane?" came the immediate reply.
"I got the kids. There won't be time to get the crew around, but I've got a way out through a window."
"Which floor?"
"Third." She could almost hear his brain calculating height and distance. "We're not jumping, doofus. I think I can hit the fire escape from here. It's about a 10 foot drop, but we can make it. I'm sending the kids down first, but I'll be right behind them."
"You'd better be, Jane," Frost said. "You'll be facing a lot of pissed off people in the afterlife if you aren't."
"Afterlife, Frost?" Jane chuckled. "Hell, I'm gonna live forever." She clicked off the radio and unclipped it from her jacket. "Okay," she said, smiling to the young faces that looked up at her. "I'm going to help you out the window, then you're going to go down the stairs until you get to the bottom. Frostie'll be waiting for you, okay?"
"Was that Frostie on the radio?" Marcus asked.
"It sure was, sweetie. Now, tell me what we're going to do." Marcus repeated the instructions but Charlotte only clung onto him tighter. Jane knelt down and made eye contact. "I know you're afraid," she said. "I'm afraid, too. But I can't do this without you. Without both of you. So, will you help me?" Slowly, the young girl nodded. Gratefully, Jane kissed the top of her head. "Good girl." She stood again and draped her heavy jacket over the jagged glass still stuck in the window frame. "Marcus, is it okay if you go first so you can show Charlotte how easy it is?"
He eagerly nodded. "Okay!"
"Okay," she echoed. "Hold my hands and we'll get you to stand on the ledge. I've got you. You believe me?"
He nodded solemnly. "I believe you, Rizzi."
"Okay, I'm going to lower you down. Slowly. You ready?"
"Ready!"
Jane bit through the pain of her damaged left shoulder and thanked the heavens her training involved weight twice as heavy as a 5-year old. Slowly, as promised, she lowered him out the window, with Charlotte at her side, watching the entire thing. Once her arms were completely stretched, Jane shifted on top of her jacket until the window frame pressed against her abdomen.
"This is it, bud," she said. "It's not far at all. You can jump it."
The boy wiggled and squeezed her wrists, but after a deep breath and a look down, he looked back up into her eyes. "I can jump it," he said with confidence. He caught Charlotte's attention and said, "I can jump it, Charlotte."
"On the count of three," Jane said. "Ready? One… two… three." They let go simultaneously, and the boy landed square on his feet and immediately plopped onto his rear end.
With a giggle, he stood up. "I made it! Come on, Charlotte!"
Jane looked at the girl and waited to see her response. The girl took a deep breath and firmly pressed her lips together. Resolutely, she nodded and held out her hands.
"Good girl," Jane whispered gratefully. The two repeated the same action she had done with Marcus, and when he helped Charlotte stand, Jane smiled. "Good job, guys. Now go. I'll be right behind you, I promise."
"We'll wait," Marcus said.
"No, sweetie, you've got to go." Rather than speak of the dangers, she appealed to the common sense of a child. "We can't all fit on the fire escape, can we?"
He looked around and seemed to accept her logic. "Okay. But you better hurry!"
"I will. I promise."
She watched the two children make their way down the stairs and she took a moment to sit on the window frame. The smoke in the room was getting thicker, and she knew that meant the fire was getting closer. Even without the visual evidence, she would have known by the rise in temperature. Sweat streamed down her face in rivulets, and her breath was warm and dry. She knew she didn't have much time. The volume of noise was increasing as the fire and its wrath advanced. She glanced out the window and took a moment to enjoy the sweet fresh air. She dreaded the drop down; hoisting 5-year olds with a bad shoulder was one thing- lowering her own frame down and making that final jump in her condition was another. But she had calculated the odds and knew what she had to do. Without further hesitation, she wiggled out of the window backwards, on her belly, her hamstrings straining against the weight of her boots. When she got to her elbows, she curled her fingers into the heavy material of her jacket and around the window frame and tried to straighten out her body as slowly as possible. She inhaled and exhaled short shallow breaths, puffing out her cheeks, all in an attempt to block out the pain. She looked down to gauge the distance and was confident the metal escape would hold. It was when she looked up that she saw how relentless the fire was, as the entire fourth floor collapsed, raining down flames and destruction all around her.
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The children heard it, too. "Faster, Charlotte," Marcus said, tugging the girl's arm. They were five feet from the ground and he jumped the distance, landing on his knees, but scrambled up to help his friend to her feet. He brushed off her dress and they bolted away from the fire escape. They turned the corner of the building and he saw him immediately amongst the many faces.
"Frostie!"
They ran towards the two adults, and Maura swooped up Charlotte in her arms while Marcus flew into Frost's open embrace.
"Rizzi said you'd be here and you were," Marcus said, his voice muffled in Frost's shoulder. "She broke a window an' she helped us get on the fire 'scape."
A paramedic came over to have a look at the kids, and Maura asked a nearby responder to find the children's parents in the worried crowd of onlookers. While he was being examined, Marcus turned to look at the fire. The fourth floor was completely gone now, and the building seemed to be like a house of cards, falling in on itself. The fire was so big that Marcus had to shield his eyes from the brightness. His gaze was locked on the corner where he and Charlotte had emerged. There was no sign of Jane.
"She said she was right behind us," Marcus cried. "She said!"
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Maura stood, with Charlotte in her arms, frozen to the spot. She was trying to figure out how it could come down to this- how one meeting with one stranger could forever change her life. How that person, in one night, could show her how a marriage that lasted over a decade was only a facsimile of what it meant to love someone and feel loved in return. How one random encounter could make her feel complete, for the first time in her life. And now, how all that could be taken away in an instant. The tears streamed down her cheeks, unchecked and unashamed.
The last of the building collapsed inward, sending out a new series of shouts and commands by the fire crew. The noise was deafening, but a small voice rose above the din.
"Noooooooo!" Marcus screamed, squirming out of Frost's grasp. "Rizzi!"
"No, Marcus!" Frost yelled, grabbing the boy before he could take off towards the ruins.
"But I gotta save her! She saved me an' Charlotte. I gotta save her!" He tried to wriggle free, but Frost's hold was firm. "Frostie, please!"
The firefighter turned the little boy in his arms and looked at him right in the eyes. "You did a great job. You saved Charlotte. I bet you remembered everything we told you, didn't you?" Marcus nodded and sniffed. "You did great," he repeated, but said nothing more, clearly not knowing what there was to say. He tried to focus on the boy in front of him rather than on the tragedy that unfolded before his very eyes.
Maura stood, mute and numb. With her eyes closed, she could almost pretend there was nothing to see. Closing off her heart, she could almost convince herself she couldn't feel. Sound faded away to silence and time seemed to stand still. Only one word cut through the pain.
"Rizzi," Charlotte whispered in her arms.
The word released a sob in Maura's chest and she squeezed the girl to her. "I know, sweetheart. I know."
Charlotte shook her head and gently patted Maura's face until she opened her eyes. Gently, she felt her head being turned towards the building. Through a veil of tears, Maura saw what the young girl was trying to tell her all along.
"Rizzi!" Marcus yelled, this time in joy instead of fear. Both kids scrambled away from the adults and bolted towards Jane.
The firefighter fell to her knees and she benefited more from the strength of their embrace than they would ever know. Sore arms, battered and bruised, lifted just enough to bring the kids to her, and she revelled in their comfort. A Recuperation and Care member rushed to her side, along with a paramedic, and she brushed them aside with a look. Frost made the first move to approach her, and she looked up into his beaming smile.
"You did that on purpose didn't you?" he asked, his playfulness not entirely hiding his deep relief.
"Dramatic effect. The ladies love it."
"I think you'd better focus on one lady," he told her. Putting his hands on the kids' shoulders, he said, "Come on, you two. I think we found your parents."
They kissed her on the cheek and she kissed them back, holding them close for a minute more before letting them go. She watched as Frost took their hands and walked away, two bouncing children who had seen so much and gone through so much in the span of an hour, yet who were already moving on. She smiled at the strength of children. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she drew in a grateful breath, then slowly opened them again. Her eyes didn't have to seek out the soulful hazel gaze that held her heart; she found it immediately.
It was as if the eye contact broke something in Maura, because the floodgates opened, and she rushed towards Jane. Without care or concern, she dropped to her knees in front of the firefighter and took her face in her hands. Peppering her with kisses, she blurted out a stream of confessions.
"I saw you today with Heather… I didn't know… I'm so sorry… I thought… I've been such an idiot."
Jane reached up and grabbed her hands. "Wait. Is that why you broke off our lunch?"
Maura placed Jane's hands on her hips and proceeded to run her own over every available inch of Jane's body, as if making sure everything was accounted for.
"I'm a mess," Jane said.
"I don't care," Maura replied, gliding her touch along ash-covered arms left exposed without the jacket. "And yes, that's why I cancelled lunch. I saw you kiss her and…"
"It was nothing."
"I don't even care if it was something, because her something can't compare to my something, because we have something-"
Jane silenced her with a kiss, tangling fingers into thick tresses and pouring every feeling into it. Maura grabbed a handful of Jane's tank top and pulled her in even closer. Desperation and relief was shared silently between them, and everything unspoken was understood. But there was one thing Maura wanted to say out loud.
"Is it too early to tell you I love you?"
Jane's breath caught in her throat and all the pain seemed to float away. "As long it's not too late for me to say it, too."
Maura's answer was another searing kiss, and they held on together until the pain would be denied no longer. Jane winced and the reaction was not lost on Maura. Gently, she began mapping out the damage with her fingertips. A brush over Jane's left shoulder was met with a strained groan. A caress across her back elicited a sharp intake of breath. Maura frowned.
"You should let the paramedic take a look at you."
"I'd rather have you look at me." Jane's comment was punctuated with a smirk.
Maura tapped Jane's lips and shushed her with another kiss, though this time taking care not to aggravate Jane's wounds even more. Jane was having none of it and pulled her in with a crushing embrace.
Overriding the pain with humour, Jane said, "What? The shoulder can't get more dislocated."
For a moment, Maura rested her head on Jane's good shoulder, breathing in the scent of smoke, inhaling the smell of Jane. Reluctantly, she stood, carefully helping the brunette to her feet. The firefighter looked at Maura, then down at herself.
"What a pair, huh?" she asked. "I mean, here I am, all sweaty and gross, and you look like you just stepped out of the pages of Vogue. If the new fall collection involved ash streaks." Maura looked down at her dress and laughed. "I… I don't know what you see in me," she admitted, but before the blonde had a chance to protest, she added, "but whatever it is, I'm glad." She put her arm around Maura's shoulders and was grateful for the soft crutch. She turned to look at the remains of the fire, dying down now that there wasn't much left to burn. "It's hard to believe."
"The fire?"
Jane looked into Maura's eyes and the love that gazed back took her breath away. "All of it," she whispered. With one last glance at the ruins, she shook her head. "Looks like I'm going to need a vacation," she sighed.
"Oh really?" Maura smiled. "Did I mention I have a home in Hawaii?"
XXXXXX end