"JANE?" Frost shouts as he enters the detective's apartment. He'd knocked a few times and even yelled but there had been no response from within the brunette's home. With a nod to one of the officers standing with him he barged through the door and entered with his gun poised. The other officers began to cover him. From behind them Frankie and Korsack entered, each equally ready to attack, and each eagerly scouring the room before them in search of Maura and Jane.
"Try the bedroom" Korsack mouths. Frost nods and they begin to approach the bedroom door. There's a deadly silence about the apartment, the air feels tense and thin. Frankie can't help but swallow as they approach his sister's bedroom. Frost looks back one more time before quickly opening the door and stepping into the room.
Followed closely by Korsack and Frankie, Frost stands looking at the bed. He's shocked and still at the sight before him. Frankie's eyes narrow, whereas Korsack's widen.
Sitting on the bed Maura looks up from the hair that is buried under her chin. Her face is tear stricken and she's unable to speak but looks between the three men before her. In her arms, clutching tightly to her sides, Jane shakes violently as she cries silent tears. The whites of her knuckles are visible as she clutches onto the material of the doctor's dress. Maura nods towards the laptop which has now been discarded to the floor. Frost steps forward and lifts it, seeing the video stream and Beth sat in the middle of the room. He shows it to Korsack who leans over with curiosity. Frankie on the other hand continues to stare at his sister, all of the colour drained from his face; he'd never seen her like this. He'd never known her clutch to someone the way that she was clutching to the doctor at moment. His sister is strong and brave, she never cries, especially not in front of him. But he was certain she didn't even know about his presence in the room right now.
Maura pulls the brunette tighter into herself. Although her frame is much smaller than Jane's, at this moment Jane seems to fit perfectly in to her arms, her hot breath beating against her neck as she cries silently. This was new territory for the doctor. Jane had never clung to her like this, as brilliant her mind was there were no words that she could think of to help this situation, to rationalise the situation to the detective, to even console her. She was stuck, but all she knew was that the shaking body clutching tightly to her own need to feel loved and needed to feel safe. With that thought Maura lowers her head slightly, her own body shaking along with Jane's. She places a kiss on Jane's head, but lets it linger. She whispers into the detective's hair "we're going to fix this, we're going to fix this". Jane raises her own head to meet the doctor's gaze. Her eyes dart between each of Maura's hazel orbs, but the strength she had once gleamed from them was nowhere to be found. She lets out a soft cry as she opens her mouth to speak, but upon failing crashes her body back into the doctors. Closing her eyes Maura wraps her arms around Jane and rocks them both gently.
06:00 Hours
Part of the police department had now congregated at Jane's apartment. Frost, Korsack and Frankie would come and go as new leads sprung up and would stop by every hour to let Jane and Maura know of any developments. Angela had been picked up by a squad car and brought to Jane's house, where she joined Jane and Maura on the couch; the zombie like detective huddled in between their protective arms. In front of them sat the laptop. Cavanaugh was seated at the sitting chair next to the three women and two officers were seated quietly in the kitchen.
A few hours earlier Beth had fallen asleep, the early hours of the morning breaking her vigil. She lay now on her side, facing the camera as if letting them know she was okay. A sudden coughing from the girl startles the tense spectators. Jane sits forward slightly. Beth sits up right and shakes her head, she looks around the room and looks at the camera for a moment before coming to a stand. Her body seems a little more upright now, and she seems to have a little more energy and strength. A noise to the side startles her.
"There's someone in the room" Cavanaugh mutters thoughtfully.
Beth's eyes are trained on the person to her right, she stands a little firmer. The figure soon becomes visible. It's a man, taller than Beth and considerably stockier. Angela places her head in her hand and looks away. Jane coughs uncomfortably. Looking at the women Cavanaugh sits forward slightly.
"Look maybe you should-"
"No, I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving her" Jane replies, eyes glued to the screen before her. Cavanaugh glances to Maura who lets out an uneasy breath and places her hand comfortingly against the detective's back.
The man on screen begins to approach Beth but she makes no attempt to move, she doesn't even flinch. This takes him off guard, and so he begins to circle her. She smiles slightly at his action; as big as he was, he really didn't have a clue. Once the man reached her blind spot he stops and raises his hand. Jane covers her mouth, but is startled by Beth's move. As his fist comes down Beth turns quickly and grips the arm, kicking the man in his privates. He falls to the floor in a heap of pain, leaving her standing there waiting for him to try again.
"Jeez Rizzoli she's got your style" Cavanaugh husks.
"She's strong" Jane mutters quietly, almost to herself, as though it were a moment of realisation.
The man attempts to sit up but Beth pounds her foot against his collar bone sending him back. Taking his opportunity however the man pulls her leg and sends her crashing backwards, her head cracking awkwardly against the ground.
Cavanaugh pulls out his phone and dials "You got anything?" he grunts angrily "we're running out of time, get your asses into gear and find me her location"
Angela looks up to the man, suddenly taken back by his bout of anger. She smiles slightly, a bitter warmth in his caring, doubled with the fact that they weren't getting anywhere.
Beth rolls over and stands, the man stands before her and makes to tackle her but she dodges quickly, clearly agile, and stomps her foot into the back of his leg sending him to the floor. This time she doesn't wait for him to get back up, instead she begins her attack. She rams his head forward to the ground, effectively knocking him out for a moment, before punching his kidneys and any sensitive place that would temporarily paralyse his movements. Stepping away she asses his condition and watches as he attempts to stand.
"Christ" Cavanaugh mutters at the girls abilities.
Walking to the camera, Beth never takes her eyes off the man still struggling on the floor.
She pauses a moment before speaks "I hope you got a good look at that guy, if you can identify him maybe you can find this place. It's time for me to turn this thing off okay" Jane sits forwards helplessly.
"NO!" she yells.
"I know you probably want me to keep this on, but I can't hold them off much longer and I don't want you to see me when I stop. I-bye" in one swift movement Beth knocks the camera off.
Jane sits staring at the screen while Angela and Maura exchange a look of worry. Cavanaugh grunts something before standing and leaving the room.
8:00 Hours
Frost, Frankie and Korsack sit at the bullpen each at their own computers, typing furiously.
"Shit" Frost gasps suddenly "I found our guy! Karl Raygin"
"Check to see if he's got industrial property" Korsack orders gruffly.
Frost types again for a moment "he's got a warehouse just outside of Boston, says here most of the other buildings in the estate are abandoned."
"That would be the perfect place, let's go"
At Jane's...
Maura and Angela are standing in the kitchen while Jane ploughs at her laptop keyboard trying to find out more about 'Tess Elgin' or 'Danielle Thomas' as she the girl now liked to be called. Other than a few newspaper articles Jane found nothing. No details had been released about the girl's parents, Gary and Tanya Elgin. All she knew now was that there were 3 other children, each Gary and Tanya's, Tess and Beth, and that all of the other children had been moved back to Boston.
"There isn't anything" she grunts furiously sitting back.
Maura and Angela, both equally silent at this point look to Jane. The detective's phone ringing fills the room suddenly. Gruffly Jane answers "yeah?"
"We got her" Korsack begins "that guy's called Karl Raygin, got a warehouse just outside the city. Frankie's texting you the location now." Jane puts the phone down and grabs her jacket, gun and badge. Maura's eyes widen at the detective's sudden movements.
"Jane what's happening?" she asks trying to follow her.
"They got her" Jane mutters before swinging open her apartment door and bolting out.
"Go!" Angela instructs the slightly bewildered doctor. Maura nods and chases after Jane.
It doesn't take long for them to reach the warehouse, now surrounded by half of Boston's police. Jane found Korsack and Frost stood waiting.
"What's going on" she asks, her voice mono. Maura grips her arm slightly as she listens to the detectives.
"They're in there alright, heat sensor picked 'em up. Reckon Beth's in a room on the second floor, it's got two guards by it. Then there are a couple of people in the corridor, some down stairs. All in all there's about 7 people"
"7? Why are they involved?"
Korsack shrugs and looks back toward the building.
"So, so what's happening now?" Jane asks, a little impatient at the lack of action that appears to be happening around her.
Korsack and Frost glance to each other before Korsack replies "they got guns, Rizzoli. And I'm not talking pistols. Cavanaugh won't give us the go ahead until he's got the situation down"
"But-"
"Rizzoli!" Cavanaugh grunts coming over to the detective "what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a holiday home" she hisses back to him.
The older man steps back slightly at the venom in her tone "you shouldn't be here"
"I shouldn't be anywhere else, other than in there, getting my daughter" she replies coldly to him "what is taking so long?"
Cavanaugh shifts uncomfortably. "The layout of the place is a little funny, we can't plan a route that won't leave people exposed to gunfire, and they've got big guns. Heat sensor picked up rifles, AK-47... they aren't messing around Jane"
"I want to see the sensor, has Beth been moving on it"
Cavanaugh and Korsack exchange a look. The colour drops out of Jane's face. She looks between them searching for an answer.
"We've been here 45 minutes...the figure we believe to be Beth hasn't moved in that time" Cavanaugh replies finally.
Maura steps forward and places her hands around Jane's arms, looking to the woman with worry. Jane nods to Cavanaugh "just do what you have to do and get her out of there"
"We will" he nods and walks away shouting orders at various officers.
"We'll get her Jane don't worry" Korsack comforts, rubbing Jane's arm.
Jane turns her attention to Maura and looks into the weary eyes of the doctor.
"Maura I..." she begins. She'd never felt so helpless, not even when Hoyt had her hands pinned down had she felt so lost. Her girl, her daughter was within walking distance. She was certain if she shouted loud enough she'd be able to hear her. Yet, the detective couldn't reach her; she was trapped.
Maura watches as Jane runs through her thoughts and she can tell what the detective is thinking. Stepping forward Maura places a delicate hand onto the detective's jaw and looks at her carefully, strength, love and determination pooling from her hazel eyes. Jane blinks a few times and lets out a small breath.
"We're going to get her back" Maura finally says, the sincerity in her voice clear. It takes a few moments for Jane's body click into action before she nods in response. Maura nods back and lowers her hand instead taking Jane's hand in her own and moving to stand by Frost.
Frost turns and looks to them, offering them a comforting smile.
"Frost, can you get the picture from the heat sensor on your phone" Maura asks politely. Frost smiles, understanding the slight breaking of the rules such an action would cause.
"Yeah" he replies, pulling out his phone and clicking a few times before opening the video stream.
Jane and Maura lean in and assess the picture. The person operating the heat sensor had since left it in a position so that the entire warehouse was in view. Downstairs there were three figures standing and sitting around with their guns in hand, up the staircase and at the doorway directly to the left stood two guards and in the room next to that there were two figures in discussion. Behind the guards a figure lay on the floor. Maura and Jane both gasped slightly as their eyes were met with the figure.
Maura examines it for a moment "the way she is lay" she begins. Jane looks to her, hoping for a scientific justification that she is alive "well I can't really see, it looks as though she curled herself into a ball maybe... but she looks like she's holding herself in position"
"So she's awake?" Jane asks hopeful.
"She could be doing it unconsciously" the doctor confirms "but if she was...if she had been put into that position her limbs wouldn't have been able to sustain the ball shape without her effort"
Jane nods slowly, while Frost tries to picture what the doctor is saying.
"Look" he says quietly. The figures in the room next to Beth began to move into the corridor. One figure continues down the stairs while the other enters Beth's room. Maura takes Jane's hand and gives it a light squeeze before gently rubbing a thumb over the scar there.
They can feel the other officers begin to move as they are alerted of movement within the building. The figure leans down to crouch by Beth, but the girl remains unmoved. Jane shifts awkwardly. They see the figure's hand move to touch Beth. They begin to tense up, Frost coughing slightly. Suddenly however Beth's hand flies out and strikes the figure in the face knocking them back. In the same movement Beth relieved an object from the figure's side; a gun. The guards outside of her room appear to move slightly, but don't enter. The figure that Beth struck remains still on the ground. She moves forward, though is clearly unable to stand properly. Carefully she strikes the body again, once, twice, three times, to make sure it was knocked out.
They look up as they hear Cavanaugh yelling orders but look back to the screen. Beth has moved herself behind the doorway. The guards are startled and enter the room quickly. She shoots them both in the head and they fall to the ground. Jane tenses up, she could hear the gun sound from outside.
Downstairs in the warehouse the four remaining figures look up. Two move towards the door of the warehouse while the other two wait at the bottom, guns poised and aiming at the top of the stairs.
"Shit" Jane mutters. "She doesn't know they're there"
"She might do" Frost reassures. "Look hold this, I'm going to see if I can help Cavanaugh" he hands the phone to Maura. Jane goes to follow him but he extends his palm "you need to stay here, Jane" his words are calm, but Jane knows he won't take no for an answer. She stops and turns her attention back to the phone.
They watch as Beth kicks the body on the floor once again, for good measure. Beth hesitates at the door and looks around. Her body is somewhat doubled over, and it's clear she is badly injured. Jane winces as she sees the girl cough up what is likely to be a lot of blood. After a moment Beth corrects herself and goes down to her knees, she opens the door and immediately lies on her stomach. As she opens the door the two gunmen at the bottom move forward slightly. Beth army crawls into the corridor but stops as the gunmen fire their machine guns blindly up the staircase. Her hands raise to her head and she moves quickly in the opposite direction. She looks around for a moment seeing it's a dead end before ducking into one of the other rooms.
The gunmen begin to ascend the staircase slowly. Beth sticks her head around from the side and catches a glimpse of them both before moving back in. She listens intently, her own, newly acquired weapon ready to fire. Her knowledge of guns wasn't brilliant, but she knew there would be at least another 4 rounds in the weapon. She heard one of the men dip into the room she had been held in and knew the other was in the corridor still. Closing her eyes she lets out a breath, he's either looking this way, or in the room after the other one she thinks let's just hope he's looking the other way. Beth peers around and sees him looking in after the other person, but just as she begins to raise her gun he spots her and fires. She fires her weapon once and hits him straight in the chest sending him back down the stair case. Her heart is racing as she ducks back into her room. The adrenaline pulses through her and she pants slightly.
Jane and Maura cover their mouths as they see the exchange of fire, and the gunman fall down the stairs, the second gunman now cowering by the doorway. On the ground floor the two other gunmen have now moved closer to the staircase. Jane moves forward as she watches a line of officers quickly approach the doors to the warehouse, Frankie, Frost and Korsack amongst them.
"I should be there" she breathes.
Maura holds her arms protectively "no you should be here" she counters, pulling the detective into her subconsciously.
Their eyes fall back to the mobile screen. Beth is sat against the wall. She's clutching to her stomach and Jane can feel her own scar start to seer with pain.
"She's been hit" the detective's words were empty of emotion, and Maura raises a hand to her mouth.
The second gunman has begun to creep around the corner of his doorway. Beth can just about hear him approaching over the pulsing that has now taken over her ears. Her mind attempted to formulate a plan, but she couldn't focus with the pain taking over her abdomen.
On the ground floor the officers stop just short of the large industrial doorway. A signal from Cavanaugh tells them to proceed; the other two gunmen are now on the staircase. The officers quickly pool into the warehouse and hide behind machinery and crates. The gunmen similarly dive from the staircase behind a forklift. Upstairs the second gunman is nearing Beth's doorway.
Jane's eyes pool with water, and Maura can barely move air from her lungs. Helplessly they watch as the gunman rounds the doorway. Beth jerks to the side slightly, but the figure drags her out into the corridor. Jane lets out a growl and steps forward but Maura pulls her back.
"Jane" she gasps desperately. She understood the detective's need to be there, but Maura knew that if she did she'd go in blind, if she did she'd cross a room full of flying bullets and only try to get Beth, not thinking about the bullets flying around her. And Maura knew if she let Jane do that, then she wouldn't get her back. "Jane, I love you, you need to stay here, it's not safe for you" Maura cries, pleading.
Jane looks to the doctor, she knows it hurts her when she gets in trouble, when she ends up in hospital, but this is different. "Maura please, let me go"
Maura closes her eyes and cries out "no" her grip tightens on the detective "I can't lose you Jane, they're having a gun fight in there" her voice practically screeches the last part.
Jane looks between Maura's eyes, she knows the doctor is right. What use would she be in the middle of a gun fight. Beth was going to get out and Jane needed to be here, alive. But Jane also needed to make sure that Beth got out alive.
The sound of rapid gun fire startled them, and the sudden silence that followed left a cold feeling in the air. Their eyes darted back to the screen. The two gunmen downstairs were now dead, or at least lay on the floor with the guns discarded to the side. At the top of the staircase the final gunman held Beth. It was clear he was taking her entire weight, whether she was conscious or not was another question. His head was turned to the side, indicating he was yelling to someone.
One of the figures began to rise from the room Beth had been held in; the person she had knocked out. Jane's mind began to race, why hadn't she shot them? That must be Tess. The figure struggled but eventually came to stand by them. She took the limp figure of Beth from the man and subsequently fell down at the doorway. Raising his gun, the final gunman began to descend the staircase. Frost spotted him instantly, and fired a round into his chest sending the gunman down. In their ears they heard Cavanaugh order them to approach with caution as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Jane's heart was racing. She ran now, sprinting through the warehouse grounds. Maura stood still for a moment before cautiously following. They could hear Cavanaugh shouting them back, until he eventually began to follow them. The brunette detective pushed through some of the officers gathering at the stairs. She held her gun in her hand and nodded to Korsack and Frost who nodded back. Frankie came to stand beside her and offered her a supportive nod.
"Detective Rizzoli" the small, yet familiar voice of a girl filled the area.
Jane felt a chill run down her spine at the voice. She began to climb the staircase slowly, Frost and Korsack close behind her. As she got about half way she could see the slumped figures of Beth and Tess in the doorway, but quickly ducked out of sight.
"I'm not pointing this gun at you, detective" Tess laughed, her voice slightly hoarse.
Jane stopped for a moment before standing again. Maura stepped through the officers and covered her mouth upon seeing the interaction. Cavanaugh placed a protective hand on her shoulder, though watched closely.
Jane's eyes searched Beth's body. Her skin was pale white and her eyes drooped. She knew Beth only had a few minutes. Tess held a pistol to Beth's head with a bloody smile, her other hand was holding Beth to her body, almost hugging her.
"I told you this wasn't a game" Tess sighed. "Yet, you lost anyway...isn't that strange" Tess noticed Jane's distraction at the person in her arms. "She's very cold you know, I can feel her heartbeat getting slower and her breaths getting shorter"
Beth made a noise and opened her eyes to look around to Tess.
"Ah my sweet sister you're awake" Tess nuzzles her head into Beth's neck, making Jane's face turn sour.
"Tess let me go" Beth breathes, her voice a slight moan.
"But I've missed you" Tess' voice is low so just Beth can hear her.
"Tess you don't want to kill me" Beth begins, Jane eyes the young woman curiously. She knows that she is dying, but there is a strength in her voice that can't be ignored.
"No...but I want to watch you die" Tess replies matter-of-factly.
"No...you don't..." Beth moves slightly in Tess' grip so they're face to face. Tess keeps the pistol pointed at Beth's head. Slowly Beth raises a hand and places it on the side of Tess' face. "You'll always be my sister" she sighs. The comment takes Tess back.
"How c-how can you say that?" she hisses.
"You didn't do anything wrong, it was them...you know they were wrong Tessy" Beth sighs, she's losing her strength quickly.
"No..." is Tess' simple reply.
Beth moves her hand to Tess' that's holding her still and squeezes it lightly "I love you" she mutters before collapsing against the girl.
"Beth" Tess nudges Beth but the girl doesn't move.
Jane's eyes widen and she freezes in her place. Tess looks to her, eyes wide and tears pouring down her face. She throws the gun to the side and wraps her arm around Beth crying into the girl's head.
Maura runs up the stairs to stand by Jane. She eyes the officer for a moment before moving and pulling Beth off Tess. Korsack and Frost pull Tess to a standing position and cuff her. The sound of the ambulance racing up to the doors echoes around the warehouse.
Jane drops to her knees. She can see Maura is shouting to her as she attempts to revive Beth, but she can't reply. She can't move.
Korsack and Frost hold Tess, each of them looking down as Maura starts CPR. The doctor looks around helplessly, everyone seems frozen in space.
