Chapter 11
Janes POV
"So we have no viable fingerprints?" I asked in frustration as I looked at my partner who sat at the desk directly across from me. Frost shook his head slowly. "And the license plate was a dead end too?" He again, shook his head. "And our number one witness just left the country." He switched to nodding this time. "So basically we have nothing." He kept nodding, a loud groan escaping my chest as I let my head fall backwards as I tried to think of something, anything that would help us catch this guy.
"I'm going to go back to the crime scene, maybe we missed something." Frost sighed, standing and pulling his blazer on. We dealt with our frustration in different ways. I dealt by either going down to the morgue and seeing Maura for half an hour, or by reading all I could about the victim until I had the motivation to work even harder to get the perp. Frost dealt by going back to crime scenes, back to interview suspects. We dealt in different ways, but we dealt with it together.
"I'll come with you." I said, pulling the address of the crime scene up on the computer in front of me.
"Nope." Frost said with a chuckle as he nodded toward the door, Maura standing there with an unimpressed expression on her face, Imogen beaming a bright smile at me as she struggled to be put down. "I'll call you if I get anything." Frost added before he walked past Maura. She stopped frowning long enough to give him a smile, but the second he was gone, she was back to glaring at me.
"Hi, baby!" I smiled, all the frustrations of my day melting away as I stood up and caught Imogen who ran straight into my arms. I lift her above my head, kissing all over her chubby face and neck, chuckling as her loud squeals of happiness echoed through the small room. "Why did you pick her up early? I'll probably have to work late tonight." I told Maura as I sat back down at my desk, Imogen in my lap as I locked the computer and let her bang away on the keyboard haphazardly.
"Because the day-care called me an hour ago and told me I had to come and collect her." Maura said, her voice thick with annoyance as she hit my shoulder with her handbag, making me jump at the sudden harsh contact. "She was walking around saying the f word all day and now all the kids are doing it!" She told me in a hushed whisper, and despite my best efforts, I laughed.
"I'm sorry." I said as I forced my laughed to stop, burying my face in Imogens hair as I tried to stop myself from high fiving the little girl. She wasn't even two years old and she was a bad influence on other kids. I was rubbing off on her way too much.
"Well can you watch her? I have an autopsy I can't push." She told me with a worried look on her face as she looked down at her watch, mentally calculating how much of her day she had already lost.
"Go, I'll take her to Ma, she'll organise something." I told her, and without another word Maura was gone. "I am in so much trouble later." I told the little girl who I lifted up onto my knee as I made my way into my boss' office. There was no way I was getting any work done today.
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Janes POV
"What are you doing?!" Maura exclaimed as I walked into the autopsy room with Imogen in my arms. She scrambled to cover the open body in front of us both. "I can't stop today." She told me, still completely frustrated and flustered with how behind she had found herself today.
"I took the rest of the day off, this case is killing me." I told me casually, completely ignoring what she had just told me as she seemed to notice that Imogen was fast asleep in me arms. "I need some baby time." I added with an affectionate smile as I pressed light kisses to Imogens head. Her facial expression changed suddenly; softened.
"You should tell Frankie about the day-care incident." She told me, smiling softly. "He will find it hysterical." I could help but laugh, knowing she was right. I also was more than aware that this was her way of apologising for snapping at me earlier.
"We'll have dinner ready when you get home." I promised, holding Imogen close to my chest as I leant over the table and pressed my lips against her cheek, letting them linger on her skin a lot longer than neseccary, my wordless way of expression that I forgave her for an ill feelings.
When we got home, I set to work on dinner, preparing it early so I had time to spend the rest of the afternoon doing what I really wanted us to do.
"We have to do something super cute." I said in the unfamiliar cheerful voice I had found myself using far too often these days. I sat at the dining room table, which was now completely covered in huge sheets of paper, Imogen comfortably on my lap as I lay out as many different colours of finger paints I could find. "I think I'm about to have just as much fun as you." I laughed as I prepared for the mess we were about to make.
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Mauras POV
I could not have been more relieved to be home as I pulled into my stone driveway, my whole body relaxing at the sight of the lights on inside. I couldn't get inside faster.
"Jane?" I called out as I walked into the house, a lump growing in my throat at the sight before me. Everywhere I looked hung paintings that I could only assume Jane had helped Imogen paint. More than one of them had my name on them, and it was overwhelming. My heart felt as though it had swelled to twice its size in my chest cavity.
"No!" Jane exclaimed as she appeared in the living room suddenly, paint on her face and Imogen wrapped in a towel that was made to look like a dinosaur in her arms. "I wanted to surprise you." She said, stomping her foot as she groaned.
"How- How did you do all this in a few hours?" I asked breathlessly as I placed my handbag on the dining room table, trying to ignore a small paint stain on the expensive stained wood.
"Well giving you a home cooked dinner was the sacrifice." She laughed, nodding toward the kitchen bench where she had clearly started making something and had given up halfway through. "But, surprise." She said, her voice going up an octave as she held Imogen close to her face, both of them smiling at me so wide it made my stomach turn.
"This is…" I wanted to tell her how much I appreciated her effort, but no words were forming when I tried to speak. So instead, I cried. Janes eyes widened as she placed Imogen on the floor and told her to go play with her dolls.
"I'm sorry, I'll clean it up I just thought…" Jane started as she wrapped her arms around my body, holding me tightly. I closed my eyes as I realised that she thought I was mad.
"No. Don't ever clean any of this up." I told her, pulling back to look at the sweet blotches of pain strewed across paper around the living room. I was overwhelmed with love as I stood there looking at Jane, Imogen laughing at herself in the background as I leant forward and rest my forehead against hers.
"So you're okay?" She asked quietly with a slight chuckle. I looked across at the little girl dressed in her dragon towel and realised I had never felt so okay in all my life.
"I love you." I said, my eyes never leaving Imogen as I spoke.
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Jane mused, turning her head to look at Imogen as she spoke. I giggled quietly, nodding before I looked back at her.
"I meant you." Her head shot back to me, her eyes wide for a moment before she looked at me with more love than any other human ever has. "I love you." I pressed my index fingertip against her chest lightly, smiling as I noted the blue paint on the tip of her nose. "Go have a shower, I'll organise dinner." She nodded wordlessly, pressing her lips lightly against mine before I moved to take her of Imogen.
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Janes POV
I was usually so good at being able to tell if Maura was awake or asleep, but as I looked across at my girlfriends rising and falling chest, I was completely clueless.
"I love you." I whispered, her eyes opening the second the words left my mouth. She sighed contently, shuffling her body closer to mine as she held my face in her hand, her thumb lightly tracing over my prominent dimple.
"You don't have to say it because I did." Her voice quiet, and I could tell she genuinely believed I was merely saying it to her because she had said it to me earlier in the evening.
"No, I love you." I told her, taking her hand in mine and bringing it to my lips. "I love you." She giggled as I started kissing up her arm, murmuring I love you over and over again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Maura giggled as her phone began ringing loudly, echoing in the large bedroom. I continued kissing her neck, my hands starting to wander over her body as she picked up her cell phone. "Hello?" She was stifling a giggle as she spoke. Then suddenly, she pushed me away and was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Where? Okay. Yeah, Jane can watch her." She said turning to look at me. I nodded in response, completely bewildered.
"What?" I asked when she hung the phone up, her face blank. "Maura?" I asked, concern growing in my body at her still frame. "Baby, what happened?" I placed my hand on her lower back, rubbing slow circles as I waited for her response.
"My mother was… She was shot. Can you watch Imogen so I can go to the hospital?" She asked, completely emotionless as she spoke.
"I can get Ma to watch her if you want me to come and…"
"No. Please, just watch her. You being there will just make it worse." I knew she was right, so why did I felt a shot of pain shoot through my heart?
"Go." I said emotionlessly as I got up and walked into Imogens bedroom, snuggling up on the single bed we had placed in the room for nights exactly like these. I hated sleeping in our bedroom alone, and at least when I slept in Imogens room I was right there if she woke up. I was a paranoid parent. Guardian. A paranoid guardian.
"I'll call you." Maura whispered as she poked her head into the bedroom. I nodded, expecting her to come in and say goodbye to Imogen, but by the time I sat up and looked back at the door; she was gone.
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Just a short little chapter this time! I want to take the time to thank all of you for being so incredibly supportive. I've been apprehensive about continuing this story but you all give me so much motivation!
Remember, if you have any one shots or even long term stories you'd like to read, let me know and I will almost certainly give them a go for you!
