Authors note: I've taken inspiration, and the general jist of a sentiment from 'Imagine Me and You' purely because I have a ridiculous crush on Tony Head and he delivers it so beautifully that you can't help but love him.
Also, I apologise.
Bear awoke with the sun, the cheerful chirping of birds stirring him from his slumbers.
After relieving himself the in the shrubbery, he loaded his rifle and stretched. It was already too hot, sweat ran down his back and he sighed. The faster he could bag this kid, the faster they could all go home.
With a final glance over his shoulder at the sleeping lump that was Chip, Bear scratched himself and headed further north.
-/-
By 8am, Tag, John, Maura and Jane were all awake. The previous evening had passed in a tense stand-off. John sitting in the back corner, glowering at Maura while being careful not to let Jane catch him. They had shared a small amount of food and consumed most of the bottled water, under Maura's strict instruction that they must stay hydrated.
"I'd like to say something." John said finally, breaking the tension. Jane and Maura sat back down, their fingers automatically intertwining as they looked up at him. Jane set her jaw and waited impatiently.
"I have been an ass." he began, drawing surprised expressions from each of them. "All my life, I've let ridiculous things infuriate me and my behaviour has driven away many people I loved." he hung his head as the burn of embarrassment tinted his cheeks. "I thought if I could stop things that I didn't agree with, or complain loudly enough about them, then I wouldn't have to face my problems. If I took on a crusade then I could ignore the war happening in my own back yard." He wiped a tear slowly from his eye and sniffed loudly. "When I first met Elaine, back in 1964, I fell for her right away and although she loved me back, I always knew I was never good enough. I never doubted, not for a second, that if she ever found someone she really fell for, someone who made her see what true love really was." He nodded towards Jane and Maura. "She'd leave me in a heartbeat, and how could I argue, deny her that joy?"
Maura wiped her eyes slowly as she watched John speak, smiling softly as Jane squeezed her hand in support.
"She spent her life trying to make me see the error of my ways, to make me a better man and I wasted our time together." A rough sob broke his voice and he paused to gather himself. "I wanted to bring her on this cruise to try and repair the cracks I had put in our relationship, and instead, when she needed me most, I let my pride get in the way when I should have apologised."
He crouched in front of Maura and Jane and took each of their hands within his own.
"I don't hate you, not really, how could anyone hate such obvious love? My brother 'came out' when he was young and was angry about it, he pushed us away, never spoke to us again. I couldn't deal with it."
Tag sniffed loudly before wiping his nose carelessly across his sleeve. Turning to regard Maura, John struggled to meet her gaze.
"You remind me very much of Elaine. You're kind and pure and you do the right thing." His voice shook, a cracked and little sound that was almost inaudible. "Maura, you are a wonderful woman, and I am deeply shamed by my actions."
Jane sniffed loudly, her own eyes clouding with tears. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me?"
A weighted silence filled the cave, three sets of tear filled eyes settled on the doctor as they awaited her answer.
Maura studied him for many moments, searching his eyes carefully. A brilliant smile burst over her face and she got to her feet and wrapped the man in a hug. In her loving embrace, John Ford broke down, violent sobs shaking his body and by proxy, Maura's too.
-/-
Sitting on a rock in the shade of a large palm, Bear drank the milk from a coconut before rubbing at the stubble on his face. The kid he was hunting had proved so much more elusive than he'd anticipated. It was almost 10am and, so far, there had been no sign of him at all.
Bear had been all over the Northwest side, checking every cave and crevice he could find. There was no evidence that anyone had been there at all, no remnants of a camp-fire, no trampled shrubbery. Nothing.
Getting to his feet, Bear grunted, letting out a distinctly vile passing of gas as he straightened himself. He knew of two or three good caves on the east side that the kid might have found and with a final, foul belch. He set off to claim his prize and if he didn't find him, well it was no real loss, its not like they could get off the island anyway.
-/-
"OK, so does everyone have everything?" Jane asked as shook her head slowly. They needed more supplies, some food. The cheese rolls she had put into her bag hadn't lasted long and with the benefit of hindsight, bread probably wasn't the best thing to have brought with them, it spoiled too quickly.
Maura had suggested doing a little foraging in the nearby area, drawing everyone a diagram of various leaves and berries they would be able to eat. Fishing would have been a much preferred option but with the whereabouts of the shooters still unknown, it would be nothing more than suicide to spend so much time out in the open. Reluctantly, Jane had agreed to foraging. She tucked the handgun into the back of her pants and procured herself one of the knives she had in her pack, giving Maura the hunting knife she'd found on the body.
"Don't go far, stay in cover and do not split off from the others." Jane ordered, fixing everyone with a stern expression. "We'll meet back here by noon."
Tag chuckled. 'High noon' It was always the thing of westerns, a gunfight at the OK Corral. Guys dressed in black and white facing off in the dirt and dust.
"Yes." Maura picked up where Jane had finished. "We should stay out of the height of the sun. Fill some bottles with water before we leave so we don't get dehydrated."
They had been boiling the rain water over the fire for most of the night, doing their best to purify it with their limited means.
One by one, each person filled a bottle and tucked it in one of the bags. Jane had opted to go out on her own to try and find the shooters. It might not be Boston, but catching killers was what she did best. She tucked some meagre supplies into her bag and pulled Maura into a heated kiss.
"Please baby, be careful." she breathed softly as she pulled back, her lips tingling from the contact.
Maura smiled warmly at her. "Of course I will, Jane." She leant in, recapturing Jane's lips in a warm and sensual kiss, her hands running through tangled raven hair.
"Promise me." Jane's usual raspy tone dropped lower as she tried to contain the passion that had risen to the surface in her lovers arms.
"I promise." Maura whispered, kissing Jane's nose fondly.
"Come on then Doc." Tag fidgeted as he watched the couple. "Let's get moving." he lead the way out of the cave and into the scrub. Maura followed him and John completed the train.
Jane watched as they made their way through the trees, being careful not to make too much noise as they went. She smiled sadly, her heart contracting painfully in her chest as she watched Maura leave. She fought the urge to chase after her, to stop her heading away from the safety of the cave but she knew Maura could take care of herself. She also knew that Tag and John would protect her as best they could. It was an unspoken pact.
After John's confession earlier in the morning, she had come to see him, not as the arrogant homophobe he had initially appeared to be but as a broken and insecure man; lost in his own world and now, lost and alone on an island with no one to believe in him.
She wanted to hate him, treat him as he had treated them and yet, when she looked in his eyes, she couldn't see the hate there. All she saw was a lost and broken little boy, begging to be loved. She knew Maura had been right to forgive him.
Jane ran her hands through her tangled hair and sighed. She had to go and find the people that were shooting at them. Throwing her bag onto her back, she moved the gun to a more accessible place on her belt and headed out in the opposite direction.
She'd been walking for no more then 30 minutes when she paused to take a drink. The shadow flicked through the trees a few feet ahead of her, she swallowed the liquid that suddenly felt like rocks in her throat. Her heart raced in her chest, adrenalin coursing through her system as she pulled her gun. He moved quickly, making more noise than she would have. He had nothing to worry about, he was a hunter, he had the weapons and was definitely not expecting to be stalked by Jane Rizzoli.
She tightened the cap on the bottle and dumped it unceremoniously into her pack before taking off after him. She stepped in his footsteps, thankful for her long – gangly her mother had said – legs that made keeping stride with him somewhat easier.
Gunshots thundered through the jungle and everyone who heard them ducked automatically.
As she recovered, Jane scanned the trees carefully, looking for any sign of movement. She had been so close. The figure she'd seen had somehow vanished into the thick undergrowth.
"Bastard!" she muttered under her breath, covering the area quickly just to be sure. 'He has to be here', she thought, guiding the gun methodically as she scanned the area once more.
"Jane!" The panic that filled the voice snapped her head back towards the beach. Her heart clenched in her chest, her feet carrying her through the scrub before she'd consciously realised she was moving.
Skidding onto the edge of the beach, Jane's knees turned to jelly as her headcount only made it to two.
"Maura!" Despite the shake in her legs, Jane threw herself forward, trying to ignore the twist of her stomach as she ripped the pack from her back.
"Maura, baby." She collapsed at the side of the prone body on the beach, her hand covering the dark crimson stain that covered her chest.
"Jane?" She clenched her teeth against the bile that rushed into her throat and mouth. Never had she anticipated hating the way her name would sound falling from Maura's lips. But this? A gurgled whisper that she'd heard so many times. A last word.
"I'm here baby." Jane brushed sandy hair from Maura's face as her eyes fluttered closed. "You'll be OK." The sob that choked her voice broke over the group.
Maura's eyes fluttered open briefly, meeting tear reddened brown. "It was always you." the doctor coughed gently, sending a bright red spray of blood into Jane's face. "You are the love of my life."
Jane leant in, kissing Maura's forehead softly as though the action would infuse Maura with her own life. "Hold on Maura, please." Jane begged unashamedly. "You can't die, you're the only light left in the world."
John and Tag stepped away, retreating the few steps back into the tree line, each wiping at his own tears.
"Maura!" Jane shook her gently, her fingers racing for a pulse point and feeling nothing. "Maura Isles!" Jane shook her lifeless body harder, before checking her neck once again.
Tipping the doctors head back, Jane began a futile round of CPR. "You can't die." Jane sobbed, pounding hard on Maura's chest. "Let it be me!" Her tears cut through the blood and dirt on her face. "I'm sorry baby, please. I'm sorry." She paused, littering kisses over Maura's face before trying once more to revive her.
Strong arms wrapped firmly around the hysterical brunette, dragging her to her feet. "There's nothing you can do." John whispered, struggling to speak through the tears. "She's gone."
Jane shoved him back fiercely, causing him to land heavily in the sand. "She's not!" Jane insisted, "She promised." She sank to her knees, the fight draining from her body as Maura's blood soaked into her pants. Scooping Maura into her arms, Jane rocked her gently. "You promised." she whispered between the kisses that she placed in Maura's hair.
Tag offered a hand to John, helping the older man to his feet. "Come on." he whispered, "We should give them, her, some space."
John brushed himself down as he watched Jane. "It's too open here." He said, looking around quickly. "She's too exposed. They could easily shoot her." He made to try and pull Jane away once more, but Tag held him fast.
"I don't think she cares." he told him.
-/-
Tag and John sat in the back of the cave in stony silence. The day had been going so well, Maura had pointed out some wild asparagus growing just on the edge of the tree line. They had gathered much before Maura lost her footing and tumbled down the incline onto the beach. Despite the risks, they had all laughed as Maura picked herself up and stood on the sand laughing as she brushed her clothes down. Then she wasn't laughing any more.
John wiped his eyes again. He really had grown to like the doctor and her blatant honesty that was so much like Elaine's.
They stared into the flames of the fire, the total waste of life this trip had garnished weighing heavily on them both. Tag got to his feet, reaching for the pack. He pulled a hooded sweater and held it in shaking hands.
John looked up briefly, nodding his understanding as Tag stepped into the frigid night.
As he walked through the shrubbery, his heart pounded. He felt as though he were walking into a lions den holding a zebra leg. As he reached the tree line, he paused, dropping low and peering gingerly along the beach. Jane hadn't moved, not an inch. She sat less than six feet from the relative safety of cover.
"Jane." Tag whispered softly as he crouched at her side. She didn't move nor did she acknowledge his presence, even as he picked up the gun from where it had fallen and removed the magazine. Tag felt his heart break just a little bit more as he watched Jane. Her eyes shone in the moonlight, puffy and red and staring blindly out across the ocean.
Wrapping the sweater around her shoulders he squeezed gently before turning to leave.
"Tag?" Jane's voice was hoarse, gritty and barely audible.
The young man paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"She's really gone." Fresh tears shook Jane's frame and Tag crouched down at her side. He stole a glance at Maura who appeared for all the world to be sleeping. He reached out slowly so as not to startled the brunette, his hand brushing over her forearm lightly.
"She was a wonderful lady." He said softly, squeezing her arm.
Jane looked at him, almost surprised to see him there. "She was too good for me. She admitted, "I should have been better for her." Her gaze returned to the doctors face. "Then you'd still be here."
Tag couldn't speak, his throat constricting painfully around unshed tears.
"Are you coming back?" He asked eventually, knowing full well what the answer would be.
Jane shook her head. "I need one more night with her." she ran her fingers over warm freckles. "I need to..." her voice cracked, she knew it was over, she was now alone, completely and totally alone and yet, she couldn't say what she meant. To vocalise her need to say goodbye was to make it real.
Tag nodded. "Sweetest of dreams." he whispered, transferring a kiss from his fingers to Maura's forehead.
-/-
The next day...
Steve had heard the the screams, sobs of a shattered heart echoing around the forest, filling paradise with sorrow. He'd collected his things and headed north, towards the sounds. When he had fallen and cut himself in the darkness, he had given up, deciding to wait until first light.
Setting out at the crack of dawn, Steve had been less than a couple of miles into his trek when he came across a small clearing. Vegetation was flattened and evidence of a camp fire littered the space. As he searched for clues as to who had camped here, a loud crunch caused him to turn, aiming the rifle in the direction of the sound.
"You fuck!" Bear screamed, shoving the barrel of the rifle away. His putrid breath rolling over the smaller man, causing him to involuntarily recoil.
"It's you that's been stealing my shit." Bear continued. "I should shoot you where you stand." He had made an impromptu camp, rather than returning to Chip in the cave the previous night.
Steve backed up a few paces, holding his hand out in front of him. "Woah there." He stopped only when his back hit a tree. "What the hell is happening?"
Bear frowned. "You've not been stealing my shit?" he asked.
Steve shook his head. "Man, I've not seen you since we left the plane."
He watched as Bear processed the information before shrugging it off. "Oh did you see those new ones." he smiled. "I popped another one of them last night." His mood lifted considerably as he performed a celebratory dance on the spot. "Shame though," he leered, "She was..." he grunted, thrusting his hips.
"What?" Steve swallowed against the bile that rose in his throat.
Bear nodded, the lecherous grin plastered firmly on his face. "She was..." he cupped his hands at imaginary breasts. "Bet she was tight.. shoulda found out first."
Nausea overcame Steve and he turned, vomiting violently into the scrub.
"You gotta lighten up man!" Bear laughed, slapping Steve on the back.
Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Steve pushed past Bear.
"You're a sick, sick man!" he spat, turning from the clearing and heading back towards the beach.
As he edged closer to the tree line almost an hour later, he paused. Bear had been right. A lithe brunette, clad in shorts and a sports bra moved purposefully in her task. He watched her for many minutes as she built some sort of platform. Her strength surprised him; she threw logs around effortlessly, pausing only to secure them.
"What is she doing?" he wondered aloud. Creeping closer, his heart sank into his boots when he saw the body. "Oh God." he turned quickly, the snap of a branch shattering the silence. Glancing over his shoulder, his stomach dropped as the brunettes head snapped up towards him. Even with the distance between them, she was clearly wild, feral. Dangerous.
Steve took to his heels and ran for all he was worth.
Jane had refused to call it a pyre. It was a platform, to keep Maura out of the sand and away from the crabs that had hounded her toes during the night. To protect her until Jane could take her home. The work was hard, her hands screamed in pain, her blood mixing with Maura's on her skin. She felt nothing.
She'd worked for over three hours in the blistering heat when she heard the sound. A heavy foot snapping branches in the trees. She spun in the direction of the sound, her eyes scanning the trees. There was movement. Snatching the handgun from the sand, she took chase.
Thorns, twigs and branches ripped at her bare feet as she followed the man. This time, he wouldn't get away. She leapt gracefully over felled trees, leaving a macabre trail of blood in her wake.
'Fall, fall, fall." she chanted the mantra over and over in her head. The loud crash indicated her one and only piece of good luck thus far.
Jane skidded to a halt over the prone figure on the ground. "Why?" she snapped, fists smashing into the man's face. "Why'd ya do it?" she punched him over and over as he writhed under her, trying in vain to shield his face from the barrage.
"She was good and pure and you killed her!" Jane stopped her assault suddenly, pulling the gun from the back of her shorts and aiming it squarely between Steve's eyes.
"No, please!" Steve begged, "I didn't do it. I swear, I can show you..."
"Now, I kill you!" she snarled, pulling the trigger. An empty click deafened her.
"I know how you feel." Steve whispered, tears streaming down his face. "It happened to me too!"
Jane paused, her face contorting in confusion. "No!" she shouted, pushing herself off of him and staring dumbly at the gun and the hole where the magazine should be. "You killed her. You took away her light."
Steve crawled back slowly, his eyes never leaving Jane. "I wouldn't do that." he whispered.
Pointing the gun directly in his face, Jane growled. "Why?" sobs strangled the word.
"I swear to you." Steve knelt up, reaching gingerly for Jane's arm. "But I'm not the only one on this island."
Jane's sobs locked in her throat and red eyes held Steve in place. "What?" her voice dropped to a dangerous purr.
"I'm not the only one on the island." Steve repeated slowly. "I know who killed your wife."
Jane yanked him roughly to his feet, his rifle clattering into his backpack. Realisation washed over Jane. The man was armed, he could easily have shot her. But he hadn't.
"Come on." she said, shoving him back towards the cave. "Gimme that!" she wrenched the rifle from him and shot a round into the air, making Steve jump and trot faster.
-/-
"And we're leaving tomorrow." Steve concluded.
He'd spent the best part of three hours explaining the situation as best he knew it.
"Could you untie me now?" he asked. Despite his protest, Jane had insisted on tying his hands behind his back.
Both Tag and John looked to Jane who nodded to Tag. Stepping forward, he sliced through the bindings with ease.
Steve rubbed his wrists, massaging the bruised flesh gently.
"Now what?" Tag asked, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence that filled the cave.
Jane ran her hands through her hair, flinching as her fingers caught in the knots. "Now we know where they're going, I go and find them."
John opened his mouth to protest but closed it rapidly when Jane's glare settled on him. She busied herself collecting together supplies, including the stolen magazine from Tag who, quite literally shrank away from her.
"Give me your shoes." She pointed at Steve's feet and froze as a memory hit her.
They had been working a case, a coach at the Boston Pilgrims had turned up dead and Jane was about to go to dinner with a suspect, to try and get some more information.
She'd gone down to Maura's office to find out what 'Le Beau Truc' was. Maura had explained to her that it was a five star French restaurant.
"Is this OK?" she'd asked, regarding her outfit.
"Are you out of your mind?" Maura asked her. There was no malice in her tone as she spoke.
She'd teased Jane, calling the interview 'le booty call'. Jane felt her heart melt as the doctor turned, placing a file back on her desk before stripping from her jacket and turning her back on the detective.
"Unzip me." she had instructed. Jane had been mildly perplexed by the request. Despite her increasing feelings towards the somewhat quirky doctor, she had remained silent. Not giving them voice for fear of the rejection she was sure awaited her.
"Why?" Jane heard herself ask the question and was surprised to hear the word. Her tone was so even, balanced. A total contrast to the hurricane of emotion that swirled through her.
"You can't go like that!" Maura told her, as though it should be perfectly obvious that the pant suit she was wearing was entirely wrong from the venue. "We'll trade clothes."
Jane had objected, but Maura's ever familiar head tilt confirmed that she had no choice. It would be the easy way, or the hard way. Minutes later, she had been stood in Maura's insanely expensive dress and her own long black socks and boots while the doctor fritzed her with equally expensive perfume.
Maura had complained about the plain boots, calling them 'fashion homicide' as she slipped from her Jimmy Choo's. Jane had objected, she tried to fight it, knowing the heels would cripple her feet. Guaranteed foot homicide. Maura wouldn't relent, she never did.
"They're too small." Jane whined as Maura handed them to her.
"Give them back!" Maura stated simply. She had the ability to confound and delight the detective with the simplest of actions. As Jane slipped from her boots and socks, Maura vanished briefly into the autopsy room, returning moments later with a scalpel.
She set the shoes down on her desk and set to work cutting the toes from the designer heels without a second thought.
Jane's hands flew to her mouth as she watched the sharp blade slice effortlessly through the material. That was the moment she knew. To anyone else it was a simple act, nothing special. To Jane Rizzoli, it was an act of pure love. That was the moment she knew she would love this woman forever. As Maura Isles stood in her office wearing Jane's suit and proudly offered the shoes to Jane with a delighted "Voilà! Peep toes." Jane promised herself that she would make this woman hers for the rest of their lives.
"You look sexy" Maura had told her.
"You look like..." The pause was small but noticeable as Jane had considered her next word. "..you're wearing my clothes." she finished.
Tears streaked her face as she stepped into Steve's boots.
"Do not move from here!" she ordered. "Tag?" The young man got immediately to his feet. "Take this." she handed him the glock she'd found in Steve's pack and a new clip. "If he tries to run," she gestured to Steve. "Shoot him!"
Tag's eyes were wide. "Sh-shoot him?"
Jane nodded. "Try not to kill him." She glanced down at Steve as she threw the back pack over her shoulders. His face was as white as snow and he licked his lips nervously. "But if you do?" All eyes turned to her expectantly. "It's no great loss."
She turned and strode from the cave.