Are you excited? I know you have been anxiously awaiting this chapter. Your reviews said as much. *Giggle*
Go! You know you can't wait a second longer.
Jane's hands were around her throat, and like before like before they squeezed in warning before lightly holding Maura's neck. Maura held still. Slowly Jane directed Maura towards the wall, and when Maura was pressed flush against it she went almost limp in Jane's grasp. She didn't let her legs buckle, but she relaxed all her muscles and made no threats to the woman in front of her. The Alpha.
Maura was examined by dark eyes, from head to toe. One of the hands around her throat pulled away and gently took hold of a piece of Maura's hair, twisting it and feeling its texture. Then that same hand stroked her check, feeling how soft the skin was.
Maura felt like a piece of meat. Jane without a collar was a top predator, and right now Maura seemed to be the prey. She trembled slightly, against her will.
Jane took a step closer and more closely invaded Maura's personal space. They looked at each other eye to eye, and though Maura knew she should have probably looked away, she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she stared right back.
There was a twitch to Jane's mouth.
Soon the hand on her face reached around Maura to her back, and slowly slid down to the back pocket of her jeans. As the hand went into the pocket to pull out the key Maura had stashed there Jane leaned closer.
"Maura". It was said slowly, softly, almost with reverence.
Maura's eyes went wide, she must have looked stupid, but she didn't care. She had said her name. Jane had said her name!
Jane just kept looking at her, her eyes ghosting back and forth all over Maura's face. Slowly the other hand around Maura's neck released. She didn't move she stayed as flush to wall as she could.
Jane backed away and turned to the door, unlocking it quickly. When it was opened Jane looked back to Maura, whose eyes were closed and her breaths deep. Maura couldn't believe what had just happened.
When she opened her eyes again she saw Jane walk through the door. She saw Jane leave.
Maura slumped to floor.
"Maura!? Maura!?"
She heard him from downstairs. Yelling for her, worried for her. She didn't move or call out though. She couldn't believe what had just happened a few hours ago. She hadn't moved since Jane had left. She had spent all night and most of the day sitting on the padded floor is disbelief. Jane was gone. Probably gone for good and for some reason a hole opened up in her heart, one she wasn't sure she could fix even if she wanted to. It felt almost as bad as when Cameron had died. She was alone again. She hated being alone.
"MAURA!?"
He was getting frantic now that she hadn't responded to his call. He probably thought she was hurt, or dead. She felt dead.
She saw him run past the open door of the padded room she was sitting in. A few second later he had backtracked and was beside her. He was checking her over visually for injury while he tried to get his thoughts in order.
"God Maura I thought she had killed you. You weren't answering your phone and didn't you hear me calling for you?" He grabbed her arm and helped her back to her feet. "Where is she Maura? Where did Jane go? I can't find her in the house"
With a heavy heart Maura had to tell him. "She's gone. She's gone Korsak."
He just looked at her, disbelief in his eyes. "What do you mean gone?"
"Exactly what I just said," she looked to the floor. "I uncollared her; she had me by the throat. She uh- she spoke again." She was twisting her ring now. "And then she left. She's probably long gone by now. We won't be seeing her again I should think."
Korsak looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. "We have to find her Maura. We can't let an uncollared Alpha out on the loose. She could kill someone! She will kill someone!"
"She won't. I know her; she won't hurt anyone unless they hurt her first."
"Dammit Maura. You don't know her at all. The woman you came to know was a submissive, controllable individual. The woman who left this room today was not the woman you came to know over the last few months. She'll hurt someone."
"No Vince. She won't. I don't know how I know it but I do. She won't." Maura started towards the doorway. "If you'll excuse me I have to go pick Jonathan up from school." She brushed passed him and made her way down the stairs.
"You got attached didn't you?" His tone was accusing. "Cameron always warned you to never get attached and here you are doing exactly what she warned you to never do."
Facing away from him Maura responded with ice in her voice. "In case you haven't noticed Vince, Cameron is gone. She fucking gone! I'm lonely; of course I was going to get attached. Do you think I wanted to? Do you think I wasn't trying to fight it? For a genius I really am stupid." She spit the words out with venom. "Make no mistake, I won't let it happened again. I'll suffer in my own silence and raise Jonathan and work the ranch. That's it. Now get out!"
She quickly finished going down the stairs and went outside to her car, letting the door slam behind her. Her forehead hit the steering wheel. What was she going to tell Jonathan? He got just as attached as she did. She wanted to cry.
…
"Jane! Jane! Look what I made at school today! Jane!"
Maura wanted to cry again. It had become the norm for Jonathan to show Jane what he had done at school as soon as he got home. Now Jane wasn't here, and she didn't know how Jonathan would react. She knew he vaguely remembered Cameron, and at times seemed to miss her. But this was going to be different. He was old enough to form long term memories and she had absolutely no idea what was going to happen when she had to tell him Jane was gone.
"Jane?" He sounded frantic now. He was running all through the house and when he couldn't find her he waited at the bottom of the attic stairs looking up. "Jane!?"
"Jonathan honey, come here." Maura settle into one of the kitchen chairs with a heavy heart.
Jonathan glanced at her and then his gaze went back to the attic stairs.
"Where's Jane mommy? Is she with the horses?"
"No baby, she isn't. Come here for me."
With uncertain steps he walked towards his mother, when he stood in front of her he didn't react as she lifted him onto her lap. He leaned into her, his head on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Jonathan but Jane is gone."
He pulled away from Maura so fast that she almost didn't catch him before he fell off her lap. "Gone?"
"Yes, she's gone. She left last night. She doesn't live with us anymore sweetheart."
His eyes got big, and she saw them glimmer as the tears started. "NO!" He started fighting the grip that Maura had on him.
"Yes Than, I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I know you liked her, I did too, but she's gone. She's not coming back."
"No! No! She's coming back! She wouldn't leave…she wouldn't." He started banging on Maura's chest with his small fists. He was crying in earnest now. Crying so hard he was having trouble breathing.
"Than. Than! You have to calm down sweetheart. Please, you need to calm down."
"Want Jane! I want Jane!" He's turned wild. This was worse than Maura had expected. She was worried now. He had formed a much stronger attachment to Jane than she had realized. She didn't know what to do, emotions were never her forte.
"Please Jonathan. Calm down. Please." He violently pulled away from her, and she did lose her grip this time. He fell to the floor and after a stunned moment of silence on both their parts he scrambled up off the floor and ran outside before Maura could reach for him.
She wanted to go after him. But she knew if he was anything like Cameron that he needed to be alone with his emotions. He needed to burn off his anxiety. He would be back.
He would. Maura was sick of crying.
…
It had taken a few hours, but eventually Jonathan came back. He was despondent, barely eating any dinner, refusing to look or talk to Maura. When he was done he silently got up and went to his room. Maura heard his door close and closed her own eyes in relief that he was home but sadness that he was hurting so much.
Maura couldn't finish her own dinner; the day's events had of course taken their toll. She cleaned up; grief stealing her thoughts as she remembered this was Jane's job that she had designated herself. When the kitchen was clean she went to her study to try and work on some paperwork for the ranch.
A couple hours later she came back to herself and realized she had gotten nothing done and in fact had just sat at her desk doing nothing, looking at nothing. She looked at the clock and saw it was past ten in the evening. She felt like her soul had split again. Once when Cameron had died was enough, at least she had had some time to get ready for the grief with her passing. She had been sick for a while.
But this.
This was different, it was so sudden and Maura was having trouble handling it. She made her way out of the study and around the house to turn off the lights and check the locks. In her room she collapsed on her side of the bed, wishing she didn't feel so alone. She fell asleep in her clothes, with a heavy heart and a heavy mind.
A few hours later she jolted awake. He dream had been vague, and she really couldn't remember much of it. She felt sick. Not a sickness of the body, but one of the mind and soul. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She made a quick decision and stood up, wobbling slightly. Once she steadied she went to Jonathan's room to check on him. He was sleeping at least, but she could see the tear stains on his face. Then she went to the kitchen, to tallest cabinet over the stove and pulled down the bottle of Whiskey that Cameron and she used to share after a hard day. She grabbed a shot glass as well and put them at the kitchen table where she took a seat.
She poured herself a shot and quickly threw it back. It burned. It always burned but at least she felt something as it went down. She poured another and immediately swallowed that one as well. She poured a third and just looked at it. Trying to decide if she really wanted to drink it or not. It would be wasteful to not drink it since it was poured.
As she went to reach for it, a long fingered hand grabbed it first. Maura watched as the figure threw back the shot and sat stunned at the glass was gently put back on the table. The kitchen was illuminated by the spotlight outside the house and it took Maura's fuzzy mind to realize who was standing in her kitchen, staring at her. She quickly looked to the kitchen door and saw that is had been opened, the hidden key still dangling from the lock.
She looked back at the figure, her eyes passing and sticking to the Alpha tattoo on the person's, no the woman's face.
Jane.
It was Jane and she had come back. She was standing in her kitchen with no collar, and not an ounce of aggression emanating from her. Maura's eyes went to the brown ones above her. She was in some state of shock. Jane took a step closer, grabbed the whiskey bottle and the shot glass, making sure to wash it, and put them back in the cabinet.
When Jane turned around Maura was still watching her. She watched her walk to the attic stairs and after a brief pause disappeared up the stairs.
Maura smiled. No more crying.
Well? How was that? I think this is one of my favorite chapters. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it. I will warn you now it might be a couple weeks before I update again. I need to do some more story planning before we hit the next leg of this journey. Fare thee well until next time.