A New Path
By RandomGnome
Note: After a very long hiatus, I am back. This isn't my usual fair, but bless Hulu, it has S1 – S6 of Rizzoli and Isles and I finally got to watch all of them. After watching the whole thing, I decided that it could use with a little Rizzles and some re-writes of episodes. I hope you enjoy it. All mistakes in editing are mine alone (editing sucks!) The characters are not mine and I do not own anything but the story plot. Mostly.
Author's Note: This episode is one of my least favourites. I thought that Susie's death was a complete waste of a great character. Especially considering that she seemed to have befriended Nina a few episodes before this. It's possibly the longest chapter yet, but when I tried to shorten it, it didn't feel right. At any rate, here it goes. Read and review, please! You're all the very best there is!
Chapter Twenty-One: Too Many Good-byes (Misconduct)
Doctor Maura Isles never ceased to be amazed how quickly a day could go from fabulous to depressing when doing her job. She never knew when going to a crime scene, whether or not, she might know the victim. It hadn't happened often – though she could never forget being called to the scene at Barry Frost's accident. There are some sights that would never leave her.
She'd known something was up when she saw Kent at the crime scene that she'd been called in on. Why have both of them there? As Jane had said, they had called out the cavalry – the scene fairly swarmed with officers and a CSRU team that didn't look familiar. When the M.E. saw the two detectives' faces, she'd known that it was bad.
She hadn't expected Jane to say, "I'm so sorry. It's…Susie." She'd struggled to say the last word, her voice catching.
Maura felt her stomach drop. "What?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Jane reached out for her, clasping her hand and squeezing, but the doctor barely registered it. "What happened?"
"I…I don't know, yet. I'll go upstairs and find out. Wh-Why don't you get a uniform to take you home?" Jane suggested, gently.
Maura did not hesitate. "No. I'll be fine," she told the detective and pushed past her and Korsak, to go into the apartment. Both detectives were right on her heels.
Frankie was already inside, standing in front of a side-by-side fridge covered in pictures. From the looks of that refrigerator and the other framed images around the room, Susie was a very active person. Was. Maura swallowed hard as she approached and joined the man looking at the photographs.
"I, uh…I never knew she went sky diving," Frankie said, awkwardly.
"She asked me to join her," Maura told them, feeling sick. "Now I wish I had." She felt Jane's hand on her shoulder and took what little comfort she could from the touch. It all felt surreal. How could Susie be dead? Next to Jane and her family, Susie had been Maura's closest friend and confidant. How could she be gone?
Maura couldn't look at the pictures anymore, so she turned and walked away. She vaguely heard Jane ask Frankie if he was okay. She knew that not one person who had worked with Susie could possibly be okay at this moment. She stopped, looking around the apartment, taking it in. She called Susie a friend, but she'd not been in the apartment – not once.
"Around 8:00 A.M. this morning," she heard Frankie give his report to his sister. Doing his job. If he could do it, so could she. She listened. "A neighbour noticed the front door standing open. They came in, found the body, called 911." Maura stopped really paying attention, then, focusing on where the CSRUs were clustered. Her feet moved before she could stop them. She stopped once to glance at the pictures in their frames, not really seeing them.
The sound of a camera and Kent's voice gathered her attention. "All right, let's get her back." He said, and Maura understood that to mean, back to the morgue.
"One moment." She said, her voice steadier than she would have thought it could. She walked towards where Kent and the CSRUs – a black body-bag on a stretcher between them.
"Doctor Isles, I-I'm sorry. I-I would've waited. Just –"
"It's okay," Maura told him, though it was clearly not. He'd just been following procedure. She went to the body bag and was surprised to find that she was already wearing gloves, but didn't remember when she had put them on. Slowly, painfully, she unzipped the bag and opened it.
She gazed down at the body that had once been her colleague and friend. Pale, eyes closed, face slack – the body barely resembled the active and intelligent person she'd seen just the day before. She wanted to say something, wanted Susie to know that they would find who had done this to her. Maura simply could not wrap her head around the idea that someone would murder Susie Chang.
Maura closed the bag with the same care that she'd used to open it. She looked up and saw that Jane had come over and was standing with her hands folded in front of her. Maura wanted very much to go to her girlfriend and allow herself to be enfolded. Jane couldn't bring Susie back, but she could make the pain easier to bear.
"Findings?" She asked, her voice still much steadier than she would have thought.
Kent cleared his throat and swallowed audibly. "Time of death was approximately sometime between midnight and 1:00 A.M., cause appears to be blunt-force trauma to the back of the head. The victim shows no –"
"'Susie'." Jane broke in.
"I'm sorry – what?" Kent asked, confused.
"Her name," Jane corrected gently, "Susie."
It took Kent a moment to respond, tripping over his words. "Uh," he finally said, "I see no apparent signs of a struggle. No signs of bruising, or any other marks to.. Susie's body."
"So she never saw it coming," Jane correlated.
Maura stared down at the bag, the pain of loss squeezing her heart until it hurt. "Let's hope not."
Jane said, "We'll find who did this, Maura," in a hard, resolute tone. It was the same tone she'd used when she told the M.E. that she'd get her out of prison. She'd kept her promise then and Maura had no reason to believe that she wouldn't keep it now. She gave the detective a grateful look.
Kent nodded his head and the CSRUs took a hold of the stretcher, starting to move out. Maura watched, and then she followed because she didn't know what else to do. Kent stood next to her as they loaded Susie's body into the ambulance. Maura wished that she could ride with her, but knew better.
"I didn't know her for long," the Scotsman said, "but she seemed… Well, she seemed very competent." It was high praise coming from him.
Maura agreed. "She was. Exceedingly."
Kent met her eyes for just a moment before dropping them to the ground and saying, "I lost a lot of colleagues in Afghanistan. I'm sorry. I know how hard this is."
The Chief Medical Examiner looked at her assistant. "As Susie's employer and friend, I have an obligation to recuse myself from the autopsy. But I'd like to see the results as soon as possible."
Kent looked at her with understanding in his eyes. "Of course." He said, with a brief nod of his head. Then he walked away and got in the Crime Scene van. Maura stood watching as it drove away, feeling bereft. How could they lose someone else so soon after Frost? Who would want to kill Susie? Why?
She didn't hear Jane coming, only felt familiar arms – warm, strong, comforting – wrap around her waist. The taller woman pulled Maura against her and leaned her head down to murmur directly into the M.E.'s ear. "I'm so sorry, Honey. I know it hurts."
Maura felt tears sting her eyes and closed them hard. She couldn't find her voice. All that she wanted to do was turn around and bury her face in Jane and cry. It was unprofessional, so she simply stayed and let the brunette hold her. Frankie came out of the building next and stood beside them. He looked sad and pensive – worried about something. Maura had known him long enough to see that something more than just the death of a friend and colleague was on his mind. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but he beat her to it.
"Korsak wanted me to tell you to head back to headquarters," he said, obviously talking to Jane.
His sister nodded, but didn't let go of Maura and neither of them moved. Maura didn't want to leave the shelter that were Jane's arms and her warm comfort. She knew that Jane would have to let go eventually, but it didn't have to be right now.
"I'll take Maura home," Jane began, but Maura shook her head. She leaned forward – still within the security of Jane's arms – and looked up at the detective.
"No. I need to go to work." The M.E. said, resolutely. Jane looked like she wanted to argue, but closed her mouth and nodded. Maura gave her a grateful quirk of her lips before settling back against her again. Jane's arms tightened briefly in response. It never stopped amazing Maura just how well they knew each other and how easily they had finally come together. Without Jane here to lend her strength, she wasn't sure she could have borne this.
"Okay," Frankie finally said, "I'm gonna go see if Korsak needs anything else from me. I'll see you back at headquarters." He reached out and gave Maura's shoulder a squeeze before he went back inside.
Maura waited until he was gone before she turned in Jane's arms and rested her forehead against Jane's shoulder. She took several deep breaths of Jane scented air and finally stepped free of her girlfriend's arms. Jane let her go, but Maura could feel her reluctance to do so.
"Thank you, Jane." She said.
"Always, Honey. I'm…When you're ready to talk about how you're feeling, just let me know, okay? I know how hard this is." Unlike hearing it from Kent, the words meant more coming from Jane. Maura knew that her girlfriend had suffered this kind of pain when it came to losing her partner, Barry Frost. Maura was well aware that Frost hadn't been murdered; his death had been an accident. What she loved most about Jane was that the detective hadn't asked her if she was all right.
"Will you drive us back to headquarters? I'd like to go to my office." Maura requested.
"Absolutely." Jane took the car keys from her pocket and handed them to the M.E.. "Let me just go tell Korsak and Frankie that I'll meet them there, okay?"
Maura nodded. She took the car keys and started walking across the street to Jane's car. She didn't have to wait for very long before the detective came back down stairs. Maura watched her walk towards the car, her stride long and purposeful. She knew that her detective would not stop until they had found Susie's killer and for a brief shining moment, that filled her with hope.
Jane slid into the car with ease that spoke of long familiarity with this vehicle. Maura handed her the keys back without a word and she started the car. Once they were on the road, she fiddled with the radio, trying to find something – anything – that might ease the tension they were both feeling. Failing that, she turned it off and they both spent the drive back to headquarters lost in their own thoughts.
Jane rode down to the basement in the elevator with Maura and followed the M.E. into her office. She sat on the couch while Maura took her laptop out of her bag and set it on her desk. She sat down, frowning, because Jane had not moved from her seat.
"Jane?"
"Hmm?" The brunette looked at her curiously.
"I don't want to sound rude, however, don't you have a case to solve?"
That earned her a little smile. "I can't do anything until the evidence is back. Frankie said he would text me when he and Korsak get back and we can officially start the investigation" Jane told her, calmly. Then she added, "I don't want to leave you alone."
Maura scoffed, "Jane, that's ridiculous. I'm fine."
It was Jane's turn to scoff. Instead she looked at the M.E. and replied, "You're as fine as I was after we lost Frost."
Maura felt the lump in her throat that had been there since she'd looked at Susie's corpse make its presence known again. She swallowed hard and blinked her tears away. Now was not the time. "Jane." Her plea was not lost on the brunette.
"Come here, Maura."
Maura didn't argue. She got up and sat down on the couch next to Jane, curling into her side, just like she did at home. Today, she didn't care that they were at work and that this was not exactly appropriate behaviour. All she wanted was to fall asleep and wake up from this awful nightmare. She'd had much the same thoughts after Frost died.
As before, at the crime scene, Maura took what comfort she could from the warm, solid presence that was her girlfriend. She reached out and put her hand against Jane's belly. She wished more than anything that she could feel the baby move. It would have gone a long way towards making the day bearable. Jane covered her hand and rested her chin on the top of Maura's head.
"I thought of a name for the baby," Maura told her.
"Yeah? Hit me."
"Aiden."
Jane thought about it. "Okay. I like it. How many are on the list now?"
"I have compiled two lists – one of male names and one of female names. We have 21 names altogether, now."
"Great. Which one are we bumping off for Aiden?" Jane wanted to know.
"Oh! Um," Maura thought about it. "I'm not sure I can decide, but I'm sure that we can do it together. Have you settled on a middle name?" They had decided that since Maura was doing all the work of looking for first names, it would be up to Jane to find a suitable middle name.
Jane brightened at that. "Yeah, I did. Well, if it's okay with you, that is."
"Tell me."
"Well, I was thinking that if we have a boy, no matter what his first name is, I'd like the middle name to be Charles or maybe Casey." Jane told her.
Maura frowned at that, but once she had considered it for a few minutes, it actually seemed to make sense. Why not name the baby after his father? Jane had told Casey that they were raising the baby together, but it wasn't as though they were enemies, after all. And, she had to admit that the name Aiden Charles Rizzoli-Isles had a nice ring to it. It was a little long, but that was okay.
"All right." She agreed aloud and felt Jane relax a little.
"You're amazing, Maura. I love you."
Pleased with the compliment, Maura leaned harder against Jane and spent the next little while just breathing.
That was how Korsak found them when he entered the M.E.'s office after knocking on the door.
He entered and saw the two of them on the couch. It made him smile briefly. He'd told Jane once that he was glad that the two of them had finally 'stopped being stupid'. He liked seeing them together because he'd never seen either one so happy. He wished that he didn't have to break that up – especially today, especially with what he had to ask.
Jane knew what was in the box that he held in his arms the second she saw it. She and Maura straightened, pulling back from each other.
"Sergeant, what is it?" Maura asked.
Jane let out a sigh. She hadn't wanted to tell Maura about this. She knew that it would be better coming from her, though, so she said. "Maur… I – We – found something at Susie's. It's evidence and… It doesn't look good."
Maura looked at Jane, obviously confused. "What is it? Jane?"
Korsak set the box down on the coffee table in front of Maura. "We found these evidence bags hidden in the wall of Susie's apartment. Along with this." He reached into the box and extracted their own evidence – the rolled bundle of money.
Maura wasn't stupid. She realised what it meant quickly and sat forward, frowning, looking into the box. She saw the evidence bags with bits and pieces of things in them. Her mind didn't want to believe what she was seeing.
She looked first at Jane and then at Sergeant Korsak. "That's ridiculous," she said.
"Well, right now, it's just one avenue of our investigation." Korsak replied, clearly uncomfortable.
"Well, it's a waste of time." Maura insisted, "Susie Change was one of the most principled people I've ever known. She would never tamper with evidence."
She looked to Jane again, pleading in her eyes. Jane couldn't meet her gaze for long. She looked down at her hands and said, "Maybe you could take a look at the stuff we found, see if you recognize any of it?"
Maura stared at her, aghast, for a moment before turning her attention to the box again. She reached inside and pulled out several pieces, staring at them without really seeing them. "Without labels, it's impossible to say. These could have come from anywhere." She told the two cops.
"But they didn't. They came from Susie's apartment," Vince was firm, but the look in his blue eyes was compassionate.
Maura put the items she held back in the box. As she did so, the roll of money caught her eye and she picked it up, fear and revulsion making a home in her heart, along with the sadness she was already feeling. She stared at the box without really seeing it all, trying to make a decision.
Finally, she said, "Okay. I'll…have the lab test them for prints or DNA. Maybe we can find a match to an existing case." Her stomach turned even as she said it. She looked over at Jane, who was grim faced, but nodding.
"Thank you." The dark-haired woman said.
"Could you also give us a list of the cases Susie worked on in recent weeks?" Korsak asked.
"Of course," Maura told him. She swallowed back her dread and stood up. "Right after I call Governor Holcomb."
Jane sat forward. "Why?"
"Because this changes everything. I mean, even a hint that a senior criminalist in the medical examiner's office was tampering with evidence is incendiary. The press is gonna have a field day." She explained.
"The press isn't gonna find out about it – not until we have proof." Jane assured her.
"Jane, I can't risk it. A scandal like this could jeopardize every single case that has passed through this lab for the past several years – potentially thousands of cases."
Korsak stood up, nodding grimly. "She's right." He told Jane, who only flattened her lips together and looked worried. Maura got up and went to her desk phone, dialling the direct number to the governor's office.
Jane stood up, too. "Come on, Maura, at least give us a couple of days."
The M.E. shook her head once. "I cannot risk the governor finding this out from anyone else."
It rang twice before a female voice said, "Thank you for calling the office of Governor Holcomb. He's busy right now, can I take a message?"
"Yes, Governor Holcomb, please. This is Doctor Maura Isles."
"I'm sorry, Doctor Isles, but the governor is not available just now." The woman said.
"It's important. I'll hold," Maura told her in a no-nonsense voice.
There was a pause and the secretary answered, "Please hold." Classical music filled Maura's ear. She looked at Jane, who was still standing in the middle of her office, looking pensive.
"What can I do to help you, Maur?"
"Go. Do your detecting. Prove that Susie didn't do this. I love you." Maura told her.
Jane nodded. She took two long steps over to where Maura leaned her hip on her desk. She bent her head and brushed a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "I'll let you know when we have something." She whispered. "I love you."
She turned away at Maura's answering nod, then strode across the office and through the door, closing it gently behind her.
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Maura and Jane left the Dirty Robber a few minutes after the M.E. received notice of her suspension from the governor. She was quiet and withdrawn and that worried Jane, even if she could more than understand why. For some reason, though, having Maura close herself off from her feelings made the detective edgy and solicitous. Since they hadn't driven to the bar, they walked back home and Jane held Maura's hand the entire time, stealing glances at her girlfriend and trying to determine her best course of action once they got to the house.
It turned out that Jane didn't need to come up with anything. Once inside their home, Maura was met by her foster-daughter who didn't say anything, she just gave Maura a hug. The detective couldn't help the smile that curved her lips because the way that Maura and the girl held on to each other spoke volumes. When the hug ended, Tasha had nodded at Jane and said, "Good night." Then she turned around and went into her room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Jane reached for Maura and the blonde came into her arms with a heartfelt sigh, burying her face in the brunette's neck and breathing slowly. Her arms were so tight around the other woman that it worried her. Jane reached up and gently stroked the silk honey-gold locks of her love, running her fingers through Maura's hair as a way to soothe her. It seemed to help - the vice-grip Maura had on her loosened after only a few minutes.
Eventually, Maura turned her head so that her cheek rested on Jane's chest, and said, "I'm tired, Jane."
"Then let's go to bed."
Upstairs, though, something changed. Jane wasn't sure how it happened, but one moment she was shrugging out of her t-shirt and the next, she was pinned against the closed bedroom door. Maura stood on her toes, her mouth against Jane's in a kiss so full of need it made the detective's head spin. She knew what Maura was doing, though, so she responded immediately.
She let Maura unclasp her bra and slide it off her. She felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest as the other woman practically assaulted the flesh once it was released. Lighting shot straight to her core, igniting the fire that smouldered there. When Maura began to tug at her belt, though, Jane put a staying hand over hers. Her girlfriend looked up at her with so much sadness in her eyes that it cut through the brunette like a knife. Maura looked brittle - as though the wrong thing might break her.
Jane pulled the blonde's smaller hands from her belt and brought them to her lips, kissing her fingertips. Still holding her hands, she leaned down and pressed her lips to the M.E.'s mouth in an act of homage. She loved Maura and she would do whatever it took to help her deal with how this death and the subsequent revelations about her friend and partner were affecting her. Jane could remember the night of Frost's death - lying in the dark of Maura's guest room, wishing like hell that she wasn't alone. She wouldn't let the woman she loved be alone in this.
She reached behind Maura's head and found the nearly invisible zipper on her shirt, lowering it carefully so as not to get it caught on any of the expensive material. The fingertips of her other hand trailed after it, making Maura shiver and Jane felt goose-bumps raise under her light caress. She helped Maura to slip out of the garment and dropped it to the floor. Next came the M.E.'s very sensible, yet utterly sexy white sateen bra. Jane let her blunted nails scrape lightly down Maura's arms as she removed the garment, causing more goose flesh. Maura stepped out of her heels - Jane had taken her boots off at the door downstairs - and leaned into Jane, skin-on-skin contact making her sigh.
The taller woman took control, then, pushing Maura against their bedroom door this time and kissing her with all the passion she could muster until Maura practically melted into the kiss. She broke it only because she needed to breathe, but found that she couldn't stop from tasting the skin of Maura's neck - nipping at the places she'd learned that the M.E. was most sensitive and then laving the wound with her lips and tongue. The blonde moaned and sighed, gasped in surprise as her bare back touched the door. Jane's mouth found Maura's again and she kept her in place while she unhooked her own belt, unbuttoned her pants, and let them slide from her hips, pooling on the floor around her feet. She found the clasp on Maura's skirt and loosed it, then slid the zipper down.
She pulled back from her girlfriend and looked into the gorgeous hazel-green eyes that she loved so much. Maura gazed back, eyes half-lidded and dark with desire. Good.
Jane leaned down for another kiss, then tugged the blonde away from the door and towards the bed.
They fell down onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Somehow, Jane managed to be on top and she pinned Maura with the weight and extra length of her body, her mouth starting a slow trail from the curve of Maura's graceful neck, down to her collar bone, and lower. She kept the kisses gentle and measured, worshipping every glorious inch they touched. She wanted Maura to feel just how much she was loved.
At her favourite part, she changed up and took her time to suck insistently on Maura's pert and perfect nipples, dragging her teeth over the sensitive skin and flicking her tongue against each hardened nub. The blonde writhed under her, quiet moans and whimpers issuing from her lips. Jane felt hands tugging her hair upward and she left off her ministrations to follow the request back up to crash her lips to her girlfriend's.
Maura moaned loudly, but it was swallowed by Jane's mouth. Their tongues duelled, lips melded together, only stopping when oxygen was needed. Jane looked into Maura's eyes, now completely clouded with her passion. The M.E.'s legs wrapped around the detective's waist, pulling their hips together. Jane let out a curse as pleasure shot through her. Tonight wasn't about her, it was about Maura.
She shifted, breaking Maura's grip with her legs and picked up her trail, just below Maura's breasts. She balanced on one hand, though, using the other to tease the already hard nipples into pebbles between her thumb and forefinger, making her gasp and her hips move of their own accord.
"Jane!" Maura gasped when the brunette's lips grazed her hips. Jane left off her teasing of Maura's perfect breasts and moved so that she was kneeling between her legs. She couldn't lie on her stomach anymore, not the way she liked, but they'd found another way. Jane slipped a finger under the material of Maura's thong and tugged until the other woman got the message and lifted her hips. The offending garment was done away with and Jane put her hands under Maura's yoga-toned ass, lifting it from the bed. The doctor moaned and helped her by hooking her knees over Jane's shoulders.
The detective didn't waste any time after that. She buried her face between her girlfriend's thighs and ran her tongue between Maura's folds. Maura's legs tightened around her shoulders in encouragement. Not that Jane needed it. She used everything that she knew about Maura to bring her to the brink of release with nothing but tongue and lips. When she Maura's breath quickened, signifying her impending climax, Jane slowed down and pulled back. The smaller woman cried out in disappointment. It lasted for only a moment, though. The detective cradled Maura's ass with one hand and using the other, she slid two fingers inside of her. Maura let out a hiss that sounded almost victorious and made Jane smile. She put her mouth back to work, her fingers joining in, curling purposefully and drawing sounds of pleasure deep from within the M.E.
Maura's climax descended on her like a wave. She froze for a split second and then let it take her. Jane's tongue flicked against her, causing aftershocks to ripple through her. The dark-haired beauty brought her down slowly, easing from inside of her love and marvelling at the coating over her fingers, cleaning them like a cat. She laid down on her side next to the blonde, wrapping her arm around Maura's waist and cuddling close. She peppered the creamy skin of Maura's shoulders with kisses until she felt her stir and come back from wherever her mind went in the wake of their passion.
Without a word, she rolled towards Jane and curled into a small ball. Then she began to cry.
It wasn't her usual response, but given how her day had gone, Jane wasn't at all surprised. The taller woman wrapped her body around the M.E. and held her. She rubbed her back in circles, placing light kisses on her hair, crooning softly. After a while, Maura's weeping subsided and she simple lay there, breathing. When she moved, Jane let her go.
She sat up, blinking and sniffling. "Thank you," she whispered, brokenly.
"Always." Jane replied, easily.
Maura got out of bed and went into the bathroom without a word. Jane heard her blow her nose and then run water in the sink. Brushing her teeth came next and then she wandered back into the bedroom, running her brush through her hair.
The detective gave her a small smile before she went into the bathroom herself and brushed her teeth with regret. Maura set her brush down on the night stand as Jane went back into the bedroom and was crawling underneath the blankets. Jane joined her without a word, lying on her side and spooning against her girlfriend. Maura sighed, resting her hand over Jane's. She fell asleep quickly and although the detective was exhausted both mentally and emotionally, she stayed awake for a while, just watching her lover sleep. Once upon a time she would have thought that was creepy, but she understood now. There was something almost intoxicating in seeing someone completely at ease after a hard day. Jane pressed a final kiss to Maura's shoulder and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her.
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The next day was difficult for the both of them. Jane didn't want to leave Maura alone, but she knew that she had to work the case. Without Maura to help them – stupid suspension – it would probably take them twice as long to figure it out. Kent was alright, but he was no Maura. In fact, he hadn't even finished the autopsy report yet – something she knew the Chief M.E. would have had completed the day before. Still, maybe if she went and harassed him a little, she might get faster results.
Maura knew that Jane had to go to work. But that didn't stop her from wishing that her girlfriend could stay home with her. Jane, Frankie, and Korsak were her best option for clearing Susie of any wrong-doing. For her part, after a good night's sleep – and thanks to Jane, it had been – Maura felt much clearer headed. Her goals were simple: Exonerate Susie and get back to work to help find who killed her. She was, as Jane called it, trusting her gut and it told her that Susie was clean. She may not be able to help in the investigation, but she wouldn't ever believe that her friend and colleague was dirty.
"I promise to keep you updated – as soon as I have anything." Jane promised her as she drank her coffee that morning.
"I know you will," the doctor told her. She was eating breakfast, even though her stomach was upset. She knew that she had to keep up her strength. Besides, it was much too early for wine.
"We'll get this sorted out, Maura. I know Susie is innocent. You'll be back to work in no time."
"Jane." Maura smiled at her. "I'll be okay here."
The detective sighed and gave her girlfriend a half-smile. "Sorry. I know you will be. I just…"
"Yeah. Me, too. Be extra careful, please?" Maura requested. She hated the plaintive note in her voice.
Jane finished her coffee and rinsed out the mug, putting it in the dishwasher. She walked over to where Maura was seated. She reached up and brushed the back of her hand lightly over Maura's cheek. She cupped her jaw and leaned in for a kiss that calmed Maura's anxiety. "We will figure it out. Frankie, Me, Korsak – we all believe in Susie and we'll prove she's innocent. Okay?"
"I know you will," Maura told her, with absolute conviction. "Now, go. The sooner you get started, the sooner it will happen."
Jane nodded once. She gave her girlfriend one of her patented half-smiles, then she walked out the door.
As soon as she was gone, Maura had to fight not to just go back to bed. It would be so easy to just crawl back into her bed and pass a few more hours in slumber. She was afraid of missing a call from Jane, even though logic told her that the team needed more hours just to go over the evidence, she couldn't bring herself to give in. Instead, she finished her breakfast and finished loading the dishwasher before turning it on. She sat down at her desk with her laptop, but once she'd turned it on, she couldn't figure out what she wanted to do on it. She tried to get caught up on the newest articles in the Scientific Journal, but for the first time in her life, the newest findings in the scientific world did nothing to ease her mind.
After that, she attempted to watch one of the documentaries she'd DVR'd, but found that it didn't hold her attention. She wanted to be in the lab. She wanted to know the results of the autopsy. She needed to help prove Susie's innocence. Except that she couldn't. If anyone found out that she's meddled in the investigation in any way, it could jeopardize everything.
Maura had shifted from the couch to a chair in the living room and decide to clean the kitchen when she heard her phone buzzing on her desk. Seeing Jane's smiling face on her screen had never made her happier.
"Did you find something?" Maura answered her phone.
"Not yet, but we are really close. Maura, listen –"
"- No."
"You don't even know what I was gonna say, yet." The detective protested.
"Jane, you were gonna ask me to look at something to do with Susie's case. And I can't – not until she's cleared." The M.E. said, firmly. She knew that Jane only wanted her help, but she knew the consequences.
"You and I both know that this suspension is ridiculous." Jane told her.
"Don't you think I want to help? But, the reputation of the medical examiner's office needs to be above reproach. I trust you and the team to do what I am not able to."
"So, what are you doing? Just sitting around the house?" Jane wanted to know.
Maura looked around her, realising that she was back to sitting on her couch again and unable to remember how she got there. "I'm not…sitting." She lied and knew that she was going to regret it, later.
"Well, find something to do, okay? Stay busy. You and I do not do well on the side-lines. I'll call you later."
Maura looked around her home and found her attention settling on the throw pillow beside her on the couch. She heard Jane's words, but her vision zeroed in on the lint sticking to the pillow. "Not until the governor lifts the suspension." She said, a little absently. She looked around again. The whole house could use a good deep clean, she realized. That would keep her busy.
"I know, I know." Jane said. "I love you, Maur. This is killing me, ya' know?"
"I love you, too, Jane." Maura replied, nodding, even though Jane wasn't there to see her. They hung up and Maura got busy cleaning her home.
Several hours later, Angela swept in from outside. She had to shout Maura's name a few times to get her attention because the blonde was vacuuming. She barely heard the older woman over the roar of the machine, but when she did, she turned it off.
"Honey, what's going on here?" Angela asked, motioning to the way Maura had moved things around while she cleaned.
"Jane told me to say busy," She replied. "I've been meaning to do a deep clean, so…"
"Ah. Well, I guess you heard the latest about Susie, right?"
The older woman had Maura's full attention now. "No! What have you heard?"
Angela grinned and Maura's heart did a small tap dance of joy in her chest even before she replied, "Yeah, Jane found proof that she wasn't doing anything illegal. Susie's clear."
Relief and smug validation rolled through Maura, making her knees weak. "Oh! I am so relieved!" She said, and hugged Angela on impulse. When she did, she noticed that the older woman was holding a small stack of paper in her hand. They stepped back and Angela was grinning.
"I'm glad, too. That means you can go back to work, right?"
"Well, not until Governor Holcomb lifts my suspension, but yes, soon. We have to make sure that Susie's innocence was somehow manufactured to avoid a scandal, first." Maura replied.
"Good. Say, maybe you could help me with something?" Angela held up some papers she was holding, flipping through them, and then focusing on the first page.
"Sure," Maura agreed. She was feeling so much better now that she'd do just about anything for anyone.
"Okay, well, what do you think of um…yeah, pr-pro…pi…on…aldehyde?"
Maura stopped her cleaning and looked up at Angela. "I'm sorry?' She said, starting to understand what was happening.
Undeterred, Angela tried again, "Or, uh, methylanth-th-thracenes?"
Maura folder her arms across her chest, both annoyed and amused. "Jane sent you, with those, didn't she?"
"Jane? Uh, no, Jane didn't…" Angela tried, unconvincingly. "She wouldn't do that." She dropped a few of the papers onto the floor and moved away, a wicked smile so much like her daughter on her face. Maura tried to be more annoyed. "Maybe you could just help me with those – and I'll finish the vacuuming." Angela turned on the vacuum and Maura stood there, looking at the papers on the floor. She didn't move. She would not fall into Jane's trap. She looked away from the papers, watching as Jane's mother vacuumed her carpet.
It took less than 30 seconds for her to break. She picked up the report from the floor and started reading it. What she saw excited her. She needed to make sure that Jane asked Kent to run two tests on the additional evidence they'd found. Without phoning Jane, of course.
"Angela!" she called over the sound of the vacuum. "Angela! I need you to tell Jane."
The older woman cut of the power to the machine and looked up, questioningly. "What?"
"You need to tell Jane to have the lab test trivalent chromium particles for azurite. Also, see if they can detect heightened levels of alicyclic C10 hydrocarbons!"
Angela's eyes went wide. "Ali-? Maybe you could write that down?"
She did, gladly. Angela stayed long enough to hand the vacuum back to the M.E. before she left again, papers in hand.
Maura spent the next few minutes finishing up with her living room because she wasn't one to leave a chore half-completed. When she was done, she started her research. As soon as she found what she was looking for, she collected the information and went to see Jane.
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It was over. With her help, Jane had not only found who killed Susie, but they'd also taken down an entirely different murderer. All in all, it had been a full day. While Jane was interrogating their suspect, Maura went home. She was so happy. For a while it overshadowed how she was feeling about Susie's death. In spite of her crying the night before, the reality still hadn't really set in. It was difficult to believe that she would go back to work and the Senior Criminalist wouldn't be there, ready for a new day, a new challenge.
It was drilled home about an hour after Jane finally got home. They had just finished dinner together – fresh green salad with kale and baby spinach. She'd added cut up pieces of chicken as well as craisins because Jane liked them. She bought some of Jane's favourite cannolis, because she knew that her girlfriend would protest if there wasn't something sugary at the end of all the healthy food. She also got out a fresh bottle of red wine to chill. They were celebrating after all.
The detective in question came home in a great mood. She didn't even seem to care about the salad. She crushed the M.E. to her before leaning in and kissing her like she was drowning and Maura was all the oxygen. Maura responded in kind, wrapping her arms around Jane's neck and holding her hard.
"I knew you could do it," she said, when they parted.
"It's irony that we owe the capture of not one, but two perps to Susie." Jane replied.
"I was thinking," the doctor said, "I want to have a memorial for her. Nothing…sad, though. I don't know what her family is planning, obviously, and she wasn't a cop, but –"
"She was B.P.D. family, Maur. If you put out word at the precinct, people will come. I'm sure that Korsak will let you use the Robber, too. Just ask him."
Maura beamed at her girlfriend. "Would you be able to help me with some of it?"
"Anything you need, Maur, you just have to ask." Jane replied.
They sat down and ate their dinner, both quietly contemplative. Afterward, Jane helped Maura to clean up what dishes were left and started the dishwasher. Just as they went into the living room and got comfortable on the sofa, the doorbell rang.
Jane looked up at the door and then over to her girlfriend. "You expecting anyone?" She asked cautiously.
Maura shook her head. The detective got up and went to the door, looking carefully out of the peep-hole. She saw a young-ish Asian man holding a box. Since he looked sort of familiar, she slowly opened the door.
He was well-dressed, wore square, wire-rimmed glasses, and had a neatly kept goatee, dyed a deep red. "H-H-Hello. Are you, Doctor Isles?" He asked, hesitantly. Jane's cop-sense told her the young man wasn't a threat. She shook her head at him.
"Sorry, no." She called over her shoulder, "Maura, someone's at the door for you."
Maura hadn't been far – she'd gotten up off of the couch when Jane did, but hadn't come into view of the door. When she did, she was smiling her wary smile.
"Hello. I'm Doctor Maura Isles. How can I help you?"
His face lit up in a smile and suddenly Jane knew who he was – without actually knowing his name. "Doctor Isles, hi. You don't know me, but my name is James Chang. I'm –"
"Susie's brother." Jane finished for him, a real smile lighting her face. Maura, too, gave him a swift grin.
He bobbed his head in a nod. "Yes." He balanced the box in the crook of one arm, held out his free hand, and Maura took it, shaking firmly. Then he held it out to Jane. "And you must be detective Rizzoli." Jane shook his hand, too.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Maura told him. "Susie speaks – spoke – about you often."
He sighed wearily, but there was still a smile on his face when he said, "She talked about you, too – both of you. She said that there has never been a crime-fighting duo like the both of you. She said that Batman and Robin had nothing on the pair of you."
That made Jane laugh abruptly. "I like it," she told Maura. The M.E. smiled sadly back at her.
"Anyway, the reason I'm here was to give you this." He held out the box in his arms. It wasn't large, but it was a little awkward, so Jane took it from him. "My parents came today and we were told that we could go into Susie's place to start packing things up. I found a few things and I thought you might like to have them. Doctor Isles, Susie told me that she had never had a job or a boss who treated her better than you did. She was so happy with her work in the crime lab – I just wanted to thank you for that."
Jane and Maura exchanged a glance. Maura said, her voice thick, "Thank you, James. Susie was… I am honestly not sure how I'm going to get along without her."
"We're all going to miss her," Jane added, reaching out her free hand to take the M.E.'s and Maura gripped back, hard. "She was fun to work with, she was talented, and there are several criminals behind bars because of her work. No cop could leave a better legacy."
That surprised Maura, but it touched her, as well. James was just as affected by her words. "I… Thank you, Detective. All Susie ever wanted was a life well lived and hearing that – well, I think she got her wish." Fresh tears appeared in his eyes. "I s-should be going. I don't want to worry my parents. They've been on edge about letting me out of their site since we heard…" He started to turn away, then swung back around. "Detective, I heard a rumour – I can't say from where – that you helped prove that my sister wasn't taking bribes to tamper with evidence. I can't thank you enough for that."
Jane only nodded once. Maura said, "Not one person believed that it was true. We all knew that she'd never do something like that."
He nodded. "Thank you. Could you tell the rest of your team that, please? Oh, and Doctor Isles?"
"Yes?"
"My parents were talking about coming down to the precinct – they want to see where Susie worked. Would that be okay?"
"I'd be honoured to meet them." Maura told him, truthfully, and that made him smile. He thanked them again before turning and walking away.
Still holding the box in one arm, Jane shut the door. She looked at Maura who was starting to feel that sadness she'd been keeping at bay since the case against Susie was dismissed start to return. Jane seemed to understand because she put the package down on the counter before turning around to pull the M.E. into a tight embrace. Maura sighed and choked back her tears, not ready to cry again so soon. She took the comfort and strength that Jane offered and wrapped it around her like a shield, pulling back from the embrace. She wanted to know what was in the box that Susie's brother had dropped off.
The package wasn't taped closed, so Maura opened the flaps carefully. The first thing she found was the die-o-rama that Susie had created of Jane and Maura in autopsy. Seeing it made Jane laugh aloud and Maura smiled.
"Definitely to scale," Jane commented, which did elicit a giggle from her girlfriend. The detective took the construct out of the box. She looked around the room, then saw the perfect place, and put the bit of art on display. It wasn't Maura's normal decoration, but she knew the M.E. would leave it up for at least a few days.
Under the art was an addressed, stamped envelope for Maura. Jane's heart sank when she saw it because it wasn't a letter – it looked like a card. Maura found her letter opener and carefully cut the top of the envelope. She reached inside and pulled out a card with a glittery blue and white snow flake on the front with a jaunty, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, stencilled in bright green underneath. Maura opened the card and both women were surprised to see both of their names on the left panel. It read,
To Maura and Jane,
Hi! Thank you both for making this year memorable. I hope that the new year brings you both much happiness. Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you both!
Susie
Maura's hand holding the card started to shake as she tried to supress her tears. Jane reached out and cupped her hand around the M.E.'s smaller one. An arm snaked around her waist and she turned to bury her face in Jane's shirt. Hot tears spilled out before she could stop them. The brunette held her, much like she had the night before, and let the smaller woman cry until she had no more tears.
Blinking blurrily up at her, Maura sniffled. "It's not fair." She said.
"No, it's not." Jane agreed with her. She wiped surreptitiously at the undersides of her eyes. After another few minutes, Maura moved and Jane let her go. Maura set the card down on the counter and moved to grab a Kleenex for her eyes and nose. Jane picked up the card. She knew how this felt – like a punch to the gut, just when you think you're good to go.
She took the card and she cleared a space on the fireplace mantle. She'd seen Maura do this with other Christmas cards that she'd gotten through the years. It was a little early – not even Halloween – but that didn't matter. They would leave it up as long as Maura wanted to. Jane had kept the post card from Frost on her refrigerator for months – until she moved out of the condo. Now, it was in one of the boxes in the soon to be nursery closet, but Jane knew exactly which one and where to find it if she needed it.
When Maura saw what she had done, the blonde's face went soft and she gazed at her girlfriend with a look so full of emotion that it was a little hard for even Jane to read. Luckily, though, she didn't have to interpret it because Maura crossed the room and wrapped her in a grateful embrace.
"It's perfect, Jane. Thank you." She whispered. Jane just kissed the top of her head in response. They stayed looking at the card for a few minutes before Maura took Jane's hand and led her up the stairs to their room. They changed for bed together and then slipped under the blankets.
"Jane?" Maura asked, once the lights had been turned out.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about dying?"
There was no answer for a minute, but then the detective responded, "No. If I did, I'd never be able to do my job effectively. Mostly, I worry about other people. You. Ma. Tommy and Frankie. Korsak. I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of you."
"I've never thought about my own death before. But this one… It could have been anyone making those calls, anyone that the killer targeted. It might've been me. It scares me." Maura admitted.
Jane nodded. "Me, too. I think that Cavanaugh's working on new protocol to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. Stricter guidelines on crime-scenes late at night. Patrols to follow anyone home. It just sucks that it took something like this happening to make the change."
"I just hope that it works. I don't want another crime scene like Susie's apartment." Maura said, adamantly.
"We protect our own just as much as we do the citizens of Boston," Jane assured her. Her arms tightened around the smaller woman. "I will always protect you, Maura. As much as I am able."
Warmth suffused the M.E. at those words. "I know. Let's get some sleep."
"'Night, Maur."
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Susie's memorial party was in full swing. After the shock of the first song played on Susie's iPod, Nina had put the device on random and let it play out. It surprised Jane just how wide and varied the senior criminalist's taste in music turned out to be. From metal to country, to the occasional rap song. All around the Dirty Robber, people bopped or swayed in time to the music, drinking, and talking with each other - sharing stories of Susie. Jane had never been so proud of Maura.
When they'd met all those years ago, she'd never thought the somewhat shy and socially awkward M.E. would be the host of a party for a deceased colleague. Now, though, Maura had circled the room, making sure to speak with just about everyone there. Smiling and occasionally laughing at something that someone told her. She seemed to be in her element. It wouldn't be until later, when they were home alone, that Maura would tell Jane exactly how she was feeling the whole time. It made Jane special, it made her smile at the blonde from across the room, catching her eye as she raised her glass of apple juice to her lips – brought in special for her by Korsak.
Maura finished her conversation and then threaded her way through the crowd to get to where Jane sat at the bar. "Hi," she said as she approached.
"Hi. This is going really well, Maur."
"It is, isn't it? I didn't expect so many people to show up." The doctor admitted, smiling at the room at large before she turned her attention back to her girlfriend.
"I told you, Susie was B.P.D. family. There isn't one person here whose case wasn't solved without her help. She was also funny and kind and I know more than a few people here were her friend outside of work, too. Maura, this was a really great idea." Jane said. She put a hand on Maura's shoulder and squeezed.
"Thank you for all of your help." A new song came on and Maura paused to listen.
"I never would have pegged Susie for a lounge music fan." Jane commented with a laugh. "It's like Ma said, we can know someone without knowing everything about them."
"That's true. What about you, Detective, what secrets do you still hold?" Maura asked, playfully. Jane could see the sadness that was just underneath the joviality, but she pretended not to. It was the same sadness she saw in her own face, sometimes, when she allowed herself to miss Frost.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yes! That's why I asked."
Jane just grinned mischievously and leaned forward in the chair, placing a light kiss on Maura's lips. Maura hmm'd in response. "Well, I can't just go giving all my secrets away. If you want to know, you might have to pay for them." Jane said after a moment.
"Pay?" Maura was intrigued. "How?"
"I'll come up with something."
"Jane," Maura pouted, "please?"
"Okay, but just a little one," Jane gave in without a thought. She leaned forward so that her mouth was right next to her girlfriend's ear and whispered, "I think I felt the baby move, today."
Maura gasped. Jane pulled her head back and stared triumphantly into glittering hazel-green eyes. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I'm not sure." Jane told her. "It's not like I've done this before. I was…was gonna ask Ma, but things were just so busy…"
"Oh, Jane!" Maura was beaming a smile, her eyes watery. "That's probably the best news I've heard all day!" She gushed. "And to think, your appointment is just around the corner."
"The doctor's gonna be thrilled," Jane said, in her customary sarcasm, though she was secretly pleased.
"I'm thrilled." Maura responded, seriously.
"So am I, Honey, as long as that's what I really felt. For all I know it could've just been gas."
"Did it really feel like that?" The doctor wanted to know.
"No." Jane admitted with another smile. "It felt sort of like a butterfly fluttering inside of me."
Maura's mega-watt smile returned. "If you would read the book I bought for you, you'd have known that is exactly how it's described."
"Why should I read it when you already have – and you'll tell me whatever I ask?" The detective reasoned, smile turning to smirk.
Jane's girlfriend laughed aloud at that and rolled her eyes. "You are incorrigible."
"Yes, I am."