Notes: Many thanks for all the reviews. I realize a bit of the last scene in CH 24 was slightly confusing as to what happened in the shoot out. All should be cleared up here. I felt bad leaving you all hanging and since I won't have a chance to write until the end of the week I went ahead and got this chapter out of my head and on the page. This Chapter is definitely in the Mature category.

CH 25: Drops of Crimson

SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED! OFFICER DOWN!

The voices filled the space around her. Hollow. They echoed from all directions, reverberating tin can-toned voices. Maura pulled her hand down and looked at her palm. Red all over. She closed her eyes and tried to will the trembles away.

"Maura! Maura!"

Jane. Her eyes flew open as she gasped. Jane's hands were on her, on her face, reaching for the bloody bullet hole, pulling her close.

"Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ Maura tell me what to do," the look in her brown eyes was panicked, nearly feral.

"Get the Goddamn EMTs here NOW!" Frost yelled as he kneeled over Chris.

Reality. It all came crashing back. Loud, stark, chaotic reality. The thunderous melee of footsteps and shouting.

"Chris," Maura asked trying to peer around Jane.

"Tell me what to do…for you," Jane repeated.

Maura let her hand wander back to the entry wound as she tested the range of motion in her left arm. She winced; the pain was sharp, but she could move it, the bullet hadn't hit bone. "It's…it's not that bad."

"Jane! Jane, I need some help over here!" Frost's voice quivered and broke as he called out.

Chris gasped for breath, tears streaking fiery trails down her cheeks. Fire. Her whole body was on fire. Maura…Maura. She thought she was saying the words, it sounded like they were coming out of her mouth however garbled and pushed out by bloody air bubbles, she had to get them out. She had to know. Be ok.

Her voice was barely audible; Jane had to lean down to hear her. "She'll be ok," Jane whispered, taking a deep breath as she tried to quell the brewing tears, she placed her hands over the wound in Chris' chest and pressed down, chanting a string of apologies in her head as her colleague's already pained face contorted in anguish.

The coughing fit was violent, blood hacking out in mucousy bubbles – bursting and spreading the crimson drops over her pale skin, her face strained fighting the pain and the desperate desire for a full breath. Breathe. Breathe! Chris' fingers curled into her palm, her back arched as she struggled against the blood filling her lung.

Maura was next to them, kneeling and Jane saw a look she knew she had only seen but once before. The sidewalk had been hard and rough and the sun blinded her momentarily until Maura's face had blocked it, tears streaking down her face as she reached for the wound in her side. Stay with me, Jane. Stay with me.

No one had tried to protect Maura from that sight that day. Someone had to now. "You don't need to see this…" Jane blurted out, "Frost, get her out of here, now!"

It didn't register at first, the arms that wrapped around her. Maura only registered what was happening when she was on her feet and Frost was trying to pull her away.

"NO!" Maura yelled; turning in Frost's arms she pounded her fists into his chest. She couldn't feel it, couldn't feel the force of her own blows against him, didn't hear the sound of the thud as she struck him with all her strength. Her own wound no longer throbbed. The only sensation was the electric terror that settled into her chest. Chris was dying.

"I need to be there!" She yelled. Frost paused, looking into her bloodshot hazel eyes that flared with burning green embers. "Please…" Maura whispered through sobs, "I need to be there." He let her go.

Chris shook her head, looking at Jane, her eyes pleading. Don't let her…don't let her see me like this.

"I know," Jane whispered, "I know."

Maura's hands were soft on her face. Chris closed her eyes, tried to let the feel of them take over, replace the burn that was threatening to tear her apart. Pain. There was only pain. Breathing was growing more difficult. Her mind flashed to the case for a moment and she couldn't believe she was going to spend her last minutes thinking about that bastard Plechenko. It was only fitting she figured. How she had lived her life, the priorities she had set. It was only fitting to go like this. But, it wasn't a comfort. Her direction had only recently become clear and now…now it was all being taken away.

The bullet felt heavy inside, tentacles reaching out and coiling around her, dragging her under. This is what drowning feels like.

"Maur," Jane let the tears fall as she looked at Maura, then back to the struggling form under her hands and back to Maura, "Maur…don't…you don't want to see…"

"No one should be alone," Maura's voice was faint, her fingers combing through sweat dampened copper tresses. She didn't want to see it. The image of Jane still haunted her and Jane had lived. She didn't want to see this.

"I'll stay," Jane reassured her.

Maura nodded, trying to compose herself just one second longer she leaned down, her eyes closing as more tears clawed out when she heard the barely wheezing breaths.

"Look at me," Maura whispered, waiting until Chris forced her eyes open. "I love you."

Chris' body trembled; the only part not on fire was the small patch of skin on her forehead where Maura's lips were pressed. And then she was gone. Her eyes connected with Jane. Thank you.

She tried to take another breath. More coughing, more blood. Let it go.

"No!" Jane shook her, forcing Chris' weary eyes to flutter open. "No! Don't you give up! Not like this!" A single tear carved its way down the bridge of her nose, lingering on the tip before falling to the top of her palm that was pressed into the blood drenched fabric of Chris' blouse. "You are stronger than that bullet." Don't let go.

Soft. Each pass of Jane's thumb across her cheek, wiping away individual tear by individual tear felt like silk. Maura sniffled, opening her eyes she tried to manage a small smile. Ow. She winced. The strokes stilled as Jane held her face.

"I know," Jane's voice was low and raw. Her throat felt like sandpaper from crying and her side ached in sympathy.

"You were exceptionally lucky," the doctor remarked, tying off the last suture of the bullet's exit wound. "The bullet's trajectory…" she continued as she moved out of the way to allow the nurse to bandage the wounds, "took it through the upper most part of the trapezius muscle. A millimeter lower and the best case scenario would have been a shattered clavicle, worst case we could have been looking at far more damage."

"Do I need to stay overnight, or can I go home?" Maura leaned back in the gurney.

"I don't see any reason to keep you overnight, we'll send you home with a sling and some pain medication. You can follow up with your regular physician," the doctor smiled pleasantly, her hand squeezing Maura's forearm comfortingly, "Sit tight and we'll get you discharged as soon as possible."

"This poses a problem," Jane mused aloud as she stood at the bottom of the stairs in her apartment building. Maura groaned and leaned into her side as Jane tightened her grip around her waist.

"I think the pain pill is making me a little dizzy," Maura closed her eyes and let her head fall to Jane's shoulder.

"Now you know why I didn't like taking them," Jane sighed and pressed her lips to the crown of Maura's head. "116 lbs right?"

"Hmm?"

Jane chuckled, "Ok, good arm around my neck…"

"You can't possibly carry me up the stairs…" Maura faintly protested.

"Wanna bet?"

"This isn't how I imagined undressing you for the first time," Jane quipped trying to impart a little humor to the darkness that hung around them as she unbuttoned her shirt, which she had willingly given over to Maura at the hospital.

Shirt removed, her fingers grazed across the bandages, over the rise of Maura's shoulder and then lightly down her forearm until she clasped both of Maura's hands and brought them to her lips.

"I'm sorry," Jane whispered, gently pulling Maura into an embrace. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It's no one's fault," Maura mumbled into Jane's neck. "He was going to shoot us both, she didn't have a choice. She probably saved my life."

Jane pulled back, nodding, "It's just…If I could have been there, maybe…"

Soft. Maura's lips pressed lightly to her own. "You can't always be there to save me."

I know. Jane cocked her head as she nodded, "…but I want to be."

Maura wiped more tears away as she settled into bed. Jane crawled in next to her a few minutes later, her arm threading under Maura's neck to cradle her head as her other hand stroked through her hair.

She understood now. She understood pure unadulterated panic and terror. The sound of the shots echoing through the warehouse felt every bit as painfully real as being shot. Her body seized with each pop. Memories flooded back, long forgotten phrases she didn't know she even remembered hearing. I couldn't get there in time…I couldn't get there in time, Maura chanted over and over, her voice weighted with horror as she kneeled next to her, or was it in the ambulance? Slow motion. The shots rang out and she ran; ran to where she had last seen Maura and she swore she would never get there. I'm the one who was shot! Her mantra for months after; as if no one else had a valid reason to dwell on the incident. Selfish. Maura on her knees; blood seeping through her white blouse…NO! She understood now.

"I know how you felt…when I shot myself."

Maura nodded.

"I never really understood before. When I saw you like that today…" Jane wiped at her eyes as she tried to compose herself, "You said please don't leave me, over and over. I didn't even remember until today that I heard it. I was lying on the sidewalk and then you were there, I could feel your hands and you said please don't leave me. And today, all I could think was, no, you can't leave me like this."

Maura rolled onto her side facing Jane, her hand resting on a damp cheek as she pulled Jane into a kiss. It was light at first, almost hesitant, but she let it grow. And it spoke. Words of emotion spoken through action. Don't leave me.

Jane's eyes remained closed as the kiss waned; she counted the breaths that ghosted lightly across her face, "Maura…I need to ask you something."

"Anything."

"Did you mean it? When you told Chris you loved her."

Maura eased Jane onto her back and hovered over her, "I…No, not I like love you. She was dying and…"

Jane's fingers again found tears, wiping them from Maura's face as she pulled Maura down to rest on top of her, "Shh. I'm sorry. I understand."

"I didn't want her to feel alone."

"Maur…Maur…Maura…" Jane tried to gently shake Maura awake in the breaking light of the early morning.

Maura gasped as she awakened from the dream, her body jerking up causing her to reach for her shoulder in pain.

"Hey, easy," Jane sat up pulling Maura into her lap, "easy, it was just a dream."

"I heard shots. I was all alone. You were gone, you were really gone and I was alone…" Maura sniffled.

"You're not alone. I'm right here." Jane took Maura's hands and brought them to her face, "See? Right here. With you." She pulled the neck of her shirt down and placed Maura's hand over her heart, "Feel that? Right here. With you."

Maura nodded, the tips of her fingers curling into Jane's skin, she closed her eyes and let the soft drumming of the heart only inches below pulse up through flesh and bone through her fingertips to travel to her own center. It was improbable, if not impossible, but Maura swore their hearts beat to the same rhythm.

"Right here. With you." Jane whispered as she leaned forward capturing Maura's lips.

Maura moved to straddle Jane's lap, her hand still pressed tightly over Jane's heart which began to beat with a stronger, quicker cadence, "I need to feel your skin," she pleaded.

Need. The word dug deep, reached into Jane and squeezed. She stared back into Maura's eyes. Need. They begged. Her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt.

"Please…" Maura mouthed.

Jane slowly lifted the shirt and tossed it aside. Maura's hand immediately settled back over her heart, the other resting softly over the raised line of scar tissue on her side. She reached for her own tank top strap and began to pull it down over the bandages.

"Maura…" Jane tried to stop her, but Maura pushed back, dragging the strap down until she could easily free her arm. She reached for the other.

"Maura…" Jane protested feebly one more time.

"I need to feel your skin against mine…please…help me."

Jane reached for the tank and pulled it over Maura's head. Her hands trembled as they settled lightly on Maura's neck and then caressed downward, noting the contrast of silky skin and the rise of collarbones, down…cupping two full breasts as her thumbs circled over Maura's nipples before continuing around to Maura's back and pulling her forward.

Forehead to forehead, their breasts pressed together and every inch of Maura's bare back being explored by Jane's reassuring touch, "Like this?" Jane whispered as she turned her head to kiss the warm pulse in Maura's neck.

"Yes…"

"Right here. With you." Jane repeated, her tongue parting Maura's lips eliciting a moan.

"Closer," Maura whimpered; grasping Jane's hand and pushing it down past the waistband of her underwear.

Jane paused, resisting the new direction, "I don't want the first time to be when you're in pain."

Maura nuzzled Jane's cheek, kissing down to the corner of her mouth, "I don't feel any pain under your touch…Be with me…please." I need you.

Jane pushed inside, her arm tightening around Maura's back, "I love you," she whispered into Maura's mouth, kissing her fully as she stroked.

"I love you," Maura panted.

Need. Jane closed her eyes as Maura entered her, matching her rhythm. The sound of breaths, light sensuous breaths traded back and forth. She opened her eyes as she came, fingers gripping desperately at Maura's back; she smiled as Maura clenched around her in turn, her body trembling until it slumped forward melting into her. Jane wrapped both of her arms around Maura, drinking in her warmth and the grounding weight of her body as she placed slow and purposeful kisses to her temple and cheek. Her lips danced back and forth across smooth skin as the body in her embrace continued to relax, moulding to her own shape, becoming an integrated part of her own physical being.

"Don't leave me," Maura kissed her neck as she wrapped her right arm around Jane's back to anchor them further together.

"I'm right here."

"With me."

"With you," Jane reiterated, rubbing her back.