Thanks again for every review and support. We are starting with Season two full forced now and I mixed up the EP's a bit to fit them with my story… Hope you enjoy anyway 3
Mistakes are on me ;)
See Author's Note (Chapter one)
But like anything good our week comes to a much too fast approaching end on Friday afternoon as our plane touches down in Boston again.
After unpacking their stuff and taking a long and hot shower together Jane got her plan going and went out to buy a family-pizza and frozen yogurt and texted her mother to come over as soon as she was back from work.
Jane had informed her mother about their girls-night as well as about the fact that they had some important questions for her and Angela was overly exited as she shut down the shower and dried herself. She settled for a comfortable pajama, as it would be a night on the couch with her two girls.
She found both of them on said couch already, Maura in a dark blue silk pajama and Jane in her usual BDP shirt and light grey sweatpants. The blonde doctor had her head on her daughters left shoulder and Jane index was absentmindedly drawing patterns on Maura's chest, where her top was left open for two buttons. The fact that she was fisting Jane's shirt at level of her stomach let Angela smile for some spare seconds and she thought about retreating back to the guesthouse.
She walked back the few steps and opened the door just to let it fall back close again, loudly. Giving them a start ahead she briefly knocked and opened the backdoor to the main house.
"Sorry girls, the doorknob slipped through my fingers," she smiled at them. "How about some hot chocolate?"
"Sounds great Ma, we have pizza for dinner if that's okay," Jane answered getting up from her spot and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing some plates and handing cups to her mother.
As she sat down between them she rubbed her hand over both their knees. "So… you two would like to talk with me?"
"Gee Ma… right go like a bull at a gate, let's have just a nice evening."
Getting the evening going with 'Something's Gotta Give', a movie Jane was sure was just her mother's thing, they shared pizza and laughs and Angela enjoyed her time sitting between her girls.
They took a break, the movie near the middle of it and Jane stood from the couch and walked over to the freezer, grabbing the cans of frozen yogurt while Maura went for the bathroom.
"You want some wine, Ma?" Grabbing a glass for Maura, she also got a beer for herself and took it along with the wine bottle and another glass for her mother with her.
As the credits started to roll Angela took another chance to get them to speak.
Jane looked over to Maura. "Ma I swear to God if you start to go crazy about it we are done."
The M.E. pulled the attention away from Jane as she started to speak. "Well… we have discovered some difficulties about a particular subject which could have some major effects in sense of our future."
Angela looked blankly forth and back between her daughter and her future daughter-in-law.
"Aww… for the love of God, get it out already."
"Ma…," Jane glanced at her mother. "Let Maura get comfortable, it's not easy to ask such questions."
"Come on girls, you know you can talk about anything with me."
"Jane and I… we… we talked about children," both of them sensed the sharp intake of breath the Rizzoli matriarch did and waited for her normally squeal along that topic, but nothing happened.
"Okay Ma… I just go for it. Is it… I don't know… common to think about all the changes…especially the negative ones?"
"Which are exactly…?"
"As a matter of fact I am afraid that it will affect our relationship with each other."
Angela laughed. "Of course it will." She looked at them both.
"A child, especially when it's born into a healthy and strong relationship, in mutual agreement, is the crowning of your love. It will make you both even stronger and bring you even closer together. There is these small human being brought into this world with nothing less than your deep love for each other.
But I am not going to talk it all smooth and pretty. A child means work and compromises, nights at the edge of insanity and a lot of sorrows and fears. There will be tears and disagreements and frustration, especially when you get back to being intimate and a piercing cry gets a full force stop to any thought about romantic. But that's a matter of weeks or month, it depends on how independent you are going to raise your baby from the first day and after that you come back even stronger.
Me myself I made the mistake to cling too hard to you, Jane. I didn't want you to sleep all alone in the nursery and you stayed with us in the bedroom, which ended up that your father slept on the couch for nearly every night in nine month. As Frankie junior was born I had to learn that I am not a bad mother to take time for me, for us, as a couple. Yes, I was a mother but that didn't mean I wasn't a woman or the wife of someone anymore.
That's what you wanted to talk about, I am right? You are afraid that your love and life and your love-life comes to a halt. Don't be afraid, maybe it isn't every night after the baby but there will be time to be intimate and it possibly will be so much better, because you learn to enjoy and cherish your time for each other."
Angela laughed again. "And believe me it doesn't make you a bad person to wish your child to hell for a split second the moment you are so close to orgasm and you hear those loud footsteps in the hallway."
Jane made a face at the fleeting thought of her parents having sex.
Angela took a hand of each woman and placed it onto her lap. "You are not alone in this when you decide to become parents. We may not have survived as a couple but that was long after any of our children were grown up. You are so great with each other, don't let fear stop you to go for what you want."
She kissed both of their hands. "I am going to leave you to work on my grandchildren. Night girls."
Jane growled. "Ma…," Angela opened the back door, laughing. "It's so easy to get you going, Janie." She winked at Maura. "You can ask me whatever questions you have," and with that the door was closed.
They both sat in silence.
"Wasn't that supposed to help?" Jane asked.
"It did… as our question got answered." Maura crawled over and came to sit on Jane's lap. "For the rest… I never thought it would be an ongoing party… to raise a child means a lot of responsibility."
She caught both of the Italians hands in hers and kissed them. "Maybe we should put the baby-talk to a rest for some time and right now I would like to pick up your mother advice and get some practice going," she whispered while leaning in for a kiss.
R&I * R&I * R&I * R&I * R&I
Angela was preparing a snack while Jane and Maura sat on the couch watching a recap of the Pilgrims game from the night before. They had slept in. Waking up at ten a.m. was considered as sleeping in, back in Boston and they even had a late breakfast in bed.
"Chimpanzees do that," Maura stated.
"Do what?"
"Grab their crotches. It's a sign of aggression," she balled a fist to emphasize her statement.
"Man, that Mega Vega sure can hit."
"Mega stands for molecular evolutionary genetics analysis. He is quite a male specimen."
"Mega focus. Mega power. Drink my Mega-Ade to win every time." The TV spot blared from the speakers.
"I'd love to Mega him" Maura laughed and Jane had to grin. Insecurities, from pillar to post, they shared such a deep connection that sexual comments about other people were just amusements. Nothing else!
"Oh, hey. Language! My mother's here," Jane laughed.
Angela sat down beside Jane laughing. "You should hear us when you're not around policing us. He's a hunk."
"Hunk? Mmm. Okay. Officially throwing up in my mouth." They all giggled. "Should I be worried that my mother and my future-wife are daydreaming about Hunks while I am not at home?"
Maura grabbed Jane's thigh high and squeezed it.
"No… Jo Friday, stop licking."
"Oh, don't yell at her," Angela pleaded.
"That's not yelling." The dog didn't stop licking her pawns. "Stop licking! That's yelling."
"Speaking of a kiss goodbye. Co-owners no more. Phil Young announced today that he controls the Pilgrims. Must be pretty upsetting for the ex-wife, Gina." The reporters mused.
"That's too bad."
"Well, at least they're fighting over a baseball team. My parents are fighting over the snow shovel," Jane earned a glare from Maura and her mother.
The backdoor opened and Jane was baffled for some seconds. "Oh, my God. Tommy."
"I forgot to tell you he was coming home," Angela jumped as Jane stood and looked between her brother and her mother.
"You forgot to tell me?" She motioned to Maura. "Did you forget, too?"
She wrapped her brother into her arms. "Thanks for your letters. They really kept me going."
"I was looking for you three months ago."
"Yeah. I got in a little fight in the yard. They threw me back in, so"
"Yeah, well, let's not screw up your early release, okay? Fresh start, yeah?"
"Dr. Isles, I tightened up the flush valve in the guest house."
"Thank you. Please let me pay you."
"No, not a chance. I mean, it's the least I can do, you know? All you're doing for me."
The smile vanished from Jane's face and she walked over to Maura. "All you're doing for him?"
"He's just visiting your mother."
"Visiting means dropping by and then leaving. When's he leaving?"
"Jane, he's gonna be in violation of his probation without a permanent address."
"So the visit is permanent."
"Temporarily."
"The only thing that Tommy does 'temporarily' is staying out of trouble. And again, you did it without talking to me."
"Jane, I know you. You're conflicted, you want to help him, but you're afraid that anything you do will be interpreted as a sign of approval."
"My little brother is a screw-up, Maura, a completely lovable screw-up, felon."
"The recidivism rate for non-violent offenders is higher than for violent. It's 46% to 39%."
"So I'm thinking this isn't a good idea."
"He's family and I'm doing this for your mother. You know, he's made some bad choices, but that doesn't make him a bad person."
"Oh, yeah, right. He did fix the flush valve. Maura… ah screw it, don't say I didn't warn you."
"She's licking her paws, they're real red," Tommy picked Jo Friday up.
"Yeah. I know. I know." Jane watched both her brother and mother, shaking her head, thinking of every possibility that could
happen as Maura's phone ringed.
"This is Dr. Isles." She paused to listen. "Okay, if the division detectives have signed off, I will authorize the removal of the body. Thank you."
She looked at Jane and motioned to the TV. "Fatal slip and fall at the Pilgrims' locker room."
"That's weird, they're not reporting it. Mm. Let's go. I've never been to the Pilgrims' stadium, and their locker room is closer than our couch." She slapped Maura's backside lightly. "Come on."
"Well, I've always wanted to see them, without their uniforms." Jane rolled her eyes shook her head, while smiling. "Maura!"
Maura dialled dispatch. "This is Dr. Isles again. Uh, hold the body at the scene. I'm coming in." "Thank you."
"Um, I know you are busy,… you know, if you want, I can take your dog to the vet."
"No, your only job is… is just stay out of trouble, okay? Bye, ma."
"Bye, baby."
The first five minutes of the drive over to the stadium were made in silence.
"Look Jane I am sorry I didn't tell you. Your mother texted me on our way to Florida and she told me Tommy wanted to surprise you."
"You know I am grateful that you come along so well with my family and I know you were forced to make your own decisions mostly in your life but at least it would have been nice if you had told me, about my mother and about Tommy."
Maura grabbed Jane's thigh. "I am sorry baby. I made a decision, without you and in knowledge that it is possible that you are not okay with it, but I thought that maybe when he's there you would be happy."
"I am happy…somehow. Look honey… I know my brother. He used to drink too much and to tag along with the wrong people. He used to think he can do whatever he wants because my parents missed to teach him consequences. It was always my fault when he did something wrong, because I was the big sister and it was my duty to look after them, outside."
"I don't want it to stand between us. As soon as we come home I will talk to him, maybe we can find him a place to stay, outside of our home."
"No Maura, it's fine. I only pray this will not go downhill." She padded the blonde's hand, resting on her own leg.
They arrived in Cambridge at the stadium, belonging to Harvard University, serving as a home for the Boston Pilgrim Baseball Team.
"Body's in the shower, Dr. Isles."
"It's nice to see you, detective Merck."
"Actually, it's chief Merck now."
"Of course. Congratulations."
"Thank you." "What brings you out, Rizzoli?"
"Just tagging along. Look at you. You retire, land the plum job, chief of security for the Pilgrims."
"Yeah, it's a long way from working those late nights in homicide. Hey, listen, while you're here, we treat Boston's finest to a couple of tickets on the first-base line."
"I've only sat in the nosebleeds on police-appreciation day… thanks. What's this look like to you?"
"Uh, it's pretty sad. It's a poor fella on our coaching staff. Slipped and fell in the shower this morning. Team's pretty shook up about it."
"Oh, the coaching staff? That's awful."
"Yeah. Hey, listen. Why don't you go out and enjoy the game? I'll walk her through this, and I'll have her out by the bottom of the first."
"Well, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna, uh, wait here for Dr. Isles, all right?"
"Uh, yeah, all right. Sure. Let me, uh… let me go check on her, all right?
Jane stood there and watched pretty stunned some of the player going through their rituals.
"I guess we must look pretty strange."
"Well, does he always puke before a game?"
"Yeah, yeah. Baseball players are really superstitious. Part of his ritual." He took off his base cap and offered his hand. "I'm Jesse Wade."
"Detective Jane Rizzoli. And I know who you are. Uh, rookie of the year when you came into the bigs, two-time all-star."
"Impressive. Most women only know the superstar, Mr. Mega Vega."
"Well, confession… I'm a big Red Sox fan… but, you know, maybe you guys can convert me."
"Yeah. Maybe."
"Man, you better move and get out of my way." One of the player shoved Vega.
"Man, you shouldn't even have a locker, the way you're hitting." Vega answered angrily.
"All right."
"Is that part of his ritual, too?" Jane asked Jesse.
"No. The Dead guy in the shower's got everybody spooked." He pulled out a card of his pocket and stuck it into Jane's hand. "Oh. Call me. Wouldn't mind being interrogated by you."
"Heard that line, like, four million times."
"You call me, and, uh, I'll think of a new one. All right."
Jane walked over looking for Maura. "What's a coach doing in the players' showers?"
"Coaches, players, managers all have access to the gym and the showers."
"What time did he come in?"
"The records shows 6 a.m."
Maura sighed and got Jane attention immediately. "What is it?"
The blonde M.E. seemed to be tensely to her partner. "I'm not sure," she breathed.
"It's a slip and fall. Can we just get him out of here?" Merck was becoming angry with the both women.
"His body's already in advanced rigor."
"That's very simple… the hot water was running when the cleaning lady found him."
"Hot water does accelerate it. It's this radiating circular skull fracture consistent with a hard impact, and this…a second compression fracture to the occiput," Maura explained while showing both of the injuries to his skull.
"Two skull fractures? How? He fell once."
"Well, he slipped, cracked his head on the shower handle, hit the floor." Merck bit back.
Jane kneeled down and looked at her fiancé. "That's not what you're thinking, is it?"
It wasn't and to confirm her suspicion she measured the wounds and the handle. "The gash is wider than the shower handle. Something else struck his skull."
"A weapon? Wh.. you got to use your best guess. If there's any chance this was a murder…," Merck jumped in immediately. "…murder?! Rizzoli, what the hell? There's no murder here."
Jane looked over to Maura. "Is it a suspicious death? What does your gut say?"
"I don't listen to my intestines."
"Maura." That wasn't her typical tone like anytime the M.E was overstretching her patience, this was a serious one.
The blonde doctor hesitated a moment, fully aware of the fact that a hasty decision could end badly, in both ways. "I'm declaring the manner of this death suspicious pending further investigation…"
"…by the homicide unit," Jane finished Maura's sentence. "Take your V.I.P. Seats. Boston homicide sits in the nosebleeds." She pushed the two tickets back to Merck and walked out to inform dispatch.
Maura still kneeling beside the victim, thought about how they always managed to get pulled into cases like this. They were just back from their trip to Florida and supposed to be at home on the couch, snuggling. Yes, she was informed by dispatch that the covering M.E. had called in sick and that she probably would be called in. But this case already smelled a lot like the ones that had caused them to spend a night apart from each other, smelling like trouble.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you still off for the weekend?" Jane's former partner wondered aloud as he came into the locker room. "What's going on? I'm missing the game," Korsak announced as he walked up to Jane.
"Yeah, so is he." Jane motioned over to the victim.
"Oh, boy. That guy got hit by more than a pitch. What does Dr. Isles say?"
"Suspicious death. And their million-dollar lawyers won't let us touch anything until the warrant gets here. Victim's a member of the coaching staff."
Korsak walked over to the bench where the victim's clothes were placed. "Ron McKenna. I knew them all, right down to the bat boys. Never heard of this guy."
"Hey." Frost spoke up as he arrived in the shower, Frankie right beside him.
"Hey, you get it all?" Jane asked.
Frost pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "Judge Polk gave you the locker room, but he won't give you the stadium."
"I'm not surprised. He probably called the governor. He's not gonna cancel this game. What about the… uh… dumpsters?"
"Judge said no."
"Fine. I'll type up another warrant and a find a judge who doesn't have Pilgrims box seats."
"Okay. Your retirement," Frost smiled.
"Merck the jerk. All he ever talked about was the Sox. When that job went to Celluci, he sold his soul to get this one." Korsak mused.
"He was in homicide 15 years. You think he did clean-up?"
"Let's find out."
"Here. You know the drill," Jane handed the warrant over to Merck.
"Uh, this is our house now. You can read that on the way out," Korsak added to one of the lawyers.
"Okay, I want all the dumpsters frozen. I want a man in front of every one of them," Jane ordered low voiced.
"Oh, come on… I got to dumpster dive through 40,000 hot dogs and blue shaved ice?" Frankie whined.
"Go! Before they empty it! If there's any evidence in there, we don't want to lose it." Korsak commanded while Jane just stared at her brother and Frankie knew there was nothing left to discuss. She stopped him still. "Hey, hey. Did you get my text about the Tommy surprise?"
"Yeah, why didn't Ma tell us?"
"Wh… At least she's not trying to throw him another "welcome home" party."
"Yeah, because he doesn't have one."
"Let's keep an eye on him, all right?"
While Maura stayed back to finish the crime scene Jane and Korsak went to speak with the team owner only to run into walls of silence. Nonetheless they get their chance for some answers as the out-ruled ex-wife showed up and so they learned about the real activity Ron was employed for. He was Manny Vega's sober coach.
Back in the shower room Maura informed Jane she would drive home to change and bring her some clothes along, before she signed the body off for her team to transport it back to the morgue.
One of the crime-tech's was about to bag the victims clothes.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. These have never been worn. This is brand-new." She skimmed through the clothes.
"Backs of his shoes are wet. He was dragged into the shower with his clothes on," Korsak stated the fact.
"Not in these clothes," Jane motioned for them. "He didn't die in the showers. This whole thing was staged."
They walked slowly over into the locker room, looking out for any evidence. "Oh… hey…ho… up there, you see that." Jane pointed for a red spot above Vegas locker.
"Directional bloodspatter. Somebody swung away in here." Korsak turned his base-cap around and kneeled down, sniffing at the floor. "Smells like bleach."
Jane watched over to the TV, her face moving. "Somebody cleaned up a murder."
Jane walked down to the morgue. "Hey. What is 'Le Beau Truc'?"
"Five-star French restaurant. Brilliant nouveau take on escargot."
"Is this okay?" Jane motioned for her clothes.
"Are you out of your mind?" Maura nearly choked on her own saliva.
"What? I'm meeting Jesse Wade. He wants to do the interview there."
"At Le Beau Truc?"
"Yeah."
"Le booty call." Maura smirked.
"What did you just say?"
"I know." The M.E. opened her blazer and turned around. Looking over her shoulder she motioned to the back of her dress. "Unzip me."
Jane looked dumbstruck at the woman in front of her. The door was wide open and the blinds also. "Wh… why?"
"Because you can't go like that. We'll trade clothes. Come on." Maura wiggled her shoulder.
"Are you crazy? That dress wouldn't cover my… Booty," Jane motioned over her front.
Well as a matter of fact It didn't cover much of Jane and Maura had to hold her horses fairly hard. Jane on the other side was far from happy, not only she had to wear a dress, on the top of it, it had to be a pink one.
"It smells like a deco."
"Oh, men are not attracted to the smell of death." Maura reached for her perfume.
"Really?" She squirmed as Maura began to spray at her. "Okay, that's enough."
The doctor looked down at the lanky Italian. "Oh. Those boots are fashion homicide." She took of her own heels.
"No. No! Those shoes are foot homicide."
"Put them on." Maura held her shoes in front of Jane.
"They're too small." Jane whined, she took them nevertheless.
"Give them back."
"You just said 'put them on'!"
"Patience."
While Jane pulled off one of her boot and sock Maura came back from the morgue with her shoes and a scalpel. She started to cut her shoes open.
"What are you do…" Jane put her hand to her mouth in shock. "Maura!" Her fiancé didn't just cut her shoes open? Her shoes! The one thing Jane was sure Maura loved even more than her.
"Voilà. Peep toes."
Maura's broad smile made even Jane grinning like a child. "Thank you," the detective whispered nearly shy. Well if that wasn't a proof of love at all. Maura hat just cut one of her favourite pairs of heels for her. Which she knew for sure had cost $800, because she had tagged along as Maura had bought them.
"Oh. You look sexy," Maura stated with a nod of approval. Jane looked up and down the blonde. "You look… like… you're wearing my clothes." Although Maura could have wearing a garbage bag and still look sexy Jane was also still annoyed that Maura had made her wearing that pink dress.
Her phone ringed. "Hey Ma. Tommy. Why do you have Ma's phone? Okay. Calm down! Alright! Where are you? Okay, I'll be right..." She hangs up her phone and looked at her watch. "I've got 45 minutes." She grabbed Maura's hand. "Come with me. I'm gonna need back up."
"What? Jane, what did Tommy do? Jane! You have all the shoes!"
R&I * R&I * R&I * R&I * R&I
"These suck." Jane pulls off the heels immediately as they are through the door. "Ugh! And your dress is about as comfortable as a straitjacket."
"Yeah, and your suit is a real booty-call magnet. I got hit on twice… by women."
"Really?" Jane asks smirking. "Well you do look so cute… in my suit." Jane turns Maura around, the smaller woman's back pressed to the door, and scoots her nose along the doctors.
"Really?" Maura's left caresses along Jane's face. "How about we get you out of my straitjacket then," she whispers into the detective's ear while the Italian already has fumbled three of the buttons of her own shirt, wore by her fiancé, open.
She turns around and mimics Maura's gesture from before. "Mhhh… unzip me?"
They were laying on the couch, a woollen blanket over them. Maura on her back and Jane between her legs, head on the doctor's shoulder, both hands from the M.E playing with black locks. Both of them enjoying the skin-on-skin contact and the sweet exhaustion of their love-making.
"He accused me of using this to make a name at his costs," Jane whispered. "And then they are dragging our victim through the mire, in a live interview and nobody spends a single thought about the poor boy, loosing his mother five years ago and today also his father."
Jane's thumbs are both caressing over Maura's neck. "At least my dinner was partly successful, although he hit on me pretty badly. Obviously Vega was drinking again and they knew it and they faked his tests because he was the shinning star. Shinning star… my ass… he is a real arrogant dick."
"Language, Jane." Maura kisses her forehead.
"But it is true… being all cool… in his fucking Ferrari. Acting like he's God himself. And to top that all, Merck shows up and tries to muzzle me, walking up into Cavenaugh's office with the governor having his back, trying to delay the case after the playoffs. At least Cavenaugh has some balls and told me to do the exact opposite."
Maura pulls Jane up to her for a kiss. "You will get whoever killed Ron McKenna." The movement between her thighs stirs her body and as she turns her head to the side…
"Jane… can you turn up the light please."
"Why?" The Italian rasps.
"Because…"
Acclimating to the sudden brightness, from the table lamp behind the couch, Maura's suspicion confirms. "Oh, no."
Looking up Jane reaches immediately for her gun on the coffee table. "Somebody was in here." She grabs a spare blanket from the back of the couch and gets up.
"Ma! Tommy! Ma! Ma, come here!"
Angela is over in seconds, already in her nightwear. "Jane, what's wrong?"
Her daughter just motions to the spot the TV was placed before.
"Oh… no! Tommy?" The older woman breathes and Jane throws her hands over her head, sighing hard.
"Oh…, maybe it wasn't Tommy." Maura tries to sooth both Rizzoli's.
Jane just throws a pissed look at her mother, sighing again. Angela being close to tears. "I… I told the Palumbos Tommy would never steal their stereo."
Jane turns to Maura. "Tommy broke into some houses when he was in high school. Um… He never should have been staying here, Maura. I'm so sorry."
Maura grabs Jane's arm, searching contact to her love. "It's okay," she whispers.
"Oh, for the life of me! I don't understand why your brother does what he does!"
Jane turns around to her mother again. "All right, look. I'll call Frankie, okay, and then we'll go look for Tommy. If he's on the run, it should be us that find him, okay? Come here, Ma." Jane grabs her crying mother. "It's all right. Okay? I'll find him."
She sends her mother over to the guesthouse again before she calls Frankie and picks up their discarded clothes, starting to dress before she checks the other rooms. Bringing something to wear for Maura with her, she leaves her in the care of her mother until the detectives from burglary will arrive.
It didn't take long for them to find their brother, as the Robber actually was the closest bar, just opposite of the old Police Headquarter near Ashburton Park.
"Oh, don't move, babe. The police got us surrounded," Tommy joked lightly.
"You're so funny, Tommy." The girl, Jane considered as a dumb blonde, laughed.
She pulled out her badge and shows her to the woman. "Actually, babe, move."
"So, uh, which one of yous wants to take me in?" Tommy hold up his arms for them to cuff him, still thinking this was a kind of funny game.
"Where'd you get the money to buy the dinner and drinks for the townie?" Jane asked.
"Did you pawn Maura's stuff?" Frankie adds.
"Huh?" Tommy looks at them dumbstruck.
"Our house was burglarized." Jane explains.
"The TV, all of Maura's jewelry." Frankie counts.
"Her trust. She trusted you. We trusted you."
"Oh, you think I did it?"
"Did you?"
"Yeah, sure. Recession's my fault, mom and dad are getting divorced because of me. War in the middle east… that's me, too."
"Is that what you think? They're not getting a divorce because of you, Tommy." Jane says.
"They fought all the time."
"They fought over the freaking leaves in the gutters, Tommy," Frankie soothes.
"I am the freaking gutter. It's Detective Rizzoli," he motions to Jane then to Frankie. "Officer Rizzoli, and Tommy the screw-up."
"That's what you've chosen. That's not who you are." Jane states.
The TV in the background breaks the program for some important news.
"We have a breaking story. Manny "Mega" Vega…"
Jane looks over to the barkeeper. "Hey, could you turn that up, please?"
"Has been killed in an automobile accident. Details at this time are inconclusive, but detectives are looking into the matter. Of course, we'll have much more on this story as it develops."
That would be a long night. "Tommy, you're on your own tonight. No babysitters for you."
"Once again, Manny "Mega" Vega, Boston Pilgrims baseball superstar, has died tonight in a fatal car accident."
The moment they leave the Robber Maura calls Jane to inform her about being called out and the detective rushes over to their home to pick up the doctor. After processing the crime scene they rush over to the Headquarter, down to the morgue. Having some of Jane's colleagues all over their house, processing their very own crime scene they as well could use the time for better.
"Wonder if he'll go down as one of the best hitters of all time or the baseball star who murdered his sober coach and then died in a D.U.I."
"Got the results from the contents of the sports bottle." One of the lab techs walks in.
"Oh, from his car? That was fast."
"I processed it myself. That guy was my hero. I wanted to know if he was loaded."
"Was he?"
"Can you put it down here?" Maura motions for the table. She looks over the test results. "No. Glucose water, b- vitamins, taurine, ginseng, caffeine."
"No drugs, alcohol, or steroids?"
"No." the doctor pulls her cut open a bit wider with her scalpel. "This is strange. Cardiomyopathy. He has an enlarged heart."
"Congenital?"
"No. Recent damage." She has a closer look at the removed kidney.
"Maura, you have that "I have a case-solving hunch" look on your face."
"My face doesn't hunch. It's minor pruritus."
"Excuse me?"
"An itch. Hmm." She takes her kitchen knife, well used to slice organs and makes a deep cut, watches closely. "His kidneys are damaged." She shows the kidney over to Jane. "Look at that crystallization."
"Yeah. From what?"
"I'd be guessing."
Jane closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "God, it's torture sometimes," she whispers. "Have you seen this before?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Good. What did it turn out to be before?"
"Ethylene glycol ingestion."
"Antifreeze? Someone was poisoning him."
They return back home three hours later, having to wait on more tests to come back from the lab they decide at least to try to get some sleep. Receiving the results some minutes before they arrive at Headquarter, Jane shows up in the bullpen with the recently learned facts that their second victim was obviously being poisoned about the time of three weeks.
In the middle of their little game of 'what if' and 'let's assume' Jane receives a text from Maura, having found some new evidence on the first vic, Joe McKenna.
Waiting for Maura to explain her findings to the team of three detectives, Frost starts to get green as the M.E. stick a needle into McKenna's eye.
"You can't look at a little vitreous fluid?" Korsak teases him.
"Coming out of an eyeball…," Frost points out.
"Come on. You said you had something. What are we doing standing here?" Jane get's all whiny as always if she has to wait for something.
"Time of death is always hard to pin down. It's even harder in this case. You could be a little more patient." Maura responses in her the-more-you-hound-me-the-longer-you-have-to-wait voice.
"Job was like a cranky toddler compared to me." Jane jokes in her usual sarcasm and Maura gives her a sassy smile but her eyes hold nothing but love for the most impatient person alive.
"You spoke to Frankie?" Jane addresses Frost.
"He's still going through all 12 dumpsters with every division detective we could spring loose;" Frost answers immediately.
"And why aren't you there?" Korsak teases again. "Oh, I know." He snips his fingers. "Ew! I hate eyeball fluid. Ew, I'm afraid of garbage." He acts in a high-pitched voice. The two of them are sometimes like little girls.
"Why aren't you there?" Frost mimics Korsak. "I know. Might mess up that nice sport coat from 1989."
They all have to grin and push aside the temptation of a good laugh.
"All right. Come on. So… Gina hired McKenna because she thought Vega was drinking again." Jane states the facts.
"Yeah. She said he'd been having violent outbursts." Korsak adds.
"Ethylene-glycol poisoning mimics inebriation," Maura explains.
Frost grabs the bagged bottle from Vega. "But we didn't find any traces of antifreeze in Vega's water bottle."
"Yeah, at least not the one in his car," Jane adds to that. No, w… that's it. Wait a minute. Uh, baseball players are real superstitious, right?"
"Oh, Mark McGwire wore the same cup from his high-school-playing days until it was stolen from him late in his career." Korsak explains one of the weird habits.
"Clemens put tiger balm on his bal…," Frost stops mid-word and clears his throat.
"His balls?" Maura asks confused.
"Yeah." Frost smiles embarrassed at her.
"Don't they inspect those before they're allowed to pitch?" Maura asks again, even more confused.
The three detective all start to chuckle. "Different… Balls, Dr. Isles," Frost explains while pointing to his crotch.
"Oh." Understanding, but staying confused about why someone would do something like that, they all share a laugh.
"Let's just say they… they have some weird rituals," Korsak adds, seeing the still lingering confusion.
Jane's the only one staying quiet, deep drowned in her thoughts. "Yeah, like drinking from the same blinged-out game bottle. Let's test the one in his locker."
Their suspicion confirms. The killer was spiking Vega's special game bottle.
Easy access, just sitting in his locker. The killer had only to wait until the locker room was empty and poor Ron McKenna, suspects Vega's drinking, decides to check his locker after the game, catches the murderer red-handed. Killer grabs Vega's bat, whacks McKenna in the head, drags him to the showers, smashes his skull against the tile, stages a slip-and-fall accident.
They are discussing all the possible suspects until Maura get's the results of the hypoxanthine test and it confirms that Ron McKenna wasn't murdered at 6:00 a.m. but around midnight.
So they bring in Merck for interrogation and after a lot of pressing he admits that he was ordered to protect Manny Vega, 'cause they all thought it was him who murdered McKenna.
While they check out Vega's contract and discover that Phil and Manny must have had a side deal to cut out Gina from the team they got word about Merck being bailed out by Gina plus Korsak get informed about matching fingerprints from Jane and Maura's house to a burglary ring. They've all been arrested and Maura will get all her jewelry back. To top their luck Frankie finds bloody towels and clothes along with used one-way gloves, also smeared in blood.
"I know we got nothing on the outside, but what about on the inside? Can you get a print?"
"This is not 'CSI: Boston' Jane, okay? It's a very delicate process, and it's not always successful."
"Be great if it was successful this time."
"I can't concentrate. Did you apologize to Tommy?"
"No, but I will. Let's just get the bad guys first, all right?"
"All right. Well, why don't you go and apologize to him, and I'll call you if I get any latent prints."
"If? N… the reason you have these gloves to work with is because I gumshoed. The least you can do is to get me some prints." Maura turns around and places herself in front of the box the gloves are hanging, crosses her arms in front of her and gives Jane an annoyed glare.
"What are you… why are you stopping? What are you doing?"
"Waiting for you to leave!"
"Wh… you are ridiculous." Jane smiles. But the grin on Maura's face all together with her batting lashes tells her that the blonde doctor is nothing but serious.
"Fine. Bye." She turns around and leaves. So she just drives over to Beacon Hill in search of her brother, after finding him she apologise and ask him to stay as long as he needs and then Maura informs her that she's got a print on the inside of one of the gloves.
They arrest Jesse for the murder of Manny Vega and Ron McKenna, because he was jealous of everything Manny got thrown to his feet and after his confession and booking him they get back the stolen stuff and meet in their Beacon Hill home for dinner together.
"A little to the left," Tommy supervised while Frankie and Korsak adjust the TV to the wall again.
"Okay, now to the right…to the right," Jane adds.
"Center it a little," Maura sets on top.
Both men are done and Vince takes his hands of the TV.
"Wait, don't… don't drop it, Korsak," Frankie jumps. "This thing costs more than you make in a month."
"That's still more than you make in six months," Korsak teases.
"Dinner time!" Angela yells from the kitchen and Jo comes running, barking at the elder woman. "Look, Jo Friday! You want your dinner? Yes."
Korsak looks at the open pot. "You feed that dog chicken?" he asks.
"It's organic," Angela answers.
"She's licking her paws?" Vince asks again.
"Yeah, nonstop! That's why she's depressed," Jane answers and Korsak burst out laughing.
"What? It's not funny. I paid 300 bucks. She's still licking," Jane whines.
"Because a lot of little dogs like her are allergic to poultry."
Angela looks up shocked and laughs. "Oh."
Jane turns to Maura, her hands at her hips. "Well, she has been withdrawn and restless, reluctant to go outside and urinate," Jane mimics Maura's word from the vet.
"Well, excuse me. I don't treat mixed breeds or four-legged creatures… or anything else…"
…that's alive. Yeah, I forgot," Jane finishes Maura's sentence.
"Okay, knock it off, you two. Get the salad," Angela orders.
"Would you like me to reimburse you for misdiagnosing your dog?" Maura asks just to annoy Jane a little further.
"Stop it," Angela tries again.
"Yes…Yes, I would, actually. That'd be nice," Jane mocks back.
"Would a check be okay, or would you feel safer with cash?" Maura asks grinning.
Jane grins back. "Cash. Cash is good."
Dinner went smoothly and was full of laughter and they found themselves back on the couch again after anyone had left. Jane pulls Maura's closer to her.
"I am sorry for trying to rush you today," Jane apologise and Maura put her index to the Italian lips, replacing it with her lips.
"Shhh… don't be. You do your job and I will do mine. I know you well enough to not take it personal. You are who you are and that is one of the reasons you are such a great detective and one of the reasons I love you so much."
"How about we catch up where we left last night," Jane whispers, using both hands to shove Maura's tank top up to discard it.
"How about we take that upstairs, just because we have two more days left to stay at home doesn't mean your mother won't show up in the morning," Maura whispers back, nonetheless taking off her top and leaving her in khaki colored pants and a black bra.
"I love it how you are always the voice of reason" Jane smiles, kissing the doctors chest.
Maura wraps her legs around the Italian. "If you don't hurry to get me upstairs there won't be much left of that voice."
Thanks for reading! Review would be nice.
Have a nice week 3
rizzlesshipper4ever