My Serenity
WARNING: Rated M for some violence, language, and sexual situations. This fic contains (eventual) femmeslash and sexual situations between two female characters. Do not continue if this is not to your liking.
Trigger warnings: This chapter contains references to Charles Hoyt. While there are no graphic images or descriptions, some readers may be uncomfortable with the dark themes explored. Please be advised of trigger warnings for: kidnapping, psychological abuse, and physical violence. While these themes will not remain the focus of this story in general, it will be part of the plot for the next few chapters.
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Chapter 20 – Jane Meets the Warden
"What are you smiling about?" Maura smiled into the mirror, watching Jane in the reflection.
"You," Jane smirked, tipping her hat and leaning back onto the sofa.
Maura blushed, quite uncharacteristically. It wasn't like her to be shy with a romantic partner, but Jane had a way of making her heart flutter. She continued to brush her long, dark-gold hair, peering at Jane as the brunette studied her. Maura didn't think she had ever seen someone so content, no less the restless and wild Captain Jane Rizzoli.
Jane stood, grinning as she caught Maura's eyes in the glass when she slipped her hands around her waist. Maura leaned back into her arms, relishing in her warmth. Jane took in a deep breath, her lips at Maura's temple. Jane tucked the hair behind Maura's ear, moving her lips to Maura's neck. Maura sighed as Jane left a soft kiss below her ear.
"What are you doing to me?" Jane muttered, her voice low, husky. Her hands slipped under the hem of Maura's blouse, exploring the soft skin of her midriff.
"My guess is that I am causing you to be sexually aroused." Maura stated mater-of-factly.
"I thought you didn't guess." Jane laughed softly, pressing another kiss to Maura's neck. Jane was surprised by her boldness. Even Maura's bluntness couldn't deter her. It was like she was consumed by her desire for Maura.
"Well I have a lot of anecdotal evidence," Maura sighed, her hand slipping behind her head and into Jane's hair, "I think I can draw a tentative hypothesis."
"I guess we'll just have to test that …" Jane whispered as Maura turned. Maura's other hand went into Jane's raven locks as Jane pulled Maura tightly against her. Jane's nostrils flared as she took in Maura's sweet perfume, her temperature rose as Maura's chest pressed against hers, Maura's breathing unsteady through her nose as Jane sucked on Maura's lower lip.
"Jane," Maura moaned softly as the brunette's hands spread across her back.
"Maura," Jane huffed back.
"Maura!"
The doctor sat bolt upright, shaking the haziness of her dream from her head as she blinked at the face in front of her. She was sitting at the window of a speeding passenger train. It took her a moment to recall why she was there.
"Maura, honey," Angela said anxiously, "are you okay? You were talking in your sleep."
"Sorry, Angela." Maura said, sitting up and running her fingers through her hair. "I must have dozed off."
"I was worried you were having a nightmare." Angela said sympathetically. "You were muttering about Jane."
Maura shook her head and avoided Angela's eyes, "No, not a nightmare. Just a … memory."
"Oh, well," Angela said, sitting back a bit, "I was worried you were having nightmares. It seems to be all the dreams I have anymore."
"Oh, I'm sorry Angela!" Maura responded empathetically. Maura had had plenty of nightmares as well, but these dreams were almost worse because when she awoke, the sinking feeling in her chest was almost more than she could bear. The realization that Jane was gone and that she might never get the chance to see her again was real, too real.
"Where did I go wrong, Maura?" Angela started to cry.
"You did nothing wrong, Angela!" Maura said almost pleadingly, wrapping the older woman in a hug. "None of this is your fault."
"Janey's gone, Frankie's always mad, and Tommy" she sobbed, "well, he's been drinking. He lost his job at the shipyard. Now Frankie has to do all the earning."
"Shh," Maura said holding Angela closer, "it's going to be okay."
Angela pushed away. "You say that, but how do you know, Maura? How do you know? Frankie works all the time. Tommy just sleeps. We haven't heard anything from Vince or Barry in weeks. It's like everyone's given up!"
"We haven't." Maura stated simply. "None of us have given up."
"Oh, Maura…" Angela said as if feeling sorry for her naivety.
"Angela," Maura explained, "I'm not here on Persephone just to visit."
"You're not?" Angela frowned.
"No," Maura smiled, "I'm here because I finally found a way in."
Xxx
Ariopolis – Moon of Ariel
Jane had been in this room for what she estimated to be about a week. She wasn't even sure how she had gotten in the room in the first place. The best she could figure, she had been drugged. She could be anywhere in the Verse for all she knew.
Someone had changed her clothes. She awoke in a pair of white scrubs, long pants and plain short-sleeve shirt, both with no pockets. The room was cool, atmosphere controlled. The only smell was slightly metallic with a lingering scent of antiseptic.
The room was about four by four meters. There was a small bed with white sheets and a white blanket sitting neatly folded with a pillow at its foot. There was a small table in the opposite corner to the bed. A single matching white chair sat beside it. In the other corners were a small toilet and what she assumed to be the door—though it mostly blended with the walls which were completely bare and white like the rest of the room.
Originally Jane had tried banging on the door and shouting, but no one responded. The walls were either soundproof, or no one cared how loud and long she cursed at them. Next, she tried throwing things around. That did nothing but scuff the walls and floor. When she tired out, she tried inspecting every inch of the walls.
To her surprise she had found that they were not as smooth and blank as it first appeared. There were tiny grooves in roughly rectangular shapes at about waist level. Quite accidently she found that some of these opened when pressed with the fingers, though not with the furniture she had tried throwing.
One of the rectangles near the toilet ended up being a sink, white as porcelain just like all the rest. Another near the bed had a spare sheet and blanket for the bed. Another under that held a change of clothes, exactly the same as the first. She found what she thought were two more by the table, but they would not open no matter how she tried. Finally, there was one at the door, but she found out later that one only opened from the outside.
On the first day, she wondered if she was in a hospital. It sure seemed like an Alliance medical facility. It was only when the slot opened in the door that there was any resemblance to a prison. Jane had been searching the walls when the door slot opened, and a tray of food pushed in as if automatically.
"Hey!" Jane had shouted, running to the door. "You out there!"
There was only silence.
"Hey!" Jane hollered even louder. "Who's out there? Where am I? Someone explain what the hell is going on!"
But there was no response. And as soon as she picked up the tray of food, the slot closed. She poked through the food suspiciously. As far as she could tell it was real meat and vegetables. The drink was completely unfamiliar: darkish, slightly fruity, barely sweet. Having felt like she hadn't eaten in days, she ate and drank readily. The moment she took the last sip of the drink the slot in the door opened.
So, someone is watching, Jane had thought. And she seemed to be right. Three meals a day, everyday, the slot would open the second she took the last bite. If she got up from the table without the tray or any of the dishes, the slot would close, waiting until she moved with the tray to the door. She took to playing games with the thing, but grew frustrated after a couple days, as whomever was watching never said a word.
It was now the seventh day. The lights (that seemed to come from the ceiling itself) had brightened to wake her. They seemed to do so at the same time every day and would dim at the end of the day. At "night" it was so dark that she could barely make out the hand in front of her face. It seemed like every night it got darker, testing how much she could tolerate.
And she wasn't tolerating much. The darkness was unsettling. At least in the expanse of space you could make out even tiny specks of light from the distant stars. Here, she almost felt like she was drowning in the darkness. It crept in on her from all sides.
The nightmares started on the fourth night. They started out vague: strange images in a sea of black, the sound of a scream—or maybe a laugh—a feeling of unease. Then she started hearing his voice. That cold laugh would echo into the darkness and cause chills to run down her spine and goosebumps to run over her skin.
This morning was the first where she woke up before the lights came up. She sat straight up, screaming, and trying to catch her breath. She backed up against the corner, grasping the blankets, trying to see in the pitch blackness. She just knew he was standing there.
But when the lights started to slowly lift, she could breathe again. She was alone in the white room. Hoyt was only in her head. The pounding in her heart slowed, her breathing calmer. But the memories of the nightmare started to creep back.
"Please…" Jane muttered into her pillow as tears started to slip down her cheeks. "No, don't hurt me…"
Xxx
Hera
"Will you help me with this, for Pete's sake?" Korsak groaned, lugging a box half his size, looking as if he was about to topple over.
"Hold on!" Frost shouted from behind him.
"I am holding on," Korsak grunted, his knuckles going white and his face turning red, "that's the problem."
At that moment the large metal box slipped from his grasp. He screamed as it landed on his foot, "Shit!"
"Fuck," Frost yelped, running to him, "you okay?"
"My back!" Korsak hollered the moment he bent over to check his foot.
"Damn," Frost winced, "I guess not."
"Screw you!" Korsak muttered, standing up stiffly.
"I told you to leave the heavy lifting up to me."
"Nobody asked you!"
"I'm just saying, you're gonna get fired if you can't do the work."
"And you're gonna get hit upside the head if you don't shut up!"
"Damn, sorry!" Frost said, throwing up his hands.
"Ugh," Korsak groaned, kicking the box with his good foot, "I guess really am getting too old."
"Nah!" Frost laughed, slapping him on the shoulder, "You're just not built for it."
"Hey!"
"No," Frost smiled, "I mean, you're a pilot, not a labor worker."
"You can say that again."
"You're a pilot, not a—"
"Cut it out smartass!"
"'Kay, Boss!" He grinned. "Let's get this last load into the cargo bay so we can get the hell off this godforsaken rock!"
"Amen to that!" Korsak winked.
Xxx
Persephone
"Ma!" Frankie shouted as he opened the door. "You here?"
"Stop shouting, Frankie!" Angela hollered back. "We have a guest—"
"Maura?!" Frankie shout ecstatically, running right at the blonde, practically tackling her in a hug.
It took Maura a moment to recover herself, but she was very happy to see him as well. She smiled warmly at him as he stepped back and looked at her. It was almost as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
"What're you doing here?" Frankie said in awe.
"I got your message." Maura stated simply.
Frankie's whole demeanor changed. He looked utterly devastated. "I'm sorry, Maura," he tried to explain, "I tried to get her. She was just too far gone. They sold her for parts just the other day. I'm surprised it took this long—"
"Frankie!" Maura smiled. "I only told you to find her."
"I tried, Maura, but Ma and I, we just didn't have the credit to—"
"No, you did find her, so I bought her."
"You bought her?" Frankie and Angela said in unison.
"Of course, I did." Maura replied simply.
"You have that kind of credit?" Frankie said, astonished.
"I mean, it wasn't that much." Maura shrugged.
"Where was this money when we were stuck on Regina?" Frankie questioned suspiciously.
"I wasn't in contact with my family at that time." Maura said, growing uncomfortable.
"And you are now?" Frankie replied.
"Are you sure that's wise, Maura?" Angela said with concern.
"I didn't have a choice." Maura stated plainly, "We need Serenity back. We need Jane back."
Xxx
Ariopolis
For Jane, the interminable days were not much better than the nightmarish nights. She spent hours staring into space—not the space she knew—the space that boxed her in. Minutes passed like hours. The only way she had of measuring time was the emptiness of her gut and the click of the slot opening.
Sometimes she paced. Back and forth, back and forth. She did it until she annoyed herself, till she was tugging at her hair. She moved the bed to the other side of the room, switching it with the table and chair. She stared at the wall, trying to imagine pictures there. Then she started pacing again.
"Hello Janey."
Jane stopped dead in her tracks. She looked up at the ceiling, though the sound seemed to have come from everywhere at once. A shiver ran down her spine and she swallowed. Had she imagined it?
"Yes, Janey." The voice said, "It's me."
Still Jane refused to believe it.
"I'm going mad." Jane muttered under her breath. "It's the isolation. I'm having delusions."
"Oh, I'm no delusion."
"Shut up!" Jane screamed, tears welling in her eyes "Shut up!"
"Janey," he said, "is that any way to speak to the Warden?"
"Warden?" Jane shouted running her fingers through her hair and tugging. She closed her eyes, No! No. It's another nightmare. Please. It has to be another nightmare.
"Yes," he said, a smile evident in the tone of his voice, "they call me the Warden."
"Hoyt!" Jane bellowed, running to the door and banging on it fiercely. "Hoyt, you come out here and show me your ugly damn face, you coward!"
"Oh, Janey, don't worry…" he said laughing, "I'll be back tonight."
"No!" Jane cried, banging on the door until her hands were bruised, "No! Hoyt! Let me out!"
But it was no use. He did not speak again. She went to sit in the bed, curling up in the corner, dreading the slowly approaching darkness.
Xxx
Persephone
"Tommy!" Angela said, shaking him by the shoulder. "Wake up!"
"It's okay, Angela." Maura reassured, stepping in front of her. "Let me take a look at him."
"Maura?" Tommy said dazedly, his voice slurred. "Whatss you doin' here?"
"Tommy, can you sit up for me?" Maura spoke softly, helping him sit up.
"Yeah," Tommy said, sitting up far too quickly and almost flopping over, "Sure."
"Careful!" Maura said, steadying him by the shoulders.
"Whats sup?" he smiled.
"What happened to you, Tommy?" Maura wondered aloud, her heart almost breaking at his sad state. She shown a light in each eye, checking his response.
"Nothing!" Tommy blinked, smirking, "Jus a lil' partyin.'"
"Tommy…" Angela said sadly, she looked as if she was about to cry.
"It was never this bad." Frankie said, talking to Maura as if Tommy wasn't even in the room. "He was never very good with staying out of trouble, but it was never this bad. Ever since Jane—ever since she—well, she's the only one he'd ever listen to."
"Jane ain't the fuckin' boss o' me!" Tommy cursed, pointing at Frankie as he tried to stand up. He fell back and plopped down into the cot again, looking dizzy.
Suddenly, Maura grabbed him by the collar, "Now you look here!"
Shocked at her complete change in demeanor, everyone looked taken aback. Tommy blinked at her, trying to focus. In her anger, Maura shook him a bit more than she had meant to.
"Thomas James Rizzoli you listen to me!" Maura growled. "You are going to get your shit together. You are going to get your ass out of this bed. You will clean yourself up, and help your brother pack your things. We are getting on that ship, and we are going to go get your sister. And if you're lucky…"
It was at this point that Maura realized how rough she was being, and how loud. She stood up and stepped back, taking a deep breath. All of the Rizzoli's were staring at her in utter disbelief.
Maura cleared her throat, then, much more softly said, "And if you're lucky, I won't tell your sister to kick your ass when we get her out."
Maura turned to face the others. Frankie's jaw had dropped. He blinked at her, at a loss for words. Angela looked as if she had seen a ghost as she stood with her hand over her mouth in astonishment.
"Well," Maura said, letting out a breath, "that certainly won't fix his problem, but we don't have a lot of time. Jane's in danger."
"Danger?" Angela and Frankie said together.
"Yes," Maura nodded, growing anxious, "she's been transferred."
"I thought that was the plan?" Frankie frowned.
"Plan?" Angela questioned, but Maura and Frankie ignored her.
"I just learned that Jane was transferred to the psyche ward at a high security medical research facility run by the Alliance."
"Can you still get in?"
"Yes," Maura said, looking even more anxious than before, "but I just was looking into it. The facility she was transferred to … it's run by a Dr. Shay Colther."
"Colther? Wait, isn't that an alias for …?"
"Yes," Maura sighed, feeling sick to her stomach with worry, "Charles Hoyt is the head of research there. He requested her transfer personally."
"Wait," Frankie said, "I thought that Doyle was the one who arranged the transfer?"
"I thought so too." Maura replied.
[To Be Continued]