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.

Xxx

Chapter 28 – I Know Who You Are

Maura awoke the next morning to Jane's head on her shoulder. She only vaguely remembered the brunette slipping in the night before, but she was only a little miffed that she had done so. Jane's body desperately needed the proper care to ensure that she would recover her strength. However, the smell of Jane's hair and the warmth of her arm over her chest was hard to argue with.

She didn't want to disturb Jane, but her mind began to make a list of all the things she needed to get done that day. Still, Jane was especially beautiful when asleep. Maura tucked the hair behind Jane's ear as she studied the peaceful stillness of her face and couldn't help but smile.

"Mmm?" Jane mumbled as she stirred. For the first time in a very long time Jane awoke without her heart and mind racing. She blinked and smiled as she saw Maura looking at her lovingly. How could anyone look at me like that? Jane thought. Me?

"Good morning." Maura whispered.

"You're not mad?" Jane smiled, lifting her head.

"I didn't say that." Maura tried to frown, but it was so hard with Jane smiling at her with those big brown eyes.

"You're not going to kick me out of bed, are you?" Jane pouted.

"I have things to get done," Maura almost pleaded. She could tell that Jane was going to be very hard to resist.

"What about you?" Jane said, suddenly serious. "You need to take care of yourself."

"I'm—"

"Fine. I know," Jane stopped her, "but are you, really?"

Jane's fingers were at Maura's neck, on the bandage there. She searched Maura's eyes, not knowing what question to ask. Was Maura scared too? Did she have flashbacks, disturbing dreams?

"It's not as bad as it might have looked," Maura whispered, her hand on Jane's, "but it will scar."

"I'm sorry," Jane said, breaking her gaze. "I wish I could have stopped him."

"You did, Jane," Maura said, playing with Jane's hair.

"Not before he touched you," Jane said apologetically. "Not before he hurt you."

"He's gone now, Jane. He can't hurt anyone anymore. You made sure he couldn't."

Jane paused, her russet eyes considering Maura for silent moment. Then, quite suddenly, she crawled atop the honey blond. Staring into Maura's hazel eyes, she whispered a promise, "No one is ever going to hurt you again."

Maura pulled Jane down in a gentle kiss. Jane melted into it, her hands slipping into Maura's silky hair. Sighing through her nose, Jane pressed against her body, yearning to be closer. The kiss quickly grew passionate as Maura began suck greedily on Jane's lower lip. Electricity shot through Jane's body as Maura slipped her hands into her hair. She felt drunk with need as she spread kisses across Maura's jawline and down her neck. A soft moan slipped from the honey blonde's lips when Jane reached her pulse point, kissing and sucking as she pleased, enjoying every sound she could elicit from her. Shifting forward the brunette pressed her thigh between Maura's legs. A breathy moan egged Jane on. Pressing harder, Maura began to rock her hips.

"Jane…" Maura sighed in her ear.

The sounds Maura made as she touched her set Jane on fire. She had to taste more of her, touch more of her. She slowly spread kisses down Maura's chest, pulling away her silk gown as she did so. Jane palmed Maura's breast as she moved wet kisses down the other.

Maura gripped tightly at Jane's neck, pulling her closer and arching her back. Jane pressed her thigh more firmly between Maura's spread legs. Jane's jaw slackened as she felt Maura's arousal there. She arched forward as Maura started bucking her hips. Groans escaped Jane both their lips.

"You're not wearing underwear," Jane huffed.

"I normally sleep nude—" Maura tried, interrupted by Jane taking her pert nipple into her mouth.

Moisture pooled between Jane's legs as every sound, every movement, every sensation drove her wild. She needed to taste more, touch more. Never had she felt such pure desire, their heavy breathing making her need ever stronger.

Moving her mouth to Maura's other breast, Jane reached her left hand down. Maura's belly twitched expectantly as Jane pressed slowly downward, sneaking closer to the patch of hair between Maura's legs. Jane was itching to touch her, but moved as leisurely as she could possibly stand.

"Jane!" A shout came from behind them.

She leapt off Maura, "Shit."

The two quickly sat up, Maura quickly pulling the sheets over herself.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli!" Angela shouted as she stormed into Maura's bedroom. She was absolutely red with rage. She either didn't notice or didn't care that the two of them were blushing profusely and scrambling to cover themselves.

"Angela—" Maura tried.

"Ma!" Frankie shouted after his mother. He mistakenly followed her a bit too far and threw his hands up to shield his eyes. "Ma! I told you she's fine."

"Is this what you call covering for me?" Jane shouted at her brother, who had turned bright red and spun around to face the door.

"Don't you make this about your brother!" Angela yelled.

"Yeah!" Frankie said over his shoulder.

Angela turned on her eldest son, "Oh don't you think for one second that you're not in trouble too!"

"Ma!" Jane and Frankie yelled simultaneously.

"I wake up and you're gone!" Angela continued heatedly. "Just gone. What am I supposed to think?"

"Ma," Jane tried, pointing accusingly, "Frankie was supposed to tell you where I was."

"She was asleep. I didn't want to wake her," Frankie complained, "and then … well, I had to use the bathroom!"

"Ma!" Jane groaned. "See, I'm fine!"

Angela looked as if she was going to shout some more, but she stopped. She clenched her jaw and breathed audibly through her nose. She showed no sympathy for their current state of undress.

Then she looked at Maura.

"Don't you dare, Ma!" Jane threatened, diving in front of Maura to shield her from her mother's characteristic look of disappointment, "She had nothing to do with—"

"I think she had a little to do with it," her brother laughed.

"Shut-up!" Angela and Jane shouted together.

"Ma," Jane pleaded, "I'm fine. I promise."

Maura stood, tying the strap of her silk gown around her waist, "Angela, while I agree that Jane should have stayed in the infirmary, what she really needs is rest, and she can—"

"It didn't look like she was getting much rest—"

Jane chucked a pillow at her brother's head, "Fuck off, Frankie!"

"As I was saying," Maura said in a harsh tone as Frankie retreated, "Jane needs rest. And, frankly, she's an adult who can make her own decisions. So … I would really appreciate it if you would leave my shuttle right now."

Angela just blinked at Maura, aghast. She couldn't think of what to say. She wanted to argue, but she didn't have much of a defense. Instead, she gave them both an insulted look and then turned on her heel and stormed out the door.

Maura closed and locked it behind her, "I really shouldn't leave that open all the time."

Jane simply stared at her. Maura wasn't exactly timid, but she had never spoken to her mother that way. "Are you okay?"

"No…" Maura said anxiously, immediately regretting her tone. "Was I too severe?"

"No," Jane shook her head, crossing the room to pull Maura close, "she kind of has a tendency to barge in uninvited."

"I just…" Maura said uneasily. "I know she was just worried about you… and you should really be resting …"

"But?" Jane smirked, her hands at Maura's hips.

"I'm really aroused," Maura said, practically pouting, "and it's made me rather irritable."

"Really?" Jane grinned, pressing Maura against the wall.

Maura nodded wordlessly, biting her lip. Her hazel eyes darted to Jane's lips. The brunette leaned down, pressing her to the wall with passionate kiss.

"Jane!" came a staticky sound.

"God damn it!" Jane cursed, banging her hand on the wall. "What now, Korsak?"

"I need to see you immediately," Korsak said over the intercom.

"Can't this wait?" Jane hollered back, her eyes on Maura's swollen lips.

"Sorry Captain," Korsak responded, "it can't."

Xxx

"What is it that is so damn urgent?" Jane grunted as she stormed onto the bridge two minutes later. She had quickly jumped into a spare pair of jeans and wrinkled white button-up shirt, but without her lucky boots, she felt practically naked, and Maura's spare pair of flats did not fit at all. She was putting her wild raven hair in a low ponytail as she looked disgruntledly at Korsak and Frost.

"It's a news blast." Frost said, pointing to the dusty, cracked video screen near the helm. "It's being broadcast all over the system as far as we can tell."

"A news blast?" Jane frowned. "From the Alliance?"

Korsak nodded, "It's on all frequencies."

Jane peered down at the screen. "I can't see anything…" she squinted at the fuzzy mess of colors and shapes.

"We don't really have video capability." Frost apologized, but he turned up the volume.

"REPEAT," the announcer stated in an urgent tone, "This group of individuals should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If they are spotted, do NOT engage. Alert local authorities immediately."

"Who are they talking about?" Jane asked.

"The terrorist group was last spotted leaving Ariopolis' lunar space two days ago at approximately 22:30 hours local time. If you have any information about the whereabouts of these dangerous individuals, please contact the Ministry of Intelligence or an Alliance outpost immediately."

Suddenly, the feed went silent, the screen black. Korsak and Frost looked at her expectantly.

"It's been repeating for the past 10 minutes," Frost said.

"And?" Jane said, confused.

"They described a Firefly-class starship escaping an Alliance Medical facility on Ariopolis!" Korsak said, as if it were obvious. Of course, he had been listening to the announcement on repeat the entire time.

Jane's face went pale. Her heart stopped, "Did he say terrorists?!"

"They even had basic descriptions of you, Maura, Tommy and Frankie!" Frost exclaimed.

"Shit." Jane said, trying to think instead of panic. She massaged her palms as she tried to come up with a plan. Shit, what the fuck do we do? She thought, coming up completely blank. She looked up at her two partners who watched her expectantly. This was the point where Jane would come up with a brilliant plan.

"What do we do, Captain?" Frost said anxiously.

"I—" Jane tried. Nothing. Her mind was a blank—a blank except for the pounding panic in her chest. Her heart was beating too quickly. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.

"Get Maura," Korsak ordered Frost.

"Why?" Frost tried.

"Just go. NOW!" he shouted.

Jane jumped. Her back to the wall, she slid down to the floor. Everything around her disappeared. There was nothing but the darkness. Nothing but his cackling voice. It seemed to go on forever.

"Jane?" a soft voice called her back. "Can you hear me?"

A hand touched her arm. She knew there were sounds around her. People were standing close, but all she could think about was her racing heart. She was frozen in place.

"Breathe with me okay?"

Jane nodded; she wasn't sure why. Then she started to feel her heart settle. She was breathing more steadily now. She could concentrate on Maura's voice now.

"In slowly … out slowly," Maura said.

"Maura?" Jane said, looking up at her.

Her warm smile finally brought Jane back. The brunette was sitting on the floor. Korsak, Frost, and Tommy were standing behind Maura, who was kneeling near her. Jane could hear her mother arguing with Frankie outside the door.

"What—" Jane started, but the embarrassment hit her as she realized what must have happened.

"It's okay," Maura said, touching her shoulder, "you just need rest, Jane. In your condition, a panic—"

"No!" Jane said, jumping to her feet.

"It's okay, Jane—" Maura tried.

Jane didn't listen, she pushed past the others. Suddenly filled with so much rage and shame, she could think of nothing else but getting away. Jane stormed out of the bridge, running into Frankie holding back her mother. She pushed past the two of them angrily, ignoring her mother's questions.

Maura turned to Korsak angrily, "What happened?"

Frost interjected, "There was a news blast. We had to tell her about what the Alliance was saying about—"

"We shouldn't have pushed her so quickly." Korsak said mournfully, suddenly realizing how stupid they'd been. "She might be the Captain, but that doesn't mean we should have put this on her."

"We only told her about—" Frost tried.

"Do you have any idea what he did to her in there?!" Maura interrupted. "She didn't even recognize me when I found her. He tortured her! He tortured her until she didn't even remember anything else!"

"I'm sorry," Frost said, throwing up his arms, "I didn't know—"

"No one knows!" Maura cried. "No one knows how long it was for her in there. The unconscious mind has no sense of time. It could have been months, years to her!"

"But why did she …?" Tommy tried.

"Because she can't remember …" Korsak realized. "She's pretending very well, but it's barely been two days."

"She doesn't remember … us?" Angela said, looking heartbroken.

Maura shook her head, "No, it's not that she doesn't know us. It's … like when you know you know a word, but you can't remember what it is. The pieces are missing—the connections are crossed. It's called post-traumatic amnesia. It likely occurred because of both physical and psychological trauma to her brain."

Angela looked teary-eyed. "Will she be okay? Will her memories come back?"

"There's no way to know for certain," Maura admitted, "but some memories seem to have come back."

"So, what was the panic attack about?" Frost asked.

Maura tried to control the anger that was bubbling up again. They might have acted ignorantly, but they hadn't intended to cause Jane any harm. She took a deep breath, "My guess is that whatever you told her about required her to come up with a plan very quickly, but she couldn't sort her thoughts out. She couldn't get her brain to work the way it used to."

"But why would that make her—" Tommy started.

"Because she suddenly couldn't do the one thing that makes her who she is…" Maura shook her head.

"Save the day." Korsak sighed.

Xxx

"Of all the places, I didn't think I'd find you here." Maura said as she descended the ladder into Jane's bunk.

"Why not?" Jane frowned. She stood in the middle of her bunk, looking around aimlessly.

"Because I can't remember the last time you've been in here." Maura said, approaching Jane cautiously. She wanted to give Jane her space if she needed it, but she wasn't sure Jane even knew what she needed.

"No wonder it's empty." Jane said, looking at the bare bed and empty shelves.

"Actually," Maura explained, "that's because a lot of it was confiscated or pawned off."

"You sold my stuff?" Jane said, looking insulted.

"No," Maura said softly, "the Alliance did. I'm guessing you haven't had much time to check the ship. We're flying with just the bones."

Jane's eyes rolled as she smirked, "You mean with just the bare bones."

"See," Maura smiled, her hand on Jane's cheek, "you're still in there."

Jane grasped at Maura's hand on her face. She swallowed, a feeling of fear threatening to set in, "I don't know if I know who I am anymore."

"I know who you are." Maura smiled sweetly.

"Yeah?" Jane said, pulling Maura closer.

"You're the beautiful, brilliant, brave Captain that I love." Maura whispered, peering up into Jane's shimmering brown eyes.

Jane smiled brightly, breaking their gaze to lean down and kiss Maura sweetly, deeply, freely.

[To be continued]