N: I know these are short chapters, but I get to a certain point and have to stop and think about how i want to play this storyline. Sometimes when that happens, i have to end a chapter to start another. So i apologize if they're short, but upside you might get more! Read on! and if you like my writing, head over to amazon and check out the books i have under my pen name Sydney Gibson. They're free on kindle unlimited! Thanks and enjoy this one!

Jane

I wobbled out of the bedroom and slipped out the back door. It was half past the crack of night and the night air was bitingly cold. But I didn't care, I had to leave. I couldn't stay in Maura's house after what happened. What I did to her.

So, I dressed in baggy sweats and waited until I knew for sure she would be asleep and made my escape. I would deal with the fallout later after I was out of town. I'd called in a favor with one of my cousins, asking if I could borrow his apartment on the north side of the city. A small studio with fancy delivery services. I'd never have to leave until I was ready to get cleared to return to duty. Even then, I wasn't sure I could return to work and work with Maura.

I sighed, pulling the hood up over my head as I trudged through the quiet night. Hopefully none of Maura's fancy neighbors would care about the limping hooded figure tainting their street.

I swallowed hard, still shivering from the nightmare. It had been one of the worse and when I woke up, I was still in his grasp. Nothing brought me out until I heard her voice. But the damage had been done. Maura had become a victim of my nightmare and it was time to leave. If I didn't, god only knows what else would happen to her.

I rounded the corner, sighing at how far I had to go. My body ached and my bones hurt from the cold air seeping into my sweatpants. I knew I had to reach the corner of the main street before I could hail a cab.

Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself and continued on. My feet shuffling against the concrete mixed with the soft tap of my cane. In a few more feet, I had to stop and sit on the edge of a brick wall cordoning off a massive house from the sidewalk. I was exhausted and this much physical exertion was taking it out of me. I titled my head up, staring at the large branches of the oak tree at my back. The moon cast light through its leaves, leaving a mottled spotlight shining at my feet. I suddenly missed climbing trees and hiding in their heights like I did when I was a kid. I sighed, shaking my head. "You need to learn to walk before you can climb." I pressed a hand against my side over the stitches still there. The wound throbbed from all the walking and balked at the idea of climbing a tree.

"You seemed to be fairing pretty well with walking, Jane."

I winced at the sound of Maura's soft voice. I turned to see her walking towards me. She wore an over sized sweatshirt with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. I frowned when the moonlight caught the dark shadow on the side of her face. I knew it wasn't from a leaf, but from my fist. I turned away, looking down at my feet wishing my body had the energy to hop to my feet and run from her. Instead, I sat in silence as she moved closer and sat next to me on the edge of the brick wall.

"I've always loved this tree." Her tone was tense, a hint of anger in it. "I think in the spring, I'll have one transplanted to my yard." She paused and I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my head. "Your cane clicking on the tile in the kitchen alerted me. Followed by the side door squeaking as you shut it. Where are you going, Jane?"

I clenched my jaw. "Somewhere. Anywhere." I shrugged. "I hurt you." The words tumbled out in a raspy whisper. I could smell Maura's shampoo and feel her warmth wrap around me. "It might be better if I'm not around anyone while I work on things."

Maura tugged the end of her blanket, freeing it from her shoulders as she laid it along mine. I sighed at the warmth. "It was an accident. I should've approached you in a different manner."

I shook my head, scooting away from Maura. "I hurt you. Please don't make excuses for me." I huffed, shifting to stand up. "I'll call Frost to come pick me up. Go home, Maura." I felt my stupid anger rising.

"I've already called him. I've informed him to ignore your phone calls." Maura looked at me. "Did you know the first time I saw you, I instantly felt safe? I felt you'd never let anything in the world harm me. You had such a strong, safe presence that it latched onto my being. Jane Rizzoli is safe. Jane Rizzoli is warmth. Jane Rizzoli would never hurt me."

I shook my head again, waving her off. "Stop it. I did hurt you. I'm not strong." I huffed, leaning on the cane. "I can barely walk a block and my brain is trapped and I have no idea how to free it." I bit my bottom lip as I caught the dark shadow on Maura's face again. "I'm not strong."

"You are. You just walked more than you have in months. Almost half a mile." Maura stood up, facing me. "Your brain might be trapped, but I can help you free it." She reached for me, but I stepped back. She didn't let it stop her, her hand covered mine on the top of my cane. "You told me back in New York the first rule of loving Jane Rizzoli was to make sure you were kept well fed. Well, I think the second rule of loving you is to not let you walk through this alone."

I swallowed hard as her words filter through my ears and traveled to my heart. Making it skip in fear and love. "Maura." I glanced at her hand. "I didn't know what I was saying."

She picked my hand up, winding our fingers together as stepped to my side. "You do. You know everything that comes out of your mouth. Good, bad, foul, and incredibly loving. Your words are on of your powers, Jane. You mean everything you say. And just so you know, the first rule of loving Maura Isles is to let me be there for you." I felt a tear slide down my cheek as she leaned into my side. "Let's get you back to bed. I've called in for the day. Let's get some rest and we can talk after."

I nodded and sniffled, wiping my nose with the sleeve of the sweatshirt. I was still a tangled mess, but my heart was begging me to go with her. Let go of the darkness and let Maura be the light I needed.

Maura

Jane was silent the walk back home. The only thing I could hear, was her heart pounding in the silent night. She was scared, but it gave me hope as she willingly returned to the house with me. It was something I could work with. I helped Jane into the house and up the stairs to my bedroom. She gave me a strange look when we passed the guest room. I smiled softly. "You once told me the best night of sleep you ever had was when you slept in my bed in New York. Plus I can keep a better eye on you if you're next to me." I let her go at the doorway to my bedroom. The blankets were still tousled from where I'd attempted to sleep.

Jane hobbled a few steps, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "The guest room is fine."

"It is. But what I never told you, is the best night of sleep I ever had was in your arms. So before you become too self pitying, I also have selfish reasons behind you sharing my bed." I smiled, pushing off the door frame. Jane sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. The dark circles around her eyes had become more pronounced over the last few hours. I was worried and half debating if she would need a prescription to get the restorative rest her body so desperately needed.

At least my bold tactic was working. Being bold and not giving Jane an inch to sneak around me had worked so far. I slipped off the heavy sweatshirt and sweatpants, folding them neatly and placing them on the chair next to my dresser. Jane sat with the blanket on her shoulders. Staring off into space, thinking. I came around to my side of the bed, lifting the blankets up. "Do you need anything? Water? Aspirin? Your pain medications?"

She shook her head slightly. "No meds. They make the dreams worse." She sat still, her back facing me.

I let out a slow breath and slipped under the blankets, frowning at how cold the sheets had become in the time I left them. I scooted closer to Jane, tugging on the edge of the blanket. "You're cold."

Jane shrugged and looked over her shoulder at me. "Yeah." She took a deep breath and swung her legs up, crossing them as she sat against the pile of pillows I kept. She glanced at me, studying my face.

I smiled. "Do you want to talk about him?" I spoke softly, knowing bringing up Hoyt was treading into dangerous territory. "It might help free you."

Jane frowned, her jaw twitching. "You read my file." She stared at me, her cheeks turning pink with anger.

I sat up, pulling the blankets closer against my stomach as if they could shield me from the anger about to be thrown my way. "Only after you woke up the first time. Screaming and trapped in the darkness with him. I did it on my own, so please don't be angry with your partners or anyone else. They have no idea I looked." I paused. "I only did it so I could fight with you." I felt my eyes well up. "I care about you, Jane." I shook my head, now wasn't the time for vague details. I had promised to fight with her, and I had to bare my soul to do that. To show her I could be trusted with everything that she was. "I love you, Jane. Let me in." I waited a painfully silent second, waiting for the fallout of speaking my heart too soon. My mind racing over all the exit strategies I could deploy and blame for my slip of the tongue if I was completely wrong about how Jane felt about me, and I about Jane in this state.

I looked up to see tears running down Jane's face. She swallowed hard a few times and when I reached for her, she shook her head. "He. He was a case I became too invested in. He was the devil in the dark I was driven to chase and catch. But he always caught me first." She held up shaking hands. The thin white scars in her palms a painful reminder of what she'd already given up. "The first time because I was a stupid idiot and too brazen to ask for and wait for help." She turned them over, laying them on top of her knees. "I'm sure you read all about that in the file." She stared at her palms. "The second time, I was a smarter idiot, but too driven to wait for backup. They saw it was a twenty minute brawl for survival. Hoyt always knew my triggers. He knew the right words to say that drove deep into my mind. Even as he laid on the floor, bleeding out, he promised me, he'd be back. He'd be back and hurt the ones I loved." She let out a sob. "He said your name." Jane's face scrunched up in pure pain. "He knew about you."

Jane stopped speaking, curling her hands into tight balls. Wincing as the stitches on her right pulled. "He knew I…" She shook her head as another sob spilled out. She clenched her jaw as the memories of that fight over took her.

I grabbed her right hand, pulling it out of the hard fist. The stitches had bled a little from the strain. I grabbed a tissue and pressed it against the wound. "Jane. He's dead. There's no body. He was cremated and the box of his remains are sitting in a morgue awaiting disposal." I moved closer, pulling her hand into my lap. "You're safe. I'm safe."

Jane looked up, her eyes falling to the growing bruise on my jaw. She lifted her hand from mine and drew her fingers along the edge. "Maura. I'm so sorry." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against mine. "I'd never hurt you."

I nodded as my own eyes welled up. "I know." I covered her hand on my cheek with mine. "I trust you. Always have." I looked up into her glassy brown eyes. "Always will." I then leaned forward, kissing the corner of my mouth ever so delicately. I went to lean back when Jane shook her head and pulled me in. Kissing me soundly on the mouth. I pushed into the kiss, sighing at the way it felt to kiss her again. It was a kiss that would spiral out into a passionate night, it was a kiss full of promise and love.

She broke away first, licking her lips as she leaned back and move to lie down. She slid under the covers and grabbed my hand, silently asking me to follow her. The moment I was under the blankets, Jane rolled into my arms, burying her face into my neck as more tears rolled down her cheeks. In a handful of breaths, Jane succumbed to the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. I let out a sigh of relief, kissed the top of her head as I drew her deeper into my arms and drifted away.

The morning would bring a new perspective for both of us. Hopefully.