Chapter Five

February, 2005
Launceston, Tasmania

Eight in the evening found Gabby and her patrol partner walking the beat, heading south from the Launceston headquarters along Charles Street towards Prince's Square. The sky was a mixture of oranges as the sun disappeared on the horizon and a cool breeze fluttered through the city centre, providing relief from the humid warmth that had only dropped ten degrees from the three o'clock high of 30 degrees Celsius.

It had been a long week for Gabby, and while she would normally embrace patrol with her best friend and fellow constable, Rachael Taylor, it was not something she was enjoying at all. There had been too much unrest lately amongst their core friendship group and it was all centred upon the fact that Rachael had become suspicious about the closeness of her relationship with Melissa. While her best friend's sister Monica was aware of the nature of her relationship, there had been a lot of reluctance to share with Rachael due to her staunch religious views.

Realistically Gabby would have been content to reveal the truth and let the chips fall as they may, but it was complicated by the fact that Rachael and Monica were practically Melissa's family and losing either one of them would be too much for her girlfriend. Gabby suspected that while it might take some time, Rachael would come around; but there had been no convincing Melissa of that, which left them in this constant state of denial. A state which, if Gabby was honest with herself, had been slowly doing her head in and holding her back from pushing to the next step in their relationship.

Gabby wanted to ask Melissa to move in with her, but that was a move that would be hard to explain, especially since Melissa already shared a place with the Taylor sisters. A fact that had been ever so slowly sewing a seed of doubt and irrational jealousy in the back of her mind, a seed that was ready to sprout into a noxious weed intent on strangling the good in her relationship.

Rachael could tell from the beginning of shift that Gabby was in a dirty mood. It was something she wouldn't ordinarily confront, but coming on top of the distracted mood her housemate had been in all day and the strange conversation she had shared with one of their male co-workers before leaving for patrol, she couldn't help herself. "Had a strange conversation with Richard before we left…"

Gabby resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, but failed to prevent the snideness in her response. "And what did little Dickie have to say?"

There was a moment of hesitation as they passed the Brisbane Street Mall, which after a cursory glance appeared to be free of teenage trouble makers. After a brief debate internally Rachael decided to be direct, because she wanted answers. She wasn't stupid, she knew there was more going on than she was being told and if she had to use the shit talking of one of the forces biggest male chauvinists then so be it. "He told me to be careful in case you got fresh with me."

It was hard to tell from the surprisingly neutral tone whether Rachael was going to be digging further or just being a good friend and letting her know what shit their co-worker had been saying behind her back. She kept walking in stride with her friend while she waited for her to continue. When she realised there was nothing more forthcoming she stopped out front of the ladies clothing store Yeltour and turned to face Rachael, arms folded across her chest. "And?"

"Is there any truth to what he said?" She suspected there might be based on the defensive stance she was seeing.

"Oh for Christ's sake Rachael, I sure as hell ain't backwards in coming forward. If I was into you, you'd know it." Gabby replied in exasperation.

"But you are into women?" Rachael prodded further.

Gabby just shook her head and started walking forward again towards their target. "Just drop it, okay?"

Rachael quickly fell in line beside her friend and considered the answer an admission due to the lack of denial. She wasn't sure how to continue because she found herself irritated with the fact her best friend had kept this from her. "Just because I'm Catholic doesn't make me an arsehole Gabby."

Gabby really hated that she couldn't just outright confirm the truth because it would put Melissa's sexuality under further spotlight. It didn't matter that Rachael appeared to be accepting of things, even more so than she would ever have anticipated. Unless she could convince Melissa of that, regardless of how Rachael reacted, she would be in so much shit it just wasn't an option. She just had to leave things hanging in the air unsaid because she didn't want to outright lie either, not to a direct question.

The pair walked the next block in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Gabby continued to mull over the shitty situation she was now in and Rachael considered whether she wanted to try and obtain an answer to the real question that had been bugging her in recent weeks.

"Are you and Missy involved?"

Gabby froze in her tracks, cursing internally at her friend's damn question. However before she could answer she noticed a flurry of action just up ahead in the park. Her eyes narrowed in assessment before she quickly checked both ways and sprinted across the road.

Rachael was about to comment on the sudden action of her friend when she followed her retreating figure and saw what her partner had seen. Several men were violently assaulting someone. She called in the assault in progress over the radio and then set off after Gabby, who had naturally charged into the fray to save the day, with no thought for her own safety.

"Police, stop right there!" Gabby growled, drawing her Glock as a deterrent to any further aggression.

The three men in their early to mid twenties saw her approach and ceased the beating they were handing out to sprint away, safe in the knowledge that Tasmanian police officers wouldn't shoot an unarmed offender retreating.

Gabby gave chase briefly, before recognising a fruitless pursuit when she saw one. She turned to walk back to the figure curled up on the ground in what had no doubt been an attempt to protect vital organs.

Rachael reached the woman first and knelt down beside her to check for a pulse. "Oh shit," she uttered as the figure beside her groaned before passing out. She radioed in for an ambulance at the same moment it became apparent that Gabby had also recognised the woman.

Gabby tripped over herself in her attempt to get the victim. She scrambled over to the prone figure and immediately looked for a pulse. The bruising on the face couldn't hide the features she knew so well. Forgetting the entire world around her she focused solely on the bloodied face of her beloved. Rage battled with fear for control. "Where the fuck is that ambulance?" She growled angrily.

"There's one on the way from the hospital, it's a minute out." Rachael responded calmly, recognising all the answers she needed in the fear etched across her friend's face. It was a terrible way to find out, but the knowledge settled uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach anyway.

October, 2011
Launceston, Tasmania

Gabby sat bolt upright, her chest heaving as she attempted to suck in much needed oxygen. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and a brief glance sideways quickly reminded her that she was home alone. She pulled the covers back and sat up, her feet planting firmly against the cool wooden floor. She reached out for the base of the bedside lamp, the warmth of her hand activating the touch mechanism, which illuminated the room with a soft glow.

A cursory glance at the alarm clock indicated that she had been asleep for a few hours before waking, but it was now the middle of the night. She was shaken by the memories that had returned to plague her nightmares. She rubbed the back of her neck, confused by her subconscious. She hated dreams with Rachael in them, but this one was not the usual haunting. Flashing back to when Melissa had been the victim of a homophobic attack was something that hadn't happened since the month it had happened.

An involuntary shudder reverberated through her body. She couldn't quite shake the sense of unease that had settled in her gut. She grabbed her mobile phone from next to the lamp on the side table and composed a quick text message.

Are you awake?

Moments later her phone rang and she answered tiredly, "Hey."

"You alright?" Melissa asked, concern lacing her voice. It had been a long time since she had received a two a.m. text message from her ex.

"Bad dream," Gabby responded softly.

"You wanna talk about it?" She didn't expect an answer in the affirmative.

Gabby shrugged, forgetting for a moment that Melissa couldn't see her. Waking up a bit more she verbalised, "I don't know," she paused for a moment and just listened to the soft breathing on the other end of the line. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Melissa replied, just a little concerned by the conversation. "What did you dream about Gabby?"

Her mind took her back to the dream, to that time in 2005 when she thought she might lose Melissa. The beating she had taken had been severe. She sighed; everything in their lives had begun to unravel from that point forward. Rachael had put two and two together and everything went to hell in a hand basket from there. She swallowed thickly in an attempt to pushback the emotion that threatened to wraps its tendrils around her heart.

"Gabby?" Melissa prodded, having not received an answer to her question.

"The park," it was all she really needed to say. Those two words made it abundantly clear what had been dredged up by her subconscious.

"That was a long time ago."

"I know."

"I'm fine," Melissa reiterated for that tiny sliver of her ex that relied on her sixth sense in situations like this.

Not entirely convinced, because she did indeed trust the universe to tell her when things were out of whack, Gabby asked, "What are you doing up at this hour?"

Melissa chuckled, "You mean aside from talking to you?" She knew it was a little evasive, but their realities had changed. Gabby had a serious girlfriend now, someone who was a lot more than the usual fling and as such she wasn't going to allow herself to fall into the trap of relying to heavily on her ex. It wasn't easy; in fact it was downright difficult not to take advantage of this situation where Gabby had chosen her, and not her new girlfriend to call for comfort, but she was going to try her hardest to respect the new boundaries.

"Bad dreams of your own?" Gabby asked knowingly, more than aware of the things that kept Melissa up at night.

"Something like that," Melissa admitted. "Nothing I can't handle."

"You know I'm here if they get bad," Gabby reminded softly.

"Yeah," Melissa sighed. "You should get some sleep."

That was her queue that the conversation was over. Deep down a piece of her heart clenched, but she shook it off. "G'night Missy."

"Night Gabs."

Boston, Massachusetts

From somewhere outside of the pleasant land of sleep she had been visiting, Jane's phone buzzed. She pried one eye open before promptly shutting it and grabbing a pillow to cover her face. If she ignored the buzzing it would go away. Except it didn't. Reluctantly she sat bolt upright, tossing the pillow aside and reaching over to the irritating device.

"Rizzoli," she answered gruffly, without bothering to check the caller.

"Hello to you too," Maura said brightly.

"Way too much enthusiasm Maura," she ground out between her teeth, her brain still fuzzy from drinking too much the night before.

Maura simply smiled, not at all perturbed by Jane's attempt to curb her enthusiasm. It had been a wonderful day and she wanted to share with her best friend the results of her advice. "Too much alcohol more likely," she teased.

"That too," Jane agreed reluctantly. She stumbled out of bed and made a beeline for the kitchen, coffee was a necessity. Once she had set the decanter in motion she shook the cobwebs from her mind and asked, "Why are you so happy this morning, evening, afternoon… whatever the hell it is."

Maura chuckled, "Evening here, a little after eight am for you Jane."

"Really, Maura?" Jane exclaimed incredulously, "You woke me up at eight a.m. on my day off? Really?"

Maura chose not to take Jane's complaint too seriously, because she knew that Jane didn't really mind. She just needed something to whine about. Still she knew it best to placate, "I'm sorry Jane. I just wanted to talk to you."

Jane sighed, realising she was being a little bit of a jerk. "Don't apologise, I shouldn't be whining. What did you want to talk about?"

"I took your advice," Maura said happily, "and you were right, I told Gabby my intentions and desires for our relationship moving forward and we are definitely in the same book!"

Jane fought to ignore the physical sensation that gnawed painfully at her gut following that revelation. Too much too soon. Kelly was definitely onto something the night before. "The same page, Maura. You're on the same page."

"Right," Maura agreed happily, before taking a moment to be serious. "Thank you Jane."

She rubbed her temple, there was definitely a headache coming on and she wasn't entirely sure it was brought on solely by her previous night's alcohol consumption. "What for? I just reminded you what you already knew."

"You were there for me when I needed you," Maura retorted matter-of-factly. "You looked past your feelings of unease with our situation to make sure I didn't allow myself to give in to doubts."

"Yeah well," Jane sighed, "you know I can't stand the thought of anything hurting you, you're my best friend."

You're everything. God Maura, why can't you just come home?

Maura didn't respond initially, because she had to push down some uncomfortable feelings of her own. Jane continued to know exactly what to say to tug at her heart strings, but she knew that was something that would never go anywhere. Boston was just too much.

"Maura?" Jane had managed to pour herself a coffee in the time her best friend had stayed quiet. "You still there?"

"Yes, sorry."

"Y'okay?"

"Yes," a brief pause to contemplate the truthfulness, before she completed her thought. "Absolutely."

A/N: So apparently I am on a roll with regards to finding half written chapters and finishing them off... so, yay for an update hey? Not much of our girls in this one, as it is really more about developing the OC's back stories... but I didn't want to leave you guys without some more Maura and Jane. Apologies for what will probably be another long break between updates. Thanks for reading.