Chapter Six

November 2011
Boston, Massachusetts

"It looks as though his kidney was perforated by something sharp," Doctor Pike advised, looking towards Jane to ensure he had her full attention.

The multiple stab wounds, which bled into the orange jumpsuit of the prison victim told her just as much, however before she could respond sarcastically a chillingly familiar voice rang out behind her. "Like Jane."

Eyes wide, Jane ignored the puzzled look on Pike's face and span around slowly, her body bracing for the worst. Yanking back the infirmary's privacy curtain her eyes fell upon a frail, but no less fear inducing Charles Hoyt. She swallowed thickly, but steeled her features. "What the hell?"

Jane's eyes flew open, and she instinctively reached for her weapon, before remembering that she was home alone, and Hoyt was no longer a problem.

She sat up and wiped away the sleep from her eyes before reaching for the remote to switch on the television. She didn't pay attention to the images on the screen, rather just wanted the low hum of activity for company. It had been a long three days and for the first time since she had left, Jane was glad Maura had left. Things may have turned out a lot differently if she hadn't. Reluctantly her mind slipped back three days prior.

"Did you miss me Jane?" Hoyt asked smugly, "Because I missed you."

Many thoughts flew through her mind, mostly wondering what the hell he was doing in the prison infirmary. The guy had already faked serious illness to escape once before. Despite these thoughts her mouth remained planted shut, she didn't want to entertain him by participating in whatever games he had in mind.

Looking past Jane, Hoyt saw Doctor Pike and frowned. He was surprised to say the least, having expected Jane to be accompanied by Doctor Isles. His curiosity piqued, "Where's that lovely doctor of yours, Jane?"

She had started to turn away from the serial killer when she heard his question. It froze her in place for a moment, her mind thankful that Maura was far away from this evil man. "That's none of your business," she ground out with a sneer.

"Pity," he said, sensing an opening. "I wanted to tell her a story."

Jane rolled her eyes, realising that he just wanted to engage her further. With a shake of the head she waved Pike towards the door, "You can finish your examination at the morgue, Doctor."

Pike nodded and hurriedly gathered his things before stepping past the prison guard out the door. He recognised Hoyt and had no interest in spending any more time than necessary in the same room as him.

"She's like me, you know." Hoyt offered gleefully, knowing that Jane wouldn't be able to resist coming to the good doctor's defence. It had taken him all of five minutes to realise that Doctor Isles was the best weapon he had to use against the detective. She was her weakness. She was, he had quickly surmised, Jane's everything – even if the detective was so blindly incognisant to this fact

Her grip tightened on the door handle at his words. Once again he had stopped her in her tracks and she internally kicked herself. She was showing weakness. She had let him know exactly how to get to her. With a deep breath she turned and faced him. "She is nothing like you Hoyt," she sneered angrily, "She epitomises what's good in this world, where as you... you're the worst."

He tilted his head in thought for a moment. He made note of the passion in her eyes, passion he knew was for the doctor. His eyes narrowed and he focused on the detective, choosing to suck her in further, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist playing his game. "I'm dying Jane," he started.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Jane retorted sarcastically

"So many stories to tell, so little time. Did I ever tell you about the golden eagle that lost his family?"

Beer. That might resolve her brain's need to relive the last three days. Just living them once was enough. Chasing down Hoyt's cryptic clues in the hopes of bringing closure to those that would be waiting and wondering about their missing loved ones had pushed her to the brink of insanity. Thankfully they had been able solve his riddle and bring resolution for a man who had given up hope on ever knowing the truth about what had happened to his family.

The light in the refrigerator took a moment to blink on, not that it mattered, her hand went instinctively to the door where she had stored the last couple of beers. She grabbed the bottle, popped the top and drank thirstily. Half way through the bottle, she shut the fridge and padded back into the living room.

Plopping back down on the couch she changed the channel, settling on ESPN's Sportscenter, which was currently airing the top ten plays of the day. At number five there was a sequence featuring the Celtics, where Kevin Garnett blocked Dwight Howard emphatically, and sprinted down the court to receive the lob from Rajon Rondo for the alley oop dunk; closing the fast break with emphasis.

She was certain that the play should have been top play of the day, but in the end it paled into insignificance with the day she'd had. "Some birthday," she muttered under her breath between sips of the amber liquid.

The loneliness had set in, and despite it being late, a little after two a.m. she made the decision to put an end to that feeling. Scrolling through her phone, she found the number she was looking for and pressed call. "Hey," she uttered tiredly upon the other party answering. "I know it's late…"

A chuckle came down the line. "I was on closing, so you're fortunate. I haven't unwound yet. What's up Jane?" Kelly asked, curious as to what had prompted the detective to actually use her number. A number that she had entered into the detective's phone the first night they had met.

"Rough couple of days," Jane admitted begrudgingly despite the call being of her own volition.

"Need to talk?" Kelly queried.

"Yeah, nah. I dunno." Jane sighed, this was harder than she thought it would be. "Would ya wanna come over? Could do with the company."

Kelly smiled, "Sure, text your address and I'll be there shortly."

Jane nodded to herself, accepting that she was making a move in a specific direction that felt necessary and unavoidable. She was tired of fighting her desires. The events of the day had hammered home how fleeting life really was and that she shouldn't waste time making other people happy at the detriment of her own happiness. "Great, will do. See ya soon."

Elsewhere in Boston

Much like his partner, Detective Barry Frost found his mind taking him to places he would rather not visit. He had experienced many difficult things in his life, but that afternoon in the prison had catapulted to number one in the time it took to pull his trigger.

It wasn't his kill shot that haunted him, it was a necessary action, but rather the completely broken look he had seen in Jane's eyes when he had extended his hand to help her up. It sent chills down his spine, realising then that if he and Korsak hadn't figured out what was going on as soon as they had, he would have lost his partner.

It wasn't the first time Jane had been at the mercy of Hoyt, and Korsak had been the one to save the day then. It had been before his time, but Frost knew that was part of the reason Jane had requested a new partner in the first place. That said Korsak had spent the evening with Frost, decompressing the situation and expressing his concerns. As bad as it had been the first time, Jane had fought back. It was apparent this time that hadn't been the case.

Perhaps the trauma from her first encounter with Hoyt had left scars that shook Jane to her core, making it physically impossible to fight back. It was something the two detectives had contemplated in the relative privacy of their booth at that Dirty Robber, over a couple of cold beers.

Frost was certain it had a lot to do with that, but deep down he felt like Jane had changed since Doctor Isles left. He wasn't a fool, he had noticed the way his partner had looked at the doctor and recognised the desperation in her when Maura had been abducted briefly by her mob boss father. It hadn't escaped him how deflated Jane had been since she left either. Sure on the outside there was a certain level of vibrancy portrayed, but she had been more tetchy than usual, which was no fun for either he or Korsak, especially since she had taken to spending a lot of time buried in her work.

Frost stepped into his bathroom and turned the faucet on. He splashed his face with cool water, burying his features in his hands for a moment before pulling his hands away and looking back at his weary expression in the mirror above the sink. He felt like hell, but he couldn't stop worrying about Jane.

His partner wasn't about to voluntarily open up to anyone, not without Maura around. He had wanted to call Maura earlier in the evening because he was certain Jane was never going to tell the doctor what had transpired over the last three days. Korsak had talked him out of it; it was Jane's decision who and when she spoke to about her ordeal. To interfere wouldn't end well for him.

He knew Korsak was right, but the lack of action weighed heavily on him. It was his duty to have his partner's back and he couldn't help but wonder if doing nothing in this situation was the exact opposite of that. Whether Jane liked it or not she needed to process what had happened and the best way for that to happen would be for Maura to be involved.

He grabbed a washer and dried his face, discarding it in the laundry bin. He then went down the hall to his office. Sitting in front of his laptop he did a quick search to confirm the time in Tasmania; a little after six in the evening. It was a reasonable hour to call. He grabbed his cell and found Maura's number. Frost stared at the screen knowing that his decision in this moment could have long lasting ramifications on Jane and his relationship with her. It occurred to him, that this might just be the hardest decision he had ever had to make.

Launceston, Tasmania

Dinner was filled with a lot of excited chatter and laughter as she and her tight knit group of friends had reason to celebrate with the announcement that Melissa was going to get a chance to represent Australia in a friendly series against the United States in February.

Despite being the proudest of the bunch Gabby's enthusiasm was tempered somewhat by how distracted Maura had been. She knew that her girlfriend wanted to check her phone, but was too polite to do so. Reaching out beside her she squeezed Maura's hand and shot a questioning look before mouthing the words, "Are you okay?"

Maura smiled weakly and nodded. It wasn't that she wasn't okay; it was that she was very distracted by her overwhelming sense of concern for Jane. It was the detective's birthday and she hadn't received a response to her phone calls or texts. She had spoken briefly with Angela who had indicated that the detective had simply been busy, but that she expected Jane would call her back at the end of the day. That was ten hours ago, just after four in the afternoon in Boston. She anticipated that she would have heard from Jane no later than seven. Seven hours later and still no contact.

Maura sighed when she realised that Gabby was concerned and was motioning they step outside for some privacy. The Mexican restaurant they were in was bustling, not to mention the attentive ears and eyes of those around them. She smiled politely at the table before taking her leave and following Gabby outside.

Melissa watched the pair leave with interest. A quick elbow to her left and Monica glared at her. She ignored the dirty look and tilted her head towards the window, where Gabby and Maura stood outside. "What do you thinks going on there?"

"I think it's none of our business." Monica replied pointedly. "I thought you were okay with them now?"

"What?" Melissa frowned and then looked apologetic, "No, no, it isn't like that. I mean, I'm actually just concerned. Gabby's been subdued all night."

Satisfied that there were no ill intentions Monica simply shrugged. "I think that if there is anything Gabby wants you to know, she'll tell you when she's good and ready."

Brad used his girlfriend's distraction to reach across and attempt to steal a piece of chicken from her plate, only to pull his hand away when she slapped it. He chuckled. "Seriously can't get anything past you."

Outside, Gabby pulled Maura into a hug. She sensed Maura's reluctance and pulled herself out to arms length and looked searchingly into hazel eyes. "What's goin on Isles?"

"I'm worried about Jane." Maura admitted, "She hasn't called me back all day."

"And?" Gabby asked, certain there was more information that had yet to be revealed, because Maura was not the sort of woman, as far as she could tell, to get all caught up in how long it took a friend to return her call. Even when that friend was Jane.

"It's her birthday," she paused for a moment, "Well actually, it ceased being her birthday a little over two hours ago, but you get my point."

"Maybe she caught a case. You've mentioned how dedicated she gets… she probably just has a hot lead she's following up on." Gabby attempted to soothe.

Her girlfriend had a valid point. She inhaled and exhaled, allowing her anxiety to leave her body. It was replaced with an overwhelming sense of warmth in her chest. She recognised the feeling and smiled. She leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss against Gabby's lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome?" Gabby replied, a little confused, but that made way for an eye roll when she looked past Maura back into the restaurant and saw Melissa and Monica being completely juvenile making kissy-kissy faces. "Oh, no I wasn't rolling my eyes at you," Gabby quickly said when she saw Maura's face morph into an unrecognisable emotion.

Following Gabby's gaze Maura couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. Relaxing she leaned in to Gabby and pulled her in for a deeper kiss, she wasn't usually one for such open displays of affection but she got the sense it was the perfect response that would shut the girls up when they returned inside.

Breaking away from the kiss Gabby pressed their foreheads together, "Damn Isles, I didn't know you had that in you."

"There is still so much you do not know, Constable." Maura teased before turning to go back in the building.

Gabby quickly sidestepped her girlfriend to reach out and hold the door open. However at that moment Maura's phone rang and she knew that her girlfriend had to take that call. "Go on, take it. I'll be inside when you're done."

Maura beamed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Maura reached into her pocket to answer her phone, but felt an intense need to speak up one more time. "Gabby…"

"Yeah?" Gabby asked, turning back expectantly.

Without even giving it a second thought Maura smiled, "I love you."

Gabby felt her heartbeat increase in her chest as the words sunk into her mind; however before she could respond she saw a flash of worry in Maura's eyes as she read the caller ID on her phone. "Maura?"

"It's Detective Frost. Jane's partner." She explained as she swiped the phone to answer the call, bringing the phone to her ear she said, "Barry?"

Being a cop herself, Gabby's instincts went to high alert. Aware of how late it was in Boston, she knew this call couldn't be anything good. She stepped closer to Maura, placing a hand in the small of her back. She felt Maura take an involuntary step back and wrapped her arm firmly around the woman as the call came to an end. She braced herself expecting the worst.

Maura experienced a myriad of emotions during the brief conversation. From the dread that assaulted her intestines when she read Barry's caller ID, to the shock at his recounting of the events with Hoyt to a sense of despair that quickly morphed into an odd combination of anger and concern at the realisation that it was Barry making this call and not Jane.

After ending the call she turned into the waiting arms and accepted the tight embrace. She felt tears welling in her eyes and as hard as she tried she couldn't stop the sobs that escaped as she found her voice. "She's fine… she's… there was an incident." She didn't know how to continue. Barry's words haunted her.

She gave up.

Stepping back Gabby searched for eye contact, finding it she reached out and wiped tears away with the pad of her thumb. "But she's okay?" She reiterated.

"Physically… emotionally, I cannot honestly say." It was this moment the fact they were standing outside the restaurant in the middle of a street in the middle of town struck her. "I… I need to go… I…" She looked into Gabby's eyes then, searching for some kind of answer to the conflicting emotions she felt.

"I'll take you home." Gabby said firmly, recognising there was a lot more going on in that brain than the doctor could process in their current setting. "I'll just duck inside and retrieve your purse and say our goodbyes."

Maura nodded absently, her thoughts bounced all over the place before finally settling in one place. Why didn't she call me? Why didn't Jane call me?

Gabby quickly apologised for the fact that they had to leave early and gathered their belongings. "I'll call you tomorrow," she offered as placation to Melissa who appeared a little put out that she was cutting and running from her selection celebration. "Promise."

It wasn't until she and Maura were seated and strapped in that Gabby's thoughts settled on the revelation of the night. A quick sideways glance and her stomach somersaulted. There was no doubt about it in her mind, the feelings were mutual. It just wasn't the time to voice that. A sad smile as they pulled out into traffic headed for Doctor Isles High Street residence. I love you too, Maura.

A/N: Hello, so for the sake of the story, I just decided Jane's birthday is in November, as the only true guide we have to go by is when the episode aired, but the episodes do not exactly reference airing dates, so it is still open to interpretation. So please don't hammer me for that ha ha.

I haven't forgotten any of my stories, but my muse isn't exactly cooperating. Fortunately it decided a direction here, so an update has been presented. I am thankful for all the people that still read my writing and appreciate the encouraging reviews.

Also, remember this is a SLOW burn. Seasons greetings and may the coming year be wonderful for you all.