The next morning Jane and Maura were getting ready to head into work when there was a knock at the door. Maura took a quick peek through the peephole and saw that it was Frost so she opened it wide, letting him make his way in.
"Morning Doc. Jane," he said, nodding towards his partner.
Jane's eyes widened when she saw the swelling on the right side of his face.
"Frost, what the hell happened?" Her brain immediately went to Hoyt. She never in a million years would have guessed what he said next.
"Korsak decked me."
"He what?!"
Jane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maybe she heard wrong. She opened the door and stuck her head out, taking a look around. "He's not even here."
"How observant of you detective," Frost said snarkly. "He's gone. I don't even know what his problem was. He drove up, sucker punched me, then climbed back in his truck and left."
"Where was Frankie when all this was going on?"
"He walked down to the gas station around the corner to relieve himself."
Frankie chose this opportune moment to walk up, the front door still standing wide open. Jane stared at him.
"And you're supposed to be protecting me? You can't even protect Frost from Korsak."
"Huh? What are you…" Frankie's eyes drifted over to see Frost's swollen jaw. "Ouch."
"Well?" Jane asks, shutting the front door.
"What? I had to go take a leak. What did you want me to do? Whip it out in Maura's front yard? Wait, Korsak did that?"
Jane shook her head as she turned her attention back to Frost. "Are you going to report this to Cavvanaugh?"
Frost shook his head from side to side.
"No. Just talk to that crazy ex partner of yours. Please. He's making my life miserable."
"Okay. I will but first let Maura take a look at your face," Jane said as she went to get the first aid kit.
After making sure Frost's injury was properly cared for, Jane and Maura said goodbye to the girls and headed off to work. Frost and Frankie followed. Once they were sure Jane and Maura made it to the station safely they headed to Frankie's apartment to shower before they would head back themselves. Jane stopped at the cafe before heading upstairs.
"Jane, you already ate breakfast," Maura pointed out when Jane ordered half a dozen donuts and two coffee's. "Not to mention you hate the donuts here."
"Yes, but the way to Korsak's heart is through his stomach. He eats this garbage everyday." Jane added some creamer to Korsak's coffee just as he liked it before picking it all up, balancing the donuts against her body, and a cup of coffee in each hand.
"Ready?"
Maura nodded. "Should I be worried? Korsak is kind of acting like a jealous ex," Maura said with a chuckle as they made their way towards the elevators.
"Well, I mean, a partner in the police force, it is a marriage of sorts. Minus the sex," Jane said with a grin. "Jokes aside, you spend more hours in a day with your partner than anyone else. Even your spouse at times. He was my mentor long before the academy and the reason I became a cop. So of course he and I were close."
"Were?"
Jane shrugged. "It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I, I just couldn't…" Jane stopped mid sentence. "Can we talk about this tonight? I don't want to talk about this right now. Not here."
"And Korsak?"
"He'll be fine."
Jane and Maura said goodbye and went their separate ways, Maura going downstairs and Jane upstairs. Jane made her way over to Korsak's desk and sat down the donuts before placing his coffee in front of him.
"You've got to stop this," she said, getting straight to the point.
"Stop what?" The older man replied, the anger clear in his voice.
"This stuff with Frost. You're lucky he's not reporting you Korsak. Are you trying to get busted back down? If not fired."
Korsak ignored Jane. Instead, going straight into a spill about the case.
"The lab identified the carpet we found on the victim. It's called entron."
"It's not Frost's fault that he was partnered with me."
"Navy blue carpet from a car."
Jane picked up Korsak's still untouched coffee and placed it down in front of him again, this time with more force.
"Do you want to hear what I got from the lab or not?"
"Yeah! You wanna drink the damn coffee?"
"Navy blue is a popular color. Two million vehicles with this type of carpet fiber."
"Swell."
"Hey, it's not my fault it's a popular color."
Korsak paused. "I take three sugars."
"Oh for Christ sake! Since when?"
"I don't know. Since for a while. You'd know that if we were still partners."
"What about the semen we found?" Jane asked, beginning to get exasperated.
"No hits."
"How is that possible?"
"Easy. Our unsub is not in codis. Ran the prints, we had two. Nothing. Our unsub is a ghost. Oh, I'm sorry. Your and Frost's unsub is a ghost," Korsak said as he took a sip of his coffee.
"I thought you take three sugars?"
"The doctor says it is bad for me," Korsak says with a shrug.
"Two sugars is bad for you! The creamer is bad for you!"
"Like you care!'
"That's it!" Jane said angrily as she made her way over to her own desk and sat down. She took a deep breath and took a sip of her coffee.
"No one bothered to give me a heads up that Hoyt escaped."
"Is that what this was about Korsak? It was all over the news. What, you're living under a rock? They even sent notifications to people's cell phones. I was trying to take care of my distraught kid, not to mention myself. I'm sorry if my first thought wasn't to call you. Hell, they have damn near the entire department out searching for him. Where were you?"
"I was following a lead on a case. I had my cell off and forgot to turn it back on."
"So you're mad because no one called you yet your phone wasn't on."
"Everyone knows where I live."
"Wait, wait, back up," Jane said as she jumped up from her desk as realization hit her.
"Where was your backup?"
"I didn't have any," Korsak said, guising his words behind a cough.
"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? Was this connected to the current case?"
Korsak's silence told Jane everything she needed to know.
"Damn it Korsak, you're going to get yourself killed. Did you not learn from what happened to me?"
"Of course I did!" Korsak snapped. "That's why I went alone. No one else is going to get nearly killed because of me!"
"W,what? That wasn't your fault Korsak. It was mine. I was the one that charged in head first without backup. I put myself in that situation."
"You were my partner. I knew you like a book, know you like a book. I should have known what you were going to do before you did it. Like yesterday when you went to see Hoyt. I'm not stupid Jane. I know you blame me. That's why you asked for a new partner."
"You went to see Hoyt?" Jane felt her stomach flop when she heard Maura's voice behind her. She chanced a quick glance at the blonde. Shit! I'm in it deep this time, she thought before looking back at Korsak.
"One, I don't blame you and two, that's not why Frost became my partner. You know I was partnered with Frost not too long ago. Leave him out of this."
Now it was time to face Maura who was standing next to her desk, arms crossed over her chest, the exposed olive skin of her neck now flushed red.
"Maura, I can explain."
"Can you now? I think Korsak's statement explains it clearly. There's a psychopath on the loose who just two years ago tried to kill you and you thought it was a great idea to go see him? Alone?"
Jane shot a look over at her former partner who didn't say a word.
"I wasn't alone Maura, Korsak was with me." If he was going to throw her under the bus he was sure as hell going with her.
"He what?" Maura remarked, narrowing her eyes at Korsak.
Korsak, who had been watching the interaction between the two women with amusement, quickly wiped the smirk from his face. "Now hang on doc, before you tear me a new one. In my defense…."
"In your defense?" Maura scoffed, cutting Korsak off. "You don't have a defense, Korsak. Is this some kind of game to you? To both of you? You just couldn't help yourself could you Jane? You just had to go and push his buttons didn't you?"
"Wait, are you implying that Hoyt's escape is somehow my fault?" Jane asked, her own anger growing. "So I guess all the people he killed at the hospital are on me too huh?"
Maura went to speak but was stopped when Jane's phone on her desk rang.
"Rizzoli." Jane answered harshly. "Where?" She asked as she listened to the dispatch. "Okay, I'll be right there. Page Frost," she said as she hung up and grabbed her keys.
"We gotta go. They found another victim. Maura, you can ride with us."
"Actually, I think I'll take my car Detective." Maura remarked as she stormed past the brunette.
Jane sighed as Korsak came to stand next to her. "Trouble in paradise?"
"What? No. Shut up," Jane said as she headed for the elevators, leaving Korsak standing at her desk."Are you coming or not, old man?" She called over her shoulder.
"Old man? This old man can still give you a run for your money." Korsak remarked as he followed Jane to the elevators.
"Yeah, like you can still run, Mr. my doctor said three sugars are bad for me." Jane mocked with a laugh.
"Always with the fat jokes," Korsak said as he stepped into the elevator.
Jane smiled over at her boss as they both chuckled. It was nice to know that even with their bickering they could still laugh together.
They arrived at the scene as usual. Jane pulled on a pair of gloves as she followed Frost up stairs. She grabbed a framed picture from the dresser and made her way over to the body.
"His name is John Ghent. His wife Karenna's missing," Korsak said from over by the door.
"No sign of a tea cup. You know what that means."
"Yeah. He didn't need a warning device because he had an accomplice," Korsak said as he flipped his notes closed.
"Hoyt," Jane remarked, looking from Maura to Korsak.
"Jane. You better come see this," Frost said from the doorway.
Jane followed her partner downstairs and out the door where a delivery man stood with a tacky bouquet of flowers being questioned by an officer.
"Hey, all I know is I got a delivery for a Detective, uh Rizzoli."
"That's me," Jane said, stepping forward. She took the flowers and pulled the card. Maura was standing next to her, having followed her out.
"Prickly on the outside, succulent on the inside, just like you. Best-Henry Deduboto."
"Hoyt," Jane remarked.
"Then who is Henry Deduboto?" Maura asked as she glanced over at Jane, their earlier fight forgotten. Atleast, for now. There were bigger things to worry about. "I bet it's an anagram, " she said, answering her own question.
Jane raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "You might be right. We'll check when we get back to BPD."
A while later after the scene was processed they were sitting in front of Jane's computer doing just that. The computer scanned through some names, landing on one in particular.
"Ted Bundy!" Jane said, jumping up from her desk.
Maura shook her head from side to side. "That's five letters to many for that anagram."
"How do you do that?" Jane asked, looking at Maura in bewilderment before sitting back down and returning her attention back to the computer.
"Fine. Theadore Bundy. He was fascinated with necrophilia. Just like the apprentice. I bet that's why Gail Yager's body was laid out like his lover."
"So he could visit," Maura replied.
Jane nodded. "Anytime he wanted but we found her so he had to kill again. This time with Hoyt. My guess is Karenna Ghent is his new girlfriend."
"You two want some lunch?" Jane looked up to see her ma standing across from her and Maura.
"What are you doing here ma?"
"What are you deaf? I said I brought you and Maura some lunch.
"Gee. Someone's cranky," Jane replied as she took the bag of food from her mother. "You need to get some sleep ma. Seriously. You look like you slept under an overpass."
"Who can sleep? Ever since you had this crazy idea to become a police officer I haven't stopped worrying. I never know if you're coming home!" By this point Angela was yelling, attracting the attention of just about everyone in the precinct.
"Ma, tone it down. You're making a scene."
"And your brother Frankie wants to do exactly what you do. Everything you do he follows it! So now I get to worry about two of you out there. So excuse the hell out of me if I can't sleep!"
Jane stared at her ma. "You done?"
"No. I'm not. Come on Janie. Use your head. You have a little girl to think about. Not only that,this place doesn't pay you enough for the hell you have to go through and they don't pay me at all!"
"It's my job ma. What do you want me to do? Quit?"
Angela nodded.
"Well I'm sorry, that's not going to happen. Contrary to your opinion I do this for Alex. Every piece of scum I help lock away makes Boston just a little bit safer for my daughter."
Angela huffed. "Talk some sense into her Maura."
Maura wanted to say Angela was right. Maura wanted to demand Jane quit right along with Angela. It would be for her own selfish reasons though. Deep down, she knew Boston was in fact safer with Jane on the job.
"It's what she wants Angela. I understand your fear. I'm scared for her every minute of everyday myself but Jane is a damn good cop. BPD needs her. Boston needs her. As long as she wants to be here, who are we to stop her?"
Angela sank down in a chair opposite from Jane's desk defeated. "Fine."
"But…"
"There's the but. I knew there would be a but…" Jane interjected before Maura could continue.
"But you could make our life easier Jane if you simply quit being so damn careless. You're not invincible so quit acting like you are. We love you and we want to see you come home at the end of the day. So "put the scum away," as you say, but be smart about it."
Jane sighed, she knew Maura was right. She knew everyone cared about her and she HAD been more careful since Alex was born. Well most of the time. Sometimes situations called for her to be more careless, especially when someone's life hung in the balance.
Deciding not to disagree with her girlfriend and her mother Jane changed subjects. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."
"You're always starving." Angela deadpan.
"Did you just come here to badger me? Don't you have somewhere else you can be?" Jane asked as she opened the bags and began to pull out the sandwiches.
"Jane! That's rude. She brought your lunch. Angela, if you would like, you can join us."
Angela waved her hand and stood up. "That's alright Maura, thank you for the offer. That's much more than I can say for my daughter."
"I'm sorry ma. Thank you for lunch. I really do appreciate it," Jane said before standing and giving Angela a kiss to the cheek.
"You're welcome Janie, you two girls enjoy." Angela remarked before leaving.
Maura and Jane let the conversation flow from one subject to another. Both avoided that morning's conversations as they ate. Halfway through lunch Jane's cell rang, Maura's following shortly behind.
"Rizzoli, Isles," they each said.
"I'll be right there," they both said in almost unison but Jane's conversation continued as Maura hung up.
"Keep it off the air. Take his phone. Oh, and hide your car alright? I'm on the way."
Jane looked over at Maura as she grabbed her keys and put on her jacket. "You are not going to like what we are about to do."
Maura rolled her eyes as Jane walked away, Maura doing large strides to try to keep up.
"Did you listen to anything I just got through telling you? Jane? JANE!"
"Come on. We have to hurry," Jane called behind her, ignoring Maura's questions. Maura just shook her head.
When they arrived at the scene they followed Frost down through a wooded area towards the body.
"The only call he made was to 911," Frost said, speaking of the guy who found the body that was being held nearby. "Dispatch put it straight through to me."
"Good. What's he doing way out here?" Jane asked, nodding towards the guy who couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty.
"Looking for arrowheads."
"The Wampanoag Tribe was the last to inhabit the area. Also known as the Massachusett," Maura chimed in.
Jane nodded. "Thank you. You're better than Wikipedia."
"Wikipedia is not a great source of information. Very little is rigorously peer reviewed."
Jane grinned. God she loved this woman. She quickly shifted her focus back to the task at hand as she turned towards Frost.
"Get him to a uniform. Tell them to take him downtown and hold him as long as they can. Then Call Korsak and get him out here. Tell him the plan."
"What plan?" Maura asked.
Jane took a deep breath, preparing herself like a soldier getting ready for battle. She knew Maura wasn't going to like this. Not even a little bit.
"We're going to surveil this body."
"W,w,what? You mean LEAVE her here?"
Jane nodded. "I said you wouldn't like it. Come on. Let's go."
Maura shook her head vigorously. "No. I'm calling my team." Her voice had an air of finality leaving no room for argument. Jane could feel the plan slipping right through her fingers. When it came to matters such as this, Maura got final say and if she couldn't sway Maura, the plan would go up in smoke. Years ago Jane wouldn't have dared to go up against the Chief medical examiner. Her word was final. But now …..
"Maura, they weren't expecting anyone to find this body. Look at where she's hidden. Hear me out. Hear me out. We get the hell out of here. We put both the park entrances under surveillance."
"What makes you think Hoyt isn't watching you right now?"
"He may be. I'm willing to take that gamble!"
"What? By leaving this body here in hopes that they'll return? No! No. Every second that she stays here more forensic evidence is lost."
Jane closed her eyes in exasperation. She was losing this fight. She tried again.
"Maura, please. The faster we get out of here the better chance we have of not being discovered OK? Because if we don't do this, we've got nothing. If we take this body back now all we'll find out is yep. She's dead and they killed her. Please. Do this for me."
Maura's resolve finally crumbled. "OK. For the record, I don't like it but OK."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Jane stopped her victory cheer when she saw tears falling down Maura's face.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong? She's dead. I know this goes against your moral code or oath or whatever but I promise, leaving her here for just a little while isn't going to hurt her anymore than she already is. She's dead, Maura."
Maura wiped her eyes and picked up her bag. "It's not just that Jane," she said as started her walk back to her car.
Jane followed behind, "What is it Maur, you can tell me." She remarked as Maura stopped at her car.
"It's not just about leaving her out here. It's about leaving you out here too."
Jane felt her heart break a little. Maura was scared for her. Looking around to make sure no one was around, Jane took Maura's medical bag and placed it on the trunk before taking her girlfriend into her arms.
Maura clung tightly to Jane as she buried her face in the brunette's chest. Try as she might, she couldn't stop her tears from falling.
Jane kissed the side of Maura's head and spoke softly. "Maur, don't cry, please," she said, feeling her own resolve crumbling.
"I'm afraid."
"I know you are, but babe listen to me. Nothing is going to happen"
"What if, what if he…." Maura couldn't seem to get the words out but Jane didn't need an explanation to know what had her girlfriend so afraid.
Pulling away, Jane lifted Maura's head to look her in the eyes as she pulled her hands to her chest. "We don't deal in what if's remember? We deal with facts, and the facts as they are, are I will not be alone and I will come home to you and the girls. Okay?"
Maura met Jane's gaze as her tears subsided. If she didn't believe Jane's words, she could believe the look of determination and love in the other woman's eyes. She gripped Jane tightly by the lapels of her jacket. "You make sure you hold true to your words Jane Rizzoli."
Jane smiled and chuckled lightly. "I will always come home to you Maur. Always." Jane solidified her words with a kiss. It wasn't a kiss of passion but rather a kiss that spoke everything that wasn't said.
As they broke away Maura opened her car door and climbed inside before starting the engine. Jane leaned down to the now opened window.
"I love you Maur."
Maura smiled warmly. "I love you too Jane. Please be safe."
"I will babe, we will catch this bastard."
"I hope so." Maura replied as she pulled Jane a little closer for one more kiss.
"Drive safe and don't forget this," Jane said, handing Maura her medical bag. Maura laughed before waving goodbye to the brunette.
Jane watched as Maura's car disappeared in the distance before straightening out her jacket and wiping her lips to remove any lipstick Maura may have left before making the short walk to Korsak's parked cruiser and calling his cell for him to meet her.
"Get us out of here before someone sees us," Jane said when he showed up, as she climbed in and buckled her seatbelt even though they weren't going far.
It was quiet for a moment before Korsak cleared his throat and spoke up as he started to drive.
"So, you and the doc huh?"
That got Jane's attention as she whipped her head around towards Korsak.
"W,w,what? N,no. No. NO. Why does everyone keep saying that?" Before Korsak could answer she stopped him. "You were eavesdropping weren't you! "
"What? No. I didn't hear a thing."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because I saw plenty," Korsak said, breaking into a grin as he parked just down from the north park entrance out of view behind a bunch of trees. "So did Frost."
"Damn it Korsak! Where were you? I didn't see anyone!"
"Well, I don't know what to tell you. We were there. The goal is to blend in, no?"
Jane rolled her eyes.
"Well, it's not what you think. Maura was upset."
"She didn't look upset to me," Korsak replied, as he chuckled.
"She was. This isn't a joke! Knock it off." Jane was clearly agitated.
Korsak held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry."
He paused a moment before he continued. "For what it's worth, I'm happy for you Jane. Maura too. I'm not sure why you're trying to hide it. None of us are going to have anything but well wishes."
Jane sighed. "At first, we wanted to make sure we weren't breaking some kind of departmental policy. Then we wanted a bit of time to adjust ourselves and now? Honestly, I didn't want to tell anyone because I don't want to put Maura into any danger. You know how many crazies have a mark on my head. I don't want her involved in all that. Then when I found out Hoyt escaped, I damn sure don't want it out for obvious reasons. He attacks couples Korsak. Well, except for me, his favorite game of cat and mouse."
You could almost feel the thickness that filled the air with mere mention of the past. After a few moments of awkward silence, Frost came through on the radio.
"You still got the north entrance Rizzoli?"
"Affirmative," Jane answered.
"You can just go get in his car if you want to," Korskak said sarcastically.
"Oh, shut up!" Jane snapped.
"Excuse me?" Frost replied, cuing Jane in that she was still holding the button on the radio.
Jane shook her head.
"Not you. If they come, they're going to come at night. It's starting to get late so keep your eyes peeled. OK?"
"Roger that," Frost replied.
For a long while Jane and Korsak sat in silence before he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down."
"You did not let me down. Stop it! Just stop! I flew into that warehouse without backup. I was stupid, OK? Reckless! Just like Maura says. It had nothing to do with you. NOTHING! So come off the pity party Korsak. Not everything is about you! I asked for a new partner because I needed a break. I was the victim! Not you! So stop, just stop and fucking let it go!"
Korsak looked at Jane before wordlessly climbing out of the car.
"Oh come on man! Get back in the car. Do I need to remind you there could be a madman out there? Are you trying to get killed? Because that's how you get killed! Trust me, I know!'
"I gotta take a leak," Korsak said before disappearing into the woods without another word.
Jane sat there for what seemed like forever. She looked down at the time on her watch. Thirty minutes had passed.
She unholstered her gun and climbed out of the car. "Korsak?" She called out softly, trying her best not to draw attention to herself. "Korsak?" She tried again when she heard rustling in some nearby trees. Jane felt a tingle go down her spine. She had a really bad feeling about this.
The thought had no longer crossed her mind when she saw someone take off running full speed into the woods. She began to chase after them, quickly gaining on them. After a short pursuit, she tackled them to the ground in a nearby creek and wasted no time training her gun on them.
"Stay down! Stay down and put your hands on your head now!"
The man put his hands up and that's when Jane recognized him. His voice affirmed it.
"It's me."
"Damn it, Dean! What in the hell are you doing here?" Jane screamed angrily, no longer concerned with keeping quiet.
"Well, I was chasing Hoyt."
"What do you mean chasing Hoyt? How did you even know he was here?" Her voice is even louder and angrier than before.
Before Agent Dean could answer they heard Korsak's voice calling out from somewhere nearby.
"Rizzoli. Rizzoli. I need some help over here. Officer down. Officer down." Jane's eyes grew wide as she ran towards Korsak's voice. When she saw him she sucked in her breath.
"I, I, Ooofff." Jane was trying to call for help on the radio but try as she may she couldn't get a hold on her emotions. Her partner was laying in front of her with his throat cut ear to ear. How he was still alive was beyond her.
Agent Dean, seeing Jane's struggle, gently took the radio from her hands and for once Jane didn't fight him.
"Officer down, I repeat, we have an officer down. Dean gave dispatch their location while Jane focused on Korsak. What would Maura do? Stop the bleeding. Apply pressure.
Jane pulled her jacket off, using it to apply pressure to Korsak's wound, but careful not to apply too much pressure or he wouldn't be able to breathe.
"He, he snuck up on me."
Jane nodded. "Shhhhh. Save your energy. Don't talk."
"I'm sorry Jane. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for Korsak."
Korsak chuckled before starting to cough and spurting blood everywhere.
"Listen old man. I know you're as stubborn as I am but stop. It's making the bleeding worse."
Jane couldn't help but laugh herself.
"You're the only one I know that could be laying on the ground laughing with your throat cut."
Korsak simply smiled, finally heeding Jane's advice.
Jane knew she had something she needed to say. She hoped to God Korsak would be fine but just in case….
"I was ashamed."
Korsak went to reply and Jane silenced him, putting her finger over his lips. "Don't talk. Just listen."
"You saw me at my worst. At my weakest. I was ashamed I let him get the upper hand on me. I, I thought you deserved better. You deserve a partner who isn't, who isn't weak."
Tears rolled down the side of Korsak's face, glistening in the moonlight. Keeping to Jane's advice, he didn't speak. Instead he covered her hands with one of his own and squeezed.
It wasn't long before more officers and EMS arrived.
"Frost, you follow us. Dean," Jane said as she looked at the FBI agent. She didn't know exactly what to say so she said the only thing she could think of. "Thanks." She remarked before climbing in the ambulance with Korsak, the doors slamming shut behind her.
Twenty minutes later Jane and Frost were sitting in the waiting room. Jane's hands and shirt were smeared with blood.
"Hey," Frost says looking at his partner. "Why don't you go home. Take a shower, spend some time with your kid."
Jane shook her head. "It's late. Alex is probably sleeping. Besides, I'm not leaving until I know he's okay, Frost. I appreciate…." Jane's words were drowned out by a familiar voice frantically yelling from around the corner.
"Where is she?! An officer was brought in with injuries. Her name is Jane Rizzoli."
Jane looked at Frost as they rounded the corner. Alex was the first one to spot her.
"Mom!" The teen yelled before taking off in a full sprint.
Jane caught her daughter in her arms who began to sob. "Hey, 's okay bug, I'm okay."
"We thought…." Alex tried to say but was too choked up to continue.
"Jane! Oh my god, you're hurt. You're bleeding!" Maura said, noticing the blood on Jane's hands.
Jane released her daughter but not fully as she looked at Maura. "Maur, I'm fine."
"You're certainly not fine Jane! Why hasn't anyone…."
"Maura!" Jane said a bit louder to grab the blonde's attention. "It's not mine," she said, letting go of her hold on Alex so she could show that she was in fact fine.
"It's not mine, it's Korsak's. I'm not hurt, I'm okay." Given that it was just the four of them in the small waiting area and Frost had already seen the interaction between them earlier in the night Jane didn't hesitate to pull Maura into her arms.
"I'm sorry I made you worry."
"I heard the call on the radio. They didn't say who it was.I tried to call you but you didn't pick up." Maura mumbled into Jane's neck.
Jane reached down for her phone only to just now realize it wasn't there. "I must have left it in the car. I'm sorry," she said as she kissed Maura's cheek.
Maura pulled away abruptly, suddenly realizing they weren't alone. She looked from Jane to Frost and back again.
"It's alright Maur, he knows."
"He knows? H,how?"
Jane smirked. "Well, he and Korsak kind of saw us earlier when you left the scene."
"Oh," Maura remarked, her face flushed crimson.
"It's okay Doc, your secret is safe with me and Korsak for that matter," Frost said with a smile of his own.
"Korsak," Maura said, having momentarily forgotten that he was the one hurt, not Jane. "Any word on him yet?"
Jane shook her head in the negative. "Not yet, he's been in surgery. Still waiting to hear something."
Maura rubbed Jane's back. "Then we will wait with you."
"No Maur, you and Alex go home. I'll stay here until I hear something and then I'll get someone to bring me back to your place."
"But Jane," Maura tried to protest.
"No buts Maur, you need some sleep and Alex does too. She looks like she's ready to fall asleep where she's sitting, pointing over to the chair her daughter had settled in. "
"Speaking of which, how did you know?" Jane asked, looking at her daughter.
"I'm not stupid ma, when I woke up to get a drink of water I saw Maura had been crying and searching for her keys. I knew it had to be something to do with you so I came with her."
"Always the observant one," Jane remarked with a chuckle.
"I, I, she, she wanted…."
"It's fine Maur," Jane said, sensing Maura's nervousness. She was obviously worried if Jane would be upset she brought Alex with her.
"Thank you both for coming but please go home and get some sleep and bug, I'm sorry about today. I know I promised you we…." Jane was stopped by a hug from her daughter.
"It's alright ma, I'm just glad you're okay. We can always do it another day."
Jane smiled and kissed her daughter's head. She didn't know how she was so lucky to have a daughter like Alex or a girlfriend like Maura. "Thank you for being so understanding bug. Sometimes I forget that you're only twelve."
Alex laughed before releasing her ma. "What can I say, I'm mature for my age."
Jane chuckled, "You got that right, now be mature and go home and sleep. Maura, that means you too."
Maura sighed before hugging and kissing Jane. She knew it was a losing battle. Jane wasn't going to leave until she knew Korsak would be okay. "You'll…."
"I'll call you as soon as I hear something Maur." Jane remarked, kissing Maura once more.
Maura nodded before beckoning for Alex. Jane watched as her girlfriend and daughter walked out of the waiting area arm in arm.
After another hour of waiting a doctor approached Jane and Frost.
"Mr. Korsak pulled through the surgery just fine. We were able to stop the bleeding and close the nic to his carotid artery. He got lucky this time.A few inches deeper and we probably wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Can we see him?" Jane asked. She wasn't leaving until she could see that he was okay for herself.
"Yes you can, he's beginning to wake from the anesthesia so he will be in and out of sleep for a while but he has been advised not to speak. Just stop by the nurses station and they will give you a pen and paper. He will make a full recovery," the doctor said with a smile.
Jane and Frost thanked the doctor and headed for the nurses station.
"Go ahead Jane," Frost said as they stopped outside of Korsak's door.
"You sure?"
Frost nodded. "I doubt the first person he wants to see after surgery is me."
Jane laughed before patting Frost on the shoulder. "Thanks partner, for everything."
Jane stepped into the room and slowly made her way over to Korsak. She had never seen him look so frail. Blinking her eyes to clear away the tears she spoke softly. "Geez Korsak, you really scared the shit out of me tonight," she said as she took his hand and sat down on the edge of his bed.
She looked at the sleeping man's face. It read like a road map, every wrinkle, every worry and laugh line. Each one told a story of the good times and bad. Sighing heavily Jane spoke again.
"You've always been like a dad to me I can't say like a second dad because, well, we all know my Pops wasn't the greatest but you've always been there for me. Hell, I really don't think I would have stuck around Boston after high school if it hadn't been for you." Jane wiped away the tears that began to trickle down her face.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is I love you old man so you better get better and get back to work."
Korsak chose this moment to move and scare the hell out of Jane.
"Geez! Shit old man, are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you were sleeping."
Korsak grinned and opened his mouth.
"Uh uh, doc says you can't talk right now so we got you a pen and paper," she said, handing the items to him.
Korsak scribbled on the paper before turning it for Jane to read.
Jane turned her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell does that say? I mean your handwriting is shit on a good day but this?" She remarked with a laugh at the look on Korsak's face.
"I'm kidding, but you heard that?" She asked as she blushed slightly. Korsak nodded. He had heard every word Jane had said and so he wrote that he loved her too.
She smiled at the old man. "Well, don't let it get to your head."
Korsak smiled before he began to doze off again.
"I just wanted to see for myself that you're okay but I'm going to head out and let you rest, is there anything you need before I go?" Jane asked, waking Korsak up from his dozing.
Korsak again scribbled on the paper. "Joe."
"Joe? The dog?"
Korsak nodded.
"You want me to dog sit that stink bomb of a dog?" Again Korsak nodded with a slight grin.
Jane grunted but relented. "Fine, but you owe me for one pair of shoes already. I'll send ma over to pick her up but you better hope she doesn't eat any of Maura's stuff." Jane chuckled at the shrug the older detective gave in response.
"Get some rest old man, Frost will stay for a bit with you. Be nice alright? He was worried about you too."
Jane stood up and kissed the old man on his cheek. "See you later Korsak."
And with that Jane was gone. She found herself at her desk, chin deep in old case files. For the last six hours she tried to focus on other things but the events from the night before played on a loop in her mind. She hoped to find a link to who Hoyt's apprentice could be. If they were this skilled surely they would have killed before.
After another cup of coffee and a few more files Jane gave up. Looking at her watch she knew Maura would be in. Something about the night's events didn't add up. For instance, why was Dean there? Knowing only one person who could answer that question, Jane headed to the morgue.
She found Maura sitting behind her desk typing away on her computer. Maura didn't need to look up to know Jane was standing in her door.
"You can come in Jane." She remarked, not looking up from her screen.
Jane shut the door behind her before making her way over to a chair directly in front of Maura's desk.
"You didn't come back this morning."
Jane sighed. "I know Maur, I'm sorry."
"You didn't call either."
"I didn't get my phone back until I got here. They had got it out of Korsak's car for , I'm sorry."
Maura finished with what she was doing and closed her laptop before taking in the sight of Jane.
"You cleaned up."
Jane nodded. "I had a change of clothes in my locker. I showered at the gym."
"Jane," Maura said softly, her voice full of concern.
"I know Maura, but I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. I would have just disturbed you."
"Jane," Maura tried again but it only seemed to anger the brunette.
"Damn it Maura! I know, okay, but I NEED to catch these assholes!" Jane yelled as she stood up and began to pace.
"You also NEED adequate sleep Jane. Not to mention food and proper hydration. What good are you going to be to anyone if you don't take care of yourself?"
"I know," Jane said with a sigh as she flopped down onto the couch. She knew Maura was just worried about her.
Maura moved from around her desk and grabbed two bottles of water from her mini fridge, handing one to Jane before taking a seat next to the detective. "How's Korsak?"
"Fine. Well, he's not fi…he'll be fine." Jane remarked before continuing. "You told Dean where we were, didn't you?" She asked, cutting right to it.
Maura cleared her throat and sat a little straighter. Now it made more sense why Jane was worked up. "I did."
"Without telling me?
"I'm sorry." Maura said, repeating Jane's earlier said words.
"Really? You're sorry? Because I treated a senior federal agent like a perp Maura. I tackled him in a creek!"
Maura wanted to laugh at the mire thought of Jane tackling a man twice her size to the ground but she refrained and kept her composure. "Well that's unfortunate. But there's a fine line between courage and stupidity."
"Yeah Maura, a fine, thin BLUE line."
There was a knock at the door. Maura stood and answered. She spoke for a moment with the person on the other side before shutting the door and placing the files on her desk. "Did you actually tackle him?" She asked, once again looking over at Jane.
"Yes! Like a linebacker."
"Very professional." She remarked, still trying to hold in her laughter but Jane caught the slightest glimpse of a smirk.
"It's not, that's…wow."
"You're very brave Jane."
"No Maura, I'm simply tired of being afraid."
Suddenly the slight humor Maura found in Jane tackling someone gave way to seriousness. "I'm sorry," she said as she walked over and wrapped her arms around Jane.
Jane rested her forehead on Maura's and closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. "I'm sorry. I just want to catch these bastards Maur. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I just want to be happy with you and raise our girls without this dark cloud hanging over us."
Maura gently stroked the back of Jane's neck as she raised her head to look the detective in the eyes. "I know you do love and you will catch them. But you can't do it without help Jane, and you can't do it if you don't start taking care of yourself."
"I know," Jane said softly before capturing Maura's lips with her own. "I should let you get back to work."
"Okay," Maura remarked softly before letting Jane pull away. "You'll be home tonight?" She asked as Jane headed for the door.
Jane smiled. "I'll be home." She said, her smile becoming larger at the realization that they had been referring to Maura's residence as home. Maura nodded with a smile of her own before the door shut.
When Jane made it back to her desk she groaned when she saw Dean sitting in the empty chair.
"If you're looking for an apology," she remarked, causing Dean to look up.
"I know to look elsewhere."
Jane nodded, before pulling her chair out. "Coffee?" She asks Dean, offering him her own cup.
"No thanks. So question," he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Why did Hoyt come after you?"
Jane's eyebrows raised into her hairline. "You're serious? You mean you fed boys don't know everything?" She remarked snarkly.
When Dean didn't say anything more Jane gave in.
"Hoyt's first victim was mine, and in case you haven't noticed…I seem to be Hoyt's favorite type…female."
"Oh, yeah, I noticed." He remarked as he paused, not certain if he should ask his next question.
"Ask," Jane demanded as she looked at Dean.
"What happened to your hands?"
"Why are you so interested in this case?" Jane asked with a smirk.
"That's need to know." He responded sitting back in his chair.
"Seriously? You fed guys actually say that?"
Dean ignored Jane's question and pressed on. "I bet you never once considered leaving the force, did you?"
"Sure I did." Jane remarked, taking a sip of her coffee. "When Hoyt had me pinned to that basement floor. A scalpel through both hands and one to my throat."
Dean could see the uneasiness on Jane's face. "Hey," he said, making eye contact. "It's gonna be okay."
"Yeah, sure. Instead of just one deranged psychopath there's now two, hunting me down like a pack of wolves." Jane remarked with a nervous laugh. Silence fell between them as Jane sipped her coffee.
"Okay, well. I should, um, let you get back to work," Dean said as he stood up. "We'll get them."
"Yeah, before or after they get me." Jane remarked, not bothering to look up. Dean wasn't sure how to respond so he just patted Jane on the shoulder and left.
Jane returned to Maura's later that night. Exhausted from everything, she sighed as she took her boots off.
"Jane," Maura called out softly from the kitchen doorway.
Jane smiled at the sight of the blonde standing in the dim light from the kitchen in her silk robe and her hair pulled back into a loose bun. "Hi," she said as she kissed Maura's cheek. "What are you still doing awake?"
"I was waiting for you. You missed dinner so I wanted to make sure you ate when you got in." Maura replied as she guided Jane into the kitchen. "I kept it warm in the oven for you."
Jane smiled graciously at her girlfriend. "Thank you Maur. I'm sorry I missed dinner."
Maura smiled warmly at the brunette. "It's okay love, just eat and then you can get a hot shower before bed."
Jane ate while making small talk with Maura. They stayed as far a way from Hoyt's rain of terror as possible and just enjoyed each other's company. After eating and cleaning up her mess in the kitchen, Jane checked the doors and windows before they headed upstairs.
Forty five minutes later Jane was showered. She climbed into bed next to Maura and sighed audibly. She couldn't remember the last time she was this exhausted.
Turning out the lights Maura snuggled close as Jane wrapped her arm around her and pulled her even closer.
"I love you Maur." Jane whispered into the darkness.
Maura lifted her head and kissed Jane's cheek before kissing her lips. "I love you too Jane. Now rest my love," she said softly as she laid her head back on Jane's chest.
The light snores coming from the brunette told Maura Jane was fast asleep. She took this moment to let her tears fall silently. She was afraid for Jane and she couldn't bear the thought of her being hurt again or worse. So for the first time in her life Maura prayed. More so, begging to whoever might be listening to help them catch these monsters once and for all. She smiled when the brunette's grip tightened around her before sleep finally pulled her under.