"Jane? Are you ok?"
Jane nearly jolted in surprise as she heard Maura's soft voice behind her. Despite the familiarity of the Beacon Hill home, sleep eluded her most nights. Every time she felt tired and was on the verge of sleep, just as she let her eyes close the images came. They were always fractured, bits and pieces of memories from the night she was shot four times in the chest. "Yeah Maur, I'm fine." There was evidence that she was tired in her tone but nothing about her posture suggested the fatigue. "I was just… a little antsy." She also needed to check every door and window in the house to make sure that they were secured so Maura was safe but she wasn't about to voice that to Maura. She already worried the beautiful medical examiner enough since she had been released from the hospital.
Maura tugged the fluffy robe around herself a little tighter. She saw the tenseness to Jane's figure as she clasped a mug of tea in her hands tightly. Jane probably thought she didn't notice it but she was aware of the detective leaving the bed in the wee hours of the morning to do whatever it was that compelled her to be up such ungodly hours despite being on medical leave to heal from the undercover assignment gone bad. The numerous times she heard locks being turned and doorknobs being checked made her think that Jane was checking the security of the house, something the detective did religiously before the undercover assignment but now she was practically OCD about it.
Hazel eyes briefly shot over to the nearest clock, a digital readout said it was nearing four o'clock in the morning, before looking back to the dark haired woman. Taking a few strides forward she enveloped Jane in a firm but gentle embrace. "Come back to bed with me Jane, it's far too early to be up" she said while nuzzling her face gently into the other woman's shoulder. Seeing Jane so stressed and worried hurt the gentle doctor. This was supposed to be the detectives recovery home where she didn't have to stress but the fallout of the undercover assignment had done more damage than she had feared.
Brown eyes fluttered closed as Jane felt a calm fall over her mind. The panic rat that had taken up residence seemed to still and stop the wheel as she unconsciously leaned back into Maura. "I'll be up in five minutes, I promise" she said quietly.
Maura didn't like that but she wasn't going to push Jane. "Five minutes or I'm coming back down to drag you back to bed" she threatened after placing a soft kiss on olive toned skin. "Don't keep me waiting, detective."
Jane listened to the quiet footsteps retreat up the steps to the second floor and down the hallway until they no longer reached her ears. A bump to her left made her turn sharply only to spill what was left of the cold panda poop tea, nearly dying gives you perspective that it doesn't always matter what something is made from, down the front of her shirt. "Oh.. It's only you Bass" she said with a quiet sigh.
Bass looked up at the loud human his Mother was so fond of. He was used to the loud human being loud so for her to be so subdued was alien to him. Was she not feeling well? Did she need to see the vet? He had to go once and he dreaded it but he had felt much better afterwards.
"I'm ok buddy, I just.. have a lot on my mind." Jane fetched a strawberry from the fridge and knelt down offering the reptile the fruit. She still wasn't friends with the giant turtle but she was no longer always surprised and put off by Bass' presence out of seemingly nowhere. "Try to get some sleep, it's apparently early or so your mom says" she said gently petting the tortoises shell while he ate the strawberry. Once he was done and slowly going where he would, she set the mug in the sink and made her way upstairs. A quick trip to the guest bedroom saw her grabbing a new shirt and a quick trip to the bathroom to clean the traces of tea from her chest before donning the faded Property of Boston Police Department athletic shirt. Stopping outside Maura's room, it might as well have been their room considering how often they shared a bed and woke up wrapped up in each other, she peered in to find the doctor already already asleep again though the position told her she tried to stay awake.
Slipping silently into the bed, Jane gently shifted Maura into a position she knew the blonde would be comfortable. "Sweet dreams Maur" she whispered softly before pressing a kiss to the other woman's forehead. The slight wriggle and sleepily muttered 'love you Jane' made the detective's heart race as a faint blush colored her cheeks. "Love you more my beautiful nerd."
Jane was already dressed and making breakfast by the time Maura stumbled down the stairs for breakfast once her nose registered the smell of cooking food. Given that she was on a leave of absence to take care in facilitating Jane's full recovery, she didn't feel the need to look perfect as she usually did. The detective had seen her in everything for super high fashion to her, admittedly in hindsight, ridiculous outfit when invited to play baseball with the guys from the homicide department to just yoga pants and a crop top when they did yoga together; she didn't have to impress Jane at all. The dark haired woman loved her regardless and was her soulmate.
"I was hoping to have breakfast and coffee ready before you woke up."
Maura noticed the way Jane's head was turned for a moment to look over her shoulder at her before turning back to a pan. "How long have you been up Jane?" she asked, her arms embracing the other woman from behind once she was close enough.
"A couple hours. I didn't sleep very well" Jane said, shrugging nonchalantly as if it didn't matter. It was pretty standard for her to get five hours of sleep on a good night but had been functioning on between three and four a night since she was brought back to the Beacon Hill home. "I think this should be edible. I know you like your frou-frou healthy stuff so I tried to do this… egg white thing with help from Google. Coffee is all but done, you just have to grab your mug and hit the button."
Maura looked around Jane to the pan as she scraped out an omelet onto a plate beside some granola and vanilla greek yogurt. "You don't have to-"
"I know I don't have to Maur, I want to. It's the least I can do when you've taken a leave to help me get better." Even to her own ear the words sounded a little strained and Jane hated it. Maura shouldn't have had to take a leave of absence just to oversee her recovery but the doctors had said would need a caretaker to make sure that she was healing just right and since Maura was a doctor herself, well that choice was a foregone conclusion by then. Not that she was ungrateful, being able to spend time with Maura and really be with her without interruption was cathartic in a way. "Now eat, before your frou-frou healthy egg white thing gets cold and congealy like one of your floaters" she said with a shooing gesture after setting the plate on the island counter.
"We have that appointment with Marcus today" Maura said as she reluctantly parted from Jane and took her plate, sitting nearby but not too far from the detective.
"The shapeshifting lizard man from Mars, I remember. He's the guy you said was looking into helping me sue the BPD for what happened when that bitch outed me as a cop and nearly had me killed" Jane said, shaking her hand a little. It was torture to do this but she couldn't trust her fellow officers after that. Frost and Korsak were understandably distraught but after telling them what happened they understood to a point why she was doing it.
Cavanaugh didn't understand and Jane could care less about whether he understood or not. He ordered her, forced her, to help Vice and Narcotics run the undercover op despite her protests. Had the doctors not managed to save her life and tactical teams not swarmed the warehouse securing everyone who wasn't dead, God only knows how many more cops and innocent people would be dead by now. All deaths that would have been caused by Cavanaugh, Lieutenant O'Grady in charge of Vice and Lieutenant Dawson in charge of Narcotics.
"He isn't a shapeshifting lizard man from Mars, Jane. He is a talented lawyer who-"
"Maura, I know." Jane glanced at her mug of coffee that was most likely cold but didn't have the motivation to nuke it in the microwave or pour a new mug. "I'm sick to my stomach about this… I know the damage that this is going to do to BPD but I can't.. Won't let what happened to me happen to some other officer."
Maura saw the conflict cross Jane's face and felt her heart break for the detective. Jane was the very definition of a just and true defender of the law. She was driven to defend the innocent and remove the threats from society so that those who did no wrong would be safe to live their lives without fear of their fellow man or woman. Yet she had been betrayed by one of her own, an officer sworn to protect and serve only to defect and side with criminal scum who prayed on the weak for their own gain.
Abandoning her breakfast, Maura went back to Jane and gently turned the detective to face her and got on the tips of her toes before gently kissing the other woman's lips softly. Gentle as it was, she pushed every emotion into it since she knew actions were always more easily understood by the detective. Love, understanding, the desire to support Jane no matter the decision she would ultimately make- it was all there and so much more. "Jane, I love you more than words will ever be able to convey but I'm going to try my best to be as clear as possible right now so please don't interrupt me."
Jane was shocked by the kiss, they had discussed their marks and what it meant, but they had been proceeding at a cautiously slow pace. Going from best friends to soulmates was a big change and something that she didn't want either of them to mess up. In the time since that conversation, Maura had not once been the one to initiate a kiss. Let alone a kiss as powerful but gentle as the one that stole her breath away leaving her with only the ability to nod dumbly.
"Being a cop and doing the right thing is something that I know you believe in. It's in your heart and soul to protect those that need protecting, those that don't have the strength to protect themselves" Maura began as she rested her forehead against Jane's so their eyes were locked. "Right now though, this isn't about those people. Right now it is about you and the people who love you… about us." A shuddering breath escaped her as she rough hands gently wrapping around her waist and gripping her wrists. "You need to hold the Boston Police Department accountable for what they did to you Jane. I almost lost you. Your mother, your brothers, your nephew… Do you know how empty our lives would have been without you if you hadn't survived? How miserable… How miserable I would have been without you there to… there to.."
Jane nuzzled her nose against Maura's cheek as she saw tears misting up in beautiful hazel eyes. Although Maura had tried to be cool about it, she had known how much seeing her done up in the hospital for two months in a coma had traumatized her doctor. "But I am here.. I promise I always will be'' she whispered softly. "I'm never going to leave you alone again Maura, I promise you with God as my witness."
The pressure of Maura all but folding into her had slender arms holding the blonde woman against her form.
The only sound that echoed in the Beacon Hill home was the sound of Bass' claws echoing off the floor as the tortoise awoke from his slumber and began his journey out to the kitchen where he knew his breakfast of delicious British strawberries and greens were waiting for him.
"Ms. Rizzoli, my name is Marcus Cain and I-"
"Listen lizard man, I want to be very clear with you about something before we even begin talking about just how feasible sueing the BPD is. I'm sick to my stomach about doing this but no organization is untouchable. Not the cops, not any lawyer or law firm- no one is untouchable. The bitch who outed me and nearly cost me life is gone and part of this consultation has to do with suing her estate whatever that may be but-"
Maura gently squeezed Jane to get her shut up. "Marcus, I'm sorry if that lizard comment offended you but Jane doesn't exactly sugar coat how she feels about people or things. She isn't trying to offend you or attack your character personally but-"
Marcus raised a hand cutting off the medical examiner. "Maura, it's fine. I expected the brash bluntness from one of Boston's finest detectives. I'm perfectly aware of how most people perceive those in my line of work and at the risk of sounding hypocritical, a lot of lawyers are cold blooded lizard people with no souls or sense of scruples" the impeccably dressed man said. "Ms. Rizzoli, what you want to do has been tried before and failed every time. Not only have cases been laughed out of courts, there has been no case of suit of such nature even making it to the jury selection phase."
"I have proof, audio recordings I took during the undercover operation and debrief where they disavowed the woman who outed me and incited the hailstorm of bullets that killed three SWAT team members and nearly killed me."
Maura and Marcus shared a look. Jane had audio proof to back up her claim?
"I didn't like the vibes I got the morning I went in and Lieutenant Cavanaugh asked to see me. I borrowed my partner Barry Frost's wireless recording gear. O'Grady and Dawson laid out the need for someone with my experience as an undercover officer to infiltrate a drug ring. I protested citing that my job as a homicide detective did not include doing undercover work for Vice and Narcotics. Lieutenant Cavanaugh gave me a direct order that I had to assist them or face disciplinary actions" Jane said leaning back in her chair. "I am ready to sit down with you, transcribe all the relevant pieces and identify every party that is as pertinent to support this lawsuit."
"Where are these recordings Ms. Rizzoli?" Marcus asked once he composed himself.
"A Cloud account that only I have access to. I'm usually not too good with computers or anything technology related but the twisted feeling in my gut that didn't sit right told me I had to make an exception. I had my partner teach me how to do the things I needed to and I put the files in the account safe and sound" Jane said, crossing her arms over her lap.
"To borrow and adapt a phrase I'm sure you're more familiar with than I am," Marcus felt a serpentine smirk cross his face that he was certain looked less than friendly "show me the smoking gun and I'll show you a lawsuit to bring the Boston Police Department to its knees."
Maura wasn't too sure she like the smile on Marcus' face, he had agreed to the appointment as a courtesy to cover a debt he perceived owing her after she cleared his name in a false rape claim, as he looked at Jane. If he could make the case stick with such evidence, it would make the already well known attorney even more so. A man who could take on the Boston Police Department for the attempted murder of one of its own officers would be skyrocketed to a new tier of notoriety in legal circles.
"Give me twenty four hours to make you copies of the files and I'll make an appointment with you to go over them."
"I look forward to reviewing these audio files Ms. Rizzoli."
Jane stood, shook Marcus' hand and turned to Maura with eyes that said it was time to go as much as it screamed how uncomfortable she was. She was relieved when the blonde stood, linked an arm with her and guided her out as the man was already picking up his phone to call someone. "I feel like Pandora and I've tipped open the box Maura" she said once they were safely in the privacy of the blondes Prius.
"In the original mythos of Pandora, she had a pithos. It is similar to a clay vase with two handles near the round opening used to ship or serve wine during the times of ancient Greece. She was also quite cunning and deviously intelligent versus the portrayal of Pandora as a clueless and inquisitive creature opening a box. The widespread belief of Pandora being less than intelligent and opening a box was meant to portray women as less than to men in every regard, academically and other forms of intelligence to be certain" Maura said starting the car.
"Just tell me that I'm doing the right thing Maura, I don't need a history lesson about ancient Greek dicks who thought women were dumb and little more than sex objects" Jane groaned.
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli," Maura turned in her seat and leaned across the console as she took the dark haired woman's hand in her own "you are doing the right thing by holding them accountable. I stand behind you one hundre-"
"I don't want you standing behind me on this Maura" Jane interrupted squeezing the blondes hands in her own gently. "I want.. Need you beside me, my partner and my rock. I gave almost twenty years to the job and it tried to kill me. I need you to…"
Maura leaned in and kissed Jane softly, her eyes fluttering shut. "I will always stand beside you Jane. Through thick and thin, Hell or highwater" she whispered against the Italian woman's lips after letting the kiss linger for a minute and enjoying Jane kiss her back, gratitude palpable in the sliding of lips and tongue.
"Is that your way of asking me to marry you?" Jane asked as brought their hands up and kissed Maura's knuckles gently.
"Maybe after all this nasty business is over" Maura promised with a loving gaze and a gentle smile on her lips.
"I love you Maura Isles."
"I love you too Jane Rizzoli."