It was the day that the video was going to be released and although Maura had been willing to let the video see the light of day for the sake of keeping her loved ones safe, Jane had refused to budge on her stance. Maura had suffered enough and losing her sense of dignity was something that could not be fixed as easily as some other things. Thus, under Frost's guidance, they had replied back to the email with an address and a time. The address was the Pont des Arts bridge, a popular spot that rested along the Seine River. To most, it is known as the Lock Bridge, where lovers came to secure their love with locks containing their names. The address had seemed to satisfy whoever was behind the emails, as the video had not found its way into the public eye. Jane had counted down the minutes until their time was up and once the clock had gone past the hour, she had felt relief. The time that they included in the email was set for five hours after the deadline that the sender of the email had originally set, giving them some time to ensure that the video had not been released. Cavanaugh had been livid when he found out that Jane had released her location, but he realized that there was nothing that he could do when it came to Jane protecting Maura Isles. Besides, he had a feeling that whoever Olivia was working with had already become aware of Jane's whereabouts. He called the Directorate of Territorial Security, the French intelligence agency that was equivalent to the American FBI, and filled them in, as well as requested their presence at the bridge. Frankie had been notified as well, but it was emphasized that he refrain from firing his weapon unless there was a direct threat to any of their lives, as regulations regarding service weapons were disputable on foreign grounds.
Jane had updated Maura over breakfast and both of the women had found themselves unable to consume anything over the anxiety of the upcoming meet-up. Without knowing whether anyone would even show up to the bridge, Jane's stomach churned with uncertainty. Jane had asked Maura to stay safe at home, but of course, the other woman was adamant that she would stay by Jane's side the entire time. Having only packed one bulletproof vest, Jane had slipped it on over Maura's head before zipping up her jacket, the bulkiness of the vest barely being contained within Maura's thick winter coat. Frankie had offered Jane his vest, but Jane had refused it, wanting to keep two of the most important people in her life safe at her own expense. As they waited to leave the warmth of the Isles residence, Jane looks at Maura under the lights of the foyer.
"I don't know how this is going to go, Maura, but we need to settle this once and for all."
With tears in her eyes, Maura swallows forcefully. "Why can't we just let the police handle this?"
As Jane checks for her gun, she tightens the holster around her shoulders. "I'm handling this." Before she reaches for the door, she turns back to Maura. "If anything happens, just know that I love you with the entirety of my existence, Maura. I'm so sorry that it came to this."
As the two women kissed, a sickening feeling in Maura's stomach manifested as she had intrusive thoughts of this possibly being their last kiss ever. Pushing those thoughts away, Maura kissed Jane again, this time even harder. "I love you," Maura whispers against Jane's lips. They close the door behind them and the two walk out, with the brightness of the sun offering no solace.
They meet up with Frankie outside of his hotel, which is only a few minutes away from the address that Jane had sent. The two Rizzolis are uncharacteristically quiet, with both of them deep in thought as they scan their surroundings. The local police department had a team perched on the rooftop with snipers and one stationed at various points throughout all 155 meters of the bridge, but Jane found no relief at this fact since she had never worked with this department before. She didn't know how much she could trust them, so she and Frankie took it upon themselves to be extra cautious. Jane doubted that Olivia, or whomever she was working with, would try anything in such a public setting, but you never knew. The three make it on to the middle of the bridge, with Maura looking over the names on the locks to distract herself. Time ticked by and as Jane paced the wooden slacks below them, Maura felt her anxiety increase. There were two minutes left and then there was one, and before they knew it, the countdown had come down to the final few seconds. Frankie looked at the second hand on his watch as he continues to scan the horizon, squinting as the sun obscured most of his vision. Jane recognized a few members of the police department, who were dressed in civilian disguises, around them, and all of them had shaken their heads at her. No sign of any threats. She looks down at her own watch, the gold of the second hand contrasting beautifully against the emerald green backdrop. The watch had been a gift from Maura early on in their friendship and Jane had worn it religiously, always making sure that she had it on before going into a shootout or pursuit. Over the years, it had cracked a few times after a hard tackle or a physical altercation, but Jane had taken it in to get fixed over and over again. The leather wristband had also been replaced several times over the years. On the back, there was an engraving with Jane's initials, followed by a short message.
Come home safe.-M
During a particularly difficult case, Jane would often take the watch off, tracing her fingers over the inscription absentmindedly. Jane had become attached to the watch, much to Maura's chagrin, as Maura had insisted on purchasing nicer and newer watches for Jane. However, Jane had refused firmly every time as she looked over her watch with adoration. Now, as she glanced at the same watch, a feeling of relief washed over her as the minute hand signified the passing of time. It had been five minutes past the hour that Jane had included with the address and with no sign of Olivia or anyone else who was to be perceived as a threat, Jane was beginning to feel relieved. Maybe Olivia had just given up after all.
She watches as the lead officer speak discreetly into his sleeve, likely ordering his team to stand down and disassemble as the time had passed. Frost also sent a text, indicating that there had been no activity on their end either. No emails, no calls, and no notes had been found. Whoever had sent that email had dropped off the radar completely.
Maura walks back to Jane's side, her body still on edge from having to be on high alert. Jane flashes her a quick smile, one that was more designed to make Maura feel better than one that revealed how she felt. She, too, was still incredibly anxious. Pulling out a small lock painted Tiffany blue, she shows it to Maura, who inspects it under the sunlight. In Jane's handwriting were the words Rizzoli + Iles written in a silver Sharpie. Maura feels her lips curving into a smile at the gesture. It was cliché and maybe even a little naive, but it was romantic nonetheless. She hands it back to Jane, who secures it between one of the chain links. Maura holds on to Jane's arm as they walk off the bridge, relieved that nothing had happened. Behind them, Frankie is sending a text, likely to Nina and Angela, telling them that they were all safe. Before returning home, they decide to have a meal at the Joséphine Chez Dumonet, a classy restaurant known for its foie gras and an extensive list of regional wines. Maura, per usual, takes a long time to decide from the menu, running through the infinite possibilities of wine and protein pairings.
When they have placed their orders with the kitchen and are enjoying the ambiance, Jane catches a gleam reflected in the mirror on the wall behind the table where they are seated. She turns around, locating the source, and relaxes when she realizes that it was just someone's phone being reflected off the light. As Frankie and Maura's conversation picks back up, Jane notices it again. Her gut is telling her that something is wrong and her senses are heightened as she scans around the room. She places a protective arm over Maura, who is sitting next to her. Suddenly, a loud bang explodes from behind Frankie. Jane pushes Maura's chair back, throwing her to the ground as she tips the table away from them.
"Maura! Get down!"
A bullet whizzes by, burying itself in the wood behind Jane. It splinters, with a sliver burying itself in Jane's arm. Jane holds her bleeding arm as Frankie ducks, running over to safety behind the table, which has been converted into a makeshift shelter. As the porcelain plates make contact with the tiles on the ground, they shatter alongside the half-full wine glasses. People are clamoring to exit the restaurant and are running wildly, which makes it difficult for Jane to find the shooter. She unholsters her own weapon, keeping it low as civilians were still plentiful around her. Another shot rips through the air, this time finding its destination in the middle of the table. The table cracks and Jane pushes Maura up, virtually throwing her into the kitchen as Jane gets on her feet. With her ears ringing from being so close to the shots and the screaming people, Jane is disoriented. Frankie has also drawn his weapon and the two siblings make their way through the restaurant, trying to locate the shooter.
Having spent many hours filing away guns for evidence while desk duty bound, Jane knew her guns. From the sound of it, the gun was likely a Beretta M9, which typically had a 15-round magazine. As Jane counts off another 3 shots, she knew that the shooter had 10 bullets left before they had to reload. Two of these go into the ceiling, which brings the glass light fixtures crashing down. Another three break the wine bottles around them and as liquid flows out, the floor becomes even more slippery. Five shots left and Jane still hadn't located the shooter. With the lights broken, she had even less visibility in the already dimly lit restaurant. As she looks over her shoulder to make sure that Maura is safe, Jane feels another shot hissing by her face. Had she not turned, it would have hit her square in the jaw. Four left.
Jane finally finds the shooter, a tall figure who is aiming directly at her head. Just as the figure squeezes the trigger, Jane dodges out of the way, slamming straight into a shelf as the silverware comes raining down on her. Her shoulder is screaming, but Jane manages to recover quickly, standing up. The restaurant is nearly empty now, so Jane fires a shot in the direction of the figure. As they run from Jane's shot, a hood falls and reveals a woman. It is still too dark for Jane to make out any distinguishing features, so she decides to wait before shooting blindly. The woman returns fire, popping off two shots into the booth behind Jane. The upholstery absorbs the bullets, but Jane still feels the heat emitting from the holes that they made.
Maura is screaming, which causes Jane to turn her head momentarily. With the distraction, Marie senses her opening, as she turns her gun and fires in the direction of Maura's screaming. 15 shots. Jane hopes that she has counted correctly and runs full force into the woman, sending the both of them into another table. Jane struggles to get up, the glass from the broken wine glasses stabbing into her hands as her feet slip from all of the spilled wine. She throws a right hook to the woman on the ground, satisfied as her hand makes contact with a jaw. Following up with another hook, this time with her left, Jane aims for the woman's nose this time.
However, Marie is much heavier than Jane, so she overtakes her quickly, pinning Jane to the ground as she grinds her jaw. Damn, did that hurt.
Marie uses the end of her gun to pistol whip Jane, using the shock of the hit to regain the upper hand and reload. The two women wrestle, each fighting to gain control. Jane tries to get a good enough angle to fire a shot into Marie's body, but Marie is applying pressure on her wrist and twisting it in unnatural ways. Pushing herself off of Jane, Marie stands up and uses her boot to crush Jane's wrist. A sickening crunch lets Jane know that her dominant hand is useless as her nerves flood with pain. Marie picks up the gun, aiming it directly at Jane's head, and this time, there is no chance of missing due to their close proximity.
Jane is beginning to get worried about Maura, who has not made a sound in a few seconds.
"Jane!" Maura cries out, "Jane!"
Marie pulls the trigger as Jane squeezes her eyes shut, bracing her body for the impact. When nothing happens, she opens her eyes, seeing Marie hit her hand against the gun. It must have jammed. Jane recites a silent prayer before pushing herself off the ground, using the last of her energy to tackle the woman once again. With military training under her belt, Marie was a much more technical and adept fighter when it came to hand-to-hand combat. However, Jane had lots of pent-up energy built inside her, especially after not being able to be together with Maura. As the two swing at each other, their fists connect with each other's faces in an even match. Marie is strong, but Jane is agile, making her a difficult target to track. Jane runs her tongue over her teeth, noticing that there is a hole on the right side of her mouth where her canine teeth should be. She spits out her tooth, sending some blood that had gathered inside of her mouth out as well. Putting her hands up again, she waits as Marie throws another punch. Jane steps to the side, driving her fist into Marie's side. With the wind knocked out of her, Marie is not much of a threat, and Jane takes advantage of this to put a few more strikes into the other woman's body.
"Jane!" Maura screams again. She is close, within arms reach, and Jane shakes her head violently. "Maura! Get away! Go find Frankie and get out of here!"
She curls her fingers, preparing her wrist to take another beating as she prepares to hit Marie again. Her wrist has gone numb and without the ability to maneuver most of her hand, she can only manage a weak fist. Maura places something into her hands before Jane pushes her to the side again. She looks down at the object, feeling the cold metal against her palm. Marie recovers, throwing a punch at Jane's lip and connecting, splitting Jane's lip wide open.
Jane presses the button on the side of the object, sending 50,000 volts of electricity into Marie's chest. As Marie falls to the ground, her body convulses from the force of the taser. Jane holds the button down a few extra seconds for good measure before wiping away at the blood on her lips with the back of her hand.
"Oh Maura, that taser saved our lives. I love you so much," She manages weakly between breaths before falling to the ground on her knees.
The room is spinning around her now and she calls out for Frankie, wondering where he went. As her vision goes in and out of focus, she can see that he had been shot once in the shoulder and twice in the leg, which had rendered him unable to move during the entirety of the fight. Maura had made a makeshift tourniquet out of cloth napkins and although his bleeding had been controlled, he looked extremely pale. Jane crawls to his side, unable to bear the weight of her body on her legs just yet. She holds his hand while holding her own upper body with her other hand, pressing down so she can breathe a little easier. Maura calls 112 and Jane can hear her requesting an ambulance in French, feeling nothing but appreciative that Maura had remembered the emergency number in France.