Disclaimer: We do not own Rizzoli & Isles, the characters belong solely to TNT and no profit has been made from the following story.
A/N Hey y'all, how's it going out there? This chapter was turning into a twisting rabbit hole that was just going on and on into the dark and twisty of the WTF that happened in the later seasons, so an executive decision was made to chop it off and post a bit. This will hopefully lead to more frequent but smaller chapters as we struggle to wrap our brains around the seemingly endless parade of boy toys tptb threw our way from season 4 to the end of the series.
~R&I~
Maura woke up first, her mind working in overdrive as she thought of all of the possible ways that her father's trial could play out. She was still angry with him and still dreaded going into work to deal with the fallout of his latest crime, and she wondered if she should recuse herself and call in Pike or Papov to process the trio. The rational part of her mind kept pointing out that there was no proof that Paddy had anything to do with the "accident", and she knew that she was superior to her colleagues. If there was any evidence that could link her father to the hit, she had confidence that only she would find it.
Sighing as she struggled with the moral dilemma, she found a brief respite from the dark thoughts as her eyes wandered to the peacefully sleeping woman beside her. As she watched her raven-haired lover she was struck by how stunning the woman was in the simple act of sleeping, her dark hair spread across the pillow in stark contrast to the crisp white linens. The urge to touch her was irresistible and soon Jane was stirring, pulled awake by the gentle flutter of fingertips across the smooth expanse of her exposed belly.
"Hi," Jane said in a husky whisper as she opened her eyes and placed her hand firmly over the one on her stomach, holding the loving touch in place instead of allowing the caught woman to pull away. "How did you sleep?"
"Really well," Maura replied, "I'm so sorry I fell asleep that fast. There were things I wanted to discuss about my father and the trial and what happens next," she explained, "but I was just so worn out I didn't even make it into my pajamas."
The detective smiled as their bare legs entwined, her voice a sexy whisper as she remarked, "I noticed."
The honey blonde groaned at the exquisite sensation created by the contact, seriously tempted to spend the day in bed when their phones shattered the silence and reality invaded the quiet tranquility of their morning. Simultaneous cursing preceded "Rizzoli" and "Doctor Isles" as they answered, then with regret they split off into different bathrooms to get ready to go. As they met in the hallway to head down the steps, Maura's once over displayed a hint of disappointment, while Jane looked even surlier than normal.
"Why do you look so disappointed?" the detective asked.
"I miss your knees," Maura quipped, hazel eyes traveling disapprovingly over trouser clad legs as she asked, "Why do you look so irritated?"
"Because my knees and I do not enjoy being banished to that eyesore of a bathroom!"
"All of that attitude over a bathroom? Somebody needs coffee."
"I don't need coffee," Jane snapped, then at Maura's knowing look she corrected, "Ok I do need coffee! But seriously, why can't you just share your shower?"
"We both know that neither of us would be ready right now if we shared the bathroom," Maura said with a sexy smile as she considered all of the delightful distractions that would have occurred if they'd tried to shower together, "and what is wrong with the guest suite?"
"Black and white striped wallpaper Maura. Really? I always feel like I'm getting naked inside of Beetlejuice's pants. Or prison," the detective added thoughtfully, "but without the illicit shower sex, so..."
"Stop Jane, just stop," Maura laughed, "I guess since that bathroom was the only room upstairs not affected by the roof leak I never really considered changing anything. I'll take a look at paint colors today and have it done by the end of the week."
"Wow! Really? Thank you," a contrite Jane replied, forever surprised by how fast things moved in Maura's world.
"You're welcome," Maura smiled, "now let's get you some coffee."
~R&I~
The stop at Boston Joe's was, as always, annoying for Jane. She did not like the way Maura flirted with the beautiful barista, nor did she appreciate that her order always took forever while Maura's was delivered within moments of being placed. Bitching under her breath while she waited, Jane was silenced by a gentle hand on her arm and a softly spoken "Patience" in her ear.
Properly chagrined, Jane uttered an embarrassed "Thank you" as the annoyed barista called her name and placed her cup on the counter.
"I'm so glad you ordered Frost's," the detective commented as she joined Maura at the counter to add cream and sugar to her coffee, "I'd probably still be waiting if there were two drinks in my order."
"Why do you think I get mine so fast?" Maura smiled as she held up the cup that had "Barry" and a hand drawn smiley face on the side.
"Vomit," Jane groaned as she read the cup, "really? And here I thought it was your flirting that got you the good service."
"I don't flirt, I'm simply polite."
"And I'm not?"
"Let's go Jane," Maura replied as she urged her out the door, "we're going to be late."
Knowing better than to pursue the conversation any further, Jane dutifully dropped it and followed the honey blonde out the door.
~R&I~
"How's she doing?" Korsak asked as Jane handed Frost his coffee.
"She's ok," Jane whispered as she took a seat and quickly added, "she'd be a lot better if we could find something in Cal's Granada."
The three detectives and the M.E. divided up Paddy's book, searching for the connection between Paddy and Cal. Cavanaugh interrupted, pulling Korsak into his office to interrogate him about the sudden appearance of the deceased cop's car in their evidence garage. By the time the elder detective joined the trio and they figured out that Paddy had been responsible for the explosion that had killed the lieutenant's family, they also realized that Cavanaugh had not only come to the same conclusion, but that he was no longer in the building.
Rushing across the street and into the Robber, they were just in time to break up the brawl between Cavanaugh, Doyle and his band of thugs.
"How could you?" Maura snapped at her father.
"He came at me! I was minding my own business," Paddy replied, the hurt in his eyes obvious as his daughter bent to help the man who had attacked him.
"Aww shut up!" Jane shouted dismissively at her own personal demon, then backed away as she watched Maura look at him with such loathing that she actually almost felt bad for him. Almost.
~R&I~
Getting the lieutenant back to Maura's was no easy feat, and as Jane moved to retrieve Maura's requested medical bag and towels he became combative. The detective wondered how in the hell they were going to keep him from going after Paddy again, Maura's insistence that she would never administer a sedative against an individual's wishes taunting her as she hoped her boss calmed down enough to let her best friend tend to his wounds.
Frost spread a blanket across the couch and bristled at how quickly Jane moved to retrieve the items Maura had requested. He had no right to be, but he was unjustly pissed at the perceived intimacy the simple display of familiarity with Maura's home conveyed. If Jane had needed to ask where things were it would have somehow been less irritating, but instead she went right to them and he was left to stare at the couch and wonder if it had seen his partner naked.
Watching Maura administer care to the bloodied lieutenant instantly made Frost feel like an ass for his train of thought. First and foremost, Maura was his partner's best friend, and her mother lived in the doctor's guest house. In addition, Jane had been staying with Maura since she had been released from prison and it was general knowledge that Angela's absence was the reason the detective was staying there. Of course she knew where everything was, but he'd be a liar if he said he didn't wish that Jane had been sleeping in the guest house instead of in there with her. Sighing, he turned his attention to trying to convince his boss to remain lawful and get Paddy the right way.
"Lieutenant, if anyone deserves to kill him, it's you," he heard himself say, "but you can't."
"Think about what you had to go through to survive Linda and Christopher's death," Jane added, "every day that you force yourself to go on living is a tribute to those two people that loved you."
Their words of advice seemed to enrage Cavanaugh, who rose from the couch and insisted that he was going to kill Doyle and that the only way to stop him would be to shoot him.
Maura, God bless her, intervened with the quick stick of a syringe.
"What the hell?" the bewildered man asked as he collapsed on the couch, the drug working rapidly to render him unconscious.
A confused, stunned and bewildered Jane watched the moment play out, the entire thing moving in slow motion as she realized what the honey blonde had just done.
'I heard you say there was another way," Maura explained with the empty cylinder in her hand, her apologetic gaze meeting her troubled lover's eyes as she continued, "it's all I could think of."
Jane's brain refused to process what it had just witnessed, her head on a swivel that bounced from Maura and the syringe to the man on the couch and back again in an infinite loop. The clearly shaken detective merely nodded when Korsak, who recognized the stress response, said that he and Frost would head back to the precinct to continue the investigation while the women arranged for Cavanaugh's care. "Hope will come sit with him." Maura declared, "I think we can all agree that not only will she come right over, but that she also won't ask any questions about what happened or why."
Course of action decided, Maura bent to clean and stitch the lieutenant's wounds as the raven-haired woman closed the door behind the two men.
~R&I~
"Is it hot in here?" Jane childishly asked, "Because I'm hot." The M.E. didn't respond, so the detective stripped off her jacket and grabbed a glass of water. Maura's lack of response annoyed her, so she dialed Hope's number and smirked as she said, "Doctor Martin? Maura's house. Now," then immediately ended the call.
"Did you just hang up on my mother?" Maura asked.
"Did you just drug my boss?" Jane snapped back as she rounded the couch to force the honey blonde to look her in the eyes.
Maura quirked an eyebrow in response.
I know you're looking for a fight Jane, I'm not going to give it to you.
"How could you?" Jane pushed, refusing to let it go.
"He was combative, it seemed like the right decision," the M.E. coolly responded, her even tone enraging the clearly shaken detective even more.
"Just last night you were telling me how dangerous that drug was and explaining how you would never force it on anyone and here we are, less than a full day later and you just pulled it out of thin air when it was the easy choice!"
"The easy choice?" Maura challenged. "The easy choice would have been to take him to the hospital like I recommended, but you ignored my professional opinion and you brought him here. I know you're upset and I know that seeing how quickly that shot worked was a trigger for you, but when you refused to take him to the hospital you left me with no other choice. I made the decision that was in the best interest of my patient, a patient that I did not choose but rather one that was forced upon me because of you."
Maura watched Jane closely as her words registered, the turmoil playing out across the detective's face before she silently asked, "What if he wakes up and overpowers Hope?"
"Hope will follow a dosing schedule to keep the lieutenant sedated," Maura explained in the tone of voice that never failed to piss off the other woman, then added, "the dose that I gave him will last a full 4 hours. He'll be groggy when he comes to, so as long as she doses him again when he hits the 4 hour mark she will have complete control."
Jane snorted in derision and stated, "Like Dominic and Hoyt had over me."
Maura's phone rang just then, interrupting the argument as she answered, "Hello Hope, yes I'm fine..."
Jane missed the rest of the conversation, as she felt an immense need to be anywhere but where Maura was. Walking outside into the cool night air wasn't the best idea, but the cold seemed to help her reset her mind and stop her body from reacting to what had indeed been a triggering moment for her.
~R&I~
Korsak had just turned onto the highway when a panicked Frost started reaching into pockets and under his seat.
"What'd ya lose, your lipstick?" Korsak chuckled at his passenger's obvious distress.
"Funny," the younger man replied, "I must've dropped my phone when we were wrestling Cavanaugh out of the car earlier. I thought I heard something hit the cement in Doctor Isles's driveway, but I was a little distracted and just now realized it. I actually think I lost my badge back there too, can we go back and look for them?"
Rolling his eyes, the sergeant turned the car around. The return trip was short, they had only been gone a few minutes and traffic was light on Beacon Hill. Pulling up in front instead of turning into the driveway, Korsak put the car into park and urged the detective to hurry.
Frost quickly found his phone on the ground and sent up a silent thank you that it was intact, then slowly retraced his steps until he saw the shiny shield gleaming in the moonlight. Bending to retrieve his badge, he froze at the sound of voices coming from the courtyard. Unable to stop himself, he silently crept up to the gate and peeked around the corner, heart plummeting as he eavesdropped on the intimate conversation.
~R&I~
Jane stood in the frigid silence, seeking sanctuary from the myriad of thoughts clamoring for attention inside of her troubled mind.
He dropped so fast, he had no control whatsoever once the drug took effect. He was completely vulnerable, helpless. Defenseless. Just like me.
The detective shivered, teeth chattering from the cold as her body shook from the memories of the two times she'd been drugged in a similar fashion.
"This is different Jane," Maura soothed as she moved up behind her, "we aren't predators, we're just protecting him."
"I know," Jane husked, "I just didn't expect you to drug him and I sure as hell didn't expect to react the way I did."
'You're freezing, let's get you inside."
The detective didn't move, just stood rooted to that spot as her mind flashed from Cavanaugh to Hoyt to Dominic. "Fresh baked bread," Jane's voice cracked, "I still can't smell it without being right back in that truck." Fighting tears that threatened to fall, Jane choked on a sob as she allowed herself to be pulled into the sweetest embrace. Maura pressed their foreheads together and whispered, "You are the strongest person I know."
The honey blonde's loving touch was Jane's undoing, and she took a deep breath and buried her face in the crook of Maura's neck as the smaller woman simply held her a little tighter while she regained her composure. "I know you talked to the department counselor after those events, but I really wish you would consider seeking further counseling to process the traumas that you have been through," Maura softly suggested. She knew that Jane would deflect or say she was fine, but every time those events resurfaced she saw the detective struggle and knew that she was anything but fine.
"It's really cold out here," Jane husked as the wave of panic began to ebb. Maura gently cradled her face, thumbs stroking those impossibly perfect cheekbones as she allowed the frustrating woman to dodge the subject once again. Jane sighed when Maura placed a loving kiss on her forehead, then pulled away from the warmth of the embrace and smiled as the honey blonde took her hand and gently pulled her back inside the house.
~R&I~
Disgusted with himself for eavesdropping as much as he was disturbed by what he'd just seen and heard, Frost scowled and rapidly marched back to the car.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Korsak asked.
"Yeah," Frost snapped, "and more. Let's go."
Noticing his passenger's distressed expression and grumpy demeanor, Vince asked, "Everything ok?"
"Fine."
"Doesn't seem fine," Korsak remarked as he put the car into drive, the detective's angry expression as telling an answer as any words he might have spoken.
~R&I~
"Is Hope coming?" Jane asked as she moved to retrieve her jacket.
"Yes," Maura replied, "she was very upset by your abrupt and cryptic message, but I assured her that i was fine and I needed her assistance as a colleague."
"Hi birth mom," Jane mocked into an imaginary telephone, "can you come over and babysit the man I just drugged? I need you to keep him sedated while I go and help put the love of your life, who by the way killed the family of the guy sleeping on my couch, in prison for the rest of his life."
"All she needs to do is check his vitals and administer the sedative every four hours," Maura dismissively responded to the childish banter.
"What did you tell her?"
"That he's a police officer who lost his family and we're looking for the suspect," the M.E. explained as she turned her back on the detective and pulled a few more syringes from her medical bag, "that's all she needs to know."
Hope arrived, asked no questions about how or why and promised to take care of him while they went back to work.
"How long do you think we'll be gone Maura?" a pensive Jane asked as she pulled out of the driveway.
"I don't know, a few hours?" the honey blonde guessed, her forehead creasing as she asked, "Why?"
"You left enough meds to dose him for twelve hours, that's why," the raven-haired woman responded, her eyes straight ahead as she tried to sound nonchalant.
"Jane."
Eyes on the road, the detective squirmed at the way the honey blonde had uttered that single syllable and a suddenly very dry mouth responded, "Yeah?"
Maura took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to say could set her friend off but also knowing that sometimes the unspoken trauma needed to be addressed. "You're not the only one who suffered at their hands. Sometimes I think you forget that we were hurt too."
The detective was silent the rest of the drive, her mind working to explain not only how deeply she had felt Maura's pain when Korsak had informed her that the honey blonde had seen everything that had happened in Dominic's lair, but also that she had never felt like more of a failure than she had felt on the day she had killed Charles Hoyt. In retrospect, she had never been enraged enough to kill him and had taken a deep sense of pride in rising above and maintaining her sense of honor and duty. No matter what he had done to her, Jane had kept control of the primal urge to retaliate, choosing to hold him accountable by the letter of the law instead of taking the vigilante route and putting a bullet in his brain. He had beaten her, drugged her, shoved a set of scalpels through her hands in order to pin her to a dirty basement floor and still she had chosen the law. But the moment she realized he was planning to rape and murder Maura and she saw that burst of red erupt from under the scalpel he had pressed against the honey blonde's neck, her values went out the door and she had murdered him. Sometimes, when she really thought about it, she was absolutely terrified of how deeply her own happiness was rooted in the well-being of the woman beside her.
Pulling into a spot in front of the precinct, Jane put the car into park and turned to look into troubled hazel eyes. Lifting a finger, the detective traced the tiny almost imperceptible scar on her passenger's neck, causing those beautiful eyes to flutter shut as she whispered, "Trust me, I'll never forget."
The honey blonde turned her face and placed a gentle kiss on the scarred palm, both women fighting tears as they remembered that horrible day.
"I never meant for you to get pulled into any of this," the detective husked, "I'm so sorry that they hurt you."
"I know."
"I wish I would've killed Hoyt the first time."
"Me too Jane, me too."
~R&I~
Using the brief elevator ride to get their focus back on their current situation had Maura admitting that it was a bad idea to keep Lieutenant Cavanuagh on the Lorazepam for too long. "I'd rather keep him drugged up than visit him in Walpole," Jane admitted, to which a reluctant Maura explained that she was concerned about the addiction properties. Jane snapped, "Now you're concerned?" with a little more venom than normal, and for once Maura didn't respond.
Frost, who had been studying the two like specimens since he had first begun to suspect that their relationship was more than they admitted, was stunned to see his partner snap at the M.E., and was even more perplexed by the honey blonde's rather meek and submissive reaction. Where Maura would normally cite facts and quote references that supported her position, she had instead merely cowered and shot the detective a very apologetic, almost guilty look.
Irritated that he couldn't even begin to guess why that little spat had occurred, especially after the vomit worthy scene he'd witnessed, he changed the subject to the welding setup in the photos of Cal's garage and soon found himself in the hell of watching the two women disappear into Maura's office to change into coveralls. While he and Jane had simply shed their jackets and pulled on the blue uniforms, Maura had clearly removed her dress in order to comfortably work in the outfit.
And Jane had been in there with her.
He knew it was no different than changing in a locker room, but somehow it seemed illicit and dirty now that he was convinced that the two of them were sleeping together.
Mentally kicking himself, he tried to act normal as the three of them inspected the vehicle once again. Unable to control the jealousy and resentment he was feeling, he decided to look under the hood as Jane dropped down to crawl underneath the back end of the car. When he stopped to look in Maura's direction he was struck by how gorgeous the woman looked even in the simple blue jumper, and he resented her just a little bit more.
There was an awkward moment when Jane had asked for the sawzall, then another when she asked for the monkey wrench. Frost jumped to grab each tool, then was intercepted by Maura. The honey blonde had her body firmly planted between the two of them, and she took each requested tool from him so that she could hand them to Jane. Eventually his partner emerged from under the vehicle with the muffler she had just removed, and another jockey for position happened as they laid it on the table to pop it open.
If body language could talk Maura's would be screaming "she's mine", and Frost wondered it it was intentional or if it was just that the pair were so intertwined that the physical proximity was a natural extension of their togetherness. Either way, it was annoying.
After emptying the contents of the muffler Jane suggested that he take the evidence upstairs for Korsak to take a look at while they changed and washed up, and he was only too happy to go so that he didn't have to stand there and wait for the two of them to do whatever it was that they did once they were safely behind the privacy of Maura's office door.
~R&I~
Unzipping the jumpsuit once she'd washed the grease from her hands and face, Jane paused to look at her stunning companion who had yet to shed her coveralls.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Maura whispered.
"You even look beautiful in those shapeless coveralls," Jane explained as she took a step closer, only to be stopped by Maura's hand on her chest.
"We can't, not here," the honey blonde whispered, "but when we get home I want you to replay this moment in your mind. And on my body," she grinned as she shimmied out of the suit, the detective crumbling as all of that lingerie clad sexiness was exposed.
"You'll be the death of me yet Doctor Isles," Jane whined as Maura quickly pulled on her clothes.
"It won't kill you to wait a few hours," the honey blonde smirked, "as soon as we finish here I'm all yours."
~R&I~
An incredibly surly Detective Frost arrived in the squad room with the evidence just as Korsak poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Want some?" the sergeant asked.
"No I'm good," the younger man grumbled, "take a look at what we found in the muffler."
"Where are Jane and Doctor Isles?"
"Changing," Frost glowered, "they'll be right up."
Noticing the surly demeanor of the normally upbeat detective, Korsak decided that he needed to be put into grown up time out.
"In Cal's day nothing was digital. I'd be willing to bet that there are paper notes somewhere in that car," Korsak suggested as Jane and Maura stepped off the elevator.
"I'll go look," Frost growled as he rushed out of the squad room, brushing past the pair without so much as a backward glance.
"Where's he going?" Jane asked as she watched him storm into the elevator.
"To look for Cal's notes," the sergeant explained, and when the detective suggested she go help her partner he flatly told her that it wasn't a good idea.
"Why?"
"Not now," he whispered, "I'll explain later."
Confused and a little hurt by her mentor's response, the raven-haired woman finally said, "Ok then, let's take a look at what we do have and see what it tells us."
Working as a team they discovered that the explosion that had killed Cavanaugh's family had indeed been intentionally set. However, there was still no evidence connecting the fire to Paddy Doyle.
He's going to walk, he's beaten us again.
At least Maura will be safe.
The part of Jane that was still kicking herself for Maura's arrest was cheering, while on the outside she was doing her best to seem like a good detective who wanted to put the gangster away.
Then Frost came running in with Cal's notes, which led them to surveillance photos of Paddy the day after the explosion.
"Hemostatic trauma gauze," she heard Maura say, and the tiny little traitor that wanted to keep Maura's protector out of prison screamed nooooooo as the honey blonde explained that not only did she know that her mother had treated her father's burns, but also that she was going to force her mother to testify to the grand jury and put her disgrace of a father behind bars for good.
"Take me home Jane," Maura demanded, "I want to confront Hope while I''m still angry."
~R&I~
Frost watched them leave, a sour taste in his mouth that for once had nothing to do with him emptying the contents of his stomach.
"Leave it be," Korsak warned, "no good can come of it."
"Do they know how obvious it is?" the dusky detective spat, "Do they have any idea that the entire precinct thinks that they are screwing?"
"Watch your mouth!" Vince warned, "she is your partner and as her partner it is your job to be loyal and true and defend her honor!"
"It's hard to defend her when I think it myself," Frost admitted as he hung his head.
"Speculation is all it is," Korsak stated, "unless there's something you wanted to share?"
"I saw them, when we went back tonight," the younger man confided, "and I'm positive that what I saw was more intimate than I had a right to be witness to."
"Were they kissing?"
"No!" Frost snapped.
"Second base? Third?"
"No and no, what's your point?"
"Women are different than men, they are more physical and emotional with each other. I think you're misinterpreting what you saw, but I'll talk to her," the sergeant promised. "In the meantime, do us both a favor and find someone else to pine over."
~R&I~
Pulling into Maura's driveway, Jane put the car into park and offered to walk her in.
"No Jane, I need to do this myself. I'm sorry, about everything," the honey blonde whispered, "rain check?"
"I won't forget that image any time soon," Jane whispered, "call me if you need anything."
"I will," Maura promised, "good night."
"Good night," the detective husked as she watched the bewitching woman walk away. As it had been from the very beginning, also known as the day they discovered Maura had a brother, her inadequacy to protect her gorgeous lover held her in a constant state of fear. Considering the fact that her best ally at keeping Maura safe would now spend the rest of his life on death row increased that sense of dread, and knowing that he had enough evidence to take her down with him did nothing to ease that ache in the pit of her stomach.
~R&I~
The next 48 hours were a blur as Maura and the homicide squad delivered Paddy Doyle to the AUSA on a silver platter. Hope was shattered, her loyalty to the man she loved at war with her maternal instincts for what felt like the millionth time. Maura was horrified and devastated by her father's actions, and she was sickened by her mother's involvement in her father's crime. In the end Hope realized that she would not only lose Paddy, but that she would also lose her new relationship with her daughter as well as her freedom if she didn't testify, so she went before the grand jury and did her part to put him away.
Maura was in a perpetual state of shock, first by witnessing the lieutenant's gun shoved under her father's chin, then by stepping in to defuse the situation by telling him that Hope was testifying against him. She would never forget that look on Paddy's face when he heard the news, nor would she ever forget the look on her mother's face as they passed her in the courthouse hall.
For her part, Jane was doing her best but failing miserably. She had met with Paddy right after he was sentenced, and she knew that it was time to come clean with Maura about her past interactions with her father.
"Does she know?" Paddy had asked, his gruff voice sending shockwaves down her spine.
"Of course not!" Jane snapped, "She cannot tell a lie and I could never put her in that position."
"You love her," Doyle stated.
"She's my best friend."
"Don't insult me detective."
Jane was silent for a moment, then looked him squarely in the eye and said, "Yes."
"You don't deserve her," he replied.
"I know," she whispered, "neither of us does."
"I'm her father, it doesn't matter what I deserve."
Jane stood and turned to leave, then stopped with her hand on the door when he asked, "Did you ever wonder why I let you live after you shot me?"
"No," she lied, "I don't think about you at all."
"We both know that's not true."
She sighed loudly, then said, "You crashed our operation and fired first, I assume you think you deserved it."
"I was only there to protect Maura."
"You shot a federal agent!" she snapped.
"He shot me first."
"You asked for it."
"Agent Dean asked for it," he stated, "he deserved what he got. But you? I never would have shot you."
"Why not?" She whispered, "I didn't hesitate to shoot you."
"You hesitated," he smiled, "and you didn't shoot to kill."
"What's your point?"
"My point is that I truly believe you would protect my daughter by any means necessary."
"Is that why you told her you would have shot me?"
"I needed her to forgive you."
"While you were recuperating."
"Yes."
"I don't work for you," she glowered.
"Don't you?" he smirked as he stood and yelled for the guard.
The detective glared as she watched him walk away, then cursed as she realized that she had become yet another pawn on his chess board.