CHAPTER F0UR

Jane never liked to run before. In fact she used to hate it.

She had allowed her best friend to drag her into running so they could do something together...but it wasn't really her thing.

She preferred boxing. Being able to take her frustrations out on a punching bag or just refining her skills while releasing excess energy.

She preferred softball. Swinging that bat and sending a little white ball as far from her as possible.

She preferred the gun range. Full focused and firing an entire cartridge at a little piece of paper with a target on it.

But lately she had grown accustomed to running. It was a way to think without thinking.

Instead of her thoughts being fragmented by 'right left hook duck jab' or 'no-one's looking...steal third base' or muffled bangs of her gun and wondering who was watching her.

She could calm her mind without interruption. Still herself enough to think about anything while her body was busy, distracted almost, with silently pumping blood and breathing and moving all her body parts in sync to propel her in one direction.

And Jane had found that night was the best time to run. Quiet streets. No dogs barking. No cyclists. No other joggers. No cars. She didn't even have to think about where she was going because there was no lights or traffic or pedestrians to be mindful of.

There was no noise.

Sweet silence.

Just the gentle constant dull beating of her soft shoes against the solid pavement which she felt more than heard, and the occasional scrape of a lose stone dragged across the ground under her feet.

Sometimes she thinks she hears Maura running behind her, just for a moment, an extra set of feet thudding gently almost in time with hers, but she knows no-one is there, it's just an echo, or her mind playing tricks on her.

She would wish for nothing more in her entire life if Maura did suddenly run right past her laughing that she was running too slow or joking about her running in her work clothes again. But she was alone. She could hear Maura's laugh in the back of her mind and felt her eyes sting with salty wetness.

She pushed away those thoughts and sped up a little.

The brisk air drying her eyes and caressing her skin with it's cool touch.

She was alone yet empowered.

It was the most relaxed she was able to be.

And so she would run until she couldn't run anymore.

Casey watched her with interest.

He watched as her ponytail bobbed methodically behind her and her long legs beat against the ground in front of her. A perfect stride each time, almost as if she had never been shot or stabbed or harmed in any way physically.

Her arms were pale and glistening against the moonlight as they moved propelling her further forward.

When she ran too far from his sight, he would drive a little closer, always keeping a careful distance, always with the headlights off.

And when Jane stumbled slightly on an uneven piece of asphalt, Casey leaned forward almost eagerly.

Maura wondered if he would pull out a camera if she fell. Would he put a picture on his wall of a crumpled Jane on the pavement nursing a grazed knee or twisted ankle. Would he gloat about it later, figuratively thump his chest that he caused her physical pain because he made her need to run because he had taken Maura from her.

Jane regained her balance and continued running as if nothing happened.

Maura could speculate based on her data gathered so far that Casey seemed to be trying to get Jane to completely lose control. Every time she acted out of character he would visibly gloat. And he was looking daily for any visible sign of her suffering. He was looking for a button to push, a bruise to poke.

He had gloated that Jane had almost been suspended. He had laughed at her outbursts. And he smiled at her tears.

He was no longer the man Jane had once fallen in love with.

"Haven't you punished her enough?" Maura asks when she realizes they have followed Jane over halfway in the direction of Jane's apartment.

Casey grunts his displeasure at her interrupting him.

"Jane is a good person, she helps people. She has been hurt by people so much already in her life. Please don't do this."

Casey appears to ignore her this time. Maura can't help but wonder why he even brings her. Does he want her to see Jane. What is his agenda.

Maura watches as Jane slows up at an intersection and looks both ways before crossing to the footpath on the other side. Her face glistens in sweat and she looks calm as she looks in their general direction, she doesn't look sad or upset or angry, just calm.

Casey frowns in Jane's direction, "I haven't touched her."

Maura thinks about this a moment and realizes he is right. Physically he has not yet laid a finger on Jane, so far it has all been psychological. The physical part has been what she feared on Jane's behalf because she knows her friend has always been strong enough to handle everything else. Hoyts mind-games along with everything else Jane has somehow survived. But if Casey doesn't plan on anything more than mental anguish then she may not need to worry. She doesn't want to die herself but she would rather something bad happen to her than for anything t o happen to Jane.

She feels a little braver in that moment, "Do you...um...plan too?"

Casey doesn't respond. Jane is getting further away again and Casey starts the car again and slowly drives closer towards Jane, but this time he doesn't slow down and stop. He speeds up and Maura braces herself against the seat. As Jane runs across the next intersection, Casey aims the car at her and puts his foot down.

"Stop" Maura cries out as she sees Jane getting closer and closer to the bonnet of the car.

Jane turns towards the vehicle sound at the same times as Casey blasts her with his headlights. She squints and lifts her arm to block out the light.

"Nooo" Maura cries out instinctively reaching towards the steering wheel and then changes her mind remembering she can't reach it and covers her face with her hands instead.

The car wheels squeal and the car shakes as it impacts the curb throwing Maura against the door.

Jane watches like a possum in headlights as the vehicle swerves and passes her clipping the curb and drives off into the distance. It was close to hitting her and she feels rather lucky she wasn't hit considering she didn't even move. She watches as the tail-lights shrink in the distance, until they are out of sight. She can't call it in as she didn't see a plate but she hopes the crazy or drunk driver doesn't hit anything or anyone on their way home.

She sighs and turns back in the direction of her apartment.

She needs to get home and shower and get ready for work.

Maura tried to sleep. Every time she closes her eyes she see's Jane in the bright headlights and the car racing towards her and would wake in a cold sweat feeling confused about where she was and delirious. Over and over until she stopped trying to sleep. She didn't get the answer she wanted, she didn't get an answer at all.

Did he plan to hurt Jane physically or not.

Was he trying to scare Jane...or Maura...

Maura had managed to add a few more possible outcomes to this entire situation...none of them where good...none where satisfactory. Weighing it all up, taking into account everything she knew, there was a high probability that Casey would kill them both in the end.

She sits up looks at Casey who is watching something on the muted television.

"Why are you doing this to her. She never did anything like this to you. She never hurt you."

Casey grumbles something under his breath, Maura has never seen him sleep and he looks bored, bored enough to take an interest in Maura.

He stands and pushes his seat closer to her and sits down again.

"Let me show you." he finally growls his face annoyed, likely annoyed at her disbelief of his reasoning.

He turns to the laptop and pulls up a video recording.

It is of Jane's bedroom in her old apartment. The framing of the camera is setup on Jane's side of the bed and she looks asleep and somewhat tangled in blankets, the other side of the bed is empty. Casey glances at Maura and then presses the play button and sits back folding his arms to watch.

Jane has her eyes closed and is moving around uncomfortably and Maura instantly can tell she is in the beginning stages of a nightmare. Jane rolls back and forth and tries to untangle her arms from the linen and she moans loudly a few times. Her breathing becomes erratic and then her legs start kicking around like she is drowning in a pool and she cries out 'Noooo' twice in a pained voice. Casey in only his boxers rushes into the frame and climbs into bed behind Jane placing his hand on her arm and her eyes snap open.
"Are you ok" the video version of Casey asks Jane softly. Jane gasps and then calms down quickly and takes in her surroundings, where she is and who she is with, before replying 'Yeah, I'm fine' gruffly and then rolls onto her side so her back is facing Casey. Casey slides under the covers beside her and reaches over to stroke Jane's arm and she scowls her face up but doesn't pull away. Had the camera not been facing Jane then no-one would know how she felt in that moment except Jane. Casey continues to stoke her arm softly to try to help her relax "Want to talk about it?' he asks. Jane clenches her teeth together and stiffens her body. Then she lets out a sigh and growls under her breath 'No, I'm fine.' Casey doesn't remove his hand and Jane's annoyed look deepens. After a moment she purposely alters her breathing so it sounds like she has fallen asleep and then pretends to shift in her sleep so Caseys arm slips away from her. Her eyes are still open as she faces the wall and camera, her back to Casey, and even Maura can see in Jane's face that she is incredibly unhappy, almost angry. If one were to psycho-analyses it they may conclude that Jane does not want Casey to touch her in that moment, but Maura can tell that Jane was actually wishing Casey wasn't anywhere near her. It is possible Casey realized it as well when he played this video. Jane continues to stare at the wall her brow furrowed, until Casey switches off the bedside lamp and the room in plunged into darkness.

"See?" Casey asks Maura as he points at the black screen, "You see that? She pretended she wanted me but she didn't. She played me along. Just to get what she wanted. You can see it in her face...And I have more videos like it."

Maura looks into his eyes but doesn't see hurt or anger, she see's something resembling justification.

"You filmed her?"

Did Casey suspect even back then that Jane had doubts about them, did he sense her confusion.

Casey does not respond to what Maura feels is a violation of Jane's privacy.

"She looked upset, Casey. You know what PTSD is like. You have worked with PTSD victims. Why jump straight to a conclusion like that about it?"

Casey scoffs, "Of course you'd defend her, make excuses for her. You're her best friend. She spent more time with you than me."

"You were away Casey." Maura says slowly trying to help him see the whole picture.

"Jane told me about the high school reunion. That you told everyone you were together, a couple."

Maura looks down at her hands feeling a blush creep up her neck, "That was all pretend, because of Giovani was hitting on me."

Casey shakes his head firmly, no, "I know about that FBI agent too."

"You were away...and Dean...he...well...Jane...Jane didn't love him."

Casey says the next part through gritted teeth, "She choose her family and you over me."

Maura realizes she doesn't have a response to that, Jane did choose family and friends over Casey, but then Casey had been selfish in running off to the military again the moment he was walking again, after she waited for him yet again.

He had expecting her to drop everything and follow him.

"She even wanted you to help her raise the baby instead of me." His face is dark and his eyes almost black.

Maura feels her jaw drop, she hadn't really seen it like that. From his perspective...however slightly screwed.

"She didn't even call me to tell me she lost the baby. She sent an email." He growls

"Casey, losing that baby broke her. She was crushed. She couldn't talk about it to anyone."

He sneers at Maura. "I was just someone for her to 'do' when she was lonely. She took what she wanted from me and she made me think I was important to her but I wasn't. She let me think it. I bet she shared with you all about me too didn't she."

"No...no she didn't. I do know she really loved you Casey. But you were never around for her. How could she commit to someone who was away all the time and she feared might never come back."

"You're as crazy as she is," Casey growls, "I had to go and she knew it. It was my job. She was fine with that. It suited her to only have me around when she wanted me anyway. She didn't love me. She used me. She played me. I wanted her and she didn't want me."

"You wanted her and your job, but you wouldn't sacrifice anything if you couldn't have both. She wasn't playing you."

"Shut up." He growls angrily

Maura thinks back to her conversations she had with Jane about Casey. She would never tell Casey, but Jane had indicated she liked Casey when he was away more than when he was in Boston but it came across to Maura that Jane was afraid. It appeared that he stifled her and decided her life for her one minute and then rejected her the next. Jane was looking for love, the problem was that Casey couldn't give Jane the love she needed. Maura had decided he didn't deserve Jane, but then she hadn't met anyone that in her mind even came close ting deserve Jane.

Either way Jane never ever intended to hurt him and he couldn't see that. He couldn't see that he had already hurt Jane repeatedly over the years. Was he really that narcissistic?

"You have hurt Jane so many times." Maura finally tries to softly balance the scales, help him see the truth, perspective, expose the lies.

"Shut up." Is the response she receives. "She broke me and now she gets what's coming to her."

But Maura can't shut up, she is frustrated, tired and angry, "Did you know there were times she thought you were dead. You LET her think that. You were back in Boston for months before she found out you were back, and how did she find out you were back as well as alive? She walked into an office and there you were, sitting there behind a desk. She was so shocked. Then you lied to her about your injury. You rejected her. You didn't see her after that. You didn't see her crying because she had laid herself bare before you and you said no to her. Your injury didn't change anything for her. And then you recover and want to marry her and expect her to just drop everything for you, when you want. You played with her heart back then Casey. You're being a hypocri-"

The back of his hand across her mouth stops her speaking and she places her hand over her stinging cheek and lip. She tastes blood and her tongue finds the cut inside her mouth where her tooth pierced her lip. It will heal but there will be swelling

Casey leans down so their faces are inches apart, "I am the victim here." Casey spits out, "Not her. She left me, she took my baby away, she used me. And I will balance the scales as I see fit."

...to be continued...