I do not own Rizzoli, Isles, and the rest of the characters.

Rated a T

Bitter Embrace

Chapter Four: Restless

Finally settled down enough to drive, Jane started her car and pulled out of the park, driving back downtown towards the station house. Half way there, she made a quick decision and went around a block where a liquor store was located. She quickly pulled into a space. Jane, realizing she still was not ready to see Maura and knowing she would be at the station house, decided the best way to pass this horrible day was to drown her sorrows in a bottle of Captain Morgan.

Jane entered the liquor store and seized the biggest bottle available, a fifth. She walked to the counter and plopped her purchase up on the counter, giving the attendant a brief wink and nod. The attendant rang up her purchase, glancing briefly at her prominently displayed badge clipped on her belt and her service pistol firmly situated on her waist.

"Had one of those days?" asked the attendant in a soft playful voice. The attendant, a beautiful blonde-haired woman, gave Jane the once over while putting her liquor into a brown paper sack.

"Aren't they all?" Jane responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Well, thank you, and have a good evening." With one last look into the attendant's brown eyes, she grabbed her sack and strode out the door and to her vehicle.

Once home, Jane kicked off her shoes then slung her jacket over the back of her couch. Placing her sack on the kitchen counter, she turned left to go to her bedroom and change into her boxers and oversized Red Sox's jersey. Jane walked into the bathroom to quickly wash up and put up her hair. She strode to the kitchen counter to fix a rum and Dr. Pepper, letting Jo jump around her heels, begging for attention.

Looking down at Jo, Jane muttered bitterly, "We can't always get the attention we want Jo." She walked with Jo over to the couch, grabbing her cell phone out of her jacket on the way. Sitting down and putting her feet up on the coffee table, she sent off a text message to Frost: Not coming back to work today or tomorrow; good luck with the case, you are now the lead. I will call you later. JR.

She leaned back into the couch cushions and sipped her drink. Jo hopped up to sit beside Jane, knowing something was not right with her human, and wanting to offer her comfort.

Jane drank glass after glass until only half of the fifth of golden-spiced rum remained. She remained spread out on the couch, having brought the bottle over to the coffee table an hour ago. Jo looked from the window to her owner. The sunlight descended the windowpane; Jane remained blissfully unaware. Sometime in the late evening hours, Jane stumbled from the couch to the bathroom, expelling the liquor churning in her empty of food stomach. Jo followed Jane with an expression of doggy worry. Finishing in the bathroom, Jane plopped face down back onto the couch and passed out. Jo curled up by Jane's stomach in order to comfort Jane. The apartment soon became filled with soft snores, human and dog.

In the early morning hours, after many unreturned calls from Jane, Frost realized he had received the text from Jane, opened and read it. In a flash of motion, he left the squad room to go look for Korsak, and finding him down in the Morgue, motioned him over from an autopsy table to the entrance. Speaking in a soft tone, he notified Korsak about Jane's rapid abandonment of the case.

"What do ya mean she said you're the lead now? What the HELL IS GOING ON?" Korsak looked at Frost with anger and skepticism crossing his features. Over across the room, standing by an autopsy table working on the newest case, Maura overheard Korsak's raised voice. She gently laid down her scalpel and removed her mask and gloves. She walked over to where the two men lurked in the entrance to what she thought of as 'her' morgue.

Softly clearing her throat to get their attention, she said, "What are you two talking about?"

Korsak, lacking the slyness of Frost, shouted, "Janie, just abandoned the Fairfield case. Would you want to tell me exactly what the hell happened between the two of you, because I have a sneaking suspicion this revolves around your presence. I mean you two have been acting weird since the whole thing started."

Maura just gazed between the two men, disbelief crossing her features. In a softly regretful voice she stated, "I will tell the pair of you, but maybe we should go upstairs and have this discussion in private." With a twirling flourish, Maura pulled off her splatter guard and told her assistant she would be upstairs with the detectives. She gave Korsak and Frost a quick glance, then strode out the entrance to the Morgue and up the stairs to the squad room knowing the detectives would take the elevator back upstairs. She needed the few extra minutes of walking to gather and organize her thoughts of how to explain the upsetting argument of three days ago, and the events of the past day.

Maura arrived at the squad room first, and with a quick glance at Jane's empty desk, walked over to Frost's chair and sat down to wait on the detectives arrival. Korsak and Frost walked into the squad room together at a fast walk and turned striding towards Maura, both in a rush to get the full story behind Jane's odd behavior. The three each grabbed a cup of coffee and walked into an empty interview room, turning off the volume button as they went in so no eavesdropping ears would be able to hear their discussion.

Korsak roughly pulled out a chair, plopping down into it. He set his coffee cup down on the tabletop and looked over at the still standing Maura with an expression of 'well get on with it'. Maura getting the hint gently took a seat. Frost sat down last, leaning his elbows on the tabletop and glaring at Maura, awaiting an explanation about Jane.

"Please promise you two will not get angry at me before I fully explain. Do you both promise?"

Getting twin nods of agreement, Maura began telling the story of Jane storming out of the Mansion, Jane hanging up on her later in the day, and then finally the horrific showdown at Jane's apartment. The detectives listened in silence until Maura stopped talking.

Frost looked at Maura with confusion on his features and said in a fierce tone, "So, let me get this correct. You DISMISSED Jane in front of potential suspects, and then when confronted over YOUR behavior, you told her you would no longer be her friend. That about right Doctor Isles?"

Maura nodded in agreement, took a shaky breath and continued, "There is more to this story. I have been seeing Garrett Fairfield in a romantic capacity, and no I will not give details, but suffice it to say it started the night after Jane and I argued at her place. Garrett was a shoulder when I badly needed one. Anyways, yesterday I was with Garrett, in his car at the Swizzle Stick coffee shop down on the corner."

Frost gazed at Maura, seeing where this tale was heading since Jane told him earlier yesterday that she was going to grab a coffee. He knew her habits enough to know she frequents the Swizzle Stick when she needs a break from the chaos of their squad room.

Maura continued, "Well, I returned to the station house in Garrett's car, he gave me a ride. I happened to glance up the street and I saw Jane just standing by her car, gazing at me with the worst expression of anger and disbelief I have ever seen on her face. I looked into Jane's eyes, and then I turned and walked into the station house without a backwards glance or a word spoken to her. I know my actions were cold, but she was being mean the other night. I don't know anything she did after I saw her on the sidewalk."

Frost said, "Jane sent me a text saying she would not be in yesterday or today."

"Do you think she will do something tragic? The thought never crossed my mind until this minute, but the look on her face when she gazed at me getting out of Garrett's car, I will never forget it."

Korsak shouted in a loud tone, "Well crap. I know Jane and she can be so emotional sometimes but she's tough. I've never met a tougher lady cop in all my years. Hell, I've never met a tougher human being than Jane Rizzoli."

Three heads around the table gave a simultaneous nod.

"Maybe we should go check on her." Maura looked to Korsak and Frost for confirmation of her decision.

Frost muttered, "Um, WE?"

"Doc, I might be out of line here but I think whatever Jane's got rolling through her head, you're the key to getting it out safely. You need to be the one to go check on her. Based on the whirlwind tale you just told me, she needs you; as a friend and as a colleague." Korsak gently patted Maura on the arm and gave a quick nod of his head at her. Frost looked at Maura and nodded in agreement with Korsak.

Maura, nodding to the two detectives, accepted her fate. She wondered briefly, at whether she would be welcome at Jane's. A brief flash of Jane looking at her in disgust flicked into her mind as she walked out of the building and towards her Mercedes convertible.

Once in her car, Maura let the top of her car down to feel the crisp wind blowing through her hair as she drove to Jane's apartment. Maura arrived at Jane's apartment as slowly as the flow of traffic would allow her. She got out of her car and walked at a leisurely pace to the door of Jane's apartment, lifting her hand and rapidly knocking; no answer or noise from within could be heard. She lifted her hand and knocked again, louder and longer this time.

Jane, having heard the annoying knocking, decided in her liquor-saturated brain the best course of action would be to get up and let Frost in since he is the only person she expected to come knocking at her door at ten in the morning. He probably just wanted to know why she decided to take off work for two days when she hadn't taken a sick day in the two years they have known each other. Getting up from the sofa and scrambling over Jo, Jane walked to the door while trying to keep her head from moving too much and her eyes as close to shut as possible in order to block out the light streaming in the windows with the open blinds. Jane unlocked both locks on the door and swung it open without peeking through the peephole to confirm Frost's identity, and stared straight into the baffled eyes of Maura Isles.

"Hey Jane."

"Go away Maura. Jo and I do not want your kind around here." Attempting to shut the door, Jane squinted at Maura when a strong forearm shot out and halted the doors progress.

"Oh, and what kind would that be Jane?"

Jane looked Maura in the eyes, disbelieving her friend could be so dense.

"The traitorous sleeping with enemy kind. Now if you don't mind, I have a date with my couch cushions and you're not invited. All this talking has made my meshed brain throb. Goodbye Maura."

Maura did not yield her grip on the door and instead of backing away from Jane; she took a big step into the apartment, effectively halting Jane's attempts to close the door in her face.

"Jane, I know you hate me and I said we would no longer be friends, but I miss you terribly." Maura walked another step into the apartment, forcing Jane to back up a step or be nose to nose with the Medical Examiner. Jane stepped back away from Maura, not able to be in the same personal space bubble.

"I saw you and I know. How could you hook up with Garrett Fairfield? Why Maur?" Jane, being convinced Maura was not going to leave, turned her back on her and stumbled over to the couch, and promptly laid down to stretch her tired body out. She let her eyes drift shut, trusting Maura would enter and lock the door. Jane heard Maura locking the door and then her soft footsteps coming towards the couch. She heard Maura take a deep breath and sit down on the floor in front of the couch, letting Jo Friday curl up against her thigh in happy dog contentment as evidenced by the little doggy whimpers.

"Jane, I am not really sure where to begin." Maura turned to look over at Jane's face, noticing for the first time the dark sunken pits under her eyes and the ratted curly mess of her once gorgeous hair; in short, Jane looked a mess. Maura smelled the light scent of alcohol on Jane's skin, glancing around the room and locating the offending half-empty bottle of Captain Morgan situated on the coffee table, surrounded by seven empty cans of Dr. Pepper.

She muttered under her breath, "Ohh Jane." With the force of a train hitting a high centered car, Maura finally understood the devastation Jane must have been feeling yesterday at seeing her in the arms of Garrett Fairfield. In Maura's mind, it was as if a puzzle, previously missing the most important of its pieces, is finally able to be whole. Jane was jealous. She must be jealous because she cares about me. Maybe she even loves me.

Jane interrupted Maura's internal musings by gently wrapping her fingers around Maura's shoulder, seeking comfort. She gently rolled over towards Maura, opening her eyes and locking onto a puzzled pair of green eyes. Jane cleared her throat and spoke in a soft voice, "Maur, seeing you with Garrett, ripped my heart out. I'm sorry about what I said the other day, I was very angry. I still am. I just don't understand." Jane taking a shaky breath removed her hand and rolled facing away from Maura.

Maura gazed over at Jane and smiling softly said, "Jane, I want you to understand something very important. You are the most important person in my life. When we argued, I ran to Garrett because without you, I felt lost. Garrett and I have a history and it was just easy to fall into it again. I do not love him. I am so sorry for the way I treated you yesterday."

Maura, taking a deep breath, got up on her knees and leaned down towards Jane's head gently brushing her hair back from her forehead. She reached out down touching Jane's shoulder gently, and whispered in her ear, "It is you, Jane. It has always been you. When I was with Garrett, I fantasized about you, imagined it was your hands and body touching me. I am in love with you Jane."

Jane, shocked into silence by Maura's words, slowly rolled over to gaze with wide eyes at Maura, and releasing a held breath stuttered, "What?"

"I said I LOVE you Jane."

A/N I am working on chapter 5 right now. Thanks for reading.