(PART 3)

And everything happens within the split of a second.

The wire snaps back… rips Jane off her feet… pulls her backwards… and she pulls Maura with her… instinctively kicking that damn chair away… just before it explodes… and the glass windows shatter into a thousand pieces…

And somehow, Jane and Maura land in the middle of the pile of blankets… crashing hard… their bodies lying motionless on the floor…

Then everything is engulfed in dust…

A cloud of temporary uncertainty…

And for another endless moment, the two women remain still in their tight embrace, eyes closed, wondering whether they have died and this is heaven… and if yes, it wouldn't be so bad…

"Maura?" Jane eventually whispers into the dust surrounding them. "You alright?"

"I think so…" Her response is weak, but it is there.

Jane carefully wiggles her toes in Dedo's large boots, then checks the rest of her body, feels it ache from the landing but notes with relief that all her limbs are still there. And just to be sure, she lets her hands wander over Maura's body as well. And as she verifies the physical integrity of Maura's shoulders, and her back, and her waist, waves of adrenaline and endorphins are gradually filling her veins, making her feel alive. Very alive. She grins. "Told you it would work… How about breakfast now?"

Coughing the dust out of their lungs, Fisher, Dedo, and Johnson find their way to the makeshift landing pad. When they see the two women alive, broad smiles fill their faces. None of them really thought this would work.

Indulging in the exhilaration surging through her body, Jane cheerfully returns their smiles. "That was great! Can we do it again?!"

Dedo takes off his cap, wipes beads of sweat from his forehead, and chuckles. "No, but you can trade places with our test dummy if stuff like this turns you on…"

"Sure, sign me up for that," Jane gives him a thumbs-up.

Johnson points at her forearm. "Uh, I think you're bleeding…"

"What?" Jane looks up, notices the blood trickling down her skin. "Oh, crap! You'd better get up, Maura, before I'm bleeding all over your dress…"

Eager to assist, the men help Maura up, then release the wire from Jane's vest and free her from its weight. Johnson inspects her arm. "Looks like you caught some splinters…"

Still shaken but following her physician's instincts, Maura steps closer and checks the wound. "You will need stitches…"

Johnson nods. "We'll take you to the hospital in—"

"No, no," Jane protests. "Maura can do it. Right?"

Feeling a tremor of her hand and attempting to decipher all the different signs coming from her body, Maura shakes her head. "I don't think I can—"

"Just do your best baseball stitch," Jane suggests with a smirk. "And don't worry about leaving a scar — I don't care."

Swallowing down her response, Maura uncomfortably shifts on her feet, then Johnson hands her some tissues to put on Jane's arm.

"Come on, you know I hate hospitals…," Jane tries again.

Maura shrugs at this all too familiar discussion. "Then maybe you shouldn't get hurt all the time…"

Oblivious to the subtle undertone, Jane presses the tissues onto her wound. "Hey, it wasn't my choice to—"

"Jane? Doctor Isles?" Korsak and Frost rush into the room, thereby cutting short Jane's excuse.

"We're fine…," Jane waves reassuringly at her partners.

"You got one crazy detective here, Sergeant," Dedo whistles approvingly.

"Crazy sounds about right," Korsak sighs when he notices Jane's cocky grin.

Almost unnoticed, Maura steps back, aimlessly wanders through the room, clearly not as excited as someone who has just cheated death.

"Alright, folks," Dedo claims everybody's attention. "Let's not get too cozy. We still need to check if there are any other bombs hidden down here!"

"Anything we can do?" Frost asks dutifully.

"Yeah, check your surveillance videos if your bomber has entered any other rooms," Dedo suggests. "My men are already searching the rest of her office, and we'll have a sniffer dog run through your Crime Lab, too."

"Alright," Frost nods and marches out of the autopsy room.

"I'll go upstairs and inform everybody else," Korsak decides. "Cavanaugh has just come in and wants to know what's going on."

"Uh, Korsak…?" Jane holds him back.

The sergeant smiles knowingly. "I'll let Angela know you're alright."

"Thanks…" When the bomb squad men busy themselves with handling the aftermath of the explosion, Jane hesitantly steps to Maura's side, nudges her with her wounded arm as she is contemplatively watching the activities in her devastated office. "Could you please fix this for me before I bleed out?"

"You won't bleed out from a wound like this…," Maura murmurs, refusing to take a look.

"Well, still…" Jane tosses away a blood-stained tissue. "I can't hand in my paperwork if it has my blood all over the page…"

But Maura still doesn't move.

"You sure you're alright?" Slowly, Jane's exhilaration makes way for honest concern. "Don't worry, we'll find McCollough and make sure he'll join his cousin in prison…"

When she feels the brunette's hand on her arm, Maura finally averts her eyes from her office, looks down at Jane's fingers brushing over her skin. But as much as she is yearning for that touch, as much she is afraid to get too used to it. Seeking some space to breathe and to think, she turns away. "I'll have to find some anesthetics…"

Without waiting for an answer, she retreats to the other end of the room and rummages through some shelves in search for the required materials.

Happy to escape the necessity of another trip to the hospital, Jane leans against the wall, seizes the chance to take a deep breath herself.

"You got damn lucky, you know?" Dedo points out, rather redundantly, as he keeps her company for a few moments. "You always crazy like that?"

"Well, Mondays are usually boring, so I figured I'd spice things up a little," Jane chuckles confidently, but then the clanking noise of Maura tossing some medical instruments onto her autopsy table interrupts their chat. She holds up her still bleeding arm. "I should probably get this fixed…"

"Yeah, no worries, we'll handle things from here," Dedo smiles in agreement. When he is already half-way out of the door, he turns back around. "Oh, hey, my guys and I always have a drink after work whenever we successfully defuse a bomb. You should join us."

"Sounds good," Jane nods before hopping onto the autopsy table next to Maura, letting her legs dangle in the air.

"I'll tell you how I lost my finger," he promises. "And you can tell us what other crazy things you've done in your career."

"I don't think one night will be long enough for that," Jane jokes, while Maura looks at her arm and tries to ignore her banter with the bomb squad leader.

Dedo taps his forehead with his four remaining fingers of his right hand, then disappears around the corner.

Still hyped up, Jane watches Johnson and Fisher dismantle the ratchet system. "I wonder if I could get something like that installed in my apartment… This is fun…" But the medical examiner still ignores her talking and focuses on her arm instead. "Hey, next time you want me to get up at 5:30, you could pull me out of bed with this thing… oww!" Jane flinches when Maura rubs her arm with stingy anesthetics.

"Sorry," the blonde mumbles without looking up, trying to ignore a subtly throbbing pain in her own right hand as she reaches for a needle.

Slowly becoming aware of Maura's continued detachment, Jane frowns and curiously studies her pale features. But when she catches a glimpse from the corner of her eye of Fisher rolling the remains of Maura's chair out of her office, she can't help but fall back into old habits. "Well, I guess now is a suitable moment to tell you something…"

Unsure what to expect, Maura finally looks up. "What?"

"I never liked your chair," Jane grins teasingly. "It looked like it belonged into a dentist's office…"

Wondering why, after all those years, she was still expecting anything but a joke, Maura manages to muster at least the hint of a smile and directs her attention back to Jane's arm, attempting her best to close the wound with seamless stitches despite her trembling fingers.

Still searching for the cause of Maura's behavior, Jane aimlessly looks around until her eyes fall on the chaos in Maura's office. Surely, this isn't how the medical examiner planned to start her week. "Look at the bright side — you can redecorate your office and— ow!" She flinches again as Maura's needle pinches her injured skin. "Uh, I don't wanna complain, but I'm not one of your bodies — I can actually feel this!"

Unable to continue to ignore the throbbing in her hand, Maura shrugs indifferently. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you sat down next to a bomb…"

And finally, it begins to dawn on Jane. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Maura retorts. "You just saved my life…"

Switching to detective mode, Jane doesn't take her eyes off the medical examiner. "That doesn't really answer my question…"

But after another deep breath, Maura silently continues stitching her up, fully aware of Jane's inquisitive eyes resting on her.

"Maura…?"

As the pain in her own hand is getting stronger and all she wants to do is sit down, or lie down, or just curl up in a corner, Maura clenches her teeth and tries to complete her task as best as she can. But inevitably, her needle pricks Jane again when she finishes the last stitch.

And Jane gets more confused. "Are you doing this on purpose?!"

Frustrated, Maura drops the needle, relaxes her throbbing hand. "You really think I would hurt you on purpose?"

Sensing a dead-end, Jane shrinks back. "Well, no, but—"

"Maybe you should have gone to a hospital and let somebody else take care of it." Maura tosses a bandage into Jane's other hand. "Just put this on, then you'll be ready to get back to work."

Without further words, she rushes out of the room, disappears down the hallway, leaving a perplexed Jane behind.

Unsure what to do, Jane clumsily wraps the bandage around her arm, fixes it with some tape, and hops off the table, scratching her head in confusion. Before she gets the chance to look for Maura, Korsak appears in the door frame.

"Hey, Jane, we're heading out to see if McCollough shows up for work today. Maybe he'll try to keep his cover for a few days… I assume you want to join us?"

"Uh, yeah… I guess…," she sighs and halfheartedly heads for the door.

The sergeant notices her hesitation and off-balance appearance. "We can handle it alone if you'd rather want to take a break…"

"No, no… I'll join you," she quickly objects and follows him outside.

"What a way to start the week, huh?" Korsak worriedly studies her face and arm.

"Yeah…" Jane absentmindedly rubs her tired eyes as they hurry upstairs.

The next few hours fly by without any moment to breathe as several divisions of BPD combine their efforts in order to bring Lance McCollough to justice. And they succeed when their suspect indeed shows up for work at his funeral parlor, acting all innocent but with a sneaky grin permanently affixed to his face — until he steps into the break room and finds himself opposite a very angry group of homicide detectives and patrol officers. And in an ironic twist of fate, his downfall is brought upon by the same combination of his own arrogance and a certain medical examiner's attentiveness that has already landed his cousin in prison. Whereas Darren McCollough refused to consider the possibility that his little thallium murder plot might not be as infallible as he thought, Lance McCollough felt equally self-confident in his scheme and too lazy to bother about minor details such as that tattoo on his wrist. And so it happens that a hearing-impaired tattooer's accidental mix-up of the kanji for fierce and fear eventually results in both McCollough cousins spending the rest of their lives behind bars.

And now, after all statements have been recorded, after Julie Owens' alibi has also been confirmed, after the bomb squad's sniffer dog has scurried through all Crime Lab rooms without barking in alarm, and after some sort of normalcy has returned to BPD, Jane is finally ready to call it a day and head home. But she doesn't quite know anymore where exactly that is…

Several texts to Maura over the course of the day have remained unanswered, and she hasn't spoken to the medical examiner since her sudden escape from the morgue. And just as Jane caught a glimpse of Maura's dress right after noon when she came upstairs for her statement, Lieutenant Cavanaugh called her into his office for a long overdue speech on her continued recklessness at work. A few hours later, when Jane went down to the morgue, there was no sign of Maura either — just a deserted office and the rather vague hint from Susie that her superior had left to take care of something. And when the young criminalist did not even come out with more details when faced with Jane's inquisitive stare, the detective finally slouched her shoulders in defeat and trudged back to the elevator upstairs.

Thus, just as some church bells in the distance ring six o'clock, Jane aimlessly strolls out of BPD, without a clear purpose or destination. Cursing at the still drizzling rain, she stays close to the building on the way to her car, holding her dust-stained blazer over her head. But after a few steps, she simply slings it over her shoulder, doesn't bother anymore about getting wet.

Surprise brings her to a sudden stop as she turns around the corner and finds Maura's dark Prius still parked at the curb just a few feet away. Frowning in confusion, she checks her cell phone again — but her inbox is still as empty as a few minutes ago. Unsure what to do, Jane sinks down on a bench nearby, shielded from the rain by a roof extension above. Crossing her arms and huffing in frustration, she decides to just wait it out. Sooner or later, Maura would have to come pick up her car. And as she sits there by herself, fidgeting with the bandage on her arm, her mind slowly revisits the events of the day… how it started with Maura habitually invading her apartment the way she so often does… how she gladly risked starvation in exchange for a few more minutes with Maura… how natural it felt to squat down next to a deadly bomb just so Maura wouldn't be by herself… and how everything always leads back to Maura… naturally… because it is Maura… and because—

Her thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the familiar clacking of heels on the pavement, brisk at first, then slowing down, even pausing for a moment, but then continuing their approach until Maura reaches the bench and wordlessly sits down, her blazer slung over her right arm. And for a few moments, they both stare into the distance.

Stubborn and still irritated about being ignored all day, Jane is determined not to speak first.

Finally, like so many times before, it is Maura who breaks the silence. "How's your arm?"

And also like so many times before, Jane is unable to resist the softness and honest concern in the blonde's voice. "The bandage is amateurish, but the stitches are perfect…"

Instinctively, Maura reaches for the brunette's arm, scrutinizes the bandage. Hesitantly… "I'm sorry I left you like that…"

"Nah, it's okay," Jane concedes. "I shouldn't have asked you to do this right after you've spent an hour sitting on that stupid bomb."

"No, you shouldn't have," Maura concurs as she finishes her bandage inspection and rests her hand on Jane's wrist.

"But still, that's no reason to ignore me all day," the detective grumbles.

"I wasn't ignoring you," the medical examiner objects calmly. "I just had to take care of something…"

Trying in vain to remain calm herself, Jane glances at her from the side. "What in the world was so important that you couldn't even be bothered to send me a short text?!"

Instead of a response, Maura removes her blazer from her arm, reveals a short cast around her wrist.

"What happened?!" Worry instantly wipes all anger from Jane's face.

"Hairline fracture of my scaphoid," Maura explains. "It must have happened when we landed on the floor…"

"But…" For a moment, Jane is speechless as some pieces of the puzzle fall into place. "Didn't it hurt when you stitched me up?"

"I guess the release of endorphins after our little stunt initially suppressed the pain," Maura concludes. "And you were bleeding and wanted me to fix you—"

"But not when you're hurting," Jane objects. "You should've said something!"

"You don't listen to me anyway," Maura sighs.

"I always listen to you," Jane protests but shrinks back at the incredulous look she gets in response. "Most of the time… Sometimes…?"

"Like when I told you to leave my office this morning?"

"That was different… And why are you angry about me trying to help you?"

"I'm not angry about that," Maura points out, then pauses, searching for the right words. "I just… I can't stand it how you keep putting yourself in danger. You shoot yourself, you trade yourself in for hostages, you insist on staying in close proximity to a bomb… But you never think about the consequences, and I'm always the one who has to fix you afterward."

Unsure how to react, Jane frowns. "But… that's my job."

"You're a homicide detective, Jane. Your job is to solve murders, not to disarm bombs or bank robbers."

"So, you're saying I should just ignore all crimes that don't involve a dead body?"

"No, of course not." Another moment of silence… "But I'm afraid of the day when you'll be out of luck… when you'll end up on my table and I won't be able to fix you…"

Unwilling to even consider that possibility, Jane shakes her head. "That won't happen—"

"It will happen if you continue to rush into dangerous situations like this." Maura swallows hard, finally looks at Jane. "You're not invincible."

Defeated by the sadness in Maura's eyes, Jane slouches her shoulders. "I know…"

And Maura knows that the detective only has the best intentions. Subconsciously, she links her fingers with Jane's as she attempts to clarify her worst fear. "I'm really thankful for what you did for me today. And I know you love your job, so I will never ask you to stop doing what you love… But have you ever wondered what it would be like for the rest of us if something happened to you? What it would be like for me?"

Insecurely, Jane locks eyes with the blonde. "Well, yeah, it wouldn't be easy, but—"

"It would kill me, Jane," Maura admits, and her heart skips a beat at the thought. "If you ended up on my autopsy table, they would have to reserve the table next to you for me… because it would literally kill me."

A little overwhelmed, Jane resorts to her usual defense. "Uh, but that would suck… If you'd be dead, too, Pike would end up doing our autopsies. And you don't want that creep swinging his scalpel anywhere near our bodies — he is so incompetent, he could kill a dead person all over again."

And Maura knows that pattern all too well. "That's all you can do, isn't it? Make jokes about everything?"

"No, but that's the only way I can do my job," Jane points out, feeling more and more cornered. "If I focused on the thought that I could actually die, I wouldn't be able to show up for work. So, what do you expect me to do?"

"Nothing," Maura sighs in resignation. "As long as you don't expect me to just stand back and watch you get hurt…" After another moment of silence, Maura's own defense mechanism kicks in. She pulls her hand away and gets up. "I have to go."

Missing the warmth of Maura's fingers, Jane watches her walk towards her car, hesitates, but then leaps to her feet. "What about me?!"

The detective challengingly looks at the medical examiner as she turns back around in confusion.

And for some reason, Maura can't shake the feeling that she has just set off another bomb. "What about you?"

"How often did I have to stand back and watch you get hurt?" Jane builds herself up opposite Maura, subconsciously though but intimidating nonetheless. "Maybe I really don't always think things through, but neither do you. In fact, you've majored in making bad decisions!"

Tensing up, Maura tries to object, but Jane is just getting started.

"Someone you barely know needs a new kidney? Oh, sure, let's give her yours! Who needs two kidneys anyway, right? And who cares that things can go wrong in hospitals or that you felt miserable for weeks after that?!"

Again, Maura attempts to speak, but once the Rizzoli bomb has been triggered, any attempt to defuse it will fail.

"And what about Paddy Doyle, both junior and senior? They may be some of the worst mobsters this town has seen, but that doesn't stop you from organizing a cozy family get-together every now and then. What could go wrong, eh?"

Crossing her arms, Maura realizes that she is once again stuck.

"And shall we talk about your glorious love life?" Jane doesn't even try to hold herself back anymore. "Let's see, there's Dennis the Menace, who got turned on by trying to kill you… Then we have Brad Adams, who almost got you locked up for life… Then there's that Fairfield prick who conveniently forgot to mention that he killed his brother… And, of course, there's Ian, the one you call the love of your life. Where has he been all those years when you needed someone? Oh, right, he prefers to run and hide at the other end of the world — it must be true love then!"

Suddenly feeling as exposed as the naked bodies on her autopsy table, Maura can't do anything but listen as Jane dissects her life.

And for the briefest of moments, Jane stops when she realizes the force of her own words. But there is no turning back now. "So, you've made at least as many crappy decisions as I have, and I've watched you get hurt more often than I would care for! But that doesn't mean I will walk away. You can sit on as many bombs as you want — I will always sit there with you. Because… guess what, I have a favorite word, too. It's Maura, and it stands for everything that makes me happy. So, next time you make the wrong decision and get yourself in trouble, you can bet I will be there to make sure you get out alive and happy, too!"

Jane's words still float between them as they stare at each other in silence, the noise of the rush-hour traffic somehow seeming more distant than it is.

But then, when the detective is still catching her breath, Maura steps closer, her eyes filled with determination fed by Jane's speech. "Are you done?"

"I think so." Stubbornly, Jane crosses her arms.

"Good." Maura closes the distance between them. "Because I'm about to make another crappy decision, and you have three seconds left to change your mind and walk away…"

"Told you I won't do that," Jane whispers, her resistance crumbling away as Maura takes her hand. "You're stuck with me…"

"Then you'd better make sure I won't regret my decision…"

Feeling the brunette's hands invitingly pull her closer, Maura leans in until her lips find Jane's… cautiously… almost afraid to set off another bomb. But this time, she triggers something completely different and soon finds herself wrapped in Jane's arms, their lips as inseparable as their hands were back in her office.

Numerous heartbeats later, they finally pull apart, and Jane's lips curl into a smile. "I'm inclined to say some of your previous decisions have been much worse…"

"We'll see…," Maura smiles back before stealing another soft kiss.

"But regardless of what I said," Jane murmurs while still holding the blonde close, "could you please try not to sit down on another bomb… at least for a while?"

"I'll try," Maura promises and gently strokes Jane's neck with her unharmed hand. "If you promise you won't turn out to be another killer…"

"No worries there," Jane chuckles. "But I have to warn you: I come in a bundle with a hovering mother who will make you want to turn into a killer yourself…"

"Well.. It's a good thing I've already made friends in prison, isn't it?"

"Probably…"

Feeling the stress of the day finally vanish into oblivion, they share another affectionate kiss… lasting longer than the longest word in Maura's vocabulary… until it gradually merges into a warm embrace.

"Okay, so… that's Monday," Jane whispers into the blonde's ear. "What are we going to do with the rest of the week?"

"I'm sure we'll find something to do," Maura purrs enticingly but then pulls back, almost hesitant to ask. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"No…," Jane admits with a wink and a smile.

"Great, me neither," Maura happily plays along. "So, let's just do it then…"

"Okee dokee…" After sealing their bond with another kiss, Jane nods to the Prius. "You think you could give me a ride? I've been told it's more economical to use just one car…"

"I suppose I could do that…," Maura agrees after a moment of feigned deliberation, then reaches for her car keys.

As they are both about to get in the car, Jane notices that the rain has finally stopped. She pauses and pensively looks into the distance.

"What is it?" Maura curiously waits on the driver's side.

"Is that the smell you meant?" Jane meets her eyes. "What's it called again — petrichor?"

"Yes…, yes, it is," Maura confirms as she inhales a deep breath.

"I like it," Jane decides. "Smells nice…"

Moments later, the dark Prius leaves its spot and merges with the traffic as the scent of a promise and a fresh start still lingers in the air…

(END)