Hey again :) I apologise for the VERY late update. I haven't written much for a while and I hope I'm not too rusty. All mistakes are mine, no copyright, I wrote this in one go, so we'll see how that works. I hope you like it, and it kind of breaks from the last chapter, which I didn't like all that much, so here's a hopefully better one :) I'd love to know your thoughts, and to those who are worried about the whole Casey scenario, just remember that every good story has a few obstacles... on that note, do enjoy!
Jane closed the door as quietly as she could and walked into Maura's kitchen. Cailin looked up, her teeth biting gently on her lower lip in concern. Angela stood on the other side of the kitchen island and slid a cup of steaming coffee towards Jane as the detective sat down wearily and held her head in her hands.
"How is she?" asked Angela carefully, watching her daughter's face for clues. Jane inhaled deeply through her nose before letting it out through her mouth. She looked up into the eyes of her mother, glancing at Cailin, who was sitting a little straighter.
"She's… she's better," replied Jane, picking up her coffee and gulping the liquid down. "She's asleep now, finally." Angela and Cailin nodded sympathetically. Maura had completely broken down about an hour previously and fled to her room, tears flowing freely down her face as she screamed about not being in control. She had barricaded herself in her bedroom and sat crying against the door for ages. The three sat in silence for a good few minutes as the ticking clock was the only sound.
"Maura! Maura, it's me!" called Jane through the door as she hammered her fist against the wood as she had been doing on and off for around half an hour. "It's Jane! I know you don't remember me, but we're friends!"
"Janey, maybe we should just leave her to calm down –"
" Come on, Maura!"
"Jane, your phone," said Cailin, but Jane didn't hear her.
"Maura!" Jane almost whined. She stopped pounding on the door and slumped against it, pressing her forehead to the mahogany. "Please let me in."
"Uh, Jane?" said Cailin again from behind her. Jane glanced over her shoulder, sniffing quietly. With a quick shake of her head, she was all business again.
"What?" she asked a little sharply. She smiled apologetically at Cailin, who returned it warmly.
"Your phone." The girl pointed to the sofa where the phone was lit up and vibrating against the cushions. Angela was already there, picking it up and squinting at the screen.
"It's Casey," she reported, looking up at Jane. Jane waved her hand dismissively.
"I don't want to talk to him right now." Jane returned to the door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear muffled sobs. She raised her fist to knock again, but before her knuckles touched the door, she sighed, relaxing her hand and brushing her fingertips down the grain. "We're here if you need us," she said quietly. She was convinced she heard a small "Thank you," from the other side.
Jane jumped as her phone vibrated against the counter for the third time that evening. Checking the screen, she huffed and hurled the phone across the room onto the sofa. A small part of her was now regretting the three coffees she had downed in relatively quick succession. They kept her awake, but made her cranky.
"Casey again?" asked Cailin. Jane looked at her, properly looked for the first time that night. The girl seemed tired, a large textbook lying open on the table. Her fingers played with the cuffs of her sleeves as she sat, her eyes blinking just a tad too often.
"Yeah," sighed Jane, letting her mood evaporate.
"Are things okay between you and Charles?" asked Angela, reaching out to comfort her daughter.
"Ma, I'm not going to have this conversation with you," groaned Jane, squirming away from her mother's hand.
"But Janey, all this stress –"
"Ma!" exclaimed Jane. "All I'm concerned about right now is the woman who is crying her eyes out in there –" Jane turned as she pointed to Maura's room, only to hear the door open and the blonde standing against the black background of her bedroom. She was still wearing her slightly crumpled blue shirt and black trousers. Her jacket was folded over the arm of a chair. There was a long pause, before Maura spoke.
"I assure you, detective. I'm fine now," said Maura. Jane was slightly taken-aback at the tone. It wasn't exactly harsh or cold, but just… distant? She decided not to press it for now. After all, to Maura, it was like having three complete strangers in the house. The only one she recognised was Bass, and that was because she had owned him for God knows how long before Jane even met her.
"Alright. Do you need anything?" asked Jane, scrutinising Maura's face for anything, any sign of recognition at all.
"No, I'm quite alright."
"Uhm, Maura?" Everyone turned to Cailin, who was fidgeting a little.
"Yes, Cailin, was it?" replied Maura, with a little more warmth. Cailin pursed her lips for a moment, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face before looking up at Maura as she stepped forwards, the island between them.
"My mum – Hope – she can't fly out because of bad weather. She wanted me to… stay here." Cailin bit her lip anxiously. "I mean, if that's not weird or anything, I can probably go back or –"
"It's alright. If I allowed you to stay before, I'm sure you are trustworthy," Maura said with a nod.
"Thank you," replied Cailin. Jane watched the entire exchange, scrutinising Maura's reaction. She seemed as she was when they first met – methodical and distant.
"Do you want something, honey?" asked Angela, circling the island around to Maura. The pathologist quirked an eyebrow, as if she had found something puzzling.
"No, thank you, I'm fine. I'm sorry for my reaction."
"It's to be expected," said Jane. Maura looked at her. Jane looked back. They kept their gaze locked for barely a second, but Jane hoped to see some flicker of remembrance in her friend's eyes.
"You're over-caffeinated," commented Maura casually. No such luck. Maura's expression shifted as she processed this information, and put it together with the clock that read half past one in the morning. "Did you all stay up deliberately?" she asked, looking around the three faces that she couldn't remember. They all glanced at each other before nodding. "For me?" she asked, and Jane was sure she heard a little hitch in her voice as she uttered the last two words. Again, they all nodded. Maura's eyes widened slightly, before her old façade shifted back into place. "Lack of sleep severely impedes cognitive function," she said as she picked up her tea cup – now half full of cold liquid – and poured it down the sink. "I'm fine. You should all get some sleep."
Jane caught Angela's glance and nodded subtly, rising from her chair.
"I'll come by in the morning to check on you, alright?" said Angela. Jane noticed Angela's arm snaking out to hug Maura, as was their custom, but she stopped herself.
"You don't have to," replied Maura with a smile.
"Yes, I do." Angela gave Maura a little, sad smile before turning and leaving. Cailin yawned and turned a page of her book.
"You should go to bed," said Maura to Cailin as she hung her jacket up on the stand by the door. Cailin looked up. "I will not spend the morning with a cranky teenager whose brain won't work efficiently because they didn't get enough REM sleep." Cailin glanced at Jane, who shrugged as Maura returned to the sink.
"Good night, then," said Cailin, picking up her book and trudging to her room.
"Is someone's phone going off?" asked Maura suddenly as she rinsed the cup before placing it on the drying rack. Jane groaned and placed her head against the table, and wrapping her arms around herself. Maura, perplexed, followed the sound of the vibrations and picked up the phone from the sofa along with her jacket.
"Who's Casey?" asked Maura. Jane whipped upright and spun.
"Do not answer it!" she growled. Maura's eyebrows rose quizzically as she placed the phone back on the table.
"Is he your husband?" asked Maura. Jane started – she had forgotten how unnerving it was to have Maura's keen analytical mind working again. It was okay when she knew Maura, but this seemed to be a Maura she knew little about.
"What makes you say that?" she replied casually.
"Your ring. The three other missed calls. Most likely it would be a spouse or family member." Jane unconsciously twisted the ring on her finger. Her skin itched beneath it every now and then. "Is everything alright?" she inquired politely.
"Just… just stuff, I guess," sighed Jane. Maura seemed to deliberate something, before stepping forwards and placing a soft hand on Jane's forearm.
"I hope it works out." Maura said this a little mechanically. Jane could see an odd glimmer in her eyes. A familiar glimmer. Maura then stepped back, retracting her hand and looking a little surprised, staring at her hand like it had a will of its own.
"Are you okay now?" asked Jane, concerned. Maura nodded, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Perfectly fine." Jane could see that she wasn't quite fine, but at least she wasn't shouting or crying. Jane was very close to punching something though. Maybe she should cut back on the caffeine.
"Alright then. I'll… I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, detective," smiled Maura, and Jane's heart clenched. Jane knew that smile. That was Maura's cordial smile, the one she used when she was addressing people she didn't particularly know, or like. Just the 'getting through the day' smile, as opposed to the smile that lit up her face when she was around family, or friends. This might be worse than Jane originally thought.