Hey there, thanks everyone for the great reviews. I really appreciate them.
I know that there has been some hinting at wanting to see Jane and Maura's relationship to progress… I'm just going to need you guys to trust me for now. So here it goes.
Weeping Willows
/
Jane turned the ignition off and stared at the luxury hotel that was swarming with cops, as opposed to the normal upper crust clientele who were pushed behind police tape and craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the drama. She cracked her knuckles against the dashboard in preparation for the scene that she was about to face.
"Jane?" Maura said softly from the passenger seat.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. This case…" The detective trailed off. Another man was on one of those floors with his life pouring out of his neck. His wife was missing, undergoing some unfathomable torture, and if Jane did not get up there and find something for them to go on she would turn up dead. It was tormenting her.
"I know." Maura sympathized. They did not talk much about the case but the doctor was aware how much it upset Jane, especially after she had received the ominous note from him singling her out. Maura did not have to ask when Jane was feeling frustrated over the case. Somehow she knew when to let Jane be angry and give her space and when she needed a distraction Maura was more than willing to be there. One night, Jane had been pouring over her notes when Maura appeared at her door unannounced with a box of pizza and a six-pack of beer. The doctor scarcely said two words to her as she gathered up papers and replaced the file back on top of the fridge. She waited for Jane to join her on the couch and just cuddled up to her side. The detective did not know how Maura could tell what she needed, but she was very grateful.
"I am going to go talk to my team." Maura told her and kissed her cheek, "I will meet you in there."
"Okay." Jane watched her gracefully step out of the car to make sure she made it to the crime scene van. The press surged forward trying to get a statement but the blonde glided by and went to talk with some technicians in navy jumpsuits. Jane started up to tall brick building when she heard her name.
"Detective Jane Rizzoli."
Her head snapped in the direction to find Claire Jensen standing there with a microphone and wearing a drab brown woman's suit. She had completely forgotten about the reporter, who was slinking towards her like a B-movie vixen, her sexy coming across more as cheap and forced. Jane did not want to deal with this.
"Claire." She said shortly and kept pushing forward.
"That's all I get Detective? After all this time?"
Jane sighed, "I should have called. I got busy."
"Well will you be busy after this?"
Jane stopped and turned needing to face her for this, "Claire, I should have called but… I'm seeing someone."
"Seeing someone?" She bristled.
"Yes. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"Is it that tart of a medical examiner?" Claire seethed.
"Don't talk about her." Jane said harshly. "We were never official. She did nothing wrong."
"Really Jane? The Queen of the Dead?"
"I said don't talk about her." Jane warned.
"Whatever." The correspondent sneered, "You'll come back once you realize how wrong she is for you."
"Don't hold your breath Claire."
"You don't walk away from sex like ours."
"I already have." Jane snapped with finality and escaped into the bright lobby where a beat cop directed her to the crime scene. The sleek elevator shot her up to the 14th floor. Stepping out onto the plush red carpet she easily spotted some guards posted at a door down the hall where she was headed. She made it to the room when she almost ran into Detective Crowe.
"Jesus Crowe! What are you doing here?"
"Since when did you stop picking up your phone Rizzoli?"
"Since when did you stop wearing clip on neckties?
"Shut it." He came back lamely. "I have clearance."
"This is my case. Why don't you go do something useful like stand out here and keep watch?"
Crowe sulked and grumbled discontentedly as Jane walked fully into the suite. Korsak was already there with a couple of CSU guys snapping pictures and dusting for prints, which would be most likely worthless. She made eye contact with her partner as she went to inspect the corpse of a middle-aged man. He was in his boxers and undershirt, collapsed on the king-sized bed with his hands and feet bound like the other victims. He was lying in his own blood, which had soaked into the comforter that had practically turned black. The desk chair was arranged exactly opposite of him and the damn teacup sat toppled over in between the two. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. Though she had seen it before, it was not any easier.
"The room's name is under Oliver Clark, 36." Korsak informed her. "Matched with his license and says he and his wife Brenda Clark are from Vermont."
"Who called it in?"
"The manager. He was getting noise complaints that room 1408 was playing music too loud. He got up here and the door was open and Night on Baldwyn Mountain was blasting to the high heavens."
"So no on heard a thing." Jane knew asking the other guests would be fruitless, "What were they doing in Boston?"
"They were here for the medical convention downtown. Both of them are surgeons."
Jane felt something click, "They were doctors?"
"Yeah."
"So were Michael Horn and Kathy Putman."
"You think that he is targeting more than just upper class families? You think he is going after doctors?"
"Two can be coincidence but three… The medical convention would have been like an all you can eat buffet to him."
"He couldn't resist." Korsak agreed.
"Man, this guy is slaying doctors?" Crowe asked insensitively as he peeked his head in.
"Get out of here Crowe!" Jane barked.
He glared but was forced to listen because she was a senior officer to him. He sulked off and Jane turned back to Korsak, who was examining the man's hands. "What's this?"
Jane looked closer and saw that Mr. Clark was gripping something tightly. Korsak grabbed a pair of tweezers from one of the kits and carefully tugged out the folded paper. The partners quickly realized that another note had been left for them. Jane rushed to put on a pair of blue rubber gloves so she could unfurl the message. She read handwriting that she was all too familiar with from constantly looking over the old evidence:
Hello again Jane. Did you know that in the Victorian Era the Weeping Willow was symbolic of death? I bet your pretty, little doctor knew that. Give her my regards.
The detective literally felt pain in her chest. It was like it was crushing her as the words echoed in her head. Not only was there a deranged man writing to her, but he was also watching her. He knew about Maura. He was killing doctors and he knew about Maura. Jane felt woozy and far away as she tried to regain control of her panicking thoughts. He knew about Maura.
"Jane." Korsak shook her and she was slammed back into reality.
The brunette grabbed an evidence bag and crammed the note inside. Zipping it, she shoved the bag at one of the workers, "No one says a word about this to Dr. Isles. Got it?"
The room agreed with their silence.
"Sorry, it took me so long." Maura chose then to make her appearance, "Detective Crowe sent us to the wrong floor."
Maura already had on her gloves as she was leaning over the corpse, "Apparent cause of death exsanguination but I will have to do a full autopsy in the lab."
Jane could not say anything in response to the blonde. The fear for her girlfriend was crippling. She could only stare at Maura and watch her be alive. She needed the clarity of seeing Maura so poised and focused to try and shake away the horrifying images that had plagued her after receiving the veiled and threatening message.
"Are you alright Jane?" Maura was looking at her concerned.
The detective did her best to cover up, trying to sound as normal as possible, "The time of death?"
"I haven't gotten the liver temperature yet but based on rigor mortis he died about 5 hours ago."
"Okay, we're done in here. We have to figure out how the killer got Mrs. Clark out of this hotel without being noticed." Jane motioned for Korsak to join her. "They should have security tapes at least in the lobby."
Maura looked perplexed. Jane would normally wait for her at a scene. She was aware of how her behavior was coming across as odd to Maura but she had to get out of there, "Do you need me to wait for you?"
"No," Maura shook her head. "I'll get a ride with the body. I will meet you at the precinct?"
"Yeah, see you there." Jane fled.
Downstairs she darted out of the harsh lights of the hotel lobby, letting Korsak gather the evidence, so she could step into the unusually balmy evening for it being September. It was not any less oppressive outside than it was indoors, with the heat licking at her skin and the crowd of people still buzzing around, but at least it was dark out here and the air did not smell of death. She took deep calming breaths. She needed to concentrate on finding a missing woman.
"You know this psycho is going for doctors?" Jane over heard a man saying.
"Really?" The feminine voice sounded intrigued.
"Yeah, this is the third case we got and-"
"Crowe! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jane yelled when she found the man being interviewed by none other than Claire.
"Jesus, Rizzoli take a Midol."
"You have no business talking to the press." She growled.
"I was just-"
"You're lucky I don't report you to Cavanaugh. Now get back to your desk and stay there." Jane cut him off. The newer detective could tell that he should not do anything else to provoke the agitated woman. He hurried off, being sure to keep his head down as he walked by the other media members.
"Detective." Claire smirked. Jane was about to go off when Korsak joined her, stopping her from unleashing her rage on the blonde news anchor.
"Jane, you ready to go?" He held up the discs that he had obtained.
"Yeah." she muttered and followed him to the car, stifling her emotions.
/
"How is it that Brenda Clark is seen going up with her husband at 3:28 then at 8:10 her husband is found dead and there is nothing on the footage to suggest that she left the hotel?" Jane roughly threw the remote back onto the desk. Korsak picked it up to rewind it yet again.
"She has got to be on here somewhere." He said, determined even though they had been going over the recordings for hours and had it basically memorized.
"What are we missing?" Jane leaned forward in her seat to watch again. The couple was talking to each other as they passed through the frame, probably discussing some seminar they had just come from. They looked at ease with one another, a kind of closeness that came with really loving one another. Neither one expected that it could possibly be their last moment together.
"I have the final autopsy." Jane ripped her eyes from the overhead screen to watch Maura walk in with a slim file, "Unfortunately, it is nothing we have not seen before."
It was strange to see the medical examiner still in her black scrubs on the upper level. She had not bothered to change back into her normal clothes since the station was pretty much empty. Maura had stayed late with the rest of them to expedite her findings and make a report in the time crunch. There was definitely an air of desperation.
"Thanks Maur." Jane's voice was scratchy as she took the statement and flipped through it. She forced herself to keep the papers in her hands otherwise she would reach out and pull Maura to her. She yearned to hold the doctor and never let go. She looked smaller and younger in her dark, baggy ensemble, making the need that much worse. The most recent note rattled her more than she cared to admit.
"Did you find anything on the video?" Maura asked. The memorable scene with a little boy throwing a temper tantrum was currently playing.
"Nothing." Korsak was beginning to sound defeated.
"You look tired." Jane said dropping the file and observing Maura.
"You look tired too." She countered.
"You should go home and get some sleep." Jane allowed herself to place her hand on Maura's hips as she leaned next to her against the desk.
"I couldn't possibly leave you here." Maura refused.
"You have done your job. Now go get some rest."
"Detective I'm not leaving until you do. Besides, you're my ride." They had a brief staring contest that brunette promptly lost.
"Alright." Jane resigned, "Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will help."
Maura pulled up a chair claiming the spot next to her. Jane sighed and turned back to the monitor. The medical examiner was a complex woman. At times she came across as gentle and compliant, like a woman from high society, but underneath it all she was stubborn and determined. When she set her mind to something, nothing would get in her way. The maid strolled through the frame with a cleaning cart for the umpteenth time.
"The last murder was 6 months ago." Maura kept looking straight ahead. "And before that it was a year ago."
"Yes?" Jane said not quite sure what she was getting at.
"His time frame has decreased exponentially." She commented.
"It could be coincidence." Korsak suggested. "With the convention here, it could have just been an opportunity that he couldn't pass up."
"No." Jane disagreed, "He is getting bolder. His need to kill is growing."
"How do you know?" Maura wondered.
"I feel it in my gut."
"You can't feel with your intestines." The doctor said practically, as a man struggled for a moment to get his suitcase over the elevator frame yet again.
"Wait!" Jane started forward, "Go back."
Korsak sent everything in reverse until Jane told him to stop, "Here."
He froze the image while Jane scanned through some information, "It says that Brenda Clark is only 5" 2' and 105 pounds."
"Yeah so?"
"That man's suitcase gets stuck on the door jam. It's heavy. I doubt there's 105 pounds worth of polo shirts and cargo shorts in there."
"You think he put Mrs. Clark in the suitcase?"
"I think that is exactly what the bastard did." Jane studied the man. He was tall and thin but twisted like a gnarled tree. He wore an undistinguishable navy baseball cap low over his eyes and under that a pair of large wrap around shades. "Korsak, see if you can get a better shot of his face."
He played the tape and they waited for the man to turn his head up but nothing. Jane grabbed another disc, "Let's check a different angle."
But in every recording, the mysterious man kept his face tactfully turned away from the camera. Jane swore, "Shit, he knew where all the security cameras were."
She paused the picture again on the best shot that they had. His face had turned up just enough so she could see a smug smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was taunting her.
"Can you blow up this image?" Jane inquired.
"I don't know." Maura looked over the technology, "I'm unfamiliar with this program."
"I know a guy in Robbery who is good at that stuff." Crowe spoke up from his time-out in the corner. The group shifted their attention to him, having forgotten he was there.
"Can you get him in here now?"
"I will try and get a hold of him." He pulled out his cell phone and ducked out of the room to make the call.
"While he does that. I'm taking you home." Jane pointed at the doctor.
"I told you-"
"Maura, please."
"Fine but you are eating something and taking a nap."
"I can't-"
Maura fixed her with a hard gaze.
Jane sighed, "30 minutes and that's it."
/
Maura poured a cup of coffee for Jane who began to heap sugar into the black liquid and carefully avoided her eye contact. The detective had been distant since the hotel room. The blonde could tell something was off the moment she had walked into the room with the way Jane was staring at her like she might vanish into thin. Maura rummaged in the cabinets to pull out the Cocoa Puffs that she had bought for Jane. Secretly, she had taken to eating them as a late night snack when she could not fall asleep. When munching on the outrageously sugary cereal she liked to think that Jane was doing the same thing in her apartment. Maura realized that the likelihood of such an occurrence was very miniscule but that logic did not stop her from thinking it. That was what Jane did to her. She gave her illogical thoughts and instincts, which she never wanted to end.
After pouring milk, she pushed the bowl towards the woman seated across from her at the island, "Please eat this."
"When did you get so bossy?" Jane grumbled.
"I'm not bossy." Maura denied. "You're bossy."
"Yes, you are." Jane smiled behind her spoon. "You're just soft and polite when you do it."
Maura shook her head and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing technique.
"What are you doing?" Jane asked around a mouthful of cereal.
"Meditating. It is too stressful to argue with you."
"Really?" She heard the brunette get up leaving her half eaten meal. With her eyes shut her other senses seemed to be heightened. Jane's steps towards her were deafening and seemed to fall in time with her heartbeat. When she stopped behind her, the heat from the detective's body scorched her back. Jane's long fingers brushed her golden curls off of her neck, sending sparks across her skin. "I can think of something that's a lot less stressful you could do with me."
Her soft lips caressed her trapezius muscle. Maura could not handle the tension anymore. She whipped around and collided into Jane, pulling at her shoulders while Jane's arms wrapped around her waist. Their kiss was frantic as the detective urged her tongue into her willingly mouth. Maura moaned as Jane's hands dipped to squeeze her backside desperately. She tugged at the lapels of her girlfriend's blazer, trying to get her closer and remove the garment at the same time. Jane seemed to understand as she let go of her just long enough to rip the jacket off and drop it on the kitchen floor. Sure hands returned to her body roaming momentarily before massaging the full flesh of her rear again. Maura felt herself being lifted and she helped by wrapping her legs around the detective's narrow hips. Her dress hiked up an inappropriate amount to accomplish the feat revealing her creamy thighs. Jane released her lips and began to suck on her pulse point.
Maura panted, "You are supposed to be napping."
"Then let's go to bed then." She said gruffly
"The guest room." Maura ordered. There was no way they would make it up the steps like this and the visitor's quarters were conveniently on the ground level. Jane found her mouth again and began to blindly carry them down the hall to their destination. The detective accidentally rammed the doctor's back into the wall on the journey. It jostled Maura but she could not be bothered to stop kissing Jane and Jane could not be bothered to apologize. She was held against the hard, cool wall and the warmth of Jane before the brunette regained her bearings then kept moving.
It surprised Maura when she was falling backward and hitting a plush mattress. It did not take her long to adjust though as her fingers began to fiddle with the buttons on Jane's shirt, popping them open one by one, slowly revealing her perfect abdominals and the basic black bra that Jane wore. The sight of Jane hovering over her life that spurred her on even more. She scratched her nails lightly over the hard muscles causing the other woman's hips to twitch. Maura whimpered at the delicious pressure it caused between her legs. Jane pushed her dress up even more and Maura did not even care about the wrinkles it was sure to cause because a skilled hand began kneading her breasts through her bra and a fervent tongue was teasing the skin along her neckline.
They had never done this with such passionate abandon before. Any cautiousness or chivalry that Jane had was long gone as her touches were demanding and almost possessive. The detective's touch did not ask for permission, it took and devoured. Maura loved every second of it as her own hands grabbed forcefully at olive skin. Between her legs throbbed with more need at each passing second. Internally, she begged for Jane's hand to slip pass the thin barrier of her underwear, rolling her body upward in a silent plea. She could not stop and she did not want to.
Until Jane's phone rang from in her pocket breaking the hazy spell. Jane practically leapt away as she dug around for the trilling device. Her voice was low and husky when she finally answered, "Rizzoli."
She listened briefly, "He's there?"
Another pause, "Okay, I'll be right in. Yeah, bye."
She flipped the phone shut and looked down at Maura. The blonde suddenly became very aware of their exposed position. Her dress was around her waist, displaying her lacy white underwear and Jane's shirt hung open with her hands still inside. Jane sat up completely, withdrawing all contact from her, "I have to go."
Her fingers flew up the buttons, hiding herself from sight once again. Maura pushed her skirt back down trying to recover some modesty while Jane hurriedly tucked her shirt back in. Maura felt cold from the sudden distance between her and Jane. It was such a stark contrast to their previous circumstance.
"Of course." Maura murmured.
"Get some sleep. Okay?" Jane leaned over her, cupping her cheek to place a sweet kiss on her lips then another on her forehead.
"Okay." Maura wanted to beg Jane to stay, to at least hold her until she fell asleep. But she stayed quiet with some unknown fear creeping into her mind.
/
As Jane pulled back up to the station she still felt Maura burned into her skin. It had taken every ounce of her self-control to answer her phone and walk away from her girlfriend. When she had gotten to the doctor's house, she had not planned to practically jump Maura's bones but she had needed to feel the blonde. In the kitchen Jane was consumed by desire, clouding her judgment. She had to kiss Maura so ardently. She had to touch every available inch of skin and hear the moans that the blonde produced clashing with her own.
If Korsak had not called her she would not have been able to stop she thought as she flashed her badge to the security guard. She would still be in that bed making love to Maura, getting lost in her, forgetting about the murders and the notes. Jane was very conflicted. By being with Maura it put her directly in harms way. She could never live with herself if her doctor fell victim to this madman. She shuddered to think of a world without Maura. It created this longing in her, a longing to manifest her devotion for the blonde and have her. Yet, another part of her wanted to push her away to keep her safe. Stopping was for the best she determined pushing on down the hall into the bullpen where she found Korsak, Crowe and another younger black man all staring at a computer screen.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Jane. This is Detective Barry Frost." Korsak introduced them. "Frost. Jane Rizzoli."
"Nice to meet you." She shook his hand looking him over. He had a bit of a baby face that he seemed to compensate for with a light beard. But he was handsome and Jane intuitively liked him. "What do you have?"
"I'm almost done." He said focusing on the computer again, "I can get the image pretty clear but there is still not much of his face showing."
Jane looked at his work. Frost had done a good job of expanding and refining the image. They could see that under the hat there were bits of gray hair that probably used to be blonde sticking out. He was older most likely in his early 50's but not much else could be told. Sunglasses still wrapped hiding her eyes and the wide brim of the hat cast everything in a murky shadow.
"We will never get facial recognition off of that." Jane fought the urge to punch something.
"Sorry I couldn't be more help." Frost grimaced.
"You did great work." Jane patted his shoulder, "Thanks for helping us out so late."
"I'll do anything to help catch The Surgeon. Sick bastard."
"The Surgeon?" Jane scowled.
"Yeah, I saw it on the news. They are calling this serial killer The Surgeon because of the whole targeting doctors thing and using a scalpel."
"What?" Jane bit out.
"You didn't see it?" Frost sounded surprised. "Here."
His finger rapidly tapped on the keys and he pulled up a video on the internet. They watched as a news segment from Channel 6 started with a certain nosy blonde, "This is Claire Jensen reporting from the scene of a gruesome murder done by notorious serial killer The Surgeon who is plaguing doctors here in Boston. This is the third in his series of victims in which he uses a scalpel to sever the victims' necks-"
"Turn that shit off. I can't believe they named him. Vultures just want to make a scary story out of this and get on an international news syndicate." Jane said disgusted and Frost quickly closed the window. Claire was definitely getting her revenge. She turned on Crowe, "This is your fault."
"Whoa, I only told her about the doctors part. I didn't mention the scalpels or anything else."
Korsak stepped in, "It doesn't matter how the press got a hold of it. This is not the first time we have handled a leak."
Jane nodded curtly. They had more important matters at hand. There was a missing woman and they had less than 24 hours to find her now. She had a note from a serial killer that she still had many questions about. Why did he leave it? Why was the word willow underlined? This man would not do anything without a precise purpose, so what did it mean?
"Let's get to work people."
/
"Dr. Isles." Maura answered her cell phone. She had been sitting at her desk completing paperwork all day. She had neither seen nor heard from Jane putting her on edge. After the detective left, nerves chewed on her stomach all night making achieving sleep difficult. After their brief but heated encounter, she wanted to talk to Jane about it. She wanted to talk about taking the next step. She had been doing research and contemplating moving forward and she felt ready. The case came first however, but it left her feeling like Jane was avoiding her.
A man on the line was telling her about a dumped body, a female in her mid-thirties. Disappointment sunk as the description of Brenda Clark came over the phone. "I'll be right there."
Jane would be crushed Maura thought as she gathered her doctor's bag and called for her team to meet her on location. She felt helpless to do anything. Her autopsy had been useless and Jane had been up all night while she had tossed and turned in bed with her petty problem. Lives had been lost and still she could only think of the strange desperation of last night. For all the passion, there had been a tinge of something like fear, especially from the detective. Maura sensed it was from the case but there was something she was missing, making it impossible for her to understand.
She drove out to a hiking trail about 15 minutes outside of the city. She easily spotted Jane's car parked in a grassy field with plenty of other police cruisers. As she stepped out into the cloudy day, a patrolman led her to a gathering of people at the tree line of the meadow. Jane and Korsak were among them, looking like hell. Vince had lost his tie somewhere along the way and the bag's under his eyes said that he had not seen a bed. Jane was still wearing the outfit from her brother's graduation though it looked a lot less sharp now with the shirt rumpled and un-tucked. Jane's eyes where haunted and dark as she looked at the lifeless form of the serial killer's latest victim. Maura could not say anything to comfort them so she just wordlessly knelt next to the body putting on her gloves.
"Rigor mortis suggests time of death was only 3 hours ago. How was she found so quickly out here?"
"A man was walking his dog up here and found her." Jane said flatly. The beaten tone struck Maura. She had never seen Jane so low.
"The wound measures 10 cm." There was no response. She studied the woman's face. Her green eyes were half shut and glassy as the process of death took over. She had a smattering of freckles across her nose and her lips were parted. Maura squinted at her mouth. There was some white inside that was not consistent with teeth. She scooped her finger inside and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Jane." She got the detective's attention that seemed to look everywhere but at her and she quickly knelt down next to her to see what she had found. Maura opened the crumpled ball and read.
You know what road I am on Jane. Why haven't you stopped me?
Maura wished that it were anyone but Jane. She did not have ill wishes towards Korsak or Detective Crowe but why did it have to be her? She cared so much and it hurt her so much for this man to place all of the blame squarely on her shoulders. Jane was taking on the responsibility of each death and there was nothing Maura could do to stop it. The brunette stood abruptly, roughly pulling on her hair, "Bag this."
Maura dropped it in a bag offered to her and tried to speak to Jane but she was already walking away, "We have to go talk to the families."
"Jane, wait." Maura chased after her. She wheeled around impatiently.
"What is it Maur?"
"Are…" Her abrasiveness suddenly made her feel very timid, "Are you coming over later?"
"We'll see." Jane said elusively then stalked off with her partner. Maura faltered. She had never been on the receiving end of a prickly Jane Rizzoli and she did not like it one bit. She went back to finish up with the body, feeling even more unsettled.
/
"Jane?" Maura opened her door to find her girlfriend standing there though instead of feeling relief, she felt anxious. From her behavior at the crime scene, the doctor thought that she would need some space. Her sudden appearance on her doorstep did not feel right. Jane had changed into a simple t-shirt and a worn pair of jeans and showered since she had last seen her, though it had not done much good. The taller woman was still walking around like a ghost. "Why did you ring the bell?"
Maura gestured her to come inside but Jane stayed put, though restlessly shifted her weight around, "I won't be long."
"You won't be long?" Maura questioned the odd phrase. "Jane?"
"I just need to get this over with. Then I will be gone."
"Get what over with?" Maura searched for Jane's brown eyes but they were firmly planted to the ground.
"Maura, I don't think we are working out."
The sentence slammed into Maura's chest like a freight train. This had to be misunderstanding, "What's not working out?"
Jane sighed, "We aren't working. I think we should break things off now when feelings will be less hurt."
Maura did not know what she was talking about. If she could hurt more than this then she might pass out. Her vision was already tunneling and everything felt so distant.
"Why? What did I do?" Maura could feel tears beginning to fall on their own accord as she wracked her brain for something that she had done to upset her girlfriend though nothing came to mind. She had barely seen her with the reappearance of The Surgeon, as they were calling him on the news. Perhaps, she had done something offensive at family dinner.
"You didn't do anything." Jane shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets. "I just think we are too different, you know?"
"No, I don't know!" Maura heard her voice rising. "We have been fine, better than that. Don't feed me that line."
"It's not a line." Jane began to get mean. "You are a spoiled little rich girl and I am a plumber's kid. We are worlds apart."
"Pardon me? Spoilt? Jane, our differing backgrounds were never an issue before." Maura challenged.
"Well now it is." Jane glared.
"I don't believe you." Maura angrily wiped her tears. "Please, tell me what this is really about?"
"Maura just leave it." Jane ground out. "It's over."
"No, not until you give me a legitimate reason." Maura demanded.
"Please just drop it. We didn't work. Lots of couples just don't work."
"No, that's not us Jane. We always worked from the beginning. You can't tell me you don't feel anything for me. You just can't-"
"It's because you're not worth it." Jane snapped harshly. Maura felt as though she had been slapped across the face. Everything came crashing down around her as her worst fears were being brought to life. Jane really did not want her anymore and was rejecting her. She was damaged goods and the one person she had grown to rely on could not handle that anymore. Maura had let her in completely and trusted her wholly and now she was falling and no one would be there to stop her from tumbling face first into the dirt.
"I see." Maura said stiffly. She could not really blame Jane. Maura knew that she was difficult to deal with at times with her tendency to be overly literal or the way she came across as a know-it-all. The doctor had never imagined though that Jane had been like the rest of them, unable to cope with her quirks.
"I'm sorry." Jane did seem apologetic and pained as she tried to hold her hand. The detective was still a good person who had not meant to devastate her so very much. It was part of the reason she had adored Jane, still adored her. But she was not hers anymore. She could not take comfort in those hands when they did not want to hold her like they used to.
"Don't touch me." Maura spat and jerked away. "I don't need your pity."
"Maur-"
"Just go." Her resolve was breaking. "Please."
"Alright." As Jane turned to leave, Maura quietly shut the door, unable to watch her walk away. The instant she was alone, her legs gave out and she collapsed on the hardwood. She did not feel the pain in her knees or the slight swelling they experienced. The searing sensation in her chest distracted her from the lesser injury. She could not hear the sobs that she emitted because her blood was roaring through her ears, drowning them out. Jane had left her and that was all she could grasp as she laid on the unforgiving floor and let the devastation take her under.
/
Remember when I said trust me? Let's think on that, if you decide to review.