Hello dear readers. I am so glad that you are still interested in my story even if popular opinion has christened me evil ;)
For this chapter, I would like to preface it with the reminder that I am not the best crime writer and have probably fudged some facts on procedures and such. But it's fiction right? Ha, ha. So without further ado…
Breathe Baby
/
Jane groaned as she heard her phone blaring from her nightstand. It would figure that as soon as she got into bed she would get a call. All she wanted was to drift off and forget about her argument with Korsak, the look on Maura's face when she found her and Claire, and the murdered victims who swam in her mind. She wanted to forget all of it. Unfortunately that would have to wait as she rolled over, twisting herself in the covers to grab the ringing device. She answered tartly.
"Rizzoli."
"Jane." The detective shot up. She could tell it was Maura but it hardly sounded like the cool doctor that she knew. Her voice was raw and panicked. Harsh panting came over the line as Maura struggled to breath.
"Maura? What is it? What's happened?" Jane was already up and pulling jeans over her briefs, sticking her bare feet into her boots.
"Someone was h- here." Maura gasped, "In th- the house."
Jane's heart nearly stopped as she grabbed her gun, "You have to get out of there, Maura. Now."
"C- can't move. Can't br- breath." Her breaths were coming as short intakes.
"Damn it." Jane swore as she grabbed her jacket and keys, nearly tripping on her untied shoelaces. Maura was having an anxiety attack. "It's okay. Stay there. I'm coming over."
Jane was out the door and sprinting down the stairs to her car. Her legs could not move fast enough. They seemed to keep in time with Maura's erratic breathing, She jumped into her car and the engine roared to life as she turned the key a little too roughly. "Take deep breaths baby. Stay with me Maur."
"I can't-" The brunette heard the phone clatter on the other end as it fell to the floor.
"Maura! Maura!" Jane yelled as she recklessly sped through a red light. The only response she got was hysterical crying. She trapped her phone in between her ear and shoulder and got on the police radio in her car.
"Dispatch, this is Detective Rizzoli, Victor-8-2-5, requesting backup at 28 West Grayson in Beacon Hill. I have a possible breaking and entering. Do you copy?"
"Yes Detective. What's your location?" A woman's voice came over the static.
"I'm en route heading North on Sunbury. ETA less than 10 minutes."
"Copy, a unit will be on its way."
Jane redirected her attention back to her phone, "Maura?"
She tried calling out to the doctor again but all she heard was Maura gulping for air. Jane focused on the fact that she could still hear the blonde, "Just hang on. Breathe for me baby. I'm almost there."
She pushed down the accelerated more. She swerved around a slow blue truck and nearly hit another car when she did not check her blind spot. The detective was not fazed by the screaming car horn as she made a hard left into Maura's neighborhood. Jane traveled the streets she knew by heart until she came to a screeching halt in her driveway. Dropping her phone and leaping out of the car, she drew her firearm not knowing what exactly waited for her inside. She barged into the home without thinking; Maura had not locked the front door again. Jane looked around frantically, "Maura?"
"Jane." The detective could just make out the sound of Maura's strained voice over the loud music resounding through the rooms. Jane had heard it plenty of times before while she was pestering Maura in the kitchen while she prepared their meal. She loved hear the blonde sing along in French, her voice more wispy than the woman who crooned out of the speakers. Jane secretly liked Maura's softer rendition better, especially now as the despair with which she sang mirrored Jane's own feeling heightening her anxiety. Still leading with her gun, she rushed into the back of the house, sloppily clearing each room as she went. Initially she did not see Maura in the kitchen until she noticed two nearly white hands gripping onto the island. She eased herself around the corner as Maura came into full view. The phone was discard next to her and behind her, near the patio door, was a shattered wine glass sitting in a pool of red wine. Her head was hanging with blonde hair obscuring her face and her hands grasped the countertop as she sat slouched on her knees. Her body was quaking as it became slowly deprived of oxygen. Quickly, she turned the volume on the stereo down to zero.
"Maura, it's alright." Jane set aside her weapon and knelt next to the hyperventilating woman and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Maura flinched away, shifting her weight so that she sat on her butt, trying to scoot away from the brunette. Jane's inside wrenched as she saw the fear on Maura's face. Tears had stopped coming but her eyes were still wide and blood-shot with moisture still gathered on her cheeks as evidence of her distress.
"Don't." She rasped. As Jane tried to move forward, the doctor would simply inch farther away. The detective did not give up as she caught Maura by the ankle and carefully began to reel her in.
"Let me help you. You need to breath." The taller woman managed to out maneuver Maura and slipped in behind her. Jane pulled her struggling, shaking form to her, molding her front around Maura's back. Her long legs fell along side the smaller woman's as she sat on the floor and leaned against the cabinets under the sink. For a moment, Jane grappled with delicate hands that were trying to pry her off as Maura whimpered in protest. Jane won control and brought them to rest on the blonde's heaving chest and hugged her tightly, "Sh, relax. We don't want you to go vase-gaggle on us."
Maura let out a short laugh in between shallow wheezing, "Vaso- vagal."
"That's what I said." Jane said with an unseen smirk. "Just listen to my voice and focus on taking deep breaths."
Maura had given up her fight and pressed back into Jane, following her instructions.
"That's it." Jane encouraged her. She extracted one of her hands from where hers and Maura's were hopelessly tangled and swept blonde hair off her neck. She blew lightly on the flush skin that she found there. "Inhale. Exhale. You're okay sweetheart."
Unconsciously, Jane dropped her nose to nuzzle the nape of Maura' neck, her lips brushing against the back of her shoulder. She inhaled Maura's intoxicating scent to help calm her rapidly beating heart as well. The detective forgot her original purpose and just held the doctor who was beginning to calm down as she settled more firmly against Jane's lanky frame. The brunette was so wrapped up in feeling the other woman once again, she hardly noticed Maura's breathing returning to normal and she stopped shaking while Jane continue to mumble soothing nonsense to her.
Jane was startled when Maura jerked away suddenly. She blinked in a daze when she was suddenly looking at the back of her legs as she stood at the island, "What are you doing Jane?"
The detective remembered herself shooting up off the floor. She cleared her throat, ignoring the larger question, "You called about someone being here."
"He was." Maura pointed to billowing curtains, "Look at the door."
Jane walked over, careful to avoid broken glass, and drew back the drapes to look at the sliding door. What she saw hit her square in the chest, "Shit."
It was cracked open letting the brisk night air flow into the house and the pleasant view to Maura's modest backyard was obscured by gruesome writing, done in dripping red, like a child had been finger painting. Jane was not sure what chilled her bones more, the cold breeze or the message.
Lovely home Dr Isles.
Tell Jane it will not help.
The detective noticed a branch, which had been hidden behind the curtain, was deliberately placed in the entrance, the bare limbs twisted and curled distinctly. Jane did not know much about horticulture but it did not take much for her to be able to guess what tree it came from. The Surgeon had been here invading Maura's space. The doctor could have just as well been in the house, asleep and prone to his vile mind and sharp scalpel. Jane felt sick as she thought of Maura lying in her bed with the tall, dark form looming over her.
"No," Jane muttered quietly, "We are not a couple. This isn't how it works."
"What?" Maura recaptured her attention.
Jane raked her hand through her hair, "When did you find this?"
"Right before I called you. What does he mean it will not help?"
Jane disregarded her inquiry, "Is this branch from in your house?"
It was long shot but Maura had a lot of eccentric decorations, perhaps it had fallen from somewhere with the wind propelling through the residence. Maura looked perplexed, "What branch?"
She joined Jane on the other side of the room and looked to where Jane indicated, "A willow branch? No. I must have missed it because of the… Some Native American cultures put them at the end of their beds to promote fertility. Why would he leave it here?"
"I don't know." She lied.
"Jane, what does he mean by it won't help?" Maura demanded again. "You aren't telling me something."
The detective resorted to anger to deflect as she snapped, "How should I know? And how many times have I told you to lock your doors Maura?"
The blonde's surprise only lasted a second as her brow dropped down into a scowl that would rival Jane's any day, "Well, that is not your concern anymore Detective."
"It is when I get phone calls at 11 o'clock!"
"I'm sorry it was a mistake to call you. I didn't mean to bother you."
Jane grimaced, "That is not what I meant. This is my case."
Maura looked up at her pleading, "Tell me what this is about. I have a right to know."
"BPD!" A man's voice echoed back to them accompanied with knocking, interrupting anything Jane was going to say. Seizing the opportunity, she escaped the sad hazel eyes that nearly broke her down. She made a beeline to grab her gun and tuck in into the back of her pants, her holster having been forgotten at home. She went to greet the men who had arrived on scene.
"Detective Jane Rizzoli." She introduced herself to the two officers who had their service weapons at the ready. One was younger with curly dark hair and a charming five o'clock shadow that made him look rugged. The other was more seasoned, his hair cropped short in a buzz cut and a Navy tattoo peaked out from underneath his sleeve. They stood down when they realized the location was secure, "What the fuck took you so long?"
"It was the shift change. We got here as soon as we could."
"Well, you make a sweep of the entire house and grounds. Be thorough like it was your own mother's house." She ordered to the younger man who jumped to action at her brusqueness.
"And you go take a statement from Dr. Isles." Jane told the older man, "I have to call a crime scene unit."
"Yes Detective." He said more begrudgingly than his eager partner as he walked back to the blonde who was hovering at the end of the hallway. Jane could not bear to look at Maura's pained face as she rushed out of the dwelling she had come to love. Outside she pulled the refreshing air greedily into her lungs until it stung. Still her thoughts would not rest as she head swam with confusion. She had left to protect Maura yet it had not dissuaded the serial killer from the medical examiner, who was not only alone now but scared too. Jane had never seen Maura so upset as she had when she was falling apart on the floor, like the broken glass, her emotions pouring out like the red wine that trickled along the surface of Maura's fancy tiles.
Jane pushed forward to her car to retrieve her cell phone that had been abandoned on her front seat. She hit speed dial and waited impatiently for the person to pick up.
"Korsak."
"Vince, I need you to come to Maura's house."
"Maura's? What happened? The Doc okay?" Her partner sounded alarmed.
"She is fine. I'll explain when you get here." Jane kept herself brief to keep her emotions in check.
"I need the address." Jane directed him and he hung up with a quick promise to be there soon. The detective dialed a new number in her phone and had a short conversation with CSU so they could come and properly gather evidence. With nothing else to do but wait, Jane leaned heavily on her car feeling drained. Her eyes slid shut as if trying to block out the truth that weighed her down. How could she shield Maura now from this maniac? Clearly, he had more insight to her than she had imagined. He knew that she was just trying to distance herself to keep her safe. Maura's question rang in her head, 'what does he mean it will not help?'
Jane heard a car pulling over to the side of the road and coming to a stop. She straightened herself up and saw Korsak getting out of his red Volvo still wearing his rumpled brown suit from earlier in the day. He had probably gone home and fallen asleep on his couch while watching Double Jeopardy with his pile of cats. He was panting as he approached her, "What's going on Janie?"
"The Surgeon broke into Maura's place." Jane explained grimly.
"Shit, did he hurt her?"
"She wasn't home. But he left a message."
"What did it say?"
"Lovely home Dr. Isles. Tell Jane it will not help." She recited difficultly.
"Shit." Korsak cursed again.
"I know." Jane sighed, biting the inside of her cheek.
"Is Dr. Isles real shook up?"
"She was hyperventilating when I got here. She is with an officer now but will you go check on her?"
He nodded but remained standing in front of her, "Jane, don't you think you should-"
"Korsak, I don't need an 'I told you so' right now. I need… more time to think. Can you just go make sure she is all right? I have to wait for CSU."
"Okay." Her partner shuffled away to leave her in the disconcerting night.
/
Maura was sitting numbly on her couch when Detective Korsak came bolting into the living room. The officer who took her statement had joined his partner in checking the perimeter as he had said, leaving her alone and very aware of the silence that threatened to suffocate her. She was glad when the older gentleman joined her.
"You okay Doc?"
"Hello Vince." Maura said not knowing how to answer his question without going into hysterics once again. "Please sit."
The older man sat tentatively next to her as if afraid to sit on her pristine couch for fear of ruining it with his grungy attire. Sitting as much on the edge as he could, he lowered himself next to her. "What happened?"
"I came home to that." Maura gestured through to the kitchen for Korsak to look at the crude words scrawled onto the glass.
"Jesus, is that blood?"
"Color and consistency could imply that yes it is blood but the lab would need to confirm such assumptions."
"What do you need Doc?" Maura looked into his twinkling blue eyes. He was such a kind man.
"I just need a friend to hold my hand." She offered him a sad smile as he picked up her hand into his larger, weathered one.
"Of course." They sat quietly together not even moving when Jane came traipsing through with some technicians and barking orders at everyone while the dusted for fingerprints and snapped photos of everything in great detail. Jane did a very good job of avoiding her she noticed while Korsak squeezed her hand supportively every so often. The female detective was being very confusing. She had rushed to her aid when she had called, coming in with frazzled hair and still wearing a nightshirt with her shoelaces dragging on the ground. The way that Jane had immediately scooped her up into those wiry arms and helped her breath suggested more feelings than just a dedicated detective.
Maura still felt where Jane's lips had caressed her shoulder and she could still hear her sweet words being whispered in her ear. It had been such a relief to be close to Jane again. They had not been separated for that long but it had felt like years since she had been under the comforting influence of the taller woman. Her body craved the warmth and stillness she found with Jane. It was like she belonged there the entire time. She had easily fallen into Jane's embrace but it took all she had to wrench herself away and demand answers that she had never gotten.
"Is this your first crime scene? Jesus Christ!" Maura listened to Jane hurling insults at people while they collected evidence. Eventually people began to file out until it was just herself, Jane and Korsak. The agitated detective loitered behind the couch while she finally addressed Maura again, "We should get you to a hotel for the night."
Maura turned and looking frankly at Jane, "I'm not going to a hotel."
"What?"
Maura faced forward again and leaned down to peer under the coffee table where Bass was still hiding from the previous commotion. She stroked his wood-like shell, "I'm not being chased out of my home."
"Like hell you aren't." Jane growled. The doctor almost listened to her. Of course she was afraid. She was petrified of the Surgeon coming back but the man thrived off of control. She would not let herself be driven out. She would not give him the satisfaction.
Maura stood; pulling her hand out of Korsak's to place it on her hip defiantly, "You are not the boss of me Jane Rizzoli Has the perimeter been cleared?"
"Yes but-"
"Then I will be sleeping in my own bed tonight."
"It's not safe." Jane tried to glare her into submission.
"It's not any safer at a hotel than it is here." Maura challenged, "Look at the Clarks."
"But-"
"I'm staying here." Maura would not back down. They stared hard at each other with Vince shifting uncomfortably.
"Korsak tell her." Jane attempted for an ally.
"Oh no, I'm not getting in the middle of this."
The brunette huffed in frustration. "Fine but you will have a patrol unit out front."
She turned on her heel and stormed over to the patio door. Jane pulled it shut harshly and pointedly latched the lock. The brunette trampled back across the room. Maura could only catch some of the words that she grumbled under her breath, "…Stubborn… no good… death wish."
"Night." Jane bid her tersely as she disappeared. The last she heard of her was the front door slamming shut.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Vince asked. "I can sleep on the couch. I sleep on mine all the time."
"That is alright. I'll be fine. I just want to go to bed."
"Alright. Well, I'll see you tomorrow Doc."
"Thank you Vince. Good night." Maura saw him out and was sure to secure the lock. Even more exhausted, she trudged upstairs to get ready for bed. Forgoing her normal routine as peeled her dress off and let it fall to the carpet, not able to bring herself to care if it wrinkled or not. She replaced it with a flimsy cream nightgown then went to her closet to dig out a sweater she had hiding in the back. It was Jane's from months ago when they had watched Singing in the Rain and she had fallen asleep at her apartment for the first time. Maura had worn it home without a second thought and had never returned it. Now she was glad she had not as she draped it around her back like Jane had wrapped herself around Maura on her kitchen floor. Bringing a sleeve to her nose, she breathed in deeply. It still smelled of lavender.
Maura gazed out her bedroom window and saw Jane and Vince's cars still parked there. They must be the unit for the night she figured as she crawled into bed and prayed for sleep to come to stop her spiraling thoughts.
/
Maura was in her office late again though she had finished with her work long ago. She read her favorite well-loved copy of Marie Curie's memoirs under her singular desk lamp to help keep her distracted from the turmoil that had surrounded her. The lab had discovered that the red matter smeared on the glass was indeed blood but not human. It was determined to be feline in origin, most likely a stray that fell victim to the man's sinister purpose. The message was still waiting for her at home, not having time to scrub it away that morning. It lurked in the back of her mind like an unpleasant aftertaste.
The truth was she was terrified to go home and find a new note scrawled on her window or a gift that was less appealing than an ambiguous branch. The only reason she had fallen asleep was because of the thought that Jane was within screaming distance and she could pretend she was enveloped in Jane's arms, not just her sweater. Now faced with the prospect of going home alone she faltered, though there would be a real squad car placed in front waiting for her return. Earlier that day, a robust man who was balding on the top but had a large, bushy moustache came down to her office to introduce himself as Bruce, along with his partner who was built like a beanpole and had a crooked smile named Gus. They had been reassuring that they would take good care of her but she could not help to hesitate. They were not her detectives.
The doctor also had another motive for staying after hours. She wanted to make sure that Jane had left. With the events of last night Maura was more determined than ever to solve her own personal mystery that was Jane Rizzoli. Glancing at her computer screen she saw it was after ten. Flipping her book shut, she figured it was safe to pay a visit to the homicide department. Maura gathered her coat and purse before clicking off the light and walking to the elevators. She rode up to the nearly empty hallways of the main precinct. A janitor with long, scraggly hair was mopping and jamming along to loud rock n' roll music issuing from his ear buds. Maura slipped passed him unseen and into the bullpen. Flipping on the overhead light, she did not bother to start with Jane or Vince's desks. She knew that both of them would have all of their material with them, probably pouring over it late into the night.
Detective Crowe was another story though. He was there that night in the hotel room and would have his own complete copy of the file. She shuffled through the papers on the surface but it was nothing she was looking for. Moving on, she opened the drawer. She wrinkled her nose in disgust that the first thing was a stale, half eaten donut. Maura speared it with a pencil so she could toss the whole thing in the trashcan before selecting the top file, which was now smudged with glaze. She opened it to find a copy of her autopsy report on Oliver Clark. Eagerly she thumbed through the photos of the hotel room, and the disturbing pictures of the man with his neck cut open. Suddenly Maura paused on an unfamiliar picture. It was different than the others that depicted a scene. The photograph was of a close up of a crinkled piece of paper. She looked curiously at it, realizing that it was another letter from the Surgeon that she had not seen before.
Maura gasped as she took in the words. Everything clicked into place in her brain.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" The janitor interrupted he as he looked disapprovingly at her. Maura took the picture, shut the folder, and put it back in its spot.
"I was just leaving." Maura said shortly as she shoved her findings into her purse and marched out of the office with a new purpose.
/
Jane rested one leg on her coffee table and eased an ice pack onto her elevated knee. The joint hurt from yesterday when she rammed it into the pavement while tackling Slade the body builder. The freezing compress alleviated some of the pain as she relaxed into her couch. She turned on the television and surfed through the channels until she found something boring about the Galapagos Islands where the narrator was talking about finches. Jane stopped and imagined that Maura was at home on her fluffy sofa watching the same thing with much more interest.
The detective despised thinking of Maura alone in her big house. Even with the officers parked out front she was afraid for the blonde. Korsak had forced her to go back to her apartment that night, saying she would not do anyone any good if she did not get caught up on her sleep. She knew he was right but it did not stop her from planning on swinging by later to check on things herself. She knew Bruce and Gus were good guys and great cops, which was why she had asked them to take on the assignment. But when it came to Maura she did not really trust anybody besides maybe Korsak.
A sharp rapping sound disrupted her thoughts. Jane grunted in annoyance. She did not want to deal with her mother but at least it was a step up that she was knocking. The brunette tossed her ice pack into the cushions as she lifted herself up to answer the door.
"Ma, I'm not in the mood-"
"How dare you Jane?"
"Maura?" The taller woman was surprised to watch a blonde blur barge into her apartment.
"How dare you?" Maura inquired again.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Jane flailed her arms with indignation.
"I'm talking about this." Maura dug around in her handbag for a moment before she produced a piece of paper. She thrust it into Jane's hands. The detective looked at it confused before she became aghast.
"Where did you get this?"
"It doesn't matter where I got it. You thought you could hide something like this from me?" Maura was pissed with her hand balled into little fists at her sides. Before Jane could respond the blonde kept ranting, "The willow branch and the message. You lied to me! You knew exactly what it meant."
"Maura, where did you get this?" Jane tried to keep her cool.
"It doesn't matter! Is this why you broke up with me?" Maura continued to yell out of character.
"It's complicated." Jane snapped getting tired of being shouted at but having nothing to defend herself with.
"No it's rather simple. You broke up with me because I'm not worth it or because you are afraid?"
"Just wait a minute." Jane required a moment to think but Maura kept rapidly firing off.
"No. I need to know because if you left me because you are afraid that is unfair. I have a say in this too Jane. You don't get to decide what is best for me. I get a say in it too." Maura's voice cracked and tears began to slip out of her glistening hazel eyes.
"Maur…"
"No! If you left me because… because I'm not worth it that is fine. I understand. I will leave you alone. But I deserve the truth!"
Maura's sobs finally cracked the detective as she erupted, "The truth? The truth is I love you Maura! You mean everything to me. I never want to see you hurt and when you are with me that is a real possibility! I couldn't live with myself if that happened. You're in danger and it is all my fault."
Maura froze for a beat, staring a Jane after her outburst. The brunette was panting as her emotions rolled through her at full force. The doctor seemed to be going through a myriad of emotions as well until she settled on one. Jane watched her walk across the room towards her, high heels clipping sharply against the hardwood. Jane did not have time to recoil as Maura drew her hand back and firmly slapped her across cheek. Jane was more surprised by the action than the actual sting as the sound echoed in the apartment. As quickly as it happened, it was over as Maura threw herself at Jane, forcing the detective to grab her waist to keep them upright. Clinging to her shoulders, Maura crushed her lips onto Jane's in a fiery kiss.
/
Oh my goodness, can you believe it?
I sure can't.
Who is writing this crap?
Oh, wait that's me. Reviews are much appreciated!