Body Double

Magrat 70

Not mine blah blah

Rating; T language mostly.

Author's note; the part about the lesbian neighbours and Maura worried about the older guy next door comes from the book Body Double, I haven't written exact but I won't take credit for something that isn't mine. Father Brophy is briefly mentioned but unlike in the books he has no close relationship to Maura.

AN2; I don't know if the procedure for lost luggage is the same in the US as I have experienced in the UK, for some reason my poor Nana's luggage never appeared at Aberdeen airport 3 times in a year which I know is a small regional airport compared to Logan so I apologize if it is inaccurate. BTW to geek out it does have the busiest nonmilitary helicopter traffic in the world, geeky I know but as nearly everyone but 2 cousins and myself in my family has worked in the oil industry in one capacity or another it isn't surprising I know that.:-) . Yep an airport with one runway for fixed wing aircraft and three for helicopters.

AN3; There was 2 ways of doing this, an anonymous reviewer hoped I wouldn't take the cowards way. Well I have been called many things in my life and I hope this proves rarely a coward.

Thank you to my beta Traineker and sorry for the times I have forgot, any mistakes are mine and mine alone

Banquo appears.

An hour earlier Maura arrived at Logan airport, her head still thudding as she waited to clear passport control. She stood at the baggage carousel considering if she should call Jane now. She decided against it. She wanted to collect her suitcase, get in a cab and wash two aspirin down with a big glass of wine and settle into her large tub. What she wouldn't give to have the tough detective join her. Who was she kidding? No matter how many times they brushed against one another and lingering glances the brunette would always be too worried about her self-image to ever take things to another level. Maybe it was time to put a little distance between them, no matter how much it hurt. Who knows maybe absence would make Jane's heart grow fonder, she thought. Little did she know that any preconceived notion she had over their relationship had already been shattered by the detective's show of grief in front of what seemed like half of BPD and most of the forensic department.

Maura woke from revelry with a start and realized she was the only standing at the carousel and the few bags still going around were most definitely not hers. With a resigned sigh she wondered if this god awful day could get any worse. Heading for Air France's customer service desk she filled in what seemed like a million forms to report her own luggage lost.

The woman behind the desk was very kind, used to more irate customers when their baggage hadn't arrived; especially first class customers. This lady and the woman used the word in its proper sense, was polite, and almost apologetic. She noticed, she looked pale and kept pinching the bridge of her nose. "You okay honey?" She chided herself for a second for being over familiar with a customer.

The M.E had to fight back tears at the kindness shown to her by a total stranger. "I-I have had a splitting headache since I left Paris." Maura offered a wane little smile, the woman behind the desk reminded her of Angela, there was something maternal and kind in the twinkle of her dark eyes.

"I have some aspirin in my purse and a spare bottle of water..."

"I couldn't..."

"Nonsense honey, you look like you're going to fall down," the woman went into the office pulled some mineral water out of a small fridge and dug a couple of aspirin out of her bag. "There you go Dr. Isles,."

"Thank you uhm Desirée," Maura said, checking the woman's name badge. "I will be writing to the airline so they know what a gem they have working for them."

Desirée had heard this a million times, this time though she didn't doubt the sincerity in soft hazel eyes. She was in the very near future about to find out that a random act of kindness to a stranger, who unbeknown to her was the Chief Medical Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a member of one of the oldest families in Boston, was going to sky rocket her career. Playback maybe a bitch but karma can be beautiful.

The help of the aspirin and water dulled Maura's headache as she wheeled her little carry-on bag to the taxi rank. Once safely in the back of a cab, the doctor finally drifted for a short time until the cab driver, cleared his throat. "Lady there seems to be a problem; the cops have blocked your road."

She looked at the four police cruisers practically parked outside her house, her mind jumped to worry about Angela, but she was sure that Jane would have called. Little Mr. Teleshukin, her single retired neighbour had seemed very low at the moment and then there was Lily and Susan the lesbian lawyers who worked tirelessly for LGBT rights, they had had a lot of hate mail in the past and Maura gave a little prayer that they were okay.

Maura noticed that Frankie and Angela had pulled up in front of them, she handed the driver a hundred dollar bill and left a very happy man behind as she dived out the cab to find out what was going on.

"Angela, Frankie what's going on?" Maura was shocked at the way Angela kept crossing herself and Frankie wouldn't turn around, she put her hand on the young man's shoulder to get him to look at her.

" Fuck, fuck, fuck...M-maura!"

"What's happened, oh god has something happened to Jane?" The M.E felt like her heart was going to thud out of her chest.

Angela found that her body was back under her control she gripped Maura in a huge hug. "Nothing's happened to Janie, but I think she really needs to see you right now."

"What's happened?"

"Honey I don't really know, what we've been told is really wrong and you're the only one who can fix this mess." Angela gave Maura a little shove and she and Frankie followed behind as Maura moved towards the crime scene.

Maura was confused, the usual crowd of nosey bystanders that stood watching what was going on were made up of her neighbours. The fact that one of them had discovered the dead body meant the rumour that she was dead had swept the neighbourhood, the sight of the person they believed dead in the car meant the crowd parted like the Red Sea.

The young officer that was in charge of the signing in sheet to keep what had already become a chaotic crime scene in some sort of order dropped his clipboard and gaped at her. "D-dr. Isles?" His eyes went to Frankie, who nodded his head and he lifted the tape and ushered them through.

The M.E was about to berate the young man for improper procedures at a crime scene. However the sight of a bedraggled looking Jane Rizzoli on her step holding on to Susie Chang as they both sobbed uncontrollably wiped her mind clean; she really couldn't understand what was going on at the moment.

One by one the officers and crime scene techs turned to look at her, the look on their faces were unfathomable to her. She noticed that Father Brophy, the police chaplain, was there. He was only usually called if an officer had been murdered or there was a particularly distressing crime scene. Maura wanted to know, what the hell was going on.

She felt relief when she caught sight of Frost and Korsak that was until Frost sunk to his knees and Korsak turned a puce colour and for one horrible moment Maura was sure that the older detective was going to have a heart attack.

There was only one thing for it decided Maura, she needed to know what was wrong with Jane. She approached Jane and Susie with trepidation. "Jane what's wrong?" She watched in horror as Jane scrambled away from her, looking at the doctor like she was toxic.

"What the fucks going on, do I love her so much I am hallucinating? Jesus Christ I don't think I can take this. I can't take this."

"Jane please, I don't understand... "

Jane covered her ears and backed further away from the apparition that was following her, the detective was sure she was losing her mind. "Stop following me! I know I should have treated you better when you were alive. Please, I don't think I will be able to live without you as it. I wish I told you how much I loved you while you were alive... is that enough to stop you haunting me."

The bewildered doctor wondered if there was some mass hysteria going on or that Jane was having some kind of psychotic break, but that wouldn't explain everyone else's behaviour. "Jane I'm alive, why would you think..."

"You're dead, your body is in that car and some bastard blew your brains out. Move on or whatever it is you need to do, just please don't haunt me. I wish with everything I have that you were still alive and with me."

"Touch me," the doctor demanded. "I'm right here in front of you."

Jane tentatively reached forward and yelped when instead of moving through the vision that was in front of her she touched flesh and bone. "M-maura?"

"Yes it's me..." Maura felt like the world had spun off its axis. The woman that she loved, that she had craved for, for so long grabbed her and kissed her with a crushing passion.

Jane pulled back from the kiss, keeping one arm firmly around the M.E's waist; she stroked her thumb over the woman's beautiful cheek bones, still finding it hard to believe she was really there. The detective then pushed two fingers against her neck, reveling in the firm pulse. God she was real, either that or she had died too and for all her sins had been paired with her soul mate for eternity. Either way, she couldn't give a fuck and there was no way she was letting go. "I love you Maura... I was going to tell you tonight and then... then I thought I had lost you forever. I promise you I will do my best never to take you for granted again. I am so in love with you, I can honestly say that to lose you would tear me apart. Not many people get the wakeup call I just got, I'm never letting you go again. I'll probably fuck up at some point, I'm not perfect... oh god I need you so fucking much."

Maura's whole body was trembling as she was pulled into another searing kiss. She wondered if she was still asleep in the back of the cab on her way home and dreaming that Jane had not only kissed with more heat and passion than anyone had in her entire life. That really would have been enough to fulfill at least one of Maura's fantasies about the gorgeous, sexy detective but to hear her profess her love in front of everyone, it took things to level that Maura thought she would never have. She moaned into the kiss her body burning with a need that had just been ignited.

Korsak cleared his throat and the two woman jumped realizing they were putting on a show for half the neighbourhood and a number of BPD officers. "Sorry to but in Jane but I need to do something."

To Maura's surprise he enveloped her in gentle hug and kissed her softly on the forehead. His action set a ripple as Frost, Susie and Frankie all hugged and kissed the M.E. while Jane held on to her hand like it was anchoring her reality.

A peeved voice from behind them broke the moment. "I was informed that I was coming out to the murder of Dr. Isles, it would seem that there are no bounds to the incompetence of this homicide department. Is there even a dead body as Dr. Isles seems very well for a corpse," there was no hiding the disappointment in Dr. Pike's voice who unlike the rest of his colleagues who were hit hard by the apparent senseless murder of Maura, on the drive from his home he had imagined himself in her office permanently.

It was a shock to see the first person to react was Susie. She grabbed hold of him and dragged him to the car. "Oh," was all he could get out at first before taking his temper out on the person who seemed to be the easiest target; Susie Chang. "Unhand me young lady I will see you are suspended for dragging me around like this."

"No you will not, in fact I will be looking at suspending you Dr. Pike," Maura had had just about enough of the incompetent doctor. "I do not expect one of my M.E's to arrive at a crime scene and be so rude to the lead detective. Go home Dr. Pike."

"But..."

"And you will, in future call Senior Criminologist Chang by her proper title. Now go home and I will take over this crime scene."

Dr. Pike looked ready to argue, but thought better of it; although she rarely threw her weight around Dr. Isles was the Chief. A malicious thought was at the back of his mind, let her have a shock when she has to look at the body, she will be begging me to do the autopsy and with that satisfying thought, he flounced off home without a word.

"Maura, you might not want to do this," Jane said quietly into her ear.

"I have to see why everyone is so upset," stealing herself for a moment she walked toward the car. When she saw the body her mind reeled for second, not really taking in that she was looking at her own face. She turned back look at Jane for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend tears started to stream down her face.

Jane pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her hand through the blonde's hair.

Maura looked up into Jane's soft brown eyes and if hit by sudden remembered thought. "Jane, I love you too."

TBC