Universe 201

"Jane…. Go away." Jane froze, in the middle of throwing something in the air and catching it, sprawled out over the couch that was in her office.

"Oh, now you don't want me here," Jane retaliated. "Fine. I'll go." She faded out before Maura's eyes, her face the last thing to leave, starring at the spot that the lanky detective had just occupied. She rubbed her eyes sighing heavily; the fatigue after Jane's death only leaving her reluctantly. She looked down at her swelling hand. I need to get ice on that. On impulse Maura went home early instead of staying in late, a first since the event that changed her life for the worse.

Four days after Jane's death:

Maura tied up her running shoes and slipped out the door; needing to stretch her aching muscles.

"Hey, wait up!" Someone shouted from behind her as she started to run through the park she always ran in. Her step faltered as Jane jogged up to her panting. She passed Maura looking back at her.

"You alright? Not out of shape are we?" She laughed at her own joke running circles around Maura's frozen form. "Come on Maur! I want to get a jog in." Maura wearily glanced at the people passing her before skipping back to a run again. She avoided looking at Jane, her eyes focused ahead of her. "What you're not talking to me now?" Maura looked at her, silent. "Fine if you're not talking then I'm not talking."

This was the first time Jane had come to her after her visit in the kitchen. Maura couldn't help herself as her eyes moved over to the dead woman next to her. Black curly hair bounced from the ponytail, arms swung low at her sides, calves jiggling slightly as each foot striked the ground. Jane noticed her and let out a huff,

"Maura, you're staring." She averted her gaze, dodging a person walking in front of her just barely. Jane let out a hoot of laughter, pushing her shoulder. "Close one!"

"Jane, go away." Maura said in a hushed whisper when no one was around them.

"I thought you weren't talking to me." Jane smirked.

"I'm not talking to you because you don't exist."

"Ouch! Maur that hurt." Jane clutched her heart feigning hurt. "How could you say such a thing?" Maura didn't answer she just kept on running. "You know…," Jane rasped out getting closer to her. "I always did like you without any make up on." Maura stopped dead in her tracks bending over, gasping. She felt like she couldn't breathe, the pain was stabbing her chest. The memory of Jane saying the same thing to her after the first time Jane had spent the night stabbed through her mind. Tear's leaked out of her eyes against her will. She felt a gentle hand lay on her back.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled pulling away. The person she had almost collided into gave her a worried glance, holding their hands up in surrender.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok, you looked like you were having trouble breathing." Maura wiped at the tears furiously. She disregarded the path and bolted across the grass, cutting faster to her house. She felt the eyes of the stranger following as she sprinted back home.

Present time:

Maura unlocked the door to her house, her nose picking up on the smell of cooking. She hesitated in the entrance way, the door still open. She spotted Angela in the kitchen cutting up something, narrowing her eyes Maura let the door close behind her, her presence now known to the older woman.

"Maura," Angela said with a soft smile. Dark circles were under her eyes, hair only partly brushed, more lines sat on her face, her grief still strong. Maura stepped into the living room, laying her bag and coat on the couch before turning towards Jane's mother.

"Angela, how nice it is to see you." Formal, to formal; Maura cleared her throat. "What can I do for you?" Angela's eyes scanned Maura, her shoulders back; head held high the only thing out of place was the swollen knuckles on her right hand.

"I just thought a home cooked meal would do both of us good." Angela smiled, dumping something into the pot that sat on top of the stove. Maura considered kicking her out, but quickly pushed that thought away.

"Here, let me help you." Maura stepped closer into the kitchen but Angela gave her a stern glare.

"No, you sit down. Cooking helps me…" The older woman shook her head, trying to forget what she was going to say. "Sit down and I'll get you some ice for your hand." Maura slowly sat down not really knowing what to say. A few minutes later Angela was tenderly laying a bag of ice across Maura's swollen knuckles.

"What happened honey?"

A week before Jane's death:

"Maura!" Jane yelled as she walked into her girlfriend's house. "We finally caught that ba- oh my gosh! Maura, are you OK?!" Jane rushed to the blonde woman who was on the ground holding her hand, bits of broken glass everywhere. Jane kneeled down next to her. Maura hissed as she uncovered her hand and blood slowly oozed out of a cut there. "What happened honey?"

"I was going to put those flowers you got me into a vase, I forgot to yesterday because I was in bed all day. I accidently dropped it. And well…" Maura had been out for a whole week now, a cold attacking her. A dust pan with bits of glass was sitting next to them, along with a red chunk, the culprit that had cut her. Jane helped Maura stand up, careful to not step in any of it. After Jane had picked everything up she found Maura in the bath room, putting a Band-Aid on the wound.

"It's not as bad as it looked." Maura said as Jane wrapped her arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her head.

"Good."

Present time:

"I hit the new detective." Angela's eyebrows shot up and she let out a laugh, picturing a put together sophisticated Maura Isles punching someone.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, stirring the food in the pot.

"He said, 'Just because your girlfriend just died doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me.'" Angela almost dropped the spoon she was holding. She spun to face Maura.

"He said that?!" The blondes face was impossible cold, not showing any emotion. "Yes Angela." Angela's hand went to her throat, starting to choke up. Maura noticed this.

"Please, Angela, don't cry." She slid her hand across the counter top, grasping onto the older Rizzoli. Angela took a few deep breaths before turning back to the food. They ate in silence mostly, Maura saying how good the food ways and Angela asking how work was, staying on safe topics. Around nine, after cleaning up, Angela said that she was going to bed and wished Maura a good night. The blonde sighed deeply as she heard the back door close. She climbed the stairs, her feet heavy.

Stepping under the bright light from her bathroom, Maura slowly started to take her make-up off. With each swipe of the cleaning cloth, the Queen of the Dead left, leaving behind the Maura Isles she used to be.

The Maura Isles that Jane knew.

She pulled her hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall around her face. Without the make-up on Maura looked tired; her face slack and pale, not holding the usual red in her cheeks, her eyes dull. After brushing her teeth she slipped into her pajamas and climbed under the blanket. Clutching her pillow, she looked out over Jane's side of the bed, untouched. Sitting on the bed side table on the Detective side was the book she was in the middle off. Maura could make out the tattered book mark Jane had always used, an old photo of them taken a month after they had met. Jane would never admit it to anyone but she always had a book going, reading at least for five minutes before falling asleep. She had told Maura once that a book helped her coupe with all the horrible people that were in the world.

A day before Jane's death:

"Really Maur! You have to read this, it's so fucking good!" Maura poked her head outside of the closet saying a stern,

"Language Jane."

"See! It's just that good; it's makes me forget all of your rules!" Jane gave Maura a smirk as she kept her eyes glued to the page, twirling a dark curl in her fingers. Maura walked out, running a hand through her hair.

"What's it about?" Then she caught a look at the cover. "Jane you're reading that again?" The detective glanced at her as she pulled the blanket down, throwing one of the spare pillows onto the ground, a habit she picked up from Jane.

"Yes, you have a problem with that?"

"No I don't. But why can't you read something else?"

"I will, but only when you have read this." Jane kissed Maura on the lips as she tucked herself in.

Present time:

The book was old, the cover and pages tanned with age. Maura couldn't count how many times Jane had read it. She sat up and looked at it again. Quickly she leaned over and grabbed it, trying not to disturb Jane's side of the bed.

Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart, was barley eligible on the worn cover. Maura brought the book to her nose smelling it. She could smell the book but there, underneath the smell of musk was Jane. Maura opened it to the spot Jane was in and pulled out the photo.

Nine years and four days before Jane's death:

Maura looked down at herself, smoothing her hands over her skirt, making sure she looked presentable. With a deep breath she pushed open the bar door and walked into the Dirty Robber. People were everywhere, talking, drinking, and laughing among themselves. A banner spanned across the top of the bar read: Happy Birthday Frankie! Maura scanned the room, an arm waving caught her attention.

"Maura! Over here!" Detective Jane Rizzoli yelled over the roar of the crowd. She was sitting in a booth, a red head walking away from it. She made her way through the crowd, taking a seat opposite of Jane who smiled at her; offering the other beer that was on the table.

"I'm glad you could make it, I hate going to party's by myself." Maura politely refused the beer.

"I'm glad you invited me. It get's rather lonely down in the morgue." Maura deadpanned. Jane laughed sipping her beer.

"What's your poison then if you don't drink beer?" Jane swung her long legs out standing up. Maura told her and watched the lanky brunette strut to the bar, dominating the room with her presence. Was it just a month ago she had met Jane dressed in a hideous leather skirt and fir jacket? She watched Jane as she slapped a young looking man on the back smiling at his shy grin. After a few minutes Jane came back setting the wine glass in front of her. Maura said a soft 'Thank you.' Jane merely smiled at her.

"How is the BPD welcoming their newest Medical Examiner?"

"Everyone is very nice to me." Jane raised an eyebrow.

"You're hiding something." Maura gapped at her.

"No I am not! I can't lie." Jane nearly spit out her beer.

"What do you mean you can't lie?!" She laughed at Maura's serious face.

"I have a neurocardiogenic syncope episode and get chronic urticaria, if I do." Jane stared at her, beer half raised, a silence stretched out between them.

"…..What?" she asked, finally breaking it.

"I faint and get hives." A low chuckle escaped Jane's lips that then turned into a full laugh. She was cracking up, taking a gulp of her beer. The noise of the room seemed to fade out the only sound was Jane's laughter. It wasn't mocking, it was…playful, relaxed even. Maura shrugged her shoulders smiling.

"So what you're telling me is," she leaned in, Maura mirroring her. "You never told a guy he was good when he wasn't?" Before Maura could answer there came a flash of light off to their right and an angry,

"MA!" echoed throughout the room.

Present time:

Maura looked at the picture. Jane leaning in close, hand's out smirk on her face, Maura leaning in to hear her, hand on her wine glass eyebrow raised. She flipped it over and Angela's scrawl stared back at her.

August 23rd, 2002, The Dirty Robber. Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles.

Maura quickly turned the photo back over. Turning her attention back to the book, she slipped the picture back into the dog eared page. She tapped her finger on the cover for a few seconds thinking. Quickly she opened to the first page and started reading.

An hour in, she threw the book across the room letting out a scream of anger. She grabbed her pillow, sobbing into it. Jane had written a note on the page,

I knew you would read it.

Maura yelled again, her sobs shaking her whole body. The blankets were tangled in her legs and her pillow was getting soaked with her tears. Maura gasped for breath as another half hearted yell escaped her throat.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Twenty minutes went by.

Maura stopped wiping her face long ago, knowing it wouldn't work to stop the tears. She sat up sniffling, water falling off her chin and onto her lap. Maura saw the book lying on the floor; it was flipped to where the spine was broken from use, the picture of them falling out.

Slowly Maura got out and grabbed it, flipping to the page she was on; Jane's neat handwriting filled the edge of the page. She brushed her fingers over it wondering when Jane had written it, knowing Maura all too well, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the blonde would pick up the novel and read it. Maura sank to the floor, book grasped into her hand.

At four in the morning Maura finished the book; her tears hindering her from reading any faster. She let the novel fall to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest she wrapper her arms around them, resting her forehead there. Jane was right that was an amazing book, but the notes she had written along the pages, showing her thoughts towards specific things made it that much better. The book was a part of Jane's soul; it brought Maura that much closer to the love of her life.

That's when she finally spotted it. The corner of a white box peaked out from underneath the bed. She grabbed it and gave it a tug, not recognizing the simple thing. Hesitantly she flipped the lid off revealing what was in it. Letters she had written Jane so many years ago.

Six years and twenty-seven days before Jane's death:

"Are you sure you don't want me to come Maur?" Jane asked lingering next to the taxi cab Maura was about to get into.

"No Jane… This… This is something I need to take care of." Jane hugged her best friend again.

"I'm going to miss you." Maura hugged Jane back as the taxi driver slammed the trunk closed.

"I'll miss you too Jane. But I'll write." The brunette knitted her eyebrows together. "There's no cell phone service where my father lived."

"Oh… Right. Well, I would say call me when you land but…" Maura smiled.

"I'll call you before I leave America. I promise." Jane had watched Maura's taxi speed off, taking the blonde to organize her father's funeral. Maura was true to her word and called Jane before she left.

The Detective was sitting at her desk when the mail boy had dropped an envelope nest to her arm. She ripped it open and read it right there and then when she realized it was from Maura. She wrote her a reply instantly. Maura was gone for three months. Her Father's illness kept him from doing things he needed to get done, his estate in a bigger mess than she had anticipated. But no matter what she was doing she would sit down and write Jane back as she got the letter from her.

Present time:

Maura rifled through them all, Jane had kept each one. She couldn't help it, she read each one, reminding herself of a past time when things seemed to be so much easier, yes losing her Father was hard; but it couldn't prepare her for what she felt like now. She leaned against the bed and starred down at the white box, curling up on herself. Somewhere off in the far distance Maura heard the beeping of her alarm clock, telling her it was time to get up and put on her mask again.

I high recommend the book and movie Beaches. They are very good.

Thank you everyone who read's and to everyone who read's and reviews. and to everyone who simply glances and then goes back to what they are doing.

I truly hope you guys liked this chapter.

Please take care! - FTP