One of my favourite parts about writing this story is considering how the storylines in the show would change with Amelia involved. The Beast in Me is one of my favourite episodes because Sasha Alexander is amazing in it so I really wanted to be able to write about it! I really hope you all will enjoy it (I have a feeling you will)!
Thank you so much to everyone for reading! -J
Author's Note: Some of the dialogue and most of the story line comes from the Episode "The Beast in Me" in season 1 of Rizzoli and Isles.
Chapter 9- The Beast in Me
If Maura knew what was going to happen that day she may have stayed home. If she knew just how drastically her life was about to change she would have kept Amelia home from school and played dolls and read books; whatever her daughter wanted. But Maura didn't do things like that; she didn't skip work or allow Amelia to stay home from school, so when her phone rang, alerting her to a body she drove her daughter to school before making her way to the address she was given, getting stuck in traffic along the way.
When she finally made it to the scene she found Frost, Korsak and Jane attempting to get a good look at a body in a car, which they weren't yet allowed to touch since they hadn't gotten a warrant.
"What do we have?" Maura asked as she approached, getting as close as she could without touching anything.
"Well we can't determine cause of death like you can, but I'm willing to guess it has something to do with the ice pick in his head," Jane replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes as yet another car honked their horn, wanting to get past the crime scene they had set up. "We may never find out though because apparently the tow truck is never coming."
"You really need to work on your patience Jane," Maura replied, still looking over the body of the young man in front of her. "I'm sure the tow truck is getting here as fast as it can. Do we have any idea who this is?"
"Not yet," Frost was the one to reply. "But looks like we're in luck. Tow truck's here," he pointed out, watching as Jane threw her hands up in an 'it's about time' gesture before immediately going to give the driver a hard time. "Think we should help him before she gets too out of hand?" He asked Maura, gesturing to Jane.
"No I think that would only make the day harder for us," Maura replied with a small smile, knowing Jane would only complain more if she wasn't allowed to take something out on their truck driver. "Let's just focus on getting this car moved so we can find out about our John Doe here."
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He had a wonderful mind. He was a thief, who stole people's identities, but he had a mind that Maura would have loved to study. The blonde was amazed by his artwork and his obvious computer knowledge and she couldn't help feeling saddened by the fact that he had used his brain for wrong and had been taken from the world so early.
"Do we have an I.D yet?" Jane asked as she let herself into the morgue, hoping Maura had found something, since their victim had gone to great lengths to protect his identity by burning off his fingerprints.
"I ran his dental records but I didn't get a hit," Maura replied, still leaning over the body. "But lucky for us he can't hide his DNA the way he hid his fingerprints. I'm waiting on the results."
"You know something about this guy just doesn't make sense," Jane told her. "I mean he was obviously making some serious cash with his identity theft business, so why was he driving such a crappy car? I mean I don't get it."
"Well there must be some reason," Maura replied. "Maybe he was…" she began, interrupted by the ringing of the morgue phone. "Dr. Isles," she picked up as Jane watched her expectantly, anxiously waiting on an answer about who their victim was. "What? No that's not possible….no I don't cross-contaminate…I…I'll call you back," she said before hanging up the phone. "That's not possible," she muttered, moving to her computer.
"What? What's wrong?" Jane asked, following the blonde, concerned by her obvious state of distress. "What is it?"
"They said there's a problem with the DNA," Maura replied, still focused on her computer screen. "They think it was contaminated, but it's not possible. I…it's not possible."
"Aw come on Maur, everyone makes mistakes," Jane replied, placing a hand on the ME's shoulder. "It's not a big deal. Just send another sample."
"No you don't understand," Maura insisted, shaking her head. "Look here. This is our victim's DNA profile," she explained, pointing to the screen. "This is mine. See these genetic markers; they're the same."
"Yeah okay," Jane nodded, not really getting where Maura was going. "And how did that happen? You must have done something screwy. It's contaminated. Just send another sample."
"No," Maura once again shook her head, much to Jane's confusion. "There are enough markers here to draw a definitive conclusion," she said. "It's a biological match."
"W-what? Maura what are you saying?" Jane gave her a look of confusion not quite understanding. "Are you saying that the guy on the table here is somehow related to you?"
"I'm saying he's my brother," Maura replied, her hands falling to her sides feeling completely shocked. "He's my brother," she repeated, looking to her table where the young man lay; every feature he shared with Maura now standing out as the truth hit her. "Oh my God."
"Maur are you…but…are you sure?" Jane asked, not missing the fact that the blonde was now abnormally pale, looking a little like she was going to be sick. "Maura?"
"I'm sure," Maura nodded robotically. "Absolutely positive."
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When Jane found Maura the honey-blonde was sitting in the park on a bench looking more lost than Jane had ever seen her look. Feeling her heart clench, Jane silently sat down beside her friend, immediately placing her arm along the bench behind her, rubbing comforting circles on Maura's shoulder.
"He was my half brother," Maura eventually spoke, though she didn't sound much like herself to Jane. "We share the same Father but not the same Mother," she paused, taking a deep breath. "It's so odd. I have a blood relative."
"I'm so sorry Maura," Jane replied, not really knowing what else to say.
"You know I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling," Maura said sadly. "More so than I wondered about my biological parents and now…I don't know anything about him; I don't know his name, all I know was that he was a thief."
"And a brilliant artist," Jane added, wanting to offer some form of comfort, understanding just how bothered Maura was.
"It's not enough," Maura shook her head. "I need to know how he ended up on my table; why he did what he did. What if I never know?" She asked, turning to Jane with wide, hazel eyes, which begged for answers.
Sighing, Jane wished she could give Maura the answers she wanted, but knew there really wasn't anything she could offer her at this point. "What do you know about your biological parents?" She asked instead, searching for answers of her own.
"Nothing," Maura shook her head. "My parents told me that my adoption was private between them and their lawyer. All they knew was my birthday," she shrugged, her sadness indicating just how much she longed to know where she came from.
"Will you…will you tell them about this?" Jane asked, thinking of Constance, who had no real understanding of her daughter.
"No," Maura was quick to reply. "No definitely not. I never even told them when I tried to find my birth parents before I left for college."
"What did you find out?"
"Nothing," Maura sighed, sitting back as Jane continued to offer her silent support. "All the records were sealed. I may have wanted to know who they were but they didn't want to know me."
Hearing the sadness in her friend's voice, Jane immediately shifted, turning so she was fully facing Maura, placing a comforting hand on the blonde's knee. "Okay. What can I do?"
Not answering right away Maura seemed to consider this for a moment; not quite knowing what she needed before it finally hit her. "I need to know who did this to him," she said. "I need to know why."
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Jane never imagined that finding the true identity of Maura's brother would cause her so much fear, but as soon as Korsak explained that their victim; Colin Doyle, was the son of Irish Mobster Patrick Doyle, the detective felt her blood run cold. Realizing that Colin was killed in order to draw his father out of hiding, Jane understood what this could mean if anyone found out the truth about Maura; practically sprinting down the stairs to the morgue to find Maura standing frozen in shock holding a bloody rag in her hand.
"Maura? Maur…what…what's going on? Are you okay? What happened?" Jane asked, not caring that she sounded completely panicked as she placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "What happened?"
"Colin's father came to identify the body," Maura replied, still in shock. "That's his name by the way. It's Colin."
"I know," Jane nodded, hating what she knew she had to tell the Doctor. "We just figured it out. Listen Maur there's something else. Your…Colin's father is…."
"He introduced himself as Mr. Selsi," Maura interrupted. "Selsi…it's Isles backwards. He…he knew who I was. He knows that…I mean he…he knows who I am. And…and I was going to try and get a DNA sample and he just…he just gave me one," she explained, holding the rag out to show Jane. "How could he know who I am?"
"Maura there's more," Jane sighed, knowing things were about to get complicated. "Maura that man that came in here…Colin's father…your birth father. Did you…did you recognize him?" She asked, Maura shaking her head as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Maura it's Patrick Doyle…Paddy Doyle."
"Paddy Doyle," Maura repeated, her eyes widening in understanding. "You mean…the Paddy Doyle," she said, knowing the stories. "But…that means…"
"Korsak thinks that whoever killed Colin did it to draw Doyle out," Jane explained. "The guys got a lot of enemies Maur and if they…if they found out about you…." She paused, once again feeling an intense fear in the pit of her stomach. "Maur you and Amelia could be in serious danger."
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Afterwards all Jane will remember is the fear. As soon as Frost told her that Colin Doyle's files had been hacked she felt paralyzed by the fear, realizing that Maura's DNA results were now in the hands of a killer as she once again ran for the stairs willing herself to get to the morgue as fast as she could as Korsak and Frost followed close behind. Reaching the morgue, Jane's legs almost gave out when she realized that Maura was gone; the receiving door left wide open meaning someone had taken her out of the building.
Resisting the urge to panic, Jane's mind went into overdrive until one thought took over and she immediately set into action.
"Frost call my Ma tell her to take Amelia and lock themselves in the bathroom and not to come out until I get there," Jane called already heading out the door, thinking about nothing besides getting to Amelia and making sure she was safe. "Korsak let's go."
There was no question about who would drive as Jane got into the drivers seat, placing her siren on the dash as she immediately turned the car and pulled out of her parking space, practically slamming on the gas pedal. Though he looked a little afraid, Korsak knew better than to say anything, understanding the urgency of the situation and knowing just how scared Jane was for Maura's daughter.
"I know you're freaked but we need to have our heads in this," Korsak said when they were nearly at Maura's. "We clear the house together. Follow protocol and make sure everything's safe before we get to Amelia understood?"
"Understood," Jane nodded, turning off the lights as they pulled up to Maura's, the pair practically jumping out of the car as soon as it was in park.
Though they had no reason to believe that anyone would be coming after Amelia, the Detectives wanted to take every precaution possible as they quietly made their way inside, guns drawn as they cleared the house room by room before finally making it to the master bathroom.
"Ma, it's me, open the door," Jane called, knocking lightly on the door as she resisted the urge to simply bust the door down to get to Amelia.
"Janie? Oh thank God," Angela could be heard from inside the bathroom, taking a moment before finally unlocking the door and opening it up. "Janie what in the world is going on?"
Completely ignoring her Mother, Jane quickly brushed past the older woman with only one thing on her mind as her eyes landed on the little blonde sitting in front of the bathtub with tears running down her face.
"Janie!" Amelia exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around the brunette's neck, her tears immediately soaking Jane's shoulder.
"Hey shhh baby it's okay," Jane soothed, rubbing her hand up and down the little girl's back. "It's okay. It's okay I'm here."
"I'm scared," Amelia cried, not really understanding what was going on. "Where's Mommy? I want Mommy. Where's Mommy?"
"Your Mommy's working honey, but she's going to be back real soon," Jane lied, sharing a worried with Angela who was being filled in by Korsak. "It's going to be okay. We're going to go down to the station and wait for your Mom there okay? Come on it's okay," she said, standing up to full height, Amelia immediately wrapping her legs around her as she handed Korsak the keys to the car, knowing there was no way she was sitting anywhere besides the backseat with Amelia.
Though Amelia really didn't know what was going on, the four-year-old understood something was wrong, spending the entire car ride in tears as she clung to Jane tightly, not letting go even when they had made it to the precinct.
"Mia honey why don't you go find a snack in the break room with my Ma?" Jane suggested when they had finally made it back up to homicide, wanting a minute with Korsak and Frost, needing to figure out how they were going to find Maura.
"I wanna stay with you," Amelia replied, tears still falling as she wrapped her arms tighter around Jane's neck. "Please. I want Mommy."
"Hey Baby look at me okay," Jane said, trying to calm the little blonde down, knowing she was spooked by everything that had happened at the house. "Everything's okay. I know you're scared but you don't need to be. I'm here. Everything's okay, but I need to talk to Korsak and Frost for a minute alright? How about you go sit at my desk and you draw your Ma a picture okay? You can give it to her when she gets back."
"I don't want you to go," Amelia said, hiding her face in Jane's neck.
"Hey I'm not going anywhere," Jane told her, though her stomach clenched in fear, wanting to be out on the street looking for Maura. "I'm going to be right here where you can see me the entire time. Now can you go sit at my desk? Just for a few minutes?"
"Okay," Amelia nodded sadly, Jane kissing her on the head before placing her down on the ground; the little blonde dragging her feet towards Jane's desk.
"We need to get out there and look for Maura," Jane said once Amelia was out of earshot, careful to keep her voice low. "We gotta find her."
"Jane we wouldn't even know where to start looking," Korsak replied, knowing it would likely do very little to deter the brunette.
"Plus don't you think maybe you need to stay here?" Frost added, nodding his head towards Amelia who kept glancing over as if to ensure Jane was still there. "She needs you. We still have to figure out who we're dealing with here. We don't even know who has Maura."
"Don't remind me," Jane grumbled, beginning to pace as her mind worked in overdrive, needing to do something; anything, in order to find Maura, the sound of her phone ringing eventually interrupting the battle going on in her head. "It's a blocked I.D," she said as she checked the screen before picking up. "Whatever you want I'll get it," she was quick to answer, throwing everything she ever learned about hostage negotiation out the window.
"Jane?" Maura's timid voice came through the other end of the phone as Jane released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Maura? Oh thank God. Are you okay? Where…."
"Jane no one's answering the phone at the house," Maura interrupted, sounding frantic. "I can't get a hold of Angela. Amelia…."
"Amelia's here with me," Jane intervened before the blonde could completely panic, Amelia watching her curiously. "Her and Ma are here. Everything's fine. Where are you? What happened?"
"It was Paddy…he….I…I can't explain it now I…I need…." Maura struggled to find the right words, her tears evident in her voice.
"Can you get to my apartment?" Jane asked, understanding exactly what Maura needed.
"Y-yes….I'm not far," Maura replied. "Jane please I need you to bring…"
"I'll bring Amelia," Jane finished for her. "I'll be there soon," she said before hanging up and turning towards Korsak and Frost. "She's okay…or at least I think she is. I gotta go," she said before quickly making her way over to Amelia. "Mia come on we're gonna go see your Mom okay? Come on," she said, picking up the little blonde and practically running for the elevators.
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"Mommy!" Amelia exclaimed as soon as Jane opened up the apartment door and she laid eyes on her mother, immediately taking off in order to throw herself into the older blonde's arms. "Where were you? I was scared."
"I'm so sorry Baby," Maura apologized, lifting the four-year-old up into her arms as a few tears escaped down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I was just…oh I was just so worried," she admitted looking up to find Jane watching them with a worried look on her face. "Everything's okay," she assured the little girl, placing a firm kiss on the side of her head before pulling back to look properly into hazel eyes much like her own. "Honey Mommy needs to talk to Jane for a minutes okay? Do you think you can go down the hall to Jane's room and watch TV? I promise it will only be for a few minutes and then you can come right back? Can you do that for me?"
Biting her lip as she thought about this, Amelia seemed to consider her Mother for a moment, eventually seeing that the older blonde was being truthful as she nodded. "Okay Mommy. But be fast okay?"
"Okay," Maura smiled, placing Amelia down on the ground and watching as she ran down the hall towards Jane's room before turning her attention to the brunette detective.
"Maura I'm so sorry if I freaked you out taking Mia and Ma I just…I saw you were missing and I completely panicked. All I could think was what if someone goes after Mia and I just had to get her. Ma forgot her phone and I was just so scared and…" Jane's rant was cut off when Maura' s lip suddenly collided with hers, completely catching her off guard; taking a moment until her mind caught up with her and she returned the kiss.
Feeling like her head was spinning, Jane was breathing hard when Maura finally pulled away, the pair still clutching to each other's shirts as they both tried to catch their breath.
"I…I'm sorry….I…I'm sorry," Maura practically whispered, her breathing ragged.
"Don't be," Jane said before pulling Maura back towards her, once again joining their lips, this time allowing Maura to deepen the kiss.
Their tongues meeting, it was the sound of Jane's moan that eventually pulled Maura from the spell they had fallen under as she once again pulled away. "We should stop," she said, though her eyes fell to Jane's lips, completely intoxicated by them.
"Right…right…I'm sorry," Jane shook her head, trying to focus on anything besides Maura biting her lip.
"No…no, don't be," Maura said, reaching out and taking Jane's hands in hers. "Don't be sorry. I'm not," she assured her. "I just…Amelia's down the hall. I was basically just kidnapped. As much as I would love to keep kissing you like that I think maybe we should wait for a time where my daughter isn't going to walk in and we haven't been through some big emotional ordeal," she said with a small smile as Jane rubbed the back of her hands with her thumbs. "And perhaps after we talk."
"Talk…right," Jane nodded. "Talking would be good," she said, taking a step back in order to resist the urge to kiss Maura again. "But we should really talk about all this first," she said, suddenly remembering the reason they were there. "What the hell happened Maur?"
"It was Paddy," Maura told her again, taking Jane by the hand as they moved to sit at the counter. "He wanted to…warn me I guess," she said. "He's concerned about whoever killed Colin getting to me and Amelia. He's…he had pictures of me Jane; pictures of me throughout my life. He's been keeping tabs on me and Amelia and…he doesn't know who did this to Colin, he…he wants to send a message…he wants me to feed him information."
"Of course he does," Jane nodded, unsurprised. "Makes sense. He wants to take care of it on his own," she said, watching Maura carefully. "Maybe we should let him."
"What?" Maura raised an eyebrow, looking rather surprised. "But…"
"Maura whoever did this to Colin could come after you and Amelia," Jane interrupted before the blonde could argue. "Doyle might be the only one who can protect the two of you."
"But that's not how we work," Maura shook her head though she looked conflicted. "That's not…"
"I know," Jane nodded, squeezing Maura's hand. "But we have to think about Amelia Maura. We can't let anything happen to her."
Nodding Maura sighed, releasing Jane's hand as he covered her face in frustration. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's the only way," she relented. "Maybe….I don't even know who I am anymore."
"Hey look at me," Jane said, grabbing Maura's hands and pulling them away from her face. "Listen to me okay. This changes nothing. You are still the same ridiculously smart, goofy woman that you were before all this. You're still the same Maura…the same beautiful, amazing woman who I really wish I could kiss right now," she added with a small smile.
"Soon," Maura smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Jane's ear. "We need to solve this case first. We need to find Colin's killer. After, okay?"
"Okay," Jane nodded, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Maura's. "Just do me a favour okay? Just don't change your mind."
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You do what you have to do to protect family. That's what Korsak said, filling Maura with an overwhelming feeling of love as she realized that she and Amelia had the kind of family she had always dreamed of. A family full of characters; of people who cared about them and would do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it meant going against everything they worked for.
It was over. Paddy left his message, killing Colin's murderer and ensuring that no one would mess with Maura and Amelia again. And while the Medical Examiner was more than relieved she was also filled with a new nervousness at the prospect of starting something with Jane.
"She sleeping?" Jane asked as Maura returned to the family room after putting Amelia to bed that night, the pair exhausted after finally solving their case.
"Like a baby," Maura nodded, taking a seat on the couch beside Jane, sitting closer than she normally would, smiling appreciatively as Jane placed a hand on her thigh. "So it's over."
"It's over," Jane replied, holding back a grin, as she purposely pretended not to understand what Maura was alluding to.
"I believe we agreed to talk when it was over," Maura said, looking nervous. "About yesterday…"
"Ah yes I believe we did agree to that," Jane nodded, turning to fully face the blonde. "And I've been thinking about that and I think we should talk," she said, as Maura sighed in relief. "I think we should talk over dinner. This weekend. Just you and me."
"Jane Rizzoli are you asking me on a date?" Maura raised an eyebrow.
"Yes Maura," Jane nodded with her typical Jane smirk that sent chills up Maura's spine. "Yes I am."