Oh how I love you die-hard Rizzoli & Isles fans! Thank you for your feedback, especially in regards to the chain of command with BPD & the Office of the Medical Examiner (i.e. Maura's team and BPD). You guys are 100% right but I am nothing if not a stickler for details! I had already addressed it in my next chapter (which you are about to read). I was intending to use that particular detail to carry the story to another level. Let's see if it works. Sorry to cause any frustration!
Happy reading!
"Doctor Isles," Cavanaugh addressed the chief medical examiner. She turned away from Jane without hesitation.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" Maura was a mask of professionalism.
"I know your office isn't liable to the precinct but I don't want any reason to believe that my people can use their involvement to interfere with evidence. Especially when it comes to a trial. You're under no obligation to follow our code of conduct but we're all on the same team here. I hope you can find some sense in upholding the change with your people too?" Cavanaugh was respectfully asking for Maura's participation. He didn't have any right to but he did anyway.
"Of course, we're happy to…support…Boston in any way we can." Maura smiled. But Jane knew she was nailing their coffin when she agreed to it. The woman, incapable of lying, would physically be incapable of keeping up anything that would compromise her word to Cavanaugh or her responsibility to the rest of the medical office. Jane wasn't disappointed, she was heart broken.
"Thank you, Doctor Isles. We hope to afford our Chief Medical Examiner's office better notice in the future with any changes to police policy but we truly have Boston's best interest at heart." Lauren was speaking again but there was a strange edge to her voice that Jane noticed immediately. Is…is she challenging Maura's authority?
"That's alright, Ms. Stokes. As Lieutenant Cavanaugh said, we're all a team." She doesn't have any choice but to agree, does she? Not with the rep from the Justice Department here. Jane knew Maura wasn't going to refuse Cavanaugh. What would that say about her if she did? What would that say for Boston? The Chief Medical Examiner and Boston PD can't get along? Yeah, right. Maura was cornered and she did the only thing she could, she agreed. Jane's protective instincts kicked in suddenly as she thought about anyone cornering Maura.
"Ms. Stokes will be sticking around BPD for a few days to sort out any difficulty we might have with the change. Let either one of us know if you have any questions. Back to your posts." Cavanaugh dismissed the precinct from the room but Jane couldn't move. She had to talk to Maura. But when Jane was able to see her blonde through the flurry of police officers, Maura was turned to her team speaking animatedly to the twelve people that had been standing behind her in scrubs. She has responsibilities too. She represents the entire state of Massachusetts. She won't want to risk it. Jane didn't know why but reassuring herself of the worst outcome was a kneejerk reaction. She left the room to wait for her in a less conspicuous place.
When Jane entered the morgue, the silence gave Jane an eerie sense of foreboding. Were we dead in the water from the beginning? Come on, Jane, how could you have made this work? Really? Jane opened the door to Maura's office, lights turning on automatically when she entered, and sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the middle of the room. There's no way she'll go for it. There's no way she'll be able to keep this up, not really. You're just here to confirm that we're breaking things off. You can do this. Jane sighed resolutely, her chest constricting at the thought of breaking things off with Maura when they hadn't even had a chance.
It's so Goddamn unfair! Jane's mind screamed. She sat forward, elbows to her knees, seething in frustration. Unable to stay seated, Jane jumped to her feet and began to pace Maura's office. There's not a damn thing you can do, Rizzoli. Finally, Jane stopped in front of the window to the autopsy room. Hands resting on her hips, she struggled to keep her anger in check.
"Jane?" She didn't even hear Maura come down the elevator, or walk down the hall. Usually Jane could hear Maura coming from anywhere on the floor. Her heels and her distinct step made it impossible for Jane not to memorize.
Maura stepped forward, closing the door behind her. Jane looked at her only once but couldn't bring herself to do it again. She stared into the autopsy room unable to bring sense to anything she was thinking or hoping for.
"Jane, are you okay?" Worry coated every word from her mouth.
"Am I okay? Maura, how am I not okay? We have this great thing…and…and we just started…how are we…how are we supposed to keep seeing each other? Ms. Incapable-of-Lying can't possibly break the rules. And you promised the Justice Department."
"To hell with the Justice Department."
Not for the first time that day, Maura surprised Jane. Jane noticeably blanched. "M…Maura, you realize what you just said, right?"
Maura stepped closer. They were impossibly close. Jane glanced over at the window to the hall – the blinds were closed.
"Yes." Maura's voice dropped to the seductive tone that had Jane remembering their last night together…and their morning.
"Maura, you'll get hives if you lie. How could this possibly work?"
"Then we won't give them any reason to question me." Jane knew immediately what she was asking. They would keep it a secret. But now their jobs depended on it. Much more was at stake than just people knowing they were gay.
"Maur," Jane's voice had lost all its edge. It was almost a whisper.
"Do you want to do this? With me?" Maura wasn't harsh but the idea seemed to occur to her that Jane might be less than enthusiastic about the idea. Jane reached forward discreetly to grab Maura's hand. Their fingers intertwined on contact.
"I'm just a cop. Getting put on suspension is something I can deal with. I can work somewhere else or work my way back in. You're the Chief Medical Examiner. What happens to you?"
"Nothing I can't handle." Maura smiled up at Jane reassuringly. Jane watched her, waiting for the hesitation or flicker of doubt. There was none. Maura was all in. Jane couldn't keep the smile from her lips. She tightened her grip on Maura's hand.
"Okay then,"
"Plus, I think it'll be fun, don't you?" Maura perked up like a child at Christmas. The excitement overtaking her. Jane shook her head in disbelief, her smile widening. She didn't answer. Letting Maura's hand drop, Jane recognized the need to get back to work and turned to walk to the door. With one hand on the doorknob, Jane turned to face her blonde.
"Dinner tonight? My place?" Jane smirked at the thought.
"No, let me cook for you. Come to my place."
"Okay," Jane nodded, realizing she had never been to Maura's house. Not really. Dropping her off when they broke up the first time didn't count. The idea thrilled her. Jane turned the knob, opening the door to leave.
Jane could hear Maura approaching then felt her step into her space. "Jane," her voice was daring, seductive. Jane turned, shutting the door just enough so Maura could stand behind it. The blonde touched a gentle hand to Jane's hip. Jane's heart began to race as Maura stepped closer still, now completely hidden behind the door to her own office. Jane waited as their eyes met in the small alcove they had created.
Maura stood on her toes, reaching forward to pull at the nape of Jane's neck and bring Jane's lips onto hers. Jane hesitated only a moment before her lips were moving in time with Maura's.
And just like that, Maura was pulling away, smiling proudly up at Jane.
"See you tonight,"
"Mhmm," was all Jane could muster as she composed herself. Opening the door completely, Jane turned back to the hall as she faced the day knowing that at the end of it, Maura would be waiting.
Jane returned to her desk, pushing herself to focus. She had suspects to interrogate, drug busts to make. By the time she was pulling up her most recent case, cop-Jane had resurfaced. Her partner, detective Mateo was already back in the field as of seven AM that morning. She was on duty when he was, making sure his back was covered.
"Rizzoli," Cavanaugh opened the door of his office, beckoning her.
"Yes, sir?" Jane looked up from her paperwork.
"My office, now." Jane couldn't tell from his voice what his intentions were. There was no way she was in trouble already, it was so early. But Jane realized that hadn't stopped her before. She met Korsak's eyes as he watched her get up from her desk. He seemed to know something. Jane's heart began to race. What if they already found out about Maura? What if someone saw them downstairs and reported it? Shit.
Jane entered his office, closing the door behind her. She didn't want anyone to hear this.
"Sit down, Rizzoli." Cavanaugh gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
Jane sat without question, her mouth went dry. What am I going to tell Ma? Ma, I got fired because I'm dating a girl. Ma, I got fired. On top of it, I am dating women now. Shit! Jane's mind reeled.
Cavanaugh sat on the edge of his desk, he looked down at Jane seriously. "I've been talking to Detective Korsak." Jane nodded.
"You've been a huge help to Homicide on the past few cases." Okay, I have no idea where this is going. Jane nodded again; all preconceived notions of confessing to her mother were gone. "I know you've been studying for your Detective's exam. We want to bring you up to Homicide. I think you'd be an asset to the team. You got natural instincts. You were made for this."
Jane was speechless. Korsak had been talking about her and Cavanaugh had noticed. And I have natural skills!
"Now, get back to work. I look forward to getting your scores next week." Cavanaugh smiled crookedly, like he was using muscles he hadn't in a long time. Jane smiled back unable to hide her excitement.
"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down." Jane backed out of his office with a grin so wide her cheeks started to hurt.
"Congratulations Jane," Korsak announced when Jane returned to her seat.
"Thanks, Korsak. And thanks for puttin' in the good word for me."
Korsak nodded once, it was all that was needed.
Suddenly, one of the new beat cops jogged into the Brick announcing the upheaval of Jane's day plans. "We got a murder. Drug unit's needed too." Korsak and Jane exchanged glances and rose from their chairs together, grabbing keys as they went.
"What we got?" Korsak asked, Jane following behind taking everything in.
"Doc says puncture wound killed him. We don't have a murder weapon."
"Do we have an ID?" Jane chimed in from behind.
"Chase Redgrave. Officer Mateo called it in. He said it was an informant."
"Shit," Jane cursed. Getting an informant shot was deeply frowned upon. Private citizens trying to help and getting killed in action? It was almost disgraceful to the whole unit.
Korsak turned to her, "Did you know him?"
"Yeah, he was one of our best."
They continued their path to the body. CSU teams were dusting for prints all over the alley. Beat cops searched through dumpsters for the murder weapon. And then there was Maura.
"Multiple stab wounds," Maura was listing off things she observed upon first examination to a gangly kid standing at her waist with a notepad. He looked like an intern. Maura was lifting the body to observe any thru-and-thrus.
"Single puncture wound to the lower abdomen," she stopped to consider, "murder weapon remains unclear."
Jane watched her with rapt attention. She couldn't help but stare. She was beautiful.
"She's hot." A beat cop stopped to stare as Maura stood, taking the notepad from her intern and jotting more observations in the margins.
In a daze, Jane nodded only once before she realized what had happened. Protective Jane appeared instantaneously.
"Whoa, hey, don't you have a job to do, officer? You have the murder weapon yet?"
"No. Sorry, Jane." He went back to work, digging through days of trash. Jane went back to the body, stepping up to stand with Korsak who was examining the body.
"…I'll know more once I get him back to autopsy." Maura was responding to a question that Jane hadn't heard. Korsak turned to greet Jane.
"What do you see, Jane?"
Jane hesitated only a moment as she gathered her courage. Moment of truth, Rizzoli, let's see if you can keep your focus long enough to actually work together with her. "No sign of struggle, nails are intact, no blood in the nail beds." Jane circled the victim, taking in more details, kneeling over the body to get a closer look. "Doesn't look like he fought; no bruising on the face." Finally, she stands to find Maura's eyes across the body. Jane continued, "Looks like he either knew he was going to be killed and let it happen or he wasn't alive long enough to fight off his attacker."
Korsak nodded, taking in her observations. Maura was watching her intently; her eyes never left Jane as the brunette made her initial interpretation.
"Doctor Isles, I'm not sure if you've met Jane Rizzoli. She's our newest recruit to Homicide."
"Yeah, we've met," Jane interjected still meeting Maura's eyes.
Maura cleared her throat. "Good to see you again, officer Rizzoli. Congratulations on the promotion."
"It's not official yet, I have my exam next week."
"I'm sure you'll do great, you seem to have a natural eye for this." The world was blurring around them again as they spoke. Nothing else seemed to matter but the moments they could steal together. "I'm curious then, do you think the stab wounds were inflicted post mortem?"
"I think the evidence says that, yes."
"A cover up." Korsak added completely unaware of the tension between the two women before him.
"So, what was it about the murder weapon that made him need to cover it up by stabbing him?" Jane asked Korsak.
He smiled proudly at her, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You'll make a find detective, Jane. That's the question we need to find an answer to." He ushered her away, Jane allowed herself to be led without glancing back. She knew she couldn't.
When they returned to BPD, Jane was on a high that she didn't want to come down from. Being promoted to homicide was everything she wanted. She was eager to bring justice to those that couldn't do it for themselves. Jane found herself craving the difficult cases, the ones others before her weren't able to solve. Jane wanted to bring peace to their loved ones. A new sense of duty overwhelmed her. She was suddenly standing up straighter, chin held a little higher.
Before heading back upstairs to homicide with Korsak, hoping to be given something to do, Jane stopped for a coffee at the café craving that extra buzz it would give her. Throwing money on the counter, Jane grabbed an empty cup from behind the register and approached the coffee bar.
"Jane," a voice called from the corner of the café. But Jane knew the voice. She'd know it anywhere. She also knew that if she stepped any closer she would be able to smell the rose perfume that followed that voice so thoroughly. Jane hesitated, continuing to push the coffee into her cup from the carafe. What is wrong with you, Rizzoli? She's just a suit. What would Maura think of you getting all tongue-tied around her?
Jane looked up to meet the blue eyes of the blonde sitting in the corner. She smiled but it was hollow.
"Hey," Jane finished preparing her coffee unsure what to do next. Why does she make you so nervous?
Lauren was getting up from the table, scooping her paperwork and laptop into the bag she picked up from the floor. Maybe because she's attractive and looks like she's undressing you with her eyes every time she looks at you. Jane inhaled as she watched Lauren approach from the corner of her eye. Bracing herself against the perfume and everything else that made her uncomfortable about Lauren, Jane took a swig of coffee just in time to meet Lauren's eye.
"I heard about you making detective. That's great news." Jane began to squirm with unease. The perfume was becoming toxic as Jane thought about Maura.
"Thanks. But it's not official yet. My exam is next week."
"Still, I hear you're the youngest female to make detective. Impressive."
Jane smiled.
"Walk with me? I need to meet with internal affairs upstairs."
Can I say 'no'? Is that even an option?
"Sure."
"So, how long have you been with Boston Police?" They were in the lobby now, out in the open where other cops and detectives shuffled past them. Lauren stole every opportunity to watch Jane. And Jane noticed.
"Since high school."
"No college?" The question was innocent enough but Jane couldn't help but hear judgment in the question.
"Not everyone needs a college degree to do what they love."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Lauren reached out, touching Jane's arm softly in apology. Jane was seconds away from pushing the blonde's hand away when the most terrifying and exhilarating sound found Jane in the midst of the cops and rose perfume. Jane's heart began to race as she heard the distinctive sound cut through the noise, the high heels of Maura Isles. Jane looked up in time to see Maura's dangerous glare. She could still feel Lauren's hand on her arm.
"Officer Rizzoli, Ms. Stokes," Maura greeted with a smile. Jane could hear the threat in her voice. Even if she didn't mean for it to be there. Lauren's hand fell away.
"Hi," Jane replied lamely.
"Doctor Isles, I was just catching up with the new Detective Rizzoli. Did you hear?"
What is going on here? Jane couldn't keep the surprise from her face as she watched events unfold before her.
"I did. She was phenomenal at the crime scene today." Maura stepped closer.
"Well, she is going upstairs now." Jane interjected. Her level of comfort reached an unnecessary low.
"Jane, wait, I'm about to start my autopsy. Would you like to observe? It might be good practice for you."
Jane turned back to Maura, only Maura. "Yeah. I'd love that."
Maura's smile was triumphant but Jane saw relief too. The brunette couldn't keep from smiling as Maura approached her, heading toward the elevators. Jane turned to follow without a glance in Lauren's direction. To Jane, when Maura was in the room, no one else mattered.