Chapter five

''I remember you said you were a doctor, but I had no idea you were the new ME. You must be really good.'' Jane said, offering a polite smile to cover her surprise. How had she missed that?

Maura blushed and smiled back. ''I had no idea you work here either, are you one of the criminalists?''

''Oh no.'' Jane reached down to her badge. ''I work upstairs with the Detectives.'' She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her smile and Maura's eyebrows rose.

''Then you also must be really good.'' She offered and looked down at the man. Then she looked up at Jane. ''Jane...'' She said quietly, trying to guess the woman's reaction. ''I need to talk to you about the accident.'' She noticed how the taller woman was still wearing gloves but today they were clean and crisp.

''Oh...'' Jane said. She had wondered when that would come up. ''Okay, what about? Is Danny alright?''

''He's just fine, thanks for asking.'' Maura's eyebrows lowered with confusion. ''I know this is going to sound a little silly but I think I saw you bend my car door, and I was extremely confused by the fact you managed to lift up my car, even though partially.''

Jane rolled her eyes and laughed. ''I think you are really tired, Dr Isles.'' She said benignly. ''I'm sure you know, being a doctor and all that, a person is surely incapable of bending metal or lifting a car.'' She offered another smile. ''You were probably really pressured at the time, and you're a little confused about the events.'' Scanning the office as she spoke she realised they were not alone but Maura seemed oblivious to the third person in the room.

''You're right...'' Maura laughed uncomfortably. ''I am tired indeed.'' She looked around following Jane's gaze but she, as Jane had guessed, did not see anything out of the ordinary.

''So...'' Maura asked. ''Are you here for a case?''

''What?'' Jane asked absently, her focus on the empty stretcher on the side of the room.

''You're here to ask for a case?'' Maura repeated.

''Oh...'' She turned her eyes to the Doctor. ''Yes, sorry, I meant to ask, um...'' She paused, glancing one last time back and forth. ''I um, meant to ask if you've had any bodies of young girls come in here, somewhere between the age of 4-5 years old?''

''Oh, yes actually, are you looking for a missing person?'' Maura walked towards the work bench and picked up a thin file. ''I didn't do the autopsy, Dr Pike did, but I made sure to check any file about his work, to make sure I am up to the standards...'' She blushed again when Jane smiled.

''I'm sure you'll be just fine Dr Isles.'' She took a short look at the file. ''Is the body still here?''

''Right here.'' Maura pulled at the morgue freezer after carefully reading the number and revealing a body covered in white sheet. ''It's a same when they're so young, she hasn't been identified yet.'' She peeled the sheet away and they gazed down at the tiny body.

''How did she die?'' Jane asked.

''Looks like accident, she was found in the docks, she must have wandered off and gotten lost. No bruises and marks that would indicate foul play.'' She looked up at Jane. ''Is there something specific bothering about this case?''

Jane stood silent, listening and she realised except from the two hears beating in the room she could hear another one now, a small tapping sound. She looked at Maura and thought, she doesn't even realise what she's doing. At this rate this woman was going to wake the little girl and she was going to freak out big time. With the corner of her eye she saw one little finger twitch under the sheets. She could see it when the Other rose to the surface a little more, a black energy around the beautiful doctor and she forced it down, forced it away using her own energy.

Maura's eyes widened and she took a step back, away from the body, clutching her chest. Jane was already behind her, holding her up. It was to be expected, she had forced the poor woman to swallow back all that force that carelessly surrounded her. The little heart stopped beating and Dr Isles collapsed fully on Jane.

''Oh God, I'm sorry.'' She muttered. ''I don't know what happened.'' She regained her composure slowly, still looking pale and stricken.

''It's alright, I'm sure you haven't gotten any rest with Danny keeping you up all night.'' She withdrew as the Doctor stood on her own, balancing herself. ''You should go get something to eat.'' She offered desperately needing her to go away just for a few minutes so she could take care of the mess.

''You're right, I'm so sorry.'' She shook her head. ''I guess I'm really tired.'' She reached for the door handle but then turned back to Jane. ''Would you like me to get you anything, Detective... Jane?'' She smiled because she still didn't know the Detective's last name.

''Detective Rizzoli.'' Jane offered. ''But you can keep on calling me Jane, if you'd like.''

''Only if you call me Maura.'' The Doctor said, before closing the door behind her.

The smile Jane had put on for appearances dropped and she glanced quickly at the door before rushing to the other side of the morgue.

Beside the body on the stretched stood a small pale silhouette. Jane was happy that there were no camera's in the morgue and she knelt down next to the figure.

''Hey...'' She said gently but did not attempt to touch it.

The figure turned and it had the features of a small girl, the same small girl lying dead in that morgue. ''Why can't the pretty lady see me?'' The girl asked and Jane shook her head.

''That's because she only sees this ''you''.'' She replied, gesturing towards the little body.

''But I keep telling her, I'm right here, she should get me out of there...'' The girl pointed at the freezer. ''She doesn't even look at me!''

Jane sighed. It was so difficult when they were so young, they tended to linger because they had no idea where they were supposed to go.

Jane sighed, finally sitting down in her couch after a very very long day. It was already ten thirty and she craved something to drink. She decided against it and she started the water for tea, despite herself. Coffee tasted so much better but she would never be able to sleep if she had coffee at that hour. She looked outside her kitchen window and saw that the moon was almost full. She had another day or so but then she would have to do something about it.

She reached for her cup and nearly froze because when she looked down on the kitchen counter she had mechanically not prepared one but two cups. She looked down at the other cup and bit her bottom lip. She did not need her keep senses to smell and taste the Jasmine inside. She clenched her fists, fighting hard to to allow the tears to roll down her cheeks.

She was saved by the bell and she wondered who would visit her at that odd hour. On the walk from the kitchen to the door it hit her that nobody had come by her place in almost six months. When she opened the door she was startled to find Dr Maura Isles on the other side, sporting a black eye and holding Danny in her arms.

''I don't know where else to go...'' She pleaded.

Well, AU is getting stronger from now on, hope ya like it. Thanks for all the reviews.
PS I got a nasty review on my other story about how I should be ashamed of myself for writing all this. Er. Sure.
Love y'all
LK