Chapter seven

She had been sipping tea, reading the crime scene report when the bedroom door opened and a familiar scent filled the room, flowers and cinnamon. She looked up mechanically to the woman wearing the well worn pajama's with the jasmine flower pattern and she smiled, focusing back on the report.

''Hey Jaz.'' She asked. ''Something the matter?''

Then she froze. The pause was audible for both of the women in the room and Jane slowly looked up again to face Maura Isles. ''Sorry.'' She said. ''Thought you were someone else.'' She shook her head, smiling to cover that foolish slip of the tongue.

''Um...'' Maura shifted uncomfortably. ''This is what I found in the closet, is it okay?'' she gestured towards the pajamas. ''They seem to be my size.''

Jane had to actually stop and take in a deep breath, breathing in that intoxicating smell. Then she managed to clear her head to answer. ''Of course.''

''I also wanted to thank you, for letting me stay here.'' She flashed a shy smile. ''You had every right to refuse.''

''You're welcome Dr Isles.'' Jane rose politely to accompany her across the room, unsure why she had. Maybe she just wanted to be close to that smell again. ''Goodnight.'' She said finally.

''Goodnight, Detective.'' Just as Maura turned to go inside Danny begun to cry and Maura sighed deeply, new tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. She was just so tired! Why was he crying so much, did he know something was wrong? ''God...'' She muttered. ''I don't think I can do this anymore.''

''Let me take him.'' Jane offered. ''You really need to sleep some.''

''What? No!'' Maura waved her hands surprised. ''He's my responsibility, I'm so sorry, you should be sleeping too...''

''It's my day off tomorrow. Really. I can take him.'' She followed Maura to the bedroom, holding up her arms. ''I really don't mind.''

''Jane...'' Maura started, then noticed she had used the Detective's first name. She contemplated that honest look, the peaceful offering of outstretched arms and for the first time she noticed the identical scars nestled in the center of each palm. Had she not been so exhausted she would never have even considered the idea of handing her baby to some woman she barely knew for a full twenty four hours. ''You're really okay with this?''

''Like I told you before, you're stressed and he knows it. Let me help you.''

Maura cut in stating the obvious. ''You're helping enough already...!''

''Maura!'' Jane said impatiently. ''I promise, I'll take care of your baby, but you can't help him if you tumble down from exhaustion!'' She offered a crooked grin and Maura rolled her eyes.

She could take care of him, she thought. This woman could actually take care of her son a lot better than his own father could. She already had taken care of him, of them. Had she not been there Maura would never had been able to pull him out of the burning car. Hesitantly she held him out to her, all bundled up in the faux safety of blankets. She watched with awe as he hushed the minute Jane held him against her body.

''It's okay.'' The Detective said. ''We'll be just outside.''

''Thank you...'' Maura sighed as she slowly sat down on the bed. Jane didn't answer this time, she simply shut the door behind her.

The Doctor lied down in bed and she barely had time to turn the light off before her eyelids shut heavily. She had a deep sleep of angry dreams and heart thudding fights with Dennis before the scenery changed into a pond of goldfish and she watched them swirl around peacefully to the sound of Brahms Lullaby. She had heard Dennis whistle this tune while he sculpted once, it had been one of the only beautiful things he had done. That and Danny, her precious little baby.

The strange thing was that when she opened her eyes the music continued, but it wasn't whistling anymore but piano music, twirling softly in the same lullaby. She took a quick look at her watch and realised it was already five in the morning. She had actually slept for a few hours. Curious she opened the door and walked out, trying to find the source of the sound.

She immediately saw Jane's lanky frame, the woman's back turned to her. She was standing over a piano that Maura had not noticed when she walked inside the apartment, mainly because she had just rushed in the kitchen and then the bedroom. She watched Jane's body sway as her right hand hovered airily over the keys, Danny held in the crook of her left arm, pressed against her chest, his eyes closed in sleep. The tenderness of the scene shocked her because nothing about Jane had ever looked tender. Maybe it also shocked her because she had never seen Dennis hold his son like that. The posture seemed natural, the curve of the woman's arm molding into the curve of the infants body seamlessly.

She watched awareness slip into the Detective's body, a subtle tension of the shoulders as Maura took another and then another step closer to them.

''You've done this before.'' She said. It was a statement, not a question.

Jane played the last few notes to the melody before she answered, without actually turning to look at her, her hand resting on the white and blacks.

''Yes.'' It was spoken softly and if Maura wasn't paying attention she might have missed it. The Detective drew in another breath then turned and handed the bundle to his mother. ''Did you sleep any?''

''Yes, actually.'' Maura frowned apologetically. ''But you didn't.''

''I don't mind, I might catch a couple of hours now.''

''Sure, I'll take him inside to leave you with some quiet.''

She turned to go but the room was unfamiliar and her shoulder bumped into a shelf mounted on the wall and a single frame tumbled down and shattered on the floor.

''Oh no...'' She said, clasping a hand over her mouth. ''I'm so sorry!'' She stuttered as Jane knelt to pick up the pieces, glass cutting into her hand and drawing blood. ''Let me help you!'' She tried but the Detective pushed her hand away, without looking up.

''Please just go inside.'' She said, frantically tried to extract the photograph from the glass shards.

''Jane, I didn't mean to-''

''Just go inside, okay?!'' Jane rose suddenly and Maura physically cowered away from the stronger and taller body. She despised herself for doing so but she almost let out a scared whimper as she quickly retreated to the bedroom, but not before glancing down at the photograph the Detective was holding, trying to wipe with her sleeve the few drops of blood that spilled on the smiling faces of a red haired woman and a small child, the same Maura had seen in the half finished painting in Jane's bedroom.

Thanks for all your reviews, next chapter will answer some questions , let me know what you guys think about this. Scary Jane
LK