Chapter sixteen
She had been haunted by the dreams all night. Images of Jane, laughing heartedly, a toddler climbed up her shoulders, hands reaching up to a starry sky.
''I can get 'em! I'll get you one!''
It was a little girl's voice and Jane's laughter grew deeper, musical as she brought her hands back, securing the girl on her shoulders and sprinted down the grassy field, the girl's arm's wide open.
''I'll get one mama! I'll get a shiny lil star!''
''Catch it yet?!'' Jane's deep rumble asked but Maura couldn't see her face, her features were hidden by the dark. ''We should get that one!''
''Jane!'' Another voice called, trying to sound stern but failing, because laughter highlighted the word. A woman came into view, beautiful creamy skin and red hair, looking almost aethereal in her white summer dress. ''How many times have I told you not to run in the dark?''
Jane came into a halt in front of the woman, lowering the girl to the ground.
''You could trip and get hurt!'' The woman said, trying to stop Jane's grin from reaching her own features. ''And what if-''
Jane bent down and kissed her deeply, her arms wrapping around her waist. The woman seemed to melt in the embrace, barely keeping upright by throwing her arms around Jane's neck. She pulled away finally, her cheek resting on the crook of Jane's neck.
''Was this a ''shut up'' kiss?'' She asked and Jane flashed her a toothy grin.
''Maybe?'' She said, before claiming the woman's lips again.
They broke the kiss when the little girl tugged at the hem of the woman's dress.
''Mi-mi baby, what is it?'' The woman asked and picked her up. The girl pointed at the sky again, her eyes sparkling.
''Mommy, look up there! Me and mama gonna get you one!''
''Why would you do that, baby?'' The woman asked, looking back at Jane who reached and hugged the woman from behind, an embrace within an embrace.
''Coz we wov you!'' The girl said and Jane laughed, kissing the spot behind the woman's ear.
''Cause we love you Jaz.''
Maura woke soaked in sweat. She immediately turned to the side and tears rolled down her cheeks, onto the pillow. She pulled her knees up to her chest and she wept, the dream clear as day in her memory. Her body ached for someone else's warmth beside her. She had been with Dennis for so long and she was used to him not coming home for the night, but this felt new. She missed something she had never had and it confused her. She cried herself back to sleep and before she knew it she was dreaming again.
The red haired woman lying down on the grass, sprawled on a comfortable blanket. Next to her lay Jane her eyes closed and face relaxed.
''I'm sorry.'' The woman said, her eyes glimmering under the shade of the big oak tree over them. ''I'm so sorry Jane.''
Slowly Jane opened her eyes and turned to the woman, her features gentle.
''I did to you exactly what my family did to me.'' The woman continued. ''They couldn't understand me so they threw me away, and I did the same to you.'' She reached for Jane's hand. ''And now I have no family, I have nobody but you.'' She swallowed hard. ''I'm so sorry baby.''
Jane didn't speak. She rose to her feet and approached the stroller to their left, looking inside to the sleeping child. ''Our daughter is beautiful.'' She said gently and the woman nodded. Jane seemed to take in a deep breath before turning back to face her. ''I want to stay here forever.'' She said, gesturing widely to the forest surrounding them. ''What do you think?'' She asked. ''I'm going to quit my place as the Executioner, and we're going to buy the farmhouse in the clearing. We could afford it. We're going to raise our daughter here, away from the world.'' She brushed her palm against the tree. ''I'll built us a big tree house and we'll spend days reading stories to her, and you could work on writing your book.''
The woman got to her feet also, blinking. ''Are you serious?'' She asked.
''Yes.'' Jane asked, looking away, gathering the courage for what she did next. She reached for her jeans pocket and extracted a small velvet box. ''But first...'' She dropped down to one knee, revealing an elegant diamond ring. ''Jasmine Freeman, will you be my wife?''
Jasmine clasped a hand in front of her mouth, eyes wide open, not daring to look away from Jane.
''Will you marry me?'' Jane asked. Jasmine nodded mutely and Jane laughed, wrapping the woman in a deep kiss.
Maura woke up again and abandoned all hope of sleep abandoned. She picked up the phone and made a call instead. She hadn't realised what she was doing until she heard the voice on the other end.
''Rizzoli here.''
It surprised her first the fact that she had made the call then the fact that Jane had picked up immediately and didn't sound sleepy at all.
''Hey, um.'' There was a pause. ''It's Maura. Did I wake you up?'' She turned to check the clock next to the bed. It was five in the morning.
''No.'' Came the empty reply. ''Is something the matter? Your guards would have called me if there was danger.''
''Guards? You have guards on me?'' Maura asked, sitting up surprised.
''Of course.''
''Why?'' The Doctor swung her legs off the bed and walked up to Danny's crib, finding comfort in watching her son sleep. ''Because of Dennis?''
She heard Jane breathe from the other end and she couldn't help but recall the strikingly vivid dreams she had and the painfully brief kiss they had shared. ''There are no other necromancers in Boston.'' The Detective answered finally. ''There's no telling who would be interested in you. In our world, having people interested in you is surprisingly dangerous.''
''I see.'' Maura muttered.
''Is there something you need?'' Jane asked, matter of factly.
''I want to go to the cemetery and try again.'' Maura said hesitantly, walking downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
''Okay.'' There was another small pause, probably Jane checking her watch. ''I can be there in half an hour if I run.''
''What do you mean if-''
''I'll see you then.''
Almost exactly half an hour later the doorbell rung but when Maura opened her door it wasn't Jane she saw but a huge black wolf. That, she thought, was what she meant ''run''.
''Um.'' She stuttered, as the beast strode past her, scenting the air, its eyes flashing brilliant blue like raw energy. ''Hi.''
For the first time Maura had the chance to watch the shift. The black fur shimmered and vibrated, almost sizzling. Maura didn't know what exactly she had expected, but she had been almost sure there would be pain during the shift. What she saw instead could only be described as beautiful. The transaction seemed incredibly smooth, as if the wolf's body melted into its purest form of energy and molded back seamlessly into Jane's long, bipedal body.
The naked woman made no move to cover herself, standing unapologetically in the middle of Maura's living room, hand on her hip. Maura watched the scarred skin where the two silver bullet's had entered and another long scar on her side, starting under her arm and tracing down to her left hip.
''You wouldn't have any clothes I could borrow, would you?'' The Detective's voice forced her to snap out of the trance. She realised she had been rudely staring at her as if it was the first time she saw someone naked.
As she picked clothes for Jane, Maura wondered if the Detective was intending to be provocative, or it was simply something that came natural to all shapeshifters. It took everything Maura had to maintain eye contact as Jane dressed without a hint of shyness.
''I was with Suzie still, we were working on her tracking abilities when you called. Figured I'd get here quicker on foot.''
''Is the something going on between you and Suzie?'' Maura held herself say. ''Not that it's any of my business.'' She rushed to add.
''No, it's not.'' Jane frowned. ''But there's absolutely nothing between us. Suzie is like a child, and I've told you before, every wolf in the pack helps to raise the cubs.'' She emphatically zipped the jeans Maura had given her and turned to face her. ''We need to talk. There's news about your situation.''
''What do you mean?''
There was an odd silence as Maura opened the door, all conversation stopping while the young woman, Maura's baby sitter entered. She looked sleepy and tired but her demeanor was pleasant, despite the odd hour.
Jane spoke only after she was sitting in the car, a good distance between them and the house.
''They moved up the date of your hearing. It's tonight and you need to be ready, or you're going to be in a really tough spot with the council.''
''Why would you do that?''
''It wasn't my decision, the council voted without me or Korsak.''
''So what?'' Maura's hands tightened around the wheel. ''Are you going to just kill me if I don't get this right?'' She couldn't stop the bitterness in her voice.
''Listen.'' Jane said, seriously, turning to Maura. ''You can sit here and whine about my job all you want, but being mad at me isn't going to make you any more talented in raising the dead, and being mad isn't going to make you any less fucked up.'' Up until now she had been silent, her fingertips tapping on her leg with calm anticipation. Now she was stressed and angry and it showed. ''So instead of fighting with me, how about you actually doing something useful?''
Maura did not answer her, in fact she did not speak until they reached the same grave they had been working on before. She felt the truth in Jane's words and it silenced her, forcing her to grasp the reality of the situation. She didn't have to care about Jane's job, or the flaws of her character. It wasn't like they were friends or lovers, they were barely acquaintances, born out of some unfortunate coincidence and necessity. She didn't even have to like Jane, she just had to learn from her and that was it. She didn't need any excuse on Jane's behalf for anything.
Yet why was she trying so hard to find the reason why Jane would ever do something like that, become a killer.
Which brought another question to the surface.
''Jane...'' Maura said evenly, as she felt the Detective crouch behind her by the grave. ''Why do you care what happens to me?''
Twice Jane opened her mouth to speak and twice she close it. When she spoke Maura knew that she wasn't saying what had first crossed her mind. ''You have a son, Maura.'' She rose to her feet, resting against the tombstone. ''You can't miss not one second of him growing up, you can't miss his first steps, his first words, his first day to school. You can't miss not one minute from his life. If you fail at this they might kill you. And you're going to miss everything.'' She ground her teach, hating that her words were a little shaky. She tapped at the grave. ''Come on, you need to start. Remember what I told you.''
The energy made the hair on the back of Maura's neck stand up. She could feel her body humming with it, until the world was nothing but shapes. The symbols on the grave burned and she felt the marble vibrate as her thoughts invaded past the ground like a penetrating radar. She could feel around the grave, touch cold and humid dirt, she could fill it up, feed it with that energy that blinded her and drove her down on her knees.
The cold of the grave emptied her and she shivered violently. She could feel the ground shift and she heard the moan, the creak of bones being forced to work past their expiration date. She heard a voice but it wasn't the corpse standing in front of her, the voice was alive.
''Maura...''
She was kneeling by the grave, Jane's arms the only thing that kept her upright, the only link she was left with the world of the living.
''Maura, focus. Follow my voice, come back.''
And she did, she anchored herself in that voice, allowed herself to feel every cell of her body that was in contact with Jane's and slowly her vision returned. The first thing she did was look up to Jane leaning over her protectively, and saw her eyes flashing blue with the energy they shared. She saw her own eyes reflected in Jane's, empty pools of darkness, but she was not afraid.
She wasn't there anymore, in the empty graveyard, but in a different place and time. She could see darkness and hear only voices.
''You killed them!'' A voice boomed. ''You killed them both!''
''You're insane!'' The next voice she recognised as Jane's, raw and raspy. ''They were my family!''
''You slaughtered them!'' The unknown voice was female, older. ''What have you done?!''
Maura shook her head, trapped in the scenery and finally when everything went black she realised what she had seen earlier, what she was seeing now wasn't a dream, but memories.
She had somehow found her way in someone's memories when she lost control of her necromancy.
Jane's memories.
As requested, here's a longer chapter. Next chapter will probably be about the Council and Maura's ''audition'', which means Hoyt will be there too. How do you feel about the relationship our girl's have so far? Let me know you're still interested and what you think of this chapter. Thank you everybody who has reviewed and followed so far
LK
PS cookies to the person who finds out where this chapter has taken it's name