Chapter eighteen
''Out! All of you!'' Jane hollered and several chairs scraped down on the floor as everyone in the council, including Doctor Hoyt obeyed and departed from the room. Maura made a move to go but she opted to stand by the door instead, changing her mind.
When the heavy door shut the only sound in the room was Jane's ragged breathing. The dead woman was eerily silent, she didn't have to breathe. The Detective's hands shook as she reached for her, a hand cupping the waxen cold cheek. She wanted to hug her, kiss her, but the woman was nothing but a shell, a doll.
''Jaz...'' She whispered.
''Jane.'' The woman said. Her face was even and she did not react to the touch.
Jane's hand dropped and she turned to Maura, her eyes distant. ''This is why I hate you lot.''
''Jane, I...''
''You bloody Necromancers, you go around disturbing the graves of the people we love, isn't there a single thing sacred in this world?!'' She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
''Jane I didn't know, I swear...'' Maura tried to explain but Jane held a hand up, stopping her from coming any closer.
''I know, Maura.'' She turned to her wife and took her hand. ''I'm sorry Jaz.'' She took the step separating them and kissed the top of her head gently. ''We'll let you rest now baby.'' She stroked Jasmine's hair but the woman remained unresponsive.
''How is Emma?'' Jasmine asked and when Maura opened her mouth Jane shot her a warning look.
''She's fine, baby, she misses you.'' Jane said shakily, continuing to stroke Jasmine's hair. Seeing her wife look back at her so blankly, without a trace of emotion killed something deep inside her. She wanted to cry but she was too angry to. Angry with Hoyt, angry with the council and irrationally angry with Maura, even though she had nothing to do with this. ''I miss you too.'' She added, helping Jasmine to lie down on the white sheet. She sat down on the floor and laid Jasmine's head in her lap.
''Maura.'' Jane called out. ''Lay my wife to rest, please...''
''Jane...'' Jasmine looked up at her numbly. ''You look unhappy.'' She said, in puzzlement.
''Don't worry baby, I'm just fine, close your eyes now, it's going to be fine. Don't worry, I'm here.'' Jane forced a smile on her features, running her hands through Jasmine's hair. She stared out into her wife's eyes through unshed tears and she found them empty. Her body was there, her memories, her mind, but she had no soul. That had left after her death and would never return. There was the knowledge of love but the emotion had long vanished. When Jasmine looked at Jane she knew this woman was her wife, her lover, her friend, but she could feel no emotional reaction to her.
Her body though, her body had the memory of Jane's skin and she closed her eyes nodding, allowing her wife's scent to engulf her.
''You shouldn't be sad, Jane.'' She said matter of factly. Now that her eyes were closed tears were running freely down Jane's cheeks.
''I'm not baby, I'm not.'' The Detective managed, making her voice as steady as she could.
''You are, but you shouldn't be.'' She rested a hand on top of Jane's. ''I'm not scared, I'm not in pain.'' She rubbed a thumb over Jane's scarred hand. ''You need to take care of Emma and be happy.''
Jane looked up at Maura and nodded. The Doctor leaned over the two women and whispered the words as Jane mumbled comforting words into Jasmine's ear, until the red haired woman went still in her embrace. Then Jane held her in her arms and wept. She made no sound but Maura could hear her pain loud and clear in the way her body bent to cover Jasmine's. This must be what love feels like, she thought.
When Jane had dug her claws in Dennis Maura had felt nothing. She hadn't been scared for his life, she hadn't felt any pain in the prospect of his death. And she could guess, if the pack was after him he would soon be dead, if he wasn't already. And she still felt nothing. This man, the only man she had ever given herself had only offered her pain, physical and emotional. One look at Jane, at how she smoothened Jasmine's clothes and cradled her dead body and Maura knew this was what love looked like.
''Jane...'' She said hoarsely. Something told her they didn't have much time.
The Detective nodded, laying Jasmine's body on top of the sheet, slowly closing the dead woman's eyes. She kissed the top of her head, one last time and for that brief second the world stopped spinning for them. Then, slowly, she rose, just as the door opened.
''Janie!'' It was Doctor Hoyt. ''I am extremely sorry for this unfortunate-''
''You son of a bitch!'' Jane cut him before he had the chance to finish his sentence. ''I'm going to kill you!''
She lunged herself at him but she never got close. Another man put himself between them and attempted to stop her. Maura watched in stunned silence as Jane grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him across the room as if he weighed nothing. The Detective's eyes were consumed by the blue flames and her hands were partially shifting into claws that dug in the next man who tried to stop her. She ripped at his chest and blood sprayed her clothes, as she stepped over him to reach Hoyt who simply stood there. More men rushed her, and Maura could see they were professional bodyguards, massive and built like pro wrestlers, but even the finest muscle tone could not compete with the unnatural strength of a werewolf.
It looked like two of the biggest men Maura had ever seen had finally managed to contain Jane, but the Detective growled, a sound that couldn't be possibly coming out of a human throat and she shook them off, first slashing the one on her right and then rushing the one on her left, sending him crashing against the far wall.
''That's enough.'' Maura heard a man behind her say and a gunshot deafened her temporarily. Jane howled and her right leg collapsed under her. She managed to remain upright, although her body was painfully tilted where she was unable to use her leg for support. Her face was focused just on Hoyt, and she took a few staggering step to his direction, trying to reach him. There was another gunshot and Jane's body jerked but she kept going.
They weren't carrying silver, Maura realised, so she would most likely not go down. The previous gunshot was followed by another one and then another, Jane's body jerking with the impact every time a bullet found its way to her. Korsak tried to get to her, shouting something but the other man, Doyle, held him back. They were going to kill her, Maura thought. And then she did something she would have considered stupid if she had seen anyone else do. She walked in the line of fire and ignoring the fact that over half a dozen weapons were pointing to her general direction she put herself in front of Jane, placing her hands on the Detective's chest.
''Jane, please stop.'' She said, her voice low but she knew that Jane heard her. Her mouth parted slightly and she looked at Maura through the blue sparks in her eyes, and she realised she was right. The last bullet took her by surprise, slamming right between her shoulder blades and her eyes opened wide as it propelled her forward, to collapse into Maura's arms.
''Stop!'' The Doctor shouted, realising she was the only thing holding Jane upright. ''Stop shooting!''
Her voice was drowned by that of Doctor Hoyt. ''Dear fellow council members. Today is going to be the greatest day in the history of supernatural. '' Everyone's eyes turned to him and he bowed theatrically. ''Fate has decided that this is Day Exodus.''
''What?'' It was Korsak, his voice thick, holding the edge of a growl. Maura felt Jane's body react to what Hoyt was saying and even if the Doctor had no idea what was going on she understood it couldn't be good.
With another dramatic gesture Hoyt drew the curtains on the side of the room but instead of a view of the night Boston suburbs everyone was looking into another room where a naked man lay on the floor of a cage. The room was empty except from that cage and a camera set directly in front of it. Hoyt approached an intercom on their side of the windows and his voice seemed to reach the man in the cage because he jumped, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the sound.
''Smile, Craig, you're on live television!'' Hoyt urged and Maura felt Jane raise her head towards his voice. The anger in her features was gone and Maura could read confusion as she wrapped an arm around the Detective's waist to keep her up.
Hoyt looked down at his watch and smiled, nodding. ''We're just on time, the change is about to begin.'' True to his words the man's body arched on the floor, his head pressed against the floor as his limbs twisted in pain. Unlike the way Maura had seen Jane shift this change was messy. She heard the popping and cracking of bones dislocating and remodeling, saw tendons and white sliver of bone and cartilage exposed in ways it should never been in a healthy human.
In her grasp Jane took a stop towards the window and Maura had no doubts she would break it to reach the man and help him but she knew there was no way Jane would make it to the room alive and she held onto her, firmly. Instead she looked up to Korsak. ''Sergeant, what is going on?''
''There's something wrong with the change...'' She heard Jane say weakly and Korsak nodded.
''He's forcing him to shift somehow...'' he agreed. Both him and the other Alpha, Patrick Doyle, tried to approach the window but Hoyt shook his head.
''I have more men in here than you can take down gentlemen. And unlike the other's, these are carrying silver. I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you.'' He drew a pistol and rested it against Hope Martin's temple. ''We are civilised people, no need for violence.''
In the man's place was now a great gray wolf that thrust itself against the cage, over and over, trying to break the bars that held him captive, growling and howling.
''Today...'' Hoyt said. ''The whole wide world is going to learn about you.'' He turned to Korsak. ''They are going to find out that monsters are real.'' He waved and the curtain closed, dragging Hope with him. ''This city is from now on mine to command. This council is hereby invalid''
''You have no authority to do that!'' Doyle interrupted but took a step back when Hoyt pressed his gun harder onto Hope's temple.
''Who is going to stop me?'' Hoyt laughed distastefully. ''You and what pack? From now on a good werewolf is a bad werewolf and if I recall correctly the witch is here with me.'' He motioned to Hope. ''As long as I have her the witches won't do anything against me, from fear I'll hurt their leader. And the wolves will be too busy hiding to do anything about it. Shame that the executioner is also a werewolf eh?''
Jane growled in response and Hoyt cocked the gun. Hope had remained silent but tears were streaming down her face, her body shaking. Hoyt smiled cockily at Jane, flashing his fangs. ''Leave now, beloved ex council members, I-''
He didn't have time to finish his sentence because Doyle rushed him. Maura wasn't able to see what happened next, she was overwhelmed by the sound of gunfire as Jane tried to move away from her but she managed to hold her back and pull her to the back of the room, towards the door. She saw Korsak coming towards them as more people entered the room. Some of them were in wolf form and Maura realised they had been answering some kind of call from their alpha. Korsak shouted something at them that he had to repeat.
''Get her out of here!''
Jane shook her head dizzily to his command and moved to where Jasmine's body still lay, hoping to take her away and give her a proper burial but the room kept spinning around her, everyone's energy battling her own and Maura tugged at her. She was suddenly aware of Maura's presence in a non physical way, a kind of cold authority. It was a surprise but an issue for another time.
Maura stood confused by Jane's side, unsure how exactly she was supposed to force this woman whom she had seen lift an entire car out of the room if she did not wish to. But when Jane bent and without as much as a word had her thrown over her shoulder she came into the realisation Korsak's command had not been addressed to her, but to Jane. She wanted to scream at Jane that she could very well walk on her own but for a split second her eyes wandered into the world that existed around them and she saw a man burying his teeth in another man's throat and ripping. Arterial spray coloured the walls and despite herself, she screamed.
''Get the Necromancer!'' Hoyt shouted and a group of men moved towards them. Jane got past the door and still carrying Maura unceremoniously over her shoulder she run. The men followed and they did not back down, not even when she quite explicitly growled at them. One of them lifted his weapon and fired but hitting a moving target is quite hard, especially if that target had the supernatural speed of a werewolf.
Surrounded by people with guns Jane knew that she might be near bullet proof but Maura wasn't and so she did the only logical thing. She sprinted to the side window and jumped. Maura screamed again as they went through the window, Jane's body wrapped around hers protectively. It was the third floor, she expected to feel the impact of the cold ground on her body and she closed her eyes but she only felt the force of the impact through Jane as the Detective landed on her feet and continued to sprint away. With that, Maura stopped registering much else, her eyes wide open as she watched the scenery pass them by as she watched with numb detachment.
So, here's another chapter, how does it look to you guys? Let me know. Also, I have been thinking about a Rizzles set in Medieval time, possibly in a Game of Thrones universe, what you guys think? As always, thanks for reading, and I'm open to receiving prompts, especially for smutty one shots -please please please prompts and ideas-
LK