CHAPTER THREE
First, sorry for taking ages, got caught up in stuff, but to make up for it this is long :)
Second, I'm kindda assuming you know the episode where Jane's house burns down. The timeline won't follow canon-verse, but will still take most of the major plot points (because we're left with yet another cliff hanger that presents the perfect opportunity for a Rizzles end game).
Jane comes back to work one week later which is much too soon for Maura's liking. But Maura has seen little of the detective since that incident that they refuse to speak about. Maura is alright with not talking about it, she has shut the lid on the box and isn't very eager to answer any questions that will probably come attached to processing her actions. And she knows Jane Rizzoli well enough to know that the detective won't broach the subject unless prompted to.
Jane, as Maura expected, ignores the subject altogether. She jumped off of a bridge while Maura had to watch from behind. She deserved a slap. It's all fine by her as long as they can go back to before. But this dodging and ducking game that they have been playing is not fine by her. When the phone goes off for her first day back she can only hope that Maura won't find an excuse to duck the case and hand it over to someone else.
Maura sips her coffee waiting for the day to start. The phone rings before the screen lights up. "Isles," she answers it.
The drive over to the crime scene is plagued with a certain sense of nagging. Both women eagerly anticipate returning to their normal routine of banter with a hidden layer of flirting that they never acknowledge.
Maura arrives first at the scene and is led to the body by Korsak. Her heart plummets at the sight of the girl in the cage. She leans in over the body to examine any obvious causes of death, when none are apparent she marks other clues, collects samples and observes the scene all the while anticipating Jane's arrival.
It when Maura is all done on her end, but the body is yet to be bagged and taken that Jane finally makes it. Her face instantly changes at the sight and the furry running through her veins is evident on her face and the heavy stomping of her feet as she paces back and forth.
The three of them exchange a few pleasantries and Korsak dismisses the tension in the air as a byproduct of the case at hand. While Jane is consumed in her frustration over the girl in a cage, Maura refuses to glance at her for more than a few seconds at a time.
"We need to find this son of a bitch so we can put him in a cage of his own!" Jane exclaims at Maura. And Maura nods, Jane can often express what Maura cannot put into words so easily.
Once everything at the crime scene is all done, they head on over to the station. Jane jumps into the passenger seat in Maura's car which makes the other woman raise her eyebrows and smile.
Jane shrugs. "Gave my keys to an officer, he'll bring it to the station"
When the smile and the eyebrows both stay in place Jane gestures with her hand, "What?
Maura opens her mouth to voice her incredulity, but Jane interrupts.
"I also warned him that he would be doing a lot of paperwork and many, many night shifts if there was so much as a scratch." The dark haired woman lets her mouth spread wide into a smile.
"Of course you did, Jane you shouldn't be using your position of authority to intimidate officers you know."
"Are you gonna argue about that, or are we gonna catch a killer?"
Maura shakes her head and turns on the ignition.
Jane hovers in the background as Maura places the scalpel against cold skin and lets it come apart.
"Are you going to stand there during the entire autopsy?" Maura continues her procedure.
"Until you give me something solid, I will"
"Wouldn't you be more helpful upstairs?"
Jane raises her eyebrows. "Is my presence making you uncomfortable Dr. Isles?"
Maura's heart skips a beat. She turns to look at Jane and rolls her eyes. "Please, I've gotten used to your incessant, and might I add unhelpful, hovering over the years"
"Are you saying you don't enjoy my company, Dr. Isles?" Jane's face mimics offense.
"Yes Detective, I spend at least half my day every day in your company because I am secretly a masochist. There, my big secret out in the open."
Maura turns over the body and examines a needle mark on the victim.
"As if you could have secrets from me," Jane laughs.
Maura bites her lip and nods. "Take a look at this," She moves to give Jane a better angle of the mark, "Puncture wound from a small gauge needle."
"So she was drugged."
"But there are no signs of rape."
"And the blood and hair on the cage?"
"Animal blood"
"So he was practicing, getting ready for a human."
"That seems like a likely scenario."
Jane heads up with that information and Maura continues her inspection of the victim. She does not allow her thoughts to linger on how Jane assumes Maura could have no secrets from her. Perhaps that is true for the most part, but not entirely.
It gives Jane no pleasure when they discover that the killer is in fact a young boy. However, she quickly realizes that the mother needs their protection and the boy in question is probably a sociopath who may grow up to be a serial killer just for the heck of it.
After his cocky run in with her in the parking lot Jane heads over to Maura's office.
"You're having a hard time with this one aren't you?"
"He's a kid"
"Who is exhibiting sociopathic tendencies, Jane, he is dangerous"
"I know"
The air is filled with a momentary silence that Maura moves to break.
"I am sorry Jane"
Jane opts to play dumb. "It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. Can't imagine what his mother feels like, that woman is terrified of her own kid"
Maura tilts her head to a side. She starts to speak, but then decides to go along with it. "She very likely feels torn between loving her child and fearing the person he actually is."
Maura comes over and settles down on the couch next to Jane.
"I am sorry too, Maur." Jane places her hand over Maura's.
Maura smiles and they sit there for a while until Jane's phone rings and she is called away to finally put this case to rest.
The plan moves ahead smoothly, the mother cries but complies understanding that while he may be her son he is also a danger to other people around him. And when they finally get to cuff him, read him his rights and put him in a cage Jane can finally take a deep breath. The time on her phone reads 9:37 so she heads over to Maura's.
She knows this route well enough to be able to take it blind folded, not that she would attempt that, she is an officer of the law after all. Jane can't wait to just settle down on Maura's couch with some good beer and talk about how the quality of the crap on TV is going down. She likes quite nights at Maura's when they can simply unwind without anyone else intruding. She also loves that the guest room at Maura's may as well be her room since it is usually occupied by her and is always filled with her stuff.
Jane's phone rings and she takes the car to a side and stops before answering it.
"Rizzoli"
"Detective, you need to come to your apartment. There has been a fire"
Jane nods even though the man at the other end can't see it and then hangs up. Her first instinct is to call Maura. They agree to meet up over there. Jane can feel her belly fill up with panic. Did she leave a plug on? What caused the fire? Was it that damn faulty socket that she still hasn't fixed? She hopes that it is a small fire and she hasn't lost too much of her stuff, but when she arrives she finds that everything is gone to her utter dismay. Maura drives up moments later along with her mother in the passenger seat. They are followed by Frankie and Korsak pulling in.
Maura places a hand on Jane's shoulder and gives an apologetic look. She can see that the detective's eyes are brimming with despair so she pulls her in for a hug.
"You'll stay with me," she whispers into Jane's rowdy hair.
Jane pulls back and looks at her. "You sure?"
"Well you are there most of the time already"
"That is true"
"And we can carpool"
"Save on gas"
"And you can spend more time with your mother"
"She's going to drive me nuts"
Maura chuckles. Jane smiles. And they let their fingers lace into each other.
This is the first time I've actually attempted to write anything case related, and I'm not too good at it. So, I'm sorry for any crappy writing on that front.