A/N: Some background first...

This all started with a message from Shadowtalon2024, a previous contributor you may remember! They were a Rizzoli & Isles fan and was curious if I could write a story like that but with these characters, making Tori the cop and Jade the medical examiner. I know fans of that show share something in common with fans of Victorious: "why didn't these two end up together?"

I was admittedly only a little interested at first but as the story took shape, I made a drastic change in the narrative that made it EXPLODE! Now I am absolutely pumped and dove into a crazy amount of research to make this top tier for you guys! Some of my best work was when I made Tori a police officer, so why the hell not? But I think you'll appreciate just how different and ...familiar this all is.

Please leave a review, don't be silent! I will update this weekly but in my spare time I'll continue to plot for the future.

ENJOY!

Jade shuttered as she witnessed the breath escaping with her own eyes. The pale woman who didn't mind the cold normally found it unbearable today. Around the area, they experienced an unseasonably warm Christmastime. But this past holiday wasn't so merry for Jade as she spent the better part of the last days of December in the hospital as her auntie's life ebbed away.

Now, she stood shivering in January where, as usual for these parts, it wasn't cold enough for snow, so the residents were left with a freezing rain. Those who lived in the much colder parts of the land, such as the Midwest or Canada, would have the daunting task of burying a loved one where the ground was frozen solid. They worked around this by laying a metal barrel, often cut in half length wise and starting a roaring fire underneath the small shelter. This would cause the soil to thaw and make it palatable to dig. Even a backhoe would have difficulty unearthing rock hard dirt.

But that wasn't the case here. As evidenced by the rain, the day of the funeral had a high of 41 degrees Fahrenheit. So, the cemetery didn't struggle too much unearthing Beverly's grave. The spirited woman took care of all the arrangements three years prior after getting the pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She wanted her joy, her pride in this world, Jade to not think of anything during this time. Aunt Bev even took care of the headstone. It was an understated trifle of a grave marker, standing about five inches off the ground. She knew her niece would be furious if she settled on a simple plate. Jade had it in her head that people walked all over those things. And NOBODY was going to walk all over her aunt.

Given Jade's line of work, she had immense respect for the dead. Not in the superficial sense, where people say, "don't speak ill of who are no longer with us!" but Jade understood death better than anyone she knew. At least anyone she knew when they were alive.

"Jade?"

Well, almost anyone.

The blonde turned and mustered a smile of appreciation when she locked eyes with Dr. Reynolds.

"Doc," Jade breathed. "What brings you here?"

The balding man took off his round glasses so he could wipe the fog off of them. Once he put them back on, he swiped what hair he had left to the right side. The man had given up on the comb over years ago and just embraced his "changing look" as Camille put it. The doctor would fold his arms and tell his wife that it was easy for her to say because she got more beautiful with each passing year. From behind, his family showed up all dressed very nice.

"Greg," Camille chided him. "Don't just stand there without an umbrella!"

The statuesque blonde woman with striking facial features and three inches she had over her husbands height added up to a commanding presence. She was holding a massive umbrella over herself and both kids that stood close to her with an extra in the other hand. She quickly acknowledged Jade and smiled with sad eyes.

"Good morning, Jade." Those eyes then turned playfully accusatory. "And here YOU are with no umbrella, too! You both are two peas in a pod."

Dr. Reynolds gratefully accepted the big black umbrella and held it over Jade and himself. Camille handed hers over to her oldest, Lynn who looked unsteady keeping the wide thing above her and her little brother, Cole. Once her hands were free, she hugged the other woman tightly.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Jade." She then backed up to arm's length. "See? You're shivering! Between the two of you, I swear. How much you know about the human body could just stand out in the cold rain with no hat or umbrella!"

Jade allowed a small smirk. It was nice being lectured like a little kid right now. The only parental figure she had known, the only one that mattered, was gone. Then again, Dr. Reynolds and his family were always fond of Jade and they in turn grew on her. But it was more than that. They were attached to the late woman as well. Beverly was more than happy to babysit when the kids were small when she wasn't able to. After her niece went off to college, it got quiet around the house. And lonely. She missed the chaos of a kid running around and told Greg and Camille that they could call her anytime when they needed a night out.

"Pardon me?" the padre sighed with an encouraging smile. "Is this everyone?"

Had the Reynolds clan not showed up just now, Jade would have been standing alone. She really appreciated the extra support. It wasn't like others in Langley didn't show their sympathies. Beverly was well-liked. Throughout her hospital stay, she was overwhelmed with cards and flowers and upon her death Jade was inundated with visitors and phone calls and mail from people expressing their sympathies. But most were unavailable for today or it was just going to be such cold, miserable weather...

Then there were some who just didn't go to funerals.

It was understandable. Jade met many people over the years who were weird around not just bodies but didn't like thinking of the concept of death. It was the great leveler; she learned in medical school. No matter where you came from, or how wealthy you become. The end comes for us all. Jade always had a fascination with the strange, dark and mysterious as a kid. Reading crime novels and eventually getting into true crime made her figure a way to channel her morbid curiosity into a career. Auntie Bev was a bit bewildered when Jade told her she wanted to be a medical examiner. By contrast, her coming out as a lesbian was a far smoother conversation.

Jade remembered the day it happened. She was sitting on the couch beside her and just told her that she liked girls. Instead of denying anything, Bev simply asked if she was sure she was gay or bisexual. Jade said she thought long and hard about it and arrived at the conclusion that she liked girls only. Her auntie gave her a hug and said she was so happy that she figured her deal out. She just hopes that the girl she falls in love with treats her like the heavenly creature she was. Jade never doubted for a second that Bev had her back and meant what she said. A common phrase for her was, "I love love!"

Beverly was an old hippie at heart. She was very spiritual and believed that anything could happen once we shed this mortal coil. Bev held firm that the life we lived dictated how our afterlife would turn out. If we left with little to no regrets, we would move onto another plane. What if we felt fulfilled but didn't want to leave? Maybe we became energy and spread out like air or maybe became a bird. Or perhaps we felt we didn't live our lives as intended and got reincarnated as a new baby for another try. Bev didn't care for ghosts, though. She didn't like the concept of being trapped in the living world against your will because someone or something was keeping you here.

"Yeah..." Jade replied shakily.

Her body wasn't appreciating the cold right now and what should be the warmest part of her, the heart, was aching.

"Yeah, this is all of us."

The clergyman went on to deliver a eulogy that was impassioned in delivery though rather pedestrian on the page. It was just a superficial summary of Auntie Bev, like where she lived, her hobbies and the meager family she left behind. Jade hated obituaries, but especially speeches, that rapped off the deceased's stats like the priest was listing career records off a baseball card. Such things never gave the impression of what kind of person they were.

Jade was not going to allow her beloved aunt to go into the ground before she didn't pour her heart out to the ether first.

The man in the collar gave Jade the introduction as next of kin to say a few words.

The medical examiner nodded and bit her lip slightly, going over the words in her head this morning. She had written something down on note cards but they went missing. Jade cursed herself, not one to lose things. She was normally very organized. One had to be that way when taking people apart, running tests with the key components, and putting them back together was your trade.

She cleared her throat and began.

"Auntie Beverly was the most wonderful person I had ever known. When I needed a home, when I needed guidance, when I needed...a friend..." Jade sucked in a hard breath and released it. She didn't want to start crying right now. Not here, or she wouldn't be able to stop. She had to finish this. "...she, um...didn't hesitate. Bev accepted everything at face value. If you were a decent person, it didn't make a difference who you were."

Jade tapped the side of her leg.

"Even if you weren't so nice...Auntie Bev would still be patient with you. She felt anyone had the capacity to be good and do good if they were given the opportunity. If some didn't and stayed rotten, she would tell me that was their problem. That was NOT going to make her cynical." A tiny smiled crawled its way onto her lips. "Even in death, I bet wherever she is...instead of being sad, I bet she's happy to see..."

Looking out into the paltry turnout made her heart ache but Jade pushed through.

"How many people will miss her."

Greg and Camille looked on with worry at the woman. After that last sentence, she stood still for a while and just stared down. The priest reached over to Jade and she politely brushed him away but he silently insisted with a guiding arm. The pale one relented and broke down into sobs, her knees betraying her.

The kids stayed where they were, clutching the umbrella while their parents ran over to help Jade up from the soggy ground. Their support was like a hug, their shared strength taking control so the poor thing didn't falter again. Camille couldn't hold back her own tears of grief while Dr. Reynolds swallowed hard. Jade on the other hand was breathing on the verge of hyperventilating, her face wet from both her warm salty tears and the continuing rainfall.

It didn't matter that they were surrounded by death all the time. This hit differently. This was why doctors never worked on their family or friends. All logic, all science, everything she had learned; it all went out the window. Jade's aunt was gone and she wasn't coming back!

They helped her down to the car, Dr. Reynolds offering a stress pill to help calm her nerves. Jade wordlessly accepted the gesture while Camille and the kids stayed with her. Greg traversed back to the grave site to see Beverly off as she was lowered into the ground. Upon returning, he informed Jade that Bev was interred and they were asking if they were okay to bury her now.

Jade looked up at him with empty eyes and just nodded. He held her hand firm and promised he would make sure they took care of things. Jade was wound so tight that she drifted off to sleep.

"Little Cole hugged Camille. "She's really sad, huh?"

"Yeah," she sighed wearily trying to keep her voice down. "It's a sad day. It's okay to cry."

As evidenced by Jade, bottling up your feelings was never a good idea. Camille detested the whole notion that boys were brought up not to cry. Her and Greg thought that was bullshit and they informed both of their kids that if they are ever sad, it's always okay to let it pass. Cry if you need to. Her little boy just sniffed and kept clinging to his mommy.

"Mom, is Jade going to be okay?" whispered Lynn.

She kissed her head.

"Of course, sweetie. She just needs rest...and time. Everyone grieves differently."

Camille's motherly instinct kicked in and she checked Jade's forehead with the back of her hand. The woman was worried her husband's protege was coming down with something from standing out in the wet cold. She wasn't warm, so no fever. But at the risk of a cold coming on, Camille started the car so she could turn up the heat.

"Afternoon, officers!" grinned Clem.

Tori and Steven dressed in their blues tipped their hats to the old proprietor.

"I'm going to use the restroom," Steven declared and excused himself to go down the corridor toward the men's bathroom.

"So..." Clem leaned in. "How's the new partner?"

Tori rested her elbows on the counter.

"Fine," she sighed. "He's a good guy."

They've been partners for nearly a week, and it's been relatively agreeable. He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and was fit enough. You needed that for this beat. All it took was for someone to take off running for you to see just how in shape you really were. Tori Vega had been working this part of West L.A. for some time and knew these neighborhoods like the back of her hand. The local businesses appreciated the regular police presence and families were more comfortable having their kids outside playing. Gang violence and individual crimes were all still very much a thing, but Tori tried to be that image of a cop she had as a kid.

When we're little, we see the officer as a trusted figure. But as we grow up, we saw how human (how flawed) such men and women are. Recent decades of corruption and cruelty had sullied the name of the LAPD in particular, and the police as a whole. Every act of unnecessary force, every bystander who was shot, every non-violent offender who was killed; Tori took these sad stories very personally. It was more than just her big heart; her father was on the force for as long as she could remember.

Now, he was the chief of her precinct and Tori did her best to keep that under wraps while in the academy. Her hard work got her through the training, and he aspired to become a detective in a year or two. Spots open up regularly, but they were not easy to get. So, Tori had been a beat cop for most of the time. But she didn't mind. She liked the community, and they liked her in return.

(People's perceptions of cops won't change in my lifetime. But I'm doing my part. One day at a time.)

It was a sticking point to her. Tori had a sturdy moral code taught by her father. She wanted to set an example. But that got her in trouble before.

"Did you get lost?" she grinned at Steven.

"Very funny, Vega!" he clapped back.

"So, what will it be?" asked Clem.

The pair eyed the delicatessen case, and everything looked good.

"I'm thinking..." Tori mused, scratching her cheek. "Roast beef and Swiss on rye."

Steven shook his head with a sigh.

"That Rueben is calling my name. Alright, I'll take that!"

The old man nodded and went to work. Since Tori was a regular, he knew she always took her sandwiches with mayo and mustard regardless of the type. It started one day when she was torn between the two condiments and blurted out both. She tried it and liked it. Now Clem knew to remember this every time Tori ordered a sandwich.

He handed Tori's sandwich first and she waited patiently for her partner's food to be prepared. She thought it was endearing watching the rookie get incrementally excited as the corned beef and sauerkraut concoction was assembled. Steven was only six years younger than her, but he had fresh faced out of the academy written all over him. Tori wondered if he told his fiancée that his partner was female and if so, did she take it well? Some are cool with that sort of thing, some really aren't!

Steven happily accepted the hearty sandwich wrapped in white paper while Tori took out her wallet.

"No charge, officers!"

Tori eyed Clem with a raised brow.

"No charge?" she repeated.

"You guys do a nice job and put yourselves out there. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, well. Thank you, sir!" Steven nodded as he dashed out the door.

Tori sighed, looking at that very door.

"What's the deal, Clem?" Tori asked. "I always pay."

"Nonsense, it's on the house."

The Latina squinted at him with a smile.

"My dad told me there was no such thing as a free lunch."

"Just paying it forward," the old deli owner grinned, the crinkles around his eyes forming.

The senior officer huffed, taking a $20 out of her wallet and sticking it in the red ALS donation bucket.

"What are you doing?" chuckled Clem.

"If my money's not good enough here, maybe it will be there." She took her sandwich and walked toward the door but took a second to look back at the man. "Paying it forward," she winked.

Tori's progress was impeded by her partner, who was standing just outside.

"What?" she asked.

"I saw that!" he blinked. "He told you the food was free. Why did you insist on paying?"

His superior shrugged.

"Technically speaking, I paid the ALS Research Fund."

They started walking back to their squad car. Since they still had a couple hours, they leaned against their vehicle and started unraveling their food. Beat cops were accustomed to taking their coffee or grub on their feet in case they had to jump into action. Tori hoped she could get at least halfway into this sandwich before she heard a scream or the screeching of tires.

"If people are going to offer us stuff, what's the big deal?"

Tori rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, Steve" Tori told him. "That is a slippery slope. You start accepting handouts and people will get the idea that you owe them."

He dug into his Rueben while she just held hers.

"What's the big deal if a civilian wanted to show his appreciation?" her partner asked with a full mouth.

"Okay," huffed Tori. "I'll play this game. Say some kids are hanging out in front of his business. Not loitering, not bothering anybody. He just doesn't want them there."

He shrugged as he chewed, waiting for the punchline.

"SO... little favors like these become big favors later on. Because we accepted his freebies, the owner will expect us to drop everything and be his personal bouncers." Tori punctuated her point by taking a considerable bite of her roast beef. As good as it ever was, and she found comfort in the consistency.

"Look around, Vega!" her partner using his sandwich to point, kraut falling out of it. "That's how the world works. One hand washes the other. You think the fat cats in the towers downtown did everything by the book?"

Tori cracked her neck in frustration.

"So, what? I should just compromise myself because of some bad apples?"

The rest of the lunch was as silent and awkward as you'd expect. Now when Steven was near Tori, he felt eyes on his back. This gal was by the book, and it made him anxious, even though he wasn't a bad guy. Being young and just joining the force, having a co-worker who was unbendable showing you the ropes wasn't ideal.

Before the month ended, Steven would apply for a transfer.

It was after dark when Jade felt her mouth was all dry and sticky. She was thirsty and stumbled into the kitchen to grab a bottled water out of the fridge.

Once the initial worry was satiated, memory of this morning came rolling back.

"What the..."

She looked around and indeed, she was back home. But that was impossible. Jade remembered going to the funeral, seeing Reynolds and his family. The last thing she could picture was sitting in the car with Camille and being offered the pill.

"Oh...fuck!" Jade rubbed the cold bottle against her forehead as she wandered back to the couch in her living room.

The pillows were propped up on one arm and there was an afghan strewn over the couch. Jade must have been covered by it. Scratching her head, that was when she noticed the yellow piece of paper on the coffee table and picked it up. She squinted to make out the rather fancy penmanship:

Sorry, but you were past out.

Figured you wanted to be home so

we helped you in and set up the

couch. Hope that was okay.

We're here whenever you need

to talk. The kids said they will

pray for you and Bev tonight.

- Camille

Jade smiled and let the note drop back onto the table. Today had been a lot and she checked the time, seeing it was 6:30 so the sun had set recently.

It was nice of them to do that, she admitted to herself. Knowing them, they must have figured her bedroom would have been too much of a violation of her privacy. So, they compromised and set her up in the living room. At least this way she was somewhere comfortable and familiar.

A text came to her phone and she investigated her surroundings, trying to figure out where her cell went. The screen gave off a glow that alerted Jade to beneath the sofa. Thin digits grabbed the device and she read the message. It was from Dr. Reynolds asking if she was alright. She typed back that she was and the response immediately came back in the affirmative.

Jade then texted to have him tell Camille to thank her for her help. Greg replied that she says she's very welcome and hope she feels betters. Jade thanked them both again and she appreciated the kiddos being concerned about her too. She then ended it with that she was going to eat something and likely head to bed. Reynolds replied that sounds good and he will see her later.

She coughed as she put the phone down and was quickly overrun with a powerful rumbling in her stomach. That water quenched her thirst but now it echoed in her empty belly. Jade doesn't think she ate anything all day. No wonder the stress pill knocked her on her ass!

"Let's get some fucking food," she sighed.

Returning to the kitchen, she opened the fridge and noticed a green plastic bowl covered in plastic wrap. Jade pulled it out and remembered she made some hamburger helper the other night. Single pan dishes was her go-to. The medical examiner eyed the drawer and pulled out a big spoon and retreated back to the couch to eat her delicious leftovers ice cold. Auntie Bev thought her niece was funny eating things like chili or sloppy joe cold the following day. Jade just did and went ahead and enjoyed herself.

Jade sat and ate straight out of the bowl with a heavy heart. It wasn't the same without Bev sitting across from her with that expression on her face. This house was so dark and empty now. Another thing Beverly saw too before she passed was making Jade her sole beneficiary in her will. She left her the house and whatever money was left over. The house had been paid off for some time; she would only have to be responsible for property tax.

She eyed the cabinet above the little wooden mail sorter right before the kitchen. All of the important paperwork was kept there.

But that was for another day. Another time. For now, Jade filled the hole in her stomach, resigned that the one in her heart will be more difficult.

A/N: What did you think?

I'm really pushing to update this weekly, so fingers crossed!