Fic: What We Were (Rizzoli & Isles x-over)
Title: What We Were
Author: marciavandecamp
Shows: Rizzoli & Isles / NCIS
Characters: Kate/Tony, Maura/Jane
Rating: NC-17 (for the later chapters)
Chapter Seven: Trust - Things start to change and Maura gets more terrified with every passing minute; her past unwillingly catching up with her and she's forced to ask Jane for her trust again while leaving her in the dark. Will it be too much to ask for?
Words: 3751
A/N: I can only say it again, this is AU so please don't take every detail mentioned on one of the shows so very seriously. I had to make a few changes to make it fit my storyline ;)
Boston:
She stared into the face of a stranger; his skin looking pale under the flourescent light of the morgue. She was quiet for a moment, regarding the corpse in front of her.
Who are you? She thought. They still didn't have an ID on him or the other victim. No one knew who he is. But someone does, she thought. Someone always does. She took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. Jane would be there soon, along with a few other detectives; demanding information. Maura shook her head to herself. She should've seen it coming, how could she think she was smart enough to do this? It'd just been a matter of time until it'd all catch up with her. She'd tried so hard for the last couple of years.
Why now? She wanted to know and bit her lip. Who was doing that to her? She had no idea and there was no one she could talk to; not because she didn't trust anyone. She'd trust Jane blindly without a second of hesitation but she didn't know if the truth would make them stronger or break them apart. She couldn't stand the thought of not being with Jane, no matter what kind of relationship that would be. What worried her even more was the question whether she'd endanger Jane should she tell her the truth about everything that happened. A part of Maura knew that she deserved to know the truth, but she had to protect Jane. This time, she knew it was hers to protect her best friend. She couldn't tell Jane because she surely wouldn't agree to needing protection and she certainly wouldn't consider Maura being the right person to protect her.
How wrong she is, Maura thought. In the silence of the morgue, every little sound had her alert. She used to enjoy the silence but things had changed so quickly that she thought she missed the point it actually happened. She hadn't been home yet and she wasn't looking forward to returning to the house she called her home. A house she always felt safe in. She knew something was very wrong and she was one hundred percent sure that she put her socks and everything else in the right drawer, there was no reason she would've done it any other way.
Someone had broken into my house, she thought and felt the fear numbing her body. There wasn't a single sign of destruction and the changes were so nondescript that she wouldn't notice it at first sight or be suspicious. Someone had been in my house, she thought. Someone who knew exactly what he was doing. Even the thought of that scared her more than anything else had before. She hadn't checked it but something told her that it wasn't a coincidence that none of the lights were working last night. Someone wanted to scare her.
They want me weak, she thought and turned her gaze away from the dead stranger in front of her; she didn't know what to do. What would be the right thing to do now? She didn't know, but she knew she was very close to breaking. Maura had made many decisions in her past that somehow affected her life and she had never even considered that everything might catch up with her one day; she'd just never seen it coming. She never had a reason to.
She went to her office, away from the dead. She sat down behind her desk and stared into the empty space.
This is who I am, she thought. She laid her face in her hands and felt the tears burning in her eyes; she was still very exhausted and she felt terribly helpless. She bit her lip and swallowed her tears and felt every muscle in her body tense with the effort not to cry. They'd be down here soon and the last thing she needed was a total breakdown in front of cops who respected her and relied on her work. She was good at what she was doing and it wouldn't be any other way during the two autopsies she'd perform today.
How come she'd lost a grip on everything? She asked herself and sighed. Everything seemed like a total chaos in her life; a life she was keen on keeping organized and reasonable in any way. Within the last few days she'd started feeling extremely lonely and waking up next to Jane this morning felt like the best thing that had happened to her in a very long time. It was just the feeling of someone next to you when you open your eyes in the morning, the sense of security and the chance to rely on someone. She'd missed this with all her heart and not knowing if it was the last time this had happened killed her. They hadn't talked about the kiss but Maura knew the moment would come; it was inevitable. She wasn't dreading it but it scared her a little.
She knew she loved Jane and she was ready to do something that no one probably ever expected her to do; she was ready to stop giving a damn about what people might think of her because she was in love with a woman. She'd give it all up to be with Jane, she'd do anything to wake up next to her just once more. To watch her sleeping soundly while she wished that things had been differently all along. If she had just one chance, she'd start again and do everything differently. She wouldn't walk away from her problems and face them. But then again, she'd never met Jane and that was a thought she was avoiding at all costs. She was here and it was right; she would never go back.
You have to protect her, she told herself.
Jane had understood her without a word when she knocked on her door; she was a mess. She hadn't had a chance to shower since they returned from the beach, she was exhausted and she was about to cry and Jane hadn't asked any questions although they both knew there was a lot to talk about. She'd given her comfort with holding her tightly in her arms as long as she needed it. She knew Jane hated to see her cry and she tried to hold back her tears with all the strength she had left but when she leaned into the embrace, her face buried in Jane's shoulder she felt her body shaking with sobs. She knew it made Jane uncomfortable and still, she'd held on to Maura and pulled her even closer until she had calmed down.
“You look like you need a shower to relax a little,” Jane said softly without breaking the embrace.
“That'd be lovely,” Maura admitted and Jane gave a smile; Maura knew she was pretty worried but didn't want to let her know. If only she'd know how well I know how to read people's feelings, she thought and ignored the sense of guilt in her stomach. It wasn't a secret that Maura knew how to read another person's facial expression they just had no idea how she acquired that skill.
“You wanna tell me why you came?” Jane asked quietly when Maura was about to enter the bathroom and Jane paused by the door, biting her lip.
“I just... “ she tried and shook her head; she couldn't find the right words.
“Okay,” Jane said and nodded.
The shower really helped Maura clear her head a little and it felt great to finally wash the salt off her skin; she smiled at the smell of Jane's lavender shampoo and closed her eyes to memorize that moment. She knew that, for the rest of her life, the smell of lavender would never cease to make her smile. She just hoped that it won't come along with a trace of sadness one day.
She walked into Jane's bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel and smiled to herself when she found some clothes waiting for her on the bed. She was dressed in black sweatpants and one of Jane's BPD shirts when she walked into the living room; feeling a lot better then she had an hour ago.
Maura approached Jane from behind and laid her head on her shoulder, hestitating for a moment before she laid her arms around her, hands resting on her flat stomach. She was aching for physical contact and she was desperately longing for Jane; she wanted to feel her body close to her very own. She felt Jane relaxing a little before she spoke.
“I don't know what it is, Maura,” she said quietly and Maura wasn't sure if she was sad, disappointed or just worried. “But if you want me to help, you have to talk to me.”
“I wish I could, Jane,” she admitted. “But it's not as easy as it seems...”
Jane took a deep breath.
“I'm sorry,” Maura whispered and let go of the embrace, releasing Jane's hand when she went back to the bedroom. She didn't turn around to see if Jane was following her, she just sat down on 'her' side of the bed and waited. She understood that Jane wasn't too happy with what was going on, she had any reason to be angry but that didn't make it any easier. She looked up when Jane appeared by the door; leaning against it without a word. She looked at her best friend without knowing what to do and watched Jane entering the room, sitting down in the middle of the bed.
“Jane...” Maura whispered and looked at her hands.
“C'mere,” she said and Maura looked at her; she didn't move when Jane kissed her on her lips, softly at first. It took her only a second to let her emotions rule her actions, the desire rushing through her body like a raging fire. She opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, allowing Jane to push her onto the bed with all her weight. She wrapped one leg around Jane's waist, pulling her closer. Her hungry lips were looking for their match and all her worries were rushed out her mind for just one moment when she felt Jane's tongue on her lips, inside her mouth begging for more. She was heavily panting for air when Jane broke the kiss, placing soft kisses on her throat; quiet moans escaping her lips. She kept her arms wrapped around Jane, she didn't want to let go. She felt Jane's body slightly shivering when she laid her head on the blonde's shoulder and Maura knew she was as desperate as she was. The last thing she heard before falling asleep was the rush of her own blood in her ears.
“Maura?” she heard Jane and was taken back to the present; she looked around for a second before she responded.
“I'm in here,” she answered and tried to sound strong and ready for what lay ahead. Only a second later Jane appeared in the door way and Maura knew it probably wasn't the first time she had called her. Maura looked at her friend for a moment; she didn't know if it was awkward or not. The drive to work had been pretty silent this morning but no one had seemed bothered by it.
“Are you okay, Maur?” Jane asked quietly. She knew nothing was okay but what else was she supposed to say?
“Yes,” she whispered and got up; Jane met her with open arms and they embraced each other for a few seconds.
“I'll be with you,” Jane reassured her again and she simply nodded without a word. She couldn't be more grateful for having such a wonderful friend. While she got ready, she listened to the detectives discussing the details of their case again and Maura was reminded of the fact that the killer they were dealing with was indeed very clever. A lot cleverer then they gave them credit for.
Maura hadn't missed the fact that the murder had taken place at Washington Street. It was a fact that didn't cause any suspicions for them but Maura knew enough not to take that as a coincidence any longer. It had happened there for a reason and it had worked very well but she wasn't ready to share that piece of information with anyone yet.
It felt like it's been hours since she started the autopsies and it was pretty late already by the time she returned to her office. The autopsies hadn't revealed anything too useful. Both victims had died of a single, well-placed gunshot to the chest. There were no traces left behind and there didn't seem to be anything that connected the two men yet. They have just been two very unfortunate souls randomly chosen to be killed by a lunatic. Though with thinking about it twice, the person responsible for this didn't seem to be that crazy after all. Despite all the terrible things, the places and symbols seemed well chosen and whoever it was appeared smart enough not to leave traces behind. There were still some pending tests but she doubted that the results would be helpful in any way.
They weren't dealing with a stupid person at all. Someone knew what he or she was doing and they knew what the rose meant to her; it wasn't just a random thing. It all had it's purpose.
“You haven't been quite yourself lately,” Jane said when she entered the office and sat down at the edge of Maura's desk, right in front of her.
“I know,” she said and nodded.
“What's up with the roses?” she asked and Maura sighed. “I'm not that stupid, you know.”
“I never even dared to assume so,” Maura said and gave her a tired smile. “I guess we both know that someone wants to tell us something,” Maura said and decided to carefully approach it that way.
“Yeah, or he just loves tattooing dead people...”
“Someone left a red rose in front of my door, Jane,” Maura said seriously and Jane was immediately alert. Now she knew where it came from or better said how it got there. “It was there when I got home after we found the first victim...”
“That one also had a rose on his wrist, dammit Maura why didn't you tell me?” she wanted to know and Maura leaned on her hands.
“It was just a flower,” she said and faced the detective. “It thought... maybe it was just a coincidence!”
“You should've told me anyways!” Jane said and took her hand and Maura let her. Maura knew she might just tell her some more but then again she was too scared to do so. She had to do whatever she could to protect Jane until she knew what was going on. Getting more information was a little bit of a difficulty since she couldn't just rely on people she used to know.
“Someone was in my house,” she whispered.
“Oh my God, what happened?” she asked and Maura knew that Jane was scared just like she had been. “When?”
“I... I don't know,” Maura said and leaned back, throwing her hands up in despair. “I just... I haven't been at home at that time.”
“Tell me exactly what happened!”
“There were just... a few things out of place,” she said. “At first I thought I just didn't remember... but... some of my clothes were placed in different drawers and I know I didn't do it. No one's got a key to my house but you.”
“They broke in then, why didn't you call us? Me at least?”
“There wasn't any sign of destruction, everything seemed perfectly fine. The way it always used to be, that's why I didn't noticed anything,” she said and got up from the chair and accepted Jane's open arms. She was getting used to the feeling of her arms around her own body, it made her feel better immediately.
“It didn't take you long to come over after I dropped you off last night...” Jane started.
“I came home and everything was fine... it was just that....” she started and felt a little stupid. Maybe it was nothing after all. “None of the lights were working and... it creeped me out!” she admitted and laid her head on Jane's shoulder.
“I'll have someone dropping by at your house right now to have everything checked,” Jane said and released Maura. “Don't even think about it,” Jane warned her before she had a chance to protest.
“You'll stay with me until we have any idea of what's going on,” Jane said and Maura knew that the determination in her voice didn't allow any protest. With different circumstances she'd had agreed immediately; taken the offer gratefully but the thought of Jane being endangered because of her was something she couldn't take.
“I can't Jane,” she said desperately. “I just can't...”
“I'm not letting you go back to your house if someone had been in there unnoticed!”
“If someone's trying to terrify me, I have to say it has worked pretty well but I don't want you with me while this is still happening! I don't want you to be in danger,” she admitted and looked deeply into Jane's eyes.
“I know pretty well how to protect myself,” Jane said and Maura didn't doubt that at all.
“Sometimes that's not enough,” Maura told her; she knew what she was talking about.
“You have no idea what we're dealing with, have you?” Jane asked and raised an eyebrow at her friend.
“No,” she said. “But I don't want you to be too close until we do.”
Jane sighed in frustration. She was at a loss.
“We'll take care of that and I will do everything to protect you, I promise,” she said and Maura had no other chance but surrender and accept her friend's demand for now.
It was past 6pm when they arrived in front of her house; Maura saw two police cruisers parked on the street and two officers looking pretty bored. She didn't know their names but she had seen them around. Jane looked at her and they got out of the car. Frost walked toward them and Maura was glad that he was the one checking her house and not some cop she didn't know. She trusted Frost enough to feel safe knowing he was the one doing it.
“I don't know what you're looking for or what we're supposed to look for,” he started to explain. “But we couldn't find anything or any traces by now,” he said and Maura nearly laughed. She hadn't expected anything else she started feeling like a fool; distracting the detectives from their work for nothing while they were two dead ones who deserved to find peace and find the one who did this.
“We'll find something,” Frost said and looked at Maura. “Whatever it is,” he said and Maura felt a litte relieved, knowing that he obviously didn't think she was crazy. He seemed to take it seriously and she was extremely grateful for that.
“Frost?” someone called him.
“We need to know exactly what was out of place,” he said.
Maura nodded. “Thank you,” she said and he turned around to go back into the house.
“Let's go,” Jane said and followed her partner. She looked around carefully but just like Maura told her, there was nothing that seemed odd in some way. Frost was still talking to someone whose name she didn't know and it took him only a few minutes to talk to them again.
“Lights are not working,” he said. “But we checked the fuses, seems fine. Despite the fact that someone loosened the light bulbs which was why nothing worked when you tried the switched,” he explained. “They're still working, they were just loose.”
“Why would someone do that?” Jane asked again; she didn't recall any case where someone had done something so stupid.
“Maybe they wanted to scare me,” Maura said. She couldn't think of anything else. “Or confuse me. I don't know,” she said and shrugged.
“We'll have someone watching your house,” Jane said and Frost nodded. “Let's get some of your things,” Jane said and turned to Maura. “And then we're outta here for a while.”
Maura nodded and Jane followed her upstairs while she put some clothes and toiletries in a bag.
“I'm sorry I can't be honest with your for now,” Maura said and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I know that you know that something's not quite right here. We both know that,” she explained and wasn't sure where this was going.
“But I can't tell you now,” she said and faced Jane. “It's not safe,” she whispered and waited for Jane to say something. She thought about it for a second and nodded.
“When this is over, I promise I will tell you everything.”
“Don't you trust me?” she wanted to know.
“I trust you more then anyone else I've ever met,” Maura said.
“Then why can't we talk now?” Jane wanted to know. “I can't just stand here without doing anything!”
“I don't know if there's anything you can do for now,” Maura said. “It's too dangerous,” she thought about it for a moment. The weren't dealing with stupid people, there was a reason she made the decision that had changed her life. “There are some things that I you can deal with or protect yourself of,” she said and got up to take Jane's hands. “I know its not fair and I'm asking for way too much but you have to trust me,” Maura begged her. “Just for now. Promise me you won't try to work it out on your own, please!”
“Let's not do this here,” Jane said and nodded to answer what Maura was asking of her.
Did she have a chance?
1. Boston
2. Washington DC
3. Sunday
4. Someone Like You
5. Promises
6. Solace
x-posted on rizzoli_isles
Author: marciavandecamp
Shows: Rizzoli & Isles / NCIS
Characters: Kate/Tony, Maura/Jane
Rating: NC-17 (for the later chapters)
Chapter Seven: Trust - Things start to change and Maura gets more terrified with every passing minute; her past unwillingly catching up with her and she's forced to ask Jane for her trust again while leaving her in the dark. Will it be too much to ask for?
Words: 3751
A/N: I can only say it again, this is AU so please don't take every detail mentioned on one of the shows so very seriously. I had to make a few changes to make it fit my storyline ;)
Boston:
She stared into the face of a stranger; his skin looking pale under the flourescent light of the morgue. She was quiet for a moment, regarding the corpse in front of her.
Who are you? She thought. They still didn't have an ID on him or the other victim. No one knew who he is. But someone does, she thought. Someone always does. She took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. Jane would be there soon, along with a few other detectives; demanding information. Maura shook her head to herself. She should've seen it coming, how could she think she was smart enough to do this? It'd just been a matter of time until it'd all catch up with her. She'd tried so hard for the last couple of years.
Why now? She wanted to know and bit her lip. Who was doing that to her? She had no idea and there was no one she could talk to; not because she didn't trust anyone. She'd trust Jane blindly without a second of hesitation but she didn't know if the truth would make them stronger or break them apart. She couldn't stand the thought of not being with Jane, no matter what kind of relationship that would be. What worried her even more was the question whether she'd endanger Jane should she tell her the truth about everything that happened. A part of Maura knew that she deserved to know the truth, but she had to protect Jane. This time, she knew it was hers to protect her best friend. She couldn't tell Jane because she surely wouldn't agree to needing protection and she certainly wouldn't consider Maura being the right person to protect her.
How wrong she is, Maura thought. In the silence of the morgue, every little sound had her alert. She used to enjoy the silence but things had changed so quickly that she thought she missed the point it actually happened. She hadn't been home yet and she wasn't looking forward to returning to the house she called her home. A house she always felt safe in. She knew something was very wrong and she was one hundred percent sure that she put her socks and everything else in the right drawer, there was no reason she would've done it any other way.
Someone had broken into my house, she thought and felt the fear numbing her body. There wasn't a single sign of destruction and the changes were so nondescript that she wouldn't notice it at first sight or be suspicious. Someone had been in my house, she thought. Someone who knew exactly what he was doing. Even the thought of that scared her more than anything else had before. She hadn't checked it but something told her that it wasn't a coincidence that none of the lights were working last night. Someone wanted to scare her.
They want me weak, she thought and turned her gaze away from the dead stranger in front of her; she didn't know what to do. What would be the right thing to do now? She didn't know, but she knew she was very close to breaking. Maura had made many decisions in her past that somehow affected her life and she had never even considered that everything might catch up with her one day; she'd just never seen it coming. She never had a reason to.
She went to her office, away from the dead. She sat down behind her desk and stared into the empty space.
This is who I am, she thought. She laid her face in her hands and felt the tears burning in her eyes; she was still very exhausted and she felt terribly helpless. She bit her lip and swallowed her tears and felt every muscle in her body tense with the effort not to cry. They'd be down here soon and the last thing she needed was a total breakdown in front of cops who respected her and relied on her work. She was good at what she was doing and it wouldn't be any other way during the two autopsies she'd perform today.
How come she'd lost a grip on everything? She asked herself and sighed. Everything seemed like a total chaos in her life; a life she was keen on keeping organized and reasonable in any way. Within the last few days she'd started feeling extremely lonely and waking up next to Jane this morning felt like the best thing that had happened to her in a very long time. It was just the feeling of someone next to you when you open your eyes in the morning, the sense of security and the chance to rely on someone. She'd missed this with all her heart and not knowing if it was the last time this had happened killed her. They hadn't talked about the kiss but Maura knew the moment would come; it was inevitable. She wasn't dreading it but it scared her a little.
She knew she loved Jane and she was ready to do something that no one probably ever expected her to do; she was ready to stop giving a damn about what people might think of her because she was in love with a woman. She'd give it all up to be with Jane, she'd do anything to wake up next to her just once more. To watch her sleeping soundly while she wished that things had been differently all along. If she had just one chance, she'd start again and do everything differently. She wouldn't walk away from her problems and face them. But then again, she'd never met Jane and that was a thought she was avoiding at all costs. She was here and it was right; she would never go back.
You have to protect her, she told herself.
Jane had understood her without a word when she knocked on her door; she was a mess. She hadn't had a chance to shower since they returned from the beach, she was exhausted and she was about to cry and Jane hadn't asked any questions although they both knew there was a lot to talk about. She'd given her comfort with holding her tightly in her arms as long as she needed it. She knew Jane hated to see her cry and she tried to hold back her tears with all the strength she had left but when she leaned into the embrace, her face buried in Jane's shoulder she felt her body shaking with sobs. She knew it made Jane uncomfortable and still, she'd held on to Maura and pulled her even closer until she had calmed down.
“You look like you need a shower to relax a little,” Jane said softly without breaking the embrace.
“That'd be lovely,” Maura admitted and Jane gave a smile; Maura knew she was pretty worried but didn't want to let her know. If only she'd know how well I know how to read people's feelings, she thought and ignored the sense of guilt in her stomach. It wasn't a secret that Maura knew how to read another person's facial expression they just had no idea how she acquired that skill.
“You wanna tell me why you came?” Jane asked quietly when Maura was about to enter the bathroom and Jane paused by the door, biting her lip.
“I just... “ she tried and shook her head; she couldn't find the right words.
“Okay,” Jane said and nodded.
The shower really helped Maura clear her head a little and it felt great to finally wash the salt off her skin; she smiled at the smell of Jane's lavender shampoo and closed her eyes to memorize that moment. She knew that, for the rest of her life, the smell of lavender would never cease to make her smile. She just hoped that it won't come along with a trace of sadness one day.
She walked into Jane's bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel and smiled to herself when she found some clothes waiting for her on the bed. She was dressed in black sweatpants and one of Jane's BPD shirts when she walked into the living room; feeling a lot better then she had an hour ago.
Maura approached Jane from behind and laid her head on her shoulder, hestitating for a moment before she laid her arms around her, hands resting on her flat stomach. She was aching for physical contact and she was desperately longing for Jane; she wanted to feel her body close to her very own. She felt Jane relaxing a little before she spoke.
“I don't know what it is, Maura,” she said quietly and Maura wasn't sure if she was sad, disappointed or just worried. “But if you want me to help, you have to talk to me.”
“I wish I could, Jane,” she admitted. “But it's not as easy as it seems...”
Jane took a deep breath.
“I'm sorry,” Maura whispered and let go of the embrace, releasing Jane's hand when she went back to the bedroom. She didn't turn around to see if Jane was following her, she just sat down on 'her' side of the bed and waited. She understood that Jane wasn't too happy with what was going on, she had any reason to be angry but that didn't make it any easier. She looked up when Jane appeared by the door; leaning against it without a word. She looked at her best friend without knowing what to do and watched Jane entering the room, sitting down in the middle of the bed.
“Jane...” Maura whispered and looked at her hands.
“C'mere,” she said and Maura looked at her; she didn't move when Jane kissed her on her lips, softly at first. It took her only a second to let her emotions rule her actions, the desire rushing through her body like a raging fire. She opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, allowing Jane to push her onto the bed with all her weight. She wrapped one leg around Jane's waist, pulling her closer. Her hungry lips were looking for their match and all her worries were rushed out her mind for just one moment when she felt Jane's tongue on her lips, inside her mouth begging for more. She was heavily panting for air when Jane broke the kiss, placing soft kisses on her throat; quiet moans escaping her lips. She kept her arms wrapped around Jane, she didn't want to let go. She felt Jane's body slightly shivering when she laid her head on the blonde's shoulder and Maura knew she was as desperate as she was. The last thing she heard before falling asleep was the rush of her own blood in her ears.
“Maura?” she heard Jane and was taken back to the present; she looked around for a second before she responded.
“I'm in here,” she answered and tried to sound strong and ready for what lay ahead. Only a second later Jane appeared in the door way and Maura knew it probably wasn't the first time she had called her. Maura looked at her friend for a moment; she didn't know if it was awkward or not. The drive to work had been pretty silent this morning but no one had seemed bothered by it.
“Are you okay, Maur?” Jane asked quietly. She knew nothing was okay but what else was she supposed to say?
“Yes,” she whispered and got up; Jane met her with open arms and they embraced each other for a few seconds.
“I'll be with you,” Jane reassured her again and she simply nodded without a word. She couldn't be more grateful for having such a wonderful friend. While she got ready, she listened to the detectives discussing the details of their case again and Maura was reminded of the fact that the killer they were dealing with was indeed very clever. A lot cleverer then they gave them credit for.
Maura hadn't missed the fact that the murder had taken place at Washington Street. It was a fact that didn't cause any suspicions for them but Maura knew enough not to take that as a coincidence any longer. It had happened there for a reason and it had worked very well but she wasn't ready to share that piece of information with anyone yet.
It felt like it's been hours since she started the autopsies and it was pretty late already by the time she returned to her office. The autopsies hadn't revealed anything too useful. Both victims had died of a single, well-placed gunshot to the chest. There were no traces left behind and there didn't seem to be anything that connected the two men yet. They have just been two very unfortunate souls randomly chosen to be killed by a lunatic. Though with thinking about it twice, the person responsible for this didn't seem to be that crazy after all. Despite all the terrible things, the places and symbols seemed well chosen and whoever it was appeared smart enough not to leave traces behind. There were still some pending tests but she doubted that the results would be helpful in any way.
They weren't dealing with a stupid person at all. Someone knew what he or she was doing and they knew what the rose meant to her; it wasn't just a random thing. It all had it's purpose.
“You haven't been quite yourself lately,” Jane said when she entered the office and sat down at the edge of Maura's desk, right in front of her.
“I know,” she said and nodded.
“What's up with the roses?” she asked and Maura sighed. “I'm not that stupid, you know.”
“I never even dared to assume so,” Maura said and gave her a tired smile. “I guess we both know that someone wants to tell us something,” Maura said and decided to carefully approach it that way.
“Yeah, or he just loves tattooing dead people...”
“Someone left a red rose in front of my door, Jane,” Maura said seriously and Jane was immediately alert. Now she knew where it came from or better said how it got there. “It was there when I got home after we found the first victim...”
“That one also had a rose on his wrist, dammit Maura why didn't you tell me?” she wanted to know and Maura leaned on her hands.
“It was just a flower,” she said and faced the detective. “It thought... maybe it was just a coincidence!”
“You should've told me anyways!” Jane said and took her hand and Maura let her. Maura knew she might just tell her some more but then again she was too scared to do so. She had to do whatever she could to protect Jane until she knew what was going on. Getting more information was a little bit of a difficulty since she couldn't just rely on people she used to know.
“Someone was in my house,” she whispered.
“Oh my God, what happened?” she asked and Maura knew that Jane was scared just like she had been. “When?”
“I... I don't know,” Maura said and leaned back, throwing her hands up in despair. “I just... I haven't been at home at that time.”
“Tell me exactly what happened!”
“There were just... a few things out of place,” she said. “At first I thought I just didn't remember... but... some of my clothes were placed in different drawers and I know I didn't do it. No one's got a key to my house but you.”
“They broke in then, why didn't you call us? Me at least?”
“There wasn't any sign of destruction, everything seemed perfectly fine. The way it always used to be, that's why I didn't noticed anything,” she said and got up from the chair and accepted Jane's open arms. She was getting used to the feeling of her arms around her own body, it made her feel better immediately.
“It didn't take you long to come over after I dropped you off last night...” Jane started.
“I came home and everything was fine... it was just that....” she started and felt a little stupid. Maybe it was nothing after all. “None of the lights were working and... it creeped me out!” she admitted and laid her head on Jane's shoulder.
“I'll have someone dropping by at your house right now to have everything checked,” Jane said and released Maura. “Don't even think about it,” Jane warned her before she had a chance to protest.
“You'll stay with me until we have any idea of what's going on,” Jane said and Maura knew that the determination in her voice didn't allow any protest. With different circumstances she'd had agreed immediately; taken the offer gratefully but the thought of Jane being endangered because of her was something she couldn't take.
“I can't Jane,” she said desperately. “I just can't...”
“I'm not letting you go back to your house if someone had been in there unnoticed!”
“If someone's trying to terrify me, I have to say it has worked pretty well but I don't want you with me while this is still happening! I don't want you to be in danger,” she admitted and looked deeply into Jane's eyes.
“I know pretty well how to protect myself,” Jane said and Maura didn't doubt that at all.
“Sometimes that's not enough,” Maura told her; she knew what she was talking about.
“You have no idea what we're dealing with, have you?” Jane asked and raised an eyebrow at her friend.
“No,” she said. “But I don't want you to be too close until we do.”
Jane sighed in frustration. She was at a loss.
“We'll take care of that and I will do everything to protect you, I promise,” she said and Maura had no other chance but surrender and accept her friend's demand for now.
It was past 6pm when they arrived in front of her house; Maura saw two police cruisers parked on the street and two officers looking pretty bored. She didn't know their names but she had seen them around. Jane looked at her and they got out of the car. Frost walked toward them and Maura was glad that he was the one checking her house and not some cop she didn't know. She trusted Frost enough to feel safe knowing he was the one doing it.
“I don't know what you're looking for or what we're supposed to look for,” he started to explain. “But we couldn't find anything or any traces by now,” he said and Maura nearly laughed. She hadn't expected anything else she started feeling like a fool; distracting the detectives from their work for nothing while they were two dead ones who deserved to find peace and find the one who did this.
“We'll find something,” Frost said and looked at Maura. “Whatever it is,” he said and Maura felt a litte relieved, knowing that he obviously didn't think she was crazy. He seemed to take it seriously and she was extremely grateful for that.
“Frost?” someone called him.
“We need to know exactly what was out of place,” he said.
Maura nodded. “Thank you,” she said and he turned around to go back into the house.
“Let's go,” Jane said and followed her partner. She looked around carefully but just like Maura told her, there was nothing that seemed odd in some way. Frost was still talking to someone whose name she didn't know and it took him only a few minutes to talk to them again.
“Lights are not working,” he said. “But we checked the fuses, seems fine. Despite the fact that someone loosened the light bulbs which was why nothing worked when you tried the switched,” he explained. “They're still working, they were just loose.”
“Why would someone do that?” Jane asked again; she didn't recall any case where someone had done something so stupid.
“Maybe they wanted to scare me,” Maura said. She couldn't think of anything else. “Or confuse me. I don't know,” she said and shrugged.
“We'll have someone watching your house,” Jane said and Frost nodded. “Let's get some of your things,” Jane said and turned to Maura. “And then we're outta here for a while.”
Maura nodded and Jane followed her upstairs while she put some clothes and toiletries in a bag.
“I'm sorry I can't be honest with your for now,” Maura said and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I know that you know that something's not quite right here. We both know that,” she explained and wasn't sure where this was going.
“But I can't tell you now,” she said and faced Jane. “It's not safe,” she whispered and waited for Jane to say something. She thought about it for a second and nodded.
“When this is over, I promise I will tell you everything.”
“Don't you trust me?” she wanted to know.
“I trust you more then anyone else I've ever met,” Maura said.
“Then why can't we talk now?” Jane wanted to know. “I can't just stand here without doing anything!”
“I don't know if there's anything you can do for now,” Maura said. “It's too dangerous,” she thought about it for a moment. The weren't dealing with stupid people, there was a reason she made the decision that had changed her life. “There are some things that I you can deal with or protect yourself of,” she said and got up to take Jane's hands. “I know its not fair and I'm asking for way too much but you have to trust me,” Maura begged her. “Just for now. Promise me you won't try to work it out on your own, please!”
“Let's not do this here,” Jane said and nodded to answer what Maura was asking of her.
Did she have a chance?
1. Boston
2. Washington DC
3. Sunday
4. Someone Like You
5. Promises
6. Solace
x-posted on rizzoli_isles