DISCLAIMER: Rizzoli & Isles and its characters are the property of Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT television network.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Something longer to read in the R&I universe. Thanks to Pandora007 for her help and for being my all. And thank you, readers, for reading. Where would we, the pickers and pounders of keyboards be without you?
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Sins Of The Father
By The Raven
The sound of the telephone penetrated Maura's skull as she lay in a blissful slumber, the first such slumber that she had experienced in what felt like weeks. It seemed that the dogs had a sick sense of humour, though as her phone was ringing and after a moment the cacophany was joined by the sound of her pager going off and in yet another moment, her land-line began to ring.
"I'm awake!" Maura moaned as she reached for her cell phone and answered it without so much as a glance at who was calling. "What?" Maura felt like saying a few more choice things, but managed to refrain.
"Jane has been kidnapped. Get to the office." The voice of Detective Vince Korsak said not unkindly, but quite sharply into the phone.
Maura felt her blood run cold. "What?" She demanded from the phone but the line was dead.
Jane had been kidnapped? What the hell?
Maura was on her feet before she realised it and was already getting dressed when her land-line phone started to ring again. Maura hobbled over to the phone and grabbed it up, hoping against hope that it was a second call telling her that everything would be okay and that they had found Jane.
"Have you heard anything?" The frantic voice of Jane's mother asked her desperately. "I am just on my way in, I'll call you as soon as I know anything, Mrs. Rizzoli." Maura said automatically into the phone as she swept her things into her purse and walked with the cordless phone to her kitchen.
"You will?" Angela asked in a small, lost voice that Maura barely recognised as belonging to Jane's formidable mother. "Yes, I will. I need to go. Stay by a phone, I have your numbers." Maura said before she hung up.
Immediately, Maura dialled Jane's number praying that her best friend would pick up and that this was all a joke, a nasty joke that was going to make her play a horrible trick on Korsak just as soon as she thought one up.
The number did not even go to voicemail.
Shit. Maura threw down the phone and made her way to the front door, at this time of night it would only take minutes to get to headquarters, to answers, to more questions.
What was going on? Kidnapped? Impossible. It better be a bad joke and she would simply kill the person responsible for scaring the hell out of her.
Jane.
It was the only thought that Maura could formulate as she drove like a madwoman through the night. There was nothing else, just Jane.
She felt oddly calm as she drove, it was almost as if this was happening to another person, maybe this was actually a bad dream that she would wake up from soon. Maybe. Hopefully.
Not likely.
Maura did not wait for any questions or answers as she stormed into the station and found Frost and Korsak at full steam with an auxiliary crew in full action supporting them. "Tell me." Maura demanded in a quiet voice.
Both detectives turned towards her and Maura could easily detect relief on their faces as they realised that she had arrived. It did make a certain degree of sense, they were a family.
"As far as we can tell Jane was grabbed as she walked Joe Friday. The dog was found by a neighbour waiting outside the building and the neighbour alerted the police." Vince said as he pulled out his desk chair and pointed at the small canine who was sleeping on it.
"Based on when she left here and her usual habits, we figure that she was grabbed at about midnight." Barry added as he absently reached down and brushed his hand along the dogs sleeping form before the chair was pushed in again.
"It's 2AM now." Maura stated flatly.
Two hours.
A lot could happen in two hours. Most of a pathology exam could be completed in that amount of time if there were no mitigating circumstances involved. A person could be killed, maimed, hurt in countless different ways in two hours. A dog could become quite cold and scared waiting outside an apartment building after its mistress was grabbed.
"The neighbour tried Jane's before she called us, so yeah. Uniform brought the dog here. We were about to go over to Jane's place to look around." Vince said as he waved his hand expressively.
"I'll come along. Joe can go to my place and keep Bass company later, for now she should stay with us as she is probably very scared." Maura replied.
She was not making suggestions, she was issuing orders and both of the men knew it. "No arguments here." Barry said and Vince simply nodded in reply.
It was only minutes later when Maura found herself back in her car, this time with Joe on the seat beside her as they made their way to Jane's apartment building. Hopefully there would be some answers there.
She still needed to call Angela Rizzoli and soon.
Jane.
Where are you Jane?
Maura shook her head and absently ran her hand through the small dog's soft fur, somehow feeling a connection with Jane through Joe.
Wistful thinking, but Maura theorised that at a time like this she was entitled.
Jane's apartment was quiet and devoid of life. Too quiet actually and Maura could only shake her head as Vince and Barry looked through the rooms and quite plainly saw that there was nothing there to give any clues as to where Jane had gone.
Her gun and phone and badge were on her end table, obviously she had only been taking the dog for a pee and had not been expecting any problems with it. Why would she? Jane was careful, but the brunette detective was not paranoid.
Maura grabbed some things for Joe as Barry packed up Jane's things to take with them. No point in leaving them here for now and with that in mind, Maura also grabbed Jane's blazer and overnight bag. If, no, when, they found Jane, the other woman was staying with Maura for an indefinite period of time. Maura had no intention of letting Jane out of her sight, when they got her back.
"Do you think Hoyt had something to do with this?" Maura asked Vince as they stood in Jane's kitchen overlooking the apartment. "If he did, I will have him killed." Vince rumbled deep within his chest and Maura was both frightened and comforted by his tone.
She knew that the older detective was serious and after a moment she realised that if Hoyt was behind this, she could not help but agree with Vince. "Should we go ask him?" Maura queried as they left the apartment, with Maura unconsciously clinging to the soft blazer in her hands.
"Not yet. Might not be him and if it's not, well I don't know about you, but I am sure Jane does not want him involved. We'll deal with him when the time is ready." Vince said as the went outside to the cars.
"Uniform canvassed the area, not many people answering their doors, but of those who did, no one saw anything. There is a camera though, we have the footage." Barry said as they prepared to drive back to the headquarters to continue their analysis.
"Let's do it." Maura said and with that, they were quickly in their cars and on their way.
Every second counted. Where was Jane?
Jane, where are you?
Maura resisted the urge to say the words aloud. It would achieve nothing and she desperately needed to focus right now. Somehow. If she gave in and let herself feel too much, she would be unable to think and right now, she needed to be able to think.
It was also time to call Jane's mother.
Where was Jane? Maura felt the question eat at her as she dialled Angela Rizzoli's number and tried to fathom why she was so deeply affected by the apparent kidnapping of Jane. They were friends, colleagues. She would be upset if it had been Barry, but this was something else, something more than simply being upset.
"Mrs. Rizzoli? It's Maura Isles." Maura said into her hands-free as she pulled into the parking lot and started to gather up Joe Friday and the rest of the things in her car.
"Oh my God. Maura!" Angela Rizzoli almost yelled into the phone. "Anything?" Jane's mother continued almost calmly. "No. But we have some ideas. I promise, as soon as I know something, I will let you know." Maura soothed, hoping against hope that her words would at least help keep Jane's mother from having a nervous breakdown.
"I know. Jane is always talking about you. So, I know you'll do that." Before Maura could inquire any further, Angela Rizzoli had disconnected the call and left Maura to contemplate the older woman's words.
Jane was always talking about her? Huh. Who knew?
In any case, the fact that Angela Rizzoli seemed to be prepared to trust her meant that Maura at least, for now, did not have to deal with a hysterical mother. That could easily change, especially as she had a feeling that Angela would not consent to being at home for very long and they might soon be dealing with the older woman at headquarters.
But that was a worry for when it happened, right now, Maura needed to deal with the situation at hand and so far they had nothing to do on, no leads, and very little by way of clues.
Not good at all.
Maura tamped down on her urge to panic. Right now was not the time to allow her emotions and her lizard brain to take over. She needed to be logical, ruthless, calm and calculating. She'd do anything for Jane Rizzoli, but what did that anything entail?
How far would Maura be prepared to go?
As far as the road took her...
Back inside, Maura tucked Joe safely away with her bed, bowls and Jane's nightshirt. Hopefully the little dog would remain calm and comforted. Maura herself wanted Jane's nightshirt to cling to, but this was not the moment for that.
"Anything?" Maura inquired of the two detectives who were examining the security footage from around Jane's apartment.
"There's that." Barry said tightly, pointing at the screen.
Maura examined the footage and saw what was obviously Jane walking Joe and then a figure in a dark coat with a hat pulled down confronted the brunette detective, there was a scuffle and Jane was dragged off, all the while Joe was nipping at the assailants ankles.
"Looks like she was tasered or drugged or stunned." Maura extrapolated.
There was no other explanation as to how or why Jane had gone so quietly. "Yeah, and we should test Joe, see if we can pull any fibres or DNA off of her, I think she may have gotten a bite in and that asshole definitely kicked her." Vince murmured from the other wise of Maura.
He sounded furious.
Maura could not blame either man. She was just glad that she had them by her side. "I'll do that. You keep me informed of any and I do mean, any, developments. Also, I expect that we have about an hour before Angela Rizzoli comes here in person." Maura said tightly, turning away.
It tore at her to see Jane struggle with an unknown assailant.
She was not an especially religious woman, but right now she sincerely wished to whatever god may have been listening that Jane was unhurt, alive, not injured, not too frightened. Maura could feel herself begin to fray as she got the dog and made her way to her own office.
At least she would be alone in case she did break down.
She hopefully would not break down.
Maura knew that she would, eventually. It was just a matter of time before her control slipped away from her completely.
Now was not the time, though.
Not now.
Jane, where are you?
Maura wanted to hug Joe close, but right now the dog might have the only evidence available and well, whatever might not be already compromised Maura intended to try to find. At least with samples, and fibres and DNA there was no emotion involved.
Oh Jane...
When Jane woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was missing time and not like the sort of time you miss when you sleep, more of the sort of time that anaesthesia causes you to miss. The next thing she noticed, was that it was completely dark, even after a few moments of waiting for her eyes to adjust, Jane could not see anything, no light, not even a sliver of it, anywhere.
At least it was an okay temperature but other than that, there were no redeeming things about her situation. It felt like she was wearing her clothes as she had put them on earlier, so there was a good chance that aside from her pockets being conspicuously empty, she was otherwise unmolested.
But, what the hell was going on?
Her brain was fuzzy which made it hard to think. The last thing she remembered was walking Joe and then someone getting in her face. Jane was pretty sure that she had broken at least a finger, if not a wrist on her assailant before the world had turned black. Obviously some quick acting sedative had been administered.
Where was she?
How long had she been here?
She could feel her watch on her wrist, the problem was that she could not see it. After a few more moments of personal inventory, Jane decided that enough was enough and that it was time to investigate her personal prison in a more hands on fashion.
Feeling the space around her, Jane realised that she was probably in a cellar of some sort. This was an unpleasant sort of discovery; the last time she had found herself trapped in a cellar, she had been impaled by scalpels.
Was Hoyt behind this?
Not likely. He or his minion would be here taunting her right now, so what the hell was going on?
Jane's search yielded nothing. Not a brick out of place, nothing. Just the blanket she had been laying on and what felt like a bottle of water and a roll of toilet paper. She was not going to test the theory that it was water unless she grew desperate and well, given a choice, she'd also wait for a bathroom.
There did not seem to be any stairs leading into the space, but Jane definitely got the impression of this being a cellar and that there was something above her, though who knew what exactly.
Making her way back to the blanket Jane sat down and carefully considered her options. She had no idea where she was, or how long she had been here but chances were high that her colleagues knew about her kidnapping already and that they were working on it feverishly.
She had nothing. Just a watch, her clothes, a blanket, water and toilet paper. At least she was not tied up, but blind and without even really knowing if she was being watched say with infrared or heat sensing camera's, she had no real way of gaining any upper hand. Not without information anyway.
Hopefully Joe was okay. Jane knew that her dog had tried in the tiny dog way that Joe had, to protect her. It was gallant, but really Jane hoped her friend was okay. Vince and Maura would look after Joe until she returned.
That was the only thought that Jane allowed herself at this time. She would get out of this and get back to Maura.
That thought arrested Jane's thoughts.
Maura?
Why had she just thought that she needed to get back to Maura and not someone, or something else?
Closing her eyes against the blackness, Jane considered the implications of the thought. Right now, she'd give anything to be having a beer with Maura, or to really be doing anything at all with Maura.
They had a date scheduled for tomorrow night. Maura had talked Jane into trying whatever latest thing the other woman had come up with, Spinning, if Jane remembered correctly.
Really, Jane wanted to do that with Maura above all else.
She had to get out of here. She had to. The thought ate at her and she had to take deep breaths to keep panic ac bay as she flexed her sore hands in the darkness. Forcing herself to relax, Jane cast her gaze inwards. At least inside of her head she had light, and memories and laughter. She could disassociate for the time being if needed, somehow. She had to.
Jane had a feeling that her very sanity depended on her being able to maintain some sort of calm and stability in this impossible environment that she had woke up into.
Maura.
Pulling the blanket up around her, Jane thought about her friend. A smile quirked on her mouth as she allowed herself to remember and to feel. She'd gather some strength while she could, who knew what was going to happen next.
She should have told Maura that she loved her, though. If she got out of here, she'd do that first. Or rather, when. No more wasting time. They were friends, they needed to be open with each other. Jane would make sure that Barry and Vince also knew how she felt about them, but Maura was her main concern.
Only Maura.
Maura had finished checking over Joe Friday and now the dog was peacefully sleeping in a corner of her office. The dog had provided no real clues as to the possible identity of Jane's assailant, or assailants.
"Anything?" The voice of Vince Korsak interrupted Maura's desolate thoughts as the detective burst into the autopsy bay.
"No, and each minute they, whoever they have her, the chances of us finding her become more remote as do the chances of her surviving this at all." Maura sighed as she spoke.
"Nothing with us, either. No ransom demands. I have uniforms picking up informants, hookers, drug dealers and junkies. Barry went to deal with some homeless people he knows who might have intel." Vince said as he walked over to the sleeping dog to examine her.
"Is the dog alright?" Korsak asked absently.
"Yes, she is fine." Maura answered and then her phone rang. "Yes?" Maura picked it up at once, hoping against all hope that it was Jane, or at least her kidnappers.
"Rizzoli's mother is here." The disembodied voice said. "Okay, we'll be right there. Thanks." Maura replied into the phone before hanging up. "Jane's mother is here." Maura said, looking at Vince imploringly.
She just wanted a little more time to herself with her thoughts, then she'd deal with Angela Rizzoli. "I'll look after her, you take a minute and we'll talk soon." Vince said lightly before he nodded and turned to walk away. "Thank you." Maura said to his retreating back.
He really was a good man.
Maura barely had the time to process this information when her phone rang again. She glanced at the display and saw that it was a local number. "Yes?" Maura answered, with her heart in her throat.
"Maura?" The familiar voice of Jane Rizzoli said breathlessly into the phone. "Maura, where are you?" The voice asked, plaintively almost.
"I'm right here Jane, tell me where you are?" Maura replied urgently into the phone.
"Maura?" Jane called out again, and Maura could hear the fear in her friends voice.
The sound chilled her to the core. "Jane!" Maura all but screamed into the phone.
"Maura?" Startling awake, Maura almost fell off her seat as Barry Frost woke her up from her nightmare cum daydream.
"Oh my God!" Maura yelped, trying to recover her equilibrium. "You okay?" Barry asked gently, concern evident in his face and his voice and even his touch.
"Yeah. I must have dozed off, bad dream." Maura murmured, moving her neck in an effort to remove the crick from it. "Too bad you had to wake into a worse one." Barry said soothingly as he bent down to greet Jane's dog which had come to investigate him.
"Any news?" Maura asked, effectively dismissing the conversation.
"We have finished out sweep. No one is talking. Jane's mom has been persuaded to sequester herself in one of the interview rooms with the promise that we'll keep her up to date. Korsak set her up with refreshments and a phone." Barry elaborated.
"How long did I sleep?" Maura asked, not pleased with herself at all.
"Maybe an hour." Barry soothed as he looked around absently. "I can't stand this, we should be able to do something." He continued.
"Yes, we should." Maura replied and laid a hand on Barry's forearm. "I need to go check on Bass. I'll be back in an hour tops, let me know if anything, and I mean anything comes in. I don't care how trivial or minor it seems. Please." Maura implored and she received a nod from Jane's partner.
"I promise." He said gravely and with that they parted ways.
Maura gathered up Joe Friday and her things. "Come on sweetie, time to get you to Bass. A morgue is no place for a sweet girl like you." Maura soothed as she made her way with the dog to her car.
She needed a change of clothes and to shower, and some coffee would also be good. There was no way that she was going to risk sleeping again. Not until Jane was safely back in her arms and even then Maura was pretty sure that she'd simply stay up and watch the brunette sleep, if it came to that.
Jane's voice from her dream haunted Maura, though as did Barry's helpless statement of them not being able to do anything. The police had exhausted the resources they had and soon the Feds would be called in, unless something happened to break the case.
Who had Jane, and why?
What could Maura do?
As she pulled into her parking spot Maura gazed blindly into the distance and felt Joe nudge her side. No doubt the dog had to pee.
What could she do?
There was one thing that she could do, but did she want to go there?
Was she ready?
This was for Jane though and for Jane, Maura would do anything.
Anything.
So, she would do this.
But first, she had to take care of Bass and Joe and get some coffee.
Then, she would do the thing she had sworn that she would never do.
Anything for Jane.
Anything...
"Why did you call me here?" Maura heard the words but for a few seconds she did not know how to answer them.
"I need your help." She finally said, looking fully at the man standing in the room with her.
"My help?" The man asked, pressing for more information.
"Yes." Maura said as she took some steps closer and then handed the man a piece of paper that she had prepared.
A hand snatched the paper and there was a minute of silence as the contents were read. "You want me to find Jane?" The man finally said, looking up at Maura again.
"Yes. The police is not having luck, the Feds have been called in and we have reason to think that every hour, or even every minute she is being held means it will be less likely that we ever find her." Maura said with more confidence than she actually felt.
"Maura." The man's voice changed as he spoke her name. "Is this what I am to you?" The question bit into Maura as she struggled to find an answer.
"I don't know what you are to me, but right now, I need you to be this for me." Maura allowed as she walked closer to the man.
"She's is not family." The man stated simply.
"Technically, neither are my adoptive parents, but I'm sure you would move heaven and earth if something were to happen to them." Maura sighed as she spoke, feeling the internal conflict rage inside of herself as she spoke.
"She means that much to you?" Patrick Doyle asked, pointedly.
"Yes." Maura answered without hesitation, surprising even herself.
Her biological father needed to know the absolute truth.
"You love her." Patrick Doyle said after a moment of silence. "Yes, I do."
"She'd be a good match for you." Her father said and Maura felt her hackles rise. "I don't need your approval, I just need you to do this for me." She said as nicely as she could, though she really wanted to just scream in his face for reasons that she could not even begin to quantify.
"I see." Came the hushed reply. "I'll find her." He added before he turned away to leave. "Wait." Maura asked softly and he stopped. "Thank you." Maura said as she looked into the eyes of the father she would never know and was not at all sure that she wanted to know. "Don't waste this, Maura. I wasted my chances, don't make the same mistake." It was the most fatherly thing that Patrick Doyle had ever said to her, and Maura had to concede that it was indeed very good advice.
"I won't." Maura murmured, trying to convey her gratitude with her eyes and voice and in a few moments, Patrick Doyle was gone.
Now, the only thing that remained was waiting.
Would Jane be found?
Would she be okay?
How long would it take?
What would it cost? Not in money, but chances were that the kidnappers would not survive. Patrick Doyle was not known for being merciful, after all.
Was it worth it?
To Maura, it was. But what would be the cost in the end?
She supposed that she would find out. Right now the only thing she wanted was Jane to be safe.
With that in mind Maura made her way back to headquarters to see if there had been any progress in the case and to check on Jane's mother. She might tell Barry and Vince about her new arrangement, then again, maybe she would not tell them. At least not until there was a definitive development in the situation.
Be okay, Jane. I can't live without you.
The thought was startling as Maura drove. Was it true?
Could she live without Jane?
It was a question that Maura did not even want to consider, the idea of Jane not being in her life was impossible to conceptualise even.
Maura deduced that she had never before really felt this way about anyone.
Only Jane.
By the time Maura had made her way back into the building to see Vince and Barry, a certain peace had settled over her and she was more certain of her decision to involve her biological father.
At least now she knew that she was going everything that she could do in order to find Jane and in the end that was what really mattered. Maura had no doubt that Vince in particular was not holding back any of his less than desirable resources in order to find Jane, but for sure the older detective was not going to be revealing exactly what those were.
Maura was uncertain if she would ever reveal the involvement of Patrick Doyle, she supposed it depended on the eventual outcome of the situation and how Jane felt about it. Maura was pretty certain that Jane would not mind the involvement of her biological father in this situation. Jane had a flexible personality that way, things were not terribly black and white when it came to how the brunette detective dealt with life.
"Anything." Maura asked by way of greeting when she arrived to the operations centre.
"Nothing definitive. Rumours, shadows, and nonsense." Vince murmured as he was watching Barry hack into yet another database in his efforts to find any trail of breadcrumbs that would help them find Jane.
"Great." Maura sighed. "I guess I should go and talk with Jane's mother." Maura added after a moment, mentally bracing herself for that encounter.
Normally she liked Jane's mother a great deal, but right now she wanted to somehow keep a reign on her own emotions and she was worried that Angela Rizzoli would somehow breach her defences.
Maura could not afford to feel too much right now. She could feel later, when a clear head was no longer needed. When Jane was in her arms, safe. When this nightmare was over.
"She's been waiting for you." Barry said, pointing in the general direction of the room where they had sequestered Jane's formidable maternal unit. "Great." Maura muttered as she made her way to the specified location.
There was no getting out of this, so she might as well deal with it now, versus later when there might be issues that required her undivided attention.
It was still completely dark and silent in Jane's prison. No one had come and even though she had broken the face of her watch in an effort to follow the passage of time with her fingertips, she really had no idea how long she had been in this hell.
All she knew was that she was disoriented, she was hungry, afraid, thirsty and had to use the bathroom. All that she knew was that she wanted to hug Joe Friday and accidentally fall asleep in Maura's bed and wake up and find that this had all been a nightmare.
That was all that Jane knew.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost failed to notice the telltale sounds of a scuffle and a struggle and then there was the sound of wood being torn asunder. Immediately Jane went on high alert. She might not be able to see anything, but she still had arms and legs and she was pissed off.
She'd die on her feet before she lived on her knees.
The light that flooded into the basement was so bright that it felt like someone has splashed acid into her eyes and Jane doubled over with pain as her eyes fought to adjust, but she would not fall. She'd fight and with her eyes tearing and her heart pounding, Jane stood her ground, the musty blanket that had been around her shoulders now forgotten at her feet.
"Rizzoli!" A voice said from beyond the light.
"Whatever you want, you're going to have to come and take it." Jane rasped out, her throat dry and angry from disuse and lack of water.
"Maura sent me." The voice said more gently. "It's okay." The voice continued and Jane felt a slight crack in her resolve.
This could be a trick, though. "How do I know you're not just playing a game with me?" Jane demanded, adjusting her stance and willing her hands and feet to work despite being almost blinded by the light.
"This is Patrick Doyle." The voice said.
"What?" Jane spluttered, all the wind taken out of her sails in an instant.
"Come on, we have to get out of here. It's only a matter of time before the cops come and I'll do a lot for my daughter, but being interviewed or interrogated by the police is not high on my list of things." With the words, a shadow stepped out of the light and Jane saw the semi-familiar face of Maura's biological father emerge.
"This is not a trick. I may be a bad man, Jane Rizzoli, but all my badness is directed at other bad people. I would not kidnap my daughter's best friend to get her to spend some quality father, daughter time with me." The man said and offered his hand to Jane.
Deciding to take a leap of faith, Jane took the hand and in just a few moments it seemed, she found herself bundled in a much softer, clean-smelling blanket with a hot cup of tea thrust in her hand as she was walked across an unfamiliar road under the predawn sky. "How long?" Jane asked as she took a long sip of the hot, overly sweet tea.
"Seven hours." Patrick Doyle said as they pulled away from the curb.
In just moments, two chase cars vanished and then it was just Jane and Patrick alone in the car. "Don't hurt her." The man suddenly said as he pulled into an all night dunking donuts and switched off the car.
"Hurt her?" Jane asked. "Yeah. Go to the bathroom and clean up your face. I'll get you something to eat." Patrick said stiffly and practically shoved Jane out of the car.
"I don't want you scaring her." He added when Jane hesitated.
"Oh." Jane replied dumbly and waddled stiffly over to the bathroom.
She really did need to pee.
Blinking against the bright light, Jane looked at herself in the mirror. "Jesus." She murmured.
She looked a fright. Smeared in dirt, pale, tearstained.
When had she cried?
Quickly, Jane took care of business and in five minutes she was back out at the car along with her rescuer. "Sugar, grease, salt, caffeine." The man said as he thrust a tray at her. "I'd offer you a cigarette, but I figure four out of the five major cop/criminal food groups would do for now." Patrick said with a smile that seemed to be actually genuine.
"What do you mean don't hurt her?" Jane asked as she slid back into the car and Patrick pulled out of the driveway. "She loves you and I don't mean like a sister or a best friend loves someone. She is in love with you." Doyle said as he sped across town and absently handed Jane a phone.
"What?" Jane almost chocked on her bacon and egg muffin as the man spoke. "Don't be silly, Rizzoli." He said gruffly, dismissing her shock with a wave of his hand. "And don't bother denying it is mutual, either. I was not born yesterday." He added, effectively silencing her.
"This is a conversation you need to have with her." He said more forcefully when Jane was going to say something.
Snapping her mouth shut, Jane nodded. Obviously whatever Patrick Doyle was going to talk about, the fact that his daughter loved her was not one of them.
"My number's programmed into this, you know how that goes." He said gruffly and then there was silence.
"Does she know I am coming?" Jane asked as she debated with herself on whether to call her mother or not. "Yes." Patrick said. "You should call your mother." He added, pointing at the phone again.
Jane did that.
When Maura heard the knock on her door she almost threw herself at it and practically wrenched it open. "Jane." Maura breathed, taking in the visage of the worn out detective.
Not waiting for Jane to answer, Maura almost lifted her friend across the threshold and slammed the door shut. "Your sperm donor has set up someone to watch the house." Jane murmured by way of greeting.
Joe bounced up from the couch and charged Jane in a frenzy of excitement and as Maura watched, the tall brunette detective leaned down to pick up the furry canine, holding the small warm body close.
She had to admit that dogs were much cuddlier than tortoises, but she would not trade Bass for the world though. Jane put the dog down and straightened out with a visible wince. She decided that Jane needed a hot bath as soon as possible.
Maura wrapped her arms around Jane and pulled the brunette in for a tight hug. "I don't think I am ever going to let you go again." Maura murmured into soft, musty smelling hair. "Good." Jane whispered and Maura could feel the detective relax.
Just then the phone rand. "That would be Vince or Barry." Maura said apologetically.
"Okay." Jane murmured, but made no effort to let go so Maura reached for the phone. "She's with me and she seems fine. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything more." Maura murmured into the phone.
"Okay. We just got an anonymous tip to go check out a house so we'll go there before calling it a night. We've got a uniform outside and you call us if you need anything, even a glass of water." Barry replied and Maura felt her heart warm at the words. "Okay, thank you, Barry and also let Vince know. I'll let you know if anything comes up, otherwise I'll see you or talk with you tomorrow." Maura finished the call and hung up.
"Come on, baby. You can tell me about it while you take a bath." Maura coaxed a willing Jane through her bedroom into the master bathroom.
Patrick Doyle had called her ahead of time to let her know that Jane was coming and when to expect them, so Maura had actually drawn a bath ready and by now it should be just at the right temperature as to not scald Jane.
Candles adorned the horizontal surfaces of the bathroom and once she had Jane in the space, Maura turned to help the detective disrobe. "You'll feel better." Maura coaxed, helping Jane out of the apparent stupor that had taken hold.
"Do you love me?" Jane blurted out, completely stunning Maura.
"Do you?" Jane repeated when Maura hesitated in her surprise. "Yes, I do." Maura hastened to say, not wanting Jane to have any doubts about anything anymore.
Life was short.
This was no time to worry about anything except for the moment.
Jane seemed to sag in relief. "I love you too." The words fell from the other woman's mouth and Maura felt them wash over her. "It was the only thing that kept me sane. I was in a cellar, there was no light." Jane murmured, and the grip on Maura's arms became righter. "I broke my watch face so I could tell time." Jane added, turning away and blushing crimson at what Maura guessed were the effects of a flood of emotions.
"I love you." Maura whispered, her hands reaching for Jane's shirt. "Let me take care of you." She continued as she eased the shirt off Jane's body and it was all she could do not to swoon.
"So beautiful." She openly admired, leaning in to kiss Jane's shoulder just where the deltoid met the clavicle.
"Oh." Jane sounded surprised at the reaction Maura's kiss evoked. "Let me." Maura breathed as her hands gently moved Jane's hands aside to help with the belt that Jane was trying to undo. "Let me take care of you." Maura said, lifting her head to look Jane in the eyes.
What she saw there made Maura stop and forget to breathe. To describe the look on Jane's face as anything other than hunger would be wrong. The brunette looked hungry. "Kiss me." The words tickled Maura's ears and for a moment she was uncertain that she had heard Jane correctly.
"Kiss me." Jane demanded.
Without so much as wasting a second, Maura leaned in and pulled Jane close and brought their lips together in a kiss that they had been putting off for week, or years, or months, but at least for hours.
Jane tasted of coffee and night and it was the most delicious thing that Maura had ever known suddenly. How had she lived without this? How?
The constant stream of feeling that had culminated in this moment was almost too much. Jane pushed in and their tongues battled and danced for supremacy and Maura knew that she would never be satisfied by anyone else's kiss again, only Jane's and only Jane could do this from now on.
Only Jane.
Clothes seemed to melt away as they moved in the bathroom and when Maura felt herself backed up to the sink-counter in the bathroom, she simply allowed Jane to push her up onto it and to stand between her open legs.
They were both naked now and in the candlelight Jane looked like a goddess as the steam of the hot water in the rub curled that beautiful dark hair. Maura could feel herself lose control as Jane kissed down her body, pausing only briefly before kneeling on the hard tiles. "I have to." Jane said, looking up at Maura through shadowed eyes.
Maura was not sure what Jane had to do, but whatever it was she wanted it too. "I know." She murmured, brushing the beloved hair back from Jane's forehead.
A moment later, Maura felt what it was that Jane had to do. "Oh my God." Her head rolled back as she arched in the flickering light. That mouth which she had been kissing only seconds before was now exploring her in such an intimate way that Maura was certain that she would lose her mind.
How could she not? She had already lost her heart to this enchanting woman after all. "Jane." Maura moaned, feeling herself open up to the other woman and whatever grip she had managed to keep on her self control vanished completely.
The End