Safe Haven Chapter 9

Hey folks! I just want to address some reviews before we get into things. For those of you that were worried about Frost, he and Frankie will come in and out of the storyline, but it centres around Jane, Maura, and Finn. There will be some more action in later chapters (it is the mob after all), but I've set a slow pace I intend to stick to—I think Maura and Finn deserve some fluffy peace before things go crazy.

Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains and Maura stirred. Finn was pressed tightly to her side, sucking softly on his pinky. Giving herself another moment to enjoy his warmth and peace, Maura lay her cheek on his head, unruly curls tickling her nose. She could hear movement elsewhere in the cabin and wondered if it was Frost or Jane. Something she could not identify hoped it was Jane. With a deep sigh, she pulled her son closer, but the moment of peace was gone. It was time to face the day.

Untangling herself from her son and pulling the quilt snugly around him, Maura reached for the jeans and socks she had abandoned the night before. Too tired to go through the duffel bags that Frost had packed them, she and Finn had slept in t-shirts and underwear, but Maura was looking forward to getting a good look in those bags. She had been in these clothes for over 36 hours and was starting to feel extremely grimy.

In her sock feet, she slipped out of the bedroom and into the living area. She could see Frost laying on one of the couches, his blanket pulled up so high over his face to block out the light that his legs remained uncovered from the knees down. Smiling softly at the sight, Maura padded towards the kitchen where she could see a certain brunette muttering in frustration.

"Good morning, Jane."

Jane jumped, nearly knocking her head against the open cupboards. Spinning around with a slightly red face, she saw Maura standing near the round kitchen table, "Morning, Maura."

Maura smiled at Jane's apparent embarrassment. "What's wrong?"

"Oh… I, er, was going to try to make breakfast. But Frost—" Jane shot the snoring man a look of disdain "—forgot to bring oil for the generator. So our choices are limited."

"Oh," Maura said simply, "Let me see what we've got to work with." There had been many mornings in many warehouses that Maura had had to scrounge up a breakfast for herself and Finn without access to a proper kitchen. At her insistence, there was always a small fridge stocked with healthy options, and Finn rarely asked for the greasy fast food the men ate with such fervour.

Half an hour later, Jane was boiling coffee over the fire and Maura had made cheese sandwiches and a rudimentary fruit salad out of the fresh food Frost had brought with them. Setting the kitchen table with chipped and mismatched plates and cutlery Maura was struck by the domesticity of it all, and raised her head to watch Jane, who was crouched near the fire place and stirring the pot positioned haphazardly above the embers. I'll protect you, she had said. Was this part of it? This… normalcy in the midst of chaos?

Before Maura could think on that further, she saw Finn peek his head out from behind his door at the same time as Frost stirred on the couch.

"Do I smell coffee?"

Finn jumped back behind the door as Frost sat up, and Maura crossed the cabin to coax him out of the room. After a few minutes, she succeeded and led Finn back into the living area and adjoining kitchen. Frost was sitting at the table looking sheepish, perhaps Jane had told him about the oil for the generator, and Jane was pouring coffee into three mismatched mugs.

As they ate, Frost explained that they were in the mountains of Maine; there was only one access road that branched off into a half dozen similar cabins in the area and the rest was thickly forested. At the base of the mountain, where the access road merged with a rural highway was a guards' post of sorts, used to track visitors to the area. Frost had managed to get a position there and would be stationed during the night to make sure nobody came up the mountain. He would spend the day at the adjoining cabin, attentive to any action, but allowing the regular rangers to attend to the post. He would also be bringing them fresh supplies. Under no circumstances were Jane, Maura, and Finn to leave the mountain.

"The other cabins are uninhabited at this time of year, but the Cap thinks that family who owns the one furthest down the mountain will come for a few days after Christmas."

Christmas. It had not even crossed Maura's mind. There had been a few half-hearted Christmases when she was a child, but the notion was largely given up by the time she was ten, revived only when Finn was born and Maura recalled the chilly mornings, tingling excitement, and roaring fires. Christmas had quickly turned into cold days, concealed hopes, and falsely cheery roaring fires.

Misinterpreting the look on Maura's face, Frost attempted to reassure her, "It's alright, we've got their photo identities on hand, no one else will be coming past that gate with them. Besides, Christmas is a week away, we might even be out of here by then."

Jane looked across the room, her concern showing that she had better read Maura's features than Frost. As Frost prattled on about daily check-ins, satellite phones, and twice-weekly supply runs Jane and Maura locked eyes across the table. It was something like Maura had never experienced, this non-verbal communication. She and Finn locked eyes in quiet reassurance of the other's presence, but with Jane there was a flurry of questions and answers, without even a twitch of the tongue. It might have been unsettling before, but Maura quite revelled in it now.

Eventually, Jane and Frost stood to survey the supplies in the cabin and make a better-informed list of supplies—like oil. Maura and Finn remained at the table, still working through their sandwiches and fruit. Jane and Frost had torn through their food in a flurry Maura was certain would cause them indigestion, but she and Finn continued their customary meandering; a bite of cheese and soft white bread—Maura would have to request whole wheat next time—some slightly bitter strawberries, and slender pieces of orange, intermingled with quiet conversation as Jane rumbled through the cabin behind them. Maura found herself quite enjoying the woman's particular brand of chaos.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Finn?"

He was looking past her at Jane, who was hopping around making violent gestures—she had stubbed her toe. "She's weird, isn't she?"

Maura chuckled and put her hand over her son's, "Darling, I think that's what we have in common."

Finn looked baffled, but accepted her answer, wiping the last of the fruit juice out of his bowl with his finger and popping it in his mouth. Before Maura could reproach his manners, as he surely knew she would, he hopped down from his seat and made a show of bringing her dishes to the sink.

Chuckling once more, Maura watched him go before swivelling to see Jane looking at her with a small smile. Had she overheard Finn's comment? In another time, Maura might have panicked, felt ashamed and unsure, but now she just smiled with the barest hint of a flush.

As Jane smiled back, Maura mused about before and after. When had she began thinking of her life in those terms? Certainly when Finn was born, but those did not seem to be the parameters any longer. Did before end at her moment of escape? Or did after begin when that green-painted door swung open to reveal Jane Rizzoli for the first time? Maura had a tingling suspicion it was the latter.

..

It was mid-afternoon by the time Maura sat down in the same wooden chair she had occupied for breakfast. The day had been full of going through the supplies Frost had bought—everything she had asked for, plus a deck of cards, a seasonal colouring book for Finn, and a little box of Legos—warming water over the fire to fill a bath tub, bathing Finn and then herself, and working to reduce the thick layer of dust that lay on every surface. She was sure that Cavanaugh's friends had not used the cabin since the last days of summer.

Now, Finn sat in the dusty light streaming through the windows, laying on his stomach near the fire and assembling the tiny pieces of plastic that somehow was supposed to turn into a helicopter. Satisfied that her son was sufficiently distracted, Maura sat opposite Jane and the kitchen table, feeling her nervousness reach new heights. The day had been slow and pleasant so far, and Maura found herself feeling content for the first time in a very long time. But now, now she had to delve into the reasons she was here, had to make her past real again, had to commit the ultimate betrayal against her father and most of the people she had ever known.

"It's alright, Maura." Jane was looking at her softly, and meeting her warm eyes Maura could almost forget the laptop, spiral notebook, and bulky camera sitting atop a mini tripod. Almost.

Maura swallowed and nodded, "Okay," she said, "I'm ready." And somehow, she was. She could hardly ignore the camera, but Jane's attention allowed her shoulders to relax just slightly. Somehow, Jane, the embodiment of what Maura had been taught to fear and avoid, felt safe.

Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be the first interview, and one of many glimpses into Maura's life with the mob. I'll try and fit in Finn's father, I know you're all dying to know who he is!

As always, reviews are golden.

R&D