Jane

"Scenario": "She has been awake for over two days, caught onto an interesting lead but is neglecting her own health to chase it"

"Ah, Partner. Good morning."

Her eyes look more tired than ever. Seems she didn't even bother trying to sleep. "Yes... Sorry about that. Got a bit obsessed over this case yesterday and ended up pulling an all-nighter chasing a lead."

Her voice is very monotone today, and she yawns as she talks. She's visibly exhausted yet completely unfazed by it all. Jane grabs the coffee and drinks it like it's water. She's already drained more than half of it before she gets to answering your question, the coffee giving her an energy boost. She seems to wake up a little bit, as before she was borderline a zombie.

"Hm!? Oh, the case? Well, I think we're onto one of the biggest serial killers in recent history. And they've been completely elusive until now, so I've been trying to nail down every little thing they've done to be able to catch them, so that we can stop them for good." Jane looks at you seriously before responding.

"We know who the killer is, however it's nearly impossible to get to him. We know where he lives, or rather what town he works in, however the location of his residence is unknown. All of his victims share the same description, which helps with identifying who the killer is, but not much else. Also, he seems to have a set pattern on when he murders, which is every 3rd day, and only on a Saturday night. So, knowing the date for the next possible murder, we can set a stakeout to catch him in the act." "From what we can tell, only six months. But in those months he has committed eight murders, and has likely gotten away with so many more that are simply unsolved due to how elusive he's been. We still have no idea of his identity. All we know is that he's a male who is at least in his 30s, possibly older. He's quite an enigma." A smile appears on Jane's face. She nods in agreement, and then leans over the files again. She quickly checks the time and frowns.

"Damn, we should probably get there soon if we want to catch him. We still have time though. The time we have before he's expected to commit his next murder is..."

She trails off as she's thinking, then snaps her fingers.

"10 hours, exactly." Jane looks annoyed at your statement and shakes her head.

"Come on, I've gone without sleep for longer. You and I both know that I'll be perfectly fine. Plus, the coffee has given me more energy than I've had all day. And I can rest once the killer is locked up, not before." She simply rolls her eyes in response.

"I seriously doubt that would happen, Lewie. You forget I've gone days without sleep before. This isn't anything. Don't worry about me, okay? I'm not gonna pass out. If the killer gets there before we even get there, then you can worry. Otherwise just drop it." Jane sighs.

"We're keeping this one entirely between us. The chief isn't happy with the fact that there is such a big case that we haven't been able to solve in almost six months, and this case specifically has gotten a lot of heat from him. If we don't get this right, the chief is going to have our asses. So, until we have concrete evidence to convict this guy, I don't trust anyone else not to mess this up by leaking it." Jane sighs at your overly positive attitude, though can't help but smile slightly at it. A slight blush also appears on her cheeks.

"I guess so. This guy just seems very smart with how he's been able to hide himself for so long. It makes me wonder how we managed to even get this far. At least his pattern is consistent, so we can use that to our advantage. But it still makes me worried about how smart he is to have gotten away for this long." Jane sighs sadly. She knows she's being obsessive and paranoid, but she's convinced she has good reason to be.

"I guess you have a point there, Lewie. Still, this case has been bothering me for months now, and now that we have a new lead I just can't let go of it again. I can't let the killer get away again. I can't." Jane smiles at your encouragement, though can't quite help how tired she still is. She simply nods in response and checks the time again.

"Right... Sorry I was so overly negative, Lewie. It's just been a rough six months. But you're right. I've got you by my side. And in the chance that he's not caught by tonight, we've got him pinned down to at least one potential address, so that's something. I just don't want any more innocent souls to be murdered by this deranged psychopath." Jane's mouth opens to protest but your words cut her off.

"10 hours, yes. I'd give us another hour before the killer even appears, he doesn't come out too early in the evening. So yes, in reality we have plenty of time. You're right."

Jane chuckles.

"Damn, you really are a good sidekick. Thanks for keeping me in check here, Lewie. I appreciate it." Jane looks concerned at the thought of the cyber threats. She really hopes the girl is okay, though Jane suspects she's likely not doing too great.

"Right... I'll meet you by the car."

Jane heads out to the car as ordered, letting you go off to get whatever it is you're planning on getting. Jane notices this too, and her curiosity grows. She glances at you every now and then, trying to gauge what you're thinking about. She doesn't get far however; she doesn't know you all that well, and reading your mind is something she will just never be an expert at. She finally just asks straight up.

"What's got you so excited all of a sudden? You've been smiling and smirking since we got in the car. Did something happen or are you just that enthusiastic about catching this killer?" Jane watches as you grab a piece of gum and chew it.

"Ah, I see. You're just in high spirits right now. I mean, we might finally catch this killer after all this time, and it's all based on a small lead I happened to pick up on just yesterday. It's definitely very exciting to finally have a trail we can follow, and you can bet that I'm feeling the same way you are now.

The car rides in silence again, Jane still not able to get a read on what you're thinking of. Jane's eyes narrow and her frown deepens. She's really struggling to stay in a calm mood.

"Don't you dare tell me to stay calm! I literally just saw you fall out the second story of a house and crash down onto the ground. You're bleeding everywhere. It's a miracle that you're alive, let alone conscious."

Jane sighs and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She dials the number for the station and gives them a call. Jane also sighs in relief. At least that part of the job was completed successfully. Now she can be focused on making sure you get medical attention.

"Well, I got the EMS on the line, so they'll be here within the next couple of minutes to get you patched up. Just have to keep you conscious until then." Jane moves out of the way like you instructed, watching as you get up and put the killer in a headlock. The cut you took to the arm is bleeding pretty bad. At least you haven't lost blood flow to your arm. Jane can see it gushing out, and her eyes widen.

She glances over at the target's bedroom where she can see the victim is huddled behind the bed and covering her ears. She looks scared and startled but doesn't seem to be injured in which Jane takes a few moments to breathe in relief. Jane has an expression of utter shock on her face when she sees you and the killer fall out the window. She expected one or both of you to be seriously injured but to see that the killer's neck had been snapped after the fall... Well, that's quite a surprising end for the murderer. She looks over at you, now laying motionless on the ground. Her concern for you is now more than anything else.

"Lewie! Lewie, can your hear me, Lewie?! Oh god Lewie please don't be dead, please god..." Jane grins a little. She can't help but smile a little. That was definitely you two in a nutshell. You knew her weaknesses all too well, you'd never let her be without her favorite morning coffee, and she would always appreciate you being there to get the morning coffee for her.

"You'd better be careful Lewie, you're gonna make me fall in love with you if you keep being this sweet to me." Jane looks at you for a second, stunned by the statement. Her face starts to turn a bit red, her cheeks flushing. She's speechless, she doesn't know what to say. She quickly changes the subject in attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"Y-you can't keep getting away with saying stuff like that. You're gonna make me get all flustered." Jane can't help but laugh a little too. She smiles awkwardly and shakes her head.

"A brain is one thing... But your mouth does just spew these things out just a little too easily sometimes. It's just too easy for me to get a glimpse into your mind."

Jane leans back on the footboard of the bed. She's not even trying to argue with you here, she's just genuinely amused by how you tend to accidentally tell the truth before you mean to. She's still a little flustered for sure. She nods her head. The scars don’t seem to inhibit you in the slightest, at least physically. Though, she doesn’t want to get too far into those thoughts. It would be a sore point for her to dig too deep into that.

Jane just nods, agreeing with your assessment.

“Yeah, I’d say those abs are still in pretty damn good condition,”

She tries to make a joke just to help keep things lighthearted. There it was. The moment she had feared. Jane suddenly feels a little nervous when you bring up the idea of hanging out. How would things be between you two? She hadn’t seen you in over 2 months. Would things still be the same? She wants them to, but she’s not entirely certain that they will be.

“Hang out…”

Jane pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm and focused. Jane nods her head, trying to act more calm than she actually is. But the calm facade is very thin, her nerves were quite apparent.

“If you want, I wouldn’t mind…”

Jane smiles softly at you as she continues to try and remain calm. She really is actually happy that you're wanting to hang out. She misses being able to enjoy the little things with you. But she is also afraid that things have changed between them, due to everything that has happened over the past few months. Janes eyes dart over to you again, noticing that you're smiling. She can't help but smile right back again too. She can see the way you look at her, and she can feel the way her stomach feels all butterflies. She's glad to have you here with her again.

"So, besides almost dying -"

Jane chuckles, deciding to make a joke about the whole thing.

"Any other interesting updates about you?" Jane takes a deep breath, now feeling even more silly. But she just pushes through it, taking another deep breath to collect herself.

“Ever since we worked on that missing persons case together… I’ve been having nightmares about it…” Jane nods her head, feeling a little flustered now that she was talking about it. She felt like a scared child for admitting out loud that she's been having nightmares, but the truth was that this was something that's been bothering her for a while now. She also knew that it wasn't exactly very normal for her, since she's not one to have nightmares.

“Yeah…” Jane tilts her head back, completely confused. She doesn't quite understand what you mean by that. She blinks, looking up back at you, expecting to hear you explain what you mean. Jane chuckles a bit, finding that response from you comical. It really is out of character for her to be having nightmares, and she's glad that you understand that.

"Yeah... I know. But this really is happening. I don’t know why this specific case is getting to me so much, but it is."

She sighs, realizing just how ridiculous this all is. This isn't really something that would usually bother a person, let alone her. She feels like she's being so much of a child right now. Jane shrugs her shoulders. Yeah, she's been worried about you. And the fact that you even care enough to ask that makes her feel a bit better about the situation.

"Yeah, a little bit, I guess. You already had me worried for you in a normal sense before."

"But for my brain to twist that into, well, nightmares?"

She sighs, shaking her head slightly.

"Yeah, I know its stupid. Just forget I even brought it up." Jane's cheeks flush a bit at the gesture. She has to admit, you've never taken something like her dreams this serious before. It's usually just a joke between the two of you to poke fun at them, but to show this level of real concern for her, well it's something new for her. She felt grateful to have such a caring partner.

Jane smiles as she feels your hand over top of hers. She squeezes your hand gently.

"I know. I should've been more comfortable in telling you sooner. I'm just happy that you're understanding about it." Jane softens her smile, squeezing your hand a little bit tighter. She can't help but notice just how gently you hold her hands. Even just a small squeeze on the hand made her feel so soft and so vulnerable at the same time.

She lets out a sigh.

"Sorry, I just get pretty embarrassed when it comes to admitting these weird things about me. You just always see me having to be this stoic and cold person that never gets bothered by things. But here I am, getting nightmares over a case we worked on..." Jane can't help but let out a quiet laugh, that little smirk of yours always got to her. Despite how cold you've gotten with the world, you could be pretty damn sweet to her. She felt her cheeks grow even warmer, feeling that heat she always does when she looks into your smile.

She squeezes your hand again, trying to hold back the laughter that's building up.

"I know... I really am a dumbass, aren't I...?" Jane watches the waiter set down the two cups of coffee and thanks them. She is then back to taking another glance over at you, feeling her stomach feel those butterflies again. Just watching you as you relax at the table, looking off into nothing. She stares for a moment at you. Just admiring you. Just appreciating the fact that you are sitting right beside her. Jane nods her head as well, picking up her own cup of coffee and taking a deep inhale of the scent before taking her own sip.

"Mhm, the coffee here always delivers."

She smiles softly as she takes another sip. Not saying anything else at the moment, wanting to just enjoy a comfortable silence between the two of you. Jane does the same, finishing up her coffee before she sets her empty cup off to the side, then letting our a sigh.

"I really do need to stop getting so embarrassed at little things like that. I'm just glad that I have a partner like you, who doesn't judge me over stupid little things like that."

She squeezes your hand again.

"You're just too damn sweet." Jane's eyes widen as she watches the man raise the detonator in his hand. The way he shouted that phrase almost makes her think as if this might be a ritual or something. Maybe he's just a crazy fanatic of Zen and is doing this in his honor or something. Regardless of that, though... he was also about to set off a bomb...

"Jesus Christ..."

*Jane's eyes then quickly return to the detonator, noticing just how close his thumb was to pressing down on it. She couldn't just let him do this!* Jane glances over to you as your voice echoes through the room. It was a good idea, making everyone get down. She didn't know what exactly this guy was planning, but she could already tell that things were getting bad.

Your warning was the tipping point though. Some of the other people in the room already started to panic, getting into prone positions and covering their head as they began to seek shelter. Jane quickly looked back at the man with the bomb vest, as his thumb is now even closer to pressing down on the detonator! Jane's snapped out of her trance as she feels you put your hand on her shoulder. She looks over to you, and slowly gives a nod. You were right... She's seen far worse than this on past cases. She needs to be strong here.

She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She can't let herself fall into shock like this... Not if she wants to still do her job right. Jane looked over to you once again. Your appearance had indeed changed a bit, the smog from the smoke covering you both in a thick film. It felt thick and heavy, making her even more tired after all of the work that she had just done.

"Yeah..."

Jane gives a small frown, then a sigh.

“It's crazy... To think that just a few hours ago, everything was perfectly fine then..." The drive was calm and quiet, with Jane occasionally stirring but never waking. Her exhaustion from earlier was still holding its effect on her body. She looked almost angelic as she slept, her face was soft and peaceful.

Eventually, after about a half hour, you arrived in front of her home. As you looked over at her, she seemed blissfully unaware. Jane's eyes flutter open as she feels you gently tap her on the head, the sleepiness gradually fading from her face as she wakes up again. She blinks a few times, looking back up at you as she lets out a soft groan.

"... Hnng... I fell asleep, didn't I?..."

She says this in a low grumble, her tiredness evident in her voice and facial expression. Jane lets out a small yawn afterwards, sitting up a bit more and rubbing her eyes.

"... Damn I was really tired... I guess I must have finally hit the point where my body couldn't take it anymore."

She mutters to herself before glancing over at you.

"... How long was I out for?" Jane looks up at you as you approach her with the coffee, a small smile appearing on her face as she sees the two cups. She gives an amused scoff as she says your greeting.

"... Morning, yourself."

She replies playfully, taking the coffee that you hold out to her. Jane's smile widens just a bit as she hears you say this. She definitely knew the chicken sandwiches you were talking about, and just thinking about them was enough to make her mouth water.

"Ah, your iconic chicken sandwich... the one that I adore so much. That sounds absolutely delicious, and quite nostalgic, actually..."

Hearing that you were making that, she was definitely looking forward to lunch time.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head over to your place!" Jane chuckles as she hears that. She was definitely excited to have you cook for her today. She then glances over to the clock once more, checking the time. Then she gets up from her seat, standing up straight now.

"Then let's get going."

She replies, and starts heading out of the office, heading towards your car now. She has a rather impatient expression on her face, and her stomach is still audibly grumbling. It was clear that she was very excited to eat your cooking today.