Partners in Time

by Michael Weyer

Rizzoli & Isles owned by TNT. Doctor Who owned by BBC.

This is basically a prequel to another tale I had, reworking original idea for it a bit as I think a bit more set-up is needed. For R&I fans, don't worry, I'll bring you up to speed on the Who characters soon. All comments more than welcomed.

What always struck Jane Rizzoli about Maura Isles was that the woman was the only person she knew who could wake up right from bed and look fully rested without any makeup. Not to mention, the only woman who looked like she was wearing makeup when she wasn't. Despite the early hour, Maura looked like she was about to attend a high-scale luncheon rather than a crime scene, wearing an immaculate red dress that showed her nice body off, high heels that cost more than Jane's entire shoe budget and a light tan overcoat. It was a direct contrast to Jane's simple jeans, light blouse and leather jacket, her long black hair still a bit tousled. "What have we got?" she asked as she came up the alley.

"Body temperature is sixty-two degrees Fahrenheit," Maura intoned. "Seventeen Celsius." She saw her friend's look. "I thought you'd want more details."

"Not that kind, Maura," Jane intoned as she knelt down to examine the body. It was a heavyset man with black hair, clad in a tight black suit with a large waistcoat, a gold pocket watch falling out of his front pocket. A bowler hat was askew from his head, his bearded face set in a look of shock as he stared upward with blank eyes. "Huh," Jane mused. "Looks a bit overdressed. It's only September, a bit warm to be dressed so heavy."

"Not just the type of clothes either," Maura noted as she examined the man's coat. "These are very high-end and a rather elegant design. It reminds me of types I saw in the London clothing museum."

Jane arched an eyebrow. "They have clothes museums in London? I thought those were just stores." She looked the man over. "Frost said no ID found. Have we got a cause of death?" As Maura's mouth opened, Jane rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, you have to wait to open him up."

"I was going to say," Maura stated. "That I will have to make a full examination. At the moment, I see no blunt force trauma or trace of wounds to him. By his temperature, he's been dead for some time, perhaps as much as twelve hours."

"Hmmm," Jane mused as she stood up and looked around the alley. The edge of Boston Common was a popular spot in the city, the nearby park quite busy even for this early morning hour. The police cars were keeping passerbys at bay with the two women able to check out the body themselves. "So, he may have been walking home, got mugged somehow..."

"I'm not sure about that," Maura stated as she looked at the man's shoes. "Look here."

"What, you know the exact place that sells those?"

"No, really," Maura insisted and Jane knelt to examine the man's shoes. It took her a moment to see what was bothering her friend. "Snow? And mud?"

Maura shrugged. "Well, I can't be sure until I test it but-"

"It's snow, Maura," Jane interrupted. "Somehow, this man has fresh snow on his shoes in the middle of September!"

"He could have been kept in a frozen container of some sort," Maura suggested.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Dr. Isles, are you making a guess?"

"Informed conjecture," Maura brushed aside. "I need more data to be sure."

"So somehow, this guy got killed and placed somewhere to get snow on his feet," Jane mused. "This just gets weirder."

"I thought you enjoyed a challenge," Maura said with a smile.

Jane smirked back as she looked at the man, tapping over his clothes with her latex gloves. "Huh, this looks high-end." She lifted up the gold pocket watch. "If it was a mugging, you'd think they'd have taken it with him." She flipped the lid open and frowned. "And we have yet another layer of odd to things."

Maura leaned over to see that instead of a classic clock-face, the interior of the watch contained a series of numbers of various types. The outer circle had specific groups of five numbers together while the inner circle contained sets of twelve, the circle inside of that sets of tens and the final circle fives. "This is...unique," Maura stated. She saw Jane tapping the circles around. "Jane, maybe you shouldn't be touching that."

"It's just a watch, Maura," the detective said as she spun a few of the numbers around. "What can it..." Her thumb hit the small button at the side and felt a massive spark, as if a static electricity charge. It grew larger, crackles of lightning with purple tinges flashing around the two women and the body. Maura was opening her mouth to speak but couldn't, the air in her lungs feeling on fire as it flashed around them, Jane frozen in place.

Then came a sudden shift as it felt as if everything around them suddenly took off at high speed like a jet plane while they stayed still. The world around them became a blur as their stomachs felt like they were dropped from the top of a roller coaster or a bungee cord over a high cliff. It ended almost as soon as it began, the two women falling to their knees, taking in huge breaths and trying to rid themselves of the arcs of pain ripping through them.

"Holy...shit..." Jane gasped. "What...the hell...was that?"

Maura was rubbing her temples. "That was...oh my heavens...That was..." She swallowed as she put two fingers to a wrist. "Pulse is uplifted but slowing down...I feel some amazing static charges but it seems to be subsiding, which is good..."

"Maura, focus!" Jane got to her feet, her knees shaky. "What just happened?" She blinked as she looked around. "And why is it night?"

Indeed, the bright morning skies had vanished, replaced by black night with some clouds. Both women both noticed the sharp drop in temperature, the air feeling as cold as winter. Maura bundled her coat around her as she joined Jane, who was fumbling in her own jacket. "The air feels so..thick," she noted and Jane could taste a bitter scent in the air like ash. She got out her phone and stared. "No signal, dammit." She began walking toward the end of the alley. "Come on, we can't be too far from-"

Her words were cut off as the whiny of a horse came close. She leapt back with a cry just as a large carriage rolled by her. Jane blinked as she saw it roll by her to reveal the cobblestone street before them. The buildings were dark and none over two stories with many showing chimneys billowing out smoke. A few people walked the sidewalks where clumps of snow were scattered around the sidewalk. It took Jane's investigative mind a moment to realize the outfits they were wearing were as far from modern day Boston as one could get, dark coats and top hats for men and old-styled dresses for the women.

She turned around, her mouth opening to speak to Maura when she saw a figure appearing behind her friend. "Maura, down!" she yelled. The doctor dropped fast as Jane pulled out her revolver to aim at the suited man who had just appeared seemingly from nowhere. He was dressed almost exactly like the dead man and paid Jane no mind as he knelt down, swiftly unclipping the gold watch from the corpse's jacket and putting it into his own.

"Police, stay where you are!" Jane called out, moving forward with her gun held up. The man glanced at her, his expression like a person annoyed at a tiny bug. He turned to begin walking down the other end of the alley, Jane moving to follow. "I said, stop! Hands on your head!" The man continued to pay her no heed and Jane gritted her teeth as she aimed her pistol. "I will fire if I have to!"

In a lightning fast motion, the man spun around, a flash of silver in his hand. Jane instinctively dodged as she yelled out for Maura and thus avoided the knife that flew just past her face. Maura yelped as it buried itself into the wall a few inches over her head. The man sprinted down the alleyway, Jane following, turning the corner into a street. Seeing the figure racing forward, Jane fired a pair of shots but it seemed to have no effect as the man kept running. Cursing, Jane followed him, pushing past some startled onlookers as she tried to keep pace. She saw him running just as a carriage went past. By the time it had cleared, all she could see was a swarm of dark suited men in the streets nearby in similar outfits.

"Dammit," Jane hissed as she turned around to see Maura following her. "You okay?"

Maura nodded. "Yes, I am." She took a deep breath as she glanced about. "That was rather...invigorating."

"Happy to provide your daily exercise," Jane remarked. "Okay, we need to get back to the precinct, figure out what..." She stopped as she saw Maura staring outward. "What?"

Maura swallowed as she pointed. Jane followed her gaze and it took a moment to see what her friend did. Her jaw dropped as she took in the wide view of a river cutting through the middle of a city that was certainly not Boston. The buildings were the same as those around them, a few higher but not by much. What got her attention was the large building on the opposite side of the river, rising up tall with a huge clock on the side. "Maura," Jane said as calmly as she could. "Is that...Big Ben?"

"It is," her friend replied, staring blankly. "This is London."

Jane rubbed her eyes. "I'm hallucinating, that has to be it."

"Shared hallucinations are very rare," Maura intoned. "It is usually linked to natural gas outputs stimulating the brain centers although there is a history of drug intakes having a similar effect..."

"Maura!" Jane snapped. "Focus here!"

"I am," Maura said, licking her lips. "This isn't just London, Jane. Look at it. The Eye isn't here." Jane realized she was right, the massive Ferris wheel was missing. "And the buildings...there isn't one besides Big Ben that's over six or seven stories, no skyscrapers. No cars, no lights, the clothing-"

"Maura, please do not be going where I think you're going," Jane groaned.

"I don't want to be," Maura snapped. "It's impossible, it's against all the laws of physics, there is no precedent for it but..." She swallowed and gestured out. "I don't know how else to explain it."

Jane stared outward before turning. "Come on...there has to be a clue back on the body, something to tell us...I don't know, at least it's a place to start!" Maura followed her as they made their way to the alley and back to the body. They stopped and stared in utter disbelief at the sight of the suit lying on the ground with what appeared to be a milky substance pouring out of it. "What in..."

Maura was on her knees, instantly checking it out. "This is...impossible," she breathed, pulling a glove on to rub at the material from the suit and hold it up. "This is..." She sniffed at it. "Smells like..." She reached out her tongue to lick it.

"Oh, my God!" Jane yelled. "Maura!"

"It's pure calcium," Maura intoned as if this was normal. "No skin overlays left, just the calcium melted away as if the bones were placed into a high pressure fire. Although the temperature for that would be roughly 400 degrees Fahrenheit minimum and they'd still have the teeth, which can withstand in excess-"

"Maura," Jane broke in. "How the hell did this body just...melt?"

She shook her head. "I don't know." She looked up, her eyes showing a panic Jane almost never saw. "I don't know, Jane."

"Maura, Maura, calm down." Jane put her hands on the other woman's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I know, you're scared. So am I. But panicking is not an option here. We need to keep it together, ok?" She saw Maura breathing. "That's it, okay, take some deep breaths, cool it down..."

Maura nodded, closing her eyes. "Right...You're right...Ta chi could be a good way to..."

"Maybe wait until we get inside first," Jane stated. "Okay...We need to find somewhere to rest, regroup and figure things out."

"How?" Maura blurted. "I mean...I don't think the American embassy is a legitimate option at this point."

Before Jane could speak, a loud electronic whine came over the air. "Hands upon your heads, coolies!" a voice boomed.

The two women turned to see someone standing before them. He was a squat and stocky figure dressed like an English butler, his head bald and bulbous with light brown skin and each hand showing only three fingers. In those hands was held a rather large rifle of a design Jane had never seen before but clearly dangerous and aimed right at them.

Jane and Maura both raised their hands instinctively as the figure came forward. "You shall accompany me, coolie scum or I shall eradicate you!"

"Jane," Maura whispered. "We should do what he says. The disfigurements to create his appearance may be connected a form of argyria which can cause paranoia and bouts of violence..."

"I get it," Jane stated with a sigh. "Okay, we're coming quietly."

"Good," the...man said, stepping aside while waving his rifle. "Move in an even fashion without delay or I shall be forced to blast off your legs and carry you!"

Jane and Maura exchanged baffled looks as they were directed to a nearby carriage.

The ride was quick as they were soon led to a rather large upscale home in a nice part of town. The stocky man opened the door with his rifle up. "Move your carcasses, coolies!" he snapped.

"We're not coolies!" Jane snapped as she got out.

"That is a rather derogatory term, by the way," Maura began.

"Maura, don't backtalk to the man with the rifle."

"You talk back to people with guns all the time!"

"When I have one of my own in my hand!"

"Cease your chattering, boys!" the man snapped. Before Maura or Jane could argue that last word, the door to the house opened to show a pretty young woman with black hair done up in a bun, clad in a maid's uniform. She let out a tired sigh as she saw the odd trio. "Oh, what is it this time, Strax?" she asked in a cockney accent.

"I have discovered these coolie boy spies!" the butler announced in a triumphant voice. "I plan to interrogate them to see if more of their brethren plan to attack us from underground!"

The maid put a hand to her head, rubbing her temples with thumb and index finger. "Right...first of all, these are not boys, they are quite clearly female," she said in the tired tone of one who has had this same conversation far too many times. From the surprised look Strax shot at Jane and Maura, it might be a few more. "Secondly, coolie is an incredibly racist term. Third, they are not Chinese, they are Caucasian. Fourth and for the last bloody time, Chinese people do not live underground!"

Strax seemed a bit thrown but nonetheless continued. "They were about one of the corpses I was told to keep an eye out for."

"Hmmm," the woman mused. "All right, come on in. Strax, put the rifle down." He scowled but placed it in a nearby umbrella stand as the trio entered an upscale foyer with dim light flickering from the chandelier above them. "I'm Jenny," she introduced herself with a polite smile. "And you are?"

"Um, Jane Rizzoli," Jane said, automatically pulling out her badge. "Homicide detective, Boston PD."

"Dr. Maura Isles."

Jenny took the ID and studied it carefully. "Hmmm..."

Maura coughed. "This...may seem an odd question but...what year is this?"

Instead of confusion, Jenny seemed interested. "1893. January 8th, to be precise."

Maura let out a long breath as Jane's jaw dropped. "Right...Right, that's...well, I suppose that fits."

"Would you like some tea?" Jenny looked them over then shook her head. "No, I believe bourbon will be much better for you." She led the way to a large living room done in true Victorian style with elegantly painted walls and carved tables and desk, a fire roaring nearby, waving to the plush couch the two women gratefully sat in. Jenny poured a large snifter into a pair of glasses and held them out. Jane gratefully downed her glass fast and held it back. "More, please." Maura simply sipped at hers while Jenny poured into Jane's glass again then placed the bottle back.

Strax appeared in the doorway. "I have informed the Ladyship of these...guests," he said. "I shall now patrol the perimeter!" He turned on his heel to march out, Jenny sighing. "Sorry, he's a bit of a rough sort. Typical middle child of six million."

Jane had just finished her second glass when footsteps echoed and Jenny's face brightened. "Oh, mum, we have visitors!" Jane and Maura turned to see a woman in an elegant black dress enter the room. Her face was covered by a veil with a black hat atop it and she moved with a silky manner. "So I see," she stated in a lovely accent that contained an icy cool to it yet still felt inviting. "I am Lady Vastra."

"Hello," Maura stated, rising to extend a hand. "Dr. Maura Isles, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli."

Vastra shook the hand, Maura noting the coolness of her skin even through the black glove. "A doctor?" Behind the veil, the woman's eyes looked Maura over. "And yet I do believe there is more to this tale than there seems." She moved to sit in a nearby large chair, Jenny quickly offering a cup of tea for her. She lifted it past the veil to sip at it. "Am I correct?"

Maura and Jane exchanged a long look, Jane waving to her friend to say something. Clearing her throat, Maura began. "I...this may be rather difficult to believe but...We're from the future."

"Really." Vastra's tone was flat.

"She's telling the truth," Jane pressed. "Trust me, Maura could not lie to save her life. She's been in that position before and can't do it. We're from 2013, Boston. That's in the United States," she was quick to add.

"I'm aware," Vastra dryly stated. "Do you have any idea how you came to be here?"

The two women blinked. "You...believe us?" Maura asked. "Just like that?"

Vastra chuckled. "Trust me, my dears..." She lifted her hands up to her veil. "I am more than acquainted with the unusual." The veil peeled away to reveal her appearance. Her skin was lush green and marked in scales with deep set dark eyes. Her head was hairless and large in the back with ridges sloping on either side and the center. In short, the woman looked like a humanoid lizard.

As much as she hated to show fear, Jane couldn't help letting out a loud shriek as she moved back in her seat. Maura simply stared in wonder, blinking as she took in Vastra's appearance. "Oh, my." She leaned in, studying the other woman carefully. "I have seen some cases of this in India but not to this degree. The stratum corneum build-up is quite large and the coloring is unique as well, I have to ask about your diet, is it-"

"Maura!" Jane incredulously interrupted. "This is not a skin condition! The woman is a freaking alien!"

Vastra smiled. "In point of fact, Detective Rizzoli, my race has been on this planet long, long before humans."

"Strax is an alien though," Jenny inserted. "In case you're wondering."

Jane just stared with mouth agape while Maura processed this. "This is...wow, this is amazing."

Vastra set her tea cup aside. "We can discuss my origins in full later. For now, we were talking about how you came to be here."

Seeing Jane was still just staring with open mouth, Maura felt the need to add her details in. She quickly brought them up to speed on the events of the dead body and their bizarre trip through time. Vastra took it all in calmly, nodding a bit but keeping silent until Maura had finished. "Hmmm...this watch..." She rose to her feet and moved to a nearby bookshelf. A finger extended to skim over the volumes before picking out one. She flipped through the pages as she walked back to the women, holding the book up. "Did it look like this?"

The two stared at the drawing, eyes widening. "Yes, that's it!" Maura exclaimed. "The same markings and everything!"

Vastra nodded as she glanced to Jenny. "A time compass." The girl made a knowing nod.

"A what?" Jane asked, able to get her speech back.

Vastra flipped through the pages. "Such things have popped through history now and then, found with bodies of men in dark suits that seem to be melted into nothing." She pointed at the drawing. "These rings are numbers that indicate years, months, days and latitude and longitude coordinates."

"So when Jane played with those," Maura realized. "She set it off to take us here." She glared at Jane who threw up her hands. "Oh, please! How in the hell could I possibly know what that was? Who ever heard of a watch being a time machine!"

"You would be surprised," Vastra dryly stated. "At the moment, I would suggest getting one those compasses but the men who carry them are, to be fair, very hard to find."

"So...what, we're stuck here?" Jane blurted. "I'm not cut out for the 19th century! I've got a life back in Boston! Maura too! Such as it is."

Maura seemed put out by that but Vastra simply held up a hand. "I believe there may be another way. I need to make sure with a telephone call..."

Strax picked that moment to enter. "Pardon, madam. But we have a visitor. Inspector Crowley."

"Ah, show him in," Vastra stated.

"Yes, Madam." Strax walked out and a grunting sound came over the room as he began tugging a tall man in a suit and bowler hat across the floor. Vastra closed her eyes and sighed. "Strax. This is the ninth time he has visited this home. You do not need to render him unconscious on every occasion!"

"Merely security precaution, madam," Strax brushed it off as he lifted the unconscious man up and placed him into a nearby chair. With the weary persona of someone who'd been through this on more than one occasion, Jenny moved forward to wave a bottle under the man's nose. With a cough, he awoke, blinking as he stated about in confusion. "Inspector," Vastra began in a friendly tone. "What brings you here?"

Coughing, the man adjusted his suit before speaking. "We...have a case that I believe requires your...special talents, Lady Vastra," he said in a friendly tone. He noticed Jane and Maura and frowned. "Ah, am I interrupting something?"

"Merely visitors from America," Vastra coolly stated. "Go on."

Crowley coughed. "We discovered a pair of odd bodies near Big Ben a few hours ago. One appeared to match those from earlier cases, a suit with what appeared to be melted remains in it." Both Jane and Maura looked at each other in surprise, which the Inspector noted before continuing. "The second, however, was that of a woman, in a rather elegant outfit but with some strange...decorations on her."

"What kind?" Vastra asked.

"A tattoo across her face for one," Crowley went on. "Not to mention the rather large knife in her hands and signs she was the one who dispatched the suited man."

"Has the scene been touched at all?" Vastra was now quite interested.

Crowley shook his head. "I had is sealed off as soon as I realized I should call you in. If you wish, we can leave immediately."

"Leave the address, we shall meet you there after preparations," Vastra rose to her feet with Crowley, the man shaking her hand. "I shall see to you soon, Inspector."

Jane waited for the man to be let out (doing his best to move quickly lest Strax decide to knock him out again) before looking to Vastra. "So...what, you're like a female lizard Sherlock Holmes?"

Vastra's smile was bright and mischievous. "My dear Detective Rizzoli...who do you think inspired Doyle?"

Jane was shaking that one off as Vastra looked to Jenny. "Jenny, take them upstairs, we should have some clothes in their size."

"Clothes?" Maura asked.

"You can hardly go around modern London dressed like that," Vastra stated. "I'm always open to a bit more help and this may very well tie in to your own...circumstances." She began walking toward a nearby doorway. "I'll be in the study preparing, let me know when you're ready."

With a nod, Jenny led the two up to the nicely furnished second floor and to a large room lined with a variety of weapons on each wall next to a large closet. Opening the doors, Jenny showed a variety of dresses, pants, corsets, boots and other clothing of a variety of styles. "Here we are," she stated. "Pick out what you need, I'll be helping her Ladyship." She began moving past them. "In case you're staying the night, we have a guest bedroom next door, separate beds if need be."

"Oh, we don't want to put you out," Maura immediately said.

"You won't be," Jenny replied. "Her Ladyship and I sleep down the hall."

Maura simply nodded at that but Jane stared as the implications of the statement sunk in. "Wait...You...sleep...together?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes. Oh, it's not improper or anything, we're married!"

Jane stared at her, then turned to Maura. "I did not see that one coming."

With a nod, Jenny left the room, closing the door behind her. Maura looked through the closet for a moment before unzipping her dress and sliding it off. Jane started as she undid her bra. "Maura!"

"Modern-day underwear would not be a proper fit for these," Maura calmly explained as she undressed all the way. "If we're going to fit, Jane, we need to go all the way."

Jane grumbled as she began to undress herself. "I don't want to fit in, Maura. I don't like English food in our time, let alone before anyone knows what a hot dog is!"

Maura shrugged as she slipped on an old-styled (Jane quickly corrected herself that it was modern) chemise and drawers. Jane sighed as she went through the clothing herself. "Why are we doing this, Maura?"

"A very simple reason," Maura stated as she began to bundle up her hair. "Because if we don't indulge in a distraction, it is quite likely that the reality of being thrust back in time over a century will drive us both into utter hysterics."

For once, Jane couldn't think of a single way to argue that point.

Rest assured, I'm already working on the next of the two chapters to this tale and there will be eventual Rizzles. All comments more than welcomed.