I hope to explain as much about background as I can with this Chapter.

Again I do not own anything Rizzoli&Isles

Chapter 2: Homecoming

The front door to Maura's apartment was opened and stepped into by Maura herself followed by a none to happy Jennifer and equally displeased Jane. Shutting the door behind her and locking it, Jane headed towards the kitchen. Jennifer stood in the breeze way examining her sister's well cared for home, the backpack she had been arrested with (minus the illigal drugs), hanging from her shoulders. It had been a rough day and she was exhausted.

"What am I going to do?" Maura sighed after taking a sip from her recently poured wine glass, craddling her face with her hand in thought and making sure to keep her voice low. Jane straightened up from where she had been bent over infront of the fridge to grab a beer, gracefully popping it open.

"What can you do Maur?" She replied just as low, turning to her friend as she cast a look over her shoulder towards the breezeway taking a swig from her bottle.

"I must assist her somehow, Jane. She's my younger sister!" Speaking more to herself then to Jane, the detective only nodded knowing full well her friend's position. Having a screw-up little sibling was not something new to her.

In the hallway, Jennifer had made her way towards what she guessed to be the living room. Eyeing the very large televison set her attention was pulled from it by a curious sound. Following the source of the odd noise she circled around one of the couches stumbling upon a huge tortoise.

"Woah." She breathed her eyes widening. To say she was suprised was an understatement.

"She hates me and I do not even understand why." Maura continued back in the kitchen slightly distraught, Jane having bridged some of the distance and placed an understanding hand on her friend's arm rubbing it comfortingly.

"Just talk to her about it." Jane replied soothingly.

"That is the most logical approach." Maura decided, racking her nerves before giving her best friend an endering look. She entered her living area cautiously and unsure of herself as her eyes fell on a hunched over Jennifer half hidden behind a couch. Clearing her throat gently the honey-brown haired woman mustered as much kindness she could into a smile the younger girl might open up to. Peeping her head over the back of the couch Jennifer stood.

"I never knew you had a tortoise. He's beautiful." The kindess Maura held vanished into that of love and affection for her younger part, her smile only that much more natrual. Perhaps the young girl she had almost raised herself was still in there. Somewhere.

"His name is Bass. He's an African Spurred Tortoise. I named him after William Bass, the famous forensic anthropologist." Jennifer nodded in appriciation before both woman fell back into silence. Jane felt the need to intervene. Slightly.

"So your P.O. is coming over bright and early to set up the bindings of your house arrest. He's even going to give you a nice little ankle braclet to match." Maura turned to her friend with a slightly disapproving look. Jennifer rolled her eyes throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"It wasn't even broken! He could have slipped and done more damage!"

"Yeah, but he didn't slip. You attacked him."

"I gave him a fair warning..." Jennifer defended, crossing her arms over her chest. Seeing the retort on Jane's lips Maura felt it was her turn to intervene.

"The point is," Maura cut in giving Jane another stoney glance before turning her attention to the girl across the room with what she hoped was an understanding look. "-you should apologize to him. His intensions where meant only for the best."

Jennifer didn't reply but only looked around the room for a change of topic.

"Where do I sleep?" At the abrupt change of disscussion the Doctor was taken back slightly before replying.

"In the guest room down the hall from mine."

"And I'll be sleeping on the couch to make sure you don't get any bright ideas and try to leave during the night." Jane smirked crossing her arms. Jennifer rolled her eyes before walking away to go and find her room. This was going to be a very long night.

"You could be a little kinder to her, Jane." Maura sighed settling in next to her best friend on the couch holding her glass of wine. They had finished dinner without to much fighting. But none the less she was exhausted having just returned from seeing Jennifer to bed. Jane took a swig from her beer.

"Come on, Maur. How long did it take me to finally trust Tommy again. And not only that, she took a swing at Frankie!" Maura only shook her head.

"I know, I know. She's made a few mistakes but she can change. Like Tommy did."

"Tommy chose to change, Maur. He wanted to. There's a difference."

Maura sighed again taking a moment to take a sip of her wine.

"I was 11 when my parents adopted her." She ignored Jane's slight look of confussion. "We aren't related by blood. But that doesn't mean I never loved her as a real sister." Jane patiently waited for her friend to continue knowing this was something the Doctor needed to get off her chest. "I knew what it had been like to grow up with only my parents. I wanted to give her as much support as I could, I didn't want her to feel alone." A moment of silence passed between them as Maura thought of how best to convey such a long kept secret.

"She was brilliant." Maura laughed softly. "I was even jealous of her abilities at one point." Jane chuckled at the doctor's confession. "She had so much musicality." The smile faded slowly from the older womans face as memories seem to wash through her. "Everything changed once she went off to boarding school. I hardley ever saw her. I blame myself for not keeping in touch as often as I should have. I abandoned her."

"Hey, no, that's not true." Jane pressed pointing her beer bottle at Maura disturbed by Maura's self accusation. "It wasn't something you could help." Maura sighed.

"I wish I could believe that." Jane rubbed her friend's arm comfortingly, encouriging her to continue. "But it wasn't until her college years did she just... Stop caring. She stopped attending her music lessons, she never went to any of her classes. It seemed nothing any of us said mattered... In the end Mother and Father had had enough. They demanded she return to their house so they could keep an eye on her... The argument had gotten out of hand, I had been told. She lost control and left." Maura fell into another silence. Jane continued the comforting stimulation to her arm.

"She's back now." Jane assured her. "What ever grudge or blame that you put on yourself, you can make it right." Maura smiled placing her hand atop of Jane's with a warm smile.

"Yes. Thank you Jane." Eyes connecting, both woman fell into an unspoken understanding, a comfortable silence engulfing them.

Down the hall Jennifer stood behind the slightly cracked door of the guest bedroom. A warm smile stretching across her rough features before she closed the door quietly once more.

School kicks in tomorrow so I'll do my best to have Chapter 3 up by tomorrow night. Reviews are always appriciated.