A/N: It's so nice to already see some enthusiasm for this story! Thank you so much. I look forward to posting more of this story, writing, and hearing more of your thoughts :)

Chapter 2

They had found a car parked on Maura's street so far off to the side and in the corner of the video that they almost missed it. The car often appeared parked in the same spot throughout the feed from the camera. Nina performed some crazy technology stunt so that they could get a read off the license plate and run it.

Rob Pallegro

The name flashed across the screen as everyone on the team searched his name through the database and everywhere they could find information on him. The name ran through Jane's mind constantly as she searched with the rest of them and tried to rack her brain, but she couldn't recall ever hearing that name in her life. She stared at a picture of him. His face was honestly very average looking, a face that would blend into the crowd. Nothing striking about him—brown eyes, brown hair, average height, average weight….

But if this was really their guy, he wasn't normal. He had been targeting Maura to get to Jane. Jane could handle her own space and privacy being violated, but Maura's? No.

How often had this creep watched Maura and what had he seen? Jane could feel the anger and rage flow through her as she thought of this guy peering in on Maura, witnessing her night routine. The way she enjoyed a glass of pinot noir while reading one of the science books she loved. The way Maura carefully lay out her pajamas on her bed, scrubbed her face thoroughly of all its make-up, brushed her teeth, combed her hair out into long, natural waves.

Maura was comfortable at home like she wasn't in almost every other place, finally alone (or with Jane) how she liked it, finally able to relax. This fucking asshole violated that.

Jane closed her eyes and saw Maura terrified and alone, calling out Jane's name. She watched this man scaring Maura, abusing her..

"No record, and barely any information to be found on this guy on the Internet."

Jane startled to find Nina standing by her side with a few files and a notepad in her hands. She rubbed her forehead and tried to focus.

"You got a home address though, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to knock on this guy's door," Jane muttered to herself, her muscles coiling involuntarily. She was ready to pounce on any lead.

"Wait a second, Jane," Frankie said as he walked towards them, seeing how Jane was ready to leap into anything and everything. That could be dangerous and honestly useless. "Pallegro does some computer tech shit for a bunch of big companies, but he works at home. Doesn't seem to have much contact with people at all."

"I did find a marriage license, despite this guy's seemingly loner existence," Nina said.

Jane grabbed the paper and studied the name beside Rob Pallegro. Stephanie Vickman.

Jane remembered that name. Vickman, Vickman, Vickman…

"Vickman!" she shouted in triumph, bouncing up from her chair. "I put her away years ago. Pretty sure she was a sociopath. She was killing businessmen for their money. I don't even remember anything about the husband."

Jane paced and tried to remember the details about the case. Nina ran to the computer and Korsak got on the phone. Frankie was the one who approached her, touched her gently on the arm.

"Jane," he said, trying to calm her.

She flinched at the contact. He stepped back a little.

"You're gonna run yourself down. Stop pacing and sit for a second, alright?"

Jane just shook her head.

"We're so close to cracking this, Jane. But you're about to break, I can see it."

"It's Maura, Frankie!" Jane shouted, whirling on her brother.

His eyes went wide, and she folded her arms over her chest, trying to calm down by taking a breath.

"It's Maura," she almost whispered this time. "I can't stop. I can't rest. I don't deserve to for one second. It's my fault that he took her, it's my fault she's in danger and we need to find her. We need to find her now."

There was a silence in the precinct. No one dared talk or interfere.

"This is not your fault, Jane," Frankie finally said, his voice low.

"Didn't I teach you not to lie, Frankie?" Jane said tiredly. Then she walked away.

4am and Jane was thinking about Vickman and regret and Maura's dimple that appeared when she smiled.

Korsak was calling on a judge who owed him a favor, getting a warrant to search Pallegro's property. Jane sat in the car outside the judge's house and tried to remember and forget all at once.

She tried to remember the Vickman case. Jane could picture the cold, but beautiful woman she had met—a good con artist with no soul. It wouldn't be surprising if she had also tricked this guy Pallegro into falling for her, marrying her. Maybe he still loved her, pined after her, and this was his revenge on Jane for putting her in jail.

She tried to forget the way Maura's hand felt in her own, how her eyes were unlike any other color Jane had ever seen, how she sometimes caught Maura looking at her with a knowing, beautiful smile. She tried to forget the way Maura's body felt next to her when they slept in the same bed, how she often woke sometime in the night with Maura curled up against her, how it was like they almost fit.

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose. She jumped when Korsak got back in the car, her nerves frayed.

Korsak looked at her for a moment, concerned. "Got the warrant."

"Great, Korsak," Jane said, trying to give him a smile and clapping Korsak on the back.