I would like to thank my beta Ink-About-It for helping me out with this.

I do not own anything!

Chapter 2

Maura was nervous. At no point in time throughout her childhood and adolescence had she ever had a friend come over to her house. The fact that she'd been in boarding school up until six months ago certainly contributed to the reason why, but she never was that great at forming lasting friendships. She wasn't even sure she qualified as Jane's friend just yet, but the tall brunette girl had been oddly nice to her thus far so it was either an elaborate prank, or the beginnings of companionship.

Jane was also feeling a little nervous. She wasn't quite sure why, but this was also a bit of a first for her. She'd never really hung out with girls before, always preferring the rowdy company of boys over playing dress-up with the same sex. How was this supposed to work? On top of that, Maura's family was ridiculously wealthy. The richest person she knew was now Paddy Doyle, and she certainly has never been to his house.

At the sound of the after-school bell the next day, the girls were eager to grab their things from their respective lockers and head to Maura's house. Jane's first taste of the night-and-day contrast between their lifestyles came when, while making idle small talk on their way out of the school, a black town car pulled up out front. And of course Maura went straight for it.

Jane held back any comments of astonishment as they got in the back seat, not wanting to sound ignorant or whatever, but her shock could not be held back once they pulled into the Isles residence.

"Wow. Maura, how many people live here?"

Maura smiled, amused by Jane's childlike awe. "It's just my mother and I. Oh, and George the butler. Let's go inside."

"Don't leave me behind. I could get lost in there."

Maura quietly laughed.

After the two-cent tour, they got settled in Maura's bedroom which was about three times the size of Jane's own. After about a minute of disbelief though, Jane realized she was only embarrassing the poor rich girl, so she reeled herself in so they could begin work on their project. It didn't take long to finish though. About an hour later they were rounding off when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Maura called out.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had company. Who is your friend, dear?" asked Maura's mother, smiling at her daughter and her new companion.

At the sound of the word 'friend', Maura blushed but didn't correct her. She got up to formally introduce them. "Mother, this is Jane Rizzoli. She's a new student at our school. And Jane, this is my mother Constance Isles."

Having also gotten up, Jane politely offered her hand to Constance for a hand shake. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Isles."

"I'm afraid it's just Miss. And please, call me Constance."

"Uh… okay. I'll try."

"Jane, where do you live?" Maura asked out of the blue.

"Um, about thirty minutes from here," was her vague answer, caught a bit off-guard. "Why?"

Maura glanced at her wrist watch. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Jane glanced at the time too and realized she should probably get going soon but the hope was fully evident on the honey-blonde's face. It was best for the assignment if she took this opportunity to spend more time with the girl. Plus who was she to say no to such an adorable puppy-face? She accepted.

"Sure, but only if it's okay with your Mom."

"Of course, dear. We'd love to have you. Now, dinner's ready so why don't you girls wash up and meet me downstairs."

Jane knew she had made the right decision when Maura excitedly pulled her into the washroom.

Dinner was… different than what she was expecting. It was a four course meal shared between just them three. There wasn't much chit-chat, but the odd question here and there about Jane's life. Nothing embarrassing though, which was unlike what Jane was used to. She also spotted Maura stealing glances at her every now and then with a look of almost disbelief, like if she turned away too long Jane would disappear and have only been an hallucination. Jane just smiled back at her.

Once they had finished eating, the Italian insisted she had to go home and Maura insisted on getting her home safely which led to them sitting side-by-side in the back seat of the town car as the driver navigated them through the streets of Boston.

"So, uh… Thanks for dinner and for the ride home," Jane said shyly, but Maura waved her off.

"Nonsense. You were our guest. It's the least I could do to make sure you arrived home safely."

A comfortable silence fell over them for a few blocks. Maura was trying to find the words to convey her gratitude for Jane's friendship and how much it meant to her, but before she could, Jane beat her to it.

"I really enjoyed spending time with you, Maur."

Maura's cheeks colored a light pink at the sentiment; it had only taken Jane two days to give her a nickname.

"Me too… Jay," she replied, trying the nickname on for size. It fit just right.

Once they'd pulled up to her humble house, Jane said a quick thanks before bolting up to the front door. She paused and watched the car drive off before going inside where she was immediately greeted by the dreaded screech of her mother.

"Janie! Where the hell have you been?"

The teenager saw the martini glass on the kitchen table and sighed. "Ma, I called and told you I was having dinner at a friend's. Remember?"

Not all that invested in the conversation anyway as she grumbled then downed the last of her martini, Angela slumped into a chair and started to mix herself another drink. Her daughter left her to sulk in her drunken state and went to check on her younger brothers. Jane found Frankie in his bedroom doing his homework while Tommy, the youngest, was out with his friends yet again. Back to life; back to reality.

When Jane was hurrying up to her front door, Maura was watching; scrutinizing the run down two-story building whose paint job was peeling off the sides along with the dusty windows. The neighborhood wasn't all that friendly-looking in general and for a long moment she wondered what it might be like to be Jane. There was obviously a very big difference between their homes and now Maura understood Jane's reaction to her house on a deeper level. She wanted to know everything about Jane. She wanted to know if Jane had a distant family or a close-knit one. She wondered if Jane still felt unconditionally loved even though they didn't seem to have a lot materially. Because sometimes… most times, Maura didn't. In fact, the first time she could remember feeling even remotely interesting to anyone was when she met this tall Italian girl with kind brown eyes and an easy smile.

Maura was weaned off of her musings when the car stopped. Getting out with her mind somewhere else, she almost didn't notice a familiar figure standing on the front porch about to knock on the front door. A chill went up and down her spine.

He slowly turned around to face her and she almost flinched at the sight of his permanent self-satisfied smirk. "Maura, how are you?" he asked in a cheerful tone.

Studying his tousled light-brown hair and symmetrical features, she suppressed the urge to slap him. Or cry. "I was doing great until you showed up. Garrett, I thought I made myself very clear when I asked you stay away from me and my home."

Leaving him no time to respond, she turned on him and walked inside. Her mother suddenly appeared from the living room to find her daughter trying to calm her breathing. "Maura, who was at the door?"

Trying to keep her voice light, she said, "Oh. Just the neighbor, mother. Nothing, uh… nothing important. I have homework..." Then she went straight up to her bedroom and locked the door.

That night, Maura curled up tightly under her warm blankets, processing everything going on in her life. She fell asleep with tear-stained cheeks and a heavy heart.

Jane woke up to the startling screech of her alarm clock. Another day, another dollar. Sighing while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she shut the thing off and rolled out of bed, had a shower, got dressed in her school uniform, grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked to the bus stop.

It had been three weeks since she started working for Doyle. It was, by far, the easiest and most satisfying job she'd ever had. She and Maura became fast friends and it wasn't even like she had to fake it. The girl had her quirks but she was super-smart and sweet and funny without even knowing it. They had a standing lunch date and occasionally chatted or texted over the phone. It was nice.

The money was good too.

That Friday Jane had been invited over to Maura's house for a movie night and Jane was more than glad to accept. She knew her Ma probably wouldn't even notice her absence, so she prepared herself an overnight bag just in case.

Casually leaning against Jane's locker as she watched the other students travelling in their little cliques talking about the latest TV shows or hot new boy bands and rappers, Maura felt an odd feeling. She wasn't the type to gossip or discuss pop culture and she much preferred classical music and jazz over whatever was topping the charts, but what if Jane did like pop music and watching the latest reality TV shows? But then she realized that none of it had mattered thus far. Jane didn't like science as much as she did, yet she still entertained Maura's random facts. So that's what she would have to do too; celebrate or at least tolerate the things that made them different in order to strengthen their friendship.

Wild raven hair suddenly appeared and Maura smiled to herself. She really was lucky to have a friend like Jane.

"What? Is there toothpaste on my face?" Jane asked with a hesitant smirk.

Maura's smile widened "No, I was just wondering what kind of music you listened to."

"Well," Jane started as she opened her locker. "I like rock… and metal… but I also like R&B and some classical music," she said as she rummaged around in her locker looking for a textbook.

"Jane Rizzoli: a fan of classical? Wow, I must be dreaming," Maura joked.

"Oh no, you're wide awake. In fact, I used to take piano lessons when I was younger. Some of the songs stuck with me." Maura saw a nostalgic smile appear on Jane's face as she stated, "I find them calming."

Maura smiled. "Me too"

Maura liked how observing Jane's facial expressions always gave away what she might be thinking, but Jane hardly ever volunteered much information about herself without prompting so she was ecstatic.

The bell rang and they made their way to their first class chatting about which movies they were going to watch. The first half of the day had gone great. They had just finished P.E. and were on their way to History, the last block of the day, but when Maura saw Carmen waiting by her locker she knew she would have to deal with her.

Sighing, she knew this would put a bit of a damper on their day. "Hi, Carmen. Do you mind? I need to get to my locker," Maura said trying to be polite, but one look at the other girl's face told her the pleasantries were in vain.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him, you bitch!" Carmen spat.

Maura looked confused. "I did. I haven't even seen him in weeks. What are you talking about?" she said quietly.

Carmen took a step closer. "I know you're lying, you little slut. You stole my boyfriend, and now I'm going to make sure you regret every second you spent with him!"

Finally, Jane stepped in and pulled Carmen away from her friend. "Ay! Relax. Whatever you're fighting about ain't worth a bloody nose, so just back off."

Carmen scoffed. "Pff! I'm not afraid of her."

Jane looked her dead in the eye and said, "I wasn't talking about her."

Quickly escorting her rattled friend away from that bully, Jane turned to her once they were out of earshot. "Are you alright, Maur? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"N-no, I… Jane, I'm fine." Maura inhaled deeply as Jane scrutinized her, obviously not believing she was alright.

"Fine. But we'll talk about what the hell just happened after school, okay?"

Maura slowly nodded.

Jane waited for Maura to fully calm down before they went up to class. Jane asked the teacher aside and quietly cited a 'female emergency' to their male History teacher in order to have their tardiness quickly excused, counting on him being not too keen on hearing the details.

By then, Maura's day had already been dampened. Nothing could pull her out of her brooding mood; not classes and not even Jane. The final school bell could not have come at a better time. The girls wordlessly got their things and headed for the town car. The drive to the Isles home was very quiet and Jane wondered what Maura could possibly have done to piss off Carmen that much. Beside her, Maura was mentally rehearsing how she was going to tell Jane everything – starting with Garrett.

Upon reaching Maura's bedroom, Jane noticed the usually clean room had a pile of clothes near the closet and an empty box of tissues on her bedside table. Jane sat on Maura's bed and patted the spot beside her. "Come here, please?"

Maura hesitated at the door, shutting it and leaning back against it to steel herself.

"Look," said Jane, her voice a soft, soothing tone. "I know you like to keep everything bottled up inside and just hope it blows over… but you don't have to do that anymore. I'm your friend," Maura looked up at her. "I'm here for you, Maur. You can tell me what's wrong."

Maura walked over and sat next to her with a shaky sigh. When tears made an immediate appearance, she shook her head as her mind flashed with memories she had been trying for weeks to suppress.

Jane rubbed her hand up and down her back to impart some comfort. "It's okay. Take your time. I ain't going nowhere."

When Maura didn't even take that opportunity to correct her use of grammar she knew this, whatever it was, ran deep. Maura had remained silent for a long time when Jane spoke again. "Maura, no matter what you say, I will be here, okay? I'm on your side. You can trust me."

Maura looked up at Jane with a mixture of hope and despair as tears continued streaming down her face. She swallowed hard. "I-I think I was raped..."

Maura's eyes instantly dropped to the floor and Jane felt her heart shatter as she wrapped her arms around the honey-blonde in a tight embrace. "Who was it? Who did that to you?" Jane asked into Maura's hair as she still held her in her arms.

"Garrett..." she whispered, clinging to Jane like her life depended on it. She was shaking with sobs. "I uh… About a week before you and I met, I was a-at a party he invited me to, and… and he k-kept getting me drinks… I shouldn't have drank so much..." she sniffled, chastising herself for her stupidity. "I remember him… I remember him taking me up to his room and it was dark and we were alone and… I tried to tell him to stop, but he didn't… A-and after he was finished I just passed out."

"Jesus," Jane cursed into silky soft hair, holding her even tighter. She could only imagine how scared Maura must have been. No wonder she was always so jumpy. "What about Carmen? How is she involved?" Jane asked softly.

"He told her that-" Maura paused to wipe away her tears, "-that I forced myself on him. So she thinks I stole him from her… I hate him; I don't want him anywhere near me."

"Maura you should go to the police," Jane said quietly.

Maura stayed quiet for a moment, trying to steady her speech as she looked up into concerned chocolate browns orbs. "I'm… so scared, Jane." She shook her head, shutting her eyes. "I don't think I can do it." Maura sounded so small and fragile.

Jane lifted Maura's chin so their eyes met. "Maura, no matter what happens, I will never let him or anyone touch you like that again. You hear? I promise. And none of this is your fault." Jane said it with such fierceness that all Maura could do was hug her tightly.

"Thank you, Jane" Maura whispered into her ear. She was eternally grateful to have found a friend in Jane Rizzoli.

Once Maura had assured Jane that she would be fine by herself while Jane went to the washroom, she grabbed the phone Doyle had given her and locked the washroom door behind her.

The line rang only twice before the mobster answered. "Jane," he greeted.

"Yeah, uh…" she wasn't sure where to start. She paced around the bathroom, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time, but this is important," she spoke in a hushed tone.

"Is it Maura? What's happened?" Doyle sounded concerned.

Jane stopped pacing and held the phone against her chest as she briefly shut her eyes. This was not something she expected to encounter on the job, and it was tearing her apart. Jane held the phone back against her ear. "About a few weeks ago, Maur- She… she was assaulted… Sexually."

Jane flinched at the sound of glass shattering on the other line. Doyle sounded livid as he slowly growled," Give me a name."

She didn't even hesitate to blow the whistle on her friend's abuser. He deserved whatever was coming his way. "Garrett Fairfield."

Then there was a quiet knock on the bathroom door. "Jane? Are you alright in there?" Maura asked through the door.

"I gotta go. Bye, Ma." Jane quickly hung up. "I'll be out in a minute," Jane called out before flushing the toilet and washing her hands to keep up the charade. When she unlocked the door she came face to face with Maura.

"Who were you talking to?" Maura asked.

"My Ma called while I was in there," Jane lied.

"Oh, okay…"

Jane put her hand on Maura's arm and easily went in for another hug. She hoped it comforted Maura as much as she wanted it to. When Maura hugged her back just as tightly, she knew she got the message.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"Come with me tomorrow?"

"Where to?"

"The police station. I've decided to file charges."

Jane pulled away to make eye contact. She smiled. "You're the bravest girl I know," she said, earning a blushing smile back. "Of course I'll go with you. I'll be by your side every step of the way, so just try to get rid of me."

"I wouldn't dare."

A/N

Hi.. thanks for reading

this is my first fanfic and I'm still learning how to post stuff on here.

also please if you have any comments/ suggestions/ criticism leave a review

I will try to post once a week.

thanks again for reading xx

-JP