AN-I have decided to finish this chapter up today, so you guys can get some answers. It's a bit long and has a major time jump. /div
3 years later.
"Ready for your big day?" Maura asked Conner for the third time since they started the drive.
"Yes mama." Conner replied in that sweet voice of his.
It made Maura smile and stop her thought process about Jane missing this day. When she had been pregnant with him she had imagined this day only with Jane by her side, but she shook the thought away. They had been fine the last three years without Jane.
The first year had been the hardest Maura spent the whole year waiting and wishing for Jane to walk through the front door, as the second year approached Maura stopped waiting, she went back to work, learned how to be a single parent. She still had days like today that she wished Jane were here this was a big step in Conner's life and Jane this child's biological mother wasn't here to take him to his first day of preschool.
Maura pushed all thoughts of Jane aside as they pull up to the school, Maura was nervous and excited for Conner. Maura parked the car and got out she thought about helping him out but knew he'd just protest just like Jane this boy who didn't even remember Jane acted so much like her.
When Conner was out and by her side she took his little hand in her own and they walked to the doors. Maura felt her heart rate pick up when the door closed behind them. This was really happening. Conner released her hand when he saw all the other kids and walked on his own.
Maura was mystified, he could really be without her and be alright.
When they reached his class which they had visited the week prior Maura didn't know what to do. Should she leave or stay? She wanted to stay, she'd like to stay all day but knew that wasn't possible. She watched him interact with the other kids for a few minutes when knowing he was safe and happy she turned to leave.
She got halfway down the hall when she heard his little voice.
"Mama!" She turned in time to catch him in her arms.
"What's wrong baby?" She asked worried he didn't want to do this, she'd take him home in a minute if he'd ask. He hugged her tight and then looked at her and said "I love you mama."
He then fought her grasp, she put him down and he ran back to his class room. Maura smiled, but felt the need to cry so she turned back and continued her walk out of the school. She wouldn't break down while inside. She got herself together in the car and drove the few miles to Frankie's, she didn't speak to him for a long time after Jane left, because he wouldn't give her any information about Jane he kept telling her it wasn't his place to say she eventually got angry enough to stop taking his calls or texts.
Conner helped mend that friendship, Maura knew Conner needed Frankie in his life he was the closest to Jane they each had so about a year ago Maura contacted Frankie to see if he wanted to have lunch with her and Conner, he accepted and their friendship had started again.
Maura parked her car outside Frankie's apartment building and got her phone out to call him. When he answered he said he was running a little late but she could come up the door was open. She got out of her car walked the two flights of stairs, found Frankie's apartment felt like knocking but he did say the door was open.
She opened the door and went in. It felt weird to be in this apartment without Jane, she hadn't come here since before Jane left.
"Frankie?" She called out.
"I'll be out in a few." Frankie answered back.
Maura looked around the apartment not much had changed since she was her last. She looked at the pictures on the wall, pictures of Conner, Maura and Jane, Jane and Conner.
She walked closer to get a better look. She had the same ones at her house, but they were all loaded up in boxes. She had done that the second year when she realized Jane wasn't coming back.
One picture that stood out to Maura was one of Jane and an older woman Jane resembled her, but that's not possible because Jane had always told her she had no family but Frankie. Jane and the other woman were both smiling, happy.
Maura moved on to the next one which was a group photo she recognized Jane and Frankie, the older woman that resembled Jane was in this one too, along with an younger guy who resembled both Frankie and Jane. They all had party hates on and the older woman was holding a cake that said welcome home Tommy. Maura had always been one to take in details she couldn't help it, so when the calendar on the wall in the picture caught her eye, she was clearly able to read the month and year, her breath caught, this picture was taken last month.
Her hand reached out to trace Jane's face in the picture, she was smiling, she was happy. Her chest began to ache, Jane was happy without her and Conner.
She vaguely heard a door close behind her.
"I guess I forgot to.." Frankie began to say, but stopped mid sentence.
"Maura?" She heard him say, he must have walked to her because she felt his hand on her shoulder to pull her away, to get her attention she didn't know which.
She didn't want to be pulled away from this picture. This had Jane, her Jane in it. She wanted to take it off the wall and hold it close to her. She had, had many sleepless night just wondering if Jane was alright, it brought just a tiny bit of comfort to her. She heard Frankie say her name again. She was able to turn and face him.
"Who are all those people?" She asked.
When Frankie didn't respond she knew she wouldn't get an answer from him. Maura could get angry and throw a fit to try to get these answers, but she just took a deep breath looked Frankie in the face and asked "Are you ready to go?"
The morning and the day passed by in such a blur to her, she didn't even concentrate on work. Her mind was filled with questions again about Jane, Her whereabouts, who all those people were, why she left. The only time she could concentrate was to listen to Conner tell her about all the exciting things he had done at school.
That night after Conner had gone to sleep Maura grabbed her lap top from her bedroom made a spot at the table in the kitchen and pulled up Google search. She hadn't done this before, she had put a lot of thought into it but never actually got this far and she was hesitant now, but she wanted answers and this was the only solution she had.
She typed in Jane Rizzoli in the search bar, plenty of Jane Rizzoli's came up in many parts of the world, she needed to define her search. She went back to the search bar and added in Massachusetts hoping Jane hadn't left the state.
Not finding anything on the first page she clicked next, three pages in she had about lost all hope of finding anything until a name caught her eye Tommy Rizzoli. She clicked on it. It was a newspaper clipping from Andover Massachusetts, saying this Tommy guy ran over a priest three years ago, he had been arrested and plead guilty to drinking while intoxicated and was looking at some time in prison. She got to the bottom and there was his picture. He was the same guy in the picture at Frankie's house. Maura was ecstatic she had finally gotten somewhere, but nothing on Jane. She decided to do one more search and that was to find out where Andover was located surprisingly only twenty two miles from Boston. She made the plan before falling asleep that night, she was going to Andover in the morning after dropping off conner at school and she would find something out.
The drive to Andover didn't take long the next morning, Maura was hoping she could do more planning on the drive there, but in all honesty she had no idea what she was going to do. She drove the streets of Andover trying to form some kind of plan, but nothing came to her. When she spotted a restaurant she decided to went in found a seat and waited for a waitress to bring her a menu. She could ask the waitress if she knew anyone with the name Rizzoli, and if that didn't work maybe she could keep asking people. Bad plan, but it's all she had.
Finally a blonde haired woman woman showed up with a menu.
"What can I get you to drink today?" She asked while grabbing her pad and a pencil from her apron.
"Do you have tea?" Maura asked.
"Sweet or unsweetened?"
"Unsweetened please."
Maura watched her write it down and as she turned to leave Maura got her attention again.
"Excuse me ms." The lady turned back again.
"Would you happen to know anyone with the last name Rizzoli?" Maura asked.
"No not right off hand, but I can always ask Edna our head waitress she knows everyone around here." Maura smiled and said "if you wouldn't mind."
"Not a problem ma'am, I'll be back with your tea in a moment." She smiled and walked away.
She hasn't gotten anywhere but she still felt excited. The waitress brought the tea with no news yet, but Maura ordered her food and waited. When she returned with Maura's food she left a piece of paper and said "this is the only Rizzoli she could place." Maura looked at the paper, on it was written Angela Rizzoli and an address.
Maura thanked her and she walked away. She quickly ate her food paid for it and was out the door after thanking the waitress one more time.
It took her a good thirty minutes to find the address on the paper. She parked out front excited but nervous at what she might find when she walked to that door. After composing herself she walked to the front door, and rang the bell. The door opened a few minutes later and staring back at her was the older woman from the picture's at Frankie's. Maura had full intentions of saying something but nothing came out. The lady was looking at her with recognition.
"Maura?" She questioned, and Maura knew she had found part of the puzzle. This woman whoever she was knew her, and she had to know Jane.
"Yes." Maura was finally able to answer.
"Come in." The woman said.
Maura followed her inside until they came to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" The woman asked, but she was already on her way to get it.
"No, but I would like to know how you know my name." Maura said, she hadn't moved from the doorway of the kitchen. The woman looked back at her.
"Sit, I'll get us something to drink and then I'll explain." Maura moved to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down. After what felt like an eternity the woman sat down across from her and handed her a glass, Maura sat it on the table and waited for her to speak.
"I always wondered when you'd show up knocking on my door, I honestly thought it would be sooner." She said on a laugh.
Maura managed a smile but that was it.
"I told her to tell you, you deserved to know but she said she was afraid you'd leave."
"Jane?" Maura asked.
"Yes Jane." The woman answered.
"Deserved to know what?" Maura was very interested now.
"My daughter was such a sweet kid, we never had any issues with her, she got all A's in school, went out of her way to help people, but then like over night she changed. she became unrecognizable to me and her father, she started acting out fighting at school, her grades dropped. I didn't know what to do, she wasn't my daughter anymore." Angela spoke like Maura wasn't in the room anymore.
"We took her to see a therapist because we didn't know what to do, she was angry all the time, it was a bad time for us for our family, and then a couple of weeks later the therapist wanted to see us, we went in and she told us our daughter has a mental disorder called dissociative Identity Disorder and..."
Maura had been listening to everything this woman, Angela had been telling her until she said those words, Maura didn't need an explanation or Google to know what dissociative identity disorder is. All the facts come to her mind, dissociative Identity Disorder is the most extreme manifestation of a dissociative disorder and involves multiple parts of the personality existing within one person. It's on repeat in her head. Science is her way of coping in stressful situations.
"Is she Jane?" Maura asked, interrupting Angela's explanation, and that being the only question Maura had.
"No Maura, she hasn't been Jane for three years..."
AN-no one worry, Jane isn't gone forever.