Every time Jane walked through the corridors a cold shiver ran down her spine. The thick, grey cement walls didn't gave her the feeling of security, but the feeling of a permanent threat. Only a few inches of cement and steel seperated her from those she had put behind bars. Too many memories held those walls like these of Charles Hoyt. Memories of their very last encounter. Memories of how she had beaten, killed her boogeyman. Her worst nightmare. But her most worst nightmare was as Hoyt's henchman had Maura dazed with a taser and almost raped her.

She closed her eyes and shook slightly her head to get rid of the old and battered memory. Hoyt was dead and nothing had happened to the woman she loved. Nothing but a vast scar on her neck and nightmares.

The jailer looked at Jane as he stopped at a door. "Are you okay, Detective Rizzoli?"

Jane looked at the young man and smiled a bit. "Yeah, I only was too often here."

The man nodded and opened the door with his key. "Then I don't have to inform you about the progress."

Jane took a deep breath and entered without an response the room. Her face was dark, her eyes hard as stone as she saw his smug facial expressions.

"Already missed me again?", he wanted to know.

Jane sat down on the metallic chair and stared at him. "What do you know about current cop killings?"

He shrugged and pulled the corners of his mouth downward. "Nothing special."

Jane opened an folder and pulled out photos of Cole and Stephanie. "Did you let kill these people because they saw through your game?"

Paddy Doyle looked long at the photos and shoved them toward Jane. "I don't know what you want from me. I don't know these people."

Jane put the photos back into the folder. "Why did you let them kill if you don't know them?"

Doyle leaned back in his chair. "Just because I was once the head of the Irish mob in Boston it doesn't mean that I am up to date of what is happening."

Jane stared long at him and gritted her teeth. "You are well informed about what's going on in your family. Don't fuck with me."

Doyle smiled and exhaled loudly. "Just because a cop got killed in Southie it isn't automatically related to my family."

Jane leaned forward and frowned. "How do you know a cop got killed in Southie?"

"I have my sources, Detective.", Doyle replied.

Jane stared straight into his eyes. "What else did your sources told you?"

"That it shall look like that the mob is the scapegoat.", he answered.

Jane drew her eyebrows together. "Oh yeah, you are real innocents.", she stated sarcastically.

Doyle pointed at the case file. "In this case, yes."

Jane snorted and got up again.

"Detective Rizzoli?", Doyle said.

Jane closed her eyes but didn't turned to him. "Yes?"

"How is Maura?", he wanted to know.

Jane swirled around and glared at him. "She would be so much better if ...", she stopped herself before she could say something wrong. "If she had never met you."

Doyle's face got red. "How can you say something like that? I'm her father."

"No!", Jane barked and made a step towards him. "No, you are just her biological begetter. A sperm donor. Maura already has a father. A father who doesn't kill people for a living.", she pointed at him and gritted her teeth. "You have no right ... no right to call yourself her father. The only thing you give Maura is suffering and misery. The only thing Maura may have from you is her intelligence. But her warm and trusting soul she got from Hope and her adoptive parents. As you gave Maura to the Isles' you forfeited any rights. So stop to ask about Mauraor to call her your daughter. You have no right to do so.", with that she stormed to the door and slammed her hand against the metal.

"You love her.", Doyle said and Jane stopped her movement. "You love Maura."

"I don't know what that concerns you.", Jane growled low.

"A lot.", Doyle replied. "If something happens to Maura I know to whom I need to go to."

Jane didn't responded to that and left the room as the jailer opened the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane entered the autopsy room and winced as Maura carried Stephanie's lungs to a morgue slab. "No matter how many times I've see that, it is ..."

Maura looked up but not at Jane. "A part of my job.", she finished the sentence.

Jane raised her eyebrows. "Right. Do you have something for me?"

Maura took a big knife in her hand and concentrated on her task. "Stephanie shows several skull fractures. According to the bruise that you have found she was held."

"Under water?", Jane asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

Maura didn't answered right away and dissected the lungs expertly. "Uh ... yes, I can confirm that. There is water in the lungs. She drowned."

Jane drew her eyebrows together and exhaled loud. "Could she have survive with the head injuries?"

Maura turned to her and briefly made a face. "Unlikely. By the beats to the head the intracranial pressure has risen sharply. And if she would have survived then she would have vegetated."

Jane looked thoughtful at her and bit her bottom lip. "Two dead cops and two overkills. What does this tell us?"

"That someone was pretty angry?", Maura replied.

Jane rolled her eyes and smiled a little. "Thank you, Dr. Isles. That was very helpful."

Maura smiled too and put off her gloves. "Do you think that the murders are related?"

Jane briefly raised her eyebrows and nodded. "I'm afraid, yeah. We just have to find the connection."

Maura took an clipboard in her hands and made some notes. "Didn't Frost said that he knew Stephanie Hamilton?"

Jane looked long at her. "And?"

"Well, Sergeant Korsak and you knew Cole Bishop.", Maura said and looked up when she realized what she had said. "Oh no."

Jane looked at her and pressed her lips together. "Whether you like it or not ... but you gave us the best lead."

"But that doesn't make sense.", Maura protested and put the clipboard to the side. "Why would anyone kill two innocent people to get to you?"

Jane thought for a moment and raised her eyebrows with a sigh. "That makes sense, Maura. If someone wants to get to us the best way to commit a murder."

"But you are only three of many Detectives in the Homicide.", Maura replied desperately. "The chance that you get the case is as high as six numbers in the lottery."

Jane saw the fear in the blonde's eyes and walked to her. She wrapped her arms around Maura and sighed again. "Don't worry, Maura. We look after each other. Nothing will happen to us."

Maura closed her eyes and tightened the hold. "You better keeps that promise, Jane."

Jane kissed Maura's temple and nodded. "I will."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane entered the bullpen and walked directly to the glass board.

Korsak looked up and drew his eyebrows together. "What do you have in your hand?"

Jane didn't looked at him and pinned the documents at the board. "Our connection."

Frost drew his eyebrows together when he saw what was new at the board. Three photos which showed all three of them after they had joined the BPD. "Damn, Korsak. I didn't know that you once was young."

Korsak rolled his eyes but looked at his former partner. "What does this have to do with us?"

Jane pointed at Cole Bishop. "You and I had worked with Cole Bishop.", she pointed at Stephanie Hamilton. "And Frost had worked with Stephanie Hamilton. It is no coincidence that precisely these two were killed."

"You think that we were the real targets?", Frost wanted to know.

Jane looked at him and nodded. "Probably."

"But why?", Korsak wanted to know with a high pitched voice. "I'm not aware that I had done something wrong."

"Me neither.", Frost said and looked at the Italian.

"Like me.", Jane agreed and walked to her desk. "But this is the best lead. We should go through all our old cases."

Frost leaned back in his chair. "These are hundreds, Jane."

Jane closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I know, Frost."

Korsak walked back to his desk. "Is there something special that we should look out for?"

Jane's answer was just a shrug.

Cavanaugh entered the bullpen and frowned in confusion when he looked at the board. "Why do the three of you hang on the board?"

Jane looked at him and leaned back in her chair. "We think that we were the real targets."

"On what is the presumption based?", he wanted to know.

Jane frowned and looked at her partners. "Uh ... well, we have worked with both victims."

Cavanaugh looked at her. "Would it not make more sense if the killer had attacked one of you?"

"Not if it has to do with out old units.", Korsak replied as he looked over the rim of his glasses. "Under the motto 'The bucket list '."

Cavanaugh took a deep breath. "As soon as one if you is in danger I will withdraw the case from you."

Jane made big eyes. "Wait. What? Why?"

"Because then it becomes personal, Rizzoli.", Cavanaugh replied.

"Is it not already personal, Sir?", Jane replied vigorously, pointing at the board. "Two of our people were killed. I take that extremely personal."

"You can hand over the case immediately if you want to.", Cavanaugh barked. "I have enough to do with the media and the mayor. I don't need a Detective who breathes vengeance. Understand?"

Jane pursed her lips as she wanted to replie something but held herself back when Korsak shook his head. "Yes, Sir."

"Good decision, Rizzoli.", Cavanaugh said and started walking.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane walked into her apartment and locked the door immediately. She sighed and put gun and badge on the coffee table. She put off her jacket and threw it on the couch.

Jo Friday came with a bark running to her.

Jane patted the dog and smiled a bit. "Hey, there. Did you miss me? Yeah, you terribly missed me. You certainly need to go for a walk.", she pulled her white shirt in one move over her head. "Just let me change quickly."

"Jane, is that you?", Maura wanted to know as she rounded the corner and stopped immediately when she saw the shirtless Italian.

Jane held reflexively the shirt in front of her and her eyes widened. "Maura? What the ... What are you doing here?"

Maura's eyes traveled over Jane's body and she raised her eyebrows.

Jane pressed the piece of cloth against her and frowned. "Maura."

Maura's eyes snapped up to Jane's. "Sorry. I have called you and texted you. But you didn't respond so I came here"

"Why?", Jane wanted to know and shifted uncomfortable.

Maura scrutinized her for a moment. "Do I need a reason?"

Jane's shoulders slumped. "No."

Maura smiled and walked to the brunette. She released the shirt from Jane's dead grip and put it on the couch. "Stop to behave childishly, Jane. I have already seen you with far less clothes."

Jane stared over Maura's head. "However, we weren't alone and not in a while relationship."

Maura smirked and ran gently an hand over Jane's belly. "Does it make you nervous?"

Jane swallowed hard and raised her eyebrows. "A tiny little bit.", she closed her eyes as the blonde's hand wandered up a little. "God, Maura."

Maura bit her bottom lip and she looked up. "You wanted to change your clothes."

Jane opened her eyes again and nodded. "I'll be right back."

Maura smiled and looked after her girlfriend.

A few minutes later Jane came back in dark sweats and her BPD-shirt. She walked to the blonde and gave her a long, tender kiss. "Now it's safe to kiss."

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and smirked. "And before it wasn't safe to kiss?"

Jane smirked and shook her head. "No, it wasn't. As soon as I wear no shirt I can't guarantee anything."

"Maybe I wanted you to lose a bit of your self-control.", Maura replied with an mischievous smile.

Jane looked deep into Maura's hazel eyes and a growl escaped her throat. "Don't play with the fire that you can't extinguish, Maura."

Maura chuckled and kissed Jane's lips.

Jane pulled her closer and moaned softly as the desire of more spread through her.

Maura stood on her toes and returned the hungry kiss.

Jane needed all will power to prevent them from the inevitable and broke the kiss. "I should walk Jo.", she whispered.

Maura's eyes dropped to Jane's lips and smiled. "I already did that."

Jane chuckled and raised her eyebrows. "I always knew that you are the perfect woman. Then I should order something to eat. All I have here is uneatable."

Maura rolled her eyes and laughed.

Jane smiled but frowned. "Uh ... Maura, therefore you should let me go."

Maura raised her eyebrows and dropped her arms.

Jane chuckled and grabbed her phone.

Maura walked to the kitchen and opened a cabinet and put out an wine glass. "I have heard about the incident with you and Lieutenant Cavanaugh."

Jane ended the call un placed the phone on the kitchen counter. "It was only a momentary disagreement."

"About what?", Maura wanted to know.

Jane walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. "Because he want to withdraw the case from us when one of us get in danger."

Maura poured herself a glass of wine. "And you, of course, don't like it."

Jane sipped her beer and drew her eyebrows together. "Of course not. When someone is already after us than we already have targets on our backs. It doesn't matter if we investigate or not."

"He just want you to be safe.", Maura said and sipped her wine.

Jane sighed and rubbed an eyebrow. "I know. And now you are worried too because I am ..."

Maura placed her glass on the counter. "Because you are what?"

Jane looked on the floor and shook her head. "Never mind."

Maura walked to her girlfriend and took her hand in her own. "Jane, you know how much I hate it when people start a sentence and don't finish it.", she raised her eyebrows. "I can't read minds. You have to talk to me, Jane."

Jane looked long at her. Her vulnerable side was clearly visible. "Promise me not to freak out."

Maura smiled reassuring. "I promise, I won't run away."

Jane swallowed hard. "Because I am deeply, madly in love with you."

Maura blinked a few times as the words settled in and her heart skipped a beat. She smiled broadly. "Why would that make me freak out?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. Because we're best friends?"

Maura chuckled and kissed Jane's hand. "I think we've already crossed that line. And I can assure you with clear conscience that I am in love with you too."

Jane frowned deeply. "Indeed?"

"Do you see me run away?", Maura asked with a broad smile.

Jane smiled too and shook her head. "No."

Maura laid Jane's arm on her hip and her own arms around Jane's neck. "No, because I am deeply, madly in love with you too."

Jane grinned and kissed her again.

Maura pulled her head backward. "Oh. And Jane?"

Jane looked at her and furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"Even if we were not in a relationship I would be worried about you.

Jane smiled and kissed once more. "I know. And that's why I love you."

Maura's breath hitched but she started to beam. "I love you too, Jane."