I know you guys don't like it when I talk about the case but it's the only way it'll make sense for me to put Jane in prison undercover. So deal with it. If you don't like it then just stop reading. Like a reviewer said, I rushed the deaths of the other two women. Meaning I had to rush everything else. So, I'm going to go at the pace I wanted to go at with you guys in mind, though. I will talk about the case because it is important to the story but I will not focus on it too much because Rizzles is a big part of it too. Originally when I thought of the story, I wasn't going to do Rizzles. But, I decided to because I'm a huge Rizzles fan. So, either you guys can take it this way or I can just give up. I don't mean to sound rude. I'm just really not sure how else to get my point across.


Jane climbed out of her cruiser, already pissed off with the son of bitch that has managed to kill three women in one weekend, but to make it worse, he had to pull her away from Maura. The first time she'd seen Maura in three months. How it was possible, she was unsure. They had cruisers running the block. They had a cruiser in the driveway! It had to be a inside job. Jane was sure of it.

"Is Dr. Pike here yet?" Jane asked Barry as they entered the house. She was snapping on her gloves already. The right ones, with the same colour just so that Dr. Pike wouldn't harass her about it later.

"I think so. I think I heard his phone ringin' when left the morgue." He scratched at the back of his neck. "Plus, he had a head start on us. With Maura blindsiding us." She could swear she felt her stomach and heart both do a flip. "I can't believe she's back."

"Yeah," Jane crouched to look at the crime scene more carefully. Dr. Pike hadn't arrived yet. Maura probably held him up unintentionally. "What the hell was she talking about earlier? Seeing me tonight?"

"Dunno." Barry shrugged. "She sure seemed excited to see you, though." He winked, nudging his partner with his knee to her back. Jane almost fell over, but she caught herself on her hands. If Barry noticed he didn't let on about it. He probably felt bad.

"I never saw a smile on her face." The brunette noticed, noticing that the victim's clothes were scattered on the floor. There hadn't been any new ones for her to put on. There hadn't even been a towel waiting for her when she got out.

"Hmm," He took this into inconsideration. "Maybe she's just tired. I wonder where she went off to."

"My guess is she left the country." Jane shrugged. "I...I never saw any activity on her credit cards within the United States. She withdrew a large lump-sum of money but after that all of her accounts went inactive."

"You checked up on her?" That hadn't been the way he wanted to ask the question. His original question was: you investigated her? But he knew she would get defensive so he tried to ask it as nicely as possible.

Her face fell. "Every damn day." She stood when Dr. Pike entered the bathroom. "Glad you could finally make it." She greeted with sarcasm.

"You could blame your BFF for that." He knelt beside the tub, his irritation wasn't lost on Jane or Barry. "She came in my office. She was messing with everything. I finally put everything in its place and she ruined it!"

"Technically it's still her office." Barry pointed out, quietly. "She's still the chief medical examiner."

"But she's on sabbatical." Dr. Pike snapped. "She left all of her duties to me."

"I'll never understand why." Jane rolled her shoulders, trying to get rid of her tension. "Let's focus on this vic. Can you tell me anything?"

"Like the other two, she died of asphyxiation." The medical examiner looked at the victim's neck more closely. "But, we won't know that officially until a full body autopsy is performed." He said bitterly for Jane's benefit.

She smiled at his statement. Just like Maura used to say. "What can you tell me?" She asked, looking around the bathroom. Barry was busy trying not to stare too much at the naked body. No one really liked to look at a naked dead person. Even medical examiners.

"No assumptions can be made at this moment." Dr. Pike pressed. Jane shrugged. Exactly like Maura used to say. She picked up the bar of soap then ran her gloved finger across it.

"This is dry." She stated, shoving the bar of soap in her partner's direction. "The entire tub is dry. There's no condensation on the mirror. There's no proof there someone ever took a shower or bath in here." She pointed to the floor. "Look, her clothes are scattered. Not like she stood in one place to take them off. They're all over the place. And there's no new clothes or even a towel."

"This definitely wasn't an accident." Barry nodded.

"Let's take the remaining women into custody." Jane told him. "I don't know if I should be protecting them or questioning them."

"Yeah, hold on." The dark man pulled his phone to his ear. "Frost." He stated. While he listened to the person the other end, Jane continued walking around the bathroom. She couldn't help but think of how much easier this job would be if Maura had been there. Maura made things better for Jane just by being there. So, when she left, Jane felt her world fall apart. Her job became her main priority but without Maura, her job became the most stressful thing in her life.

"Tammy Whitaker is missing." Barry said, putting his phone back in his holster. "Korsak had the same idea as you. To get all of the remaining women into custody. So, he called her job. She didn't come into work today. According to Lady, Tammy said she was going to work."

"Okay..." She rolled her shoulders again. "Okay, let's make sure we have a BOLO out on her, okay? I want patrol around her job and this place. We'll take the other girls back to headquarters. Someone in this house is hiding something."

"Detective, I told you everything I know." Kate said through her clenched teeth. "Tammy said she was going to work. She ain't been home all day. I was in my room all day."

"So, how would you know she hadn't been home all day?" Jane countered. The woman in front of her just groaned and leaned back in her seat. "Okay, well until you're ready to give me something to work with, you'll just sit here." She said before standing. She left without another word. When she reached the bullpen, she noticed the whiteboard out. Barry and Vince were staring at it like it they were waiting for it to do a magic trick.

"Has the board started talking in tongue or something?" She asked, sneaking up behind them. Both men turned to her and glared. "Frost, where did all of these women go to prison?" She now stared at the board, waiting for the magic to happen. But the magic she'd been waiting for was for everything to click in place. She had one hand on her hip and the other cupped around the back of her neck.

"Wood Creek Correctional for Women." He said after a few moments of typing. "All of our victims went there."

"Now check the background for the guards." Her words were now muffled by her hand that had been cupping her chin. Barry typed away while the other detectives waited.

"We have four guards that worked there. They work the day shift." He paused for a moment, letting the computer load. "Okay, Whitney Massings, Thomas Dillion, Amy Jo Martella, and Robert Hall."

"Can you get those four down here for questioning?" She asked Vince. He nodded and walked away to go do the job asked of him. "One of these four are connected."

"Or all of them." He turned the computer monitor to her. "They all have filed complaints with all three victims. Actually they have complaints with all of the women except Tammy Whitaker."

"So, they get along with the one that's gone out of the blue?" She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, incessantly. It always helped her figure things out in her head. "Check their backgrounds. See why they left Wood Creek."

"On it." He nodded, pulling the monitor back to him. "Hey, Loo."

"Hi." Lt. Cavanaugh gave a small smile. "Good to see you actually doing your job, Rizzoli." He commented, taking the spot next to her. "What do we have so far?" We? I don't remember you doing anything to help this case other than ride me constantly about it. She kept her thoughts to herself because she knew they were unprofessional and would probably get her fired.

"All of the inmates went to Wood Creek Correctional for Women." She started, nibbling on her thumbnail. "We have four guards who worked there prior. One of our inmates is M.I.A."

"Huh," He huffed. "Guess you should look into that."

"I am." Barry said from his desk. "I think I've found something." He turned the monitor back to Jane. "Thomas Dillion was fired due to too many sexual harassment claims from the other guards."

"What else?" She looked over her shoulder at the elevator. She heard it ding and felt her heart jump. If it was Maura, then there went her focus on the case flying out the window. Thankfully it was just a uniform bringing something to another detective in the pen.

"He only started working for Lady Perkins two months ago." Lt. Cavanaugh stated, staring down at the screen. "Wait a minute, did you say Wood Creek Correctional?" Jane nodded. "Detective Stevens!" He called across the bullpen. A bald man popped his head up over his computer monitor.

"Yes, Loo?" He called.

"That case that went cold of yours," Lt. Cavanaugh waved him over. "About the inmates being stabbed to death. How long ago was that?"

"Three months, sir." Detective Stevens answered. "Three months since it went cold."

"Where was it?" The lieutenant asked.

"Uh, Wood Creek Correctional, sir." Det. Stevens was obviously confused. "Are we opening that case back up?"

"I think we might have." Barry said, looking to Jane. "Around the time the killings stopped was when Tammy Whitaker left. It looks like all of the guards were fired around the same time. Within the same two months of each other."

"Then hired by Lady Perkins." Jane said, mindlessly. She didn't realise she'd said the words aloud. "This all can't be a coincidence."

"I don't believe in those, detective." Lt. Cavanaugh stated. "Especially not in homicide cases. Frost, I want you and Korsak down at the place in the morning. Rizzoli, I want you questioning these guards and keep an eye out for Tammy Whitaker. Stevens, I'm reopening that case. I want you going over the files again."

"Yes, Lieutenant." All detectives nodded as they watched their superior leave.

"I'm going to get some coffee." She turned to Det. Stevens. "You want some?" She already knew they had a long night ahead of them so she already knew that Barry would need some coffee just as much as she needed some.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Two sugars. Thanks." He said over his shoulder she walked away. Every step was like a barrier for her to turn around. She feared running into Maura again. It was weird to see the honey-blonde without a smile. But, it was all Jane was left with when the doctor had left. She also feared her mother asking her if she'd seen the medical examiner. She was afraid of saying yes, but she knew that if she lied, it would only construct a wave of questions for later. Saying yes meant that there was a loaded gun of questions waiting for her now.

"Hey, Janie." Angela called from behind the counter of the cafe. "What can I do for you?"

"Yeah, Ma," Jane pounded the side of her right fist into her left palm. She clucked her tongue. "Frost and I will have our usual. And I want a black coffee."

"Okay, sweetie." While Angela prepared the coffee, the detective nervously tapped her fingers against the counter.

"Where is she, Ma?" She finally whispered, so low that if the older woman hadn't stopped pouring the coffee in time she would've missed it.

"I'm not sure." Angela shrugged. "I gave her a ride here but she kind of went off on her own. I haven't seen her since you guys got back."

"Did she take a cab home?" Angela could tell how nervous Jane was to talk about her best friend. She did the nervous ritual that always gave her away. First, the twirl of a finger in her hair. Then the nibbling of her thumbnail. Shifting her weight constantly. Then all three at once. She was at stage four now.

"Possibly," The older woman shrugged.

"She said she would see me tonight," Jane was unsure if she should confide in her mother for this. She had no one else. Maura was only close to Angela now. This was where she could get the answers to her questions since she couldn't very well go to the doctor herself now. "What did she mean by that?"

"She probably thinks you're coming to dinner." Angela put the coffees in a tray then pushed them to her daughter. "It would be nice to see you outside of work, though."

"Yeah," The detective pulled out her phone. "That would be nice." She mindlessly answered while reading a text message from her sergeant. I have Whitney Massings here for questioning. Better come quick, she's a feisty one.

"Is that the job?" Angela asked, peeking over the counter to try to read what caught her daughter's attention. Jane only nodded. "Don't take too long. I know you're not into it anymore but we would love to see you for dinner tonight."

"I'll see what I can do," The brunette grabbed the tray then bolted. "Hey, you!" She called to Frankie, who'd been getting into the elevator. "I have to go to interrogation. Get these to Frost and Det. Stevens."

"Have you seen Maura, yet?" Frankie asked, ignoring his sisters requests but taking the tray anyway. "She's looking for you."

"I saw her earlier today." The detective mumbled.

"I just saw her twenty minutes ago." They both stepped into the elevator. "She's looking for you now."

"Okay." Another jump of her heart. She brunette cleared her throat to hopefully settle the jumping heart but it was to no avail. She sighed then pushed the elevator button with more force than necessary. Leave it to Maura Isles to make her completely willing to skip out on an interrogation. To be honest, other than catching the bad guys, that was one of Jane's favorite part of investigations. It was definitely at the top of her list.

"Hey," Vince waved. "Where are you going?" He called when Jane started to walk the opposite way of him. "She's this way!"

"I know, have Frost do it with you." She pondered if she should lie or not. "Maura wants to see me."

Vince's attitude changed. "Okay!" He smiled. He hoped it was about what he and the doc discussed earlier. "Yeah, you go! Newbie! Come with me!"

"What's my actual name, Korsak?" Barry called from his desk. "I'll come if you can remember my actual name."

"Freeze?" Vince joked. When he heard Barry sigh he laughed to himself. "Frost, get your butt over here."

"Alright, alright." The dark man glared from a distance. Jane had been getting her blazer, because she wasn't sure where Maura was or why she would be looking for her. She wanted to be prepared for the cold outside if she had to go in it.

"Did she say where she was waiting, Frankie?" She looked over to her brother, who'd been giving Detective Stevens his coffee. She could hear him complaining about the lack of his two sugars. If there hadn't been more pressing issues, she might have actually apologized or chewed him out for it.

"Yeah, she said she'll be waiting at the Robber." Frankie called over his shoulder, secretly stealing his sisters coffee. He smiled when he thought he got away with it.

"I know you have my coffee, Frankie." She said behind him. She reached around him to press the elevator button. "I don't think tonight's going to be so long anymore."

"Mmm." He milked enjoying the coffee. "Ma always makes the best."

"Did she seem pissed?" Stage one of her nervous ritual. Finger twirling in her hair.

"Not really," He shrugged. "Kinda sad. Ma said she's been quiet."

"Huh." Stage two. Thumbnail nibbling. When the elevator doors opened, Jane all but flew from them. "I'll be down at the Robber if anyone needs me." She called out. Mostly it was to anyone who could hear her. No one in particular. The walk to the Dirty Robber was longer than Jane remembered. She's made that walk a lot of times. She wasn't sure why she walked this time, though. She figured she could use the fresh air to clear her head and stop her heart from pounding erratically in her chest. But with every step, she only fought the urge to turn around and go back to the station.

She could see Maura sitting at the booth they used to occupy together. It was the booth she'd made Maura try beer for the first time. The booth Frankie had forgiven her in when she ran a DNA test on his 'daughter'. It was the booth when Constance Isles decided to become closer to her daughter thanks to Jane herself. There were so many memories in that booth. Maura had to know what she was doing when she sat there. Jane watched her for what felt like hours but it couldn't have really been more than a minute. Then, after another scan of the bar, Maura looked outside. She noticed Jane watching her, but for some reason it didn't register to Jane just yet. She watched her for another twenty seconds before completing the last steps to the door.

"Hi." Her voice was quiet when she reached the booth. "Frankie told me you were looking for me."

"Sit, Jane." Maura demanded. Her voice was soft but firm. Just like Maura. Jane wanted to smile. Although she herself had been changing so much, it was nice to see that the only thing that changed about Maura was the coloring of her skin. So it seemed.

"Okay." She slid into her usual side of the booth. "So, what's this about?" She noticed the beer waiting for her. "Thanks." She smiled, slightly.

"I figured you could use it." Maura nodded. "Angela told me about your case."

"Yeah." The detective sighed. "You look...different." She waved her hand in the doctor's direction to emphasize. "Tan. I assume wherever you went was around a lot of sun."

"I could have just frequented my time outdoors." The medical examiner countered. "But you know what I always say about assumptions, Jane."

"Did you?" Jane's words were quiet. This was the first time she ever feared Maura Isles. It wasn't the kind of fear that was life-threatening. It was the kind of fear that had her worrying if this was the end of their friendship. If they even had a friendship, still. She was intimidated by the doctor. She was intimidated because she knew that she hurt Maura and whatever decision the doctor came to could change her life. She felt so little next to this woman. It had nothing to do with the way Maura looked at her. It had everything to do with the guilt she's felt. The things she's done to make sure that she never hurts Maura ever again. Countless hours of therapy to work on her 'attitude' and 'verbal abuse'.

"I suppose I did, so to speak." The honey-blonde nodded. "I'm worried about you."

"Why?" The brunette didn't mean for the question so come out so fast or sharp. "I mean, I've been fine."

"Jane," Maura fought the urge to reach for her friend's hands. "You've lost weight. You've given up on wearing make-up."

"Never wore much before, anyway." The detective interjected.

The honey-blonde cleared her throat. "Your hair is a mess. You look tired."

"Yeah, I'm tired." Jane's tone was mentally noted by Maura. Irritability. "I've been working cases non-stop. I haven't gotten any sleep."

"Detective Frost is your partner." Maura stated. "Sergeant Korsak is also your partner."

"Yes." This was not how she imagined this conversation to go down. They weren't even discussing what happened between them. "And my name is Jane. Your name is Maura. Ma is annoyingly observant. Frankie is a police officer. Joe is a dog. Pop is a plumber."

The medical examiner ignored her friend's attitude and decided to just continue with her original point. "They don't look as bad as you, Jane." She picked up her keys and fiddled with them. Something she never really did before she met Jane. "They've been working the same cases as you. But, they look well rested. They look alert. I'm afraid at any moment you will pass out. Angela and Vince are worried about you. They wanted me to talk to you."

"I'm fine, Maura." Jane snapped, pulling herself from the booth. Suddenly feeling betrayed by her sergeant and mother. "I thought when Frankie told me you wanted to talk to me it would be something important."

"Your health is important, Jane." Maura said from her seat.

"Whatever." The brunette was gone before Maura could come back with something, to get her friend to sit back down. Well, I tried. She sighed and dropped her head. Getting through to Jane was proving to be even more difficult now with the three month absence weighing over their heads. She didn't know what else she could try. She used to have an arsenal on how to get Jane to do what she wanted. Normally, she spewed facts so fast that it confused the hell out of the detective. Or she would use big words to describe little things that would make Jane fear if Maura didn't check out whatever the hell she was talking about, she would have to start writing her Will.

On her way back to the precinct, the detective kicked multiple rocks, angrily. She felt stupid. She couldn't pinpoint how she thought that conversation would go down but she didn't think it would be about her Ma or Vince telling the big bad boss doctor on her. She kicked at another rock. She only hoped that Maura could tell her she forgave her but that was a long shot. Jane didn't see any hint of forgiveness in Maura's eyes. She saw sadness. She saw what never she thought she'd see when the doctor looked at her. Pain.

Both women sighed in frustration, although they were far apart. Their minds were set on one another. Their thoughts followed the other. When Jane returned to the precinct, she went straight into the cold case with Detective Stevens because she didn't want to take her frustration out on Vince. It would be unprofessional. But, as soon as she was off the clock; he was dead to her. What happened in her personal life was just that. Her personal life. If she didn't want to sleep or eat then that was up to her. He didn't have to go tell on her to Maura as soon as she got home from wherever the hell she'd gone. Jane only hoped her mother didn't bother her for the rest of the night. She was definitely not going to be joining them for dinner. Maura on the other hand unlike Jane didn't dive into her work to get her mind off of her worries and stresses. Instead, she called a cab then went home. She knew Angela would be home soon so she started with dinner. It felt good to cook in a kitchen for once. She never knew how much she missed her home, how much she missed her life until she walked away from it all and returned to it all. Joe Friday padded the floor to her and greeted her with a series of barks.

"Okay, okay." The doctor gave up and picked the small dog up. "I missed you too." She smiled, inhaling the scent of the small dog. She smelled like herself and Jane's apartment. "Are you worried about her too?" Joe barked. "Everyone else seems to be."

"Are you talking to a dog?" Frankie asked, startling the doctor. She carefully put Joe Friday down before she assessed her breathing. "Sorry, I knocked."

"I didn't hear it." She turned to the boiling water on the stove. There wasn't much do with it so she just stared at it. "Yes, I was talking to her."

"Welcome to the insane side of the force, Doc." The younger man smiled. "I got here to see if Jane would be here. Ma said she might make it. I wanted to watch the Celtics game with her."

"I don't think she'll be making it." The honey-blonde frowned. "She's very upset with me."

"You?" Disbelief and disappointment colored his words. "She killed your dad!"

"Frankie." Maura's voice was firm. She would not allow Jane's family to turn on her for something that was between just them. "Out of respect for her, I would appreciate it if we didn't talk about what she did or didn't do that day."

"You're right." He frowned. He knew that what Jane did was somehow the right and wrong thing. As a cop, it was the right thing. As Maura's best friend, it was the wrong thing. He wasn't sure which side he was on. Law enforcement or plain ol' Frankie Rizzoli who had saw things practically and realistically. Either way, he should have been backing his sister up. He felt bad for Maura but he took his sister's side. And he still did but he couldn't help but wonder about the things his sister could've done differently.

"Would you like to help me with dinner?" She asked, changing the subject. He was more than willing. The younger man shrugged out of his wet jacket.

"Sure." He smiled. "Hey, maybe Ma will talk Jane into coming."

"Maybe." Maura had no hope but she wouldn't ruin Frankie's. She frowned, pulling the ingredients out of her refrigerator. She handed the other vegetables to Frankie but kept the onions for herself. This would give her the perfect excuse to cry. She knew she could save it until later, until everyone was gone and it was just her and her thoughts. But, she needed to cry now. Frankie never questioned if she was crying from the onions or if she'd been crying for her friend. It never crossed his mind as odd. Just like the medical examiner had planned.

"Can we call it a night, Rizzoli?" Detective Stevens asked through a groan. "I'm tired. I already missed my wife's dinner. I promised her I'd be home for it. She's raging a storm in Boston right now."

"I told you, you can go home whenever you want." She said without looking up from the case file in front of her. She didn't need his help to read.

"But this was my case." He defended. "I wouldn't feel right just handing it over to you."

"You're not." She shrugged. "It's still your case. I'm just reading over it for my case."

"Jane Rizzoli." Angela called from the elevators. "I thought you were coming to dinner?"

"There goes storm number two." Whispered Det. Stevens, absolutely amused by the older woman's tone. Jane glared at him before looking up to her mother.

"Maura prepared dinner. She's waiting for you and I." Angela was at her daughter's desk now. "We shouldn't keep her waiting any longer. Tommy's even there, Janie. It's her first day back. Please don't be difficult. Please?"

"I have work, Ma." The detective tried to keep her voice calm. She was trying to be patient with her mother. Angela thought any excuse was a good excuse for Jane to skip out on her work.

"So?" The older woman gestured her hand to Det. Stevens. "I'm sure this young man would love to get home to his wife." She had noticed the ring on his finger long ago when she thought about setting him up with Jane.

"I would." Det. Stevens agreed with the nod of his head. "I keep telling her we should just give it up. Even her partners went home."

"See," Angela sat her purse down right on the file Jane had been trying to use to tune her mother out. "Let's just go."

"You. Go." Jane turned to Jason Stevens. Without another word the man left. He didn't question it because he knew that look. That look was mastered by every woman in history of mankind. It told him that if he didn't do what she said then one day he would be eating his balls for lunch. When the detective grabbed his blazer from his seat, he was to the elevators in moments.

"Are we going?" Angela questioned, taking the seat the detective had just occupied.

"You have no right to do that!" Jane's voice was rough. Like she'd been recovering from a bad cough. "You're too nosey, Ma. Seriously. It's starting to bother me. No, actually, it's been bothering me since I could walk. All you do is pry into my life. First telling Maura that you're 'worried' about me. If you were so concerned about my health then you would have the decency to talk to me about it rather shun me for something that I didn't even do to you! What happened between Maura and I is our business. It's not Frankie's. It's not Tommy's. It's not the department's and it's definitely not yours. You can't just expect us to be best friends again. I killed her father, Ma. So, excuse me for not joining you guys for dinner. She doesn't want anything to do with me! The only reason she talked to me was because you and Vince probably ambushed her into doing it! You know she can't say no to you two! Or anyone for that matter. She hates me, Ma. She ran away from me. She left her job behind. Her life behind. Just to get away from me! What makes you think she wants to just all of a sudden have dinner with me because she's returned? She can't even look me in the eye." Tears spilled from her eyes. Tears that she'd kept under control when she was at work. Tears she only shed in the privacy of her apartment. Angela had never seen her daughter cry like this. Not when Charles Hoyt was after her. Not when she thought Frankie was going to die. Never.

"Jane..." She was at a loss for words for her daughter. The detective was pacing the room now, her fingers tangled in her hair as she let the tears soak her shirt. "I'm so sorry." She stood to go hold her daughter like she used to.

"Don't touch me!" The brunette pulled away. "I...I..." She didn't finish her sentence. She just grabbed her blazer and left the bullpen. Angela called after her daughter but the brunette kept walking away. She avoided stopping by taking the stairs. She never once looked back. She never once stopped.