A/N: So this is it… the last chapter. There is an epilogue to come but it hasn't been written yet as I've only recently decided that it needs something more to finish it off. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me from the beginning. I'm hoping my second fanfic (which I will be starting as soon as this one is completed) will be better. I'll give more details about that when I post the epilogue. Thanks again Rizzles fans! I'm now on the Rizzles Facebook page too :)

I don't own Rizzoli and Isles.

Jane smiled as she walked up the stairs to her apartment for find Korsak, Frost and Cavanaugh waiting on her steps.

"Where were you Rizzoli?" Cavanaugh asked.

Jane held up a small black phone. "I had something to pick up."

All talking stopped until they were safely at the counter in Jane's kitchen.

"What's the plan?" Frost asked. "'Cause I'm assuming that whole act was part of a plan and you weren't just actually fired."

"What would Cav do without his best detective?"

"Sleep easily," muttered Cavanaugh.

Jane laughed, the weight of the last few weeks gone, removed by Maura's letter. "It's a plan. Think about it. I have a relationship with Dean, he knows me and I know him. If he is really working for, or even running, this new mob then what is more appealing than a disgraced ex-detective who is both trusted by Doyle and has a massive hate-on for him?"

"You're thinking he's gonna try and recruit you?" Korsak smirked.

"Yep."

"Then we're gonna bust him!" Frost smiled, feeling his own enthusiasm building.

"But how does that help the Doc? I mean, it'll take out one player, maybe a whole family if he is in charge, but what about the other two?" Korsak frowns.

"That's what this is for," Jane said, holding up the phone.

"What's that Rizzoli," Cavanaugh says gruffly.

Jane glanced at the three men in her living room. "I need to save Maura. I need her back. This is the only way."

"Explain Rizzoli."

Jane sighed and pushed a hand through her hair. "This is a direct line to Doyle."

"Dammit Rizzoli!" Cavanaugh snapped. "You've had this the entire time and NEVER thought to hand it over? This could really be your badge this time!"

"Fine! If this makes me lose my badge then fine. I accept. I held this because every single day the situation got more and more out of control and Maura was in more and more danger. I knew that the time would come that I'd need to get Maura out and I needed Doyle to do that."

Korsak, Frost and Cavanaugh were silent, sharing glances and meaningful looks.

"So what... you're just gonna call Doyle and say, 'hey, can you take out the whole other family so Maura can come back?'" Frost tries to joke.

Jane shrugs. "I'm gonna tell him that we're taking out one family and he needs to take out the other."

"Rizzoli-"

"NOT like that. I'm still a cop. I'm gonna ask him to turn himself in."

"Take out his own family?"

Jane nods.

"You think he'd do that?" Korsak asks, frowning.

"I KNOW that he loves his daughter. But... I trust every person in this room so if any one of you says no, then I don't make this call. I need you all to back me up with this. I don't ask for help very often-"

"-Ever-" Korsak interrupts.

"-but I need this. Maura needs this."

Again Korsak, Frost and Cavanaugh share looks until each and every one of them slowly nods.

With a swallow to clear her throat Jane picks up the phone. It only rings once before a voice answers.

"Jane?"

Jane almost drops the phone out of shock when she hears the voice. "Maur?"

"Oh Jane."

Jane can hear the relief in the other voice. Tears begin to quickly form in her eyes. "You are alive."

"I'm so sorry Jane. I didn't know what else to do. Are you safe?"

"Don't be sorry Maur... God... don't... I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about."

"Don't. Paddy... he's helping me. I'm safe."

"Thank God. Maur, your letter-"

"Don't Jane. I know we need to have a conversation but I can't bear to hear you say it over the phone. I can't bear to hear it at all."

Jane feels her tears fall as she immediately understands that Maura fully believes she doesn't share her feelings. In that moment Jane forgets that there are three other people in her apartment. She forgets that Maura is in danger and hidden. She forgets that Maura is only on the phone. In that moment Maura is in front of her, holding a glass of wine and tilting her head as if she is trying to read Jane's mind with her brilliant scientific brain. In that moment it is only Jane and Maura.

"I love you Maura. I'm in love with you."

Maura is silent. Jane is silent.

"I love you too."

Jane feels her entire face filling with a massive smile. All she can do is hold the phone to her ear and listen to Maura breathing. She holds her own breath; thinking if she is quiet enough she can even hear her best friend's heartbeat.

"Jane?" Frost breaks her out of her silence with a start.

Jane looks at the floor, blushing furiously. "I got a plan Maura."

"What is it?"

"I need to talk to Paddy."

"Jane..."

"You gotta trust me Maur."

"I do."

Jane hears some faint voices and the familiar sound of Maura's heels come through the speaker. Suddenly a new voice is on the phone.

"Detective."

Jane straightens her back. It's game time. "Here's what you need to do Doyle..."

It had been two painful days before Dean had contacted Jane. Two days spent sitting at home ignoring her desire to take pills and drink. Actually, she was at her apartment, not her home. She had quickly admitted to herself that Maura's house was her home. Home was where the heart is as they say. When Dean finally did call he had kept it personal and subtle, asking to meet in a private place to 'see how she was going' and to 'look into her options'. Jane was prepared. She knew what to say, she knew how to act, she knew what was on the line.

Jane's head snapped towards the door as she heard the light but firm knocking. Her heart was racing. Everything depended on her ability to convince Dean that Maura was so important to her that she would give up her job, her freedom, her entire life. It wasn't too much of a stretch; Jane would give it all up for Maura, if it hadn't been for that letter she would have.

"Dean," Jane nodded gruffly as she pulled the door open. She was going to play this broken and wasted. Easy.

"Jane," Dean smiled back, very obviously evaluating Jane's appearance.

"Beer?"

Dean shook his head. Whatever he saw must have done the trick. "I want to get straight to this."

Jane inclined her head towards the seats at the kitchen. She wanted to keep more distance between them than her couch would allow.

Jane made a show of sighing as she sat, rubbing her temples and rotating her neck, exactly as she had when she had actually been hungover days before.

It was perfect.

"How much do you want to get Paddy?"

That was all the confirmation Jane needed. He was guilty. Of course she needed more on the tape before she could actually charge him. She allowed her anger at his betrayal to come to the surface, knowing Dean would interpret it as anger towards Doyle. He nostrils flared, her eyes tightened and her hands made fists.

"I want him dead. I want to put my gun against his head and pull the trigger. I want to pin a photo of Maura to his chest with an icepick, just like he did. I want him to know that he killed Maura, and I killed him."

Dean seemed surprised by Jane's words. For a second she worried that she'd gone too far. Honestly she'd just been honest. Those were her first thoughts when she was told that Maura was dead. For the first time in her life she understood murderers. In the right circumstance... Maura in danger... yes, she could kill.

Surprise turned into pleasure on Dean's face. "Good. I have a proposition for you. Interested?"

Jane squinted her eyes and closed her face off, aiming for suspicion. "Does it involve getting Doyle?"

"Yes," Dean smirked.

Jane folded her arms and leaned back, giving Dean enough rope to hang himself.

"There's a reason I knew Doyle would try an escape; I tipped him off. For years I worked my way up, and I worked hard, but I kept being passed over for promotion. I mean fucking Christine is MY supervisor and I've been in the agency for 10 years more than her! But after Doyle was shot and his book came into play I saw my opportunity."

Dean paused, taking one last second to read Jane's reaction before he came out with it. She hoped that he face was showing understanding and respect. It worked. This was almost too easy.

"I spent a few years giving 'favours'; letting small time criminals go and instead recruiting them. Who are you more loyal to that a cop that got you out of jail? I reached a problem though, my numbers weren't enough to take over from the family that had overturned Doyle's. I could take out Doyle's but not the Leery's. But I had a plan. If Doyle escaped then there'd be a battle, Doyle vs Leery. All I had to do was wait until they took each other out and walk in myself."

Dean stopped, waiting for a reaction from Jane.

"Good plan," Jane smirked. He'd given her plenty to charge him but she knew he wasn't done yet. He had one more nail to put in his coffin.

"I thought so. But Doyle seems to have more resources than I planned. It was taking too long..." Dean trailed off and looked to the side, whatever he was about to say made him feel guilty. Jane bit her lip. She knew what it was. "I tried to protect her Jane. She was off-limits to my people. I know M-"

"Don't. Say. Her. Name," Jane practically growled. She didn't care if he was leading up to asking her to kill Doyle. She didn't care how much more information there was to get. She had lost control the second he had even tried to mention her name.

"Jane-" he tried.

The word was barely out of his mouth before Jane was out of her seat with her hand around his neck, slamming his head down against the counter. She loomed over him, deadly and ferocious.

"You. You started this. You tried to kill her."

Jane tightened her hand, enjoying the sight of the whites of Dean's eyes as he showed pure fear.

"But you made a mistake. Maura is a genius."

With one last bang of his head against the counter Jane let go. She heard her bedroom door open and the sound of feet rushing towards her. She reached for Dean and spun him around, pulling his hands behind his back and slapping cuffs on, tightening much harder than she should.

"You, scumbag, are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

With his face against the counter Dean snapped, jerking against the cuffs. "You've got nothing on me! It's your words against mine! You're the fucking dyke that was in love with her, maybe you killed her."

Jane leaned down and spoke directly into his ear. "I've got you on tape," she smirked as she pulled back, maybe sure he could see as she pulled the wire from her bra. She pulled her roughly again, pushing him into Cavanaugh's waiting hands.

"You got this?"

Cavanaugh nodded. "You go get the girl."

Jane didn't wait for any more confirmation before she ran out of her apartment, heading home.

"Maura!" Jane yelled as she ran into Maura's house, not even pausing to close the door behind her and she entered. Of course Maura hadn't locked the door, even after everything. Maybe Jane just needed to be there every night to make sure that damn door was locked. That sounded like a good idea.

"Jane!" Maura's voice returned.

Jane ran in the direction of the voice, smiling when she saw Maura running towards her as well, even in impossibly high heels. No words were said and Jane pulled Maura into a tight embrace, overwhelming emotions pushing tears down her face as she breathed in the doctor's perfume and scent. There was something so right about holding the soft curved woman in her arms.

"God Maura," Jane whispered into the honey hair. "Don't ever leave me, ever again."

She felt, more than saw, Maura shake her head.

Jane held her for another moment before she pulled back, looking into her favourite hazel eyes. There was so much to saw, so much to do she thought as he glanced at Maura's plump lips.

But first, "Doyle?"

Maura smiled, running her hand up Jane's back and through knotted curls. "He went straight to the station after you called. I watched him walk into before they brought me back here."

Jane pulled Maura back against her. "Good," was all she could say.

"I love you Jane," Maura said against Jane's neck.

Jane leaned back in the embrace, connecting her eye's with Maura's. "I'm in love with you Maura."

It seemed to take a lifetime as both women leaned towards each other, softly connecting their lips. Electricity surrounded them and the rest of the world disappeared, as it became just the two of them. Not more full sentences passed between the two for the entire night or next morning as they took their friendship to the place it had always been building to.

End chapter 9.