I swear I could not leave the keyboard today, it just felt so natural to just keep writing on and on and on. Anyway, I'm extremely glad I've got to publish another chapter today, so here you go!

Enjoy!


Chapter 11

"So are we going straight to your house, or do you want to stop by at Jane's first?" Ian asked. They were in a cab on the way from the airport.

"Jane's place, if it's okay with you."

"It is." he said and Maura gave the driver Jane's address.


Jane heard a knock on the door. 'Casey, please take your key with you next time you take Jo Friday for a walk' she thought to herself while putting the TV on mute. She put the remote back on the table and placed her half empty beer bottle next to it. Only then she got up to open the door.

She was surprised to see Ian on her doorstep. "Ian, hi." she said.

"I hope it's not a bad timing, but someone couldn't wait anymore to see you." he said.

Jane didn't bother trying to hide her confusion. She let him in and followed him with her eyes. "What are you doing looking at me?" he chuckled. Jane, still confused, looked back at the door, and she almost fell when she saw -

"Maura!"

"Hello Jane." Maura smiled.

"W-what are you doing here?" Jane said.

"I'm back to Boston." she said as she walked in. Jane closed the door, still in her primary shock.

"When did you come back?" Jane asked.

"We just came back from the airport, we gave the cab driver our suitcases and some extra money to put our suitcases at my house." Maura said.

"Why didn't you call me? Or returned my emails and text messages?" Jane asked.

"Jane." Maura said, leading Jane to the couch. They sat down and Maura saw that Jane is hurt. "I'm sorry, but it was very hard for me. You know what my opinion was when I left, and I remained the same for a very long time."

"Oh, so just because you think I chose wrong I deserve to be ignored?" Jane attacked, but her tone was quiet.

"Of course not! I'm just... it's been a difficult year for me, and I'm sure that it wasn't a slice of cake for you too."

Jane couldn't help herself and laughed a small, quiet laugh. "It's piece of cake, Maura."

"Well, whatever part of the cake that it is, it wasn't easy." Maura said, smiling. "But now I'm back, and I think that we need to make things right, we owe it to each other."

"Where is this sentence coming from?" Jane was surprised.

"Just something I learned from someone in Connecticut." Maura said, looking into Jane's eyes.

"Fine, we will talk." Jane said. "Tomorrow."

"That's fair." Maura nodded. "Tomorrow."

Maura smiled at Jane, trying to stick a smile to Jane's face as well.


Maura woke up earlier than usual. She didn't want to wake Ian up, but she had to get dressed up and go to see Cavanaugh to get her job back as the ME of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower. When she came back to the bedroom Ian was up, sitting on the bed.

"Hey, did I wake you up or something?" he asked.

"No, I woke up early or purpose, I have to go see Cavanaugh. Did I wake you?" she said and leaned to give him a good morning kiss.

"No, not at all." he said, yawning. "Want so coffee?"

"That would be great, thank you." she smiled at him and went to pick something to wear.

"No problem." he stretched out and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Maura picked a red, knee length dress and black heels and got dressed. When she went downstairs to the kitchen she smelled the coffee Ian had made for her. He handed her a disposable paper cup with a plastic cover and smiled at her.

"You said you have to go, so I didn't want you to be late." he said.

"I can stay for a few more minutes." she said and put her arms around his shoulders.

"Good, because it started to look like one of those mornings when I don't even get to see you." he said and kissed her, softly.

"Okay, now I have to go." Maura said after a few minutes.

"Oh... are you sure? Can't you just stay here for the rest of the day?" Ian said.

"No, not really. I have to go." Maura chuckled. "See you at dinner?"

"Yes, see you at dinner." he said. She kissed him one last time before taking her coffee and her bag and leaving.


"Good morning lieutenant." Maura said and opened the door of Cavanaugh's office. He looked up from the paperwork he was working on.

"Doctor Isles! How good to see you again!" he said and stood up. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you, it is very good to see you too." she said, smiling.

"When did you come back to Boston?" he asked, sitting back down on his chair.

"Last night." she said. "I actually came to ask you for my job back."

"I was hoping you would say that, there was only one person who was happy that doctor Pike took your place, and this person was doctor Pike." he joked, making Maura laugh. "So when would you like to start? Today?"

"Yes, if it's possible." Maura answered.

"It is possible. I just need to talk to doctor Pike and tell him you're back and you want your office back. I'm sure you'll have you're office back until the end of the day."

"Thank you very much, lieutenant." Maura stood up and shook his hand.

"Doctor Isles." he said right before Maura left his office. She turned around to look at him. "I'm really glad to have you back here. Welcome back."

"Thank you, lieutenant." Maura smiled and left.

Before going downstairs to the morgue, Maura decided to say hi to Frost and Korsak. She went to the bullpen and found them looking at the screens.

"So, let's see if I understand what you've got so far." she heard Jane say. "You have a dead man, with no enemies but his own family. During the time of the murder, his wife was with her lover in Brazil, his son was in class at Princeton, his daughter was in class in high school, his brother was in the bank, and his father, who probably has the strongest motive, can't even hold a gun because he has Parkinson."

"Yes." Frost said. Maura could tell by his voice that he was frustrated.

"So what do you need me for? You know the drill – check for connections between his relatives to any known hit mans." Jane said.

"Hold on a second." Frost said.

"What is it?" Korsak asked. He had a confused tone.

"The victim had another brother. Lloyd Fletcher, twenty seven, lives and works in Boston." Frost said.

"What does he do?" Jane asked.

"He teaches archery, it looks like he is a pro. He won six gold medals in the past three years, one of them during the Olympic games in London." Frost said.

Maura took a step forward from her place behind the door and walked in. "Maybe I could help you out."

Both Frost and Korsak turned around and said "Doctor Isles!" they went to hug her, and Frost asked when did she come back to Boston.

"Last night. I just came from Cavanaugh's office." she smiled. She noticed that Jane didn't even looked at her eyes. She decided to show her that she meant what she said when she came to see her yesterday, that she truly is sorry about the way she left a year ago, so she made her way to Jane and sat on the edge of the desk.

"Do you have a photo of Lloyd Fletcher from the day of the murder?" Maura asked Frost.

"I can try to find, but we didn't know he even existed until now." Frost said. After a moment he said "I've got something. He has an archery class that starts in fifteen minutes. It's ten minutes away from here."

"Good, let's go talk to him." Korsak said. Jane got up, but Korsak turned to look at her and said "Not you Jane, I'm going with Frost." and left before Jane could even say a word.

"It seems like we have time to talk." Maura said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I was so unattached, it's just... still weird. I just need to get used to see you here again, that's all." Jane said, sitting on the chair Frost sat on before.

"It's okay, Jane, I thought it was probably the reason for your behavior." Maura smiled and put a comforting hand on Jane's hand.

Jane looked up. "You thought it was probably the reason for my behavior? Maura, you thought? Did, did Maura Isles had just guessed?" she said, sarcastically.

Maura couldn't help herself and laughed. "No, no, I didn't. I've had several options in mind, and this one was one of them."

"Yeah, okay." Jane said, rolling her eyes in fake disbelief.

"Come on, let's go tell doctor Pike I want my chair back." Maura stood up and looked at Jane with an inviting look. Jane smiled to herself and stood up, and they both went together to the morgue.


"Maura, wait." Jane stopped Maura just before she opened the entrance door to the morgue. Maura looked at her, slightly confused. "I just... I can't get over the fact that you've left. When things got a bit harder, when I told you that I want to be with Casey, you just left. You left me here, alone. I know I wasn't really alone, but one moment you were there with me and I could talk to you just about everything, and one moment later I had to keep everything to myself because I had no one to share it with."

"Jane." Maura took her hand off the door handle and turned to face Jane. "I know how you felt when you left, I felt the same. The moment the plane took off I regretted leaving you. I thought that I should've stayed and accept the fact that you love Casey more than you love me, and just be there with you. I thought I might have made a huge mistake, but I was so hurt by your choice that it had just blinded me. And then I met Alex, and I tried to make myself forget you, even though it's impossible for me to forget you." Jane was touched by the things Maura said to her. "And when I started teaching, Jane it felt so great to teach, and I didn't want to stop. It took me a huge effort to make this decision to come back to Boston, but I knew that it was it – it was time to make things right, time to come back to the old life I had and left behind."

"Okay, it's acceptable." Jane said, but then her face changed, as if she had just realized something. "Wait, who the hell is Alex?"

"Oh." Maura was caught off guard. "Just a girl, no one important."

"Hives, Maura." Jane said, raising an eyebrow.

Maura sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you. But first I want to get my chair back."

"Fine." Jane sighed.

Maura opened the door and she and Jane walked into the morgue. They saw doctor Pike leaning over a body, doing an autopsy. Jane cleared her throat and doctor Pike turned around to look at her.

"Hello detective Rizzoli, good to see you as always." he said, taking off his gloves.

"Thank you, doctor Pike." Jane said with a fake smile.

"Hello doctor Pike." Maura said. Jane looked at her. There was fire in Maura's eyes when she looked at doctor Pike, and not the good kind of fire.

"Doctor Isles, I see you're back in Boston." he said. The aversion in his voice was obvious.

"Yes, I am. And since were both here it will be best if I just say it." Maura said, looking straight into Pike's eyes. "I want my chair back. Today."

"I don't know if you've heard about what had changed here while you were gone, doctor Isles," he said.

'Gosh, what an arrogant, patronizing snob.' Jane thought to herself and rolled her eyes.

" - but things have changed. I am the chief medical examiner now." he said.

"If I may correct you, you were the chief medical examiner. I've talked with lieutenant Cavanaugh less then thirty minutes ago, and he gave me my position back, along with my office and my chair." Maura said. Jane have never seen that much of hate in Maura's eyes. Doctor Pike looked as if he is about to stab Maura in her stomach with the nearest scalpel. Jane was actually worried for a second and knowing she has a gun attached to her hip helped her stay calm.

"Lieutenant Cavanaugh had told me I will have my office back until the end of the day, since I got my position back this morning. He had promised me, and I will make sure it will be done." Maura said as she stepped closer and closer to doctor Pike, who seemed to be a bit more frightened with every step she took towards him. "My office, my chair, until the end of the day. And I hope I've made myself clear." she said. Then she turned his back at him and left the morgue.

Jane was about to leave with her, but changed her mind. "You know, doctor Pike," she said. He looked at her, into her eyes. "She seemed to be damn serious to me, and right now I'm kinda grateful that I'm not you." she chuckled.

"What are you saying, detective?" he asked.

"I'm saying," she said while folding her arms and laying them on her chest. "Her office, her chair, 'til the end of the day."

Doctor Pike watched her as she turned her back at him and left the morgue, and he felt his rage growing inside him.


"Rizzoli." Jane said.

"Jane, it's Frost." she heard Frost's voice from the other side of the line.

"Hey, did you get anything?" she asked, hoping for some good news.

"Yes, we have. Lloyd Fletcher said he has an alibi, he was practicing in his studio. We noticed a fresh wound on his arm, so we asked for the security tapes so we could verify his version."

"What did he say about the scar?" Jane asked.

"He said that a rookie had accidentally hit him during a competition in Australia last year." Frost said.

"Okay, good, bring the tapes over and we'll take a look at them."

"Okay, see you in a bit." Frost said and hung up.

Jane put her phone back in it's case and went upstairs to look for Maura. She went to the Division One Cafè and found Maura talking to Angela and Frankie. "Hey, Maura, I need your help with something." she said and grabbed her arm, pulling her aside.

"There's no need to use physical strength, Jane, I can come on my own." Maura said and rubbed the spot where Jane had grabbed her. "What do you need?"

"Sorry I hurt you." Jane said. "Listen, Frost and Korsak are on their way back with security tapes to verify a suspect's alibi. He has a wound on his arm that he claims happened from an arrow during an archery competition. Do you think you can help us analyzing the wound? Because there is a chance that the arrow wasn't the only thing that hit his arm." Jane said with one breath.

"I can take a look, but I can't promise you anything." Maura said.

"Well, at least I know you've stayed the same Maura you were." Jane chuckled.

"Just because I refuse to guess does not mean I am not helpful." Maura said, slightly offended.

"Not helpful? Maura, you are the very reason we have solved dozens of hopeless cases." Jane said. "You are a lot of things, but helpless is definitely not one of them."

"Well, thank you Jane." Maura said, flattered. "That was very nice of you to say."

"Sure, yeah." Jane put her hand in her hair, a bit embarrassed. She was saved when she saw Frost and Korsak coming through the entrance door and heading to the elevators. She took Maura's hand and said "Come on, they're here."

"I'm coming, no need to use physical strength." Maura said, but Jane wasn't listening.

"Frost! Korsak!" she yelled. They saw her and held the elevator's door open for her and Maura. They remained silent until the elevator reached their floor, and then the four of them stepped out and went straight to the bullpen. Frost sat behind the keyboard and 'did his thing', and a moment later the tape began to run.

"Okay, fast forward to the day of the murder." Jane said, focused on the screen.

"Here you go." Frost said.

"Fast forward until we see him leave." Korsak said. Frost pressed on fast forward and they stood like that, waiting for a minute or two.

"Here, five fifty two." he said and pressed play.

"That's almost three hours before the murder." Jane said, thinking to herself. "Did he tell you what time he got home?"

"Yes, his wife was there when we came. She said he came home about ten." Korsak said.

"Okay, fast forward to nine thirty." Jane said. The tape went fast forward.

"Wait, Frost, could you please rewind the tape until I get a better look at his arm before he left?" Maura asked.

"Absolutely." he said. "How's that?"

"Can you show me his arm after he came back?" Maura asked, her eyes focused on the screen.

"Of course." he said. He played the tape on another screen and fast forward until Maura had a look of the suspect's arm before he left on one screen, and after he left on another one.

"Look." Maura said, stepping closer to the screen. "You see it?" she pointed at the two frozen frames of Lloyd Fletcher. "Look at his scar. He was injured, again, and someone sewed the wound."

"Yeah, I see that." Jane said. "But it's barely noticeable, how can you tell what was the cause of the injury?"

"I can't, I don't have enough facts to make a final conclusion." Maura said with a simple tone.

Jane sighed in frustration. "Can't you just... make a hypothetical scenario?" Jane asked.

"Well..." Maura said. She seemed to be struggling with herself. "Okay. Hypothetically, this kind of injury could've happened by a 22 millimeter bullet. I've seen an entrance wound like this before, but I can't tell for sure because this wound had been sewed up, and I haven't examined it." Maura looked a bit uncomfortable with her guess, so she hurried to add "But remember that this is only a hypothetical scenario, only a theory, I can't tell for sure!"

"How come a bullet entrance wound looks so strange?" Frost asked.

"22 millimeter is a very small bullet. It causes a lot of pain, but no serious damage unless it hits in a very sensitive spot in the human body, such as the heart, the brain and the lungs." Maura explained.

"Yeah, I remember I had a case over ten years ago, a murder victim owed a lot of money to a drug dealer, and he decided he had enough of it and didn't cared about the money anymore, so he took a 22 millimeter and shot the poor guy in both elbows, both knees, both shoulders and one foot." Korsak said. "The poor victim begged his killer to shoot him in the head after the first four bullets, but he wouldn't stop. Eventually he died of a massive blood loss."

"So are you saying that Lloyd Fletcher came to torture his brother with a 22 millimeter, but his brother fought back and Lloyd was shot in the arm?" Jane asked.

"It is possible." Korsak said, simply.

"Frost, can you please print me those two photos?" Jane asked.

"Sure." he said. A few seconds later he handed her the two photos.

"C'mon Maura, we're going to have a little chat with Lloyd Fletcher." Jane said.

"Oh," Maura was surprised. "Okay."


"Detective." Lloyd Fletcher said when he saw Jane and Maura walking in into his studio.

"Hello Mr. Fletcher, I'm detective Jane Rizzoli, and this is my colleague doctor Maura Isles, the chief medical examiner of the commonwealth of Massachusetts." Jane said withing one breath. "Is there any place we could talk in private?"

"Uh..." he said, turning his look back at his students. "I finish with this class within ten minutes."

"It's okay, we can wait." Jane said, and she and Maura went to sit on the chairs next to the door.

"So, detective, doctor." he said after his archery students left. "How may I help you?"

"When we watched the tapes you gave to my partner earlier today, we noticed you have a scar on the inner part of your arm." Jane said.

"Yeah, so? I told the other two detectives that this scar is from an arrow, someone accidentally shot me a year ago during an archery competition in Australia." he said, looking at his scar and then at Jane.

"Yes, you did. But you didn't tell them that you were shot, and that the entrance wound was exactly on your scar, and that the wound was sewed. And that all these things happened to take place within a few hours around the time of death of your brother." Jane said.

"May I please take a look at your wound, Mr. Fletcher?" Maura said, politely.

"No, not without a warrant." he said.

Jane's phone rang in the middle of the conversation. "One sec." she whispered to Maura and took a few steps back. "Rizzoli."

"Jane, you'd never guess what Korsak and I just found." Frost said from the other side of the line.

"Talk to me, I need some good news." she said.

"We found a partial print on one of the bullet cases that we collected from the scene. We decided to try to match it to Lloyd Fletcher. It's a match in eight points out of ten."

"How did you get his prints?" Jane was confused.

"From the tape he gave us. This guy is one hell of an idiot, I'm telling you." Frost said.

"Okay, Frost that's great news. Thank you so much." Jane said and hung up. She turned around to look back at Maura and Lloyd and took a few steps towards them. Then she took out handcuffs, put them on Lloyd Fletcher and said "Lloyd Fletcher, you're under arrest for the murder of your brother John Fletcher..."


"Jane?" Maura said. Jane was sitting behind her desk, filling up paperwork. When she heard Maura's voice she raised her look up.

"Hey Maura." she smiled at her.

"Jane, it's getting late. You should go home." Maura said, making her way towards Jane and sitting on the edge of Jane's desk.

"Yeah, you're probably right." she said. "Wait, you owe me something."

"What do I owe you?" Maura was confused.

"You said you'll tell me who the hell is Alex." Jane said. "Well, I'm listening."

Maura sighed. She didn't really want to talk about Alex, but she thought it was only fair. "Alex is a girl I met on the plane from Boston to Connecticut, and we dated since the day we met for a little more than eleven months. I thought that eventually I will marry her, but then Ian showed up and everything got complicated. She told me to go with him and figure out if I want to be with him or with her, and when I came back two days earlier than planned I found out she cheated on me. I broke up with her at the moment."

"Wow..." Jane was shocked. "I... Maura, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Before I left we talked things through. She realized that we will never get back together, because she did cheat on me, but I told her that I don't mind staying in touch with her as friends." Maura said, looking at her hands.

"Maura..." Jane said and put a comforting hand on Maura's.

"It's okay. I'm with Ian now, and I love him so much, and I'm really happy with him. It's just a little hard to think about Alex." Maura said, looking up into Jane's eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." Jane smiled. "Come on, let's go home."