Chapter 11

"Rizzoli! Stanley's alibi checks out," Frost said, dumping the security tapes on her desk. "He enters the room when Chase leaves, he leaves again the next morning, when Chase called him about MJ. He's solid."

"Fuck! This case is going nowhere!" Jane groaned. "I still don't like him."

Frost patted her shoulder. "We'll find who did this, Jane."

Jane made her way to the morgue at the end of the day, waiting for Maura to finish up.

"What should I wear tonight?" Maura asked.

"I dunno, its just a memorial," Jane replied. "Besides, since when do you ask me for fashion advice? I'm not your best option there."

Maura chuckled. "That's true."

*everybody hurts*

Chase stepped onto the stage, looking around. "This is good," she said.

Jack Newman nodded. "I'm impressed with this, it was done very neatly."

"Are you guys ready for tonight?" Chase asked Newman and Kelly.

Both men nodded.

Chase sighed. "I think I'm gonna cry for a while."

"Hey, its gonna be fine," Newman said softly.

Kelly placed a hand on her arm. "We're here for you, Chace. Don't cut us off."

"We wanna find who did this just as bad as you do," Newman said.

Chase sniffed. "I know. I just can't believe she's really gone. Its like I expect her to come waltzing in any moment and everything is gonna be like before. But its not. It will never be like before," she tugged at her left sleeve, staring into nothingness.

"Chase," Newman said, taking her left hand. "Please don't go there again. We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Don't go to that dark place. You came out of there," Kelly whispered. "You never have to go there again."

Chase sighed. "You guys are right. I've got to be strong, for MJ. She wouldn't want to see me do something stupid."

*everybody hurts*

Jane and Maura arrived at the park, showed their backstage passes and made their way to the tent where they were told Chase was.

The security guard eyed them, before letting them inside.

"Hey, Detective! Doctor! So glad you came!" Chase said, clearly excited.

Jane grinned. "Thanks for the passes," she said. "Very thoughtful. I didn't have to use my badge!"

Maura nudged Jane's shoulder with her own. "Yet," she whispered.

"You do know you are in danger, right?" Jane asked Chase, who nodded.

"We've got a lot of security guards around this place, and I'm not allowed to be alone. Christina's orders."

At the mention of her name, Christina McFarlane stepped into the tent. "Detective Rizzoli, I've heard so much about you from Chase," she held out her hand.

Jane took it and smiled politely. "You are Chase's manager, right?"

"Call me Chris."

Maura nudged Jane's shoulder again. "She's gay," she breathed out.

Jane frowned at Maura. "This is my girlfriend, Doctor Maura Isles," she said, turning back to Christina.

Chase cleared her throat. "Has anyone seen Stanley?"

He stepped into the tent, and Jane wondered if it was all planned that way.

"You have to get dressed," he said to Chase.

"But I am dressed," she indicated at her black jeans and black t-shirt.

"Shoes?"

Chase shook her head. "I don't feel like shoes right now. But I do feel like a coke. Can you get me one, please?"

Stanley nodded and left.

"Its gonna start in about twenty minutes," Chase said to Jane and Maura. "There are spaces reserved for you guys at the front."

Jane smiled. "Thank you."

"We really apreciate this," Maura said. "And good luck!"

Chase grinned. "Its gonna be great!"

As they made their way to the front of the stage, Jane took Maura's hand in her own. Maura smiled as Jane kissed her cheek.

"I love you," Maura whispered.

Jane chuckled. "I love you too."

They reached the stage, and were amazed by Jack Newman's skill on the drums.

"He's fucking good!" Jane said loudly.

Maura shook her head. "Language, Jane. But yes, he has skill. Can you imagine the amount of strain on the muscles when he plays an entire show?"

"So he's gotta be a pretty strong guy," Jane said, thinking hard.

"Yes, it would be safe to say so."

Just then, Jack Kelly picked his guitar up and joined Newman in stage. They played together for a while, until Chase got there.

She smiled at Jane and Maura, and picked up her own guitar.

Newman left the drum kit and grabbed a guitar from an assistant, and another young man joined onstage to take over the drums.

Chase nodded at the rest of the band, and they started playing.

The first song was over, and Chase spoke to the large crowd. "I want to thank you all for being here tonight. Its really great for me, seeing so much support. Which is why I want to weed out the haters." She took a deep breath. "This is all for MJ. She was the love of my life, and I want to do this for her. She deserves justice, and now that its out there, lets enjoy the night, in memory of MJ."

A few people indeed left, and Chase kept smiling. She winked at Jane and Maura.

The last song of the night was the song Chase wrote after MJ died. There were very few people who were not crying.

As Chase sang the last few lines, tears formed in her eyes.

Maura rested her cheek against Jane's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you, Jane," she said softly.

Jane wrapped her arm around Maura and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head. "You are stuck with me, Maur. I already said yes, remember?"

"And I said yes too. I love you."

"I love you too, Maur."

Chase's song ended, and the crowd went crazy. People were cheering and whistling, while Jane kept her eyes on the band members. Jack Newman had a look of indifference on his face, while Kelly was smiling at Chase, who had jumped off the stage to sign autographs for her adoring fans.

"She was brave," Maura said, following Chase with her eyes. "Coming out in front of all these people, not knowing how they would react."

"She did it for the person she loves," Jane said quietly. "Its admirable."

Maura squeezed Jane's hand. "I love you so much, Jane. I can't wait for us to get married."

Jane smiled. "Can we go to Vegas and have Elvis marry us?"

"Not Vegas!" Maura squeeled. "Besides, your mother would kill us both!"

Jane chuckled. "Fine, whatever you say, dear."

"Hey!" Chase called out. "You guys enjoy the show?"

"It was great," Jane said. "Thanks again for the passes."

"Don't mention it," Chase grinned. "They were actually for my mother, but she decided to not come."

Maura sighed. "I'm sorry about that."

Chase shrugged. "She's just being a stuck-up pompous bitch as usual. Not to mention that she's highly disappointed in me, and she reminded me that MJ was a lot more important than me. Insolent asshole."

Jane held back her laughter. Maura, however, turned into doctor mode.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked.

Chase frowned. "I had coke. Not the sniffy kind, the canned kind."

Maura leaned closer, looking directly into Chase's eyes. "I think you should get some rest. Sleep at least nine hours, and drink lots of water."

"Babe, what's up?" Jane asked.

"She's out of caracter, don't you think?" Maura said to Jane. She focussed on Chase again. "Is there someone who can take you back to the hotel?"

Chase was still frowning. "I feel fine, really. Just a little tired, but that's normal after a show. And I slept good, so yeah, I'm fine. I promise."

Maura shook her head. "I don't know for sure what's wrong, but it doesn't seem too serious. Please, for your own safety, get some rest."

Jane, trusting Maura, nodded. "We can drive you, if you want."

"I'll ask Stanley. I could do with a good night's sleep," Chase said.

Maura insisted that they wait for Stanley to take Chase away.

"I hope she's alright," Jane said as they were driving home.

"I think she's just stressed, and too emotional," Maura sighed. "But I think she'll be fine. She seems like a strong person."

Jane nodded. "I think so too."

A/N: a special thanks to my silent partner for helping with this one.

And an even bigger thanks to everybody who reads and reviews! Its really great, keep it up!

And just so you know, im nowhere near the end with this. Still a long way to go...

R&R? (: