"Get back inside. Now!" The gun motioned, and the two large men pushed in. As the one with a gun pulled kept the weapon aimed toward the three people in the room, the other man closed and locked the front door. "You," he motioned with the gun toward Maura. "Come here."

"What do you want with her?" Jane stepped between them, grunting when the butt of the gun cracked across her face, knocking her to the ground and blacking her out for a brief time.

When she came to, her head throbbed, her vision was slightly blurry, Barnes was bleeding from his chest, Maura was on her knees in front of their assailants, and she was still on the ground where they had left her.

"Where is he?" The man with no gun shouted.

"I told you," Maura responded quietly but firmly, "I don't know. He's my biological father, but that does not mean I have anything to do with him."

"We don't believe you. Stan, show her how much we don't believe her." The man with the weapon snarled through his mask.

"Yeah, sure," the other replied as he pulled back and smacked the small woman as hard as he could across the face.

Maura came up with blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. She said nothing. Instead, she recomposed herself quickly and stared Stan down.

"Think you're tough, don't you?" Stan said. "I could snap your neck in a second."

"Doubtful. You think I know something you want to know. You'll keep me alive," the doctor said with full confidence.

Jane winced, knowing that antagonizing these men was the worst thing to do at this moment. She looked around as best she could without gaining attention. She had one chance. If she could incapacitate the guy with the weapon, somehow get a hold of the gun, then they could turn this situation around.

Slowly turning her head, she looked to Barnes, whose eyes were open and moving. He was alive but injured. They made eye contact, and she glanced to the man with the gun. Barnes simply blinked.

'Okay, Rizzoli, you get one chance. Let's hope Barnes can read minds.' She held the officer's gaze and then moved her eyes to the man with the gun again, hoping the uniformed officer would understand she needed a diversion.

Suddenly, the officer began to moan, trying to move.

It was enough, both men turned, and, in that moment, Jane moved from the floor, grabbing the gun as she threw her full weight against the broad shouldered man. Using her momentum and her hand-to-hand training, she rolled him, taking him to the ground as she kept her hand firmly on the barrel of the gun to prevent him from aiming.

She could hear scuffling, and she hoped Maura was okay as she struggled with their attacker. With a loud grunt, Jane managed to find her footing well enough to kick out, landing squarely between the man's legs and causing him to hit the ground.

The detective grabbed the gun, returned the favor of smacking her assailant across the head with the butt of the gun, and knocking him out. She turned to find the other man and check on Maura.

She had to smile.

Maura had him against the ground, face down, with his arm twisted behind him. "I believe," she said between gasping breathes, "your self-defense training has been very effective, sweetie."

"You look like a badass, babe." Jane's voice was full of pride. "Hold him while I cuff this guy." She walked to the table by the entryway, pulled out two pairs of cuffs, and proceeded to cuff the unconscious man. Then, she moved to the still conscious man pleading to be released. "You're lucky she didn't dislocate your shoulder. She's a doctor, you know. She'd know how to make that super painful." With a wink, Jane took his arm from Maura and proceeded to cuff him as well.

Meanwhile, Maura made her way to Barnes. "I'm going to look at your wound," she said gently as she began to kneel. She could hear Jane calling in for a BUS and additional backup to take in their attackers. "I'll try to be gentle."

He only nodded as she moved to unbutton his shirt.

In a moment that went by too quickly for Jane to do a thing about but too slowly for her to ever forget it, Barnes moved as if he had never been injured, grabbing for and missing Maura's arm as he pulled his gun. Maura fell backward, out of his reached, and scampered back on her hands and feet, trying to get away as the gun went off.

"Maura!" Jane's voice was shrill even to her own ears as she lunged at Barnes, scratching at his face. "No! I'll kill you, you bastard!"


Later, when people ask her what happened next, she'll say she doesn't remember anything from the point of lunging at Barnes to being on the floor next to Maura, putting pressure on the bullet wound and telling the petite woman not to leave her.

She'll tell them it all happened in a blur of panic, paranoia, and years of police training.

In that moment, however, she knew exactly what she was doing as she threw her elbow into his eye, incapacitating him as she pulled his gun away while he pulled the trigger a second time, missing her but managing to put a bullet in one of Maura's favorite prints. In the time it took for him to react, Jane had his gun pointed at his chest, and she did not hesitate for a split second before she pulled the trigger and watched him slump against the perfectly painted and textured wall.

Then, the gun was forgotten as Jane rushed to Maura's side. "Maura?" She begged, pleaded. "Open your eyes." She pulled the high dollar shirt apart to get at the wound. She gasped at the damage. "Come on, you have to open your eyes. Stay with me." She was crying. She was angry. She was scared.

With quick movements, she bunched the tattered shirt together and placed it over the wound, pushing down. "Help will be here soon. You have to stay with me. Don't leave me." She leaned down to put even more pressure on the gaping hole in Maura's chest. "Please don't leave. Stay with me. Maura, you have to stay with me."

Slowly, hazel eyes opened. "I'm sorry," the small woman whispered.

Jane shook her head. "Sorry? Don't be sorry. Don't be anything but alive. Come on, help's going to walk through that door any minute now."

"I love you; don't forget," the doctor whispered, voice becoming more and more faint.

"God, no. No!" Jane was shaking, her body vibrating with her panic. "I love you, too, and so does Ma and Frankie and Tommy and Jo. We wouldn't know what to do without you. Who would correct our grammar? Who would tell us about Panda poo tea? Who would make us cultured? Maura, please, please, stay with me." Her voice vibrated with her fear. She could see Maura slipping. "And what about Bass? Who else is going to figure out what's wrong with your turtle if you're not around? We need you. I need you. Maura…"

Giving a faint smile, Maura closed her eyes, and sighed out the last word Jane would ever hear her say, "…tortoise."

"Maura? Maura?! Oh, God, no! NO!" Jane checked for a pulse but found nothing. There was noise, but she didn't bother to look up. Strong hands pulled her away as people with medical equipment swooped down to take over care of the doctor. "Oh, God. Maura."

"Jane, stay here. Let them do their job." It was Frost. His arms wrapped around her to keep her from interfering with the paramedics, he tried to talk her down. "Let them take care of her. You've done everything you can."

She struggled, fought, and then gave in to her remorse as she watched them take the doctor out the door and into the back of the ambulance. Tears flooded her sight as she collapsed onto the floor. "Shit, Frost," she managed to get out between sobs, "she's gone." She glanced down at her blood soaked hands and clothing. "She's gone." Her voice was small, weak. "What the fuck am I going to do now?"


How is everyone doing?