DISCLAIMER:: not now, nor has it ever been, mine

A/N:: new update, yay! i just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story so far; it's been quite a while since chapter one and it helps to know that people are as dedicated to reading this story as i am to writing it. thanks for the support!

-/-

Discovering a connection to the man who had been the indirect cause of her brother's death and the direct reason she almost lost Maura brought her no comfort. She had seen Bobby Marino die in a hail of gunfire and even fired a few shots of her own. There was no way he could have any connection to Maura's kidnapper.

Her mind played her brief phone call with Jackson Port over and over again. She heard the terror in Maura's voice over and over again. Maura was scared, and that made Jane scared. Stereotypes and casual observation might convey that Jane was the strong one, but that was far from the truth. Jane may not ever admit, sometimes not even to herself, that she was frightened, but at the end of a traumatic day, Maura was generally the one coming to her emotional aide. Maura had always been the strong one, always.

She needed Maura here. She needed her to tell her what to do. She needed her. Why couldn't this be someone else? Why couldn't Jackson Port take someone else? It was selfish of her to wish for it, she knew, but hadn't she and Maura been through enough? Where was the happily ever after that you read about in fairytales? Where was their sunset to ride off into? Their story couldn't end this way…

"Detective Rizzoli." Veronica approached with Dr. Kim on her heels.

"Did you guys find anything?"

"Dr. Kim and I would like to go back to the crime scene to follow up on a lead."

Jane paled. It turned her stomach to hear Maura's house referred to as 'the crime scene'. "Uh, sure, some officers are still there, just check in with them."

Veronica shook her head. "No, not that crime scene. We'd like to go back to Rebecca Dalton's apartment."

Dr. Kim chose this moment to break his silence. "I found some evidence from Maura's case that might connect our kidnapper to the murder of our first victim. I need to go back just to make sure."

Jane had a choice. If she said no, it would seem selfish, and she wasn't going to lie, she'd be doing it for selfish reasons. But if she said yes, that was two less people dedicating their time to finding Maura. She looked at the clock. They'd already lost one hour.

"Okay, you can go, but make it as quick as possible. Dr. Isles is our priority, and I'm just hoping anything we do to catch this asshole will help us find where he stashed her."

Veronica and Lucas nodded and headed off quickly.

Jane sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Jane."

She looked over to see Korsak motioning to her from the door.

Happy for anything productive to do, she headed over and joined him.

"I called around like you asked me to, and it wasn't easy, but I think I got someone who can set you up with a meeting. He said he'd get back to me when he found someone who could get ahold of Doyle."

"Thanks Korsak. In the meantime can you help Frost? We're losing time and he can't seem to find any part of the city that Jackson Port is more connected to than any other."

Korsak nodded and went back into the bullpen.

Jane sighed. Now it was time to go get the evidence collected from Bobby Marino's apartment. It was a desperate move, but with lack of any other lead, it's all she had. But first, one stop.

The morgue was different than it had been a couple short months ago. All traces of Maura seemed to be erased in her long absence from work, replaced with evidence of Dr. Kim. He was much messier than she was, his jacket was on the floor by his desk, papers were littered everywhere there was free space. Still, she couldn't help but feel a rush of sorrow. She had so many memories in this room, memories with Maura.

She felt them before she heard or saw them. It was a presence that sent the small hairs on the back of her neck into full alert. They were trying to be quiet, and they were. She didn't hear their footsteps, or the rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. She knew they were there, but she let them think she didn't. She was calm; she had expected this.

When they grabbed her, it was more rough than she had anticipated it would be. They weren't gentle as they threw some sort of cover over her face. The fabric was breathable and it was made easier by the fact that she wasn't outwardly panicking. One of the men pinned her hands behind her back. A kick to the back of her feet and a slight pressure on her back told her to move, though neither of them vocalized the order.

She let them lead her away.

-/-

They were in a car of some sort and at least six miles from headquarters before the cover was removed and she could see. She was in the back of a van, the two men who'd taken her sitting on either side of her, with a woman in the driver's seat.

The woman met her gaze in the rearview mirror and Jane's breath caught. Her eyes were almost identical to Maura's. They were a much brighter green, but in every other aspect they were exactly the same. It struck a painful chord in Jane's heart and she glanced away.

They headed farther and farther away from downtown, but Jane wasn't apprehensive. She knew there was no way, with all the enemies he had, that Patty Doyle would just have some casual meeting with her out in public. He wasn't stupid; he knew that more than one person in the irish-mob and probably a few who weren't wanted to get their hands on him.

They stopped in front of a florist. That surprised Jane, but she guessed the less conspicuous the better.

The girl opened her door and got out, opening the side door and motioning to Jane. "C'mon darlin'." Her accent was thick and most definitely Irish.

Jane slipped past the man between her and the door. She stepped out into the nighttime air and followed the girl to the door of the florist shop. The windows were dark and the sign by the door informed them that the shop was currently closed. The woman opened the door and led Jane inside, closing and locking it behind them.

She walked to the back of the shop to a door behind the counter and opened it to reveal a set of stairs. She indicated Jane should go up first and followed directly behind her. At the top of the staircase was another door.

The girl put a hand on Jane's arm when the detective reached for the knob. She knocked twice and then opened the door. Her hand fell away from Jane's arm and Jane stepped across the threshold of the small apartment.

There, sitting on the couch opposite the door, was Patty Doyle.

"You certainly know how to get a man's attention, Detective."