A/N: Here's the next one. Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows. Reviews are always welcomed and without them I can't improve. Also it's an easy way to make me post sooner. I'm a head of you guys this time. Anyways, enjoy!

I don't own anything except the story and some characters.

Rated R

Chapter 2

B.P.D. Homicide Bullpen – Monday at 11 p.m.

I'm living my worst possible nightmare. Even the Hoyt nightmare pales in comparison to what I'm living now. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts's Commonwealth, my best friend, my favorite human being on the planet, has disappeared. Nobody knows who abducted her. Why they took her, and to make things worse, we're way behind the clock.

I've only been back in Boston for an hour. One hour without a single sign that she's still alive. What am I saying? Seventy-two hours with no indication that she's still alive. I can't stand still; I keep rubbing my scars and running my hands through my hair. Maura says that these are my nervous tells, and she's right. What I want to do is pound the pavement or, better yet, pound the face of whoever took her. I want to be out on the streets looking for her.

"Can someone in this entire fucking police department tell me how you didn't notice that the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been missing for 72 hours?! How in the hell is that possible?! When I worked in Homicide, the murderers didn't fucking take the weekend off," I yell at my former colleagues and especially glare at my brother.

"It has been technically 48 hours, Jane since we figured out she was missing. We didn't know something was wrong till she didn't show up to a crime scene," Frankie explains as he braces himself for my reaction.

Nina glares at Frankie and says, "I told you we should have called her as soon as we realized Maura was missing. She might have helped us to find her by now."

"Forty-eight hours, oh yeah, that's a hell of a lot better, Frankie. What the fuck have you been doing since you finally figured out that she was missing? Where the hell was Ma? The absence of Maura's car in the fucking driveway should have given her a hint that something was wrong," I angrily replied.

"There's a BOLO out for Maura, and her car is downstairs, and her team is going through it. We are waiting for the results. The Mayor and B.P.D. have offered a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to her safe recovery. Hope's Clinic's parking lot is the site of the abduction.. I called Ma, and she said she didn't notice anything was amiss," Frankie explains.

"Unbelievable, before I left for Virginia, Ma had breakfast and dinner with us almost every fucking day. Ma chose the wrong fucken moment to decide to give Maura her privacy. What did you find at the scene? Have you gotten anything useful from the tip line?" I angrily continue. I can't believe this is happening. I would never admit this to Ma, but her proximity to Maura made me feel better about leaving her. Somehow it made me feel that Maura would have been cared for, and she would have company. I should never have fucking left her. I should have been here to protect her.

"Not much, really," Frankie mumbles. Damn, a mumbling Frankie is never a good thing. It's usually bad news. Out of patience, I growl, "Tell me everything, now."

Frankie looks down and mumbles, "We found blood and hair, Jane. And we haven't gotten one single lead from the tip line."

"Shit, is it hers?"

"Yes."

"How much blood?" I ask, even though I don't want to know.

"Small puddle. Kent thinks it might be from a head wound. They probably knocked her out. He's confident that Maura didn't receive life-threatening injuries during her abduction," Frankie explains.

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel like a million bucks. The last time Maura had a head injury, she required brain surgery to fix the damage. So please excuse the fact that I don't find Kent's analysis very comforting. If someone had bothered to call me, the reward would be in the millions. I need to call Constance," I retort as tears begin to roll down my face. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

As I quickly wipe them away with the back of my hands, I hear Frankie say, "Janie, we won't stop till we find her."

I shake my head, and I meet his eyes when I say, "Alive or dead, Frankie? Because all of this might already be too late."

Frankie puffs out his chest and tries to say with as much confidence as possible, "Alive, Jane. We'll find her."

"No one can guarantee that. If Maura's abduction wasn't bad enough, instead of hearing about it from my friends and family, no, I get to find out by watching the fucking news. Why no one had the decency to call me is beyond me. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" I growl.

"I'm so sorry, Janie. We thought we'd get her back quickly. It's my fault. I knew that this would cause you a lot of pain, and I was terrified you'd go out on your own and get yourself killed. I, I mean, we were trying to protect you," Frankie says apologetically.

"Just stop. I don't want to hear any excuses or explanations. I don't need you or Ma or anyone to fucking protect me. You all caused me more pain than you could ever know. So, don't fucken talk to me till we get her back alive. And we better get her back alive, Francesco or God, help you!" I roar. If she dies, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive any of them.

Nina looks at Frankie and says, "We need to tell her everything, Frankie."

"There's more? Just fucking tell me once and for all," I order as I glare at Nina and Frankie.

Before they respond, I hear, "Jane Clementine Rizzoli, language," coming from behind me; I close my eyes and pray for a sliver of patience. I turn around and yell, "Don't you say it, Ma! Don't you say it! You didn't bother to tell me someone took Maura. You who can't keep a secret to save your life, but you kept this from me?"

"Janie, we didn't want you to worry. Everybody has been working so hard to find her. I was going to call you afterward when we had gotten her back," Ma explains.

"Worry me? Call me afterward? You were going to call me after you found her body and give me the news that Maura was dead?! That was your plan?!" I yell at Ma.

"I knew that if I told you, you'd come back here, raising all kind of hell like you're doing now, and I didn't want you to put yourself in any danger. You're not even a cop anymore, Janie. I was protecting you," Ma reasons.

"Protecting me? Really? Well, you know what? I don't need your protection or anyone else's. Instead of protecting me, you've deeply hurt me. How in the world did you not notice Maura was missing? And for your information, I don't need a badge to look for Maura. I'll turn this entire fucking city inside out if I have to, but I'm going to find her!" I yell.

"She's been keeping long hours because of her work at Hope's Clinic. And this is why I didn't want to tell you!" Ma yells back.

"You better pray we get her back, Ma. Because if we don't, I'll never forgive any of you for not telling me!" I yell at the room in general.

"Janie, we'll get her back," Ma says.

"Maura has been gone for 72 hours. Seventy-two hours since someone's heard from her or has seen her. Count them, Ma, three fucking days without a single lead to follow. Maura is running out of time!" I continue to yell as I glare at Ma.

When she doesn't respond, I turn back to Nina and Frankie and order, "Tell me what the fuck else you've been keeping from me. Now, Frankie."

Great, Frankie keeps moving his mouth but isn't making any noise. I glare at Nina and say, "Tell me, Nina. Now."

She takes a deep breath and says, "She hasn't been the same since you guys got back from Paris, and you left for Virginia. In the beginning, I thought it was normal for her to be a little sad. I mean, that's normal. Normally, she was missing you terribly."

Frankie interrupts and says, "See, she misses you. Even you knew that because I'm sure you missed her and us."

I watch Nina, and I know she has more to say. I point at Frankie and say, "Shut up," and turn to Nina and say, "Go on."

Nina closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she says, "Jane, she's been pushing us all away. She refuses to spend any time with us that isn't work-related. Maura won't go with us to the 'Dirty Robber' for drinks. She won't go to Sunday dinner. She rarely comes up here, and when she does, she just stares at your desk. I haven't seen her crack a real smile in weeks. Maura is running herself to the ground. Between her regular job and volunteering at Hope's Clinic, she's easily working a 80 hour week. Jane, she's losing weight and, well, the other day I caught her, I found her…"

Nina looks away from me, seeming unable to finish the sentence, but I push her when I say, "Caught her doing what? Tell me, Nina."

"Sobbing Jane, Maura was sobbing as she held the picture of you that she keeps on her desk. I tried to talk to her, but she shut me down. I'm so sorry, Jane," Nina murmurs.

I look from Nina to Frankie, to my Ma as the tears run down my face. I explode, "Maura was sobbing! Maura was in fucking pain, and no one could fucking pick up the phone and tell me!"

"Didn't you know Jane?! She's your best friend. Weren't you talking to her?! What the hell happened in Paris?! Something had to happen because we didn't get our normal Maura back!" Frankie yells back defensively.

"Maura only lets me see what she wants me to see. I need to be in her presence to look at her tells. I know she hasn't been lying to me because she'd break out in hives. But that doesn't mean she's telling me everything. She's probably trying not to make me worry. And lately, we've only been texting. She said she's been busy, but you're right, I should have known. It's my fault. I should have never left," I say as more fat tears roll down my face. I ignore Frankie's question about Paris. Yeah, something happened, but this isn't the time or place.

"Janie, why did you leave in the first place? I never understood why," Frankie asks.

Before I can respond, I hear, "Rizzoli, in my office now!"

Fuck. I wipe my tears quickly and prepare myself for an unpleasant conversation. It took him long enough. I've been here raising hell for almost an hour. Both my brother and I say, "Yes, sir."

I turn to make eye contact with Lt. Cavanaugh, and the look on his face isn't good. I'm almost positive he's going to have me escorted out. When Frankie begins to get up, Cavanaugh adds, "The original Rizzoli."

I try taking a deep cleansing breath and brace myself for what the Lieutenant is going to say. When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter. I don't need a badge or anyone's permission to tear this city apart to find her. I still have friends out on the streets, and I can always sell my soul to the Devil himself to get her back.I'll get my ass to Atwater, CA, and pay Maura's father in sperm only a visit. If someone is as motivated as me to find her, it's Boston's most prominent mobster, Paddy Doyle.

As soon as the door closes, Cavanaugh says, "Rizzoli, we are doing everything we can to get her back."

I cross my arms and say, "Well, that's not good enough, or you would have found her by now."

"Listen, I understand why you're so upset, but yelling at your friends and family isn't going to help," the Cavanaugh pleads.

"Would you please get to the point, sir? Do you want me to leave? Is that it?"

"That wouldn't help much, would it? You'll just go off on your own," Cavanaugh smirks.

"Sir, again, can you please get to the point? Maura is running out of time, and I need to find her," I urgently plead.

Cavanaugh shakes his head and says as he rummages through his desk, "Impatient as ever. Nice to see some things never change."

He pulls out a Glock and puts it in front of me. I look at it in confusion and ask, "What is this?"

"The Chief of Police has decided to reinstate you," Cavanaugh proudly grins.

"Reinstate me? Really? What about the F.B.I.?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. That's the last thing I was expecting.

"He's getting a lot of heat from above, and the last thing he needs is for the press to run a story about a certain hero ex-cop going rogue. He said he'd smooth things over with the F.B.I. for you," Cavanaugh smiles.

My brain is trying to catch up with what just happened. If I'm a detective again, that means I have a ton of resources at my disposal. That means that I can fix the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. It means I can finally come home. Being reinstated is a huge blessing. As I grab the gun, I whisper, "Thank you."

"I assume you still have your badge?" Cavanaugh asks as he watches me clip the gun to my belt.

I begin to rub my hands nervously. I know that giving away an official police badge is against all the rules, but at the time, I was desperate. I'm positive Cavanaugh is going to chew my ass out in the next minute. I try to brace myself as I nervously mumble, "Not exactly, sir. I gave it to Dr. Isles."

"Excuse me? What was that, Rizzoli?" Cavanaugh says.

"I gave it to Dr. Isles, sir," I answer louder as I try to brace myself for his reaction. He's going to chew my ass out because giving my badge away is a huge no, no.

Cavanaugh frowns and asks, "May I ask why?"

"The day I was going to drive down to Virginia, I stopped by Maura's to say goodbye. As we were saying goodbye she started to sob and I just couldn't stand it. It, it broke my heart. I was desperate to find a way to comfort her, and before I knew it, I handed her my badge and told her that that badge is a part of me and my most prized possession for many years. I told her that it was a part of me and that by giving it to her an important part of me would always be with her. When I handed it to her, it seemed to soothe her, and I was so relieved, Sir, I can't stand to see Dr. Isles weep," I explain as I try not to blush.

Cavanaugh can't help but smile and ask, "Is that badge still your most prized possession?"

I answer without thinking, "I no longer have a prized possession. Now I have someone that I value above everybody else, even my family."

"And who's that Rizzoli?" Cavanaugh smirks. From the look on his face, I'm pretty sure he knows the answer to his question.

There's no sense in lying, so I honestly answer, "Dr. Maura Isles, sir."

"Alright, Rizzoli, I'll order a new badge for you A.S.A.P. It should be here by tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, you have to work from here. You can't represent the department without a badge. So, no tackling, no arresting, no intimidating suspects until you got it, is that understood?" Cavanaugh orders.

"Yes, but please don't tell me that Frankie is my new boss. I was and am the best detective you've got," I argue.

"Of course, Frankie isn't your new boss. As you said, you're probably the best detective I've got, but I can't have you running around without a badge. I'm making you the lead detective investigating the kidnapping of Dr. Maura Isles. But you need someone that will help keep you out of cuffs, keep you from shooting yourself or prevent you from jumping off a building or something. Also, I'd like to give you a little unsolicited advice if that's okay with you," Cavanaugh says.

I nod, and Cavanaugh continues, "Stop wasting time and letting fear get the better of you. You're stronger than that, Rizzoli. You've always been fearless."

I simply nod because I can't talk. A boulder has lodged itself in my throat. Cavanaugh is right. Fear got the better of me, and that stops now. If I hadn't allowed the events to overwhelm me, Maura and I might be together now. And more importantly, this might not be happening right now.

When there's a knock at the door, Cavanaugh grins and calls out, "Come in."

My jaw goes slack, but I'm pleasantly surprised when I see who it is. Finally, something good.