A/N: A pox on me for the delay…I haven't forgotten this story, just life, illness and 5 other stories had my brain a bit muddled. I'm on a schedule now so this one will be updated regularly. Sorry again and hope folks are still reading.

Maura looked at her watch and sighed. Jane was late. Checking her phone she didn't see a text from her either and the frustration must have shown on her face because Korsak's chuckle actually bothered her.

"Nothing?" he said.

"No, she usually at least calls or texts. Can you try calling Barry?"

Pulling out his phone, he started dialing. Shaking his head he couldn't believe Jane hadn't called. It really was unlike her but if she was onto something after talking with her victim…

"Voicemail," leaving Frost a message to call them back, Korsak took a sip of his beer and looked at the woman across from him. She had come a long way socially since they had first met but right now, she seemed to be at a loss.

"Hey Doc, I'm sure she's okay…she's probably just following up on a lead."

"Still, she knows I worry…I never…" the buzzing from her cell phone interrupted her words and as she quickly looked at the screen her frown deepened.

"Its from Jane…" she said, sighing in resignation, "She and Barry are heading to the jail to speak with that woman who attacked her."

Korsak looked at her in surprise, "really? I wonder what our victim said that has her going out there." Seeing the look on Maura's face he felt bad for the M.E. "Look Doc, if you want we can meet them over there. There's a decent place to have drinks not far from there…only if you want to though."

Maura's smile was answer enough, "That's a wonderful idea! This way we're close by and…"

Throwing up his hands he laughed out loud at her, "Hey its not me you need to convince, text Jane and let her know." Reaching again he pulled out his phone, "Here, I'll text Frost just in case and let him know."

Reaching for her purse, Maura was already standing alongside the booth waiting expectantly for him.

"I'm coming Doc," He finished texting Frost and put his phone away before her extended the crook of his arm to Maura. "Shall we?"

Giggling, Maura knew he was trying to make her feel better and as vexed as she felt with Jane right now she willingly took him up on the offer of his arm.

"Thank you Vince, who says you're not a gentleman…"

"What do you mean? Someone says I'm not a gentleman? Was it Jane? No, Frost it was Frost wasn't it?"

Maura's laughter at Korsak's objections was a welcome relief to the tension that had been building in her since Jane failed to show up.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Crap…" putting her phone away Jane looked over at Frost as he finished parking.

"What?"

"Maura and Korsak are on their way down to meet us."

"Here? Why?" a bit bewildered by the news Frost turned off the car and faced her. "We're not going to be here that long, I mean I know we're late and all…"

"Because you were right and I am an ass. This probably could've waited, but we're here now so lets go in and talk to this woman and then we can meet them outside." Smiling she looked at her phone. Maura's text had been short and sweet. "We'reonourwayseeyouinabit.LoveM"

Looking up at the jail, she took a deep breath and got out of the car. Jane hadn't been face to face with the woman since she attacked her. Her preliminary hearing wasn't until next week.

"You okay Jane?" Frost could sense her tension and wished Maura and Korsak were already there. The Doc would calm her and right now he could tell she needed that. Jane was on edge, which was never a good thing. She got reckless when she was on edge.

"I'm fine, come on, let's go." Leading the way she went up the stairs into the jail. She knew this woman had an idea of where their shooter was and she wasn't leaving until she told her.

Jane had called ahead to be cleared to speak one Lynette Hudson. Hudson had waived her right to counsel and was handling her case pro se so at least Jane didn't have to deal with a defense attorney. Not directly anyway. Ms. Hudson had agreed to meet with her which was initially a surprise but Jane wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Going through security, they locked up their weapons and were brought into a visiting room to speak with her. While they waited, they discussed the information they had just gotten by the shift sergeant at the jail. Lynette Hudson was being charged for assaulting another inmate earlier that day. It was the third assault charge she had caught since being locked up.

She was cuffed and shackled when they brought her in, and the little smile she gave Jane turned her stomach.

"Hello Detective Rizzoli."

"Ms. Hudson…" The officer who brought her in sat her down before leaving the room and locking it.

"To what do I owe the honor?" Looking from one side of Jane's head to the other she tilted her head and smiled. "And uhm…how's the head?"

Jane swallowed the anger that she felt threatening to boil over realizing that it wouldn't get her anywhere. She could hear Maura's voice in her head. "Youpromised,nothingfoolish."

"Eyes here Ms. Hudson." Frost's hardened voice brought a smirk to her face as she turned her attention to the young detective.

"You have a champion, detective? Can't fight your own battles anymore?" Lynnette Hudson sat play with the manacles on her hand and fidgeted in her seat a bit before keeping her hands primly on her lap.

"Hope you don't mind, but this stuff, "indicating the cuffs and chain, "is heavy, so its not comfortable keeping it on the table."

Waving a hand dismissively, Jane turned and walked to the far wall leaning against it with her arms crossed as she surveyed the woman sitting in front of them. Hudson seemed just too sure of herself. They didn't have a lot on her for the robbery and shooting mostly because the perp was still at large, but for felonious assault on a police officer? They had her, on video. Still, something was nagging at Jane. She knew from what Frost had told her that Hudson had been locked down tight at least three times already for fighting, why though? It was only hurting her. Regardless she knew that this woman knew more than she had let on and she was angry if the number of fights she had been involved with were any indication.

Lynette watched Jane as she stood against the wall and smirked. She was scared of her. She should be. That asshole was still out there and she was stuck in here. He had gotten a message to her in here so she knew where he was but he wasn't about to help her out. He had left her to hang and her own actions had landed her in here. So now she had two choices. Cut a deal with Rizzoli and have him go down with her, or go after him herself. Lynette knew what he had tried to do with Janice in the bathroom and she had been pissed but figured it was just a fluke until she found out today that he was staying with an old girlfriend.

Rizzoli's request to see her was a blessing in disguise. Running her options though her head she sat back as Jane came to sit across from her.

"Where is he Lynette?" Not holding back on her anger Jane went for it. "You know he doesn't give a shit about you right? It's been four weeks; you don't think he's forgotten all about you? I mean what, you're stuck in here not just for assaulting me, but for assaulting other inmates." Leaning back in her seat she glanced over at Frost before continuing, "What do you think Frost? A felony, and now two…no three misdemeanor assaults all pretty open and shut…I'm thinking what? At least ten years total especially with the assault on me…" That was as far as she got before Lynette exploded across the table at Jane, again.

Frost was just a split second late in attempting to tackle her. Her now un-manacled hands caught Jane across the neck as the Lynette used her weight to her advantage. With the chain from the cuffs around Jane's neck, Lynette pulled back and squeezed effectively cutting off air to Jane.

"Let her go! Frost's yell made her stop squeezing but not before she readjusted the chain firmly around Jane's neck.

Well, she had certainly broken her promise this time Jane thought as she fought against the air robbing chain around her neck. She couldn't help but antagonize the woman and now she was paying for it. In spades it seemed as she fought against the chain. She had gotten one hand around the chain as it tightened, so she had same room but she could feel the circulation being cut off around her hand and her throat.

"Lynette…" the hoarsely spoken whisper didn't even sound like Jane as Frost watched on worriedly. "You don't…want… to do this…" Gasping as it tightened it again she looked imploringly at Frost. Her eyes were beseeched him. "Dosomething!"

"Fuck! Let her go dammit!" Frost's voice rose shrilly.

Pulling Jane out of the chair, she backed up dragging Jane with her.

Sensing her opportunity, Jane elbowed her in the abdomen and stepping back head butted Lynette in the face. Broken nose gushing blood, she let Jane go enough to loosen the chain around her. Turning Jane hooked her around the neck and brought her down even as Frost moved in to assist. Jane punched her repeatedly as Frost tried to get her to stop.

"Jane she's out! Stop!" He yanked her off the unconscious woman, forcing her to look at him.

Everything had happened so quickly that the jail was just starting to respond and the pounding outside the door from the officers arriving to assist matched the pounding in Jane's head as she sat back on the floor shaking. Frost grabbed her by the shoulders but she brushed him off. Moving to stand up she was surprised when the room tilted crazily in her vision. Grabbing her head she looked up, allowing Frost to lead her to a chair.

Lynette was bleeding from her nose and mouth where Jane's head had struck her and the bruise and swelling forming on her cheekbone were the only indications of the blows that Jane inflicted, besides her unconscious body.

The guards who rushed in took in the scene and immediately called both the sergeant and nurse on duty.

"Jane…Hey Jane…you okay?" The concern on Frost's face helped her focus on him.

She felt confused, looking down at Lynette she knew it wasn't her fault she was lying there unconscious, but the anger that had overwhelmed her at being attacked again had been indescribable.

"Yeah…" her voice came out as a croak. Rubbing at her neck Jane tried to clear her throat but the pain was a bit much. Whispering instead, "Yeah Frost, I'm okay, what about her?"

Jane could see that she was starting to come around and feeling her cell phone buzz on her hip she grimaced. It was going to be Maura. How the hell was she going to explain this one? She'd lost her temper…she could feel her lack of control as she spoke to Lynette, antagonizing her… "Crap" She didn't want to answer the phone and Frost knew it. Grabbing her phone he looked at the screen. They knew something was going on. Maura's text was frantic.

"Vincesaysthejailisonlockdown,isJaneallright?" Frost looked at his partner and knew she wasn't. Her eyes weren't tracking and the way she was rubbing her throat…

"I'm gonna answer them okay?" Jane's nod was the only acknowledgement she gave as she watched them remove Lynette from the interview room.

Shaking his head, he quickly texted Maura back and then immediately texted Korsak. Jane needed to go get checked out and there was no way he was going to be able to convince her on his own.

"Detective? Detective let me check your neck please." The jail nurse was trying to get Jane to let her check her out but she was refusing.

"Jane come on, lets get you checked out, please." Frost's plea made her look at him. "Godshelookedlikeshit!"

"Frost I'm fine, really." Her voice was a bit stronger but he could already see the bruising around her neck from the chain. "Why would she do that though, I mean shit really? Again?" Shaking her head lightly she couldn't help but grin at him, "What's that saying you like? Oh yeah, 'Bitches be Crazy'" Glancing in the direction they took her, "I'd say she counts among them."

Laughing but still worried, Frost sat down next to her agreeing. "Yeah I'd say so."

"She's heard from him…somehow…what I said pushed some major buttons with…" Jane's body racked with coughs as her throat continued to swell. "Dammit Frost!" The dots appearing in front of her eyes were starting to worry her as she realized she couldn't take a decent breath. Her throat was closing up and she didn't know why.

The nurse quickly sent one of the officers for a bag of ice and forced her to sit back.

"What's wrong with her?" Frost didn't know what was going on, he vaguely remembered something about strangulation and swelling inside the throat after an incident.

"She'll be okay, but we need to keep the swelling down." The nurse looked at Frost before stating the obvious, "she needs to go to the hospital."

"No hospitals" Jane croaked. Her head was hurting badly, her throat was on fire and she was having trouble swallowing much less breathing. She couldn't, not again. Right now she just wanted Maura.

The officer, who came back with the ice, spoke quietly with the sgt.

"Detective Frost," Sgt Grant was familiar with both detectives, "we have Detective Korsak and the M.E. outside trying to get in. We need to get you all out of here anyway though, we have reports to write and I'll need statements of course from each of you." With a concerned look at Jane, "that can wait till tomorrow of course."

"Yeah, sure…Jane are you sure you don't."

Lurching to her feet she put her hands out to keep her balance. "Fuck!" Taking a breath, she held the bag of ice to her neck. "Come on partner, give me a hand, I've got some music to face."

Shaking his head he extended an arm which Jane took gratefully for once. Heading down the hallway he caught the look on her face as she realized she was going to have to explain to Maura what had happened.

Yes, Jane has to face the music with Maura and deal with the aftermath of that vicious attack. Hope you all enjoyed it, let me know either way.. More reviews=quicker updates so…you know what to do .