Sorry everybody...

I know it has been ages since I've update but I just got super busy after graduation and could not find the time or energy to get anything down on paper. This chapter is not as long as I would have like it to be but I guess I need to ease back into it. Anyways, I hope you are all still out there and interested because here is goes again.

Ilene Todd

/

"Jane, what's wrong?" Maura could instantly sense that something was amiss when her girlfriend entered the morgue with her detective face resolutely in place. She was in the middle of meticulously closing the Y-incision but felt at once she should set the task aside. The blonde could feel Jane's mood fill the room like an ominous cloud that she was anxiously waiting to break into an unforgiving downpour. The brunette seemed seconds away from cracking open and unleashing the flood that had been building up in her since this morning. Still, the stoic detective managed to hold everything in and brushed off Maura's concern by blatantly ignoring it.

"I need you to run this through the lab." Jane asked gruffly, disregarding the question as she tossed an evidence bag onto the counter not bothering to hand it to the medical examiner. Normally Maura would not tolerate such rude behavior from her partner, lecturing her on manners, but something about this time told her to let it slide. She abandoned her work, half-finished, and almost warily approached the plastic zip-lock as if it were something dangerous like an angry rattlesnake. Peeling off her rubber gloves, the doctor picked up the bag Jane had discarded so carelessly. Her eyebrows rose when she found such an unassuming object in her hands. She flipped the baseball cap around, pushing against the clear material to see better, searching for signs of blood or some other incriminating element.

"What should I be looking for?"

"Anything." The taller woman replied evasively.

"What does this have to do with the Porter case?"

"It doesn't." Jane muttered.

Maura was beginning to find Jane's stubborn silence a bit irritating, "I'm going to need you to explain to me the significance-"

"He was following me." The brunette said sourly crossing her arms over her chest.

"Who was?"

"The Surgeon. He was there. He was watching us at the church." Jane was neutral but Maura could not prevent the sharp intake of breath as the origins of the hat dawned on her. She resisted the urge to throw the thing away from herself and instead tentatively set it back down.

"What happened?" Maura attempted to remain calm and collected on the surface but her thoughts were sent racing. The serial killer was upping the stakes by stalking the detective, especially one as observant and committed as Jane. Was there anyway that the man thought he could get away with it for long? What was his purpose in practically hunting the brunette? Maura was not accustomed to being afraid. She was a rational and capable woman. She took necessary precautions to stay out of harms way but this- this was something else entirely. The blonde had no control of the fear that struck her so savagely at the thought of Jane's life in jeopardy.

"He was down the block. We chased him. He got away." Her girlfriend scuffed her boot against the tile as her jaw clenched then unclenched to gnaw irritably on her thumb, reluctant to give much information.

"But-" Maura began to try and extract more details from her, but Jane shook her head.

"I'm not ready to talk about it." Her hand went to her sidearm in its holster, perhaps to reposition it or, more likely, to remind herself of its presence and remember the power she wielded.

"Okay Jane." Maura sighed heavily as she turned, taking a couple short steps away from the detective. She wanted to believe that Jane would come to her when she was ready, but there was a little doubt skulking in the back of her mind that remembered when Jane had just up and left her in the dark. The doctor never wanted to go back to that horrible empty feeling where the tall brunette was not there for her to touch and have and love. She recalled how Jane had pushed her away in attempts to shelter her from the frightening message that The Surgeon had sent with menacing regards to the ME. It seemed so long ago now, when on that barren crime scene she had first experienced the cold shoulder from her normally warm detective. It sent the same queasy feeling in her gut that it had back then and for good reason. It was the precursor to the well-intentioned however devastating break up that Maura did not want to experience for a second time.

"Hey," Jane's long fingers were traveling across the small of the shorter woman's back and her husky voice was very close to her ear, pulling her out of her gloomy thoughts, "I'm not going anywhere, okay? I just need some time to process."

Of course Jane would know what she was thinking. The blonde found herself leaning back into the touch so she was pressed more firmly to Jane. Her eyes slipped closed as she took pleasure in the little indulgence she allowed rarely in the middle of their workday. "I just-"

Maura wanted to explain herself to Jane but the brunette cut her off, "I know. I haven't inspired much confidence in that department."

"No." She turned so she was facing her detective her pale hands falling onto the lapels of her blazer. Nimble fingers itched to crumple the fabric beneath them and pull Jane down for a desperate kiss but instead she worked on smoothing the slightly askew collar. "Jane, I don't want you to think like that. I just- I didn't know I could feel like this before you."

"Maura I-"

"Not now." She said like she was almost reminding her. Jane nodded, her head dipping down almost enough to brush her nose against Maura's but they just missed. Instead Jane spoke as she expelled all of the air from her lungs.

"Tommy was arrested."

"Oh no." Maura latched onto the new concern as her hazel eyes involuntarily began to tear up. She was surprised how easy it was to switch over to worrying about the Rizzoli family drama. Perhaps it was almost a reprieve to have a more tangible problem at hand. This beast was something that they knew; it could be dealt with then and now. "What happened?"

"He hit a priest while driving under the influence." That was slightly worse than she had anticipated.

"Oh Jane…" Her hand came up to cover her mouth, "Will the man be okay?"

"Father Crowley will be fine. I checked in on it. He's bruised and his arm is broken but other than that he walked away from the accident."

"Well that's a relief." Maura was glad to hear that Tommy had not killed somebody, "How are your parents holding up?"

"Pop didn't say much but he never does. He'd rather suffer in silence. Ma was broken up about it. She is worried about her baby…" Jane trailed off in disgust for a moment. "She did apologize though for what happened. She wants to apologize to you."

"To me? That's not necessary. It's not her fault." The blonde would never want the older Rizzoli to feel responsible for her son's actions. Though she supposed it could not really be helped. Jane and Angela were much more alike than either of them realized with their fierce protective natures and desire to ensure that everyone was taken care of. Neither women could bear it when someone from their flock was hurt or lost. Angela was just grasping at the threads trying to hold her family together.

"She admits that Tommy needs to get help. I couldn't believe it." Jane scoffed in mild astonishment. "I just wonder how long that attitude will last when Tommy is in prison."

"Your mother just wants the best for all of her children. And Tommy can get the help he needs while he is serving his sentence." Maura was sure that the judge who sentenced the younger Rizzoli would require him to attend AA meetings, "I can make a few calls and set up for him to get private sessions. I have a colleague in the area Dr. Warner who specializes in his particular addiction."

"No, he's got himself into this mess. It's up to him to get out of it." Jane shook her head adamantly.

"Okay." She said the one word soothingly.

"Is it wrong that I'm relieved he is going to be put away for a while?" Jane sighed heavily. Maura sympathetically brushed her fingertips over Jane's wiry forearm. The muscles underneath her skin that twitched in agitation seemed to be calmed at her light touch.

"You're entitled to feel however you want to." The blonde knew there was something else that Jane wanted to say as she waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

"Tommy is asking to see to me." Her hand found its way through her dark unruly curls. Maura imagined she had been doing that a lot today.

"Are you going to?" She asked carefully.

"I don't want to."

"Alright then."

Jane looked slightly taken aback, "Really? You're not going to make a speech on how he is my brother and I should love him no matter what?"

"He is your brother and you do love him unconditionally but that doesn't mean you are ready to forgive him. I know you don't like to admit it but he hurt you and you should take all the time you need until you're ready."

After a beat, Jane smirked, "When did you become so smart?"

Maura gave her a small smile, "My mother called earlier today to make lunch plans on Saturday for the first time in years. I'm feeling very capable in handling our families right now."

"Well that makes one of us. I can't get Ma to stop talking about grandkids." Jane averted her eyes as soon as she mentioned having children. The shorter woman felt her heart pleasantly skip a beat. It had done so before in very similar fashion on Thanksgiving. Frankie had dragged Tommy off and Jane was arguing with her mother. The blonde had mostly been in shock at how the confluence of events had spiraled so quickly out of hand but she distinctly remembered the rush of joy she felt in the middle of all of it. What if your grandchild walked in and saw their Uncle Tommy forcing himself on their mother? The statement in itself was horrifying at the very least but Maura saw more to it than that. It introduced the possibility that she could be the mother to Jane's children. She had never really thought of being a mother; it was simply something she did not think she was capable of between her strictly logic filled mind, her own up bringing and the resultant social awkwardness she had developed over the years. It did not occur to her that she could have a child. But with Jane anything felt possible, with Jane she wanted to have that family, she could have that family.

Maura watched as Jane fidgeted in front of her, clearly nervous about how she would respond. They had never discussed children before and the blonde could see it was something that was now eating at Jane. The ball was completely in her court as she quickly tried to put Jane out of her misery, "Shouldn't she at least wait until were married? After all statistics show that children with two parents are much less likely to dip below the poverty level."

Her answer was of course practical and vaguely clinical but she gave Jane a soft smile, her fingers slipping down to wind through her girlfriend's. The detective chuckled in relief as her own grin spread across her face, "I don't think any children of yours have to worry about poverty, Maur."

"Better safe than sorry." Maura leaned up to peck the brunette briefly on the lips.

Jane smiled down at her for a moment longer until reality started creeping back in for the both of them. Cases began pressing their way back to the front of her mind and the happy expression on the brunette's face waned, "I have to go. Korsak and I are going to speak to this religious nutcase, Ilene Todd, who has harassed Porter before."

"I've heard of her." Her nearly eidetic memory recalled an article she read, "She was compared to our generations Anita Bryant."

"Well then she will be an absolute joy." Maura easily caught the sarcasm and watched as Jane rubbed her neck like she was trying to work out a knot.

"Does your back still hurt?" The doctor stepped back into Jane's personal space once again to run her fingers down the tense trapezius muscle of the troubled detective.

"It's just a bit sore." Jane shrugged but the blonde still felt partially responsible. She was the one sleeping on top of her girlfriend for the entire night after all.

"I would take care of it now but-"

"Duty calls." Jane grinned ruefully as she finished her sentence.

"Yes. Go do your gumshoe thing." The taller woman laughed at the expression as she reluctantly began to leave the morgue.

"I'll be back later, okay?"

"Okay." Maura felt her heart tugging as she was forced to watch Jane's athletic form disappear from view. She sighed and turned back to the task at hand. The baseball hat on the counter mocked her, sending unpleasant, inexplicable chills down her spine. Her hand hovered over the object momentarily before she withdrew it.

"Yoshima?" She beckoned her assistant who popped his head into the room promptly.

"Yes Dr. Isles?"

"Will you take this to the lab?" She pointed to the offending item but made no movement to physically hand it over to the young man, "Have it run for everything. Make it priority."

"Of course Dr. Isles." The Asian man said formally as he indifferently scooped up the evidence and rushing it off, unaware of the horrible association that the plain object held. Maura went back to her work with Silas Porter only feeling marginally better with the omen from The Surgeon out of the room.

/

"Ilene Todd?"

"Yes?" Jane could not envision a woman more perfect for being the leader to an overzealous Christian organization. Her blonde hair was teased to sit a great height off of her head and over the top of her crisp, white button up she wore just about the pinkest sweater Jane had ever seen. The woman's face was painted with garish shades of make up, probably in an effort to distract from the signs of aging that were beginning to take hold. The crow's feet around her eyes were becoming prominent and the skin around her chin was losing its elasticity.

"I'm Detective Rizzoli and this is my partner Detective Korsak." The brunette felt the frosty air begin to seep through her clothes, as they stood on the front porch of the large, ritzy home. It was the largest one on the block and did not quite match the more humble aesthetics of the surrounding houses looking more like a Georgian mansion that should be in the middle of a plantation and less like a Boston townhouse. "We have some questions for you."

"Of course. Come in." The woman bubbled and the detectives nearly cringed at how chipper she sounded.

"Thank you." They entered the foyer that could have been tastefully decorated if not for the large cross looming over them and the smaller replicas placed on just about every surface.

"Boots off." Ilene spoke as if they were children, pointing to the offending shoes in a no-no manner. "I'll get us something to drink. Hot chocolate?"

"Coffee." Jane quickly suggested, not wanting the women to come out with a tray of steaming sweet drinks probably complete with heart-shaped marshmallows or something equally tacky. The blonde nodded and skipped to the back of the house, leaving the partners to unlace their shoes.

"Well she's terrifying." Jane whispered.

"Tell me about it. It's like the Christian Barbie Dream House in here." Korsak kicked off the relics he wore on his feet to reveal dingy socks one of which had a hole at the big toe. Jane would have made fun of him if she had not been hopping around, trying to ungracefully pull off her boot that was tightly laced. If Jane could say one good thing about Maura's fashionable shoes, it was that they certainly came off easier than her work boots. The brunette could see her girlfriend in her mind, simply stepping out of her heels and floating enticingly down the hall, leaving Jane to hurriedly catch up as she had to muscle off her footwear. Maybe Maura was right and she did buy her shoes a half size too small. Secretly the detective loved seeing the Jimmy Choo's or Manolo Blahnik's sitting in her entrance way, one toppled over on the wooden floor, promising her that Maura was somewhere within the apartment. Jane refocused her thoughts to the case with her feet now freed from their confines. It was no time to be daydreaming about her girlfriend.

"Come on into the living room." Ilene appeared with a large tray and three steaming mugs that looked awfully tempting after being in the cold. The detectives followed her into the adjacent room. Jane choked back a noise of repulsion as they saw how this room had been adorned with just about every angel statue one could imagine, which was more unnerving than all of those crucifixes.

"Please have a seat." The tall woman lowered herself onto the plush couch with large garish flowers printed on it while Ilene chose the sleek armchair directly across from her.

"You have quite the collection." Korsak commented.

"They are just so lovely aren't they? I have been collecting since I was a little girl and just haven't been able to stop." She giggled.

"I can see that." Jane warily eyed the porcelain figurine on the side table that she was certain was staring at her. "They are very… angelic."

"Help yourself to the coffee." Ilene gestured to the beverages.

Jane began dumping sugar into the dark liquid, "Mrs. Todd, we have some questions for you."

"Yes, what about?"

"Did you know a man named Silas Porter?" Korsak started off.

"Yes I know of him." If she was surprised that they were asking about him, then she did not show it as she sat primly on the edge of her seat, hands folded in her lap and ankles crossed.

"Are you aware he was found murdered this morning in Deerfield Park?" Jane informed her while trying to get a reaction. Still Ilene sat there seemingly unaffected by the statement as she poured a bit of cream into her mug and idly stirred it until the coffee was a uniformly light brown.

"That's a shame." She sighed with no real regret in her inflection then added with a condescending tone. "Though I am not surprised to hear it."

"And why aren't you surprised?" Korsak prodded.

"Well, one only has to look at what that man was into to see that he was heading down a dangerous path. Honestly Satanism? He was asking for an early grave and a one way ticket to Hell."

"So you admit to having conflict with Mr. Porter?" Jane raised one dark eyebrow.

The blonde twittered condescendingly as a phony smile spread across her face, "The only conflict I had with Mr. Porter was a spiritual one. You see I feel it's my calling to show those sheep that have fallen off the path of righteousness back to the way of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. It's a war for his soul Ms. Rizzoli."

Ilene's hand came up over her heart and she nodded to herself as if she could hear some rhythm that only she was aware of. Jane gritted her teeth as she snapped at the blonde, "It's Detective. And if it was only a 'spiritual conflict' then why are there reports of your organization causing disturbances outside of his church and home?"

"That abomination is not a church! It is a hot house of sin and debauchery." The previously unfettered woman lost her cool for a moment as she snarled. Quickly, she caught herself before she took a deep breath and continued speaking much softer, "And those were peaceful demonstrations to try and illuminate the error of these misguided individuals beliefs."

"Do you think breaking and entering then destroying private property a form of peaceful protestation?" Jane challenged.

"I assure you I don't have a clue as to what you are talking about Detective." Ilene's eyes narrowed on Jane as she emphasized her title in a mocking tone.

"What about signs saying 'Go back to Hell' and 'Choke on the eternal flame of Damnation'?" Korsak asked as he produced a photograph of one of the incidents from his coat pocket. Ilene peered innocently at the image of her shouting into a microphone with a mob of people behind her holding one such sign or another.

"I admit the members can become a bit rowdy but you have to speak to these people in this manner or nothing will get through to them. To save a soul sometimes you must have an extreme message."

"Have you ever considered that perhaps they don't want to be saved? That the life they have chosen is right for them?" Jane was getting very tired of her holier than thou attitude.

"You would think that." The god-fearing woman scoffed.

"What does that mean?" The brunette could not stop herself from asking sharply.

"We keep tabs on influential people in our community. We have seen you in the newspaper. We know all about the kind of lifestyle that you indulge in with the Medical Examiner." Mrs. Todd spoke with mild disgust. "You'll find yourself like Silas Porter if you don't find your way back into the light."

"Are you threatening me?" Jane bristled.

"I'm certainly not." Ilene replied coolly, "But I'm not being targeted by a serial killer? God works in mysterious ways."

"You bit-"

"We just need to know where you were last night Mrs. Todd." Korsak interrupted his hotheaded partner leaving Jane fuming and glaring at the woman across from her.

"I was at a committee meeting until late. We're planning a big fundraising ball this month."

"How late?" Korsak spoke for them still afraid of what Jane might say.

"It was nearly 2:30 in the morning by the time we were done."

"We will be checking into it." Vince warned.

"Be my guest." She said serenely before continuing, "Now if you will excuse me, I must tidy up. I have a prayer circle coming over soon."

Ilene began ushering the detectives out of her living room to the foyer where they hastily and clumsily shoved their shoes back on. As Jane and Korsak returned to the bitter cold, the blonde called out, "Oh Detective Rizzoli?"

They turned and looked at her expectantly, "I will be praying for you."

"Don't waste your time." Jane muttered and briskly began her way down the yard, the snow crunching under her feet. Korsak hustled to keep up with her and hurried into the car where it was only marginally warmer.

"So what do you think of her?" Korsak asked his breath still lingering in the air.

"She is a piece of work for sure." Jane tried to start the car once but the engine failed to turn over.

"Yeah, she definitely has a few screws loose. You think she could have orchestrated Porter's death?" Korsak pondered as he rubbed his hands together.

Jane tried to start the car again and this time it roared to life, "I wouldn't put it past her. All I know is that I don't trust Ilene Todd as far as I can throw her."

"Are you alright?" Her partner asked carefully and Jane instantly knew that he was talking about the dig that their suspect had jabbed at her. The brunette waved him off.

"I'm fine. Just forget it."

The older man respected her wishes and began fiddling with the radio dial, "Alright, let's get back to the precinct."

/

Let me know what you ladies and gents think!

Again, apologies.