Full disclaimers on Chapter 1.

Stop NOW if DRAMA/TRAGEDY is NOT something you are interested into reading, or if it is a bad trigger for you.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.

I am not a native English speaker, and I don't have a beta. So all mistakes are 100% mine.

Enough of disclaimers and warnings – read at your own risk. Reviews are always welcome!

Chapter 101

(25 years later since chapter 100)

"Pop? Are you okay?" Stella asked, noticing Frankie had just woken up from dozing in the uncomfortable hospital chair, groaning as he stood up to meet her by the door.

"I am, baby." Frankie kissed his daughter's temple gently. His back was killing him.

"Mom told me it was time when I landed this morning… " Stella said, in a small voice, her eyes full of tears looking sideways at the beautiful woman lying in the bed.

"It is… Your mother spent the night with her. TJ has been by already yesterday, as well as your Uncle Tommy…"

"Is she really older than you?" The woman in bed looked so much younger than her dad.

"Are you saying I look old?" he tried to chuckle. "But yeah, she is older than me by a couple years, just like your Aunt Jane was. But I am not going any time soon, you don't need to worry. Remember what I told you, your Aunt Maura donated one of her kidneys to her half-sister thirty years ago. So now, when a kidney disease struck her, her body was ill prepared to handle it with only one kidney." He said gently, recognizing the reason behind Stella's worry.

Maura had been ill for a few months now. She had to be in hospital for dialysis in the past few weeks, when her body began to fail. Nina had spent last night, because Maura's doctors and Maura herself were sure it was now a matter of days or hours, and all of Rizzoli's would go out of their way to make sure Maura was not alone.

"I will say goodbye to her, and I would appreciate if you could spend the day here – and let us know about any development. I wish I didn't need to go to work today, but soon I will be retired..."

"Don't worry, Pop, I have a ton of things from college to work on, I will be sitting here with her all day long."

"Give me a moment, then."

Frankie felt guilty waking up Maura, but she always seemed to take pleasure in waking up with one of them around, despite how much her body had been struggling.

He held the hand that was not encumbered by IV drips, and watched the beautiful hazel eyes flutter open, a small smile appearing on her lightly freckled face.

"Good morning, Frankie. Is Nina already gone?" Maura's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, she went home about 3 hours ago."

"Please, thank her for me. None of you should be spending the night in hospital chairs, it is not comfortable." Maura shook her head lightly.

Everything seemed light and delicate around Maura these days. They all could see she was inexorably fading away.

"Don't worry… Listen… I have to go to work, but Stella just landed this morning and is here. She will spend the day with you, if that is ok? I will stop by in the end of the day to see you..."

Maura sighed and looked deeply into his eyes, before saying gently. "I will not see you again, Frankie…"

"Dr. Maura Isles does not guess." He tried to admonish her to mask the emotion on his voice.

"I don't… I can feel it in every cell of my body… It is just time…" She smiled calmly at him.

He swallowed, hard, unsure of what to say.

"I am not ready to let you go…" He squeezed her hand.

She smiled, and squeezed his hand back. "There is nothing you can do, but honor my last wishes?..." she asked, uncertain.

"Of course, Maura, that is a given." He knew what she was referring to. Being interred with the Rizzoli's, by Jane's side – besides anything else she might have written in her last wishes document.

She nodded.

"Thank you for being a friend and a brother to me." She squeezed his hand again.

"Always, Maura." He kissed her forehead. "Until I see you again, I guess?"

She nodded, and he left the room, not wanting to breakdown in front of Maura or of his daughter.

"Don't leave her alone, please." He asked Stella, kissing her temple. "And call me for any news, please?"

"Aunt Maura?" Stella entered the room. She was always fascinated with the woman. The smartest person she ever heard off. And the kindest. And the most beautiful and elegant. The person who had been her connection – and TJ's – to her late Aunt Jane. Stella didn't remember Jane, but Maura was the one to deliver them letters and videos in all special dates that she had worked out prior to Jane's passing.

"Stella, darling… Shouldn't you be in classes?" Maura asked, gently, her voice a breath, when Stella kissed her cheek, knowing the Computer Science Master's Stella was taking was a big challenge.

"I have plenty of work to do remotely here. I wanted to see you, it has been a while..."

"Three months, two weeks and four days…" Maura answered automatically, making Stella chuckle. "But who is counting?" Maura amended, lightly, making Stella's heart melt all over again. "How have you been?"

"Studying and working like crazy… But I am having a great time with the course, I cannot complain, I think I should finish my thesis in another couple of months. Thank you for incentivizing me to go the extra mile, by the way, I would not have gone for it if you had not helped me navigate through the decision process…"

"You are very bright, darling, and I am sure you are going places, as your grandma used to say…"

"Are you in any pain?" Stella asked, her eyes scanning Maura's beautiful features and seeing how much effort even speaking in shushing tones was taking her.

"I am as fine as I can possibly be, given the circumstances, Stella. You should know, though, that I don't expect to see the end of the day today. I don't want it to be a surprise for you…" Maura offered, gently, her voice soft and low.

Stella looked at her, unsure of what to say next. She felt deeply sad, Aunt Maura had always been an integral part of her life. She wanted to ask, but she was not sure if it was an appropriate question.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head, Stella. You can ask whatever you want…" And Stella appreciated the mirth that was always behind the beautiful hazel eyes boring into her coal ones.

"Aren't… Aren't you… afraid?"

Maura smiled gently at her, squeezing her hand, before replying: "No, I am not. I had a chance to see and say my goodbyes to everyone in the family these past few days. I have my affairs in order. I lived a fulfilling and beautiful life. And I did most of the things I wanted to do… I don't think I can complain…"

Maura had launched twelve mystery books that had been all very successful, seven of them already launched as movies, the other five contracted for production. She had travelled the world before Stella was born, but did it again because of the books. But Stella would always remember Maura for her constant presence in Boston, as part of her family, growing up. Maura had always been there, and Stella could not imagine their lives without Maura.

"I will miss you…" Stella said, sincerely. "I don't remember any time when you were not around… My gorgeous and super smart aunt…" Stella smiled, tears in her eyes. Maura had been there for every important moment in hers and TJ's lives. Birthdays, graduations, important competitions. Probably what Aunt Jane would have done if Aunt Jane had lived.

Maura's eyes welled in tears. "Only the loved are missed…" And Stella nodded lovingly at her, she always felt close to this wise woman. "Thank you, darling…" Maura added. "Could you please do me a favor?"

"You name it…"

"Could you please help me raise my bed a bit, and hand me the volume in the side table?"

Stella opened the little drawer, and removed from it a well-known and well-worn leather-bound volume, handing it to Maura.

"I never thought about asking you before… I grew up seeing this volume around you… Is it your Bible?"

Maura chuckled.

"I don't believe in God, Stella. But yeah, you could say this is my bible of sorts." Maura's low voice trailed, longing. "Your Aunt Jane wrote these to me."

"Oh." Stella mouthed. She had gotten used to receiving messages from Jane, written or recorded, throughout her life, handed by Maura.

"The same way she wrote and recorded things for you and for TJ… She wrote this for me." Maura explained in her whispered voice, and Stella nodded.

Stella observed Maura opening the bounded volume and getting settled in bed.

"You can go for your computer, I am not going anywhere." Maura said, smiling.

Stella smiled back, sat and opened her computer. She could hear the hustle of the pages Maura was reading moving back and forth, so she kept her concentration on the screen.

A while later, she realized the hustle had stopped, and raised her eyes urgently. The book was precariously sitting opened in Maura's lap, and Maura's head was lolling. Stella approached the bed, concerned her Aunt had passed while she was not paying attention. But she saw the barely perceptible rise of Maura's chest.

Stella reached to steady the book, and Maura woke up.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, but your book was about to fall off." Stella offered, ashamedly, but saw on Maura's raised face the trail of silent tears. "How are you feeling?"

"I really miss your Aunt Jane." Maura blurted, and Stella handed her the closed volume, that Maura hugged tightly against her chest. "She told me she would be waiting for me on the other side…"

"But you don't believe in God or in afterlife…"

Maura chuckled. "I don't. But I would be very pleased to be proved wrong this time, if that meant I could meet Jane again…" Maura finished, softly.

"She was very much loved…" Stella offered, continuing with Maura's previous sophism that only the loved are deeply missed.

"That she was… She was an amazing woman, Stella, and it is a pity that you didn't have the privilege to grow up with her."

"It was a pity… But having an amazing woman like you around was pretty extraordinary already. I can only imagine how it would have been if I could have had both of you around." Stella praised, sincerely. She would miss Maura.

"I think I need to rest for a bit. Can I bother you to lower the bed again for me?"

"You got it." Stella helped her out, placing the volume back again on the drawer by the side table. She also dimmed the lights and closed the window shades.

"Thank you, darling." Maura squeezed her hand, gently, before closing her eyes and finding a more comfortable position in the pillow.

Stella moved back to the chair and to her computer. But although she had it opened now, she knew she would not be able to concentrate. Something in her gut told her this was it. She didn't recall ever seeing her aunt asking to sleep during the day. Ever. She had seen her dozing in the sofa like she had seen a few minutes before. But not officially lying down to sleep during the day. Something about circadian rhythm, if Stella was not mistaken, was the argument Aunt Maura always offered against naps during the day.

So, she kept observing her aunt, while browsing in her mind so many lovely memories of her with Stella's family together. She recalled with a smile the first few times when she and TJ realized some oddity about Maura, just to be explained by Nonna or their parents that the woman was a genius, and that all genius had their quirks. Stella had grown to love those quirks. Stella recalled how Nonna always treated Maura as a daughter, and how many times Nonna had said that she had only survived the loss of Aunt Jane because of Maura.

Stella could remember the quiet dignity with it Maura had handled the death of her parents – her adoptive parents a few years back, and then Hope. And she could also remember how the most heartfelt loss for Maura had been when Nonna passed just the year before.

Stella didn't know exactly how much time had elapsed when she heard Maura mumbling something, and she immediately left the computer aside to get closer to the bed.

"Jane?" the voice that before had been a low whisper, now was barely a breath. Maura's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and spaced.

Stella knew her voice was not even closer to her aunt's. Jane's voice, even on the recordings, was a deep husky voice, and Stella's was way more high-pitched. She wished she could sound like Jane if this would be any consolation for her Aunt Maura in her final moments.

But she was always told by Maura that her hands were long like Jane's. So she opted to just hold Maura's hand. And tears spilled from Stella's eyes when the ghost of a smile graced Maura's lips. "Jane…" she breathed again, softly, as if relieved, her delicate fingers intertwining weakly with Stella's.

Stella observed the uneven rhythm of Maura's chest, barely noticeable. A look at the monitors showed impossibly long pauses between peaks of heart beats. Stella moved her thumb gently on top of Maura's hand, soothing. The smile on Maura's lips became wider, and the peaks on the machine even farther apart. Until Stella finally felt the fingers intertwined with hers go slack, at the same time the line on the monitor went completely flat.

Stella raised Maura's hand to hers, kissing it gently while her tears flowed freely: "I really hope Aunt Jane was waiting for you with a chilled glass of your favorite wine…"