A/N: Hello again, you wonderful readers! It's been too long since I updated this story, I know. Sooo, here's the longest chapter yet. I hope you like it! A HUGE thank you goes out to those of you that have sent me reviews, and those of you that follow/favorite this story. You are the best people! As usual, all mistakes are my own. I'm only human, and without a beta! Unfortunately, I don't own these characters, yada yada, just the story idea. (Plus, the writers aren't leaving much to subtext anymore, are they? I mean, these last episodes have been full of gay :) ) Enjoy! (or don't, I guess that's up to you.)

Jane ran. She ran faster and harder than she thought she could, the blood pounding in her ears as tears and raindrops streamed down her face. Behind her, she could hear Maura's distressed voice. What was she saying? Jane couldn't make it out, but she wasn't about to turn around now and get some lecture about how everything would be okay, followed by some scientific facts, no doubt. As Jane's feet hit the soaked pavement with each step, everything faded behind her. Her mind went blank and her body went numb and she relied on her feet to carry the rest of her back home. Jane finally snapped out of it once she saw her apartment just a couple blocks away. She felt the pain in her feet and realized how hard breathing had become. Whether that was from the uncontrollable sobbing or the fact that she had just sprinted from Maura's back to her place, she wasn't sure. In the hallway, Jane fumbled around in her jacket pocket, looking for the key to her apartment. Finding it, she pulled it out and with a shaky hand managed to get inside. She closed the door behind her and leaned her back up against it, taking deep breaths to try to control her tears. She couldn't take it anymore. Jane stumbled over to the refrigerator, pulled out a beer, and sank to the floor with her back against the now-closed refrigerator door. She couldn't help thinking that she had messed everything up. Maybe she should go back over to Maura's? Or at least call her. No, how could she do that after the scene she had just caused? But damn, that kiss had been the best thing to happen to her, Jane realized, and she was almost certain that Maura had kissed her back, hadn't she? The tears kept falling down Jane's face and splashed onto the floor as she kept drinking herself into a stupor, and before long, Jane was passed out on her kitchen floor.

"Jaaaaanie," the sickening voice called out to her. "No," Jane thought, "This isn't happening, not again." A cold sweat formed on Jane's brow and her breathing quickened. She tried to move, wanted to run, but her feet were stuck firmly in place as she watched Hoyt saunter up to her. A whimper escaped Jane's lips as Hoyt reached out a hand to caress her face. "Shhh, Janie, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to talk to you for a little bit," he cooed, a gleam of something evil in his eyes.

"What do you want from me, Hoyt," Jane tried to say as evenly as she could, her voice only cracking slightly at the end.

"Oh, I don't want anything from you, dear," he sneered, "My buddy is going to take plenty away from you though," he laughed mercilessly.

"I know the murders are being done to get to me, that part has been pretty obvious." Jane tried to get the upper hand, but she knew there was always something else Hoyt had thought of before she had.

"Oh yes, I had certainly hoped you would have caught on to that part by now," Hoyt laughed again. "But you're missing the first part of this game." Jane continued to stare intently at him, wondering where he was going to go with this. "Didn't you realize, Janie? The girls being chosen are the young, pretty girls, not unlike Dr. Isles, don't you think? Then they're dressed up to look like you, and given my signature." Hoyt looked quite pleased as Jane's face grew pale as what he was saying sunk in to her.

"No, you wouldn't dare…" Jane trailed off, unable to even say the words.

"You're right, I wouldn't. Unfortunately, I can't do anything anymore now that you've killed me. All that's left is this sick banter that we have every once in a while in your nightmares." Hoyt grinned at Jane, knowing he had struck a nerve. Of course he had. After all, this entire thing was Jane's doing. Her subconscious was an amazing thing. Jane turned from Hoyt and ran her fingers through her hair. Was the killer going to go after Maura next, and then come for Jane? She had to get this all figured out before it was too late.

"Janie, I've got one last present for you," Hoyt called to her from behind.

"What do you want, scum-" but Jane's words were cut short as Hoyt jumped at her as she was turning around and he pinned her to the ground. He pulled a scalpel out of his pocket and pressed it to her throat with a wicked grin on his face.

"Sweet dreams," he jeered at her, and started to slide the cold blade across her neck.

"NO!" Jane screamed.

The screaming, it echoed in her head and seemed to go on for too long. Was that all her doing, or had someone else screamed too? She wasn't sure, but the pounding in her head let her know that she was most definitely awake. Jane's entire body was stiff, but she supposed that was warranted after spending the night on the hard kitchen floor. She used the nearby counter edge to pull herself up to her feet. The room seemed brighter, and after glancing at the microwave clock she saw that it was 6:45 a.m. Just after the time she normally woke up. The sweat from her nightmare clung to her clothes still, as Jane went to grab some new clothes from her bedroom and headed off towards the shower. The hot water helped to dull her pains, and soothe the painful memory of her most recent nightmare. Just as she started to dry off, she heard her phone ring in the other room. Her heart leapt at the thought that maybe Maura had decided to call her and see if everything was alright. No such luck, it was Korsak.

"Rizzoli." Jane answered the phone with her customary greeting.

"Jane, stay in your apartment. I'll be there in ten, be ready to work.

"Wha-, um, okay?" Jane sputtered.

"I'll explain when I get there," and with that the line went dead. Jane hurried back to the bathroom and got dressed, throwing her hair up into a ponytail as she went along.

Finally, Jane heard an urgent knock at her door. She peeked through the peephole and was surprised to see Frost standing there instead of Korsak.

"Frost, what are you-," Jane started as she opened the door. Frost held up his hand and cut her off mid-sentence.

"Korsak sent me down to get you. I was, um, of little use to them at the crime scene." Jane could have guessed as much from the sickly look on Frost's face. "This one's bad, Jane, he wasn't sure if you should see it, but we figured you'd find out about it anyway, especially when it happened so close to you…" Frost trailed off.

"Well, let's get on with it then," she chided, grabbing her keys from the coffee table nearby and locking the door behind her. Frost was silent as they climbed up the two flights of stairs. When they reached the hallway, Korsak was waiting outside of an apartment for them.

"Jane, it's bad. I know you won't listen to me about staying out of this, but prepare yourself. Frost, you wait out here." Frost and Jane both nodded at Korsak's words. Jane took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. As she walked into the apartment, she immediately saw why Frost hadn't lasted long in here. The victim was another female, dressed in a blazer and dress pants, but the killer had gone all out with this one. Her eyes were first drawn to the blood all over the victim's front and that which had stained the carpet around the woman. The victim's throat was slashed, not quite as neatly as the others, and it seemed deeper, too, from what Jane could tell. What she noticed next nearly made her sick. The woman had had her hands impaled by scalpels which were still stuck through the hands and into the carpet. Jane felt vomit bubbling in the back of her throat.

"Victim's name is Janessa Richards," Korsak informed her. Jane nodded her head. "Did you know her at all, Jane?"
"Not really," she answered truthfully, "we would run into each other every once in a great while. Exchanged the usual 'Hellos," not much other than that though."

"I understand," Korask said, "I'm sorry you had to see her like this, Jane. We didn't want to move the body before the M.E. could take a look at it. Speaking of which, do you know where Dr. Isles is this morning? None of us could get a hold of her, so Dr. Pike is on his way over." Jane swallowed and looked down at the floor. "No, I haven't seen Maura since last night…" Jane seemed to be uncomfortable at the mention of her best friend, Korsak noticed, but he decided not to pry into it. The two ladies would work out whatever was going on between them, they always did. Jane, on the other hand, was worried that Maura was avoiding her. "No," Jane thought, "She wouldn't let something like that get in the way of work. Her job is far too important to her. Shit…the dream…they can't get a hold of Maura… I need to go check on her." Jane suddenly looked up from the floor. "Korsak, I've gotta run back to my apartment, then I'll go check on Maura. I'll meet you guys back at the station, once you guys have finished with Dr. Pike over here." Korsak acknowledged Jane's words with a nod of his head while he talked with another worker at the crime scene. Jane turned on her heels and rushed back downstairs, ignoring the questioning looks of Frost and Frankie as she passed them in the hallway.

When she reached her door, Jane was surprised to find a note on it. It read:

Missing something? What a shame. Come alone if you want it back. I don't like to be kept waiting…

Jane flipped the note over to see the short address on the back. "No, dammit, not Maura! This is all my fault." Jane's mind raced while her heart rate skyrocketed. Phone and keys in hand, she turned tail and ran out to find her car, with tears burning in her eyes.

A/N: I hope I did this chapter justice. I find it kind of fun to write Hoyt in, is that twisted?