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.

Please find the full disclaimers in the beginning of Chapter 1.

Chapter 11

The next three days were spent in similar fashion. Jane would wake up early, and alternate – ensnaring a rabbit one day, fishing another. Weather had been good, so she had done some laundry every day. She convinced Maura to do her physical therapy exercises twice a day, and Jane observed that Maura had increased the counting to ten for each exercise, what was progress.

After three days, Jane began to see a shift. Maura was not dragging her feet any longer. She was able to use the crutches as support to shuffle and waddle. It was far from proper walking, but it was a visible progress in just a few days and with no resources whatsoever.

Jane explained her plan to Maura, knowing any day now WitSec would come. For the three-day window of their visit, Jane knew she would need to lay low. She was glad they came early in the day. The moment she heard the noise of a vehicle on the road still far away, she picked her backpack, squeezed Maura's hand, and left through a back window to hide in the bushes and trees by the river.

She could see the black sedan approaching. Jane's heart was thudding on her chest. She had made everything to avoid leaving any obvious evidence there were two people in the farm. She had also reviewed the list of things Maura had previously requested from WitSec, and helped Maura prepare the updated list with what she wanted for their next visit. Maura had pouted, because that meant an admission that things were not resolved, but Jane had convinced her that the worst it would happen was that they would have wasted time preparing the list.

Jane just hoped Maura would not trip on her own tongue – she was still unable to lie.

When the doors of the sedan opened, Jane's mind jumped. What if this was not WitSec? What if this was someone trying to hurt Maura? Jane felt sick to her stomach – less than a week ago she was still sure her best friend was dead. What if someone else had found about Maura?

Jane had to hold her horses not to approach. In all likelihood it was WitSec. But her doubts gave her something else to think while she waited. She needed to be ready to defend Maura. To get some signal to know it was really WitSec. She needed some type of weapon. She had been so involved into enjoying bringing Maura back to the fold of the living, that she had overlooked investigating the house for anything that could be useful. But that would change as soon as WitSec left.

And luckily, they didn't stay long. After a little less than an hour, they moved out of the farmhouse, entered the car, and drove away, a cloud of dust behind them.

Just in case, Jane waited for another good half an hour, anxious to get back to Maura but wanting to make sure they had not forgotten something and turned around on her.

Jane only moved when Maura went to the bedroom window through which Jane had left, and waved at her with a white kitchen towel. The coast was clear.

Jane jogged back to the house with her backpack.

Maura was sitting on the bed, still tired from standing and moving from one place to another.

"Are you okay?"

Maura lifted her smiling face to Jane.

"Yes… I don't think they suspected you were here with me."

"Great… Did they bring everything you had asked before?"

"Yes, everything and then some. And I gave them the new list. Supply wise we should be covered, they said again they will be back in another seven to ten days, unless there is some surprise development."

"Surprise development?"

"Well, I asked about how the case was going, how close I was to being free? It was a long shot, I thought they would just dismiss it, but they said that although there are no promises, the Agency had two suspects from other mob families in custody. They used this exact expression: 'you are very respected, Doc, and a lot of people are mowing them down to get information to get to the bottom of all of this. They don't know that you are alive, but they are working tirelessly to bring you some measure of justice.'"

"Those are excellent news, Maura!" Jane had to agree.

"I thought so, too…"

"Do you want to rest some?"

"No, I will move to the sofa, so I can be with you while you take inventory and organize things."

"Okay."

Jane was glad to see they had brought plenty of canned protein – chicken, tuna, vienna sausages, sloppy joes in cans. Jane didn't want Maura to have to explain how she was getting her protein otherwise, and besides Jane was sure the rabbits would soon disappear since her hunting area was limited, and Jane needed to assume that they might be here for a while yet.

They had brought better medical supplies, and Maura had asked for things that would help with her PT for their next trip. So in that front Jane knew Maura was covered.

And they had brought a few flashlights and batteries, and Jane was very grateful for it.

Maura had begged them to bring her a few books the next time, and Jane knew how to be mentally idle was not a good deal for her genius friend.

She didn't want to spook Maura, but she needed to talk to her about the subject of security.

"Are we all set?" Maura asked, seeing Jane storing the last thing and approaching her in the sofa.

"For now, we are… Listen… I was thinking while I was in the river. When the car arrived, I was scared it was not WitSec, but someone else who had found you…"

"Do you think someone could find me here, in the middle of nowhere?" Maura asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"I hope not. But I would rather be safe than sorry. WitSec didn't realize I came, so God forbids someone else finds out where you are, it is also unlikely WitSec would know. It will not hurt us to be prepared for that."

"I see your point. If you move away as soon as a car approaches, if that car is a threat, you have no way to know."

"Exactly."

So together they devised a way for Maura to signal if it was WitSec. It would be some noise, that would change every visit – otherwise even WitSec would guess. But she would drop a pan, or a chair, something that would not break but would be noisy enough for Jane to hear from her hiding point a few yards from the river.

Jane also searched the entire house, but found no gun. So, she got herself satisfied with a piece of barring wood that had been discarded. It would have the effect of a bat, and given Jane's strength in baseball, it would cause some damage if she ever needed to use it.