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 2

"The fact that Switzerland has a self-imposed neutrality policy for more than a century is making things harder." The diplomat tried to explain.

"With all due respect, sir, I am not here for a political or historical discussion. All that I want is to find information about my parents." Maura explained, trying to keep her worry in check and her voice controlled.

"I understand your concern, Dr. Isles, but I have no avenue to help you with that. Communications have been cut and we have no news. If that was all…" He stood up, making it clear the conversation was over.

Maura didn't give any sign of moving, numb. Jane, who had accompanied her under the explicit request of keeping quiet and letting Maura handle the discussions, touched her arm.

"Maura?"

Maura seemed to wake up from her reverie, and seeing the diplomat standing up, accepted Jane's support on her elbow to stand up too.

"I am sorry for not being able to help you more, Dr. Isles, I really am. If and when communications are reestablished, we can speak again." He shook her hand, before he walked out from the hearing room.

Jane offered her arm to Maura, who looped hers through it, and let Jane lead the way out of the building and to a nearby café.

Maura realized a few minutes had elapsed when a waitress deposited a cup of tea in front of her, and a cup of coffee in front of Jane.

"Maura?" Jane tried, noticing Maura's eyes were finally focusing on her surroundings, not lost in thought as before.

Maura raised her hazel eyes full of concern to meet warm chocolate brown ones.

"Your tea. Drink it, before it gets cold." Jane motioned, hoping the chamomile tea she had ordered for Maura would help calm her nerves down a little.

Winter was on them, and the hot beverage should help.

Maura sipped the tea, absentmindedly, while Jane consumed her coffee, observing Maura intently.

The war had exploded almost three weeks ago. Maura had been in DC since then.

But Maura's efforts in trying to find news or communicate with her parents had not been fruitful so far.

The international community had confusing and conflicting and very superficial news.

Jane had been helping her knocking on all doors they could think of as Maura tried to find about her parents. This diplomat today had been the last one from a two pages list Maura had prepared, from most likely to least likely to help. Every one of them had found an excuse, and nobody had helped.

Jane had been with Maura to every meeting that she managed to squeeze in between her classes. She had seen each door closing on Maura's face. She had seen how each refusal had broken Maura's heart a little bit more.

"Maura…" Jane tried again, seeing Maura had barely touched her tea.

Maura swallowed hard before responding. "I tried everything, Jane. I don't know what else to do now." She admitted, her voice strangled. "It has been three weeks without any news…"

The Isles property in Switzerland was on the border with Germany, close to Zurich, what put them on the direct path of an invasion. Maura had been worried sick. Jane knew Maura had been eating and sleeping less and less as each day elapsed. No amount of make up now was able to conceal the dark shades under Maura's eyes, and nothing could be done about her thinning face.

"I… well… I spoke to Cameron this morning while you were waiting here…" Jane started sheepishly. Her relationship with Davies, that had picked up speed as soon as she moved to DC, had cooled off after just a few months, but they parted as friends, and he had been transferred to Europe just six months ago. "He said he cannot help officially, given nobody has taken sides yet, and information is inexistent."

"Yeah… I heard that from more than one of the people I spoke to…" Maura buried her hands in her hair, sighing dejectedly.

"However…" Jane added. "He also explained that the fact nobody took sides yet creates kind of a limbo if someone is brave enough to get there… As long as the person understands and takes full responsibility about being right in the middle of a warzone and not counting with any help or support…"

Maura raised hopeful eyes.

"So I could try to get there to check on them, maybe even get them out of there, before the world takes sides and it becomes impossible…"

"But… he reinforced ad nausea that there is the risk of being caught off in between enemy fire." Jane added, carefully.

"Of course. There is always risk when there is war." Maura had no illusions about it.

"He… he suggested an itinerary he thinks could be tried." Jane reluctantly explained.

"That is wonderful, Jane. Where is it?" Maura's voice sounded more enthusiastic than it had in the past three weeks.

"I… I will share it with you… On one condition…"

Maura furrowed her brows.

"Which is?..."

"You need to allow me to go with you."

"No." Maura stated flatly.

Jane didn't say anything.

"You can't, Jane. You just said it yourself. There is the risk of being caught off in between enemy fire." Maura tried to convince Jane.

"Yes, it is risky. And you are not going to face that risk on your own. So it is either the two of us, or nothing."

"But Jane… You have your work…"

"I will take an unpaid leave, so nothing can be tied back to an American agent in official capacity. The last thing any of us need is to add a political issue to whatever we do… Maura… I cannot let you do this alone. It is too dangerous. Let's be honest, it is likely too dangerous even if we both are together. So, what do you say? Take it or leave it…" Jane challenged.

"You ask as if you are giving me any alternative…" Maura huffed, deviating her eyes.

Jane picked Maura's hand in hers, her warm chocolate brown eyes urgently boring into sad hazel ones.

"Please, Maura. Let me help you, let me go with you… Please…"

Maura sighed, but gave her a lopsided smile, shaking her head. "You are crazy… I don't know anyone who would plead to go into a war zone…"

"Well, I also don't know anyone who would voluntarily enter a collapsing building with an experimental thermal device, and yet, there you were…" Jane replied warmly, squeezing Maura's hand for emphasis.

Maura chuckled, shaking her head. "Thank you, Jane… Let's do this…"