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 37

Maura had been terrified. The letters to her parents, to Hope, to Frankie and to Angela she had hand delivered, so she knew when she gave the letters to them. And none of the letters contained life altering revelations. They were more about Maura explicitly expressing how she felt, gratitude for little things, something that ended up swallowed in the day-to-day routine.

But with Jane it had been different. She had posted it. On purpose, she didn't post it with tracking or delivery confirmation. This was all about giving up control. About being vulnerable. And human. So every night she was surprised that Jane called her on video. And after two whole weeks, Maura realized two things: unless the letter had got lost, Jane had received it. And Jane either have failed to be able to comply with the condition and destroyed the letter without reading it, or she had read the letter and complied with the condition of not letting it impact their friendship.

Maura felt immensely relieved. She didn't expect Jane to reciprocate her feelings. She didn't expect Jane to do anything different than Jane ever did. But she really didn't want to look back with the regret of never having told Jane the whole truth.

And today Maura had great news to share with Jane.

"You look like you are celebrating!" Jane pointed out when the video connection was established, and she saw Maura sipping a glass of champagne instead of the proverbial wine.

"I am!" Maura smiled brightly at her.

"Will you share why?" Jane inquired, curious.

"Well, I just learned about one hour ago that my book was accepted for publishing."

"Wow, Maura, that is huge! Congratulations!"

"And that is not all… They sent me a contract deal for a movie and a tv series based on the story, including merchandising."

"Dr. Maura Isles… Is there anything you do that you don't excel at? This does deserve a celebration! Hold on!" Maura could see Jane's excitement on her end of the video, and she disappeared for a moment, but Maura heard the hiss of a beer being opened and Jane coming back holding her bottle.

"Cheers to the one who will become a famous writer in 3… 2… 1…!" Jane raised her bottle, making Maura chuckle and raise her glass, and then both drank.

"How are you feeling?"

"Excited, exhilarated. It is just much bigger than I had anticipated."

"It is well deserved. As your beta-reader, I can attest to the quality of your writing, and I am glad they seem to have recognized it."

"Thank you, Jane!"

"So, what is next?"

"Well, I sent the proposal of the contract for my lawyers to review."

"Smart move. But what will you do? You just keep working and is a famous writer on the side?"

Maura chuckled to Jane's antics.

"Yes, that is how it has been so far, and it could continue working. But the crash made me realize how precious time is, and that although I don't control how much time I have left to live, I can choose how I live that time."

Jane nodded on her end of the line, without interrupting Maura's thought process.

"Remember I told you I was not looking forward to going back to work, not because of the work per se, but because of the night and weekend shifts and ungodly hours? I think this might be the trigger for me to resign from my position when my term is over in a few weeks."

"Wow. That is huge, Maura."

"Well, I see what a nine to five routine can do to a person when I see you. Since you went to DC, you have been healthier than ever, calmer than ever, and more balanced than I ever saw you… Our job in Homicide… It is rewarding to find justice, but it is also heartbreaking… And after almost twenty years dedicated to solving crimes, I think it is time to get to something calmer."

"You are an amazing professional, Maura, and your dedication has always been unwavering. But I agree with you, it eats us up without us noticing it, it becomes our entire life, because it is hard to justify reducing the focus, attention, or priority when the outcome is justice. But life is so much more than that, and sometimes we need to get some distance from the grind to realize that we've made our contribution, and that there are other ways for us to keep contributing but also have some form of normal life."

"Yes, that is exactly how I feel at this point…"

"Have you made your decision yet?"

"No… I am still considering it, I have a few weeks yet to decide, so I am not in a rush. You are the only one that knows, so please keep it quiet for now."

"Of course… And if you decide to leave, would you be a full-time writer? Move to Podunk Maine?"

"I don't know if I could settle with being a full-time writer, but that would be my first try, at least. And no, I would not move to Podunk Maine." Maura chuckled. "I can always try the full-time writing here in Boston before making any other life-altering decision like deciding where to live next. Or if I want to do some other more regular job besides being a full-time writer. One thing at a time."

"I am really proud of you, Maura. People might never know it, but when I think that you only began writing as an outlet for handling the aftereffects of Joe Harris abducting you by order of Alice Sands to get to me… You are living proof that you can turn trauma into shining victory. And this one will be one hell of a victory: a book, a movie, a tv series? You are totally knocking it off the park!"

"Hold your horses, Jane… We don't know yet if the book, or the movie, or the tv series, will really come to fruition."

"Of course they will. Believe, Maura. Believe!" It was the same Jane had told Maura two years ago when she first received negative feedback on the first three chapters of the book.

"I did as you told me then, and see how far it brought me!"

"I do see… Hey, when the book is launched, what will I need to do to get an autographed copy?"

"Are you kidding? You will be a VIP guest on my book signing and have your very own copy with a personalized dedication on it!"

"Oh, the perks of being part of famous people's lives before they ever became famous!" Jane teased.