A New Path

By RandomGnome

Note: After a very long hiatus, I am back. This isn't my usual fair, but bless Hulu, it has S1 – S6 of Rizzoli and Isles and I finally got to watch all of them. After watching the whole thing, I decided that it could use with a little Rizzles and some re-writes of episodes. I hope you enjoy it. The characters are not mine and I do not own anything but the story plot. Mostly.

Chapter One: Gathering Kindling (Killer in High Heels)

Boston Police Department Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli signed her name on the bottom of the report and closed the folder. She let out a sigh of relief. Maura had sent her a text a few hours ago to let her know that she was free and back home. She had wanted to rush straight over there, to make sure that her best friend was doing okay, but that would leave the report until tomorrow. She really wanted to put this to rest, so she stayed well past her shift to finish up. Frankie, Korsak, and Frost had all gone home - at her request - and Jane was now alone. She needed this, needed to get herself together before she went to see Maura.

Seeing her best friend in prison had been one of the worst things she'd ever witnessed, especially since she knew Maura hadn't killed Brad. She hated that she'd had to put her job before her friendship with the M.E.. It had made her feel more than a little dirty arresting Maura because the evidence was so overwhelmingly against her. Everyone knew she didn't do it - except Maura herself. Jane felt so responsible for everything that had happed to Maura while she was in prison. It hurt her heart. It made her angry. It tied her stomach up in knots, and it had made her feel so many things that she'd been trying to bottle up and keep stuffed down for so many years.

Jane ran her hands through her thick mane of hair in a vain attempt to reign in her emotions. No matter that they had found the real killer, Maura had been in prison for over 24 hours and had suffered because of it. If it hadn't been for that guard on Paddy Doyle's payroll, her time there would have been much worse and it was all Jane's fault. Her fault that the real killer hadn't been found faster; her fault that Maura's beautiful face now sported an impressive shiner, her cheek swollen and bruised. If she ever found the person who had done that to her friend... Nope, that wasn't working.

She sighed again. It was late. Maybe she should just wait and go see Maua in the morning. The M.E. had been through a traumatic experience and she probably just wanted to curl up in bed with some wine and a medical journal or some other brainy thing to read. Trouble was, Jane needed to see her best friend, just to make sure she was okay, and to give her a hug because it was the one thing she hadn't been able to do throughout this whole ordeal. She also needed to get something off of her chest, something that had been bothering her since she'd seen her friend passed out on the couch in her home.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up. It was a text from Maura. It simply said, Jane.

Maura was awake and she wanted Jane's company. Jane knew that one word was a code, was Maura-speak for "I miss you. Please come." She replied immediately because it would be rude to ignore the entreaty. Maura had taught her that short of being dead or driving, not responding to her texts or calls was rude. She'd learned a lot from her friend over the years.

Just finished up here. I'm on my way. Do you need anything?

Maura responded quickly with Jane.

That made the detective smile. She grabbed her keys out of her desk and made her way out of the bull pen, then took the stairs down to the lobby because it was faster than the elevator. She said good night to the uniformed on duty officer at the door and he smiled as he waved her out.

"Tell Doctor Isles that we all knew she didn't do it, would you, Detective?"

Jane stopped at the door and turned her head to look at him with a smile. "You bet, Jeremy. Thank you. Good night." He nodded once.

Maura's house was only a mile from Headquarters and there were times that Jane felt ridiculous driving there. Tonight, she wanted to fly there. Instead, she eased into the sparse, but still steady stream of cars and followed sedately until she was in front of Maura's Beacon Hill home. Her usual parking spot was open - it was an unspoken rule in the classy neighborhood that the spot directly in front of Maura's home was for the Detective. Before she went in, Jane took off her gun and badge and put them both in the glove compartment. The less of a cop she appeared to be was probably best. She couldn't believe that the last time she'd come here it had been to arrest her best friend. Jane could still see the fear, the sadness, and the betrayal in Maura's expression and it stabbed at her. She needed to fix that.

At the door, she knocked lightly, knowing that Maura would hear her. The door opened and the Medical Examiner stuck her head out. She smiled as soon as she saw her friend and opened the door wide.

"Jane." She said. Jane saw through her, though. Her tone was just a little too controlled and her smile was weary.

"Hey Maur." Jane greeted her as she stepped inside. She shut the door, then turned all of her attention on her friend and frowned. Maura was wearing her comfort pajamas - plain cotton - and she looked like she had been crying. Her face was not as swollen as it had been, but it was still impressive colours and her beautiful hazel-green eyes were red-rimmed. The detective felt her anger rise up, but pushed it back down. Maura didn't need anger, she needed a friend. Her friend needed her, too.

Jane opened her arms and Maura was in them almost at once. Jane's arms closed around her petite frame hard and Maura's arms were just as bracing. The blond buried her face in Jane's neck and let out a full body shudder as she began to cry softly into Jane's dark hair. Jane rested her chin on Maura's head and inhaled the scent of her expensive shampoo. She crooned softly to her friend, words of comfort for them both. She was always surprised at how well they fit together - Jane was so much taller than Maura was when the other woman wasn't wearing her heels. None the less, they seemed to complement each other and their bodies were as suited together as apple pie and ice cream. It was something that Jane had never found with anyone else.

Maura didn't cry for long - she was too well brought up for that. When she stopped, though, she didn't pull away from Jane. She whispered brokenly, "Thank you."

Jane made a dismissive sound and held her tighter. Maura sighed and relaxed. That helped Jane to take a deep breath of Maura scented air and to force some of her own tension to ease.

They stayed like that for a few minutes more before Maura's arms uncoiled from Jane's waist and she stood straighter. Jane let her step away, missing her warmth as soon as it was gone. Maura smiled at her again and this time it was a real smile that lit up her eyes. Jane smiled back.

"Thank you for coming over tonight."

"Anytime. Do you have a beer? I could really use one." Jane replied. Maur's dimples peeked out and she nodded.

"Of course. I was just having some wine." The M.E. moved to her kitchen and got a cold beer out of the fridge for Jane, stopping to open it before handing it over. Jane thanked her and took a grateful swig. Then she and Maura went into the living room of Maura's home and sat down next to each other on the sofa. Jane took another drink, then set her beer on the coaster on the coffee table next to Maura's half empty glass of red wine. She turned slightly so she could face her friend.

"Maura, I need to apologize," she began. Maura shook her head and put up a hand.

"Jane, no. You were only doing your job. Even I thought the evidence was overwhelming."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Not for that. Well, not just for that. No, I need to say I'm sorry for leaving you at that fund raiser. If I had stayed with you, this whole thing never would have happened."

Maura gave her an odd look that Jane couldn't decipher. "Jane, we both know you couldn't have stayed. You would have been bored in a minute, listening to that man and I."

Jane noticed that she wouldn't say Brad's name. She didn't blame the other woman in the least. The sooner they left him in the past the better. Still. "That's probably true. It doesn't mean that this whole thing wasn't my fault."

"I'm a grown woman, Jane. I made my decision. You can't blame yourself for that." Maura contradicted her. She reached for her glass and took a drink. Then another. "I'll never be able to drink Chateau De La Valance again." She said, a little catch in her voice. "It's been ruined for me."

Jane reached out and squeezed Maura's free hand. "Lucky for you, there are many other kinds of wine for you to partake in."

"True. Thank you, Jane."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Maura said, "Angela came by. She apologized for showing Lieutenant Cavanaugh that video of me."

Jane let out a gusty sigh and rolled her eyes. She was still kind of angry at her ma for showing that video to her boss. Mentally, professionally, she understood why her mother had done what she did, but it still hurt that she hadn't come to Jane first. She picked up her beer and took a couple more drinks.

When Jane didn't say anything, Maura went on, "She told me what you said. That you would have erased the video, not shown it to anyone."

"Yeah." Jane confirmed, with conviction. "I would have. In a heartbeat, Maura."

"Oh Jane. You couldn't have destroyed evidence like that. You're too good a cop for that."

"Maur, if it would have kept you out of that place, I would have done anything." Jane insisted.

"But all of the evidence was already arrayed against me. That video really only showed that I knew how to defend myself."

Jane scoffed. "Maur it showed that you were strong enough and knew enough to punch someone in the throat. Ma knew that and she showed it to Cavanaugh anyway. And yes, I know, the evidence was bad, it all pointed to you, but the video was like icing on the cake and that just wasn't fair of her."

But Maura disagreed. "Come on, Jane. It's not like Angela knew about the other evidence - you didn't tell her, Frankie didn't tell her, and Cavanaugh certainly didn't tell her - how was she supposed to know? All that she knew was what Susie told her, in confidence."

Jane took a long drink of her beer, letting the cold beverage cool her temper. Maura didn't need temper. Maura just needed her friend. She could be mad at her mother later, in private.

"Okay. Okay. Look, I know Ma was only doing what she thought she needed to, but Maur, she wasn't the one who had to come here and arrest you. I did that. Me. Maura..." Jane's voice took on a plaintive edge.

Maura set her glass down, took Jane's beer from her hands, and then took her hands in her own. Maura's hands were smaller than her own, the fingers so fine and dexterous were part of what made her so good at what she did. They were warm and solid and Jane held on to them like they were a life-line.

"Jane, I don't blame you at all, okay. None of this was your fault at all. You did your job and you figured out who really killed that man. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Honestly, it's because of you that I didn't stay in that place for longer. I love you for that."

Jane finally smiled. "Yeah, we did do a pretty good job, didn't we? We couldn't have done it without you, though."

Maura smiled back at her. "Well, we always do make a great team. I'm just glad that we did it before Popov showed up. That could have been a disaster."

Jane laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, he's due in tomorrow morning, and he doesn't know we already solved the case. Do you think we could get someone to make sure his findings work with the story that Tucker told?"

Maura gave a little giggle at that. "Well, I can't actually do the autopsy, but I can 'observe' and make some helpful comments." She suggested.

"Are you sure you want to go back tomorrow? I mean, we'd all understand if you wanted to take some time off, you know, to recover." Jane replied, trying and failing to not look at Maura's cheek in all its glory. It was black and blue near her eye, making it look like she hadn't been sleeping or had some really bad allergies. The middle was yellowed, mixed with a sickly green. At least it didn't look so swollen anymore.

Maura gave her a hesitant nod. "Yes, Jane. I need to go back to work. It's better than sitting here, doing nothing. Besides, I took some anti-inflammatories and I do know how to do my make-up. Tomorrow, nobody will know that I was punched. In the face."

Jane flinched inwardly at that. She wished that there was something more she could do. She wanted to go back in time and stop it all from happening. Instead, she smiled at her friend and said, "How many times have you had to cover up a black eye?"

Maura laughed and shook her head. "Well, none. But I've had to cover up my share of haematomas, especially in college. I was actually quite popular amongst the women of my sorority when their boyfriends got a little too... " She trailed off with a smirk, hoping Jane would get her meaning.

"Hickies? You're saying you know how to cover a hicky, Maura? Man, I really missed out on that college experience." Jane was being sarcastic again.

Maura's smiled widened. "I can make it look like it never happened. If you and Casey should ever need my services."

Jane let out a sharp laugh of her own. "Of course you can. Okay, well if you're sure, I won't stop you. I know what it's like, wanting to get back to doing what you're good at. And I sure as hell don't want Popov to stick around any longer than he should. Ugh!" She rolled her eyes.

That just made Maura laugh again. "He won't. As soon as he finishes the autopsy, he will be gone and we can get back to normal."

Jane stared at her friend and matched her smile. Normal. She wouldn't call their lives normal and she wouldn't call everything that she'd been feeling lately normal. Every time she saw that smile, heard Maura laugh, she felt the ties that Maura had inextricably placed around her heart tighten. She felt things that she had no control over and couldn't shake. She did her very best to ignore them, though, because she feared what could happen to them if she let herself act on how she felt. She could lose everything she'd started to build over the past few years. She could lose *Maura* and no matter what, that was unacceptable. It meant that she swallowed her feelings and they had nights like this.

"Good." Jane realized that they were still holding hands and gently extracted hers. She missed the contact instantly. "If you're coming in to the office in the morning, I should let you get to sleep. Or do you want me to stay?" They hadn't had a sleep-over in a while, not since Casey had come back and left again.

"I'll be okay, Jane. I promise. Just being back here has been helpful."

"Well, if you're sure." Jane tried not to sound disappointed.

"I am. Come on, finish your beer. You need your sleep as much as I do."

Jane picked up her beer and complied, downing the rest of the bottle in one swig. They talked for a few more minutes before Jane got to her feet. Maura followed, walking Jane to the door. They hugged once more before the detective said good night and went back to her car. It was a short walk, but she had a brilliant idea as she was opening her door. She'd call Korsak and Cavanaugh as soon as she got home. Maura deserved a proper welcome back in the morning. She'd make sure that it happened. She couldn't have Maura as her own, but she could do everything in her power to make sure the M.E. was happy.