Author Note: Hello again. This is my new story...and it's...going to be an interesting one, I hope. I have lots of ideas rolling around in my head and this one actually came to me quite quickly, and grabbed me by the neck and refused to let go until I started writing. So I did.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Rizzoli & Isles, but now it's over, I get to play in their sandbox without anything getting in my way... (except my own life)

"Doctor Isles."

Maura ran her gloved hands along the man's clavicle, feeling her way across the shattered bone. She sighed, but continued on until the end, before standing upright. She slipped off her gloves and pressed pause on the stereo, her collection of classical music stopped mid-note.

"Yes?"

The uniformed officer stared at the body, his face paled. She walked around the table and pushed him back out of the door. She wasn't in the mood to catch a faller, not today.

"What can I do for you, Officer?"

"I tried calling but you didn't answer."

"Did you leave a message?"

"It's urgent."

She scanned his face, the colour returned to his cheeks. He seemed genuine enough. "Is it work related?"

"Err," he paused and glanced over her shoulder, she turned and followed his gaze through the glass toward the body.

"First?"

"Second." He cleared his throat and looked her in the eye. "I don't know if it's work related. All I know is there's a teenage boy at the front desk asking to see you. Maybe he's a relative."

"I have been waiting to hear back from the man's sister." She smiled and the man's worrisome expression softened. "Does this boy have a name?"

"He didn't give one."

"I'll be there in a few minutes, I need to store Mr Khan appropriately."

He nodded and walked quickly out of the lab. Maura's lips curved at the edges, she pressed them together to disguise the smirk forming. She could see him through the glass window, still cautiously turning back while waiting for the elevator.

She returned Mr Khan to the refrigerators then took the elevator up to the first floor. She walked out across the entranceway but there was no one waiting. She found the young officer helping an elderly lady toward the stairs. He nodded at the cafe. Maura turned and walked over.

Her eyes landed on the teenager long before she reached him. His sandy blonde hair meant he was unlikely to be a blood relative of Mr Khan, whose ethnic origin, she had come to understand, was almost certainly Pakistani. She approached the young man.

"Hello," she said, standing beside him. "I'm Doctor Isles, you wanted to see me."

He glanced up, his pale blue eyes stared back at her, searching her face as she searched his. Her heart leaped into her throat. Maura reached a hand out to the chair opposite, to steady herself. The last time she saw him he was only two years old, but he was still as familiar to her as that Fall day.

"Hello." He stayed seated, his eyes fixed on her for a moment. Maura slid into the chair opposite. His eyes were paler than she remembered, his hair a shade darker.

"What are you doing here?" She narrowed her eyes. "Does your father know you're here?"

"No."

"We should call him," Maura said, standing up. She patted the sides of her dress but she'd left her cellphone in her office. "Do you have a cell?"

He shook his head and lowered his gaze. "I don't want him to know I'm here."

"Why not?" Maura sat down again. She reached her hand across to his, then pulled it back again. She tucked them together under the table. "You look well. Are you well?"

"I'm fine." He stared down at the salt and pepper shakers on the table.

Maura's heart raced, her whole body felt like it was running a marathon. She slowed her breathing, forced herself to breath deeper until her heart rate slowed a little.

"Would you like a drink?"

"I have some water," he said, kicking the backpack at his side.

She looked down at the black fabric backpack. Then followed his navy blue slacks on up to the blazer with a school crest on the pocket.

Maura narrowed her eyes. "You should be at school."

"Yeah." He didn't move.

"Would you like me to drive you?"

"To Vermont?"

Maura lifted her gaze, her eyes locked with the teenage boy's again. Her heart thrummed harder. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "You live in Vermont?"

"Yes." He frowned. "Didn't you know that?"

"No."

"Oh."

"I have work to do," Maura said. "I suppose you could come and sit in my office until I'm done."

"Why?"

"So I can drive you home."

"I don't want to go home."

Maura's eyebrows creased together. "Why not?"

"I just don't wanna."

"Do you have homework?"

"No."

"What grade are you in? I could find some material so you won't fall behind."

"Ninth."

"You're a freshman?"

He shrugged. "I'm hungry. I didn't bring much money."

"I can get you a sandwich," Maura said, standing up. She walked over to the counter, then turned back around. "I don't know what kind of sandwiches you like."

"Anything without cheese."

"Coming right up."

She ordered two sandwiches and carried them toward the elevator. The boy followed, his backpack thrown over one shoulder. When the doors closed behind them, Maura felt her whole body tense up. They were alone and she didn't know what to say. By the time the doors opened again, the silence had grown unpalatable.

"My office is in here," she said, walking across the hallway, thankful for something focused to share. The door was open. Maura paused. Jane sat at the coffee table. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought we could get lunch," she said. "But I see you've already got something."

"I should go," the boy said, his eyes landed on Jane. She frowned. He turned around and walked back through the door.

"Luke, wait." Maura placed the plates on the coffee table and walked back out to the corridor. "Don't go."

"You have work."

"I have time," she said.

"She can have my sandwich."

"No." Maura reached her hand out to his shoulder, then pulled it back. "I can't leave a child to walk around the city on their own. Please come back inside, let me finish off my work, and I can drive you home."

"I have a bus ticket."

"I'm not letting you catch the bus."

"I caught it here."

"So?" Maura sighed. "You said you were hungry. At least eat something before you go."

He shrugged. "Okay."

They returned to the office. Jane had already taken a bite out of Maura's sandwich. "Sorry. I was hungry."

"Luke, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli, she likes food."

Jane rolled her eyes.

"Jane, this is Luke."

"Hello, Luke." She wiped her hand on her slacks and stood up, holding one out. Luke stared at it. "You can shake it, if you want."

He smiled and shook her hand. "Do you have a gun?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter how old you are, you kids always ask about the gun."

"Can I see it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We have rules."

"I won't shoot anyone accidentally," he said, sitting down and picking up his sandwich. "I've used a gun before, I know how to shoot safely."

"You've learned how to shoot a gun?"

"Yeah, at school." He shrugged, then turned back to Jane, his face lit up.

"No can do, kid." Jane sat back down beside him and picked up the half of Maura's sandwich she'd already bitten into.

"Feel free to help yourself," Maura said, raising her eyebrows.

"I will, thanks," Jane said, about to take another bite of her sandwich. "So, Luke, how do you know Doctor Isles?"

He narrowed his eyes at Maura. "I…we used to know each other."

"A long time ago," Maura said. She focused her attention on her half sandwich, anything to distract her from Jane's eyes, or the silence that settled uncomfortably between them.

"Good talk," Jane said, after a while. She stood up. "I should get back. You wanna get drinks later?"

"I can't," Maura said. "I have to drive Luke home."

"Okay. I'll probably see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, tomorrow."

She left the room, pressed the button for the elevator and waited by the door. When the doors opened and closed around her, Maura felt a weight shift off her chest. She finished off the final bite of her sandwich.

"How is school?"

"School's school."

"What does that mean?"

"I go. I study."

"What is the name of your school? I'd like to find out more about it."

"Why?"

She pressed her lips together and leaned forward. "To know if you're getting the best education."

"Fairmont Academy is the highest achieving school in Vermont, the world class curriculum means all students will leave ready to continue their education at Ivy League institutions. The seven day week provides students with unique opportunities to expand their horizons through volunteer work, team sports, and creative challenges. Most recent alumni have gone on to become renowned surgeons, lawyers and professors." Maura stared at him. "It's on the website. I have a photographic memory."

"An eidetic memory?" Maura smiled. "Did you know it occurs in between only two and fifteen per cent of children?"

He shrugged and sat back against the chair. "Yeah, I know."

"It's a boarding school?"

"The finest boarding school on the East Coast, apparently."

"So, you came here from your school, not your father's," Maura said. "Why?"

"I was bored."

"You were bored." Maura frowned. "Most people who are bored read a book, or watch television. Most people don't leave their boarding school without permission – I'm assuming you were not given permission to be here – and travel interstate to visit someone they barely know."

"That's not my fault."

"No." Maura stared down at the floor. She cleared her throat and sat upright again. "You're welcome to use my laptop while I carry out an autopsy."

"You're cutting open a dead body?" he asked, smiling at her for the first time since he'd arrived. "Can I watch?"

"No, you can't watch." Maura pursed her lips. "You're too young to be seeing a dead body."

"I've already seen one."

"When?"

"Grandma."

"I didn't know she'd died."

"Last year." He stood up. "I wanna watch."

Maura observed him. His face was growing more profound, his shoulders broadening. He wasn't a little boy anymore. She tried to push the image of the toddler out of her mind. "Okay. Scientifically, it will be interesting and educational. Follow me."

x

"That was so much fun," Luke said, lying down on the couch. Maura reached across and pushed his feet off the arm. He sat upright and hugged a pillow. "Can I watch another?"

"No." Maura took a bottle of sparkling water out of her drawer and filled up a couple of glasses. She carried them over to the coffee table and placed one in front of Luke. "I have some paperwork to do. Perhaps you could write me a report on the autopsy."

"Why?"

"Why?" Maura took a sip of her drink. "You're supposed to be in school. You can't drop your studies, so we're going to make this as educational as possible."

"It already has been," he said. "Remember, eidetic memory, it's not like I'll forget it if I don't write it down. I hate writing reports."

"More reason to do it."

He rolled his eyes and picked up his drink. "I won't do it and you can't make me."

"You sound like a child."

"I am a child."

"Right." She placed her glass back down on the coffee table. The wisdom in his eyes astounded her. She didn't remember ever looking that sure of herself, or having the confidence to speak up to people when she was a teenager. "What do you like?"

"Dead bodies and guns." Maura stared at him, her mouth agape. "Relax. I'm joking."

"You need to do something while I finish off my paperwork."

"You got an X-Box?"

"A what-box?" He stared at her, then rolled his eyes. "No. I don't."

"Books?"

"I have medical journals."

"No Game of Thrones?"

"Your father lets you read that?"

He shrugged. "He doesn't know."

"But it's violent and sexually inappropriate."

"I'm fourteen, not ten."

"You said it yourself, you are a child. You shouldn't be reading books written for adults."

"Guess the medical journals will have to do," he said. "Though I don't think they're on the required reading list for ninth graders."

"No, I don't suppose they are," Maura said. She walked over to the bookcase and pulled off a couple of the latest journals, along with a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. She placed them on the table in front of Luke.

"That's the only book I have in the office, unless you'd like to read about the different cancers of the body, or bone conditions."

He turned the book over and scanned the back cover. "Read it."

"What was your verdict?"

"Can't remember, ask my eighth grade English teacher."

He picked up a medical journal and lay back against the couch, flicking through the pages. Maura returned to her desk. She tried to focus on the paperwork, but Luke's attention over the journal distracted her. Her eyes lingered over the top of her laptop. Her lips curved at the edges as Luke crossed one leg over the other; his tongue rested out of the side of his mouth, his eyes fixed on the words in front of him.

Her cellphone buzzed against her desk, then rang out loudly. Maura sighed and pulled her attention away from the boy. She picked up the phone. "Isles."

x

Jane stood with her arms folded across her chest when Maura arrived. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Luke.

"I need you to stay here. I won't be long, then I should be able to drive you home."

"I wanna come and see the body."

"No. The only reason you're here at all is because I have no other choice. You will stay in the car until I get back."

Maura glared at him, until he rolled his eyes and shrugged. He opened up the medical journal he'd brought with him, rested his feet on the dashboard, and waved a hand at her. She narrowed her eyes, then got out of the car. A swarm of reporters circled her. She pushed her way through the crowd with little more than "no comment" and joined Jane on the other side of the police tape.

"Is this a high profile case?"

"It wasn't until uniform found a wallet in the back yard. ID is Albert Smithson."

"Is that the Mayor's son?"

"One and the same." Jane rested a hand against her back and they walked across the path toward the house. "We've got a rush on the autopsy, direct orders from the Mayor's office, can you do it tonight?"

"I," Maura paused and turned around, she watched Luke through the window, his tongue sticking out of his mouth again. She smiled. "Yes. I suppose I can."

x

"They're going to deliver the body now," Maura said. "I need to speak to Luke's father to arrange for him to collect him, then I can do the autopsy."

"I'll catch you back at BPD," Jane said.

Maura walked down the path toward her car. Her heart ached, disappointed that she wouldn't get to drive Luke home. She pursed her lips and tried to compose herself before she sat down in the driver's seat.

"We going now?"

"Not quite." Maura gripped the wheel. "I'm going to need your father's phone number. I can't take you home tonight, he'll have to collect you."

Luke sighed and slouched further down in his seat, he refocused himself on the journal. "Right."

"It can't be helped," Maura said. "I was looking forward to talking with you on the drive, but unfortunately a situation has cropped up with work."

"Work, yeah," he said. "Good luck getting hold of my dad, he's in China."

"China?"

"He got a promotion and had to relocate."

"Your father moved to China and left you at boarding school?" Maura's heart sunk. She reached a hand out to his arm, but retreated before she reached it. Twelve years was a long time and she didn't know what the boundary was.

"I was going to go to Fairmont before he got the promotion."

"Is there anyone who can pick you up and take you back to school?"

"My ex-step-mom, but she's probably drunk by now." He shrugged. "I dunno."

"Your father got married?"

"Twice."

"How do you feel about that?"

He shrugged again. "What is there to say? His first wife was nice, but she wanted a kid of her own. I've not seen her since I was about seven. His second was a drunk."

"That sounds very unsettling."

"I didn't really notice, after Clarissa left I got an au pair and I spent most of the time with her."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"I don't really want to let you get the bus," Maura said, her eyebrows pulled together. "Perhaps I could hire someone to drive you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want a stranger to drive me back to school. Can't I just stay here tonight? You can drive me tomorrow."

"I don't know if I'll have time." She put her key in the ignition and turned it until the engine sprang to life. "I'm hardly someone you know."

"I can stay until you have time," he said.

"Luke."

"I came to see you," he said, sitting up and throwing the journal against his knees. He stared at her, his face red, his eyes flashed with rage. "I came to spend some time with you."

Maura averted her gaze. "Your father wouldn't be happy about that."

"It's not up to him. He left me here."

"You need to go back to school where you belong."

"Did you ever want me?"

The question hit Maura like a bullet, her throat closed over and she felt the familiar sting of tears. He stared at her, expectantly, almost demanding. She fixed her gaze, not wanting to let him down.

She tried to speak but her voice broke. "Luke."

"Don't Luke me. I recognise that tone of voice." His own voice fractured. He swiped the back of his hand across his cheek. "Dad does it all the time whenever I ask. He acts like you don't matter, but you do matter."

"You don't even know me. You can't stay with a stranger."

"I don't need to know you, you're my mother."

Author Note: Yes. I really did do that. I anticipate at least one person claiming Maura is out of character by doing what she did. But there are reasons, non-out-of-character reasons which I hope to reveal in due course.