A/N: This chapter is pretty short, but I just wanted to set up the plot and test it to see how popular it is. So let me know if ya'll like it!

"Unsteady"

1:

"Maura, are you ready?" Jane rounded the corner into the Chief Medical Examiner's office and paused mid-step. "Frankie? What are you doing down here?" She questioned, her brow furrowing at the glance her brother and best friend shared upon her entrance.

"Jane…" Maura spoke slowly, reaching out to grasp her elbow softly, "You might want to sit down." Jane looked from Maura's sad face to Frankie's red-rimmed eyes and pale complexion. She pulled her arm away from Maura's grasp.

"What's wrong?" Her voice shook, despite not having any information aside from what was written all over the faces of the two that stood before her. She cringed internally at how weakly she sounded when it could simply be nothing.

"Jane…" Frankie started, only to choke on his words, "Jane," he tried again, this time reaching out to hug her tightly.

"Frankie!" Jane's voice reached a higher octave now, pulling her brother back enough to look at him, her hands grasping his shoulders forcefully, "Tell me what's wrong right now. Is it Ma? Tommy? TJ?!"

Maura tried again, reaching out gently to pull Jane away from her brother, making her look her in the eye as she tried to speak calmly, "Jane, it's your father."

Jane's eyes flashed a myriad of emotions in that instant, landing finally on a mixture of grief and guilt, darkening hauntingly as she braced herself for the next words to come. She nodded slightly, encouraging Maura to continue.

"Jane," It was Frankie again, choking back a forceful sob, making him sound like he was hiccupping, "He… He had a heart attack."

Jane's eyes squeezed shut, awaiting the proclamation of he's dead, but it never came. Upon feeling Maura moving in again, she swallowed hard, trying to find her voice, "Okay…" She began, not quite knowing what else to say.

Her father, the man who abandoned them and ran away to Florida. The man who had slept with the mother of her nephew. The man who had hurt her in ways no other man ever could. The same man who, for much of her life, she'd looked up to, admiring him and viewing him as her knight in shining armor only to realize she'd been looking through rose tinted glasses, was now lying in a hospital bed somewhere, probably alone. So why did she feel so numb all of a sudden?

"Okay…" She repeated, not knowing what else to say. She started pacing back and forth in the small space of Maura's office, her mind reeling from the information. What was she supposed to do now?

"Ma's on her way… She… We should all be there, Janie," Frankie's voice was scratchy but timid. As if he wasn't sure how to react as well.

"Be there?!" Jane whirled around to face him, "Why should we be there? Was he here for any of us at all in the past… fuck, how many years has it been?"

"Jane…" Maura started, reaching out tentatively to her friend. Jane backed away from the gesture, pushing her shaking hands through her wild, dark curls that matched the expression in her eyes at the moment. "Jane."

At the tone of Maura's voice, Jane deflated, her shoulders drooping in defeat as she threw herself onto the couch, "Frankie…" She looked up at her brother expectantly, begging him silently to give them some privacy.

Frankie nodded, getting the hint as he cleared his throat, "I'm gonna go see if Ma is here yet. Don't be too long, Jane," as he moved toward the exit, he allowed his hand to fall on Jane's shoulder, squeezing it gently before leaving.

"Maura… What am I supposed to do?" She asked, looking up into her friend's face, "What am I supposed to feel? 'Cause… right now, I don't feel anything but anger."

The blonde sighed and sat down next to her friend, taking scarred hands within her own perfectly manicured ones, "That's okay, Jane. Your feelings are valid. Do you want to go with your family?"

"I…" Jane shrugged in defeat, her lips turning up just slightly in a sad smile as she met Maura's eyes, "Will you come with me?" She broke the eye contact as she heard the desperation in her own voice. She hated feeling this way, like she was five years old again. She felt scared and unsure, of the situation and of herself. It was something she was not in control of and that was something Jane Rizzoli was not used to.

"Of course, Jane," Maura replied immediately, already rising to collect her things and turn off her desk lamp. She put some files into her bag along with her laptop and turned back to find Jane's drawn face staring at her hands as she ran her thumb over a small puckered scar on the back of her hand. She walked over and placed her hand over Jane's, stilling the movements, "It's going to be okay. I'm with you." She smiled, hoping it was supportive.

"Thank you," Jane smiled back. She stood, pulling Maura into a quick embrace before pulling away, "Well… guess we better go. Before Ma comes down here."

Maura nodded, moving them toward the door as she flicked off the light and pulled the door shut closed, "Let's go," she entwined her fingers with Jane in a gesture of comfort as they exited the police station. It was going to be a long and emotional evening. Maura just silently hoped that she could provide enough comfort to the family that all were currently reeling.