(Author's notes at the end)

What are we to make of Charlotte's case? What lessons should we take away from it?

The most obvious is that life is short, and that you should make the most of every day. Charlotte was taken from this world far too soon. We will never know what greatness she could have done, what joy and love and laughter she could have brought. We can't go through our lives thinking that there are thousands of days beyond the one we are living right now, because sometimes that isn't true. You have to say the things you want to say while they can still be said.

But I think the more important lesson is about love.

Stephanie Turner loves her daughter, and she loves her husband too. After the case was solved Stephanie remarried Charles, because they were finally able to heal their wounds.

I love Charlotte Turner, and I love Detective Barry Frost, and I love all the friends I made at BPD while I was working on this podcast.

Detective Rizzoli, or as I now know her, Jane, loves Charlotte Turner even though they never met. She loves her mother, and her brothers, and her nephew, and her co-workers. And most of all, she loves Maura.

Everything we do, we do because of love. Charlotte played softball with the Dunbar boys because she loved them. Hopkins protected Robbie because he loves him. Jane solves crimes because she loves everyone, although she almost asked me to omit that fact from this podcast.

So I think that's what's important to remember. We can never forget the lesson Charlotte taught me: That love is love, no matter what form it takes. It's powerful, it's omnipresent, it's life itself. It is what makes us human. It is what makes us alive.

Thank you, Charlotte. We miss you, and we love you.

And in that love, you will live on.

- An excerpt from To Charlotte, With Love – S2E9: The Final Scoop

The courtroom was packed to the brim with police officers, lawyers, people close to the case, bystanders, and reporters, but it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. All the spectators sat silent and still as the enormous Chad Barker got to his feet at his table in front of the judge. His head hung and his shoulders slumped as he faced his reckoning.

A warm hand reached over and entwined itself with Jane's, and she looked at Maura sitting beside her and flashed a smile. They both were dressed to the nines for their court appearance, and for what they had planned afterwards. Maura's dress showed only enough cleavage to still be classy and elegant, but Jane felt a rush of arousal at the hint of skin all the same. Six months of sexual intimacy had done nothing to extinguish the fire between them. Jane doubted she'd ever stop wanting Maura the way she did, because it wasn't merely sexual attraction that existed between them. Her attraction to Maura was wrapped up in her love for Maura. The two things were inseparable from one another, and there was no way Jane was ever going to stop loving Maura.

They both had already completed their testimony for this hearing, Maura explaining the science of Charlotte Turner's death, and Jane rehashing the details of the investigation following the discovery of the girl's body. Everyone in the courtroom already knew these details. Season two of To Charlotte, With Love had finished airing a month prior, and the general consensus was that it was the finest example of investigative podcasting that had ever been created. The praise usually centered on both Sally Stark's heartfelt and masterful telling of the story, as well as the colorful cast of characters that Stark had met at the BPD. The podcast's popularity had spread like wildfire, and that was why the courtroom was packed. It wasn't normal to have a routine guilty plea and sentencing hearing be this well-attended, but this case was so high-profile that the court had been forced to stage the hearing in the largest courtroom of the Suffolk County Courthouse.

Also seated in the front row were Sally Stark, Barry Frost, Henry Simon, Vince Korsak, and the newly re-married Stephanie and Charles Turner. Sally's audio equipment was set up on the table right in front of Chad Barker, so for once her hands were free. Though she couldn't see it to be sure, Jane was certain that, much like Maura and herself, Sally was gripping Frost's hand very hard as she listened intently to the proceedings. Sally, too, had already completed her own testimony about the steps she had taken to investigate the case, and how the information she'd uncovered had led her to the conclusion that Charlotte's body was hidden in the school.

Not present was Gary Hopkins, who had died three months prior due to complications with his ESRD. He had been arrested and charged, but aside from a few days in holding at the BPD headquarters, he hadn't been tried, convicted, or served any jail time. Instead he had spent the majority of the last three months of his life in a hospital. No one was particularly upset that he'd never faced his charges, not after he'd poured his heart out to Sally Stark for the podcast about how he had loved the Dunbar twins like they were his own sons, and had only played his part in the hopes of giving them a brighter future. He had also tearfully confessed that Barker had threatened to kill the boys if he said anything or didn't go along with his plans, a story that Barker himself later corroborated.

Also missing from the courtroom was Robbie Dunbar, who was serving the second month of his two-year sentence in federal prison for his very minor charges. He was expected to be released after serving less than a year. During his own plea hearing he had begged for the maximum sentence, but it had not been granted, largely because Stephanie Turner had testified on his behalf to ask for a light sentence. Sally had visited him in prison to interview him for the podcast… And she'd brought Stephanie with her. It was Stephanie's grace and forgiveness that had ultimately allowed Robbie to make peace with what he'd done.

The judge directed Barker to raise his right hand, and she swore him in from her seat on the bench. Once Barker had agreed to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins began asking routine qualifying questions for the purpose of the public record, confirming his name, birth date, and former profession at the time of Charlotte's death.

"Mr. Barker," the DA asked after all that had been completed, "can you please tell the Court when you first met Rich and Robbie Dunbar?"

"I met them about a month before the school year began in 2009," answered Barker flatly, sounding defeated and tired. "They had been awarded a scholarship to attend John Adams High School even though they were from Southie."

"Who granted them this scholarship?"

"The state. It was part of a state program. We used to get two kids a year from other districts to come attend our school."

"And was it your practice to meet all of those students prior to the start of the school year?"

"It was."

"Mr. Barker, did you ever give the Dunbars any special treatment while they were in attendance of your school?"

"Yes," answered Barker. "I bought them their books with my own money. I brought them lunch sometimes. I let them use the library after hours. I let them visit Gary Hopkins in the basement at lunch even though it was off limits to students."

"Why did you do these things for them, Mr. Barker?"

Barker shrugged. "Because I liked them. They reminded me a lot of myself at that age."

"Let's talk about the day Charlotte Turner died," said Robbins, flipping through a folder that was lying open on the empty jury box. "We'll start with your involvement since we've heard everything that came before. So you were in the school and you were approached by the Dunbar twins. What did they say to you?"

"They said there had been an accident, and that Charlotte needed help. They weren't making a whole lot of sense. They begged me to come, so I went."

"You went with them to see Charlotte. Did you know she was dead?"

"Yes."

"When did you know?"

"Almost immediately. She wasn't laying right."

"And what did you do?"

"I tried to give her CPR, but I fought in 'Nam. I'd seen death. I knew it was too late. So I called my buddy Gary."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want this to screw up the boys' lives, and if I was gonna keep this from getting out, I knew I needed to hide the body so well that it would never be found. And I knew Gary loved the boys, too, and I knew he owned a jackhammer."

"So you asked him for help hiding Charlotte. How soon after her death did you two hide the body?"

"It was within two days. I had my other buddy Steve Warner, who was doing the remodel, change his plans to prioritize Gary's office. But his crew wasn't tearing up any more. They were only laying floors at that point. They'd sent all their deconstruction equipment away already. That's why I needed Gary."

"Exactly how much of the floor did Gary Hopkins tear up with his jackhammer?"

"All of it in that wing," replied Barker. "He worked on it the whole weekend. Then Steve laid the linoleum on Monday."

"Did Steve Warner know why you were asking him to do this?"

"No. When your military buddy asks you to do something, you do it. He's like a brother to me, him and Gary both. Plus I ah… I paid him some money under the table."

"Yes, we know," said Robbins, rifling through the folder again. She produced a copy of a personal check and handed it up to the judge. "This is a copy of a personal check signed by Chad Barker, made out to Steve Warner, in the amount of five thousand dollars. It is dated five days after Charlotte's death. On the memo field he has written the word floors."

A shuffle went through the courtroom. Only the people closest to the case had known that Jane and the other detectives had dug up this crucial piece of evidence.

"Mr. Barker, I think what we all really want to know is why you didn't call the authorities that day," continued Rollins. "Why didn't you let Mr. Dunbar confess, even though he immediately and repeatedly told you he wanted to?"

Chad Barker sighed and considered his answer. "I'm from Southie, too, you know," he began at length. "I worked hard to get where I was. I struggled to stay out of trouble so I could graduate high school. We didn't have no state programs back then. I was stuck in a cruddy high school and I had to fight to get out. Then I joined the military, and from there I kept climbing to success until I was the principal of the best school in the city of Boston. But none of it would have been possible if something had knocked me off course right at the beginning. And that's what I didn't want to happen to those Dunbar boys. They were bright, and they had the whole world ahead of 'em. I couldn't see that go to waste over a terrible accident."

A look of triumph came over Rollins's face. "So it is your contention that your motivation was purely altruistic towards the Dunbars, is that right?"

"That's right."

Rollins went back to the folder and fished something out. "Your Honor, I'd like to submit the details of the program which sponsored Rich and Robbie Dunbar's scholarship in to the public record."

"I'll allow it," replied the judge, accepting the papers that Rollins handed her.

Turning to the courtroom, Rollins continued, "In these documents, you can see that the grant program from the commonwealth of Massachusetts specifies that the school that gets these transfer students is awarded a bonus chunk of funds in their annual budget. Isn't that correct, Mr. Barker?"

Looking uncomfortable, Barker said, "I don't recall."

"Well you can trust me. I've read it many times. It says that each student is worth an extra two hundred thousand dollars a year. And it also states that five percent of that money is a direct bonus for the principal of said school. So what that means is that for the privilege of having both Dunbar twins at your school for all four years, you would have earned an extra eighty thousand dollars."

The courtroom erupted in to murmurs again, and the judge banged her gavel for order. "Quiet in the courtroom," she demanded loudly, and the crowed obeyed.

"Hearing this," resumed Rollins as though there had been no interruption, "wouldn't you also find it hard to believe that you hid Charlotte Turner's body simply because you were fond of Rich and Robbie Dunbar?"

Barker had no answer to this, and no one had any doubt as to why.

Jane was filled with revulsion and fury. She couldn't believe anyone could be so callous. It was so against her own nature, she found it absolutely unfathomable. Robbie Dunbar had made an honest mistake, and then he'd been taken advantage of by a greedy, manipulative man. Even Gary Hopkins had fallen victim to Barker, strong-armed in to keeping quiet, a fact that was now being established by the DA at the front of the courtroom. Jane let the rest of the proceedings wash past her without hearing any of it, instead focusing on the warmth and affection coming from Maura beside her, who was lightly stroking the back of her hand with her thumb in silent understanding and solidarity.

After several hours of testimony, the bailiff instructed everyone to rise as the judge retreated to her chambers to consider her sentencing. Jane hoped it wouldn't take very long. As everyone in the courtroom began to move around and break in to chatter, Jane, Maura, and the rest of their crew in the front row found their way to the back few rows where Angela, Frankie, Susie, and Cavanaugh were waiting. It wasn't normal for so many of their friends and coworkers to be here, but everyone had listened to the podcast and wanted to attend. "This is so sad," said Angela, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue. "That poor little girl. And her poor mother and father."

"Don't think of it as sad," said Maura, threading her arm through Angela's comfortingly. "Think of it as healing. It is true that humans have a capacity for terrible and monstrous evil, but we also have a miraculous capacity to heal from considerable trauma. That's what today is about. It's a chance for everyone who loved Charlotte to purge this evil from their system so that they can focus on remembering the girl who means so much to them still, even though she's gone."

Jane's heart fluttered in her chest, filled with the familiar ache of loving Maura so much it was almost painful. "That's right, Ma," said Jane. "That's why me and everyone else at BPD works so hard to resolve these cases, no matter how old they are. You can't say goodbye to someone until you know the truth of why they're gone. It's like a clog in the drain, and you gotta loosen it up so the grief can flow normally."

Still sniffling, Angela nodded. "Yeah, I know. I still think it's sad, though."

Reaching out to pull her in to a one-armed hug, Jane kissed her mother on the forehead. "Me too, Ma," she admitted.

"Listen, everyone," said Maura, and the group looked at her. "After we're done here, don't leave the courthouse, okay? I want to take you all out for dinner. The place is right around the corner. It's a nice day—we can walk there together."

Once everyone had agreed, Jane caught her eye and winked. Smooth, Maur, she thought with admiration. Real smooth. It wasn't technically a lie, because they did plan to take everyone out for dinner afterwards. But she hadn't known that Maura had chosen a restaurant near the courthouse. This was an effective way to solve the problem of how to keep people from leaving the courthouse after the proceeding was finished, something they'd been struggling to figure out how to do in their planning for this day. The night before, however, Maura had assured Jane that she had a perfect plan, but she'd been in a feisty, playful mood and had refused to share her intentions with Jane. Clearly, Maura was proud of herself about the whole thing. Jane could tell by the smug little grin she got in return to her wink. She draped her arm around Maura's shoulder, tucking her up against her side as the group continued to chat about the case.

When the judge returned, she imposed the maximum sentence on all of Barker's various charges, totaling up to a minimum of twenty years in federal prison. The courtroom was silent as he was led away by four police officers.

Reporters mobbed Jane and Maura as they tried to leave the room, and they each gave cursory statements. But loyalty to Sally Stark kept them from saying anything of substance, and soon the reporters lost interest and moved on.

By the time Maura and Jane got out, the majority of the group was already lingering in the lobby. Now they were only waiting on the two podcasters and Frost. Frost would devotedly remain in the courtroom waiting for Sally to finish with her audio equipment and with the fans and reporters who were star-struck and eager to meet her. And Sally, of course, was too polite and kind to turn them down. After about fifteen minutes, Frost, Sally and Henry appeared and joined the loitering group of BPD family and friends. Maura nudged Jane and nodded her head towards someone else that was lingering nearby, watching Jane with the air of a person who was trying to work up the nerve to talk to her.

Jane broke away from the group with a quick, "I'll be right back," and went to speak with Stephanie Turner. "Mrs. Turner," she greeted her politely, not quite sure what sort of conversation she was about to have with the woman.

"Detective Rizzoli," replied Stephanie. "I'm sorry to bother you when you're clearly in the middle of something."

"I have time for you," said Jane easily. "How can I help you?"

"I… I wanted to say thank you. I listened to the podcast, and I know I was wrong about you." Stephanie looked in to Jane's eyes, as though trying to read the thoughts behind them. "This wasn't just a case for you, was it? This was about Charlotte all along."

"Of course it was," said Jane. "But more importantly, it was about you, Mrs. Turner. I know how hard it is to say goodbye to someone you love, and I can imagine how much worse it is when you don't even know what happened to her. That's why we do what we do. We're here to provide the answers you need to help you heal."

Stephanie nodded, swallowing hard and looking down at her shoes. "Well. Thank you for everything you did. It doesn't bring her back, but… It does help. And tell your girlfriend, the medical examiner, tell her I said thank you, too. I know we wouldn't have gotten here without her. So tell her for me, please."

"I will," Jane promised.

"Thank you. Goodbye, Detective."

"Bye."

Jane watched her walk away, feeling the pride of a job well done. And then she wanted nothing more than to share this feeling with Maura. She returned to the group, pulled Maura away, and relayed the conversation in a quiet voice. After she'd finished, Maura stood on her toes in her high heels to kiss her. "We make a good team, you and me," she said confidently.

"We do," agreed Jane. "Care to make that a permanent arrangement?"

"I'd like that very much," replied Maura, a winning smile on her face.

"Let's go, then." They returned to their friends and family. Jane looked at Sally, who had her recorder slung over her shoulder once again. "You got enough tape on that thing to record one last scoop?" she asked.

This surprised Sally, because she'd been certain that this hearing would signify the end of her time following Detective Jane Rizzoli in her official capacity as a reporter. She'd expected that from now on they would simply be friends, and she would therefore have no reason to record Jane anymore. Unable to resist the pull of an honest answer, Sally replied factually through her utter confusion. "It's digital. I could literally record years' worth of scoops if I had to."

"Doesn't need to be years, just needs to be about fifteen minutes," said Jane, amused and strongly reminded of Maura. Addressing the entire group, Jane continued: "Maura and I have a little surprise for you all. If you'd please follow us, it's right down here." She reached over and took Maura's hand, and the two of them led the excitedly chattering group to a smaller courtroom down the hall where the judge from the hearing was waiting at the front. She wasn't sitting on the bench though. She was instead standing behind a small podium at the center of the chamber. "Sorry we're late," said Jane by way of greeting. "We got held up."

"No problem, Detective," said the judge. "Are you ready?"

"We will be in one minute." Then Jane turned to her friends and family, slid her arm around Maura's waist, and announced: "Welcome to our wedding."

"No!" gasped Angela gleefully, putting her hand over her heart and collapsing back against Frankie, who laughed with delight.

"No freaking way!" he yelled.

"Jane!" said Frost happily. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," replied Jane. "You see, we figured we waited so damn long to get together, we might as well skip the time-consuming nonsense of planning a wedding."

"And you're okay with this?" Frankie asked Maura. "I always figured you to be the type for a frou-frou wedding, not this courthouse type deal."

"The only thing I care about is having all of you here," Maura assured everyone. "And marrying Jane, of course. That's also a fairly high priority for me."

"We're gonna splurge on the honeymoon," Jane added. "Spend all that money we're saving on a trip to Antarctica."

"We're not going to Antarctica," Maura said quickly and somewhat apologetically, as though she'd known all along what Jane was about to say and wanted to assure their friends and family that she was perfectly aware of how ridiculous it sounded. "I don't know why she keeps insisting on that."

"But Maur, it would be so…" Jane paused for dramatic effect before completing the joke, "cool!" She cackled when everyone groaned, but her soon-to-be-wife couldn't help laughing right along with her. "Come on, you gotta admit that was a good one, right?"

Shaking her head but still laughing, Maura grabbed Jane's hand and tugged her over to the judge, who was watching them with patient amusement. "Shut up and marry me," Maura demanded.

And with casual ease and genuine affection, Jane replied: "You got it."

THE END

Author's Notes: And there you have it!

This was a fun story to write. I never imagined I would find myself writing a Rizzoli & Isles fic, but I had the idea for the plot and I decided to roll with it. I'm still getting used to being the kind of writer who plots things out before they happen, and the kind of writer who can actually finish a story. I really should be focusing on original works instead of fanfiction, but writing fanfic is fun because of all the feedback you get from readers.

By the way, THANK YOU for your feedback! This story wouldn't exist without you guys. You guys are the difference between me writing tripe garbage until 4 AM, and me writing something I actually think is worth sharing until 4 AM. Either way I'd be writing, but I feel a lot better about the second option, believe me. It really makes me happy to think someone is enjoying the product of my brain waves, the baby I birthed out of my own imagination. It's almost like you're reading my thoughts, isn't it? Pretty fucking cool.

But I digress. Thanks for tagging along with me on this fun little journey. I'm hoping to come up with another R&I story idea, but I make no promises. I might try looking for another fandom instead. We'll see.

Until then, have great lives, readers. I don't know you, but I love you all the same.