Also, apologies for the delay, that pesky RL stuff got in the way!

That phone call to Maura had been it, her turning point, her beginning. The trip to the pharmacy had been uneventful, and for three long weeks, Jane worked hard. She chased down every demon and thoroughly kicked its *****. Sometimes she won outright and others were more an uphill struggle but eventually, she stood outside the precinct staring up at the building. She felt that familiar stirring in her chest, an old calling that she had thought long gone. It wasn’t the panic or fear that she’d grown accustomed to over the past months but the fire in her stomach, the burning desire to get out there and catch the bad guys, to make her hometown that little bit safer.

Both her own shrink, who she had decided after the second visit wasn’t a complete idiot and the department’s own doctor had given her a clean bill of health and cleared her to return to active duty but for Jane, that wasn’t enough. She’d put herself in for a complete physical to ensure she was really ready and had spent many hours at the range, perfecting her shot. That had taken more hours than she cared to remember, hours of panic attacks that crippled her and then hours of therapy to combat that.

Pushing open the heavy door, she strode into the foyer, her head held high.

“Rizzoli.” Jeff Travis greeted her almost at the door. “Damn girl, I thought you were dead!” he extended a hand, knowing better to offer the woman before him a hug.

“Yeah, the ***** keep trying.” She shook his hand, a smile creeping over her face as her life settled. This was where she belonged, the smell of burnt coffee that hung in the air mixed with the mild undercurrent of sweat, stress and determination. This was her place, with her people and her team.