Chapter Text
Chapter 1
It had only taken two days in Paris away from the influence of family and friends for Maura and Jane to finally admit what they felt for each other went way beyond friendship and it had for awhile now. It took Jane three hours on the phone for her to get things straightened out with work. Two weeks of being openly and blissfully in love was enough to give Jane the courage to share with the ME an absolutely insane idea that she had. Maura surprisingly had thrown all caution to the wind and agreed to go along with the idea without hesitation. Now six months later the pair was finally back in Boston where they belonged.
Jane paced around the office she was in anxiously. She was having second thoughts about doing things this way, but it was too late for that now. Her impulsive ideas usually worked out for the best anyway.
“Relax, Rizzoli, I’ve seen you stare down the barrel of a gun and not be this nervous.” Sean Cavanaugh put his hand on her shoulder in effort to calm her,
Jane arched her eyebrow. “My mother wasn’t on the other end of that loaded gun. We both know that as soon as I go out there my brother will open his big mouth to her and then I’ll have to deal with her.”
Sean couldn’t help chuckling. She had a point when it came to Angela and the way she would react to the situation. “Come on, let’s go get this over with. It won’t be as bad as you think it will be.” He stood and opened the door.
“You’re right let’s do this. You go first.” Jane took a deep breath to get her head in the game. She followed him into the squads room. She adjusted her suit jacket in one last bout of nerves.
“Alright, people, listen up!” Sean called out to get his detectives’ attention. “Now that I have your attention, as you know I’ve been promoted and I thought I’d introduce you to your new lieutenant. This way I’m not just be throwing you to the wolves next week.” He turned to call over his shoulder. “Come on in!”
Jane strode into the room with her usual swagger any trace of nerves long gone. She couldn’t resist the smirk that she shot in her little brother’s direction. “Surprise, I’m back and its Lt. Rizzoli now. We are gonna be doing things a bit differently from now on, but I will get into that when I officially take command next week. I’m just here today to give you guys the weekend to get used to having me in charge.”
“Now you can all get back to work.” Sean dismissed them. “I think you’ve got it from here, Rizzoli, these punks are in good hands.” He clapped Jane on the back and went back to his office to give her time to bond with her new detectives.
Frankie finally picked his jaw up off the ground and walked over to his sister. “Welcome back, Janie. I’m glad that you’re here and no one deserves to lead this unit more than you do.” He pulled his sister into a tight hug.
“It’s so good to see you, little brother, I’m happy to be back. I’m glad that you have faith in me as a leader.” Jane pounded on his back with her palm before pulling out of their hug. She got a serious look on her face now. “Do I need to tell you that Ma doesn’t get to hear I’m back from you?”
“Hell no,” Frankie threw his hands up in a sign of surrender. “I’m not gonna tell that woman a damn thing. She has been way too focused on me and Tommy while you were gone. I don’t need to do anything else to put me on her radar.” He didn’t want more of Angela’s attention on him than there had to be. It was bad enough that their mother had spent the last six months dropping not so subtle hints about him and Nina setting a wedding date.
“I’ll stop by the Robber at lunch and let her know that I’m back. She is gonna be pissed and I’m the only one who should have to deal with it.” Jane wasn’t looking forward to facing her mother with the news that she was once again working for BPD. “In the mean time tell me how things have been going around here since I left.” She quickly changed the subject to things that would be easier for her to deal with. She much rather hear about how things had been going in homicide than think about handling her mother’s disappointment.
Frankie switched into detective mode upon hearing his sister’s words. “So far we haven’t found permanent replacements for you and Korsak yet. Since you’ve been gone we have just had floating detectives come through here. None of them have shown a knack for working homicides yet, but we are hoping that will change soon. Vince has also helped fill in when we need him since Kiki left him about a week after you and Maura skipped town.” He reported.
“Ok, I may have someone who will be able to help with that. That will at least give us another cop to help us bring our solve rate back up.” Jane said after she had taken everything into consideration. She wanted to get their closed case rate back up to what it had been before she left. She didn’t have time to think about Vince’s latest failed marriage.
Maura looked up when she heard the front door unlock and then open. “Is that you, babe?” She called out hoping that Jane had been the one to come through the door just now. They really weren’t ready to face Angela just yet. She plated the two peanut butter and fluff sandwiches that she had made for a snack.
Jane stomped into the kitchen and threw herself down on one of the stools at the counter. “It’s me and I’m happy to be home. I just wish I didn’t have to leave in a little while to face my mother. I just know that she is gonna be so violently opposed to me going back to work at the BPD. She is gonna hate that I came back after she thought the she got her way.”
“Remember that you don’t have to do what makes your family happy. You are allowed to choose what will make you happy too. Up until now you have given your whole life to your family, they are all grown now and it is ok for you to do what you want to make yourself happy.” Maura coached her.
Jane took a huge bite out of her sandwich and ate it before she spoke. “I promise you that I’m not gonna let all the work I’ve done with the shrink go to waste. I will go with what makes sense for my life rather than go along with what my mother wants. I will never live my life to make her happy ever again. I have to stop trying to live up to the daughter she had in her mind and show her who the daughter she actually has is.” She wasn’t willing to continue to let her mother run her life to the point of her own unhappiness.
Maura smacked a quick kiss to Jane’s cheek. “Even if she is mad at you at first she will come around. And if she doesn’t I will always love you for who you are no matter what.” She whispered into her lover’s ear.
“You are all that I need. You are the love of my life and I don’t know how I would function without you. My Ma is nowhere near as important in my life as you are. I’m done pretending that I don’t love you and you mean less to me than what you do. I am ready to live my authentic life for everyone I love to see.” Jane doubled down on her commitment to the other woman. It was times like these when she needed to reinforce the love she had for the doctor. Up until this point she had denied it at every turn and she needed to prove that she was no longer willing to do that just to keep her family happy. It was something that she had been working on with the therapist Maura convinced her to see.
“As long as you stand up for yourself then that is all I want for you when it comes to this relationship. If you do that then I know that you have it in you to defend our future family.” Maura replied. She needed to keep the woman she loved strong enough to stand up for herself when it came to her mother who had the reputation of bullying Jane into what she wanted her to do.
“I’m glad that you recognize the least that I can do for us as a family.” Jane looked Maura up and down pausing long enough to pay special attention to her stomach. She leaned in and kissed the love of her life deeply. “Our future family is fully protected from everything between the boys and me we’ve got this.” She knew that her brothers would have her back no matter what.
Angela was wiping down the bar in the Dirty Robber to clear it from the lunch crowd when her daughter came in. “Hey, Janie, it is so great to see you. I didn’t think that I would be seeing you anytime soon with the way your schedule with the FBI is set up. Take a seat and I will be right with you in a minute.” She sat a beer down on the bar for her daughter to drink while she waited for her to be able to have a conversation with her.
“Take your time, Ma.” Jane sat down and took a sip of her beer. She was more than happy to let Angela take her time. She wasn’t in a hurry to have her mother go through the roof on her.
Five minutes later Angela was finally caught up with her work and she was able to sit and talk to her daughter. “Why are you in town?” She didn’t bother to beat around the bush, she had raised Jane and knew when she was up to something without the younger woman giving any obvious clues away.
“Ma, I’m coming home for good. I made a huge mistake by leaving and I want to correct that.” Jane was just as blunt with her mother as she was with her.
Angela fixed a confused look on her face. “What are you going to do for work if you come back here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that you’re back, but I don’t know how you are gonna make money if you aren’t with the FBI.”
Jane took both of her mother’s hands and gripped them tightly. “Ma, I’m going back to BPD. There is nothing that you can do or say to talk me out of it. I know that is where I am meant to be and I’m not gonna try to deny that truth anymore. I need you to be on my side and be ok with that. You are supposed to be my biggest supporter and I hope that you don’t let me down now.” She laid all her cards on the table for her mother to see before she let her in any further.
“Oh, Janie, how could you go back to that job when you know how much it worries me?” Angela frowned at her daughter to show her displeasure.
Jane took a deep breath to collect herself, so she could speak as strongly as she wanted to. “Ma, I’m Lt. Rizzoli now. I will have more regular hours and I will have time to have a personal life now:” she didn’t bother to give her mother the full details of her current job until she had to.
“How could you do this to me? You were finally out of that godforsaken line of work and you had a nice safe job. You also had a man who wanted to be with you and possibly make a family with you. You threw that all away to come right back here and continue putting your life on the line. You are ruining my chance to get grandchildren from you. This job of yours that you love so much already took one grandchild from me when it comes to you.” Angela raged at her daughter not caring that her words came out harshly.
Jane took her mother’s words in stride. This was the reaction she had expected from her and she wasn’t going to back down. “Ma, I took a job that I didn’t want because of your nagging. I felt like me being a highly decorated detective wasn’t enough to make you proud.. I know now that I did the wrong thing and I was deeply unhappy in DC. It’s pretty damn low of you to bring up the baby that I lost . That was extremely painful for me and for you to use it like a weapon is hurtful. I’m the first female lieutenant in a major division of the BPD. I should have known better than to think you would be proud of me.” She drained her beer in one gulp. “Maura wants you and everyone else to come over for dinner on Sunday night I’ll see you then, Ma.” She got up and walked away before her mother could say anything else. She didn’t trust herself not to bite her head off if she said something else that she didn’t like.
Angela sat watching Jane’s back as she walked out of the bar. She was in for a huge surprise later and she had no clue what was in store for her. She was going to try one last trick play before she threw in the towel. She was for sure that she would be able to play her ace in the hole the next night.
“Auntie Jay,” TJ rushed into Jane’s arms when he walked into Maura’s house and saw her.
Maura had decided that after Angela had given Jane such a hard time that afternoon it would be nice for the other woman to be surrounded by her brothers tonight and tell them their news before they told Angela.
“Nephew TJ,” Jane stooped down and scooped the little boy up into her arms. She made a show of kissing both of his cheeks loudly. She smiled when she was rewarded with a happy giggle from him. “Let’s go say hi to Aunt Maura.” She put TJ into Maura’s arms with a huge smile on her face. “Look who I found, Aunt Maura, I’ve found our little man TJ.”
Maura smothered TJ’s cheeks with kisses. “Oh, TJ, it is so good to see you. Aunt Jane and I love you so much.” She put him down on his feet and let him run off once she was done talking to the little boy. He was a Rizzoli and that meant he did better when he had something to do than if he was sitting still.
TJ took off to play with Jo Friday and Bass.
“Man, I feel sorry for that dog and that turtle.” Tommy shook his head as he watched his son streak across the house.
“Tortoise,” Maura corrected him without thinking about it.
“Tommy, just come on in and have a seat before you give Maur a panic attack.” Jane ushered her brother into the living room to get comfortable.
Frankie and Nina came in on Tommy’s heels. Both of them were elated to see Jane and Maura back it meant that Angela would divert her attention elsewhere.
“Hello, Family!” Frankie announced loudly.
“Frankie, Nina, thank you both for coming over with no notice.” Maura smiled widely.
Jane grabbed three beers before she called out to her brothers. “Frankie, Tommy, I need to talk to the two of you before Ma gets here.” She walked out the back door without bothering to see if her brothers were following her. She knew from experience that they would always fall in line behind her no matter what.
“Are they doing Rizzoli Brothers’ business?” Nina asked once Jane and the boys had gone outside.
Maura gave a soft smile. “I think you could call it that.” She twisted her wedding set around and around her finger in an effort to calm herself down. She flashed her ring at Nina when she could sense that the other woman was waiting for break the awkward silence. “Jane and I are married and we did it without anyone from our families being there.”
Nina’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Congratulations, but the two of you are braver than I am. I can only imagine what Angela is gonna say when she finds out you got married without her there.”
Maura took a sip of the sparkling water she was drinking. “We know that we are going to be in trouble with Angela. It’s just that this is what Jane needed to do in order to be true to herself. There is no way that I can be sorry for wanting my wife to be comfortable in her own skin. I would face Angela’s wrath a thousand times over if it means that I get to be married to the love of my life.”
“I don’t blame the two of you for doing thing the way you wanted to. I know how intense Angela can be. There was no way she was going to let Jane have the wedding that she wanted to have if you had told her about it before hand.” Nina took a sip of her drink.
“I know you speak about that through personal experience and that is exactly what Jane didn’t want for us.” Maura said.
Nina looked up at Maura over the rim of her glass. “Angela has been really intense with Frankie and me about planning our wedding. I love how involved she is, but she could pull back a little bit since we don’t want to get married for a couple of years. Us giving her grandchildren is even further off than that.”
“She means well and she loves all of us, but she’s the hardest on Jane. She doesn’t live up to what Angela expected in a daughter and she doesn’t know how to deal with the daughter that she has.” Maura made excuses for her mother-in-law. She couldn’t help herself, she had done the same thing with her adoptive parents for years and now it was second nature to her even though she knew that three of them were very wrong
Nina had to nod along in agreement with what her future sister-in-law had just said. “She certainly has her opinions about mine and Frankie’s wedding even after we said that we wanted to have a long engagement. I don’t think there is any way for us to proceed with our wedding without at least taking some of her suggestions without taking her input.” .
“That’s exactly what Jane didn’t want when it came to our wedding. That is the main reason why we eloped. If Angela were involved with the planning of our ceremony then she would have made Jane wear a dress when that wasn’t what my wife wanted.” Maura replied. She had to sympathize with Nina because she knew what Angela was like. “I should go check on TJ to make sure that he isn’t getting into any trouble while the Rizzoli Brothers are having a chat outside.” She excused herself before she said something that she didn’t mean to.
“If he’s as much trouble as Jane and the boys then you need to be worried about what he’s doing.” Nina agreed with Maura’s urge to check on TJ.
“What did you bring us out here for, Janie?” Frankie asked after he took a sip of the beer his sister had given him.
Tommy raised his beer in salute before he took a long draw off it. “You know that you can say whatever you want to us and we won’t love you any less.”
Jane drank from her beer deeply before she responded to her brothers. She needed an extra moment to collect herself for what she was about to admit to her little brothers. This was something she had been fighting against her whole life abs it was going to take a lot for her to finally be able to speak her truth out loud. “Frankie, Tommy, Maura and I are together now and I need both of you to be ok with the fact that I’m a lesbian and I have been one my whole life.” She got those words out as quickly as she could before she lost the courage to say them.
Frankie put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “It’s about damn time that the two of you got together. It took you long enough to admit your feelings for each other.”
Tommy punched his older sister on the arm in a show of of affection. “Way to go, Janie! No wonder Frankie and I never stood a chance with Maura she only has eyes for you.”
“There’s more and I think that this is the part that Ma is really gonna have a hard time with.” Jane put her left hand into her pocket before she pulled it out and flashed the ring that adorned her ring finger to her brothers. “Maura and I have been married for six months. We were tired of wasting time and we wanted to start our lives together. The support you two have shown means the world to me and I hope you understand that I didn’t exclude you to hurt you. I did it for my peace of mind. We all know that Ma never woulda let me have the wedding I was comfortable with.”
“I absolutely get it, Janie to get the kind of wedding that you wanted you had to do it away from Ma. I’m sure that doesn’t mean that you won’t have some kind of reception or something here, so that we can all celebrate with you.” Frankie was the first to speak up after their sister had dropped that bombshell on them.
Tommy made a show of running his hands over his face. “I’m so fuckin’ happy for you, Janie. I just know that mom is gonna kill you for getting married without her there. I really don’t wanna have to be the one who deals with Ma when she finds out that little piece of information.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t make you deal with Ma when it comes to that. I’m the one who deserves her ire and I can damn well take it.”Jane was serious about the matter. With that statement she had put her foot down and shown her unwillingness to budge.
“You are gonna have one hell of a fight on your hands when it comes to Ma. I’m gonna wish you good luck and I need you to know that I am on your side even if that woman bullies me into saying otherwise.” Frankie chimed in. He wanted his older sister to know that he had her back even if he couldn’t say it out loud.
Jane chuckled. “I know you’ve always got my back, little brother. But don’t let Ma bully you. It’s ok to stand up to her. If I had done that in the first place I never would have taken that job with the FBI.” She wanted her brothers to learn from her mistakes. She let out a long sigh when her mother’s voice coming from the main house. “I mean she’s already pissed at me for going back to being a cop. She said some things earlier that were pretty harsh and that’s why Maura had you guys come over tonight she thought that I could use your support.”
“I got your back, sis,” Tommy reassured her. He could get away with anything and Angela wouldn’t scold him for it because he was her baby. “Ma might not have ever fully embraced you for who you are, but Frankie and I always have. The person you are has always made sure to protect Frankie and me. You took the scrapes and bruises meant for us while the daughter that ma wanted would have left us to deal with those bullies without doing anything to help us.”
Frankie put his hand on his brother’s shoulder in a sign of solidarity. “Tommy’s right, Janie. You’ve always been the perfect big sister to us. Who gives a shit if you’re not the dresses and dolls girl that ma wanted? You were the kick ass and take names older sister that we needed to protect us. We both love you just the way that you are. If it makes you feel any better I knew a long time ago that you were a lesbian, I just thought that I would wait for you to tell before I said anything. Knowing that has never made me feel any different about you.” He spoke from the heart.
Tommy nodded his head stoically. “What Frankie said. It’s always been obvious, but ma didn’t make it easy for you to admit to who you are. We won’t turn our backs on you just because you like a beautiful woman just as much as we do. Hell that’s just one more thing for us to bond over.” Even though he was clumsy with his delivery his words were no less meaningful than his older brother’s were.
“I appreciate it.” Jane ran her hand through her unmanageable curls and took a deep fortifying breath to keep the tears she could feel coming on at bay. Her two goofy wonderful little brothers would never understand just how much what they’d said had meant to her. She threw her arms around both of them and hugged them tightly before she pulled away. “I love both you assholes so damn much. You’re the best brothers I could ask for and I know that you’ll be brothers that Maura can always count on. And I know that you’ll be the best damn uncles to any future kids we have.”
Frankie gave her a boyish smirk. “I think Tommy and I figured out a long time ago that Maura was gonna be our sister through marriage and started treating her as such.”
Jane swiped at her misty eyes with her knuckles to get rid of any tears that may have escaped against her will. She cleared her throat loudly to make sure her voice was strong before she spoke again. “Enough of that girly shit.” Her whole posture changed into her detective persona before she spoke again. “Frankie, I want you to meet me at the Robber tomorrow after you get off work. I have someone I want you to meet who I think is gonna be a great addition to the team in homicide. Now he’s probably gonna be my partner, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t have a chance to work with him.”
“Of course, Janie, whatever you want. I’ll be more than happy to meet the new guy to homicide.” Frankie nodded his head enthusiastically.
Jane punched her brother in the shoulder affectionately. “That’s what I like to hear. I promise that you’re really gonna like him. He’s a damn good dude and I know that he is gonna fit right in with the rest of us.”
Maura stood in the back door with TJ on her hip watching the siblings interact. This was the family she had longed for all of her life and now she was finally officially a part of it. She kissed the toddler on the top of his head. “Do you think we should tell your daddy, your Auntie Jane, and your Uncle Frankie that the pizza will be here in a few minutes?” The little boy nodded his head vigorously. “TJ and I wanted the three of you to know that the pizza should be here any minute. If you three want to eat you need to come in and get washed up.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Tommy rushed towards the house. He paused long enough to kiss his son on the head. “TJ be good for your Auntie Maura she has it hard enough being married to your Aunt Janie.” He smiled widely at Maura. “I always knew you’d be an official part of this family. I just didn’t think that it would take so long.” He squeezed her shoulder and walked into the house.
Frankie walked over and wrapped Maura in a huge hug mindful not to crush TJ. He kissed her cheek wetly. “Welcome to the family, Sis. We’ve got your back.” He slipped into the house without another word.
Maura looked absolutely dumbfounded with tears of joy shining in her hazel eyes.
Jane slid up behind her wife and wrapped her arms around Maura and her nephew. “As crazy as they drive me they really are good boys. I’m lucky to have them as little brothers.”
“They really are and we are lucky to have them as little brothers.” Maura melted back into her wife. She leaned up and kissed the woman she loved deeply on the lips. “Now take your nephew and help him wash up for dinner.” She turned in the taller woman’s arms and handed her their nephew.
Jane took her nephew into her arms with a dumb look on her face.” “You can’t just kiss me like that and expect me to be able to think.” she whined playfully.
Maura rolled her eyes. “Just go do what I told you to.”
“You are gonna pay for this later in bed, Dr. Rizzoli.” Jane leaned over and whispered in the honey blonde’s ear. “Know that I will be using the strap on you tonight and I will make you beg.” She added.
“I look forward to it.” Maura smirked at the woman she was in love with. “That still doesn’t mean you’re going to get out of helping TJ wash his hands.” She walked inside with a deliberate sway to her hips.
Jane watched her walk away with a faraway look on her face. “We better go wash up like Aunt Maura said.” She kissed her nephew and carried him into the house. “Woman thinks just because she got me to settle down and get married she’s the boss of me.” She grumbled all the way to the bathroom that was in the downstairs hallway.
Maura bit her lip to keep her grin from showing. She and Jane both knew that the detective was wrapped around the doctor’s little finger and had been since before they got together.
Jane and Maura waited with Frankie inside the Dirty Robber for the person they were waiting for to show. They had shown up ten minutes early, but, that was on purpose, Jane had wanted Frankie to form an opinion of the man who would joining homicide while being able to look him up and down and get a feel for who he was.
A tall man with honey brown hair and a beard walked into the robber. He looked around until he spotted Jane and sat in the chair at the end of the table. “Hey,” he greeted the three people who were already seated.
“Frankie, allow me to introduce you to Wyatt Reed.” Jane introduced the pair. “Wyatt this is my brother Frankie.”
Wyatt offered his had to Frankie. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“It’s really nice to meet you too.” Frankie shook his hand enthusiastically. There was something about Wyatt that he liked already.
“Maura, you’re looking as beautiful as ever tonight.” Wyatt smirked at the doctor. “Frankie, you have my condolences for growing up with that beast.”
“Thank you, Wyatt, you’re just as charming as you were the last time I saw you.” Maura took a delicate sip of the water she had in front of her.
“Frankie, don’t you dare respond to that. Reed, stop trying to get a rise out of me by pretending to put the moves on my woman.” Jane sent a fake glare at both the men and looked over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn’t around to overhear what she’d just said.
Frankie waved off what his sister had said. “Wyatt how do you know my sister?”
Wyatt looked at Jane unsure of how to answer that question.
Jane laughed softly and made a gesture with her hand for him to let her handle it. “Ok, now we are in for shop talk. Reed was my partner at the FBI when I worked in the field. I spent three hours on the phone when Maura and I were in Paris to get this sorted out. BPD agreed to loan me out to the FBI as an instructor for six months before I would come back here as a lieutenant. Coming as no shock to me I hated it and I begged to go do some field work. They like me so I got my way. That being said my six months is up and I’m back now. Reed wanted to come with me. I think he’s gonna be a good addition to homicide. I just don’t know who his partner is gonna be yet. I wanted to see how you two get along before I decide.” She explained things to her brother. She took a long pull off her beer as she gave him a minute to digest things.
“Why’d you take the lieutenant position if you hated teaching? That’s a damn desk job and you’re gonna be miserable.” Frankie furrowed his eyebrows together. He really didn’t know what his sister’s though process was sometimes.
Jane arched her eyebrow and gave him a look that said ‘really’. “Frankie, when I agreed to become the new lieutenant I told them that it was gonna be on my terms and I’m not leaving fieldwork behind.” She smirked and shrugged her shoulders.
“Two things, this is gonna be fun and Ma is gonna hate this.” Frankie smirked back at his sister.
Wyatt looked back and forth between the two siblings before he looked at Maura. “To be clear I’m here to keep those two from being partners, right? They look like they could be more trouble together and me and her are.” He was slightly concerned that he had met his match with both Rizzoli siblings. Those two just seemed like they could get into trouble together.
Maura laughed and a beautiful smile lit her face. “You have no idea how much trouble they are together. It’s even worse when their baby brother is thrown into the mix. They are like juvenile delinquents in their thirties. You are going to fit right in with them and I’m going to regret that.”
“Oh, hey, babe, don’t go scaring off one of the two best detectives I have on my team right now. God knows without Reed even working a case yet he is better than Crowe.” Jane grumbled and threw her arm around her wife’s shoulders.
“What are we gonna do about a sergeant?” Frankie asked out of curiosity they hadn’t filled that position since Korsak had retired.
“You let me worry about that.” Jane threw a look over her shoulder at Korsak who was standing behind the bar. “I’ll be back. You two get to know each other and keep Maura company while I go handle something.” She slid out of the booth and planted herself on a barstool in front of her former partner.
“Janie!” Vince yelled out cheerfully when he saw his former partner. He was covering for Angela who said she needed time to prepare welcome home feast for Jane and Maura. “It’s good to have you back. It’s been a long six months without you. You lasted in DC longer than I thought you would.”
Jane shared a quick hug with the older man. “Those six months felt more like six years. I was never cut out to be a teacher.” She shrugged her shoulders.
Vince wore a look of fatherly pride on his face. “But you were cut out to be brass. Homicide command couldn’t have gone to anyone, but you. You were born for that job.”
A blush spread over Jane’s olive skin. She really didn’t know how to take praise. For the bravado she put on she really was humble at heart. She cleared her throat to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling that washed over her. “I think you should come back I need someone in the bullpen that I can trust to keep the kids in line. The spot is yours if you want it. I uh I know that things have been difficult for you and it would be good to get you outta this bar and back to work. Ma has the Robber under control. Just think about it.” She craned her neck around looking for her mother. “Speaking of my mother, I thought she was your manager.”
Korsak looked down at the bar. “I’ll think about it, ok? It has been nice helping out here and there. Things have been difficult since Kiki left and it’s been good for me to stay busy.” He looked back up into Jane’s eyes. “Angela needed some time off to arrange your welcome home dinner. Though I’m sure that’s more for Maura than you. I got a real earful about you coming back to the dangerous job that killed her grandchild. Her words not mine.” He threw his hands up in a sign of surrender when he saw the glare Jane shot his way.
“She’s really harping on that right now. I don’t think she cares how painful that is.” Jane laid her feelings bare for him. “Ok, I’ll give you some time to think about it before I start pushing.”
Vince looked over to the booth where Frankie and Maura sat with Wyatt. “Who is tall dark and brooding over these talking to Frankie? One of Maura’s boyfriends?” He had to needle Jane just a little bit.
“He’s one of my new detectives I met him in DC. I think he’s gonna fit right in here. You should come over and meet him.” Jane’s eyes flashed dangerously with a warning message. “I’m only gonna say this once, Vince. Mine!” She growled out as she looked at Maura.
Korsak threw his head back out let out a deep belly laugh. “All I can say is, it’s about damn time, kid. I didn’t think either of you would ever admit to it.”
Jane smirked and rolled her eyes playfully. “Grab a few beers and come join us. We are talking shop right now. I think you’ll enjoy my tales from the FBI.”
“And I think you’ll enjoy the free beers.” Korsak chuckled.
“I am paying for these beers, thank you very much. Just because I’m half owner of this bar now doesn’t mean I expect not to pay my tab.” Jane did her best to looked scandalized over the fact he thought she wouldn’t pay her tab.
Angela bustled around the kitchen on Sunday afternoon to make sure that the food she had prepared was coming along the way that it should be. She has big plans for this day and everything had to be perfect for the surprise she had in store for her only daughter. Today would make or break the life she had always imagined for her oldest child.
“Angela, are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Maura inquired from her spot at the kitchen island. She was watching her mother-in-law work. It was better to be there than in the living room watching hockey with her wife and her brothers.
“I’m positive, Maura. This is a welcome home dinner for you and Janie. I don’t want either of you to have to lift a finger to do anything.” Angela walked around the counter and placed a kiss on the top of Maura’s head. “I’m so glad to have both of my girls back for good. Dinner will be ready in ten why don’t you go get Janie and the boys to wash up?” She smiled to herself when she heard the doorbell ring.
Maura nodded her agreement of that. She chuckled when she heard all three Rizzoli siblings yell at what they thought was a bad call by the ref. “Jane, Frankie, Nina, Tommy, and Vince get washed up it’s almost time to eat.”
Both of Jane’s younger brothers jumped up and made a race out of getting to the downstairs bathroom to wash their hands. Frankie had TJ in his arms and used the little boy to his advantage. Nina walked over to the kitchen sink like a civilized human not wanting to get in the way of her fiancé and his little brother. Vince was content to take his time following after her. Jane took a look around to make sure her mother wasn’t watching before she kissed her wife and headed up to their en-suite to tidy up.
Maura watched them all in awe of the sheer amount of energy the three siblings took up.
“That’s just a preview of what it will be like if you have kids. You know they will be just like Jane and the boys.” Nina dried off her hands and took a seat at the table.
“I know,” Maura smiled contently. “They are a storm, but they are damn lovable and I’m looking forward to the next generation being like that.” She ran her fingertips over her midsection wistfully. She made Frankie and Tommy help TJ set the table and bring the food over before they sat down.
Jane was the last one other than Angela to rejoin the others. “Where the hell is Ma? We all know it isn’t a good idea to leave her to her own devices.” She wanted everything to go perfectly and didn’t need any of Angela’s schemes to mess things up.
“I’m right here, Janie. I was just getting the door.” Angela replied from the entryway.
Jane shot a concerned look at her wife before she put her hands over over her face and groaned loudly. “Whatever she ordered or whoever she invited over is not my problem.” She grumbled. Her sixth sense for her mother’s bullshit was tingling. She could only imagine what kind of trouble she had managed to cook up.
“Be nice, Jane.” Maura warned in a hushed voice. Given Angela’s history of theatrics she needed her wife to be calm so she didn’t boil over and say something she would regret.
“Janie, look who I ran into the other day and invited to dinner.” Angela wore a shit eating grin as she pointed to Casey.
“Hello, Jane,” Casey was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with his fatigue jacket thrown over the top.
“Not only no, but hell no.” Jane spoke through gritted teeth. “I can’t deal with this, step in before I kill her Maur.” She begged for help. Her whole body had gone rigid and her face had paled this was the last thing that she had wanted to deal with. She stood up quickly her hands balled into fists at her side.
“Janie, don’t you dare be that way. You may have thrown away a relationship with a man who wanted you in DC and gave up your teaching job with the FBI to be a cop again, but I won’t let you squander this second chance with Charles. You two were engaged once.” Angela tried to shut down her daughter’s protests.
Maura put herself in between Angela and Jane. She knew her wife would think twice about putting hands on her mother if she had to go around Maura and risk hurting her to do it. “Angela, I don’t think now is the time for this.”
“You remember how good they were together, Maura.” Angela plowed on like she hadn’t heard a word Maura said. “Nonsense, Maura agrees with me that Charles is good for you.”
“Jane, I just want the chance to talk.” Casey kept the tone of his voice level so he didn’t do anything to spook Jane.
Angela was just getting started on one of her tirades. “This is perfect timing you both just got back into town and you can pick up where you left off.”
“Ma, maybe not now.” Tommy cautioned his mother.
Maybe having the most morally questionable of the Rizzoli’s questioning her tactics should have convinced Angela to stop what she was doing, but she had already built up a head steam and wasn’t about to be stopped before she got to the good part. “You could be married within a few months and you could try for another baby.”
“Ma, knock it off.” Frankie knew that his mother was about to push things too far.
“I’m just saying now that Janie at least has a desk job she has a better chance of carrying to term unlike last time.” Angela just couldn’t quit while she was ahead.
Jane slammed her hand down on the table with a resounding bang. “That is enough!” She barked out loudly. “First of all, Casey, there is nothing for us to talk about I thought I made it clear last time you reached out to blame me for the miscarriage of the child you didn’t want that I didn’t want to hear from you again. I already have one person who blames me for my child dying I don’t need another one.”
“Janie, stop being so stubborn. This is your chance to have a husband and children who adore you.” Angela wouldn’t be deterred.
“Not gonna happen, Ma!” Jane reached into her pocket and slipped her wedding ring on her finger. She got up in her mother’s face and made sure to flash her ring so there was no mistaking what it was. “Your stupid plan isn’t gonna work. I’m already married to Maura and I have been for six months!” A red mist of rage descended over her and she just couldn’t take anymore.
Angela just stood there with her mouth hanging open. “I don’t understand.” She looked around the room bewildered.
Maura took her wedding band and engagement ring off the chain she kept them on and slipped them on her finger. “Angela, Jane and I are married. When we went to Paris we decided to stop hiding our feelings for each other and that it was time to make things right. We didn’t do this to hurt you.” She spoke gently to the older woman while she rubbed Jane’s arm in hopes of calming her down.
Angela opened her mouth as if to speak several times, but no sound came out. It took a moment, but recognition dawned on her face. She pointed her finger right in her daughter’s face. “I should have known that you would ruin this for me. You never can just be a normal girl, you have to crush every dream that I have for you. First you had to be a cop and now you’re denying me the husband and children I wanted for you. You almost had the child, but you messed that up too.” She slapped her daughter as hard as she could across the face.
It took everything that Jane had in her not to put hands on her mother, but she used her willpower to keep her from doing something she would regret later. Tears pooled in her eyes that she refused to let fall. “At least you finally admit the truth.” She yanked her phone off her belt when it rang. “Rizzoli,” despite how she was feeling at the moment it really felt good to answer her phone that way again.
“Isles,” Maura answered her phone after two rings. There was nothing she could do or say to fix this situation at the moment and she didn’t bother to try. She would have to put the pieces back together later when her wife broke down in her arms.
“Frankie, we’ve got a body let’s go. You and I are together on this one. Call Reed and have him meet us there.” Jane put her phone back on her belt and started issuing orders. “Vince, do me a favor and take the trash out. I want him out of my house before I get back.” She pointed a threatening finger in Casey’s direction. “It didn’t have to be this way, ma. We wanted you all over to share our news and you pulled this shit. I hope getting your way was worth it.” She clipped her gun to her side her voice soft and a heartbroken look in her eyes. Her mother always did this to her. She stormed out to the car leaving Maura and Frankie to catch up to her.
She slipped behind the wheel of her unmarked car and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She laid her head on the wheel and let out a groan of frustration. She looked over when she felt her wife’s slender hand on her back. “I’m sorry, Maur, that’s not how I wanted that to go. She just does everything she can to push my buttons. I lost my cool, babe.”
Maura leaned over and pressed and loving kiss to the taller woman’s temple. “Shh, you have nothing to apologize for, Angela is the one who owes you an apology.” She soothed her.
“It’s a good thing that there’s a crime scene to get to or there would be one in our kitchen right now.” Jane straightened up and took a deep breath. “I can’t believe she brought that son of a bitch into our home. The home that we are gonna bring our baby home to.” She slipped before she knew what she had done.
“Baby?” Frankie questioned.
Jane let a crooked smile come to her face as she pulled out of the driveway. “Maura, is pregnant, brother. Keep that to yourself.”
“My lips are sealed.” Frankie winked at her when she looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Congratulations, guys, this kid is so lucky to have the two of you as parents.”
“Just call Reed like I told you to, punk.” Jane winked back at him.