Disclaimer - I do not own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the show's characters...I do love them all to pieces though~

Author's Note - I was about to start working on chapter 2 of A Mobster's Daughter, when I was hit with a bit of inspiration, and the idea for this new story was born~ =3

I really hope you all enjoy this lil AU take on the idea of Jane and Maura meeting when they were much younger, and becoming childhood friends. I just really love the idea of Jane being able to be by Maura's side, especially during the more trying childhood years of teasing Maura would have endured. Age-wise Jane is ten-years-old, and Maura is an adorable and precocious nine-year-old~ =3

Hope you all enjoy this story! =D

~Always My Protector~

Being ten-years-old was great!

Jane Rizzoli, older sister and only daughter of the Rizzoli clan, looked excitedly around the Boston City Park, and then tore off down one of the many nature trails. Now that she'd finally turned ten, her over-protective mother had finally given her permission to run around the park on her own, as long as she met back up with her family by the park's playground in fifteen minutes. It had taken weeks and weeks of begging, extra chores, and a little help from her dad to even get Angela Rizzoli to agree, to the arguably short fifteen minutes of freedom.

Jane actually suspected that her mother was probably trailing along somewhere behind, continuing to secretly watch over her daughter. But in all honesty, Jane really didn't mind if her mother actually was following her. It felt good to know she was part of such a loving family, and for the time being it felt like she was out on her own, so she was happy.

A few more feet down the trail Jane saw a bench, and sitting on it was a young, honey-blond girl with her head stuck in a fairly thick book. Jane tilted her head curiously at the girl, and wondered to herself who would actually be reading in the middle of a park, when they could be playing!

So, she trotted over to the bench, and stopped before the younger-looking girl, and tried to see the name of the book. The girl must have felt the presence of someone standing over her because she slowly lowered the book, and lifted her head to stare curiously up at the taller girl beside her.

When the hazel-brown eyes of the young girl met Jane's own dark eyes, a very strange fluttering took place in Jane's stomach, that she instantly dismissed as she gave the girl a crooked grin.

"Hi, my name is Jane. What's your name, and why are you reading a book when you could be playing at the playground?" Jane asked, as she hopped up onto the bench beside the other girl.

The blond girl stared a bit blankly at the dark-haired girl, who had so easily made herself comfortable beside her, before she looked around a bit, as if unsure whether the dark-eyed girl was actually talking to her.

No other kids usually voluntarily chose to speak to her unless it was to tease or make fun of her.

The blond gently picked at the edge of her book, before she looked at the other girl with a small, shy smile.

"Maura...my name is Maura. It's nice to meet you...Jane," the young girl said softly, as she shyly tucked a stray strand of honey-blond hair behind her ear. "I'm reading up on butterflies. Or rather the order of Lepidoptera. I came to the park today because I heard that it contained the species Papilio machaon, and I really wanted to see them. According to my book, The Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea Superfamily, they are a common species in this part of North America," the young blond rambled off excitedly.

Jane understood only one thing in all of what the younger girl had just said...she wanted to see butterflies.

"Well, if all you really wanted to do was see butterflies at the park, then sitting on this bench reading isn't gonna make it happen! Come on, I'll show ya where there's tons of pretty butterflies!" Jane exclaimed excitedly, as she gently grabbed the younger girl's hand, and lightly tugged her off the bench.

"Wha...wha...wait! I can't just...my reading...what about...Jane!" Maura exclaimed as she struggled to keep her large book balanced one-armed against her small chest, while trying to keep up with the taller girl's fast pace.

Jane glanced back and saw her new friend struggling to keep up, so she slowed her pace but kept a firm hold on the smaller hand in hers.

"Sorry 'bout that, Maura. I just really want to show you this really cool spot by the playground, that has all these pretty butterflies flying around," Jane said with a quick grin over her shoulder.

Maura looked down at the hand still holding hers, and she quietly marveled at the fact that here was someone...this loudly-cheerful girl...who was actually taking an interest in her. In her. Jane wasn't teasing her, or being mean, and she hadn't even rolled her eyes when the butterfly ramble had slipped out.

Maura was amazed.

She gently squeezed the warm hand in hers, and received a light squeeze in return, plus a bright smile that made a shy, answering smile appear on her face.

"Alright, we're here!" Jane suddenly exclaimed, knocking Maura out of her drifting thoughts.

Maura quickly looked around and saw the playground filled with laughing, shouting kids that she usually avoided because other kids usually equaled teasing and hurt for her. But Jane had brought her here, and Jane was...nice. Maura had only known the taller, dark-haired girl for a short while, but she already liked being around her, and she didn't want to displease Jane by asking her to leave the area.

Unfortunately for Maura, one of the biggest reasons she liked to avoid the park's playground, while waiting by the nature trails for her Nanny to return from her usual coffee runs, was quickly approaching them.

"Yo Rizzoli! What'cha doing with the door mouse over there! She's always got her nose crammed in some boring book, and never wants to play with the rest of us. She's just a big snob, and a crybaby," a slight-chubby boy around Jane's age called out, as he quickly approached the two girls. The boy was trailed by two slightly-younger boys, who were obviously related to him.

"Mind your own damn business, Flynn! No one asked you to come over here to bother us," Jane growled, as she watched one of her least favourite people in the world approach them. Considering the fact that the park and playground were central areas in the city, many of the kids knew each other as their parents enjoyed bringing them here to play.

"Jane...language..." Maura couldn't help saying softly, as the grip she still had on Jane's hand tightened a bit, with the swift approach of the older boys.

Jane tossed the obviously nervous and probably scared girl behind her a small, apologetic smile before she squared herself up to her full height, which was still shorter than the boys approaching, and placed herself protectively before her new friend.

"Stuff it, Jane. I don't see your Mommy here with you today, so there's no one to protect you if I decide you need a beatdown," Flynn said with a nasty sneer, as he and the two boys finally came to stand before the two girls.

Jane scoffed lightly before she raised her hand, and poked a finger roughly against Finn's chest.

"Flynn, the day you can beat me up is the day you stop peeing your bed, and since that day will never come how about you and your lame brothers just turn around, and walk away before I have to teach you a lesson in manners," Jane growled under her breath. Yes, she could probably take Flynn on her own. She'd gotten into enough playground scuffles to know how to deal with punks like him. But the two boys flanking Flynn's sides presented a bit of a problem. Not to mention her new friend was all but shaking in fright behind her, and Jane absolutely refused to let Maura get hurt by these playground bullies.

Luckily for her and Maura, Angela Rizzoli and her younger brother Frankie chose that moment to turn the corner into the park. Frankie, upon seeing his older sister, happily waved and immediately began running over to her.

Flynn and his brothers took one look at Angela Rizzoli's scowling face, and quickly turned on their heels and ran. They may have tried talking big about Jane's mother not being around to protect her daughter, but they were actually terrified of Angela Rizzoli. Flynn still remembered vividly the day she'd taken him over her knee right in the middle of the park when he'd started a fight with Jane, and proceeded to spank his bottom. Right there in front of everyone, including his brothers! It was something he hadn't managed to live down yet, and he didn't want a repeat of the experience.

Jane let out a soft sigh of relief, as she watched Flynn and his brothers turn tail and run. It wasn't that she wanted her mother's protection for herself. She was just beyond relieved that her mother's almost supernatural-maternal-instinct-timing managed to save both her and Maura, from what could have turned into a pretty bad situation.

"Janie!" Frankie exclaimed happily, as he practically threw himself into his sister's arms. Jane grinned as she gave her brother a one-armed hug. She was still holding tightly to Maura's hand, and once Frankie let her go she quickly turned to see how Maura was doing. The sight of tears flowing down Maura's face, did something to Jane's heart that years and years from that moment, would cause the exact same reaction every time she saw Maura cry.

Jane immediately wrapped her arms around her new friend, and held her tightly as the young blond began to cry earnestly; letting out all the fear and worry she'd had, from the moment Flynn first called out to them.

Angela came upon the scene of her daughter hugging a pretty, little blond girl who was crying her heart out on Jane's shoulder, and she did the only thing she as a mother could do. She gathered all the kids standing before her into her arms including her son, daughter, and the little crying girl and pulled them to her chest in a warm, motherly hug. Then later after she'd helped dry tears with a damp napkin, and bought ice cream for all the kids she found in her care, she sat watching them laughing and playing happily with a small flock of butterflies. It was while waiting for Maura's Nanny to meet them after she'd dialed the cellphone number provided by the young blond, that Angela realized something. And this realization caused a huge smile to spread across her face.

Her Janie had made a new friend! A new friend who was sweet, kind, and obviously very smart. And what struck Angela especially was how gentle and protective her daughter was with Maura. It was a side of her Janie she only ever saw when she was around her brothers. The gentle, caring side that she usually hid well from the rest of the world. But somehow, in the space of one short afternoon, Maura Isles had slipped right passed her daughter's defenses, and nestled herself neatly within Jane's heart.

Angela thought to herself with a soft smile at the two laughing, happy girls that this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

I really hope you all enjoyed this story~ Please review and let me know what you thought of it =D