A/N: HELLO THERE MY LOVELY READERS. I HAVE A 1,600 WORD PAPER ON THE HOLOCAUST THAT'S DUE IN 8 HOURS AND I'M ONLY 200 WORDS IN SO NATURALLY I THOUGHT THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO WRITE SOME FANFIC. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT AND PLEASE FORGIVE ANY MISTAKES MY BRAIN IS FRIED FROM THE PAPER MENTIONED ABOVE. ENJOY

WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER

Regina sat at the airport bar waiting and waiting and waiting. She checked her watch for what seemed to be the one-hundredth time in fifteen minutes. After what felt like a lifetime to Regina, she checked her watch again. Only two minutes had passed. She sighed; this was going to be a long night, or rather an early morning.

"So what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing all alone at 6 in the morning, at an airport bar nonetheless?"

The voice was low and smoky. It was smooth. It was not the voice she was looking for.

"Well if you must know, I am waiting for my wife." She flashed her wedding ring for emphasis.

The voice chuckled and sat next to her at the bar. "Me too." The voice now had a finger with a plain platinum band. The banded finger singled the poor soul that managed to be working the graveyard shift for a blue moon and a wedge of orange.

"You shouldn't be drinking this early."

The voice with the banded finger now had eyebrows that rose on their forehead and eyes that looked pointedly at the glass of wine in front of Regina.

"Point taken," Regina sighed.

"So," the voice started again; it was an almost perfect voice…almost. It still wasn't the voice Regina had wanted to hear. "Your wife is coming in on a red eye from, left me guess, New York?"

Regina snorted. "Not even close. She's coming from Afghanistan. Well I guess it's technically Germany now after the lay over." She only had a small amount of pride in her voice; the rest was filled with longing.

"Mine too."

This time it was Regina's eyebrows that climbed upon her forehead.

"It's not easy is it?" The voice was the first to speak after a few minutes.

"Not at all. I would get so nervous that I wouldn't be able to sleep some nights. I would just keep lay awake all night waiting for the phone to ring."

"I was the same way. I would toss and turn on our bed that is much too big without my wife."

They remained talking for some time about the different things that they did while their wives were deployed. Their alcohol was soon exchanged for some lemon water for Regina and a glass of milk for the voice that had yet to identify itself.

"Jane. I'm Jane Rizzoli."

Regina responded automatically. "Regina Swan-Mills."

A wave of recognition hit Jane square in the face.

"Your wife wouldn't happen to be Second Lieutenant Emma Swan-Mills would she?"

Regina could hide the surprise on her face. "She would. Why?"

Jane burst out laughing. When she was finally able to catch her breath she spoke again, "Sorry, I'm sorr—" anther wave of laughter hit. "Sorry. My wife has told me all about your beloved L.T."

"And what does that mean?" then it hit her. "Your wife is Captain Maura Isles isn't she?"

Jane nodded.

Now it was Regina's turn to laugh.

"What a small world."

Jane agreed.

Regina thought back to the endless phone calls, Skype calls, and letter that she exchanged with Emma during her 13-month deployment. At first it was Emma telling her that everything was fine but she couldn't fully disclose where she was. Then the calls and letters started talking about CPT. Isles. At first Regina was a bit jealous, it seemed her wife was swooning over this Doctor. The feeling quickly went away as she realized that her wife was only friends with this "Doc" as Emma called her. Their friendship had started it seemed after Emma had broken her nose in a training exercise. She could always trust her wife to be a klutz. At first she was worried, as any wife would be but then she started laughing. Of course it would be Emma that would get hurt in such a way. She was happy her "Beloved L.T." as Jane called had found someone over there to keep her sane. Jane's voice broke through her memories.

"Did Emma tell you about that one time—" they spent the next hour talking about the "adventures" their wives had gotten into.

"You are so much like Maura, you know that Regina. The both of you dress as if you stepped out of a fashion catalogue and both of you are health nuts."

"And you are so much like Emma. You guys dress for comfort and practicality. The both you have a strange love for burgers and grilled cheese."

"It no wonder our wives are best friends."

Regina wholeheartedly agreed.

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the pair of well worn tan combat boots approaching.

"So it looks like our wives have already met, Doc." Emma whispered to the Captain.

"Indeed they have. Indeed they have."

The shared a small nod.

"Jane!" Emma had said.

"Regina!" Maura had said at the same time.

For the moment the women at the bar looked confused since their names were not said by the voices they were expecting. Jane was the first to move. She grabbed Maura by the waist, picked her up, and spun her around.

Emma in turn grabbed Regina off the stool and kissed her soundly.

After the brief reunion, Emma spoke up. "I don't know about y'all but I'm feeling some pancakes right now."

Jane agreed. Both Maura and Regina shared a look and replied in unison, "Only if you have oatmeal first and drink orange juice."

Jane and Emma both groaned but they agreed. They really wanted pancakes.

"I hope they don't gang up on us all the time now," Jane whispered to Emma.

Again the other two women replied in unison, "We heard that."

Emma chuckled, grabbed her wife's hand, and grabbed her duffle bag with the other and started for the exit. The four women walked out into the cool Bostonian air.

This time it was Jane and Regina who spoke at the same time, "Welcome home solider, welcome home."

FIN