Secret Santa Bean Town Style

Chapter 1- Early December

Rating: K+ (not K because Jane likes to use 'bad words' too much)

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N:
1. The remaining episodes of Season 4 will be featuring Det. Barry Frost, and so will this fanfic. If you don't like this, please go and find another fic to read.
2. I'm kinda proud of myself for publishing a Secret Santa fic at the right time of the year- my last Christmas fic, 'Naval Criminal Investigative Santa' (NCIS fandom), was written and published in March :)

Warning: Fluff! alert (but hey, it's Christmas time, so I think that's okay :-) Now, on with the story.

Boston PD, Homicide Unit

"Good Mooor-ning!" a cheerful voice sounded through the room, causing Detective Jane Rizzoli to look up from her computer screen: "Hey Ma. What're you doin' with that bowl?"

Angela Rizzoli showed the bowl's contents (several folded pieces of paper) to her daughter before placing the bright pink container on Jane's desk. "Pick one."

Jane frowned. "Why?"

"Just do it."

With great reluctance, Jane stuck her hand into the bowl, picked one of the notes, and unfolded it. "Detective-"

"Ssshhh!"

"Don't shush me!"

"I'm your mother, I can shush you all I want," Angela retorted, completely unfazed by her daughter's evil glare. "We're playin' Secret Santa this year."

Jane's frown deepened: "'We', as in...?"

"... the Rizzoli family including Lydia, Maura, Barry, and Vince."

As if on cue, Sergeant Detective Vince Korsak stepped into the room. "Is it just me or did someone say my name?"

"My mother-" Angela recieved another glare- "wants to play Secret Santa this year," Jane explained to her coworker. "Though last time I checked, we were all grown-ups, not a bunch of kindergarten kids..."

"I think it's a nice idea," Korsak disagreed before walking over to Angela, wanting to pick a note from the pink bowl, but the older Rizzoli stopped him. "Wait, Janie has to put her note back 'cause she read out the name that was written on it."

"I didn't, the only thing I read out was 'Detective', no last name!" Jane rolled her eyes as her mother held the bowl out for her to put the note back. "Okay. Fine." Huffing, the brunette re-folded the piece of paper and threw it into the pink container. "Happy?"

"Well, now you have to pick a new note," Angela pointed out, to which Jane rolled her eyes again: "Really?"

When her mother didn't reply, Jane sighed, grabbed another note from the bowl, and unfolded it. Damn, I should've kept the piece of paper with Frost's name on it. I've zero idea what to give to this person- and the poor, unsuspecting note found itself at the wrong end of the infamous Rizzoli glare, even though it was by no means responsible for the name Angela had written on it.

Division One café, lunchtime

"Hey Ma."

"Frankie." Angela was still getting used to her son running around the station in a suit instead of his patrol cop uniform (Frankie had recently been promoted to Detective). "The usual?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. You can pick a note while I'm preparing your coffee." Angela nodded towards the pink bowl sitting on the counter.

"A note? For what?"

"We're playing Secret Santa this year."

"Really?" With a shrug, Frankie picked a note, accepted his cup of coffee, and left.

Now that was easy, Angela thought, turning back to the counter just in time to see Dr Maura Isles entering the café. Phew, thank God I don't have to go down to the morgue to see her. I honestly don't know how she can work in a room full of dead bodies. The older Rizzoli shuddered, which didn't go unnoticed by the doctor: "Angela, are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine. I assume you're here for lack of caffeine?"

Maura couldn't help but smile a little. So Jane isn't the only Rizzoli who's been picking up on my 'Google talk', as she calls it. "Exactly."

"So, the usual for you, too?"

"Yes, please."

"Coming right up. Oh, and you can pick a note while the coffee's boiling."

"A note?"

"Yep, from this bowl." Angela nudged the pink container closer to Maura, who furrowed her brow: "What's the purpose of this?"

"It's called Secret Santa. Everyone writes their name on a piece of paper, folds it, and puts it into a bowl. Then, you pick one of those notes and buy a Christmas present for the person whose name is written on it. On Christmas Eve, everyone opens their gifts and it's revealed who bought which present."

"Oh!" Maura's face lit up in understanding. "I never got to play this as a kid." The blonde stuck her hand into the bowl, but hesitated before picking a note: "Who's taking part in the game? And is there a price limit for the gifts?"

"The Rizzoli family including Lydia, Barry, Vince, and you, and the gifts can be up to $ 20- Maura dear, are you okay?"

The M.E. swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "It's just that it feels so... nice to be included into someone else's family like this. As you know, I went off to boarding school when I was ten, and while I always spent Christmas with my parents, I never really enjoyed it as much as last year's Rizzoli Christmas dinner."

"Aww, thank you..." The only thing that prevented Angela from walking around the corner and hugging Maura was a bunch of patrol cops in obvious need of caffeine entering the café. "Sorry, my work's calling," the older Rizzoli apologized with a smile.

"So is mine." Smiling back, Maura grabbed her coffee mug and a note from the pink bowl and left for the elevator. Inside, she unfolded the note and read the name on it. I think I already have an idea of what to give to this person...

Later that day, Detective Barry Frost, Tommy Rizzoli, and Tommy's girlfriend Lydia picked the three remaining notes from the pink bowl, and the Secret Santa challenge was on.

A/N: Sorry I don't have any peanut butter to go with the fluff from this chapter :) Anyway, I'll try to upload ch. 2 ASAP (i.e. before Christmas Eve).