CHAPTER FOUR

Jane stuffed her face with the steak and mashed potatoes that her mother had prepared for their Sunday dinner. Frankie on the other hand, was seated on the couch watching the game and yelling at the television. It was one of the days that Jane loved yet hated so much – the Rizzoli Sunday dinners. Their mother always made incessant amounts of noise while working around the kitchen, her brothers were usually making a commotion either directed at the plasma or at one another. This time however, Tommy was away on one of his fishing trips that he frequently took in between construction jobs.

"For goodness sake Frankie. Your food is getting cold." Angela chided from the counter. "Come eat."

"After the game, Ma. Somebody won't let me eat on the coffee table." He called out, eyes glued to the screen.

Jane stopped her fork midway to its destination, "That somebody doesn't want her younger brother to make a mess of her furniture." She scooped some mashed potatoes and stuffed it into her mouth. "You can see the game just fine from the kitchen. It's a 60 inch plasma for Christ's sake."

"It's not the same. Tell that somebody she's got a stick stuck far up her-"

"Francesco Rizzoli!" Exclaimed Angela. Frankie whipped his head around on instinct at their mothers demanding tone. His eyes widened seeing the ladle gripped firmly in her hand, pointed threateningly in his direction. He had no doubt that she would use that on him very soon if he didn't behave. "Shut your trap and eat. I swear you've got your fathers mouth." She threw her hands up in defeat and continued to stir the spaghetti sauce that was boiling on the stove.

"All right, all right. Sheesh! What's a guy gotta do to enjoy a decent game?" He tossed the controller onto the couch and stood up.

Jane chuckled. Frankie pulled the chair out from beside her, the legs scraping audibly against the tile. He was glaring at her as he sat down. She stated nonchalantly, "My place, my rules."

"Ma, why do we always have to eat at Jane's?"

"Because your place is…" She contemplated on the right word to say, "Far."

It was silent for a moment or two. Finally, Frankie piped up in annoyance. "Just say it Ma. Jane's fancy shmancy penthouse is better than my dingy apartment."

"No honey, you're place is nice!" Angela set the heat to low and reached over the table to squish his cheeks. "Your apartment just looks like a tornado passed through it every time I visit. Maybe if you let your mother come over and clean…"

"Forget I even said anything." He let his mother abuse his poor cheeks with a pout before digging into his food. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Very." Jane gave him a small smile. He would always be her cute little brother no matter how old they were. "So how are you doing with all the night shifts?"

"They're okay. My Sergeant has me doing patrols most of the time, not a big deal. I get the occasional dispatch for a disturbance in the ghetto district, since that's where my team is posted around." He gave her a sideways glance, "The next major crime scene that you have to isolate can you…" His voice trailed off and he took a bite of his food, waiting for his sister to get his message.

"Put you with the other officers who help secure the scene?" Jane cleaned off her own plate and pushed it away from her. Angela mechanically made a beeline for it and rinsed it off so that it was ready to be put in the dishwasher. She shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Frankie tried to suppress a smile, "Awesome."

"I'll borrow you from your Sergeant from time to time. Do a good job and I may just have you tail Frost or Cooper for a while."

Upon hearing the next bit, the smile escaped his lips. "Does that mean I get to see Dr. Isles more?"

Just the mention of the blonde's name had Jane frowning with a slight clench in her jaw. She did not want to think about the woman who haunted her dreams religiously. "Yes. The detectives interact with the M.E frequently for reports." Flashes of her long legs, toned calves, firm ass, shapely breasts and sultry eyes seared into her brain. "You going to try and court her?"

Jane thought back to the times where she saw the doctor in the company of lawyers and surgeons who had their heads so far up their asses. Some of the lawyers frequented the precinct to assist with interrogations and legal matters, so she knew first hand just how cocky they were. It was clear that she attracted the attention of many suitors from many high-class professions. They had the looks, the money and the ego to go with it. How the woman put up with their egotistical behaviour was beyond her.

Then again, Jane knew she wasn't far off from them.

The only thing that drew the line between her and those men was that she was a woman. She was allowed to be a little cocky because it mixed well with her power and authority. They were all too aware of her skills and efficiency that no one dared to utter a word of defiance against her. Or at least not in front of her.

He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"You know, if you married a doctor I wouldn't need to go to the clinic for my annual checkup." Angela added as she put away various spices and sauces.

"Ma!" They yelled in unison. Their mother had the tendency to eavesdrop and meddle in on their business and quite frankly, they never got used to it.

"What?" She looked at her children with wide eyes, "It's true. It would save me the time and money. Wouldn't that be wonderful, Jane? Having a doctor in the Rizzoli family? Imagine my grandbabies."

"Jesus Christ." She rolled her eyes, got up and gave Angela a kiss on the cheek. "As much as I'd like to hear you jibber jabber, I've got a meeting to hold tomorrow. So I'm going to shower and go to sleep." She then gave one to her brother. "You have your pay duty at that charity event downtown. Don't forget and good night to you both."

"I know, good night Janie."

"Why do you have to be so mean to your own mother?" Angela called out to her daughter's retreating figure. When she didn't get a response she added, "Good night sweetie!"

"You do know that the doctor we're talking about deals with dead people. Do you want her to open you up in her morgue and see what's wrong with you? I'm sure she'll find lots of things." Frankie stated in mock seriousness.

"What did I do to deserve kids with such a nasty sense of humour?"

Their voices slowly faded as she climbed up the stairs. Once again Jane rolled her eyes at the direction she knew their conversation was headed towards. Why did she have such a crazy family? Her thoughts clashed with her feelings and she couldn't help the full smile that stretched her lips. Only her family members had the power to bring forth a genuine smile. The façade she wore to work would always take its toll on her and when in the presence of her family, Jane felt like it was the only place where she could drop the mask and completely relax.

By the time Jane hopped out of the shower, both her mother and brother were gone. Silence accompanied her as she towel dried her hair and changed into her pajamas. After brushing her teeth, she spent a good portion of her time lying in bed with a novel she had been meaning to catch up on. Surprisingly, her mother had handed her a book titled The Surgeon one day while the Rizzoli clan spent a weekend at the family cottage during the summer. Since then she had been trying to sneak in a few reading sessions when time permitted.

After an hour she placed the bookmark between the pages and set it on the bedside table. With a clap of her hands, the lights were off and she was out within seconds.

Okay so here's some Rizzoli time. There was a whole lot of talking here, hoooly. I thought I'd lighten up the atmosphere and get them into character for a bit.

The next chapter will have some Rizzles goodness.

And once again, due to my innate laziness, I did not look over my grammar.