Part 7

"Damn…" Tommy barked, throwing his cards to the table – and slamming his fist down after them.

"Oh don't cry bro" Frankie laughed as he watched Rachel clear the table for the second time tonight. "Trust me…she's take you for all you have if you let her"

Rachel snirked across the table at both Rizzoli brother, reaching to the centre of the table she collected the cash that had accumulated. "What's better than winding one Rizzoli brother up – winding them both up. Thanks guys!" She winked

"Jesus…" Jane lent back in the chair next to Rachel, "it took me years to perfect getting Tommy that stressed out. You have managed it in two hours… I approved of this family you're marrying into Frankie" she laughed, "Pa…what you say…"

"looks like this ones one of us if you ask me" Frank senior nodded, lifting the glass from the table.

"Rizzoli… all of you…you think I'm blind!" Dave called out from his place at the bar, "no cash!"

Jane held her hands up, "Hey… he owed her that cash... nothing to do with the cards!"

Dave shook his head, turning his back on the table.

"…come on… lets go again" Tommy began gathering the cards to shuffle them.

"You're not going to win it back Bro- trust me…I have been here many nights before" Frankie pointed over the table to his soon to be sister in law – "This one… she will empty your wallet if you let her"

"You still bitter about that one Frankie" Rachel asked, then she sat back in her seat, addressing the rest of the table, "One night, a few games of cards and too many beers in Frankie's case making him brave – led to him begging my sister to get his money back of me for the next week!" She laughed, "Having brothers really is run isn't it!" she directed this at Jane now.

Jane nodded, "You have no idea!"

Frankie relaxed back into his seat, he had to admit, the evening really had taken a turn for the better – he had thought on rout here he was going to dealing with a sloppy, emotional, angry Jane like he'd done in the past after picking her up from one bar or another – this evening however was different. It actually felt like he was seeing a little of the old Jane re-appear – clearly she'd had a few beers over the course of the day but she wasn't in the usual state she'd be in after finding her way to a bottle and a bar. He'd enjoyed the time with Tommy and his Pa as well – the relationship between them had its own strains – but sat here around the table felt normal – like the old Sundays around the dining room table after dinner, when they were a family, before Frank had left.

"I don't buy it…I'm just having an unlucky run" Tommy began to deal the cards again as Frank began topping up the glasses in front of his kids, jane put her hand up to decline the top-up.

"No thanks!" she held the beer in hand that was still half full, "I'm good"

"You brought this bottle and not touched a drop!"

"I'm happy with the beer – that was a welcome back gift to Tommy" she explained, "And… I was thinking it may be time for me to head out… I mean… " She placed her hand on Rachel's arm, "that Chinese option you put to me earlier still on the table?"

Rachel nodded her head, "Sure is… and looks like its on me tonight!" she held the cash up. Frank laughed seeing Tommy give up dealing the cards out, accepting defeat.

"We are having a rematch at the wedding" Tommy told her.

Jane put her still half full beer on the table, standing to her feet, "I'm going the bathroom and I'll call us a taxi then"

"Sounds great" Rachel agreed.

Jane left the bathroom and stepped out into the small beer garden area at the back of the bar to get a little air and make the call for the Taxi. The call was made with ease and the taxi was on rout, Jane decided to take a further few moments out here getting some fresh air – he relative calm was interrupted by her younger brother.

"Hey Janie"

Jane turned to see Frankie step out the door and walk toward her, "Oh god Frankie… please don't start… I'm really not in the…"

"Wait…wait…" Frankie held his hands up, "I'm not… I'm…here to apologise. Genuinely apologise…the way I've been acting, I'm out of line." He shrugged, "I'm not your keeper. I have no right to go in on you like I have been… and the other morning especially I …."

Jane put her hand up, she didn't need to recall that morning right now, she knew what he was getting at tho – and she didn't expect this, "I… err…"

He cut in on her, "Look its no excuse but the wedding it's stressing me out more than I'd like to admit – the family politics …. Well you know – and I think I've been taking it out on you to be honest." Jane just nodded her head in agreement, "You know I'm looking out for you too…in my own messed up way… and I think I'm getting it wrong"

"Yeah….you are." Jane smiled; the apology was genuine, "Look… I appreciate you looking out for me. I'm not a kid tho…and I don't need a baby sitter"

"I know you don't." He lent forward and gave her a hug. "we will have a proper chat some other time… about all this"

Jane's phone beeped indicating a text coming through – "Yeah… think that would be good. Look that's my taxi, I'm going to have to…"

"Yeah" He stepped to the side and the two re-entered the bar – "Tell you what… I will come back here tomorrow with Amy – grab your car and drop it back to you"

"You sure?"

"yeah…apology an all! Just leave me your key" Jane wasn't going to argue against this offer.

Slipping into the back of the taxi behind the driver seat, Jane put her belt on, Rachel was already sat behind the passenger seat – counting the cash again "God Tommy is never going to forgive me" she laughed

"He'll get over it!" Jane observed the woman next to her.

"My sister won't …she made me promise not to gamble with Frankie ever again after the last time"

"Well to be fair, it's mostly Tommy you cleared out. So… I'll argue you case on a technicality there if you want" she winked.

Rachel turned herself so she was facing Jane now, her back lent on the door, "Deal." she pushed the cash into her jacket pocket and then her tone changed, dropped a little lower for what little privacy she could gather sat in the back of a cab. "Well I have to say… this wasn't how I expected tonight to go!"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you were woman on a mission – I thought you'd be drinking in that bar till the sun came up and maybe then some! I thought I'd be carrying you back home… however the more the night went on the slower you drank to the point you nursed that last beer for over an hour… what changed?"

"Hey… the questioning me portion of our evening has well and truly passed. No more bearing me soul to you today I'm afraid" she joked light-heartedly.

"No chance… you can't leave me with half the story… my journalist side is starting to kick in"

Jane shrugged her shoulders "that's you problem not mine" she continue to tease, "I'm a complicated kind of woman." She looked away from Rachel and out of the window on the opposite side of her, watching the car lights pass by. If she was honest with herself her intention was to drink herself into an oblivion – but something changed, she felt like she'd regained some control of the spiral this evening and that felt good.

"Intriguing" Rachel corrected, reaching her hand out across the back seat she rested it on top of Jane's hand and let her thumb run over the detectives soft skin. "You… are an intriguing kind of Woman – and someone I need to know more about"

Jane swallowed, "Careful what you wish for" she explained then slowly turned to look back in Rachels direction. She felt herself giving into the flirting that had been present between the two of them – she lent closer to the other woman, speaking slowly, deliberately "You may regret what's about to happen here!"

"We aren't going to be getting Chinese are we" Rachel said, biting her lower lip. Jane shook her head no, she closed the little distance that had remained and softly pressed her lips against Rachel's – something that she'd held back from doing multiple times today. Rachel responded, her hand that had rested over Jane's hand moved to Jane's thigh squeezing slightly against the denim of her jeans. Jane reacted by allowing her own hand to take hold of Rachel's jacked pulling her in closer, kissing a little firmer, deeper – before pulling back. Her heart beat faster in her chest. "Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked her.

Jane just nodded her head yes.

Stepping from the taxi, Rachel passed over the cash to cover the cost, and the car drove off. Jane approached reaching out and taking Rachel's and she began to lead them toward the house. She made it to the front door and as she began to search her jacket pocket for her keys she felt hands on her waist from behind, she felt the other woman's body close to hers, she turned herself allowing her back to rest against the door and Rachel closed the gap between them kissing Jane her hands taking hold around Jane's waist under her jacket, her right hand finding the hem of Jane's shirt lifting it so her hand could slide under resting skin on skin – her thumb running a circle pattern. Then pulling against the fabric Rachel broke the kiss and instructed, "the keys"

Jane already had them to hand, pushing Rachel back from her to create a little breathing and thinking space so she could manage the lock she turned to open the door. She slid the key into the lock and spoke "Jesus… what am I getting myself int…." Before she could finish, as she turned the key, it became apparent the door was already open. "Its open" she declared lowly. Jane stepped back - knowing it had been locked when she left alarm bells began to ring – she then noticed the kitchen light was on.

"Get behind me "she instructed Rachel, "stay being me."

"What the"

"Just … stay here" Jane's whole domineer had changed from ready to be led to bed to ready to fight. She pushed open her front door and stepped into the darkness of the hallway. She moved herself slowly to the entrance side table, opening the draw there was a metal case inside that opened with a code – without a beat of hesitation Rachel observed Jane open the case with one swift movement and lift from it a handgun.

Continuing through the ground floor of the house Jane checked the side rooms, no one inside. Rachel followed behind, not wanting to be out front and not really sure she wanted to be inside either. They were moving toward the kitchen now, slowly Jane rounded the corned, her heart beating in her chest – there was no signs of a break in, nothing had been disrupted but she knew someone was or had been in her home. She rounded the doorway and raised her arms; gun held out in front of her.

Someone was sat at kitchen counter, back to them. "Put you…." She began to bark the order, the stool spoon around and she stopped herself from continuing, she instantly lowered the gun clicking on the safety in one swift movement it was down by her lower leg, set behind her "Oh god" she breathed out, hoping the gun hadn't been seen she slipped it into the back waits line of her jeans. Her heart now beating ten times faster than when she'd originally thought it was an intruder in her house – "Ryan?" her voice was shaky. He stood from the stool, unsure himself of what he should do next. He looked so broken, lost. Wasting no further time Jane moved herself forward toward the kid stood in her kitchen, she wrapped her arms around him pulling him into her – he initially attempted to pull back but gave in to the contact, after a few moments of further uncertainty he gave in completely wrapping his arms tightly around Jane. "Ryan…"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" he said repeatedly, he only tightened his hold on her as he felt his legs giving beneath him, Jane took his weight, he wasn't much shorter than her and at fifteen he was looking more adult that he ever had before – she was thankful she found herself in the gym before her night shifts so she had strength enough to keep them both standing "I'm … I just…." He began to sob into her chest.

Jane felt her own emotions coming to the surface, she was in shock right now but she felt a tear run down her cheek. She let him cry into her for a few moments before pulling back, holding him away from her so she could look over him, "Are you hurt Kid? Are you okay?" she was manic – needed at the very least right now confirmation of this. He just nodded, trying to slow his breathing, it was no luck so he continued to nod, "What… what are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you" was all he managed.

Jane didn't need anything else from him right now; she pulled him back into a hug. Holding him.