Chapter Ten

"So wait... you were a prostitute?"

There was entirely far too much glee in Frankie's voice, and Jane rolled her eyes, wondering exactly when technology would progress to the point where she would be send a punch to her brother over the phone line. Not to the face, she mused... the arm would be enough. Or the chest... "Where did you hear that?"

"From good ol' Frostie." The pure giddiness was almost palpable, and Jane groaned out loud, her thoughts progressing from ways of causing bodily harm over the phone to ways of causing bodily harm in person the next time she saw Barry Frost.

"Why would he tell you that?" she gritted out through clenched teeth, her jaw clicking as she heard laughter in her ear.

"Well, he didn't mean to. It just slipped out. So, what were you wearing?"

"Oh my God, Frankie, really? Can you be any more gross?"

"Hooker heels, fishnet tights, leather jacket, short skirt, hair pinned up high?"

"How did you know that?" Jane blurted, then instantly realized her mistake, her eyes shutting as she heard her brother laugh uproariously.

"Oh God, you had the whole package, I was right! Do you have a picture? I know some people who'd love to see that..."

Jane rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. "Hanging up now."

"Wait wait wait, I'm sorry. How did it go, really?"

Jane pulled the phone back from her ear and glared at it suspiciously before cautiously bringing it back to her ear. "Good. I, uh... I did what I had to do, and caught the bad guys and... yeah. Good."

"And you don't find about the detective's exam yet?"

Jane paused. "You've been talking to Ma."

"Yeah. Thanks for calling her, Janey. It meant the world to her."

Jane shrugged uncomfortably. "It was nothing. I mean, she's my Ma, you know? Not like I could be mad at her forever."

"Yeah, I know. Annoying as she can be, she kinda grows on you after a while." There was a comfortable silence on the line as the two siblings considered these words and after a short period, Frankie spoke again. "So, uh... when do you find out the results of the exam? Is it Wednesday or Thursday? Ma couldn't remember."

"Wednesday," Jane replied, with a stab of trepidation. "Today."

"Wow," Frankie murmured quietly. "Are you nervous?"

"'Course not," Jane scoffed, before laughing sheepishly. "Petrified, actually. I just want this so bad that..." she trailed off, but Frankie seemed to understand.

"Yeah. I get ya. You want it so bad that you're scared to hope for it."

"Yeah," she breathed, looking out the window.

"You'll get it Jane. You're the best at your job. You deserve it."

Jane stared blankly into the street below and remained silent. Yes, she was good at her job... so why did she doubt herself so?

"So..." Frankie said, after a brief pause. "You, uh... you told Ma about Grace and Beatie."

"Yeah," Jane replied, grateful for the subject change, then continued almost defensively, "she asked."

"I know," Frankie said calmly, and Jane deflated.

"Sorry," she murmured. "It's just... it's so weird that I'm able to talk to her about it now, you know?"

"It would be." She could hear Frankie moving about, and then she heard the clatter of a knife into a sink. She rolled her eyes, waiting. "So ho goss da sersh fa curra day Grasse?" As she predicted, Frankie was talking with his mouth full.

"Yeah, wanna swallow and try that again?"

After some audible chewing and a large swallowing noise that made Jane wince, Frankie spoke again, "So how goes the search for your current day Grace?"

"Ha!"

"That good, huh?"

Jane sighed, heading over to flop onto her couch. "Yeah, well..." The only new women she had met recently had either been drug dealing or buying prostitutes, or their (female) high class 'customers', none of whom seemed at all likely to be her Grace. Of course, there was also that woman at the coffee shop... "not one of the women I've met recently seemed likely. Granted I've been mostly speaking to hookers for the past couple of weeks..." Maura, that was her name. Maura in the red dress. "And one snooty lady at a coffee shop, but there's no way she's Grace." But she wasn't really snooty, was she? She was quiet and polite and...

"Why not?"

"She was rude," Jane replied shortly, deciding not to mention the fact that the only reason she had been rude was because Jane was rude to her in the first place.

"You are an idiot!"

The memory of Grace's voice jumped into Jane's head without warning, and she shook her head. Yes, she was an idiot. While Jane had decided that there was no chance that that woman was present-day Grace, there was still no need for her to act like an asshole and be so rude. Never mind, Jane thought, shaking her head again. It wasn't like she was ever going to see the woman again, so there was no need to focus on the matter any longer. Still...

"Uh huh. And I bet you were a little ray of sunshine too."

Jane rolled her eyes. Sometimes her brother knew her way too well. "Shut up."

He hummed knowingly. "Right. Well, anyway. I suppose I should let you go so you can get to work and find out about the detective's exam."

"Right," Jane echoed, feeling another stab of trepidation. The exam. Shit.

"So... oh, hey, one quick question before you go?"

"What?" Jane asked, getting up once more to resume her restless pacing around the lounge room.

"Just to really help me complete my mental image, I'm guessing you were wearing bright blue eyeshadow?" Jane frowned, realization dawning at the same time as Frankie confirmed her suspicion: "You know, when you were a hooker?"

"Shut up, you asshole!"

Frankie guffawed. "Love you too, sis!"

Jane pressed the end button on her phone and barely resisted throwing it at the wall. "Stupid, know it all brothers," she muttered and compromised by throwing the phone onto the couch instead, then glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Shit!"

Time to find out how the results of her detective's exam.

R&IR&IR&I

Jane skidded into work five minutes late, one hand methodically checking her belt to ensure all items were in place and, if needed, buckled in appropriately, the other desperately trying to smooth down wild ringlets that seemed to have a mind of their own. Matea raised an eyebrow as she flopped into her seat, simultaneously trying desperately to stop panting whilst also trying to look as though she'd been there for hours.

"Rough morning?" Matea asked sympathetically, but with lips twitching suspiciously.

"Shut up," Jane hissed, rubbing at the stitch in her side. "Frankie called this morning. I lost track of the time."

"Yeah?" Matea asked, a frown appearing on his face. "Anything serious?"

"No. I mean..." Jane sighed. She had never officially come out and told people at work that she was a lesbian, but then again, if her brother was to be believed, most people knew anyway. "I mean... we were talking about... about Ma."

"She alright?" Matea took an apple out of his desk drawer, polished it against his jacket, then took a bite, never taking his eyes off Jane.

"Yeah, she..." Jane sighed again. Time to bite the bullet, so to speak, "she kinda freaked out when I told her I was gay." She winced pre-emptively but Matea simply took another bite of apple.

"That's gotta suck," he said blandly, through his mouthful. She looked at him curiously, but with no real surprise. She guessed that her sexuality really was no big secret, just as Frankie had said.

"Yeah. She took a couple of days but she, uh... she did finally come around. And we talked for a while about..." Jane paused. The only people she had ever really spoken to about Grace and Beatie were Frost, Frankie, and her Ma, not including, of course, the countless people she undoubtedly would have told when she was younger. Surveying Matea with a beady eye, she made a quick decision. Not today. Perhaps not ever. It was simply too big a secret to divulge with just anyone, even if that person was her partner. "... just about different things. Frankie called this morning to ask how it all went. Oh, and to tease me about being an undercover hooker." Jane rolled her eyes fondly.

Matea laughed. "Of course he did, he's your brother!"

"Wait..." Jane suddenly thought of something that she was surprised she hadn't thought of earlier, and sat up straight in her chair, a finger pointed accusingly at Matea, who instantly, she noticed, squirmed guiltily, "Frankie said he heard about the undercover hooker assignment from Frost... but who told Frost?"

Matea's eyes shifted over to the side slightly. She jabbed the finger even more forcefully in his direction. "He seemed worried that you didn't come back the same day as me. So I told him you had to stay one extra day to finish your current... uh... transaction."

Jane didn't lower her finger. "Uh huh. And?"

Matea shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure you didn't tell him?"

"Nope. No one except for you and the Lieu were supposed to know, and hell if I wanted anyone to know."

"I only told him when I knew you were safe and on your way home!"

Jane sat back and let out a theatrical groan. "Honestly, between you, my brothers and my mother, it's amazing I've maintained any sanity whatsoever!"

Matea laughed again, turning back to his desk. Casually, he asked over his shoulder, "Anyway, how is your youngest brother going? Tommy?"

Jane stiffened, her smile fading quickly. "He's fine," she answered shortly.

"Really?" Matea asked, turning to face her again. "Cause when I saw Frankie last, he said..."

Lieutenant Michaels' voice cut him off. "Rizzoli!"

Thanking the heavens for the Lieutenants timing, Jane half shrugged at Matea and stood up, carefully smoothing down the front of her pants and then running a nervous hand through her hair. It was time to find out the results of her exam. Still, she made a mental note to talk to Frankie about who he spoke to about Tommy. She did not need it to become too well known around the Boston Police Department about her youngest brother's tendency for getting into serious trouble. There were already enough things for the other officers to mock her about; she didn't feel like adding fuel to their already burning fire. Turning resolutely, she began making her way to the office, where Michaels stood in the doorway. Feeling like she was almost shaking, she inclined her head gratefully as he moved to let her pass, and as she settled into the seat in front of his desk, she watched as he closed the door and made his way to his own seat. He was avoiding eye contact. She wondered if that was good or bad.

"Sir?" she finally asked after a few beats of silence, and noted with pride that her voice did not tremble at all.

"Your brother..." Michaels started, looking down at some papers on his desk, "Francesco Junior Rizzoli..."

"Frankie," Jane said, then immediately quailed slightly as Michaels flicked his gaze up. "We all... call him Frankie," she continued in a murmur, then dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Frankie Rizzoli then," he began again, after a short beat, "has completed his final test at the Police Academy today." Jane looked up quickly, her eyes meeting Michaels' piercing blue gaze.

"What? Are you... how did... how did he... is he...?" she started, but seemed unable to finish any sentence. Why had Frankie not told her? Because you were too busy talking about you, a small voice whispered, and Jane frowned slightly.

Michaels took pity on her. "He is now a qualified police officer. He will be starting work here in two weeks."

"Wow." Jane sat back in her seat, her heart racing. She felt like her face was going to split with the huge grin that was plastered across it. "Wait, where will he be? What department?"

Michaels seemed to be somewhat amused by Jane's reaction, but his face remained impassive as he answered. "Same place that everyone starts. He will be a patrol officer, assigned to street work and call outs. I will be promoting another officer from patrol to the drug unit."

Jane frowned. "There are no spots vacant in the drug unit."

Michaels looked at her, raising an eyebrow significantly. "Yes."

"So that means... no one's retiring in drugs that I'm aware of..." Jane sat up abruptly, her heart racing once more. "Someone's getting promoted."

Michaels nodded slowly, his piercing gaze never leaving Jane's as his lips curved up knowingly.

Jane watched him closely. "I... it's me?" she asked, breathing shallowly. "It's me? I did it? I passed the detective's exam?"

"You did."

"I did? I... I did?" Jane fell back in her chair then sat up again, unsure of what to do with her body and the extra abundance of energy she seemed to suddenly possess. "I did. I really did?"

"You really did." There was no disguising the amusement on Michaels' face now, as he watched her with a smile, and Jane couldn't help herself anymore. Flinging herself up and around his desk, she impulsively and gleefully flung her arms around his neck.

"Thank you!" she cried happily, before rapidly retreating, her face already blazing pink from the unplanned action. Michaels too, seemed somewhat surprised; the usually unflappable man was straightening his collar and clearing his throat, his face and neck a slight shade of pink as well.

"You're welcome," he said gruffly, before shaking his head and seeming to return to business almost instantly. "Well, I must offer you my congratulations. You are officially the youngest person ever to be promoted to detective."

"Thank you," Jane said softly, hastily retreating to her chair and sitting there uncomfortably, her hands under her legs to stop them from fidgeting uncontrollably. There was no helping her legs however... they bounced merrily, no matter how hard Jane tried to stop the movement.

"It's not official yet, though, I must warn you."

Jane tried to smooth the smile off her face, but was afraid she failed miserably. "Right," she nodded, trying to appear completely serious. "Uh... why is that?"

Michaels looked at her seriously, probably, Jane considered later, honestly worried that she might spontaneously combust if given too much good news in one hit. He must have thought her strong enough to handle it though, as he spoke soon after. "One of the officers in the homicide department has been advised by his doctor to take his retirement now, rather than at the end of the year. He has given me his two week's notice. I would prefer to make the announcement of your promotion and your move to Homicide all at the same time... assuming, of course, that all goes to plan." The Lieutenant shot Jane a look of pure alarm at this point, as Jane had emitted a sound similar to the whistle of a kettle reaching boiling point.

"I'm getting moved to Homicide?" she whispered, her voice somewhat squeakier than normal.

"Yes," Michaels replied, his eyebrows still raised in alarm as he stared at her worriedly.

"Seriously?"

"Yes... would you like some water, Rizzoli?"

"I..." Jane breathed deeply and forced herself to calm down; an act that seemed almost impossible at present time, "yes please."

Still looking at her worriedly, Michaels stood up and headed over to the water cooler that she had only just noticed was in the corner of his office. Pouring some water into one of the plastic cups, he brought it over to her and watched cautiously as she took careful, slow swallows of the cool fluid, feeling it seem to cool down her innards. Finally, when she seemed as calm as one could expect under the circumstances, she glanced up at her boss once more. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, and she was happy to note that the line of concern between his eyes had disappeared, his face against a smooth mask... the only exception being that his lips were still curved up into a slight smile. "Of course, when I say it is a secret, I mean that only no one here can know. You can, of course, tell your family... provided they know that it is imperative to keep this confidential for now."

Jane internally scoffed. She wondered if her mother even knew the meaning of the word 'confidential'. Outwardly, she smiled and nodded though... then she hesitated. "So... I can't tell anyone here?"

Michaels' smile widened a fraction. "I meant to say that I, of course, consider Matea and Frost to be included in 'your family'."

Jane smiled widely. "Thank you, sir."

"Now..." Michaels said, standing up. "Dare I suggest it...?"

Jane tilted her head. "Suggest what?"

Michaels quirked his lips in amusement. "That perhaps you would like to meet your future teammates?"

Jane stood up abruptly. "Yes! Where?"

Michaels shook his head as he too, got to his feet. He headed for the door and opened it, gesturing for Jane to leave first, and as she passed, he murmured, "I think we will see great things out of you, Rizzoli. The best is yet to come."

Jane straightened imperceptibly. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

Homicide!

R&IR&IR&I

Jane looked around the room, waiting nervously for the detectives to come in. The other detectives, she thought gleefully. She could now count herself among their ranks.

Michaels had chosen to them to meet in one of the seldom used interrogation rooms. It was small, as he said, but this way it was unlikely that anyone would become suspicious as to why a drug unit officer, her lieutenant and two homicide detectives were meeting... as it was supremely unlikely that anyone would even see them, hidden away as this room was. It was why it was one of the more seldom used ones, as Michaels had explained... simply no one could be bothered.

Jane jumped when the door opened, and stood up as a white haired man entered first. He reminded her, she realized instantly, of Santa Claus. Immediately, she held out her hand to him. "Hello. I'm Off... Det..." Floundering, she looked at Michaels for support.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli," he jumped in smoothly. "She took her detective's exam on Monday and passed with flying colours."

The white haired man beamed widely. "Well. They just seem to be getting younger and younger every year, don't they Korsak?"

Jane looked over his shoulder as another man entered the room. This one had salt and pepper hair and hard brown eyes, and he was considerably bigger than his partner. He looked at Jane curiously.

"Yes, I agree," he said, and smiled at her, the smile instantly softening his whole face. Jane smiled back. "I'm Korsak. Vince Korsak. And this here is my partner, Fred Murphy. Not my partner for much longer though, eh old pal?"

Fred sat down on one of the chairs. "No, sadly not." He pumped his chest. "The old ticker just aint what it used to be, I'm afraid." He winked at Jane, and she smiled again, herself moving to a chair. Korsak followed, while Michaels remained standing in the corner. "The doctor has recommended I leave the force sooner rather than later... or he fears I may end up leaving in a far more permanent way."

"Oh," Jane said, nodding emphatically, "that must be..."

But she never got a chance to say what that must be, as she was interrupted by a knock at the door. All four people in the room looked at the door curiously, wondering who would even know that there was someone in this room, and finally Michaels stepped forward. "Who is it?"

"Dr Isles," a clear, feminine voice answered back instantly. Jane didn't know why, but the voice sounded vaguely familiar. "I have the test results that Detectives Korsak and Murphy were after."

Michaels reached for the door handle. "Our new Medical Examiner," Korsak explained to Jane as the door opened. "She's brilliant. Thank you, Maura." He reached out a hand for the papers Maura held and Jane finally moved her gaze from Korsak's face to see Dr Isles for the first time. "Oh, how rude of me, Dr Isles, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli..."

"We've met," Jane said faintly, as she watched hazel eyes meet hers and a perfectly made up mouth drop open in recognition.

END CHAPTER TEN

I'm sorry! Believe it or not, I don't actually intend to leave you with all these cliffhangers. It's just... the way it works out. Anyway, thoughts? Much appreciated. Thank you for reading.

Love to all, Katie xoxo