Chapter 12, Old Friends

A/N: Just another fluffy chapter about our family. I am just playing with these characters...they belong to TNT, JT, & TG.

Late August

"I'm gonna run make a pit stop before we board; OK?" Jane said as she rose from her seat.

"Sure, sweetheart. Go ahead. In fact, when you return I may do the same." I smile at her.

"Sounds like a plan." She kisses my cheek briefly before she sets off across the terminal. Watching her walk, or strut more accurately, through the crowd of passengers turns my smile into an almost perfect Rizzoli smirk. The woman is very sexy.

Sitting in the airport with the boys, I am simply so full of pride and happiness. Joshua is two months old and has provided us with ten weeks of joy. He has begun to smile and interact more with people and his surroundings. From his birth he has quickly responded to sound. Jane's voice was his favorite. All the time she spent talking to him in the womb provided an immediate bond between the two.

"Finally. I love our family and I already miss Jackson, but I am so very tired. It will be nice to have a little quiet time." I look at Jane holding our newborn son. She mumbles an affirmative response to my statement but never takes her eyes off Joshua. The love just radiates off of her in almost visible waves. This magical day just seems to continue.

"Hi, little man…hi. You are so handsome; do you know that, Josh? Yes, you are…you look like your Mommy, lucky boy." Jane talks to Joshua like she has all day. Every time she has him in her arms, she is speaking softly to him. Close to his face, directly to him. He opens his eyes for her, everytime. He watches her and seems completely enthralled. When anyone else was holding him, including me, and Jane would begin talking, Joshua would try to turn his head and cut his eyes to find his Mama. He knew her voice immediately. He connected with it, to it.

"He loves you so much." I state quietly but with ultimate conviction.

Jane gives me a smile that lights her entire face. "Well, the feeling is entirely mutual." She kisses his forehead and snuggles him just a little closer to her before looking back to me. "He is perfect, Maur. Thank you."

"Jane, quit thanking me! I may have done more of the work today, but this is a 100% joint effort my dear." I reach out to offer my hand to Jane. She scoots closer to me in order to take it. "He is pretty perfect, isn't he?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely….and don't scold me!" She just grins at me.

"I think he is going to have your coloring…and your chin…"

"Your nose and eyes and hair…and I bet your dimples…."

"100% joint effort….our son…"

"Maura…hello? Earth to Dr. Rizzoli-Isles?" I called Maura's name two or three times when I came back from the restroom, but she seemed to have spaced out.

"What? Oh! I'm sorry, Jane…did you say something?"

"It's ok," I sit beside her and take her hand. "I was just saying I'll watch the boys while you take a little break. Where was your mind there? If you don't mind me asking?"

She chuckles a bit. "I was just thinking about the evening Joshua was born, and how happy these last two months have been with the boys."

"It has been fun, hasn't it?" I look to a sleeping Josh in his car seat and his permanent side-kick Jackson. Despite a few sibling jealousy moments, Jackson is an awesome big brother. He is gentle and sweet with his baby brother. He loves to read to him, which make Josh very happy. He loves his brother. "You go freshen up before they call us. I would really like to be as settled as possible on the flight, so Josh can hopefully be calm."

"OK, baby…I will be back shortly."

"Mama? Where is Mommy going?" Jackson looks up at me from his spot beside Josh. He has been wrapped up in his electronic reading game since we arrived in the waiting area.

"She just went to use the ladies' room, Bub. She will be back in a minute and then we will be boarding."

"I'm 'xcited to go see Grandma and Grandpa! And build sand castles…and go swimmin'….and play golf….and"

"OK, big man! Got it!" I reach out to ruffle his dark hair with a big smile on both our faces…matching smiles, actually. "You have a lot of plans for our little vacation. Did you and Grandpa talk about all you want to do?"

"Yes, Mama. He called to talk to me, so we could plan it all! Joshy can't go though, Mama. He is too little."

"That's right. He will have to stay inside quite a bit, but we will take him to the beach some, buddy. Do you think you could build a sand castle and show it to him?"

"Sure! I will build a huge castle…with a moat and a bridge. I will find a book 'bout castles and read it to Joshy, too. That way he can understand what I'm talkin' 'bout." His smile and pride make me want to cry. My badass ways are still very present, but my children bring out emotions in me that I never thought they would. Maura and I must be doing something right…I just want to keep being a good mom.

As I was exiting the Ladies' room, I practically ran into a woman entering. "Oh, good heavens, I am sorry."

"No, no! My mistake…Maura?"

I look up into the woman's face taking only a moment to recognize her. "Sarah! Oh my! What are you doing in Boston?" I lean into a hug with this woman from my past. Sarah was an Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco while I served there over a decade ago. We were friends, but I haven't spoken to her in years.

"I'm just passing through actually! I have a layover for a couple of hours. I am on the way to London for a brief holiday. Are you still here as ME?"

"Yes. It is truly a dream job for me. Great detectives and a wonderfully talented staff. The work still feels important."

"Yikes! Maura! Is that a wedding ring?" She looks stunned.

I look at the jewelry that is so much a part of me now, I don't even notice it. I beamed at her as I replied, "It certainly is. I've been married for almost 6 years, and we have two sons."

"Oh my god. That is unbelievable! I never thought you would find a man worthy of your time. Congratulations! He is a lucky guy."

I blush a little at her statement, both because of her incorrect assumption and because of her kind words. "I didn't find a man worthy of my time, Sarah. I did, however, find a woman who was. Jane is a decorated detective at BPD and is simply the most amazing person I've ever known, man or woman."

"Maura, I'm very sorry to have assumed. I apologize." Sarah looked stricken at her mistake. I know she is not homophobic in any way.

"Sarah, it is fine. I never had a relationship with another woman before Jane, and you knew me to date men exclusively while we were colleagues. There was no way for you to know, and certainly nothing for you to feel badly for." I hug her gently. "Would you like to meet my family?"

"I would love to do that!"

"There is Mommy!" Jackson jumps up from the seat next to me and takes off. I look up quickly to make sure he has actually seen Maura and has a clear path to her. My wife is not far from us and is holding out her arms to Jack, but she is not alone. A very attractive woman about our age is walking with her. I adjust Josh's position in my arms and stand up to greet her and whoever this is with her.

As Maura approaches, she scoops Jackson into her arms. "Hey, precious! I was only gone a few minutes; did you really miss me that much?"

"Yes, Mommy! I was telling Mama and Joshy all the things Grandpa and I are going to do this week, and I didn't get to tell you!" Jackson leans back in her arms to meet her eyes as he speaks and, as any good Italian does, uses his hands to emphasize his points. "Hi, ma'am! I am Jackson Rizzoli-Isles; I'm six and I'm going on vacation today."

"Well, hello. It is nice to meet you, Jackson. My name is Sarah. I am an old friend of your Mom." This new woman, Sarah, offers her hand, and like a little gentleman, Jack accepts it and shakes.

"Nice to meet you. Wanna meet my brother? He is just a baby, so he can't talk. I'll introduce you!" Jack tries to get out of Maura's arms and back to where I stand.

"Ok, Jackson, hop down. That was my oldest son, Sarah. He is quite a little man." She giggles as she beams with love and pride. "Come meet the rest of the family."

"Hey bud…did you meet a new friend?" I ask as Jack reaches me.

Climbing into the chair next to where I am standing, Jackson replies, "Yes, Mama. That is Sarah, a friend of Mommy's. I'm gonna introduce Joshua. K?"

"OK; want to introduce me, too?"

"Sure, Mama!" He touches my arm and turns to Maura and Sarah. "Miss Sarah, this is my baby brother, Joshua Richard Rizzoli-Isles. And this is my Mama!"

"Mama." Sarah reaches for my hand with a grin. As I move to meet her, Maura speaks up.

"Thank you Jackson! Sarah, my wife Jane. Jane, this is Sarah Collins. She is an old friend from San Francisco. I ran into her, literally, as I was leaving the Ladies' room." Maura moves to me and begins to take Josh from me.

"It is nice to meet you, Sarah." When Josh is safely in M's arms, I pick Jackson up. The four of us…the Rizzoli-Isles stand together in front Maura's old friend.

"It is incredibly nice to meet you…all of you. Maura, your family is simply stunning. A beautiful wife, and two handsome sons! I couldn't be happier for you." Sarah seemed very genuine and pleased for Maura. I've never met anyone from her time in California, so I had no expectations of the sort of people M knew before. I guess I never even considered the people she spent time with before she came to Boston. Foolish of me to just discount that time in her life, I guess.

"So you were a friend of Maura's in California?"

"Yes. We would have lunch as often as work would allow; we would even have an occasional movie date. I think we were both too busy to become too close, but I definitely considered Maura a friend." She smiled at my wife, clearly remembering some good times together. If I wasn't standing there with my wife and our two children, wasn't completely confident in my marital relationship, I might be a little jealous of this woman and her history with Maura. It sort of sounds like they had a friendship similar to the one M and I had for the first few years.

I reach out with my free arm to bring Maura and Joshua into a sort of family hug, "That is great. It is nice to meet any friend of Maura's. What brings you to Boston?"

For the next few minutes we have a little small talk with Sarah. She even held Josh for a minute before our flight was called. I take Josh from Sarah, so Maura can give her old friend a hug. They exchange numbers and email addresses before we leave, and I can tell that Maura is pleased to have had this time with Sarah.

Once we are settled in our first class seats each of us with a son by our side across the aisle from one another, Maura looks at me with a smile but has tear-filled eyes. "M, what's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing, Jane. Absolutely nothing." She leans across to kiss me. "I've never been able to introduce my family to an old friend before. Never even crossed my mind actually. I didn't have too many friends, and I didn't think I'd ever really have a family. I am still stunned sometimes at how my life has turned out."

"Regrets?"

She laughed at me causing a flight attendant to look our direction. "Not a single regret about a single thing in our entire lives, Jane. Not even one."

Two days later, Jane and I are sitting across from one another at a lovely beach side restaurant in Palm Beach. The food has been excellent, a very nice bottle of wine is exhausted, and I feel so relaxed.

"It was nice of your parents to watch the boys for us tonight." Jane strokes my hand.

"They truly love it. Yet another thing that I would consider an amazing revelation over the last six years: My parents are excellent grandparents." I giggle a bit when I think about my mother digging a moat around Jackson's sandcastle today. She had sand everywhere, and her hair was afright with the wind coming off the surf. "Did you hear my mother laugh this afternoon?"

Jane snickered, "If I had only had my phone handy to video that moment! I don't think I've ever heard that sound coming from Constance before."

"Nor have I! And my father…how many trips to the water did he make to get Jackson the 'appropriately moist sand necessary for a superior castle'?" I try to imitate my father's proper voice.

"I don't know, but it had to be a hundred!" Jane moved her chair around the table so she could sit beside me. She put her arm around my shoulder and invited my head to find its space in the crook of her neck. "It is fun to be here with them. The boys get to make special memories with them just like with their Rizzoli side. Not every child gets that…I'm grateful."

"As am I. Our sons have a very special family. They are learning and will continue to learn what love looks like. So will any future children that may bless us."

"Yes they will. Even with a two month old, you can talk about more kids?"

"Of course! I still would like at least one more that you carry. Don't you?"

Jane leans back enough to kiss my forehead. "Yes. I want that too…in a couple of years. I want to continue enjoying all these 'baby-days' with Josh. He is going to be so much fun in a month or so. Remember when Jack was this age? God it seems like yesterday, but little man is six!"

"I know. The time passes very quickly. I was so proud to introduce Sarah to my family the other day. I hadn't thought of her in years. We spent some good times together, but weren't close enough for me to keep in touch when I left. I was used to leaving a place and never looking back, it didn't even cross my mind to keep a friend."

"Sarah was a good friend to you then?" Jane had a little something in her voice. I'm not sure what it is but it sounds curious.

"Yes…she was probably the closest friend I had before I met you." Kissing her neck before I continue, "Of course, I didn't know what a friend was before you. Not really. She was someone I shared superficial stories with, the day's events, or thoughts on potential dates. I don't recall having ever had a conversation of consequence with her. I just didn't know how to do that then. I was happy within myself."

"I'm pretty damn happy when I'm 'within' you, too."

"Jane!" I pinched her side. Although I am becoming a little turned on at her comment. The wine and the evening blended with her are potent. "Thank you for the compliment though."

"Just stating a fact, dear. It was nice to meet Sarah. She seemed like a good person. I am glad you had her for a time."

"She is a good person…good DA, too. I hope she finds happiness like I have. You know? I don't even know if she wanted to have a family." Thinking back I am struck with how little I shared with others and how little I invited them to share with me. It makes me a little sad, but it also makes me even more grateful that I found a happiness beyond anything I could have imagined. "Jane. Take me home."

"Boston?" She grinned.

"I think I need to get somewhere a little faster than that, dear." I give her a clearly inviting and sultry look, not wanting her to misunderstand my intentions for the evening.

"Oh…hmmm. How about we head next door to that hotel?" She wiggles her eyebrows at me now.

"We have to get back to the boys, Jane."

"Well, I just might have worked it out with your parents for us to stay away for the night. You left plenty of milk for Joshua, and I put your breast pump in the car so you could be comfortable without the baby. I also brought a few overnight things for us."

"Jane…you are thoughtful. This sounds like a perfect night away; thank you."

"It has been a great beginning to our vacation, M. The boys are having a ball…well Joshy is having as much fun as he can…we are relaxing. I just selfishly wanted a night alone with my gorgeous," kiss "sexy," kiss "wife. I want to take that dress off of you…I want to hold you and bath you. Then I want to kiss every perfect inch of your skin. I want to taste you and love you. Can I do that, Doctor?"

I feel myself getting wet just listening to Jane's plans for me. I was just cleared for sexual activity three weeks ago, and while we have been together several times, I know we have lost time to make up for. "Oh, Detective. You can do that and anything else you want to do to me. I am yours tonight…and forever."

We left…and she did…again and again.

TBC...