I don't own Rizzoli and Isles, but I wish I did. :)
A/N: Hello, everyone. Thank you for all the well wishes for my surgery. It went very well, and I'm well on my way to walking normally again. I do apologize for my lack of updates. Between the knee and the new semester, I have little to no free time. This chapter is to help me get back in the swing of things. Ideas are welcome! I'll try to update more often, but the chapters may be shorter than you are accustomed to. I still have lots of story left. Thank you again for being so thoughtful and patient! :) Oh, one more thing. Sorry for any mistakes. ;)
"So Maura, has anyone asked you to prom yet?" Frost smiled brightly as he leaned against the copy machine.
The doctor rolled her eyes at the cheeky man, but her smile betrayed her amusement.
"I believe Jane and I discussed it," Maura replied; her thoughts flitted back to Jane's promise to make the night one she would never forget.
"Discussed? She hasn't asked yet?" Frost's eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Well, no," Maura wistfully admitted. She and Jane hadn't really brought up the topic of prom since their conversation after track practice. Their discussion had been fruitful in many ways, and Jane had made good on many of her promises.
Perhaps Jane had forgotten about prom after all. The brunette was pulled in a hundred different directions everyday, so it's plausible it slipped her mind.
This did little to diminish the blonde's disappointment.
Frost knew that Maura missed out on the American high school experience. The doctor had never outright admitted to Frost that it bothered her, but he knew better. Unsurprisingly, a devilish idea took root in his mind.
"Well, Dr. Isles," Frost's eyebrows waggled playfully, "I have an idea."
Momentarily distracted, Maura replied, "What is your idea, Barry?"
Frost shoved his hands in his pockets as he stepped away from the noisy copier. "If you went here for high school, Maura, you would've had boys lining up to ask you out."
"Oh, Barry, I don't think so," Maura blushed brightly.
Frost shook his head at Maura's humility, "Oh please, Maura. Don't be so humble. You know it's true. Hell, I would have been one of those boys."
Frost winked but quickly added, "Don't tell Jane I said that though."
"I won't," Maura smirked.
"Anyway, I think that for you to have an authentic experience, you must have multiple offers, and Jane needs some competition." Frost folded his arms smugly, feeling incredibly pleased with himself. "So, let me take you to prom."
Maura laughed outright. "You can't be serious."
"Of course, I am! Jealous Jane is always so fun to mess with." The man chuckled gleefully. His mind was quickly formulating ideas of how to aggravate the brunette.
The doctor had to admit that this was a fun twist to the situation. Jealous Jane was sexy to see from time to time.
Frost knew he had the blonde convinced, so he decided to make it official.
Channeling every ounce of chivalry he possessed, Frost took Maura's hand in his own and fell to one knee.
"Maura Isles," Frost's smile gleamed brightly as his eyes twinkled, "will you do me the honor of attending prom with me?"
The doctor was incredibly touched and replied sweetly, "Yes, Barry Frost. I would be honored to go as your date to prom."
The funny, yet tender moment quickly disintegrated into a fit of giggles. Both of them laughed so hard that Frost and Maura used his tie to wipe their tears.
"You know, Maura, if we're going to do this right, we need to go shopping."
Maura's face lit up like the Fourth of July, "Did you say shopping!?"
"Of course! My tux must coordinate with your dress." Frost explained.
Even though she felt a fleeting twinge of guilt about Jane, Maura was beyond thrilled.
Frost reached into his back pocket to retrieve his cell phone. Quickly, he flipped through his calendar.
"Uh, Maura. I don't have too much extra time next week before prom on Saturday, but we could go shopping after school today if you like?"
Maura mentally flipped through her calendar.
"That works fine, Barry. I have a study session for thirty minutes after school today in anticipation of the exam on Monday, but we can leave after that. I don't foresee many teenagers want to hang out with their teacher on a Friday."
Frost chuckled in agreement before replying,"Is Jane going to be suspicious about us going out together after school?"
"Of course, not! She knows that we're friends, too. Do you think we need an excuse?" Maura knew Jane wouldn't care, but the brunette was known for her intuition.
Frost scratched his chin unhappy with the stubble there. He had considered growing a goatee, but he couldn't make it past the necessary scruffy days. Korsak teased him for this relentlessly.
"Honestly, it wouldn't be a lie to say I needed your help finding a few new ties." Frost remembered how he recently ruined his favorite tie following a run in with a poorly capped bottle of correction fluid.
"You have a point." Maura's face split into a wide grin. "Barry, I'm so excited!"
"Me, too, Maura. See you after school." Frost flashed one last smile at the blonde before he grabbed his copies from the tray and left the warm room.
R & I R & I R & I
"Maura, you're fidgeting," Jane observed as the doctor twisted her ring around her finger. The morning sun reflected brightly off of the blonde's jewelry.
The distracted doctor barely registered her girlfriend's question. "Hm, sorry. Did you say something, Jane?"
Jane rose from her spot on the curb to stand in front of the doctor. She then covered Maura's hands with her own in an effort to get the blonde's attention.
"You're fidgeting," Jane repeated as she glanced at their hands for emphasis.
"Jane, I don't fidget." Maura scoffed and snatched her hands from Jane's grasp. She prided herself on maintaining her poise in all situations.
The brunette's raised eyebrow said that Jane thought differently.
"C'mon. Talk to me, Goose," Jane quipped, hoping she'd draw a smile from the doctor.
"Why are you calling me a goose?" Maura puzzled and folded her arms in confusion.
"You know. Goose from Top Gun…"Jane laughed.
Clearly the doctor wasn't following, so she tried again.
"It was a hit movie in the 80s, starring Tom Cruise and...oh, nevermind." Jane waved off her explanation when she realized Maura had no clue whatsoever.
Add that one to the list, too. Jane mused.
"You've got to relax, Maur," Jane smiled and slipped her arms around the blonde. Lovingly, she kissed the doctor's forehead in an attempt to ease her anxiety.
Maura couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at her lips.
"You're right, Jane, but with only ten minutes left before students arrive to sign in for the exam..." Maura trailed off.
Jane chuckled as she pulled back to look into Maura's eyes. "Hey, remember what I said about the kids? It's up to them now, and I know that they're going to blow this out of the water, Maur."
Sighing deeply, Maura conceded, "You're right."
The doctor rested her head on the brunette's chest; the sound of Jane's beating heart calming her even more.
"So, what do you say we get ready for the kids?" Jane ducked her head to get the blonde's attention.
Maura's brilliant smile confirmed that Jane's pep talk worked.
"I believe that is a splendid idea, Tiger"
After one final squeeze the pair let go.
The crunching of gravel under car tires signaled the arrival of the first student. The women waved to the teenager, who pulled alongside Maura's car.
Before the kid could even get out of her car, Jane started blasting Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."
The night before, Maura suggested they grab breakfast for the kids taking the test. She cited several studies that espoused the benefits of eating a good breakfast before testing. Besides, it would be a nice gesture the doctor reasoned. So, without too much grumbling, Jane crawled out of bed an hour earlier than usual on a Monday morning to help Maura make preparations for the kids.
To their credit, the women laid out an impressive spread on the hood of Maura's Mercedes. The smorgasbord included an array of healthy granola bars, whole grain muffins, fresh fruit, and bottles of spring water. Jane, on the other hand, insisted that a couple of boxes of donuts were all the kids needed. Of course, the lifeblood of any teenager, coffee, was available by the gallon.
To say that teenagers from the other schools were jealous was an understatement.
R & I R & I R & I
"...and I penciled our names in for the middle shift from 7:30-9:30," Frost said as he spooned his leftover chili into his mouth.
Jane wadded up her napkin and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. "Great, it's nice that we only have to chaperone this year and not set up or tear down. If I'm asked to do one more thing..." Jane's shoulders sagged as she considered how much she still had left to do.
"Thank goodness that the state championships are next weekend. I ready for it to be over."
Frost couldn't help but agree. He was stretched too thin as well.
"Tell me about it. It really puts a damper on my dating life," Frost groused.
Jane cut her eyes over to Maura who was serenely eating her salad. Maura's students finished their exams yesterday, so she had the rest of the week to relax. The feedback she received from her students was all positive. Many of them thanked her and confessed that they had never felt as prepared for an exam in their lives. Now, Maura could kick back and do fun labs with her students for the rest of the semester.
Jane couldn't wait for the dissection labs. She planned to bring Frost with her to visit Maura on those days.
Getting no response from Maura, Jane turned her attention back to Frost.
"Dating life, Frost? Is there something you aren't telling us?" Jane teased her friend, but the thought of Frost finding someone pleased her to no end. She only wanted him to be happy, but that didn't mean she'd stop busting his balls about it.
"Well, Miss Nosey, yes. I met a girl while playing a game of pick up at the park this past Sunday. She and her friend were out for a walk when they were distracted by my stunning physique." Frost grinned playfully and waggled his eyebrows at Maura, who giggled in response.
"Well, did you ask her out?" Jane didn't bother to hear Frost's answer.
She chose to tease him instead.
"Even better, are you going to ask her to prom?"
"Actually, no. I already have a date." Frost's smug expression immediately kicked Jane's detective skills in gear.
Maura for her part continued to eat in silence. She wasn't completely sure where Frost was going with their conversation.
Jane rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."
She couldn't think of a single person who could possibly be his pretend date. Hell, Jane was his "date" for years, but he had no one to ask now that Maura was in her life.
Knowing that Jane was setting herself up for a rude surprise, Frost's face split into a wide grin.
"I do have a date, Jane."
Jane took a final massive bite of her sandwich. Much to Maura's chagrin, she asked with her mouth full of peanut butter and fluff, "M'kay, woo?"
"Maura." Frost's stated simply.
Wait for it...
"Mm-Ruh!?" The peanut butter cemented Jane's tongue to the roof of her mouth, making it difficult to speak. Quickly, she took a swig of her water bottle.
When her mouth was finally clear of food, the flabbergasted brunette Jane rounded on the blonde.
"Is this true?" The brunette waited for Maura to contradict Frost's claim.
Jane reasoned this had to be a joke. Hadn't she and Maura discussed prom?
"Well, Barry asked me last Friday whether anyone had asked me, and I answered him truthfully. You hadn't, in fact, officially asked me."
Frost couldn't help goading the surprised brunette, "You snooze, you lose, Jane."
Jane Rizzoli's patented glare did little to diminish the man's glee.
"Well, in that case, I guess I'll have to ask someone else then," Jane huffed and gathered the rest of her trash. The brunette wasn't particularly pleased with how lunch had turned out.
"If you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach." As if on cue, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.
After Jane left the room, Maura turned to Frost. "You don't think she's mad, do you?" Maura was unsure as to whether their scheme was a good idea after all.
"Pfft!" Frost dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. "Trust me when I say that this will make prom so much more fun for the two of you. Plus, I get the added benefit of watching her squirm."
Although Maura felt slightly guilty, she couldn't help the excitement bubbling inside her.