"Jane!"

Fuck.

Jane burrowed deeper under the blankets, forming a physical barrier against her mother's shrill voice. She closed her eyes, as if the action could somehow expel her mother from her apartment. Why the hell had she even given her a key in the first place?

"Jane!"

Maybe if she stayed quiet enough, her mother world eventually tire of playing Marco Polo and leave Jane to continue her self-pitying in peace.

"JANE!"

She winced, creeping farther under the covers.

"Forgetting something today?" Angela's voice was much too loud as she threw open Jane's bedroom door, speaking to the lump under the covers.

Jesus, Jane thought, practically growling as she shoved her face into the comforter, her body spent and aching. Of course I didn't fucking forget, and I don't need you here to remind me –

"Say something," Angela hissed, her voice still carrying too much volume, though she was no longer addressing Jane – that much was obvious. Jane peeked out from under the covers, realizing that Angela was not alone.

"Hi, Mom," Cody waved awkwardly as Jane peered through the tunnel she had constructed.

Oh.

Angela looked smug as Jane's expression morphed from one of bewilderment to one of guilt.

"You were supposed to pick him up three hours ago," Angela spoke matter-of-factly. "But he was unable to get ahold of you." Jane's eyes darted to her nightstand, where her cell phone rested, the screen black and the battery drained. "And you even tried the station, right, sweetie?" At this comment, Cody shrugged quickly, he cheeks turning pink as his eyes found Jane's, attempting to relay his apology. It was so much like Cody to try to take the blame himself, even when someone else was clearly at fault. "Anyway, he finally called me, and I was more than happy to get him. But honestly, Jane, this kind of behavior is just deplorable…and why weren't you at work, anyway?" Angela's tone had become suspicious.

"Took the day off," Jane murmured, feeling more miffed than apologetic at this point.

"You've known for weeks that Cody's spring break started this weekend," Angela countered, her tone indignant and unamused.

"I got the stomach flu last night," Jane lied as pitifully as she could manage, widening her large eyes. "I puked my guts out so violently that I couldn't remember what my name was, let alone what day it was."

"I didn't know you were sick," Angela muttered, her voice a bit softer.

"Neither did I until about twelve hours ago," Jane edged in.

"You should have called," Angela finished.

"Ma..." Jane groaned. "I'm a grown woman. Let me vomit in peace."

"Do you want me to take Cody back to my house until you're feeling a little better?" Angela offered, her tone sympathetic now.

The wide, panicked look Cody shot her gave her provided her with her answer.

"I think Cody will be fine, Ma. He probably has some high school friends he wants to catch up with anyway, so he won't have to stay in this germ pit for long. Isn't that right, kiddo?" She raised an eyebrow.

Cody nodded vigorously, before shooting Jane an appreciative smile. "Thanks for dropping me off though, Nonna." Cody turned to his grandmother, stepping into a side hug. "I appreciate it."

"Of course, sweetheart," Angela smiled, kissing Cody's cheek. "You let me know if you need anything, okay?"

He saw her to the door, leaving Jane in her cocoon, glad to have rid herself of her mother, but feeling especially guilty that she had, in fact, forgotten her son.

He lumbered back into view moments later, hovering by the door frame. Once again, his face was full of reassurance that she didn't deserve.

She crawled out from her nest of blankets, looking sheepish as she pushed her tangled hair away from her face. "I'm so sorry, Cody."

"Don't be, Ma," he answered too quickly. "It all worked out just fine. I'm not mad."

"I know," Jane huffed, getting an unpleasant whiff of her arm pits as she smoothed down the comforter, about reading to ask Cody to join her, but the state of the bed and herself left the offer pressed back in her throat. "I wish you'd get mad," she added. "It'd be normal. Because what I did today was shit."

"Ma..." Cody warned.

Jane let out a disgruntled noise. "Okay, let me do this then. Give me twenty minutes to shower and make myself look like a human being again, and then I'll take you out to dinner, anywhere you want." She watched Cody open his mouth, but she edged back in just in time, "You have no choice about this, so don't even think about refusing. Make it somewhere good, okay?"

XXX

The mouthwatering scent of pancakes wafted down the hall as Jane emerged from the shower. She threw on a tank and pair of pants, running her hand through her wet curls as she padded down the hall to the kitchen, where Cody stood hovering over the stove.

"Cody..." she tutted in a disapproving manner, learning up against the countertop as he turned around in surprise.

His cheeks turned pink. "No protesting," he spoke firmly, his lip curling into small smile. "I picked what I wanted for dinner, so I don't want to hear any complaining from you...here," he added, taking a piece of foil off the plate by the stove. "For you."

Jane stepped away from the counter, looking at the misshapen pancakes in front of her, though she could most definitely make out the bunny shapes.

"I'm not as good as Nonna is," he apologized. "But I did my best."

Jane almost started to cry, the gesture so heartbreakingly simple and sweet. Bunny pancakes had become an unspoken form of comfort in the Rizzoli-Isles household over the years. While they had originally been Angela's treat, Jenna had grown so fond of them that Maura had started making them for her when she had big events coming up at school, or when she'd come home after a particularly grueling day. In turn, Cody and Jenna had made them at various times for their mothers as well. The tradition may have been childish, but the bunny pancakes were always a token of good luck, encouragement, and comfort.

"But what about my flu?" Jane spoke, her voice a little gruff, unable to handle the influx of emotion in a serious manner just yet.

"It's not your stomach that's sick, Ma," Cody countered with a knowing glance. He turned off the stove, the last of the pancakes finished. He handed her a fork, nodding them in the direction of the cluttered kitchen table.

Jane tossed a copy of Sports Illustrated aside, making space for her plate. She looked down at her food for a brief moment, before wolfing down an entire pancake within seconds.

"Was my lie that obvious?" she spoke with her mouth full, letting the warm treat settle in her stomach.

"Nonna may have forgotten what today is, but I didn't," he spoke softly. He took a bite of his own pancakes, watching Jane nudge hers placidly.

She said nothing.

"It would have been twenty-five years today," Cody acknowledged what Jane would not.

Jane's eyes watered as she stared down at her pancakes, stirring her crumbs into a syrupy soup. "It's still no excuse for forgetting to come get you," Jane spoke quickly, inhaling another large bite of her remaining pancake. "When I saw the weekend your fall break began, it didn't register to me that you'd need picked up on Friday...and what the fucking date for Friday was," she growled. She hated that she'd been reduced to such pity, when she vowed she would not. She hated how Cody - sweet Cody - fell through the cracks unintentionally, but continued to hold his head high.

She hated that her life had become this.

"I understand, Ma...this hasn't been easy for any of us, and it's okay that you can't always hold it together. I promise I'm not mad, and I'm not going to hold some vendetta against you and Mom for forgetting the big stuff from time to time..."

Jane reached for Cody's hand across the table. "Yeah, but I don't want you to start expecting disappointment. It isn't fair to you - even though things are shit right now, I'm gonna do better, okay?"

Cody squeezed her hand. "I love you, kay?"

"You're such a good kid," Jane's mouth curved into a smile, at last genuine and unforced. She realized that perhaps she hadn't lost everything.

XXX

"So are you as surprised by this arrangement as I am?" Jenna raised an eyebrow as she slid the key into the lock, listening to the door click open.

Cody shrugged. "Is it really our place to think anything about it?"

"Come on, kid, you're allowed to have an opinion," Jenna rolled her eyes, flicking on the lights. She wrinkled her nose as the musty scent clinging to the apartment that assaulted her nostrils. The living room was cluttered and unkempt, and the lack of organization filled Jenna with an itchy sense of anxiety. "You can stop playing the saint in this family."

"You do realize you trained me to be this way, right?" Cody smirked in Jenna's direction, plowing through the mess in the direction of the bedroom. "The minute you forced me into a dress at age one to play princesses with you basically determined my submissive nature for my entire life. I never had to make a decision or had a right to an opinion because that wasn't an option with you."

Jenna snorted, stepping over the doorframe into the bedroom, which was quite possibly worse than the living room. "Fair enough. But really...you think this means something? Did we unintentionally Parent Trap them?"

"Just like you, taking all the credit," Cody bent down to his knees, digging an old suitcase out from under the bed and tossing it onto the unmade bed. "And do I think it goes beyond convenience? Yeah, maybe a little...they are the queens of tortured gazes and un-proclaimed self-pity. They aren't fooling anyone into thinking they got over each other. I think Ma staying with Mom is definitely a step in a more hopeful direction."

"How are we supposed to find anything for her to wear in this mess?" Jenna huffed, pinching a dirty sock between her thumb and pointer, flinging it in a disgusted manner across the room. She was already anxious to leave the horrors of Jane's apartment and return to the immaculate interior of Maura's home. "And yes, that much is obvious. They never did move on, yet, their relationship has always just a been big, shitty mess...why does love have to be so fucked up?" Jenna muttered wistfully, tossing a few wrinkled button ups into the suitcase.

"Speaking of love, I found your phone wedged between the couch cushions this morning," Cody noted, finding a pair of fairly clean sweat pants to add to the suitcase. "You had like twenty missed calls from Matt."

Jenna groaned loudly. "Please tell me you were a good little brother and hurled my phone violently out the window."

"Your life is on that phone," Cody raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to think I should be concerned...are things that bad with Matt right now?" he inquired softly. Jenna watched his cheeks turn pink in customary Cody fashion.

"Ugh..." she wrinkled her nose, finding the pair of worn boots Jane had requested. "No. Things aren't going poorly. In fact, things are going quite well. Too well, maybe. I don't know." She found a pile of clean underwear that had seen better days, adding them to the suitcase.

Cody hummed thoughtfully, tossing in a few pairs of socks.

"What?" Jenna demanded.

"Nothing."

"Cody..."

"Nope."

"You have to tell me now. You can't get away with acting coy this time," Jenna begged.

"Really, it's nothing but an innocent - perhaps even inaccurate - observation," Cody mumbled.

"And if you don't inform me of it, I may die from anticipation on the spot," Jenna huffed dramatically.

Cody spoke carefully, zipping up the hastily packed suitcase. "Well, you said things are going well, which usually is an indication of things being good - yet you're running from the situation."

"And?" Jenna prodded.

"Could it be that you're frightened of making a commitment because of what a train wreck our mothers' relationship turned to be?" Cody averted his gaze away from Jenna, slinging the suitcase over his shoulder.

Jenna was quiet for a minute, though she spoke with stubbornness when she finally addressed him. "Now why would their relationship have anything to do with this? I'm capable of making my own decisions, and just because they fucked up their lives doesn't mean I'm gonna do the same to mine." She let out a small puff of air. "Come on, let's go."

XXX

Thump.

Jane bit back a profanity, as her good leg slammed against the corner of the coffee table. Maneuvering this damn wheelchair was more difficult than she had expected.

"Jane?" Maura's voice carried over from the kitchen. "What was that?"

"Just plowed over your turtle, no biggie," Jane spoke nonchalantly as she backed away from the table, though a wolfish grin crossed her lips.

She waited a small moment before she heard the panicked sound of Maura's feet patter against the floor. "What?" Maura's concerned voice grew louder as she appeared in Jane's line of vision, holding a dripping sauce spoon.

Bass, of course, lay untouched on the opposite side of the room, contently burrowed in his shell.

"Jeez, Maur, I was kidding. I'm gonna have to get you used to my copious use of sarcasm again."

"That wasn't funny, Jane," Maura countered, looking a bit flushed as she folded her arms across her chest. "And you caused me to create quite a mess." She motioned toward the trail of sauce she had dotted across the floor.

Jane bit her lip, holding in a smile, because, damn, Maura was just as adorable as the day she had met her, and getting her wound up still appeared to be one of Jane's favorite hobbies. She missed her. Perhaps she didn't consciously think the words, but her body ached with nostalgia.

She had been reluctant to take Maura up on her offer to let her stay at her home rather that at her apartment, but the convenience of it was hard to argue against. Jane's apartment was on the fourth floor of her building, and even with an elevator, the trek would be tedious. Besides, Jenna would only be able to stay with her for a few days before returning to her own life back in Chicago, and the truth was, Jane needed much more assistance in day-to-day tasks than she would have liked to admit. Maura's one story, spacious home, with Maura gladly offering her assistance, was an arrangement that was just too practical for Jane to refuse. Because the practicality of the situation, of course, was the only reason either of them had conceived the arrangement in the first place.

But it was nice to be back here, Jane had to admit. She never really did enjoy living on her own, and the romantic nature of their past relationship put aside, Jane did feel quite at home at Maura's place. And having Maura back in her life in such a positive way certainly was a perk. She didn't dare let her mind wander to idea of something more coming from it.

But damn, even just standing there in a loose fitting blouse, a pair of slacks and her bare feet, Jane found her heart accelerating in a familiar, aching manner. Maura tried to keep her face cross, but she noticed her cheeks flush as Jane kept her gaze fixed on her.

The doorbell startled them out of their reverie.

Maura coughed, looking at the spoon in her grasp before quickly handing it off to Jane as she hurried toward the door. Jane licked the spoon to prevent further dripping, though she expected she'd be scolded once again.

Maura reappeared a moment later, their house guest following timidly behind.

"Well, hello there, Matthew," Jane smiled a bit smugly as her daughter's boyfriend entered into the living room, looking even more uncomfortable as his eyes met Jane's.

"Please, have a seat," Maura offered, looking a little startled and uneasy herself.

Matt nodded, waving quickly in Jane's direction. "I'm sorry about your accident. I hope you're feeling better."

Jane nodded icily, less than thrilled to acknowledge him.

"Jenna didn't mention you'd be coming," Maura kept her tone soft and pleasant. "So I apologize that I was not more adequately prepared for your visit."

"Oh, she doesn't know I'm here...at least not yet," he amended. "So I am sorry for barging in on you like this. It's just that she hasn't been answering my calls, and I was starting to get a little worried, you know?"

"You ever think she might need some space?" Jane countered, her words a bit acidic. Matt had not done much to redeem himself in Jane's eyes from the incident surround their first encounter.

"Jane!" Maura scolded, her glare sharp as she reprimanded Jane's behavior.

Jane looked across the room at her ex-wife, realizing that they had had very different encounters with their daughter's longterm boyfriend, thus, apparently, quite opposite opinions of the young man. Since Matt existed only in their divorced life, they had never had the opportunity to discuss their opinion of him, and it left Jane feeling a little nervous as he addressed them. Maura was supposed to be her ally, as they teamed up simultaneously to support their daughter's best interest.

"Sorry," Jane finally mumbled. "Jenna will be here soon, though if there's something unpleasant going on between you two, I'm afraid you're the one who's gonna have to be booted."

Maura's eyes found Jane's again, clearly not amused by her antics.

"Matt, I apologize," Maura muttered quickly. "You know you are more than welcome here, and I'm sure Jenna has been unintentionally negligent during the busyness of these past few days."

"Thank you, Ms. Isles," he spoke, his voice more at ease now. "And Ms. Rizzoli, I am sorry that we got off on the wrong foot and that we haven't had much of a chance to become properly acquainted ever since. I'm a big supporter of the importance of family and would love to get to know you and Ms. Isles better, but you know how Jenna is with stuff like that...not that I'm criticizing her or anything. She's wonderful, and I love her, and -"

Jane promptly cut him off. "Jeez, kid, take deep breath. I know I haven't been easy on you, but I like a guy who can stand his ground and would hope that Jenna has the sense to pick one, especially after dating you for so long. So prove me wrong about my initial assumptions of you."

Matt took in a deep breath, and Jane watched his eye flicker with a hint of confidence as he addressed her. "All right, Ms. Rizzoli, since Jenna isn't here right now, there is something I'd like to discuss with you - and Ms. Isles as well." He paused for a moment. Maura offered him an encouraging smile. Jane crossed her arms and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"I want your permission to ask your daughter to marry me."