"You're going to be late for school" Jane stated as she and Isabel walked off the elevator at the Homicide Department's floor. Insisting she went with her mother to work that morning, Isabel had an ulterior motive to 'forgetting her algebra book'. It was her Dad's first day as Lieutenant of the Boston Homicide Department and the transition between him and Jane was going to be far from smooth. Isabel just wanted them to try not to kill each other.
"I swear I left my algebra book here last night and I have a test this afternoon" the teenager sighed and walked straight for her mother's desk looking for the neon green notebook. With her algebra book stuffed in her school bag, the fifteen year old needed an opportunity to plant it without her mother knowing.
"You can recite that book with your eyes closed can't it wait? I'll find it through the day"
"No I need it..."
"Isabel you'll be late for school"
"Then she will get a police escort" Joey chuckled as he overheard Jane's insistence that Isabel got to school as he walked into his new department. Pulling his daughter into a warm hug, he kissed the top of her head softly before handing her a small white box "Grandma Rosa's Chocolate Cannoli just the way you like them"
"Thank you Daddy" Isabel smiled and peeked inside the box and was met with the sweet smell of her grandmother's famous dessert.
Noticing Isabel's school bag open slightly, Joey out of sheer habit zipped it back up again "You do know your algebra book is in your backpack right?" he chuckled and when Isabel looked up at her mother she knew it had been loud enough for her to hear.
"So sue me for hoping that my being here would dampen the explosion" Isabel sighed and headed straight for the door. Knowing that her Mom and Dad would be at each other all day, she hoped that focusing on the one thing they both loved would somehow change the day's inevitable outcome.
"Stop" Jane insisted and stepped in Isabel's path. Pushing the teenager's hair behind her ears, Jane hated seeing her daughter upset "I'm sorry. We'll be civil. You can even come by after school and see that we haven't killed each other ok?"
"Ok" she nodded and made her way to the elevator.
Jane watched her daughter til the elevator doors closed and she couldn't see the teenager's dark curls anymore. Sensing Joey standing behind her, she sighed softly. "She doesn't want us to fight..."
"I won't if you won't"
Jane looked back at Joey and shook her head slightly. They both knew that was a promise neither of them could keep. Their childhood friendship slowly disintegrated after their daughter was born and they worked their way up in the police force. Jane had to defy the odds to become the only female detective in the Boston Homicide Department while Joey found his ride to the top rather smooth.
Politics, sexism and competitive edge pushed the pair further apart with every case and promotion. Isabel's birthday parties went from loving family affairs to hostile encounters when the little girl wasn't looking. Neither Jane nor Joey thought their daughter knew but she was a smart kid. They didn't fight all the time but it was tense more often than it was peaceful.
"We need to find a way to get along Jane. If not for the sake of this unit then for Isabel" Joey sighed "She's hoping us working together will be good"
"She's hoping us working together will stop you cancelling your plans with her every week. When was the last time you didn't reschedule on her?" Jane snapped and turned to walk back to her desk ready to bury herself in the Boston Strangler case that had re-opened recently.
"You know you never change" Joey commented as he took Jane's arm to stop her "And I'm going to need everything you've got on the second strangling victim"
"Yes sir, Lieutenant, sir"
"Strike one Rizzoli"
XXXXX
"Where does Joey get off telling me I have two strikes left? What the hell is he going to do?" Jane ranted to Maura as the medical examiner began the autopsy on their first strangling victim.
"Well he is your Lieutenant..."
"Not helping Maura"
"I know, I'm sorry" she shrugged and continued her autopsy "Y'know Grant seems to be very popular. Maybe he's a lot nicer away from work?"
"Oh yeah he's a peach, I would know" Jane snapped sarcastically. Maura didn't know Joey Grant like she did but that didn't stop Jane's snarky comments. Even though Maura and Jane had been friends for quite some time, the medical examiner had no contact with her favourite teenager's father.
"I thought you promised Isabel that you would be nice..."
"I promised her I would be civil, I never said anything about nice"
"Maybe you could be nice and take the preliminary reports up to him" Maura smirked and handed a file to her best friend. A firm believer that Jane and Joey still harboured feelings for each other, Maura wanted the pair to discover it for themselves rather than opening that can of worms herself.
"Mhmph" she groaned and took the file before making her way out of the morgue and toward the elevator.
Jane made her way through the homicide department to Joey's office. Knocking as she walked in the door, she ignored the fact he was wrapping up a phone call and just sat down.
"Is that the report from the second victim?" Joey asked after he hung up the phone and held his hand out for the file Jane was carrying. Handing it over, Jane simply nodded as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels. Isabel definitely got that habit from her mother.
"Y'know I noticed a lot of similarities between our two victims and the Boston Strangler victims from the 60's. It's exactly the same MO and when we ran the names, they're in the same order as the original killings" Jane shrugged.
"No"
"Isn't it worth looking into? Some of these details were never released..."
"The Boston Strangler confessed, went to prison and died there Jane. He's not back"
"But what if Albert DeSalvo wasn't the Boston Strangler?"
"He was the Strangler. The murders stopped when he was arrested. Albert DeSalvo is dead Jane"
"But..."
"No" Joey sighed loudly "I don't want to hear another word about the Boston Strangler in this office, do you hear me?"
"But the two victims have the same names!" Jane insisted but Joey's anger only grew with each of Jane's rebuttal
"That case nearly buried this city Jane"
"So ignore the obvious links?"
"Solve the murders and forget about the Boston Strangler. They are in no way related" Joey growled and stood up hoping Jane would take that as a cue to leave.
"You know I remember you when you cared more about the people than the politics" Jane sighed and walked straight out of Joey's office. So much for remaining civil to each other