Jane felt a smug swelling of satisfaction when she heard the news, and it gave her a smile that accompanied the three of them to their assignment for the night: O'Doyle's Lucky Irish Pub.

It had been the cleverest set-up of the joints they'd perused, which was the largest contributing factor as to why Jane chose that one for themselves. Not only did they have their Downworlder clientele, but they had a system of distinguishing the Downworlders from the mundanes, and led the former into a separate area where they were free to be themselves.

It was an easy system, but those Downworlders guarded their safe havens with their lives. Luckily, it didn't require someone's life to get them in; just an old faerie knight with a penchant for schmoozing with the locals and the liquor. Old Rondo certainly knew how to come in handy.

All they needed was the passcode for the evening, and according to Jane's favourite confidential informant, tonight it was 'gnome tartare'. A dish, Maura had assured them upon learning of the definition (raw, diced up gnome back tossed with faerie spices and mundane potato chips), that she would not be partaking in. In fact, she'd seemed a little ill at the possibility.

They approached the place as if they owned it, Frost and Jane effortlessly swaggering to the door, Maura following dutifully. The hostess immediately gave them a knowing look, automatically taking note of their runes, but greeted them as she would any mundane customer.

It was something their research had warned: Downworlder joints don't like Shadowhunters present, and if they let you in, you're usually ignored.

Frost slipped the code word into the conversation casually, but with a lower voice than usual. The woman's eyes flickered between the three of them and it seemed to Maura as though she wished that she could throw them out right now, but the lady simply smiled mutely and nodded, leading them towards the back of the establishment and into another room.

While the main front of the bar had been relatively docile, the back was in the full swing of a party atmosphere. Drinks and food seemed to appear from every corner, and anywhere they looked it was obvious that the patrons were having an excellent time.

If they weren't on a mission, Frost would've loudly high-fived his partner before slinking off through the debauchery and finding his own little haven for the night, content in the knowledge that Jane would be doing just the same. But they were here on business and so instead of heading over the bar, they went after a deserted corner booth before someone else beat them to it.

"Damn, Jane, this is our kind of place!" Frost commented, pulling a menu from behind the faerie dust and sugar shakers.

Jane smirked. "I know, right? If we don't burn the place down tonight, we should definitely come back." She plucked her own menu from the pile and said, "You in, too, Maur? It'd be a good time." She turned to look at the blonde and noticed her petrified with fear.

Jane glanced around the room and then focused entirely on Maura. "Hey, you okay? What's up?" She got no answer. "Do you need to leave? Are you having a panic attack?" Still nothing. She met Frost's gaze and informed him that she was going to take Maura outside for a quick breather, but then the blonde shuddered and said breathlessly that she was fine.

The brunette Shadowhunter looked skeptical, but didn't force Maura from her seat. "Alright. So what happened?"

"Too many stimuli in a shortened frame of time for the synapses to fire appropriately." Maura explained promptly. Then noting the confuse looks on both of her companions' faces, she amended, "I was overwhelmed. This is all still very new to me."

Jane looked instantly rebuked. "Right, sorry, we can take you back to the Inst-"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. I've had time to acclimatise now and I'm feeling much better." Maura interrupted and blushed from the rudeness of the act. At Jane's disbelieving stare, she continued, "Really, I'm fine." She stole a glance at Jane's menu and excitedly said, "Oh, look at that, there's seahorse tataki."

A pixie appeared at their table and offered to take their orders. Deferring to Jane's judgement on the drink front, Maura got the aforementioned tataki while Jane ordered something called the Downworlder Clubhouse, and Frost got a Canadian Werewolf Poutine. Maura wasn't so sure she wanted to know the specifics of either of those meals.

The drinks came first, Frost's a brilliant electric green while Jane's was a subdued shade of blue. Maura's was bright neon pink and she noticed that both Frost and Jane had a difficult time reigning in their laughter at its arrival.

They made it seem only as if they were a trio out for a relaxing evening, but Maura thought it would be astoundingly obvious to anyone who paid them any attention that Jane and Barry were scouring the place with their searching gazes; looking for anything out of the ordinary.

There wasn't a single soul in the place who exhibited any of the usual signs of a rogue vampire. Of the bloodsuckers in the joint, not one of them had glowing red eyes, the sign of a recent human kill. Oh, a few of their eyes were dark red, from old human blood, but no one had the unmistakable look of fresh food.

The pink drink was surprisingly delicious, though neither Jane nor Frost would tell Maura what was in it. She couldn't pinpoint any precise flavours, but the overall effect was lovely.

Halfway through their main meals (where Maura discovered the clubhouse was a sandwich with just an element of the four Downworlder culinary cultures and Frost's poutine came with a pound of bacon and maple syrup on top of the regular fries, cheese, and gravy), a tallish blonde gentleman wandered over and asked Maura if she'd like to dance. She looked to Jane and Frost for advice, but they each just shrugged and left the decision up to her.

She accepted his cold hand and gracefully slipped out of the booth.

"Name's Dennis Rockmond," he said as he twirled her on the floor and smiled.

She couldn't help grinning back when she replied, "Maura Isles."

Meanwhile, Jane and Frost finished up their food and sighed unhappily. "Looks like this was a bust," Frost commented. "Haven't seen a single fresh blood vampire."

Jane mirrored his sentiment. "I know. There were only a few in the joint at all tonight."

"Yeah, and our friend is dancing with probably the most feminine one of the lot." Frost snorted, jerking his head in the direction of the two on the dance floor.

Jane stared for a moment before concentrating heavily on peeling the label from the bottle of ketchup that had arrived with their food. Frost studied his partner for a minute before it clicked.

"You like her."

The bottle fell on to its side on the table as Jane's hands froze. "Yeah. She's a cool person." Her hands unfroze and righted the bottle.

Frost leaned over and placed his hands on hers. "You know exactly what I mean, Jane."

She looked up and met his gaze. "No. I don't." She stated forcefully through gritted teeth.

They glared at each other until the contest was broken by the devil herself, returned from her dance. She didn't even seem to notice that she'd interrupted a charged moment.

"Hey," she beamed, automatically slipping into the booth beside Jane. "So was Dennis a vampire? His hands felt really cold." She leaned over and took a fry from Jane's plate after gauging the brunette's reaction to her doing so.

"Vampires are usually bad ideas, Maura," Frost warned, watching in fascination as the blonde got to disgruntled response from Jane after stealing food from her plate. He shook his head in amazement.

"Why is that? I mean, if they don't drink from living people, they can't be that bad, can they?" Maura asked seriously.

"They're immortal, Maur," Jane said. "Humans are just passing playthings for them more often than not, and if the case is not, it usually means you're gonna be well on your way to becoming one of those bloodsuckers," Jane explained.

That seemed to stop the doctor short. "Hmm." She glanced back over to where Dennis was chatting with the bartender. "Still, perhaps a mutually agreed upon dalliance would be alright," she mused aloud.

Jane's knuckles whitened on the table as her jawline tightened. "Yeah. Dalliances are great." She muttered. She steadfastly ignored Frost's knowing gaze. "If you'll excuse me." She waited for Maura to let her out of the booth before escaping to the bathroom.

Maura looked after her concernedly. "Is she alright?"

Sensing the perfect opportunity, Frost supplied, "I don't know. Maybe not. You could always go after her and do that girl talk in the bathroom thing girls do."

Maura perked right up. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Barold, thank you."

She got up and went after the Shaowhunter. Frost smiled to himself and whispered under his breath, "Any time."

Jane was leaning against the bathroom counter, digging her palms into the edges of the marble until her scars throbbed. She didn't even turn when the bathroom door opened and someone came up right beside her.

"Frost send you in here?"

Maura stumbled a step as she stopped beside the brunette. "Yeah."

Jane snorted. "Remind me to tell him that subtlety is not is forte," she said.

Maura looked at her, completely lost. "You are so deceptively complex, and I do not understand you. What are you talking about?"

Jane met Maura's gaze in the mirror and shrugged off the question. "Nothing. Just rambling. Those Downworlder drinks certainly can get to you." She turned to leave but Maura grasped her arm at the elbow.

"Are you lying to me?"

Jane looked her dead in the eye. "No. Now come on, everything's alright, we didn't get a single lead tonight. It's time to head back and see if anyone else was successful."

Maura just looked at her like she was nuts. "What are you talking about? We've been here maybe for an hour and a half."

Jane laughed and pointed to the clock above the bathroom door. 2:15 A.M. Maura's jaw dropped. "Downworlders are a tricky bunch," Jane explained, and escorted her back to the table.

Frost was already standing, having deposited a few bills on the table to pay for their food. "Excellent, you two girls ready to go?" Jane and Maura nodded, following Frost to the back room exit.

"Hey, Maura! Maura!" a voice called from behind them. Everyone turned to meet the happy face of Dennis Rockmond, the vampire. "Are you leaving so soon?"

Feeling oddly shy, Maura merely nodded.

"Oh, that's such a shame, I so looked forward to dancing with you again." He said, looking genuinely disappointed. Then his features perked up. "Hey, why don't we swap phone numbers and we can get together some other time?" He asked, already pulling out his mobile device.

Unable to read either of her friend's faces to judge what they thought she should do, she pulled out her phone and they quickly entered their contact information.

"Alright, well, see ya around Rockmond, we have places to be," Jane final stated brusquely, gently taking Maura by the arm to lead her out.

"I'll call you!" Dennis promised as they left the bar.

The trip back to the Institute was fairly uneventful, the car talk mainly revolving around their lack of suspects and ponderings about where they should go tomorrow night: the same place, or do they rotate everyone through so as not to draw attention? They were still debating the pros and cons of each option as they waltzed through the door.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw who was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, wringing his hands, and looking sheepishly at his hands. His brown hair had grown out almost to his ears and he looked leaner, though not in a warrior fashion. He looked up when they entered and everybody froze.

Everyone, that is, except Maura.

"Jane?" she asked quietly. "Jane? Who is that?"

Struggling to find her voice, Jane replied, "That's my brother. Tommy."

CHAPTER EIGHT

One couldn't have cut the tension with a chainsaw, it was so thick. And it only got worse once the door opened again and the other three teams trickled in, stopping right behind Frost and Jane.

Tommy kind of met everyone's glance quickly, over and over again, like he didn't know who to concentrate on.

"What the hell is going on out here? Is no one moving past the doorway? I have food in the kitchen and-" Angela's voice boomed through the door to the kitchen before she emerged through it and followed everyone else's lead when she saw who it was.

"Ma," Tommy breathed, his gaze finally settling on someone. Angela gave him the once over with her eyes before rushing forward to envelope him in a hug. He visibly relaxed as his mother's arms wrapped his shoulders.

"Tommy, what're you doing here? Why're you so skinny? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've made something special. How long are you staying?" The questions poured out of Angela like a dam had burst in her mind and there was nothing she could do to slow it.

He swallowed guiltily at the hope in her voice. "Ma… I'm – I'm not staying."

Her face looked like it fell thirty eight stories. "Oh." He shifted his weight uncertainly from one leg to another, and stuffed his hands deep into his jean pockets. "I uh, actually, I'm here to see Janie."

Everyone looked at the frozen Shadowhunter in question, and her eyes flared as she said, "Don't call me Janie."

A little taken aback, but thoroughly rebuked, Tommy only nodded mutely. "What do you want from me?" Jane asked, posture rigid and unrelenting.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Could we, you know, talk somewhere else?"

"THOMAS EDWIN RIZZOLI, YOU ARE AMONGST FAMILY, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN'T DISCUSS WITH ALL OF US PRESENT," Angela stated loudly.

Maura coughed and excused herself, fully intent on walking up the stairs to go hide in her room and avoid this ugly familial confrontation.

"Don't even move, Maura Isles, you're family too," Angela threatened as she saw the doctor slinking away from the crowd. Maura nodded meekly and resumed her place by Frost and Jane.

"Now, tell us what's happened, young man," Angela demanded, resting her hands on her hips.

"I'm getting married, Ma." He said, but before anyone could recover from the shock and congratulate him, he added, "And she's a werewolf."

Dead silence met his announcement. "Now do you see why I wanted to talk to Jane alone?"

"What do you want me to do about it, Thomas?" Jane asked, sounding tired and resigned, although her gaze had softened a bit. She was the first aside from Maura to recover from the shock (although to be perfectly fair, Maura was still astounded that there was another Rizzoli child she'd never even heard about before).

Darting his gaze from his mother to his brother, Frankie, Tommy answered, "She's pregnant. What are the chances of the kid being one, too?"

"Almost certain," Frost supplied solemnly. Tommy nodded. "Then I need help, Jane. I need your help. If we can protect it, raise it right, he won't be a monster."

Jane was already shaking her head. "I don't know why you're coming to me about this, Tommy. Cavanaugh runs the Institute, he decides who's allowed to stay. We don't take in Downworlders for any length of time, and you know that." She paused, her gaze turning hard. "Or at least you used to."

Flinching as though he'd been slapped, Tommy didn't rise to the bait. "Please. I just wanna protect my family." He looked out over the entire crowd. "We're Rizzolis. Family's all we got."

"He can stay," Sean said, stepping out from behind everyone to come face to face with Tommy. "You can all stay. But you know what happens if she hurts someone; if the kid hurts someone."

Tommy nodded.

"Are you prepared to do what you have to do? If you come back, you come back, do you understand me?" Cavanaugh stressed the importance of the repetition. Again, Tommy nodded. "Okay. We'll set you up in the abandoned wing. It can be like your guys' own place." Sean looked at the congregation and swiftly said, "If you hurry, you can get all of us to help you move your crap up there before we all hit the sack."

Tommy smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Cavanaugh, really, thank you." To everyone he said, "She's in the car. And we don't have that much stuff."

"Excellent," Jane said and wrapped her hand around Maura's wrist. "In that case, I'll see you all later, clearly you won't need our help."

Angela moved to say something as her only daughter and her newly adopted daughter disappeared upstairs, but Sean stopped her with a quick shake of his head, mouthing to her that it wasn't worth it. They filed out, following Tommy to the car. Everyone picked up a box until it was empty and Tommy escorted the woman inside, introducing her to everyone as they went as Lydia Sparks.

Jane dragged Maura right into her bedroom and then flung herself on the bed, face down. Maura just watched warily from the side of the bed, wondering what the brunette would do next.

Jane rolled over and sighed. She patted the bed beside her, "Go ahead and ask."

"You have another brother?" Maura asked as she lowered herself to the bed beside the Shadowhunter.

Nodding, Jane said, "Yeah. Tommy was always different than Frankie and I. Never wanted to be a Shadowhunter, never wanted to get rid of demons or train or anything. He wanted to be a mundane as much as possible." She propped her head up and laid on her side, facing Maura. "So when it came time to swear himself to the Clave, he ran away. Haven't heard from him since."

"When was that?" Maura asked softly.

"I dunno," Jane hedged. "Maybe seven years ago? Something like that. So seeing him there on the staircase just like he used to wait there for me and Frankie when we'd go out to dispose of a threat, it was a real shock to me. Never in a hundred years did I think I'd ever see him again, and never in a millennium would I think he'd have a pregnant werewolf fiancé."

Maura pondered over this and then, "What did Sean mean by he'd have to really come back?"

"Clave law says that we can't house Downworlders here; that this is a sacred place and they aren't to be welcome. It's rare for a Shadowhunter to get into a relationship with one, let alone marry them. But it has happened. More often than the gay thing anyway," Jane shook herself from her tangent and got back on track. "But there's a bit of a loophole there. So long as they aren't married using the Clave's marriage ritual, and so long as the Shadowhunter is in active service of the Clave, they can stay."

Maura caught on surprisingly quickly. "So in order to stay, he has to take the Clave's oaths and become a Shadowhunter; the one thing he never wanted to be?"

Jane nodded slowly. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"But that's ridiculous!" Maura protested.

"Hey," Jane defended, "I didn't make the rules. I just have to follow them. Besides, that's the Clave for you. Ridiculous old men making calls for the Shadowhunters as a whole when they don't even get out into the real world anymore. They're all stuck in Idris."

"Idris?"

"Yeah. It's like out home town. It's warded against mundanes, so if they happen across a border, they go right through to the other side of it. It's in between Germany and France, lovely place. Beautiful, really. The buildings are made of glass which reflect the sun and it is the prettiest sight you've ever seen at sunset." Jane's voice had turned wistful.

"When were you there last?" Maura asked, intrigued by the awe in Jane's voice.

"I must've been sixteen. Last time any of us here were there was during the final battle against Valentine. That's a few years ago now, and the last time all the Shadowhunters were called back to defend the home front. We don't really go unless we're summoned, and the only time we're summoned is when major shit's about to go down."

"Language."

Jane smiled at the sudden normalcy. "Really?"

"Really." Maura returned it.

Jane glanced at the clock on her table and whistled. "Looks like it is way past your bed time, Poindexter," Jane commented, gesturing to the digital numbers reading 3:58.

"Oh my word, yes it is."

Jane rolled over and tucker a hand underneath her pillow. "You can stay if you want. Or you can go. Whatever." Her voice was small as she made the suggestion, but Maura's heart lit up at the prospect.

"Okay." She said, and laid down on her back, crossing her hands over her chest and smiling softly.