Frankie and his new partner Brisby catch an arson.

Jane overhears them talking with Korsak on her way to the coffee station and nearly strains her neck turning around.

"Wait," she calls, moving towards them. "Hold on. Did I just hear right? You two are getting an arson?" She turns to look at Korsak incredulously. "You're giving them my arson?"

"It's not your arson, Jane," Korsak says reasonably. "You had an arson that you handed over to aged cases. This is a new arson that Frankie and Brisby get because they are next on the rotation."

"So switch," Jane says, waving Frost over as he comes in. "We're next, right? He's just first because he's F and I'm J? Switch us out, and they can catch whatever's next."

"No!" Korsak says, as Brisby nods enthusiastically. "They can't have whatever's next. You and Frost have already caught a murder. Your wife is already on her way."

"Well, sir," Jane says, "they make these amazing new things called cell phones. With just a quick tap here, like so, I can call the medical examiner and let her know that-"

"Detective Rizzoli," Korsak says sternly, and Jane is unable to stop the way her spine straightens to attention.

"Yes, sir," she says grudgingly.

"I've given you and your partner an order. Are we going to have a problem?"

She hates it when he pulls rank. She hates it when he pulls rank in front of other people, especially when any other captain would have already written her up for insubordination.

"No sir," she says.

Over her shoulder, Frankie smirks. "You ready to roll, Bris?" he calls.

Brisby nods, stepping forward to clap Frankie on the back. "Sure am R.J.!" He says excitedly.

"Sorry," Jane holds up her hand to stop them. "R.J.?"

"Oh, yeah!" Brisby answers. "Yeah! That's the new nickname I came up with for Frankie."

Even Korsak stops at this, looking back over his shoulder with interest. Frankie is no longer smirking.

"You came up with a nickname for Frankie?" Jane asks, grinning.

"Sure did!" Brisby says. "R.J. Rizzoli junior. That's what it stands for. That way there won't be any confusion between the two of you!"

Some of the officers walking in the opposite direction snicker. Brisby has eyes only for Jane, waiting for her approval.

"Brisby," Frankie says, with the air of someone who has had to repeat himself several times, "I've told you, it's not really necessary. You can call me Frankie."

"Right," Brisby says. "It's just a thought. Just in case."

"I love it," Jane says, turning away as her phone buzzes. It's dispatch with the address of her murder. Frost is already pulling his jacket up over his shoulders.

"Hey Jane," Korsak calls after her, "hold up a minute."

She turns, waiting until he catches up with her, praying that the look on his face doesn't mean he's about to ask her the question she thinks he is.

"How are you holding up, Jane?"

Damnit. Jane runs a hand through her hair, trying to let all her discomfort and frustration out in her sigh. "I'm fine," she says shortly.

He looks at her shrewdly. "Yeah?"

"Yes," she says firmly. "Would have been better if I got that arson, but…"

"Jane," Korsak starts. "Look. I know you hate it when people try to get in your business."

Jane huffs. "Why do people always say that when they're about to do the thing you hate?"

"You're running yourself ragged. You barely come up for air."

"And this assumption you're making is why you won't give me the arson?"

Korsak looks at her hard, and she tries to pretend it doesn't bother her. "Have you talked to your mother?" he asks her finally.

"No," she says, unwilling to say anything more at the moment.

"Jane. I know it was a shock, for him to come barreling back into your-"

But Jane can't have this conversation here. She can't have it now with her boss. She shakes her head and steps away from him, and he looks hurt for a moment before changing his expression to one of grudging understanding.

"You're getting the murder," he says, all Captain. "And you'll be happy about it."

For a minute, she wishes she could thank him for drawing that line in the sand. She does it in the best way she knows how. She pulls her face into a scowl and she shrugs her shoulders. "On it, sir," she says.

She meets up with Frost at the edge of the bullpen and he hands her his blazer. "What was that about?"

She shakes her head. "Forget it," she says.

And mercifully, he lets the matter rest.

…

Maura is nearly finished with her preliminary review of the body when they arrive. She lifts her eyebrows in question when Jane and Frost duck under the police tape, but after seeing Jane's face, she doesn't ask about their delayed arrival. The victim is a woman, lying prone on a bench near a bus stop, her dark brown hair draped over her face. From far away, she looks like a college kid who partied too hard last night, and is sleeping off her hangover before the bus arrives.

"Woman, mid twenties, good health, cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma," Maura says as they approach. She squats down by the woman's head and waits until Frost and Jane do the same before pointing. "See here, how her throat is crushed in?"

Frost looks away. Jane leans in. "Blunt force trauma?" she asks. "Not strangulation?"

"There's no petechial hemorrhaging. She wasn't strangled. She was hit. Hard."

"With what?" Jane asks sitting back on her heels. She holds up her hand as Maura goes to answer. "I know you don't guess, Maura. That was rhetorical."

Maura smiles.

"Any sign of sexual assault?"

"No. She's fully clothed, no signs she was re-dressed...and look here," the doctor takes the woman's hand gently, turning the palm up. "She has what appear to be burns on her fingertips."

Jane leans closer. "Burns?"

"Yes. Pretty severe ones."

Jane squints. "Like...she was holding something hot before she died?" Maura doesn't answer, and Jane looks around at her.

Maura's eyes widen innocently. "I'm sorry, was that one not rhetorical? It's so hard to tell with you."

Frost laughs, and Maura looks adorably pleased with herself.

"Okay, okay, doctor literal, what can you tell me?"

Maura looks down at the body and then around at Jane. "This woman has been murdered," she says seriously.

Frost laughs again, holding out a hand to help the doctor to her feet. "That truly never gets old," he says. "Seriously Jane. She gets you every time."

Maura chuckles, accepting Frost's hand. "Time of death is last night, somewhere between three and five AM. I'll know more when I get her back to the lab," she says, smoothing her skirt. "At this point it appears to be murder from blunt force trauma. That's all I can say definitively."

"And even that isn't definitive," Frost puts in, and Maura reaches out to grasp his arm as she passes.

"You see?" she says, waving over her shoulder. "Detective Frost understands."

Jane stands too, with an overdramatic sigh. "One day, I'm going to be the one with the last word," she says, as Frost comes to stand next to her. She looks around at the . "Okay, so...what are we thinking? Burglary?"

Frost lets out a breath. "No ID, no bag," he says. "Maybe. But that's some serious overkill for a murder."

Jane shrugs, turning to face Frost. "Is it? I mean, Maura says it's not strangulation." She steps up to Frost. "I come up to you, I say 'give me your wallet,' or whatever. You struggle, and I-" Jane throws a fake punch into Frost's windpipe.

Frost nods. "Then I see she's really hurt. I panic and take off."

Jane looks around at the streetlights, finally finding what she's looking for. "I say we start there," she says, pointing at a street cam facing the bus stop. "If someone attacked her in view of that camera, this could be open shut."

Frost pulls his phone out of his pocket. "Thank God for big brother."

…

Frankie and Brisby are not back from their crime scene when Jane and Frost return to their desks. Jane considers texting Frankie to see what information he has, but decides against it. Korsak ordered her, as her captain, to stay away.

She obeys.

"Okay," Frost says, sitting forward. "I put in the request to access the street cam across from the bus stop. Those two new rookie officers, Mulaney and Dugan are canvassing the building across the street."

Jane sighs, leaning back in her chair. "You know what's weird? Maura said her fingertips were badly burnt."

Frost looks up. "Her fingertips?"

"Yeah. But it almost went down to freezing last night, so it didn't happen outside."

"New burns?"

"I don't know. You know how the doctor feels about conjecture. But let's say, for the sake of our sanity, that they are."

"Why not seek help?"

"There's a hospital five blocks from where she was found. Maybe that's where she's headed?"

Jane doesn't answer, and after a couple moments of silence, Frost's phone pings.

"Okay, the video clip from the street cam is up. You ready?"

Jane slides her chair around to his desk as he pulls up the feed.

A girl in a coat, dark hair whipping through face, staggers into view from the left hand corner of the frame. She is holding her right arm at the elbow, the hand clutched to her chest. The running clock in the corner reads 4:37AM.

Jane and Frost watch in silence as the girl crosses the street, stumbles, and falls to her knees in front of the bench.

"I don't think we're going to see our attacker," Frost says quietly.

Jane doesn't respond, though she's been thinking the same thing.

They watch as the girl hauls herself up onto the bench, seems to retch into her hands, and then collapses sideways.

Frost sighs heavily.

"Well. Fuck," Jane says, leaning back in her chair. "Where's the coat? Fast forward it a little?"

Frost obliges, and they watch as a clearly homeless woman pushing a shopping cart comes and relieves their victim of her coat at 5:17AM.

"Text Mul-Dugan," Jane says. "Tell them to troll the park for our opportunist. We could really use that coat."

"You know those are two separate cops, right?" Frost asks, tapping at his phone. "Mulaney. Dugan."

Jane rolls her eyes. "You get like, one 'be nice to a noob' card a year Frost, and you wasted it on Brisby. Text Mul-Dugan."

"I am, I am," Frost says, his mouth twitching in a smile.

…...

…

The detective and her doctor leave the precinct that afternoon at the same time, surprising each other in the main hall of the building on their way out.

"Shall I drive?" Maura asks lightly, as Jane holds the door open for her.

"I don't know. What are the odds this will happen twice in a row. Always leaves me stranded with no wheels," Jane says, though she's not really arguing. They are already walking towards Maura's Prius.

"Frost can get you if the need arises," Maura answers. "Did he tell you about him and Alissa?"

Jane just raises her eyebrows in response.

"They're going to try IVF."

"No way," Jane says, sliding into the passenger seat. "When did he tell you that?"

"The other day, he came to see me to talk about side effects." Jane watches her bite her lip in concentration as she backs out of her parking space. "I think this is their last shot."

"Last shot at what?" Jane asks dumbly.

Maura shoots her a look. "At having a baby."

"What? Why?"

"Well, for starters, IVF is not exactly the cheapest procedure."

"We'd help them," Jane cuts in. "Did you tell him we'd help?"

Maura smiles, putting her hand on Jane's thigh. "Of course I told him that, honey. But he's nearly as proud and as stubborn as you, you know that. It's only gotten worse in the last five years. You've rubbed off on him."

Jane smiles affectionately, and then frowns as the topic of the conversation comes back to her. "Well...damn it," she says sadly. "What's the other reason?"

Maura sighs as she turns onto their street. "They're not exactly spring hens, are they?"

"It's chickens," Jane says.

"What is?" Maura glances at her, confused.

"The term. It's…" But Jane falls off abruptly as they approach their house. "What is this, now?" She asks, and Maura turns her head to see where Jane is looking.

"Oh no," she says. "This is definitely not a good sign."

three of the Rizzoli-Isles children, Sofia, Isabelle, and Noah, are sitting on the front steps of their house.

Maura pulls up to the curb and puts the car in park, noticing as she does, that Sofia jumps to her feet, looking startled.

"Well no one's bleeding," Jane says hopefully. "You ready?"

Maura shakes her head, but opens her door. "I am running out of creative punishments, Jane."

"Moms!" Sofia says as they walk up to the front steps. "You guys are home early!"

"We are!" Jane says, matching her daughter's tone note for note. "What have you done!"

"What do you mean?" Isabelle asks, all innocence.

Noah is looking straight up at the sky, trying to look nonchalant. Jane almost laughs.

"You are all out here on the front steps," Maura says bluntly. "That signals that something is amiss in the house."

"Not...really," Isabelle says.

"Do you want to go for a walk?!" Noah all but shouts it at them, and both his sisters turn to look at him with such undisguised expressions of exasperation, that Jane can't help her chuckle.

"We're going inside, babies," she says, putting her hand in the small of Maura's back and ushering her forward. "Last chance. Is something - or was something - on fire?"

Three head shakes.

"Has something Gramma sent from somewhere exotic smashed to the floor?"

Three more head shakes. Jane fits her key into the door.

"Have you brought home a litter of pot bellied pigs?"

"No, Mama," Sofia says with a small grimace. "We haven't done anything."

And then Jane and Maura are in the front hall, and it becomes apparent from the noise eminating from the attic why all the other children were outside.

And Jane doesn't have to ask anymore questions.

…

…

Maura and Jane sit at the kitchen table across from Levi and Nadia. They'd burst into the attic room and caught the pair, mid-act. Nadia's moans had turned to shrieks of surprise, and Jane had to admit, through her rage, that being caught naked in the room of a cop's kid had to be one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen in her young life.

But that's nothing compared to what's about to happen. Jane can't help but smirk as Maura clears her throat, and she throws Levi a look that says, "you asked for it, dude."

"Introductions seem a bit out of order, under the circumstances," Maura begins, in her best imitation of her mother's stern voice. "But I'll start." She leans forward a little, speaking to Nadia. "I'm Maura. This is my wife Jane." She pauses, arching an eyebrow. "We are home early."

Jane doesn't think she's ever seen a more beautiful woman in all of her life.

Levi is crimson, but he dutifully gestures to his girlfriend. "This is Nadia," he says miserably. "Nadia. My mothers."

Nadia, in contrast to Levi is as pale as sheet of paper. "N-n-nice to meet you," she stutters, barely looking up.

"Would have been nice if you'd had all your clothes on," Jane cuts in. Nadia pales even further. "I mean. C'mon Lee, your brother and sisters were outside in the street. I assume because they didn't want to listen to the porno going on in here."

"Oh, mom!" Levi puts his head in his hands. "Gross. We weren't even-"

But Maura puts her hand up, shaking her head. "Please do not insult our intelligence, Levi. Your mother and I recognize sex when we see it." She waits, but neither teen seems to have an answer for this. "Did you banish your siblings from the house?" Jane asks.

"This makes Nadia look up abruptly, shaking her head vigorously. She says "no!" just as Levi says, "no way!"

"We lost track of time," Levi he says.

"We got carried away," Nadia says, voice just above a whisper.

"So are we to understand that this is the first time you two have had sexual intercourse?" Maura asks, and even Jane cannot blame Levi for his sputter of indignation.

"Mom!"

But she fixes him with such a look that he ducks his head again, mumbling something that they can't hear.

"Excuse me?"

It is Nadia who answers. "One other time," she says, still not fully making eye contact. "We've, um, done it once before."

Maura nods. "Were you safe?"

Levi shrugs his shoulders.

"That's not an answer," Jane says loudly. "Your mother would like to know if you two used protection."

"Yes," Levi says. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Jane and Maura say at the same time.

"What in the hell does sort of mean?" Jane asks. She can feel Maura's hand on her knee.

"I mean...the first time we went to the store the day after and got like...the...like…"

Maura nods, gesturing that he should stop. "Okay," she says, "and that was your plan this time?"

"Uh, like...a," Levi is turning red again. "You know," he says.

"A condom?" Maura asks, sighing when they both nod. "Could it be," she says after a moment, "that the reason you two can barely look each other in the eye while you discuss your intimacy is because you rushed into it without much forethought?"

She doesn't expect an answer, but she lets the silence stretch for a long while, before getting up and heading out of the kitchen.

Levi watches her go, looking hopeful. "Is that it? he asks. "Are we free?"

Jane laughs. "Oh you wish, pal. I don't think she's even begun."

"Can't you do something, Ma?" Levi hisses.

Jane shakes her head. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. You brought this on yourself. Now you both pay attention to whatever lecture is about to happen."
Levi sinks back in his chair, and Jane sees Nadia's hand come out, like she wants to comfort him. But at the last moment, she seems to think better of it, and her hand returns to her lap. The movement is strangely touching to Jane, though she can't put her finger on why.

Maura returns to the kitchen, and she's holding a box of condoms in one hand and a bunch of three bananas in the other.

Levi groans, and Jane positively crows with glee. "One of those better be for me," she says excitedly.

Maura smiles. "Of course, love," she says, sitting back down. She looks across the table at the teens. "You know," she says to Nadia, "Jane was horrified when I first did this. Now she's better at condom demonstrations than I am."

Levi buries his head in his arms. "Please don't tell me why you learned how to do that," he says.

.

Later, when Maura finally sets them free, she makes sure to hold Nadia back as they head towards the front door. When Levi tries to turn around and go back for her, Jane doesn't let him. She pulls him into the front hall, waiting until he looks at her.

"What's mom saying to Nadia?" He asks nervously.

"The same thing I'm about to say to you," Jane says seriously, and Levi sobers too, finally focusing on her face. "Are you treating her right?" Jane asks.

This doesn't seem to be what Levi was expecting. "What?"

"Are you treating her right, Levi? Jane asks again. "Holding the door, asking her about how she feels, listening when she says no?"

"Aw, Mom."

"No, listen, Lee," Jane presses. "Your mom and I know it's stupid to think that you won't have sex until you're married, or in a long, stable relationship. That's a pipe dream. Like getting your brother to put the toilet seat down."

Levi almost smiles, and Jane continues, putting her hand on his shoulder. "What we care about, is that you are kind to the people you're with, and that you both protect yourself from diseases and pregnancy."

"Wait," Levi frowns at her. "I'm not punished?"

Jane smiles. "Your punishment will be for scarring your siblings."

"That was an accident," Levi protests.

"But it happened, Levi. You get that, right? If you get a girl pregnant, saying it was an accident does not mean it hasn't happened."

"Okay. Okay," Levi says, but he seems to actually be listening to her, so she doesn't push him.

"You'll take each one of them out. Wherever they want to go. You'll spend time with them. And in that time, you'll find a way to apologize."

Levi grins. "Yes ma'am."

Behind them, Nadia and Maura come into the hallway. Nadia is still pale, but she looks more at ease than she has since being discovered.

"Punishment delivered?" Maura asks as they approach.

Jane nods. "Yep. You?"

"Yes. And Nadia has agreed that now the, how should we say it, ice has been broken? She will come over more often."

"Perfect."

"I'm gonna take Nadia to dinner, if that's okay." Levi says.

"Sure," Jane says. "I'm sure you've both worked up an appetite."

It seems it does not take much to make her eldest son go red.

Jane puts her arm around Maura as Levi and Nadia head towards the front door. He pulls it open for her and lets her step through, and Maura chuckles as it clicks shut behind them.

"I recognize that move," she says. "How'd it go."

"I think he heard me," Jane answers. "Nadia?"

"Perfectly polite," Maura says. "And she says he's been a perfect gentleman. She did not appear to feel pressured to engage in sexual activity."

"Good," Jane says.

"Yes, he is," Maura says. "You worry about him, I know. But he's a good boy."

"Good boys have kids before they're ready," Jane says, and Maura squeezes her around the waist.

"You're not talking about Levi now," Maura says, stepping away. "Be careful."

And Jane follows after her, knowing better than to argue with her wife. Especially when she's right.

.

Dinner is loud, even without Levi. TJ arrives in the late afternoon, hugging Maura and telling Jane that Lydia said she'd come get him before dinner. Although Jane had happily set a place for her nephew, Lydia's absence still leaves her with a slight sense of foreboding.

Sofia and Isabelle are fighting over what kind of birthday party they're going to have. Sofia wants to have a boy/girl party that involves dancing, and Isabelle wants to have an Olympic themed birthday with games and prizes.

Noah is firmly on Isabelle's side, intermittently calling out the names of different countries he would like to be during the games.

"Sofia," Isabelle says reasonably, "the only reason you want to have a boy/girl party is so that Oliver can come over."
Sofia blushes, but does not back down. "You just want an Olympic party so you can prove how amazing you are at every sport," she shoots back.

"South Uzbekistan!" Noah says. "Is that a country, Mommy? I could be them, Iz."

Maura smiles. "It's a region," she says fondly. "It's just Uzbekistan."

"Could I be on your team, Noah?" TJ asks, mouth full of potatoes.

"Sure," Noah says. "Uzbekistan is the bestistan. That will be our motto."

"There aren't going to be any mottos," Sofia says, "because there's not going to be any Olympics."

"You can dance with Oliver at the Olympic party," Isabelle answers. "Off to the side. No one will care."

"Brunei!" Noah interjects.

"Okay," Jane says, over all of them. "Let's table this conversation, shall we?" she puts her hand up as the twins go to protest. "If you two can't come to an agreement, then Mommy gets to choose. It's her turn to choose when you all can't agree."

This sobers the twins immediately, and in the lull before conversation picks up again, Jane hears yelling.

She raises her head, listening, and everyone else around the table sits up a little straighter as they realize what's happening.

"For God's sake," Jane says, pushing herself back from the table. "Really?"
Maura puts her napkin on the table and stands up too, putting her hand on T.J.'s shoulder briefly as she passes. She follows Jane into the hall, finally catching up enough to put her hand on her shoulder.

"You need to keep a level head," she says, as they approach the front door. "Please don't escalate the situation."

Jane growls in response, but takes a deep breath before she opens the door.

There they are. Her brother and his wife, standing face to face on her front step, screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.

"You can't just show up whenever you want, Tommy!" Lydia yells. "You don't get to just DECIDE what is best for everyone!"

"HE'S MY SON!" Tommy bellows back. "I should be able to see him! He's MY SON."

"Hey, guys?" Jane says quietly. "Can you," she glances at Maura, "can you lower your voices and come inside...please?"

Lydia looks at Jane, and she is startled to see the wide blue eyes are misty with tears. "I'm not going anywhere with him," she says.

Tommy colors. "Him?" he says. "I'm a him, now? That's all I get? Jesus fucking-"

"Hey!" Jane says a little louder. But Lydia doesn't hear her. She points an accusatory finger at Tommy's chest.

"Go ahead. Start swearing, and throwing things, and yelling that no one understands you. Just like you always do when that asshole comes back into your life."

This makes Jane do a double take. "Wait...when he...what?"

"Nothing's ever bothered you so bad before!" Tommy says defensively. "You never cared about any of this before."

Jane can feel Maura's hand on her arm, but she steps forward anyway. "Wait," she says again, aware that she might be yelling now too. "Pop's been around before, Tommy?"

"I can't DO IT ANYMORE!" Lydia says, and the tears she's been holding back spill onto her cheeks, glinting like glass in the light from the streetlamp. "I have to think about what's best for me and for my son-"

"OUR SON!" Tommy advances on her now, and Jane puts herself between them on instinct. "He's OUR SON, LYDIA!"

"WELL YOU'RE ABOUT TO HAVE ANOTHER!" Lydia yells over Jane's shoulder, and suddenly the night is as silent as a tomb.

Jane turns slowly to face her sister in-law, catching sight of Maura's stunned face in the doorway.

"W-what?" Tommy stutters.

Lydia takes a deep shuddering breath. "You're going to have another child," she says, not looking him directly in the eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

my apologies for the delay. Here's something a little longer to make up.

I promise not to be so long with thiss cliff-hanger.

happy reading!

tc