Sorry for the extremely long chapter, guys!

After I had finished my rounds, I entered my office to grab my things before I went to go pick up my kids. I found Jane in my office, standing by my desk. I suddenly felt nervous.

"Nurse Rizzoli?" I asked. She turned around, her chocolate eyes meeting mine.

"Yes, Doctor Isles?"

"You're shift is over," I said. "You can go home now."

"Oh," Jane said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I was just going to see if you had any more work for me." I thought about that for a moment, and shook my head.

"No," I said, looking back at Jane. "Go home and be with your family." Jane cringed at the word 'family,' and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Is everything alright, Nurse Rizzoli?"

"Uh, yeah..." She looked distant.

"Nurse Rizzoli?" I asked again.

"What? Yeah. No. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I just... I don't have anyone to go home to," she said sullenly.

"Well," I said, grabbing my purse and shutting down my computer. "Why don't you come with me?"

"What?" she asked, her eyes shooting up to meet mine.

"I was just going to pick up my children from school and take them out to dinner. Why don't you join us?"

"Oh, no, Doctor Isles," Jane said, laughing nervously. "I don't want to intrude, I—"

"You won't be intruding," I interrupted. "I invited you."

"Are you sure, Doctor? I—"

"You're coming," I said. "I insist. Dinner is my treat. Come on," I said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of my office, locking up before heading towards the parking garage.

Once we were in the car, Jane sighed deeply.

"So how many kids do you have?" she asked.

"I have two, Olivia and Gavin," I said as I pulled out of the parking garage and onto the street.

"How old are they?"

"Feeling a bit nosey, are we?" I asked, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I—I just—"

"Don't worry," I smiled, placing my hand on Jane's thigh, and her muscles tensed under my touch. "I was only joking." I realized my hand was still on her thigh, and removed it, nervously clearing my throat.

"They're twins, and they're both 16. Olivia is older by 5 minutes."

"I see," Jane said. "I noticed the ring on your finger earlier. You're married?"

"Yes," I smiled. "Have been for 10 years." Jane's eyes widened, and she scoffed.

"T—ten years!? You don't seem old enough to have been married for that long!" I chuckled.

"Garrett and I got married when I was 24. Six years after the children were born."

"Wow," Jane said. "That's a very big ring. He must have a good job to afford something like that." When Jane had realized what she said, she instantly tried to correct herself. "I—I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that, that was really inappropriate."

"Jane," I chuckled. "Don't be so nervous. It's fine, I don't mind. You're just getting to know me." I turned my blinker on and as soon as the light turned green, I turned onto the road that my kid's school was on.

"Garrett is a lawyer," I finally said. "And yes, he has a very good job. He's the best lawyer in the city of Boston."

"I've never heard of him," Jane shrugged.

"His name is Garret Fairfield."

"Oh," Jane said. "Why didn't you change your last name?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, his last name is Fairfield, and yours is Isles. Why didn't you change it?"

"Well," I began. "I had already been a world renown doctor for a while, and Garrett and I figured it would just be easier for everyone if I kept my last name and he kept his."

"Is it changed legally?" Jane asked curiously as I pulled into the school parking lot.

"No," I said. I saw Gavin and Olivia walking towards the car, and unlocked the door.

"Hey, Mom," they said simultaneously as they got in the backseat and got buckled.

"Hey, kids," I smiled at them in the rearview mirror. "How was school?"

"Great," Olivia said.

"Pretty good. Shay and I have a date tomorrow night," Gavin said.

"Great," I smiled.

"Who's that?" Gavin asked, seeing Jane in the front seat.

"Oh my, I nearly forgot! I'm so sorry!" I said to Jane. "Kids, this is Jane, my new nurse."

"Hey Jane," Olivia said, smiling beautifully at her.

"Hi," Jane smiled back. I left the parking lot and got back onto the highway.

"Damn," Gavin said, looking Jane up and down. "Can you be my nurse?" he asked suggestively.

"Gavin!" Olivia said, slapping him on the arm. "Quit being a horn-dog!"

"Hey!" I chided. "Watch it, both of you!"

"Sorry," they said simultaneously.

I sighed and smiled apologetically at Jane.

"So, where do you guys want to eat?" I asked.

"I don't care," Gavin said.

"Whatever is fine," Olivia said.

"Jane?" I asked, turning towards my new employee briefly before returning my attention to the road. "Any suggestions?"

"Do you like Italian?" Jane asked.

"I love Italians," I said excitedly. Jane looked at me strangely, and I realized what I had just said. Jane is Italian. "I—I mean, the food! Yeah, the food! I love Italian. So do the kids."

"There's this great Italian place on fifth and Broadway," Jane said.

"Okay," I smiled. "Fifth and Broadway it is."

On the way to the restaurant, Jane and the kids and I had pleasant conversation. Once we arrived at the restaurant and were seated at our table, Gavin kept turning around and looking at the entrance.

"Gavin, are you expecting someone?" I asked.

"No," he said, turning around and looking at me. "Dad's not coming, is he?"

"No, honey. He had to work."

"Of course," Gavin scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You know he tries to spend as much time with us as he can, but you know how frantic it is at the firm."

"He's never here!" Gavin raised his voice. "He's always at work! When was the last time he took you out for dinner, or took you away for the weekend, or even for a day? What, four years? Five, maybe? He never comes to my football games, and he wasn't even here when Liv and I left for prom last year! He's never, ever here! Does he even know that you cry yourself to sleep every night because he hasn't told you that he loves you in over a year? It's like he's not even married to you... He's married to his job, and his kids are his clients."

"Gavin," I said, whispering sharply. "Lower your voice, people are staring."

"I don't care!" he said. "Let them stare!"

"Gavin, our personal business does not need to be public."

"They need to know," Gavin said. He stood up, and my eyes widened as everyone in the room turned their eyes to him. I buried my face in my hands as his jaw clenched.

"Hey everyone!" he yelled. "My dad's an asshole!" There were several gasps and a few muttered curses, and Gavin turned to look at me before grabbing Liv by the arm, and she stood up.

"I called Shay. Her and a few of her friends are coming to pick us up. Don't worry about us, we'll be home in time for curfew."

"Gavin!" I called after them as they started walking towards the entrance, standing up.

"Gavin!" I said more strictly. They walked out the door, and I sat back down in my chair, defeated.

"My god," I cried. "I'm so ashamed."

"Doctor Isles—" Jane began.

"Call me Maura," I interrupted.

"I—Maura, I—it's gonna be okay. You have nothing to be ashamed of. All families fight."

"Not like that," I pointed out. "Not in public, and definitely not in a high-end restaurant like this."

"Maura, it's okay. I promise." Jane placed her hand on my back and comfortingly rubbed circles, looking into my eyes. She grabbed onto my hand with her free one.

"I've had much worse fights with my family in public," she laughed. "Trust me." I nodded, wiping my tears away.

"Plus, don't cry. It doesn't look good on you," Jane said, and that elicited a giggle out of me.

"Thank you," I smiled, squeezing her hand.

"For what?"

"This," I said. "For comforting me, though you barely know me."

"Of course," Jane smiled.

"I'm sorry for ruining your dinner," I frowned.

"Who are you kidding? You didn't ruin it! Nothing can ruin dinner for me, I'm a fatty." I chuckled again. "I'm still hungry, if you're up for it."

"Of course," I grinned widely. "Have you ever eaten here?"

"Are you kidding?" Jane scoffed. "I can't afford to eat at a place like this!" I suddenly felt bad for asking, and apparently Jane noticed, because she placed her hand on my thigh.

"Hey, but it's alright," she smiled. "I really appreciate you bringing me here." I turned to look at her, and almost as soon as our eyes met, she turned away and instantly took her hand off of my thigh. I missed the contact, for some strange reason.

"I'll bring you here anytime you want," I blurted out. Jane smiled nervously, and we busied ourselves by looking at our menus. After a while, a waiter walked up to is and smiled brightly.

"Hi, I'm James. Nice to see you again, Ms. Isles. I see you've brought company. Are you women ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?" he asked kindly, pulling a pen and a notepad out of his apron.

"I think we're ready," I said, setting down my menu. "Jane?"

"Yeah, uh, you... You go ahead, I'm still looking."

"Okay, James," I said, looking up at him and smiling. "I'll have the Ricotta Gnocchi, please." James wrote my order down, and turned to Jane.

"Just get me a large order of cannelloni, and..." Jane trailed off and looked at me uneasily.

"Go ahead," I smiled. "Order whatever you'd like." Jane turned back to James and smiled at him.

"And Purée di zucchini con pancetta croccante, please." My eyes widened, and I stared at Jane from across the table.

"Will that be all for you today, ladies?" James asked.

"Oh, can we have a bottle of your best wine?"

"Would you like the regular, Ms. Isles?"

"Yes, that'll be fine," I smiled kindly.

"Of course, I'll be right out with your Nebbiolo, and your food should be ready in a few minutes. Can I get those menus out of your way?"

"Yes, la ringrazio tanto," I said.

"Bon c'è problema," James smiled at me. "It's my job." James picked up our menus and left, walking back towards the kitchen.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian," I said to Jane, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I do. Quite fluently, actually. I'm Italian," she smiled.

"I noticed."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"Your high cheekbones, and many other features of yours."

"Oh," Jane nodded. "Parli italiano?"

"What?" I asked. Jane smiled, her dimples coming into view. I had always sort of disliked dimples, seeing as they're a muscle deformity, but Jane made them work.

"Sembri splendida stasera," she said. I tried not to smile. I knew what she had said. The first time, she asked if I spoke Italian. What she said the second time roughly translated to "you look gorgeous tonight," I think.

"I'm not sure what you're saying," I said. I knew if I lied, I would get hives. I wasn't exactly sure that's what Jane had said, but I was pretty confident.

"Parlez-vous français?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oui, un peu," Jane replied. I smirked.

"Eh bien, je vous remercie pour le compliment. Tu es magnifique vous." Jane's eyes widened, and she gulped loudly. James arrived with our wine, and poured us both a glass.

"Thank you, James," I said.

"No problem," he said as he left the bottle in a bucket full of ice and left to go get our food. Jane took a large gulp of her wine, and I smiled at her.

"You said you didn't understand what I said," she said after she'd set her wine glass back down on the table.

"I lied," I smiled. "Well, I inched around the truth. If I lie, I get hives."

"Well," Jane smirked. "Now I'll always know if you're lying to me." She smirked at me over her glass as she took another sip, and as she set the glass down, she furrowed her eyebrows and a pink tongue darted out to lick her lips.

"What kind of wine is this? It's good."

"It's Barolo Le Vigne," I replied, taking a sip of my own.

"How much? I'll have to get some," she said, taking yet another sip of her wine.

"It's $155 a bottle." Jane choked on her sip, nearly spitting it out onto the table. My eyes widened as she coughed, and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"My god. Never mind."

"Oh," I smiled. "Here's our food!" Once he reached us, James set our plates in front of us and smiled.

"Enjoy your meal," he said as he left.

"So," I said after we both took our first bite. "Is it good?"

"Mm," Jane moaned. I shifted in my seat. "It's the best Italian food I've ever tasted. Well, other than my ma's. I'll have to take you over to see Ma one day so she can cook her famous gnocchi for you, it's amazing. She loves cooking, and I remember when..." Jane trailed off, and took another bite of her food. As I took another bite of my own, I looked at her over my fork.

"So, I don't know much about you. How's your family?"

"I—I don't... I wouldn't know..." Jane said quietly. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Is everything alright?"

"No," Jane frowned. "I haven't seen my family in forever. Well, my parents."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Not really." Jane looked up at me, and sighed.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"I, uh, I started dating this... Guy. His name was, uh... His name was... His name was Tanner. Tanner Caldwell. He, uh, he was... Into me for a long time, and I didn't even really notice him. He, uh, he was 2 years older than me. My parents didn't like him. They thought he was a bad influence on me, and they said I couldn't see him anymore. Me, being the rebellious teen I was, decided I was going to do whatever the hell I wanted and see him anyways. My parents were so upset and hated him so much that they basically disowned me after I graduated... Abandoned me. They didn't even come to my graduation.

"They refused to let me come home. I couldn't even see my younger brothers. Us three were so close, and it tore me apart. So once again, I went against my parents' wishes and saw them anyways. Whenever I could."

"How old are your brothers?" I asked.

"Frankie is 31, Tommy is 27. Frankie and I are 3 years apart, Tommy and I are 7 years apart."

"So, you're 35?" I asked.

"Yes, my birthday is in August."

"Mine is in April. I'm 34." Jane smiled.

"I didn't know I was older than you."

"Yes," I said. "Continue your story, if you'd like."

"Oh! Yeah... Anyways, I would always go see them whatever opportunity came my way. I'd go to school plays, basketball games, football games, baseball games, I'd just alway sit in the back. Sometimes I'd sit on the opposing team's side. I even went to both of their high school graduations, and I was there when Frankie graduated from the police academy. I was, uh... I was even there when Tommy's..." Jane smiled, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered the moment. "I was there when Tommy's girlfriend had her baby. I was in the lobby, and the doctor said she'd notify me when Lydia — Tommy's girlfriend — had given birth. After my parents left a few hours later, Tommy let me in to see little TJ." I smiled. I loved babies.

"Lydia... What did she look like?" I asked.

"She's short, blonde hair. My brother looks like a regular Italian guy, short dark hair, charming smile."

"Oh! Oh my," I said.

"What?" Jane asked curiously.

"I think I gave birth to TJ," I said. Jane stared at me wide-eyed and confused. "I—that's not what I meant. I mean, I think I was there when Lydia gave birth to TJ. I think I helped deliver him."

"Y—really?"

"Yeah," I said. "I remember because he was the first baby I'd ever delivered, and he was one of the most beautiful baby boys I'd ever seen."

"He was your first?" Jane asked. "But you're not an obstetrician."

"No, but I remember Lydia because she was brought in by ambulance. She was at a restaurant having dinner with your brother when her water broke."

"Yeah," Jane nodded. "They told me about that."

"All the OB's were either busy delivering babies, assisting delivery, with patients, or with the newborns in the nursery or NICU. Lydia was ready to push and no one was there to help. I wheeled her into a room and held her hand while Tommy held her other one, and told her she couldn't push until an OB came. Well," I chuckled, "she started pushing. The baby wasn't coming out head-first, and Lydia's heart rate kept going up and up. I had to do an emergency C-section."

"Oh my god, I remember Tommy telling me that he passed out."

"Yes," I chuckled. "He did. I told him he had to leave, but he refused to. Anyways, I delivered TJ, and he was a healthy baby and I managed to get Lydia's vitals stable."

"That's amazing," I smiled. "You delivered my nephew."

"Yes," I smiled. "I did." We continued eating, and I looked back up at Jane.

"So did your parents ever find out about you seeing your brothers?"

"No," Jane shook her head. "They even told Ma and Pop that they were going out on dates, and they'd meet me for dinner or come over to my apartment to watch the Sox game." I smiled.

"You guys were really close, weren't you?"

"Yes," I smiled. "Still are. But I haven't seen them in a while. TJ is 5 already."

"Wow," I shook my head. "Seems like just a few months ago I delivered him." Jane smirked.

"Although I haven't seen him, Tommy sends me pictures almost every day. He starts pre-k next year."

"Wow," I chuckled.

"They don't even know," Jane said randomly, staring at a spot on the floor behind me.

"Who doesn't know what?" I asked curiously.

"My parents. They don't know about me. They don't even know what career I decided to go with. I wanted to be a detective. My parents were convinced that I had magical hands that could be put to better use than slapping cuffs on a perp. They wanted me to be a surgeon, or a doctor. I refused. The day I graduated, I had a speech ready for them. It was about me deciding to change my dream because I started studying medicine and fell in love. I was doing it not only for them, but for myself, too." She scoffed, shaking her head. "They weren't even there." She looked so hurt and lost.

I placed my hand over hers on the table, and her eyes snapped to mine.

"My parents weren't ever there for me growing up, either. I am adopted and an only child of a world-renown artist and a successful businessman. It always seemed that my parents were always too busy for me. I was always... Alone. I was very socially awkward. I still am, honestly. I didn't want to talk to people, I didn't want to go out on dates. In fact, my parents are the ones who set up Garrett and I. His and my parents had been friends for years, and finally decided it was time for Garrett to stop dating dumb blondes with big tits and move on to a more sophisticated woman, one like myself.

"Anyways... I learned that the less I asked for, the less my parents had time for me," I shrugged. "I've always had these insecurities that built and built with every forgotten birthday or neglected class projects when I was in preschool. I always doubted myself. I mean, first off my real parents didn't want me, and now I'm being neglected and ignored by my adoptive parents. What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," Jane said.

"I mean, was I that weird? Yes, I've always been weird. I've always been socially awkward and not the best with words or phrases, or talking in general. I can't end a conversation comfortably and I definitely can't start one. I never had any friends growing up, and I still don't. People called me Maura the Bore-a. All through junior high and high school, I got made fun of because instead of going out to parties and getting drunk and having sex, I was at home alone in my room, reading books about science and the study of medicine. In high school, I finally felt like I was where I finally fit in. I didn't make any friends and it was just as bad as high school. I became pregnant with the twins senior year, Garrett and I married in October of '04.

"I got my job here a few months before our wedding and suddenly became Maura Isles, world-renown surgeon and doctor. I finally felt like I belonged. I was wrong. I still have no friends, and I'm still the socially awkward, un-liked, boring Maura Isles I was before."

"Maura, you do have a friend," Jane smiled. "You have me now." I smiled back, and Jane furrowed her eyebrows.

"If you have trust issues, why are you telling me all of this?" she asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged. I honestly didn't. "I just feel like I can tell you anything."

"You can," Jane said. "I know we just met and you're my boss and all, but I can see us being good friends, Maura. I really like you and I look forward to working with you and getting to know you better. I feel that we'll have a lot of fun together."

"Yeah," I smiled.

"How about we go out to dinner Sunday night?" Jane asked. "My treat." I thought about that for a moment. That could arise complications. Sunday was Garrett and my night. We usually didn't do anything, just watch tv or have sex. He wouldn't be very happy that I would be spending it with Jane. I don't want to upset Garrett. Although he can aggravate me and make me feel worthless sometimes, I still love him. I don't want him to be angry because of the fact that I have other plans.

"So, what do you say?" Jane asked, smiling goofily, her eyes shining. "Okay?"

"Okay," I said.

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