Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rizzoli & Isles. The characters belong to Tess Gerritsen, Jan Nash, Janet Tamaro, and TNT. I am in no way profiting from this. It's just for fun.

Sorry I haven't updated this in a while! Been super busy with work. This is a short one, but I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chronicles of TBU Ch. 3

"Hey, calm down!" Jane called after her young and rambunctious brothers, who sped ahead of her to join their friends before school started. She shook her head with a smile, grateful to see them happy. It seemed that school was an excellent distraction for Angela Rizzoli's untimely death, which happened only a few months ago.

"Don't worry, they're the most well behaved kids here." Riley Cooper chuckled as she came up beside Jane. The brunette raised an eyebrow in surprise. "No, really. They are. Unbelievably smart and polite. You should be proud."

"I am... Gotta say that's a relief to hear. I've been worrying about them a lot lately."

"Understandable." Riley sighed, knowing why there was cause for worry. "How are you doing? I know it's been a little while but I know from experience a loss like that just doesn't fade easily."

"You do?" The soldier asked. "Who did you lose?"

Riley discreetly lifted up her shirt, revealing a beautiful cross with a birth and death date written in cursive. "My mother. It happened years ago... Cancer is a hell of a thing. I actually got a tattoo in her memory, on New Year's Day in 2015. I thought it would be a good way to start the year, a clean slate and just try to move on. Ya know?"

Jane smiled sadly, sympathizing with the teacher. "I know exactly what you mean. I've been thinking of doing that, too. Maybe get my squad number, I've lost a lot of friends in combat already. And I've only been a solider less than a year."

A small group of kids ran by, so Jane and Riley quieted themselves as to not let them overhear talk about death. The poor kids already heard enough about that as it was.

To change the subject to a better one, Riley asked "So what do you do?"

"Mostly supply runs, but I've run into combat situations a few times. It's pretty scary sometimes, but I've got a great team to back me up."

"I'm glad you do. It's always nice to have someone around... Speaking of which, are you seeing anyone yet?"

The teen blushed furiously, averting her gaze for a moment. "No, not yet. There's some boys my age that showed interest, but I'm not into them."

"They wouldn't be able to handle Jane Rizzoli anyway." Riley laughed, and Jane agreed with a smirk.

"No one can." She added, just as distress call was radioed in. Jane responded with the proper code, and bolted. As she did, she yelled back at Riley "See ya later!"

"Oh there's someone who can handle you..." Riley said to herself with a chuckle. "You just haven't met her yet."

The seed had been successfully planted. She told Jane about her tattoo, knowing it would be used against her as proof of the war. Convincing her that it was real. Of course, young Jane had no idea what would happen in just 6 short years.

"Ok, class... Settle down!" The dark skinned woman raised her voice, gaining the attention of several small children in the room. "Open your books to page 47, it's time for us to learn a little history."

Riley is a clever one, huh? Real subtle... She knew Jane would remember that about the tat and use the information later on.

See ya next chapter, it'll be an intense one ;)