The air was filled with anticipation as colleagues and friends awaited the arrival of the woman who had worked hard to earn this well-deserved recognition.
Constance, Hope, and Angela had worked diligently to ensure every detail was perfect.
Angela glanced at her watch.
"I knew it. She's late. I'm telling you; Janie is going to be late to her own funeral."
Constance chuckled.
"I know all about that. Isn't that right Hope?" Constance said, giving her wife a playful nudge.
"Thankfully Maura picked up my habits instead of Hope's. She got a little better after medical school, but it used to be so bad I would tell her something was happening two hours earlier than it actually was so we could manage to get there on time. It worked like a charm."
Angela chuckled.
"I'll have to try that."
The smile faded from Angela's face as she saw her husband Frank walk in, clearly drunk.
"Excuse me," she told Hope and Constance as she made her way towards him.
Angela approached Frank, her voice firm and laced with an undeniable edge of frustration.
"Frank, how dare you show up like this? You're drunk, and you're embarrassing yourself and our daughter."
Frank, swaying slightly, attempted to compose himself.
"I just wanted to be here for Janie. You can't fault me for that."
His words slurred, a telltale sign of his inebriation.
Angela's voice rose, her patience wearing thin.
"Being here for Jane means showing up sober, Frank! You're going to ruin her night. You need to leave—now. Hurry up before she gets here. I'll think of some excuse."
Angela had been making excuses for Frank most of their marriage.
It was too late though as the sound of applause broke out around them signaling Jane's arrival.
From nearby, Korsak spoke over the sound system.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the woman of the hour, Detective Jane Rizzoli."
Angela sighed.
"Go sit down somewhere and don't bring attention to yourself."
Frank grumbled under his breath as he watched Angela walk away.
Jane cringed a little at the applause but smiled as they walked into the ballroom.
"This is all for you, my love." Maura said, giving Jane's hand a gentle squeeze and smiled when she received one in return.
"Jane Clem,"
"Don't you say it ma." Jane remarked.
Maura chuckled and hugged Angela.
"I'm sorry we are late."
Angela slightly swatted her.
"Don't be sorry. I know my daughter, as I told your mothers. Janie will be late for her own funeral."
"Oh, ha ha." Jane snickered before smiling and hugging her mother.
"Thanks for doing this ma. Is pop here?" She asked, looking around.
Before Angela could say anything, Jane spotted her pop and was already heading in his direction, dragging Maura with her.
"Pop! You came!" She said excitedly. Her dad wasn't perfect, not by a long shot but she was still happy that he came.
Maura noticed immediately Frank's bloodshot eyes and his unbalance as he stood to hug his daughter.
"Of course, I came." Frank said as he sat back down.
Jane smiled.
"I'm glad you're here. You remember Maura."
Frank sucked his teeth as he looked up at Maura.
"Yeah. I remember your…friend." He said, looking away.
"Pop she's…." Jane was stopped when Constance and Hope came over.
"Nice to see you girls finally made it." Constance said with a light laugh.
"That was kinda my fault."
"Kind of?" Maura retorted.
"Jane when I showed up you were still in your pajamas."
Hope and Constance looked at one another and chuckled.
"Well, you are both here now so let's get this party started. There's plenty of food. Jane, your mother made your favorites."
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."
Jane wasn't lying, she hated parties especially when they revolved around her.
"Oh, well there's desserts too." Hope said, knowing that would grab Jane's attention.
"Desserts?" Jane looked at Maura with a grin who rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Come on, let's go see what kind of sugar rush you can get."
Jane laughed and looked back at her pop.
"I'm glad you came pop. I'll come back and we can catch up."
Frank nodded but didn't look up.
Maura sighed.
"Mr. Rizzoli, Jane and I both would like it if you joined us at our table."
"You would?"
Maura nodded and smiled slightly. It was no secret to her that Frank didn't like her. He thought she was the reason Jane was gay but tonight was about Jane and so she offered an olive branch.
"Thank you." He replied.
"Can we get dessert now? If Frankie and Tommy get to it first there's no hope for anyone else getting any."
Maura laughed but allowed Jane to pull her in the direction of the food tables. Once they had their plates and sat down Maura began to discreetly, in her own way, get Jane to eat real food instead of the sugar rush that was in front of her.
"Oh my God Jane. This is divine. You have to try this." Rinse and repeat until Jane finally caught on.
"Hey! You are tricking me!"
Angela snickered.
"Where were you when she was a kid and wouldn't eat anything, I put in front of her?"
"That's not true ma. I just didn't want the rabbit food you gave me. I would eat everything else just fine."
"That's not the way I remember it."
Everyone looked up, shocked at Frank joining in on the conversation. He was a man of few words and what words he did have were usually negative. Jane braced herself for what he was going to say next.
"That little dog of yours? That mutt wasn't so little by the time you were done feeding her under the table."
Jane smiled. She loves that so called mutt. She had been a gift from Korsack the first time he had met her.
"Well, if ma wouldn't have been trying to hide vegetables in everything. She thought I didn't know. I knew!"
Everyone laughed.
"Look Jane, one more, try this," Maura said, holding a bite of food up to her mouth."
"Ma's lasagna! Now you're talking."
After Jane chewed and swallowed, and gave the thumbs up sign, Maura and Constance exchanged glances and started to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Your ma didn't make that. My mother did. It's Eggplant lasagna. Now, what was that you were saying?"
"Yuck!" Jane picked up a nearby napkin and started wiping her mouth, inside and out.
Constance started to say something but was stopped by Hope.
"Nuh uh. You can't pull that now. You gave the thumbs up sign! It was given the Jane Rizzoli seal of approval."
Maura folded her arms over her chest and grinned.
"Pay up," Jane's brother Frankie said, nudging their youngest brother Tommy in the side. This cued Jane in that this was planned all along.
"How about I feed you two a knuckle…."
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! You are in a fine establishment. Would you please stop! You are twenty-two years old! Act like it!" Angela chided.
"To be fair, Maura started it," Hope said as she grinned.
Hope couldn't chide Maura as Angela had Jane. To be honest, this was a different side to her daughter she wasn't used to seeing. Someone willing to not take life quite so seriously and have some fun. Maura had always been about her studies until she had met Jane. To Hope and Constance, this was great to see.
"You should butt out. That's all you do is nag, nag, nag," Frank said, glaring at Angela.
"She's an adult. Mind your own business for once."
"Hey! Don't talk to ma like that!" Frankie said, coming up out of his seat in a flash.
Korsak was nearby when the yelling started.
"Can you excuse me for a moment." He said to the man he was talking to. Setting his beer down he quickly walked over, putting himself between the two.
"Hey! Both of you cut it out! This is not the time or the place! This night is for Jane. Constance, Hope and Angela put a lot of work into tonight. So, both of you sit down and knock it off."
Frank huffed.
"Look at you once again butting into MY family's business."
Korsak gritted his teeth.
"Frank, we aren't doing this. If you are just going to cause trouble you can leave."
Frank looked over at Jane and took his seat without another word.
Korsak turned to Frankie who was still standing. "What about you?"
Frankie sighed.
"Sorry Janie." He said as he too sat down.
Korsak nodded.
"Now that that's settled, I can do my speech."
"Speech? Korsak, c'mon," Jane whined.
She knew all eyes would turn to her once he started and hated that.
Korsak didn't want to hear it as he held up his hand.
"You deserve the recognition, Jane." He remarked before walking towards the front of the room and grabbed the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?"
When he had everyone's attention Korsak continued.
"As you all know we are all here today to celebrate Jane's promotion into vice."
He looked Jane's direction and grinned.
"I'm not sure where time has gone. To me, you're still just that ten-year-old kid."
*FLASHBACK 12 YEARS EARLIER*
Jane, Frankie, and Tommy laughed as they ran around the front yard, their small feet kicking up dust with every swift turn. The summer sunbathed the neighborhood in warm hues, and the sound of children's laughter filled the air. They had been playing dodgeball for hours, enjoying the freedom of a carefree afternoon.
Frankie, the mischievous middle child, took advantage of a momentary distraction and aimed a dodgeball directly at Tommy, his younger brother. The ball soared through the air, guided by Frankie's strong throw, and struck Tommy's chest with a resounding thud.
"Oof!" Tommy cried out, his small frame toppling backward onto the grass.
Jane, the protective older sister, gasped in shock as she rushed to Tommy's side.
"Tommy, are you okay? Frankie, that was too hard!"
Frankie's face twisted with guilt as he realized the consequences of his throw.
"I didn't mean to hit him that hard, Jane. I'm sorry, Tommy!"
Tommy stuck his tongue out at his older brother.
"I'm going inside to use the bathroom. I don't want to play with you anymore!"
Jane and Frankie watched as their little brother disappeared into the house.
About ten minutes had gone by when a police car pulled up in front of their house, its sirens wailing and lights flashing with urgency. The two siblings froze, their eyes widening with a mixture of confusion and alarm.
The door of the police car swung open, and an officer emerged, his expressions serious and focused. He quickly approached the children, his eyes scanning the scene for any signs of trouble.
"Hi kids. I'm Officer Korsak with the Boston Police department. Is everything alright here? We received a nine one one call from this address."
Jane's eyes widened, quickly replaced by annoyance and anger.
"Tommy! Get out here!" She yelled towards the house.
Officer Korsak watched as the six-year-old little boy timidly stuck his head out of the front door.
"Did you call 911 you dummy?"
"Hey! Don't call me names! I'm telling ma!"
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm telling ma you called 911!"
"Well Frankie shouldn't have hit me!"
"Oh, come on! I didn't do it on purpose!"
Korsak watched in amusement as all three siblings broke into a sibling yelling match. He had to yell himself to be heard over the bickering.
"Are your parents' home?"
Jane shook her head. "Ma went to the store. And pops, I, um, I'm not sure where pops is."
"He's at that damn bar again!" Tommy said, echoing what he had heard his ma say many times.
"Oh my God Tommy. Shut up!" Jane snapped.
Korsak knelt down to Tommy's level.
"So do you want me to tell me what happened little man?"
"We were playing dodgeball and Frankie hit me with the ball hard. I could have really been hurt!"
Korsak tried hard to hide the smile that wanted to creep on his face.
"That's not really something police officers handle. That's really more for mommies and daddies."
"I'm sorry," Tommy said, staring at the ground.
"It's OK. Just remember next time you only call if it's an emergency."
The sound of barking came from the nearby cruiser, catching the attention of the kids.
"What's that?" Frankie asked as he looked at Officer Korsak.
"It's a dog you dummy!" Jane said as she rolled her eyes. "Duh."
"I rescued her from an accident scene this morning. Her owner wasn't going to be able to take care of her anymore", Korsak said, sparing the children the detail that the owner had been killed.
He walked over to his cruiser, retrieving the little dog.
"Can I hold her?" Jane asked.
Korsak nodded and handed over the scruffy pup.
"What's her name?"
"Joe Friday."
Jane laughed.
"That's a funny name."
"I named her after Joe Friday from Dragnet."
Jane stared at Korsak blankly.
"It's a Police Detective Series. It was on the radio for a while, then TV."
"Cool."
"I'll get you a copy sometime. I have all the episodes at home, radio and TV."
"Can I help you officer? Is there a problem?" Korsak looked up to see the kids' mother, arms loaded with groceries, making her way up the driveway.
"Afternoon ma'am," Korsak said, extending his hand to the woman.
"I'm Officer Korsak with the Boston Police department."
"Angela Rizzoli," the woman said, trying to grasp Korsak's hand in a handshake despite her double arm load of groceries.
"Here, let me help you with that," he said, reaching out and taking a few of the bags.
"Thank you. My children and I are still working on manners," she said, shooting the stink eye towards her kids.
"Sorry ma," the trio said in unison.
"So, what is the problem?" Angela asked, as they made their way into the house.
"What did you do?" She asked, looking at her oldest.
"What?!" Jane screeched. "It wasn't me. It was your precious little Tommy."
"What?"
Korsak lightly chuckled.
"It would seem your youngest there called nine one one because his older brother hit him a little too hard with the ball."
"Francesco Mattio Rizzoli! What have I told you about rough housing with him? And you," she said, turning her attention to Jane. "Where were you when your brother was calling nine one one?"
"He said he was going to the bathroom! How was I supposed to know he was being a little shit?"
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, you watch yourself."
"Sure. Blame everyone but Tommy," Jane said, rolling her eyes as she walked away, taking the scruffy little pup with her.
"Jane, you better…. Hey. Where'd you get that dog?"
*Back to Present Day*
"So, the Rizzoli's gained themselves a pup that day," Korsak said, chuckling, finishing off the story on the first time he met Jane.
"Yeah! Don't ever ask me to dog sit for the day again!" Angela called out from the crowd, and everyone laughed.
"I think Joe Friday is going to outlive all of us." Korsak remarked. For those wondering, she's still here today. Jane's real favorite partner. Sorry Frost."
The crowd laughed again.
"I did come back and brought Jane the entire series of Dragnet. It wasn't long before I got a call one day and she said Officer Korsak, I want to be a cop like Joe Friday. A detective."
"Many years later, at her graduation from the police academy I asked her what her goals were. She told me she was going to be the first female homicide detective in BPD history. And she told me with a determined air, "And I'll do it before I'm thirty."
"Well folks, she has already broken one BPD record. Jane here is the youngest BPD officer in history to be promoted to vice."
Korsak waited for a round of applause to finish before he continued.
"I have no doubt she will meet or even exceed that goal and when you do Jane, I will be proud to have you work beside me in the homicide unit of BPD."
Jane raised her glass to Korsak and smiled at Maura when she took her hand in hers. The moment was short lived when Frank scoffed.
Jane's smile started to fade as she looked at her pops.
"Frank, don't start." Angela warned.
"No ma, it's okay. What is it pop? If you have something to say, just say it."
Frank sighed and put his empty whiskey glass on the table.
"You're a smart girl Janie. Think about your future, no man is going to want his wife chasing after people with guns."
Jane chuckled incredulously; she couldn't believe what she just heard.
"For the last damn time I'm GAY!" She remarked, standing from her chair.
"You watch your tone when you speak to me." Frank said, looking up at Jane from his chair.
Jane scoffed.
"My future, and the person I choose to be with is none of your damn business. Why don't you just come out and say it pop. You don't think I can do it."
Frank stood, using his chair to hold him upright as he drunkenly swayed.
"All I'm saying is homicide ain't no place for girls Janie! If it was my decision, you wouldn't be going anywhere near it."
"Well, it's not your damn decision to make now is it pop?!" Jane said, snatching her drink off the table.
"I need some air."
"Jane," Maura called to her girlfriend's retreating form.
"Excuse me," she said as she stood from the table.
"Frank! What the hell is the matter with you?" She heard Angela say as she walked out to follow Jane.