BLT 30
Jane stood on the grass with her hands on her hips looking out over the soccer field that would soon be overrun with a bunch of seven-year-old kids, hers included. When she had agreed to take the coaching position for Valley's soccer team, she hadn't expected the early morning practices and games that would drag her out of a warm bed, not to mention Maura's warm arms. But alas, here she was on an early April morning, shoving her hands in her pockets with a knit cap on her head braving the cold and light frost that covered the field.
She was glad when Barry walked up to her with a steaming cup of hot coffee, a chocolate sprinkle doughnut, and that ever-present smile she had come to associate with him. At the moment, she wanted to be grumpy, but how could she with a friend like him?
"Thanks…" she sighed as she took the coffee and wrapped her hands around the paper cup savoring the warmth. With a nod, she acknowledged the doughnut he was holding out for her. "Give me a sec to warm up my hands."
"If you ask me, it's a bit too cold out here for this." He waved his hands around. "I hope it warms up."
"It usually does by about eleven." Jane took the doughnut and bit into it with a moan. "Ummm, so good…" she said as she chewed it before taking a sip of coffee.
"Tell me you like it without telling me you like it." He laughed. "Well, you can thank Carly for the goodies."
"Are they coming today?" Jane inquired as she continued to devour her food.
"Yeah, I think Ryan's gonna make it too." He smiled at her.
"Good. It's been way too long since we've seen them and the kids." Jane couldn't help but roll her eyes at his early morning cheerfulness. It used to surprise her how optimistic he was even on those occasions they pulled an all-nighter when they were partners. Tilting her head, she regarded him with a skeptical expression. "I just gotta ask… what happy pills do you take to make you so up in the morning and can I have some?"
"Life, baby… life makes me happy." He crowed with enthusiasm.
She couldn't help but laugh at his exuberance. Life had been pretty good for all of them lately and because of that, she couldn't stop that heavy, foreboding that usually sat in the pit of her stomach when things were going too well. Things weren't perfect, not by any means. She and Maura had had a disastrous night trying to get reacquainted in a way they hadn't been since baby Mia had arrived. It was no fault of anyone that they had taken their one night of solitude to catch up on sleep but when they had tried to have shower sex it was all elbows and knees. Not at all reminiscent of what she had remembered it to be. After giving up, they had gone to have a nice brunch before heading home to settle into their family routine. These memories caused Jane to let out a frustrated huff that came out in a puff of white from her mouth before hovering for just a moment and then disappearing.
"You and Maura still haven't…" Barry wiggled his eyebrows and shimmied his shoulders when he saw Jane's frustrated expression.
"No, but not from lack of trying." Jane shook her head before eating the last bite of doughnut. She had lost her appetite but didn't want to waste the last bit of chocolate and sprinkles. As she chewed thoughtfully, Barry waited patiently for her to continue. "Ya know, if Maura's in the mood… I'm too tired and vice versa. We were never this tired when Li came. And if we do get a minute alone, it's just that… a minute." She said and then snapped her fingers.
"Yeah, but now you've got three kids to contend with and…" he hesitated before continuing. "This new relationship with Vince and your mom, Constance's wedding, Tommy and his break-up, Frankie's new promotion, and well… you just really have a lot on your plate." Again he hesitated before looking away from her expectant eyes that seemed to see right through him.
"You got the FBI job, didn't you?" She asked. And even though her tone was resolute, she was truly happy for him. It had been something she had considered for herself, before… before she started a new life with Maura. She watched him nod and when he continued to look at his feet she gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you, man. This is a great opportunity… one you shouldn't be afraid to take."
"I'm gonna miss you…" he said with a heavy sigh. "You and Maura… made me a part of your family. I'm really grateful for that. I won't forget it."
"Hey, you're not dying… you're just going to be a few hours away from us. And you'll be closer to Elsa. I know how hard it's been having a long-distance relationship. And when you marry her…" she held up a hand when he started to protest. "You're gonna marry her, dude… no one has come even half as close to making you this happy. We're gonna be there… I mean, of course, I'll be your best man..."
Even though he laughed, he knew Jane was serious. It was something he thought about a lot lately. "You know me well…"
For a moment, they were quiet as they each contemplated their thoughts. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence but the kind that two friends who knew each other well could enjoy from time to time without having to fill the void some people might feel was too much. It was finally interrupted by the sound of a car door shutting. Jane looked over Frost's shoulder to see Maura and Angela gathering kids and coolers from the new SUV they had just bought and a smile spread over her face.
"You wanna put the cones out and I'll help Maura and my Ma…" she nodded towards the cones, then Maura.
"Yeah, I've got it. You want them the same as last week?" He asked and got another nod in return.
Right now, Jane's only concern was getting to Maura so she could help her. Valley usually would have come with her but she was being a little sluggish this morning so Jane had opted to let her come with Maura, who also had Li, Mia, and the snack and drink cooler to contend with.
"Hey, where's Vince? He usually brings the coolers." Jane asked as she approached her Mom who was pulling Mia's carrier out of the car.
"He and Liam are finishing up some surveillance thingy." Angela waved her free hand around in annoyance. "He said he should be here by the second half."
She could tell her mother wasn't happy that Vince had joined their PI business since his retirement from the BPD. He had made it two whole months before he started to join in on some of their cases and before too long, he was working with them regularly. For her, it was great to have the extra help, but for her Mom… she just missed having him around more.
"Well, just leave the coolers. I'll see if I can get some of the dads to bring them to the field." Jane said before leaning down to give Mia a gentle kiss on the top of the head so as not to wake her. "She been asleep long?"
"Since she got in the car." Angela smiled down at her granddaughter. "But don't worry about the coolers, Tommy is right behind us and he said he'd bring them in."
"I'll help him…" Jane said then hesitated. "How's he doing?" They had all been worried about his sobriety since his break-up but so far he had managed to handle his heartache by devoting himself to little TJ. He had also reassured them that it had been a mutual decision, but Jane wasn't so sure.
"He seems good. He's got the baby this weekend so he's happy. He's turned into a good dad." Angela offered Jane a little smile.
Before Jane could answer, she was smothered by a seven-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. Bending down, she scooped Li up into her arms kissing his pudgy cheek, and then ruffled Valley's hair. "You feeling better Alley Roo?" She asked as Li giggled and squirmed in her arms.
"Don't call me that…" Valley brooded as she released her hug on Jane and then crossed her arms. "I'm not a baby anymore."
The huff that followed Valley's statement reminded Jane of Maura and it caused her to look around to find out where she was. When she spotted Maura over the roof of the car, she got an exaggerated eye roll that warned her that Valley was in a mood and it made her laugh. "Come on, kiddo…" she said as she gave Valley a gentle shove towards the field. "Why don't you help your Nona with Mia."
With another huff, Valley nodded and then trotted off after Angela. Jane shook her head and then turned her attention to Li who was watching Valley with a look of confusion. "Sissy…!?" he called after her but didn't get a response in return, causing him to squirm more in Jane's arms in an attempt to follow after his older sister.
"You wanna catch up to Sissy?" Jane asked as she set him down. "Hey Ma, Li's coming with you…" she shouted and then waited until her mom stopped before letting Li loose. "Valley, help Nona keep an eye on Li." It surprised her when Valley huffed again and dropped her shoulders in irritation but they had gotten used to the dramatics of a seven-year-old.
"If she's this moody now, how is she going to be when she's a teenager." Maura lamented as she approached Jane with an exasperated expression.
"She's just mad at me cause I benched her for the game to let some of the other kids play." Jane sighed when Maura wrapped her arms around her in a desperately needed hug. "I told her it was just temporary but you know how competitive she is." Jane laughed. "I wonder where she gets that from…"
"You…" Maura said quickly before Jane could finish her sentence.
"What?" Jane brought her hands to her chest in a dramatic show of protest.
"And she also got that over-dramatic thing from you as well."
"Me? Over dramatic?" Jane exaggeratedly batted her eyes.
"Yes… you…" Maura gave Jane a gentle pinch to her middle before hugging her again.
"Look's like you've had your hands full this morning." Jane held Maura a little tighter this time.
"Thank goodness for Angela. She's been so helpful…" Maura let out a heavy sigh.
"Any news on when your mother will be back from Italy?"
"Next week." Maura let out a relieved breath. "She and Bre want to get together and go over some of the wedding plans."
"Wedding plans…" Jane mused. "I just can't believe your mother is gonna do it. Don't get me wrong… I'm happy for her and all…" she quickly added when Maura started to pull away from her. "It's just, I don't know… I didn't think she would ever do it again."
"I didn't either but she and Bre just… work, you know. I've never seen her so happy." Maura's tone was slightly melancholic.
"You seem hesitant…" Jane started to say but was cut off by Maura shaking her head.
"Not hesitant." Maura paused as she tried to think what she wanted to say next. "I guess I never thought she would get married after my father."
"Well, it's been… what… almost ten years? She deserves a second chance… we all do." Jane tried to reason.
"You're absolutely right." Maura agreed as she gave Jane another quick squeeze around the middle before letting go. "I guess I should go help Angela, Li is a bit wound up this morning. He wants to follow Valley around everywhere she goes and she doesn't like it."
"Kinda like Frankie and me back in the day…" Jane smiled at the memory of how she and her younger brother used to be.
"What do you mean back in the day? He still follows you around and you get just as annoyed as Valley does." Maura rolled her eyes again.
"Hey, you better stop doing that or your eyes might roll back into your head."
"Not medically possible…" Maura huffed just like Valley had earlier.
Jane laughed at the way Maura was staring at her with a mixture of annoyance and utter devotion. "I'd say Valley is picking up some bad habits from you too."
"Impossible, I don't have bad habits..." Maura said with authority before crossing her arms and trying to glare at Jane but instead of a stern stare, she just started to laugh. "Alright, alright…" she waved Jane's teasing away with her hands. "You need help with the coolers?"
"Nah, I'll get them. You just go on and teach our kids some more bad habits." Jane stuck her tongue out at Maura, who suddenly turned serious.
Without warning, Maura lunged at Jane and kissed her hard. "I'd rather teach you something bad…" she whispered against Jane's lips.
Before Jane could respond or her brain could catch up, Maura released her and then sauntered off, her hips swaying in an exaggerated way. "Holy shit…" she sighed under her breath only to have her words echoed by someone standing behind her. Spinning around, she was surprised to find Gio standing with his hands in his pockets watching her with a sly grin on his face.
"You guys still look hot…" he laughed as he approached her.
"Don't be such a dog, Gio." Jane gave his shoulder a playful punch.
"Well, it's true." He continued to grin at her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a hug.
The sudden contact surprised Jane but then she relaxed into the hug he was offering. "It's been a minute, hasn't it?" She said as they pulled apart.
"Yeah, it has. Don't think I've seen you since Liam was born. And I hear you've added another munchkin to the team." He put his hands back into the pockets of his sweatshirt to warm them.
"We had our third around Christmas… Amelia, but we call her Mia." Jane said proudly.
"Well, seeing as how happy you seem to be, I thought I'd give it a try myself." He said, puffing his chest out.
"What? You got a kid now?" Jane asked, her interest immediately piqued.
"No, not yet but it ain't from lack of trying." He laughed. "But I am seeing someone who already has a kid. She's about Valley's age. We're here for the tryouts today."
"Really?" Jane asked as she pulled the roster from her back pocket. "What's her name?"
"Sabrina…"
"Sabrina…" Jane said as she ran a finger down her roster until she found it. "Sabrina Anderson?"
"Yep..." Gio said with a smile. "Her mom is Becca Anderson… she used to live in the old neighborhood when we were kids. You probably know her."
Jane furrowed her brows as she tried to remember anyone by the name of Becca Anderson, but she was only drawing a blank.
"I mean it was a long time ago…" Gio tried to reason. He could understand if Jane didn't remember because he didn't either. "Hey, here she comes."
Turning around, Jane was surprised to see a woman about her age walking across the parking lot toward them with a little girl in tow. She had long dark hair hanging down over her shoulders and out from under a pink beanie with a fluffy ball on the top. And even though she was wearing one of those puffer jackets, she still appeared tall and lean… or perhaps it was the black leggings that made her legs look so long. She wasn't anything at all like Jane would expect in a woman that Gio was dating. She looked hip, yet conservative at the same time, and even though her eyes were covered by reflective sunglasses, Jane somehow knew that they were blue. A funny feeling started to come over her, one she hadn't felt in a long time. Her mind started to race as she tried to figure out why this woman seemed so familiar to her.
As the woman got closer, Jane started to feel vulnerable because she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. She just knew that everything she was feeling… or struggling with at the moment must be showing on her face.
"Hey, babe…" Gio reached out to wrap an arm around the woman when she arrived next to him. "This here is Janie… oh sorry, I mean Coach Rizzoli…" He said catching himself.
"Nice to meet you, Coach Rizzoli." The woman said offering her hand to Jane who just stared at it as if it might hurt her. "Um, my name's Becca Anderson and this is my daughter Sabrina." She said putting the once-offered hand on Sabrina's shoulder.
Suddenly she found three sets of eyes watching her with concern, surprise, curiosity...which, she wasn't sure. But then, she finally found her voice and her manners. "Hi Sabrina, glad to have you here. And…" she turned her attention to Becca. "We are always glad to have more parents around."
Becca nodded but then tilted her head to regard Jane with a questioning expression. "Rizzoli? You wouldn't happen to have two brothers…" she paused as she tried to remember. "Frankie and… Timmy…?"
"Um, yeah, Frankie and Tommy." Jane took a deep breath at the sudden realization that the woman in front of her was Becky Taylor… the same Becky Taylor she had been best friends with when she was about seven years old. The same Becky Taylor who lived next door to them whose father had been killed by a mugger for twenty dollars. The same Becky Taylor who had moved away without a goodbye. The same Becky Taylor who had broken her heart all those years ago.
"Oh, my God… you must be Jane… Jane Rizzoli." Becca said excitedly as she threw her arms around Jane and hugged her as if they had been best friends all this time.
"Um, and you'd be Becky Taylor…" Jane said as she tried to gently disentangle herself from Becca's hold so they could look at each other.
"I am. I go by Becca now." She seemed genuinely happy to see Jane. "And well, Anderson is my married name… or was…"
"See, I told ya she used to live in the old neighborhood." Gio gave Jane a questioning look. He had seen the change in her behavior. He knew her well enough to know when she was uncomfortable. What he didn't know, was why.
"We used to live next door to each other when we were kids." Jane gave him an 'I'll tell ya later' look that caused him to frown.
"We did and we were pretty much inseparable until…" Becca's voice trailed off at the memory of why they had moved. "Well… that was a long time ago." She said waving her hand as if to dismiss her thoughts from progressing any further. "So, you're the coach… huh. That must mean you have kids playing…"
"Um… yeah, my daughter Valley..." Jane said, pointing in the direction of her mother, Maura, and the kids. "She's just about your age, I'd guess." She said to Sabrina who was looking over at her family with curiosity.
Becca looked in the direction Jane was pointing and saw two women with a baby carrier and toddler at their feet. The girl she presumed to be Valley was playing around with a man in the middle of the pitch and she just assumed it was Jane's husband. "It's nice to see that your husband is here too." She nodded towards who she assumed was Jane's husband.
Gio started laughing and it caused Becca to frown and Jane to blush. "That ain't her husband…" Gio slapped his leg as he continued to laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry… I just thought since he was over there and playing with your daughter…" Becca started to stammer. "And I don't see what's so funny, Gio."
"What's so funny?" Gio stopped laughing to catch his breath. "What's so funny is that Janie here is a lesbian. That's her hot wife over there with Angela."
"A lesbian…?" Becca furrowed her brow and frowned.
Seeing Becca's reaction, Jane suddenly felt very self-conscious and well… angry. "I hope that won't be a problem because if it is… you might want to head over to Sanford's team. They tolerate bigotry better than we do."
"What?" Becca seemed surprised by Jane's bluntness. "No. I don't have a problem with it. Not at all…" she tried to reassure Jane who had a skeptical look on her face. "I guess it just took me by surprise, that's all."
"Yeah, took everyone by surprise back in high school too..." Gio said.
"How about we get this little lady out on the field and see what she can do? We do have a game at noon and if she's good and up for it, she can play." Jane changed the subject quickly when she saw that Sabrina was watching the kids playing with a longing in her eyes. "We can catch up later if you want." She said to Becca who just nodded as Gio guided her towards the field and the other kids. "I'm gonna go let the assistant coach know and we'll get started right away. You wanna come with me to meet the team?" The question was directed at Sabrina who glanced at her mother for approval and then took Jane's outstretched hand. "Parents sit on the sidelines. Hope you brought some chairs. And Gio…" she tossed over her shoulder before leaving. "Would you mind grabbing the coolers?"
"Yeah, sure…" Gio said.
"I'll go get us a good spot on the sidelines." Becca said, as she watched Gio, Sabrina, and Jane walk away from her leaving her alone to ruminate over why the thought of Jane being married to another woman made her feel short of breath. She had always considered herself a supporter, but for some reason she wasn't sure she wanted to meet the woman who had been the one to capture Jane Rizzoli's heart. It would be inevitable though, especially if Sabrina got on the team but that wasn't what had her worried. It was the answer to the 'why she didn't want to meet Jane's wife' that she would have to eventually deal with that had her worried.