DISCLAIMER: All things Rizzoli and Isles belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro, and other entities. I'm altering their realities for fun, not profit, as I own nothing and have the credit report to prove it.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To mf.vinson[at]gmail.com
Fridge
By sailor80
Detective Jane Rizzoli hit the ground running, with a crime scene to examine first thing in the morning. No breakfast, since her plans to go grocery shopping after work the night before evaporated into overtime and there were no leftovers in her refrigerator. No coffee, either, since there was no place open on the way to the scene.
When they finished what they had to do, they headed back to the station. Detective Barry Frost, who noticed his partner's extra grumpiness, stopped along the way and bought her the biggest coffee he could find, and put it on her desk. She wasn't there, although he saw her car in the lot, and he figured she was in the morgue, observing the autopsy. He debated what to do, and decided that his dislike of the morgue was outweighed by the need to have his partner functioning.
She was there, but there was no autopsy in progress. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles was nowhere in sight. Jane leaned against a counter, eating cold pizza. Frost led with the coffee cup, and when Jane saw it, she took it from him with a heartfelt, "Thank you," and drank deeply.
"Where's the doc?"
"Staff meeting," Jane answered and took another bite of pizza. "Want some?" she asked around the mouthful.
"No thanks. Just came down to bring you this, and now I'm going back to my desk."
"I'll be there in a few."
'Sure you will,' Frost thought, 'unless Dr. Isles returns before you leave.'
Jane strolled in the bullpen, still holding her mondo coffee, but looking much more alert and approachable, and she and Frost quickly divvied up the work to be done on this case and got started.
Frost appeared to more dedicated to the work, but he knew his partner's regular breaks - which included anything from a stretch or trip for more coffee to launching paperclips with rubber bands to annoy whoever she could - meant she was working as hard as he was. Their styles were different, but they quickly figured out how to best utilize their skills.
At 12:45 p.m., Jane's phone went off. The somber ringtone meant Maura was calling, and Frost made a mental note to mess with Jane's ringtones when he got a chance. It was only fair, since she cuffed his ankle to his chair while he was passed out on his desk. The only injury was to his pride, and changing her ringtones would make Jane crazy. Show tunes would be perfect, he decided. Korsak would know which ones, and help him get her phone long enough to do the deed.
"Hey," Jane answered.
"My lunch seems to have disappeared. Shall we go out?"
"Sure."
"I'm on my way," Maura answered, and disconnected.
"I don't understand," Maura said when she arrived. "I distinctly recall bringing leftover pizza for lunch, but it's not in the refrigerator." She nodded to Frost, the only detective in the bullpen besides Jane. Then she took a look at Jane, and noticed a dried, reddish-brown stain on her thigh, and sighed. "You're buying," Maura said, pointing at Jane. "*This* is why I don't use that fridge!"
The End